We discovered we are due within days of each other so it will be fun to have cousins the same age.
Cousin Twins
We left my parent's house on Christmas Eve to go spend a couple of days with Nate's family at his parent's cabin. The first night there, we were all standing around the kitchen talking and his brother announced that they were pregnant with baby #6! We still hadn't told his brother that we were pregnant so Nate ran upstairs to grab our ultrasound picture and announced that we were too!
We discovered we are due within days of each other so it will be fun to have cousins the same age.
We discovered we are due within days of each other so it will be fun to have cousins the same age.
Making Grandparents
We decided to wait until Christmas to tell our families about the pregnancy. Nate's parents we ended up seeing on the 15th for the weekend so we were able to tell them then, and then we told mine on Christmas Eve.
These are the onesies I got as gifts to tell each of our parents.
This will be grandchild #18 on Nate's side but #1 on my side!
We told Nate's parents while we were out at dinner with just them. We wrapped it up as an early Christmas gift and they were definitely surprised!
For Christmas, we went to my house late Friday night but didn't tell my parents until Monday morning when we exchanged gifts as a family. I wanted it to be a complete surprise, and it was! They were a little upset I waited until we were leaving (we went to see Nate's family Monday afternoon) but I think we were forgiven ;).
I feel so much better now that our families know and it doesn't have to be a secret! I know we waited longer than most people to tell their parents but I wanted to do it in person and Christmas was the first chance we had. Now we can slowly start telling friends.
These are the onesies I got as gifts to tell each of our parents.
This will be grandchild #18 on Nate's side but #1 on my side!
We told Nate's parents while we were out at dinner with just them. We wrapped it up as an early Christmas gift and they were definitely surprised!
For Christmas, we went to my house late Friday night but didn't tell my parents until Monday morning when we exchanged gifts as a family. I wanted it to be a complete surprise, and it was! They were a little upset I waited until we were leaving (we went to see Nate's family Monday afternoon) but I think we were forgiven ;).
I feel so much better now that our families know and it doesn't have to be a secret! I know we waited longer than most people to tell their parents but I wanted to do it in person and Christmas was the first chance we had. Now we can slowly start telling friends.
Last Shot!
I can't even tell you how good it feels to know that I don't have any more shots!!!! (well....until I get crazy enough to do this again....)
But for now, it's all over and I'm so, so, so happy!! We're at my parent's house for Christmas but haven't told them I'm pregnant yet so I had to do my last one quietly in our guest room.
Best. Christmas. Present. EVER.
But for now, it's all over and I'm so, so, so happy!! We're at my parent's house for Christmas but haven't told them I'm pregnant yet so I had to do my last one quietly in our guest room.
Best. Christmas. Present. EVER.
Ode to Charlie
I would be most ungrateful if I didn't dedicate an entire post to my amazing store manager, Charlie.
I don't have many personal heroes, but Charlie is definitely one of them. I will be (literally) eternally grateful for the opportunity he gave us to have a family. Have you read the post about my interview?! It was a disaster in so many ways, and yet he took a chance on me, a non-coffee drinker who had only ever eaten a chocolate croissant from Starbucks.
But Charlie's greatness doesn't end with the decision to hire me. He has been so supportive of this entire journey. I was very upfront with him from the beginning as to why I needed the job at Starbucks. He has been my cheerleader every step of the way. We opened the store together many times and it always gave us time to talk about our families and the challenges we both face.
Whenever I needed time off for procedures, Charlie always gave it to me, no questions asked.
When my availability changed 2 weeks into the job to be much less flexible, Charlie still made sure to schedule me 20 hours a week so I would qualify for benefits.
When I was having a rough day due to the shots, Charlie would make sure I had an easy shift assignment.
He made our store a fun place to come to and I think all of the employees felt that. I've been at jobs where most of the employees are unhappy and it's not fun. I honestly feel like everyone at my store enjoyed their job and enjoyed working with each other (99% of the time) and I know it's because Charlie took care in who he hired.
Besides being a great store manager, Charlie is a fantastic dad and provider for his family. He works multiple side jobs cleaning and buying & selling online so that his wife can stay home and take care of their adorable little girl (who looks just like him, it's crazy). In a world where families are being increasingly stretched and torn by outside influences, it's always neat to see someone who knows the value of their family and the importance of having parents who are present in their kids lives.
I don't have many personal heroes, but Charlie is definitely one of them. I will be (literally) eternally grateful for the opportunity he gave us to have a family. Have you read the post about my interview?! It was a disaster in so many ways, and yet he took a chance on me, a non-coffee drinker who had only ever eaten a chocolate croissant from Starbucks.
But Charlie's greatness doesn't end with the decision to hire me. He has been so supportive of this entire journey. I was very upfront with him from the beginning as to why I needed the job at Starbucks. He has been my cheerleader every step of the way. We opened the store together many times and it always gave us time to talk about our families and the challenges we both face.
Whenever I needed time off for procedures, Charlie always gave it to me, no questions asked.
When my availability changed 2 weeks into the job to be much less flexible, Charlie still made sure to schedule me 20 hours a week so I would qualify for benefits.
When I was having a rough day due to the shots, Charlie would make sure I had an easy shift assignment.
He made our store a fun place to come to and I think all of the employees felt that. I've been at jobs where most of the employees are unhappy and it's not fun. I honestly feel like everyone at my store enjoyed their job and enjoyed working with each other (99% of the time) and I know it's because Charlie took care in who he hired.
Besides being a great store manager, Charlie is a fantastic dad and provider for his family. He works multiple side jobs cleaning and buying & selling online so that his wife can stay home and take care of their adorable little girl (who looks just like him, it's crazy). In a world where families are being increasingly stretched and torn by outside influences, it's always neat to see someone who knows the value of their family and the importance of having parents who are present in their kids lives.
So here's to you, Charlie! Thanks for being a bomb dot com manager and life example.
Fancy Shots
We went out to dinner with two of Nate's sisters and their husbands to a fancy steakhouse in Charlotte. First, I will say it was totally delicious! Second, we sat at a table across from a bunch of LA Lakers players who were in town for a game the next day. We all just kept waiting for Lebron to walk in but sadly it never happened haha. Our hopes weren't too high since the other players there weren't the super high profile ones. We only knew it was them because Peter recognized one of the coaches and then Nate recognized one of the rookie players since he's a Lakers fan now.
Third, I asked for a glass with hot water to heat up my PIO and was brought a fancy little teacup instead. I was a little lost with how I should do it but Nate suggested heating up the medication before drawing it into the needle instead of after, and it worked like a charm!
Fourth, when I went to the bathroom to give the shot, the first one drew blood and when I pulled it out it was going everywhere! So I'm in a public bathroom trying to quickly grab some toilet paper to stop the bleeding while trying not to get the stream of blood on my dress or my tights and doing it all with one hand because I don't want to set down a dirty needle anywhere. Gosh, why can't things like that happen when I'm at my own house?!
Infertility Graduation
The day finally came that I graduated from the fertility clinic!! The doctor released me today and now I'm just like every other pregnant girl out there. I will still continue my PIO shots and estrogen patches for a few weeks but other than that, I'm good to go.
See you in a couple of years!
See you in a couple of years!
9 Weeks
I am anxiously awaiting our next ultrasound which will be on Wednesday. They said if this appointment goes well, they will probably release me to my OBGYN at that time. That's crazy! It's actually gone kind of fast...kind of.
I feel extremely lucky to report that so far I have not had any morning sickness or really any negative pregnancy symptoms! (knock on lots of wood...) I had one Saturday where I took 3 (THREE!) naps. It's possible apparently. And I've had a few days or hours where I've felt a little queasy, but really nothing to complain about. I keep waiting for it to hit but also praying it doesn't come and that maybe I'm a lucky one on this front! I could use a break after all this other stuff. I mean, I guess having to give yourself a shot everyday isn't exactly on the "easy" list, but it's gotten to the point where I don't dread it and besides some lumps and bumps in my rear, I'm generally pain free.
I haven't gained any weight but my pants are definitely tighter at the belly. I pee a lot and I am hungry all the time.
I feel extremely lucky to report that so far I have not had any morning sickness or really any negative pregnancy symptoms! (knock on lots of wood...) I had one Saturday where I took 3 (THREE!) naps. It's possible apparently. And I've had a few days or hours where I've felt a little queasy, but really nothing to complain about. I keep waiting for it to hit but also praying it doesn't come and that maybe I'm a lucky one on this front! I could use a break after all this other stuff. I mean, I guess having to give yourself a shot everyday isn't exactly on the "easy" list, but it's gotten to the point where I don't dread it and besides some lumps and bumps in my rear, I'm generally pain free.
I haven't gained any weight but my pants are definitely tighter at the belly. I pee a lot and I am hungry all the time.
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Signing Off...for now
It's been a crazy year and a half but it's time to say goodbye to this blog for now. I may post updates occasionally, but you know ...
