What a Weekend! (Belated Post)

It was so wonderful to spend time with everyone who visited for Thanksgiving (MJ liked her taste of turkey gravy) and Marlee's Baptism. We missed you, Godmom Kacey!

Big thanks to Grandma Cathy who made MJ's beautiful dress from my wedding gown!

I'm waiting for pictures from many different cameras...more coming soon!

Another First!

She's on a roll...literally! Marlee rolled from her tummy to her back today at school!

A First Today

Today marks an important first...MARLEE LAUGHED!

I don't think there is a sweeter sound. Too bad I looked like an idiot crying at the pediatrician's office when she did it!

Finally on the Mend

So Thursday I said MJ was sick...that was just the beginning. I decided that morning I'd skip a trip to the pedi. I knew that with a temp of just 101 or so, they'd tell me she had a cold/flu-type thing and send me on my way. Around 4pm, I gave her a dose of Tylenol and put her down for a nap. A couple of hours later, she woke up feeling HOT. The fever was just over 103. Because I had just given her Tylenol, I was concerned. I took her to a pediatric urgent care where they ran the gamut of tests. The even mentioned the possibility of a spinal tap...AGH! Fortunately, they decided it wasn't necessary because she has had her first round of immunizations. After multiple attempts to draw blood and a catheter to get a urine sample, we waited for results. Her white blood cells were high (fighting something!), but the doctor couldn't figure out what was wrong. She gave her a shot of broad-spectrum antibiotic and sent us home.

Friday we followed up with Dr. Jina. Marlee was doing much better, so the antibiotic shot was working. They still couldn't tell what it was working on, but it was working. Dr. Jina decided the shot was probably enough and chose not to prescribe continued antibiotics, which I appreciated. If only the shot had been enough...we woke up this morning with another fever. I took her back to the pedi, and the infection finally revealed itself...in the ears. I'm grateful it's not something worse. Now that we've got 10 days of Augmentin, Marlee's finally on the mend!

Sick Baby

So much worse than sick mommy! My heart is breaking for my poor little punkin. I guess I gave her what I had. She's been congested for weeks now, but feeling fine overall. Yesterday, she slept for over four hours at school and missed a feeding (clue #1). Then, she woke up crying last night. I know you are going to find this hard to believe, but Marlee has NEVER cried during the night since she was 2 days old. She wakes up and makes little noises to let me know she's hungry, but that's it...no crying. Last night I was woken up by a full blown wail. She was calm after a couple of minutes, nursed, and went right back to sleep. She wasn't her usually smiley self this morning, so I took her temp, and there it was...100.2. Poor Baby!

She's fine, really. 100.2 isn't even high enough to require keeping her home according to daycare rules, but it is for me! I figure, if she feels even a little under the weather, she needs her mommy. So we've both got on jammies and we're snuggling in the bed while I work from home as much as I can while she sleeps. Have to admit, that part is kind of nice :)

Sick Mommy

I'm sick. Not terribly sick, but sick enough. 3 months ago, I would have put on some sweats and crawled into bed, only to emerge when I felt better. But now there's Marlee, and she is quite demanding of my time and attention. So I'm quickly learning how to take care of her while still taking care of myself. After all, a happy mommy is a happy baby is a happy mommy. This is the first time I've really felt challenged by parenthood. If only I could sleep it off....

Bumbo Fun

I haven't posted much lately...been crazy busy. But here's a picture to get you through the weekend!

(Yes, I know about the recall, blah blah blah :) )

NIAW

It's that time of year again...Today marks the beginning of National Infertility Awareness Week.

I remember this week exactly one year ago. My feelings were mixed: One moment complete dispair, the next, hope. We had been trying for a baby for years and were beginning to take the next step. I was optimistic for our chances of conceiving with IVF, but dreaded the devestation if it didn't work. We'd already experienced so many failures on our own and with other treatments.

November was a month filled with blood tests, injections and pills. I was tired, bruised and an emotional wreck. We smiled through the roughest time in our life to hide the rollercoaster we were on. Only a few of our closest friends knew what we were going through.
On December 6th, we got up at the crack of dawn and drove to the doctors office we'd been to dozens of times. An anesthesiolgist put me under, and doctors used a needle guided by ultrasound to retrieve 16 eggs from my ovaries. The eggs were fertilized by ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection), and we waited. Five days later, we had five thriving embryos. Two were transferred into me, and we began our 30th and most grueling "Two Week Wait."

During that time, the shots and pills continued, the worst of which was a 1 1/2 inch needle Michael would stick into the muscle on the back of my hip each night for over 70 days.
On December 18th, I took a home pregnancy test and couldn't belive my eyes. It was the most beautiful pink line I'd ever seen! I called Michael and told him to hurry home. We were both over the moon with excitement. A blood test confirmed the pregnancy, but the next few days were tough as more blood tests detected that my hormone levels were rising, but not as quickly as they should. Doctors discussed the possiblity of an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage. I wasn't sure I could possibly handle either one. My rope was beyond frayed, and one more devestation would snap it. On December 26th, an ultrasound revealed a healthy pregnancy, and my hormone levels bounced back...It was our very own Christmas miracle. January 5th we saw the first flicker of a heartbeat, and on August 24th, 2007, we held our baby girl.

She was worth the wait.

Visit http://www.reslove.org/ to learn what you can do to raise awareness and ease the pain of the one in eight couples who suffer from infertility.