Pray for our sweet friend/blogger:)

Joanna (Still Standing) has made it safely through surgery and is recovering. PRAISE THE LORD!!! Check out this post. Continue to pray for her healing:)

http://thehendersonstory.blogspot.com/2011/10/sweet-jojo-update.html?showComment=1318520189881#c8576091956310528328

Prayer Buddy Reveal and more

I had the honor of praying for Jennifer at TransformedHearts! It was so nice meeting you (over the blog) and praying for you. Thank goodness I am able to attend daily mass before school and this was a great time to pray for Jennifer and her intentions. Jennifer, I hope you felt the prayers:)

I also want to thank my prayer buddy, Molly, who prayed for me:) I think it was a great match having had dealt with IF. I hope that my blog posts from the past brought comfort to her. Thank you Molly... I have felt your prayers and I appreciate them greatly:)

Fall is here and I LOVE IT!!! DH and I have morning time each morning. We have done this throughout our whole marriage. I highly recommend it...it's one of my fav things about our marriage. This time consists of breakfast, reading paper and saying prayers before heading off to work. We love this 45 min block of time to start our day...it is so great. And now, we can open the doors and feel the cool air and hear those birdies chirping! Love that. Oh and can't forget the lighting of the pumpkin candle...delightful! I have decorated the mantle with pumkins and fall flowers. Makes me so happy:)

And then there is Christmas time...agh! I can't wait:) I always said I never wanted to have a baby in Dec. That was, of course, before the IF days when I thought I was in complete control...hahha. But now, of course, I am due in Dec...God has such a great sense of humor doesn't He! I have thought about it....I get to have baby in beginning of Dec and then just bask in the joy of it's life. I get to sit on the couch with baby, listen to Christmas music, with the fire going, the tree lit, the Christmas candle burning, etc. Oh and maybe a glass of wine in hand! haha. I can't wait to have a glass of wine!!! I don't want to wish time away...I def want to appreciate the here and now but I just like to think ahead sometimes.

Creighton Method...I have totally been an open book about my experience with PPVI and Creighton to people around me. I have prayed and prayed to be an instrument of this experience to others. You know you never know if people are really hearing you and if they are really interested or if they are just pretending. Well, I just learned that I have actually impacted some people. I have had more questions as time has gone on. I have a friend now going to PPVI in Jan/Feb for surgery and I have a couple of other people signed up for meeting with our Creighton practioner here in town to learn more. This just brings me so much joy!!! I want women everywhere to know that there are other options out there and I just pray to be a positive impact on others.

Ok...time to get back to grading. AGH! I am swamped! ha. HUGS and LOVES ladies:)

HELLO!!!

I'm alive!! haha. I have been absolutely horrible with blogging. I know we are all busy but I swear this year is one of my busiest!!

Typical day since starting back:
Wake up 5 am
At mass by 7:15
School starts 7:45
Teach till 3
Middle School or Faculty Meetings till 5 (at the latest) Monday thru Wednesday
Get home...try and walk for at least 30 min.
Help hubby cook dinner
In bed by 7:30 b.c so pooped!

How do people work and take care of their children too???? Last year I had a planning period from 9:30-11:00 and then 12:00-12:30... it was glorious! I got so much done and then some. I never had to grade at home b.c I got all my work done at work! This year I am teaching 8th grade religion in addition to 7th Religion and History and 8th History. And I teach two of each of classes b.c there are two classes per grade. So this year I have only one break and it is from 8:45-9:30 and it is so rushed. I feel I have no time!! I'm swamped!!

This whole pregnancy thing is WONDERFUL and I wouldn't trade it for the world but after work, I am done for the day. My feet are swollen, back aches, and I have no energey! ha. But I'm happy...no worries! I am just not productive whatsoever. I am honestly in bed by 7:30...at the latest! haha. Thank God my husband understands that I am swamped during the day. He has been so great.

So enough about that. I miss all of you! I am friends with alot of you on FB so I am up to date on alot of your lives b.c of FB on my phone. What would we do without technology! ha. No but seriously, I miss having down time to just blog away. Not that I have much to say, but I miss just having the time.

Pregnancy is going swell. I am happy as a bee! Today we go for an ultrasound and appointment...love seeing that baby:) 11 more weeks to go. Holy smokes! Going by fast.

Today I had some extra time b.c I am leaving work early for dr appts so I haddddd to take a minute to write on the blog so you knew I was alive:)

Hugs and Love. I pray for my bloggers in daily mass....especially you my prayer partner. Amid all the business, I have not forgotton to pray!!

Prayers for 2 bloggers/Starting back

I must say first that my heart is aching this morning as I read through blogs and noticed that there are two bloggers out there that have suddenly lost their husbands. This just saddens me so much. Although I don't know them or their blogs, my heart just aches. Sew mentioned one girl and then another girl commenting on Sew's post mentioned another. Life is so fragile. Please pray for these precious women and their families during this time of suffering.

I am finally being lazy. After these past two weeks of jumping back into school, I am finally making myself lay down and be still. Going from summer break to work is hard enough but when you are preggers and used to taking naps daily and then you are thrown in full speed ahead, it's kinda tough! So today I am doing one thing and that is going to mass. Then I plan on coming right back to this same spot and laying on the couch ALL DAY!

School so far has been great. I have a great set of kids this year. I'm amazed at how interested these 7th and 8th graders are about baby who. They are all about some questions. haha. I have a little corner of my board reserved for baby. I have a picture up there, it's measurements and the vegetable size of the week:) The kids are excited to find out what type of veggie it's grown into on Mondays. haha.

This year I don't have as much free time as I did last year. I'm teaching 7th & 8th grade religion and history. Last year I just taught history and one class religion. So I only have one break throughout the whole day and it is first thing in the morning...not a good time for a plan period. They best would be in the middle of the day but hey, you can't always have the best schedule. So you can see why I am exhausted by 3.

DH has been great with my exhaustedness! haha. He definitely sees it and wants to help out whenever he can. It's been nice b.c we are both in the kitchen at night and it makes the cooking go along a lot faster. Shoot, when I'm in the kitchen, it takes forever. And after being on your feet all day, the last thing you want to do is be on your feet in the kitchen. I told dh I need a directors chair for prep and cook time! hahaha. But seriously, all I want to do is lay in a hot bath at the end of the day. But I can't b.c I like my baths hot and I've read and been told that is not healthy for pregger people. Oh well, it's all worth it!


Advice: PPVI knocked my progesterone from 2 ml to 1 ml b.c my levels were looking good. Well my D.A. forgot to refill my progesterone so I didn't have enough. I only took 3/4ths of shot instead of 1. Then I fedexed more and am not going to be irresponsible ever again. So, I'm anxious for Monday to come so I can give my baby more. The one reason I am worrying is b.c of a pain that I am having that I have never had before. Now, I know about that ligament pain issue so it could be that but I'm not sure. All day Friday and Sat I have had this sharp, knife pain on my right of the belly (on my side almost). I mean the kind of pain that makes you take deep breaths, bend over pain. It's been consistent in that it continues to happen but not consistent as in every 2 min. I (think I) know that it's not contractions b.c I feel no tightening or cramps. Just a stab of pain. So I called nurse finally last night when DH about lost it. He was getting mad at me for not doing something about it. She didn't seem worried. Told me to take tylenol and lay down. So that is my plan for today. To rest. Hoping it doesn't start back up tomorrow. If it does, I'm calling dr. Any of you experience this consistently??? Advice would calm me:)

Blogger meet up/ cloth diaper?/prayers

It was SOOOO fun!!!! I drove over to P'cola (Pensacola) recently to meet these fine ladies: Lauren (Magnify the Lord with Me), Kaitlin (More Like Mary More Like Me), and Karen (Pray-Hope-Trust) . Y'all, they are so cute, so fun, so full of life and knowledge and most of all, they have absolutely adorable children:) I got to snuggle with all three babies and just loved it!!! I have been wanting a blogger meet-up down south and it finally was accomplished! We really spent all our time talking away and me, learning from all their mom ideas/tricks. They definitely persuaded me to be a cloth diaper momma. I'm super excited about that. What is happening with me....haha....doula, now cloth diapers!!! I'm totally surprising myself and LOVING it!  

On to the cloth diaper topic, I learned a lot from these ladies but am curious to see what else you others are using. I'm thinking of sticking to the Bum Genius brand but am totally open to your thoughts. If any of you have any of your posts on this topic, send me the link in the comment section so I can read please:) Thanks! Oh and what to wash them with????

I've been thinking a lot lately about infertility. That pain is so very close to my heart and will never be forgotten. I just wanted to let those of you who are struggling know that you are always in my prayers. Just a little support reminder:)

Something I never thought I'd do and Blogger meet up!!

Hey friends:) Well I haven't posted much lately b.c I haven't had much to say that would entertain you in the least bit....I have been lazy lazy lazy and I didn't want to bore you with nothing posts! ha. I have been reading up on y'all though and praying specifically for some of your requests. Summer so far has been so nice. I seriously have been sleeping in, watching Today show, getting exercise here and there, getting to some daily masses with momma, reading, and visiting with family and friends. Baby who is doing fabulous and we are really enjoying nesting this summer.


So since I joined the blogger world about a year ago, I have been exposed to more than I could have imagined....in a good way. One of those things is the idea of natural labor and using a doula. I don't know if I would have thought about this whole doula thing if it weren't for the exposure. I'm definitely appreciative!

I did some research for a doula along the gulf coast and was successful. I contacted her and we met for coffee and I immediately felt comfortable. I knew my decision right away. I honestly didn't even think twice about it after meeting her. So here we are, signed up for an upcoming appointment:) DH has been very supportive. He of course is very nervous about the idea of me trying ( I say trying b.c you never know) to have a natural labor. But I know that once he meets her, he will immediately feel comfortable with the decision of getting this doula. And what we get from her....She comes to our home for 6 or 7 in-home classes to prepare us for birth, she is on call weeks before and weeks after birth, she is available 24/7 and will be there to help us do most laboring at home before hospital (hopefully), and she will remain after birth to help with breastfeeding, etc.

I'm just so relieved to have met her and be comfortable about this whole idea. My worries are normal, I know. Of course I worry about whether or not I will be able to do labor without epidural, I worry about the chance of maybe having to be induced or have a C-section, etc. My ideal situation would be to be able to go into labor at home smoothly and go to hospital and have baby naturally. I'm just going to remind myself over and over that it is in God's hands not mine. As soon as I start to control things, life gets a little crazy.

On another note, I'm so excited for this week. I get to meet three bloggers:):):) I'm headed to Pensacola on Tuesday to have a slumber party with Lauren (Magnify the Lord with Me), Kaitlin (More Like Mary More Like Me), and Karen (Pray-Hope-Trust) . I've been wanting a meet up for a while so I am thrilled!! I'm sure you will hear about it from us after. 

As for baby who, hear he/she is:) My little tike:) DH likes to think that the little thing in the bottom right hand corner is a penis....although it's not:) I don't think! haha

Hey Hey Hey!

Ahhh, I'm so horrible, I know! I haven't been on here in over 3 weeks. Crazy! School finished up, thank the Lord! and then I had a week of professional development meetings that followed. Then dh and I packed up and went to the bay for a little R&R and there we have no internet service. I've been pretty lazy these past two weeks and it has been wonderful:):) Now I'm back in town with a stupid sinus infection or cold. Blah!

Have I mentioned I miss y'all!!! Random: Did or do any of you play music for your baby in the womb???? My sister was all about headphones and classical music. What is your take????

Novena girls: I am in the process of saying St. Gerard Novena's for Julie, Rita's Roses, Patiently Waiting, His Perfect Timing and Christy. They all signed up for the Novena prayer list and I just wanted to let you ladies know that I have not forgotten and you are ON MY HEARTS!!! Along with you other sweet friends too:):)

Anyway, life on the homefront is great. DH and I are loving life and each other, obviously:) I am 14 1/2 weeks and happy as can be:) Our 12 week appt went fabulous:):):) I praise you Lord:):) Many of my food aversions have gone away pretty much...except grilled or baked chicken and broccoli....puke!!! I'm not nauseous anymore either:) Oh and have I mentioned I have gained 7 lbs! haha. What! I must admit, it is very hard to accept the fact that you are gaining weight and not turn into a freek. I know I know I am supposed to and I am SOOO happy to have the reason too but it is sill a little mind game that I have to remind myself not to play. No worries, I have never not eaten...I eat all the freeking time. It gets tiring but I swear I can't help it. It's not cravings...it's an all of a sudden starving pain and I have to eat or it doesn't go away. They have gotten better and less often but still occur.

The hospital here where I go to my dr provides free gym membership for pregnant women who are delivering at that hospital:) GREAT! Love it! So I have joined and plan on becoming a little swimmer:) They have huge lap pool and no children are aloud:) Meaning no swimming classes, etc. to get in the way. All I have to do is by me some goggles and I am good to go! Now of course, I will be using a kicking board b.c my booty can't swim one lap without pure exhaustion!

I have picked out all the nursery stuff...a little early I know, but I want to get the nursery done before I start back with school in August. I'm taking on an extra load this next semester so I know I am going to be crazy busy and won't want to have the stress of all that on me. But it's been fun picking out and playing around:)

Here is where I got my idea for my color scheme. I wanted neutral b.c we aren't finding out the sex and also b.c I thought neutral would be easy to throw colors in with...plus, I love these colors together and have always wanted these for some reason. Now of course it's not going to look exactly like this but it's a start. I will post pics as I go.

I got 3 of these for the nursery wall. It was my splurge prize for me:) I have eyed these for the past year and have loved them. I don't like the color so I am going to paint them with some sort of antique brush in mind but they are def going to be lighter color.

I ordered this crib from overstock with free shipping. They also have it at Walmart for about $20 cheaper but that doesn't include shipping...but you might be able to ship to a store near you. I plan on spray painting the wheels white b.c I think the gold is blah. Don't like it! 

Anywho, enough about me. I'm off to read about you. HUGS and glad to be back in touch!!!

MIA 2...Not for long!! Oh and a Novena for you!

I can't believe my life has become this busy. Whoa to the May school life of a 8th grade teacher!!! ONE MORE WEEK AND THEN FREEDOM!!!!! This week has been good but full. I of course have had something every night and am about to collapse. Tonight we have NOTHING!!! I am going home, going for a walk, taking a nap, eating cereal or chicken n stars for dinner (what's new) and crashing!

Random: I totally smell like Chinese food and it makes me want to puke. I teach World History. My fun twist to my class is that if the class makes a B average on the chapter tests (I have a wide range of learners), then we will have a themed lunch. Well, they did this for the recent Ancient China and Ancient Japan tests and sooooo today we had our Chinese/Japanese lunch. Each kid brought in $5 and I ordered what they wanted. It was split pretty evenly....half wanted Chinese and the other half wanted Sushi. So I ordered it, my sweet momma went and picked it up, and we just wrapped up our lunch. They LOVED it!! What a great incentive for them:)

This weekend I am dog sitting a little Maltese puppy named Raindrop! haha. A family here at my school has asked me to dogsit...their kindergartner named the dog...how cute is that. I am thrilled about dog sitting b.c I dream of having a little dog! My dh hates small dogs and claims we are fine with our dog in our lives...our lab, Tide. Which is true...I love Tide, but there is nothing like a little hand held puppy. One day I will get a small dog...maybe when my kids go off to college and I cry, the dh will feel bad and get me one. ha!

I am 11 wks tomorrow! Big deal:):) I'm super stoked! On Wed we have our 12 wk checkup (two days early b.c dr is out of town next friday). I absolutely cannot wait to see how much my little gummybear has grown. Next Wed happens to be the feast day of Our Infant of Prague....a special one to my family. My mom has been so fond of the Infant for years. I went to Prague over Christmas when I lived in Italy and was able to visit the church of the Infant and see the real one....BEAUTIFUL! I find it quite Godly that my dates throughout this pregnancy are falling on special days that relate to my personal life. We found out we were pregnant on St. Gerard's bday, this appt is on the Infant's feast day, our due date is on or near the feast of Our Lady of Guadeloupe....all of this confirms the Lord's wonderful plan and hand in this.

I am continuing daily mass and praying for my sweet blogger girls...esp those suffering with IF. I think of you daily. One of my students gave me a novena packet for St. Gerard. I am going to do a novena for you!!! My plan is to do one for each of you starting this summer. Doesn't that sound like a good idea. If you want, please comment and request and I will write you name down and begin a list. This makes my heart happy to do this for y'all.

I must admit I am slacking on the reading of blogs b.c I have had zero plan periods these past few weeks. Every spare moment has been taken. THIS IS MY FIRST ONE IN FOREVER!!!! And i reserved time to catch up with you!!

Hugs, love and blessings.

MIA

I know! I have totally been MIA (missing in action...for you slow people! haha). Being an 8th grade teacher, May is the busiest month of the year. I swear, I don't have one free moment. AND when I do have have a free minute, I have a major lack of energy and I am taking a nap! haha.

Is it pathetic that I feel as if I am missing out on the blogs! hahha. I miss reading up on you ladies. I feel as if I am missing out on things....and I know I am. When I do have free minutes, I try to check blogs but then I don't get enough checked and then I get behind again. AGH!

Even though I am behind, you are not far from my thoughts. I prayed for all of you yesterday on Mother's Day...especially those who are struggling with infertility. You are so close to my heart. I pray for you daily at mass but yesterday I said some extra special prayers. I hope you are feeling them:)

Life is going pretty well. Still having major food aversions and some nauseousness. I swear, I still cannot eat meat or veggies...just typing those words make me want to puke! ha. I'm going later this week to get an ultrasound. I don't have to but they told me if I wanted to I could do one when I wanted...I decided I didn't want to wait till 12 wks to see my little gummybear...so I am going this week which is around 10 wks.

I have to go again. Class in 5. It's exam preparation time! agh! Hugs to all of you.

We are back:) Prayer buddy announcement finally!

We are back safely, thank the Lord! We happened to fly back on the day that horrible storm was passing through the south. We ended up staying overnight in the Atlanta airport till 4 am then finally arriving home at 5:30a.m.. It was crazy but we were just happy to be on ground and safe. Please please keep in mind all the people in Tuscaloosa, AL and in other areas surrounding, who were affected by the tornadoes. Y'all, it's absolutely horrible. Over 250 people killed just in Tuscaloosa, including Univ. of Alabama students. It's just so sad. The worst part was that it hit in one of the busiest areas of town where tons of shops, restaurants and apts were located and there were people all over that area who weren't able to really get to coverage. So sad. Please pray.

As far as our trip went, it was fabulous. DH and I got to SF a day early and did a biking tour of SF along the water, over the Golden Gate Bridge, and over to the bay town of Sausilito. That was one of our most fav things about our trip. Whenever we go on trips, we always do biking tours...they are great and you get to take in so many more things than you can in a car! Napa Valley was absolutely gorgeous. We felt as if we were in a completely different countries. Rolling hills, mountains and vineyards galore! It was perfect sunny weather too! And most of all, we had the best company. My DH's brothers and their others are easy to get along with and very enjoyable. It was great!

We had another ultrasound after we got back:) Our little blueberry has grown into a gummybear!!! I was seriously so surprised to see how much it had grown in just a week! (Go back and look at last post and you can see the growth difference!) No wonder I was feeling queezy at times:) haha. I haven't thrown up though, so that's great. I don't mind the queeziness too much...as long as I have crackers or granola bar near by, I'm good. But I am having some major food aversions. I can't look at broccoli or certain veggies. I can't eat much meat or fish at all without getting that yucky feeling. I am all about the starches...greattttt! ha. But I am loving me some fruit and acids so that's good. Oh and chips, crackers, granola bars, et. We (practitioner & dr.) confirmed a more accurate due date of Dec 10. Yippee!!! Can't believe it still. Oh and my boobs are huge! I love it! hahaha.

My little gummy bear:)

And finally! I feel so bad my prayer buddy has had to wait so long. Sorry prayer buddy:) She probably thought she didn't have anyone praying for her but she is wrong!! I had the honor of praying for Ask and It Will Be Given. I went to daily mass throughout all of Lent and she was the first prayer upon entering the church. I hope so much that she felt my prayers. It felt so good to be able to pray for her and see God working in her life through her posts on her blog. What a sweet one she is! If you haven't met her, please visit her page. She would love your support:)

I miss reading up on all your ladies. I'm sooo behind! I plan on catching up tomorrow. Hope all is well with you:):):)

Little blueberry & San Fran:)

So I had a bit of a scare but all is good. On Sunday, after a 3 hour nap (yes I am experiencing the lack of energy), I started having what felt like ovulation pains on my left side. It felt like pain was in my left tube. They were very consistent...every 2-3 minutes for 24 hours. I was so scared that the baby was in my tube BUT I remembered from my past ectopic that if that were the case, my back would ache terribly and I would see spotting. So far I was in the clear.


I called PPVI and they called my dr here and had me do an early ultrasound. That was yesterday and THAT was amazing!!! Y'all, we were so scared. The last time we went for an ultrasound over a year ago we saw nothing...and that was when our drama all started. It was so sad. This time I took a deep breath, she did the ultrasound vaginally and THERE IT WAS!!!! My little blueberry:):):) And then we heard the heartbeat...utterly amazing to see such a little baby with a heartbeat. How could anyone ever abort...they are crazy!!!


I have been ravenous lately. I mean RAVENOUS. I mean like I eat and then not 5 minutes later I am starving...not hungry...starving! I can't stand vegetables at the moment so thank goodness for Juice Plus...no lie, even my ob here in town sells it to his patients. I would be worried about my baby if it weren't for that b.c I swear, I can't even look at a vegetable right now! ha I have been sucking on Preggie Pop candies in the morning during mass....I know that sounds bad but it gets me through the mass without puking! BUT no worries, I'm thankful for the nauseousness!!!


We leave for San Francisco on Thursday:):):) Happy Holy weekend in San Fran, then Napa:):) I'm super excited. God sure does have a sense of humor doesn't he. Pregnant the month we go to Napa! Haha. AND even though I am preggers, I can still taste the wine and spit it out in the spittone things:) Which means I'm going to be a true wine taster:) No worries...I won't let anything go down:) Gonna protect my little blueberry. Shoot, I'm only gonna be tasting at a couple places...not all.


I will miss keeping up with y'all over the few days. I will be able to check blogs at certain points but won't be able to respond that much. For my special IFers, I am going to light candles for you at Easter Mass on Sunday. I hope you will feel my prayers.
 
By the way, what is that big black space below? My uterus??? It's shaped like a banana????

Baby blueberry:)

A very special 14 year old boy

I don't think I have ever told you about this special person in my life. His name is G. G is an orphan here at the orphanage in town. He is also a student of mine:) He came to our school in the 6th grade not speaking. He was very bashful, quiet, and awkwardly uncomfortable. It was so sad. Since day one, G stood out to me. For some reason he was extra special to me. I didn't know why. At the end of 6th grade year, the orphanage signed G up for summer school. I happened to be teaching summer school that summer and it was a blessing:)

G continued his silence throughout all of 6th grade. Keep in mind...he didn't talk to us and he rarely talked to his classmates. I knew that he was taken from his mom recently and I was anxious to know more. That summer of summer school, I saw G laugh for the first time. WHAT! I freeked out! In a good way. My heart just bounced! That summer he started to communicate with me and with some of the kids in the summer school...it was a small class. My heart expanded with care and love for this child.

At the start of his 7th grade year, I decided it was time to get to know more about Gs life. It was October and I knew that Thanksgiving was approaching. I asked G what he did for Thanksgiving at the home and he told me that alot of the kids left to go spend Thanksgiving with their mentor families or other relatives. G, however, didn't have anyone close by so he would be staying with his house parents at the home.  I called the home (the orphanage) and set up a meeting. I talked to DH and felt compelled to have G for Thanksgiving with our family. I met with a couple of the ladies there and they informed me more about Gs life.

G had lived in and out of cars for the past 7 years. His mom was a drug attic. He didn't speak b.c his mom raised him to believe that he was the son of the devil...so any words he said were words of the devil. That is why he chose not to talk. There is much more to the story of his life but basically it was HORRIBLE! The home (which is an Episcopal orphanage) decided to take him up to see the Episcopal priest. The priest spoke with G and ended up freeing him of his thoughts of the "devil in him" and baptized him. I swear to you that next Monday, G started talking....YES! At school....to his teacher and classmates:)

I was attached! So Dh and I decided to take him to Thanksgiving with my family in Birmingham. Even though I was his teacher, I was approved through DHS and was allowed to officially be G's mentor:):):) That weekend in Bham with our family was awesome. G opened up in ways I had never ever ever thought he would. He was in heaven!!! Loving life and loving being surrounded by family.

Since then, G has been a part of our family. He is always with us for holidays and special events. He sometimes is just around for dinners. It's so great. Y'all he is so grown now. He is in my 8th grade class and is taller than me and now he won't shut up!!! hahha. He is definitely the class clown but honestly, I don't care! I, of course, have to discipline him at times but most of the time it is just sooooo great to see him laughing and joking around. He has this deep laughter that is soooo contagious...it cracks my dh up!

G came to me a couple months ago to tell me he had decided to become CATHOLIC!!!!!! Being here at our school made such a difference in his life and he wanted to be confirmed this year with all his classmates. Well, we made it happen. He took some extra classes with our priest and joined in on the classes with the 8th grade. AND GUESS WHAT....Tonight is is Confirmation and I AM HIS SPONSOR!!

Y'all I was so honored. I teared up. To see this precious child of God come this far in his life is absolutely unbelievable. Really, it is. If you knew details of his life, you would expect him to be a child making bad decisions. I know some of you are probably thinking about that movie the blindside. haha. It reminds me of that too. Although that came out a year after G was in our life, it was still awesome to see. G actually looks like the kid on blindside...except that he isn't that tall and he has a huge smile that is so big and bright! G can't be adopted without his brother and sister, so that will probably never happen. Plus he loves his "family" at the home and he is so happy there. They are amazing! BUT G knows he is a part of our family and will always be. I remember last Christmas morning when we were all opening presents, G got more presents than any of us!! To go from having nothing to having so much is just awe inspiring to me. He inspires me. A 14 year old boy. I can't wait to tell him soon that he is going to be an "uncle!" That is what he told me one day...he said I want your kids to call me Uncle G:)

Wow! Please pray a special pray for him tonight:)

Great points on suffering/A little setback/Smiles

Friends, all 48 of you who commented (WOW), thank you soooo much for your love and support. I praise God for you daily...I mean that so much. I hope you know that. Also, I have to say this b.c it has been on my heart. I hope my announcement didn't hurt anyones feelings yesterday. Instead, I pray that it brought you hope. Please know, my sweet IF girls, that I am constantly drawn to God through all of you. I will continue to pray for each of you and your struggles. I pray so much for you who are struggling with IF and I want more than anything for your happiness. Don't think for one minute that you are out of my heart or mind:) I LOVE YOU WOMEN!


I have really been thinking a lot about this journey through infertility and I truly believe that God needed me and dh closer to him in ways we weren't before. So, He showed us this through suffering....drawing us closer to him through our own sufferings. And it worked. I have grown more in spiritual life these past two years than I have in my whole life. Speaking of suffering, it just so happens that on the day DH and I found out we were pregnant, we had already planned to go to Theology on Tap to hear a speaker on suffering. She had 5 reasons she thought as to why we suffered. Three of those really hit me hard.
1) Suffering unleashes love: When people around us suffer, we suffer. We pour out as much love upon them as possible. Suffering helps us grow more in the appreciation of the love that surrounds us. SO TRUE!
2) Suffering helps us be a witness to others: Y'all is this true or what! If it weren't for my suffering, I would have never discovered Y'ALL.  If it weren't each others suffering, we wouldn't be able to understand each other's sufferings. We sure as heck wouldn't be as strong as we all have become. Thing of how much our witnessing to each other has been a positive impact on our lives. This fact honestly makes me appreciate suffering. 

I started crying in the middle of her talk on this. My suffering is still there. IF will always be

 apart of me. It is part of who I am and but it never defined me. It actually helped me become a better person. Crazy thing...suffering brought me one of God's greatest gifts to me....an angel in heaven:)

3) Suffering helps us to grow in our spiritual life: This pretty much speaks for itself. We have all hit rock bottom...so much that the only thing, THE ONLY THING, that kept us going was our faith in God and His will..


I just wanted to share that with y'all b.c the whole time I was listening to her speak, I was wishing y'all were there listening too:) Speaking of suffering, I suffered a bit last night. I'm ok now, no worries but it was a hellasish night! At about 10 pm I started throwing up. YUCK! Hate throwing up. I would rather have surgery again and have to recover for 10 wks than have a night of throwing up. NO LIE! Well the throwing up wouldn't stop. It went on every 15-20 minutes. No big breaks in between. It was one after the other. By about 11:30 it was all bile...stomach lining. HORRIBLE! I decided I had enough. Nothing was working. Sucking on ice cubes, eating bread, nothing! I called PPVI emergency line. Especially with having found out I was pregggers, I didn't want to mess around with dehydration or harming my sweet little grain of couscous (it's probably smaller than that! ha). Dr. called me back and told me ER, IV, MEDs. I waited to see if maybe I would stop. Nope. Three more times. So off we went. Got to ER at 12:30 and was there till 4. Luckily I was one of the only people in the ER....I got in quick! They put me on an IV drip and gave me nausea meds that thankfully worked. I obviously didn't go into work today. I'm resting up and feeling ok. What the heck was it? Either chicken which I ate for dinner (but so did DH) or a bug? Who knows. I am still a little blah with weakness, gas and my throat has been eaten by acid but I'm doing much better than last night. Just gonna take it easy. 


Dh and I found out we were pregnant on St. Gerard's birthday and PPVI and I guesstimated my birthday to be Dec 12th which is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadeloupe!! Talk about wow here. I was reading a post earlier by this lady friend and she mentioned St. Gerard and Our Lady together and it just struck me how amazing it was that my news went along with these days. WOW! I'm still in WOW mode and probably will be from what you others say about not even believing it when your holding your baby.

Our first ultrasound is scheduled for April 28th:):):):) Now the last time we went for an ultrasound, we had a horrible experience. I don't want to go back thinking about that day. SOOO I am trying my best to be positive. Honestly though, I feel soooo good about this one. I didn't with the first one. I didn't feel right doing the IUI and I didn't feel right about the pregnancy. This one...FEELS SO RIGHT! THANK YOU LORD FOR DR. HILGERS AND NAPRO!!!!  Supposedly I'm about 5 weeks.  We leave for NAPA  April 21st (YES I PLANNED A TRIP TO NAPA AND SAN FRAN...PERFECT TIMING HUH!! Actually I would rather be pregnant any day over a trip. I'm just gonna be a true wine taster and taste and spit it out! haha). The nurse at PPVI was a bit worried about me having the ultrasound too early and maybe not hearing a heartbeat yet so we decided the day after our trip would be best.  What an exciting month ahead:):)


I'll quit blabbing now. Just wanted to catch you all up:) Now I am off to meet these new blogger friends who posted on my last post. Thank you so much and I really look forward to meeting your blogs:) OH AND PRAYER BUDDY, I AM PRAYING FOR YOU AT DAILY MASS EVERY DAY! HOPE YOU ARE FEELING IT. AND FOR THE PRAYER BUDDY WHO IS PRAYING FOR ME, YOU HAVE SOME KIND OF POWERFUL PRAYERS FRIEND:):) KEEP IT UP! 


LOVE YOU LADIES:)

LADIES:)

I THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD NEVER COME.......................






I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Today is P+16. I usually start on P+15. PPVI said to test if you get to P+16. I woke up early and couldn't sleep so I tested and saw two bright bright red lines!!!!! I still didn't believe but was thinking holy moly, calm down. DH and I went to church. I went to do my blood at my dr and they told me the urine test was positive. Then they called me at 3:30 to tell me by hcg # was 2,592! HOLY MOLY IT IS REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I PRAISE YOU JESUS! OH and it just so happens to be St. Gerard's birthday:):):):):) Please continue to pray for me. As you all know, my past has been rocky and your prayers would be sooo helpful. Thank you all for your love and support. I know this announcement will bring some pain and that crushes my heart. Please know that I daily attend mass and pray for you ladies and this will never stop. I love you ALL.


PLEASE PLEASE if you are my friend on Facebook do not say anything about this. We are obviously going to keep this on the down low for a while. 

Pics and Blogger meet up idea!

Update: Just realized....It's my 100th post!!! Wow. Never ever thought I'd ever be a blogger and here I am at 100!!!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend:) I spent the weekend on the bay at my parents bay house. It was perfect weather. On Saturday night I talked my parents into trying sushi. We went out to eat at this sushi restaurant in our bay town and they LOVED it! So much that they want to go back!!! This made me so happy bc I eat sushi once a week and they have never understood why until now! Yay!

As I was about to post the pics for this post, I reminded myself again of the idea of having a blogger's weekend sometime in the future! Would that not be fun! We could all come stay at my bay house and have a fun, relaxing weekend:) I would love that. Just curious...would anyone be interested in that? If so, let me know! Maybe I can stir something up! We could do this sometime mid-June! You northerners could pile in a car together and you westerners could do the same! haha.

This is a view of the pay and my wharf in the early morning:)

Above is the boardwalk where I go running in the mornings. It is honestly perfect! I love it! Usually I dread running but running here, I just breathe it all in and it is so enjoyable.

This was the sunset on Saturday night before our sushi dinner:) Perfect!

One more thing...and the weekend!

I know I wrote about this a bit yester but I forgot to add something important that has to do with the health of your children or children to be! Please read to the bottom. You will be surprised at this info. There are over 17 published medical journals proving the goodness of Juice Plus. Check out the Children's Health Study. Also, here are some key facts about Juice Plus to consider:

•Delivers key phytonutrients that are absorbed by the body

•Reduces oxidative stress caused by free radicals

•Helps support a healthy immune system

•Helps protect the structural integrity of DNA  (This is huge esp b.c cancer is so rampant!)

•Promotes cardiovascular wellness

•Positively impacts markers of systemic inflammation THIS IS SO HUGE FOR MANY OF US IFrs!!!

It IS the next best thing to fruits and vegetables! My friend gives her baby 1 capsule of each per day but opening the capsule and putting it in his baby food. Also if you take it, your child can be on JP free for 3 years!

My friend's dad, Dr. Geogre Inge, M.D., who is an OBGYN in my hometown, recommends Juice Plus to his patients and their husbands daily. He also recommends they continue taking it once they conceive.
To learn more, please visit my website. Remember, Juice Plus is a whole food...not a vitamin!

Have a happy Friday. DH is going turkey hunting with some guy friends. Sounds boring to me! ha. I think they walk through the woods making weird noises hoping a turkey will walk out. hahha. makes me laugh! I'm headed across the bay with my parents this weekend to our bay house. I miss DH when he is gone but it really is good quality time I get to spend with my mom and dad. I love packing a bag and going to spend the weekend with them! We are trying out a new sushi place in our little bay town. It's supposed to be delicious!  It's suppose to be in the high 70s maybe low 80s this weekend. PERFECT! Sorry all you northerners:( I'll soak some rays up for you!

Going to mass right now to go pray for you lovely ladies:) So happy you are in my life. Man, I'd be psycho IF woman if I didn't have y'all!

Are you familiar with this???

Life is getting crazy with teaching these next two months, especially with 8th grade confirmation and graduation stuff coming up. This is the time of the year that I get a little impatient b.c they are so done with school (esp since they have been here since K) and they are checked out. So it takes all my might and discipline to keep them focused for the rest of the year. Anyone want to switch jobs for the next month and a half??? ha!


I've started getting to daily mass really early....like when the church lights are still off. Might sound creepy but I love it! I just sit there in peace...I wish I had an hour of it! ANyway, I pray for you. I go through my blog roll in my head and think of the recent posts I read and I pray for you. I even sometimes write things down to remember to pray for. Just know...you are in my thoughts friends:) Esp you my prayer buddy!


As far as infertile life, it's still infertile! ha. I'm on P+8 so another 8 days until I know anything. UGH! Patience is a virtue right:) Kinda boring on this end as far as the IF topic goes. Excitement aka baby, if you want to come, you are oh so welcome!


After getting to know so many of you (via blogs) I have realized that I totally have forgotten to share something with you; something I find to be very important. Listen up and do the research! For the past 3 years we have been taking something called Juice Plus. It is not a vitamin supplement. It is 17 fruits and raw vegetables in capsule form. Anyway, a while back when we were starting to ttc, a friend approached me about the importance of Juice Plus. I was hesitant but I did my research (plenty available) and realized how beneficial it was. I am not trying to throw you a sales pitch. Honestly. I'm just telling you because I really care for your health and well being. I stressed and stressed when we first started ttc about my health....about eating as many veggies and fruits and fiber and protein, the list goes on, all in one day. I couldn't fit in all that I was supposed to. That is when I made the switch to Juice Plus. (Sorry this sounds so sales pitchy.) My husband, and family (mom/dad/sis & fam), have been on it for 3 years and we are very pleased with it. It can benefit you and your child in so many ways. My nieces and nephews take the gummies. Anyways, check out my website and especially watch the video. If you are interested, let me know. I know a few of you already take it! Great:) Even if you just have questions, let me know. To be honest, it took me about a month of thinking and researching before I agreed to it. If you choose not to, no hard feelings:)

Hugs ladies:) Off to watch Survivor with the dh!

Weird month and a blogger who needs your support!!

So weird. Yesterday was CD 25 and I had 10CL AD....on CD 25! I have never seen such late signs before...ever. I started to see signs on CD 16 with LAP (left side abdominal pain) so I knew that those were probably signs of ovulation. I felt the LAP until CD 19. I saw one night of 10KL for 3 hours and that was it of the K. Then after that I saw 10K every other day until CD 25. WEIRD! Def not consistent. LORD I REALLY WANT A BABY...SO IF YOU CAN DO THIS SOON THAT WOULD BE GREAT!

Fertile CM did nothing for me...neither did the mucinex. I still of course have hope for this cycle b.c I saw some positive signs and we were able to ttc a good amount of times after the "talk". Thanks for that support by the way. You were all so awesome in your support. It really comforted me to know that I was not alone about the "talk" issue. Anyway, if I don't get a BFP then I assume PPVI will put me on amoxicilin for CM production.

Daily mass for lent has really been healing. I am definitely going to continue this after lent. DH and I got into an argument last night about it though...isn't that horrible! Hate arguments. (He is doing daily mass with me for Lent.) He mentioned how he doesn't really get much out of daily mass. I tried to not get on the defensive and be understanding but it really hurt my heart to hear that. He is Catholic, he does go to mass with me on Sundays, we do pray daily. It's not that he isn't involved...he just doesn't get what I get out of the mass. He understands the  meaning but he is not a very deep person. This isn't a put down it's just that he really isn't deep nor does he really think about all the theology aspect. So, when it comes to his faith, I feel it is not as mature as I would want it to be. Then I think I am judging...ugh. So we talked about it and expressed ourselves last night. He basically said that we are two different people and we are not the same nor will be the same...I totally agree and understand. But I crave faith, God, trust, prayers, etc. He doesn't crave it like me. I know that doesn't mean he is a bad person but it bothers me at times. He really is the sweetest, most precious man. He does pray with me often and I just love this so much. He also has faith and trusts in God's plan for us and this whole IF battle. He just isn't deep in that way so his faith isn't deep either. Am I making sense? I just worry about him and his relationship with God and whether it will be good enough for God. I know i know that I am not perfect but I do strive to do well. Of course, I could always do more. Shoot, I worry about my relationship and trust in God too. Anyway, maybe I just needed to type this out to get it off my chest again. 

What made me feel all better is that this morning I left to go to church and he came and met me:) He was so cute. He came in and sat in my pew and just smiled at me. It was so precious. He is trying. Thank you God:)


Last but not least, please please help me console and support this  blogger. She needs us! Also I encouraged her to look into NaPro so if any of you want to add more encouragement that would be great!

Thank you & frustration with M!

First of all, thank you so much for your prayers the other day. I really needed them. And you know what...GOD ANSWERED! I'll finally explain. Lately I have been distracted with ttc so much to the point where I have made ttc seem more like a chore to my dh than an act of intimacy. My husband, thank goodness, shared his feelings with me and it was a slap in the face. I totally realized that I was not making this special at all. He felt used. I felt horrible. It's true though. All the other times in the month are great and intimate, then when ttc comes, I turn into a freek (it seems) and I loose focus on meaning and become completely obsessed with ttc. My poor dh. He is so sensitive and so sweet. I just tear up at the fact that I made him feel used. Ugh...makes me sick. BUT i totally understand. I can't imagine. Then of course that puts tonssss of pressure on him and we aren't even able to ttc. Does this all make sense? It is a big issue and I can imagine that we are not alone in this too. 

NFP is a beautiful thing but it can also lead you down a path like above and you really have to redirect your focus and remind yourself of the gift of marriage and intimacy. So we had a huge talk about it. I thought it would ruin ttc this month but GOOD NEWS:) It didn't. We talked that night and were able to put it behind us and we were successful:) So it ended up being a wonderful blessing from God. Thank you Lord for the gift of communication...it really humbled me. But it was your prayers and our Lord that helped us through this. So thanks:)

So this cycle I was to take Fertile CM or Mucinex to help with the m. PPVI said I could take both if I wanted. So I thought, what the heck! I haven't been seeing much during ovulation and when I did, it wasn't as clear as it once was so I was hoping this would all help. Well it didn't. 

I had one day this cycle where I saw 10k (maybe 10kl but I couldn't remember. ugh) and it was on CD 17 from 5 pm to 8 pm. That was it! WTH! Where did my m go???? What is going on??? But I did also try something else new this month and that was an OPK (ovulation predictor kit). You know what's funny...I think we have been ttc at the wrong times. Possibly. I don't know. I have always been ttc when I started seeing signs of 6, 8, or 10.

Anyway, on CD 18 the lines on the stick finally showed up (this was the day after my 10k) and that was when I had my LH surge so of course we ttc. Today is CD 20 and the two lines are still showing up. So this all means that I am in the process now and not when I saw 6, 8, or 10. Now I know that when you see signs of m you are to start ttc so that the sperm can swim. But when ever I stopped seeing signs, we stopped ttc for a few days (I guest to rest! haha). 

The whole point to this is that I think I have been ttc at the wrong times. Maybe this month it was the right time!!! but then again, I had very limited m so ugh! So annoying. I had m all the time before my surgery. It wasn't ever clear, it was always cloudy. Then the cycle after surgery I saw 10k but it is very limited. Nothing like I had seen before surgery. This is so annoying. Now I'm worried....how the heck can sperm swim if there isn't any m to swim in!!!

Annoyed. Oh well. For some reason though I feel good about this cycle. I feel positive. So that is much better than feeling negative. PLEASE WORK SPERM AND EGG!!! PLEASE:):):) haha. 

Enough about that. We have a wedding this weekend so we will be participating in wedding festivities all weekend. Should be fun! I bought a manicure/pedicure Groupon so I get to go get it today! It is 50% off! I'm excited:) My toes and nails should look all pretty:)

Prayer request and BACHELOR FINALE!

Prayer request: I'll explain later (maybe) but for now, will you please please say a prayer for me and my dh. All is ok (we are happy and marriage is great) but we need your prayers regarding ttc and some issues we are having. Soo please just pray that these issues clear up and subside. Thank you for doing this for me:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok ladies, well at least those who care and watch the bachelor!!! Tonight is our night!! I have set aside all plans and am counting down the hours. Am I pathetic or what! ha.

I thought it was Chantel all along, although I wanted it to be Emily. Now I feel as if it is Emily, but then wonder if they are tricking me into thinking that. In the past years there have been some major surprises. But did you see him in the preview/commercials bawling his eyes out hugging Emily....that makes me wonder too. What if one of them ditches him??? UGH to much for me to handle! I still think it's going to be Emily.

Then today I read, yes I admit it, that I read Reality Steve (Don't google and go to site or you will find out info you won't want to know about show) and I totally shouldn't have. I'm not going to tell you what I read because I don't want to spill any beans. All I can say is that I can't wait for tonight! Anyone gonna be watching it with me. Also those watching, don't forget tonight is also "After the Finale Rose" show too. It gives us a heads up on how the couple is doing now after the show is done recording and that they can be public.

Oh and one more thing...supposedly the past couples come on the show tonight?? I don't know...that's what I hear. I do know his family will be on though.

Ok, enough about this. Sorry to waste your time if you aren't a Bachelor lover. But for those who are, I CAN'T WAIT to watch with you and chat about it tomorrow. If you want to chat, chat on this post and just comment on this one.

HUGS and Happy Monday:)

Great prayer and thoughts

I read this today from my online email scripture reading and thought it would be great to share with you:)

VERSE:
  Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day
of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.
   -- Psalm 86:6-7
   
THOUGHT:
  Sometimes there are no immediate answers. We have prayed and
cried and tried and gone sleepless and mourned and shouted. Still
there are no answers. The days roll by in an agonizing parade of
pain. Still there are no answers we can identify. What do we do? We
go to the Psalms. We let them raise up our heart's cry. We are
honest with the God of the entire universe and yet we can still
anticipate mercy from him. We are convinced that in our troubles,
he will not only hear us, but he will also care about what is
happening in our lives.

PRAYER:
  Almighty God, the only true Healer of disease and Mender of
broken hearts, please hear the cry today of those I love who are in
such desperate situations. May your will be done in every one of
their lives with tenderness, grace, and a sense of your presence.
And Lord, please be near me, and help me see your answer to my
prayers. Forever yours in the name of Jesus. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also, did anyone read the reflection in the Magnificat today. I LOVED IT! Here is a part of it written by Elisabeth Leseur....

"God, you have worked with me recently through inner deprivation, suffering, and painful hardships. You must be preparing me for an end known only to you. Whatever it is, I accept it....Make me holy if you plan to give your heaven to me; make me holy if you intend to leave me here to labor and bear the cross. All I ask is that you use me for your glory; let me love you more and more, uniting myself completely to you forever."

Have a good weekend friends:)

Trip surprise!

I got to tell DH about our trip!! Today is his bday and I woke him up this morning and gave him this poster. He was so surprised...it was so awesome to see him excited about it!!!! I can't wait:) April spring break can't come soon enough!!! Tonight we are going to dinner with his family. They are going to surprise him with the rest of the news....his brothers and their others (wife and girlfriend) will be joining us on our trip! He is really gonna flip out when he finds this out!!!

We went to mass this morning and I just praised the Lord for the gift of my sweet husband in my life:) As I wrote in dh's card, although I am going through the most difficult trial in my life dealing with IF, I am still filled with joy for the gift of him in my life. He still has a way to make me happy through my trials:)

Magnificat Lenten Book

I know many of you have discussed reading things during Lent. It reminded me of my Lenten Companion that Magnificat prints out each year. You can order online or maybe find at at Catholic store near you. I called the store today and they have mine on hold for me for when I get off work. It is a great daily reflection book:)

For lent I am doing daily mass Mon-Friday. I'm craving this! I am also going to focus strongly on praying for my prayer buddy. I am looking up a special saint that relate to her prayer requests. Also might look into some novenas as well. This will be so great and take my mind off my own needs to focus on the needs of others:)

As far as giving things up, I am going to be very strict with my Anti Inflammatory Diet. I have had a few too many weak moments so I am going to be very focused. Plus, it's just plain healthy for me! I'm also going to give up saying bad things, negative things. I'm really going to try. I'm not a negative person, but we all say things we shouldn't and I'm going to really work on this so hopefully it will become a habit! (Hope this doesn't make me sound like a witch at other times...I swear I'm not, ha! I just want to rid myself of negative thoughts and actions.

Hugs friends:) Sometimes I just wish I could meet y'all and hug your necks!

Beach instead:)

So dh and I would typically be downtown celebrating Mardi Gras but we decided to escape to the beach and get away from all the hoopla.

It's absolutely beautiful down here. I must say, its a bit chilly but it looks so perfect outside! We drove down to a beach bar and had lunch and then walked on the beach. I wish we were in our bathing suits in the warm sun but that will come soon enough. Can u see the pic? I bet you never knew Alabama had such beautiful, white beaches!! They are like no other. It's like walking on flour....its so soft and white! Love:)

I just downloaded a new blogger app so I hope this post w pic shows up. I tried uploading a few pics...don't know if it will work. We will have to see.

We are off work today and tomorrow for Mardi Gras. We are headed back tomorrow for Fat Tuesday. My dh rides in parade tomorrow night and then we have his organization party after. Wed at work should be great fun!

I am excited for Lent. I have my daily masses all situated and I'm getting my lent prayer book wed too. Today I found out who my prayer buddy is....yay! I recently met her and felt a connection to her right away so I thought it was fitting that I get to pray for her!

Happy Mardi Gras! I'll post some pics from Fat Tuesday for you soon!

Better

So I have been on Biaxin now for 1 day and 1/2. I am still going through AF. It was b yesterday and now it is red. That Biaxin might really be my fix. We will see! I do know I have never seen red, seen b, then seen red again all within the same cycle.

I ordered Fertile CM. Your going to make fun of me but I totally paid an extra $20 to have it overnighted! haha. pathetic I know but I want to start taking it when I'm supposed to and sense my AF if almost done, I know it will be time soon. I didn't want to mess around. Plus, it made me feel better! IF makes you crazy right!

When I was out of work during Oct-Dec for surgeries, I was able to go to daily mass and it was soooo very healing. It honestly completed me every day. Since then, I have desired to to but have been able to do the daily thing because of being back at work. Well, since I'm a teacher at a Catholic school, I decided to take it a bit further and investigate. 

I asked our priest, who I adore! He went to high school with me! Anyway, there is mass at 7:25 every morning. The teachers are to be at school at 7:30 so I could never go. I asked Fr if it was possible to switch mass to 7 but he can't b/c it's set up for high school kids to be able to go to mass and then class. That's fair...since the high school is across the street. Then he said, "I give you permission to go to mass daily!" Meaning, I didn't have to be at school at 7:30. Shoot, if the priest gives me permission to be "late" to school, I can! the bell doesn't ring till 7:50 anyways so I wouldn't be missing anything. So I emailed my principal...she totally approved and thought it was a great idea. YAY!

I have been going to daily mass since Monday. I am finally feeling more complete. I absolutely love this quiet time with God. Thank you Lord. I have also opened the option up to my 7th and 8th graders. So far a couple have joined me. I'm really going to talk to them about Lent and giving instead of giving up. That is how I was raised and it was wonderful. Of course, they can give up things, but it is also good to give. So I am giving my time daily (starting early before Lent) but I know our sweet Lord will enjoy that time with me. 

Lord, please continue to strengthen me through your body and blood!

TEBB & issues..updated

Well I had my cycle review yesterday. It was CD 3. Do you remember a post a couple weeks back that was neon red...well the tebb has set in again. UGH. Makes me so mad. Has this happened to any of you?? Did it ever go away all the way and not come back??? We are on Biaxin again for 10 days. Hope that helps.

It really is annoying b.c I thought everything would be all cleared up after surgery....it was...I know alot was fixed and I am so grateful for that BUT I want it ALL to be fixed. I know, I sound like a baby! But my estrogen is 11.4...they want it at 12. Which means it is really close to being low. My progesterone is 21.6...that is great...thanks to the HCG.

I am having very bad cramps on CD 1. I thought that pain was supposed to go away too???

I also have limited mucus. WTH

After getting off phone for my cycle review and meeting with my practioner yesterday, I wasn't satisfied. So I wrote a letter out asking all these questions referring to this post. Then I made a copy of my chart and faxed all that this morning. I'm hoping to get more clarification. I want to be more persistent...not just wait around. Patience,I know but if I'm still having certain issues, I want them fixed!

I am waiting to hear back from PPVI today. Hoping for more guidance this cycle. It is already CD 4. I know I do get to take Mucinex this cycle to help with mucus but it doesn't enhance it...it just makes it more fertile for the sperm to swim.

Anywho, I'll let you know what they say. Any advice y'all have...pass it on!!

Hugs!

~~~~~~~~~
UPDATE:

 Estrogen: levels before were always fine. This time they were .6 below average which is not bad. So they are going to watch that strictly to make sure it doesn't drop.

Mucus: Going to try Mucinex and she also mentioned Fertile CM. She said I could take both at the same time but it's best to take one or the other b.c then I know which one helped the most. ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WHICH ONE FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW???

BB: She said this is still a topic of research but they do know that the Biaxin helped me before so they are going to try this again. If I have to do it at the beginning of each cycle to clear away bb, then that is what we will do for a while. At least it helped last time so I know it will help this time.

Prolactin levels: The lab is checking those and they will get back to me.

Cramps/Lower back pain: Since it is only 3 months post surgery, we are going to watch that and hope that it gets better. But, some people just have sensitive nerves and the pain might always be present. At least it is fixed mostly with endo removed.

I feel better now. I just needed to feel like I was doing something to better each month. Being on the Biaxin now, knowing it will help with inflammation and BB makes me feel better. Also taking the Mucinex or Fertile CM will be helpful too.

Quotes/The Bachelor/Prayer Request for Hebrews

So I have a quote board in my classroom that I like to write random quotes on for the kids to read. They love coming in and seeing what the new quote will be. They usually are inspirational, as teenagers need as much inspiration as possible.

One of my fav: "If you see someone without a smile, give them yours!"

Today's quote: "Don't tell me the sky is the limit, where there are footprints on the moon!"

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Tonight is the Bachelor!!! MY GUILTY PLEASURE!!! hahaha. Horrible I know.

But, there are only 3 girls left. It is getting really good. Tonight he is sending home one and will have only 2 left. Is anyone out in the blog world excited with me????

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Last night Dh and I had a Mardi Gras party. Here the festivities run for 3 weeks. We were downtown at a party outside in the gorgeous weather. They had yummy food and a fabulous band. Then came the parade...which I call the "boom, boom!" The bands are my absolute favorite part in the parades. Dh and I break it down when they go by...love them! Then of course there are the moonpies....each year they come out with a new flavor. This year it is coconut...yuck! My fav is peanut butter and the mint too! (Moonpies: graham cracker crust cookie sandwiches dipped in flavor (usually chocolate) with a filling in the middle...kind of like oreos but 10x better!)

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Please please pray for Hebrews all day tomorrow. It is her surgery day and she needs our prayers!!!

Welcome spring:):)

Yesterday was P+16. Last cycle lasted till P+15 bc of the HCG shots so I knew to expect a long cycle. Except after P+15 this time, I actually started to get excited. The anxiety set in. I was totally fine throughout the 2ww...that was all God's grace. I didn't struggle through that...BUT then the devil started creeping in...that POS!


Yesterday I had a little pep in my step. I saw nor felt no signs of AF but sure enough 5 a.m. I go to the bathroom and booom...there it is. UGH. HATE. 


IT IS SO CRAZY HOW CRAZY MY MIND GETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean I was fine until yesterday and then I had little glimmers of hope last night when getting ready for bed. I was thinking "two more days, no af = hope!!" 


So today was just blah. Well, my mood was at least. DH hung in there with me though. I woke up and had pretty bad cramps even after tylenol. I got in a hot bath and sat in there for about 30. That was at 5:30 a.m. DH was up too. I guess I woke him up but our alarm clocks in our heads just buzz and we can't sleep late. So after we ended up laying in bed watching a movie till 7:30 a.m. That's when the cramps worsened....and the back cramps too. Mis. Finally around 9:30 they faded.


Today it was 75!!! It was absolutely beautiful. The sky was sooo blue. I spent the morning shopping. In between shops mom and dad called and I lost it. When I hear their voices and I"m sad, the tears just flow. I was pretty upset/emotional for about 30 min. I guess it felt good to get it out. And my sweet parents are so comforting and encouraging. After my eyes dried up and the redness went away, I continued my day. Since AF came, I went and bought two new shirts and a new pair of sandals for spring! 


I came home and while DH washed/waxed his boat I laid out in the back yard and caught some vita D. My skin is so pale and I just want a bit a color. I bought 70 Neutrogena spray at CVS (I'm a freek about getting too much sun!) and dosed my body down. Then I spent a good amount of the afternoon on the blanket out back. It really was a great way to spend a CD 1 day.


DH and I then went to the store to get groceries for the week. (He knows that when I'm upset or sad, it makes me happy for him to be with me or else he would have loved to have stayed home to enjoy the weather outside playing on his boat). He then had a brilliant idea to go get 10lbs of crawfish (already spiced and boiled). We sat out on the back porch as it started to cool and enjoyed peeling the shells and eating our yummy crawfish and drinking a cold beer. (To you northerners/midwesterners...We say "crawfish" not "crayfish".) ha. 


Then tonight I tried to make spaghetti sauce (easy, right???) and it ended up tasting like CRAPOLA! Thank goodness we were full from the crawfish. I'm debating whether I should add spices or throw it out....that is how "not good" it is. I mean really. Who can't make spaghetti sauce from a darn recipe!!! My sister emailed it to me...maybe she left a few things out accidently...I'll pretend that that is the reason!! 


Contacts are drying out. DH and I are about to crawl into bed and watch tv. Tomorrow we have a busy day with mass then a Mardi Gras day party then parade. So off to brush my teeth I go....


Happy Mardi Gras friends:)

Positive Polly!

I'm a very optimistic person...really, I am. I rarely am negative or think negative thoughts. Even when I was single, I never had those negative thoughts of "I'm never going to find a husband..." I guess you can say I have always trusted. I feel I have. I have always known I was in God's hands. The most difficult time in my life, besides IF, was when my ex and I broke up. We had one of those relationships where we planned everything out...and then God laughed. That took a good year for me to get over. BUT, I knew I would be okay. I wasn't ever worried about not finding someone else or whatever those other thoughts are.

But this IF thing, is really kicking my butt. HARD. (By the way, I still think butt is a bad word...haha...I rarely say it. But right now I needed something strong and didn't want to say ass...ooops!) It's causing me to not be my really positive self after all. I mean, of course I am still positive and go about my days pretty happy. But that thought still lingers in the back of my head about "no baby yet" and it just stays there. It makes me have negative thoughts. U to the G to the H....UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I want to say the words "I will have a baby." But is it weird that I can't. I can say "I hope" or "might" but I can't say "I will." And, it makes me sick that I can't say that because IT'S NOT ME! Where is it coming from....that damn devil! Hate him. 

My goal from this post on is to remind myself that "I WILL HAVE A BABY." There I said it. But not out loud...yet. That is my goal.

I know so many of you feel this way too. Now, while I am in the middle of my novena to St. Gerard, I often throw your blog names out there with my own prayers. I just want this so bad for all of us. Sorry this is a negative nancy post. (I always tell my students to not be negative nancys..ha!) I hope my next is a more positive polly. Haha. I'm such a Dork...with a capital D!

St. Gerard, pray for us all day today:)

Random

So the ball was a lot of fun! DH is pretty reserved when it comes to dancing but once he gets a little drink in his system, he is a dance maniac! haha. And that he was on Friday. It's so fun though b.c I love to dance and I totally crush on him when I see him dancing. It is hilarious! He does this little move where he puts one foot in front of the other and swings his hips around...it honestly makes me giggle every time. I love it it b.c it totally makes me feel giddy and I just want to jump in his arms and tell him how stinkin cute he is! haha. So yes, we had fun!

I'm in the middle of my 2ww. This cycle I had my first double peak so my cycle is extra long. It's more like a 3ww. Not feeling anything special. I'm not acting all crazy YET so that's good. I'm sure that time will come after this weekend. I'm hoping af comes before the devil gets in my head again. Or I'd take a BFP anyday! ha.

I'm in the middle of my novena to St. Gerard. It's my first one. I always asked him to pray for me and read his prayer card but never a novena. Hope he is listening:)

Yesterday was my sweet dad's 70th bday. I am superduper close to my dad. He is just such a precious, loving man. My mom calls him her "Jospeh". So one day while I was visiting a nearby Catholic church, I saw a statue that I though would be perfect for my dad. I talked to the church secretary and she gave me info on how I could order it. It is called "Father" and it is of Jospeh holding sweet Jesus as a child. My dad just loved it!!! My absolute favorite is the "Standing Holy Family"...it is my absolute most favorite statues. Isn't it just beautiful! My mom and dad gave it to us and it is in our house. I look at it often and smile:)

DH and I have started walking together:) It makes me so happy. In the past he would always make up excuses but now that he has gained a few lbs and that he is getting older and not working out, it made him realize he better get on it! I kept telling him I needed him to have a healthy heart for me, for him and for our future family. So we have started walking on M, W, F and Sun. We take our lab along and it is just great. I know it is just a walk but it really is so great b.c it is uninterupted, quality time to be together. No phones, computers, tv...nada! Just us! Well yesterday he said "let's run!" So we ended up jogging the whole way. It wasn't bad at all. First run since surgery and it was great. The weather here has been gorgeous! (sorry northern and midwestern bloggers) It has been in the 60s and 70s and blue skies. Love the south!! Well we woke up this morning a littttlleeee sore! ha. We will just have to walk it out today.

Hugs and off to grade:)