Countdown to Paradise

We finalized and booked our vacation today!!!!!

For the past few months we have been talking about taking a vacation around Thanksgiving and after having another miscarriage at the end of August we started to get more serious about taking some time away together. We know it's a family holiday but we figure this is something we both need VERY much to take our minds off things, to relax, rejuvenate, and hang out as a couple.

Of course Dave has tried very hard to talk me into going  back to Disney World...for the third vacation in a row...and although I love Disney very much and we've had a great time both times we've been there, I want to go some place else! Ever since Dave and I started dating, he's always wanted to do some sort of active vacation. He's never understood why all our friends (and most normal people) want to go to Mexico or Jamaica to just lay out on a beach all day in the sun and drink. He wants to go to amusement parks or water parks or sporting events. He tried talking me into Disneyland, then Universal Studios, then Harry Potter world.......I want something different and I want a break from Florida!! I really want to go somewhere I've never been to, so we discussed California (not Disneyland though), the Carolina's, Vegas, Arizona, New York, and Seattle.

Then just a few weeks ago he watched the movie Soul Surfer....a movie about a girl surfer who gets her arm eaten off by a shark and has to re-learn how to surf. So if you don't know where this story is going let's just say Dave is highly persuaded by movies! The next day he called me at work 100% convinced we should go to Hawaii to stay on a beautiful beach, to try to learn to surf, to snorkel, to lay on the beach in the sun, go golfing, visit a spa, and drink tropical drinks with umbrellas...umm yes please, all of these things are what I've been wanting to do. But I informed him we'll have to talk about it and get some quotes for prices as I know Hawaii can be very expensive, of course he didn't believe me he had to see it from the travel agent....which it did come out to be expensive for just round trip tickets and hotel stay at a Sheraton Resort (one of the cheapest) not including transportation to the resort, food, drinks, and activities. I knew he had gotten his hopes up really high and told him we could look at Mexico or even the Bahamas and am sure we could find some place just as beautiful at Hawaii that we could still do all the same activities and I bet we could find something all-inclusive.

Dave found the perfect place...........we're going to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic!!!!  AHHHHH I can't wait!! 

We're staying here... yep that's all one place, it's GINORMOUS (giant and enormous)!

 We'll be walking around here,

 hanging here,

 swimming up here,

 Dave will be golfing here,

 we'll be gambling here,

 I'll be getting a massage here,

and laying in heaven here!

The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is a 121 acre all-inclusive luxury resort that has 11 restaurant, 14 bars, 11 pools, mini-golf, an 18 hole golf course, spa, casino, nightclub, a beautiful beach, and so much more. I'm so relieved to have it done and booked. Now I just have to wait to get back my renewed passport and countdown the days till paradise!

P.S. If any of you are fans of the Housewives of New Jersey and watch last weeks episode that's where I'll be!! I was just watching the marathon episodes for this season and realized last weeks episode they went to Punta Cana AND stayed at the Hard Rock! Ahh!

The Help

I know it's been a while since I read my last book. Steph has been on me for weeks to read The Help but it was always checked out at the library so finally I just gave in and bought it.  It took me a couple chapters to get into it since I've been super busy lately and I must admit I had to re-read some at the beginning since some of the chapters are written from the viewpoint of one of the maids and it's an adjustment reading the way she talks. But once I got to the sixth chapter I couldn't put it down and finished it in no time!

It definitely was a great book!  It's a unique insight into the black maids living and working in the southern US during the early 60's.Very eye opening to how things use to be when my parents where growing up during the civil rights movement. I've seen a few of the different trailers for the movie which have choked me up a few times but look good and I'm looking forward to seeing the book in movie form

Carter's Two

Last Thursday was my nephew Carter's big second birthday and Saturday was his birthday party. Steph asked me if I could make his cake which I of course said YES I'd absolutely love to!! He had an Airplane themed party, it was so cute. I made an airplane cake with matching cupcakes in red, yellow and blue. Steph had ordered cupcake toppers with her invitations to go along with the theme, they were super cute and made the cupcakes look awesome, especially on the tree holder she picked up.

Happy 2nd Birthday Carter!

Time for presents! He likes ripping the paper off and pulling the tissue paper out. He got the cutest IOWA chair that he loved and sat right down in to open the rest of his present in.

Lil' Haddon wanting to be a present.

It was adorable, his dad put him in the box and tried packaging him up.

Dave's trying to get the kids to start learning early!!  It's never to early to start learning good mechanics. Carter is a switch hitter. Once Mollie showed Myla how to hit the ball on the tee she was a machine. She had so much fun that she didn't want to stop. I think she has softball in her future :)

We ended the night with a bonfire, complete with S'mores!!!!

Acupuncture

Friday I went back in for my 3rd visit. I had my adjustment first in which Dr.C said she had lots of work to do, she could tell I've been stressed out. Afterwards she sent me back up to the front desk to get another EMI reading.  It was worst then last weeks!!! It felt like I was failing a test! I didn't get my own print out of my chart results this time but there was a lot of changes, however all of them moved in opposite directions of what they were previously. She said sometimes you get worst before you get better. Hopefully that's the case and I'll start turning around here soon. I think my only improvement was in my Bladder Meridian which was green, but yay since that is one of the Meridians that house the reproductive organ!

When I went back for the acupuncture Dr.C wanted to focus on increasing my metabolism thinking maybe if that improved the rest will follow suit. I got 20 wonderful needles, mainly in my arms and wrists, only 6 in legs, ankles and feet (no toes this time!). I was hooked up to that machine again, feeling the energy pulse through my body. It was hooked up to 4 of the needles in my wrists. Unlike last time it wasn't just a tingling sensation but a pulsing which continued throughout the entire 20 minutes I laid there trying to relax. It wasn't unbearable, sometime it got a little uncomfortable but mainly just felt really weird.
Today I went back again, hoping I'll start improving so I won't have to go twice a week. It sure adds up fast with having to go twice a week for both an adjustment and acupuncture!! Today Dr.C said that I'll get my EMI re-tested again next Monday and then MAYBE we can cut down to once a week. YAY! My visit today was really fast, a quick adjustment (which showed my body responding) then another round of acupuncture. I got another 20 needles, five in each limb and then she hooked me up to the "energy " machine (I don't know what else to call it!) to the needles in my feet and legs. This time was like the first, I just felt a tingling sensation every now and again for awhile then it disappeared.

I feel great once I leave from my appointment and usually for the rest of the day. However over this weekend I felt completely drained. Maybe it has to do with being crazy busy for the past 4 weeks and it's all starting to catch up with me. I haven't had a day to do completely nothing, are weekends have been jam packed. I'm definitely not feeling rested and refreshed when I wake up in the morning yet but I hope to soon once all this needle stuff starts working  and my body starts catching up. Plus all these needles aren't getting any easier to handle. I thought I'd get use to them, that after a few times it would be no problem but that is not the case, they still hurt!!!

Needles and Adjustments

Last week I finally made the call. I called a wholistic chiropractor who specializes in infertility and does acupuncture! And she got me in the very next day for my first session. I've heard lots of great things about both chiropractics and acupuncture for getting pregnant. I've actually been thinking about starting for a while now but once we started seeing an RE I held off to see what Dr.F told us. But since the IUI worked but didn't stick, I decided now is the time!

So I went in last Wednesday to see Dr. C, who used to be an RN, she worked for a OBGYN then went back to school for chiropractics and started her own business. First she did an EMI test, which I have no idea what it stands for but I do know it was to check my source points that measure how balanced (or imbalance in my case) you are in each of your Meridian Channels.  Meridian's are invisible lines through the body that carry energy to every organ and system (pericardium, heart, small intestines, triple energizer, large intestine, liver, kidney, bladder, gallbladder, and the stomach). 

Ideally each Meridian Channel should be green on your test but more importantly your left and right sides should be balanced showing they are working together. Here is my chart which is obviously imbalanced meaning one side is working much harder than the other. Dr. C said the reproductive organs are housed in the bladder and gallbladder meridians which are part of the feet(??), if you are truly infertile those will be almost non-existent on your chart. Mine are in low (in blue on the right side) but still above the infertility range so she doesn't think I am truly infertile (which I'm obviously not since I CAN get pregnant) there is just work to be done.

So after my test, she took me in for an adjustment, which she said I needed a lot of work done! Then she took me to another room, had me lay down on a massage table and started the acupuncture. Needles were placed on both sides of each wrist, both sides of each elbow, in my armpits (to increase metabolism), and the rest were placed in my feet and ankles. I had a total of 20 needles. Some of them I didn't even feel, however some really hurt especially the ones she put in my pinky toes OUCH!! Once the needles are in place you lay by yourself to relax and just focus on breathing for 20 minutes. 

I went back yesterday. Dr. C did the acupuncture first and wanted to increase my energy so I got more needles added (I think about 24...more in my feet, one in head and one in my chest...the toes still hurt!)  and then she hooked me up to some machine. The machine was hooked up to, I think, 4 different needles that pulsed an energy through my body. At first it was tingly....and weird...then I could feel pulsing in my feet....after a few minutes it stopped....then it started pulsing in my hands which I'm not sure whether I liked....but after a few minutes it stopped and nothing after that. Apparently it's suppose to stop because your body absorbs the energy.  After acupuncture I got another adjustment.

Dr. C wants me to come in twice a week for the first 4 weeks then I'll have another EMI test to see my progress and cut down to once a week or one every other week. At one point I will have to take a 30 day break but I can't remember what for or when. It's a whole lot of information!!!  I go back Friday so I'm sure I'll have new update on that visit as well.

Iowa Kickoff

This past weekend was the first Iowa Hawkeye football game, so to kick off the season right we had a Iowa Tailgating Party over at our house. We had a great turn out, the man cave was packed with family, friends and all the growing families. We had over 25 people and kids! It was definitely the most kids we've ever had over and it was so much fun!! 

Dave and I sporting our new gear!

 We were so lucky to have my uncle Larry and his new bride Sandy visit from Missouri. They were recently married a few weeks ago and had bought a pinata for the kids at their reception. Lucky for us they forgot all about the pinata so it was never used, but they brought it with them. Since we had a packed house of kids and there were a few weather delays during the game, Sandy and my mom went back to my parents house to pick it up so all the kids could enjoy it. It was so much fun watching the kids hitting it! 

 Youngest first, little Mr. Carter got to take the first few swings. I think the bat was bigger than him :) But he's a strong lil man and got some good swings in!

 Next was Myla, she took a good swing....then ran off into Mollies arms.

 Little Anna loving the pengiun.

 The baseball stud Keaton helped bust the pinata open along with Lily and Kaalyn.

 Carter is going to be a shark at Shuffle board by time he's 5...he's got some great aim already!

 Full House!!

 Of course a gathering cannot be complete without cupcakes!!



It was so much fun. We were go glad so many family and friends were able to make it, it felt great to get together and catch up with those we don't get to see very often anymore. We hope to have many more!!

Go HAWKS!!

Lightening Strikes Twice

Where to begin....

Well as many of you had suspected from the vagueness of my previous posts, yes the IUI worked and I got pregnant! I had a feeling things might have actually worked since 4dpiui (days post IUI) I started feeling mild/dull cramps on and off throughout the day up until 10dpiui. I also started to have vivid dreams during that 2ww which I also got with my first pregnancy. This made me hopeful....

I ended up giving in and testing on 11dpiui....which of course I got a BFN.  Then I tested again on 12dpiui and another BFN!!  I started to lose hope and was thinking for sure it didn't work even though AF wasn't expected for about 3 days.....this is what I get for testing early!

I of course went on to test again that Monday (13dpiui) before I went to work and low and behold there was a very faint line! TWO LINES ARE TWO LINES! BFP!!  I sent a picture of it to Dave and then on my lunch break at work went out and bought a First Response since the pregnancy tests I have at home are just the strips I get free with the opk. The First Response came back with a tad pit darker positive line!! I called my RE's office and they had me go to the lab for blood work that day to check my levels. My hcg levels came back at 39 which is really low, they like to see them over 100 on the first day after your missed period which still wasn't scheduled for 3 more days so it was still early.  I went back a few days later to check again, my hcg levels were up to a 98 so they had more than doubled which they are suppose to....confirmation we're pregnant.

We were excited and so happy to have FINALLY had gotten pregnant again after so long! Dave wanted to be cautious about announcing it which is completely understandable considering we lost our first pregnancy. So I agreed that I wouldn't even post it on here yet, especially since a few family members and close friends read my blog and we wanted to wait until we would be able to tell both our parents, family and close friends. Luckily with my RE's office they schedule your first ultrasound at 6 weeks, so we planned on holding out until after the Labor Day weekend to start telling as we would be going in on the 6th for our u/s. We knew this was going to be extremely hard as we were going to have to get through a friends cookout, a jewelry party, a wedding, a tailgating party and Labor Day gatherings with family and friends who it would difficult to keep it from, especially once Dave starts drinking he likes to talk.

We got through half of them. Unfortunately after only a few bittersweet weeks and 6 days before our first scheduled u/s our pregnancy came to an end with another miscarriage....I've been completely devastated this time around and unable to talk at all about it. Our first pregnancy I was always worried and had a feeling something wasn't right so even though the loss was upsetting, I wasn't completely surprised. This time I truly thought this would be it and everything would be okay. I felt we were going to make it to our u/s appointment and would finally get to see our baby. Even when I started spotting I wasn't worried because I knew it could mean absolutely nothing. I conintued to stay positive and hopeful everything was going to be okay. But I was wrong.

I had spotted lightly for 5 days before, then last Wednesday morning as I got ready for work I started not feeling well, I was lightheaded, dizzy and had hot flashes. Shortly after I got to work I started cramping and bleeding, at that point I knew there was nothing we could do and the outcome wasn't going to be good. I called by RE's office right away and they sent an order to the lab for me to get my blood drawn to check my hcg levels. Within the hour I felt worst so I took the rest of the day off. Thankfully my RE's office is so good at getting things rushed and calling you asap, they called me by noon to confirm my hcg levels were already down to 190.

Dave has been great, he came home from work early to hang out with me. He took me to pick up dinner and movies, has been cleaning up around the house, taking care of the dogs, he bought me new Iowa cupcake liners, an Iowa cookie cutter, surprised me with flowers and got me a new Iowa t-shirt all to cheer me up. As much as I know that he is just as frustrated, he's been trying to stay positive about everything and keep my spirits up.

This time has been so much harder then the first.... I haven't been able to tell anyone, it's just too hard right now to talk about it or bring it out. So I apologize to my friends and family for not telling you if your finding out now, I hope you understand. I just don't feel up to talking about it right now. Maybe it's harder this time because we've been trying longer. Maybe I just wanted this one more. Or because I wasn't expecting this to happen this time even though I knew there was a chance. Or because we worked harder for this one. I don't know. I don't understand why. I just don't get it.