Some articles I've wanted to post about

This first article is actually a blog post about the World's first infertility postage stamp! I wish the US had one. Here is my favorite part of the article where it describes the stamps image:

"The stamp issued by Portugal is beautifully designed and conveys the hopes of infertile couples with its imagery. The stamp shows a stylized silhouette image of a man and woman embracing a child. The image of the child is almost ghost-like in appearance, symbolizing the hope for the child, yet at the same time highlighting the fragility of conception for infertile couples."


I'm fascinated with this next article. I found it posted about on an after infertility message board that I frequent. Here is the headline so you can decide if you want to check it out or not. Warning, there are some pictures of the actual ovulation! If you don't want to see a picture of an ovary, follicle, and egg, then don't look.

Ovulation moment caught on camera

A human egg has been filmed in close-up emerging from the ovary for the first time, captured by chance during a routine operation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7447942.stm

It is amazing & not at all what I had pictured. During treatments we saw my follicles on the ultra sound monitor but they just looked like little black blobs/holes on there. I was amazed to see what mine probably looked like in real life.

I emailed the article to Matt and it took him a couple days to get to it it b/c he couldn't get over the pictures. When he finally read it he responded "AMAZING, but GROSS!"
LOL!

Family wedding/Vacation in NY

I've already posted on my usual message board about this so if you're from there & reading this, hello & sorry for the repeat. I wanted to have the memories posted here too.

Pictures from our vacation:
The VERY rustic cabin that Matt & I stayed in for 3 nights. It was an adventure that grew on us.

We had a roommate mouse stay with us (part of the adventure). Unfortunately, he ate THROUGH the unopened bag of Doritos. I was craving those for days so I was not happy about it.

Despite our rustic accommodations, it was a BEAUTIFUL vacation (and to be honest, anywhere with Matt is fun b/c no matter what happens, he finds a way to make me laugh about it). We fell asleep to the sound of this waterfall outside our cabin (while listening for the sound of the mouse).

Us on the deck of the Stonecat Cafe, overlooking a vineyard & garden. We had a delicious lunch there!!

One of my FAVORITE pictures from the 3 days spent near Seneca Lake.

A family friend's home where we celebrated 4th of July. The owners designed this amazing house.

We climbed through a state park in Watkin's Glen, NY one day. I say climbed because it was about 350 steps & incredible views.

Our main reason for this vacation was to celebrate a great aunt's wedding. Here is where she and her husband were married & some other views of the vineyard/winery.


Then we drove to Bolton Landing, NY to stay for a few more days.

where we enjoyed some time on Lake George

At the weeks end we were ready to come home to our girls (our cats). How cute are they with their heads popping up from behind the sofa?

My abandoned blog

Yikes, it's been a while. Anyone still checking in? We were away on a family vacation at the beginning of July and I looked forward to blogging about it, but then got caught up with work, life, etc.

First, I'll say, I can't believe it but I'm 13.5 weeks pregnant!! Time is flying by. While on vacation my morning (all day) sickness started to ease up (fantastic!), but then I came home with a stomach bug so I was down and out for days. Now I'm feeling MUCH better and am only sick at night. Nights are not fun but I can't stress enough how much better it is to feel non-pukey during the day. With my renewed sense of feeling healthy, I realized that it was time to put some focus on WORK. I'm starting to feel caught up and decided to come back here.

Two things that I've experienced and find funny about pregnancy:
1) There was a day when I was so tired, I didn't think I could make the short walk across the parking lot to our office building. I seriously contemplated lying down on the hot, blacktop, parking lot to catch some rest.
2) I've never really been passionate about food. Yes, I like to eat and I like to try new recipes, but I can be considered a picky eater and stick to my regulars. Well, pregnancy has brought out a new LOVE for food. I'm still thinking about these AMAZING Mexican egg rolls that I ferociously consumed while on vacation. Matt laughed over how passionately I spoke about them. They were one of the best parts about our trip.

We had our first OB appt and it was one of the most memorable days of my life. We heard the baby's heart beat!! WOW, it was awesome. I felt like I had waited so long to hear that. Last year, when I was waiting to meet with my former obgyn, to talk with her about what could possibly be wrong with my reproductive system, I heard an unborn baby's heart beat across the hall. I remember feeling alone & empty. I wondered if I'd ever be where I am now. I remember that pain still, but hearing the sound of our baby's heart filled me with so much joy. It feels like the healing part of our journey.

We tried to get a video recording of that appointment but I think Matt was so excited that he accidentally hit the record button too many times. We only have the moment before we heard it. No worries though, I put an order in to rent a doppler so that we can hear it at home!

I think that appointment made this much more of a reality for Matt. He commented several times that week "I can't believe I'm going to be someone's dad" or "I'm going to be a dad!". Makes me love him even more.

Stats/other updates:
-Baby's heart rate was 160 beats per minute! Matt, his mother, & one of his sisters think that it's a girl but I'm not convinced. I still think it's a boy but strangely refer to it as she/her when I'm not paying attention. Maybe I subconsciously think it's a girl?
-I haven't gained any weight yet (surprising considering I'm still eating about every 3 hours) but I am growing!! My belly is getting bigger. I can barely button a few pairs of capri pants which fit fine just a few weeks ago. I wore my first pair of maternity pants (just an elastic waistband kind). Not that they were necessary to wear yet but I figured that they fit & were comfortable, so why not!
-Matt still refers to the baby as Eddie. He protests that it is NOT after Eddie Vedder. He's saying that he just really thinks the name Eddie is cool. I've promised him that we'll name our first dog Eddie. I'll let the secret out though... Eddie is growing on me but it doesn't trump ANY of the other boy names on our list.