11 more months

I knew that Early Intervention is only for birth to age three, but what I didn't know is that the intermediate unit (which takes over at age 3) doesn't deal with feeding issues. We will be on our own in just 10 months. Of course we can still take him to see a feeding team, but that will be about it since there aren't even other resources in this area to obtain through our health insurance. I would be thrilled if he was eating somewhat normally in eleven months, but I have to admit that seems very unlikely at this point. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. I probably shouldn't have asked that question when my estrogen is likely at least 16 times higher than a normal cycle when one is just ovulating one egg. Other cycles I became more emotional earlier in the process (and I always reminded myself that my hormones were totally out of whack), but I didn't get overly emotional this time around until Sunday. The last three days I've been very prone to tears and a sense of feeling totally overwhelmed. Hearing that our OT assistance will end in 11 months was a tough bit of news to swallow today. I need to really pray for a miracle that Ian will learn to chew and swallow food between now and then.

Yesterday I forgot to mention that we skipped Nadia's ballet class. When I got home at 1:45pm, I wasn't really excited about getting back in the car at 3:30pm, but I was going to do so because I knew Nadia would be missing gymanstics and storytime at the library on Wednesday due to the retrieval. However it took Nadia a long time to fall asleep yesterday, and she was still asleep when it was time to go to ballet. I decided we would just skip class since I was exhausted, Ian is potty training, and Nadia was sleeping. She didn't wake up until 4:45pm (which is when her class ends). At least she will be able to go to Cubbies tomorrow night.

Ian hasn't had any accidents today. It's definitely easier to do potty training when we're not out and about so much! Two perks of him being daytime potty trained (aside from only using one diaper a day) are that he hasn't had any diaper rash for the past week (WOOHOO!) and we've taken down one of the gates. I find gates to be annoying. The one gate is right near the bathroom, and we don't want to slow down access to the bathroom! I told the OT today that my concern is that he can't go down the steps independently yet, and we have ceramic tile in the foyer (which is where he'd land if he fell down the steps). She suggested putting a sleeping bag at the bottom of the steps to make a softer landing area. I'm going to give that a whirl, and hopefully it won't be too long until Ian can safely go up and down the stairs independently. Nadia was able to do that long before she turned two. Each child is very different to be sure!

Trigger Tonight!

At 10:30pm I'll have my last belly shot, and since they now use Prometrium rather than PIO shots (which I had with the other three transfers), it should be my last fertility shot of any kind.  There were definitely FAR fewer shots involved this time around. My E2 dropped by 600 over the past two days, but my biggest follicles were 18mm so it's definitely time to trigger. My E2 NEVER dropped before in any INJ or IVF cycle. The other 2 ivf cycles my E2 was right around 3,200 on this day. He measured over 20 follies, and they varied in size. We shall see how many eggs he retrieves on Wednesday. We're to report at 7:30am, and my retrieval has been scheduled for 8:30am. I can't eat or drink after midnight tomorrow night. It's always hard for me to skip breakfast, but I will certainly follow instructions. The nurse said they would plan on giving me anti-nausea meds prior to the procedure. Whew. Our neighbor is going to come over to our house at 6:45am, and she'll be taking them in her vehicle at 7:45am when she leaves to take her girls to school. Ian has been getting up at 7:30am lately, so I'm glad she'll be coming over so I don't have to wake him up at 6:30. I hope that he's cooperative with her in terms of eating and potty training, but it won't be the end of the world if he has an accident or two and if he only drinks rice drink while we're gone. I'm hoping we'll be home around noon. Please pray that the retrieval will go well and that God would guide those involved in the process of ICSI (attempting to fertilize the eggs). I'll be on pins and needles to get the report on Thursday as to how many embryos we have. We're really hoping to do a 5 day (blastocyst) transfer as the one 3 day (embryo) transfer we did was unsuccessful, but our two 5 day blastocyst transfers were both successful.

The embryologist saw me today, and she said she remembers as clear as it was yesterday when she froze our first blastocyst (Nadia). She said that usually they make the decision to freeze on day 5, but our one embryo wasn't quite up to the standard for freezing so she let it go one more day. She said she really wrestled with whether to freeze it since there was only one, but on the sixth day she decided the blastocyst was of the quality that it could be frozen. When she learned that I was pregnant, she knew she had made the right decision. She said she still thinks about that when she realizes a couple only has one embryo - one can be enough! There have been many changes in personnel over the past 7.5 years that we've gone to that clinic, but she's been one constant. I'm grateful to know she'll be the one working with our embryos starting on Wednesday. I will never cease to be amazed at the miracles which resulted in Nadia and Ian. Thank you, Lord! I'm praying for one more miracle, but maybe our family is already complete. We'll find that out in 2 weeks. That hit me when I had my blood drawn this morning. I thought to myself - the next time my blood is drawn it will be a pregnancy test. They make you have the blood test even if the hpts are negative. I'll either be on cloud nine or feel like crying when they do that blood draw if I know I'm not pregnant. My veins will be grateful to get the break from bloodwork (after Wednesday as I'll have an IV that day).

This morning Paul and I went to the eye doctor. We go every other year for an eye exam and to get new glasses or contact lenses. Nadia and I left the house at 9:15 so that we could make a quick stop at the library before my 10:00 appointment. Nadia picked out one book, and I checked out two books. I haven't checked out any books for more than 6 months, but I knew I'd have time to read on Wednesday morning. I checked out one novel (by Nicholas Sparks) and one non-fiction (Heaven is for Real). I had hoped to pick out some new eyeglasses, but it took 90 minutes from when I arrived until I checked-out to complete my eye exam. Paul and Ian arrived about 30 minutes after Nadia and I did. I had to leave at 11:30 to drive straight to the RE. Let me say it was very hard to drive with dilated eyes since they didn't give me any sunglasses to put over my glasses! Paul took the kids home when he was done. Nadia was there for over 2 hours. I had brought the Leapster2 that we gave her for Christmas. That helped although I think I'm going to have to buy another one as Ian also loves it. We haven't bought any software yet, but for now they're satisfied with the free game I downloaded. My left eye has gotten worse, but my right eye has stayed the same. I had planned to replace my glasses (which are at least 8 years old) because I still have plenty of disposable contacts on hand. She said that was fine because when I use both eyes together my vision is fine. Paul's vision has changed slightly. She tried to talk him into contact lenses (gas permeable or hybrid) because of his keracotonus. She said wearing them would delay his need for a cornea transplant. More than 10 years ago he was told the same thing, and he tried gas permeable contacts. He couldn't stand them. He saw an eye surgeon shortly after that, and that doctor said that his vision would be better with contacts than glasses, but that it wouldn't delay the deterioration of his corneas. After hearing this optomotrist's advice this morning, I contacted Paul's cousin's wife (who is an opthamologist). She reiterated what the eye surgeon he saw 10+ years ago said. So Paul will be sticking with glasses. We're hoping to pick out some glasses later this week. We might do it at the hospital on Wednesday.

I was at the RE for an hour. Appointments were conducted in a far more timely manner with Dr. A than they are with Dr. Z. Between the eye doctor and RE, I was gone for 4 1/2 hours straight. I was able to do a little reading at the second appointment thanks to our trip to the library. I took Ian to the bathroom at the eye doctor, but Paul didn't keep track of the time and Ian had an accident 2 hours later while Paul was feeding him lunch. Yesterday his underwear got damp one time, and Ian said "sorry" to me. He has never pooped in the potty (he's only had two poop accidents over the past six days because he poops in his crib right before he wakes up each morning). I'm still very proud of the progress he's made in that he's only wearing one diaper a day!

Mommy is Learning

As you can see from these pictures (taken yesterday), the weather was unseasonably warm again yesterday. I wish those were normal temps for January! I took the kids to the playground yesterday. I had Ian go potty right before we left, but what I forgot to take into account is that I had given him a sippy cup of rice drink not that long before that. Even though he had just gone to the bathroom, he couldn't hold it the whole time we were gone. That was 100% my mistake. I could tell he had to go to the bathroom while we were at the park, but I thought he needed to go #2. I was wrong. The only time he pooped yesterday was first thing in the morning (before I got him out of his crib). I had taken him into the portapotty, but I didn't keep him on that potty long because he had never pooped on a potty before. Well a little bit later he peed in his pants for the first time in 52 hours. I learned that there are two things to take into consideration before taking Ian out and about #1 has he peed recently AND #2 when is the last time he had a sippy cup.

At church this morning I learned a second lesson. They have a short toilet in the bathroom in the nursery. It's smaller than a regular tiolet, but definitely bigger than his frog potty. Ian didn't go at home before we left for church. I tried to get him to go, but it was too early (we leave around 8:30am). I had him try a few times at church, but he didn't go until 10:50. That boy can hold it a long time, although not as long as Nadia can, in part because he drinks far more. I was so proud of him when he went, but when I went to pull up his underwear and pants, I discovered they were soaked. They were dry when I put him on the potty. OOPS! This was my fault. I learned that it he's peeing on a potty that doesn't have a plash guard, I need to push his you know what down so that the urine goes in the toilet. Thankfully I had brought a spare pair of pants and underwear. I was proud of him for not having any accidents at church. The wet clothes were from my error, not his. I'm learning it's definitely different with a boy, and we haven't even reached the point where I need to teach him how to pee standing up. One thing at a time. I'm so very proud of Ian!!

Retrieval on Wednesday

Today is day nine of stimming. Tomorrow will likely be the last. Dr. Z said today that I'm to come back on Monday and that he expects me to have the hCG trigger shot on Monday night and the retrieval on Wednesday morning. The first ivf cycle my E2 went from 1,612 on day 9 to 3,224 on day 11, and the second time it went from 1,936 to 3,198 on those same two days. Today mine was 1,695 (almost the same as in 2007 whereas up until today my numbers had been more similar to 2009's). I asked the phlebotomist to use my right arm even though that's my "bad" arm in terms of giving blood because my left arm is pretty bruised from having blood drawn 3 times in 7 days. Since I'm on a very low dose (one syringe of Antagon in the morning and 75iu of Follistim in the eveing) right now, I'm not sure I'll reach about 3,200 on Monday like I did the first two ivf cycles. He measured 24 follies that were 10-17mm. The vast majority were around 14mm. I am definitely in the uncomfortable stage. I'm ovulating about 2 years worth of eggs at one time. On Monday I'm going to ask about the anti-nausea med in my iv on Wednesday. My first retrieval I was there for 8 hours because I kept throwing up and passing out afterwards. My second retrieval I was only there for 4 hours thanks to the woman doing her fellowship who gave me anti-nausea meds (even though Dr. A didn't agree). Hopefully Dr. Z doesn't have any issue with anti-nausea meds. Please pray that just that he'll be able to retrieve just the right amount of mature eggs on Wednesday! I guess Nadia will be missing gymanstics class on Wednesday. Next on the to do list is to figure out who will watch the kids on Wednesday while we're at the hospital.

Ian continues to make progress with his potty training. Yesterday his underwear got damp several times (but he would stop himself before any would go down his legs or reach the floor). Thus far today his underwear and pants have stayed totally dry. We shall see when he will poop in the potty for the first time. The other skill he hasn't learned yet is to say something when he needs to pee. Between watching the clock and reading his body language, I've been able to get him on the potty on time. The potty has been moved to the bathroom, and if I leave him alone in there on the froggy potty, he cries and pees (while crying) within less than a minute. I put him down for his nap with only underwear on.                                                                          P.S. The first photo in this post is of my niece and nephews who live in Turkey. We haven't met the youngest yet (Joel is 7 months old). The second is of the whole family.

What a big boy!

I actually contemplated just putting a diaper on Ian for his nap today (just to avoid having a wet pair of underwear). I am sooo glad I stuck with the plan and put a diaper on over his underwear because his underwear and diaper stayed dry during his nap today! Wednesday was a 3 diaper day because I didn't start the potty training until after we got home from gymnastics in the morning. Yesterday was a 2 diaper day (nap and bedtime), and today was a 1 diaper day!!! I was shocked when I got him after his 40 minute nap and discovered he was still dry (and he had cried for 15 minutes before he fell asleep so he had been in his crib for 55 minutes). Way to go, Ian!!! It would be awesome to be down to one diaper a day (just at night). I decided tonight to just put him in a diaper because I don't enjoy cleaning poop out of his underwear first thing in the morning. His diaper is always SOAKED in the morning so I don't think he's going to wake up dry in the morning anytime soon. I will continue to keep his underwear on for his naps!

He only had one accident today, and that was #2. When he pooped in his underwear, he screamed "MOM!". I rushed him to the potty, but he was already done. He pooped around the same time the last two days (around 3pm); knowing that might help me get him on the potty on time tomorrow.He didn't have any accidents in terms of peeing! Because he had such a great day and because the weather was GORGEOUS today, I put pants on him for the first time in 53 hours and we headed to the park this afternoon. I hadn't planned to take him out of the house until Monday morning, but he was doing so well, I was brave enough to take him out in underwear and pants. We had a blast!  One time he told me "underwear, toy" when he had to pee, but all the rest of the time I put him on the potty based on his body language. Every time I put him on he did go, but he almost always screamed when he peed. I'm hoping he'll get over that asap. I will say he's already adjusted to wearing underwear. That was tough for him the last two days, but today they didn't seem to bother him at all. I'm really proud of all the progress he's made!




Nadia loves the gazebo at the park!

Progress on both fronts!

Yesterday morning after we got home from Nadia's gymnastics class, Ian's potty training began. I planned to try Lora Jensen's 3 day potty training plan until Saturday evening. At that point I'll assess whether it seems like he's ready. If he's not, I'll go back to diapers and let the feeding team potty train him at Hershey Medical in March. He had been excited the last few weeks when I showed him his Thomas (train) and Cars underwear. He had often said "wear it" when I'd show him his big boy underwear. Well he was very unhappy when I actually put the underwear on him for the first time yesterday. He screamed and tried to pull it off. I had washed the underwear, but evidently he prefers the feel of a diaper. When Nadia was potty training, I had her wear a dress every day as it was easier to get her quickly on the potty than if she wa swearing shorts or pants. I planned for Ian to only wear a sweatshirt, underwear, and socks. It was tough for Ian to not wear any pants.

I let him have as many sippy cups of "milk" as he wanted so that he'd get lots of practice peeing. I also tried giving him water and apple juice, but he refused those. For the first few hours he had an accident about every 30 minutes. The good news is that I was able to keep him in the kitchen and living room, which meant they were easy to clean up (no carpet in those rooms). I can also say this boy is very well hydrated as his urine is colorless. By the middle of the afternoon he started to stop himself (only got his underwear wet). That seemed like a big step forward. Then he started doing things (like squeezing his legs together) which became clues to know when he needed to go. This was very helpful as I had been trying to get him to the potty when he'd start to have an accident so he could finish in the potty, but no matter how close I was to him and how close we were to the potty, it didn't happen the first few hours. It was also very helpful when I figured out that when he said "tissue" it meant he needed to pee. He went on the potty at least 5 times last evening, and he had never gone on a potty before in his life. I had purchased two potties and one insert for Nadia when I was potty training her. The second potty I bought her was the one that she liked best. Unfortunately we can't find the splash guard that came with it. We remember seeing it this summer in the basement when cleaning up the flood. That one doesn't work for a boy without the splash guard! The froggy potty does work. The insert also doesn't work for him (pee goes everywhere but inside the toilet). So we'll just stick with the frog for now. Lora says to keep the potty in the bathroom, but I'm keeping it very close by until I think I can get him to the bathroom in time.

Lora says you should do day and night training all at the same time. I went along with that yesterday at his nap. I took him up for a nap after he had just peed, and I hadn't given him anything to drink for 2 hours. He slept for 40 minutes, and he soaked his clothes, sheet, mattress pad, etc. At least I had taken out his pillow, blanket, and all his stuffed animals. I didn't want a repeat of that last night even though I made sure he didn't drink or eat past 5pm. As a compromise, I left his underwear on and put a diaper over it so that he'd have the sensation of wet underwear, but I wouldn't have a huge mess to clean up. That seemed to work as he definitely was aware of his wet underwear this morning, but I didn't have any extra laundry to do aside from his soiled underwear. Cleaning poop out of underwear is not a fun activity, but that's life when potty training. He didn't poop at all during the day yesterday (just when he woke up yesterday and again when he woke up today). I'm saving the tiger stuffed animal for when he poops in the potty. It's fine with me that we're just working on one thing now (peeing). I put a diaper over his underwear for his nap today. When he starts waking up dry, I'll start putting him down in just underwear.

This morning he only had one accident (11:00am) on the floor, and his underwear and diaper were wet after his nap. His underwear got slightly wet many times this morning. He can now hold it and stop it. The next big hurdle for him to overcome is his dislike of peeing on the potty. He screams when he pees. It's helping some that he gets a prize each time. I have a plastic jug filled with new toys (I paid $9 for all of them) - some are little plastic animals and some are little vehicles. He gets one whenever he pees on the potty.

In terms of the ivf, we are also moving forward. My E2 was a little over 1,300 today (compared to 618 on Tuesday). I was expecting it to be about 1,200, so I wasn't too far off in my guess. I've done inj enough times to know how my body responds. I'm not sure if it's that Dr. Z is more conservative than Dr. A or if it's because I'm not on Lupron this time, but he's keeping me at 75iu of Follistim (I was never on a dosage that low in the first two rounds of ivf) and he's taken me off Menopur (which also never happened before). I started the Antagon this morning. So I'll stay at 2 belly shots a day, but instead of two at night (like I've had the past 6 days), I'll have one in the morning and one in the evening. Menopur was the only one that involved mixing powder and water. It's nice to have that be the one that was eliminated. I've never been on Antagon before. This is the drug that's being used instead of Lupron, but you're only on Antagon for a few days compared to being on Lupron for weeks. He measured 7 follies on each side (14 total), and the ones he measured were between 10-14mm (the vast majority were 11-12). This is the same size my follies were at the same point in the 2009 ivf cycle, but Dr. A only measured 7 in that size range on that day. I am to go back on Saturday for my next ultrasound and bloodwork. I am guessing that one will be my last. I think at that point they'll decide when I should have my hCG trigger shot and then the egg retrieval. Paul watched the kids at home, which was a blessing not to have them with me (especially considering we're in the middle of potty training Ian!). Please keep praying that the right amount of eggs will reach maturity by the retrieval. I have NO idea how many is the "right" number, but God does!!! They retrieved far more from me in 2007 than 2009, but the fertilization rate was MUCH better in 2009 than 2007.

Bloodwork and OTs

I took the kids with me to the hospital yesterday morning. We were gone for 90 minutes, but we spent less than 5 inside the hospital. I could have my blood drawn at a clinic that is less than 5 minutes from our house, but it takes days for them to give the results. I was called with the results after I had been home for only 30 minutes. Our trip would have been a bit quicker, but we also walked to the pharmacy and picked up 3 syringes of Ganirelix as they were only able to give me 2 on December 12 (and the original Rx was for 5). My E2 was 618 yesterday after 4 days of shots (compared to 36.5 a few hours before I took my first shots). The first four nights I was on 150iu of Follistim and 75iu of Menopur. They told me to only take 75iu of each last night and tonight. I am to return tomorrow morning for bloodwork and an ultrasound.  In 2007 (first round of ivf) I was on 150iu of both medications for the whole cycle. That time my E2 went from 22.9 (the day before I started stimming), to 166.6 (after 3 days of stimming), 444.3 (after 5 days), 1,043 (after 7 days), 1,612 (after 8 days), and 3,224 (after 10 days). In 2009 (2nd round of ivf) I started at 150iu of both medications, but then he dropped me to 75iu on the 4th day. With that cycle my E2 went from 8.7 (two days before I started stimming), to 511.8 (after 3 days of stimming), 693.9 (after 4 days), 1,267 (after 6 days), 1,936 (after 8 days), and 3,198 (after 10 days). Both times I stimmed for 10 days. All that to say that my E2 is going up faster than it did in 2007 (as it was 444 after 5 days that time compared to 618 after 4 days of stimming this time), but it's very similar to what it was in 2009. That year I was on a higher dosage the first 4 days than I was this time around, but I was also on Lupron then, which I haven't been on this cycle. I'm guessing that's the reason the result is slightly different. I'll probably start the Ganirelix on Thursday depending on how big the largest follicles are at that time. I didn't need bloodwork done to know that my ovaries have been busy. I'm already getting uncomfortable.

Paul got a call yesterday from the doctor's office saying that his cholesterol was high. They want him to try to lower it through diet and exercise. He's to return for a re-check in April. He's been told this before. Hopefully he'll do something about it this time.

I had emailed another OT a few weeks ago. She called me back yesterday and apologized for the delay in getting back to me. She was really nice and said that anytime I want to call her or email her, to feel free to do so and she'll try to help. She said that in light of the distance, she doesn't want us to feel like we need to bring him in to see her. How nice is that! Her suggestions included putting food in a mesh bag for Ian to practice chewing and also to use a body brush to help with his sensory issues. Karen came yesterday for the first time in 3 weeks. She was doing his annual evaluation almost the whole time. She said she found it ironic that Ian had been in speech therapy a few months ago as she said he scored off the charts in the verbal areas. She'll conclude the evaluation next week. I did mention the other OT's suggestions to her. She said that the joint compressions we've done before have the same effect as the body brush. She did agree that it might help to use the mesh bag. She also gave me a different sippy cup to try with Ian that has a straw. We shall see if we can teach him to suck from a straw. I was very pleased yesterday as for the first time EVER he put a lollipop in his mouth. He always asks me for one when they give me two at the bank drive-thru, but in the past it never went into his mouth. He didn't suck on it for very long, but still it felt like progress that he put it in his mouth and left it there for a few seconds.

We're starting potty training today. With Nadia it was one of the most challenging aspects of parenting I experienced in the first two years of her life (the others that would be in that list would be be her time in the NICU, the sleep deprivation the first four months, and the first few weeks of nursing until I got her off the shield and she started gaining weight). Since eating and sleeping have been so VERY challenging for Ian, potty training doesn't seem as daunting, but time will tell how difficult it is to potty train Ian. I'm going to try through Saturday night and at that point decide if I think he's ready or if I should put him back in diapers.

Happy 42nd Birthday, Paul!

Paul turns 42 years old today! He had just turned 27 when I met him, and at that point he hadn't completed any courses beyond high school. I never would have expected that 15 years later he'd have earned a BS in Math, a MS in Chemistry, and would almost be done with his PhD in Physical Chemistry. During that time period he's gone from only using a computer to play games to using the computer ALL day long to work on his programming (computational chemistry). He used to do a lot more reading (history and science) than he does now, and if he does read these days it's almost always related to math or computer programming. He sings a lot more than he ever did 15 years ago thanks to our two little munchkins. He used to stay up later and get up earlier than he does now. He gets a lot more sleep (on average) these days, and he also gets a lot less exercise than he did when he worked for his father. You just don't burn as many calories sitting in front of a computer as you do stacking concrete! I hope at some point he gets motivated to lose a significant amount of weight so it doesn't shorten his time here on earth. I hope to spend many more years together!

I accidently left his two most expensive birthday gifts in Maryland last week. He'll have to wait until March to receive those, as that's the next time I plan on driving to MD (I'll be attending a conference in DC the end of March). He does have a few presents and cards to open today. Nadia had fun using paint to make Daddy a birthday card yesterday. She also helped me make four dozen white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. I tried two new recipes yesterday and also made him some white chocolate fudge with walnuts and cheese danishes for his breakfast this morning. I've never made any kind of fudge before. I love milk chocolate or peanut butter fudge, but I never make it as I fear I'd eat too much of it. I don't have such a worry with the fudge I made Paul as I'm not a fan of white chocolate. Hopefully he'll enjoy these birthday treats! I wish Ian could eat some of these goodies as he lost two pounds over the last two weeks. It is soooo hard to keep weight on that boy! I lined up a babysitter to watch the kids this evening so that I can take Paul out for his birthday dinner. I made lasagna last night as that's another one of his favorite foods. We're trying to show him how much we love him!

Back to Normal

We had a lot of fun spending time with our extended families last week, but it involved a lot of driving (I was in the car for a total of 10 hours last Thursday and Friday for example). Aside from going to the grocery store and church, we've stayed home the past two days. On Friday we also started taking down our Christmas tree. On Saturday I finished putting away almost all our Christmas decorations. I leave a few of the snowman decorations up until March as they are "wintry" rather than "Christmasy." Although I really enjoy Christmas decorations, I have to say I always feel a sense of relief when they are put away. Does anyone else feel the same way? I think it's partially because I don't like clutter, and the house feels less cluttered without a Christmas tree and such. The other reason I wanted to put the decorations away was I wanted to figure out where to put the things we received for Christmas. It felt overwhelming at first as we had accumulated a lot of new things over our three days of opening gifts. Everything has been put away aside from the train table, which is still at Paul's parents' house.

We have already been putting many of our new things to good use. I used a new pot that my mom gave me our first night back home. Over the last several years I've only had one small saucepan and one large stock pot. One of the pots my mom got me has a strainer type lid. I love it! We also used the new spatulas my mom gave me when Nadia and I made brownies on Saturday. In the picture (above) I am wearing the new silver necklace that Paul gave me. I've also been wearing the Steelers scarf Millie gave me with my black winter coat.

At this point I would say that Nadia's favorite gifts (based on how much she's used them the past few days) were the Snow White costume Paul's parents got her, the princess tent Paul's brother got her (which Paul set up in the dormer window area of her bedroom), and her two new books of Bible stories (one we gave her and the other my parents got her). The new toys that Ian has played with the most thus far include the tractor my sister got him and some small plastic animals that my Aunt Janet got him. I'm pretty sure the train table will rate rather high once it's in our house. He was rather disappointed when we arrived at my parents' house. He kept saying "train, train train." I guess he thought all grandparents have a train table at their home. He continued to ask for the trains on Monday, but then he stopped asking and enjoyed the toys that my parents have at their home. Paul has worn the new t-shirts I got him, and I'm sure he'll enjoy eating the cashews my mom got him and using the tools his parents gave him.

On Saturday I almost forgot to give myself my two shots. I remembered as I was going to bed, and my plan had been to take them every night right after I put the kids to bed. Although I've given myself hundreds of belly shots over the past 8 years, it hasn't been the norm lately. Hopefully I will do a better job of taking them on time over the next week. The nurse left a message on Friday night saying they want me to get my next bloodwork done Tuesday (instead of today as originally planned). She also said my E2 level was good on Friday (thiry something). I'd be concerned about stimming for four nights before having any bloodwork done if it weren't for the fact that he's starting me on only 75iu of Menopur (I started at 150iu the previous cycles). I am on 150iu of Follistim, and she said they might lower that after my first bloodwork.

It's also been nice that the kids have been able to take their naps in their beds the last couple of days after taking them in the car the majority of the time the previous seven days. Nadia has now taken a nap ten days in a row! Ian took his typical 30 minute nap on Saturday, but he shocked me by sleeping for one HOUR on Sunday. What a great way to start 2012, Ian! This meant that Ian woke up in a good mood for once. Normally he is a total crab apple when he wakes up from his short nap.

Nadia's ballet and gymanstics classes resume this week. Cubbies and the preschool story time at the library will resume next week. Paul has been working from home for the last few weeks. He'll resume his daily trips to PSU on January 12. I haven't taught on campus since December 2010, but I'll be teaching on Tuesday and Thursday evenings beginning on January 24.

Since life calmed down a bit, I had time to upload the video that Paul took on Christmas Eve. As you can see, Ian didn't sing that night like he did on December 10 at the Christmas dinner. Nadia did a great job though! I'm sure Ian will be singing again in the future as that boy LOVES to sing!!!

Goals for 2012

1. I am doing much better at trying new recipes. I set a goal of trying 80 new recipes by April 21, 2017, and I've already achieved it! I used to go months without baking, and now a week rarely passes when I don't bake a treat. In November I created a schedule for the month of what I'd make for our dinners. I want to make this a regular habit in 2012 as it helps me be purposeful about trying new recipes and also ensures that I don't get in a rut in terms of only serving a few different things.

2. I want to be more organized in how often I make photo books, scrapbooks, etc. I went a little nuts in 2011 and actually made too many photo books. Also, I want to drastically cut back on how many pictures I order 4x6 prints of - even if I get them for free. I need a few for the refrigerator and some picture frames, but I can cut way back in this area since I make photo books and also get the blog published periodically because otherwise I end up making photo albums in addition to the photo books and publishing the blog. The upside of my overkill this past year is that I'll have plenty to share with Nadia and Ian when they move out on their own, and I'll still be able to keep some for myself.


3. I want to keep developing my skills as a photographer as I transition to shooting in manual mode on my DSLR.

4. I want to start teaching Ian and Nadia some sign language (starting this month) and Spanish (starting in August).

5. I'd like to be more organized with my homeschooling plans for Nadia now that she's finally starting to be able to identify a few letters of the alphabet.

6. I want to be more faithful with my daily quiet time during the weeks I'm not participating in a Bible study. It's much easier to be faithful when I have homework to do for a study.

7. I'd like to start giving Nadia some chores for her to complete each day/week. I'd also like to start giving her an allowance. I planned to start this last June, but it hasn't happened yet.

8. I want to potty train Ian. I actually planned to start it yesterday, but I postponed it since he had a fever, cough, runny nose, etc. I also want to do whatever I can to help Ian learn to chew and swallow table food.