Low Iron?

Both children and my husband have all had strep throat this week.  So far, the Lord has spared me, and I'm so grateful!  When we found out my daughter had strep, we also found out she's a little low on iron.  Now there are all kinds of non-fun ways to raise your iron levels.  But here's a fun way:

Molasses Cookies

3/4 c. real butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. blackstrap molasses (the blackstrap molasses is where the iron comes from)
2 c. wheat flour
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. sea salt
2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground cloves
1 t. ground ginger
1/2 c. sugar

In a mixing bowl, mix butter, 1 c. sugar, and egg till smooth.  Stir in molasses.  It helps if you grease your measuring cup for the molasses first.  In another bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients except the sugar.

Preheat oven to 375.  Roll dough into walnut-sized balls and roll them in the rest of the sugar in a bowl.  Put on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, only until the tops crack.  Cool on wire racks.

Store tightly covered with a slice of bread to keep them nice and soft.

Swine Flu and 16-Week OB Appointment

Well, my OB appointment on Monday marks my 16-week milestone.  I can't believe it has gone so quickly!  He checked the heart rate - 156.  Any guesses as to what it will be?  He said baby and mommy are healthy and apparently happy :)

He brought up flu shots.  I told him we don't do flu vaccines.  Then he brought up the H1N1 vaccine.  We don't do that one either.  But I told him I thought I had already had it.  We talked about fever and other symptoms.  He said he would go ahead and mark it down as swine flu and wouldn't bother worrying about the vaccine.  I felt safer getting the swine flu than getting the vaccine.  Not that I wanted the swine flu, but it's a lot safer than that vaccine, in my opinion. 

He asked about the AFP test (I think that's what it's called) for my next visit.  Not quite remembering what that one was, I asked what the results of the test could do for me.  He said I could either continue the pregnancy or choose to terminate it.  Such a nice way to put murdering my baby!  I told him that I wouldn't be doing that test because there was no way I was going to abort, no matter what the test might find.  That just makes me sick to my stomach!  I'm so glad he's not pushing me to do this or some other tests.  He actually seemed very glad that abortion was not an option.  That's a relief to me :)

On The Mend

I've had the flu, and I think I'm finally feeling better.  Yay!  I felt like getting dressed in regular clothes today, which is more than I can say since Friday.  And Ds suggested stuffed cheeseburgers for supper, and I really wanted one - right now!  So I'm actually feeling like eating again :)  Still have all those nasty little flu symptoms, but they aren't so bad anymore.

On another good note, my family seems to have been strong enough to withstand my barrage of germs.  I think everyone else is still healthy.  I tried hard to sneeze the "right" way into my sleeve, and washed my hands about a gazillion times (thank you for your wonderful soap, Marlene! - I used the Rosemary since it is anti-viral).  It was harder than you think to only kiss my children on the back!  So maybe it will have all paid off.