Geneticist and Specialist Appointment

First off, we want to say thank you for everyone's prayers, kind words of encouragement, and all of the support we are getting from our friends and family. Our appointment went much better than we had been told to expect. First we met with a geneticist who explained in more detail what we "have" and what it can do to our future babies, if we decide to get pregnant again. She also drew out a genetic family tree and told us the probabilities of our children getting other genetic issues, which were all VERY small, but still interesting to know.

We were told, PRAISE THE LORD, that we should try to have at least one more child, and that the risks associated with our next pregnancy are present but not alarmingly high. There is a 50 percent chance the next baby will NOT get the antigen that Scott carries, but there is a 50 percent chance that the baby will. IF the baby does not have it, then the pregnancy will be normal. If the baby DOES have it there are a lot of varying possibilities.

Because my level of antibody is non-detectable right now, it probably wont' get to a reactive level until the middle of my 3rd trimester. If it's past 33 weeks, the baby will be delivered prematurely. If it's before 33 weeks, the baby will have an in utero blood transfusion. However, it still likely that we make it to 36-38 weeks and just have the C-section then with no transfusions, and a very jaundiced baby. But Jaundice can be fixed.

In any other following pregnancies where the baby has the antigen, my body will recognize it even faster and it will not be good.

So, what the Dr. told us bottom line is that there are a LOT of "odds" in the case and right now all the odds are in our favor. That we SHOULD try again, and then after that pregnancy that should by almost all means be successful even if it has some complications, we will reassess about a 3rd child.

We also learned that 77% of Caucasians carry this antigen, and 99% of African Americans carry it. so the antigen is VERY common, and it's very uncommon to find in a couple that one person has it (Scott) and one does not (me).

Because I have the antibody for this antigen, I have to get a medical bracelet or necklace and wear it at all times. If I were in a bad car wreck or needed a blood transfusion for any reason, and were to receive blood with this antigen in it, I would then have a hemolytic reaction causing damage to my organs or even death if it is not caught quickly enough. scary.

anyway, we are praising God for the good news we got today, though our anxiety levels about getting pregnant again are not completely gone. We have been praying through this every day, even multiple times a day and have decided to try and get pregnant again. In the event that we do get pregnant again, I will receive blood work to check my antibody levels every 2 weeks and sonograms every 2 weeks. Please support us with your continued prayers and words of encouragement. We are beyond thankful for all of them and for all of you.

Baked Ziti

This one originated from Anna P. too, and has become a regular!

Though it's called Baked Ziti, I actually use Penne noodles.

Ingredient list:
1 16 oz box of Whole Wheat Penne Noodles
1 package of ground Mild Italian sausage (use turkey sausage to be healthier ;0))
1 LARGE can of Petite Diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp of Tomato Paste
2 cloves of Garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp dried Basil or chopped fresh Basil
Half a white onion
1 bag of Shredded Mozerella
1 bag of Shredded Parmesan






















Directions:
Dice onion and mince garlic. Saute in LARGE skillet until the onion starts becoming translucent.
Add ground sausage, and cook until sausage is no longer pink at all.
Add can of petite diced tomatoes, AND 1 Tbsp of tomato sauce.
Add 1 Tbsp of Basil
Stir and Simmer on low......























Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees.
Boil your water, pour in noodles and boil for 10 minutes.



when noodles are done, layer the ingredients in a 9x13 casserole dish in this order:

Half of the Noodles
Half of the Meat Sauce
Half the bag of Mozerella
Half the bag of Parmesan
REPEAT :)

Place in the Oven and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the edges start turning golden brown :)

ENJOY! this was our leftover's shot!
This is a big dish, it'll feed 4-6 people.

What are Little Boys Made of?

"Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails....That's what Little boys are made of"

....oh yeah...and WORMS!!!!

Healthy SUPER tasty dinner:

You can't beat that right! It's Healthy AND super tasty! Promise!

Here's what was for dinner tonight:
BBQ chicken breasts, roasted zucchini, and corn on the cob!
YUUUUUUMMMM!!!

Timing is everything to serve it all warm:
Get the chicken going first, while the chicken is grilling, boil your water, then get the the zucchini in the oven, and then put the corn in the boiling water.... :)

Here's how:
1st: Fire up that grill
Trim and prepare chicken. I like to trim the yuckies off with my kitchen scissors and then tenderize it by using a tenderizer tool or you can just stab it a bunch with a fork on both sides! Good way to get out some aggression! lol

Grill chicken, flipping every 6-7 minutes. We grill on each side twice, brushing with our BBQ sauce. Make sure it's done by cutting into the thickest part to see that there is NO rubbery pink meat, and that the juices run clear.















2nd: pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
Cut zucchini in half longways and then cut it in half again. make 4 spears out of each zucchini. 2 zucchini's cut this way will feed 2-3 people.

Cover a baking sheet WITH SIDES with tinfoil.
Put Zucchini spears on tinfoil, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt
Roast in the oven uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until tender.























For the corn: Boil water on the stove in a BIG pot

Shuck the Corn, removing the greenery and silk.
when the water starts boiling, add corn for 10-15 minutes
serve with Butter and Salt....but not too much if you are trying to be healthy!
















Here is the end result. Eat UP!

Appointment

We have an appointment with a genetic specialist on Wednesday the 29th of April at 2:30. We will keep everyone updated.

Please keep praying:
1. That there is a possibility we can safely have another biological child.
2. We will be able to assess the risks with clear minds and trust in the Lord whether the risks lean in our favor or not.
3. That the Lord would protect our marriage through all of this, and make us stronger.

The Results Are In.....

So, We got a call today telling us that Scott does indeed have the JKA antigen. He tested positive for it. This is so hard for us. We were NOT told that we cannot/should not try for more children at this point, but to wait and see the results of further testing through a genetic specialist. Although, things are not looking good for us. From what we understand at this point, b/c I have the JKA antibody in my blood and Scott has the acutal JKA antigen in his blood, if our future baby also has the JKA antigen, my body will attack it. There is no shot to fix this like with RH-/+. There is very little research available, b/c it's not very common. However, there is hope, because with our miscarriage my titer level for the antibody was VERY low. It was 1. If my body were attacking the baby, my levels would have been between 4 and 300 or higher. So the thought is that this baby did NOT have the antigen and it was just a "regular miscarriage" Please pray for the following things: 1. that we can have more children. 2. that the pregnancies will occur with no or VERY little complications 3. that the Lord will heal our hearts and give us wisdom on deciding whether or not to pursue having more children. 4. that my heart won't stay broken for long if we are told that we cannot or should not have more children.

We will be seeing a genetic specialist soon, and will keep you updated.

New Recipe: Chicken Fajitas for 2 or 3 :)

I first must give credit where credit is due: my BFF Anna P. made this for us for dinner one night, and now we make it all the time!

Ingredients and Supplies:
Large Ziploc Bag
Fajita Spice Packet (you can get this in the spice aisle)
2-3 Chicken Breasts
Whatever Veggies you like in your fajitas, I used: 2 Bell Peppers, fresh mushrooms, and half an onion
3 Tbsp of Olive Oil

Directions:
Cut up thawed chicken breasts with kitchen scissors into good size chunks/strips to eat
Chop Veggies to desirable size
Put it all in a Large Ziploc Bag with Olive Oil and Spice Packet, and MUSH MUSH MUSH until the chicken and veggies look well covered with the oil and spices.



Heat oven to 375 degrees
Line a baking sheet that has sides with tin foil, place everything in the ziploc baggie on the baking sheet.
Make a "cover" for the baking sheet with tin foil, but cut a slit down the middle, place over the top like a "tent"
Bake for 25 minutes at 375.

Tortillas: Layer flour tortillas on a plate between paper towels, microwave for 15-20 seconds right before it's time to eat.

Put everything together with sides you like...we always do grated cheese and sour cream....
EAT! SO yummy!

My Neice: Kate Nunnallee

Here is my sweet niece! Not sure if they named her Kate Melanie Nunnallee or Melanie Kate Nunnallee; I forgot to ask what they decided to put on the birth certificate! BUT, I do know that she will be called Kate, she was born at 12:19 pm today, weighing 8 lbs 1 ounce, and measuring in at 19 and 3/4 inches long! She's a doll, and Papa Dale and Nana already have her in UGA gear of course!!

Growing: A Side Project

Soooo, I was at Target, and in those SUPER COOL $1.00 bins they had these mini clay pots with different spices/herbs you can grow! I got Basil, Parsley, Oregano, and Chives! Here is a picture of them sprouting! Stay tuned to see their progress! I can't wait to cook with them!!!!

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Sugar Chips

Hey all! This is a tasty little dish, that has a simple recipe, but it takes a little bit of time to chop up all of the fruit! It is SO worth it though!














Jessica's Fruit Salsa

3 Fuji apples: peeled, cored, chopped
1 lb Strawberries: chopped
8-12 oz blackberries: cut into 4ths
2 Kiwis: peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2-3 Tbsp white sugar
2-3 Tbsp preserves of your choice: I usu. use strawberry or blueberry

Cut up fruit, and mix it and all other ingredients together in a bowl.













Now for the chips:

10 ten inch flour tortillas
3-4 C of cinnamon sugar in a large ziploc bag
Either melted butter OR butter flavored cooking spray

Spray or brush each side of the tortillas with butter/butter spray
Use a pizza cutter to slice them into chips of your preferred dipping size
Bake at 350 on cookie sheets for about 10 minutes
Take out, let cool for 10 minutes, serve with chilled fruit salsa! SO GOOD!!



















Don't you just want to EAT them all NOW!!

Scott is Half way done with p90x: Check out my BEEFCAKE!

So, here are some before and afters of Scott's crazy p90x workout system. For those of you who haven't seen the amazingly cheesy infomericial....p90x is a Beachbody program that Scott V., Robert P. , James B. and a few other guys they know decided to do!
There are a few poses they do for their before and after. I'm going to try and arrange the pictures so you see a before pose, followed by it's after pose....for each pose.

Before: no flex After: no flex























Before: Flex
After: Flex

























Before: Flex After: Flex

















After: Super Flex :)



After: Super Flex

One of our FAVORITE meals....

Hey all, I've had some requests from friends to post some recipes! I do love to cook. This is one of our regulars!
















Grilled Salmon with a Brown Sugar Glaze, Wild Rice, and Green Beans.

Recipe:

Salmon: Fresh Salmon from your grocery store of choice (1 lb will feed 2 adults a toddler)

Jessica's yummy Brown Sugar Glaze: Mix 2 Tbsp of Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

Pour over Salmon, and marinate for at least 10-15 minutes
Grill outside if possible, if not good old George Foreman
gets the job done! Grill on scaly side for 3 minutes til it pulls off easy, then grill on each side for 4-6 minutes.

Wild Rice: I cheat on this one...Uncle Ben's..it's sooo tasty! (follow box directions)

Green Beans: Fresh Green Beans, clean and cut off ends
put in large frying pan with the following:
1 Tbsp REAL butter
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sprinkle with Salt
When almost done....sprinkle with sugar. ( cook in pan until beans are as soft as you like. I usually cook them for about 15-20 minutes on Medium heat)

This meal is SOO tasty and healthy, even my 18 month old LOVES it!
See: that, my friends, is my toddler eating FISH!

Scott's lack of test results....

SO, as I am typing this I am trying REALLY hard not to be angry beyond a reasonable point. After ALL that we have gone through (which was a lot) to make sure they tested Scott for the right thing, the Dr. didn't think we knew what we were talking about and ordered a different test than was needed. Scott of course tested negative for this random other test the Dr. thought he needed, and the Dr. ALSO has had the results since WEDNESDAY of last week, and had not contacted us or my OBGYN like he was supposed to. We have never had problems with our primary care physician until now. Please pray for us, as this is disappointing news, and we are back to square one on finding out what we really need to know before we try to get pregnant again or not. Scott is supposed to be having his bloodwork re-done either today or tomorrow. We'll keep everyone updated.

Hudson is 18 months!!!!!!!!