Spring-ish Things

April 15th I hit the 12 week mark. I was happily able to have my first doctor's appointment with the Dr that will be delivering baby ice skating. Sadly they did not do any sonograms, so I will greatly accept one at my next appointment in May. That seems forever away. I don't have much to show in the way of a bump but I think even since this picture my body has changed. People who didn't know at work are starting to guess, and yet I can walk past others and they have no clue. It's all very interesting. No bump but trying to find the clothes to wear in the morning is difficult because my old clothes don't fit and maternity clothes are too big. I'm just happy that I'm able to get to school somewhat presentable. 

A few weeks ago Connor and Daddy went backyard camping complete with s'moreos and tent. They had so much fun and Connor is still talking about it. He keeps asking to do it again. It was cut a little short when at 3:40am it started to rain cats and dogs and everyone went scurrying to get to higher ground. I remember bolting out of my nice comfy bed to help Tim get Connor inside with all the rest of the things that shouldn't/couldn't get wet that were inside the tent. I think this fun activity will happen again real soon!

 Easter weekend we decided to take a spur of the moment, why not, trip to Disney. We took off Friday morning, had lunch in Orlando, and made it to Magic Kingdom right after. It was so much fun because Aunt Heather met us there too. It was so sweet because Connor wanted to ride many rides with just her. We did get a huge rainstorm and just to our delight the park became a ghost town once the rain settled. We were able to walk on every ride after. It was a blast. We even convinced a very reluctant Connor to try another big boy ride, Splash Mountain. He wasn't sure at first, but I walked him through every dip, and then on the big drop we got to the bottom just as the fireworks started to boom over head. It was a magic moment and Connor loved it! He was hooting and hollering and high-fiving everyone because of how much he liked it. The picture during the big drop is classic, of course we bought it, and when asking him if he wanted to go on it again he said "no", but the point is he did it!!! And it was great!!

Saturday morning we booked reservations at Ohana for breakfast. This was a first for us, but we now know it is only just the beginning. It was AMAZING! To begin, I am obsessed with their dinner. I love all of it. The food is delicious. Now as far as the breakfast....just as good. We couldn't finish all of the delicious food, the sausage was by far my favorite, and Connor ate an entire Mickey Waffle. It was a win win for everyone, and getting to see the characters first thing is just a bonus. We headed to Animal Kingdom after that where Daddy and Connor did the safari twice, and then over to Hollywood Studios and home. I was a little toast to say the least.

Easter Sunday was a beautiful day. Tim and I worked in Club 252 for both services so we didn't dress up this year, but that didn't mean I forgot my buddy. I loved his little gingham JCrew shirt I found and bow tie. It seemed like the perfect Resurrection Celebration ensemble. We went to Grandma's for a delicious lunch, found eggs in the backyard, and dyed eggs. I'm not sure what Connor liked the best, but he definitely won the egg hunt, even surprising all of us by climbing the tree to retrieve eggs he could see. He found 40 total, and of course made the most money.

My favorite part of the day was nap time. I was exhausted from our trip and felt awful. Monday I ended up with a migraine, Tuesday found me vomiting with all day sickness, and a nice sinus cold crept in Wednesday that I still haven't been able to shake. It's been a tough week, but it makes the looming summer vacation even more tantalizing. Tim has been so wonderful coming up with great recipes and making dinner every night. I really don't know what I would do without him. He knows exactly when I have reached my limit and is so kind in letting me rest. Even when I feel terrible I still feel lucky!!!

Announcing Baby #2

Well we have officially announced the news! It is a little surreal actually being able to talk about it openly and get excited with loved ones. Everyone has been so supportive and wonderful upon hearing about Number 2. The response has been overwhelming. We are grateful, thankful, and blessed to have so many dear people in our lives!!!

Proud Big Brother right here! What a stud!

Woah!

February 25, 2014

After months and months of fertility treatments it has finally happened on its own. I cannot believe it. I'm still in complete and utter shock. Beginning in June I started the journey of trying to conceive baby number 2. I'm thankful and lucky that I have a wonderful fertility specialist, but after months of clomed, and shots, it wasn't working. At one point I released 3 follicles and not one of them fertilized. It was hard, and heart breaking, and we decided to take a break from the treatments after my October cycle was unsuccessful. At this point I had been going to the doctor once a week, sometimes three times a week, since July. I was tired, and wanted a break from all of the poking and prodding. The doctor suggested that our next step be IUI, and I asked to wait for summer vacation so I could be relaxed and ready. In the meantime I had downloaded apps on my phone to attempt to track my cycle, which is irregular because of my PCOS, and attempt to try it on our own until the summer. Through this whole journey I knew it would have to be in the Lord's timing. There was a reason it wasn't working, and I just needed to be patient and rest in the fact the God had a plan. Fast forward to February when something just wasn't right. I wasn't feeling well, I was having weird dreams, and I was extremely emotional (yes, even more than usual). I took one test and it came back negative, ok fine, on with the usual. Then 4 days later Tim prompted me to take another test. This time it came back positive. No there was no cute way to give the news to Tim, we've been on this road together, and we've shared the ups and downs along the way. I came racing out to where he was in the living room and he got up, grabbed me into a hug, and I just cried. I just kept thinking, "we did it!" 

I wasn't quite sure where to proceed from here. I had been seeing a specialist, and I know I'm a unique case so my first inclination was to call my fertility doctor. I talked to the person on the phone, they kept telling me congratulations, and I kept telling them "no, no, I'm not sure. One test was negative and now this is positive." They made me an appointment the very next day, Thursday Feb. 20, and praise the Lord everything was confirmed. I had an ultrasound, and already have my sweet baby's picture, and a blood test to verify that yes I'm pregnant. They sent it away also to monitor my levels and make sure they are going in the right direction. My doctor did prescribe me progesterone because my levels tend to drop in that area, so I'm back on track and ready ride this wild ride.

Tim and I drove to my mom's house immediately and I was able to talk on the phone to Connor who I got to go stand by the front door. As we walked in I handed him the "pictures" and told him to go take them to Grandma. First of all she was shocked to see us in the middle of the day, then as she grasped what was happening, we all cried some more together. What an answer to prayer. God is so good, and He provides in His own ways when He knows it's best for us. I'm still trying to take it all in. It's really happening.

We've already started to prep Big Brother Connor, and he is finally excited to have a sibling. He keeps saying little sister, which we attempt to explain to him might not be the case. But the fact that he's no longer saying "Just Connor" is a step in the right direction. He is going to be the best big brother any kid could ask for!

Heartbeat away

March 10, 2014
Connor is now lovingly referring to his new sibling as Baby Iceskating. I think the Olympics really had an impact on him. This past Thursday I had my weekly appointment and this time Grandma Glenda was able to be there. Aside from the perfect looking engagement ring we saw on the monitor we also got to see the baby's heartbeat. It was amazing to see the beautiful fluttering dot that was crystal clear on the screen. They gave me the official due date of October 28, which just so happens to be Great Grandma Harriet's birthday. I find that so special, and also so close to Grandpa Gary's birthday. What a precious little gift this baby is already.

I am extremely exhausted (all the time!!!) and I'm having trouble keeping everything organized. Two days from now is opening night of Into the Woods Jr. and I'm not sure I'm going to survive all of this stress. I'm missing meals, I'm not hydrating enough, and my sole focus is this show. I really wish I could slow down and enjoy this new part of my life, but I can't see past the next week. My heart starts to beat fast just thinking about it.

I've been craving all sorts of crazy things, and I'm hungry for everything I smell. I made Tim go out the other night to get slim jims....really? Yuck! I'm wanting sushi all the time, but don't worry all cooked. The hardest part is cutting back on the caffeine but after last time I'm not going to do it cold turkey, and the neurologist even said that one can of soda a day won't hurt anything.

I praise the Lord constantly that He has allowed this to happen, I just can't wait to finally enjoy it. We did get a special book for Connor about being a big brother, and it couldn't be more perfect. I think he's going to be a great big brother!

7 weeks

March 19, 2014

Connor is very excited!!! He was clearly talking and bouncing during this picture, but I think it's fun that he's in it. I hit the 8 week mark yesterday and this past Thursday had my 7 week appointment with Dr. Gelman. It's nice to be able to go in weekly to make sure everything is progressing as it should, and I love hearing their comments about how "picture perfect" each sonogram looks. They always have such nice things to say, and it makes me feel better to know that some of it looks even better than textbook sonograms. Plus it's pretty wonderful to have a sonogram picture of baby ice skating every week. They even switched the machine over to monitor the baby's heart rate and Grandma Glenda, Connor, and I all got to see that it's beating away. Very cool to say the least.

I have one more appointment with the specialist this Friday, and then my regular Obgyn will take over. So far I've had very little nausea, which was how it was with Connor. A few smells here and there have turned my stomach, typically dinner cooking which I find interesting because I'm hungry ALL THE TIME. It seems that every few hours my tummy is grumbling again and I have to eat everything in sight. I mean everything. My size two pants are starting to get tight and I think I'm just going to give in and live in the 4 world for a while. I know everything is going to progress much faster this time around so I'm going to take it day by day. Try my best not to eat every candy bar, bag of chips, and nutty bars I can get my hands on and love every minute. I am so glad I no longer have the stress of Into the Woods anymore!!!!!

Breaking the News!

April 2, 2014

Here is our little gummy bear at my final appointment with Dr. Gelman. Our little 8 week old baby ice skating even wiggled around a little bit, and Daddy, Connor, and I really sat back and let it all sink in. I went to Dr. Gelman for a full 12 weeks with Connor, so I was a little surprised when he released me a few weeks early to go to my regular obgyn. He said everything looked so picture perfect and left me feeling so reassured that everything was on the right path and looked beautiful. So this is really happening. I'm not sure it feels real yet. But slowly, and surely, as my clothes get tighter, and I start feeling more and more "funny" I know that it's real. God has answered prayers!

Our Spring Break started and our first stop was Disney. My main goal for this trip was to get our announcement picture that includes the above Mickey Ears. We are after all growing by two ears! I like how the picture turned out, though it was a little bit of a task to get everything just right. There is always a story, and considering big brother Connor only actually smiled for one of the many pictures we took, I guess that was the one we would have to use! It's a great memory!

The moment of finally breaking the news didn't happen until Thursday afternoon. I couldn't spill the beans to Aunt Kaitlyn and Uncle Casey without Daddy being there, and he didn't fly up until Thursday so we made our announcement at lunch! Connor had hidden under his jacket the blue shirt I made him that said "Big Brother". When the time came he ceremoniously ripped open his jacket, stood up on his chair, and said "ta-da!" It took a moment, which we happily recorded on video, for it to register, but everyone was happy. I think Casey was a little shocked, and Kaitlyn had a little bit of a clue because she's picked up on my tiredness, weight gain, and shall I say it....mood swings. I was just so happy to be able to share it with the ones that matter most. Now the secret is shared. There is definitely an ache with knowing I don't get to break the news to Grandpa Gary, but I know he would have been thrilled and would have been just as excited this time around.

I hit the 10 week mark yesterday, and spent the entire day sick. With Connor I had some moments of queasiness but I completely lost my breakfast yesterday, and then couldn't shake the awful feeling all day. That is brand new for me. I'm not sure I liked it. Smells tend to really get to me, and I feel more sick to my stomach in the evenings rather than the mornings. Sometimes just the smell of dinner can turn my insides. I know they say every pregnancy is different, but I could have lived without this. I am truly grateful to not have the full fledged morning sickness that most women get. I'll take a little bit of nausea over that!!! I have wanted sushi practically every day recently, but not raw, no worries. Tim has been taking care of so much, and I am so grateful to have such a wonderful and supportive ally through this whole thing. I am blessed.

Pre-K Interview

We got Connor prepared for his interview for the Pre-K for 3 year olds at VABHOE by taking a special trip to Target. Though the items were unnecessary we got him a special pencil case and filled it with pencils and crayons. He even insisted on a Composition Journal for his "math homework". He told the cashier at checkout that he "Always has math homework". 

Upon waking up Friday morning he was so excited. He announced to everyone "I can't wait to go to school!" while he happily put on his backpack we very carefully packed the night before. I was nervous. We got to the school 30 min early and walked around and looked at the buildings. I wanted Connor to feel safe and secure with where he was going to be. We even visited the Kindergarten building that I had worked in and visited an old colleague. He got to look around her classroom and it satisfied his curiosity. We then sat on the bench outside of his Pre-K room and waited for Ms. Faggans to get to school.

It wasn't very long before she got there and of course there were hugs all around. She being the most wonderful teacher I have ever encountered, but also was my mentor teacher my first year. I can't believe how lucky Connor is. He very politely said "Hello Ms. Faggans" just like we practiced and I think she was charmed. We got to walk inside the classroom together and Connor got to wander around and see everything. Ms. F explained to me how their morning would go and Connor got right to work playing with the train table set up in her room. He was immediately comfortable. As more of her students came to class I felt more comfortable with leaving. I whispered in his ear to listen and obey, and to be the good boy he is, and he gave me a sweet hug and kiss. He was ready, I'm not sure I was.  

I didn't cry until talking to Daddy afterwards, and praying over our little boy's morning. The program that he is interviewing for is such a great opportunity. He is hoping to become a model student in a program that utilizes a classroom of autistic children and model children. I think it's wonderful. I think he's perfect for it.

Grandma picked him up at 10:50am and Ms. Faggans commented on what a good boy he was! Grandma brought him straight to me for a lunch time surprise and it was like pulling teeth to get any information out of him. Ha! What I did get is that he would love to go back, he liked playing with shadow puppets and one of the puppets talked to him, and he liked the slide on the playground. We won't know for a little while if he made the program, but it was a huge milestone in our lives. My baby is growing up.....and he just might go to my alma mater.

Spring Break 2014

I was so excited to be able to start my Spring Break early due to a Teacher Planning Day and a perfectly timed Opt Day. I was ready! We spent Friday together as our little family, and even got to have a lunch/brunch at Chick Fil A with Daddy that meant a lot to all of us. Saturday saw the beginning of our adventure and we piled into Grandma's minivan and headed to the happy place.

We spent Saturday and Sunday at Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom. Connor got to experience another milestone big boy ride on Star Tours that he wasn't too sure about upon entering, but afterwards thought it was fun. It was definitely more crowded than two weeks before, but that was to be expected, and we just rolled with it. We're trying to get used to the new fast pass (Magic+) system but I have to say I think Disney took a great thing and ruined it. My honest opinion is they need to reevaluate this new concept because it is not better than what we used to have. It's worse. We had fun regardless and we even got Daddy to the airport in time to make his flight to head back home while we headed north. It was sad to say goodbye even though we knew we were going to see him again in a few days.

Monday we spent the day driving from Orlando to Greensboro to see Cousins Megan, Lindsey, and of course Zander who is getting so big, (Zack and Boomer, we loved seeing you too!). We got to eat dinner together, catch up, the boys played cars together, and we finally got to see Boomer and Lindsey's home. Megan was so sweet to let us crash at her house that evening even though they were waking up early for work the next day. It is always so special to spend time together, nothing will ever replace the bond of family, and we're so lucky to have the one we do. The next morning Zack made us a delicious breakfast and we headed out on the rest of our drive to Lynchburg.

We noticed the flurries pretty early, which quickly changed into real snowflakes falling silently to the ground. It was a little nerve wracking for us Floridians to drive in, but Grandma did a great job and we made it safely to Lynchburg with only one harried potty emergency. 

Of course once we got to Lynchburg we wanted to play in the snow but that came after a quick birthday lunch with Uncle Casey at Macados. We attempted to first start our play while it was still snowing just nearby our hotel. That wasn't too much fun, just cold. We decided to bide our time and after nap time ventured back out into the white wilderness. We stopped at Toys R Us which had no sleds, but quick thinking by Grandma discovered they did have a hard plastic kiddie pool. It was the perfect solution! We found the perfect hill on East Campus and enjoyed hours of sledding fun! Aunt Kaitlyn and Connor came zipping down the hill over and over again. Uncle Casey even came by when he was finished with work and got to take a spin on the "slool", "pled", pool-sled. Connor wasn't ready to leave even after his little toes were frozen. We weren't truly prepared with snow shoes and his little sneakers weren't cutting it with the amount of time we were in the snow. When I finally tricked him away from his new hobby, he had tears running down his face from his cold toes, and I quickly ripped off his shoes and socks and rubbed his red little feet. After getting him into a warm shower we had our bubbly boy back.

 We enjoyed Uncle Casey's birthday evening at Olive Garden and ate to our heart's content. There was even cake involved to finish the evening. It was only the beginning of the amount of eating we would do the rest of the week! The following day, Wednesday, we got to stop by the home Uncle Casey is in the process of purchasing and got to spend some more time in the snow, this time with the sun shining. We built the perfect snowman, that of course Connor insisted we name Olaf right next to the front door. I look forward to visiting once it is really his, and enjoying many memories there.

Thursday morning Connor and I headed to the airport to pick up Daddy. We were so glad that some snow was still left on the ground, and we chose that day to tour some of the new sights around LU. The new Jerry Falwell Library is amazing, and we even got to eat in the cute little bistro. We got to see Uncle Casey's office, stopped by alumni relations, and made a quick pit stop and the new baseball stadium.

It was amazing to say the least, and of course the bases just begged to be ran! Someone had built a wonderful baseball snowman right on home plate, and it made for a perfect family photo op.

From there we headed in search for the Equestrian Center which was not open during the posted hours of which they should have been, but I'm not bitter. Instead, on our way down the mountain we found the Snowflex which Aunt Kailtlyn and Grandma had never been to. Aunt Kaitlyn wanted to try her hand at snowboarding and Connor of course wanted to sled. Our afternoon activity was born.

We ended up going back to the Snowflex multiple times during our visit. Aunt Kaitlyn just continued to get increasingly better on her snowboard, and we couldn't resist Connor's squeals of delight on the sled slopes. They were so big compared to our little boy, but he loved it! Friday and Saturday also saw us visiting thirft stores, consignment shops, estate sales, and antique stores looking for furniture for Uncle Casey's new home. I think we were extremely successful, and felt that we accomplished so much. I can't wait to see it all put together inside his house. 

We drove 13.5 hours home on Sunday and I am still in awe at how great of a traveler Connor is. Not once did he complain, or get antsy, and was just a wonderful traveling companion. That is why we take trips. That is why we never hesitate. He's amazing!