I am not sure if anyone reads this blog anymore as it has been so long since my last post...I can't say it was because I needed time off but more that I have been so busy. To keep everyone up to date I did get that position as a Marketing Manager within Cengage Learning. I am now the MM for the English Composition list...if anyone is well versed in Eng Comp it is like a completely different language. I started on May 5th and have been going ever since...I actually leave Monday for our National Sales Meeting in San Francisco, where I will present to Sales Reps 26 times...
Second, George and I are DONE with the adoption process...we eventually chose Korea as our country, went through the very long process and are now on the list awaiting a referral. Unfortunately due to many factors in the international adoption community (the increased wait times in China, the mess in Guatemala, Ukraine shutting its doors) our wait time is more than we initially had hoped for. Instead of waiting 8-10 months for a referral we are looking at 12-16 months. After everything we have been through another few months is not a big deal...I guess!
I thought going through the process would be the tough part, it took 6 months overall, but it isn't...it is this waiting. When going through the process there is always a next step, something else to finish and look toward...now we are just waiting. When you are pregnant there are certain milestones to look forward to that let you know this baby is coming, hearing the heartbeat, finding out the sex, the first kick, etc, etc...with adoption there are no such milestones I am learning. When you are finally done with your steps it is just a black hole of waiting...you grasp at anything to make it feel real. I get questions all of the time...how is it going, have you heard anything and unfortunately until the day we get our referral there is not much to report...in a sense it doesn't seem real, it feels like a fantasy that could slip away at any moment. Maybe that just stems from my fears or my reality of having motherhood taken away so many times. At any rate I find keeping extremely busy and enjoying things in life that I will not be able to do (so frequently) when I am a mother help. Also, I have learned through the 2 years of trying to have a child patience is a virtue and so much is out of my control.
That got me thinking, really what has this experience taught me, what has it given me. After all every hardship, happiness, something we have to work very hard for shapes us and teaches us something...if it didn't then the whole experience is for not. Therefore, (after my Saturday morning ritual of reading Glamour magazine) I decided to come up with a top 10 list of what I have learned the past 2 years...here I go.
1. You can not control your body - Yes you can control your weight (to a certain degree, chocolate and wine do not help the situation) and your overall well being...but you can not control so much else. You have to take every situation as it comes and deal with, you can not think why does my body not do what 99% of women can do, why does my butt not fit in 7 jeans, why does my chest sag, etc, etc. You have to accept your body for what it is, what it does and what it is capable of and readjust from there...than GOD for spanx.
2. Life's obstacles do make you stronger - I have always thought of myself as a strong person, hey I have been through a lot. BUT I have realized I am stronger than I ever thought I could be. I know how to take tragedy or a hard situation and turn it around, learn from it and make the best of it. I think we as women do that so well, we are so strong...and the sad part most of us do not realize how strong we are. I look at my Mother...she is the strongest and bravest women I will ever know...so maybe I have learned from her or maybe as a woman this is something that is in me because it has to be in order to fulfill the toughest role of all, motherhood.
3. Hard situations can make a relationship stronger - yes they can tear it apart and cause individuals to drift but in mine and George's case we bonded and came together in a way that I never imagined possible. Yes we have had our hard times I will not deny that but I think that comes at anytime you have to work through painful situations. What I have learned is to not take my relationship for granted...that happens especially when you meet and marry someone so young. However, we have stood together as a unified front, cried, fought and dreamed about the family we will have. We know that we will never take this child or each other for granted...in essence we will never take our family for granted...it is something we have fought to darn hard to get.
4. Keeping the mind busy is essential - When you are going through a tough time is is key to keep your mind busy...you can not let it rest and think random thoughts for too long or your mind will get the better of your. I have come to learn a busy mind is a happy mind...keep busy at something, it doesn't matter what it is. When I learned I was having my 4th miscarriage...I didn't think I could handle it, I thought my heart and mind would explode. I was sitting on the couch and thinking, thinking, wallowing and dreaming about myself as never being a mother...I let my mind go over it 1000 times until I couldn't take myself anymore. That is when I saw a brochure for a cake decorating class happening that afternoon...I called the number asked if they had any spots, took a shower and went...that was my first step to moving on and knew that was how I was going to move on...I had to keep my mind busy, I had to live.
5. My Mom is my anchor - I do not know what I would have done without my Mom...she is the first one who said it doesn't matter if this baby comes from you or across the ocean, you will be a mother and this baby will be loved. This is before I truly considered adoption...but always knew in my heart it would be the way. My Mother seems to know my heart before I do...I guess call it a mother's instinct...
5. Thank God for friends - If I didn't have the ears, love and support of my friends life would be impossible to get through. When something is going on (good or bad) the second one's I call (after my Mother of course) are my friends and somehow they always know what to say...friends they say are the family you choose and that is so true. How would have I gotten through this year without them...Lord only knows. It has been so overwhelming from chocolate covered strawberries being at my door after coming home from a D&C, or a friend knowing I was so down she made an appointment to take me for a massage, or just listening to me for hours even though you are exhausted from travel. I thank God everyday for them...
6. There is nothing like Pet Love - Whether it be your dog, cat, bird, whatever there is nothing like the love of a pet. Hercules has been a savior (since the day I got him actually). He has cried with me, sat with me, made me laugh and been there when I do not want to talk to another human being. He somehow makes everyday so much better...and there is nothing like it. As he sits next to me right now (getting fur all over the furniture) he makes me smile and for that I am always grateful.
7. Take advise and comments with a grain of salt - Lord have I heard it all..from "at least you can get pregnant", "maybe you are not meant to be a mother" to "what are you adopting from another country for, the child will not look like you"...I used to get PISSED (most of you know my temper) but then I was like why do that to myself. In life I think we all hear comments that anger us but I have learned as long as I am happy within my own heart and believe in what I am doing...nothing else matters and what people say really doesn't amount to a hill of beans. People always have something to say don't they...
8. Retail therapy is a viable form of therapy - I have learned that treating myself and making me a number one priority through this whole ordeal is key. Honestly, when I am really down just going to the mall and buying a new lipstick makes me feel like a new person, it centers me and I think I know why...I am focusing on me and forgetting everything else, forgetting what people think, what I "should" be doing, just focusing on me and for the next year I am going to continue to do that...why not take advantage.
9. Let yourself be sad - It is funny it has been 6 months since my last miscarriage and people think "poof" I am totally over it, nothing should affect me now, it really didn't happen. Truth is, I am not over it, I probably never will be. This has changed me as a person and I have learned to let myself cry and feel sad when I want to (but not for too long) that I am allowed.
10. God has a plan for us all - I truly believe this... I know you have all read that George and I went to St Anne's cathedral in Quebec to pray to her for a family. That day I prayed to lead me to the path of motherhood to give me the grace to get through the pain and make me the mother I am suppose to be. Although that day I prayed for a baby of my "own" that wasn't what God had in my plans and I know that now...I know that I will be a mother but just not in the way I thought I would. That is the trick of life, we want things our way and sometimes that is not the plan and we have to keep our hearts and minds open and not shut God out.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Adoption Journey
It has been a while since my last post...I feel that I needed some time off. I needed time off from thinking about children, thinking about how unfair this situation was, thinking "why me", thinking about the future. I guess I needed to heal.
Time has passed and like everything, wounds heal...although they will always be part of me, they have shaped me and George for that matter, changed who I am as a person...I think for the better, I am definitely a stronger person.
During this time I figured since I am changing one piece of my life...why not change all of it. I have applied for a totally new position as a Marketing Manager within my company...it has been a solid month of interviewing...I have what I hope is my last interview this week. I am crossing my fingers...I think the challenge and the change will be good for my soul. However, if it is meant to be then it will happen...if not then I am meant to be just where I am for a while.
That is the attitude I have taken lately...things are definitely meant to me. I mean, yes you have to make things happen for yourself but once you do that as Green Day said "life takes you by the wrist and directs you where to go" and I feel that happening in my life ever more often these days. I am trying to listen and pray for our direction.
One such direction has been chosen for us and that is adoption...at first I thought we are going to China and doing domestic adoption. However, after meeting with our Social Worker this week...George and I both feel our direction is distinctly being pulled to either Korea or Russia. I am more excited than ever and I can't get the vision or what our child is going to look like out of my mind. One minute I envision a blond hair blue eye boy, another minute a beautiful Korean girl and then the next a little boy with dark features. The doors of possibility are wide open and our hearts are open.
I keep thinking about the moment George and I meet the child that is meant for us...we meet our son or daughter, the first minute we hold them, getting on a plane and bringing them home. The first time they meet their grandparents, aunts and uncles...the love that this child will be given. I envision a toddler chasing Hercules around and driving him crazy. I envision a time of selflessness instead of selfishness.
We have been led on this journey for a reason...and I know there is a special baby waiting for us and it makes me tear to thinking within 18-20 months I could be here updating my blog with pictures of our beautiful child.
The next step in our adoption process is the medical exams and home visit...I hope Hercules doesn't blow it for us:-)
Please keep us in your prayers and pray that this child will come sooner rather than later.
Time has passed and like everything, wounds heal...although they will always be part of me, they have shaped me and George for that matter, changed who I am as a person...I think for the better, I am definitely a stronger person.
During this time I figured since I am changing one piece of my life...why not change all of it. I have applied for a totally new position as a Marketing Manager within my company...it has been a solid month of interviewing...I have what I hope is my last interview this week. I am crossing my fingers...I think the challenge and the change will be good for my soul. However, if it is meant to be then it will happen...if not then I am meant to be just where I am for a while.
That is the attitude I have taken lately...things are definitely meant to me. I mean, yes you have to make things happen for yourself but once you do that as Green Day said "life takes you by the wrist and directs you where to go" and I feel that happening in my life ever more often these days. I am trying to listen and pray for our direction.
One such direction has been chosen for us and that is adoption...at first I thought we are going to China and doing domestic adoption. However, after meeting with our Social Worker this week...George and I both feel our direction is distinctly being pulled to either Korea or Russia. I am more excited than ever and I can't get the vision or what our child is going to look like out of my mind. One minute I envision a blond hair blue eye boy, another minute a beautiful Korean girl and then the next a little boy with dark features. The doors of possibility are wide open and our hearts are open.
I keep thinking about the moment George and I meet the child that is meant for us...we meet our son or daughter, the first minute we hold them, getting on a plane and bringing them home. The first time they meet their grandparents, aunts and uncles...the love that this child will be given. I envision a toddler chasing Hercules around and driving him crazy. I envision a time of selflessness instead of selfishness.
We have been led on this journey for a reason...and I know there is a special baby waiting for us and it makes me tear to thinking within 18-20 months I could be here updating my blog with pictures of our beautiful child.
The next step in our adoption process is the medical exams and home visit...I hope Hercules doesn't blow it for us:-)
Please keep us in your prayers and pray that this child will come sooner rather than later.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Seeing Past the Anger
Well I know in my last blog I wasn't exactly in the best state of mind. I can truly say it was the longest and most painful week of my life. The miscarriage is over...it took about 2 days and thank God was much less painful than the first time I passed on my own. It is over and my body feels like itself again.
Yesterday George and I visited Dr. Hill our fertility specialist and meeting with him definitely gave us both some reassurance and peace of mind. Basically, there is still 60% chance of us doing this on our own...mostly because of my age and health. If I do miscarry again it drops dramatically to 40% of ever carrying without assistance.
We went over all of our options...we are going to do another series of testing...another hysteroscopy (YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!), they are going to do an ultrasound of my ovulation and then make me ovulate with hormones, test George...etc...and then he wants me yes to try one more time. I (do not know if I am crazy here) agreed...one more time.
Basically, he said there is a chance that either myself or George do not carry the chromosomes needed to create a healthy embryo...or it could be that when you put our chromosomes together we can not create the embryo...either way with this many losses something is missing genetically. I am only 3% of the population...go figure.
Anyway, if it doesn't work this time then he said to stop and not try on our own again...to do that would be goofy (not his exact words), he said the next step would be IVF with PGD (pre-genetic determination)...in other words they match the chromosomes up to create a healthy embryo. However, with this procedure I still only have a 70% chance...there are some chromosomes that they could never see that might not be present...so I am taking a chance of loosing a pregnancy there as well. So he said if I did not want to take that chance we could skip that and go right to a donor egg, which would give me a very high percentage of carrying.
Then we discussed adoption with him...100% chance of bringing home a baby.
I have done A LOT of thinking and George and I have done A LOT of talking. We are going to try on our own the 5th and last time...I always said I would give it 5 times...and I have given a definitive decision that I do not want to go ahead with IVF or a donor egg. I can not risk having a 6th miscarriage after going through IVF...I think they would have to hospitalize me at McLain's (the mental institution here in Beantown)...I honestly couldn't take it. I have always said personally I would rather adopt a child that needs a home then do a donor egg.
So there you have it...we have chose Wide Horizon's adoption agency and are moving ahead with the process. We will finish the application this weekend and submit...who knows I could be bringing home a baby in 6 months or in 2 years. We are putting in for adoption in China, S Korea, Columbia and the US. I have been told we have age on our side big time...and they are looking for couples like us to adopt.
However, we do need to pass the home study...hopefully where we live will not deter that because going ahead with adoption means we are not moving for a couple of years...hopefully the big bad Pug will not scare them away either :-)
Anyway, we need to be approved...that will take 3 months and then we are put on the list. I can say I am excited...George and I will love a baby no matter where it comes from...he will be an amazing father, he has been amazing through this.
We are going full steam ahead to keep trying on our own...best case scenario...we have a baby on our own and a beautiful adopted child...put a fork in me I would be done:-)
Anyway, today the sun is shining, life seems clearer and I know this will be a distant memory one day...I will be sitting there telling my son/daughter what Mommy and Daddy went through to bring them into our lives and how much we love them.
"You gain strength and confidence be every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face...do the think you think you cannot do." Eleanor Roosevelt
Life is a journey...all you can do is enjoy the ride...
Yesterday George and I visited Dr. Hill our fertility specialist and meeting with him definitely gave us both some reassurance and peace of mind. Basically, there is still 60% chance of us doing this on our own...mostly because of my age and health. If I do miscarry again it drops dramatically to 40% of ever carrying without assistance.
We went over all of our options...we are going to do another series of testing...another hysteroscopy (YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!), they are going to do an ultrasound of my ovulation and then make me ovulate with hormones, test George...etc...and then he wants me yes to try one more time. I (do not know if I am crazy here) agreed...one more time.
Basically, he said there is a chance that either myself or George do not carry the chromosomes needed to create a healthy embryo...or it could be that when you put our chromosomes together we can not create the embryo...either way with this many losses something is missing genetically. I am only 3% of the population...go figure.
Anyway, if it doesn't work this time then he said to stop and not try on our own again...to do that would be goofy (not his exact words), he said the next step would be IVF with PGD (pre-genetic determination)...in other words they match the chromosomes up to create a healthy embryo. However, with this procedure I still only have a 70% chance...there are some chromosomes that they could never see that might not be present...so I am taking a chance of loosing a pregnancy there as well. So he said if I did not want to take that chance we could skip that and go right to a donor egg, which would give me a very high percentage of carrying.
Then we discussed adoption with him...100% chance of bringing home a baby.
I have done A LOT of thinking and George and I have done A LOT of talking. We are going to try on our own the 5th and last time...I always said I would give it 5 times...and I have given a definitive decision that I do not want to go ahead with IVF or a donor egg. I can not risk having a 6th miscarriage after going through IVF...I think they would have to hospitalize me at McLain's (the mental institution here in Beantown)...I honestly couldn't take it. I have always said personally I would rather adopt a child that needs a home then do a donor egg.
So there you have it...we have chose Wide Horizon's adoption agency and are moving ahead with the process. We will finish the application this weekend and submit...who knows I could be bringing home a baby in 6 months or in 2 years. We are putting in for adoption in China, S Korea, Columbia and the US. I have been told we have age on our side big time...and they are looking for couples like us to adopt.
However, we do need to pass the home study...hopefully where we live will not deter that because going ahead with adoption means we are not moving for a couple of years...hopefully the big bad Pug will not scare them away either :-)
Anyway, we need to be approved...that will take 3 months and then we are put on the list. I can say I am excited...George and I will love a baby no matter where it comes from...he will be an amazing father, he has been amazing through this.
We are going full steam ahead to keep trying on our own...best case scenario...we have a baby on our own and a beautiful adopted child...put a fork in me I would be done:-)
Anyway, today the sun is shining, life seems clearer and I know this will be a distant memory one day...I will be sitting there telling my son/daughter what Mommy and Daddy went through to bring them into our lives and how much we love them.
"You gain strength and confidence be every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face...do the think you think you cannot do." Eleanor Roosevelt
Life is a journey...all you can do is enjoy the ride...
Sunday, January 13, 2008
4th Loss
Well the new year did not start exactly as I hoped. As I mentioned in my last blog we were waiting to see if we were pregnant and the day I got home from my trip to San Diego that was confirmed by a very positive pregnancy test...as it has been the last two times the positive was met with both joy and trepidation.
I called two office right away, acupuncture and the fertility specialist. My Acupuncturist had me come in right away for an emergency session...he seemed very nervous with me (very unlike him)and told me that I need to be very still and just really rest with my feet up..that is what I planned to do. The Dr.'s office had me come in the next morning for bloodwork. While waiting for the results, Jose called to tell me that he wanted me to have a special meeting with his mentor (over 40 years of experience) Dr. Tao on Saturday...the two wanted to meet with me to over everything and right after I got that set up the Dr.'s office called with good news, my numbers looked great...an HCG level of 102 and a progesterone level of 51. I was instructed to come in on Friday for another test (this was Wednesday).
I was feeling good physically...but just had a feeling of doubt in my heart (sometimes you just know things before they happen). When I went in Friday for follow-up bloodwork I had a sense of dread as she took my blood and that sense proved to be very true...at 12:00 she called to tell me that my numbers were dropping and that I was going to miscarry again. I left work and really just sat in darkness for hours crying and thinking.
This is so unfair...am I being punished for something I did. I am watching everyone around me get pregnant and go on to have beautiful children...but here I am loosing every sense of hope I have ever had. Am I doomed to continually feel loss...I mean come on what 11 year old goes through loosing their 21 year old brother and now this...loss after loss. To tell the truth I am just really pissed off. If I have one more person say to me "at least you can get pregnant" I am going to turn around and punch them in the nose. They have no idea what it feels like to loose something that is suppose to grow in your body. That is right I am angry...very angry.
I do not know how long I am going to feel this anger...but I am tired, I can't do this anymore, I am tired of feeling scared and sad, just tired.
So here I am just waiting to miscarry, waiting for the pain to begin. It is like the calm before the storm...I have been through this before I know what pain awaits me. The stupid nurse said "it is going to be like a painful period"...I said to her "you shouldn't say that to patients because it is much more that that, it is excruciating, I miscarried on my own once and thought I was having my insides ripped out". I have to go to the Dr.'s tomorrow and have the rhogam shot (you have this is your are an -0 blood type, something about the bloods crossing). How would anyone like to spend a Saturday waiting for FedEx to deliver your miscarriage shot and have it waiting in your fridge like some type of freakin doomsday medicine, that is fun to look at every time I open the door.
On another note, I filled out the adoption paperwork, this is just the registration and then we do that application. I spoke with a social worker in depth on Friday...and the programs I am looking into will take about 20-24 months...it seems so far away to me but I know everything that is good is worth waiting for.
I see the "specialist" on Thursday probably for him to tell me "you still have a 50-60% chance of doing this on your own" or you could do IVF for $30,000 b/se you are not covered, you are not infertility, you get pregnant.
Anyway, I am off for a hike to see if I can get this process started, the sooner the better. My mind has been so out of it that I have an inbox full of angry customers where I have forgotten one thing or another, so I am hoping I do not have to miss work this week and that I can get this miserable process to begin today.
Sorry for the angry tone...but that is just what I am, angry...
I called two office right away, acupuncture and the fertility specialist. My Acupuncturist had me come in right away for an emergency session...he seemed very nervous with me (very unlike him)and told me that I need to be very still and just really rest with my feet up..that is what I planned to do. The Dr.'s office had me come in the next morning for bloodwork. While waiting for the results, Jose called to tell me that he wanted me to have a special meeting with his mentor (over 40 years of experience) Dr. Tao on Saturday...the two wanted to meet with me to over everything and right after I got that set up the Dr.'s office called with good news, my numbers looked great...an HCG level of 102 and a progesterone level of 51. I was instructed to come in on Friday for another test (this was Wednesday).
I was feeling good physically...but just had a feeling of doubt in my heart (sometimes you just know things before they happen). When I went in Friday for follow-up bloodwork I had a sense of dread as she took my blood and that sense proved to be very true...at 12:00 she called to tell me that my numbers were dropping and that I was going to miscarry again. I left work and really just sat in darkness for hours crying and thinking.
This is so unfair...am I being punished for something I did. I am watching everyone around me get pregnant and go on to have beautiful children...but here I am loosing every sense of hope I have ever had. Am I doomed to continually feel loss...I mean come on what 11 year old goes through loosing their 21 year old brother and now this...loss after loss. To tell the truth I am just really pissed off. If I have one more person say to me "at least you can get pregnant" I am going to turn around and punch them in the nose. They have no idea what it feels like to loose something that is suppose to grow in your body. That is right I am angry...very angry.
I do not know how long I am going to feel this anger...but I am tired, I can't do this anymore, I am tired of feeling scared and sad, just tired.
So here I am just waiting to miscarry, waiting for the pain to begin. It is like the calm before the storm...I have been through this before I know what pain awaits me. The stupid nurse said "it is going to be like a painful period"...I said to her "you shouldn't say that to patients because it is much more that that, it is excruciating, I miscarried on my own once and thought I was having my insides ripped out". I have to go to the Dr.'s tomorrow and have the rhogam shot (you have this is your are an -0 blood type, something about the bloods crossing). How would anyone like to spend a Saturday waiting for FedEx to deliver your miscarriage shot and have it waiting in your fridge like some type of freakin doomsday medicine, that is fun to look at every time I open the door.
On another note, I filled out the adoption paperwork, this is just the registration and then we do that application. I spoke with a social worker in depth on Friday...and the programs I am looking into will take about 20-24 months...it seems so far away to me but I know everything that is good is worth waiting for.
I see the "specialist" on Thursday probably for him to tell me "you still have a 50-60% chance of doing this on your own" or you could do IVF for $30,000 b/se you are not covered, you are not infertility, you get pregnant.
Anyway, I am off for a hike to see if I can get this process started, the sooner the better. My mind has been so out of it that I have an inbox full of angry customers where I have forgotten one thing or another, so I am hoping I do not have to miss work this week and that I can get this miserable process to begin today.
Sorry for the angry tone...but that is just what I am, angry...
Sunday, January 6, 2008
New Year/Trying Again
So here I am at another Sales Meeting...this time in San Diego. I am finding that I am much more anti-social and want to be home with George and Hercules more than ever. This could be due to a few reasons...the weather is horrible, the company is a mess and I am fighting off a cold. However, I think the major reason is that we decided to go ahead and try again this month.
I do not want to paint a rosy picture all of the time...so I can truly say this was the most difficult Holiday Season I have had. A sweeping sadness crept over me, mainly because I knew we were going to start this journey again and because of this feelings that I have pushed away for months have crept up to the surface. I let myself feel the pain over the Holiday's...however I did vow for the New Year it was full steam ahead, bringing me to the present.
Dodging the questions of "why aren't you drinking" is quite difficult, luckily the cold has helped quite a bit. Therefore, I have found it easier just to dodge the situation all together, order room service and stay away from the crowds. Before the waiting period to see if I was pregnant was torture...now I am eerily calm about it, either way I am fine with it. The real fear comes the day I see that positive...that will be the day the roller coaster goes again.
It is so funny when I hear "at least you can get pregnant"...honestly I would rather not be getting pregnant then to experience the loss that is so consuming when you miscarry.
So I am a day away from finding out if we buckle in and ride the roller coaster again...either way I am ready to see what the future is going to bring and hopefully it will be a step to make my greatest wish in 2008 come true...to finally have a family.
Happy New Year to Everyone!!
I do not want to paint a rosy picture all of the time...so I can truly say this was the most difficult Holiday Season I have had. A sweeping sadness crept over me, mainly because I knew we were going to start this journey again and because of this feelings that I have pushed away for months have crept up to the surface. I let myself feel the pain over the Holiday's...however I did vow for the New Year it was full steam ahead, bringing me to the present.
Dodging the questions of "why aren't you drinking" is quite difficult, luckily the cold has helped quite a bit. Therefore, I have found it easier just to dodge the situation all together, order room service and stay away from the crowds. Before the waiting period to see if I was pregnant was torture...now I am eerily calm about it, either way I am fine with it. The real fear comes the day I see that positive...that will be the day the roller coaster goes again.
It is so funny when I hear "at least you can get pregnant"...honestly I would rather not be getting pregnant then to experience the loss that is so consuming when you miscarry.
So I am a day away from finding out if we buckle in and ride the roller coaster again...either way I am ready to see what the future is going to bring and hopefully it will be a step to make my greatest wish in 2008 come true...to finally have a family.
Happy New Year to Everyone!!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
St. Anne's Cathedral
It has been a while since my last post...probably because not much has been going on. I have been going to Acupuncture religiously and feel such a difference in my body and mind...even if this doesn't help or shall I say provide me with the solution I want it will be worth it in the end. It has provided me with a peace and clarity during this difficult time.
George and I were originally going to start trying after 3 cycles (which has passed) but I was asked by my Acupuncturist to wait...he said my body needed more time. So I thought to myself, I have trusted him this far...what is another month. Also, to be honest I do not think I could take another Christmas of loosing a baby. I went through my 1st miscarriage last Holiday Season...and I do not want to take the chance again. Who wants to start associating the Holiday's with that. It would be an entire month of taking my blood every other day, ups and downs and extreme stress. Therefore, I thought why not just stay stress free this Holiday Season, let Acupuncture do its thing, continue at the gym and be able to drink at Holiday parties without stress:-)
That being said...George and I just returned from a fabulous trip to Old Quebec City...it was first class all of the way. This was my 30th Birthday gift and we pulled out all of the stops. The hotel was amazing...with open fire places, steam bathroom and a first class restaurant. Honestly (besides the Ritz in New Orleans) this was the nicest hotel I have been to. The old city is like you have pulled a small village out of France and placed it in Quebec...little bistros and shops line the streets...we really relaxed and just enjoyed ourselves.
On Sunday of our trip we took our much anticipated trip to St. Anne's...what an amazing cathedral...it seems to be fashioned much like Notre Dame in Paris...absolutely beautiful. The amazing thing is that this shrine is a pilgrimage site and therefore many people are there at all times...however, for about 45 minutes George and I were the only one's in the cathedral. It was so peaceful and beautiful...I feel like I had a one-one with St. Anne. There I asked for the obvious (a beautiful child of our own) and the strength to go down this road again...and most importantly for the strength to make it through if having a child on my own is not in God's plan for George and I. I did walk away with a peace and knowing that I could make it through, to continue to lean on George and with the knowledge that I will someday bring my family back to visit...how that family comes to us is still in God's hands.
George and I were originally going to start trying after 3 cycles (which has passed) but I was asked by my Acupuncturist to wait...he said my body needed more time. So I thought to myself, I have trusted him this far...what is another month. Also, to be honest I do not think I could take another Christmas of loosing a baby. I went through my 1st miscarriage last Holiday Season...and I do not want to take the chance again. Who wants to start associating the Holiday's with that. It would be an entire month of taking my blood every other day, ups and downs and extreme stress. Therefore, I thought why not just stay stress free this Holiday Season, let Acupuncture do its thing, continue at the gym and be able to drink at Holiday parties without stress:-)
That being said...George and I just returned from a fabulous trip to Old Quebec City...it was first class all of the way. This was my 30th Birthday gift and we pulled out all of the stops. The hotel was amazing...with open fire places, steam bathroom and a first class restaurant. Honestly (besides the Ritz in New Orleans) this was the nicest hotel I have been to. The old city is like you have pulled a small village out of France and placed it in Quebec...little bistros and shops line the streets...we really relaxed and just enjoyed ourselves.
On Sunday of our trip we took our much anticipated trip to St. Anne's...what an amazing cathedral...it seems to be fashioned much like Notre Dame in Paris...absolutely beautiful. The amazing thing is that this shrine is a pilgrimage site and therefore many people are there at all times...however, for about 45 minutes George and I were the only one's in the cathedral. It was so peaceful and beautiful...I feel like I had a one-one with St. Anne. There I asked for the obvious (a beautiful child of our own) and the strength to go down this road again...and most importantly for the strength to make it through if having a child on my own is not in God's plan for George and I. I did walk away with a peace and knowing that I could make it through, to continue to lean on George and with the knowledge that I will someday bring my family back to visit...how that family comes to us is still in God's hands.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Adoption Agencies
As I start to weigh my options in case this time does not work...I am really researching adoption agencies. Looking at the success rate of IVF for Pre-genetic determination...it is not that good, it is pretty bad actually. I still have a better chance after 6 miscarriages...horrible. Therefore, I am not sure anymore I will go down that road...we will see if/when the time comes.
I have a favor of anyone who reads this blog and knows of someone who has adopted or knows of a good agency to please refer them to me...you all know my e-mail...
On another note I am reading a fantastic book called...The Infertility Cure...it is all about Acupuncture and how it treats infertility, fantastic. It gets down into the nitty gritty of symptoms and what is really going on in your body...I have a two page list for my Dr. this week!
I have a favor of anyone who reads this blog and knows of someone who has adopted or knows of a good agency to please refer them to me...you all know my e-mail...
On another note I am reading a fantastic book called...The Infertility Cure...it is all about Acupuncture and how it treats infertility, fantastic. It gets down into the nitty gritty of symptoms and what is really going on in your body...I have a two page list for my Dr. this week!
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