Thursday, October 16, 2014

Thankful Thursday: Birthdays & NACFC

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. Please take this time to share with us what you're thankful for as well. If you have a blog expressing your thankfulness, please share the link! Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I’m thankful for today and for the gift that keeps giving. Today I turn 28. And 3 years ago, on my birthday, I went into labor and received the best birthday gift (44 minutes after my birthday ended) - our daughter Mckenna. I am so thankful that each birthday I am taken back to that day and the memories that were made as we prepared to bring her into the world - the wonderful, relaxing morning at home; laboring through the evening; pushing in the night; and the precious first sights and sounds just after my birthday ended.

I’m thankful for hope. We may have gotten bad news last week, but I’m thankful that this week has been filled with hope and anticipation to get back into the IVF saddle and try again with some beautiful frozen babies!

I’m thankful for friends and family. Our friends and family have come along side us during these last couple weeks, from caring for us and Mckenna when we were both sick and hurting after the retrieval, to walking beside us in love through the waiting and disappointment. God has blessed us with an amazing support system.

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for the opportunity to celebrate the births of the two most special girls in my life. Mandi turned 28 today and Mckenna turns 3 tomorrow! I am so blessed by them daily that a simple birthday celebration would never capture how truly special both of them are to me. I hope that I'm able to make them feel "birthday special" every single day of the year.

I'm thankful for my NACFC experience. NACFC is always a good time and I'm always thankful that I'm able to catch up with folks that I talk to throughout the year via email and phone. This year was no different as I sat down with many folks across the CF community and talked about ways that we could serve the community together. Hopefully we see some of those conversations turn into action!

I'm thankful for Pops and Nana D coming into town. My dad and step-mom drove into town two days ago to bee around for the birthdays and birthday party this weekend. Mckenna absolutely loves them and they are always fun to have around.

What are you thankful for today?

Monday, October 13, 2014

IVF Update: Back to Zero and Square One

Sorry for the late Mandi Monday, I wanted to wait until we had our blood draw to post.

Unfortunately the draw confirmed what we had thought, my numbers went back to zero, which means we lost the pregnancy. We are sad, but usually numbers that dip and rise again are, most commonly a symptom of an ectopic pregnancy, so being no longer pregnant sure beats that alternative.

We grieved the loss on Thursday and Friday. I felt downright angry, until I decided to trust God and choose to focus my energy over the weekend enjoying the blessing I had already been given (Mckenna) instead of mourning the blessing I was losing. So since we knew how this would likely end, the news today didn't come with the same sting. Instead it came with thankfulness that it was the best of the two likely scenarios and thankfulness that it's happening now and not in weeks to come. If ever there's a time to have a pregnancy end (in my opinion, maybe not for everyone) it's now and not after we've seen them on an ultrasound, assumed we would hold them in our arms, etc. So I am thankful that if we won't get to hold this baby (these babies) at the end of this pregnancy, that it unfolded this way.

We are also moving forward with hopeful hearts. We have frozen embryos from this last retrieval (I will post a whole blog on that in days to come), so we will move forward with another cycle when my body is ready. I will stop meds and "Aunt Flo" will come to visit, and then after that, whenever my ovaries go back to their normal size (one is still quite large from the retrieval), I will start meds for a frozen transfer.

Thank you so much for going on this journey with us and all of your prayers.

Prayer Requests:
- God's love and peace continues to surround us during this time.