And the wait is over.

Negative beta.

I got the call this afternoon.

The girl called me "sweetie" when she asked for me.

They only use the term sweetie when they have bad news.

And it was bad.

And I cried.

And felt confused.

And cried some more.

And wondered why?

And wondered why not?

And cried just a little more.

But my tears are all gone, and I'm going to be okay.

I really will!

Because I still believe God has plans for expanding our family.

I still don't know how.  

Or when.

But I believe.

(ALL RIGHT FOLKS, IF YOU'RE HERE...YOU MIGHT AS WELL CATCH UP ON THE WHOLE STORY!  GO HERE AND START FROM THE BEGINNING!)

Still waiting...Kind of

I had the big stick this morning.

Yep, they drew blood.

And then I peed on a stick.

Shouldn't have done it.

Big Fat Negative.

:o(

I cried for about 30 minutes in my closet.

Then I dried my tears and came out.

Cuz, it Doesn't mean all is lost.

I still trust a big God!

And I still could be pregnant.

Read Jeremiah 29:11.

GO HERE FOR OVER.

Blood Test Monday!

So tomorrow is the big day!

Monday, December 19th, 2011...

The big blood draw.

Beta HCG.

And then a wait.

A LONG wait.

(okay, okay...it probably won't really be long.  it'll just feel like infinity plus 1!)

Keep those prayers coming!

So far it appears that there may be at least one bun in the oven!

GO HERE FOR WAITING!

Oh Cramps!

Today is one of those days in infertility you try and forget.

I've had cramps.

Not just minor ones, but "oh my!  that doesn't feel good!" cramps.

So I drank a glass of wine (or 2!) to help relax the ol' uterus.

And am praying.

And asking for your prayers!

We really, really want this last round of ivf to work.

SO stick, babies, stick!

Your family really wants to meet you!

GO HERE FOR BLOOD TEST!

Obsessing...

It's only been 3 days.

3 very long days.

And I am obsessing!

Searching the internet for early signs of pregnancy.

(Trying to see if I have any of them.) 

Every twinge.

Every ache.

Every...

It is going to be a very, very long 2 week wait.

Except...I am PREGNANT WITH HOPE!

GO HERE FOR OH CRAMPS!

Meet the Twins!

MEET THE TWINS!

Okay, so technically they are embryos.

And technically I'm not pregnant, yet.

But I figured out a way to show you who they transferred into me yesterday!

Keep praying!

I'll keep resting...

GO HERE FOR OBSESSING!

And the two week wait begins!

Today two beautiful embryos were transferred into "my belly", as JMonster says.

December 19th they will do a blood draw to test my beta HCG levels.

A day or two later we will know whether they "stuck"!

We are praying!

We are hopeful!

Won't you please pray for us, too?

(I have a wonderful picture of the embryos...however I have no scanner here in Dallas.  Will post it when I can!)

GO HERE FOR THE NEXT PART

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gobble!  Gobble!

This year Thanksgiving was at our house.  

I made:

a sourdough bread turkey

a cheese tray of assorted cranberry flavored cheeses

roasted whole organic chicken stuffed with wild rice dressing

organic mashed potatoes

organic mashed sweet potatoes

organic mixed greens with dried cranberries and organic carrots

fair trade chocolate chip meringue cookies

Pumpkin cheesecake with oreo crust

Our family brought:

turkey

baked brie in phyllo dough for the cheese tray

fruit salad

green bean and onion vinaigrette salad

yeast rolls

key lime freezer pie

Did you notice the organic and fair trade scattered throughout?

There's a post in there!

Hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, good food, and especially faith.

Blessings!

Swizz

Veggie bags...

So, as you know I'm not one to review things.

However...

I purchased some bags that are similar to these:

Except I bought them at the Dollar Tree!

Do they work? 

Um, I put a whole bunch of veggies in about 4 or 5 bags.

Forgot one cucumber so I left it on top of the bags.

All of the veggies look FRESH a week later.

The cuc?

A moldy mess!

I'm a believer!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

 From JMonster...the penguin!

Pinterest

Have you found pinterest?  I did...I wish I didn't. :o)  But I'm gonna pin my logo!  Feel free to pin it, too!

Okay...it won't recognize it.  Darn.

Any suggestions?

One last try...the final leg of our infertility journey

If you are new to our journey, go to that little tab at the top of the page marked My Infertility Journey.  Go on now, catch up!  We'll wait!

I'm not at home right now so I cannot post any pics.

Sorry!

And I'm working on a pc laptop that seems to jump all over the page.

frustrating

But that is not the big news.

The big news is that we are attempting our final FET cycle...that's frozen embryo transfer for all of you newbies.

Right now we are experiencing our mock month.

It's kind of like a practice month, but with lots of tests.

Did I mention that there are lots of tests?

Oh, and hormones.

LOTS of hormones.

The actual transfer should take place sometime in late November or early December.

I'll definitely keep y'all informed!

Will you pray for us?

I am nervous that it won't work.

I'm also nervous that it will.

Or that it will and we'll end up with twins! 

What we want is God's will.

That is sufficient.

GO HERE FOR THE NEXT PART

We've moved!

If you've been wondering where I've been...

Why I haven't been posting...

What life is like for me...

We moved!

(And I'm still homeschooling!  And am still a wife.  And a mom.  And...)

We're now leasing a home about 20 minutes from where we were.

It's not huge.

It's not small!

It is a perfect place for our family in this phase of our lives.

Maybe I'll post a pic or two when the boxes are cleaned out!

As I sit here at the computer, though, I look around and see a kitchen full of healthy foods.

I can hear The Rev watching a documentary in the living room.

I can picture Skipper sleeping on his pillow by the couch.
JMonster is asleep upstairs in his adorable penguin room.

(You DO remember he is obsessed with penguins, right!?!)

All is right with the world...

Meet Skipper!

I mentioned in my last post that JMonster is not allergic to dogs, right?

That meant, in his mind, we were getting a dog.

And he knew exactly which one!

When the doctor said he wasn't allergic, he leaned over and whispered in my ear,

"Mommy, can we stop at the horse barn on the way home and get the cocker spaniel?"

We didn't.

But not long after...we did!

And after much debate about names, we have SKIPPER!

Named after one of the penguins in Penguins of Madagascar.

Because JMonster is obsessed with penguins, remember?

Here is Skipper!

He is 2 years old and a rescue dog.

We've had him neutered and a cherry eye removed.

He is a sweetie and a fabulous addition to our family!

Welcome Skipper!

JMonster's Food Allergy Update

After the big cookie fiasco we made an appointment with a local allergist.

We have wanted to take JMonster to an allergist for a couple of years, but it was going to cost thousands of dollars so we put it off.

With our new insurance it only cost $15.

whew!

The results?

JMonster is SEVERELY allergic to peanuts now.

(He had been at the moderate level.)

He is now moderate to severe for walnuts and pecans.

(He had been slightly allergic.)

The good news?

He is NOT allergic to dogs!

(although cats are about the same as peanuts...go figure!)

Just take the picture Mommy!  And no, I don't need a haircut!

Food Allergy Lethargy: A not so gentle reminder

Today was a bad day.

It was also a good day.

It had the possibility of being a tragic day.

After church this morning, JMonster asked if he could have a cookie.

"I don't know, buddy.  I'm not sure what's in them."

So we asked.

And I gave.

One plain Oreo.  One mint fudge covered Oreo.

We then left and went to Chuy's for lunch.

mmmm...Chuy's

While we were there JMonster started complaining about a tummy ache.

REALLY complaining.

So I took him to the bathroom.

(It didn't help.)

We got back to the table just as our food was served.

He moaned.

He groaned.

He said he felt horrible.

So...what do you do?  

I asked the waitress to bring us boxes and we packed up our food and went home.

When we got home he got restless.

Very restless.

He wouldn't eat.

He started crying...HARD.

My sister came home and tried to listen to his breathing.

Sounded clear.

The Doc came home and felt his belly.

Felt all right.

Went to give him some tummy meds and he started sneezing.

SO I gave him some Benadryl.

In the meantime his face turned red.

His cheeks got swollen.

He started sneezing uncontrollably.

He was wheezing, and crying, and snotting, and swelling.

(My poor baby!)

We sat and snuggled for a bit.

He started to itch.

HIVES!

ALL OVER!

After about 30 minutes it all calmed down a bit.

(I didn't!)

His rash stayed around, but his nose and face got much better.

It took awhile to dawn on me...the cookies.

SO I looked up the mint Oreos.

Manufactured in a plant that also processes peanuts and tree nuts.

And he is now asleep in my bed.

There because I'm fearful he will start to react again, because they can you know.

So this is your reminder:

Don't let them eat ANYTHING 

you don't know  

for a fact 

is safe.

I was lucky today.

Next time I might not be.

Thank. You. God.

Off to Atlanta!

Once again, life got in the way of posting.

The Doc lost his Dad suddenly.

We've all been sick.

Lots. of. Tears.

But today.

Today we fly to ATLANTA!

To see old friends.

To try and sell our house.

Did you think we sold it?  Guess again!  Y'all need to be praying harder for us! :O)

Have fun in my absence!

Fierce RACCOON Trapper?

I have a friend who is a fierce Beaver trapper.

Don't believe me?

Go read about it for yourself!

I, on the other hand, am a fierce raccoon trapper.

I didn't set out that way.

In fact, I set out to be a fierce armadillo trapper.

Darn those armadillos!

They dig up flower beds.

They root in the yard.

They dig under fences.

They are a menace!

So, The Doc borrowed a trap from a friend.

We baited it.

Something ate the bait through the bars.

We baited it again.

This is what we found when we looked the next day:

He was so cute!

And so tired.

We just had to let him go!

We covered the trap, propped the door open and waited for him to run out.  I only turned my head for ONE second and drat I missed the winning shot.  It would have been good, too.

Run, Racoon, Run!

Go find your Momma!

Now back to becoming a fierce armadillo trapper!

You wish you were here!

 Don't be jealous!  It's tough living in paradise...

And the Pediatrician Says...

Yesterday was my turn at the doc.

(by the way, that shot in my shoulder is uber achey today!)

Today was JMonster's.

Except, he had to go because he's sick...poor little guy!

He's been junky and not acting like himself.

Napped.

Skipped meals.

Cried over little things.

Skipped a POOL PARTY!

Thank goodness our pediatrician's office is open on Saturday!

Ear infection and sinus infection.

"I'm sick, aren't I Momma?"

"Yes, Buddy, you are sick."

"See?  I told y'all I'm sick!"

as he runs off to go play with his cousins.

Kids are so resilient!

Why can't I be?

And the Doctor Says...

Went to the doctor today.

Other than an emergent trip a few months ago, I haven't been since we moved here.

Oops!

Did I mention I have white coat syndrome?

Especially with new docs?

I know, I know...I live with a doc.

Maybe it's because of The Doc.

That's another post.

So, the new doc says I have tendonitis in both shoulders.

He gave me some good drugs to help.

He thinks I have a Vitamin D deficiency.

(Really!?!  I was in the sun ALL SUMMER!)

He drew blood to find out.

I have arthritis.

Not RA, but old fashioned you did too many sports, arthritis.

He made me get a tetanus shot.

Ouch!

I gotta say...

I really like this new guy!

He's funny.

He's smart.

And he spent almost 45 minutes with me.

Have you EVER had a doctor spend that much time with you?

Livingston, Montana...first edition

IN rhyme...

A double rainbow

 And bunnies and birds

 Friends new and old

 There just aren't words.

 A sasquatch prank...

 

Doing the plank!

 

 Not in a tree...

Boy are we goofy!

Homeschooling...Gearing up!

Whew, it has been a summer!

I taught lessons.

I taught more lessons.

We went to Montana.

(I smell a post a coming!)

We put the house on the market.

(I'll share more about that in another post!)

I turned 39.  

And am feeling every bit as old as I am. 

Johnny's aunt passed and we spent time with family in Dallas.

And now we are gearing up for homeschool.

With my sister.

And her 3 kiddos.

yep!

You heard that right!

The biggest opponent of me homeschooling has changed sides and will be homeschooling.

Tomorrow we head to our Classical Conversations orientation.

(I'll write more about Classical Conversations in a separate post.)

Then a week in Atlanta.

(Anyone wanna get together?)

Labor Day.

Then HOMESCHOOL!

We cannot wait...

Swimming Lessons to END!

I know, I know.

I'm posting this and no one is out there.

I've been gone a tad tooooo loooooong.

Oh well.

Mom, my swimming lessons end FRIDAY!

After that I will be back!

And boy do I have a lot to share.

Oh No You Didn't!

JMonster has Sensory Integration Dysfunction,

We all know that, right?

It includes aversions to smells, sounds, tastes, and especially to textures in food.

This evening we tried a yummy new recipe at dinner!

Cucumber and avocado soup.

Mmmm....

Except, when JMonster tried it he GAGGED. 

We didn't force the issue.

He's actually thrown up at the table before.

So we told him we'd get him something else.

In the meantime, his Aunt M got up and fixed all of the kiddos tortillas with melted cheese.

He didn't want melted cheese.

He argued.

He whined.

His uncle, the Doc told him he might as well stop cuz he wasn't going to win this battle.

A few minutes later, as JMonster is sulking, his cousin A says he wants another.

So The Rev hands JMonster's to him and is just getting up to fix JMonster something else when JMonster says, "Well, I guess I won that battle!"

Yep, you guessed it.  He was sent to his room.  No dessert.  

And he was lucky...The Rev was FURIOUS!

Later I asked him why he said that.  His response?

"I thought I did!"

Boy, I know you didn't!

This one's for Mom!

The only person (I know of) who reads my blog, faithfully, EVERY DAY is my mother.

And she mentioned recently she's tired of seeing the same post at the top of the blog.

So, this one is for YOU Mom!

What have we been up to?

Cousin Camp.

I'll post about that one when I get the pics downloaded.

Teaching Swimming.

Do you really want to hear about that?  Didn't think so.

JMonster started music lessons.

Pretty cool!  He's learning to read music, play guitar, play piano, and...basic music appreciation.

And we attended a semi-pro baseball game.

Once again, I'll post about that when I download the pics!

All in all we are having a great summer!  

As happens every summer, though, I am a PRISONER OF SUMMER 

and have very little time (and desire, if I am honest!) to post daily.  

I think the sun drains my brain of necessary energy for coming up with anything creative.

(Did I mention I have around 400 posts to read in my Google Reader?  And there is NO WAY I can do all of that, make any comments, and stay sane.  Just might have to "mark all as read" and be done with it.  What do you think?)

TTFN!

Swimmer's Ear!

Poor JMonster has had swimmer's ear for almost 10 days.

He's been on 2 different meds.

(Did you know one tiny bottle of ear drops could cost $130?)

Had ear wicks.

(They look like tiny little tampons...for the ear!)

Had blood coming out of his ear.

(Ewww!!!)

And had to avoid swimming.

He is finally on the mend and we pray he NEVER gets it again!

In a few more days he'll be back to swimming.

And getting swim drops after every time in the pool.

Disappointment

Nobody likes disappointment.

Nobody.

We all have our share, but today...today I am very disappointed.

We have a family member who has made a very, very unwise choice.

A very unkind choice.

A choice obviously based on not enough thought and prayer.

A choice that has implications beyond what they must have imagined.

And what makes it even harder, to me at least, is that the choice is being made by a Christian, against another Christian (a FAMILY member, no less), and goes against everything the Bible says.

My heart knows that we are called to forgive 70 times 7.

And I am trying.

I'm just disappointed.

And praying.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

I received this in the form of an email.  I've cleaned it up for this post, and hope you all will want to pass it along!

The Constitution is not an instrument for  the government to restrain the people, it is an  instrument for the people to restrain the  government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests . 

- Patrick Henry - 

Congressional Reform Act of 2011 

1. No Tenure / No Pension. 

 A Congressman collects a salary while in  office and receives no pay when they are out of office. 

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. 

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose. 

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do. 

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. 

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people. 

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. 

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. 

 The American people did not make this  contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made  all these contracts for themselves. Serving  in Congress is an honor, not a  career. The Founding Fathers envisioned  citizen legislators, so ours should serve their  term(s), then go home and back to work. 

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc. 

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure. 

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!

Where have I been?

The last few days have been...not my best.

I caught a "summer cold".

It started while I was sitting in the chair at the hair salon getting my hair highlighted for the first time.

Took a pic with the good ol' Mac.

Pic is awful.

My hair does look great, though!

 

Why didn't I do this sooner!?!

All of this in the midst of starting swimming lessons for the summer!

And I'm off to bed.

Before 9pm.

really.

Colonial Golf Tournament

Growing up, my family had a tradition of attending the Colonial Golf Tournament.

Every May we would pack our lunch, our chairs, our bug spray, our binoculars, and our badges, and head to Colonial Country Club.

Our parents had friends who lived 2 doors down from one of the entrances and they let us park in their driveway.  A sweet deal!

Right inside the gate was the 14th green.

Every year my parents and my mother's mother (Grandma) would sit under a tree right there at the 14th green.

The tree was great for shade (remember, it was May in TEXAS!).

It was also great to warn of stray balls.  

You could hear them crashing through the branches and leaves and it gave you time to duck!

Us kids would sit there with our parents and Grandma until we were so antsy we couldn't stand it.

Then we'd wander the course.

Or follow a golfer.

This year my brother-in-law Chris is getting to attend the tournament.

He took a picture of "the tree".

It will always remind me of my grandmother, my parents, and my childhood.

No "Normal" human could do that!

Over Christmas my mom did a little mini-experiment with JMonster. She took M&M's and put them in hot water. The darn little M's floated right to the top of the water! (And, no he didn't get to touch them!  Food allergies stink!) So, my little cutie decided this week to make his OWN science experiment. He took some of his Easter candy (Skittles and crabby patties) and put THEM in water. Left them over night. Ewww...I know! The next day he takes The Rev's hand and says, "Daddy, I need to show you something.  What you are about to see no normal human can do!" "What?  So you're not a normal human?"

"NO, Daddy!  I'm a SCIENTIST!"

Yep, my little JMonster is a scientist.

Amazon reminder!

Shameless, I know!

Every once in awhile I will just remind you to use that cute little box over there.

It doesn't cost you any more to go through there (or use THIS LINK) than it would.  

Book mark the Amazon link so you can get to it easier.

Go ahead, we'll wait!

And remember...it helps me out!

Some of you are already doing so and I THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

Now the rest of you get to buying!

Side effects of Allegra

JMonster's allergies have been HORRIBLE lately.

Just terrible!

 

His nose is junky and his eczema is flaring up.

Poor guy.

He usually takes Zyrtec, Singulair, and Flonase every day.

We decided we'd try Allegra.

Why not?

He's been on Zyrtec since he was 2...maybe he's immune to it now.

The switch has been insanity!

He is over the top hyperactive.

Unable to focus.

Eyes wide and VERY bright.

Oh, Lord, please get me a glass of wine and a xanax type of behavior.

(I mean for me, not him!)

Not sure how long we will let this experiment last.

It took about 2 weeks for things to settle down when we started Singulair.

What was that in your helmet?

A bird got trapped in the garage this week.

Today my sister came and got me out of the house and took me to the garage.

"You've GOT to see this!"

She pointed at JMonster's bike helmet hanging on the wall.

See the long piece of grass hanging out?

Yep, you guessed it!

That darn bird built a nest!

Must have used the leaves and grass from the floor of the garage.

(Yep, it's time to clean the garage!)

Good thing there weren't any eggs in it...

Telling your child about The Easter Bunny (& Santa & The Tooth Fairy)

5 years old and knows too much!

 

 

Today was the day.

JMonster wouldn't be put off when he asked.

"Is the Easter Bunny REAL?"

We've never lied to him.

We've just been very good at deflecting his questions.

"Look, Buddy, it's a giant spider!"

But today, his persistence won.

JMonster has joined the ranks of adults.

He now knows...

And my heart is breaking just a little for the loss of that magic.

And I'm also sighing in relief.

No more hiding!

So, do your kiddos still believe?

How did you tell them?

Funny things JMonster says

We went camping for the Easter weekend with our church group.  

(I promise to post about it later!)

The bathrooms near our campsite were under construction so there were port a potties outside.

When we went to use the restroom and saw another person reading the signs on the restroom doors, JMonster announces,
"Those bathrooms are broken, but the half baths over there are okay for you to use."

A new spin on a portable restroom.

Half bath.

Almost makes it bearable!

HAPPY EASTER!

HAPPY EASTER!

Prayers that your day was filled with thoughts of...

His sacrifice

The depth of his blessing as he descended into hell

And the love that overcame the grave!

He is ALIVE!

Nature photos...a la SWIZZ!

All photos unedited.  As if you couldn't already tell that!