IVF #2 is a go....

I have scheduled the first sit down appt with our RE to discuss our next IVF attempt - it's in late June.  Our plans are to start the process in July - and if my next 2 periods start when I think they will start, and the timing is similar to last time (obviously this is a BIG if...for all I know he will recommend a different protocol or something, or I could respond differently) that would give us a retrival date of August 7.

WOW.

I am suddenly way excited and less nervous than before.  There is really no use in speculating about whether we should do this or not - if it doesn't work then at least we tried.  I could see regretting not trying at all though...

Mother's Day 5k update...

I did the 5k in 35:18!  I am crazy proud of myself :-).  It made my average pace 11:22/mile.  I ran most of it with short walks to catch my breath of about 30 seconds.

I literally feel in the best shape of my life (which isn't saying much - I've pretty much been out of shape my whole life).

Happy Mother's Day to everyone - whether you're a mother or just wish to one day be one.   Xoxo

2 years

2 years ago today I had two embryos placed back into my uterus. I was oh so sure neither would stick - but one did. And she is worth every second of pain and sacrifice that it took to bring her home. Love you Pipsqueak!

Baby weight drama

I started out overweight when we started IVF.  I gained 40 pounds while pregnant.  All through my pregnancy and first 12 weeks of post partum I cared very little about it - all that mattered was her health and that breast feeding was going well - days I restricted calories I noticed a drop in my supply - and my supply was never overabundant to start with so I ate about 2000-2500 calories a day for the first year of Pipsqueak's life.

Breast-feeding alone got me down to just below my pre-IVF weight.  I know this because I was eating like a pig and hardly exercising.  MIRACLE! I sometimes wonder if I should have continued pumping/nursing for years....LOL.

I started walking with her when she was quite young and when she turned one I began walking 4-5 times a week on the treadmill during naps. Nothing dramatic, just 30 mins at a moderate pace.  I also began tracking calories on my phone, aiming for around 1500 cals a day but usually ending up near 2000.  Definitely less than I had been though.  I think both of these things did affect my supply - and I think that's what encouraged her to wean herself - she was sick of not getting much.

2 weeks ago I began Couch to 5k.  I am on Week 3 Day 2 today.  I have NEVER been a runner - but am really enjoying this program.  I have no aspirations of being a serious marathon runner ever - but have a goal to be able to jog most of a Mother's 5k on Mother's Day with some friends.  We shall see - if I walk most of it I won't be too mad at myself.  I ordered the new Graco jogging stroller and it should arrive Thursday - I am sooo excited to run outside!

Here is my weight record.  Maybe sharing here will motivate me more!!!!
5' 6.5"-height
177 - wedding day weight in 2009.
193 - pre IVF weight in 2011 - BMI 30.7 - Obese range.  NOT OK
233 - delivery day weight - OMG
201 - weight 12 weeks post partum - I think most of what I had lost up to then was water weight.
191 - weight approx 9 months post partum - thank you breast-feeding!
178 - weight now - BMI 28.3 - Overweight range.  Much better

I am very proud of myself.  My goal has been to get down to my wedding day weight and I am almost there!  165 is like my dream weight so maybe I can hit that too.

We're done

Weaning is over hurrah!

This past week she suddenly self weaned!!! I literally did almost nothing - but I'm realizing my supply must have been super low because I hardly had any engorgement.

So we made it to 15 months breast feeding. I am extremely proud and at the same time it's sad to be done. Will I ever nurse another baby? If I knew for sure she was my last I'd probably push the issue and try to keep her interested.

We are still talking about IVF in the fall for Project Sibling. Nothing is 100% yet but we are leaning towards it. If we were a normal fertile couple we wouldn't even discuss whether or not to have a second baby - but knowing what we have to go through and the expense involved - just ugh. Somehow the first time around it felt like we HAD to try. This time it feels selfish somehow....like we already won the Powerball yet keep buying tickets. Does that make any sense? Pipsqueak deserves a sibling I think. That's the driving force.

If we are unsuccessful I will just kick myself.


Also obviously I want another teeny tiny cutie :-).

Night terrors

OMG. Baby having a night terror is NO FUN!!!!!

For the last two days PS has refused an afternoon nap. From what I've read this usually doesn't happen til 18 months or so? So she has been going to bed super early, like 6:30. Monday night she slept 6:30pm-5am silently, then woke up and slept in with Daddy til 7:30. Last night she went down at 6:30 and was SCREAMING at 8. It took 15 mins of us doing everything we could possibly think of before she stopped. She looked so scared. I checked her temp (97.8) and gave Tylenol just in case something was hurting but my gut says she was scared.

Evidently achieving new milestones (verbally here - like 5 new words this last week) can bring on nightmares/terrors. And DH tells me he had them as a kid. Yuck!

Anyone have any experience with this?

14 months today

14 months old on Valentine's Day!  So sweet.

Quick update for posterity - at 14 months Pipsqueak can:

-say 9 words consistently and with the correct meanings- Dada, Mama, Kitty-Cat, Again, Water, Ball Ball, Cheese, Pop-Pop, and Bye-Bye.  Says oh so many words that I cannot understand for the life of me.

-RUN.   Literally runs away and faster than me.  She is a speedster.

-put herself to sleep at night and even for most naps.

-Sleeping 10-11 hours straight at night in her crib - usually from 7:30pm-6am.  SO GLAD the 4:30am wakeups seems to be fading away.  6am seems a simply luxurious sleeping in at this point!!!!

-napping one huge nap midday (2-3 hours, usually 11am-2pm), and usually another 30-60 min nap late afternoon although sometimes she skips this.

-feeds herself for many meals - LOVES finger foods - especially shredded cheese, iron kids bread, deli meats, green beans, hummus.  Still is loving pouches of baby veggies and fruits, and allows me to spoon feed her yogurt and gerber baby purees.

She is still breast feeding 3-4 times a day.  I really don't know how I am going to wean her, the kid loves it.  DH and I are going on an 11 day vacation to Hawaii in June while my parents stay with the baby so we have to wean by then.  I guess I won't worry about it until May :-)

Every Tuesday morning we go to story time at the local library and she loves it.  We are starting swimming lessons in April and I have begun researching gymanstics classes.  It is so nice having the freedom to schedule so many activities and play dates...I am really starting to see the upside of only having one child.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!