Karl and I are back in Arizona from an awesome whirlwind trip home! We had like, a million reasons to go home, however, the #1 reason was to be there for the arrival of Baby Finn!!

Let me begin, for my memory's sake, by quickly recapping our drive home... after having my A/C repaired the Friday before we left, it quit working a mere 6 hours into our 15 hour drive home.  At lunchtime.  In El Paso, Texas.  Picture Karl & I driving 85 mph for 9 hours with the windows down through west Texas.  I could've died.  One of the most terrible things was that I couldn't find a ponytail holder for the first 3 hours of the ordeal so my hair was literally whipping my face.  Our marriage could've died.  It was like a 9 hour workout, a couples therapy session, and a 1940's psychology experiment all rolled in to one terrible day. We miraculously made it home and to make a long story short, our car is still sitting in my parent's driveway sans A/C.

Anywayz. The A/C debacle was WORTH IT for the fun we had at home.  My parent's house is basically a revolving door of babies and sisters at all times.  It is an absolute joy to be home, especially for the birth of another nephew!  We had some special sister/mom time sans babies to catch up and shop before Finn's arrival and Emma's departure for her sophomore year, celebrated my birthday, celebrated Baby Finn & Callie at a really sweet luncheon, spent way too much time trying to get my car fixed, Karl helped my parents on a home improvement project, we helped watch Oliver for a couple of days while Callie & Jeremy were in the hospital with Finn, got to see our besties for the resties, & we squeezed in as much time as humanly possible with the man of the hour (Finn, duh) and Karl had a great interview for a job! Packed, huh?




Finn was born on Wednesday, August 7th at 12:58 pm after Callie labored for 5 hours- exactly 8 months after Lucy and about 17 months after Oliver! He weighs a little more than Oliver did at 8 lbs. 6 oz. and is the exact same length that Ollie was- 20 inches!  He is totally adorable and seems like he might be quiet and relaxed... maybe.  We'll hope so because his momma needs all the energy she can muster for big brother Ollie ;)

We had such a good time at home and wish we could have been there longer.  Karl & I can't wait until we are home for good and can see ALL our family and friends on the regular.  I can't stop thinking about how thankful I am for Finn and Callie's health and the health of all the adorable tiny humans in my life!! God is so good.

Aunt Hannah

So one of my favorite things to do is watch old home videos.  I mean, who doesn't love it??  We have a ton!  My mom has an unhealthy obsession with wanting video or picture documentation of everything, and based on my opening confession I'm obviously thankful for this.  We do give her a hard time about how she forgets the camera is recording and casually walks around with it hanging at her side or will record a 2 hour long tap dance rehearsal. Anywayz, I'm thankful.  So with this abundance of footage, my brother in law, Matt, recently started the painstaking process of converting all of our home videos to digital files and uploading them to a private family youtube channel lovingly named, "Cuppettfamilytree."  I get so excited every time I log on and see a new video has been uploaded!  Watching these has stirred old memories and makes me cry every time I hit the play button, especially when I see one of my sweet grandpas.  Well, there's this one video of Callie at age 5, me at 3, and Maddie at 9 months or so just playing and it is HI.LAR.IOUS.  Maybe this is ultra boring and not funny to anyone but family but I have literally watched it a dozen times.  Regardless, I thought I'd post some of the fun/funny that I've been up to lately... so, here's a clip of it, better turn your volume up. Enjoy!



I think it is so funny how adamant Callie is that I wear her blue jean skirt and kind of sad that I don't think it looks good on me! Plus the music makes it more like a soap opera...

Happy Tuesday!
Hannah K.C. Burton

So I'm finding foods that I'm really enjoying that are in line with my food allergies!  And in the interest of being positive about the 9 million things I can't eat, and in the off-chance someone stumbles on this blog that also has food allergies or chooses not to eat dairy, chicken, lamb, pork, turkey, peanuts, almonds, potatoes, or onions, here are a few things I'm loving these days...

This recipe that made AWESOME blueberry muffins that didn't taste the slightest bit vegan!  I've found that searching for Vegan recipes is the most useful... I'm certainly not vegan, but those recipes tend to follow most of my allergy guidelines.  Paleo recipes, on the other hand, have way too much meat and eggs for me to try and modify to suit me. So these muffins... seriously delicious.  I chose to use unsweetened applesauce instead of a banana and coconut oil instead of vegetable oil as well as soy milk instead of almond. They turned out great!  I mean, they did have an average amount of sugar in them.  I didn't say they were healthy.

My parents left last week after 4 fun-filled days in Phoenix all across the state of Arizona.  We had so.much.fun.  And also an unusual amount of outdoor adventure, for Cuppett girls, that is.  The Thursday & Friday they were here were spent perusing mine & Karl's stomping grounds- showing off our 'hood & home, shopping while Karl had to work, checking out the puppies at our local Puppies n' Love, going to see Karl at work, enjoying good food here at home.
Saturday we woke up and hit the road for the Grand Canyon- Karl & I went with The Baileys but were excited to see it again with my parents and to get to see it without snow!  At the Grand Canyon we walked up the sightseeing tower and then drove about 45 minutes along the southeastern rim and stopped several times along the way.  It was so so so beautiful and such a joy to do with my parents!  We really contemplated making a full weekend out of the Grand Canyon with hiking and all the other activities there are to do there but there were just too many other things we wanted to fit in... like trout fishing in Sedona, which is what we stopped to do on our way home after the Grand Canyon!

 The drive through Sedona was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever been on.  This was mine & Karl's third time in Sedona but we had never driven this way or been through this part of Sedona- it looked and smelled like Colorado, absolute heaven!  The trout fishing was fun and funny, not at all what I expected but we did bring home a couple of fish that Karl & I enjoyed later in the week after my parents left and they were DELICIOUS.  This just made all four of us even more excited for our Fourth of July rendezvous in Colorado with Gammy!  We're hoping lots of successful fishing is in our future then and not from a trout farm :)
 Sunday was a hoot!  We drove to Mesa and spend our whole afternoon floating The Salt River.  I have never floated before but always wanted to and it was so.fun.  However, I'm confident the entire student body from Arizona State thoroughly enjoyed their float trip that day as well. The alcohol, drug, and rap consumption on the river was ridiculous and only matched by the amount of profanity used.  We did have a blast, but worked hard to stay away from the students.  Gag me.
My parents leaving was so depressing :(  I've said it before and I'll say it again, living away from family is the worst.  Having my parents here was such a joy- we laugh so much with them, we enjoy the same foods as them, Karl and my dad love the same things, and I finally had someone here that loves to shop as much as I do! We are SO grateful they chose to spend some of their time off here with us, it couldn't have been more fun! We just LOVE our family and having a full house.

Not a ton actually going on in our lives right this second but lots buzzing in our heads and hearts... we are full of excitement and anticipation about the next few months, all of which centers around Karl's Air Force separation and our big move home.  I can't believe I'm even saying that.  Moving home.  Moving home.  Moving home.  Holy cow.

More on that to come.
Hannah K.C. Burton

The Bowen's were here all last week and we had such an awesome time!!  Karl & I had anticipated their visit for weeks and it definitely did not disappoint.  Any time spent with family is always the best possible way to spend our time and then to have a sister staying under the same roof as me is like the creme de la creme.  I mean, honestly.  Matt & Maddie got here on Monday, left on Saturday, and spent about 3 days in Las Vegas during the week.

Yes people, that means Karl & I kept Lucy for them while they were gone.  I missed Matt & Maddie terribly while they were gone, like, I was homesick for them.  Lucy did, however, mend my broken heart by being such a good baby for us!  Like, I cannot even imagine an easier baby.  She is so content at all times.  Like, you cannot possibly understand what an easy baby she is.  Anyways, we had such a blast with her!  Lucy is more receptive to Karl's cuddling than I am so he was in heaven.  And I got to dress her in the cutest clothes and take tons of pictures of her, both of which Karl won't tolerate me doing to him, so I was in heaven too!!  For realsies though, Karl & I have missed Lucy girl so much.  I felt like I didn't know her little personality because she was only a month old when we left Texas.  I lived in Texas for Oliver's first 9 months and saw him almost everyday... he knows me and Karl.  Getting to have so much quality time with Lucy- feeding her, changing her, bathing her, getting up at night with her- it was so so so sweet and absolutely priceless to learn her and know her!!  I can't imagine how hard it was for Maddie & Matt to leave her overnight but it sure was a treat for us!  Here are a few pictures from our days with her!

So I'm back with an update to all my mysterious stomach probz.  I had an upper scope... also known as a esophagogastroduodenoscopy.  Say that three times fast.  The result was a diagnosis of Eosinophilic Esophagitis, or EE.  The gist of it is that I have allergies to foods which trigger acid reflux which causes scarring on my esophagus which in turn makes my esophagus small and causes food to get stuck.  Allergies=eosinophilia cells.  Those shouldn't be in your throat.  Having those in your throat=more of the tiny throat rings.  So really these bad foods are creating this perfect storm/horrible cycle.  More on EE here.

I am SO GLAD to have an answer!!  My gastroenterologist thinks I've had this condition for years, definitely since my stomach pain started in junior high.  EE has only been commonly diagnosed and known about for the past 5 years so it would have been difficult to diagnose when I was younger.  As for the food allergies, I had a dairy allergy as a baby that my parents assumed I outgrew as my symptoms disappeared (skin hives, swollen lips).  My allergist thinks those allergies never went away, rather they just changed how they manifested, now causing reflux instead of hives.

Again, I am SO SO THANKFUL and praising God for these answers!!  I have a close friend with unique health problems too and we talked about what a blessing it is to know what is causing out troubles!  So many people go their whole lives without a diagnosis and a plan.  I am praising God!!

So yesterday I went to my allergist and had skin testing done on my back to determine what foods are causing the problems.  Skin testing, if you aren't familiar with, consists of one-at-a-time allergen-soaked needle scratches to your back... worse than getting waxed, better than dental work {in my humble opinion}. Then the doctor checks to see which ones you react to.  The result was and still is shocking.  Turkey, pork, chicken, lamb, potatoes, onion, almonds, peanuts, milk, & eggs {also the not shocking cat, dog, trees, mold, pollen, etc}.  I am still wrapping my brain around eliminating all of these things from my diet and what that will look like.  This is certainly not a pity party.  I am excited to feel better, to draw strength from God when I am sick of seafood and soy, and to not live in fear of my health issues!  I can't wait to blog about failures and successes in the kitchen while I try new recipes with egg substitute and other weird ingredients.  On the other hand, I also will not let this rule my life.  I won't turn down a piece of wedding cake, a meal at a friend's house that includes a delicious piece of chicken in a cream sauce, and I won't sit by idly during Thanksgiving while my family chows down on ham.  I'm going to give these diet changes my very very best effort but I will not obsess over it, expect others to accommodate me, and most importantly I will not feel sorry for myself.

In bible study right now we are studying Joseph.  He had years, YEARS of unjust suffering in the midst of serving his father obediently, then serving as a slave in Egypt loyally, he cared for prisoners while he was one, he was humble and just once he was delivered from his suffering... he didn't complain, he didn't pity himself.  Most importantly, he relied on God and gave God glory in his suffering and in his success.  I definitely do not have a life comparable to Joseph, however, it has been good to study this lesson this week!

So, that is where I am at.  It is my first full day on the new plan.  I did realize and take full advantage that a McDonalds quarter pounder with extra ketchup isn't excluded from my new diet.  And I also found milk-free chocolate-covered pretzels.  All is well.

almost basically accidentally vegan,
Hannah K.C. Burton

P.S.: Have any recipes that fit my almost-impossible new standards?!  Send me them!!

I posted this in Instagram BUT I am too excited to leave it at that!  Callie, Jeremy, & Oliver found out they'll will be welcoming another BOY this August!!  I am SO excited I can hardly stand it!  A brother for Ollie and another cousin for Lucy to boss around.  Perfection.

Finn Davis Bailey, you are loved!

Love,
Aunt Hannah

This is long, picture-less, and not terribly interesting... but my grandma's, mom, & dad will probably read it and mostly I just want to have it documented!  Also, who am I kidding, there's no way my dad will make it through this whole thing.  Calling it.  And HEY GAMMY & NANA!!

I want to write out my health story for the heck of it.  Also mostly because it's a big part of my prayer life right now... and I cannot wait to see how God moves through these prayers! Maybe someone can relate and it will help them get to answers more quickly in their own health issues!!

I remember being in 7th grade and doubled over in pit-of-the stomach pain during stressful times- cheer tryouts, namely.  20/20 on that one.  Whatever.  The pain was so cyclical and would come almost everyday for a couple of months or three.  or four.  and then disappear.  Then in 8th grade one of my friends gave me tums and it was the best day of my life.  I never told my mom about the pain prior to then because I was afraid if she took me to the doctor for it they would do something to me that was embarrassing.  I'll leave it at that.

Eventually tums became candy to my iron stomach.  And then stopped working.  The pain was absolutely debilitating.  I guess I cracked and told my mom freshman or sophomore year.  At some point during high school I had a barium swallow to check for ulcers and reflux.  Obviously they saw nothing from this, typical.  I definitely had diagnosed myself with severe acid reflux by the time college came.  The big dog prescription meds worked but my pain didn't seem to be triggered by food or even stress anymore.  It came when I was hungry, when I was full, in the middle of the night, during exams, exercise, basically it was super unpredictable and very inconvenient.

I'm guessing an age here but I'm thinking when I was 15 or 16 my dad had fixed a big steak dinner, I ate a bite, swallowed, annnnd it got stuck in my throat.  It was so scary!  I freaked out.  It felt like I couldn't breathe and I thought I was choking.  Turns out it was stuck in my esophagus, not my trachea. Incidents like this started increasing in severity and frequency starting in college.  Eating breakfast on the way to campus, shooting my cousin's wedding, at a ministry fundraising banquet... food gets stuck (normally red meat or bread), I excuse myself from the table, and then pray and jump around, try and get it out and cry and freak out because it is the worst feeling EVER!

When Karl & I first got married our good friends came to visit us.  At this point I was having red meat issues like 1 in 20 times.  Karl grilled steak and, shocker, it got stuck.  After 3 hours of getting sick in the bushes outside I was begging for a hospital.  After lots of failed nurse's efforts, they put me under and did an upper esophageal endoscopy and removed the steak from my throat.  Best feeling ever waking up free from that nasty.  And let it be known that I felt like SUCH a fat girl crying at the ER counter telling them I had steak stuck in my throat.

The doctor that did that procedure saw that my esophagus has like bands around it, constricting it, making it too small for certain foods to pass, called strictures.  This is caused by scarring from years of acid reflux.  Winning.  So, he did two follow-up procedures to dilate my esophagus.  This is apparently relatively common and has to be done every year for a lot of people.  Also I abandoned red meat at the ER.  Haven't looked back since.

However... in the past year I have definitely felt that my esophagus is constricting more, I feel nauseas literally all the time, and my reflux is starting to give me a physical allergic reaction- itchy jaw, swelling tongue, itching skin.  WHAT. IS. WRONG.

Last week I had an ultrasound to look at my gallbladder/liver/spleen.  It came back normal.  On Friday I'm having another EGD.  This time the doctor is going to biopsy my esophagus and my stomach... she is looking for a condition called eosinophilic esophagitis or celiac disease.  Gag me if I have celiac.  Then I can be like every other girl and be "gluten free."  EE, as I'll refer to eosinophilic esophagitis, is an allergic reaction that causes inflammation within the esophagus to foods that you eat.  Typically it's 6 foods that most people react to- eggs, peanuts, milk, wheat, soy, and seafood.  What?  That's literally everything.  The thing with a positive diagnosis of EE is that the next step is to have allergy testing to determine exact foods that may be causing problems.  This part, I am down with.  Pinpointing what it is that I am exactly allergic to and getting rid of it.  OK.

I am SO looking forward to these procedures.  I know that sounds insane but I want them to find something so it can be fixed!  I am so tired of feeling bad.  I literally cannot remember a time in my life when I didn't have a physical complaint/pain/ailment.  I distinctly remember feeling my normal stomach pain and nausea on my wedding day.  The total pits.

I am praying for answers and resolution!  I want diet and lifestyle change (and maybe a little surgery or something... what?) to be remedies and not more medicine!  I also don't want my diet to change too drastically, ya know, as in I would like to continue eating like normal person + some healthiness.  I'm praying remedies this month, thru this doctor, from our ultimate Healer!  I know Karl is sick of hearing me say I don't feel good, however he would never say that! I'm praising God for my awesome husband who is always quick to take care of me and I know hates seeing me feel badly as much as I do.  I have already seen awesome answered prayer!  I have had a hard time find a gastroenterologist that I like, that listens to me, and that I feel really wants to get to the root of the problem instead of putting a band-aid on my esophagus and I LOVE this doctor!  Karl & I prayed long and hard before my first appointment with her and God provided an awesome appointment.

I'm looking forward to writing about healing and health and answered prayer in the coming days and weeks!
Hannah K.C. Burton

If you follow me on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter than you know that The Bailey Family was here last weekend for a much anticipated visit and it did not disappoint!  Yes, the stomach virus that followed them here from Texas could've stayed where it came from, however, I cannot think of anything that would've stolen our fun while they were here!!