A Special Surprise...

Yesterday my DH and I received a box with a sweet note from my Mother (aka, my grandmother). It read:

Lianna and David...I won this at Bunco the other night and thought of you two. Keep the good thoughts and faith. Love you- Mother

And inside the box was this...

And I couldn't wait to find the PERFECT place for it in our home...





Thank you Mother! This meant the world to us...we do have faith and we know that nothing is impossible for our God!

Becoming Pregnant...

We have had a MAGNIFICENT day today!! We started our morning with prayer...praising God for all the good things he's done for us....the success of my DH's surgery, the opportunity to have an IUI, my reaction to clomid. And then we prayed some more...that my womb would be opened, that our eggs would be fertilized, that my lining would support a healthy implantation, and for the child that will soon be ours.

I even wrote down three verses on a piece of paper and prayed over them as we were in the doctor's office...

Romans 15:13~~"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Hebrews 10:23~~ "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful."

Galatians 6:9~~ "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

I am STILL overwhelmed with the peace and confidence that I feel today...it is such a blessing. I decided to take the rest of the day off to just relax and enjoy becoming pregnant.

Blessed Beyond Measure...

We had our Cycle Day 14 ultrasound appointment today and I must say...

I feel BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE!!!

Our follicles measured at 23 mm, 20 mm, 16 mm, and 15 mm. But wait...we had a BONUS egg today, one that we didn't even know existed, and it measures 13 mm. The doctor is primarily looking at the three mature eggs, but you never know, the others might catch up by insemination. My lining is still 7 mm and looking good! I got an HCG shot today because I still hadn't ovulated on my own. So we will return to the doctor's office in the morning for the insemination.

I just feel differently this cycle...I'm not sure if it is because of all the experience we have from our four previous treatments, or the closeness I feel to my God, or the peace that has overcome me...but I truly believe with all my heart and soul that THIS is THE TIME! This feeling is indescribable.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers...and specifically that God will open my womb and bless us with a successful pregnancy and a healthy baby. Our appointment is tomorrow, Wednesday, at 7:00 a.m.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful." ~ Hebrews 10:23

Appointment Update...

We had our Cycle Day 12 ultrasound appointment today and everything looked GREAT!!!

We had FOUR follicles (eggs) that measured 16 mm, 15 mm, 12 mm, and 10 mm. The way I look at it is that we had half the number of eggs with Clomid as we did with each of our IVF's---at one tenth of the price!! The doctor was mainly interested in the larger follicles...the 16mm and the 15 mm follicles. My lining measured 7 mm and the doctor said that was perfect. He told me to continue to use the ovulator predictors and call the office as soon as I have my surge. I suspect that I'll be surging either tonight or tomorrow morning...so please continue to keep praying for us.

We are so hopeful that this time will be His time.

Choosing God...

My DH met up with some friends from college last night to watch football at a local restaurant. Around 8:00 he sent me a text message that said...."Guess who is sitting next to me that I just said hello to!" My first thought is that he is sitting next to some FAMOUS person or celebrity...maybe a Jaguar football player or something. So I write him back and tell him that I don't have a clue and to please tell me. I waited about 30 minutes and then my curiosity got the best of me, so I called him. I couldn't help but get tickled to hear that the "famous" person I suspected was none other than our RE!!!! My DH saw our doctor having dinner with this two daughters and went up to him to say hello and to tell him that we would be seeing him Sunday!!!

Coincidence? or God?

I'll choose God.

"May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You."

~ Psalm 33:22

Mean and HOT!

Today is cycle day 8 and I took my last dose of Clomid. YEAH!

So far, the two side effects that I have felt the most are mood swings and hot flashes!! The mood swings aren't so bad...I needed to be a little more firm, direct, and forward---to be honest, I think I have been just MEAN :) On the other hand, the hot flashes are OUT OF CONTROL!!! Out of no where I am sweating like a plump pig in a sauna and it seems that there is nothing I can do to cool off. I have been waking up in the middle of the night with my hair soaking wet! Needless to say, I've changed our sheets three times in the last 6 days.

The next step in our journey will be our cycle day 12 ultrasound appointment on Sunday. We are so anxious to see how many follicles I have growing inside of me.

We're continuing to pray that our dream will soon come true!

"Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished."~ Luke 1:45

Hope...

Today at church I heard one of the BEST sermons EVER!! Pastor Russ talked to us about HOPE...what it means, why we should have it, and where we can find it in the Bible. I left the sermon feeling rejuvenated, inspired, and FULL of HOPE!

We first learned the difference between faith and hope. Faith is affirming something that you already know is true. For example, I have faith that God loves me...I know that's true. On the other hand, hope is believing in something that you don't have yet (key word...YET). For example, I have hope that one day we will become parents.

Pastor Russ gave us so many verses to read and study today...but I'll give you the ones that really touched my heart the most.

Romans 8:20-30

"...for if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently."

"...and the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."

This verse is SO powerful to me!!

Romans 15:13

"So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in Him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."

This verse confirms for me that although I have gone through the pain, frustrations, and disappointments of not having a child, He will see me THROUGH it. And He will give me peace as I continue to hope for that moment.

Genesis 41:50-52

"During this t ime, two sons were born to Joseph and his wife. Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said 'God has made me forget all my troubles.' Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said 'God has made me fruitful in this land during my suffering.' "

So although Jospeh had faced adversity over and over again, the birth of his sons made his suffering worth the wait. He also realized that God helped him during his suffering...not AFTER his suffering, but during.

I know many of us taking the journey through infertility have experienced moments of dissapointment, fright, and helplessness...but we must continue to pray that one day God will bless us with the babies we have hoped for.

Back to School SUCCESS!!!

I decided that I needed to put my big girl pants on and tackle the Back to School shopping again today. So, with a lot of prayer and a little determination, I took off!!!

I didn't want to spend a lot of money because our money needs to go towards paying for our IUI. So I decided to hit up some of the cheaper stores...Kohl's, TJMaxx, and Marshalls. I can ALWAYS find great deals and adorable clothes at these places IF I'm in the mood to take the time to LOOK through the tons of clothes...especially when they are ALL just thrown EVERYWHERE!!!

Here are a few of my finds...

This bubble-sleeve sheath dress from Kohl's is so cute---I especially love the sleeves. AND I picked up a $3 bracelet that matches the greens and purples in the dress.

This animal print dress REALLY makes my waist look small because of the knot center. I actually bought three more of these dresses, but in different colors and different prints. You can't have too many of a good thing :)

This picture does NOT do this dress justice. It is my FAVORITE buy of today...for $15.99. I'll have to take a picture of myself in it...because it really is flattering.

The top just makes this dress...it's a zebra print with a little bit of ruffles on the buttons. Don't let my pictures fool ya...this one is my FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL outfit :)

I REALLY wish I could have found a picture of this top online...because once again, my amatuer picture taking does not show how adorable this top is. I LOVE the little ruffles on the sleeves and I think this will work with some black slacks and black heels.

And this is my STEAL of the day...this skirt was only $4.99!! It is SO comfortable and I couldn't beat the price.

I spent roughly $250 and bought at least 25 outfits. So I would say that my Back to School shopping was definitely a SUCCESS!!

Show Us Your Life...Favorite Vacation Spot!!

I am participating in Kelly's Show Us Your Life...Favorite Vacation Spot Edition! So after you've taken a look at MY favorite vacation location, please go to her link and check out the rest...you may just find a great place to take a much needed vacation :)

I would have to say that traveling to Maui for our honeymoon was pretty spectacular, but the Virgin Islands was pretty PHENOMENAL too!!!

My DH and I went to the Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands for a week with some of our friends. What made the trip so special was that one of our friends has his captain's license. So we rented a boat and he was able to drive us to all the islands...how cool is that??? Here is a pic of the SWEET boat we called home for seven days...

And CHECK OUT THAT WATER!!!!

We literally would go from island to island, attach the boat to a mooring ball, and spend the night in one of the cays.

We would take out the boat's dingy to the islands to explore, snorkel, or just to take a little ride...

We visited MANY restaurants/bars on the trip...

This was a cool place that had the BEST view of the water from your own little tiki hut. But nothing could beat the Soggy Dollar Bar.

You literally would have to anchor your boat in the cay and then swim to the island to hang out at the bar. Sooooo, all your money would be soaking wet...hence, the Soggy Dollar :)

Overall it was one of the MOST relaxing vacations we have EVER been on. I highly recommend it!

Our Garden is Surely Growing...

I just wanted to thank all of you for your sweet comments on my last post...it was a rough day, but I made it through :)

Here is a quick update on our journey through infertility and growing our own garden...

1. Cycle Day 1 was yesterday, so I'll be starting the Clomid on Friday.

2. We also decided to have acupuncture with this cycle and my first appointment is also on Friday.

3. I set our 12 day ultrasound appointment and we'll be going to see the doctor on Sunday, August 23...so send prayers our way for that day. If you like to pray at specific times, our appointment is at 7:00 a.m. (a little earlier, but most of you will be up and getting ready for church).

4. And last but not least, I took a sneak peek at the seeds my best friend Tedra gave me (read this post if you don't know about the seeds). Take a look at what I saw...

I am hopeful that our garden is surely growing!!!

Back to School Breakdown...

I decided to do a little back to school shopping the other day...yes, since I am an Assistant Principal, I an STILL entitled to purchase new clothes for the start of a new school year :)

But, as soon as I walked into the mall I was overwhelmed...not by the prices of the clothes or the large crowd of shoppers...but overwhelmed because of WHO was shopping...mothers and their children.

I have GREAT memories of school shopping with my mom...picking out a variety of clothes and shoes, sharing the dressing room with my mom as she helped me decide what looked good and what didn't, and then coming home to lay out all of my clothes and decide what outfit I would wear on the FIRST day :)

I know this may sound silly because normally those of us going through infertility have breakdowns when we see other pregnant people, hear about friends getting pregnant, or when we go to baby showers, but I SERIOUSLY had to turn around and leave the mall.

I want to experience school shopping with my child. I want to help him/her pick out clothes and get excited about what he/she will wear on the first day of kindergarden.

So needless to say, I'll have to finish my back to school shopping another day because this wanna-be momma had a Back to School Breakdown :(

Needles or NO???

The DH and I are contemplating doing acupuncture with this next cycle. I have read a lot of research on the impact of having acupuncture while trying to conceive. Articles like these...

Acupuncture and Infertility and Acupuncture and Pregnancy

We did do acupuncture when we had our second IVF treatment and I must admit that I was EXTREMELY calm, at peace, and just absolutely RELAXED. For those of you that know me, this was a MIRACLE...I am so wired and uptight most of the time.

So my questions are...did you do acupuncture with your treatments? Have you heard anything negative with having acupuncture during treatments?

I am SERIOUSLY leaning towards trying it again, but I'm curious to see what all you readers have to say...

By the way, if you haven't stopped by my other blog...Be Thou a Knight...please check out the awesome Giveaway I have going on...deadline for entries is this Thursday!

Is Our Plan His Plan?

The DH and I went to our appointment today and sat down with our RE to make a plan about what we should do next in our journey to have a baby.

We left the appointment on CLOUD NINE!!

Our doctor felt confident that performing an IUI with clomid next cycle would be our best bet. Now that the DH had the varicoscele surgery, his numbers, in our doctor's opinion, look GREAT (and that was at 4 months after the surgery)!! So he is expecting the DH's numbers to increase even MORE now that it has been 6 months.

Now keep in mind, we will proceed with this plan IF I have another cycle. Or it might be HIS plan that we are already pregnant on our own right now.

Either way...please keep us in your prayers...we SO want to be parents.

Sowing Seeds...

Tomorrow is a big day for the DH and I...we have an appointment with our RE to make a plan on what our next step will be in our journey through infertility. We are both so excited (and very anxious) to hear what our options are and what God has planned for us.

I don't think it was a coincidence that before my best friend, Tedra, left to go back to Houston this past weekend, that she left behind a very special gift for me. This is what she gave me before she left...

Seeds.

But not just ANY seeds. These seeds were blessed and prayed over. She told me that she wanted me to pray over these seeds myself and plant them...because "whoever sows generously will also reap generously."~2 Corinthians 9:6

I can't think of anything sweeter...afterall, she has been my #1VBF for over 25 years for a reason. I am so very blessed.

My plan is to come home after our appointment tomorrow, pray over these seeds, and plant them in a very special place.

Please keep us in your prayers tomorrow...

"And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought. And you will be like a watered garden." ~Isaiah 58:11