Ready for Vacation!

Whew! Work is super busy and stressful lately. Thankfully, students leave on Friday for two weeks. And next Thursday we are heading to Bonita Springs, Florida for a nice relaxing week.
Ahhh, I cannot wait!
We will be heading out July 3rd to start our roadtrip. Spend 2 nights in Savannah, Georgia!
Then on to sand, sun, and lots of relaxation.

Infertility

It sucks. And it is far more common than you'd think. I personally have 4 close friends that have struggled with infertility. FOUR. That is too many.
And now, Justin and I are struggling.  We always knew our path to parenthood would be unique, due to his vasectomy.  In November 2012 we met with a Reproductive Endocrinologist.  If you are into numbers,  that was 19 months ago. 
He referred us to an Urologist and ordered further testing for me. Because if we were going to spend a bunch of money on a reversal, I wanted to be sure my body was in working order. At that point, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Which is a fairly common endocrine disorder. Basically, I struggle to lose weight, I have developed facial hair (hello waxing!), and most importantly, I do not have a regular period. At this point, my cycles were 42-45 days long.
On the vasectomy reversal side, after doctors appointments and testing, we opted to not do it at that time. We still had a lot of tests (genetic and otherwise) we wanted to do. And then our doctor left.
By this point it was May 2013. Which is around the time I decided I wanted to work again. In July 2013 I started my current job, and we decided to put babies on hold for the time being. I wouldn't be eligible for maternity leave until I had been there a year anyway. In October 2013, I was promoted. With extra money, we definitely started thinking of babies again. 
After a lot of discussions, between ourselves and with doctors, we made a decision. We were going to do Artificial Insemination with Donor Sperm. It was a BIG decision. And Justin and I both agree we wish we'd thought of this sooner. At my annual checkup with my Gyno, I asked her for a recommendation. She is with the office our previous RE was with, but his position had still not been placed. She told us there would be a new RE in April, or she could recommend someone in another city. April was NOT an option. 
In January, we met with our new RE. To say he is amazing, would be an understatement. He is positive and encouraging, without sugar coating things. At our first appointment, he went over the protocol we'd be following when the time came. At this point, I also had an exam. Which resulted in finding a polyp in my uterus. Surgery to remove said polyp occurred in March.
Through this time, Justin and I spent WEEKS pouring over donor profiles. It is a very odd thing to go shopping for. And then we found the perfect match for us. We saw the donor's baby picture and just knew that was the guy for us.
At our follow up appointment post surgery, we found out that I am a carrier of Cystic Fibrosis. Not a surprise, as my cousin has CF. And truly, if it has to be someone, I am happy it is me and not my sisters or my cousins. Because of the donor, our chances of a child with CF is very slim.
In May 2014 it was FINALLY time to do our first cycle of IUI. I was on Clomid for 4 days at a 100mg dose. At our follicle scan, it was determined that it didn't work. So for 4 more days I was back on Clomid, at 150mg. Clomid makes me crazy. My poor husband dealt with a very unstable wife during the time I was on that medication. Unfortunately, I still did not have a lot of follies. On May 17th we had our first IUI, with ONE follicle, measuring 24mm.
After the longest two week wait, we found out that it didn't work. And it sucks. A lot.
What also sucks? Our perfect donor is sold out and is no longer donating. 
Many days I really feel this journey is never going to end. There have been a lot of tears, a lot of really hard days, and a lot of baby avoiding going on in our house. 
We didn't try again in June, because my long cycles and we are going on vacation. We are putting the thought in our mind that this is going to be a nice, relaxing trip. Reducing my stress level about the process will help our chances of conceiving. I want to have a nice, calm body when it comes for our next cycle. Which will hopefully be late July/August. 
Infertility does completely suck, and until I was in this, I had NO idea how many people I knew affected by it. I hope that if anyone reading this is going through the same thing knows they are not alone.

Updates

It has definitely been a minute.
This year is off to a busy start. 
Last week, my sister had this super cute little boy: Baby Jack just melts my heart!

Work is going well. In October, I took a promotion and so far it is amazing. Definitely more stressful than ever, but I'm managing. Mostly ;)
And most importantly, and expensive, Justin and I have been trying to get pregnant. Of course it isn't that simple. I feel like nothing can ever be easy for us, and it completely bites. 

August Cara Box

Hello again!!!

Things have been so excitingly busy, but that is a post for another day. Today is all about August's Cara Box!

This month I was paired with Brenda and Raewyn! Both are such awesome ladies and I had SO much fun getting to know both of them!

I sent a box filled with fun stuff to Brenda. She loves baking, so I added some things there, as well as some other fun goodies. Check out her blog, you will LOVE her posts!!

Raewyn spoiled me for sure! 

The adorable box was filled with fun stuff! Cards to write recipes on (I LOVE creating recipes!) The CUTEST buttons ever!, and SO many things I can use for my shop: buttons, bright polka dot buttons, a sewing kit, tape measure, ribbons, and the sweetest little stamp and tags to use for packaging. I cannot wait!!

Also included was a warrior queen bracelet! You all MUST check out Raewyn's blog!

Sweet Sixteen

My niece will be turning 16 next Spring. 16...crazy!
Last night, she was telling me how much she would *love* to have a sweet sixteen party. 
So, I think this might be my mission! I was thinking of either two options. A girls only day. Do facials, mani and pedis, makeup and then a photo shoot.  Or, a big party. DJ, dancing, boys...all of that jazz.
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Internet Woes

My internet time has SERIOUSLY been limited. Apparently, our grounds crew ran over the wiring. (AGAIN.) 
We called and they said WEEKS before it could be redone, and buried.  So, we decided to take this time and cancel our cable/internet. We've been considering this for awhile, just using a netflix/hulu/streaming system and not dealing with Time Warner cable. 
So, we are in the middle of checking out different internet carriers. Hopefully in the next two weeks I will be connected again.
I feel like I am missing my arm, not being online as often.

July Cara Box

I am a *bit* behind here, but PLEASE forgive me! The new job has been kicking my booty this week, and I had hoped to have this up by Wednesday. This was my first time participating in the Cara Box exchange, which is hosted by the amazing Wifessionals! This month's theme was "Nautical"--which is one the BIG reasons I signed up!!! I absolutely LOVE anything beachy.
If you are unaware of the Cara Box deal--here is what is up: From Wifessionals: cara (car-rah) noun   :   beloved friend

You will get paired up two other bloggers, email back and forth to get to know each other, and will crazily stalk their blog...in the most non-creepy way.

Towards the middle of the month you will create a box or package, specifically for the woman you were paired to send to, and ship it off to her. Your other partner will do the same for you.

You can participate as much or as little as you choose. Need a pick me up this month? Come and join in! Don't have an extra dollar to spare right now? Come back whenever you want!

Since you are re-paired each month, you can come and go as you please (:

WHY YOU SHOULD PARTICIPATE:

Who doesn't like getting surprises in the mail?

You can meet other great women

You can get encouragement (see below)

Get some blog exposure (see below)

This month I was paired with two AMAZING ladies!

I sent a package to Darcy! She is such a gem, you MUST check out her blog! She is so fun, full of life, and a great friend.

The beautiful La'Shawn sent a package to me! Also, check her out! She is SUPER creative, has a fabulous personality (SO easy to talk to!), and is such a positive person. 

This is what was included in my Cara box:

So much it was hard to get a solid pic! The background is a really great tote that has already gotten some use as a pool bag! Three GREAT pairs of flip flops, that I am LOVING! A cute bracelet, Cracker Jacks (I'd already eaten a box by the time of pic haha) tropical cups and straws, stickers, and 3 nail polishes! I emailed La'Shawn because she NAILED it--Sinful Colors is my favorite brand of polish ever!

Thank you SO much, La'Shawn!!

I am so excited to continue my blog friendship with both ladies, and SO excited to meet more ladies in August!