6 months with Timothy

 I am now officially 6 months pregnant with our little boy! It has been a thrilling and yet very emotional journey. We feel a very strong connection with this baby. As Evelyn has said, "He's already here, even though he isn't born yet." He is a very wiggly little boy: he just loves to dance, and he loves to hear his daddy talk or sing to him. He also really likes Evelyn's guitar playing, and when we sing in harmony. We have such a strong connection, that we have chosen his name already, and I finished his stocking! His name is Timothy.
Here is the stocking I made for him: it is Goofy as the Marley door knocker. It is really neat to have 5 stockings hanging on the wall!

 Here are my 6 months pregnant pictures. While Evelyn was taking the pictures, she suddenly lowered the camera with a shocked expression on her face. "Was that the baby kicking?!" She exclaimed. I guess she saw my whole stomach rolled. It was she first time she has been able to see his movements, even though I've been watching him for a few months now.

 We are very blessed to have monthly ultrasounds and MRI pictures. The reason for this is because he has been diagnosed with Spina Bifida. His spine is open down near his tailbone and he will need surgery as soon as he is born. We are watching his brain closely to see if he will have hydrocephalus. The last ultrasound we had, they were so sweet to give us a 4D picture of him, because we haven't gotten a good shot of his profile or face since he was about 12 weeks. Look at those big full lips! He looks a lot like Evelyn besides those lips!

Catching up from Halloween

 These are just cute pictures of Evelyn: she has grown about 6 inches this year! She is getting so clever too! We were asking her about a piece of art that really resonated with her. She thought for a moment, and then stated: "Once I saw a billboard for the Habit: that really inspired me!"

  Evelyn's favorite thing this year has been raptors: she fell in love with Blue the Raptor in Jurassic World. She has been practicing her raptor walk and her raptor talk. Then for Halloween, we found a raptor mask, and she just HAD to have it! She bought it with her very own money! Then I bought her the jumpsuit to go with it. She had to wear that mask everywhere: even to the dentist.

Evelyn was so realistic looking in her costume: especially in the dark! She would come running up in her mask, screeching, and it was very intimidating! She made a few people startle during trick or treating. But she hasn't just worn her costume during Halloween. She still frequently wears it: in fact, for Thanksgiving, she did a talent show where she ballet danced in her raptor costume. 

 Here is Michael and Evelyn carving pumpkins. We didn't do a ton of Halloween traditions beyond this. We also started a new diet of whole foods only: so we threw away most of the Halloween candy and made our own chocolate with honey!

Pregnant! Finally!

   After two rounds of in vitro, Michael and I finally got that real positive pregnancy result! We are now 16 weeks along! We will find out this week what we are having. Evelyn is thrilled: she will be like a second mother as she will be 11 years old when the baby is born. We are due March 16th.
  We were originally pregnant with twins: but we lost Baby B on week 9. Baby A is healthy and strong and I have felt him/her kicking me since about week 13! 
After 11 years, it feels so unreal. We felt like our family was established, and it feels like a dream come true to have--can I call it a 2nd chance at parenthood?

Summer Memories 2018

This year we had a house guest! It was a little baby hummingbird. We found this hummingbird sitting behind the tire of a truck and we were worried it was going to be run over. Also, it was cheeping constantly, and not making any move to fly away. We looked around to try and find its nest, but couldn't find it, and there wasn't really a tree we could put it in either. 

 We put the poor little thing in a flowering plant in hopes it would drink: it seemed so dehydrated! But it didn't move. Come to find out, hummingbirds like red, orange and pink flowers the best, so maybe that was the problem. But as it sat there peeping its distress cry, I got really worried that a cat would come find it, so I took it home. We made it a little nest in a cardboard box and prepared it sugar water. It almost dove into the sugar water! We knew we could only feed it like that for a day, though, so we prayed that the poor little things would mature enough over night to fly away the next day.

 Evelyn loved her new "pet", and we decided to name it "Cricket" because of the constant tiny peeps it emitted. They were about as loud as a little cricket's. We fed it regularly, (its little tongue would flick in and out of its hollow beak so quickly to lick our fingers!) and the next day released it back onto the tree outside our condo. We checked on it regularly and were a bit alarmed when it still didn't fly away or make any attempt to move, but later in the day, an adult hummingbird started feeding it: I guess it heard the little peeps too. I wonder if it was the mother, or just a kindly hummingbird as we were a few blocks away from where we originally found it.

 Eventually, Cricket did fly off: we watched as he flew across the street and directly into the red tail-light of a parked car. I wonder if that's why it was under the car the first time we found it?! That is not a red flower, little one! We picked up and put it back in the tree. The next day it had flown. We spent the next few days checking behind taillights of parked cars to make sure it didn't make that mistake again, but we never found him again.

 During our ward camp out, we had bb gun and archery training. Evelyn loved it! She and Michael shot for over an hour, until she could no longer lift her bow with her shaky tired muscles. She was really good at it too. By the end of the practice, she got three bullseyes right in a row!

My little Ballerina

In Vitro

   Michael and I are in the middle of the In Vitro Fertilization Process. I must admit that I was terrified to make this move: I wanted more children so badly, but spending $15,000+ on a 60% chance didn't seem very financially or emotionally intelligent. I figured that I would eventually have to do it, but that would be when Michael got that million dollar check in the mail from that distant rich relative and all our money concerns disappeared. Plus, we had to balance out the unpredictable concern about my health. A couple years ago, my Rheumatologist made it sound like we shouldn't and/or couldn't have more children with the status of my health. We settled into accepting the fact that we would only have Evelyn. But last summer, my Rheumatologist totally changed her tune and told us that we could wean off the especially dangerous medication I was taking and try for fertility treatments. Michael and I instantly started creating strange ways to save up money: Like having to pay $5 per treat into our baby fund. Or not allowing ourselves to eat out. 

     In spite of that fact that we saved a ridiculous amount of money (I had no idea how much money we just waste on....whatever!) it still seemed that actually being able to afford the In Vitro process  would be years away. Then the miracle happened: Our heater broke. Before that, Michael and I wouldn't even consider going into debt for it, but when we already had to borrow money, why not consolidate all our debt, lower our payments and get enough that we can immediately pursue In Vitro? God truly works in mysterious ways. 

   So we began preparing my body and getting all the blood tests done. Our first big adventure was when Michael passed out during his blood draw. We have no idea why this happened as he routinely donates blood and they hadn't even gotten any blood yet! But we figured he just psyched himself out. He passed out twice. For one vial. I can't even count how many blood draws I have had in the last two months. This is why women have babies. 

   Then we began the hormone treatments. I had to be on 3 different shots a day: given to myself: in the belly. I was so nervous! The feeling of dread increased when Michael found out he had to go on a business trip the second day of the shots. I had been counting on him to administer the shots to me like he does the Humira! Now I would REALLY have to give myself the shots! And with an exposed needle--not a hidden pen like Humira. --In my BELLY! I forced myself  to accept it and decided to create a battle cry for when I stabbed myself with the needle. 

  When I was watching my training videos with Michael, I discovered that I wouldn't have been able to count on Michael anyway when he got woozy at the sight of the needles. He couldn't even watch the videos. 

   Surprisingly, I didn't even need the battle cry I had created for getting through my injections bravely. The shots were so easy! Tiny needles, a small amount of thin medication: I hardly felt it! I felt silly that I had been so nervous! But I think Michael felt sillier when I made him sit on the floor to watch because I really didn't want to have to catch him as he fell to the floor....but he didn't even get woozy! (Humira, by the way, is NOT an easy shot! It bruises and swells for almost two weeks: just in time for my next shot! If my in vitro shots were like that: three times a day for ten days....I didn't even know how I would handle it!)

   Tomorrow I am getting my eggs retrieved. I have learned to not sweat it. I can do hard things. Plus, I will be under anesthesia. I have 26 eggs! Its amazing what they can do with medical science! It's not remotely natural, but amazingly miraculous. I will know in three weeks  whether the process was successful.

Faux Pregnancy test.
NO, I am NOT pregnant! ....YET!

 This test was used to determine if I had done one of the shots correctly. But after all the negative tests I have taken, it was still hugely satisfying to get a positive pregnancy test, even if it isn't real. I had to document it!

Me and my 26 eggs!

  Surprisingly, I really feel like I will be okay even if we don't end up pregnant. I am simply proud of myself for the way I conducted myself, and I don't fear trying it again. We may not ever have more children, but  I am absolutely assured that God is leading me and my little family. Whatever happens, He can make right. I am filled with hope and assurance that He is there. 

Evelyn's Birthday and San Antonio

Happy Birthday, my little 10-year-old! Stop growing up, already! 

This year Evelyn picked a Lemon bundt cake for her cake. She got a few more dragons. But we didn't do tons and tons of presents because we were planning a trip to Texas in a few weeks! We left Angelo with Grandma Shelly, and had basically a free Texas trip with the points Michael had saved.

Evelyn bought herself a souvenir dragon stuffed animal there. We spent a lot of the time in the hotel room, because, just our luck: it was freezing! We had one day that was pretty warm, but one day it snowed! The whole city shut down. That was the day we were planning on going to Ripley's believe it or not. Nothing was open. Even restaurants. We had to eat in our hotel that night. Thank goodness for the free dinners there! It was hot dogs....but beggars can't be choosers. That night they were the best tasting hot dogs ever!
We were able to go see the King Williams Street mansions on our first full day there. It was a Sunday, so that was a good Sunday activity: going and coveting.

This mansion looked so much like the haunted mansion, it was almost creepy! Makes me wonder if Disney based the haunted mansion off of this house!

 We got a lot of comments about our matching hoodies. Everyone wanted to know which sports team we supported. The true answer is that we don't even know enough of the colleges colors to make up a team!

Evelyn really loved the river walk. She thought it was beautiful. She especially loved the ducklings. She also liked the cathedral with the light show. She wanted to buy all the souvenirs she could, but resisted the hole in her pocket until she got her dragon. She saved the rest of her money for Disneyland. What self control!

 The last day we were there was the day it snowed. There wasn't even and inch. Mostly it was a freezing rain, but all the freeways are all elevates, so they were solid ice. It was funny how much salt they used for melting the ice.

 While we spent most our days in the hotel, we did a lot of hot tubbing, and reading Fablehaven, and sewing. Evelyn got a felt animal sewing kit for her birthday and she loves to sew the little creatures. 

 We had so many hot chocolates this trip that I think there was chocolate running through my veins. But it saved our lives. It was so windy and humid cold!

Get to Know You Questions

• What is a moral dilemma you have faced? How did you handle it? Would you handle it differently now?
• Who is a person you admire and want to become like? (Besides Christ...you have to know them personally) What makes you admire them so?
• What is a talent you want to develop? What would you use it for?
• Benjamin Franklin had a list of virtues he was trying to develop. What is a virtue you want to develop? How can you practice it?
• What is your most cherished memory? What makes it so special to you?
• When is the time you have felt angriest in your life? What is it about the circumstance that upset you?
• Where is a place you would like to go that you have never been before? What is it that appeals to you, the history, comfort, pleasure, entertainment, or something else?
• Make up a Disneyland ride or attraction with one of these ideas: Alladin, Moana, Tangled, or a historical story of your choice. 
• Who is a person that you think heavily influenced the course of history (not Christ). Do you think they had a good influence or bad influence? Why?
• If you could have one super power what would it be and why? Who would your archenemy be? How would you use your gift to bless the world?
• If you could change one quality about our family, what would it be (not counting having more kids!) 
• When is a time in your life that you know Heavenly Father was there for you? What has that knowledge done for you?
• Why is your family important to you? What do you think Heavenly Father sent you to this family?
• What do you think Heavenly Father wants you to accomplish and learn in this life? --Not something general, but specific.
• How do you cope with stress? How would you like to cope with stress?

Disneyland Feb 2018

This year we were lucky enough to have another 2 week business trip to Anaheim California! We drove down this year. We were so restless at the first hotel that Evelyn taught us ballet to help get the wiggles out! Then we watched a cooking show the rest of the night. "Chopped." We very rarely get to watch television shows, so we splurged a bit. 

 It was an interesting trip because we had to check in and out of 4 different hotels because of spiking rates. By the end we felt like we had been on 4 vacations. This is one of the nicer ones.

While Michael worked during the day, Evelyn and I would either do homework (for half of the days) or we would go to Disneyland! Then at nights Michael would join us either in the park, or we'd go out on the town. 

Evelyn was much braver this year. She was a little hesitant to ride the Matterhorn with the new Harold, but she ended up being curious and asking me to go on it! We rode it like 3 or four times. 

She would probably have been nervous to ride California Screaming, but it was closed down for the conversion of Pixar Pier. Neither Evelyn nor I rode the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride. But Michael loved it.

Evelyn was in a new stage this year. She is growing up so fast! In order to make sure we didn't zone the trip out, I came up with get to know you questions. It was fun to talk over dinner or during some of the longer lines. I will make another blog that I will list the questions in case you like get to know you questions. 

We got to go to the movie "The Greatest Showman" while we were there. It was such a fun show, and we all came away singing the songs. It was extra fun because we just studied that era in history, so we were able to look up Barnum and see what was true and what wasn't. We also noticed a lot of things in Disneyland that we had studied in History. That made for more good discussions.

 It was so cold! Michael and I weren't prepared for the cold, because the forecast had been 80 degrees, so that's what we packed for, but then dropped to 40 degrees. We went and bought some sweaters, and heavily layered on the colder days. On the worst days, I wore two shirts, two pants, two sweaters, two pairs of socks, a coat, gloves, hat, and poncho!--And I still froze. It was ok though....it just meant we bought lots of hot chocolate. The Ghiradelli's is the best, but WAY expensive! It's cheaper if you go to the Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney. Speaking of the Jazz Kitchen: super delicious beignets!!!! We finally tried them this year, and couldn't get enough!

This was our other hotel. It was a bit of an adjustment, because it wasn't as nice as it looked online, but it was clean. We just had to decide it was a hotel on the spanish main. We watched Blackbeard's Ghost, and then we liked it better.

 Evelyn spent most the time playing on our little private balcony. I spent most of the time lying on the bed. It was a good hotel.

 That weekend we also got a chance to go to Universal Studios. We haven't ever been together, and Evelyn was so excited for the Jurassic Park ride (I had told her all about it, and for some reason she  loves dinosaurs!) It was so fun to do something different. Michael loved it, but my opinion was that I prefer Disneyland, and I am glad we were only there for the one day.

 I loved the photo-bomb in this shot! It was like being stalked by Professor Snape!

We all loved the Jurassic Park ride the best, and went on it 3 or four times. It was nice to have my scooter so we didn't have to wait in the lines. 

We also got to go to the Aquarium of the Pacific, which was also a first. It was mostly just your average aquarium, but we especially loved the jelly fish, the puffin exhibit, the poison dart frogs, and the cheap gift shop! Evelyn bought a turtle and I got plastic frogs. 

Then we went to Medieval Tines again, and Evelyn got picked as the Queen of the Tournament! She had been blowing kisses and flirting atrociously with our knight, and we were right on the front row. He would see her, and smirk, but give the flowers to others. She wasn't getting really frustrated, when he picked her for Queen of the Tournament. She was so pleased!

 I had bought Evelyn a princess crown at Medieval Times, and dressed her up for the next Disneyland Day. She loved it. But halfway through the day, we saw a little three-year-old Cinderella. She was all dressed up with a bun and everything. All she needed was a crown. So Evelyn took hers off and asked the mom if she could give it to the little girl! That sweet little girl lit up like a Christmas tree when she got it, and Evelyn and I smiled the rest of the day.

 This was taken when we were in line for Peter Pan. We were trying to come up with good baby names for twins. That was funny.

 Our favorite place to eat is at Tortilla Joe's. Usually we get right in, but one time we have to wait for about an hour, so we had a Downtown Disney photo shoot. We discovered that Michael doesn't know how to smile when he is taking selfies.

 This was Evelyn and I practicing our sassy looks. Evelyn didn't quite know what that meant.

 Evelyn ran into a Disney worker who was named Evelyn from San Antonio. When Evelyn exclaimed, "That's my name!" The worker gave Evelyn her name tag!

 Here is one of those Daddy-can't-smile selfie shots. The one below is better.

 I found some awesome haunted mansion socks. I bought these for me, and some for Michael that had the stretching portraits on them.