Holiday Mart 2012

Holiday Mart was this weekend & those of you who know me or have followed my blog for several years know how excited I get to attend this annual event. Besides the appearance of pumpkin spice lattes, it is one of the things I look forward to when the month of October rolls around.

To me Holiday Mart is the kick-off to the Christmas season. Nothing gets you in the holiday mood like decorated Christmas trees, holiday decor, Christmas music playing overhead, gift ideas to be bought & a good time spent with girlfriends.

This year my girlfriends Stephanie & Stacey joined me in the festivities & we definitely had a great time walking up & down all the aisles, checking out all the vendors had to offer, sampling yummy food & even getting a few Christmas gifts bought & out of the way. Hard to believe that Christmas is only 2 months away!!

Thanks girls for joining me in this annual holiday tradition :)

Orlando - Day 4

We were supposed to go to the beach today but according to the news channel, there was a tropical depression brewing in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. They reported 25 mph winds & dangerous waves so we opted to just stay around the resort & spend the day chilling by the pool. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera along but below is where we spent the majority of our day:

After we enjoyed a day of fun in the sun, we ordered carry-out mexican food from Don Pablo's & spent the rest of the evening packing up our things, cleaning up the condo & watching a little TV.

I was sad to be leaving my sister & her family but was looking forward to getting back to the hubby & furries :) It was such a fun, enjoyable trip & I am so glad I was asked to come along!

Orlando - Day 3

Day 3: Sea World

Out of the whole vacation, this was my absolute favorite day. I loved Sea World & all it had to offer. It was another gorgeous, sunny day & the park was definitely not as busy as Magic Kingdom which made it very relaxing & peaceful as we made out way through it.

 

One of the first stops was the Stingray Lagoon which contained all kinds of stingray swimming around waiting to be fed. We all bought some food for them & enjoyed feeding & touching them as they swam by. They are such cool creatures & I SO enjoyed hanging out here watching them.

Next we made our way over to the Dolphin Theater to watch the dolphin show. It was really entertaining & great fun watching all the dolphin's do their tricks:

 

After the dolphin show, we made our way over to Shamu Stadium for the show with the whales but before it started, the kids enjoyed going on a few rides. Tanner & Cael even went on their first roller coaster ride! You can spot them in the last 2 seats in the very back of the ride:

 

The show with the whales was way cool! They are such beautiful animals & so amazing to watch! We all thoroughly enjoyed watching this show - even little Jensen!

Afterwards we walked down to the "underground" of the stadium & just so happened to get our own personal show with one of the trainer's which was awesome! You can see the whales sticking their tongue out in one pic & waving their flipper in the other!
 

 

As we left the stadium & made our way over to Dolphin Cove these two cuties were walking ahead of us. Big brother Tanner leading little brother Cael by the hand - so cute!!

One of the last things we did at Sea World was probably my absolute most favorite - feeding the dophins. We all got up close & personal with these beautiful animals feeding & petting them & I could have stayed their all day long! I love how they always look so happy!

Sea World ended up being a great place to check out & I'm pretty sure fun was had by all! By the end of the day, we all decided that 2 days in a row of theme parks was enough as we were all starting to feel the aches & pains of all the standing & walking! 

After we got back to the resort & had dinner, the boys wanted to go swimming so we all headed down to the pool. Jensen & I decided to "just watch" while Jen & Ben swam with the boys! It was another great day but I think we are all looking forward to a much more relaxing day tomorrow!!

Orlando - Day 2

Day 2: Magic Kingdom

And what a "magical" place it was! The weather was perfect & the humidity was low - thank goodness! We arrived right when the park opened & my sister being the organizer that she is, had us on a schedule with itinerary in hand as to not miss a thing! She did a lot of research on how to "do Disney with kids" so Ben & I just let her lead the way.

We started at the back of the theme park & worked our way towards the front & by doing this, it didn't feel so crowded & we only had to wait about 15-20 minutes to ride the rides. With little ones who don't quite understand "being patient", it actually worked out really well.

Ben, Jen & Jensen waiting in line:

First rides of the day, Nascar Speedway cars & Dumbo the Elephant:

 

We spent almost 12 hours at the park taking in all the sites, riding all the kiddie rides, posing for pictures & enjoying all that Magic Kingdom had to offer.

 

I think the highlight of the day for everyone - especially Cael - was having dinner with Winnie the Pooh & friends. It was SO fun to see their little faces light up when Pooh came to our table along with Eeyore, Piglet (my favorite) & Tigger!

Love the boys' face in this pic & how Piglet is holding their little hands!

After dinner we made our way towards the front of the park & hit the gift shops to do a little souvenir shopping. Jensen got to try on some Mickey ears while Cael ended up getting his own pair of "Goopy" ears (as Cael calls them - lol)

 

What a super fun day we all had! The kids were troopers & other than a couple of meltdowns, behaved really well! On our way to the exit we had one more stop to make & one last picture to take! No trip to Magic Kingdom would be complete without posing for a picture with Mickey Mouse:

So long Magic Kindom - thanks for the magical memories :)

Orlando - Day 1

My sister & her family spent a week in Florida going to the beach & then on to Disney World & had asked if I would like to join them. I have never been to Disney, have always wanted to go & always jump at the chance to spend some quality-time with my nephews & niece so I didn't hesitate at the chance to join them.

I decided to forego the beach part of the vacation & instead met them in Orlando for 5 days of a "magical" time at Disney World. I got in around noon & the whole crew was waiting for me at the airport ready to head to our first adventure - Gatorland! It was extremely humid out & if it was any hotter it would have been miserable but all in all, Gatorland was a fun, neat place for the little kids & big kids too!

First stop: watching the alligators get fed

Aunt Hedder & Tan Man! 

Yikes - the humidity really did a number on my straight hair!!

My nephew's Tanner & Cael sitting on a real, live gator!

Family photo :)

There were alligator's & birds sitting right next to them everywhere at Gatorland! I was really surprised the gator's didn't try to eat the birds?!

This is how my niece Jensen spent most of the day at Gatorland. She loves to suck on those two fingers!!

After our fun gator outing, we all stopped at Ruby Tuesday for dinner & then made our way back to the resort. We were wore out from all the fun at Gatorland & ended up turning in early for the night - hoping for a less humid day the next day!

24 weeks

Today I am 24 weeks….Viability Day!   

Viability Day means that if Baby T were to be born today he'd have over a 50% chance of survival. Hopefully he doesn't get any wise ideas & stays cooking for the next 15-16 weeks so he can be strong & healthy when he is born. Luckily my 20 week ultrasound showed no cervical thinning - which is a sign of pre-term labor - so hoping the scan on Wednesday shows the same thing!

How far along? 24 weeks (baby is around 12 inches long & weighs almost 1.5 lbs)

Symptoms: Been feeling pretty good - don't really have any complaints!

Weight gain/loss: I didn't get a chance to weigh in today so going to say I still have gained a total of 13 lbs gained so far.

Maternity clothes? yes - shirts & pants whenever I can. My scrubs at work are getting a little snug so I'm sure after this week I will need to go up a size.

Sleep: Been able to fall asleep easily & stay asleep with no trouble - up until 4am, of course!

Food cravings/aversions: no real cravings or aversions this week! Still enjoying lots of cheese!

Movement? yes, Baby T is kicking & moving all over the place - especially in the evenings!

What I miss? jumping up out of the recliner or the bed with ease. This belly bump is starting to get big!!

Best moment(s) this week: reaching "V-Day" (viability day)

What I'm looking forward to: my annual trip to Holiday Mart this Sunday with some girlfriends

Next Appointment: Wed, October 17th - growth ultrasound. Get to see Baby T again - yay :)

Milestones: The top of my uterus has risen above my belly button & is now about the size of a soccer ball - hard to imagine!! Baby T is pretty lean at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally & he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, & his taste buds are continuing to develop. The lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant - a substance that will help the air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. The skin is still thin & translucent, but that will start to change soon also.

23 weeks

Had an appointment with my OB this afternoon & everything checked out A-OK :) Blood pressure is still low, my weight gain is right on track & no sugar or protein in my urine - so far so good. One more monthly visit on Nov 5th & then I start my bi-weekly appointments. Is it just me or is this pregnancy flying by?? 

I had the day off today which was spent checking out a potential daycare - which I really like, running errands & packing for my trip to Florida tomorrow. Looking forward to spending some "Aunt Hedder" time with my nephews & niece! The weather here was beautiful today but there were 25 mile/hr wind gusts so either my hair was all over the place or my jacket was flapping in the breeze. This pic happened to be the best I could do. 23 week pic - attempt #4:

How far along? 23 weeks (baby is over 11 inches long & weighs just over 1 lb)

Symptoms: Occasional heartburn & feeling the need to pee all. the. time. Other than that feeling really good!

Weight gain/loss: +2 lbs  (total of 13 lbs gained so far) - darn pasta & cheese!!

Maternity clothes? yes - shirts & pants whenever I can. Bought a pair of maternity jeans this week & I am loving them.

Sleep: my 4am insomnia has returned :(

Food cravings/aversions: been craving Cheerios for breakfast - so weird

Movement? yes, Baby T is very active - especially in the evenings. He also had hiccups this past week that I felt for the first time :)

What I miss? sleeping through the night

Best moment(s) this week: Friday being my last day of work for a week!

What I'm looking forward to: spending time with my sister & her family in Florida at Disney World this week

Next Appointment: Wed, October 17th - growth scan. Get to see Baby T again - yay :)

Milestones: Been able to see Baby T kicking from the outside. Blood vessels in the lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, & the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as the dog barking or the sound of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

22 weeks

22 weeks & doing great! Hard to believe I am only 2 weeks away from "viability" which means if Baby T is born early there is a 50% chance of survival. Crazy thought - let's hope I am a LONG ways away from delivering!!

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to get a pic outside today in my usual spot since I worked late so this will have to do:

How far along? 22 weeks (baby is 11 inches long, weighs 1 lb & is the length of a spaghetti squash)

Symptoms: felt my first Braxton Hicks contractions this week & heartburn has been coming & going. Other than that I am feeling really good!

Weight gain/loss: + 1 lb  (total of 11 lbs gained so far)

Maternity clothes? yes -shirts & pants whenever I can

Sleep: my 4am insomnia has returned :(

Food cravings/aversions: Italian food has been a non-stop craving this past couple of weeks - pizza, lasagna, chix parmesan, breadsticks with marinara...you name it & I am wanting it. I try to eat it only a couple times a week which seems to satisfy the craving. Still loving cheese!

Movement? yes, Baby T is kicking & rolling around all the time now - especially at night. Shane & I actually saw a few kicks on the outside of my belly this past week.

What I miss? a glass of red wine to go with my Italian food

Best moment(s) this week: I started the registry process for my showers this week which was exciting but extremely overwhelming. We also narrowed down our crib/dresser set as well as the nursery colors.

What I'm looking forward to: going to Florida with my sister & her family & spending 5 days at Disney next week

Next Appointment: Monday, October 8th with my OB

Milestones: Baby T is starting to look like a miniature newborn. The lips, eyelids, & eyebrows are becoming more distinct, & there are tiny tooth buds developing beneath the gums. The eyes have formed, but the irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. Also the pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Infertility blog

My infertility blog was created on March 30th, 2010. It was titled "Hoping, Wishing, Praying" & little did I know how or who I would impact with my entries week after week for the past 2 1/2 years.

After my last post on my IF blog this week, I received three emails from women I don't even know who have been following me & my story. Here is what they had to say:

Email #1:
I've been following your infertility blog since just about the time you found out you were pregnant with your ____. I read you're no longer posting there and focusing on your other blog.

I just want to thank you so much for sharing your story. As someone currently in the trenches and seeing little hope, your story was so encouraging to read and follow for these past few months. I am very private and envy those who are able to be so open and honest about their feelings. I wish nothing but the best for your new family.

Email #2:
Just wanted to let you know your journey these past couple of years has been inspiring & has instilled hope into our own situation. Thank you so much for sharing such a long, painful story with us over the years. I wish you all the best with the arrival of your baby ____.

Email #3:
I am sad to see you leave your IF blog as I have been a commited follower for almost 2 years now but totally understand why. Thank you for all you have shared these last 2+ years. It has really helped me while we went through our own cycles of IVF & your ending has given me hope - something I haven't had in months. Take care & I will be sure to continue following your story over at your other blog.

It brings me such joy to know that after all we went through - all the pain, the frustration, the tears, the heartbreak & finally the happiness - that my story has helped inspire others to get through what they are/were going through & give them hope which is so often hard to find when dealing with infertility.

Before I had debated whether to share the link to my IF blog & after those 3 emails this week there is no doubt in my mind to not share it with you all. Perhaps by putting it out there, it will help inform, educate, inspire or re-instill hope to someone out there who follows this blog who might be dealing with their own infertility issues. Again, if you have any questions, thoughts or comments, please feel free to email me.

Hoping, Wishing, Praying - the rantings of an infertile, sassy, domestic diva.

PS: for those of you in my family who don't want to know the gender of Baby T then I would advise you NOT to read my infertility blog :)

Half-Baked

So here we are more than 20 weeks along & I can hardly believe I have gotten to this point. Baby T is considered "half-baked" being at the half-way point with 20 more weeks (give or take) left to go. Today marks 21 weeks & I feel so very blessed to have even gotten this far.

We had our Level II ultrasound with the Perinatologist last Friday which was amazing! Baby T was wiggling all around which made the Dr struggle with getting all his measurements & after several attempts, he was able to get them all. 

Everything measured right on track, the heart looked & sounded good, all arms/legs were accounted for & we even got to see if Baby T was a boy or a girl. Some of you already know what we are having but unfortunately, I won't be sharing just yet what the gender is on my blog out of respect for a few family members who read it & insist they don't want to know. Not sure how long that will last as they will all be at my shower & will surely find out then?! Anyway, the Dr said Baby T was looking perfectly healthy & was even measuring about 5 days ahead. Already an overachiever :)

Lots of people have been asking how I am doing & honestly, I am feeling really good. I can feel Baby T kicking & moving around all over the place all the time now which is such an amazing feeling. We are starting to gear up for ordering baby furniture, registering, purging items from the house to make room for baby items, pick nursery colors & thinking about names. We are so very excited but yet so very nervous all at the same time!!

Over on my infertility blog I have been posting weekly updates with a picture of my growing baby bump & as of this week, I decided to end that chapter of my life & move on. It was definitely bittersweet for me to have posted my very last entry where I have poured out my heart & soul for the last 2 1/2 years but it was time. From here on out & will be moving my updates over here. I am hoping some of my followers from my IF blog decide to move over here so they can see how the rest of this journey plays out!

So without further ado, here is my 21 week update :)

How far along? 21 weeks (baby is 10.5 inches long, weighs 14 oz & is the length of a large carrot)

Symptoms: Heartburn almost daily & I am finding myself getting winded if I do too much at once.

Weight gain/loss: + 0 lbs this week (total of 10 lbs total gained so far)

Maternity clothes? yes - all the time now for shirts

Sleep: pretty much sleeping through the night

Food cravings/aversions: been craving cheese & pasta this week like crazy 

Movement? yes, Baby T is kicking & rolling around all the time now. Sometimes I feel like there is a little martial arts going on in my belly :)

What I miss? hmmm - cold turkey sandwiches

Best moment(s) this week: seeing Baby T on the ultrasound & Shane getting to feel the baby kick & move for the first time this week!

What I'm looking forward to: going to Florida with my sister & her family & spending 5 days at Disney in 2 weeks

Next Appointment: October 8th with my OB

Milestones: Initial fluttering movements have now turned into full-fledged kicks & nudges. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep has begun & indicates that he is now capable of dreaming - of what I don't know since it is dark in there?! I am discovering a pattern to baby's activity - very active after I eat candy & when I lay down for bed. Baby's eyebrows & lids are now present also.

Epilogue - part 2

At the end of July, I was 12 weeks along & we had our 1st trimester screening ultrasound with the Perinatologist.

We first met with a genetics counselor who went over both our medical & family histories as well as what kinds of chromosomal abnormalities the tests they offer will be able to tell us. We were told that just based on my age alone, we have a 1:74 chance of having a baby with Down's & a 1:96 chance of having a baby with a Trisomy 13/18 abnormality. Not great odds :( Then we discussed what the Perinatologist will look for during the ultrasound & whether or not I was going to do the blood test that goes along with the screening.

Next was the ultrasound. The scan itself took all of 2 minutes. The Dr. looked at the baby at different angles, froze some images, measured the crown/rump length, showed us the head, face, arms & legs  & printed off 3 pics for our scrapbook. She said that everything looked great & she wanted to see us back in 8 weeks for a Level II ultrasound.

Here is a pic of Baby T :) You can clearly see the head, a little arm, the body & a leg. So amazing:

As of last Nov, they have a new blood test called the MaterniT21 test which detects fetal DNA in the mother’s blood & reveals whether the fetus has the extra copy of chromosome 21 that causes Down syndrome. It is 99% accurate. It also can detect Trisomy 18 with 99% accuracy & Trisomy 13 with 91% accuracy. If the test is negative then it is pretty safe to say the baby has no chromosomal abnormalities. If the test is positive the next step is an amniocentesis just to verify 100% what the abnormality is. 

I discussed it with Shane & we both agreed that if there is something wrong with the baby, we would both want to know so that we were more prepared so I went ahead & did the blood test. It took 10 very long days for the results to come back & we were thrilled to hear that both results were 99% negative. We were SO relieved!!

So far everything with this pregnancy is going perfectly. Baby seems to be healthy, I am staying healthy (low blood pressure, low weight gain, no sugar or protein detected in my urine, etc), my "all-day" sickness & fatigue have subsided, I am feeling like myself again & we couldn't be more excited!! I even have me a little "baby bump" :)

Epilogue

So you know how with every good book, there is always an epilogue after the ending of the main story?! It is usually written to provide "closure" to the story you have just read.

Well this my friends, is my epilogue....

May 2012 - Those of you who follow my blog know that the 1st week of May I went on a 9 day vacation (without the hubby) to FL with 6 of my closest girlfriends & then to WI to see my sister & her family. I came back relaxed, refreshed, mentally recharged & it was just the break that I had needed. I returned emotionally ready to settle into this life of ours without children.

Fast forward 3 weeks later.

My cycle is a 29 day cycle - like clockwork. I am about as regular as you can get & I can usually predict within 24 hours when "Aunt Flo" will be making her appearance. So imagine my surprise when 29 days come & go with no period. I knew it was well on its way though because for the last 3 days I had cramps & lower back pain like I always get right before my period.

Well, 2 days later & still nothing. 

It is now Sunday evening & we were having a cul-de-sac gathering with the neighbors & I was looking forward to opening a great bottle of red wine I had bought earlier in the day. But since I was "late" & since I just so happened to have one left over PG test under my sink I figured what the hell - might as well test & get it over with so I can open that red wine! 

I just knew it would be negative...

Um - as you can clearly see the test was not negative. What. The. Hell???

IUI's x 5 = $7300

IVF x 2 = $28,000

Acupuncture = $1365

frozen embryo transfer x 2 = $6800

Taking a random PG test after being 2 days late & seeing a positive pregnancy test with no medical intervention = priceless!!!

So upon seeing that 2nd line pop up, I did what any crazy infertile woman does. I ran out the next day & bought another box of pregnancy tests & pee'd on them for the next 3 days to see if the "line" was getting darker & holy hell, it was. I also had a bunch of leftover meds from my last FET cycle so I immediately started taking baby ASA, doing my daily Lovenox injections, one progesterone suppository at night, additional folic acid & my prescription prenatal vitamins. Just in case... 

June 2012 - A couple of days later, I made an appointment with my favorite OB/GYN & was sad when the scheduler told me at the end of the year she would no longer be practicing Obstetrics but will be focusing on research instead - boo :( I went ahead & saw her anyway & she was SO happy to be seeing me for a "prenatal" visit.

At my appointment she did the usual...pelvic exam, went over all the "do's & don'ts", did a urine test & got my labs drawn. We went over all my meds & she said to stay on everything until further notice. I also mentioned that I had been having right sided ovarian pain & she immediately ordered an US to be done before I left to rule out an ectopic pregnancy. I was so relieved because in the back of my mind I was a bit worried about that & with all I have been through it would just be nice to know there was an embryo growing in the right place.

So the US showed this:

One gestational sac & yolk sac growing in the correct spot (the little black circle above the Baby "T") along with a 3mm cyst on my right ovary which was the cause of my pain. 

SO THANKFUL :)

I returned the following week for another scan to check for a HB & for peace of mind. I was saying many prayers on my way to the Dr's office that we see a strong, healthy heartbeat & guess what? God answered.

There was a heartbeat - 107 bpm :)

The tech said that the normal heart rate at 6 weeks is around 90-110 bpm so we were right within the normal range. She also said the sac looks very healthy as does the embryo & everything is measuring right on track.

She also pointed out something else amazing. If you look closely, you can see 2 black circles on the embryo which are the optic vessels & will later become the babies eyes. The heart is the darker white spot located right underneath. It was absolutely amazing watching a heart beat on a little blob that is only 5mm long. 

July 2012 - The next visit with my OB was at 10 weeks. I was so happy to report that all was going good so far :) After a very long minute (felt like 10 min) my Dr. was able to find the heartbeat using a fetal doppler. It was loud & strong & fast & the most beautiful sound ever! Even my Dr. said she didn't expect it to be that fast but that it was a great sign that things are going well!

My morning sickness really kicked in around 9 weeks & carbs became my new best friend. As long as I would eat crackers before I got out of bed in the morning & eat every 2 hours I did pretty good but if I went past 2 hours I would start to feel really ill. I even had to take Zofran for a couple of weeks just to get through the nausea. Through all those rough weeks of morning all-day sickness, I never complained once as I was just so very thankful to have gotten to this point at all!

to be continued...