Thursday, December 31, 2009

Merry Christmas!

After opening our presents at home and going to the in-laws for homemade coffee cake and more presents, we wound up in Naruna at my parent's house. Angie and Chris came up from San Antonio; even Mama made it out to the country!
After tons of presents, we had a great Christmas dinner--including some butternut squash soup that i was able to eat! Afterwards we played an exciting game of Cranium--boys against girls, and the girls totally kicked butt. But then again, we always do...




Thursday, December 24, 2009

Not Wired!

Wednesday they opened me up, after having my jaw wired shut since the 1st!

Here's my last pic with the rubber bands on...

...and now, with them off!

We have a tradition of going to Ihop for breakfast with the family on Christmas Eve morning. I got oatmeal, which wouldn't normally be my first choice, but it's the most solid food i've had in over three weeks so i enjoyed it.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Night Out

I was feeling pretty good Saturday night, so we went out to Cool River.
Steven and his friend Safaa; the boys met while they were working in Iraq--now he lives here, so he spent the weekend with us.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Some Really Great Soup Recipes!

I've always liked soup, but i've had to be a little more creative lately and find some new recipes so i don't go crazy while on my boring liquid diet. The following would all be tasty (even if you can eat solid food), maybe as an appetizer, or as the main dish with some bread or a nice salad.

Warning: NONE of these recipes warned of the DANGER of putting hot liquid in the blender. NEVER try to blend something hot unless the blender is less than 1/4 full. The top will blow off, the soup will get all over the counter and the walls and the ceiling...don't ask me how i know this...just trust me please. Either blend in tiny batches, or let it cool down first.

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup (from http://www.allrecipes.com/)

Ingredients
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
salt to taste
1 large roma (plum) tomato, seeded and diced
Directions
In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and lime zest. Set aside in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to blend.
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add sweet potatoes, and chicken stock. Season with cumin, chili flakes and ginger. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
Puree the soup using an immersion blender or regular blender. If using a counter top blender, puree in small batches, filling the blender just a bit past half way to avoid spillage. Whisk peanut butter into the soup, and heat through. Stir in lime juice, and salt.
Ladle into warm bowls, and top with a dollop of the reserved sour cream, a few pieces of diced tomato, and a sprinkle of cilantro.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 229 Total Fat: 9.3g Cholesterol: 11mg

I did it without the tomatoes and cilantro, but it was still good! I also used fat free sour cream.
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Cream of Garlic Soup (from http://www.allrecipes.com/)

Ingredients
3/4 cup garlic cloves, peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup white wine
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup peeled and cubed potatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Chop garlic in a food processor to a coarse paste, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic paste and cook just until the paste begins to color, stirring constantly. Stir in the chicken broth and wine. Bring mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the milk, cream and potato and simmer for another 30 minutes.
Puree soup in blender, return to saucepan and simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve with buttered French bread.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 393 Total Fat: 28.8g Cholesterol: 75mg

To cut some of the fat, i used skim milk, and half and half instead of whipping cream. It wasn't as thick, but tasted great. And of course there was no bread for me.
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Cheese Soup (from Mother-in-Law)

1 stick butter
1 medium minced onion
1 c. grated carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 lb grated or cubed velveeta cheese
8 oz sour cream
4 c milk
salt and pepper to taste
4 cans cream of potato soup

Saute first four ingredients together until tender. Add remaining ingredients. Cook in large pot or crock-pot until right consistency
Nutritional Information: Probably very bad for you, but it tastes good so who cares?

Again, i used skim milk and low fat velveeta and fat free sour cream to try to make it a little healthier. At least this soup has veggies in it! I had to put it through the blender, of course. Also, was told any cream-of-soup, like mushroom, would work for this.

Quick Update

I saw the surgeon Friday; everything looks great, so if i'm reallllllllly good, he'll unband me Wednesday (before Christmas!!!) so my jaw won't be locked shut anymore. I'll still only be able to eat mushy/pureed/baby food at first, but that beats slim fast and chicken broth! And, i'll be able to speak clearly again. This is great news because i thought this wasn't going to happen for 3 more weeks.

I think a visit to the orthodontist is in order to see when he can take these braces off!!! Maybe before our cruise next month???

P.S. I've lost 13 lbs as of this morning! Maybe i SHOULD stay on the liquid diet...

Monday, December 14, 2009

DAY 12-14

I made it two weeks. I hardly have any pain and am not too swollen. Just looking forward to eating solid food again! I even went back to work today.
We went to Volente Beach on Lake Travis with friends for the Christmas boat parade Saturday night. Had a couple glasses of wine, and even did a little dancing! It was nice to get out of the house and feel like my old self again.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Merry Christmas to ME!!!

I have a problem. Every year when i go Christmas shopping, i come home with something for myself. I know it's selfish, but i run across deals i just can't pass up!!!


Like these socks i found on the clearance rack at Aeropostle (the whole store is 50-70% off right now, by the way); they look like shoes! What genius thought of this??? I love them.

And the $25 eau de parfum i've been wanting from Victoria's Secret was half off, plus discounted, plus i had a $10 off coupon, so the perfume cost me a grand total of... $1.08. Not bad! Guess i can live with a little bit of guilt.

DAY 9-11

2nd week is almost over!


Everything's going really well, and the swelling is still coming down; i'm starting to look almost normal! Wednesday i took Rosco for a 2 1/2 mile walk, Thursday i did some major Christmas shopping, and today i took Rosco for another 2 1/2 mile walk. Feels so good to get out!

I realized that i never explained just what it is they did to me during the surgery. Originally, it was to be a 4 part surgery--1: splitting and widening the upper palate and filling the gap with bone filler, 2: bringing down the upper left jaw and grafting in a wedge shaped piece of bone harvested from my hip, 3: turning the upper jaw slightly to the left, and 4: pulling forward the lower jaw and turning it slightly to the right. Luckily, my orthodontist did such a FANTASTIC job this past year, they did not have to do the first two parts of the surgery. I am fortunate, because those are also the more painful to recover from. So the surgery lasted about 5 1/2 hours, parts 3 and 4 only, and now i'm all plated and screwed back together. Most likely the titanium plates will stay in forever, and no, i should not have any problems with metal detectors (everyone asks!). Also, ALL the incisions were made on the inside, so no scars, yay!
I was very anxious about going shopping yesterday because i wound up going by myself. I can talk but it's really hard to understand me. I set out, armed with my little notepad and a pen, just in case! After hitting the Arboretum, the mall, and some of my favorite shops, i discovered it really wasn't that bad or embarassing. Salespeople either acted like nothing was out of the ordinary, or they asked tons of questions and were very interested in my procedure! But nobody stared, or made fun of me :)
During my walks in the neighborhood, kids always run up to pet Rosco and talk to me. I was nervous about this too, since kids can be brutally honest. But the kids have been so sweet! They just ask what's wrong with my mouth, i tell them i had surgery, and they are jealous when i tell them all i can eat are milkshakes!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

DAY 7 and 8

I survived the first week, and it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be.
I forgot to take pics yesterday, but today i fixed my hair, put in contacts AND wore some makeup, so i definitely took some. I went to the doctor today--he said i may be banded shut tight for the next 5 weeks. If they could take at least some of the bands off, i'd be able to eat mushy foods, pretty much anything i want pureed. Instead, i can still only have juices and broths. I manage some cream soups as long as they're thin enough and well strained.

I'm not craving junk food, oddly enough; i would kill for a salad though!

Guess i'll lose plenty of weight this way.
Doc said everything looks great, i'm healing nicely, and the feeling is slowly starting to come back in my face (my lips and nose and under-eyes were completely numb a week ago). Still very swollen too, that just takes time to go away. I can't wait till i can smile again--i feel like i've been over-botoxed and have lost all facial expressions!!!

It was sunny when we got home from Temple, so i took Rosco for a mile walk, and it felt great!!! I wasn't even tired after, and i would have kept going had it not gotten dark. Crossing my fingers for a nice sunny day tomorrow so i can get out again.

Today was a big day, i used a spoon to eat my soup at dinner instead of a syringe!!! It was messy, but i did it. And FYI, potato soup is pretty good even when it's been through the blender a couple times.

I think tomorrow i run out of the good tylenol (the one with the codeine cocktail) :(
But, good news is, when i'm taking just regular painkillers, i'll be able to drive again, so i plan on meeting a friend for a movie and maybe some Christmas shopping on Thursday.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

DAY 5 and 6



I lied, i did bruise a little on Day 5; just a small bit of yellow under my neck. But still, not bad, and not that noticeable! I made my first trip out of the house, to HEB with Steven, for soup and ice cream. Wore me out, but good to get out for awhile. Nose still stuffed up and hard to breathe, but getting better.

Day 6, made a BIG trip out to Walmart for a new blender! And i actually felt good when we got home. Things are definitely improving. Still spend a lot of time chillin on the couch with Grey Cat next to me, and Rosco on the floor on the other side.


Friday, December 4, 2009

DAY 1-4

I don't remember much about day 1, coming out of jaw correction surgery. The surgery started a couple hours late, around 11am, and lasted a little over 5 hours. The first night involved sleeping in 1 1/2 hour increments waiting for the next dose of morphine, and nosebleeds anytime i leaned forward. I had a terribly sore throat, and my lips hurt.

The 2nd day i got rolled over to the dental clinic for x-rays and they decided to band me completely shut because the swelling was pulling the lower jaw out of place. So now i can only "eat" juice, water, and broth, all through a syringe.


My lips, nose and under my eyes are numb because some of the major nerves in the face got stretched during the procedure. I've been having a lot of tingling and the feeling is slowly coming back; should be able to eat less messily once i can feel my lips! I spend my day trying to drink enough fluids to stay off the iv, icing my face, and sleeping. I try to shower but the room is so cold that i am shivering uncontrollably and every time i shiver, my jaw clenches up (very painful).




Day three and i get to go home! Little less pain than yesterday; i'm having trouble breathing because of dried up blood in my nose, so the doc cleaned my nose out (can't blow it for two weeks!) and took more x-rays; everything looked good. I managed to sleep over six hours at one point last night, without waking up for pain meds. I'm lucky--and pleasantly surprised!--that my face isn't bruised, just swollen.



Day four, able to get up and shower which makes me feel a lot better. Steven has gone to work for a little bit so i'm on my own. Still eating Ensure, broth, juice, and lots of water. The swelling has gone down a lot more. No more chipmunk jokes from Steven, hopefully. It's a cold day; i wish it was warmer so i could go for a walk, but we got a few snowflakes today so it's worth it!

Headed to the Hospital

Steven's excited!



"helping" me put away laundry and pack my bag
"Before" shots




A Reason to Wear My Pink Boots

Fun day playing in the river with Rosco





Thursday, November 26, 2009

Gobble Gobble

Got up early, braved the cold, and ran the 5 MILE Turkey Trot downtown today--58 mins, 23 secs.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Fiesta!

Beautiful day for a trip to Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio
Muscleman! Winning me a stuffed mouse.

Supergirls

Party Time

Katie and Matt's double Birthday party at Joe's Crab Shack

Girl's Night!


Boyfriend in Vegas + Hubby at hockey game=girl's night out and sleepover!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Counting Down

2 WEEKS till my corrective jaw surgery!!! AHHHHHHH!!! I'm excited and scared and not sure about a lot of things, but i will know more after seeing the doc on Friday. Soon i can say goodbye to the braces. :D

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Live Long and Prosper

Going to the Crush Party on Halloween as the Vulcan Saavik and Captain Kirk.

Halloween With the Kids

Steven taking the kids for motorcycle rides, then later, trick or treating.