Taking a break...

Hey guys,

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with the blog. We've had a lot going on lately and I just haven't found the time to actually sit down and get my thoughts out. So, first of all, the 2nd IUI didn't work. I can't say I'm surprised, because I feel in my heart maybe the Lord is telling me the timing is just off. We are in the process of getting a loan approved for our soon to be built house, picking out plumbing, tile, lighting, fixtures, etc. We have signed the contract with the builder and are ready to get going on this thing!

Jason and I decided to stop fertility meds and not do any more IUIs for the time being. We will continue to "try" naturally, but are not overly concerned with it right now. I'm so glad the Lord has given me/us a peace about where we are in life right now. I always hated questioning the Lord and wondering why everyone else was pregnant and starting families, and it wasn't working for us. Now, I understand.

I think about having a baby right now and I wonder if we would have the opportunity we have right now to build this house. I just don't think we would have made that leap with a baby. The Lord truly has the ultimate plan for our lives even though we don't see it right then at the moment. We have to have faith and trust in Him that He is faithful and will give us what we desire in His timing. I love knowing that about my Father! He is so GOOD!

I'm sure once we get approved for our loan and start breaking ground, you guys will see lots of updates and progress. I can't wait to watch everything come together! What a cool experience to get to be a part of at such a young age. Lots of people don't ever have this opportunity. Thank you Lord for all your blessings! Help me never take them for granted!

Here's some pics for now of what's to come:

This is the what the front will look like and the right side!

 This is the back of the house and the left side (sorry they are positioned wrong)!!

 My super amazing headboard I bought for our new master bedroom!!!!! LOVE IT!!!

 Kinda what the kitchen will look like...white cabinets, wood island with white countertops (Can you tell I like the CLEAN kitchen look?? ) LOVE the pendants too!!

 The new dining table I bought (without the chairs)....after this we decided NO MORE BUYING STUFF...we have a big loan to acquire and pay off for the next many years!

 This is the type of chair I'm looking for in the dining room...rustic meets elegant! Love that combo!!

More to come when we actually start! Praying the process is smooth!

Ever asked God to help you be patient??

Patience...is it me, or do most people want things yesterday? I talked with a good friend yesterday and she said, "Man God sure is showing you how to be patient." I agreed with her. I haven't updated you guys on the building process in a while, but while we are trying to get pregnant, we're also in the process of getting a quote for our building project...a NEW HOUSE!

While it's only been about 5 weeks since we closed on our house and moved in with my parents, we have been consulting with 3 different builders, trying to perfect our house plan, getting drawings of the exterior done, and most importantly getting quotes to figure out who will be best for the job!

Every time I think we're ALMOST there, the builder needs more information to get the quote more exact. That should be a good thing right? And it is...I'm just so impatient when it comes to something I'm excited about! However, I know I serve an AWESOME God who has my best interest at heart and whatever happens will be perfect in His timing. Isn't that thought so relieving? I think most of the time it's the only thing that gets me through a stressful day/week/month/year!

My friend told me she has only asked God to teach her patience several times in her life. Once was before her middle child was born and that he was the most difficult baby ever. She doesn't ask for God to teach her patience anymore....lol! I honestly think it is such a privilege the Lord chose me to face these trials and be able to tell all of you about my life and how I'm trying my best to trust God in every situation.

I hope there's something the Lord allows me to share with you that turns your eyes to Him! He is such a great God and He loves us so much! Trust Him!

It's that time again...IUI #2

Hey guys! Today was the day for IUI #2:) I made a video to document and everything and planned to upload it to the blog before I left; however, this video must be so big, it would never upload...just always said uploading. If anyone has advice on how to take a video made in iMovie and make it smaller so it fits into a blog post, that would be much appreciated!

Anyway, my appointment was at 9am, so my husband, Jason, was there at 8am to give the sample. They called him back to the front desk and proceeded to tell him that his appointment was tomorrow. WRONG! He told them they were mistaken and to look at my appointment time for today. What good would his sample be tomorrow?!? haha, anyway, they fit him in and my appointment was pushed back just a tad so the lab could do what they needed to do with it.

Fortunately for me, the appointment was pushed back a tad. I left an hour early just to make sure I had enough time to get there (it's about 45 minutes away) and what do I run into on the interstate? A STANDSTILL OF TRAFFIC. My first thought was "People, GOOOOOO!" But then I just chilled out realizing there was NOTHING I could do about it. I remembered that my God was in control and that everything would fall into place. Luckily, (even though I didn't think so at the time) Jason's appointment being scheduled wrong worked out fine because I was a couple minutes late myself. Funny how that works huh?

Anyway, I finally got called in around 10:35 am and the IUI took place at 10:45 am. This IUI took longer than the last, and was a bit more uncomfortable. I had a different doctor doing this one (I like him much better) and he asked me when he walked in, "Did you talk to your cervix this morning?" I was like huh?? As he was threading the catheter to get to my uterus, he informed me that my uterus was curved down and he was just having a little trouble getting the catheter where it needed to be. I asked if that was going to be a problem, and he said no. So, I hope not! He asked if anyone had ever told me that, and I quickly responded, no. And I'm curious why I didn't know this by now. I wonder if that could be why we have a hard time conceiving the natural way?? Anyone ever been told this?

It was done in about 5-6 minutes this time and I laid there with Jason with me for 15 minutes required by the doctor. I also decided to take a little break from ZUMBA. I told the doctor and he said it would not be a problem, but whatever gave me peace of mind, I should do. So, I've got some subs for the next 2 weeks to handle my classes. Maybe if I don't jiggle around so much implantation can happen. I guess we'll see! Anyway, that's pretty much it! The IUI is always very simple, virtually painless, and fairly quick. I just hope it works! Until next time....

Mama gave a shot...

Good times tonight:) My mom has been very worried for the past couple days about giving me my trigger shot, but she finally bucked up tonight after some reassurance from a nurse friend that should could do it. So, there I was, bent over the bathroom sink, my mom is standing behind me with the shot ready to go, and our nurse friend, Babs, saying "You can do it!!"

I've never been one afraid of shots. I take it like man. Seriously. No biggie! And I'm glad, because I feel for people going through infertility and just don't do shots. If you're about to take this journey and are afraid of shots, here's a word of advice-just get used to it! They don't hurt at all even though some of the needles are fairly long (picture to come). Anyway, Babs told mom to hold the shot like a dart and just push it in. After a minute of her saying "I can't do it..I just don't think I can do it.." etc. she finally DID it! If I've ever been afraid of anything "shot" related, it was her saying all that. However, once she did it, it was done in 10 seconds and that was that:)

Now we wait 36 hours until Tuesday morning at 9am. That is when IUI #2 has been scheduled. Luckily, since it's early I can manage just taking off a half day from work. I'm sure my students won't mind. However, I'm sure they are wondering why I've been out several times in such a short period of time.

So, about the ultrasound this morning. Everything went really well. The doctor came in at the beginning to look at the uterus lining and he was impressed to say the least. He was like "wow, 3 lines, that's great. that's what we like to see." The nurse went on and ended up finding one good sized follicle that measured 19mm (they like to see between 18 and 20) and maybe one other that was less mature at an 11.

I talked with a friend tonight that has gone through 3 miscarriages, but is currently pregnant with her first child. She told me that she went through 6 rounds of Femara and then went on Clomid and did an IUI. She also told me she took B6 vitamins while trying to give implantation a better chance. Research seems to say this vitamin helps any kind of luteal phase defect that can hinder implantation. If the luteal phase is too short, the window for implantation is not as long and the chance of a fertilized egg implanting is less. So, hey, us IF ladies will try anything once right? So, I sent Jason up to the store tonight for some B6 and we'll give it a try.

We are hopeful this will work, but never overly anticipating that it WILL happen. We've been down this road for over a year now, so getting pregnant will be a pleasant surprise. Not getting pregnant will feel normal, but fine. When and if it happens will be on God's time clock and we will be grateful and thankful regardless of the outcome.

For those of you who haven't seen the HCG shot, here's a look at it. Forgive how rough I look. I took a shower and never fully got ready and left the house today after my appt!

Needle is long huh? But, it doesn't hurt, I promise! Now, could I give it to myself? Probably not...lol! Thanks MOM!!