Summer of Firsts.......

You would think with it being summer I would have more time to write, but for some reason this summer has come and gone quicker than previous ones.  Every time I want to write or I have a thought it is either 2 o’clock in the morning or I am just plain lazy!! 

With that being said, I have so much floating in my head I don’t even know where to start.  My goal is to write an entry for my blog every day this week (please don’t hold me to this, ha)!!  There have been so many things that I have wanted to share.  So hold on to you reading glasses…..here we go…………

          This summer has been a summer of firsts for our family.  It is our first summer in our new house. It is the first summer that I have worked. It is the first summer that I have been pregnant (thank goodness for air conditioning). It is the first summer that Kaylee has been at an age to do some pretty remarkable accomplishments.  With all these “firsts” come new surprises that we were not anticipating, but are enjoying.  Who knew that walking down to our beach would bring so much simplicity and joy to our family? After a long HOT day at work the greatest pleasure it to watch my daughter and her daddy fish off our dock.  Watching Kaylee grow into this beautiful young girl is the most amazing thing as a parent.  She amazes me daily.  She has overcome her fear of bike riding and she has now mastered jumping off our dock into the water. She has had many wonderful adventures with cousins, grandparents, and friends. She is loving her new role as being the Big Sister. She is as proud as any five year old could be with her new role in our family. 

With all these joyous firsts in our family there are some firsts that I am looking forward to getting rid of after these beautiful babes are born.  I miss being able to pick up Kaylee and hugging her whenever I want to. It is hard to look at her big brown eyes and tell her I can’t get on the floor to do a puzzle with her. She understands, but doesn’t at the same time. I can see in her little eyes she has so many questions.  She know mommy isn’t sick, but doesn’t understand why I can’t do everything I use to be able to do with her.

 It is so hard for me to sit and relax, especially when others around me are working.  Poor Chad, has been working to the bone this summer.  He has taken on the role of Mr. Mom as well as doing all the outdoor work for our family.  My dr. has given me strict orders to not even carry a laundry basket. Of course that sounded great for about a week, and then I started feeling helpless.  For those of you that know me…I do like things in order and clean.  It is so hard for me to watch others do things for you.  I have had to rely on my mom and mother-in-law to help with laundry and basic cleaning.  I cannot express how much I appreciate all of Chad’s hard work and dedication this summer. There have been many times when he has come up from doing a load of laundry and I am just sitting there crying because I feel so helpless and useless.  This happened just the other day and Chad came up to me and hugged me as I cried.  He looked at me and said, “You are not helpless or useless. You are doing the biggest job of all. You are growing our two beautiful girls……….” Of course my cry immediately turned into a hysterical snot-dripping cry!!! He made me feel at peace with my “job”. 

It has been hard watching many of my friends go out and have fun this summer. Don’t get me wrong…I am not complaining, but I do get down sometimes when I see or read about my friends being so active. I just can’t do a lot of activity.  It does get lonely.  Just last night I told Chad that I wished I could walk the art fairs or I wish I didn’t get so tired so I could go out with friends at night.  I am so fortunate to have some really great friends that have come over to just “sit” with me. We as a family have been so blessed with great friends who we know we can count on for the simplest of things. 

Being pregnant in the dead of summer has been a first I will be happy to be done with!! Ha!! I think our air conditioning has been working over time. There has been more than one occasion that Chad has worn a sweatshirt in the house because I have the air on so high.  Oh well!!! J I have had so many people ask how I have been doing….to be honest I can’t complain!!  Of course, I have sore hips, stretch marks that I want gone, aching feet, bruised ribs, but all is worth it when I am holding my two precious angels.  I love singing to my girls while I am driving to work in the morning. I love when Kaylee grabs a book and reads to her baby sisters.  I love when Chad comes and talks to his girls. I love hanging their itty-bitty clothes up in the nursery. I have been trying to soak every minute up of this pregnancy.  We have waited so long to be where we are in our journey. 

This summer of firsts has been so memorable and I know it will only get better with our growing family.  It is hard to believe that in just two short months we will go from a family of three to a family of five.  Wow!!! 



We had fun with our maternity photo shoot. Thank you Stephanie Zyga
for these great pics.



 

Quick update

I just wanted to share that we had our 22 week check up and ultrasound last Friday.  It was exciting because we were able to take Kaylee into the ultrasound room with us.  I loved watching her face light up when she saw her sisters on the big tv monitor. 
We have ultrasounds every few weeks, but it never gets old looking at them inside my womb.  At one point of the ultrasound the babies were face to face reaching out to one another. Almost like they were trying to hug each other.  Tears just streamed down my face.  It is a beautiful thing watching these two grow. 
Both babies are healthy and their weight is right where it needs to be. I will be having a c-section in October, because I have placenta previa (the placenta is covering the cervix). 
I am feeling great and enjoying my summer with Chad and Kaylee.  It is hard to imagine in just three short months we will be a family of five.
Chad has just been so wonderful to me during this pregnancy.  It is so cute to watch him be so concerned not only for me, but for the twins.  He is constantly asking if I am okay (almost to the point of being annoying).  He worries so much about all of us.  He is such a good daddy!  I am so blessed and lucky to have found a man that values and loves family. 

Thoughts..........

I titled this blog as I did, because I feel my thoughts have been all over the place during the past few weeks.  As soon as I want to sit down and write I am quickly side tracked with something more important.  I have been reading a book about infertility and the stories that some of these woman/couples have gone through make our story look like a fairy tale. 

“Infertility is about so much more than the inability to conceive. It can rock a woman's very foundations -- her sense of control over her own future, her faith in her own body, and her feelings about herself as a woman. It can result in a loss of innocence, as a woman finds herself on the wrong side of the statistics. Suddenly, bad things don't just happen to other people. Despite all her efforts, she is unable to achieve the experience that many women see as a birthright. Pregnancy likely cannot be achieved except with substantial medical help, and may very well never be achieved at all.
If a pregnancy finally does occur, it can be difficult for a woman who has experienced infertility to view herself as just another pregnant woman. The long-desired pregnancy may not be the joyous experience she has dreamed about. The experience of infertility brings its own baggage to a pregnancy: grief for previous losses; anxiety; and fear that her body, unable to conceive on its own, may not be able to carry a pregnancy.” –From Our Bodies Ourselves
Women who conceive after a loss and/or infertility often have similar experiences during pregnancy. If you, like me, have suffered from such a loss, you may experience one or many of the following:

• Feeling different from other pregnant women.
  One woman says, “Other than brief spurts, I couldn't get excited until the very end, and even that was guarded. I've had friends who've seemed to go through pregnancies with an air of expectation that everything will work out, and I'm envious of the joy they seem to have had. I felt like all the commercials and cards out there about the joys of pregnancy were written for someone other than me. It made me feel defective a bit, that I couldn't get into fully loving being pregnant, even though my pregnancy was easy.” On our last ultrasound we discovered that my hematoma was finally gone. That was such a relief for me. I felt like I could finally start enjoying being pregnant.
• Feeling like you don't belong.
  I sometimes feel like the average pregnant woman can’t understand my feelings, yet I feel uncomfortable talking about my pregnancy with my infertile friends who are still undergoing treatments.
• Obsessing over pregnancy symptoms, symptoms of miscarriage, or preterm labor. Chad has told me more than once to stop reading horror stories that I find online.  I have a hard time watching anything on the television that is about high-risk pregnancies. 
• Desiring more appointments and ultrasounds, or wanting to rent a home Doppler for reassurance that the baby is still alive.  Yes, if I could buy a home Doppler I would so we could see our little ones on the screen every night before going to bed.  On days we have ultrasounds my stomach is in knots. I am terrified that something is going to be wrong. 
• Fear of preparing for a birth, buying maternity clothes, people making items for the babies, or purchasing baby items so as not to “jinx” a pregnancy. This is one that Chad and I have both struggled with.  It is so hard to get excited because we have been let down so many times in the past.  I have had some friends and family members ask if they could throw me a baby shower and I feel so guilty about it.  I feel guilty for one, because I already have a child. Two, I feel like I have let so many people down along this journey that I don’t feel deserving. 

The emotional effects of infertility needn't doom a much-wanted pregnancy to a joyless experience. There are ways to ameliorate the doom and gloom expectations that years of repeated failures have led us to expect.  Here are some ways that Chad and I have been able relax and feel happy about.

• Most importantly, get support throughout your pregnancy.
  With roughly 10% of couples experiencing infertility in the United States, there are many women (and men) who are experiencing the same feelings as we are/were. We have learned to be open about our journey.  It has led us to find that we are not alone. Some of our closest friends have gone through similar situations. We are also finding that people appreciate our honesty.  We could not do this without the support of our family and friends. My weekly calls from my parents have been a lifesaver.  My relationship with my daughter is so beautiful and deep.  My relationship with Chad is indescribable. We are who we are as a couple because of the bond we have shared. We don't expect anyone to understand our relationship. Just know it is stronger and there is so much love between us becuase of this journey.                                                                                                                       I am not embarrassed about what I have had to go through to become pregnant. I am proud that the medical world has created this opportunity for myself and other woman/couples.  I will talk to anyone about infertility issues that will listen to me (I actually have 2 speaking engagements this fall that I am super excited about).  There are so many negative stereotypes out there and it is very sad to hear people’s comments or reactions when I tell them what we had to go through.  I am much more vocal than Chad (like you didn’t already know that, ha).  He has been much more open in the last year and he is finding that it is better to let his emotions out than to bottle them in (I think a lot has to do on how we were both raised very differently when it comes to sharing emotions).  We have felt so loved throughout this pregnancy.  The phone calls, dinners, help around the house, etc…the list goes on and on.  We have definitely realized who we can count on.  We are truly blessed.
• Be prepared for questions about how you got pregnant.
  Since we are having twins we get the questions a lot.  Did you conceive naturally? Are they fraternal/identical? Did you use treatments? Relatives, friends and even perfect strangers have asked whether we have done IVF or if we used donor eggs. I have just learned that how much I want to disclose is a matter of personal choice. Obviously, that lade in the grocery store that asks will be getting a much smaller story than a relative or friend.  Sometimes I just do not want to talk about it anymore….and I have learned that that is okay J

Infertility and loss may have unavoidable effects of the experience of pregnancy, but with support and understanding, you may find more moments of peace than fear during your long hoped for and long awaited pregnancy. Good things, after all, may come to those who wait!!!

Memories of Motherhood

Hush now baby don't you cry
Rest your wings my butterfly
Peace will come to you in time
And I will sing this lullaby

Know though I must leave, my child
That I would stay here by your side
And if you wake before I'm gone
Remember this sweet lullaby

And all love through darkness
Don't you ever stop believing
With love forlorn
With love you'll find your way
My love

The world has turned the day to dark
I leave this night with heavy heart
When I return to dry your eyes
I will sing this lullaby

Yes I will sing this lullaby
Oooooohhh (Song by Josh Groban)


This is one of the songs I use to sing to Kaylee when she was a little babe.  I can still smell her sweet newborn smell while I sat exhausted night after night rocking her to sleep.  I remember thinking, "Wow, she is all mine!!!" I could not wait to have more babies.  I vividly recall a family member asking right after Kaylee was born if I would do it again and I with hesitation said, "YES!"  The joys of motherhood are beyond explanation.  Don't get me wrong, there are some times I wanted to pull my hair out, but the joys always out weigh those stressful times.  
My daughter has taught me so much about myself and life.  I never new something so tiny could make my heart so big!  She has taught me to stop and enjoy the little things in life.  I hope I can teach her half of what she has taught me.  
Tonight she came home from Grandma and Grandpa's house and she was extra tired.  She climbed up on my lap and just wanted to cuddle.  This is a very rare occurrence with an almost 5 year old!!!  I asked her if she was feeling okay and she told me she just missed me and wanted some love! Talk about tears gushing from my face.  We got our pj's on and read our books and then I picked her up and rocked her and sang her this sweet lullaby.  As I sang I had tears of joy streaming down my face.  Oh how the past five years have brought me so much sweet joy.  
During our struggles to have more children it was easy to forget about the joys that life has already blessed us with.  Tonight I was gently reminded of one of my biggest joys....rocking my first born and remembering my first memories of motherhood.  I look forward to rocking two more blessings this coming fall.  
Now go grab your child or children and hug/rock/sing to them.  Life is to precious and goes by to fast.  Cling on to the wonderful memories that our children give us!  

National Infertility Awareness Week

1 in 8 women and men are diagnosed with infertility. RESOLVE and the infertility community are busting myths and telling truths about the most popular public myths and misconceptions about the disease of infertility and the different ways people build their families.

Today I wanted to share what I think the world needs to know about infertility.  I am proud to say that my husband and I struggled. It is nothing to be ashamed of and we have come to learn that this is the path for us.  I have been working with our Fertility Center and I am hoping this summer to join them when they do their seminars about their procedures.  I am very passionate about sharing our family story. I feel very strongly about edcuating the world on the TRUE facts about infertility. 
If I could tell the world about infertility I would tell them . . .

1. Infertility is a disease.  A terrifying diagnosis that is only given to you once you have suffered for months.  Imagine going to the doctor’s and being diagnosed with diabetes and then people telling you to just stop thinking about it or trying to treat it and it will go away?!  Doesn’t sound feasible right?  Exactly.
2. This isn’t just about an adorable baby. Infertility affects a couple’s desire to have a family- raise children who can make snow angels, go off to middle school, graduate from college.  The dream doesn’t stop at just “getting” pregnant. Their vision of the future and their hopes and dreams that they have shared with each other for years lie in the balance. 
3. Saying nothing hurts worse than saying the wrong thing.  Don’t distance yourself from those going through infertility.  We infertiles don’t expect you to know the right thing to say or do.  We just need your love and support.  A kind ear, a hug.  When you pull away from those you love because you don’t understand their struggle you are jeopardizing a friendship. This is one of the most intense experiences one will ever have, and a true friend stands by.
4. The world is not infertile friendly.  We are overwhelmed by commercials, reality tv shows, and magazine articles that promise the public an inside look into the world of pregnancy- a world we only dream of.  Entertainment magazines are showing us the latest “baby bump” or highlighting the latest adoption or surrogacy success.  The reality is that many of us can not afford what these celebrities can (go ahead an look up the price of adoption, or surrogacy, or even IVF).  Moral here is we can’t escape it.  On our loneliest days an EPT commercial will play between segments of 16 and pregnant just as a reminder of what we can’t accomplish.
5. We are always searching for the reason. We are always searching for a way out.  Not a day goes by where we don’t question  if what we are doing/not doing could be the reason for our infertility.  Could it be the caffeine?  Should I take a multivitamin supplement?  Is God punishing me? Should I have never gone on the pill? Should I stop exercising? It is a game of what ifs and why nots- with no answers.
6. Infertility is not just relegated to the bedroom.  Yes, our sex lives are turned upside down by infertility, but infertility impacts all areas of someones’ life.  Physically, emotionally, financially.  Relationships are tested.  Personal faith is tested.  Your professional life is impacted.  It becomes a daily struggle to NOT let infertility rule your life.  We spend just as much energy trying to get beyond infertility as we doing trying to forget about infertility so we can function with some normalcy.  Any infertile will tell you, its exhausting.
7. Failure becomes an option. For many infertiles we spend years accomplishing the goals we have in life.  We work hard to get into the college or  secure the job we want.  We work hard at building great relationships.  We set goals and despite bumps in the road, we are always told that hard work pays off.  Our self-esteem soars when we are able to put our heart and soul into something and then reap the rewards of reaching a goal.  Then comes infertility.  All of a sudden hard work, diligence, dedication, desire, aren’t enough.  Who we are as women (and men), our identity, our self-worth, is in the balance.  Some of us, for the first times in our lives, are failing, and failing and failing and failing.  Every 28 days.
8. Infertility hurts.  The raw emotions, the physical side effects, the anxiety and worry. Those around us feel helpless. We feel helpless.  We are on a roller coaster that many of us are unwilling to get off of until are dreams are fulfilled.
9. Infertility isn’t life threatening but life altering.  Infertility changes us.  It makes us stronger, wiser, kinder, and much more appreciative of what we do have in our lives.  It makes us bolder and braver than we could ever imagine.  We are changed by this experience.  Our lives and the lives of those around us are altered by this fight to have what so many get so easily.  Our perspective on what it means to be a mother/father will forever be changed.  This is a good thing.
10. Help us gather hope.  Support anyone you know who struggles with infertility in any way you know how.  Share your experiences with others.  Share your laughter.  Never go silent about the struggle of infertility.  ALL of us are responsible for shedding light on infertility so that we can offer hope and opportunity for families in the future.  Speak up, speak out, and offer up prayers and hope.

Let this week be a week of celebration.  Let us celebrate those who have found their way out of this struggle and are on their way to their dreams.  Let us celebrate those family and friends who willingly walking down this road with us.  Let us celebrate that infertility is part of us but does not define us.  Let us celebrate that we have each other, we have hope, we have love, and we are holding on tightly to our dreams.

Twins

Our 2 beautiful miracles!!

Chad and I are happy to announce that we will be welcoming twins into our family this fall.  As most of you know we underwent IVF in February and we were so excited to find out that we were pregnant.  Getting that phone call is something I will never forget.  My phone rang while I was at work and I knew it was the call I had been waiting for. My hands were shaking and I could barely pick up the phone.  For 2 1/2 years we have undergone multiple fertility treatments just to hear the dr. say, "Sorry, not this time.....". My nerves were just shot!!! I picked up the phone and my IVF nurse, Sandy, started talking to me.  She gave me the good news and I think for the first time in my life I was speechless (which those of you that know me well, know that this does not happen very often).  I could not physically talk. Tears were running down my cheek.  After finally getting my speech back I spoke with my nurse for a few minutes before hanging up.  I hung up and I could not move!! I stood there in my office feeling like time stood still.  I immediately called Chad at work and he thought it was bad news because I was crying so much he couldn't understand a word I was saying.  I kept trying to tell him the good news, but every time I opened my mouth tears of joy just flowed down my cheeks.  I finally spit out the good news and we both just cried with each other over the phone! We were on cloud nine!!!!!
For those of you who have been following our journey, you know all to well that the first couple weeks is the most critical for us.  It was so hard to get 100% excited, because we had lost before.  I went back every other day for a week or so to do blood work to make sure my hormone levels were increasing. Each time they would more than double and we would celebrate a little bit more.
We went into our Fertility doctor for our 6 week ultrasound and we were a bit shocked when we saw two little babies on the screen.  Once again, we were both speechless!!!  How can we go from years of struggling to being double blessed in a matter of seconds?!?!  We walked out of our appointment just beaming!!!!!! We slowly started to tell family and friends our wonderful news!!
At 7 1/2 weeks we were on our way to Florida for our annual Spring Break trip.  This year we decided to drive because air tickets were so expensive and all our extra money had gone to our IVF procedure.  We packed up the car and we got as far as Holland, Mi.  I ended up in the ER with a subchorionic hematoma (a blood clot in my uterus). That was the scariest day of our lives. We thought we were losing the babies.  And that is all I want to explain about that horrific day!!! Chad and I wish they made a medicine to erase the memories of that day.  I had almost 2 weeks of strict bed rest and 1 week of mild bed rest.  We do not realize how many friends and family surround us until something like this happens. We were so overwhelmed by all the dinners, snacks, movies, and yummies people brought over to us.  It touched us in ways we cannot express.
We went in today for our last appointment with our Fertility doctor (almost through my first trimester). It was a bittersweet day.  The Fertility Clinic in Grand Rapids, MI has given our family something we can never give back....they gave us hope when we had none, they gave us a shoulder to cry on and a person to yell at, they gave us peace and comfort, and the best of all they gave us complete joy.  We will be forever grateful to every nurse, secretary, and doctor that we came in contact with over the past couple of years.  Chad and I both teared up today when we hugged our doctor good-bye......but at the same time we are excited for what our journey has in store for the both of us and our growing family.

Hope Blanket

I want to share a letter with you that Chad and I received a few weeks ago.  It was one that touched our hearts forever. The letter is from a couple that knew my family when we lived in Petoskey, Michigan.  I have had no contact with the family in over 15 years, but she got a hold of my blog and became a member.
Let me share the letter with you.

Dear Chad and Christina,
      It has been Brian and my pleasure to make this blanket for the two of you. We understand the heart break and yearning you have gone through for a child. The Bible says, "God gives us the desires of our heart." We believe that God first puts that desire there and then He gives you what you so desire.
      The short version of how I began making "Hope Blankets" is, when we were struggling to have our first child a close family friend made me a promise to make this special blanket when I became pregnant. She had made a few offers to make this special blanket, by God's leading, and each time the couple had a baby. when I got pregnant she began making the blanket. A few years passed and I kept thinking, how can I pass this blessing along? The one thought that kept coming to me is that the wait and see game is so hard. Keeping positive and having hope that it would happen is really tough.  One day I felt God leading me to crochet a blanket for a couple who wanted a baby so bad. I wanted to give it to them before they got pregnant, so they wouldn't lose hope. I haven't seen them in years, I haven't even met their children.
     Your "Hope Blanket" was made by both Brian and I. Brian rolled each skein of yarn and he would keep careful watch to unravel a bunch while I crocheted, which made the process so much faster. As I crocheted your blanket I prayed for both of you and this long journey you have traveled. I prayed God to bless you with another child, that Christina would become pregnant, that you would grow a healthy baby. I prayed that this baby would grow and only get as big as it needed to so that labor would be easier. 
     I have never made a blanket like this one before. It is unique. As I was crocheting I felt God say to me that the blanket was creative and unique, just like the way you are trying to have a baby. You had to find a different way to conceive. Finally, I would like to say, this could be just me, but as I began crocheting your blanket I had the feeling that I may need to make a second one. So, if you should find out that you need more than one blanket, please let me know. I would be honored to make another. 
     The definition of hope is to earnestly expect. We hope you can wrap a new family member in this blanket soon.
                                              God Bless,

Our "Hope Blanket"

                                              Brian and Melody Bennett


Chad and I read this and wept. We were so touched by this couples generosity and empathy for our journey. This blanket is the most beautiful blanket we have ever seen or held. We love cuddling with it at night time when we are watching television together.  We have talked about ways that we can "pay it forward" to couples who are struggling with conception.  We have made a promise to each other that we will help others who are struggling with their journey. This blanket along with framed letter will be the first new items that we put into our babies nursery. This blanket is so special to our family.  
We have not told Melody yet, but we will be needing that second blanket.  We found out a couple weeks ago that we are expecting twins!!! We are over joyed and so grateful for every step that we have taken together during our journey. We have had a couple bumps in the rode already, but God has kept watch over each and every one of us along the way.