Tomorrow is the day...

October 1st is tomorrow! I had so many errands to run today and still didn't get them all finished. Unfortunately, the ones that I didn't get to do were the ones to pick up pumpkins, mums, etc... I'm getting frustrated that all of my fall stuff isn't out but now it's going to have to wait until next week because............

Tomorrow, October 1st, is transfer day!! Yay! Preparation for this cycle has flown by. Transfer is scheduled for 11:00 am, so if you think about it tomorrow, say a prayer? :) We had one embryo that made it to blastocyst last cycle, so that is what they will transfer tomorrow. My prayer up to this point has been that our one little embryo will make it to thaw. When first starting this cycle, I didn't feel like our chances were very good because we only had one to transfer, but as this cycle comes to an end, I know that our chances are GREAT because it's all in God's hands! If He wants this to be our month, it will be.

The day after my transfer, Alex leaves on a business trip. That means, I will be on bedrest without him here. I'm not too excited about him being away...I never am, but especially right after the transfer. We prayed that his trip would get cancelled (LOL) but it didn't happen, so there is nothing he can do about it. I know he would rather be here if he had a choice. I went and rented a bunch of movies tonight and bought some magazines...that should keep me busy for a bit and I have several family and friends that have offered to come by if I need anything, so I'm all set!

Well, it's getting late. I'm going to try and get some sleep.

Love to all,

Jill

A day with lil' J...

Alex and I feel blessed to have so many nephews & nieces. We have a total of 20! (that's counting the 2 on the way) Needless to say, our brothers & sisters have no IF problems. (LOL)

There have been times during our infertility where the arrival of a new baby brought tears to our eyes. It wasn't that we weren't happy to have an addition to our family, it just made our hearts ache even more for one of our own. We have been allowed to play a very active role in our nephews & nieces lives and honestly that has played a big part in our healing. Having children around brings us so much joy.

I kept Jackson today. My doc says I can't lift anything over 10 lbs (or something ridiculous like that) during my 2ww, so I had to get my J-time in before going on bedrest. He's lucky I let him down at all...I want to hold him the entire time but now that he's mobile, it's almost impossible. (LOL) I just had to post this pic from this afternoon...he already knows what we want him to do when we put the camera in his face. CHEESE!! I added a video for my Mom and Dad at the bottom of this post. They live a few hours away and don't get to see him as often as they would like, so we try to send pics & video several times a week.


His Daddy came by to see him this afternoon...he was happy about that! :)

We played so hard...he was worn out!

He's pulling up on everything but has learned to sit down carefully now

vs. falling on his head. LOL Smart kid.

Enjoy Granny & Papa! :)

Love to all,
Jill

My Saturday...

I had to wake up early this morning...ugh. If you know me, you know that it's best not to even talk to me until 10am. Me and early morning tolerate one another but we aren't friends. Alex was working from 8am-noon, so he had to give me my shot before he left the house. I was so sleepy, I didn't even get up for it. I just turned over in bed and exposed a cheek. (LOL) Sorry if that's TMI!

Anywho, I couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up and made myself a healthy breakfast...

Coffee & Cinnamon Rolls...yummy!

When Alex got home from work, we watched the Razorbacks get slaughtered. Bless their hearts, it's going to be a hard season!

After that, I finally got around and we went to dinner. I've been wanting to try this new place that just opened here. I'm pretty sure they are all over Texas but it's new to the Rock, so I had to try it. I had these yummy enchiladas stuffed with spinach, chicken & cheese and Alex had some sort of steak with bacon wrapped shrimp on top. The top shelf guac and queso were yummy as well! Alex gave it a 4 out of 5 stars.

All in all, it has been a very laid back weekend...no plans really. Those are our favorite kind. :)

Church is tomorrow...can't wait! It's our last week in the 'One Month To Live' series...it has been so good!

Hope it has been a relaxing weekend for you as well!

Love to all,
Jill

Nieces & Nephews...

We had our niece, Victoria and nephew, Jack over this evening. They are always a hoot and keep us laughing non-stop! I decided since we had kids in the house, I should make something kid friendly for dinner. My Momma actually gave me this recipe a while back...thanks, Mom!

After dinner they wanted to do nothing more than play video games with their Uncle Alex...they have been playing for 3 hours straight! So I'm watching Grey's and blogging. It's a treat for me to just sit here with my bedroom door open and listen to their conversations. I love having kiddos in the house. :)

Pics of dinner and recipe below...click to enlarge.

Love to all!
Jill

FET update...

I went for my first U/S and lab today. I wasn't sure how I would feel, being back in the doc's office and all. The last time I was there, it was for the failed IVF follow-up. I was very teary and I remember my heart feeling extremely heavy walking through those doors. It's an understatement to say that I didn't want to be there and even questioned whether I wanted to ever go back.

Thankfully, those feelings have long passed and today's appointment went quite well! I was in and out in less than an hour. The estrogen injections are working quite nicely. I'm so glad I switched to injections over patches this time around...I find them easier to deal with. My endo lining looks fab...it was over 9, which the doc said is great! My ovary is supposed to be 'resting' during this time and from what the doc said, it's snoozing away with no cysts in site! Looks like they will be thawing our little one in the very near future...we're looking at an October 1st transfer!

I have been a bad girl and have been drinking regular coffee instead of decaf this time around. I tried to start out with decaf but it just tastes awful and I honestly feel like I did everything 'right' last time and it had no bearing on the outcome. I truly believe that God is in control of it all and He will give me a healthy pregnancy when the time is right...caffeinated coffee or not. :)

I have been pretty emotional over the past week...the hormones are definitely in full swing. I feel like I'm more aware of it this time around though. If I snap at someone (which unfortunately, I have done), I find myself crying and apologizing within seconds of doing it. Luckily, I have an awesome husband and family and they have been very patient and supportive.

I do have to say that preparing for a FET has been MUCH easier than preparing for a fresh cycle. I'm thankful for that!

Well, I guess that's all for now. Just wanted to give a quick update!

Love to all,
Jill

Fun-Filled Weekend!

We had a fun weekend...we celebrated my parents birthdays on Friday evening. All of my brothers and sisters were able to make it and I had the best time! I have a precious family...I'm so blessed.

Sunday, I went to a baby shower for my sis-in-law, Kerri. Little Kandace will be here before we know it!


Several people have asked how my mother-in-law is doing...thank you! They have yet to remove her gallbladder. They ran tests and realized there were other problems that needed to be addressed before they could do surgery of any kind. They have been pumping her full of antibiotics and she is doing so much better! We are hoping she will get to go home tomorrow, actually! They want to give her a little time before removing the gallbladder, so she will probably go back in about 6 weeks to have that done.

I'm still working on my fall decor...I have a lot of it out but haven't finished. I'll post pics when I'm finally done. For all of you who have your fall decor out, post some pics...I would love to see them! I need some inspiration for my mantel! :)

Here are a few pics from the weekend! You will have to click on them to make them larger.

Love to all!
Jill

What I'd Like For You To Know...

Shannon at rocks in my dryer put out a wonderful article in her "What I'd Like For You To Know" series.

I had tears running down my cheeks while reading this article. So many of the things GiBee wrote about, I could relate. It also allowed me to see how I can support others going through the same thing.

Thanks for the link, Andrea!

Check it out here: http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2008/09/what-id-like--2.html

TGIF!!

Alex comes home this evening!! I say this evening because it's 1:30am, so technically it's Friday! He has been out of town on business (this entire week) and I've missed him! I've missed sleeping as well...I never sleep well when he's gone.

I'm not normally up this late (or early) but I've been at the hospital with my mother-in-law. Please pray for her...they think it's her gallbladder and she will be having surgery later today.

After leaving the hospital, I needed to go to the grocery store. Ugh. I hate grocery shopping but I do have to say that shopping for groceries at midnight is the time to do it...there were only 5 people in the entire store. Go figure.

I was worried about giving myself the IM shot yesterday (Alex normally gives them to me) but thankfully my parents came in to spend the night and I made my Mom do it. This was her first time at giving a shot and she did very well. She even topped it off with one of these when she was finished.

I have no idea why I have Strawberry Shortcake bandaids in my cabinet but they actually made having the shot a little better. I think Alex needs to start awarding me with one as well.

I'm hosting my parents birthday dinner this weekend! I love having my entire family over...they make me laugh so hard, it hurts. It gets loud up in here but I love it!

Well I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Love you all!

Jill

Home Sweet Home...

Well, we're back from the beach! We had a great time and truth be known, it wouldn't have hurt our feelings to stay another week! Hurricane Ike took our beach two of the days we were there, but that was fine with us...Alex loved being thrown around by the huge waves that came with Ike and it allowed me to get my shop on! I was able to do quite a bit of Christmas shopping. I'm starting early this year...I'm determined to have everything finished mid-December. No wrapping all of my Christmas presents on Christmas Eve this year. I'm so bad about that and then it's hard for me to just enjoy the holiday. I'm going to do better this year!

I'm going to start pulling out the fall decorations this week! Change out the summer candles with some new fall scents...mmmm...I love this time of year. Thinking about giving my blog a fall makeover as well...you can look for that in the near future! :)

I also want to say, Congratulations to my friends Molly and John!! They welcomed baby Quincy into the world today at 2:20pm. He weighs 7 lbs. 7 oz. and is 20 inches long. I can't wait to go to the hospital to see him tomorrow!!

Here are a few pics from our vacation...love to all!

Me and my honey

Jackson on the beach

Joy, Pryce & Gerry

Cary, Sara & Jackson



My oldest nephew, Ty

Our little chunky monkey...he LOVED the sand, especially eating it!

Cody flying his kite

My sweet Daddy

I only wish I were this happy at 4am!

My nephew Cody

Me and lil' J, rockin' to Jack Johnson

Me and Alex at Baytowne Wharf Village

So thankful for you girls...

I'm still on vacation but wanted to check in on some of my peeps. :)

Ya know, I was thinking about this because I can't seem to go a day without thinking about and praying for the girls on my blogroll. There are several that I've come to know through blogging and I have no doubt that if we lived in the same city, we would be the best of girlfriends. :) They have struggled or are still struggling with IF and it's kind of like a club...once you meet someone who has been through it, you feel an immediate bond.

I have a little stationery store that I shop at frequently. The owner and I struck up a conversation the first time I went in and somehow we ended up sharing our IF story with one another. She too had struggled conceiving and was currently going through treatment. At the time, I was about to have surgery before starting my treatment. Now when I go into the store, we immediately update one another on how we're doing and what has happened over the past month or however long it has been. At first I thought to myself...how on earth did I end up sharing something so personal with a complete stranger? But in my heart I knew exactly how it happened. I believe God put her in my path and He knew exactly what direction our first conversation would take. He knew that we both needed someone to talk to, someone who had been through it, someone to encourage us and remind us that it WILL HAPPEN when God's timing is right. There are many places to buy stationery but He knew exactly where I needed to purchase mine. *smile*

When I started this blog it was to keep family and close friends updated on our IVF journey but over the course of many months it has become so much more for me. It's a place where I'm able to focus on others and what they are going through and be a prayer warrior on their behalf. I get so excited in sharing with Alex, each time one of you gets that positive pregnancy test and I cry each time I hear that this just wasn't the month for many of you. I just want to thank you for sharing your story, encouraging me each day and allowing me to be a part of such a personal part of your life.

I committed a few months back to pray for each of you at some point, every day. I praise God for the ones that I've been able to write ANSWERED PRAYER by as well as a due date. :) I can't wait for the day when my blogroll becomes nothing but a list of answered prayers!

On that note, I have a few girls that are heavy on my heart tonight for one reason or another and I would just like to ask you to say a prayer for them as well.

My friend Sara is at 27 weeks and back in the hospital. Please pray that the contractions stop and that little Spot stays put for several more weeks. :) Sara is one of the most amazing people I've met on here. She has been on bedrest her entire pregnancy and has such a wonderful attitude! Next time I'm on bedrest after transfer, I will be thinking of Sara and how she did it for much longer...I can surely handle 2- 3 days! I actually shared her story with someone today, just to encourage them and let them know it could be much worse.

My friend Amy just had her twins at 30 weeks. They are in the NICU but are doing well. I can only imagine how hard it is as new parents to leave their babies each day. Pray for Amy as she continues to heal from her c-section and that these precious baby girls are home with their parents very soon! :)

My friend Nikki needs our prayers. She has been through so much over the past month. So many of us have been there and understand how her heart aches. My prayer is that she will feel God's arms wrapped around her and that she will find that peace that surpasses all understanding because right now it's just hard to understand why.

My friend Leslie is about to start her first IVF cycle! IVF is one of those things that can be exciting and scary at the same time. Say a prayer for her as she starts down this new road of treatment!

My friend Joannah is having a very important surgery this Friday. Many of us have been through this surgery and remember how scary it can be. My prayer is that all goes smoothly and that Joannah is able to conceive naturally after healing from the surgery...which is not uncommon by the way! :)

In Search of Morning Sickness is almost 20 weeks preggers and her hubby has just been deployed to the Middle East. I can't imagine how hard this must be for them. Please pray for her and their baby girl, as well as her husband and his safety.

Hope2morrow is having her FET tomorrow!! I'm so excited for her! It's such an exciting but nerve wracking day and I just pray that she will have peace tomorrow and that this cycle ends with a healthy pregnancy! :)

My friend Emily is still in the testing stage of things which can be so frustrating. When you have been trying to conceive for two years, your patience can run thin. I know exactly how she feels as do many of you. Pray that her doctors will figure out what her next step should be in trying to conceive and that she and her husband would find peace as well as patience throughout this process.

My friend Wendy just received some hard news as well. She didn't respond to the meds as well as her docs would have liked, so her cycle was cancelled. This is so hard because you are excited to finally start treatment and have such high hopes and then because of reasons out of your control, you have to start over. I haven't linked her because she doesn't have a blog but I would ask you to pray for her. Her heart aches for a child and she is currently waiting to start another cycle. I'm praying she will respond well with new protocol and that God will bless her with a healthy pregnancy very soon!

Also, please pray for my sister-in-law...she is due in 6 weeks and has been put on bedrest. She is dilating and the baby has dropped so we're praying my little niece will hold off a little longer until the docs say it's okay for her to come. :)

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy! (Philippians 1:3-4)

Love to all!


Jill

Feels like Fall...

Although the first official day of Autumn isn't until September 22nd, I stepped outside today and there it was...70 degrees, hitting me in the face. It made me smile!

I know it sounds stupid but as soon as fall approaches and the weather actually feels like it, it makes me start thinking about Christmas! I love Thanksgiving but my favorite time of year is most definitely Christmas. Just ask Alex...he knows that if the weather stays like this for any amount of time, I will be pulling out the Bing Crosby Christmas cd's and the music won't stop until December 26th. LOL!

So as I sit here, sipping by decaf coffee (I'm trying to be a good girl during this FET), I'm a little sad that we will miss the Razorback game (We leave at 4am for Florida) but for all of those that are going to the game...I hope this weather sticks around for you to enjoy tomorrow! GO HOGS!!!

Blessings...

Well, I feel like I haven't really blogged in quite sometime so I guess it's time for an update!

I have nothing but blessings to share...

First off, after a month of non-stop remodeling (we had an awesome team!) we are now in our new building! We had our first service in the new building last Sunday. We had the Lord's Supper for the first time as a church which was really special. God has provided for this new church every step of the way and I don't believe He intends to stop now. I believe great things are in store for Journey Church. I'm very thankful God has allowed Alex and I to be a part. I truly can't wait for the day when God gives us children that we can bring up in this church. My parents say that seeing all 6 of their children serving in local bodies is the greatest gift. The closer I become to being a parent, the more I think about this. I look forward to watching my kids grow...and Lord willing they will not only grow up, but most importantly grow spiritually and give their lives to His work. It's truly the best job to have. :)

Secondly, it has finally stopped raining here...yay!! I thought I was going to go insane. I hear the coffee is good but I could never live in Seattle.

And lastly, we're leaving for Florida on Saturday morning!! We're riding down with Cary, Sara and Jackson (my bro and his fam). I'm looking forward to a road trip with lil' J! He is a doll-face but he's also just a really cool kid. Here's a pic of my road trip buddy. Love this little guy. :)

Oh, and I almost forgot! After a very relaxing, almost 4-month break, we start (IM) estrogen injections tonight in preparation for our FET. This means I will be shooting up while on vacation but all is good...she said I can take them in the evenings which means I can still sleep in. :) Love to all!