Great Friends = Great Time

This past week-end we had a busy day and a relaxed day....worked out perfect! Sunday was our relaxed day and we stayed around the house most of the day. Saturday we visited my parents before we headed down to Evansville. We had plans to get together with some friends that we don't get to see as much as we would like. This outing was planned a month ago....we have to do that b/c all of our schedules NEVER seem to match up! All of us girls have went to high school or college together and have stayed close. Our next get together is already being planned and I can't wait. We are having it at our house and I am totally finding some way to get a huge piece of plastic to make a BIG slip n slide. I have seen this before and thought it would be sooo much fun:) We will find a way for it to work and it may have to invovle soap, baby oil or whatever else we can think of. haha. Here are some pictures to share from the week-end. Also some pics. of us girls together two weeks ago....we were on a roll being able to see each other. Thanks for being such great friends DeAnne, D'Andrea, Steph and Hope!!!

The grill master! Todd has a Traeger and that is exactly what Jarod wants.

Me, Sis (D'Andrea) and baby. We will soon find out if it is a girl or boy in a couple weeks!!

DeAnne and Steph

The girls

Just having fun

The boys (Jarod, Al, Jhance and Todd)...too bad it is blurry

At Olive Garden. I don't really like salad but I LOVE it here!

Hope (college friend) with Lilah and just found out she has another one baking away!!!

This was only the second time I got to see Lilah. The first was when she was only a couple days old. She is a doll and LOVED everyone!

Hanging out. Copper loved Lilah. 

And I can't forget to post a picture of our new nephew. Dre' Carter Knepp. Such a cutie!

Also, those following our infertility journey I have appointments made with the urologist in a couple weeks AND an infertility doctor in Evansville next month. I went ahead and made an appointment with an infertility doctor b/c of Jarod's count being so low but hopefully the urologist can do surgery and increase that some! If not we will already have an infertility doctor that we will know.

Mixed Emotions

This post is an update on our journey with infertility. I know I haven't posted anything about it in a while and just found out some news this week that is giving me mixed emotions. We have been doing really good with the thought of still no positive pregnancy test until this week. I had called the doctor's office to get a requisition for a sperm anaylsis a couple weeks ago. Well the first try we messed it up a little. Funny now but not that funny at the time. I know I kinda felt a little stupid at the time since I am a nurse but wasn't thinking about really at the time. So my poor husband had to do the sperm in a bottle thing.  We followed the directions on the paper and had it all ready. We didn't get the sperm too hot or too cold on the way to the hospital and were pretty happy of getting that over with. Well....we got to the hospital and they asked if we kept them under our armpit or in between our legs to keep them BODY TEMPERATURE. I was like....uhhh no! They said they could do the test but it wouldn't be as accurate so I said, we will just have to do it again. In my head I was like not again. My poor husband! I still have to tell the doctor's office they should put that on the paper. I know there has to be more people out there that did the same thing!

So last friday we did the test AGAIN. I was nervous of what the results would be and called the doctor's office wednesday to see if they had the results yet. They said they had the results but had to show them to the doctor before they could tell me. I knew it wasn't going to be good news when they said that or they would have probably told me then. They called back a few minutes later and the news that still makes my heart sink is that Jarod's sperm count was ONLY 2!!!! Just 2!!! The news nobody wants to hear!! The normal is 60,000-100,000! I wanted to start crying on the phone but held it in until I hung up. I am nervous, scared, happy and don't know what to do. I am happy that atleast we did have 2 and not 0. That is the postive! But our chances of having a baby on our own is going to be reallyyy hard. I have been praying every night for months now that we will be able to have a child. Jarod and I even joked that those few sperms that do survive are going to have to be some pretty tough sperm. haha. We did do another sperm analysis that same day and I will find out the resutls monday. I know it will still be low but having a second test done will make me feel better!

I called that same day to the urologist to get an appointment for Jarod b/c he does have a Variocele. This is the #1 cause of infertility in males. It is an abnormal enlargement of the vein that is in the scrotum draining the testicles. It pretty much heats the sperm too much where it kills them. I am hoping the doctor can do surgery and that will give us a greater chance of increasing Jarod's sperm count. The surgery can be done in an out-patient bases and usually doesn't have any complications. Usually pretty simple! I just hate that Jarod may have to get this done b/c nobody likes to have any kind of surgery. But he is willing and is being a good sport:) I couldn't get an appointment in until the end of this month which I was bummed about:( Does anyone know of any guy that has or had this?!

Until then I am just asking if you could say a little prayer for us! This week really got me down but I know there is a reason for everything. I am sooo grateful that I have an amazing husband that is right there by my side and such good support! We have already talked about the what if's and what we thought about things! This is only the begining and I know something will work out! I know God has a plan for everything! Just wish I knew now. I know, I know I don't have much patience! I do know this will only make us stronger in the end though!       

The Snapshots are up!

So I am just now uploading pics. I know it took me a little longer than I wanted but they are up now:) 

Hello Mexico!!!!

The sand was so soft!

My "amish" hubby. haha

Gotta have a Mariachi band in Mexico

Jarod, me and a REAL alligator!!! Oh the things you will do out of the U.S;)

Enjoying our time together

Beach Volleyball everyday!

Swim-up bar. These are so cool!

Yummy!

I want to blow up this pic. and put up in our house. I love all the colors!

The landscaping was beautiful.

Kisses

Hammock time. Our last day I got Jarod to get in this with me:)

The view from our room. I would wake up every morning and sit out on a our balcony and take it all in.

My life saver

More of the landscaping. Mi Pueblo has metal statues just like this.

Taking a break from our bike ride.

First time sitting at a Hibachi grill. This guy was impressive! We tried to make the same dish but not quite as good:(

Monkeys!!!! They are so fun and silly.

Our last meal. We ordered room service. Not very much food I know. haha

Are you serious? It is our last day already.

Hope you enjoyed looking at our pics!

Did somebody say Mexico

Do you ever have plans and then at the last minute they are changed?! Well, that is what happened last week. Jarod and I had plans to leave with my parents to Destin, Fl. last sunday in their RV. My dad didn't feel very good the whole week before and was hoping he would get medicine or get results back from his tests before we left. It got to friday and he decided that we weren't going to be able to go with them:( It was for the best though b/c I wouldn't want to leave and then he start feeling worse. Who likes to go on vacay feeling sick anyways. I am not going to lie I was bummed since I was sooo excited to go somewhere my parents. Even though staying a whole week in the RV was going to be a little crowded  we were up for it!! I think my mom and I were the most excited but I guess we will have to try another time.

Jarod and I knew we wanted to do something since we were both going to be off. Hmmmm......what should we do???? We had talked about going to Destin by oursleves, maybe Las Vegas or Key West. We had plans to go to Mexico later in the year for our last vacay this year. So we thought maybe we should go to mexico NOW and give it a shot later this year to go with my parents to Destin. Sounded like a good idea and it was going to be cheaper to go to Mexico now then later. I guess that was one good thing about booking so LAST  MINUTE! I had already knew of a couple hotels we liked b/c I had already researched a little on the Riviera Maya in Mexico. And after looking ALL day sunday on the internet we booked our vacay and left monday morning at 3 am. Yeah I think I only got like 4 hours of sleep. I didn't care though b/c we were going to Mexico. haha. I always tell Jarod I am thankful that we are able to visit different places like this. I LOVE to travel and Jarod does too but not as much as I do. He is always up for it though. He is such a great husband:) I know not all people are able to travel this much or even travel much at all. I always enjoy it to my fullest everytime we go b/c I know if we are able to have a child we probably won't travel as much. But it would be worth it:)

On to our trip. We left monday morning and arrived to the airport an hour and half before our departure. We thought we were doing good on timing and thought it won't even be that busy b/c out flight was leaving at 6:30. Wrong! The line to check in our bags was super long and they even let some of us cut to the front b/c it was getting closer to our departure time. Then we got to the security check point and that line was long. I was like, you can't be serious. We waited in line watching our clocks about every minute thinking we are going to miss our plan. We asked a couple people if they would let us cut and they were nice enough to let us. I felt bad asking but then again I made sure there flight time was later than ours. So we got through and took off on a dead sprint to our plan. Yeah we were "those" people. Funny now but not so funny at the time. We had to run atleast a 1/4 mile b/c our flight was leaving at the very end of the terminal (i think that is what you call it). The lady said they were getting ready to shut the doors and that she would let us on. I was like, I can't believe it. I really thought we were going to miss our plan. I was getting soo nervous! As she was checking our ticket I told her there was another lady coming b/c we had talked to her earlier. She made it too!!! Yeah! So we weren't the last one's on the plane;) We got in our seats and just took a deep breath. Not a good start. But after that we didn't have any problems. Thank God!  

We arrived to Cancun around 1:20 and were at our hotel a little before 3. We ate right away b/c we were starving. Well I was! Jarod can go a whole day without eating. Then after that we relaxed on the beach. I could just sit there all day looking at the gorgeous water! Ate supper that night and were out around 9 from being exhausted. Such a long day!

The next couple of days we took tennis lessons, played beach volleyball a lot, relaxed, ate too much, walked on the beach, did some swimming/floating in the pool (had an awesome lazy river), took a bike tour to a local town, visited a small zoo and did some other activities they had at the hotel.  It was a GREAT vacation and we had fun spending time together and even met some people from around the world. We met this older couple from Scotland on their 50th anniversary. We talked to them at the pool for a while. It was neat hearing about their life compared to ours. They were a cool couple! Now we are back to reality:( Warm reality!! Then later today we finally get to see our nephew (Dre) in person!!! Such a happy time. Can't wait to see who he looks like?!

Hope everyone has a good week and I will have to post pictures soon of our vacay!  

Important Women's Health Issue- Have you heard of this drug?

y/n~ Do you suffer from shyness?

y/n~ Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Margaritas.

Margaritas are the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions.

Margaritas can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything.

You will notice the benefits of Margaritas almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live.

Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had.

Stop hiding and start living, with Margaritas.

Margaritas may not be right for everyone.

Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Margaritas.

However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.

Side effects may include:- Dizziness- Nausea- Vomiting- Incarceration- Erotic lustfulness- Loss of motor control- Loss of clothing- Loss of money- Loss of virginity- Table dancing- Headache- Dehydration- Dry mouth- And a desire to sing Karaoke

WARNINGS:-

The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you are whispering when you are not.-

The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.-

The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to think you can sing..-

The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.

Thought this pretty funny!! 

Tell other women out there who may need Margaritas;)

xoxo

Hooray for warm weather!

I don't know how many of you are loving this WARM weather but I know I am!! I can't believe it has been in the 80's. This is my kind of weather. Last week I was cathching up on the yard work and spraying my weed killer EVERYWHERE so the weeds don't get out of hand. It doesn't take them long! I got that done and I am ready for the fun part. Taking my yearly trip to Lowe's to stock up on some flowers for our back patio. Yeah! This is something I look forward to every year...I know it may seem boring to some but I love it. haha. I just love going on our patio and having all these flowers out there.

Last saturday Jarod and I also went to Jasper to enjoy the outside by taking our bikes to the Jasper park. They have a really nice bike/walking path. Has anyone else been there? We also stopped at their new mill on the path and that was pretty neat. But with all that work we got hungry so we had to stop at Applebee's. It isn't our favorite restaurant but we had a gift card we wanted to use. Can't beat a free meal:) Plus, that night we also got to hang out at our neighbors house for a few hours also. Turned out to be a fun and relaxing day. This week I have been working and then yesterday we went on a little canoe ride and decided to take Khloe. I thought she would have been scared but I was wrong! She was loving every minute of it. We bought this canoe last year and love it but it is just a little tight for two people. When we were looking for a canoe last year we wanted something that we would have no problem hauling in the truck. Well we found that but like I said, it is a little tight. We have thought about selling it and getting a bigger one but then it may be harder to haul. So I don't know what we are going to do. If anyone would like to buy a canoe we have thought about selling this one. Anyone want a one person canoe?!

Also, I just wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and comments on my last post!! I REALLY do appreciate them! I had my ultrasound yesterday to see if the medication was working and to see if I had follicles. Everything looked great!!! I was so relieved! Now we will see what will happen in the next few months. Hopefully a baby soon:) Until then we will let GOD control what happens. I have been doing better and have been trying not to think about this too much. I know the comments that everyone posted made me feel much better:) I have even got a few messages and even a letter from some women I know. I feel sooo lucky and blessed to have these people in my life!! I think it is great that we can be so open about these things and have so much support for/from one another!

 

 

Hope

So this is not going to be one of my typical blogs where I talk about our past week/week-end, vacations, friends/family, crafty projects, the weather;)....etc. I know I don't usually go into much personal detail on my blog but someting inside me keeps telling me to blog about this. I know there are some people that have had to deal with this in the past and some that are currently dealing with this same situation. I was hoping we would never have to deal with this. Getting Pregnant! The big P word or may I say the big I word (Infertility)! Jarod and I have been trying for a few months now and each month comes and goes and we have no positive pregnancy tests. It is hard not to think about it...especially when you hear somene else you know is PREGNANT. I am always excited for them but then at the same time wishes it was me announcing that news right along with them. Being a mommy is something I think almost every woman thinks about being.

So a couple weeks ago I went to the OB doctor to talk to him about this. I have had an irregular period ever since my parents were in an accident and so I knew this would make it even harder to get pregnant. I was nervous going to see him to hear what he had to say and if he would give me anything to help us get pregnant. I was happy to hear he was going to put me on Clomid.  A pill for infertility to help stimulate ovulation. It is something that is giving me HOPE right now and I just pray that it will work!!!! I started taking it yesterday and have to take it for 5 days. No side effects right now and hopefully I don't have any. This is our first step to take and I hope this is the only step. I am nervous but know that God has a plan for everyone. I just hope one of his many plans is to give me the ability to have one of his a children. I have some days where I just want to cry but then I have to remind myself to keep my head high. I know there are a lot of women out there that have to deal with this. You never know REALLY what it feels like until you are in that same situation. In a little over a week I have to get an ultrasound to see if I am producing follicles and to see if the medication is working.  I am asking for anyone to please pray this medication will work for us. I know GOD is in control and will answer prayers. Until then I guess we will have to see what will happen in the next few months....keeping my fingers crossed;)