Hmmm....

Based off of my last blog post I must be psychic! That is all!!!

Rough and Tough

WOW this past month has been SUPER rough but we are hanging in there and can see the light again! The good news is that the house is on the market so now we wait for someone to buy it and then we are off to the Big D!!! I see great things in our near future which is nice after having such a horrid month. The bad news about this month is really just plain sucky(it is SO a word!) so if you want to know email me(ekarseek@yahoo.com) and I will give you some insight. Basically, I spent the past month in the hospital and was released last Wednesday(yay!!!). Still not feeling 100% but I am well on my way. Hopefully, now we will see only great things from here on out and who knows maybe a special little 2 lines since all the medical issues have been evacuated from my body and told to NEVER come back! :o) Also on the horizon is TJ's 3rd birthday...seriously 3?!?!?!? Where the past 18 months went is beyond me! All I know is that the next 18 months and for that matter the rest of life will surely be EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!! I will always keep the faith!

Moving

Yup, we've been busy this summer and I have been absent obviously! The biggest reason lately is that Joe's job has relocated him to Dallas. I have had my ups and downs on this as it is what Joe REALLY wants but we have to leave our precious bug, Bailey here in Houston. :o( I have NO clue how we will actually leave her but we have been playing it up. New room that she can help decorate, a house with a pool and a game room, plenty of new things to do/see in Dallas, and she gets to come with us to house hunt. She seems okay with it now but we will see what actually happens when we make the move. There is no timeframe so Joe can go back and forth(3.5 hours drive) until we sell our house and buy the new one. It is just all going to be a huge adjustment. I do thank God that it is only 3.5 hours away and easy to meet half way with my parent's at least once a month for Bailey to spend the weekend or things like Spring Break with us!!!! Without that I would be lost. TJ and Joe are beyond excited and as I look at houses and things to do I am becoming excited but it is still hard for me. I don't ever want My Bug to miss us and especially since Joe is LITERALLY her FAVORITE person in the world as she will tell ANYONE and EVERYONE that will listen to her. So big and better but also sad and depressing...here we go!!!

Wish there was more good to report...

Since my last post things have been pretty miserable. I was feeling pretty great the first almost week of the 2nd surgery then BLAH!!! It started with me falling. Our bed is pretty high up so Joe put a step stool on the side so I could use that during recovery. I went to get into bed on Wednesday night and when I lifted 1 leg into bed I was evidently too far over on the stool. It tipped and caused me to tip right into the side table. I screamed, Joe ran, and it sucked! I called the surgeon the next day and they said just keep an eye on everything. Things seemed okay until I had my post-op appointment on Monday. Several of the incisions were infected and so they put me on some pretty strong antibiotics and a special wash to use on the area. They had me come back on Friday morning to check the incisions. The result was being sent straight to the ER. The surgeon did NOT like that my incisions looked worse not better. I went to the new hospital by our home and was taken back immediately(score!!!) but ended up being there for 6 hours. They talked about admitting me but in the end I got to come home...YAY!!!!!!! They found quite a few things that they didn't like but nothing too major. The thing that ticked me off was that they found a cyst on my right ovary. We JUST cleaned out all that stuff 1.5 months ago when they did the first surgery so I am NOT happy with my body already having another cyst. Hopefully, it isn't a big deal and will just go away on its own though. I have a copy of the CT scan from the ER and will be taking it to our infertility doctor to evaluate. So my body is sucking as usual and we are praying it gets better!!!

In other news we have family(my side) from around the country in town at my parent's house this weekend. We went over today(me being sentenced to a chair/couch because I am on strict bedrest) and had a great time! TJ loved swimming with his cousins, aunt, grandpa, and uncles! He wore his new life jacket for the first time and within 10 minutes was swimming by himself and jumping in! I thought it would take him awhile to figure out how to stay upright with the life jacket but oh no! He is way too clever for us and had it ALL figured out. He has NO fear which makes mommy have LOTS of fears! My dad did fried walleye from Minnesota(YUM!!!!!!!!!!!) which made for a great meal! Joe and TJ loved it which is great since Joe doesn't really like ANY seafood. It was just an all around great evening with family! I must add that my cousin told me(1 of the first to know!) that she is pregnant with their second and we couldn't be more excited for them! They will be leaving for Argentina(for 18 mo) next June and wanted to get pregnant and have the baby several months before moving. They had a window of when it could happen and it did! Experiencing infertility makes you long for NO one else to experience it. I am SO SO SO happy that they have had the good fortune to get pregnant both times easily. Their baby boy is precious and another one will just add to their cute little family. Congrats to my cousin and her hubs!!!

1 year mark, 30 birthday, 2nd surgery...ALL complete!

So first the FUN stuff! We met TJ at a Memorial Day party in 2010 and our lives haven't been the same since! The baby boy(18 mo at the time) that we met is now an energenic, smart, silly 2.5 yo that keeps us laughing and on our toes. I am not sure how we even lived before him. People always say do you remember life before your newborn and while TJ wasn't a newborn we still can't imagine our lives before him. We went back to Lubbock, TX to the same home we met him in. There was a Memorial Day/Celebration of TJ party in which people came together to celebrate all that will forever be remembered on that day. Not only will we ALWAYS remember those that have served us but we will also ALWAYS remember the first time we met our son! It was a great day and while we were missing a few vital people(my SIL and BIL) they will always be remembered as being there that first day!

A week later we celebrated my 30 birthday(6/4). Again, it is a momentous day because that is the day we officially brought TJ home with us for good! We picked him up that Friday last year and when we went to drop him off that Sunday we met his birth parent's who assured us we could turn right back around and they would sign the paperwork needed for us to have him in our care full time. The feelings of heading to drop him off and the feelings of leaving with him will NEVER leave me! Tears were shed on both rides but for completely different reasons. Tears of sadness because we weren't positive when/if we would see this little man who had stolen our hearts ever again and then tears of joy that we could possibly be headed home with OUR son!!!!! Crazy how a few hours can change your life. Last year we spent my birthday in Lubbock picking TJ up and then going out to dinner with some friends. This year we spent my birthday with my parent's and Bailey. We went to my favorite restaurant, Yard House. We had a great time and it was my parent's first time eating there and they seemed to enjoy it as well. We had 2 onion ring towers, truffle fries(first time and NOT the last as they were AMAZING!!!!), and then our meals. I had a wonderful piece of porcini crusted halibut over parmesan mashed potatoes with a porcini cream sauce and white truffle oil with asparagus and bok choy. It was the first time I tried it and again it will not be the last time! Afterwards we parted ways with my parent's and Bailey. On the way down we noticed that the horse track by our home was having a country concert. It was A Day In Country with quite a few singers. We went home after our late lunch, changed, and headed over there. We got to see several good artists such as Little Big Town and Leann Rimes(good singer, bad human!?!?!) among others. It was such a nice birthday and seriously not a depressing big 3-0 kind of day at all!!!! I couldn't be more blessed! Again though, we were missing some much loved family members!

My 2nd surgery was not scheduled until 6/22 but I got a call a week ago today that it had been moved up to 6/9. WHOA what?!?!? There were several surgeons and since they had to coordinate all their schedules that is why it was so far out so to get that call was a bit shocking. We immediately changed our plans to accomodate. My mom had TJ yesterday and today. Then, after Joe finished with work this afternoon he headed to Dallas with TJ. They are hanging out there tonight with some friends and then they will meet with his mom and step-dad tomorrow. They will be taking TJ for the whole week so I can fully recover from this procedure. Unfortunately, this surgery is not as easy as the last one. I have 5 incisions that are between 1-2 inches long and need more time to recover. I cannot lift anything over 15 lbs for the next 4-6 weeks. When I showed my mom the incisions today I think her jaw almost hit the floor because of how nasty the site looks. I have been feeling pretty good considering but am obviously a bit sore. I am trying to move around as much as possible so I don't get super stiff and I know that they always say the more active you are the faster you will recover. Here's hoping that is true! For now though I will be doing what I need to recover fully so that when my baby comes home I am ready for his energy!!! It is going to be a LONG week without him!

So in closing if you had asked me a year ago where we would be on my 30th birthday I would have NEVER imagined we would be parent's to the beautiful boy we met that Memorial Day but we ARE!!!!! God is good!

Not sure...

what to blog about! I just know that I haven't blogged in a little while and I should post something. Hhhhmmmm I guess I will just talk about random things going on with us. We are QUICKLY approaching the 1 year mark of meeting TJ which is CRAZY!!!! We met him last year during a Memorial Day party so this next weekend is a year. SO much has changed in a year obviously! WE HAVE A SON!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe it?!?!? Last year at this time we had NO idea that our son even existed and now well now he is our whole world! I could go on and on about this past year but let's face it it would end up being a novel so I will spare you all. For now anyway...after next weekend there will be a million pictures and stories!

Bailey is almost done with school for the year and so we have a few fun things planned for the summer. We are trying to plan a trip with us, my parent's, and Bailey to my dad's hometown which is ALWAYS a great time!!! Bailey is beyond excited and so am I! They live on a lake in a SMALL Minnesota town so it is just relaxing to be there.

As for Joe he is busy with work as always but we find time for fun and family nonetheless! Thank goodness his company likes their employees to have a good work life balance!!!! We try to spend 1 on 1 time with each kiddo whenever possible. Even if it means Joe taking Bailey to the DQ drive-thru alone or him taking TJ to the grocery store or me taking Bailey to get a cupcake at the bakery. I now realize balance isn't always easy in life especially when it comes to the kiddos because you NEVER want anyone to feel like 1 has more then the other.

As for me well I had my surgery. It went well and I am healing. What didn't go well?!?!? While they were in there they found 2 huge hernia's. One on each side of my stomach. They have no clue how/when they formed as 2 years ago when I had surgery with the same obgyn surgeon they were NOT there. There are a few ideas but nothing concrete. The bottomline is they have both perforated my ab muscles(yes, they are there somewhere!) and I need a 2nd surgery. The first thing I said to Joe in recovery was, "how did it go?". His answer plain and simple, "You need a 2nd surgery for 2 huge hernia's.". NOT the way to come out of surgery. :o( Such is life though and I can't control this at all. They wanted to do it this coming week...ASAP basically. However, we have a VERY important anniversary to celebrate next weekend(the 1 year) so I am waiting until the following week.

That is a little bit about what is going on these days at our house. I guess I had a lot more going on then I originally thought!!! I totally could have made each update into it's own titled post. The great thing is that all in all we are doing great and I can't complain too much. Yes, even with 2 surgeries in this post!!!

Check list much?!?!

So with this upcoming surgery I am trying to get as much done as possible so that I can just recover and not worry. I also want Joe, my parent's, and neighbors(yes, we have GREAT ones!) to feel like they can walk in and just focus on TJ and nothing else. I have made a huge check list of what I want done and it is getting smaller...phew!

Today I did a HUGE grocery shopping trip so that we are fully stocked. Joe and I cleaned a bit this weekend and I did more today. I also cut up a ton of the fruit that I bought and put them in individual serving size containers so that anyone can just take 1 out and give it to TJ as a snack or for breakfast with yogurt/cereal/bagels. It gives me something to take my mind off the second half of this week and prepares for the help that we will have. I know that everyone coming into our home is perfectly capable of doing things like cutting fruit or making meals but it just makes it that much easier on everyone. Tomorrow I will be doing the laundry that we have, running a few more errands, and making a few phone calls. I also have a few things to keep TJ busy with others like puzzles, books, and toys that are all new so he will be excited to have them.

I just keep thinking of all the little things that will make life easier and hopefully they will all get done. I really hope that all the preparation helps out anyone that is ready and willing to help care for TJ and I.

Any suggestions on what you might do to prepare? It isn't a super invasive procedure and I should be feeling better by the weekend but I won't be able to really care for TJ on my own for about a week.

Ups and Downs

Today...well gosh there isn't much to say. All I can say is WOW!!!!!!!!!! I am a mommy for the first time! Yes, I have been there for Bailey through and through but when it comes down to it I am not her mommy. :o( This past year I have been given the biggest blessing though and have become the mommy to a WONDERFUL, CUTE, SMART little man! I couldn't be more honored to be his mommy! He has brought our lives so much joy and laughter. I canNOT imagine my life without him at this point. It would feel empty and would just make me sad. He is a 2.5 yo boy and I have moments of OMG why can't he just listen but overall it is pure bliss!!! I wouldn't change it for the world! He really is what I live for and what I wake-up for. One year ago I was very sad as we were approaching the 1 year mark of our miscarriage and the surgery because of it that put me in the hospital for 3 nights/4 days. NOT cool...this year I had the most AMAZING day!!!! We hung-out as a family and I never even left the house. Joe let me sleep in and I awoke to 2 handsome boys saying that they love me and are happy that I am the mommy! Doesn't get much better! We spent the day just enjoying each other.

The down is that infertility once again has played a major role in our lives this month. Poor TJ see's me getting ready and Grandma/Bailey pulling up and immediately says, "Mommy has to go to the doctor". THAT IS SAD!!!! Going to the infertility doctor everyday or every other day is NOT normal! Unfortunately, it is normal for us. We had such a hopeful experience in the beginning of this cycle and really thought this cycle would end with a sibling for TJ. It was not in the cards evidently. After such hope came despair. Things didn't go well and bottomline is I am once again going to have surgery on Wednesday morning. The doctors are hopeful that we can go it alone for the next 3 cycles and *hopefully* will be pregnant in the end. This is a hard pill to swallow. After almost 4 years of trying to get pregnant it is hard to believe it will actually happen. We remain hopeful though and WILL add to our family somehow! We will not let infertility beat us and if it leads us down the adoption path we WILL certainly accept that. We DID get our AMAZING son this way so why not build our whole family that way!?!?!?! I pray that I can experience pregnancy but in the end we just want a family! Who cares how we get that family? NO ONE!!!! A family IS a family no matter how it is built.

So on this Mother's Day I will be thankful for what we do have(a gorgeous son) and pray that God blesses us again no matter what form it is. It is 11:11 and my wish is just for more children to add to our family.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!!

Doing well ourselves but prayers for friends are NEEDED!

Not much going on other then trips to the RE's(reproductive experts) office and Easter weekend. Things are going well with pretty much everything at this point! We are blessed and hope that everyone else can be blessed on this special weekend! I will ask for lots of prayers though as we have many friends that REALLY need them right now.

Excited, nervous, happy, anxious!!!

It is late but I am not a sleep because I have a million scenerios running through my head! We got good news regarding our infertility treatments and while we haven't had the actual procedure yet things are looking great! We are praying that the results we got today will lead to a full-term pregnancy. Since we had less success 2 years ago when we did the same procedure we are excited! By success I mean we have more follicles(eggs) this time then the last time and we DID get pregnant then we just didn't stay pregnant. :o( It is okay though as we now have our precious little man who we might not otherwise have if we had stayed pregnant. We have 4 times the follicles that we did 2 years ago so we are staying hopefull that since we had 2 last time and got pregnant that with 4x that we WILL be successful! My title for this post gives you a glimpse of the feelings that are going on right now. I really wasn't expecting to have that many great follicles and man are we excited! Such a nice surprise!!! BTW we are doing this IUI almost exactly 2 years to the day of our last IUI in which we did get pregnant. Isn't that strange?!?!? I think God knew at the time that there was a little boy that would need us just as much as we needed him. I can't even imagine what life would be like without TJ and as odd as it sounds I am thankful to God that we didn't stay pregnant 2 years ago. I LOVE TJ MORE THEN LIFE ITSELF!!!! I am hoping that since we are doing this almost 2 years to date from our last IUI that it is a sign from God that this is the right time! Rollercoaster ride has officially begun!

I love this family!!!

So, when Joe and I firsted started trying for a baby I found a wonderful support group online. At first it started out as just women that knew what I was going through. It quickly turned into much more then that. The women(all of them) I have met the past 3.5 years have become more then support they have become like family! They are women that I can turn to NO matter what I am feeling. I know I will NOT be judged and will always have support in ALL areas of life. When experiencing infertility there are SO many emotions and not all of them are good. I say this because if you haven't dealt with infertility it is hard to understand sometimes. I always give people the benefit of the doubt when they make comments that cut me to the core because most people just don't understand. I don't fault people for it I just try to explain my feelings when things hurt. So with that I am honored to say that I met one of the women, her husband, and her son today!

I have known Amy(http://whatrhymeswithwillis.blogspot.com/?spref=fb)(sorry I don't know how to do the link a blog thing) for 3 years now and she is BEYOND wonderful! Amy has ALWAYS been a phone call, text, or FB chat away when I need her and I hope she feels I am always that when she needs. She has a gorgeous son that is 15 months old and a great husband! They had been living in Oregon but Rob's(husband) family lives in Louisiana and so he got a job there. Amy and Jensen joined him this weekend as Rob got their place and life set-up. Amy and Jensen flew into the airport by us here in Houston last night(Friday). Rob met them and they stayed at a hotel and then this morning(Saturday) they came to meet us! I was all kinds of excited and nervous! I mean what if Amy and her boys didn't like us in person?!?!? Would I be the same person(and family) she knew via internet and phone calls?!?!? Well, I can tell you that she didn't disappoint me...you have to ask her because I can't tell you if I was all that she hoped. LOL okay clearly I am NOT all that but I hope I am the same person(and family) that she thought I was going into the visit! When they arrived around noon we were giddy with excitement! Joe was heading to get ice from the corner store with the golf cart so Rob joined him. Yes, they knew each other for all of 30 seconds when they were sent off on this task. Being men they didn't just go get ice but had to drive around being "cool"(both hubbies are cool in my book) in the golf cart. Jensen and TJ got acquainted and were buds! Joe grilled some awesome burgers and fried up some homemade french fries. The kiddos napped after playing hard outside then when they woke-up we ate. We had the burgers, fries, watermelon, and homemade Mexican rice...it was all delicious! We all hung-out until around 7 pm and our friend's had to leave. :o( They had a 4 hour drive back to their place in Louisiana.

We have already decided we will be meeting up LOTS in the future and hopefully one of those times will be a nice weekend in Dallas. Both our hubbies love Dallas so it should be a fun trip to plan!!! It is so fun to have someone close enough for visits like these.

I seriously canNOT express how awesome Amy and her boys are! Amy is someone that I truly adore like a sister!!! She is SO supportive and just overall an amazing person! I never question the genuine friendship we have. Amy always thinks of others and is an equally amazing friend to SO many! We are blessed to have her and her boys in our life. It is hard to find good friend's that understand and support what you are going through in life. This family is one that we will keep in our lives for as long as they will let us be in theirs! It is somewhat like internet dating and meeting your husband online. You meet a few bad guys but then when you meet the right guy you can't imagine your life without them. Again, we are so blessed to have such an amazing support system in this family. My only wish is that ALL the women in our group could come together. Such an awesome experience that will be the first of many!

The bottomline is that my friend is AWESOME!!!! Thank you Amy(and her boys) for always being there and making my life easier during everything! I hope that the next time we see each other is SOON!!!!

It's Only Saturday and....

it has been the most amazing weekend!!!

Friday...I went for my CD3(cycle day 3)(sorry any men that read this) ultrasound and blood work. They called me Friday afternoon and everything looks great and that I should start my injections. Yes, that means I am giving myself a shot every night BUT the process is SO easy and the needle is SO small so no biggie. Joe planned on going into work after my appointment but didn't. :o) Our neighborhood does a community garage sale a few times a year which means they put out an ad in the paper and a bunch of signs with a map of where each home participating is. Then, you decide if you want to do a garage sale and set-up like a normal garage sale at your home. So pretty much you get the advertising for free as you don't have to put up signs or an ad in the paper. We set-up and "opened" at 8 am and I left at 8:40 am for my appointment. I got back at 9:30 am and things were hopping! We ended up selling so much that we didn't even "open" up today(Sat.). Joe decided to just work from home which was awesome! He had a few concalls but spent lots of time with us. We got PF Changs for lunch(my fav), took a ride on the golf cart, went on a bike ride, and a few other fun things. The weather was out of this world! Low 80's, NO humidity, sunny, and a nice breeze! We were literally outside from 8 am until 1 am. I should say that it was the ADULTS that stayed up that late NOT the kiddos! We had some good friends over so it was fun to sit out back in the nice weather. So all in all a great day with my boys, friends, a bonus of extra cash, and of course the fact that we got rid of stuff!!!

Saturday...I am going to make a whole other post to cover this but will summarize here. We had some other good friends over and had a blast! Again, the weather was too perfect to even describe! Just like yesterday...low 80's, NO humidity, sunny, and a slight breeze. I think our friend, Amy, from Oregon brought the cooler weather with her...thanks Amy!!! We were again outside the majority of the day. I am actually still outside right now...what did we do before wireless internet?!?!?

Sunday...Yeah, yeah I know we aren't into Sunday yet. The weather is supposed to be just as gorgeous as the previous days. The only thing planned is going to Joe's softball games(he plays for his companies team in a slow pitch league). They have gotten quite good and it is fun for TJ and I to go watch. TJ is their good luck charm according to them.

So as we head into Monday we will have had a GREAT weekend! We are staying busy but it is a relaxing kind of busy not a we ran around all weekend and didn't get a chance to sit kind of busy.

Oops...sorry about the hiatus there!

So, lots has been going on over here in our house! First, we had a change in plans with the IVF. :o( We are VERY blessed that our insurance has infertility benefits which is why we decided to try IF treatments again. Well, not so fast they said! They require that you do 3 IUI's before trying IVF. Very well, we have done that. Again, not so fast! They require that the IUI's be done WITH injectibles. Well, the first 2 we did were with Clomid and the last one was with injectibles. GRRRRR to little details like that that were NOT mentioned when I talked with them months ago! So, back to IUI we go. :o( The good thing is that the IUI with injectibles DID get us pregnant last time we just failed to stay pregnant. Therefore, we are hopeful that this will be successful!!! So, in about a month from now we will know yay or nay.

In other news we have been busy with our day to day life. We are all doing well and having fun enjoying the weather before it reaches ridiculously hot temps. Bailey is getting so big and it is unreal that she is going to be in preschool 4 days a week next year! I am not sure how our little preemie is such a big girl now. She is ALL girl and changes about 7 times a day! She always wants to look cute and gets excited to show me certain outfits that she has picked out for herself. She is a girl after my own heart! This weekend we took a little girls time to get ice cream together while TJ napped and Joe did some work outside. I always cherish that time with her and she always asks for that time which I hope continues for YEARS to come.

TJ is just hysterical as always and keeps us on our toes! EVERYONE that meets him cannot believe that he is only 2.5 years old. He is incredibly bright and amazes us with the things he does and says. Just yesterday my mom said she doesn't know how I keep up with him. Some days I don't either! What I can tell you is that I gained 25 lbs because of the IF medicines and since TJ came into our lives I have lost 20 of it! YAY for being back in a size 6 which is quickly becoming a size 4. SO embarrassing to have gained that much but I am proud that I have been eating healthier and have been more active. Okay, sorry that got a little off topic! Oh and all that just in time for our IUI, more meds, and HOPEFULLY a successful pregnancy!!! I will gain 300 lbs if that means we can add to our family! Okay, back to TJ, he is just amazing. The best thing to happen so far this week is that we received his birth certificate yesterday!!!!!! I know that we have officially been TJ's mommy and daddy since 2/25/11 and we have considered ourselves his mommy and daddy since 6/4/10 but this was great! I mean WE are the one's on his birth certificate and it is our last name on the birth certificate! Such a great feeling to have ALL the pieces of the puzzle now. We are so blessed!!!

Joe is still LOVING his new job! He is on the company softball team and they recently had their end of the year tournament. It is a league of a bunch of different companies that play slow pitch. Joe's team was 1-9 going into the tourney. It was a one and done tourney so we thought we would be there for an hour and then head home. Well, they came together in a BIG way! They were in the bottom of the bracket so they were playing teams at the top with great records. They ended up winning the whole tournament! We were there from 2 pm to almost 8pm which was totally unexpected but fun. TJ was their good luck charm and got to be in the team photos at the end! That was a few weeks ago and this weekend they started the new season. Low and behold they went 2-0 so they really have turned around and have become the little engine that could!!! Joe also surprised me this past Friday with an early Mother's Day gift. We have been looking at getting a bigger SUV for quite some time now and found 1 last week that we both really liked. On Thursday he was going to go and get things set-up for purchase. He texted me though and said the dealership called and the one we wanted sold. :o( On Friday Joe decided to work from home and that would give us a chance to go down to the dealership and look at other SUVs. So, I started looking at their website and showing Joe the ones I liked. Joe then said that we didn't need to continue looking because we had already found the one we wanted. I reminded him that it had sold! He said with a you caught me face, "Yes I know because they sold it to ME!!!". Haha I totally ruined the surprise he had for me! We picked the SUV up on Friday and I love it! Certainly a great gift for my first official Mother's Day! Of course, nothing can top the handmade gifts I have received from Bailey but Joe did a good job.

I am a very blessed woman and pray that God will continue to make 2011 the best year ever!!!!

We're really doing this?!?!

I know we made the decision to try IVF but now we are gearing up for it in a few weeks! I have had several procedures done so far this month to make sure things look good for next month. Everything looks GREAT according to our RE(reproductive expert)!!!! Driving home it hit me that we ARE doing this and the talk is over. It is crazy that this time next month we will be finding out whether it worked or not. I have maintained that I WILL be positive about IVF and not think about it not working!!! Will I be devastated if it doesn't work...yes but I have to believe it will work for my sanity and the fact that we wouldn't try it if we didn't have hopes that it would work. It is just surreal to me that 3.5 years ago we thought we would start a family...Haha! If only it was that easy for everyone!!! So now we have been blessed with TJ and we pray we can add to our family soon!!! And yes we are excepting any prayers, positive thoughts, etc that anyone cares to offer. Thanks!!!

Busy!

Wow have we been busy lately!!! This past week was crazy and this week appears to be looking that way as well. Last week Joe was gone for business the beginning of the week. We met up with TJ's bio-aunt and her kiddos for the St. Patty's Day parade right by our house. It was TONS of fun!!! All the kids got lots of stuff from the floats and we all got a chance to catch-up since we hadn't seen the older girls since they moved to Houston. On Tuesday Joe came home and I got TJ and I packed to head to Port A. We left first thing on Wednesday and ended up getting there pretty early so we enjoyed beach time! It was amazing since my paternal grandparents came down from MN and got to meet TJ for the first time! TJ really enjoyed Bonka(grandpa) and Grammie! After lots of fun and sun we had to return to Houston earlier then expected. This comes with the territory when doing infertility treatments because you have to have certain procedures and tests done on specific days. We had a great trip regardless! Bailey and my mom came home with TJ and I which was nice because it is a long 4 hours by yourself. Bailey stayed the night Friday and we got up and headed to the Houston Rodeo on Saturday morning. We ended up spending about 5 hours there and the weather was gorgeous! After LOTS of food, rides, animals, shopping, and new cowgirl boots for Bailey we loaded up and headed home. It was such a fun day and the tradition of new cowgirl/boy boots each year at the rodeo has been set in place. Sunday we headed back downtown for Joe's softball tourney. He is on a team for his company and this week was the play-offs to end the season. Being that his team was 1-9 all season we thought they would be 1 and done. Low and behold they really came together and WON the tourney!!! What we thought would be something done by 3:30 lasted until 7:30! Joe was even named MVP!!!! He really did a great job as did his WHOLE team! TJ became their good luck charm and got to be in the team pictures. We had such a great long weekend and I wish it weren't over already! As for this week there is just a lot of going on but nothing really special or fun scheduled at this point. We shall see what the week brings.

Still no pictures

Yes, that is right I am STILL going through pictures!!! We were busy and there are a LOT of pictures to go through and edit. I hope I get some up soon though. So, Friday we had the GREAT pleasure of watching TJ's biological cousin. He is a few months over 1 years old and so precious! His family moved to Houston after his daddy got a new job here. He has 2 older sisters and his parent's are great! We enjoyed seeing his mommy and him for the first time since they moved here. I think we are getting together tomorrow with all the kids to see a St. Patrick's Day parade that is very close to our house. Both dad's have work commitments so they won't be around. It should be a fun time and since we haven't seen the girls yet I am excited! Other then that we have just been doing our everyday normal things such as errands and being outside ALL the time because our weather has been amazing! I told Joe tonight that I am dreading this weather changing because it will happen soon and then it will just be HOT...YUCK!!!!! Seriously though tomorrow I will get lots of good pictures from the parade and regardless of if I have gone through the other pictures I WILL post those!

Today....

First off there are way too many pictures for me to go through and put a slideshow together by tonight. Sorry people! I am working on it though. Yup, I know you are all so disappointed. ;o) None the less today was a GREAT day!!!! I saw the RE(reproductive expert) today and we set-up an April IVF! This is the one infertility treatment/procedure that we haven't done. Due to the fact that we haven't tried it, have no known problems that the doctors can find, and great insurance we are PRAYING that this is the beginning of our pregnancy journey! If not we are lucky enough to have the insurance to try again. The weather here has also been fabulous and therefore we have spent LOTS of time outside this week! TJ has brought so much joy to our lives and we want nothing more then to make him a big brother! He is already a little brother to Timothy and Tyler but we would like to make HIM the big brother SOON!!!! Bailey and TJ are getting so big and adding another little one ASAP would be ideal! I just hope that God agrees with our plan because he is all that matters in this process. Tomorrow should be a great day as well! TJ's bio-aunt and her family recently moved to the Houston area and she is starting her college degree. We haev the privilege of watching TJ's bio-cousin while his momma is at school tomorrow! He is about 15 mo old so it should be a fun day of 2 boys playing together!!!

SO MANY Pictures!!!

I started going through pictures this morning that go back to Memorial Day 2010 when we met TJ for the first time. Oh gosh I have no clue where to even start! I would really like to put together a slideshow of our journey so far with TJ but I am realizing that I have taken over 4000 pictures since that day! I am going to have to stick to fewer pictures that mean a lot to us. I think most people that know us have seen a lot of these pictures anyways on my facebook so nothing new...sorry peeps! I can see that going through, editing, and putting together a slideshow will take ALL day. I hope to have something up by the time I hit the hay tonight!

WOW

OMG...it has been OVER a year since I have updated this blog!!! Man has A LOT changed! Not only is Bailey the only girl in our lives but we also have a new FABULOUS boy to celebrate! On 2/25/11 we officially welcomed TJ into our family! He is now 26 mo old and has been with our family since my birthday(6/4/10). He has brought more joy to our lives and it has truly been an amazing journey! I hope to blog more and not neglect as much as I have! We have been blessed so much this past year and can't wait for what 2011 will bring us!!! We are doing our first round of IVF in April and are excited to see what that brings us....twins, triplets, YIKES!!!! Thanks for hanging in there with us and being there every step of the way!