Prego update

I know, I know, I have been horrible at updating the blog. By the time I get Lindsay to bed and have dinner myself, it is about time for me to go to bed. For the women that know what the fatigue of the first trimester is like, this is actually worse. I will be 22 weeks tomorrow. Only 12 more weeks to get to the goal of 34 weeks. The true test begins. If you haven't seen me in a while, I look like I am 9 months pregnant. I am carrying a little lower than I did with Lindsay, but I stick out a lot farther. But at our last appointment, everything checked out good. The babies are all about 12 oz right now. By time we get to our next appt on 12/23/08, they should be over a pound each. I may complain about getting bigger, but I guess if my belly is getting bigger, so are the babies. There is also no sign of twin to twin transfusion syndrome present either. That will usually show up by 24 weeks if it is going to develop. I'm almost there and everything is still looking good. I am on half days at work now. I am lucky I guess. So far, I haven't been put on any type of formal bed rest yet. (Knock on wood) From a lot of what I had read about higher order multiple pregnancies, if you weren't on bed rest by 20 weeks, you were fortunate. I'm sure that will be coming in the near future. I am hoping to make it until after Lindsay's first birthday party before that happens. I don't want to have to miss out on that milestone of hers. I will try harder to update more often, but I can't make any promises.

On a different note, if everyone could keep the Cram family in their prayers, it would be much appreciated. They lost their 11 year old daughter, Payton, last Saturday to cancer. She was an amazing little girl who had a wonderful spirit and faith in God. I couldn't imagine the heartache of losing a child.

Ultrasound update

We went for our ultrasound this morning and the verdict is in.... There are 2 girls and 1 boy. We are excited. I had actually had a dream that the twins were girls and the fraternal triplet was a boy. All appear to be doing well so far. There don't appear to be any signs of twin to twin transfusion syndrome so far. We will keep praying that this is the news we get at every appointment. They are all between 4.5 - 5 ozs right now. The doctors have a hard time keeping the twins straight as they like to move around alot. The girls are already causing some trouble =) We will have another ultrasound in 2 weeks. I will update everyone then.

My little mover

This morning started out as any other morning. When Lindsay got up, I changed her diaper and fed her a bottle. I set her on the floor to play while Mike and I continued to get ready. I finished getting her food plates ready for the day and came out of the kitchen to find Lindsay on her hands and knees. I walked over towards her and she actually crawled, in her own little way, to me. I wasn't that far away, but she actually crawled to me! My little girl is growing up so fast. In the past month, she has gotten 4 teeth, is pulling herself up, and now is crawling. She has a ways to go to get it down, but she is laying the foundation. I am soaking up all the time with her I can because I know everything will change when the 3 little ones come. We go for another ultrasound tomorrow. We are hoping that they can determine the genders then. They think that the single baby is a boy, but they coudn't tell with the twins last time. I will update after the appt.

One, Two, Three.......

Mike and I had our first ultrasound today. We were hoping to see our little one on the big screen and hoping to hear that the heartbeat looks good. We were in for the shock of our life when we heard the doctor say the word... TRIPLETS!!! You read correctly, we are pregnant with triplets! When the doctor first started the scan, I saw 2 sacs right away, but I didn't say anything. When the doctor asked us if this was a spontanious or natural pregnancy. We answered that we did get pregnant on our own. I asked, Why, is it twins? He answered no, it's triplets. There are a set of identical twins from one egg and one baby from another egg. Multiples didn't really cross my mind with this pregnancy. I was more worried before our first ultrasound with Lindsay since we had 2 eggs transferred. You always know that multiples are a possibility but don't really think it would happen to you. We are still in a bit of shock, but are very excited with the news of 3 babies. It will be a challenge, but GOD wouldn't give us more than we can handle. We have a great support system of friends and family, so I know we will be fine. Well, I am going to head of to bed to get some sleep. It's hard work making 3 little ones =) I will keep everyone updated.

A New Miracle!!!

I know, I am such a horrible blogger. It has been about a month and a ½ since my last entry. I was giving updates on my weight loss. I got within 2 lbs of my pre-pregnancy weight and hit a wall. I wasn’t eating the best, so I figured that had something to do with it. I had lost most of the weight, but my belly still wouldn’t go down. That was ticking me off! I kept at it, until I started getting sick about 2 weeks ago. I was feeling a bit nauseated. With the flu going around, I thought I was just coming down with the flu. Mike wasn’t feeling well either. When we picked Lindsay up from daycare on Friday, September 5th, they told us that 3 kids had gone home with the flu. Then we heard that Mike’s dad and my dad had the flu. I didn’t think anything more of me not feeling good. Then that weekend, I really came down with the flu. By Monday, I was feeling much better energy wise, but I was still a bit nauseous. I hadn’t had a period in 2 months, but with me still nursing, that didn’t raise any red flags. I had gone from March until July without one. On a whim, I went to Rite-Aid at lunch and got a home pregnancy test. I didn’t want anyone to know that I was taking it, so I threw the packaging away at a trash can outside work. I hid the 2nd test in my car, so Mike wouldn’t find it. I put the test in my purse and went to the bathroom. I took the test and set it on the shelf in the bathroom. I was ready to leave, so I turned to grab the test, which I was sure was going to be negative. To my utter shock, there was a big plus sign staring me in the face. I immediately started shaking. With all the issues we had getting pregnant with Lindsay; we didn’t think the chances of us getting pregnant on our own were very likely at all. I hid the test in my purse and went back to my desk. I tried to instant message Mike, but he was still in his meeting. I told him to call me when he got out. I told him that my flu was going to be lasting longer than normal. It was going to be lasting about 9 months. He didn’t quite get was I was saying. I then blurted out, I’M PREGNANT! He was with 2 co-workers at the time, so he didn’t really get too excited. I think I caught him a bit off guard. He came over on his afternoon break and I showed him the tests. (Before he came over, I went to the car and got the 2nd test and took that one too. Again, it was positive!) I could see the befuddled look on his face. This was definitely a miracle. I could get pregnant on my own after all. I guess we were just trying too hard the first time. When we told people, we seemed to get the same response of total surprise. Like us, no one saw this coming.
Though this wasn’t planned, we are very grateful for this miracle. While I was carrying Lindsay, we nicknamed her “Peanut”. Mike has lovingly nicknamed the one “Walnut” or Wally for short. I haven’t had my first appointment yet, but from the date of my last period, I would be due around mid-April. Lindsay seems indifferent on the thoughts of being a big sister now. But I’m sure when “Wally” gets here, she will be excited. I know she will be a great Big Sister!!

Stop and smell the roses

I have been looking forward to this day since Mike left. He is due to come back tonight. I was at work just trying to get through the day. I got a call that I had a delivery in the lobby. I walked out to find a dozen, long stemmed, red roses. My wonderful husband sent roses to me and Lindsay. I almost cried when I saw them. I know I miss him very much when he is gone. I can only imagine how Lindsay feels. Tomorrow she will get to wake up to her dad's smiling face. I just wanted to thank my loving husband for the beautiful flowers. I would bring them home for you to see, but a certain gray fuzzball would probably knock them over =) Thanks again. They bring a smile to my face!

Another one bites the dust

I lost another pound this week. My weight is in the 150's for the first time in over a year. I am 4 lbs away from pre-prego weight. I can see this is going to be a long road, but it will be worth it in the end. I am only 4 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight, but I am 23 lbs away from pre-marriage weight. Maybe by the end of the year I can reach that. No rush. I want to make sure I can keep this weight off once it is off. I know I will never be the size I was in high school, but I just want to feel good about myself. ( And look better for my husband!) Being a healthy mom and setting good eating habits for Lindsay is important too. It was so much more fun putting the weight on =)

Weight Loss Update

No news to report this week. I didn't have a gain or loss. I am thankful for that. This weekend was bad for the diet. With all the munchies and the beer/food at the concert, I am thankful for breaking even. Hopefully this week will be better. My goal is at least 10 more lbs by the end of August. (I would love 15, but I am trying to be realistic) I will update next week.

Singin' in the rain

Last night, Mike and I went with our friends Nolan and Jerry to DTE Energy to see Kid Rock perform. Mike and I have been to a Kid Rock concert before, but they were at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw. We hadn't been to a bigger venue like this. No matter the size of the venue, Kid Rock puts on a high energy performance. I can safely say that his shows are some of the best that I have ever seen. Also performing that night were Uncle Kracker and Rev Run, from Run DMC.
The one this about DTE is that it is an outdoor venue. The show goes on, rain or shine. And well, the rain was on. Luckily, as local radio station was giving out free ponchos =) And it only rained until about 8pm or so. The rain had stopped by time Kid Rock took the stage. And as before, the show was awesome! He played some old favorites like "Cowboy" and "Devil Without A Cause" as well as some new songs like "Amen" and "All Summer Long". The sold out crowd was on their feet and cheering the entire time. It's hard not to have a good time. He also did some songs with Rev Run. They sang "It's Tricky", "You Be Illin" and "Walk This Way". The both know how to have fun and really entertain the crowd.
We didn't have pavilion seats for the show, we were on the lawn. Lawn seats are nice because you can spread out a little more and you aren't as cramped. The only downside to having lawn seats, besides the possibility of rain, is rain + drunk people + hill. That isn't the best combination. We had a few people around us who couldn't stay on their feet. It was funny at first, but tends to get annoying after awhile. Oh well, no one around us was seriously hurt. I was talking to someone while I was waiting in the line for the bathroom that a girl by them had to be taken away because she broke her ankle.
All the crazy, drunk people aside, it was a great night! GREAT music, good company of friends, and the parking was FREE. I haven't been to an event in a long time that the parking was free. The beer more than made up for that. A beer was anywhere from $7.50 - $8.50. Oh well. It was still a fun night had by all. I can't wait for him to come back.

Long Time, No Post =(

I know it has been a while since my last post. I've been a bit busy/lazy lately. I get home from work and spend time with Lindsay until she goes to bed. After she is asleep, I try to keep the house picked up and get stuff ready for the next day. By time that is done, I am ready to go to bed. She went to bed at about 7:30pm and Mike had already picked up the kitchen, so I have a little bit of free time. He is in playing XBox Live with his brother, Terry. He does that more quite often during the week. And because of the storms going through right now, my satellite signal is lost, so I can't finish watching Steel Magnolias, I figure it would be a good time to update the blog on what is going on.
Since my last post, Lindsay is now 6 months old. At her doctor's appt (where she had to get 4 shots), she weighed 15 lbs 15 oz and measured 25.5 inches long. She is in the 30th percentile for height. Big shocker when you look at her parents =) She is just growing like a weed though. I can't believe she has been with us 6 months already. She has really gotten the hang of sitting up on her own. She still falls over now and again, but is overall doing very well. We have also started to give her Gerber Graduate puffs. She is learning quickly how to get the puffs into her mouth. The pincer grasp is coming along nicely. She amazes me everyday on how quickly she picks up on things. (which means she will probably pick up on any little slip of the tongue I make. I'll have to really watch myself) She went to her first Tiger's game on 7/11/08 vs the Minnesota Twins. Unfortunately, they couldn't pull out a victory. Oh well, she looked cute while she was there. If you would like to see her, you can go to www.tigers.com/fanfoto. The event is the July 11th game and she is in gallery 83. (I think dad was trying to pick up chicks with the cute baby) All the women he walked past had to comment on how cute Lindsay was.
I have also really gotten serious about losing the baby weight. I am the heaviest I have ever been and I REALLY don't like the way I look. I have started getting 4-5 fruits/veggies per day and watching the portions of my food. I hate to admit this, but I weighed 190 lbs when I gave birth to Lindsay. I've made a lot of progress up to this point. Today when I weighed myself at the gym, I weighed 160 lbs. I am 5 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight. My first goal is to get to 145 lbs. (that is what I weighed when we first started infertility testing) On my lunch hour, I am going to classes Monday and Wednesday at the gym. On Tuesday and Thursday, I have been running/walking outside. I am really focused on getting back into better shape. ( Round is the shape I am now, and I don't like it) I don't expect to have a 6 pack abs, because I have never had them. I just want to not look like I am 3 months pregnant, when my daughter is 6 months old. Eating out is a bit different. I can't order my usual favorites. I don't have to eat just salads and water. I can eat real food. I just have to watch my portion control and snacking. Nix the appetizers and only eat 1/2 or less of the portion they give you. I've lost 5 lbs so far. Food days at work will be tough, but I just have to ask myself, will that help me get to my fitness goal or set me back. I do give in to my cravings, but again, smaller portions is the key. When you get 5 fruits/veggies per day, you aren't as hungry between meals and easier to avoid temptation. I'll try to keep the blog updated with my progress.
Sorry to babble on there, I just figure the more people I tell about this, the more people there are to help keep me accountable. It was hard to get on the fitness wagon. I can use all the help I can get staying on. Well, I will wrap it up for tonight. Hope everyone is doing well.

We miss you

Mike had to go to Maine on business this week. He left yesterday morning and will be back Thursday morning. I know it's hard on me when he is gone, but I'm sure it is harder on him. At least I have Lindsay with me. He did go out with 2 other guys from work, but Lindsay is back here with me. He did call this morning using the webcams, so he got to see her at least. But I am sure it is not the same as getting to hug her and give her a kiss like he usually does. But, we made it through when he was in Ohio for a week, I'm sure we can make it through this short trip. I miss Mike when he goes away, but I really miss him now. On Sunday, while I was mowing the lawn, I got something in my eye. I didn't think it was too bad. My eye burned a little when I took my contacts out, but I thought nothing of it. I woke up Monday morning and I could barely keep my eye open, it was watering a lot and was bloodshot. This is not what I needed the day Mike was leaving. I had my dad come pick me up at work and take me to the eye doctor. (I didn't trust myself to drive) The doctor said that I had scratched my cornea. He gave me some drops to help heal the scratch and avoid infection. Today, my eye is still red, but I can see a bit better. It is still very light sensitive though. Driving is still a challenge. Luckily I only live about 10 minutes from work. It would be a lot easier if Mike were hear, but I'll make do.

Lindsay and I just wanted to let Mike (dad) know that we are thinking of him and can't wait for Thursday when you come home =) Luv and Miss U bunches!

Happy Birthday Dad

Good Morning Dad! I know I have been a bit fussy lately because of my teeth. But I wanted to wish a Happy Birthday to be best Dad in the world. I have to get back to my room, it's almost Rice cereal time =) Hope you have a good day and I will see you when you pick me up. Love you Bunches.

Love ,

Little Critter

The test results are in

Just a quick post tonight. I just wanted to let out a BIG sigh of relief. The test results on the bat came back negative for rabies. That is a huge weight lifted off my mind. I don't think the bat had any contact with Lindsay, but I don't know that for a fact. But to know that the bat didn't have rabies is a prayer come true. Now we just have to figure out where the little rodents are getting in at and block their entrance.

The bats are back......and I'm not talking about the Tiger's

Shortly after we moved into our house in 2006, I found a dead bat in one of the upstairs bedrooms. That freaked me out just a bit. Since we moved in towards the end of summer, that was the only one we found that year. When the next summer started, I had forgotten about the bat the previous year. I was home alone and could hear a beeping/chirping noise, but could not figure out where it was coming from. Mike came home and heard the same noise. He eventually found a barely alive bat in the room that is now Lindsay's room. We disposed of that and didn't think any more about it. That put the bat count at 2. In August, the count would double. We had been out late attending the Daughtry concert and were pretty tired. ( I was also 4 1/2 months pregnant) I awoke at 4am to our cats running back and forth across our room chasing something. I thought it might be a moth or something. When they came over by our bed, I realized that it was a bat. Yikes!! While Mike went to get something to help catch the bat, Gizmo cornered it on our dresser. He slapped it a few times with its paw. Then he turned around with it in his mouth. When he let it out of his mouth, Mike hit it with a broom, baseball style. Then he hit it again for good measure. We put a bucket over it with a weight on top and tried to get back to sleep. A few days later, we came home from work and heard the very distinct sound of a bat AGAIN!!! We could hear it in the living room area somewhere, but couldn't seem to find it. Then Mike saw the bat's wing come out from underneath the arch of my sandals. I don't remember exactly how we got rid of that one, but it didn't live to see nightfall. We could see some holes in the screens in the attic vents, so we had someone come out to fix those. We thought we had solved the problem. We didn't have any other visitors the rest of the summer. I hadn't thought much about them this year, until the other night. It was a pretty hot night and Lindsay's room was roasting. We had an AC unit in our window, so we decided to bring her in our room for the night. Because of the heat, I wasn't sleeping very well. I awoke at about 4am to the sounds of what I thought was a mouse scratching in the cubby by our bed. I wasn't for sure if it was in the room our in the ceiling, so I listened again for the noise. As I did, I saw something fly by the window. It was no mouse in the room, it was ANOTHER bat. I wasn't worried about me, I was more worried about the fact that Lindsay was in the room. I can defend myself and move if it came near, she can't. I woke Mike up to tell him about our little friend. We learned the last time from our vet, that if we find a bat in our house, we should bring it in to be tested if we awake to one in our bedroom. But we had to keep the brain in tact for it to be tested for diseases. When Mike went out in the hall to turn on the light, Haley (our cat) came into the room and ended up cornering the bat under the dresser the TV is on. We slowly moved the dresser and Mike covered the bad with a broom and we cot in under the bucket. We were able to get the bat into a box and tape it up. We delivered it to the vet and they sent it off to be tested. I know it didn't come in contact with me, but because Lindsay was in the room, I didn't want to leave anything to chance. We should have the results this week. Now we have to find some bat professionals to come find out how they are getting in and fix the problem. I don't think I will sleep too well, until that is done. But I'm glad we have our brave cats to help us capture the flying pests =)

Let The Celebration Begin!!!!!

There was never a doubt.... The Cup is coming back to Hockeytown where it belongs!!!! I missed the middle of the game, but I did see most of the third period. I saw the Pens goalie, Fleury, sit on the puck and put it in for us. That mistake proved to be the game winning, and Stanley Cup winning goal. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend the parade on Friday, but that's ok. I went in 1998 and have awesome pics. Well, I've got to finish getting ready for work. CONGRATS TO THE STANLEY CUP CHAMPS..... Detroit Red Wings!!! Way to go Ozzie =)

No Celebrating....... Yet!

We were 34 seconds away from winning the Stanley Cup. Somehow the puck got past Chris Osgood and we were into Sudden Death! I tried to watch overtime, but I was just too tired. Lindsay woke up just as Pittsburg was cheering that they had kept us from winning the Cup that morning. But they were just delaying what Detroit fans already know...... The Cup is returning to Hockeytown!!!!!! I would've been nice to wrap things up last night/this morning, but that wasn't the case. I can't wait for Wednesday night. Let's Go Red Wings!!!!!! And my favorite Wing..... OZZIE!!!!!

Quick update

I know, it has been a LONG time since I put a post out here. It's been so nice outside, we've been taking Lindsay on quite a few walks. She really seems to enjoy being outside. We've started Lindsay on Rice cereal and she loves it. She will eat the entire serving in about 5-10 minutes. (and most of it actually ends up in her tummy and not on her face!) She had been doing so well on the cereal, we decided to give her some green beans. She isn't quite sure is she likes those or not. She'll eat about 2-3 bites, and then she is done. We've started mixing a little of the green beans in the rice cereal, and she will eat those. However, she has been quite gassy with the green beans, so we are going to lay off those for a few days and then try them again.

We went to a picnic for our friend Kristi's 30th birthday yesterday and Lindsay rode in a swing for the first time. She seemed to have a good time. She loves the wind in her face. She just grins from ear to ear. We found a ticklish spot on her this weekend. Mike tickled her arm pits and she laughed so hard. She doesn't do it every time, but when she does, it is so precious. She is wearing her 6-9 month summer clothes already. (she'll be 5 months on Wednesday) She is just growing up so much. She has been on a good routine for the past 3 weeks or so. She gets a bath, bedtime feeding, and then will sleep until 5:30 or 6am. She is usually in bed by 8:30pm. It has been quite nice. The first couple of nights, I didn't sleep that well, because I was sure she was going to wake up sometime in the middle of the night. Now, I am getting some good sleep. Because I am still nursing, I had been getting up in the middle of the night to pump. Although I am quite full when I get up, I am just sleeping through the night.

Well, I am at work, so I have to cut this short. I will try to be better at getting posts out there. (The picture is from Memorial day weekend.)

1st Mother's Day

It is weird to think that I will be celebrating this Mother's Day as a mom. It is a dream come true. This week has been tough with me being sick and Lindsay waking up 2-3 times per night, but I wouldn't change anything for the world. I got an early surprise when I dropped Lindsay off at daycare today. In her cubby, there was a manila envelope that said Happy Mother's Day Mommy on it. I didn't open it until I got to the car. Inside the envelope was a heart that said "Mommy, I love you this much" and her hand prints are attached to the heart by pink ribbon. It has magnets on the back of the heart and hand prints, so I have it up at my desk already. Lindsay is 4 months old now and growing like a weed. I still thank GOD everyday for allowing me to take care of his little angel. I smile every time I see those little hand prints.

So to all the mom's out there, I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day! Being a mom truly is the best job in the world.

The "official" news...

Sorry, I’ve been really bad about posting lately. All of us in the Sella household are battling allergies I think. Lindsay has a stuffy nose and Mike and I have a stuffy nose and scratchy throat. Gotta love living in Michigan =)
On May 3, 2007, we got the “official” news from the doctor’s office that we were pregnant. I had gone in early that morning before work to get my blood work done. Then I had to wait until later that afternoon to get the results. Although I had taken the HPT and it had come back positive, I still needed the reassurance of the blood test. I was nervous all day waiting for the phone call. And as fate would have it, I was on the phone when they called. (I could tell by the caller ID on our cool work phone!) I was on the phone with one of our employers, and it wouldn’t be very professional to ask if I could call them back. Although this employer would’ve understood, but I still didn’t want to do that. The doctor’s office ended up calling my cell phone and leaving a message for me with the results. We aren’t supposed to use our cell phones at work, but my supervisor knew that my doctor may call me with my blood work results on it. If it was them calling, I was allowed to answer my cell phone. When I got off my work phone, I listened to the message that they left. The positive HPT result was confirmed by the blood test! I called Mike right away. We were both so thrilled. I had an ultrasound scheduled for 5/22/07. The question of pregnant or not pregnant was answered, but there was still one question left…. How many? We transferred 2 embryos, but did they both take? That was a long 2 ½ weeks. There was no way I could cheat and find the answer to this question. We would just have to wait and see what GOD blessed us with.
We had planned to go out to dinner with our parents on the night of 5/3/07 to tell our parents if we were pregnant or not. Since we knew the answer a few days earlier, we had to keep it from them until the day of the “official” test. That was a very hard thing to do. We both just wanted to scream it at the top of our lungs were so excited, but we had to wait. My parents were meeting us at our house and then we were riding out to Genji’s to meet Mike’s parents. I had a baby sleeper in the front door when they pulled up. I didn’t even have to say a word. My parents were thrilled, of course! My mom wanted to call Jan, Mike’s mom, but we hadn’t told them yet. We were going to tell them at the restaurant. We also had a sleeper for them as well. We told them and they were very happy as well. The grandma’s-to-be started planning for the baby (or babies) arrival.
Even though I had 2 tests telling me that I was pregnant, it hadn’t really sunk in yet. I didn’t feel different and I didn’t look different yet, but I was pregnant. That was the start of a wonderful journey to our precious angel. Today she is a 4 month old ball of energy and growing like a weed. It was a long wait from the time we started trying to conceive naturally until the time we got the news we were expecting, but it was all worth the wait.

I couldn't wait....

If you know me, I usually can’t wait to find things out. When it came to finding out if IVF had worked or not, I was on pins and needles. I had a feeling that it worked, but I wasn’t for sure. I had been really tired for the past few days. On 4/29/07, I had been out pulling weeds for about an hour. I came in and took a 2 ½ hour nap. That wasn’t like me, unless I was sick. I thought something might be different, but my pregnancy test wasn’t scheduled until 5/3/07. I was going crazy. They tell you not to take a home pregnancy test (HPT) because some of the hormones taken during the IVF cycle could give a false positive on a HPT. I did some looking on the internet to find out what hormones would do this. It turns out that the shot given just before the retrieval is what could cause the false positive. The hormone could stay in your system for about 14 days. On 4/30/07, it had been 19 days since I had given myself the shot. Mike was working late on 4/30/07, so I decided to go to Kroger and get a HPT and give it a whirl. I knew I could be setting myself up for disappointment, but I was going nuts with wondering. I took it when the test when I got home. To my delight, I got 2 lines, which is a positive test. I didn’t know how to react. I was obviously very happy, but I didn’t know how my body would react to a pregnancy. I didn’t want to get too excited. I didn’t know if I wanted to tell Mike either. I didn’t want to get his hopes up if the test was a false positive. I just sat there for a minute to get a grasp on the situation. Mike got home shortly after I took the test. I didn’t say anything at first. Like I said, I didn’t want to get his hopes up if this was a false positive. I knew how badly he wanted to have a family. He was home about 5 minutes, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to tell him. I told him that I would need to call the doctor’s office in the morning to see if the test could be reliable or not. But I showed him the stick. He was thrilled. We hugged for a few minutes. We both wanted to shout from the rooftop with excitement. The long wait could finally be over. I was extremely thrilled, but I didn’t want to get too excited yet until I talked to the doctor’s office in the morning. I called them when I got to work the next day. They said that the test should be pretty accurate. I told my co-workers the news. They were all very happy. We also told our friends the exciting news. The hard part would be keeping it from our parents and family. We were planning on taking them out to Genji for dinner after the official test to tell them if we were pregnant or not. That was the hardest thing to do. I pretty much tell my mom everything. And to have to keep from her that a new grandbaby was on the way, that was HARD. Somehow I did it. Though it wasn’t “official”, I found out a year ago today that we had been blessed with a little angel to take care of. Today she is almost 4 months old. At her last appointment on 4/28/08, she weighed 13 lb. 8 oz and was 24 inches long. Her smile every morning when we get her out of bed makes the wait all worthwhile. So thanks to the help of modern medicine and the blessings of GOD, we found out one year ago today that we were parents =)

Lindsay returns home....

On 4/15/07, I went down to Rochester for the embryo transfer. We transferred 2 embryos that day. One took and is now our beautiful little girl. My emotions were all over the board that day. I was full of hope but didn't want to get too excited. I knew God had a plan for me and things would work out how he wanted them too. I just prayed that we would be blessed with a child. We hadn't told our parents yet that we were actually doing the IVF procedure. I had to break plans with my mom a few times because of appointments. I was going to have to break plans again because I had basically be a couch potato for 24 hours after the transfer. We finally broke down and told them what we were doing. Now they were apart of the 2 week wait with us. The first 5 days of Lindsay's life were spent at the IVF office in Rochester. On 4/15/07, she returned home to us and started the long 9 month journey of development. I still can't believe our dream of becoming parents came true. I thank God every day that he has trusted us to take care of his beautiful angel.

Hello Dad

Good morning dad! I rolled out of my room at daycare to the computer room so I could say hello! Mom said you are in Ohio this week. I tried to stay up until you got to your hotel so I could see you on the computer, but I was just too tired. Mom said you got there ok. I'll take an extra nap today so I am awake and can see you on the computer. I better end this so I can roll back to my room before they miss me =) Have a good day and I will see you tonight! We miss ya dad. Hurry back!

Day one without dad

Today was the first day this week without Mike. It didn't go too badly. She only got up once last night (at 1:30am). She then slept until I woke her up at 6:25am. I was able to fully get ready and pack her stuff for daycare before I woke her up. She ate her breakfast and got dressed and was a perfect angel. I got us both ready and was out the door by 7:05am. It is a lot easier with Mike 's help =) I will confess, I cried yesterday because I missed him already. I hope the rest of the mornings go as smoothly as this one. Only 4 more to go!

Last year at this time....

It was last year on this date that Mike and I were in Rochester at the IVF office for our egg retrieval. Who knew that was to be the start of our beautiful angel. They were able to retrieve 24 eggs that day. Of those 24, 21 were mature enough to go on to the fertilization process. Of those 21 eggs, 19 fertilized. 1 of those fertilized eggs happened to be what is now our little girl. We were blessed enough to have as many eggs retrieved and fertilized from this cycle that we have 11 frozen embryos that we can use for our next attempt. It was exactly one year ago today that our little miracle came together. We can say that we know exactly when Lindsay was conceived. But the funny thing is, Mike and I weren't even in the same city as our soon to be miracle. For the first five days, Linsday called the IVF office in Rochester her home. Today, she has blessed our home and made us a family of 3 =)

Another first for Lindsay

I just wanted to get a quick post out there to share the good news. Lindsay has been getting pretty good at tummy time. She can really hold her head up a while without having to set it down. We were doing tummy time again last night. She has been acting like she wanted to roll over for a few weeks. Last night, she finally did it! She rolled over from her tummy to her back. I don't know if this is an early age for a baby to roll over or not. All I know is I am proud of my little Peanut! Congrats Lindsay!

Quick Appology

I haven't written in over a week. I have been really tired lately. It seems that when Lindsay goes to sleep for the night, so do I. I just wanted to send an appology to my wonderful husband, Mike. I know that I have been quite cranky lately. There just don't seem to be enough hours in a day to get sleep, play with Lindsay, clean the house, and just relax. Hopefully you can forgive me. I will try to have a better attitude from now on. Maybe getting back into the gym will help my energy level. In any case, I am sorry for being such a b!tch lately. I love you bunches!

A day of firsts

When Lindsay fell asleep last night at 7:30 pm, I had no idea what was in store. We took her up to bed about 9 pm. I thought she might sleep until midnight, if we were lucky. The next thing I knew, it was 5 am and she was still sleeping. I was shocked, to say the least. My milk supply was very full, so I went downstairs to pump and then went back to bed. She started waking up at about 7:15am. She slept the entire night. That was reward enough for me this weekend. As a bit of a reward, she got a new outfit when we went to Walmart this afternoon.

The next first came a quite a shocker. As her pediatrician called her in the hospital, "a lazy turd", Lindsay didn't take to breast feeding. She would try a few times and then push me away. It was very frustrating for both of us. I knew breast milk was best, and a lot cheaper than formula, so I have been pumping and bottling breast milk since she was born. We always say to her that she wouldn't have to wait for her bottle to be warmed up if she would just breast feed. As a long shot, I gave her a chance at it again while her bottle was being warmed up. To my amazement, she took right to it. I don't know what made me try it, but I am glad that I did. Now during the middle of the night, I won't have to pump. Mike likes it because I will have to do the feedings now. I don't think I will mind. I've only done it twice today, but it was the best feeling. It truly is a bonding time. I guess I will have to go shopping for a nursing bra now. (and a new outfit for Lindsay!)

1 year ago today.......

One year ago today is the very day I started my IVF injections. I could only hope that the process would work. One year later, I have been blessed with an almost 3 month old little angel. Sorry this entry is so short, but I have to spend some time with Lindsay before she goes to sleep. She really has blessed our lives =)

My Tag Response

I was tagged a while ago. I am finally getting around to answering it.

5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Play with Lindsay
2. Make dinner
3. Do a load of laundry
4. Clean the bottles from today
5. Read Lindsay a book

If I were to become a Billionaire, I would:
1. Pay off our student loans, house, our parents homes, our cars, and our credit cards.
2. Create a college fund for Lindsay
3. Finish the living room
4. Build a garage and widen the driveway
5. Redo all the rooms that still have plaster and put in drywall.
6. Start my own gym
7. Take a much needed vacation
8. Most importantly, I would become a stay at home mom =)
I would probably do other things, but these are at the top of the list

3 of my bad habits:
Drive too fast =)
Too critical of myself
Not asking for help

Jobs that I have had:
1. McDonald’s – senior year of high school
2. Campus Dining Commons – all 5 years of college
3. Davison Athletic Club – worked in the fitness center Senior year of college
4. GM – 2 summers while in college – worked on the line
5. Lifetime Fitness – Personal trainer for 2 years
6. Work comp claims adjuster
7. My newest job – mom to Lindsay =) My hardest but most rewarding

5 things people don’t know about me:
1. I originally was going to go to college as a criminal justice major
2. I was going to move to Colorado the year following graduation of CMU (that obviously didn’t happen)
3. I used to have a cat named Bo – after the Dukes of Hazard =)
4. I have had bi-focal glasses since I was 4 years old.
5. I took piano lessons for 3 years when I was younger.

Now, I think I will tag my husband, Mike. You can't claim I violated the tag rules. Tag Mike, you're it =)

Random Act of Kindness

I know I have been really bad about doing my entries. Lindsay is interacting more now, so I have been playing with her when I get home from work. Then when she is sleeping, it’s time to pick up the house and get bottles cleaned. I will try to get more quick entries. But here is one I had to do.
In the news these days, it seems that there is nothing but violence. It is getting to where it is depressing to watch it. The stories of something nice happening are few and far between, so I decided to create my own story. Mike and I were on our way to work yesterday and we both stopped at McDonald’s. ( We had driven separately) He was ahead of me in the drive-thru line. When I got to the window to pay for my order, the lady told me that the gentleman in front of me had paid for my order. (I kind of figured he might do that, because he is such a great husband!) I asked the lady how much the order behind me was? She looked a little puzzled, but then told me. It was the same amount as my order was, so I told her I would like to pay for it. Again she looked puzzled, but she swiped my card anyway. I saw the reaction of the driver when he got to the window and she told him his order was paid for. He seemed pleasantly surprised. I didn’t hear him ask to pay for the person behind him, but I saw him pass her money. I can only assume that he paid for the person behind him. I don’t know how long it all lasted, but hopefully the person that didn’t have anyone behind them and got their order paid had a good start to their day.
I don’t tell everyone this because I want any recognition for this. I tell you this to remind everyone how easy it is to bring a smile to someone’s face. You don’t’ have to buy someone something to commit a random act of kindness. But people appreciate the little things in life. I challenge everyone who reads this to commit a random act of kindness. Your reward will be knowing that you helped bring a smile to someone’s face. Because the bible teaches us it is better to give than to receive. And by making someone else smile, you will find yourself smiling too.

2 Months Old

Where has the time gone? Lindsay is 2 months old today. In just this short amount of time, she has already accomplished: 1) good control of neck muscles 2) cooing 3) tracking 4) more deliberate movements with her hands, not so jerky 5) put on almost 5 lbs, and the list could go on and on. She has changed so much too. She is filling out more too. She still looks like her dad. That's ok. No matter who she looks like, she is one loved little girl. I still have to pinch myself everyday to realize I am not dreaming. My dream of being a mother has come true. No matter how fussy she gets, she's still my little Peanut and I love her to pieces.

The start of something beautiful?

Wednesday after work, Mike and I went to Saginaw to get some last minute things for Lindsay's baptism on Sunday. We got home about 6:30 pm. Lindsay was a little fussy, so I took her to calm her down. She fell asleep about 7pm. Usually she wakes up about 10 or 10:30pm and then will wake up anywhere between 2 and 3am. I was waiting for her to wake up, and she just kept sleeping. I told Mike to go to bed and I would wait for her to wake up for her feeding. To my amazement, she didn't wake up until 12:30am. She ate and went right back to bed at 1:15am. She didn't wake up again until 6:15am. I thought this might be a fluke thing. She had been a bit under the weather because of her shots on Monday. But to our delight, she had a repeat performance last night as well. Could this be the start of her sleeping through the night? Even if it isn't, it has been very nice to get some solid sleep. I may still look tired, but I am actually quite rested. I haven't felt like this since about the 8th month of my pregnancy. Thank you Lindsay for letting Mom and Dad get some much needed rest. And like Dad says every time you do something new or special, "I'll buy you an outfit". Since we are going shopping and Dad will be at a hockey game, we can buy something girly =) Although the Adidas outfit Dad likes is pretty cute. We'll see.

Shots, Shots, and more Shots!!!

Today was the day I had been dreading. Lindsay had her first round of immunizations today. She had to get a total of 5 shots and one was one she had to drink. I didn't know if they would combine the immunizations into one shot or how they would do it. There was no combining here. She got 3 shots in one leg and 2 in the other. She was crying so hard she couldn't catch her breath. As a mother, I felt so bad. I knew she was in pain but there was nothing I could do but comfort her. She seemed to be doing ok. We took her to see Grandma Cathy at her work and then went to see Grandpa Eric at his work. She slept most of the time. Things seemed to be going ok. We got home and she continued to sleep in her car seat. She started to cry a little bit, so we figured she was hungry. Little did we know that she was about to let the flood gates open again. She was crying out in pain again. I forgot to ask what dosage of baby Tylenol we could give her. Mike had to call the doctor's office while Lindsay screamed bloody murder in the background. About 15 minutes after we gave her the Tylenol, she started to calm down. She took her bottle and fell back asleep. She has been a little fussy most of the day. But can you blame her. I would be a bit cranky too if I had gotten 5 shots. Hopefully tomorrow will be a new day. I just have a feeling that tonight may be a long night. Here's hoping it isn't.

Another week down

It has been a week since my last post. I am back at work and things are going pretty good. I am tired, but not too bad. Lindsay is starting to sleep longer stretches more. That helps out a lot. I know I say this all the time, but she is really growing. Some recent pictures have now been posted to her photo gallery. Mike went to a Saginaw Spirit game last weekend and bought Linsday a Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle. The picture of the two of them is so cute I just had to share. She has to go for her shots on Monday. I am not looking forward to that. I hope she does ok, because I am going to be a mess. I don't like doing anything that is going to cause her pain. Maybe dad will buy her an outfit for being brave =) ( He already owes her a lot of outfits!) Well, I have to get back to work. I just had to share the cute photo. She truely is my miracle.

6 weeks of life

Today, Lindsay is 6 weeks old! So young, but she is growing so much. The past 2 days have been rough. Yesterday was my first day back to work. I knew it was going to tough, but it was really hard. Up until then, I hadn't missed anything that had gone on in her life. She has really strong neck muscles and has been picking up her head and turning from side to side when she is laying on my chest. She started cooing this past week, and I was there for it. Now, I had to leave her and go back to work. I missed our song time when I would sing to her, boppy time where we would work on neck control, and kanga time, where she would sleep on my chest. The only thing I could think about yesterday was getting home to her and just holding her and giving her a kiss. Today is hard, but easier than yesterday.

Grandpa Bob is watching her on Thursday's, so at least yesterday I didn't have to leave her at daycare. She seemed to have a good time with Grandpa. She broke him in by peeing while he was trying to change her diaper. I guess that is her was of initiating the new guy. I think they both had fun. I'm sure when the weather gets warmer, they will be out for walks. I'm sure they will probably meet Grandma Cathy for lunch now and again =)

Today was the first day we had to take her to daycare. I wasn't as emotional today as I thought I would be. I think it was because we were a little rushed getting everything ready for her to take. We had to get all her bottles made up, get extra clothes, get a pacifier, diaper cream, sleep sac, burp cloths, etc. Then we had to get ourselves ready on top of that. I think becasue we were so busy, it kept the tears at bay. I am still very sad that I can't be with her, but I know she is in good hands. I will get to be with her again in about 3 hours. Before Lindsay, I would look forward to the end of the day just to be done with work. Now I can't wait for the end of the day because I get to see her. It's wierd how someone so small, who can't really do a whole lot yet, can steal your heart. It's that instant and unconditional love.

Motherhood, the hardest job, but has the greatest benefits package!

She is growing so fast

As my days at home with Lindsay draw to a close, she still continues to do new things. Yesterday, she started to "coo". I thought it was a fluke thing, but she did it a second time that night. She has done more cooing today too. She seems to be righ on track with her milestones. She is beginning to track objects when they are moved. She was in the floor getting her diaper changed when I walked by. Mike noticed that she followed me. I walked back to see her and she again followed me. I am going to really miss our time together. I am sure Thursday will be one of the hardest days for me. I have already started to get emotional thinking about it. Stayed tuned for more updates on her milestones. They do so much growing in this time it is unreal.

The Battle, Chapter 3

In vitro fertilization, or IVF for short, was something that I never thought would be in my vocabulary. It had never even crossed my mind that getting pregnant would be an issue. My sister had become pregnant when she was a senior in high school. Knowing that I wanted to complete college before ever even thinking about kids, I did everything I could to prevent getting pregnant. While completing my internship, I met my now husband, Mike. Early on, I knew he was the "one". I couldn't help but think about having children with him. Now we were in a position where we had to face the fact that conceiving children naturally was not a realistic option. I was never told that getting pregnant on my own was impossible, but the chances were very slim. As a woman, being told you probably couldn't do something that came so naturally to so many, was devestating. All I could think was, "Why me?" You would hear about many unplanned pregnancies and the people that didn't even want their babies. Why could they get pregnant? And why was someone who wanted children so badly not able to conceive? I knew God had a plan, but I wasn't able to figure out what it was. Now I hold his plan in my arms. And of course, he knew what he was doing. It's just not easy to wait to find out what the plan is.

The journey of IVF began by finding out how to pay for it. After doing some research, there was a specific credit card that is used to help pay for medical costs. It is more like a loan. It has a low interest rate and you could pick how long (up to 48 months) you would like to have to pay it off. After looking into it, that seemed like the best option for us. We wanted children very much. Waiting until we saved up enough to pay for it in cash would be a long wait. We applied for the card and received the line of credit we needed to pay for the procedure. The only thing that we couldn't use the card for was the medications.

We decided to go ahead with things. We weren't going to tell our families when we were going to start. We didn't want them to get their hopes up. It was hard enough to deal with my emotions let alone try and deal with the thought of them getting excited when the procedure isn't a gaurantee. We had to go to a class with other couples to get our plan and an explination of how things were going to go. We also were given a demostration of how to give the intramuscular (IM) shots and the subcutaneuos (subQ) shots. Yes, this procedure involves daily shots, that you give yourself. It's a good thing I'm not afraid of needles.

I was given the list of drugs that I would need to order and all the other supplies that I would need to get started. The first round of drugs and supplies came to a total of just over $1600. The cost is so high because our insurance doesn't cover the cost of infertility treatments. Little did I know that that was just the start of medication costs. I received the shipment about 2 days after I placed the order. The medications aren't stocked at your local pharmacy, so the office gave us a list of reputable pharmacies that you could call and order the medications from. They were pharmacies that have been used by the fertility office and were familiar with the meds and supplies that are commonly used for IVF. Along with the list of medications that we were given, we were given dates to begin what meds and the quantities that would need to be given. They were contained in folder that also had instructions for giving the shots, descriptions of the meds, directions to the office where the retrieval and transfer would take place, and phone numbers to call with any questions you have during the process. We were ready to start the process that could possibly make our dream of becoming parents come true. Our process began on 3/24/2007. The next chapter will contain the first round of the IVF process. Stay tuned for the next installment.

Time sure does fly

It has been a week since my last post. The time just gets away from me. She turned 1 month old on Monday. It seems like it was yesterday that we beought her home from the hospital. She is really good at lifting her neck up and turning her head. She is starting to track things eith her eyes too. I can't believe how much she has grown as well. Everyone says how tiny she is. She is little, but to me she is growing so much. She is starting to outgrow her newborn outfits. The 0-3 month clothes are somehwat big, but not much.

I look at her everyday adn am still amazed that Mike and I created such a beautiful little girl. She is our little miracle. Your priorities definitely change when you have a child. We don't go out as much. One reason is because we are both still adjusting to getting less sleep. But we have to think of her first. I don't want her to have to be in her carseat for long periods of time. Also, I don't like to leave her for too long yet. I did leave her with her grandma while I went to the store the other day. (It was way too windy and cold and I didn't want to take her out in that.) I was only gone for about an hour, but I really missed her while I was gone. We used to be on the go all the time. Since Lindsay has entered our lives, we enjoy being at home with her. She make so many different faces and gives so much love, we enjoy hanging out with her. We still enjoy going out and hanging out with our friends, but staying out late hours is hard.

I knew our lives would change when she came into this world. Yes, we can't do everything we used to, but it really doesn't bother me. She has blessed my life in so many ways, I can't even describe. I thank God everyday for bringing her into our lives. She was definitely worth the wait. I will write the next chapter of the struggle in the next day or 2. Stay tuned....

Everyday Life

Life is definitely different since Lindsay arrived. I wouldn't change any of it for the world. She will be 4 weeks old in 2 days. I have no idea where the time had gone. She is getting into somewhat of a routine, which helps with getting things done around the house. I try to follow the rule of getting some sleep when she does, but that just doesn't happen. I have to get ready for the day during one nap, pick upo the house during another, and get dinner ready during another. She is now awake more between naps. It is fun to see her look around and explore her surroundings. I've tried Boppie time in the past few days. She doesn't like it for too long, but that is ok. She is getting really good at picking up her head. Everyone says that she is so little. To me, she is getting so big. She is almost too big for her newborn clothes. I will have to return to work in about 2 weeks. I will cherrish these next 2 weeks at home with Lindsay. I'm sure she will keep changing before my eyes.

The battle continues... Chapter 2

I never thought I would have to see a fertility specialist. My mother and sister had no trouble getting pregnant, so I thought there would be no problems for me. I guess that is what I get for assuming. It took me a few weeks to actually make the appointment. I didn't want it to seem real that there was a problem. But finally I made the appointment. I was pretty intimidated walking into the office. Thankfully I had my husband by my side to help me through it. They started off by taking my history and doing some blood tests of their own. Again, things came back normal. After that, they mentioned surgery to rule out endometriosis. That diagnosis had never crossed my mind. I new people who had endometriosis, and they experienced painful periods. Other than a few cramps, my periods were pretty painless. After finding out that the surgery would be covered by insurance, my husband and I decided to go through with the surgery. I had to do anything I could to figure out what, if any, problem that might exist.

Coming out of the surgery, I was pretty groggy. My husband tried to explain to me what the doctor found, but I wasn't really getting what he was saying. We went to the doctor for a follow-up appointment and he explained the findings. The had found endometriosis. The end of one tube was almost closed off and the other tubes' opening was stuck to the side of my uterus. That would explain things. With one tube being non-operational and the other being pretty much closed off, that would explain the problem. The did what they could to correct the problems. With everything else being normal, they told me to try for 3-6 months to see if I could become pregnant. Roller coaster #3


We had a new ray of hope. (or so I thought) We tried for a month or 2 and nothing had happened. I received a call from the fertility office letting me know that there was an opportunity to participate in a study to test a different drug for invitro fertilization. Participating in the study would give us a free cycle of invitro. After all the waiting, we felt like we hit the lottery. We hadn't tried that long, but we didn't have anything to lose.


Some blood work needed to be done before the procedure could you begin. On my way to the appointment where they were going to explain everything that was to take place, I received a call. They told me that my blood work came back and it showed an increased Prolactin level. (The word Duh came to mind) I new that my Prolactin levels were elevated. They told me that this disqualified me from the study. They told me that they should've never offered me the study because I had a history of increased Prolactin levels. I was crushed. Invitro fertilization (IVF) isn't cheap. I didn't know how we were going to afford to do the procedure on our own. I guess we were back to trying the old fashioned way. Roller coaster #4

This was the start of IVF for us. More of our adventure will come later.

Nobody's perfect

Up to this point, Lindsay has been pretty easy. She hasn't been fussy, except when she wanted her diaper changed or wanted to be fed. The past few days has been a different story. She has been fussy, even after a diaper change and feeding. The only thing that settles her down is to be held. At least she can be soothed and isn't constantly crying. But that makes it hard to eat, catch a few minutes of sleep, or even go to the bathroom. But I wouldn't give this up for the world. She is my precious angel. I thank God every day for her. I can't believe she will be 3 weeks old on Friday.

The hard fought battle, Chapter 1

For most couples, having children is as simple as stoping all forms of birth control. Usually, within a year, they have become pregnant. I never knew what a miracle children were until I was faced with the possibility of not being able to have them. I thought I was in pretty good health. I didn't have any major health problems, I went every year for my routine medical exam, and nothing out of the ordinary was ever diagnosed. So when the months went by and we hadn't become pregnant, I started to wonder why. Given that I didn't have any medical problems, to my knowledge, and I was only 25, I had to wait a year before they would start any testing.

Testing..... Round one The testing started out with blood tests. They wanted to see if there were any hormone levels that were off that might be causing some issues. Right off the bat, they found an increased level of Prolactin. High enough levels could interfere with ovulation. That avenue was pursued, but that turned out not to be the problem. Rollercoaster #1.

Round two When that turned out not to be the problem, they tried an HCG. This was a test to check to see if the fallopian tubes were blocked. When the test was performed, the dye was slow to go through the tubes, then it seemed to flow freely. They thought this may have been the issue. They told me to try another few months and see what happened. After 3-4 months of trying, still nothing. Rollercoaster #2.

Round three When all the tests came back normal for both of us, we were referred to a fertility specialist for treatment.

This started the long road to our special miracle. More of the story will be coming soon.

My angel is here!

I still can't believe that I am a mother. I thank God everyday for being blessed with this little miracle. For Mike and I, she is quite a miracle. The road to parenthood was quite a bumpy one for us. But like they say, the best things in life are worth fighting for. On January 4, 2008, we were blessed with Lindsay Catherine.

The road to Lindsay began back in 2005. Mike and I were married 8/28/2004. I was working as a personal trainer. I wanted to have a steadier income before having children. I accepted my current position and started January 2005. We started trying for children the same time. 3 years later, our hard work and faith blessed us with our beautiful baby girl.


Edited by Jill
1-22-2008 at 7:55 PM