My Christmas Table
The tree with all the presents! Love it!!
Our First Christmas as Mr. and Mrs.
Outdoor fireplaces are the best!!!
Friday, December 27, 2013
Merry After Christmas!!
Another Christmas has come and gone and usually I am a little sad to see it end, but not this year. Even though I LOVE Christmas time, I am also looking forward to 2014. I remember this time last year and I was in the midst of wedding planning and was SO excited for 2013. Now, I am SO ready for what 2014 will bring. I think I had more Christmas celebrations than ever this year! It started on Saturday, the 21st at my Grandparents Christmas which is always interested because that Family has SO many CRA CRA people in it!! It is always good people watching for sure. I had my Mother and her Husband and My Sister and Brother in Law over on the Sunday before Christmas, then a full day of Christmas activities on Christmas Eve followed by a dinner on Christmas Day. Needless to say, I am really ready for normalcy! Next on the agenda, to take all the decorations down. That is NOT something I am looking forward to!!!
The tree with all the presents! Love it!!
The tree with all the presents! Love it!!
Friday, December 13, 2013
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!
I love everything about Christmas. I love to decorate my Christmas Tree and fireplace mantel and go look at Christmas lights. It is such a pretty time of year. I wish that life wasn't so busy because I would love to have a tradition of a Christmas Party with our friends. Maybe when we move into the new house I will be able to do that since we will have more room for entertaining and can hire a babysitter for all of our friend's that have kids. I love to entertain so this would be right up my alley! I can't wait until the day I have a child so that I can do all kinds of fun stuff with him or her. There are SO many things you can do for the kids and I want to have Christmas Traditions for my little family every year. One of the things I remember the most from my childhood is the things I did with my Grandparents every year at Christmas time. My Grandma always made Christmas so special and actually it is also this time of the year that I miss my Grandparents the most. I sure hope my Christmas wish comes true!!
I just love the burlap animal print ribbon I found at First Monday.
The top of the tree is one of my favorite things about my tree. I have done this tree topper for a few years now before it was "the cool thing" to do. Every year I get compliments from the same people on it like they have never seen it on the tree before.
The whole view of the tree. It is 9 feet tall and it takes what seems like forever to decorate and get the branches just the way I like them. I am having a closet built in the new house just to store the tree, so I can just wheel it into the closet like this every year! Then I can get a real tree too. I love real Christmas Trees and will have one next year to go along with this one! So, I guess I am not really saving myself much time if I am just going to decorate the real one. Oh well, at least it will only be one and not two to decorate!
I love this ornament. One of my sweet friends got this for us as a wedding gift and I waited all year to put it on the tree. It has the our wedding date on the other side. It is SO CUTE!!!
My mantel is a little boring right now, but it works for this year. I am going to go to the sales after Christmas and find a wreath to add to it next year and some new garland. I don't like this stuff at all. It has little plastic ice crystals all over it and gets EVERYWHERE!! I am going to retire it after this season. I think I am just going to find some plain garland and then add my own touches to it with the help of my hot glue gun and some fun stuff!! I looked everywhere for stockings with an animal print design and these are what I found at First Monday. I like them because they are a little different than the tree and complement the colors in the living room. Jason doesn't like them though. Oh well, I do so they are staying! :-)
I am keeping things a little quiet right now on the Baby front until we know for sure what is going to happen as to not let ourselves down. I don't want the most wonderful time of the year to be ruined by the ordeal we have faced with the Baby stuff. I know it is a little wrong to not let our own Family in on all the Baby stuff, but I kind of describe it to others as the ones that had a Baby the "old fashion way" not telling us every time they see us if they had sex. I know that is kind of to the point, but it is truly the same thing, just in a different way. I also just don't feel like we have to share every detail of this with our Family members. Jason and I just try to be as normal as can be when we are around our Family and not let them in on our life of getting Baby. It just makes any kind of let downs even worse when you have to tell others bad things. So, pretty much VERY few people will even know anything until there IS a Baby and we are telling the sex of the little miracle. That is the plan for now. Some many things have gone wrong, so I am truly hopeful for my wish to come true!
Sunday, December 1, 2013
About a house.......
Well, the time FINALLY came that we closed on the house/lot. It felt like forever since we started this process, but we closed on Tuesday. It was such a relief to know that we can now start the craziness of house building. First, we had to take care of some much needed cleaning out of the lot to make way for our new house.
On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, the tree removal began. I really did not want the tree guys to work on Thanksgiving, but they insisted it was fine with them. We went over there to see the progress before heading onto the Families for the lunch. I was amazed at the amount of work they had done by 10am! The trees were not small either!! I know some of the tree huggers out there will be mad that we didn't save the trees, but we have no choice to get the house to fit. Besides, people need firewood, lumber and paper still!!! So, in my mind, the trees are being recycled! I was really worried, I would see a sign saying, SAVE THE TREES!
On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, the tree removal began. I really did not want the tree guys to work on Thanksgiving, but they insisted it was fine with them. We went over there to see the progress before heading onto the Families for the lunch. I was amazed at the amount of work they had done by 10am! The trees were not small either!! I know some of the tree huggers out there will be mad that we didn't save the trees, but we have no choice to get the house to fit. Besides, people need firewood, lumber and paper still!!! So, in my mind, the trees are being recycled! I was really worried, I would see a sign saying, SAVE THE TREES!
This is what I saw when we pulled up to the house on Thanksgiving Day.
This is the stump from the tree in the front yard. The bulldozer that demos the house, will pull the tree trunk out of the ground. The guy in the tree is on the last branch of the biggest tree that you can see in the picture of above in the left corner.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
My Weekend
So, over the weekend the Hubby, Mother in Law and my Brother in Law's went on a trip to San Antonio and Austin. My Brother in Law, Matt passed his Bar Exam to become a Lawyer, just what the world needs more of!! His swearing in was in Austin on Monday, but we wanted to make his day special by a weekend road trip to San Antonio on Saturday and Austin on Sunday. It was a lot of fun! We talked about all kind of crazy stuff!! One thing I love about my Mother in Law is she is REAL!!! You can talk about anything with her and she totally gets it!! We actually have a lot of fun together and I like talking to her. She did have a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that her son was FINALLY getting married at 40! She was used to not really "sharing" him with anyone for SO very long!! I thought it was a little odd that the week before we got married and the day after my Bachelorette Party, she text me some really odd stuff, but I told her I understood as Jason was her only connection to her Husband that died when Jason was only six months old! It makes me sad and I know it had to be a complete shock to her. I still don't think to this day she is totally over the loss of her Husband. I hate that Jason never got the chance to have his Father in his life and wish that he could have had that. Jason and I are in the same boat on that one!!
Anyways, we stopped at the outlet in San Marcos and I was in HEAVEN!!!! I LOVED it and could still be there if we didn't have other things to do. That place is HUGE and had most of my favorite stores!!! I did some retail therapy for sure!!! We went onto San Antonio from there and went to dinner. Our stay in San Antonio was not much at all. After dinner we just went to the Riverwalk for a drink then straight to bed. We woke up early to drive to Austin, but stopped for brunch at a place called, Feast. It was AWESOME!! Right up my alley. That place would do great here in Dallas for sure!!
We drove through Jason's college campus so he could reminiscence his college days at Texas State which was known in his days as Southwest. We went to some of his favorite places to eat and his place he lived while there. I think he loved it!!
When we got to Austin, we all just kind of rested before dinner. We went to Kenichi and had all kinds of sushi. It was heaven!!! Some CRAZY things went on at that place with a private party. It was at this time I finally got the phrase, KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD!!! But, for me, I realized it should be KEEP AUSTIN, F'ED UP!!!! OMG!!! That place is CRAZY!!!!! It is also kind od dirty and it made me love Dallas even more!!!! After dinner, we went to Chuggin' Monkey which is a bar by former two time Bachelor, Brad Womack. He got engaged to my girl crush, Emily Maynard and I was SO hoping I would see him, but I didn't of course. But, it was fun at his bar!!
On Monday morning it was time for Matt's swearing in, but it seemed to be more about the Judge's on stage that were there than it was about all the Lawyer's that just passed one of the hardest test EVER!!! I guess that is politicians for you right there!! Once that was over, it was time to get back to Dallas and I was super happy to be home and in the land of the normal!!!
On the Baby front, we are moving along and I am hopeful for a successful outcome but no longer am I excited as I once was. I know that is just horrible to say and I feel bad saying it, but I just think it is best to not get my hopes up. I was on such a high the last go around and was SO let down when it failed. My heart still hurts for the loss as I am surrounded by people I know that just seem to get pregnant in no time and I still hope for my chance to be a Mommy!! The Christmas season is getting hard for me because I think of all the wonderful traditions I want to do with my own kids one day and just pray for the chance to make it a reality.
Anyways, we stopped at the outlet in San Marcos and I was in HEAVEN!!!! I LOVED it and could still be there if we didn't have other things to do. That place is HUGE and had most of my favorite stores!!! I did some retail therapy for sure!!! We went onto San Antonio from there and went to dinner. Our stay in San Antonio was not much at all. After dinner we just went to the Riverwalk for a drink then straight to bed. We woke up early to drive to Austin, but stopped for brunch at a place called, Feast. It was AWESOME!! Right up my alley. That place would do great here in Dallas for sure!!
We drove through Jason's college campus so he could reminiscence his college days at Texas State which was known in his days as Southwest. We went to some of his favorite places to eat and his place he lived while there. I think he loved it!!
When we got to Austin, we all just kind of rested before dinner. We went to Kenichi and had all kinds of sushi. It was heaven!!! Some CRAZY things went on at that place with a private party. It was at this time I finally got the phrase, KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD!!! But, for me, I realized it should be KEEP AUSTIN, F'ED UP!!!! OMG!!! That place is CRAZY!!!!! It is also kind od dirty and it made me love Dallas even more!!!! After dinner, we went to Chuggin' Monkey which is a bar by former two time Bachelor, Brad Womack. He got engaged to my girl crush, Emily Maynard and I was SO hoping I would see him, but I didn't of course. But, it was fun at his bar!!
On Monday morning it was time for Matt's swearing in, but it seemed to be more about the Judge's on stage that were there than it was about all the Lawyer's that just passed one of the hardest test EVER!!! I guess that is politicians for you right there!! Once that was over, it was time to get back to Dallas and I was super happy to be home and in the land of the normal!!!
On the Baby front, we are moving along and I am hopeful for a successful outcome but no longer am I excited as I once was. I know that is just horrible to say and I feel bad saying it, but I just think it is best to not get my hopes up. I was on such a high the last go around and was SO let down when it failed. My heart still hurts for the loss as I am surrounded by people I know that just seem to get pregnant in no time and I still hope for my chance to be a Mommy!! The Christmas season is getting hard for me because I think of all the wonderful traditions I want to do with my own kids one day and just pray for the chance to make it a reality.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Getting some things off my chest......
It has been a really rough time for me in my own mind. I pretty much don't express the feelings I have to anyone because, well.....NO ONE in my family or the people closest to me get how I feel with everything. I know Jason gets it to a degree, but he is a guy, so they just let stuff roll off them. I on the other hand, can't do it!!
My Sister is pregnant right now and that is probably the hardest thing for me to deal with. Of course, she is very insensitive to my feelings because she doesn't know how I really feel. If I hear from her one more time, that I should just be glad I can't get pregnant, I may lose it!!! Does she REALLY not get how horrible that is to say to someone in my position???? Granted, pregnancy doesn't seem to be glamorous by any means, BUT I would give anything to be able to know what being pregnant with my child is like. I also know that there are perks to not being pregnant and yes, I know I love those reasons, BUT I would give all that up to be pregnant.
I have really began to see how insensitive people can be. Someone even sent me a link to an article about what not to say to Adoptive Parents because I should be able to relate. REALLY???? Why would I be able to relate since I don't have an Adopted Child at this point and having a Surrogate is not even the same thing.....I understand that people are not educated on this stuff that is my life, but for me, I wish people would just BUTT OUT, SHUT UP and JUST GO ABOUT THEIR LIFE leaving mine alone!! It is just easy for people that have been pregnant and had children to really even have a clue what it is like to be in my shoes and I wish they would just realize that before opening their big mouths!! I know I am probably a bit over sensitive to anything about babies and children, BUT I think I am entitled to be or maybe that is just the selfishness in me. Either way, it is how I feel and I can't change how I feel!!
At this point, I pretty much dread any interaction with people because I am ALWAYS asked about it. Right now, I am just to a point that I am not very hopeful with all that has happened, so I just don't like to even talk about it! I know that people are just curious, but I would rather they just let me bring it up if I wish. Oh, if we all lived in a perfect world!!! I know this is not going to happen, but a girl can dream!!! At this point, I just really feel like I will NEVER get to be a Mommy!! I know that is drastic to say that, but nothing has really gone well with this process. The only good thing that has come out of it thus far is our Surrogate, "B"!! I am REALLY, REALLY THANKFUL for her!!! She has been great and pretty much gets me!! I think she knows that the devastation of the eggs was really hard on me and she has been very understanding of my feelings!
Ok, I think I have gotten most of the thoughts in my head off my chest. I think I feel better all ready!!! HA!!! So, onto the purpose of this blog, the hopefully soon to be Baby!!!
So, we have the new egg donor and she is REALLY cute. Granted, I don't know her, but I know what she looks like and no, I am not letting ANYONE see what she looks like either!! (Note to people: If and when there is a Baby, DO NOT EVEN THINK OF SAYING THE BABY MUST LOOK LIKE THE EGG DONOR!!!! Just keep your thoughts to yourself or do what everyone in the world does and talk about it without me knowing you are!!)
We are now in the place to move forward with the egg donor. She passed all her "testing" and is ready to proceed. I was told by the IVF Clinic that she is on birth control pills right now. This is the beginning stages of the protocol for her at this point. "B" went in last week or the week before for a sonogram to check her "stuff" out and all was good with her, just as I knew it would be. We will found out soon what the protocol will be for the egg donor and "B" soon as this transfer will be a fresh one. That means, the donor and "B" will be "synced" so that the eggs are retrieved fresh and not frozen at the same time as "B" is ready for the transfer. The waiting game is on for the day of transfer, so we all need to say a little prayer that all goes well and WORKS!!!!
Onto the home front, we are closing on our lot at the end of the month, then the demo will begin!! I can't wait to see how it all goes down. It is going to be so weird to see the lot without the house that is there right now. I will be spending ALL my free time at the lot with contractors just watching them to make sure they are doing what they should be doing! I think it is going to be fun and a REALLY good distraction on the waiting game of what better be Baby R!!! Plus, I need to make sure my house is on schedule to be done in a REASONABLE amount of time and not a year from now!! Oh boy, this will be interesting!! Good thing I am a planner and pretty much have every detail of the house chosen and just ready to be ordered, paid for and shipped out! Can't wait to see how it all comes together. My creative mind is spinning!!!
Speaking of house stuff, I have been spending my moments of free time, decorating. I want to be an Interior Decorator when I grow up. I guess I should enroll in art classes since I can't draw to save my own life!! But anyways, I went to Canton the past two months and had the best time!!! It was the perfect thing to take my mind off of the devastation of the prior months with the Baby stuff. I bought some awesome pillow for my couch to soften up the harsh look of leather and concrete flooring in this house. It was the perfect thing! Plus, if you know me well enough, you know I LOVE everything animal print!! So, of course, the living room needed a little!! And I got this really cool floral arrangement from the sweetest Lady ever!! I knew it would be perfect on the coffee table in this house. Although, this is the same coffee table I keep telling the Hubby I am selling before we move to the new house. It is just TOO big for my liking, plus I want more of a round ottoman look for the new house. I also decorated for fall, so I guess I better post my picture of that since this will be coming down in the next few days to decorate for Christmas!! So excited about that!!
My Sister is pregnant right now and that is probably the hardest thing for me to deal with. Of course, she is very insensitive to my feelings because she doesn't know how I really feel. If I hear from her one more time, that I should just be glad I can't get pregnant, I may lose it!!! Does she REALLY not get how horrible that is to say to someone in my position???? Granted, pregnancy doesn't seem to be glamorous by any means, BUT I would give anything to be able to know what being pregnant with my child is like. I also know that there are perks to not being pregnant and yes, I know I love those reasons, BUT I would give all that up to be pregnant.
I have really began to see how insensitive people can be. Someone even sent me a link to an article about what not to say to Adoptive Parents because I should be able to relate. REALLY???? Why would I be able to relate since I don't have an Adopted Child at this point and having a Surrogate is not even the same thing.....I understand that people are not educated on this stuff that is my life, but for me, I wish people would just BUTT OUT, SHUT UP and JUST GO ABOUT THEIR LIFE leaving mine alone!! It is just easy for people that have been pregnant and had children to really even have a clue what it is like to be in my shoes and I wish they would just realize that before opening their big mouths!! I know I am probably a bit over sensitive to anything about babies and children, BUT I think I am entitled to be or maybe that is just the selfishness in me. Either way, it is how I feel and I can't change how I feel!!
At this point, I pretty much dread any interaction with people because I am ALWAYS asked about it. Right now, I am just to a point that I am not very hopeful with all that has happened, so I just don't like to even talk about it! I know that people are just curious, but I would rather they just let me bring it up if I wish. Oh, if we all lived in a perfect world!!! I know this is not going to happen, but a girl can dream!!! At this point, I just really feel like I will NEVER get to be a Mommy!! I know that is drastic to say that, but nothing has really gone well with this process. The only good thing that has come out of it thus far is our Surrogate, "B"!! I am REALLY, REALLY THANKFUL for her!!! She has been great and pretty much gets me!! I think she knows that the devastation of the eggs was really hard on me and she has been very understanding of my feelings!
Ok, I think I have gotten most of the thoughts in my head off my chest. I think I feel better all ready!!! HA!!! So, onto the purpose of this blog, the hopefully soon to be Baby!!!
So, we have the new egg donor and she is REALLY cute. Granted, I don't know her, but I know what she looks like and no, I am not letting ANYONE see what she looks like either!! (Note to people: If and when there is a Baby, DO NOT EVEN THINK OF SAYING THE BABY MUST LOOK LIKE THE EGG DONOR!!!! Just keep your thoughts to yourself or do what everyone in the world does and talk about it without me knowing you are!!)
We are now in the place to move forward with the egg donor. She passed all her "testing" and is ready to proceed. I was told by the IVF Clinic that she is on birth control pills right now. This is the beginning stages of the protocol for her at this point. "B" went in last week or the week before for a sonogram to check her "stuff" out and all was good with her, just as I knew it would be. We will found out soon what the protocol will be for the egg donor and "B" soon as this transfer will be a fresh one. That means, the donor and "B" will be "synced" so that the eggs are retrieved fresh and not frozen at the same time as "B" is ready for the transfer. The waiting game is on for the day of transfer, so we all need to say a little prayer that all goes well and WORKS!!!!
Onto the home front, we are closing on our lot at the end of the month, then the demo will begin!! I can't wait to see how it all goes down. It is going to be so weird to see the lot without the house that is there right now. I will be spending ALL my free time at the lot with contractors just watching them to make sure they are doing what they should be doing! I think it is going to be fun and a REALLY good distraction on the waiting game of what better be Baby R!!! Plus, I need to make sure my house is on schedule to be done in a REASONABLE amount of time and not a year from now!! Oh boy, this will be interesting!! Good thing I am a planner and pretty much have every detail of the house chosen and just ready to be ordered, paid for and shipped out! Can't wait to see how it all comes together. My creative mind is spinning!!!
Speaking of house stuff, I have been spending my moments of free time, decorating. I want to be an Interior Decorator when I grow up. I guess I should enroll in art classes since I can't draw to save my own life!! But anyways, I went to Canton the past two months and had the best time!!! It was the perfect thing to take my mind off of the devastation of the prior months with the Baby stuff. I bought some awesome pillow for my couch to soften up the harsh look of leather and concrete flooring in this house. It was the perfect thing! Plus, if you know me well enough, you know I LOVE everything animal print!! So, of course, the living room needed a little!! And I got this really cool floral arrangement from the sweetest Lady ever!! I knew it would be perfect on the coffee table in this house. Although, this is the same coffee table I keep telling the Hubby I am selling before we move to the new house. It is just TOO big for my liking, plus I want more of a round ottoman look for the new house. I also decorated for fall, so I guess I better post my picture of that since this will be coming down in the next few days to decorate for Christmas!! So excited about that!!
I absolutely love the pumpkins on the fireplace. I got those at Canton too. It is sad that I have to put them away until next year, but they will look brand new in the new house!!
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Shocked and defeated Part II
So, I will start with the Birthday party for Billy. I was feeling sad the whole way there and really just wanted to cry, but I did not want to do that to Billy. So, I put my big girl pants on and made the most of the night. When we got there, it wasn't too long and Erin, Billy's wife and my Bridesmaid from the wedding, said she had heard I had a lot of things going on or actually not going on now. Right when she said that, I just wanted to run off and burst into to tears, but I kept my big girl pants and just told her that things were getting set back and I was going to tell her about it, but I just couldn't right then. I know she did not know that I was upset or she would not have said anything and I really wanted to talk to her about it, but there were other people there and I really wanted the day to be about Billy and not my drama. So, the night progressed and I kind of told her what was going on and Billy asked about it too, but they didn't get the dets. It was close to 11pm and people were starting to leave but Jason wanted to watch the rest of whatever game was on. So, it was just Linda, Joe, Sharon and Matt and they all kind of knew something was wrong, I felt. So, sat down and decided to tell them everything. I was so proud of myself because I didn't cry one time! Now it is all out there and what I really love most is that I told them on my time and didn't get bombarded with questions about the Baby stuff and the night was actually about Billy and his Birthday and my sadness was not the topic of dinner conversation with the entire table!
I know everyone is excited about the possibility of a Baby, but in the same token, this is an exhausting, overwhelming process and sometimes I just want to have normal conversations that don't revolve around the Baby stuff. It felt good to have them know everything though and not wonder if anything was happening. At this point, the next time we will really know anything it will be to transfer with the third egg donor.
So, about the Doctor visit. First of all, there is a sign on the door that says something along the lines of no kids allowed. Well, this is the second time I broke that rule by bringing Lily. Opps!!!! Anyways, we went in the Dr. Le's office and he started by saying how sorry he was and that they don't know what happened and are really sad and sorry as well. He said he wanted to do whatever it takes to make the situation right and will oversee our process himself from this point forward. He feels we were not given a chance to even have a successful result with his Clinic. So, in a nutshell, they are really sorry and trying to do the right thing, I feel.
Now, we will just wait for the egg donor to get her tests with the Clinic and move forward. Dr. Le is thinking we might be able to transfer mid November to the beginning of December if everything is good with the egg donor. So, that is not delaying us too long. I have to believe that everything happens for a reason and these "hurdles" have all been to get us the Baby that is meant for us to have from God. I am praying this is the last of the "hurdles" and we will be Mommy and Daddy this time next year.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Shocked and defeated
This is hopefully going to be the saddest post I will have to do....It has taken me a few days to even figure out what to say and how to start. I am still VERY sad by the turn of events, but more than anything I am in COMPLETE SHOCK. This was the last thing I expected to happen. Heck, I was more concerned with having enough eggs left in the event the transfer failed. Never in my thoughts was the possibility that not even one of our eggs would not have survived. Yes, you read that correctly, all of our eggs died while going through the thaw.
It all started on Tuesday when I met with the Doctor to go over our plan for the transfer. He was concerned as well as I, about the lack of eggs. The egg donor only produced six eggs for us to use. This was our second attempt at an egg donor as the first one did not meet the qualifications to become an egg donor with the IVF clinic due to her lack of egg follicles. So, the second egg donor was a successful donor, so I figured we would be all good with her. The Doctor said most egg donors give at least 12 eggs, typically. So, our little six eggs was very bothersome as to what would happen if we needed to do a second transfer or the possibility of siblings. The Doctor said we should plan on only two eggs and to not get our hopes up that there would be more than two survive the thaw. We were at a little disadvantage since we did not get to freeze the eggs as embryos since we had the issue with Jason and his surgery. So, the plan was to have Jason's specimen at the clinic on Wednesday morning around 8am and the eggs would be thawed. Our Surrogate, "B" would start her meds in preparation for the transfer that was scheduled for the following Monday. That would mean the embryos would be five days old.
So, Wednesday morning arrived and Jason did what he was supposed to do. The Clinic called me shortly after he left and said that would need to do Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) which they had told me earlier in the process that it may need to be done. It really actually seems better in mind anyways, so I was totally fine with it. "B" started her meds and we were all preparing for the transfer. "B" and I were planning a spa day for Sunday before the transfer to help her relax and have some girl time. She was making arrangements for her kids to stay with friends on Monday as well. I had gone to the Arboretum for the day with My Sister and Lily and really pretty much on excited about Monday and the possibility of being a Mommy, FINALLY!!!! Well, I got home and received a call from the IVF clinic around 4pm or so as to the progress of the thaw and Jennifer, the Embryologist said, "I just wanted to let you know that none of the eggs made it through the thaw." She said that she did not know what happened and that nothing like that has ever happened at their clinic before. I sat on the other end of the phone and said, "oh, ok, is that all." I got off the phone and just sat on the couch in disbelief for a few minutes and just absorbed what I had been told. I was CRUSHED and just started crying and crying. I just could not help it. To me, I felt like I had just been told that six of my babies died. I know probably sounds crazy to a lot of you, but that is how I felt and still do to this day! I have only talked about it with a few people and plan to leave it that way. I FINALLY got in touch with Jason who was a little shocked too, but he was more concerned with the financial end of things and the clinic. That is a Man for you, right there, but when he got home, he was VERY SWEET ABOUT it all and tried really hard not to focus on the money factor of this tragedy!! At this point, I am going to keep a lot of the things going on with all things baby in our life, very quiet right and have things on a need to know basis until we are smooth sailing with a Baby!! People may not like it, but that is how it is going to be. I can't take telling people sad things about this Baby stuff anymore. It is hard enough to be asked on a regular basis since we got married, when we are having kids. People really get on my nerves!!!
Well, Thursday came and I was still EXTREMELY sad!!! I got myself out of bed and cried some more. I had a Dentist appointment that I had to go to and it was really the last thing I wanted to do. But, I did it and I am here to tell you, that Dentist has the last of me after the way he acted that day. Last time I checked, I was the patient and paying you for your services, so I think you should not be a Cocky F*CKER especially on this day!!! Anyways, the Doctor office had called me and told me how upset they all were and they would like me to come in for an meeting with the Doctor to discuss our next plan. They also told me they had an egg donor that they thought would be perfect for me and we could discuss that as well. I REALLY did not want to go into that clinic at all because I was just so upset at them! But, I decided I have to keep going and said ok. I recruited my Sister to go with me as to not bother Jason while he had work to do. So, after the Dentist I went to my Sister's and we went to the mall to run some of her errands and grab some lunch. Lily loves to ride the carousel at the mall and wanted me to go with her, so this is a picture of us. Excuse the way I look, as I had not one bit of makeup on! I am going to have a part II of this post with the conversation with the Doctor as I have to get ready for a Birthday party of my Brother In Law. This is going to be hard as I just know someone is going to ask how the baby stuff is going and may just cry some more.........Oh BOY!!!
It all started on Tuesday when I met with the Doctor to go over our plan for the transfer. He was concerned as well as I, about the lack of eggs. The egg donor only produced six eggs for us to use. This was our second attempt at an egg donor as the first one did not meet the qualifications to become an egg donor with the IVF clinic due to her lack of egg follicles. So, the second egg donor was a successful donor, so I figured we would be all good with her. The Doctor said most egg donors give at least 12 eggs, typically. So, our little six eggs was very bothersome as to what would happen if we needed to do a second transfer or the possibility of siblings. The Doctor said we should plan on only two eggs and to not get our hopes up that there would be more than two survive the thaw. We were at a little disadvantage since we did not get to freeze the eggs as embryos since we had the issue with Jason and his surgery. So, the plan was to have Jason's specimen at the clinic on Wednesday morning around 8am and the eggs would be thawed. Our Surrogate, "B" would start her meds in preparation for the transfer that was scheduled for the following Monday. That would mean the embryos would be five days old.
So, Wednesday morning arrived and Jason did what he was supposed to do. The Clinic called me shortly after he left and said that would need to do Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) which they had told me earlier in the process that it may need to be done. It really actually seems better in mind anyways, so I was totally fine with it. "B" started her meds and we were all preparing for the transfer. "B" and I were planning a spa day for Sunday before the transfer to help her relax and have some girl time. She was making arrangements for her kids to stay with friends on Monday as well. I had gone to the Arboretum for the day with My Sister and Lily and really pretty much on excited about Monday and the possibility of being a Mommy, FINALLY!!!! Well, I got home and received a call from the IVF clinic around 4pm or so as to the progress of the thaw and Jennifer, the Embryologist said, "I just wanted to let you know that none of the eggs made it through the thaw." She said that she did not know what happened and that nothing like that has ever happened at their clinic before. I sat on the other end of the phone and said, "oh, ok, is that all." I got off the phone and just sat on the couch in disbelief for a few minutes and just absorbed what I had been told. I was CRUSHED and just started crying and crying. I just could not help it. To me, I felt like I had just been told that six of my babies died. I know probably sounds crazy to a lot of you, but that is how I felt and still do to this day! I have only talked about it with a few people and plan to leave it that way. I FINALLY got in touch with Jason who was a little shocked too, but he was more concerned with the financial end of things and the clinic. That is a Man for you, right there, but when he got home, he was VERY SWEET ABOUT it all and tried really hard not to focus on the money factor of this tragedy!! At this point, I am going to keep a lot of the things going on with all things baby in our life, very quiet right and have things on a need to know basis until we are smooth sailing with a Baby!! People may not like it, but that is how it is going to be. I can't take telling people sad things about this Baby stuff anymore. It is hard enough to be asked on a regular basis since we got married, when we are having kids. People really get on my nerves!!!
Well, Thursday came and I was still EXTREMELY sad!!! I got myself out of bed and cried some more. I had a Dentist appointment that I had to go to and it was really the last thing I wanted to do. But, I did it and I am here to tell you, that Dentist has the last of me after the way he acted that day. Last time I checked, I was the patient and paying you for your services, so I think you should not be a Cocky F*CKER especially on this day!!! Anyways, the Doctor office had called me and told me how upset they all were and they would like me to come in for an meeting with the Doctor to discuss our next plan. They also told me they had an egg donor that they thought would be perfect for me and we could discuss that as well. I REALLY did not want to go into that clinic at all because I was just so upset at them! But, I decided I have to keep going and said ok. I recruited my Sister to go with me as to not bother Jason while he had work to do. So, after the Dentist I went to my Sister's and we went to the mall to run some of her errands and grab some lunch. Lily loves to ride the carousel at the mall and wanted me to go with her, so this is a picture of us. Excuse the way I look, as I had not one bit of makeup on! I am going to have a part II of this post with the conversation with the Doctor as I have to get ready for a Birthday party of my Brother In Law. This is going to be hard as I just know someone is going to ask how the baby stuff is going and may just cry some more.........Oh BOY!!!
Lily and LuLu at Stonebriar. She made me smile when all I really wanted to do was cry this day!! Thank God for Lily!!! I LOVE HER!!!
Monday, October 21, 2013
Time to Pray......
Well, things are moving right along in the Baby World. We went to the follow up appointment on Friday to see if "B" was ready for the transfer and to make sure her meds were working. She had text me earlier in the week to let me know that she thought she had ovulated. I really didn't put much thought into it since I really figured it was due to the meds that made her think that. She called the IVF Clinic and the nurse called me right away to let me know she had called with her concerns. She too said she really felt it was due to the meds and no other patient had ever ovulated on their meds, so I was certain that it was the side effects of the meds. Sure enough, that was in the case when she was examined by the Doctor and the blood results indicated as well. So......HERE WE GO!!!!!
This week is going to be pretty interesting! I am meeting with the IVF Doctor to put a plan of action in place for the eggs since we are limited to the amount we have to work with. I am PRAYING we only have to go one round with the two eggs that we will use at transfer. Hopefully, the unused eggs can be re-frozen for the 2nd Journey! I am REALLY, REALLY hopeful that we will be successful the first go and will be a Mommy come July 2014!!! I am just certain that is going to be the case!!! I feel the first set of good news came on Friday when B was good to go with the transfer being this month and she will get pregnant too!!!
The initial visit with our IVF clinic was a while back, but our Doctor said that if we for sure did not want to have twins, we should only put in one egg. Jason was VERY against this since he feels that two eggs increases our chances of success on the first try, so I am going to give in and go with two eggs for Jason. I am going to trust that what is meant to be will be! The thought of twins freaks me out as my life will be forever changed!!! I mean, one changes it a lot, but two at one time, oh my!!! I really don't care if I have one baby or two too be honest, I just want be a Mommy of a Baby or two by July! I will take whatever God thinks I can handle, I want to be a Mommy!!! That isn't asking too much, right???
This week is going to be pretty interesting! I am meeting with the IVF Doctor to put a plan of action in place for the eggs since we are limited to the amount we have to work with. I am PRAYING we only have to go one round with the two eggs that we will use at transfer. Hopefully, the unused eggs can be re-frozen for the 2nd Journey! I am REALLY, REALLY hopeful that we will be successful the first go and will be a Mommy come July 2014!!! I am just certain that is going to be the case!!! I feel the first set of good news came on Friday when B was good to go with the transfer being this month and she will get pregnant too!!!
The initial visit with our IVF clinic was a while back, but our Doctor said that if we for sure did not want to have twins, we should only put in one egg. Jason was VERY against this since he feels that two eggs increases our chances of success on the first try, so I am going to give in and go with two eggs for Jason. I am going to trust that what is meant to be will be! The thought of twins freaks me out as my life will be forever changed!!! I mean, one changes it a lot, but two at one time, oh my!!! I really don't care if I have one baby or two too be honest, I just want be a Mommy of a Baby or two by July! I will take whatever God thinks I can handle, I want to be a Mommy!!! That isn't asking too much, right???
Friday, October 11, 2013
Call me Veggie Queen and Mommy Wanna-B!!!
Well, I decided now is as good as any to go vegetarian. I am NOT that big on meat anyways. Chicken grosses me out on a regular basis. Bite into a piece of fat and I could just puke!!! So, even though my Husband is a smoking meat FREAK, I just can't do it anymore!! He thinks his meat is way to good for me to REALLY stop cold turkey, BUT that is more of the challenge! I will say that he can smoke a mean brisket, but I am just not that into meat enough to really care! I am more concerned about his feelings more than anything. He ALWAYS makes me try it, SO I asked him if he would be ok with me not eating meat anymore and he said he would be fine with it. I am skeptical of this, but we shall see!! I actually gave up meat a few years ago and I never felt better!! I am not even sure why I stopped. I will be a little sad to never have a cheeseburger from the best place ever, Maple and Motor, but my health is WAY more important. I have been pinning tons of vegetarian recipes on my favorite website, Pinterest. Between, spin class, boxing and Insanity workouts, I have NO excuse for not getting skinny and toned!!! This is a picture of my inspiration body the first time I went to Vegas with who would be my future Hubby!!
I REALLY want to live a healthier lifestyle and be SKINNY!!!! I want to ROCK A BATHING SUIT YEAR ROUND!!! I know it sounds vain, BUT I want to look good while half naked! It makes me feel GREAT!!! Turning 35 in February is hitting me hard as I can tell such a difference in my body over the last couple of months plus the fact that I am trapped in an old person's body as my Doctor tells me, due to menopause. Lucky me!!!
When I met the Hubby, I was the skinniest I have even been in my whole life and it is my goal to get back there ASAP!!! I have about 10-15 pounds to lose and I am VERY dedicated to getting there by January. I truly believe giving up meat is going to get me there while taking my Advocare!!
On another note, I am SO getting excited about the possibility of Baby! I found a due date calculator and if all goes well this month, I could be a Mommy by July 15th, 2014. WHOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! It makes me teary eyed just typing this! My dream could be reality in less than a year. I want this more than anything EVER including being skinny!!! Let's all pray hard for my dream to be reality!!!
I REALLY want to live a healthier lifestyle and be SKINNY!!!! I want to ROCK A BATHING SUIT YEAR ROUND!!! I know it sounds vain, BUT I want to look good while half naked! It makes me feel GREAT!!! Turning 35 in February is hitting me hard as I can tell such a difference in my body over the last couple of months plus the fact that I am trapped in an old person's body as my Doctor tells me, due to menopause. Lucky me!!!
When I met the Hubby, I was the skinniest I have even been in my whole life and it is my goal to get back there ASAP!!! I have about 10-15 pounds to lose and I am VERY dedicated to getting there by January. I truly believe giving up meat is going to get me there while taking my Advocare!!
On another note, I am SO getting excited about the possibility of Baby! I found a due date calculator and if all goes well this month, I could be a Mommy by July 15th, 2014. WHOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! It makes me teary eyed just typing this! My dream could be reality in less than a year. I want this more than anything EVER including being skinny!!! Let's all pray hard for my dream to be reality!!!
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
HOLY SH*T!!!!
Lots of things have been happening since my last post. LOTS OF STUFF!!!! In fact, I don't even know where to begin!! Well......let's talk about the MOST important thing first!!
BABY......
The contract with the Surrogate has been signed, sealed and delivered! :-) HA!
After some hiccups along the way with the Egg retrieval and the Husband, we had to freeze the eggs as little old eggs instead of embryos. So, we might be in a sticky situation as the eggs are not always as viable as just eggs, but we had no other option. The IVF Clinic kind of dropped the ball and I had to kind of go off on them in a nice way. They literally called me the DAY they needed the Husband to come up there for his part and he had surgery and was on meds, so that wasn't going to happen. I told the Clinic they need to give me a little more notice than the DAY OF, RIGHT THIS SECOND to come up to the Clinic. I think they got the message loud and clear and things have gone WONDERFUL ever since. I really LOVE the Nurse and Doctors at the IVF Clinic too!
The Surrogate will be referred to as "B" in my postings. And NO....It is not what you are thinking. Her first name starts with a "B". So.....B went to the IVF Clinic when she finally started her cycle on Friday, October 5th. The Doctor said things looked great with her and I was SO very happy to hear this. They told her she would start the IVF meds the next day for a possible transfer date of October 25th or 27th. Yes......you heard that correctly. We could be transferring THIS MONTH. I think "B" was in complete shock as she had been kind of upset thinking she was delaying us from transfer for a couple months since her cycle was delayed, BUT that was not the case at all!!! They scheduled her follow up appointment to look at her uterus and do a mock transfer for Tuesday, October 8th. I had to take a cashier's check for the transfer to the IVF Clinic before the 11th, so it was perfect timing for me to go to the appointment with her! All was well with her uterus and the transfer and we will find out at the next appointment if we will in fact be transferring on the 25th or 27th. The eggs will be thawed on October 22nd and we will find out how many "survived" the freezing. Let's PRAY they all make it!! I am looking forward to the 18th to find out the dates! After the appointment, "B" and I grabbed some lunch at Mi Cocina and caught up on our personal lives. It was a great lunch!
Onto the next update of life. That thing called Marriage. It was been a little over six months since we got married and things have seriously been non stop ever since, but in a bit of an exciting way. Sometimes a little CRAZY though!! I need a vacation from life!! Our wedding was featured on a blog from the place that I purchased the wraps My Girls and me wore while getting ready for the wedding. Check it out at http://ivorysparrow.com/blog/. I LOVE it! So exciting they wanted to use my wedding.
And, the last and probably the most hectic thing going on in my life right now is our house.......If you know we, you know I HATE MOVING and I don't like being controlled by anyone!! If life isn't busy enough with the Baby stuff, we have added to the stress by building a house. I MUST BE INSANE!!! It isn't so much building a house as it is dealing with Jason's family that is going to do me in!!!! I am a person that HAS to be in control and really like having some thing remain private. That is not something that is easily done in my Family. It isn't like I am saying it is a bad thing, but it is just not something that I am used to AT ALL and quite frankly, it really isn't normal especially when my Husband tells me to talk to Joe in regards to EVERYTHING! I feel like I am married to Joe instead of Jason in a lot of ways!! Don't get me wrong, I really LOVE Joe and RESPECT him more than just about anyone in my life right now. He is truly one of the most generous men I know. He actually reminds me SO much of my Grandpa H that is makes me sad sometimes because it makes me miss him SO much more. On the other hand, Joe can really make me SO MAD too!!! My Grandpa NEVER made me mad though, so that is a difference FOR SURE!!! Joe is Jason's "Stepdad" and pretty much "raised" Jason to a degree as a teenager. Jason has a lot of respect for Joe and his "Stepmom" Linda for both taking him on as a teenager. He needed both of them and for that, I am more than GRATEFUL to both of them. They are both VERY good people for what they have done for Jason's Mom and her kids. We have to have Joe as the "Builder" to cut cost, but I also don't want to get on anyone's bad side and I am kind of over the top with the fact that I know what I want and would rather do things my way so I only have myself to blame for messing up than getting mad at someone else. I guess I will just blame Joe for everything that goes wrong though! HA!! I think I could get used to that idea!
I have some issues with the house I live in now (which is normal since I did not have anything to do with it), not because it is wrong, just simply because it is a personal preference and everyone has things they do and do not like. There are MANY things that I LOVE about the house I live in now especially the style, but there are just things I don't like about it too. For one thing, I LOVE natural light and high ceilings, none of which I currently have. It is like a dungeon in this place, BUT that is because Jason liked dark and he was single when it was built, so it was built for his tastes as it should have been. Now, I am in the picture and changing things to suit my tastes. I am a person that KNOWS EXACTLY what I want in the house and what makes me crazy. I will be working close with Joe in all aspects of the building of the house and make sure things get done in a TIMELY manner and not drag on plus, Joe needs someone to keep him on track! HA!!! I am the perfect person for that!!
I pretty much have everything I want picked out and have looked on a lot of websites for things that people don't think about when building their own house. I have gotten tons of ideas from the different websites. The architect is working on the floor plan I want right now and will be done in about two weeks, then we will meet again to go over the outside look of the house and where I want the windows and doors to go. I have that pretty much figured out too. I can't wait for tall ceiling, LOTS of windows resulting in natural light and open space. Also, having a master bedroom on the ground floor is going to be AWESOME!! My closet is the other thing I can't wait for! It is going to be a room in itself. I want my closet to be my sanctuary when I need ME time! I hope over time, it will look like a celebrities closet. HA!!! It will also have a built in vanity it in along with a big window for putting on makeup in natural light. Just thinking about my closet makes me happy right now!! I can't wait!! I am sure Jason is going to hate all the natural light!!
Ok, I think I have gone on long enough about my CRAZY life, so until next time.......
BABY......
The contract with the Surrogate has been signed, sealed and delivered! :-) HA!
After some hiccups along the way with the Egg retrieval and the Husband, we had to freeze the eggs as little old eggs instead of embryos. So, we might be in a sticky situation as the eggs are not always as viable as just eggs, but we had no other option. The IVF Clinic kind of dropped the ball and I had to kind of go off on them in a nice way. They literally called me the DAY they needed the Husband to come up there for his part and he had surgery and was on meds, so that wasn't going to happen. I told the Clinic they need to give me a little more notice than the DAY OF, RIGHT THIS SECOND to come up to the Clinic. I think they got the message loud and clear and things have gone WONDERFUL ever since. I really LOVE the Nurse and Doctors at the IVF Clinic too!
The Surrogate will be referred to as "B" in my postings. And NO....It is not what you are thinking. Her first name starts with a "B". So.....B went to the IVF Clinic when she finally started her cycle on Friday, October 5th. The Doctor said things looked great with her and I was SO very happy to hear this. They told her she would start the IVF meds the next day for a possible transfer date of October 25th or 27th. Yes......you heard that correctly. We could be transferring THIS MONTH. I think "B" was in complete shock as she had been kind of upset thinking she was delaying us from transfer for a couple months since her cycle was delayed, BUT that was not the case at all!!! They scheduled her follow up appointment to look at her uterus and do a mock transfer for Tuesday, October 8th. I had to take a cashier's check for the transfer to the IVF Clinic before the 11th, so it was perfect timing for me to go to the appointment with her! All was well with her uterus and the transfer and we will find out at the next appointment if we will in fact be transferring on the 25th or 27th. The eggs will be thawed on October 22nd and we will find out how many "survived" the freezing. Let's PRAY they all make it!! I am looking forward to the 18th to find out the dates! After the appointment, "B" and I grabbed some lunch at Mi Cocina and caught up on our personal lives. It was a great lunch!
Onto the next update of life. That thing called Marriage. It was been a little over six months since we got married and things have seriously been non stop ever since, but in a bit of an exciting way. Sometimes a little CRAZY though!! I need a vacation from life!! Our wedding was featured on a blog from the place that I purchased the wraps My Girls and me wore while getting ready for the wedding. Check it out at http://ivorysparrow.com/blog/. I LOVE it! So exciting they wanted to use my wedding.
And, the last and probably the most hectic thing going on in my life right now is our house.......If you know we, you know I HATE MOVING and I don't like being controlled by anyone!! If life isn't busy enough with the Baby stuff, we have added to the stress by building a house. I MUST BE INSANE!!! It isn't so much building a house as it is dealing with Jason's family that is going to do me in!!!! I am a person that HAS to be in control and really like having some thing remain private. That is not something that is easily done in my Family. It isn't like I am saying it is a bad thing, but it is just not something that I am used to AT ALL and quite frankly, it really isn't normal especially when my Husband tells me to talk to Joe in regards to EVERYTHING! I feel like I am married to Joe instead of Jason in a lot of ways!! Don't get me wrong, I really LOVE Joe and RESPECT him more than just about anyone in my life right now. He is truly one of the most generous men I know. He actually reminds me SO much of my Grandpa H that is makes me sad sometimes because it makes me miss him SO much more. On the other hand, Joe can really make me SO MAD too!!! My Grandpa NEVER made me mad though, so that is a difference FOR SURE!!! Joe is Jason's "Stepdad" and pretty much "raised" Jason to a degree as a teenager. Jason has a lot of respect for Joe and his "Stepmom" Linda for both taking him on as a teenager. He needed both of them and for that, I am more than GRATEFUL to both of them. They are both VERY good people for what they have done for Jason's Mom and her kids. We have to have Joe as the "Builder" to cut cost, but I also don't want to get on anyone's bad side and I am kind of over the top with the fact that I know what I want and would rather do things my way so I only have myself to blame for messing up than getting mad at someone else. I guess I will just blame Joe for everything that goes wrong though! HA!! I think I could get used to that idea!
I have some issues with the house I live in now (which is normal since I did not have anything to do with it), not because it is wrong, just simply because it is a personal preference and everyone has things they do and do not like. There are MANY things that I LOVE about the house I live in now especially the style, but there are just things I don't like about it too. For one thing, I LOVE natural light and high ceilings, none of which I currently have. It is like a dungeon in this place, BUT that is because Jason liked dark and he was single when it was built, so it was built for his tastes as it should have been. Now, I am in the picture and changing things to suit my tastes. I am a person that KNOWS EXACTLY what I want in the house and what makes me crazy. I will be working close with Joe in all aspects of the building of the house and make sure things get done in a TIMELY manner and not drag on plus, Joe needs someone to keep him on track! HA!!! I am the perfect person for that!!
I pretty much have everything I want picked out and have looked on a lot of websites for things that people don't think about when building their own house. I have gotten tons of ideas from the different websites. The architect is working on the floor plan I want right now and will be done in about two weeks, then we will meet again to go over the outside look of the house and where I want the windows and doors to go. I have that pretty much figured out too. I can't wait for tall ceiling, LOTS of windows resulting in natural light and open space. Also, having a master bedroom on the ground floor is going to be AWESOME!! My closet is the other thing I can't wait for! It is going to be a room in itself. I want my closet to be my sanctuary when I need ME time! I hope over time, it will look like a celebrities closet. HA!!! It will also have a built in vanity it in along with a big window for putting on makeup in natural light. Just thinking about my closet makes me happy right now!! I can't wait!! I am sure Jason is going to hate all the natural light!!
Ok, I think I have gone on long enough about my CRAZY life, so until next time.......
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Oh getting healthy.....
Well, since I am just in a waiting game with the Surrogate to get checked by the Doctor, I am dealing with my stress by going to Boxing class and getting healthy! I was watching The Kris Jenner Show and she had Rocco Dispirito on and it inspired me to get his cookbook Now Eat This Diet book. I tried this recipe for breakfast and it was AWESOME!!!
As quoted from Rocco DiSpirito’s new cookbook Now Eat This! Diet: “I CRAVE SMOOTHIES. I have 2 to 3 a day. Did I mention I’m forming a support group? This smoothie is one of my favorites. It’s souped up with high-antioxidant matcha (green tea powder). This one is made with yogurt, too—a wonderful probiotic food that has been shown in studies to help with fat burning. Oh, and if you suspect you’ve been unintentionally overdosing on smoothies, get help”.
Well when one reads that it is hard to not go make the smoothie! Our Family LOVES watermelon, can’t get enough! You all know how I feel about my matcha green tea, and my Greek yogurt so this smoothie seemed like the perfect cocktail! Sure-fire hit!
INGREDIENTS:
The 411: 176 calories 0g fat/0mg cholesterol/ 22mg sodium/37g carbohydrate/1g fiber/6g protein
Green Tea Watermelon Super Punch
As quoted from Rocco DiSpirito’s new cookbook Now Eat This! Diet: “I CRAVE SMOOTHIES. I have 2 to 3 a day. Did I mention I’m forming a support group? This smoothie is one of my favorites. It’s souped up with high-antioxidant matcha (green tea powder). This one is made with yogurt, too—a wonderful probiotic food that has been shown in studies to help with fat burning. Oh, and if you suspect you’ve been unintentionally overdosing on smoothies, get help”.
Well when one reads that it is hard to not go make the smoothie! Our Family LOVES watermelon, can’t get enough! You all know how I feel about my matcha green tea, and my Greek yogurt so this smoothie seemed like the perfect cocktail! Sure-fire hit!
- 2 cups ice
- 4 cups cubed seedless watermelon
- 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, such as 0% Fage Total
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice (I use almost fresh. Try Nellie & Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice…it is awesome)
- ¼ cup agave nectar (I don’t think you need this. Make, then add if you feel it needs to be sweeter)
- 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
- 4 teaspoons unsweetened matcha green tea powder
- Toss all ingredients into a blender and blend for 5 minutes to increase volume.
- Serve in glasses with a straw.
The 411: 176 calories 0g fat/0mg cholesterol/ 22mg sodium/37g carbohydrate/1g fiber/6g protein
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
My Retail Therapy Adventure with My Niece, Lily!
Well, after the day from hell yesterday I decided I needed a little retail therapy! Nothing like Northpark to cue a bad day! I love that place and the #1 reason I love living in Dallas. Actually, it may be the ONLY reason I do!! I had my little Sweet Pea Lily today, so it was perfect timing. She LOVES to shop and was literally running to the garage door to get in the car and GO!!!
Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE clothes, shoes, Louis Vuitton purses and makeup so when I decided to quit my job I REALLY had a hard time with it because I knew I would have to be on more of a budget than I want to be. Hey, you can't change a person and their ways. Besides, I do recall my wedding vows in which My Husband said and I quote, "Happy Wife, happy life." I was sure to have our Wedding Minister send me over our vows, so I can remind him of that!! My Husband on the other hand is the tightest person I know and ALWAYS looking for the BEST deal, so I knew it would be hard not work my full time job and still keep up my lifestyle. It will be an ongoing issue for sure in our house, but I am up for the challenge!!
So, anyways off to the Mall Lily and I went. I was actually going to Dillard's to return a wedding gift and exchange it for something else off of our registry. See, I had a valid reason for going!! After I walked around Dillard's home department for what seems like forever saying to Lily the entire time, "Don't touch that", I finally figured out what I was going to get and then we worked our way to the sale racks of Dillard's workout clothes to get some more outfits for my Boxing Classes. I believe you MUST look cute when doing any type of workout outside of the house! The Lady at the cash register asked how old Lily was and I told her two and she was SO amazed at her vocabulary and thought she was way older than two. If she only knew!!!
After that, it was lunch time for Lily and it is NEVER a good idea to have a hungry kid at the mall, so off to La Madeleine we went. I LOVE that place and rarely go there anymore since I worked at home the last three years and ate at home. That was good for the pocketbook for sure!! Lily was SO good at lunch. She sat in her booster seat like a Little Lady eating her lunch and I was SO proud of her!!
Lily was being SO good that I decided I wanted to go look for part of an outfit I saw on Pinterest that I MUST have!! If you aren't on Pinterest, you are missing the boat!! Love it!!! It is a great way to pass the time away! Ok, anyways, so Victoria's Secret was on the way to Loft and I needed some headbands to match my workout outfits, so we stopped in to pick some up and Lily INSISTED on carrying the bag around the mall. One Lady even asked me what I could have possibly bought her from there. It was kind of funny!! Well, while on the way to Loft, Lily starts yelling, "The Easter Bunny, the Easter Bunny, LuLu's." I see a brass Bunny in the air and knew we were going to have to stop! Lily is OBSESSED with the Easter Bunny and any Bunny what so ever is The Easter Bunny. She told me I had to take her picture with the Easter Bunny, so this is what I got because she was SO excited she wouldn't stay put!
This is her picture with the actual Easter Bunny this past year. I swear the kid has NO fear!!!
After the fun of the "Easter Bunny", we finally made it to Loft to look for my outfit. I didn't find anything that looked liked what I wanted, so we left and went to H&M. I have FINALLY learned that store just is not meant for me and quickly left! I KNEW J Crew would have what I wanted, so we went there. Sure enough, they had EXACTLY what I was looking for along with a price tag I wasn't. So, it was off to my go to store for this type of thing, Banana Republic. After looking through the store, I saw something that just might work, so off to the dressing room we went. Lily entertained herself with my headbands from Victoria's Secret while I decided on the size of my jacket that fit me the best. It was quite a decision too!! Here is a picture from Pinterest of the outfit I am OBSESSED with duplicating and REALLY looking forward to fall so I can wear it.
The jacket isn't exactly the look and color I wanted, but it was ON SALE for a steal of a deal, so I can make it work. It is also 3/4 sleeved and VERY stretching, so I really like both of those things. This is going to look SO cute with a white tee and rolled up True Religion jeans along with my heels. I can't wait to wear my outfit. BRING ON FALL!!!!!
Well, after I found what I needed at the Mall, it was time to head home. This is what happens to a kid after shopping with Aunt LuLu....
Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE clothes, shoes, Louis Vuitton purses and makeup so when I decided to quit my job I REALLY had a hard time with it because I knew I would have to be on more of a budget than I want to be. Hey, you can't change a person and their ways. Besides, I do recall my wedding vows in which My Husband said and I quote, "Happy Wife, happy life." I was sure to have our Wedding Minister send me over our vows, so I can remind him of that!! My Husband on the other hand is the tightest person I know and ALWAYS looking for the BEST deal, so I knew it would be hard not work my full time job and still keep up my lifestyle. It will be an ongoing issue for sure in our house, but I am up for the challenge!!
So, anyways off to the Mall Lily and I went. I was actually going to Dillard's to return a wedding gift and exchange it for something else off of our registry. See, I had a valid reason for going!! After I walked around Dillard's home department for what seems like forever saying to Lily the entire time, "Don't touch that", I finally figured out what I was going to get and then we worked our way to the sale racks of Dillard's workout clothes to get some more outfits for my Boxing Classes. I believe you MUST look cute when doing any type of workout outside of the house! The Lady at the cash register asked how old Lily was and I told her two and she was SO amazed at her vocabulary and thought she was way older than two. If she only knew!!!
After that, it was lunch time for Lily and it is NEVER a good idea to have a hungry kid at the mall, so off to La Madeleine we went. I LOVE that place and rarely go there anymore since I worked at home the last three years and ate at home. That was good for the pocketbook for sure!! Lily was SO good at lunch. She sat in her booster seat like a Little Lady eating her lunch and I was SO proud of her!!
Lily was being SO good that I decided I wanted to go look for part of an outfit I saw on Pinterest that I MUST have!! If you aren't on Pinterest, you are missing the boat!! Love it!!! It is a great way to pass the time away! Ok, anyways, so Victoria's Secret was on the way to Loft and I needed some headbands to match my workout outfits, so we stopped in to pick some up and Lily INSISTED on carrying the bag around the mall. One Lady even asked me what I could have possibly bought her from there. It was kind of funny!! Well, while on the way to Loft, Lily starts yelling, "The Easter Bunny, the Easter Bunny, LuLu's." I see a brass Bunny in the air and knew we were going to have to stop! Lily is OBSESSED with the Easter Bunny and any Bunny what so ever is The Easter Bunny. She told me I had to take her picture with the Easter Bunny, so this is what I got because she was SO excited she wouldn't stay put!
She is SO beyond excited!!!
My Sister said she was so excited to see the Easter Bunny she fell down running so fast just to get to him!
It's the outfit I love, not the watch and purse!! I need to find the jeans next, but I want to wait until I loose some more weight from my Boxing classes. I also need a boyfriend cut to pull off the rolling of the cuffs on the jeans. Maybe my True Religion jeans will work though. That is the jean type pictured. I shall try those and save money too!! YAY, my Husband will be SO happy!! Here is the jacket I bought at Banana...
Well, after I found what I needed at the Mall, it was time to head home. This is what happens to a kid after shopping with Aunt LuLu....
Love her SO much!!! She was a TROOPER!!!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
One of those days!!
Today has been a VERY challenging day for me. I am starting to feel VERY overwhelmed with ALL the things going on in my life. I really thought when I left my job, I would have WAY more time on my hands, but I was WRONG WRONG WRONG!!! It seems that I am busier than when I was working my full time job. I guess it is a good thing to pass the time by fast though. I am trying to have some me time by going to boxing class. Let me tell you, it is definitely a good way to take out pent up frustration for sure. I kind of look forward to my classes and find that I don't have as good of days when I don't go to a class. I want to work my way to a KILLER body!! I think it is going to do the trick! Well, anyways, back to my horrible day.....
It all started when the dogs decided they needed to go out at 1am this morning. I KNEW it was going to be a bad day from that moment on! I figured I better get up with them so the Husband could sleep since I don't have to go to work anymore. So, not getting enough sleep and thinking about all the things I need to get done was just too much to handle today. I THINK we just might have the contract for the Surrogacy ready to sign. MIRACLE!! Who knew a contract could be so full of literal nonsense. :-) It really amazes me that so much stuff has to be put into a contract because of people that aren't honest. I guess I just can't understand why anyone would take advantage of someone who is helping two people out with the miracle of a child. I don't think I can ever wrap my brain around horrible advantage takers. Anyways, 29 pages later, we have all the legalities set for us and the Person that will carry our sweet little Baby. It feels like it has only take 100 years to get this thing going and I am VERY thankful it is completed for the most part. We just need the signatures of all Parties, but first the Surrogate needs to get checked out my the Reproductive Endocrinologist.
Well, that is another story in itself since she actually did that yesterday only to be told to come back when she got her cycle. UUUUUGGGHHHHH!!!! Such a waste of her time. Why didn't they just tell her that from the beginning when she asked them if she needed to be??? HELLO PEOPLE!!!!!! So, we will just wait until that day and go from there. Let the waiting begin.
Onto the other stressful part of my life is the need to find a lot to build our house ASAP!! I have been dealing with a Builder on a lot that he has in our desired Neighborhood, but the back and forth with him is RIDICULOUS!! He of course tells us in the beginning he will sale us the lot I want only to later tell us he won't unless HE gets to build the house. So, we are negotiating his ASTONOMICAL fee to just over see the project. I just keep trying to get him to understand the urgency in the situation, but I don't think he gets it. In the mean time, I will just keep editing the floor plan for the house which is a nightmare in itself.
I guess that is all for now. I think it is time for wine!
It all started when the dogs decided they needed to go out at 1am this morning. I KNEW it was going to be a bad day from that moment on! I figured I better get up with them so the Husband could sleep since I don't have to go to work anymore. So, not getting enough sleep and thinking about all the things I need to get done was just too much to handle today. I THINK we just might have the contract for the Surrogacy ready to sign. MIRACLE!! Who knew a contract could be so full of literal nonsense. :-) It really amazes me that so much stuff has to be put into a contract because of people that aren't honest. I guess I just can't understand why anyone would take advantage of someone who is helping two people out with the miracle of a child. I don't think I can ever wrap my brain around horrible advantage takers. Anyways, 29 pages later, we have all the legalities set for us and the Person that will carry our sweet little Baby. It feels like it has only take 100 years to get this thing going and I am VERY thankful it is completed for the most part. We just need the signatures of all Parties, but first the Surrogate needs to get checked out my the Reproductive Endocrinologist.
Well, that is another story in itself since she actually did that yesterday only to be told to come back when she got her cycle. UUUUUGGGHHHHH!!!! Such a waste of her time. Why didn't they just tell her that from the beginning when she asked them if she needed to be??? HELLO PEOPLE!!!!!! So, we will just wait until that day and go from there. Let the waiting begin.
Onto the other stressful part of my life is the need to find a lot to build our house ASAP!! I have been dealing with a Builder on a lot that he has in our desired Neighborhood, but the back and forth with him is RIDICULOUS!! He of course tells us in the beginning he will sale us the lot I want only to later tell us he won't unless HE gets to build the house. So, we are negotiating his ASTONOMICAL fee to just over see the project. I just keep trying to get him to understand the urgency in the situation, but I don't think he gets it. In the mean time, I will just keep editing the floor plan for the house which is a nightmare in itself.
I guess that is all for now. I think it is time for wine!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Exciting times
It is so amazing how fast we are moving along with the surrogate process. We are pretty close to getting a contract in place and getting our surrogate checked out by the Reproductive Endocrinologist. We are working with a GREAT IVF Clinic. Their office staff is SUPER nice and to me that is extremely important. I have dealt with so many rude people at Doctor office's in the past and don't want that to be the case in such an exciting process. In the mean time of getting all the details of the contract for us and the Surrogate signed, I am doing research on OBGYN's and Hospitals as we are paying cash. It is INSANE the mark up that I have found when using insurance versus cash. Cash is a WAY better option, so that is a positive thing in such an UBER expensive process.
It is pretty funny that people are asking us if we have Baby names picked out yet since we don't even have a pregnancy. But, anyone who knows me well enough knows that I am a planner and of course have Baby names picked out, but I am not sharing them with anyone. I am barely telling Jason because I know he will let it slip and I don't want anyone stealing my Baby names. Who would have ever thought you had to worry about these types of thing?? I will, however share the initials of a possible Baby Boy, RRR. No, RRR is not a typo. That will be the initials of a Baby Boy, but I know for a fact no one will ever guess the name. I am still in limbo of a Girl's name. I think it will be BRR. I know the middle name for sure, but the first name is still in debate in my head. Once we do have a Baby and know the sex, I will share the name at some point because I know I can't keep that a secret until the due date.
It seems like I am in dream right now just talking about this stuff because I NEVER in a million years thought this would be a reality. I am already starting to lose sleep over the worry that something will happen, but I know I am just protecting my heart from a possible break.
Well, onto another exciting topic...
I think that we might have found the lot to build our new house on. I sure hope this is the one because it an exhausting ordeal trying to get something that we actually like and not just settle for. The thing I hate most about living in Dallas is how close the houses are to each other. I mean seriously, you can touch the house next to you. But, we will hopefully be in a safer neighborhood with streets to walk down without drunk drivers drive home from the bar next to you like we currently deal with living on Henderson. So, I am looking forward to having real neighbors for our future kids to play with like I had as a kid. That was one of the best memories of my childhood. I loved just playing with my friends all summer long and on weekends. Lots of great memories that I want for my own children.
Getting this lot now will be perfect timing to insure that we will be in a new house by the time we have a Baby. Hopefully, it will only take six to eight months to build our house and get moved in and ready for Baby R. The last thing I want to be doing is moving with a newborn. UUUUUGGGGHHH!!!!!
So, the last thing that is changing in my life, is my job. It has been SO great getting to work from home and it was a VERY hard decision to make, but I am leaving my job as of next week. I can't wait to have the time to get the house plans done, meet with Builders and contractors plus all the appointments for Baby. It will be such a relief to not worry about the hours I would have to be away from work to do the things that need to be done for the house and Baby. I am VERY lucky to have a Husband that is able to make this all happen. He is truly the BEST HUSBAND EVER!!!!
I think that covers all the exciting things going on in my life for now. Until next time!
It is pretty funny that people are asking us if we have Baby names picked out yet since we don't even have a pregnancy. But, anyone who knows me well enough knows that I am a planner and of course have Baby names picked out, but I am not sharing them with anyone. I am barely telling Jason because I know he will let it slip and I don't want anyone stealing my Baby names. Who would have ever thought you had to worry about these types of thing?? I will, however share the initials of a possible Baby Boy, RRR. No, RRR is not a typo. That will be the initials of a Baby Boy, but I know for a fact no one will ever guess the name. I am still in limbo of a Girl's name. I think it will be BRR. I know the middle name for sure, but the first name is still in debate in my head. Once we do have a Baby and know the sex, I will share the name at some point because I know I can't keep that a secret until the due date.
It seems like I am in dream right now just talking about this stuff because I NEVER in a million years thought this would be a reality. I am already starting to lose sleep over the worry that something will happen, but I know I am just protecting my heart from a possible break.
Well, onto another exciting topic...
I think that we might have found the lot to build our new house on. I sure hope this is the one because it an exhausting ordeal trying to get something that we actually like and not just settle for. The thing I hate most about living in Dallas is how close the houses are to each other. I mean seriously, you can touch the house next to you. But, we will hopefully be in a safer neighborhood with streets to walk down without drunk drivers drive home from the bar next to you like we currently deal with living on Henderson. So, I am looking forward to having real neighbors for our future kids to play with like I had as a kid. That was one of the best memories of my childhood. I loved just playing with my friends all summer long and on weekends. Lots of great memories that I want for my own children.
Getting this lot now will be perfect timing to insure that we will be in a new house by the time we have a Baby. Hopefully, it will only take six to eight months to build our house and get moved in and ready for Baby R. The last thing I want to be doing is moving with a newborn. UUUUUGGGGHHH!!!!!
So, the last thing that is changing in my life, is my job. It has been SO great getting to work from home and it was a VERY hard decision to make, but I am leaving my job as of next week. I can't wait to have the time to get the house plans done, meet with Builders and contractors plus all the appointments for Baby. It will be such a relief to not worry about the hours I would have to be away from work to do the things that need to be done for the house and Baby. I am VERY lucky to have a Husband that is able to make this all happen. He is truly the BEST HUSBAND EVER!!!!
I think that covers all the exciting things going on in my life for now. Until next time!
Friday, July 12, 2013
The Meeting
I am in a complete state of SHOCK right now!!! I don't even think it is real, yet. So surreal!!
So, the dream of being a Mommy is starting to take shape in a BIG way!! Last Saturday, July 6, 2013, I went to Corner Bakery and met with a potential surrogate and my friend that put us in touch. We talked for quite a long time and I felt that things were going very well. At the end of the meeting, she told me that she was also in talks with another potential family. My heart sank, but I knew that everything would work out the way it was supposed to, so I just stressed for the next few days in my own little way, which meant I did not sleep very much at all and survived on coffee. That is the worry side of me! But, by mid week, I was in contact with her and we were scheduling dinner so our Husbands could meet as well as her two boys. Tonight, July 12, 2013, we met at 7:00pm at Joe's Crab Shack for dinner and talked for a couple hours and just had casual conversation. It was really laid back and comforting. At the end of the dinner, they told us that they had been speaking to another Family and decided they were just not the fit for them and had decided that God had led them to chose us. I was just STUNNED, because I really just did not know what they felt was best for them. As I sit here and type this post, I still can't believe it and SO excited for this Journey!! Looking forward to the next year with this selfless Family!!
So, the dream of being a Mommy is starting to take shape in a BIG way!! Last Saturday, July 6, 2013, I went to Corner Bakery and met with a potential surrogate and my friend that put us in touch. We talked for quite a long time and I felt that things were going very well. At the end of the meeting, she told me that she was also in talks with another potential family. My heart sank, but I knew that everything would work out the way it was supposed to, so I just stressed for the next few days in my own little way, which meant I did not sleep very much at all and survived on coffee. That is the worry side of me! But, by mid week, I was in contact with her and we were scheduling dinner so our Husbands could meet as well as her two boys. Tonight, July 12, 2013, we met at 7:00pm at Joe's Crab Shack for dinner and talked for a couple hours and just had casual conversation. It was really laid back and comforting. At the end of the dinner, they told us that they had been speaking to another Family and decided they were just not the fit for them and had decided that God had led them to chose us. I was just STUNNED, because I really just did not know what they felt was best for them. As I sit here and type this post, I still can't believe it and SO excited for this Journey!! Looking forward to the next year with this selfless Family!!
The Maids
I never did a post about my Bridesmaids for the wedding. I wanted to pick the ones in my life that had a positive influence on me and who's values were ones I admired. So, I chose my Sister, Denise and my Sister in Law, Erin. I love these girls both very much in very different ways. My Sister is someone that I pretty much talk to everyday and have a HUGE bond with that goes deeper than just blood. I can always count on her to be there for me to vent to or just have a good laugh with. Either way, we have had great times and bad, but it is more of the great times I remember. Erin is someone that is new to my life by marriage and I am very glad to have her in this big family I have become a part of. I am very excited to have a closer relationship with her over the years to come.
For the day of the wedding, I wanted the day to be fun and casual. We started with breakfast at French Blue, which was such a cool place. I want to go back with My Husband as soon as we go back to Napa. After breakfast, we went back to the Hotel to get ready for MY BIG DAY!!! YAY!!!! We had champagne and had our hair and makeup done. I really wanted to pamper both of them for ALL they did for me leading up to the wedding and what they will share with me years down the road. I wanted them to know how much they meant to me and how appreciative I was for them standing up with me. It truly was special and I will always cherish the time we had that day getting ready and just being Girls!! The wraps were from a website called www.ivorysparrow.com and I am telling you right now, if you don't have one of these wraps, you are MISSING OUT!!! They are amazingly soft! I wear my everyday while getting ready for the day.
For the day of the wedding, I wanted the day to be fun and casual. We started with breakfast at French Blue, which was such a cool place. I want to go back with My Husband as soon as we go back to Napa. After breakfast, we went back to the Hotel to get ready for MY BIG DAY!!! YAY!!!! We had champagne and had our hair and makeup done. I really wanted to pamper both of them for ALL they did for me leading up to the wedding and what they will share with me years down the road. I wanted them to know how much they meant to me and how appreciative I was for them standing up with me. It truly was special and I will always cherish the time we had that day getting ready and just being Girls!! The wraps were from a website called www.ivorysparrow.com and I am telling you right now, if you don't have one of these wraps, you are MISSING OUT!!! They are amazingly soft! I wear my everyday while getting ready for the day.
Monday, July 8, 2013
My Princess Buttercup
Anyone who knows me well, knows how much I LOVE my niece, Lily Grace. I am missing her as she is in London right now and this will be the longest I have EVER gone without seeing her since the day she was born, so I thought I would do a blog all about My Princess Buttercup (the name I call her). My Sister waited a long time to have a child, so when I found out she was having a baby I was a little sad because it wasn't me, but I was SO happy for her. Once she and her Husband found out they were having a girl, my Sister knew that Grace had to be somewhere in the name so we would text back and forth with names that would sound good. I text her, Lily Grace and she said, no that she was afraid that kids would call her Lily Pad or Lily Licker and she did not want her being made fun of for her name. I told her that kids could make fun of any name and it really didn't matter what the name was. So, she told her Husband that I came up with Lily Grace and he really liked it. So, the next day she called me and said that he told her if I really liked that name, they would let me name their baby. So, Lily Grace became the name. I cry just typing that story because it was really selfless of both My Sister and her Husband to let me name their first baby together! I also ended up moving in with them shortly after Lily was born to help take care of Lily Grace, so I got to spend every single day with her.
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