My Year In Review- 2009

I love looking back over the year to see what happened:

January: I turned 30 and survived. Danielle and I went on a cruise to commemorate this and it was great. However, we came home from vacation to a nasty flood in our kitchen which turned out to be a blessing because we got a new kitchen, bathroom and few other items. On January 25th my niece was born.

February: I started ttc again after yet another break. I start to address my back issues due to severe pain. We start to window shop for appliances, bed, etc.

March: I have back surgery after much debate. I feel much better. After two months of hammers and people in an out of our home, the house is finished in mid March. The first ttc session of the new year results in a bfn.

April: This was an emotionally tough month in the ttc world. I was invited to 2 baby showers for two good friends and had a tough time dealing with it. However, I survived and had a great time. I went to visit my parents in Florida before going back to work after 8 weeks of recuperating from my surgery. I had a great time visiting with them. My mom sets up her Etsy store. Try #15 was put on hold because of a cyst. The desire to move out of Pittsburgh becomes really strong. It becomes a big issue in our relationship because Danielle doesn't want to move away from her family and I feel as though I cannot stay in Pittsburgh for the rest of my life.

May: I ttc for the 15th time. I think its my 3rd round of gonal F and I add acupuncture to this round. We consider getting a puppy and later in the month make a definitive decision to get the female dog. I have a feeling later in my cycle that it was a bust and Danielle takes over and tries ttc for the first time.

June: Danielle has her first insem this month. I get confirmation that try #15 was a bust. My RE gives me three options: increase gonal f, ivf, or have Danielle take over. When I asked, she stresses that there is nothing physically preventing me from getting pregnant. This really sticks in my mind. Danielle and I start to identify our summer projects and finally get our backyard landscaped. It looks awesome and we are really pleased with how good it looks. It only took us a weekend and a million trips to Home Depot. We also decide that we want to go to LA to visit our friend Erica this summer and to see if it is somewhere she would consider living. Moving is still a big issue for us. I worry that we may not be able to resolve this and how it will affect us. Gracie comes home in the middle of this month. I quickly learn how difficult it is to take care of puppy and we sign her up for puppy classes through a local community college.

July: We learn that Danielle's cycle was a bust. Gracie gets her second round of shots and has a horrible reaction. I quietly ttc this month with the last bit of money on my FSA card. We ttc at home without any meds, IUI, etc. It's at home with Danielle, very smiliar to how we started our journey. Danielle has doubt about this cycle. She took the cycle off. My niece's christening was this month and I remember enjoying two mimosas at brunch following the service. I buy myself a much wanted Iphone and love it.

August: We look for doggy daycare but don't have any luck. August 5th, I get the best gift ever... a long awaited bfp on try #16. My betas are 333 and 1008 (16 and 18 dpo). I have my first u/s. I remain in shock for pretty much the rest of this month. It was so hard to believe that this pregnancy was truly happening to me after 2 years off trying. We meet with my OB and a Midwife. We decide hands down to go with the Mr. Midwife. August 26th we fly to LA and love it. Danielle fell in love after about an hour of being there and we decide it's somewhere we'd like to live.

September: We hear SugarPlum's heartbeat for the first time (Sep 8th). The G-20 comes to Pittsburgh and I'm sent to work 3 hours away in Harrisburg. Morning sickness is kicking my ass. We have our first tri screening. SP doesn't cooperate so we go back the following week.

October: We go in for our second first tri screening. Everything looks great with the baby. My morning sickness is going away. I buy my first Coach Purse. Actually I bought two. Danielle turns 26 years old. I start to feeling the baby move slightly.

November: I start to sew items for the baby and buy a crib. We learn that the baby is a BOY. We decide we are going to give cloth diapering a go. We interview two daycare centers. We narrow down names to Preston, Nicholas, Jayden, and Tyler.

December: We do some repairs/improvements in what will be the baby's room and identify colors. The baby moves around a lot and Danielle can feel from the outside. I enjoy the Christmas season a million times more than I have in the past few years. I end up at the hospital twice for stomach flu and bleeding. I recover from both within a short amount of time. We plan to start the baby's room within the next week.





My 2009 goals:
Build up my practice- I was able to keep a number that I was comfortable with.
Get certified as a MFT- Pitt no longer offers this program so I put it on hold.
Getting back to my pre-ttc weight- Didn't do this although I lost about 12 pounds in my first tri.
Strengthen core muscles- Worked on it but still have work to do.
Saving more money- I was able to do this and was more financially stable than previous years.
Take Danielle to Europe- We went to LA instead and on a Caribbean Cruise. Maybe next year
Get pregnant/start a family- Accomplished!!!!