Our miracle RAINBOW BABY BOY arrived 8/2018

1st IVF = BFN
2nd IVF = Baby A, born May 2015
3rd IVF = Miscarriage at 14 weeks
4th IVF = BFN
After we paid for 5th IVF, positive pregnancy without IVF!

Because the important moments in life just don’t fit in a status update! I started this blog when I was training for my first ½ Ironman, (70.3 miles) to record what I hoped would be growth and progress but ended up being a huge learning experience. Although fitness is one of the key ingredients to a happy life, it certainly isn't the only ingredient. My blog has evolved to document growth, progress and setbacks in other areas too. From my surprise proposal in Rome and wedding in the fall of 2013, to Mom's devastating stage IV cancer diagnosis and death 2 weeks after I found out I was pregnant. Who knows what shape it will take, but thanks for being along for the ride.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

My Baby Shower

We've taken to calling her baby A instead of just A. Do other parents do this when they're expecting, or is baby A just that catchy? Whatever the case, others have picked up on it, and I received a lot of presents addressed to baby A. Even the cake!



It was the perfect, warm day for an outdoor shower. Stephanie, Andrea, Ann-Marie and Delia lead busy lives but found time to throw me the perfect shower. It was held at the Secret Garden, reserved by Tamara who lives at Villa Sienna in Irvine.


I debated on whether or not I should bring Trevi, and am so glad I did. I have a feeling Baby A will be an animal and dog lover, and when she looks back at photos of this event she will realize Trevi has always been a special part of our lives. If Trevi lives to be 14, Baby A will have her until she's in 6th grade, so she is going to be a big part of her life as well.

I had my hair done before the shower at The Dry Bar in Fashion Island. Trevi was a doll and either sat on my lap or watched the whole time. 

I made it to the shower just before 2, when people started arriving. It was wonderful to see everyone and catch up. People came from all different directions and distances. Stephanie drove from Rancho Mirage, Liz and Linda came from LA and my Mom's friends from Yucaipa. I had about a hour to visit with everyone before we started the games.


Ann-Marie, me, Delia, Stephanie, Andrea
The first was a name game and the second was using ribbon to guess the circumference of my tummy, but my favorite was the last one. Andrea had everyone write a letter to Baby A, to be opened on her 16th birthday. I don't know if I can wait that long! I'm going to have to see if I can talk Drea into a sneak preview on her 1st birthday.



Some people enjoy watching presents being opened, but others find it boring and I wanted to have the time to visit. I decided to open the presents at home so I would have more time to spend with everyone.

I was surprised that some people who weren't able to make the shower sent gifts (Kay and Sayeed, Stacy, Billie) and even more surprised that gifts have continued to arrive by mail (Debbie and Charles, Tina, Rhonda) or be brought to work (Gloria, Deirdre, a student). 




One of the most special gifts that we received was my baby blanket that Mom made, repaired by Krista's Mom. The stitching was old and the front and back were separating. She added new batting, and sewed it back up. It's pink, blue and yellow because Mom wanted to wait and find out what she was having. I have a picture of me on it that I need to find so that I can take one of Baby A.

I feel really prepared for Baby A's arrival now! Well, I will once everything is organized and put away. It must be this nesting thing that they talk about, because I am usually not a super organized person, yet I woke up early the next morning and couldn't go back to bed. I was excitedly thinking of everything I received and what I needed to do to get it organized. It's still all on the kitchen table.

This weekend, our plan is to finish installing the closet organizer which is much more work than anticipated, wash and organize her clothes by sizes (I bought special baby detergent) and put away the infant and 0-3 month ones in her dresser for easy access, and hang up the other sizes. I'm 35 weeks tomorrow!

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Third Trimester

My 2nd trimester came and went without me really feeling very pregnant. Now that I'm in my 33rd week with just 6 or 7 weeks to go, I finally feel like she's there ... and love it, side-effects and all. Just like that quote Don't complain about growing older, it is a privilege denied to many, I am way too grateful to even be pregnant to complain. I know many women have been unsuccessful in their fertility treatments, or given up the hopes of carrying a baby to term. They would give anything to only be able to sleep on their left side or to not fit into any of their shoes.


Now that my disclaimer is out of the way, here's a list of symptoms I swear I'm not complaining about. 
  • I have carpel tunnel syndrome at night. All of the joints in my fingers and wrists hurt so bad that it is hard for me to adjust blankets or the pillow, let alone use them to push myself out of bed. 
  • Since I can't use my hands to push myself out of bed and I can't really sit up anymore, I often wake up in the middle of the night, trapped in my human-sized Snoogle pillow. Staying there and going back to sleep isn't an option, so I half roll, half fall, out of bed.
  • Going back to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night isn't an option because I have to use the restroom a lot. And by a lot I mean at least 5 times during the night. My record is eight.
  • I have to use the restroom a lot because I have borderline gestational diabetes. Now testing my blood 4 times a day, I am always under the target number, unless I have a bowl of ice cream or yogurt before bed.
  • Because of the gestational diabetes and the habit of having a bowl of ice cream before bed, I've gained a lot of weight already: 50 pounds!
  • The extra weight, coupled with fluid retention, is causing pain in my hips and knees when I walk sometimes. The effect is a well-pronounced penguin waddle if I have been sitting for awhile. Even co-workers have begun to notice and comment on this, which one day caused me to laugh harder than I had in months. That's when I noticed that my belly jiggles when I laugh.
  • My right hand randomly goes numb while at my desk, driving and especially during the night. Sometimes, it remains numb even when I change position.
  • My shoes - none of them fit me! Even my "comfortable" heels, or flats, will not fit on my feet. I have been relegated to wearing running shoes to work, even when I'm dressed nice or wearing a skirt.
  • Running shoes! How I miss using those! Whenever I see someone running now, I'm a bit envious and can't wait to get out there. Even though I have never really liked running, I sure did do a lot of it.
  • I get out of breath so easily, and wistfully recall when I used to be able to go on a long run, and carry on a conversation. Now, I'm easily out of breath from simple tasks like walking up stairs.
  • Lastly, heartburn. I keep a container of Tums by the bed just in case.
One symptom I don't have just yet that I'm very thankful for: stretch marks. There's still time for them to make their appearance, but I'm hopeful that they won't.

So what am I enjoying? I love how obviously pregnant I now am, and comments and questions from strangers; when are you due? Is it a boy or a girl? Is this your first? I love how much more real her arrival feels. Resting my hands on my tummy in meetings is one of my favorite things to do. It's so convenient! I love feeling and now even seeing her move. I love looking at, and documenting, my bump and seeing it grow every week. I love that the nursery is coming along, and that we finished painting it this past Sunday. Her dresser has been moved in, and Nathan is working on installing the closet organizer. I go in there every day, look around, and imagine her in it. 

Everything is progressing well! A few weeks ago when my doctor asked about kick counts, I told him that sometimes she doesn't move for 4-5 hours. He told me that he was placing me on twice a week fetal monitoring which made me nervous. Luckily, I called them and they were able to get me in right away. My husband and I walked across the street to Hoag and were reassured within the hour that everything was fine. They had to startle her with a buzzer to wake her up and get movement. When they did, her heart rate jumped from 155 to 195. Now, I look forward to going and feel like I get to visit her when I do.

I had an appointment yesterday and as of now, we are undecided on csection or natural birth. My doctor was a bit frank with me and said that if she's over 8 pounds, things don't really go back to normal. I have a feeling she will be close, if not over, the 10 pound mark. I was 9.7, my brother was 9.8 and my husband's siblings were all over 10. My husband was only 6, but has a twin who was 4. Knowing this, I am definitely leaning more toward having a cesarean, but it will only be covered by my insurance if medically necessary. We will see how big she gets in the coming weeks, because if she is over 9 it may be deemed medically necessary. She could gain as much as 1/2 pound per week. At this last appointment I lost a pound - for the first time since being pregnant - but gained 1cm. My next appointment is in two weeks, and then we start going weekly. 

I'm really looking forward to my shower in two days. It's almost time for Autumn, and I could not be more excited!