Reflecting on 2012 and moving Forward

Looking back at 2012, it was officially the best year of my life yet! Now I can't wait to see what next year brings.



January 2012- I was super pregnant and having my baby moon in the Caribbean



2012 My husbands business really took off and allowed me to quit my job of 8 YEARS! Guys, I HATED my job. I love staying at home with my babe.


I had this little monkey. He was a miracle. He came 5 weeks early but is healthy as can be! SO many blessings!

He added the sweetest spirit to our home

My little sis came home from her mission and got to meet her two sweet nephews. :)












I FINALLY went to Harry Potter Land- if you know me you know I am OBSESSED with Harry Potter and it was a dream vacation!


Got to visit lots of fabulous beaches with my favorite guys


On top of that we bough our first custom home and are moving in less than TWO WEEKS!!!


Not a bad year if I do say so myself. :) I am feeling beyond blessed today looking back at the blessing we have received. This gets me excited for 2013. :) Happy New Years guys!!!

Updating My Blog List

Please let me know if you would like to be on my blog list :) I am trying to update things on here since I am going on for round 2!  Plus, I think it's such a good way for us infertile ladies to stay connected! :)

A Trip Down Memory Lane

I was going through a box of old stuff and found my planner/calendar from the year we did IVF. Reading through it I almost died seeing my daily schedule...I wanted this baby SO BAD and tried to do everything perfect to make this happen. Not that it always works, but it would say daily affirmations, daily walks and workouts, drinking LOTS of water, working out  (lightly of course- because I was nervous of messing things up), Lupron shots, relaxation techniques, constant doctors appointments (seriously like 2-3 a week)! It's still amazing to me that it really worked the first time. After LOTS of failed IUI's, and months of chlomid I didn't think a positive was possible. I have a phone app that tracks my cycle now- like I said I started it this month. My cycle is due in the next week. Strangest thing is that when I was possibly ovulating this month I got SUPER nauseated...ya know like pregnancy nausea. For a splint second I thought...hmmmm maybe??? Jonny immediately got me a pregnancy test that said negative. I knew it would. I read online I guess you can get nauseated when you ovulate....strange??! This whole normal trying to get pregnant thing is so foreign to me. I feel so out of my element that I just want to call me RE and set an appt right now. Sounds silly to pay another 6 grand or so when I DID get pregnant on my own after Deklan was born. So...now I wait. Deklan is still SUCH a tiny baby to me. He still snuggles. I am loving every minute with this little guy. He is honestly my best friend. He does EVERYTHING with me. Jonny and I decided if nothing happends by March we will go sit down with our RE. Here are a few recent instagram photos of baby boy!

Back Here Again??

Hey guys I'm back! Today is my first day I have had a few hours to myself- and it's my husbands birthday! I am an awesome wife and sent him away golfing. (Sounds like more of a gift to me to get a few hours alone but I swear he likes it!) We have been out of town and when we finally got home we bought a house!! That has had us running ALL over getting ideas on what we want to do to this new place :)

All of the sudden out of nowhere I have been getting THE QUESTION- the one I despised hearing before having Deklan- When are you guys gonna try for number two?? Okay I don't HATE the question as much anymore- but I do feel the pressure. Truth is we were never really preventing. This month is the first month I can honestly say we are "trying." Meaning attempt to count days of the month and such. Because of our previous experience I get nervous counting days. I don't like the idea of testing at the end of the month and possibly getting a negative pregnancy test. Strange thing is if I was still pregnant right now and had not miscarried I would have another newborn here in 20 weeks. Crazy to think about, and I honestly try not to.

 So here we are again. The infertility thoughts of being inadequate are slowly creeping in. My plan is to count days and track my cycle for a few months and see how it goes. I have been regular since Deklan which is totally abnormal for me.  If it doesn't work we will go back to the fertility specialist for round two of in vitro. The thought I could get pregnant again in the next year excites me now! I am excited to experience it all over again. I would kinda like to skip this part and go straight to in vitro. It's SO SO hard on your body- but trying to get pregnant the old fashioned way is SO SO hard on your emotions. With in vitro it's all science. The natural way of trying to get pregnant is scary territory for me. Truth be told I am the happiest I have ever been in my life so I hate to ruin it with trying again. At the same time I WANT MORE BABIES! Deklan is amazing! More amazing than I could have imagined- and I am grateful to have such a precious miracle. I have watched so many of you have your miracle babies, and some of you still struggle or are newly pregnant. This has been such a crazy ride- who's in for round 2???? 2 weeks till my next period....I already feel drained.

MIA

My goodness I can't believe it's been a month since posting on this blog! I am working on updating my family blog over at www.jonnyandbrittany.blogspot.com We have been out of town for two weeks and just getting back into the swing of things- promise to read all your updates soon :) Hope everyone is doing good! I will try to get on here and update sometime this week :) For now I will leave you with this picture of Deklan- he is 6 MONTHS OLD NOW! Can you believe it?!

Sleeping Through the Night

Okay one more post on some baby related tips- hopefully these can help some of you out :)

I'm also seeking advice if any of you have tricks that work!

Let me start by saying Deklan was an AMAZING sleeper since he was born - no joke. The first two months I woke him up every three hours because he was a preemie to eat. After that I started letting him decide when to get up. At first it was twice a night, than once a night, then he would sometimes sleep till 8- 9 am! AMAZING! I was the luckiest mom in the world for reals! This baby NEVER fussed- took naps all day, and slept through the night.

Well, he turned 5 months old and BAM- he totally changed over night! He started being fussy during the day, he was still taking LOTS of naps, but for a week he was waking up every few hours in the night. Part of this problem I will admit was me. I'm a horrible sleeper myself with the worst insomnia- that mixed with waking up to ANY noise he would make was not a good mix. The fussiness I'm pretty sure is teething- which I talked about in my last post, but the sleep- STILL clueless at this point. Could be pain from teething, binky dependency, being spoiled, growth spurt maybe?? I just don't know. He is OBSESSED with his binky. So I decided to stop giving him his binky at night. During the day time naps I still allow for the binky. I tried the no binky at nap time the first day and he screamed for 45 minutes  This was just too much for me- I BALLED. SO far he is doing much better with no binky at night. I think he is still young enough to say that a binky is okay during the day. If he's 4 and walking around with a binky that might be a different story.

 I have however, officially turned my monitor off at night and set my alarm to 5:30 am. THAT way if he does get up for just a few minutes  he will learn to calm himself down and go back to sleep on his own. This terrified me the first night- really the first few nights I haven't slept, hopefully tonight will be different. The first night I woke up at 5:30 to hear him crying- BROKE. MY. HEART. Second night my alarm went off and he was ASLEEP for another few hours!!! WHAT??? So I am starting a bedtime routine. Bath, p.j's, Lavender oil, story, and snuggle time- then bed time. He needs to be somewhat awake when he goes down in his crib, with no binky. All nights so far he has cried ten minutes and then was out! Scheduling naps during the day like that wasn't working. With how much we travel, I just don't think that will work for us. :( I want my child to feel loved and important and yet NOT so spoiled that other people can't stand to watch him.

I also hired a babysitter to come to my house once a week every Tuesday for 4 hours- this way he get's used to us being apart every once in a while and doesn't go through the separation anxiety- at least I HOPE! Plus it gives me a break to run errands or go to the movies with the hubby- let's be honest- WE ALL need a break once in a while. AND in case it was a growth spurt I have been feeding him more and also trying bananas and pears for him once a day. I only give him a few bites since he's so young! http://pinkleblossom.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/startingsolids/ Here was a good blog on when to start with solids.

For you moms or soon to be moms this is a good blog to read on babies sleeping through the night: http://delightfulmomstuff.blogspot.com/2012/02/newborn-sleeping-through-night.html Thank you Aubrey for sharing it with me! REALLY good insight in there! I have a friend lending me a few books to read and hopefully I can share some of that insight as well- HOPEFULLY- he will continue doing better! Here is to a good nights rest! :)

Teething Tips

I am pretty positive Deklan is teething. He is drooling CONSTANTLY- TONS of it!!!! Plus he is chewing on everything in site! Including my arms, hands, pretty much everything is soaked by half way through the day causing us BOTH to need to change- SO I have been doing LOTS of reading on teething- signs and things to relieve the pain and thought I would share for those of you who are going through this or WILL go through this real soon- Hope it helps! The only thing so far I have really tried was the baby oragel- but Deklan HATED that stuff, baby Tylenol  and freezing his binkies. We also bought some of the raspberry binkies, and teething toys which are truly helpful! They look like this:

You freeze them and they work wonders if your baby can hold them in them self! :)

So a few signs your baby is teething: 

• Excessive drooling

• Chewing/biting on just about everything

• Irritability or fussiness

• Sore/tender/puffy gums

• Pull on ears

• Refuse food/nursing/bottles

• Have a rash around the face and neck (from excessive drool)

And a few random ideas I found online that may help :)
~ A frozen bagel-
    YES!  This has helped Jewel a lot!  Just be sure to watch baby closely.  As they gnaw on  the bagel
    and it softens, it can break apart.
~  Cold celery sticks-
     I had no idea that celery was a natural pain killer until a reader mentioned it.  I then 
     researched it a bit, and found out that it is in fact a natural remedy, and has been used as a pain killer
     since 30 AD.  You can real all about the benefits of celery here.
~  Lots of cuddles and love-
     If your babe is having trouble teething, spend as much time as possible cuddled up together.  If you
     nurse, nurse more during this time.  Hey, we can always use an excuse to stay in bed with our babes,
     right? ;)
~ Amber teething necklaces-
    several people suggested amber teething necklaces.  These necklaces offer a natural, drug- free
    alternative to soothing teething tots.  Besides that, they are beautiful, lightweight, and have a lot
    of other homeopathic benefits.  You can read all about amber teething necklaces as well as
    shop a great selection at Amber Artisans.  We just ordered one for Jewel, and I can not wait for it to get
    here!

~  Hyland's Teething Tablets-
     Hyland's Teething Tablets are another great homeopathic teething remedy.  Several readers
     suggested these tablets.  They are made from natural medicines and quickly dissolve once
     they hit babies tongue.  Hyland's also makes a teething gel.
~  Camilia Teething Medicine- 
     yet another homeopathic remedy.  Camilia Teething Medicine is an all natural teething 
      remedy that comes in liquid form.  While we have yet to try this remedy, I love that it comes in  
     sterile single use doses.  Camilia teething medicine can be purchased at Whole Food Markets as well as
     many  local  pharmacies.  Visit their site to find a retailer near you.



~  A cold wash cloth-  
     several readers mentioned a chilled wet wash cloth.  We have since tried it, and it really does help!  Jewel
     loved gnawing on it, and the cool cloth seemed to help alleviate some of the pain.  The cloth was also
     great at catching all of that teething drool- bonus!


~  A cold raw carrot to bite on-
     this tip from a reader was so helpful!  Jewel enjoyed the flavor of the raw carrot.  The coolness helped
     with the pain, and her teeth are not near strong enough to bite into the carrot,  making this a safe and
      very frugal teething tip!


~  Frozen foods- 
     many readers recommended frozen foods.  Some examples of foods mentioned were whole frozen green
    beans, frozen fruit slices, and ice cubes made of juice and then placed in a mesh feeder.  We have tried
    the juice ice cubes, and Jewel loved them!

~  The Teethifier 2 Advanced Back Teether-
     while I have not tried this product, it does look like it would be quite helpful, especially for babies who
     take a pacifier (Jewel doesn't).  You can real more about it here.

~  Baby Orajel-
     Baby Orajel is the #1 recommended teething brand used by pediatricians.  It is an instant relief gel,
     and comes in a pleasant cherry flavor.  We have used this product several times, and it does
     provide some relief.
~  Tommee Tippee Baby Teethers-  
      Tommee Tippee Baby Teethers come in a variety of different styles for every stage of 
      teething.  While some are meant for beginning teethers, others are specifically designed for the later
     stages of the teething process.  I have not tried these products, but they were heavily
     recommended to me, and they look like they would be very helpful. 

Stage two easy reach teether

~  Gripe Water-
     Gripe Water is a home remedy known to help with teething pain.  There are several different kinds
     out there, and all have slightly different ingredients.  One that was specifically recommended  to me in an
     email from a reader was  Little Tummys Gripe Water.
Hope it can be useful to some of you- I know I am going to go try the cold wash cloth. Babies can be SO fussy during teething time- I don't blame them though- OUCH!!! DO you guys have any other things that work- or have tried some of these???