Year in Review - 2018

With the new year upon us, I am so thrilled for everything that is to come in 2019. Mainly the fact that we will be welcoming our BABY BOY to the world. But I always like to take a look back that the year that is coming to an end and reflect on all of the events that took place. I almost forget all of the wonderful things (and some sad) that take place until I compile them all together in a post for me to see. Without further ado, here is my 2018 Year in Review.

January

 We began the year hopeful and starting Round 2 of Clomid after Round 1's lower dose failed to induce ovulation.

After a long struggle towards the end of his long happy life, we had to say goodbye to our sweet old man Oscar on January 15th.

On January 27th, I found out I was pregnant.

January 30, took mom to a paint night event for her birthday. And old her that she was going to be a Granny.

The morning of January 31st, we found out that I was not going to be having this baby. And I was completely devastated. I had an OB appointment that day for bloodwork to confirm what I already knew to be true.

February

On February 2nd, I began to miscarry.

Even though my emotions were wrecked and I was actively miscarrying, I found the strength to make it to the Champion's Gala in support of my husband, who received 4th place award for the year of 2017. It was a great distraction for me, which I desperately needed to stop the constant crying.

One of my best friends had actually had her second child on January 29th, but it took me until February 10th to get a grip and make it over to her house to meet Ghislaine.

 This cutie kept me cheerful.

Valentine's Roses from my sweetheart.

Started trying to find peace with our loss and with the struggle of infertility as whole by purchasing "In Due Time" by Caroline Harries.

Found the strength to attend a baby "sprinkle" for another dear friend having baby number 2.

March

March had Jonathan and I both seeking joy in our sweet fur babies, Lucy, Booger and Kayla. I was actively on the road to healing and finding peace.

Mom's Dog, Pop

Race season begins!

My girlfriend Amanda's Birthday Bonfire

Another Good Friday Mud Bog in the books!

April

Spring was here, and I continuously had flowers on my desk at work to brighten my days and to give me a sense of caring for something.

My first Tulips popped out from the dirt in my flowerbeds. I had planted bulbs the previous Fall and was sooooo proud to see that they made it! So Jonathan and I got some fresh mulch to brighten everything up and repainted the foundation of our home that was chipped and hideous looking.

I started seeing a new Chiropractor that I am still seeing every other week. I absolutely SWEAR by regular chiropractic adjustments if you have scoliosis/back pain/etc. as I do. I really needed the self care and felt this was one way for me to take the time doing something for me.

Race Life

In April, AF returned naturally after a 66 day hiatus following our miscarriage. Since my current OB was actually retiring, we decided to ask her to fill one more round of Clomid 100mg for us to try. So Round 3 began. Hopeful and fully expecting to get pregnant again, I pushed forward declaring success already ours.

April 21st, we attended a beautiful wedding for Jonathan's cousin Chad and his fiancé Lynsey. I unfortunately didn't snag a picture of the bride and groom that day.

May

 

May 2nd was CD25, and I had come to accept that Clomid Round 3 had failed to induce ovulation. This left me feeling that possibly I still had healing, learning and growing to do. I decided I would make some changes to try to improve my overall health. I switched to a strict Keto diet and also started taking Vitex+, and I got back to a gym schedule of 3x a week. On CD58, I ovulated, on my own, without medicine. Though we did not get pregnant, I was thrilled that my body did what it was supposed to naturally.

My Lily bulbs that I had planted were finally getting buds on them and decided to bloom GOREGOUSLY!

Race Wife privileges, you get your name on the passenger window.

We threw my mother-in-law a surprise 60th birthday party, and it was wonderful. She had such an great time and didn't expect it at all.

Mother's Day was tough, really tough. But Jonathan made sure to help me through it while also spending time with his mother.

I woke up early and prepared a HomeChef breakfast for my Mom. Pineapple Upsidedown Cake Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, and MOMosas.

 We then invited Jonathan's mother to join us out on the boat for the rest of the day.

By the end of May, I had started to notice a significant difference in the way my body looked and in the way I was feeling about myself. Keto diet was definitely helping me to lose weight that the previous three rounds of clomid had helped me to gain, I was getting my confidence back. I also had started drinking therapeutic Ketones at this point to supplement the keto diet when I was not able to eat perfectly.

Ski Day

Treated myself to a new look with lighter hair!

June

Loved having this lighter hair for the summer months.

Jonathan's 32nd Birthday fell on a Saturday this year, and also a scheduled race day. I invited family and some friends to come out to the track for food and to celebrate him. Even my sweet dear Granny came along.

Gift I had made for Jonathan by an artist. He LOVED it!

Full weekend of racing had us at a different track on Sunday where he was the runner up in the event.

Father's Day always falls right near Jonathan's birthday. So for Father's Day this year, Dad was at the track for Jonathan's birthday. I gave him a new Vape in hopes that he would try again to quit smoking. (He's not quit yet.)

I had finally scheduled my regular annual with a new OB, since mine retired. I had been looking forward to this appointment and was also nervous. One, I had acutally ovulated NATURALLY again a few days prior to my appointment. Two, you never know what you will get with a regular OB when it comes to infertility. Well she was so wonderful. I explained to her all that I had been through and tried so far. She immediately did bloodwork and scheduled me for ultrasound the following week. At which time I finally received my OFFICIAL PCOS diagnosis, along with starting my first low dose round of Femara/Letrozole.

Another awesome day of racing for Jonathan in Roxboro, NC. He won in one class and lost in the semifinals in a class that he doesn't usually win in.

 My Friend Megan (on the right) won VIP tickets for her and 8 friends to see Maddie and Tae in concert at a local mall. It was catered by Maggianos, free beer and wine tastings, and front row cushioned seats for the show. We had such a fun time and was an awesome experience to be considered "VIP".

The next day me and the same two girlfriends above, Jessica and Megan, had already purchased way in advance tickets to see Ludacris at Innsbrook Afterhours. I spent sometime in my mom's pool that day trying to get my tan on.

Luda!

July

Ride on the Bass Boat

Remi's 3rd Birthday

Round 1 of Femara at 2.5mg failed to make me ovulate, so bumped up to 5mg for Femara Round 2.

Still working on healing my heart.

3 Years Smoke Free!

4th of July

Another fun day just me and my love, boat rides and Maggiano's for dinner.

Ketone's and More Weightloss, soooo CLOSE to my goal!

Lee Brice, LANCO, and Lewis Brice concert at Innsbrook with my love.

MASSAGE

Visiting Pampaw and Beaby in Roanoke

August

Race Life

Photographer snapped a cute pic of Jonathan and I. One of our friends won the race that day and we were waiting for the Winner's Circle photo.



My Sister-In-Law's Birthday Dinner at Maggiano's. 

 

 

Femara Round 2 WORKED! Let the TWW begin!

 

 

10 Year Highschool Reunion

Vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC

 

My 28th Birthday (BFN and HORRIBLE cramps!)

Dinner at Maggiano's.

 My Granny and I always share our Birthday dinner's <3

From "Why Her?" by Nicki Koziarz

 
Sweet gift from a dear friend. I absolutely LOVED this book.

 
Starting Femara Round 3

September

Had an awesome day out on the boat with Jonathan and my Dad. It was his first time ever joining us for a boat day and I am so glad to have made those memories with him that day.

 

 

 

 

 

Femara worked AGAIN!

 Loving what this book is giving me spiritually.

Jonathan and one of his best friends travelled to NC for a race, where they finished Jonathan 1st and Russell 2nd. Was an awesome day for them both!

Another final in the book, came in 2nd this day

Annual Family Reunion in Roanoke, VA

 

 

 

And my last visit with Pampaw before he passed away.

Started Femara Round 4

October

Weight gain from back to back rounds of fertility meds.

 
So thankful that Femara now worked 3 times in a row!

 
Old Dominion Concert with Megan!

 

I successfully completed a 60 Hour Reboot (Cleanse).

The day that would've been my due date if I hadn't have miscarried. Jonathan and I decided to go public with information of our loss for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.

 

 
Jonathan and I took my Mom and Ed with us out to dinner and to see Darren Knight's Southern Momma Comedy.

Two days later, on October 15th, I found out I was pregnant!

 

I went to Charlottesville with my Mother-in-law and Sister-in-law for a MercyMe Concert. Took everything in me not to blab to them right then and there!

 

Positive Digital Test, after two separate blood draws that confirmed HCG was doubling and Progesterone was also rising.

On October 24th, my Pampaw's journey on this earth came to an end.

 

 

November

 
Chris Stapleton concert in Charlottesville with my Mom and Ed.

 

 Our first ultrasound/Dr appointment.

Made my famous Bananna Pudding for the annual Friendsgiving celebration.

 

Thanksgiving Day, we shared our news with majority of our family members. 

 

December

Our 2nd ultrasound to confirm baby's measurements were all caught up. And appointment to submit bloodwork for the NIPT.

 Love listening to our baby's little heartbeat.

 
Went to the movies with my hunnie for a last minute date night.

We decorated the house for Christmas and had our first big snow of the season!

 

We made it to 12 weeks!!

 
We found out baby Martin was a BOY on 12/14/2018 and on Christmas Eve (13w4d) we went public on FB with our exciting news.

 
Celebrated Christmas Day with our families.

Well, that is it for 2018's Year in Review, and what a FULL year it was. I am so blessed with all of the fun and exciting things that I was able to be a part of and have happen in 2018. Jonathan and I are thrilled for all that 2019 will bring to our lives. Including our little boy. <3 Thank you God for this incredible life and all of the blessings I have and will receive.

Baby Martin – Due June 2019

We have almost made it to the end of the first trimester, and honestly it’s still so surreal to me. I am 11w6d today, and seems to me like most of my nausea has subsided. I still am not feeling too great after meals, and I am sleeping horribly. One issue I am currently having is crazy bad acne and the driest skin I’ve ever had. But for the most part, I feel like this has been an uneventful first trimester.

At my recent ultrasound/appointment on December 7th, my OB was so pleased that baby has completely caught up measurement wise and we moved up my due date! Instead of July 2^nd, baby is officially due to arrive on June 27^th, 2019. Now I know that babies have their own timelines on when they decide to arrive, but Jonathan and I were both excited about the change in date. For one, he’s a June baby. Second, baby will be due 2 days after our third wedding anniversary. Third, we have SOOOOO many friends with early July babies, not to mention the 4^th of July. And we would really like for our baby to have their OWN day. Even if that doesn’t end up happening, it’s not a big deal, but what momma wants her baby to share their birthday with someone else? Or with America? Not me.  

Weight gain has been a sensitive topic for me. I have struggled to maintain a healthy weight for about 4 years now. Trying all the diets, weight up and down over and over again. Fertility meds adding to the struggle. Complete honesty here guys, I’ve gained 8lbs since the beginning of pregnancy & 25lbs since the beginning of summer. That’s a big jump for someone with a small frame. I am super self-conscious, and uncomfortable with the gain. I am the one that actually brought it up to my OB first, and she made me feel better. (Not about the 25lbs, but about the 8lbs.) She explained to me that while we do not want to continue gaining at the same rate, there are a lot of women that tend to gain more in the beginning due to the fact that eating more helps them to fight the sick feeling. She told me obviously to try to start making better choices now that I am starting to feel better. And also told me that women with PCOS are at a higher risk of gestational diabetes, so I really need to try to be mindful moving forward. But she actually said that if I hadn’t have brought it up, she would not have addressed weight gain and she is not worried at this time.

We did blood work during my appointment for the NIPT and could possibly have the results as early as this Friday! I am praying that it will find low risk on the chromosome abnormalities it checks for. And I am INCREDIBLY anxious to find out if baby is a boy or a girl! I really don’t have a preference either way, nor do I even have a “feeling” really of what they are. But for the purpose of guessing, I am officially going to guess it’s a boy. Reason, I had several vivid dreams earlier on, and kept count of girls vs boys. (Boys-6/Girls-3) But I will not leave out the fact that I have NEVER correctly guessed any of my friend’s children’s genders. Once the results are in, Jonathan and I will find out together. Then, we plan on keeping it between us until Christmas. We will share with the grandparents first, as a gift/surprise. And I am not confident in this, but thinking we will share our pregnancy and the gender at the same time on Christmas Eve/Day. Haven’t worked out timing and logistics yet, but would definitely like the grandparents to know before the world.

Not that this really matters to anyone but me, but we have picked out the names that our child will call each grandparent. Jonathan’s Mom will be Grandma. Jonathan’s Dad and Stepmom will be Pawpaw and Meemaw. My Dad and Stepmom will be Grandpa and Nana. Lastly, my Mom and her long-time significant other Ed, will be Granny and Pappy. I like the southern feel of the name Pappy, and while I want her boyfriend to be included as a grandparent, I wasn’t too keen on the idea of him being called Papa or Granddad. Nothing personal against him, just kind of how I feel. I discussed this sensitive topic with my mom recently after they had referred to him as Papa in conversation one time, and she completely understood and actually loves the name Pappy for him. Thank goodness!

I think that’s about all I have to update on at this time. Next baby appointment is on January 4^th at 15 weeks. Which will not be an ultrasound, just a normal checkup I believe. I will update more along the way, and will share the gender with ya’ll after Christmas. Lastly, will be preparing my 2018 Year in Review post to get up on New Year’s Eve. I hope everyone is enjoying the Holiday Season so far. I finally added this special keepsake ornament to our tree last night, and I absolutely love it!

We got to see our BABY!

On November 9th, we went to my OB for our very first ultrasound/prenatal appointment. I was a complete bag of nerves all day leading up to the appointment. We actually got there 20 minutes early, and fortunately the ultrasound technician was ready to roll. I had all intentions of putting my cell on record in my purse, so we could at least record the heartbeat. But with my anxiety through the roof, and the tech standing on the other side of a curtain while I undressed and handed my pants to Jonathan, I didn’t get around to doing so. (We didn’t get to actually get to hear it.)

As soon as she began, I saw what I expected to see. Of course I had been googling images of 7 week ultrasounds, which is what I was supposed to be measuring based on ovulation/conception. She didn’t stay on the baby but for a moment and immediately wanted to check ovaries, cervix, placement, etc. Once she came back to baby, I saw the flicker! My body and mind finally relaxed. Going into the appointment, I had confidence that our baby was growing and healthy and had a beating heart, but nothing relieves you like actually seeing it with your own eyes. I’m guessing they had the sound turned off and I didn’t have the guts to ask her to turn it on. But baby’s heart rate was 127. <3 She finished clicking on the screen to take measurements and said “Okay were done.” I guess in her job, she’s not really able to say much.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t get emotional like I thought I was going to during the process. Not sure why. I guess I really just wanted to speak to my doctor and hear what she had to say before getting super excited. Well, they kept us waiting for what felt like forever before getting to see my doctor, but when she came in, of course she congratulated us and introduced herself to Jonathan. Everything looks good and she has really no concerns, except baby is measuring a little bit small. According to start of my last period, should have been 7w1d. Based on my calculations 6w6d. Baby measured 6w3d. She didn’t seem too concerned or worried once I told her when I ovulated, because at least that was a little bit closer than going off of LMP. Even so, she wants me to come back in 4 weeks for another ultrasound to measure again, and told me not to worry. (These measurements are of something so incredibly tiny, that where the technician clicks on the screen for top and bottom of baby could be the slightest bit off and can affect this.) Because of her comforting relaxed attitude about it, I am trying to have the same. TRYING! They finished my appointment with urine sample, 5 tubes of blood and sent me out the door with a HUGE bag of goodies. On our ride afterward, I went through the items in the bag. One thing in there had written on it “Welcome to the sisterhood of motherhood,” And that is what finally made me cry. This is really happening, I am finally pregnant, and I am going to have a little boy or girl that calls me “Momma”.

So, with our first ultrasound measurements, we have an approximate due date of July 3rd. A Firework baby!! Obviously this is subject to change when we measure once more on December 7th. She said we get our “official” due date at that time. So now we wait and we keep praying that baby continues growing and that measurements will look good at our next appointment. At which time, we also have opted to do the Noninvasive Prenatal Testing to check for certain genetic disorders… and to find out the gender!

Just a short update on symptoms. Nausea has begun. If I eat too much, if I get hungry, if I take too hot of a shower… pretty much all the time. It is off and on though, so I do have moments of relief. No puking yet, and I've only gagged over the toilet one time so far. I am hopeful that I will be lucky and not get sick at all! My jeans are too tight due to bloating, I have had to resort to the old hair tie trick to help out. I am peeing A LOT! I am SUPER emotional over everything. And I am having the most vivid dreams that wake me up all hours of the night. Once we get a little further along, I may start doing some “stats,” for my own record keeping. But for now, just trying to be healthy and stress free. And constantly give all the praise to God for this incredible blessing while asking him to keep me and our baby safe, healthy and growing.