Don't Even Think About Taking It For Granted

So many of my blogger buddies have experienced tough times lately... miscarriages, yet another cycle with no BFP, loss, frustration, and heartache.

It puts things into perspective. Nothing is guaranteed, and anyone would be foolish to take for granted the wonderful things they have in life. For me, it's health, family, love, spirit, support, and a growing family, just to name a few.

Never take it for granted, Mrs. D.

16 Weeks!

Another milestone accomplished! Here we are at 16 weeks, and we are getting more excited by the day. I am glad that we have the upcoming home purchase/big move coming up (April 15 is closing date) so that there are a couple of important things keeping us busy. Of course, Baby D is first priority, and definitely the most important and exciting, but it's nice to have a different kind of exciting distraction.

This week has been pretty fun... got to share the news with random friends/people I know in passing as I saw them. It's exciting to see people's reactions.

And here is the recapped week-at-a-glance:

Best Moment of the Week: Sleeping. I found a really comfortable way to position myself that allows my expanding tummy to rest on my side and not feel smooshed. Best sleep since week 10.

Entertaining Question/Comment of the Week: "I was wondering when you guys would finally get going on baby-making!" I smiled a forced smile. Oh, if you only knew. I was not one of those fortunate fertiles who wakes up one morning and thinks, "Gosh, I should make a baby today. I'll get started right away!"

Obsessions: Wondering when I will be officially showing and not just feeling/looking chunky, and wondering when I'll start to feel those butterfly feelings of the baby. Oh, and wondering about the gender... it feels like an eternity until we find out! Three more weeks :)

What I am Most Looking Forward to This Week: Hoping I expand in my mid-section even more... come on, baby... grow, baby, grow!

What I Miss the Most: Back to wine. I hosted a dinner night last night for my friend who is getting married in two weeks, and they cracked bottles of champagne and wine. Oh, did that flowing wine look tasty.

Symptoms: Nothing new this week!

The Big 1-0-0

Wow. My 100th post! I never, EVER thought I would post 100 articles to this blog.

Almost a year ago, I turned to my computer in pure frustration and sadness. After TTC for well over a year at that point, I was so confused and needed to see if anyone else out there had similar feelings.

Enter the world of infertility awareness and incredibly supportive women (and men) who share similar perspectives. After learning so much about the process and struggles from reading others' blogs, The Journey to a Little One to Call Our Own was born.

I am addicted to this community. The stories, experiences, emotions, and bonds created in this crazy world of trying-to-bring-home-baby are priceless... and I have you to thank for it.

No way did I ever think it would take us 2 years to conceive, and no way did I ever think I would find such a supportive network of strong-willed people, willing to cheer me on in every possible way.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Thanks for showing me support in my saddest and happiest of times.

Thanks for showing excitement for me as we embark on this amazing journey of pregnancy and parenthood.

Happy 100 to me :)

I Live Here for a Reason, Right??

Ahhh. Gotta love Midwest weather.

Here in MN, the forecast yesterday called for snow late last night into this morning. We woke up this morning to a dry ground... hmmm. Maybe they were wrong and we weren't getting snow at all? No such luck. Two hours later, sheets and sheets of snow had fallen, and almost 8 hours later, it hasn't let up. I guess we're supposed to get 15-18 inches or so here in the metro area.

When the snow flies this time of year, it gets a bit frustrating. Last week, inches and inches of leftover snow melted, a result of back-to-back 45-50 degree days. You have to understand... when February turns into a "mild day" with the sun shining on a 45 degree day, there are crazy people who come out of winter hibernation. Tank tops, shorts, and flip flops come out of the closet. Not for me, but for the loonies I see running around the neighborhoods, pretending it is June. Then, a temperature drop of 30 degrees brings the snow back and we are in for yet another period of time where all we deal with is messy traffic, parkas, snow scrapers, and boots.

There's always a "teaser period" around the mid-February to mid-March timeframe, when even the finest of us northern Midwesterns, meaning the ones who were born here, raised here, and aren't leaving anytime soon, start thinking, "Wow, winter must be over! I bet we won't be getting any more snow." I think it's the cabin fever that gets to everyone where we all start foolishly thinking that summer is right around the corner.

But, after 12 inches already in about 10 hours, and much, much more on the way... summer won't be here anytime soon. :(

Crazy enough, I love this place. Not only do I love it for the obvious reasons (family, friends, established careers, and lives are all here), but I love it for the weather, too. We truly get the best of every season.

Beautiful, blooming, warm spring times.

Hot, sunny, gorgeous summers.

Breathtaking, colorful, crisp autumn seasons.

Oh, yeah, and snowy, cold, dark winters.

Come on spring, I'm waitin' for ya.

15 Weeks!

Thanks for all of the nice comments on my last post, ladies! It's so nice to know that, even after being absent for a week or so, this community is always ready to jump right back in where you left off. I love it!

So, here's the Week 15 recap:

Best Moment of the Week: Telling people at work I am expecting. My co-workers couldn't believe I waited 15 weeks to tell them! I am SO glad I did. I was with a smaller group of women yesterday over lunch - people I work with, but not my immediate team - and one had brought her 7-week old in for lunch. As I was holding her, I said, "I get to have one of you in my life in a few months!" The room fell silent, and I kept talking to the baby. "Yes, August 13 is the big day... I wonder if my baby will be a little girl like you, or a little boy?" The shrieking from the women was priceless.

Entertaining Question/Comment of the Week: One of my co-workers said, "You have the perfect tri-fecta of good things happening right now: baby, house, promotion." I couldn't agree more. I did venture out to say, "It's been a long road, trying to have this little one, and we couldn't be more blessed."

Obsessions: Wondering when I am going to be fully "showing." Sure, my belly is growing... Mr. D and I can totally both tell that. But I can't wait for the full on baby belly. I'm at that super-weird point of not-big-enough-to-tell, but looks-like-she-gained-some-pounds.

What I am Most Looking Forward to This Week: Starting my new job on Monday. Finally wearing my first pair of maternity pants to work... it's time to ditch the rubber-binder solution and jump right in.

What I Miss the Most: I kind of miss deli turkey sandwiches. Mr. D makes turkey sandwiches for his lunch, and it looks really good. I am not a fan of warmed-up deli meat, so I guess I'll steer clear. Oh, well.

Symptoms: Boobs are HUGE and nipples are getting WAY darker. It is the craziest thing I've ever seen. I really can not imagine them getting any bigger, but I think I am in for it...

Updates & 14 Weeks!

Wow, so I haven't posted an update in a week. Feels like an eternity! I knew I missed my weekly pregnancy update that I usually write on Saturday, but there were a few good reasons.

On Friday, I was pulled into a room at work and offered a huge promotion. Bigger title, more money, and an amazing opportunity to work on an up-and-coming strategy that is incredibly important to the company. I kind of knew that I was going to be selected to join this team... no interviews, the VP of our team just selected who she wanted... but I had no idea so many perks would come with it. I happily accepted.

Then, Friday night, Mr. D found a house online that we absolutely fell in love with. Because we've been actively looking, our Realtor had us set up for automatic updates daily with anything new-to-market. This house never popped into our search portal because it was 2 blocks off of the area we had pre-selected to look in. The house listed on Friday, and there was an open house scheduled for Sunday. Instead of scheduling a private showing with our Realtor, we decided to attend the open house. We fell in love with the house all over again once we walked through it. This house is WAY better than the other property we offered on a few weeks ago.

So, Monday, we both took off the morning from work, did a private showing with our Realtor, wrote an offer and submitted it that afternoon.

After a couple of counter-offers on the date of closing, the sellers accepted and the house is now SOLD! We have been crazy-busy getting financial information together for our mortgage lender, inspections set up, appraisals scheduled... it's been a whirlwind. But SUCH a blessing. We are in love with this house and close April 15!

Between all of this excitement, I turned 14 weeks! I am so excited. Everything truly feels to be falling into place. 2011 is the year. We continue to praise God that everything is going so well and we are so incredibly fortunate in so many ways. It's exciting stuff!

Now for the 4-days-overdue pregnancy update:

Best Moment of the Week: Discussing which of the bedrooms in our new house will be the baby's room. And.... actually being pre-occupied with so many other life-events that I haven't focused 100% on being pregnant. It's a relaxing feeling.

Entertaining Question/Comment of the Week: "So, when are you going to tell people at work?" This question is coming from Mr. D, me, and my current boss who knows I am expecting. This promotion came at a really interesting time. I never for a moment thought, "Well, if they know I am pregnant, I won't be considered," but I also didn't need the word to spread all that quickly. I meet with my new boss tomorrow to discuss my transition (effective Monday), and I HAVE to tell her then. I am starting to show a little bump, and the news needs to come to me. It's just funny that I will be telling her, "I am so excited to join your team! By the way, I'm going need some time off in April because I am buying a house and moving, and oh by the way, I'm pregnant, due in August, and won't be at work for 3-4 months." My company is AMAZING and I am not the least bit concerned, but it still feels weird.

Obsessions: Looking at/touching my belly. It's so hard to tell if you're growing when you look at your own body each day. But, it definitely is. Mr. D saw me naked in the bathroom, getting out of the shower yesterday, and he said, "Wow, look at your stomach. It is totally growing." Makes me feel good :)

What I am Most Looking Forward to This Week: The weekend! I need to relax and sleep in a bit after this action-packed week.

What I Miss the Most: Wine, wine, and more wine.

Symptoms: Nothing new!

Ever Have the Feeling that Something is About to Happen?

Things could not be much better for us right now. I am not bragging. Trust me, I am not one to toot my own horn of how great my life is. But it finally, after years of this achingly long process, feels like things are falling into place.

House - well on the way to finding our final landing spot.

Our Family - excited about our little one. Everyone's happy and healthy.

Our Friends - ditto.

Mr. D - the cutest dad-to-be I know... he loves, loves, loves the fact that we're expecting.

Job - I am likely getting promoted in the next week as I am named to a newly-formed team for a brand-new corporate initiative.

Baby - growing and right on track.

Ever have the feeling that just too many good things are happening at once and something is bound to fall? I told Mr. D last night, "things just couldn't be much better for us... I hope nothing goes badly," and he shot me a look of don't-even-think-that-way. I know I shouldn't think pessimistically. I just feel so happy, content, and blessed... after all of the IF crap we dealt with in 2010, I am overwhelmingly thankful that everything seems to be at peace. Life is good.

So... for my recap of Monday's Dr. appointment. Dr. C went over our NT results... everything looks normal! We were measuring 2 days ahead of schedule, but she wanted to keep my due date at August 13. We listened to the heartbeat, which was WAY louder and more prominent than last Dr. appointment when we heard it on the Doppler. My uterus has moved up, closer to my belly button, so I had a split second of the oh-no-this-is-it-the-baby-isn't alive-anymore thought when she couldn't find the heartbeat. But when she moved the instrument about an inch up my stomach, there it was. :) It's such a glorious sound :) Heartbeat was in the 140s.

I asked her about my rate of miscarriage. As any good Dr. would say, she can't guarantee that I won't miscarry again. But, she thinks my chances are less than 1%. I shared with her that I think about miscarrying every single day... usually multiple times. And, of course, there is nothing she can do about that. But she tried to reassure me that chances are "extremely likely" that we will have a live child. If we lose the baby, it's not due to something that I do or don't do... it's because of a reason that is totally out of my control. And that's what I continue to pray for... strength to know that God is ultimately in charge of this plan, and we have to move forward with preparing for what is "extremely likely" to happen... welcoming our baby to the world.

Hope everyone's having a good week... I have some blogs to catch up on this evening!

XOXO

Mrs. D

13 Weeks!

13 weeks, here I am! This past week has flown... with all of the house-hunting, offer on a house, and working from a different location, it was the weekend before I knew the week even really started.

Mr. D and I have a very lazy weekend planned. Last night, we went to our friends' house - a couple who has two little girls. We've known them for years, and it was so fun to finally be able to share our news with them. My girlfriend started crying! I've had that reaction from a few people now... tears. So sweet :)

We also told a few other friends this week, all of whom are so excited for us. We told Mr. D's sister and brother-in-law, as well. It's so fun to unveil the big, exciting secret with those we love!

The rest of the weekend should be pretty uneventful... maybe a movie later this afternoon, and a couple of house showings tomorrow. Our next Doctor appointment is Monday morning... we can't wait!

Best Moment of the Week: Starting to tell our family and friends that we are expecting without thinking/discussing, "should we wait and try to get to 12 weeks first?".

Entertaining Question/Comment of the Week: "So, I guess this means that you guys won't be buying a house anytime soon, right?" Uhhh.... actually, the opposite. We're moving a few months quicker than expected to purchase again and start preparing a new home for our little one. Two people have asked me a similar question, with the thought being that we should stay in our temporarily-rented condo since babies don't need much room and we'll have plenty of time to move once the baby is here. Thanks for the advice, but our Master Plan of how/when we are going to purchase house #2 is well on the way, so I am 100% confident (and stubborn about the fact) that we will move before baby arrives... no later than end of June.

Obsessions: Touching my lower-belly. It is definitely harder and starting to fill out a little bit :) I can't wait until it's big enough to actually tell that I'm expecting.

What I am Most Looking Forward to This Week: Doctor appointment on Monday morning! We get the results from the NT scan, and I have a ton of questions to go through. Looking forward to hearing the heartbeat again!

What I Miss the Most: Definitely still wine. Also sushi. I love tuna rolls, and we have this AMAZING hibachi place less than a mile from our condo... they also have super-yummy sushi. I am not craving sushi, per say, but I drive by this place at least once a day and think, "oooh, sushi."

Symptoms: Nothing new this week... just plugging along!

Updates from the Week

So, we didn't get the house. The house was beautiful and very under-priced... exactly what we're looking for, but unfortunately, there were also other parties interested. It was on the market 2 days, and we knew we needed to move fast. Our offer was in by Monday night, and by Tuesday afternoon, there were 3 offers on the table... one of which was ours. We learned that the owners purposely priced low to encourage a bidding war. The selected offer wrote for $10,000 more than we did, covered closing costs ($9-12,000) and would close in March. We would be open closing to ASAP, but ideally want to wait until spring (no snow/ice) to move. So, we lost out. I was really bummed for about 3 hours, but have moved on. We'll find something... the inventory will open up in the spring, and I am confident we will find what we want at a good price.

The week has been good... I've been working at a different location this week, which has made the time fly. Our next Dr. appointment is on Monday morning. It's officially our 2nd OB appointment, and we're looking forward to hearing the results from our NT scan on Monday.... oh, and hearing the heartbeat again. That sound never gets old :)