Merry Christmas from...

Larsen and Charlotte!!

Beautiful Babies

38 weeks 1 day=1 week until the big day!

At this time next week, I will be getting ready to meet my little girl. That is, if she doesn't decide to come before then (which I wouldn't mind at all). I don't think I've ever been more ready to meet someone in my entire life! I've been waiting for this little girl to come into my life for over two years. Love you so much already, Charlotte!

37 weeks=Full-Term!

I'm so ready to meet this little girl!

Dear Santa, I'm on the nice list!

One month from today...

she will be here!! My c-section is scheduled for December 16. A month still seems like a very long time, when I feel like a miserable beached whale, but I know it will be here soon! Tomorrow I will be 35 weeks. Here's a pic from yesterday. Could I carry this baby any higher? I want to breathe again!! I'm enjoying every minute, though. I know I will miss this belly.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from my little robot!!

32 weeks!

32 weeks today! I only have 7 more weeks to go until my scheduled c-section on December 16. Seems far away and so close, all at the same time!

Wordless Wednesday

Mickey Mouse birthday boy!

Happy 3rd Birthday!!!

Three years ago today, my life was forever changed. It was the best day of my life and everyday since then, has been such a wonderful adventure. My little boy turns three years old today. Where has the time gone?! Happy Birthday, Larsen!!

Birthday week is upon us!

Guess who will be three years old this week?!
This kid!!



And he's pretty darn excited!

New camera

I scored an awesome camera from my friend for a really great price. It's a Canon powershot, and I love it so far. I had been looking at the new version of this camera for quite some time now, but I really didn't want to spend the money. This camera is about four years old and for the price, it was a great deal! I'm looking forward to learning how to use it and hopefully it will last a few more years. I had a Nikon Coolpix, but I just couldn't get it to take good pictures. Here are some pics I took last night with the Canon:

Something to think about

Half-baked!

20 weeks! Half-way there!

Birthday Party Planning!

Larsen's birthday isn't until September, but I always like to plan during the summer, while I'm still home on summer break. We are doing a MIckey Mouse theme this year. His birthday shirt came in the mail today and it's adorable!

Weeee!! 18 weeks!

Almost halfway there!!

Maternity Monday

Size of baby: At 16 weeks, Baby C is about 4.5" long, and the size of an avocado.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Too much! I'm pretty sure I've gained about 10 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Around the house, I just hang out in pj pants and big t shirts, but when I'm out and about, I'm in maternity shirts and pants. I have these awesome yoga capris that I bought from the regular section of Old Navy and I love them. I bought them in three different colors...they are my go to pants!

Gender: Girl, unless she grows a penis

Movement: Little rolls and movement at night

Sleep: Pretty good. I'm not up as much to pee and I'm not as itchy all night long.

What I miss: Now that most of my aversions are gone, I'm doing okay.

Cravings: Cheese, Pepsi

Symptoms: Currently, I just have sciatic nerve pain, frequent potty breaks, and sore boobs still. Up until 15 weeks or so, I had bad aversions and m/s.

16 weeks and it's a...

I will believe it a little more once I have another ultrasound, but we are saying girl!

Here's a pic of me at 15 weeks, taken on our 5th anniversary, and the day we found out we were having a girl. I had the ultrasound tech write the gender down in an envelope and I waited all day long until opening it with my husband and little boy!

Tough Guy

Book rave!

My grandma loaned me this book last week and I read it in two days. It's a great book for many reasons. I couldn't put it down because I wanted to know what would happen next with each woman in the book. The movie is coming out August 12 and I'm excited! I love it when movies are made out of my favorite books!

Bitty baby update!

NT scan was today and everything seemed normal. The blood test results will be back in 10 days. The scan was really long and detailed. My mom went with me and we were able to see the baby moving around, waving, and kicking. So adorable! The heart rate was 162. Also, they moved my due date up a day, so I'm 12 weeks today and due on December 22. Here are some pictures of my adorable little baby!

11 weeks

My best friend's sister was awesome enough to give me an ultrasound yesterday for free and it was wonderful to see the baby again. He/she was kicking up a storm and hb was 166 bpm. I also got my doppler in the mail yesterday and I'm pretty sure I found the hb this morning! Gosh, I love this little baby so much!

A food post is pointless without pictures...

but I'm still going to blog about the yummy dessert I made for Memorial Day. I was in a rush and forgot to take a picture of it before I headed out to a get together. Here's the recipe!

Butterfinger Cake

You will need:

Yellow cake mix
Cool Whip
3-4 Butterfinger candy bars
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar caramel topping

Bake the cake according to directions. After cake is finished, poke holes in cake while it is still warm. Mix sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping together and pour it over the cake. **I only used about half of the milk/caramel mixture.
Crumble up candy bars and spread over cake. Refrigerate until cooled off a bit. Top with cool whip.

Result? Delicious!!!

Hump Day Bump Day!

Here's my 9.5 week bump. I'm in maternity pants full time now. My other pants are just too uncomfortable.

Gender guesses?

The heartbeat at 8 weeks was 178 bpm. A lot of people are saying girl, but Larsen's was that high at 8 weeks so you never know! The chinese gender chart says boy. I have a girl feeling, though. I wonder if we can get a sneak peek at the gender at my NT scan. It's been re-schedule for June 9...I don't have to wait as long...ya!

Bitty baby update!

My first appointment with my regular OB was yesterday. I actually have a new OB, because my other doctor is no longer delivering babies. Dr. High was really nice and I think I will like her. Much to my surprise, I was able to have an abdominal ultrasound, instead of a vaginal one. I didn't get to see a lot of the baby because it wasn't very good quality, but we heard the heartbeat, which is the most important thing, and baby was measuring right on track. I'm still due December 23! I go back June 14 for the NT scan.

Enjoying his cozy coupe!

Larsen got a new cozy coupe (compliments of Grandma). He didn't get to ride around in it outside yesterday (too rainy and cold), but he did enjoy cruising around the house AND eating dinner inside of it. Here's a pic!





Also, we had a fun weekend with my mom's 50th birthday party. I will post pics later this week!

Here's our second little miracle!

What a difference a week makes! What you see there, on the left, is the baby! To the right, is the yolk sac. I'm 6 weeks 4 days. I got to hear the heartbeat, just a beating away at 121 bpm. My RE released me to my OB and I go to that appt. May 17. I'm in shock that everything is going so well. So happy!

Bird watching and water tables!

We spent Saturday and Saturday night at my mom and dad's house. We colored Easter eggs, played with Larsen's new water table, waited for the Easter bunny, and went to church on Sunday. Larsen got some binoculars for Easter so he can perfect his bird watching at my mom's house. He even has a bird watching book! haha! I snapped a few cell phone pics.

Ultrasound update

I had an early ultrasound yesterday at my RE's office. I was very relieved to find out that the baby was not in my tube, but in the uterus. We were able to see the gestational sac and the yolk sac. The sonographer looked hard to see the beginnings of a heartbeat, but they couldn't see it yet. My due date is now Dec 24, and I go back Tuesday for another ultrasound. I really hope we will see the heartbeat at that appointment. I should be 6 weeks 3 days at that time.

Today I am pregnant, and I love my baby.

Blood work is finished...now I wait.

I had my third set of betas drawn yesterday and the hcg level had gone from 92 to 1421! My RE thought that was a really good rise, so I am feeling good about it. My first appointment is scheduled for April 29. I will have a sonogram that day and I should be 6 weeks 2 days at that appointment. I'm ready for that day to be here already! Waiting is not fun!

Today I am pregnant, and I love my baby.

Beta #2

I went for my second beta test today and it was a 92!!! I'm pretty happy with that number. The number is supposed to double every 48-72 hours, and my beta had a doubling time of 24.1 hours, so that's great! I go back next Thursday for a third beta, and then depending on that number, I should get an ultrasound the following week. I hope things keep going well.

Living in beta hell

Well, I don't think many people I know IRL read this blog, so I will go ahead and get this off of my chest...




Yes, you read that correctly. I'm pregnant. I took a test on Sunday because I felt "off" and a tiny, faint line showed up. I was pretty much like holy shit. After months of trying, charting, taking my temp, taking drugs, and doing fancy procedures, I didn't do a darn thing and I'm knocked up...well, at least for now.

Like I said, though, I'm in beta hell. I think I was only around 10 dpo yesterday when I had my beta drawn and it came back at a 13. Yuck. Of course, I'm being told not to worry and everything and it's the doubling that counts, but come on...it's hard not to worry. So, for today...I'm pregnant and I love my baby.

P.S. If you are a facebook friend, please do not say a word. Thanks!

Who replaced my baby with this handsome boy?

Two and a half..so old!

Potty Training 101

Potty training is hard work...mostly for mommy! Larsen has been interested in the potty for quite a while now, but he hadn't ever been consistent about using the potty until about two weeks ago. He started being very uncomfortable in his diaper when it was wet and he would always tell us right after he went in his pants. So...we decided to do PT hardcore...well, so to speak! So far, he has done really well. He's been dry for two whole days!! He's staying with my mom today and they are going to attempt underwear. I know that he could regress and start doing poorly with it, but I'm holding out hope that we are on the road to total diaper freedom! This is the potty that we use. I think it helps that he has the same exact potty at my mom's house and at his daycare.

Hot item!!

I found these adorable shoes on zappos.com about a month ago. Well, I didn't order them and they were soon out of stock. I got an email alert last week that they were back in stock. They were only in stock for a day!! This weekend, they got some more, so I didn't waste any time and I ordered some this morning. They look like the perfect summer tennis shoes. I hope I ordered the right size...he's never worn Adidas before. L now has Keens, Crocs, and these Adidas shoes for the summer. I think that's a good start. :)

Change of Plans

DH and I went for our IVF consult last week and it was very overwhelming. At this time, we don't think we're quite ready to exhaust our final option. We had a long talk and decided that we will try a few more IUIs before moving onto IVF. My body is pretty gimpy, but I really have faith that it might come through for me with a little more help! Right now, I am on a break cycle. I don't have a lot of sick days left at work and I also thought a break might be a good thing. Let's see if I can relax and not think about TTC...

Lots of things to think about!

TTC is becoming a very frustrating process for us. So far, I've been on Clomid for three cycles and we haven't had any success. Last weekend, I had a very disappointing appointment. I had an ultrasound and while I did produce a measurable follicle, it was on the wrong side. That means this whole cycle is a bust. Now, next cycle, a follicle could be on the correct side, or it could once again be on the wrong side. That's the gamble we take every month. It's frustrating enough dealing with IF, but to not even be able to try every month is incredibly frustrating.

I had a phone conference with my RE yesterday afternoon, and she is really wanting me to try IVF. With IVF, she can control how many embryos she would implant (only once since I have half a uterus) and we don't have to mess with my tube that way. I discussed things with my husband, and we are going for our IVF consult next week. I'm excited and scared and nervous!! I have IF coverage on my insurance, so I'm hoping we will only be responsible for $1,000-$2,000. After our consult, we have to go to a IVF seminar and then we will decide when to begin this whole process. It's a lot to think about, but I'm thinking I will feel better about things after our consult. I really have a lot of faith that IVF will produce that sticky baby.

Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?

About five months ago, Larsen was introduced to the Eric Carle book, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear." Needless to say, he became a little obsessed with it. My mom was the one that originally had that book along with "Polar Bear, Polar Bear" so every time he came to her house, he would rush to his bedroom (my old bedroom) to read both of the books. He has both of the books memorized.

My mom decided to re-do the room about a month ago and she found the material that went with the book online. He now has an awesome brown bear bedroom! He loves it so much. Here are some pictures of the room at Ga's house.


Here he is wearing a shirt that she made for him.

We are ready for spring!

Last week, we got to head outside for a little while. It was great to get out of the house and into the fresh air! Larsen even cried when we had to go back in the house. I hate for time to go by fast, but I can't wait until this summer. I am so fortunate to have the entire summer off and I just know Larsen and I are going to have so much fun this summer! Here are a few pictures from the other day!

Larsen's New Decor

About a month ago, I re-did Larsen's room in a puppy dog theme. Prior to this, his nursery was decorated in bumblebees and it was so cute, but rather babyish. I wanted to choose a theme that he could have for quite a few years, since I bought bedding for a twin bed, too. Also, I wanted it to be something we could decorate a new room with if we move to a different house. I think his room has turned out really cute so far. I still have a few more things to do, but it's looking cute! Here are some pics! The bedding is from Target.com and the curtains are from Walmart. I kept the wall color the same as before.

Good hair day! :)

My bangs are finally looking the way I want them to look! The last time I got my hair cut, my hairdresser got a little carried away with my bangs and I was not too happy. They are growing out nicely, though! lol!

Glee time!!

Glee is on!! Just a reminder! :)

Two week wait, I hate you. Two week wait, I hate you.

This is a little song I made up (imagine me singing it to the tune of Skidamarinkadinkadink). It goes: 2ww, I hate you so. 2ww, you slew. I hate you. I hate you in the morning, and in the afternoon. I hate you in the evening, and phantom symptoms, too....OHHHHH!! 2ww I hate you so, 2ww, you slew. I HATE YOU!!!!
The end.

For the record, I'm not for sure what a slew is. It just rhymed. lol.

Tears to my eyes

Wow, I found this saying on someone's blog and it totally brought tears to my eyes. How true is this?

No one will ever understand the strength of my love for you. After all, you are the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside.

Calling all book lovers!

I need some book recommendations! I used to love reading, but ever since I had Larsen, it seems that I just don't have the time. However, I am wanting to get back into the routine of reading in the evenings, but I need some good books to read. :)

Well that was a big, fat fail!

IUI #1 was a bust. I took a test this morning at 13 DPIUI and it was negative and then my period came later in the morning. How sucktastic! I really thought we were going to have success. I guess we will just keeping trying...

And now I wait...

I had my first IUI yesterday. It was a day I had been looking forward to and a day that I hope to look back upon with happiness. Hopefully!! Hope...that's all I've got!

Anyways, here's some background. I started seeing an RE in October and it was one of the best decisions I've made. We continued to try on our own for two more months and didn't have any luck. All in all, we tried for six months since my ectopic and didn't have success. Since all of the other times I became pregnant very quickly within only two months of trying, she decided it was best for me to go on Clomid. Clomid is a medicine that helps people ovulate and helps people like me, with only one tube, hopefully produce better quality eggs and more eggs. My IUI was all going to be based on what we found on my cycle day 13 ultrasound. If my right side was showing dominance, there would be no IUI scheduled. Well, much to my surprise, my left side was showing dominance so the IUI was a go! I went back for another ultrasound on cycle day 18 and my follicle had grown to 23 mm. Since I had not surged on my own yet, they decided to have me do a trigger shot, which makes you ovulate. Two days later (yesterday), I went in for my IUI. My husband had a count of 120 million, which is fantastic! Now, let's just hope everything gets together and a party starts to form in my ute soon! Hope...it's what's for dinner!

P.S. I have no clue how I'm going to make it until January 20. That's when the nurse said I can test if my period doesn't start before then. I go for a progesterone check next Thursday.