Weight Watchers: Week Five: Weigh In

Here we are again! Unfortunately, I've been slightly ill and stressed over the last week. This meant that I was eating a lot more to keep myself hydrated and feeling well. I gained some weight as a result: 203.4 lbs.

A minor loss. I've realized that not having fruits on hand has really made it hard to stick to eating right. Despite being a lot better at portion sizing, I still chose some foods that I should have left alone (like ramen). 

On top of that, I was recently diagnoses with a urinary tract infection. May be too much information, but it has drastically changed my diet in the last week. I'm on meds to clear it up, but it made my energy level last week very low. I'm hoping to see it bounce right back up in the next few days. My doctor and I are hoping that this clears up a lot of the digestive issues I have been having, meaning I'm not lactose intolerant or allergic to gluten. We had quite the debate on whether or not rice had gluten in it (it doesn't). That will show him for suggesting that rice might be killing me slowly from the inside out. Haha...

Anyway, more updates very soon on Weight Watchers, the UTI, and on playing with my new camera!

If you didn't know, I recently purchased a Nikon D5100. I have been getting pretty good at it. I just purchased and received my copy of Photoshop Elements 5.0. I'll be sure to post about my new photography adventures in the coming weeks (culminating in a trip to the Bahamas aboard the Disney Dream with my husband and his parents). I'll be sure to take so many photos that I'll have to buy new memory cards on the ship.

Until then, keep losing weight and stay healthy!

Where we go from here

This might be the last in the string of posts about my dear "little brother," Jaleel John-Baptiste. Since my last post, we have been to the funeral and wake, spent time with friends, and had a high school memorial and balloon release for him. Instead of writing a long post, I have included photos and video of the past week in case others were unable to attend.

After the funeral.

All of the kids came to the high school to enjoy each other
and Jaleel's music. They were smiling and chatting, writing
down memories of Jaleel on pieces of paper on the stage.
It was so nice to see them enjoying themselves.

Grabbing balloons.

My sister released a balloon for Connor and herself.

One of the girls had this shirt on. I think it's
from the last day of school when all the kids'
wore white for Jaleel.

Walking to the back courtyard to release the balloons.

They were really beautiful to watch.

A lot of people shouted out the different things that they
saw the balloons making in the sky, like a J for Jaleel.

Faintly in the mid-right you can see the two balloons that
Harry and J released for Jaleel. The first two released.

We all lingered for a while watching the balloons hover in the
sky. Before a while, we had to go inside because there were
snowball fights starting.

Cyndi commented that she couldn't look up too
much because it hurt her Asian eyes. The sky
was a very bright blue and the weather was good.

The kids all Tebow'd for Jaleel.

David made a cross for Jaleel to put at the high school. They
will leave it up until they can make a stone of something nice
to sit there as a reminder for the students to live life in honor
of Jaleel and his outstanding memory.

I hope you enjoyed these images. There are more on Jaleel's page. It has been a trying holiday for us this year, and we are, I think, getting back to the happiness and joy of the season. This year more than most, we have been seeing the real spirit of Christmas in each other. Everyone has been so supportive and helpful. The prayers and thoughts were abundant. We have been together almost every day since the beginning of December, and it has really warmed my heart. We have all become very close and made unbelievably kind, new friends.

Without everyone's consistent support, we may not have been able to come out of this with such strong and fond memories. I have been blessed beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I have a husband who loves me and supports me. I have a family who laughs and jokes with me. I have friends who are amazing, even after time catches up with us.

I guess the three most important messages of the season are to wear a seat belt, become a donor, and to have a blessed and Merry Christmas.

Updates on a friend, Jaleel

In case anyone knew him or was praying, keep praying! Jaleel, my friend who was in a rollover accident, is doing much better. He still has not woken up yet. His body is under a lot of stress. The doctors have been giving him good grades on his post-surgery recovery. He still has a lot of bruising on his body, and his brain is still swollen.

The real story has come out. Jaleel wasn't wearing a seat belt in the passenger seat. The boy who was driving was going 70 in a 35.... He was driving with a permit. He did wear his seat belt. This is why he left the hospital with a concussion and some bruises and scrapes. Not wearing a seat belt is why Jaleel is in the condition he is in. A seat belt could have saved him from his surgeries, from recovery, from brain damage.

We don't know what, if anything, will be a long-term challenge for him until he wakes up and starts to move around. I'm sure it will involve some physical therapy. Until a few days ago, they had no idea what was broken in his body because he wasn't stable enough to be given an x-ray!

If you knew him or have any questions or would like to make a donation to his family to help support his medical costs, please visit http://lovejaleel.webs.com or the Get Well Soon Jaleel page on Facebook. Your thoughts and prayers are welcome!

UPDATE: It came to my attention that I had been misinformed. Jaleel had been the driver, not his friend.

Expecting the Unexpected

Tonight, around 11 pm (if I have my facts right), a very close friend of my family was driving his car and got into a rollover accident. They rolled three times according to eyewitness accounts. He had one passenger in the car with him. He was ejected from the car through the front windshield, which makes me think he wasn't wearing a seat belt. They were both taken to the hospital, both sustaining very serious injuries.

From what I know from my family who is at the hospital for him, he was immediately taken into surgery for damage control. He suffered a lot of pancreatic damage. They removed part of his bowel and they inserted a shunt to relieve pressure to his brain. They told my dad that it didn't look good. He definitely suffered some heavy brain damage, but of course, no one will know how bad it is until he wakes up. They said his heart is strong, so he may live through this with some severe injuries to work through.

I just was caught so off guard. It was so late. His grandparents are in South Carolina dealing with one of his great-grandmother's health. They can't get a hold of his grandfather to even let him know what is going on with his grandson. His mother is there at the hospital and can't make any decisions for her son because the grandparents have the power of attorney. There are so many people waiting to see him and make sure that he's okay. My dad and sister are there waiting to see him and to be there for him. They've been talking to the doctors and nurses, trying to get information and be as helpful as possible. My dad has been calling his grand father over and over again. No answer, just voice mail. I'm just glad my sister and parents were contacted so that more people could be there for him.

I can't sleep just thinking about him. I watched him grow up! I met him as a baby. I watched him through some cub scouts, elementary school, junior high, high school... I know that he's made some bad decisions but he is really such a great kid. I have been praying non-stop that he wasn't drinking or smoking something. That he just lost control of his car on the ice, took a turn too fast or just couldn't stop at the light. I just hope he wasn't fighting with the other person in the car. I want it to all literally be a mistake, an accident. I want him to be fine and well. 

He wanted to badly to be in the military, and I worry that his chances to fulfill that dream are gone.

I'm worrying about his grandfather, too. His grandmother has early-onset Alzheimer's. His grandfather does a good job taking care of her. I just can't imagine how he will handle having to take care of her and take care of my friend. I am trying to just hope for the very best for him and for his family. I am hoping that the other person in the car is doing well also.

I'm doing a lot of praying tonight so that I can hopefully hear some good news and get some studying done tomorrow.

EDIT: Please note that at the time the author wrote this post she did not know that the car was not Jaleel's. It was a friend's car.