Pictures!

So the good news from the doctor is that the placenta has shifted out of the way! In fact, the ultrasound tech was surprised at how much it had moved in just a month. :)  So our plan now is to see the doctor every week up until Lucy decides it is time! We are still shooting for September 2nd even with my swollen hands and feet.....

School has started and next week is our first full week of students. I am already planning on propping my feet up after the buses pull out of the parking lot (and maybe every chance in between!)

Here are just some of the pictures Lane took! I absolutely love them and I just cannot thank sweet Lane enough for doing this for us. 

I am not a fan of how Blogger lays the photos out so I may be posting them on Facebook, too.

<3

The size of a PINEAPPLE now! 34 weeks

     So...we've been recording baby's growth through 'belly pics' and I have put them together but I am still not 100% comfortable with the pictures. :)  I have never been small but it helped that I lost some weight before I got pregnant and now----unstoppable belly! Haha! 
     I am savoring this piece of the experience just like the rest of the journey because I know there are women would give everything to be in my shoes. I know the want for this belly and the want for a healthy baby growing inside me. I appreciate the urge to pee every 10 minutes because it is evidence of sweet Lucy girl growing and moving. Even if it means getting up so many times in the night- it's good practice, right? 

Yes, I reversed some of the pics because after we set up the crib....
I had to turn the other way!

Here are the pictures with the board. You can tell we set the
 crib up after 16 weeks because I had to turn the other way! 

 One of the highlights of this adventure (there are countless) is the maternity picture session we had last week. Lane, the sweetest person alive, offered to donate a photography session to us! She is simply the best. We have a few preview pictures.... more to come later. 
     In my head, I had started worrying. I thought, what if this is the only time we get to do this? We could (will) do IVF again, we have frozen embryos...but IVF is never guaranteed. I know, so many are thinking-- you haven't even met Lucy yet and you are thinking about being pregnant again?!?!? But really if you know me, you aren't surprised. I am a planner, an over prepare-er, and it works for me. :) The worry melted away as Lane started taking photos in a beautiful park that she had suggested. She probably has no idea that this session was about so much more than pictures. I know that even if this is the only time I get to be pregnant, we will have beautiful documentation of this stage and I will never, ever, ever forget this feeling. And I know exactly how lucky I am to be able to have this experience at all. 

"Good things come to those who wait
Used to think that's just something people say
So imagine when you get the news
After years of trying"- 
Our dreams are coming true.
-David Nail, Babies

You can check out Lane's amazing work on her photography page:
 Lane Lewis Photography
She also has a photography Facebook, so find her and like her page!

For now, our due date is still September 2nd and I will be returning to school next week! We have an ultrasound coming up on July 29th where will we find out if the placenta has moved enough to wait on Lucy to decide when to get here or if we need to schedule a c-section for safety. As always, thanks for loving us! <3

Summertime Adventures, continue!

     I've gotten into the habit of of blogging after my doctor's appointments. It's a fun way to update anyone who is interested and keep track of how this adventure is unfolding. My doctor's appointment last Thursday was pretty uneventful- which is okay by me! 
     Measurements are still what they should be and Lucy's heartbeat was strong in the 140s. I am still considered to have placenta previa though, but the good news is that the placenta is moving. If you are okay with details...... the placenta needs to be two centimeters from the cervix and mine is one and a half centimeters away. My doctor was not worried at all, so I don't worry either. And there's really nothing I can do to encourage movement anyway! We still have time for the placenta to get out of the way and we are checking again at the end of July. So far, so good! I've been thinking more about naps lately, having to pee  all the time, and by the end of the day I feel swollen- feet and belly- other than that it is life as normal. 

    This summer has turned out to be one of the busiest summers ever! I've gone from Orlando to Ontario in less than a week with a doctors appointment in between for another glucose test (passed, by the way)! Staying busy has always been my groove, so I am loving it! Orlando was awesome and Canada was amazing! I did have to sit out on the Fly Boarding trip, which looked totally awesome. Check out my Facebook for videos of Matt and the cousins fly boarding on Lake Ontario. 

 We are home and unpacked and ready for a crazy busy month of July before heading back to school (July 25th for teachers.....). I am getting things ready for my classroom in hopes that if I plan ahead enough, I won't have to think too hard when Lucy gets here. We are incredibly lucky to already have childcare plans in place, we'll call them GranCare plans. :) So that has taken a tremendous stress away.  

Life is good! 

Third trimester...What?!?

     You guys...it's here. Officially on week 28 of making this miracle. It's the third trimester and I am feeling awesome! 
     I went in today for my glucose test, and it's really not bad at all! This is the second one I've had and it really does taste like melted lime popsicles. YUM!  And the bloodwork, no big thing. I am measuring exactly as I should, and Lucy's heartbeat is strong in the 150s. We are "counting kicks" now. It's a wonderful game, I am to feel for 10 kicks in a 2-hour span. So far, that is not hard for her to fit in. She is not a fan of me laying on my left side, so if I want to feel her- that's all I have to do. Some nights, all I have to do is try to sleep. ; ) It really is the coolest thing to have that evidence that she is there and she is active. She is also providing much evidence in the size of my belly that she is GROWING! I've never been a small gal but I'm having to try a couple of outfits until I am comfortable... Really though, that is the only thing I've had to change. No silly cravings, no mood swings, no pregnancy brain...yet. In fact, I am rocking this summer vacation by preparing my maternity plans for school. I have finished planning through quarter 2 and my room is ready for my new second graders! (So maybe the nesting thing is real...)

     The second trimester flew on by and I know that I am very lucky to be so comfortable with pregnancy. I am loving it and I am thankful. I am still mowing grass, cleaning the garage, installing faucets, and going on summer time adventures! I've even stuck with pre-natal yoga classes that are super relaxing. In fact, I am on my way to Orlando for a week long conference to learn more about Conscious Discipline. What better time to learn more about conflict resolution, social skills, and self awareness than now? I am a fan of conscious discipline in my classroom, so I want to see how I can use it with my little one someday! 

   We go back at the very end of June to get another ultrasound and then appointments are every two weeks, which is definitely my style. We've picked a pediatrician and we've talked about delivery although no plan is set in stone and I am okay with that! (Well I will be, I will.) Keep sending those positive thoughts out and never hesitate to ask if you have any questions! Or if you have have any advice,  I love advice. Any help is appreciated. :)  Love! 

25 weeks and going strong!

      I can hardly believe its been 25 weeks since we transferred that sweet, tiny embryo and now we are looking at pictures of her adorable little profile. 
With a heartbeat at 155, she's just as snug as a bug right now. It was tough to get a good look at all of her because she is burrowed down and hiding her face with her hands. We will be getting another ultrasound at our June appointment to keep bugging her!(And the glucose test, yay!)  At our appointment yesterday, the doctor said the placenta previa is still there but it is shifting, we will continue to track the movement up until 32 weeks and hopefully it has moved out of the way by then. If not, we are looking at a C-section at 34 weeks- which happens to be the first week of school..... If you know me, you know that doesn't sound great. Here's hoping the placenta moves and Lucy gets to keep cooking! 
     The most popular question I am getting is, "Can you feel her?" Honestly, I was starting to worry because up until Saturday (24 weeks) I really didn't. Then all the sudden, I was getting these bubbles of pressure and they turned into pops! Matt even got to feel her kick as I was pestering her trying to get a push. It was the coolest thing! Now, I can feel her as I'm trying to sleep or even while I'm driving. Seriously. The coolest. It makes it that much more real and it makes me that much more excited about getting to hold our baby girl. 


Huge thanks to Melissa for letting me borrow the maternity clothes, they freaking rock. Ms Tish is also amazing, we are already starting to stock up on diapers and wipes and she is the coupon queen! Scoping out the deals for us. Wendy and Brandi, the outfits you gave us are ADORABLE and so perfect.  

And Emily! Who has sent loads of baby girl stuff to Indiana from Tennessee for Miss Lucy. She is not even here yet and is well taken care of! 


 We are so ready for Lucy, the nursery is pretty much set! Check out all this cuteness!

National Infertility Awareness Week

I am pregnant. 

I tell myself all the time. 

I am pregnant, but getting here has been the hardest thing I've done so far. 

Being pregnant has been a breeze so far compared to getting here. 

Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after 12 months of consecutive, unprotected sex. 

Did you know 1 in 8 couples are enduring the thought that they may never conceive? 

In some way, we were luckier than most. We knew there was a problem after just a few months of trying to conceive. My body was not naturally doing what it was meant to do. It was tough to ask the doctor, "What is wrong with me?" while thinking the whole time, "What can I do to fix this? and How soon can it be fixed?" We didn't have to wait a year to investigate the problem. It has been 3 years now since we started trying to conceive. It took us 2 years and 4 months to get that positive pregnancy test. 

I do not get told 'no' often. ;) I have always known and that the harder I work, the more I can accomplish. But how can you work harder when your body is not cooperating and your brain cannot comprehend that you cannot control this situation?? No, has just never been an option. I am a bit of a control freak and being able to take medication and schedule procedures was helpful because at least I was doing something. It was impossible for me to do nothing and hope for the best. I am so glad I had doctors to guide me through each step and feed me information constantly, although insurance in Indiana will help with ZERO of the medical costs to investigate or any level of treatment for infertility. 

After provera, clomid, metformin, femara, ovulation tests, and HCG injections, I have learned so much. 

I love learning. I never thought I would devour every book about infertility and every online article I could find. My goodness, have I learned so much.....

I've learned that it is normal to feel like you are not enough when your body fails you. I've learned that it is okay to be angry at the situation, as long as you don't live there. I've learned it is okay to be sad because infertility is sad. It is so hard and you have to keep trying. Like I said, I've learned a lot. 

Most importantly, I've learned that I don't have to hide infertility. I don't have to be embarrassed. My struggle with conceiving was not caused by anything I did or did not do. 

The most valuable lesson I learned was that it is okay to ask for help. It's okay to talk about the sadness of dreams not working out how you had planned. It is okay to feel the saddest of sads when you lose the pregnancy that ended infertility for you and your husband. 

Speaking of my husband... He is absolutely the best. He has endured everything with an attitude of hope and positivity. He has been the one to embrace me during the toughest of times and he could handle me when I couldn't handle talking about the hurt and the pain. I know it was rough and we know that it isn't going to be easy from here on out, but it's a different kind of hard that we are willing to tackle as a team. Infertility affects so many and in different ways, but it has to be okay to talk about and it has to be okay to ask for help. We are all just human and we need each other. Please let me know if you ever want to talk.

I love you all dearly and I just cannot thank you enough for investing your hearts in our adventure. <3

20 week update!

    

 Halfway?!?! It is the best feeling to be able to say, "We're halfway there!" 
Today was our 20 week anatomy ultrasound appointment and it was good. Sweet girl wasn't the most cooperative so we are going to take another look in May, but we did get to see her face....when she finally moved her hands away from it. 

Sweet baby girl waving Hello!

I can sympathize though, she was resting and relaxing and we were poking and pushing on her! We were able to see all her parts from her tiny toes to her brain! It was the coolest. We had the same ultrasound tech as last time and she is just my favorite person in the office. She took the time to explain everything we were seeing and was so patient with us.  She also helped us to understand (along with our doctor) about placenta previa. If any mommas know what that is, call me/message me/text me- and tell me everything will be fabulous. :) 
If you want to know what it is, it's not terrible. It's a condition that my doctor says is common with IVF patients and the research I've read says there is a 90% chance it will resolve. If you are interested in learning more click here; read more about placenta-previa-. I'm learning something new every day!

     We are excited to share our little girl's name! We've actually had her first name picked out since we got married... It's still the only girls first name we agree on! We decided on the middle name more recently and it is very special to us. 

It's super cool that the Louisville Bats changed their logo this year to her initials! 

I made a word collage from our well wishes on our YouCaring site.
It is on a shelf in baby girl's room.