Quick Update and Reminder

I've been meaning to remind you all that the episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition from our area is airing this Sunday evening on ABC! It's Easter Sunday, so be sure and set your DVR if you want to see it but will be traveling or at church services. The episode is 2 hours long. I'm so looking forward to watching the Beach family's story and I know you'll be touched by it, too. You might even be able to spot Chuck and myself in the crowd yelling, "Move that bus!" :)

I have a couple of little updates for you about the pregnancy. Things are still going well. I'll hit 15 weeks this weekend! I have been starting to feel nervous again because of the wait for our next ultrasound. We just placed the order today to rent a doppler. (Thanks so much for your suggestions and advice about that.) We look forward to having it here in a few days so we can listen to the heartbeat whenever we want. Hopefully that will help to calm my fears a bit.

In addition, today I decided to call to set up an appointment for an elective ultrasound. There is a place not far from where I live that does them. My state requires a doctor's consent before you can get one of these, so I'm still working on getting that done. If all works out I hope to have the appointment in about 3 weeks. It amazes me that we could find out our baby's gender by the end of the month! We still have the anatomy ultrasound scheduled with the OB's office on May 17, so we'll have another chance in case the little one doesn't want to cooperate. I think it will do us so much good to just have time to spend seeing the baby again and having the reassurance that he or she is still growing.

That's about it for now. Wishing you all a very happy Easter weekend!

January Happenings

It feels like there are several things to update about on the blog this week. I'll try to keep my thoughts straight and do it in an orderly fashion!

Extreme Makeover Update:
(If you missed the first post about this, you can find it HERE.)
Thanks for all of your great comments about this sweet family's home makeover! Chuck and I got up early on Thursday to go out to the spectator area and get a good spot for reveal day. Fortunately we don't live far away, and we were able to park at our church nearby and walk rather than taking the shuttles that were provided. We were the first ones out there at 7:45 AM. We had a great viewing place right at the front of the barricade. It was really fun to be out there all day and watch the final touches going on the house!



We even got several glimpses of the design team throughout the day.


(Michael)


(Paul, who actually came over to say hi to the crowd!)

Chuck and I literally stood in the same spot all day long, until about 5:00 PM. I'm telling you, we didn't even take a bathroom break! Fortunately we had thought to pack a lunch. It got a little rough, I have to say, because it was chilly outside that day AND it was raining off and on all day. But we were so glad to be able to be there. By the time the family came home, our view was obstructed by a few rows of volunteers and VIPs that were lined up in front of the barricade, but we could still see a little of what was going on. The family looked so excited, and of course that was the best part! The show is expected to air in March. I'll let you know when to watch! We have heard that it will be a 2-hour episode. We can't wait to see how it will all come together.


(This is the only shot I got of Ty. It was just before we yelled "Move that bus!")

Birthday Month:
Although my birthday is almost a week away, several members of my family came to stay with us this past weekend to celebrate with us a little early. Doesn't that make it more fun when you can stretch it out like that? We had a great time and were grateful for the long holiday weekend. Friday night we celebrated my birthday and my oldest nephew's birthday together. I love sharing a birthday month with my sweet little guy! He turned 9 last week, which is so hard for me to believe.


Saturday evening we went to Benihana for a wonderful dinner. We met Chuck's sister and her roommate there as well, and it was great fun. I love that place! (By the way, if you like Benihana, go to their website and register and you can get a coupon to use during your birthday month. It covers your meal up to $30! They will also sing you a little birthday song and take a photo of your group as a keepsake.) :o)
There are still a few fun birthday things planned for the month. This Friday I'm looking forward to spending the day with my best friend since kindergarten. She moved to Texas (about 30 minutes away from me) last year. We have plans to work on scrapbooks during the day and then go out to dinner. I can't wait!

Cycle News:
Today is CD 30, which means that I'll be testing in the next day or two and most likely starting a new cycle before the end of the week. I'm still holding onto a small sliver of hope that we may have a positive test this time, but I'm definitely ready to move ahead if not.

It has been a busy month for us so far, but definitely fun and memorable overall! Hope you're all doing well. I'm working on getting caught up with reading your blogs!

Extreme

This past weekend, after nearly 12 years of marriage, my husband stayed out all night for the first time ever. I was surprised when I woke up early Sunday morning to find that the sun was up and his side of the bed was still undisturbed. Okay, now if you're curious, I'll tell you that he was participating in something very, very cool.

But first let me back up a bit. There is a family in a neighboring town that we know has been in need. Although we don't personally know the young parents very well, two of the teenage kids go to our church. They are a very sweet family with four biological children and nine adopted children! The problem came when Hurricane Ike flooded and seriously damaged their home more than a year ago. The entire family (with the exception of one of the older sons who is serving in Afghanistan) has been living in temporary housing, most recently in a small travel trailer.

Last week we found out that this wonderful family had been chosen to receive a new home from Extreme Makeover Home Edition! We are thrilled for them! Our entire community has been buzzing with this news all week long. The family has been sent away on vacation to Disney World in Florida while construction began last week.

I'm sure you've figured out by now that my husband served as a volunteer at the construction site. It was such a neat experience for him. He took a late nap on Saturday and left home around midnight. After signing in and picking up his blue shirt and hard hat, he got there to discover that they were slightly behind schedule. He and some other guys that we know went to our church (which is only a block away from the construction site) to keep warm and get some sleep for a few hours before going out to work. I thought he might come home sometime during the night before I got up for church, but when I called at 7 AM, he was still busy working. It was a very cold night, especially for where we live, with temperatures in the low 20s. Chuck said it was much better after the sun came up! He worked straight through until noon and then rested for most of the afternoon and evening on Sunday. Oh yes, and he did get to see Ty Pennington just before leaving that day!

Here are a few pics of Chuck in his work gear. He looks a little lumpy because of the multiple layers of clothing. :)



I took these pics from our church parking lot. You can see the large cranes in the background at the work site.

Tomorrow will be an incredibly exciting day. It's reveal day! We're planning to go out there early and get a spot in the crowd to wait for the family to come home. We are both absolutely giddy about seeing the family come home to their wonderful new house!

Yesterday Chuck and I went by the site and hung out for a few minutes at the spectator area across the street. The house is looking pretty amazing. I can't believe how quickly the work gets done. Here's a sneak peek at the new home, as it looked yesterday. Everything will be completed by tomorrow!


(The house is more than 6,000 square feet!)

The episode is supposed to air on ABC sometime in March. I will be sure and post a reminder with the date so you can tune in to see this sweet family get their dream home! I know it will be a great episode, and those of you with a special interest in adoption and/or foster care may especially be interested in watching this one.

Until then, here's a link to the builder's website if anyone wants to see more pics and read about the family:

http://blushieldsextreme.com/

So exciting!

In Other News

It's time for a little break from writing about infertility. I've been in a funk for the past couple of weeks. It is a combination of things, really, the main one being the return of my old friend Insomnia. The time change this weekend only made my problem worse. I was so exhausted on Sunday that I came home from church and slept on the couch for over 2 hours! (I know what you're thinking and no, definitely not pregnant.) Naps are not usually my thing. Don't get me wrong, I think naps are great. It's just that indulging in a nap usually means it will be that much more impossible for me to fall asleep at night.

The only good thing about being unable to sleep is that it gives me lots more time to read books. I'm making great progress on my reading list, recently finishing Life of Pi and The Little Prince. Right now I am more than halfway through The Secret Garden and I'm enjoying that little escape.

Chuck spent the weekend trying to identify a problem with our washing machine. We have had the worst luck with appliances lately! I'd been noticing a musty smell in the laundry room (I've learned to trust my nose!), and then a little puddle appeared one day after I washed some clothes. Fortunately, my husband is very handy around the house and he thinks he has it figured out, but of course we have to wait on a part to be delivered hopefully this week. I'm still using the washer (after he put it back together) and we'll tackle it again next weekend. Isn't it true that when it rains, it pours? We've been on quite an adventure as homeowners lately.

We spent the rest of the weekend with some great entertainment at home. We finished watching the John Adams miniseries on DVD, which was very good. If you haven't seen it yet, I hope you'll check it out. Ever since our trip to Washington, D.C. the summer before last, we've been very interested in learning more about American history. In 2007 Chuck and I went to D.C. because he had a work conference to attend. The trip was extra special because we were able to invite my mom and my brother to go along with us. It was the very first visit there for the three of us (Chuck had been in junior high on a school trip) and we had an amazing time visiting our nation's capital. My mom has always been incredibly patriotic, so experiencing D.C. with her was unique and special. Also, she and my brother have done very little traveling over the years. Some months after we returned home she caught the John Adams series on TV, and later I bought her the book and my sis bought her the DVDs, which Chuck and I just finished watching this weekend. (And now we've come full-circle!) It's exciting to see my mom's continued passion for learning about history after that trip we took. She just soaks it up like a sponge!


One of our Net.flix movies from the weekend was The Kite Runner. I have to tell you that we both absolutely loved this movie. I'm a little mad at myself for not reading the book first, but the movie did not disappoint. Chuck and I watched it last night and by the end we were both in tears. (Sorry honey, but you know I'd rather be married to someone who would be moved by this film than someone who wouldn't!) If you haven't seen the movie, I'd recommend it. Like I said, I haven't read the book but now I want to! I have no doubt that it would be a great read.


I am more than ready for Spring to arrive. Here in Texas we've had some summery days already, with a little taste of Spring here and there. We're getting a "cold front" (I'm sure that's a relative term) later this week, which I'm guessing might be the last one of the season for us. I'm ready to get the yard and flower beds looking pretty again!


That's life for us here in our corner of the world. How did you spend your weekend?

Favorite Things

Tomorrow is my birthday. While I'm not thrilled about turning 32 (it's not so much the getting older part as much as the getting older while still childless part - age is so much more than a number when you're in this situation) I decided to do a post today in honor of the occasion. I want to tell you about a few things that I really wouldn't want to live without. Of course my family and friends would top the list, but I'm talking specifically about products here. No, I'm not being paid to promote any of these things, but if you have connections I would consider it. (Ha ha)

And now, a few of my favorite things:

1. Swiffer Products

I love any and all things Swiffer. The dusters, the sweeper, the Sweeper Vac, and the Wet Jet - I own all of them. Honestly, these things make cleaning up so easy. The main living space in my house has laminate wood floors, and we are working on phasing out the carpet in the rest of the house. Only the master bedroom has carpet now and it won't be long before we remove it. I go through the house two or three times a week with the Swiffer sweeper for a quick clean up. I love the Wet Jet for mopping because you don't have to wring out a nasty mop! It's seriously my favorite system for cleaning house. Have I convinced you to use it? I always say I should be on their commercials!

2. The Chi Flat Iron

I can't believe I made it through high school and college without this thing. It's not just a flat iron; it's a flat iron from heaven. My hair is relatively thick and wavy (really more like frizzy) but I always want it to be straight. Every time I wash it I use the blow dryer and then the flat iron to smooth it out. I wish I knew how to work with the wave and let it be natural some days but when I try it I just feel ridiculous! Anyway, this flat iron is pricey but it's worth every penny if you want straight hair. I love it.

3. Amazon dot com

Maybe I told you this around Christmas, but I love this website. The only negative thing is that I'm sure it has played a pretty big part in further enabling me to be a hermit. I do most of my Christmas shopping there and other various shopping throughout the year. I have my own wish list and I have created gift idea lists for my family members. I love it when I can look on the idea list or their own personal wish list (which you can search for by email address) and it makes shopping very easy. I think they have the best prices on books, and you only have to spend $25 to qualify for free shipping on an order. Love it!

4. Picasa

What if I told you that there was a fantastic and incredibly user-friendly method for organizing and editing your digital pictures on your computer? (Do you feel like you're watching an infomercial? I swear if this thing could be used as a juicer we'd really have something magical.) Seriously, my husband introduced me to the software application Picasa several years ago after we first got a digital camera. I thought I could never learn how to work with such a thing, but I am in love with it. Better yet, brace yourselves people, it's FREE. When it first came out we actually purchased it, but now it's owned by the nice people at Google and you can download it for free. No joke. It has the best features - you can correct red-eye, do all of your cropping, change to black and white or sepia, and so many other things. It's simple to email photos or add them to your Facebook or blog. In my opinion, the best things about it are first that it's easy to use and it is a great tool for organization. I never have to search long for a photo. When you empty your memory card you simply give the album a title and date and everything is right where you need it. Second, I absolutely love the Web Album feature. You can upload groups of photos into a web album and share the entire album with friends by email. The album is saved so that if I'm away from home and want to show an album I've uploaded to friends, I just sign in to my account from their computer and there is my album. Ok, one more thing that is awesome about it. Let's say I'm at my sister's house for a birthday party and we forgot our camera at home. She takes a whole bunch of great pics and uploads them to a Picasa Web Album to email to me. I can get home, open her email, and download that same album straight into my Picasa. There are the photos all stored neatly into my own computer, just as if I'd taken them myself. Picasa, will you marry me? Ok, even though Picasa is my fiance, he has lots of brothers who are still available. You can get your own here.

5. DVR
I won't spend a lot of time on this one except to tell you how happy I am that we finally got on board with digitally recording our favorite TV shows. We don't have the actual Ti.vo brand, but we have the DVR that comes through our cable company and we are thrilled with it. Maybe this sounds goofy but I think it has saved me so much time. Watching my shows when it's convenient for me (often late at night when I can't sleep) and being able to skip through the commercials is great, not to mention that I don't have to worry about looking for a blank tape or recording over something I want to keep. Anything that makes my life more organized and clutter-free is likely to be on my list of favorite things! This is not a photo of a DVR, but if Simon Baker doesn't motivate you to start recording or watching The Mentalist I don't know what will!


I'm sure I could go on but I think 5 is plenty for today. Market research shows that if you start using these 5 things, your happiness will increase by 30%. Ok, that's not true but it's worth a shot. These are definitely at the top of my list. Now it's your turn. What things have you discovered that make your life so much easier? Tell me all about it and I'll add it to my Amazon wish list.

In Other News

The last two posts have been particularly emotional for me to write. I thought today we could have a break from the heavy stuff and only talk about some lighter things, shall we? I need to update you on a couple of random things anyway, so this will be a catch-all kind of a post.


First, if you've been reading for a while then you know that my kitchen is being remodeled. I am so happy to report that this week we had the tile backsplash installed and grouted. The grout just got done today, so it isn't even dry yet. We still need the cabinet guys to come out one more time to install the one unit that was the wrong size and complete all of the trim. We are finally getting closer and I couldn't be more ready. I'm hoping that we will be moving in appliances as early as next week! We actually can't wait to get in there and cook some meals again. I promise to post some before and after pics once the whole thing is done.


I've been slowly working on my reading list for the year. I wish I already had a few crossed off of the list, but having Brisingr as my first book has slowed me down. My brother loves the Eragon series. I borrow his when he is done with them and he has been dying for me to finish this one. Normally it wouldn't take me a very long time to read a book (even one that has 748 pages like this one does). I'm about half way through it right now and not moving very quickly. I think that's mostly due to the amount of time I've spent blogging lately. As with any hobbies, spending a lot of time on one takes time away from the others! I'm very sad that I haven't worked on my scrapbooks for months. Unfortunately, my workspace is currently crammed with all of the stuff that belongs in our kitchen cabinets. I'm telling you, I can't wait to get that project finished!


Lately I'm excited about having my DVR filled with the return of some of my favorite TV shows. I haven't yet watched the premiere of 24 but I'm eager to get to it. (Emily, I've been avoiding your blog after I saw the title of your last post! Hope I can get caught up soon.) I did start watching American Idol auditions last night, with a mixture of curiosity and embarrassment as always. Pretty soon it will be time for a new season of Lost as well. Oh boy!


Finally, remember the post about my January Girl figurine? I'd found December and August on the internet and they were delivered this week. Aren't they cute all together?

I'm not a huge collector of nicknacks, in fact the only other collections I have besides DVDs and books are postcards, which I keep filed away in albums. I don't like having a lot of miscellaneous stuff around to dust, and besides, my shelves are already full of photographs. Searching for the other figurines in this set, though, has become a fun little challenge for me. I hope I'll be able to find the other nine someday.

Ok, one last thing. Shoot, I wasn't going to mention infertility this time but it always seems to come up these days. Oh well. After Christmas, Chuck and I were talking about saving up our money to buy the camera he's been talking about for years. We had a pretty nice start with some Christmas money we'd received and we were ready to start putting some more into savings for the camera. I swear this never happens to us, but last week he decided to check in our hiding place where we keep important documents and such things and occasionally some extra cash. Much to his surprise, he discovered that we had more cash in there than we realized! Holy cow, it was just enough to cover the new camera! What's that got to do with IF? Well, some of that money I remember us putting away two Christmases ago (when we were pregnant) for a baby bed. You know, I'm not giving up hope on a pregnancy ever happening, but we both just felt good about taking that money out and using it on something we can enjoy today! The UPS guy just delivered the new camera a few hours ago and I know Chuck can't wait to get home from work and play with it. He loves taking pics and I love to scrapbook them, so we are both thrilled with the new purchase. We'll be trying it out this weekend when we go to Louisiana for our nephew's birthday party.

So, how about you? What are your hobbies? Are you reading a good book right now? Do you have any unique collections? What are you watching on TV these days? Let's chat.

In Other News

Today I'm going to try something new. Since I started this blog a few months back, I've mostly written about some pretty broad topics like feelings associated with infertility and pregnancy loss, friendship, and the head-spinning speed at which time passes. All of these subjects are discussed here under the umbrella of infertility. Whether I like it or not (and I don't), infertility is a part of my life. It's the reason I started blogging in the first place. I don't, however, want to be associated with just this one thing.

Do you know anyone who talks about just one thing every time you see them? If so, does it bug you? I know there are certain friends of mine who also follow the NBA, so when I see them we talk about it some. It's something we have in common, so that's understandable. Certainly we can also have conversations with friends about things we don't have in common. That's what makes life interesting. But let's just say, for example, that I love pizza (which is true!). Let's say I love it so much that it's all I can talk about. I don't care if you hate it and the very idea of it makes you want to run for the hills. I'm going to talk about its cheesy goodness every time I see you. Sometimes I like thick crust, sometimes thin. I like pepperoni. But oh, the mushrooms. I love mushrooms! I know we talked about pizza for 5 hours the last time I saw you, but let's spend some more time talking about how yummy it is. That would get kinda old, right?

I don't want to be this person, about infertility or pizza or anything else! So I've decided to add a new feature to this blog called In Other News. I still write this blog because of infertility, and it is helping me sort out my feelings in a major way. Your comments encourage me beyond words! But of course there's much more to me (and you) besides the problems we face. Every so often, let's chat about something that's not infertility. I love movies, TV, books, and music, so I'm sure those topics will be popping up here and there. Life isn't always exciting here in my bubble, but I'll try to find some interesting things to talk about that are just a part of everyday life.

So, here's what's going on in my life In Other News at the end of August:

• I just got shipping confirmation on my copy of Prison Break, Season 3. That means soon I can clear off about 11 hours from my DVR and get ready to start watching the new season. On September 1, I'll be on the couch catching up with Michael Scofield and company. I can't wait! I'm also excited about the new season of The Office, starting September 25.
• My husband and I just joined Netflix earlier this month and are enjoying having a steady stream of DVDs to watch. I'm sure I'll log way too many hours of couch potato time but I'm not too concerned about it. As long as my house is clean and I have some semblance of a social life, I'm ok with that.
• I haven't had a haircut in over 5 months. I don't know why the only times I remember to call and schedule one it's always on a Monday when they're closed. My hair has grown quite long, which doesn't go well with summertime in Texas. Hopefully soon I'll lose about 3-4 inches.
• I am currently addicted to the Veggie Sammies from Quizno's. Lettuce, tomato, mushrooms (yeah!), cheese, black olives, guacamole, and red wine vinaigrette on toasted flatbread. I like to hold the onions and add pickles. Make it a combo with two of these, chips, and a Dr Pepper and now you've got something. Yum.
• Last night I started reading the book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I'm not usually all about vampire books but I do like a good young adult series now and again. After reading some good reviews lately about this series and hearing a few friends recommend it, I've decided to give it a try. Thanks, Emily for your own thoughts on this!

One more thing in other news: if you wouldn't mind, please pray for my friend John. He's going through a hard time right now as a newly-single father with two young daughters. They need lots of prayer and support. Thanks!