blog – Essentially Dr. Mom

To my sweet boy

Today is the day I bombard you with scary pictures. Today is the anniversary of my (most recent) brush with death. Today is Noah’s birthday. Some years have been harder than others to celebrate my youngest miracle child. In those years, filled with failed therapies, dashed dreams and an overwhelm I felt in my bones, his birthday was a reminder of all of his struggles. I would remember the monitors and alarms that wailed in the NICU (and also in my dreams) as I looked at photos of a 1 lb. 6 oz. baby. I would remember the feel of…

marriage

15 simple ways to speak the Quality Time love language

The Quality Time love language is all about undivided attention. Sorry, you will have to put your phone away to best show a QT person love. Try your best not to cancel or avoid plans with a QT person – this will hurt them more than it will other people. As with all the love languages – attitude is key! Be excited to spend time with them, even if it means you miss out on something or you have to deal with something you don’t particularly love (think shopping, long errands, etc.) Does your QT person spend a lot of…

marriage

25 simple Acts of Service to make your spouse feel loved

1 – Make their cup of coffee in the morning 2 – Carry in the groceries 3 – Make them a Spotify playlist 4 – Offer to schedule doctor appointments or make long phone calls 5 – Fill their gas tank 6 – Surprise them with a food delivery while they’re at work 7 – Replace the toilet paper 8 – Respond quickly when they ask for a favor/task completed 9 – Learn to cook their favorite meal 10 – Start their car before they leave so it’s nice and warm (or cool) 11 – Ask “how can I help…

marriage

Love languages rescued my marriage

Have you ever felt like you needed love so badly, but couldn’t explain why you didn’t feel it? I’ve spent the majority of my life searching for love. When I was in middle school I was the fat, funny friend. At least in my own head. I was the go-between for my skinny friends and their latest love interest. I was very interested in boys, but never felt they were interested in me. Fast forward about 10 years. I’m engaged and heading to required pre-marital counseling with my wonderful fiancé. In the weekend intensive we learned a lot about each…

autism

5 items my Autistic teen can’t live without –...

Being a teenager is hard. Being a teenager living through a global pandemic is a whole other level of hard. In our house, the hardest part of the pandemic has been the changes – hello, Autism. For my teenager, keeping things somewhat predictable has been a key to our house running smoothly. Some of the items below are new necessities and some have been around for a while. Either way, we can’t live without them at this point! I asked Chloe what her favorite, most “can’t live without” things were for virtual school and I agree, these things are must-haves…

aromatic

Hello snow day – diffuser blend

Trick your brain into thinking you’re in warm, sunny Hawaii instead of cold, dark Michigan. Snow days are fun when you’re a kid…not so much when you’re an adult. You’re either forcing your car to commute in conditions the schools thought weren’t safe (hello employer, maybe that means adults should stay home too!) OR your entire day is thrown off by your kiddos being home. Either way, you will need something uplifting and warming to make your day a bit better. Let’s get a little sciency… Bergamot is a go-to oil in my mood boost repertoire. It’s full of Limonene,…

parenting

The ugly truth about medically fragile kids

After eight, extremely long months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Noah came home. While we were ready to have him home (and end the back and forth drive to the hospital) the thought of caring for a medically fragile baby during cold and flu season instantly sent my body into a panic. Medically fragile kids come in many shapes and sizes. Noah’s fragility was easy to spot; he had a tracheostomy tube coming out of his neck and more tubing connected to a ventilator. We rarely took him out of the house, but when we did he was accompanied…

hospital life

What if I disagree with you

Telling doctors “I googled it” doesn’t scare me anymore, neither does the steam that shoots from their ears when I say it. My children are my number one priority, you better believe I prepare, especially when the plans involve surgery, medication or therapy. So what happens when my opinion differs from the doctor’s? What happens when I want additional tests runs, therapies tried or plans made before we load the kids up with medication? I speak up. I’ve been parenting medically fragile kiddos for 12 years now. At this point my backbone is rather well established – it’s sort of…

internal

gingersnap cookies with ginger

Gingersnaps aren’t a typical Christmas cookie for my family, but these are so delicious I might have to make them a tradition. Ingredients: ¾ cup butter, softened 1 cup white sugar 1 large egg ¼ cup dark molasses 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1–3 drops Ginger essential oil 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Roll cookie balls in: 2 tablespoons white sugar 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream together butter and sugar. Add remaining wet ingredients. In separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Combine wet, dry, and other ingredients. Roll…

internal

snickerdoodles with cinnamon

Give me some cinnamon sugar on anything and I’m a happy girl. In my old snickerdoodle recipe I used to double the amount of cinnamon – now I just add a drop of dōTERRA’s cinnamon essential oil and I’m in heaven. These are an absolute favorite in my house. I hope you enjoy them! Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened 1½ cup white sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 drop Cinnamon essential oil 2¾ cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoon cream of tarter 1 teaspoon baking soda Roll cookie balls in: 2 tablespoons white sugar 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon Instructions: Preheat…