Never Give Up Hope

Happy Sunday!!!!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Ours was blissfully uneventful.  As you all know, this week marked Matt & I finally sharing our exciting news that we are expecting!  This blog post could get ridiculously out of control with what has been happening since we found out in July but I will condense it for mine and everyone else's sanity. 

After my surgery I did in fact meet with my fertility doctor in June.  Everything fell perfectly into place.  My next cycle was set to start a couple of days after my visit with the doctor which meant we were all set to go to start the IUI cycle.  So we anxiously started the process of the shots and endless ultrasounds and blood work.  All together it was about a 12 day process.  All that was left at the end of it was to wait.  Now we had been waiting for 3 years already to have a baby, so you would think that 2 weeks would be a piece of cake to me.  That was not the case...lol  By the time I got about 3 days away from my "am I pregnant or not" blood work I couldn't handle it anymore.  I had been on the Internet non-stop, and I knew that there was a risk of getting a false positive if I tested before my blood work but I just couldn't wait any longer.  On June 29th I woke up and decided that I was going to take a pregnancy test.  I fully expected it to be negative so when I took the test I went about my morning routine and then returned a little while later.  What I saw froze me in disbelief.  I just stood there staring down at the test and then up at my reflection in the mirror, not knowing if I should be excited or beating myself up for possibly just causing myself the biggest disappointment yet. 

It's amazing how two lines can make you happier than you've ever been.

Folks, I took 7 pregnancy tests over the next few days.  That's right, since the lab had messed up getting my blood test results to my doctor before the long 4th of July weekend I tested every day until that Tuesday when the nurse uttered the words I had been waiting to hear for so very long, "You're pregnant".  So on July 5th, almost 3 years exactly from the day we began trying Matt and I finally got the news that we were going to be parents.  In that one moment, all of the pain, frustration and tears suddenly disappeared.  Matt was there with me for the baby's first ultrasound and at that time it didn't even look like a baby, but that little blob was the greatest picture ever. 

Words cannot express what this picture meant to us.

The next few months have been a whirlwind.  The first time I heard the heartbeat I started crying.  I could listen to that sound all day.  Matt and I also made the decision to not tell everyone that we were expecting until I was through the first trimester.  We did make some exceptions and told our parent's and siblings and our two closest friends, Abby and Joe.  Even with giving ourselves permission to share with some it was so hard to contain our excitement and not tell everyone we saw.  Though some of our family didn't exactly follow the rule and shared anyway. ;-)  So, when I finally reached the Second Trimester we couldn't tell everyone fast enough.  Though it was hard to keep it in for so long it just extended the excitement for us by waiting to tell everyone. 

Now we move into the second trimester and all that it brings, including me having to wear a belly band so I can still wear my old pants...lol  Matt and I feel so blessed and though it took us a long time to get here, all that matters to us now is that we are finally to this point, and we couldn't be happier.

Where has the Summer gone?

The Mighty Mississippi

Happy September!  Can you believe that we're in September already?  It seems like Summer was just beginning and now we're already winding it down.  I will say, we have been winding it down successfully though.

The beginning of August marked Matt and I's 4 year anniversary, as well as, his parent's and my parent's anniversaries.  Matt and I were able to celebrate his parent's and our anniversaries together with a lovely dinner a Momiji's in Stone Ridge.  We had a wonderful dinner and just sat and celebrated.  Afterwards we returned to Sue and Erwin's for desert and more visiting. 

The next day was Matt and I's anniversary and the day we left for Iowa.  So unfortunately we spent our anniversary on the road, but that was ok by me.  On the road, out to a nice dinner, or at home in our pajama's curled up on the couch; all that mattered was that I was with Matt.  Matt has made me feel like the luckiest woman in the world and I'm looking forward to the many more years we will spend together, growing and having adventures.  I love you babe.

Matt and I decided to break with the routine of making the trek to Iowa in one days drive and we split it up going out there.  Though we were still tired by the time we made it to Iowa on Friday, we were much more energized than if we had done it in one day.  Breaking the trip up allowed us to enjoy most of Friday night with my parent's and for us to finally welcome my brother, Dustin home!  We also, very happily met our niece Hayden and got to see Hunter and Megan again. I was so excited to see my family.   We enjoyed a nice dinner along the Mississippi with my parent's.  We then zipped out to Dustin and Megan's and visited with them for the rest of the evening.  Admittedly I gave Dustin a very long and much overdue hug, which I'm sure he was glad there were not many people there to witness...lol  We also got to meet Hayden, who is even more adorable in person.  Dustin and Megan asked Matt to be Hayden's Godfather and he was/is so honored.  Hayden is definitely a fan of Uncle Matt and enjoyed hanging out with him while we were there.  Matt was equally as smitten with her and loves to brag about her to our friends. 

Brother's from another mother

Soooo happy to see my little brother again.



Now he's ready to play outside.

I do not get to see this girl enough.
The next day Matt and I spent more time hanging out with everyone.  We met my sister, Erica and brother-in-law, Steed for lunch in Davenport.  We caught up and then spent some time wandering around the mall.  I even got some Whitey's Ice Cream, my favorite.  We had dinner with my parents and then headed out to Dustin and Megan's for a bbq.  We were able to see Megan's parent's, Laura and Denny and to visit with some of their friends.  I also got in lots of snuggles and kisses with Hunter.  It amazes me, every time I see him how much he has grown.  I treasure every moment I get with him, and now Hayden, when we are able to go home.  After the bbq Matt and I went to Kalmes, a local bar/restaurant, with Dustin, Megan and some of their friends.  It was great to just hang out and I love watching Dustin and Matt interact.  The two of them together crack me up. I'm so glad that my brother's love Matt so much.  He definitely fits in with our family quite well.   

Uncle Matt & Hayden rockin' their shades.

 Sunday afternoon Aly arrived at my parent's house to join us for a little bbq.  Don't let Matt fool ya, he was really excited to see his little sister. Dustin and Megan came with the kids and my Uncle Dan and cousin Brian even made a surprise visit.  We sat around and visited, catching up and just enjoying each others company.  Hunter even tricked the newbie (aka Aly) into taking him into the house so he could play with his toys that were in there.  In Aly's defense he was pretty hard to resist.  He walked up to her and asked her if she would come with him (in a sad little voice) as he took her hand and led her to the house.  Now how can you resist that...lol  I was just so happy to have my family together.  I feel like I miss so many of those moments so when Matt and I can be a part of the family time I cherish every moment.  If I could change anything, having our two families closer together is definitely at the top of my list.  Though it was much too short of a trip, I was so glad that we were able to go home and see everyone.  I definitely cannot wait to head back for Christmas.  Aaron will be home then so I'll be reunited with both of my little brothers.  I can't wait!


The next day Matt and I also enjoyed a lovely lunch, that turned into an evening visit with our friends Abby and Derrick.  We hung out and just joked and laughed.  We also got to spend time with their daughter, Alexandra, who is so adorable.  It's always wonderful to see and hangout with Abby and Derrick and we have such a great time.

The next day Hurricane Irene hit.  We had lost power, which we expected.  The wind and the rain were just crazy, but little did we know the turmoil the storm was creating just at the bottom of the mountain.  After all was said and done, we had no power or phone and all ways off of the mountain were blocked.  Lucky for us the road crews were able to clear at least one way off the mountain so I was able to get to work the next day.  I could not believe the devastation of what the storm had done.  The little league field, that Matt grew up playing on, was destroyed.  Claryville, the town below us looked like it had narrowly missed being washed away and the news spoke of towns being evacuated and people being forced to leave their homes.  A week of no power and a lot of clean-up later the effects of Irene are still being felt.  I complained because we didn't have power or phone but when I saw what other people had to go through suddenly no power didn't seem like such a big deal.  People will be cleaning up and recovering from Irene for some time to come.  It definitely made me count my blessings.  We were lucky enough to escape with no damage and no after effects, save not having power or phone for a while.  We were blessed that Abby and Derrick offered their hospitality to us for a couple of nights.  The storm actually gave us the opportunity to have some great times with Abby and Derrick.  We had a great time hanging out with them each night, having dinner and playing with Alex.  Matt and Alex are best buds now...lol  We truly were very lucky compared to others.

This weekend Matt, Sue, Erwin and I went to Hooley on the Hudson in Kingston.  Hooley is a half way to St. Patty's Day celebration.  There are vendors, dancers and bands and lots and lots of very bad for you food.  We had a very good time, though we did have to escape to the refuge of an air conditioned restaurant a couple of times as it was very hot and humid. We made the most of it though and enjoyed ourselves immensely.  The bands were probably my favorite.  Hooley is always a good time. 

So, as August has come and gone and we have officially moved into September, Fall is quickly approaching.  The Summer visitors will be mostly gone soon (thank goodness!), schools are back in session, and as I took my walk today I realized that the trees up here are already starting to change.  It is hard to believe that in a few short weeks a new season will be upon us.  So, we will enjoy what time we have left of Summer and then welcome Fall and all that it has to offer.  I hope you all have a good week!!!