New Developments In My Hemophilia Story...

 (me and my favorite little bleeder :) )

Imagine living your whole life with a genetic disorder you never knew you had. In fact, for most of your life it was believed that women couldn't even have this disorder, so there's really no way you could have it...

About 5 years ago, I first shared my hemophilia story. You can read about that HERE

Well in May 2016, my story changed. I went from simply being a carrier of hemophilia to actually HAVING hemophilia.

 If you don't know, hemophilia is a genetic bleeding disorder. People with hemophilia don't bleed more, they just bleed longer. I grew up around it because my dad has it. He would get nasty bruises, called hemotomas, if he had a fall or bumped into something hard. Once he was jumping on the trampoline (on his knees) with my cousin and I. He did some yard work and later that day his knee was swollen (filled with blood) to the size of a cantalope.

Until recently, my dad didn't really manage his hemophilia well. (It's true dad, don't try and argue! ;) ) But thanks to my adorable son, we got him to come to clinic with us for the first time in his life!

But back to ME :)

So back in May 2016, we went to my son Ben's clinic and decided we would have his levels retested because they seemed strange compared to what my dad's levels are. Typically factor (blood clotting factors) levels within a family are all pretty similar. At the same time, we decided to have myself and baby Dash tested as well. Dash, we just simply didn't know if he had inherited my defective X gene or got the good one. For me, we just wanted to see what my levels were since I tend to bruise.

Well when the results came back, sure enough, I only have 45% of factor IX (9) levels. Anything under 60% is considered to be hemophilia.

So there I had it, at 29 years old and after carrying and birthing 4 children, I was told that I have hemophilia.

We have been blessed that both my son and I are pretty mild. Even though his levels put him in the 'moderate' category he has had never required an infusion to stop bleeding but he has gotten some ugly goose eggs.

Like a couple days before the first day of preschool lol

This was the bump that promoted us to find a hematologist after our move. We went to clinic a little while after this.

For me, I have always seemed to have unexplained bruises on my legs and hips.  Here's one I noticed a few weeks ago on the back of my thigh. I don't remember what I bumped it on.

As far as other woman things, I've never noticed that to be an issue. Not super heavy. The only time my hemophilia may have come into play was with the birth of my daughter (#3 and my first natural delivery). The doctor did have to administer something for bleeding when she was born, but as I've told my hematologist, the OB was a in a hurry to get back to the office (I came in right before 8am) so he tugged a bit on the placenta. No clue if that had anything to do with it or what. But overall, life has been pretty normal.

We are fortunate, some people with hemophilia require regular infusions. Some even need a port directly into their body so they don't have to find a vein every time. There have been some really great medical advances for hemophilia, just in my lifetime and I am grateful that my son's quality of life will not be diminished.

March is Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month. You can go to the Hemophilia Federation of American website to learn more, get involved, or donate.

Thanks for coming by and reading my update! Follow me on any of these platforms for more updates and upcoming projects! I've got some home decor projects, kid's sewing tutorial, and some product reviews coming up that you don't want to miss!
  

Fresh and Easy’s New Look and Features

Disclaimer: I was compensated for my time and for writing this post. All opinions are 100% my own and I had a great time at the Fresh & Easy Re-Grand Opening.

I had the opportunity on Saturday to go to the Fresh & Easy Re-Grand Opening here in Vegas to check out one of their newly renovated and redesigned stores. They had giveaways, samples, and other free stuff.

I was really impressed with the new look of the Fresh & Easy stores. The layout is really sleek and clean.


The shelves are much lower which makes everything at eye level or below and gives the store a really open feeling.




Oh and there's a pretty big gluten free sections, one with the bread and the other the packaged goods.

In addition to the new look, there are a bunch of new features in store. The Beverage Bar has fresh made to order smoothies, fresh squeezed orange juice, coffee and tea, draft sodas, and even an oatmeal station!



The Fresh to Go area serves made to order pizzas, sandwiches, and soup. I got to try the Chicken Noodle soup and a sample of the pizza, I think it was mushroom, and they were both fantastic! Plus they still have their ready to heat meals that are great for quick meals on a busy night or a quick and healthy fast food alternative.


They’ve even provided microwaves and a toaster to heat up your soup, meal, burrito, breakfast sandwich, and more.


Fresh & Easy still has fresh baked goods, just in nicer cases.


Of course there are still their pre-prepared smoothie kits, salad kits, and their fresh chopped ingredients to make meal prep a breeze.


One of the other cool new additions is the homeopathic aisle and new baby section. They even added a little touch screen kiosk to help you understand and select from the homeopathic aisle.

So there you go, a sneak peak at the new look and features of the new #smartermarket . If the changes haven’t already come to your local Fresh & Easy, they’ll be coming soon. You’ll be really impressed and I’m excited to be able to grab a quick lunch and do my shopping all in one place! Be sure to check out the new look and enjoy a fresh squeeze orange juice or something while you’re there!

DIY Baby Food: Summer Squash and Quinoa

Well, I didn’t mean to take a month off from blogging. It just kind of happened.

I had a crazy week getting ready for a vendor event for my Shaklee business. My friend and mentor Claire came to town to help me and we had a blast! Lots of business planning, lots of girl talk, and tons of fun!! We have some really amazing specials this month, so if you’re interested in getting healthier and starting an at-home business, shoot me an email (alexharalson08 (at) gmail (dot) com )and we’ll see if this is right for you!


The week after my vendor event, I spent catching up on everything and getting ready for our vacation to California! We went to the San Diego Zoo, the Mormon Battalion Historic Site, the beach, and we went fishing and strawberry picking.


It was a good vacation, but very difficult for the kids to recover from the lack of schedule and good sleep. So last week I spent focusing on them and trying to get them back into the routine of things. That’s what I love about my Shaklee business and blogging – anytime my family needs more attention I can pause those and focus on them!

So now I’m back, mostly recovered, and doing a bit of blogging and creative work. Today I’m bringing you a baby food recipe. Little girl loves to eat and I’m trying some new foods out on her.
I made this squash quinoa food to change things up a bit for her regular puree – it was super easy!



Summer Squash and Quinoa Baby Food
-2 TBSP olive oil
-2 small summer squash (or zucchini), coarsely grated
- 1/2 Cup quinoa
-1/2 tsp cumin
-1 1/2 Cup water

Add the quinoa to a saucepan and coat with 1 TBSP oil. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, add 1 TBSP oil to a pan and add the squash. Cook over medium heat until the squash is tender, about 3-5 minutes.Stir in Cumin.

Remove quinoa from heat and mix squash in with it.

To Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

For younger babies, process for a bit in a food processor. I've also mixed it with other veggie purees to make it smooth like my baby is used to.

Enjoy!