Win a Baby "Couple A" Update

A couple of months ago I had convinced myself that ivf, that having a baby of my own may not be possible. A couple of months ago I had almost given in! Then came the contest Win a Baby from The New Hot 899 and now I am at the beginning of a round of IVF. How things can change… J

Ryan and I are now embarking upon our first and hopefully only round of IVF. We are optimistically realistic coming into this process, but we are beyond excited.  My original plan was not to get my hopes up, you here of it taking multiple rounds and how that can wear on a person; however now that I am here it is hard to contain my excitement. In just a few short months and a crazy roller coaster ride I went from having to face maybe never having a child to being at the clinic where it can all happen; picking up my injection kit.

Now that our dream is within reach its hard not to picture our little boy or girl, hard not to talk about names and a future; where before I wouldn’t dare let myself go there. 

Even though the process is beyond not fun, the nausea, headaches, acne and soon to come hot flashes and mood swings; it is more than worth it. My hubby was stressing coming into this process, knowing the toll that a round of IVF can take on someone.  It plays havoc on your body, strains you emotionally and pushes the boundaries of your relationship.  So when January came and even though I knew exactly what I was facing; I still had a smile on my face, was super positive and excited about starting hormones…I knew I was ready.  

So when the day came; I made the phone call, one simple phone call that can change our lives forever, I called in to start our round of IVF. Writing down all the details, appointments, the do’s and don’ts I couldn’t help but just beam (and maybe do a little happy dance). At a recent appointment to learn about the injections I will be soon starting and how this whole process works, I was watching my next few months being mapped out.

I’ve been on a pill for a few weeks now, next is a daily injection that lowers my estrogen levels (similar to menopause) to trick my brain into not paying attention to the multiple eggs I will be growing. After a few weeks I get blood work to determine that my estrogen levels are low enough (starting at a base line) and if they are at the magic number I start a second daily injection that will increase my estrogen levels and create multiple eggs instead of the usual one. After a couple weeks of this and multiple blood work and ultrasound appointments they will be able to tell us when we can have them removed, A trigger shot is taken to tell the body to release the eggs and the procedure is booked. From then on out you hope for multiple healthy eggs and you hope that you get many healthy viable embryos.

This process has a lot that needs to line up and even if everything goes perfect we have a 50% chance at the end of the day. I don’t think I have ever been so excited to inject myself with a needle…lol

No matter how this process turns out, we are and will forever be beyond grateful to the mazing people at the new hot 899 for making this happen, for giving us and four other great couples a chance at making our dreams come true.

Because if you never take a chance, if you never try, you will never know!

Lotsa Love,

Natasha

Baking Lessons

When I think of myself as a cook, I think bbq meat, awesome stir fry’s and yummy pasta’s, not an awesome desert. I can get by with baking, but where I really excel is having fun with different savory dishes in the kitchen, sauces, oils and spices oh my! This month I have had a lot more free time then I normally do and have become addicted to Pinterest, so while viewing all the deliciousness that everyone pins, I decided to explore the world of baking a little bit more. 

Delicious Home Made Artisan Bread!

One thing you have to know about me is that I’m not a very  patient person, this could be why baking and I have never hit it off… you rush baking and usually end up with disaster. This year instead of making New Years Resolutions I made goals or a state of mind that I wanted to have entering this crazy year, one was to be patient.

Since I’ve been exploring the realm of baking, my patients has been tested and rewarded. I have successfully made delicious artisan bread, monkey squares, cinnamon sugar pull a part bread and this week has a whole new world of possibilities waiting for me. I’m thinking lemon squares; maybe a different type of bread and seeing as it’s my sister’s birthday this week, who knows what else I will create!

One thing January has been teaching me (other than I’m not a Tylenol fan and I miss you Advil!) is that if you slow down and look around there is a lesson or room for growth in every moment. If I rush the recipe it will fail, just as if you rush certain life moments you’ll miss the sparkle in them. There is something therapeutic about spending a day with great company or alone, getting your hands dirty baking!

So maybe it won’t be baking for you, but try and find something that tests and teaches patience. Because I’m sure that is something that most of us could use a lot more of. Slow down, take a step back and enjoy the moment (or the fresh bread you just made).

Life fly’s by in a flash, so hit the pause button and just relax!

Lotsa Love,

Natasha

Things that make me HAPPY!

In the process of creating a list of blog posts ideas, I was baking, sipping on coffee and spending a lazy day at home alone with my poochie Bailey. This struck me as an amazing idea for my blogging peeps to get to know me better (cuz I don’t share enough…lol). So I decided to write a little bit about a few of the things that make me happy!

Date nights- getting together with my peeps (usually mid-week), to enjoy each other’s company. This tradition has evolved over the years, but is still a welcome constant in my life.

Babies- The idea that I could be a momma in less than a year! 

Preggers- My sister in law Charly and a bunch of our girlfriend's are expecting little ones themselves. 

Food- Cooking it, exploring it and of course eating it!

Bailey trying to get her cuddle on,
soaking wet after a swim in the lake!

My Cottage- No matter what’s going on in my life, I get to my cottage and my whole body just relaxes. It’s like my brain is trained that the cottage is a place of happy relaxation.

Writing- When I get into the zone, doesn’t seem to matter what else is going on around me. My fingers start typing and even if it’s a verbal hot mess, it’s all mine… J

Photos- Looking back on all the good times had!

Family pets- I lova the poochies! Sorry kitties I’m allergic!

Knitting- Seeing something created from a ball of yarn.

Family and friends- The peeps that keep me sane.

Ryan- The person who I chose to spend forever with and who chose me right back!

There a probably a million more things I could put on my list like coffee, olives, Christmas lights and wine(when I’m allowed to drink it), but they would be secondary to my list I’ve created above.  I may not have a ton of money or the best of luck (sometimes) but I am rich in many ways that I know that some aren’t as fortunate in. Because you may be able to buy a bigger house, but you can’t buy better peeps than I have.

So why don’t you share a bit about yourself and tell me what makes you happy!

Lotsa Love,

Natasha

2012 Resolutions

Our society seems very attached to making resolutions every year on New Year’s day, but do we keep them? The giant life changing resolutions that we all create for ourselves in hopes that this year will be the year we lose the weight, read 50 books or meet the one. My belief is that is you’re not ready or you aren’t in the right mind set no matter how many resolutions you make you’re going to break them. So even though I don’t believe setting one day a year aside for setting resolutions, I absolutely believe in setting goals and working towards a better change or aspiring to something new and great.

This year I asked my hubby if he’d made any resolutions this year, he replied without thought “no and neither should you, because you never keep them”. At first I was taken back… how dare he say that… and then I tried to think of a resolution made on New Years that Id actually kept and I honestly could not think of one. I have reached many other goals in my life and I aspire to many great things, but to say I’ve completed a New Year’s resolution…I could not.

I think my dreams for 2012 are a little big and can’t really be obtained by resolving to do so. So instead I’ve decided to enter into 2012 with a mindset of how I’d like things to work out, a positive outlook.  Seeing as 2012 will be spent going through ivf and possibly pregnancy Ive told myself that there is a certain way I want to go through it.

I want to be brave and strong, entering into something new and scary. I want to be patient and understanding, knowing that things don’t happen overnight. I want to be aware of me, with hormone injections it can be easy to slip into bought’s of emotions or solely focus on ivf, I want to remain aware of me throughout this process to stay sane J . I’m going to be creating a board that I can put up somewhere visible in my house as my mantra for 2012.

2011 ended on such a high note for Ryan and I, we just want to keep riding that wave. I’ve lost 15lbs and have been eating well, exercising and overall feeling great. My energy is up and I feel overall very positive about what’s to come. Ryan keeps laughing at me, saying “I’ve never seen someone so excited to start injecting themselves with needles.”; this means to me that I am ready to face all that 2012 can throw at me with Ryan by my side. January should be an interesting month with the start of our IVF round, but I like interesting…

So even though I have a ton of things that I would love to accomplish for 2012, resolving to do so has never worked for me in the past. So instead I plan on having a strong and positive outlook and by doing so may be able to achieve more in my year.

Lotsa Love,

Natasha

Do you make yearly resolutions; If so what where they for this year? Post a comment to let us all know.