9.12.13

Holy cow, baby boy.  Its been a whole month since I wrote in your blog!  We have been doing so much work to the house & its been great.....but I guess I've found very little free time to sit down & write you.  I do talk to you all the time, though.  Do you hear me in there?  I especially like to talk when you're very bouncy!  I always ask you what's going on in there.  I have to believe that you can hear me even if you can't talk back yet;)  Stella looooooves watching my belly move & you are quite a wiggly little baby, so it works out well for us!  She is more excited for Christmas than ever this year because she knows that Christmastime carries one very extra special present with it this time around...........!

You have been treating me well, just as big sister did when she was in my belly.  I go potty more often...and my allergies seem to be worse than before.....but those are really my only 2 big complaints so far & they're not so much a big deal at all!  We are at 25 weeks & 1 day now........meaning that we've got less than 15 weeks to go til your Due Date! ! ! !   I can hardly believe that.  Dad & I have a TON of work to do before you get here;)  I have so many cute ideas for your nursery....but we've been working so hard on the 1st floor of our house that we haven't done too much upstairs yet.  But once Stella & Dada's big birthday party is over...and once we get back from vaca the week after that.....it'll be time to get to work on your room & Stella's big girl room!   I have already started to gather up cute things for them & I've got ideas on paint colors & that sort of thing.....so we are well on our way:)

I've also started to gather up some REALLY cute little clothes for you!  Some people told me that shopping for baby boys isn't as fun as shopping for baby girls....but I'm finding that its totally fun; just in a different sort of way!  I love stripes & soft, earthy colors for you and I'm picking little things up as I find them.  Its fun to know that you're a boy because its neat to just gather sweet things up as I find them in my travels....and you'll soon learn that your mama is a shopper..........so I'm usually traveling around somewhere or other....and very often inside of a store!  ;)

Its so funny that so many of my friends are having babies right around the time that you're going to be born.  You already have a built-in playgroup & you're still in the womb!  Whoever got so lucky?!  You are going to be one of the only boys...if not the only one...because so far, everybody else is being told that they're having a girl;)  So far its you + 3 little girls (due between September & January)!  But we've got Auntie Sarah too (due in November).....and she's waiting til baby's born to find out boy vs. girl.....and Auntie Jenni (due in March).....and one other great friend, who shall rename nameless for now, due in April.  How exciting is that?!!  Babies all around!

Well.........I'm going to go tend to big sister for awhile now (though she seems very entertained at the moment with one of the toys that she got for her birthday yesterday).....but I'll leave you with a few photos:)  I don't take them every week now but I might start to take them more often now that I'm getting further along in the pregnancy.  Its fun to see how my belly...and you inside of it...are growing!

Stay cozy in there & we will be seeing you soon!

Love you soooo much...

Your Mama

Dada & I with Darcel & Eric at our Gender Reveal party!  I was about 21 weeks along then.  Darcel is due with your baby girl cousin just 2 weeks after I am due with you :)

23 weeks, in my Foo Fighters shirt:)  

You'll learn alllll about rock & roll in this family!

Big sister Stella & I at......25 weeks, of course!

...xoxo...

8.14.13

Dear Baby,

This past week has been an exciting one for us!  We hit the 21-week mark yesterday.....so that means that we are more than halfway through this pregnancy!  In something like 19 more little bitty weeks, we will get to meet you:)))  It kind of seems crazy that we are already so far along.......but it definitely feels great at the same time!

Last Thursday, your Dad & I went to the hospital for our big ultrasound so that the doctor could check on you & see that you were growing as you should be.  Everything seemed to check out just right & they said that you look wonderful & healthy!  They also told us that you...are...a............BOY!!!  Your Mom-Mom was with us & she was very proud that she wore a special blue shirt to the ultrasound.  I think she had a special secret feeling that you were going to be a boy!  The funny thing was that Dad & I had blue on too.....totally coincidentally......but maybe we both secretly somehow knew it, too!

After the ultrasound, Dad & I went shopping for some cute baby boy clothes for you but we kept our news to ourselves so that we could have a little get-together with some friends over the weekend to reveal your gender in a special way to them!  Stella & I baked a cake and I made the layers of icing on the inside bright blue.....so that once we cut the cake, everyone would finally know if we were having a BOY or another little GIRL!  I didn't let Stella help with the icing part so that she could be surprised alongside of everyone else at the party.

These were the fun little "mustache" & "kissy lips" charms we had for everyone to choose from to declare publicly whether they thought you were a boy or a girl...

And this was what the cake looked like...

We had a lot of fun that night :)

Then the next morning, Stella, Dad & I took some fun pictures out in our backyard to announce to the rest of the world that you are going to be a bouncing baby BOY!  

I especially love this one of Stella "doing laundry" with some of the sweet clothes Dad & I picked out for you on our shopping spree last week.  She even wore a blue stripey dress for the occasion.  Perfect!

That little guy in the red overalls is your big sister Stella's favorite friend, "Mouse".  He goes everywhere with us & has for about as long as I can remember.  He was hiding in the laundry basket for the first shot & it didn't surprise me much when she decided to hang him on the line with your clothes and then proceed to laugh hysterically about it :)

Cool blue glitter, right?  Stella really liked this part!  It was actually leftover shiny blue sprinkles from the cake project :)  I thought it would look neat if Dad captured a photo of me blowing it into the sunlight.....and it sure does!  Looks kind of magical, huh?  

Anyhow, I hope you're nice & cozy in there.  Keep kicking me every now & then to keep my worrisome mind in check......and I'll write you again soon.  

Love you so much already.......

HUGS & KISSES,

Your Mama

8.7.13

AHHHH......20 weeks!  

I can hardly believe we're halfway there:)))

TheBump says baby is a banana right now...lol...and Stella still says I'm having twins!  Haha.

Our big ultrasound is scheduled for tomorrow morning.......

Less than 12 hours from right now.

Eeeeeee!

I can't wait to see you, little one!

Xoxo

8.3.13

Dear Baby,

How are you doing in there?  I've been feeling you wiggle around once in awhile, which is such a fantastic thing to finally be able to feel:))))  Your Dad has even felt you a time or 2 already, which was really exciting & special for him.  I'm so upset with myself that I haven't been writing here more but life is busy with your big sister & I guess all of the fun we are always having sometimes gets in the way of finding the time to write.  The good news is that everything seems to be going great for us:)  I'm approaching the 20-week mark of our pregnancy......which means that we are already almost at the halfway mark!  This coming Tuesday will officially be the day I am able to say that we are at 20 weeks and Thursday will be the greatest day in the history of ever because Dada & I will finally get to see youuuuuu!  We have our anatomy scan ultrasound appointment scheduled at the hospital for 10am & I'm kind of already counting down the minutes til that moment arrives:)  We both kind of seem to think that you might be a boy...but we're not sure why.   It seems that most people I talk to think that you're a girl, though!  Luckily, we don't have much longer to wait til we find out......

Love you so much, little one.  Can't wait to see you next week!!!

xo
Your Mama

P.S.  Here's us at 19 weeks.......

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7.22.13

18 weeks tomorrow!  How fabulous/amazing/crazy is that?!!

I honestly cannot believe how time is suddenly flying past, when in the beginning it felt like it was barely moving at all.

I'm still feeling really good & I'm so grateful for that.  I see the doctor again tomorrow morning & I'll bring Stella with me to listen to the heartbeat for the first time, so that should be fun:)   Its a real bummer that the hospital won't allow any kids under 7 into the perinatal testing center because she was reaaally excited to come with us for my 20 week ultrasound.  So, I figured, bringing her to this was at least a little bit like a consolation prize;)   I won't be seeing Dr. Heinzel tomorrow, as they wanted me to meet the new doctor at the practice since I never have...so hopefully I'll like her just (or almost) as much.

I've been feeling random flutters here & there the last week or 2 but there was one particular day last week, not long after I treated myself to a small Starbucks (non-decaf) iced coffee where (s)he went totally absolute bananas in there for a little while......lol. It was pretty hilarious & actually kind of awesome though because RJ was able to feel the movements too without much effort at all & that was a first for that this time around!  It wasn't until much later with Stella that he was able to feel her but they told me that was because my placenta was "anterior" with her so it kind of served as a big cushion between her & me throughout the pregnancy.  I'd have to check the other blog to be absolutely certain but I think I was about 23 weeks before we really felt her movements......so this, at 17 weeks, was kind of unexpected but totally awesome & welcome nevertheless:)

This was my 17-week photo.  My plan is to start to have RJ snap one of me every Tuesday, to document the start of a new week of the pregnancy.  I really should have started weeks ago.....but hey, better late than never, right?  Plus I do have a handful of ones in the earlier weeks that Stella shot for me or that I shot myself:)

7.12.13

Dear Baby,

Well, love.  Its official.  Your Dad & I saw you move today!  Both of us did.....for the first time!  Well, I actually thought I saw my belly wiggling around earlier today but I wasn't sure...but when Dad got home from work, I laid on the couch & we both stared for awhile &....sure enough, there you were:)

We go to the hospital for our 20-week ultrasound on August 8th, where they will check on you & print more pictures for us & tell us the answer to the most magical question of all right now...........BOY or GIRL !?  

{Anyone reading this.....

......if you have a feeling, please post as a comment:)

I kind of have a feeling of my own right now but I won't say anything yet, so as not to sway anyone.}

Anyhow, little one, thank you for making my time with you so great so far. Just like with your big sister, this pregnancy has been a joy.  Dad & I have been busy, busy working on the house.  I've been listening to Dave Matthews even more so than usual lately, so I think its safe to assume that you'll automatically be a fan, basically from your moment of birth, if you don't consider yourself one already;)  We went to see him at the end of June & he was wonderful, as he always is.  Hopefully you were able to hear some of it from in there:)  I can't get enough of cranberry juice right now & my belly is definitely bigger than it was at 16.5 weeks with Stell Bee!  My plan is to have Dad & Stella take some pictures this weekend; so I'll have to post a few once they do.

I hope you're comfy cozy in there.  I can't wait to see you on 8/8!  Dad took that day off from work, so we will probably leave the hospital after the ultrasound & go shopping for something cute for you:))))

Love you, little munchkin.

xoxo
Your Mama

7.1.13

Welp.....the proverbial cat's outta the bag for good now;)  I posted our news on FaceBook earlier tonight & it actually feels GREAT, like some kind of serious weight has been lifted off my shoulders.....lol.  I've gotten the chance to tell so many friends & family members in person but hitting 15 weeks (and realizing how my belly has clearly popped to the point of being pretttty obviously pregnant), I figured it was just time for the world to officially know.  And I love that now, the world pretty much does!  Thank you, magic of FB.  The positivity & love that everyone has been showering us with tonight on there has been so welcome & lovely.  I'll have to share this blog address on there soon, too.  Again...its been fun keeping it all mostly to myself so far.......but its definitely time to start sharing the fun with anyone who's interested in being a part of it along with us:) 

14 weeks + 6 days

6.24.13

Wowza; its been awhile.  Not sure why I've been such a stranger to the blog except that we've been super busy working on the house, which has been drainingly exhausting but super crazy amazing in pretty much every other way.  Its really starting to take shape & become our own.....and I'm loving the way that's making me feel.  I don't know if Feng Shui is a real thing or not but if it is, its definitely coming into play because as we get more & more things done & finally "right", its really beginning to feel fantastic when I look all around me in here.  Of course there are still paint cans & sandpaper in my field of view.....but we have come so far & done such a fab job & I'm just loving it all.  Yay us for being such a great team:)

ANYhow.......I hit 14 weeks (+ "lemon" status) tomorrow!  Can you believe it?  I feel like I *just* peed on the stick....and now here I am, cruising right on into my second trimester already.  Seriously.....whhhat an amazing feeling.  We get to see Dr. Heinzel again on Wednesday morning, so that'll be fun since we should get to listen to baby's heartbeat again.  

::insert warm fuzzy feeling here::

:)  :)  :)  :)  :)

I'm not really getting a huge vibe re: boy vs. girl yet though most people seem to think I'm having another girl so far from what they've told me;)  I'll have to do a poll on here again like I did with Stella's blog once I get a little bit further along.  The sad thing is that I can't be sure if baby was conceived at the end of March or on the first day or 2 of April....so I can't even consult the Chinese Gender Predictor chart this time.  Boo!  Ah well; I'll have to do that thing where you swing your wedding ring over your belly or whatever it is & see what the results of that turn out to be this time instead;)

I actually can't believe that I haven't told the whole world yet......but I've done really good & have just been telling people as I see and/or talk to them.  Its been so much fun getting to do it this way rather than just totally informally all at once on FB.  I have a few more people I'd like to see/tell in person & then I'll blurt it out for the rest of the world via some kind of a cute belly pic and/or "Big Sis" pic of Stell Bee.  I still have yet to figure out the creative aspects of that but that's on the asap TO DO list....so, with a little luck, it should be accomplished before long:)

6.12.13

So I reached the ever-elusive 12-week mark yesterday & ooooooh how glorious it felt:)  I remember taking my test & thinking that "June 11th" felt like it would take FORever to arrive.....but it was here before I knew it!  The first tri has been flying past much more fluidly than I thought it would & I'm so grateful for that. Plus summertime always flies & my beloved fall never lasts as long as I'd like for it to & always gets interrupted with an overabundance of Christmas shopping .....so, really I'm thinking baby will be here in our arms basically before we know what hit us;)

Stella talks about baby regularly now & its the absolute greatest...

"When we get all of the baby stuff out, me & Mouse will teach the baby how to use it!"

"Mouse would like to share the changing table with the baby, if that's ok?"

"I want a baby sister but I'm thinking it must be a boy cause...you know, I'm a girl."

She's so flipping cute.

I really need to update this blog more regularly with all of the sweetness that comes out of her mouth:)

Oh!  And I found out last weekend of yet ANOTHER dear friend (and family member, actually!) who will be birthing a little bitty friend for our peanut just about a month after ours gets here. That makes 5 of us now so far!!  I can't even believe that baby is still in utero & already has this fabulous, built-in playgroup already in place!

:)  :)  :)

6.4.13

I feel like its especially important to document that yesterday was the first day that Stella started to incorporate the baby into her drawings.

:)  :)  :)  :)  :)

I feel like its finally started to sink in for her & she's genuinely starting to get really excited.  And BOY....what a fantastic thing that is to witness.

She also told me that Christmas is "waaaay too long to wait".

I can't say that part of me doesn't agree with her;)

Oh & by the by.....

Today marks the start of Week 11 for me & baby has officially reached LIME status:)

6.3.13

These past few days have been super exciting & its been so much fun.  

After we had heard the (gloriously beautiful & perfect) heartbeat, we told my parents our happy news.  Mom looked so totally floored & it was so awesome.  She couldn't believe how baby-like the lil bean already looks on the ultrasound picture.  You can really make out so much; the head, the back, even the femur!  Such totally amazing stuff.  Of course she wanted a copy for her fridge;)

Then we fed the ducks down at the lake with Stella on Saturday morning & it just felt like such a happy moment & the perfect time to tell her.  First she jumped up & down at the news, then ran all over the place, then proceeded to peek down my shirt in an effort to see the baby.

The logic of a 4-year old is seriously the cutest ever.

She's told us a couple of times that she's kind of hoping for a sister but that she "thinks it might be a boy cause, you know...I'm a girl."  Hehe.

And now the hunt for the cutest BIG SISTER shirt ever officially begins.  Or maybe I'll create an original one for her myself somehow.  That could be fun.

I'll also need to figure some kind of a cool way to reveal the news on FB.......eventually.

:)

5.29.13

I'm not gonna lie.....

I was totally excited/counting down the minutes til my appointment today but as the day wore on & 3pm crept closer, I actually started to get kind of nervous...

I mean, up until this I was basing all of our excitement/information on a pee-on-a-stick test.  I hadn't even had a chance to have a blood test done, like I had around week 6 with Stella.

But......as most worrying turns out to be, all of that was for nothing because my appointment couldn't have been more wonderful:)

Dr. Heinzel was just as fabulous as ever.  He made us feel so welcomed & cared for & relieved & happy & just...all-around good.  He told us that he's thought of us often & wondered how we were doing (on our fertility journey) & when he would be seeing us again.  I told him that I was still so sad that his shift had missed Stella's delivery (by 7 minutes!) & he promised me that he would be the one to deliver this one, no matter what.  I told him how strongly I had considered The Birth Center but that I just couldn't bear the thought of him not being the one to care for me through the pregnancy...to which he replied, "Don't worry; I'll be your midwife.  It'll just be at Lankenau.  You can go natural with me.  You'll heal so much quicker too.  It'll be great!"

I just adore that man.

And that baby!  There he was....flipping around all over the place, his little heart flickering away on the screen.

*Magic* doesn't even come close to describing:)

NOW its really real.  

And I just feel so overwhelmingly blessed.

xo

5.28.13

Little Bean,

Well, BabyCenter.com says you're about the size of a kumquat now & theBump says you're a prune......but all I know is that I've hit the 10-week mark as of today & I couldn't be happier:)

Double-digits!  Now this is getting to really feel real.

I can't help but start to wonder what you are......

I don't really have a 'feeling' yet, as to whether you're a boy or a girl.

Hopefully I'll get that feeling before long.  I was right last time, so I'm hopeful that I will be again:)

I can finally say that our first appointment with Dr. Heinzel is TOMORROW (!!!)......& that is the most exciting thing of all.  I'm sure I'll have lots more to report after we see him, so I'll keep this one short & sweet...

Stay cozy & safe in there.  I love you so much already....

xo
Your Mama

5.26.13

So I hit the 9-week mark this past Tuesday, which was awesome.  Baby is officially a green olive now:)  Symptoms have kind of escalated the past few days, which is kind of strange...but again...kind of nice at the same time, since I always feel like being symptomatic somehow must mean that everything is still going OK in there.....

First off, I feel like my belly has already popped!  Not hugely, of course.....but its definitely there.  I didn't really start to show until my 5th month with Stella so this was kind of a surprise!  And though I could've buttoned my jeans this week, I opted to leave the button undone & smooth them out with my fancy schmance new bella band.  Soooo deliciously comfortable.  So I've kind of been going with that for the past couple of days.

Also:  I had read something about "pregnancy rhinitis" awhile back...aka...allergy symptoms that come on simply because you're pregs (not actually allergic to anything)...and, lo & behold, I think I've got it!?  2 nights ago I was practically in tears from the amount of sneezing & nose-blowing I was having to participate in.  It was absurd.  Nevermind the fact that RJ & I were watching a movie and thin watery nothingness was literally just pouring out of my nose & down my face without warning.  So totally bizarre & kind of gross.  Better than morning sickness symptoms, though.......I'd have to imagine...?  So, really, I figured...I shouldn't complain.

Then...last night I felt like literal poo.  Again, just kind of out of nowhere.  Belly aching, head aching, feeling like I could hurl but never actually hurling......just yuck all over the place.  Not sure if it was morning sickness finally rearing its head or what but ew.  I was in bed by 8 and even the couple times I woke up during the night, I still felt gross.  It didn't really pass until I woke up.....then it came back as a crazy monster headache at Target around 10am.   

The rest of the day today I mostly felt ok...but still these weird twinges of nausea would kind of come & go.

Maybe I shouldn't have assumed so soon that I was off the hook with m/s again this time.....cause, um......apparently not.   Lol

5.14.13

Today I hit the 8-week mark!

I feel soooo close to my 3rd month & oh, how I love the sound of that.

Baby is about the size of a raspberry now and TheBump tells me that he/she is swimming all over the place in there.  How cool is that?!  

I've still got 15 days to go til my appointment with Dr. Heinzel......

The countdown is really on now...

I seriously can't wait to see that man...lol.

Oh & btw:  Lunch is very heavily guac-inspired again today.

:)

5.11.13

If its true that babies get a taste for what their Mamas like most while they're in utero, this little bub is gonna be obsessed with Kettle Korn, guacamole & cantaloupe. 

Lol

Hoagies too, actually.  

Specifically the roasted red pepper/broccoli rabe/sharp provolone/eggplant variety.

5.9.13

"7 weeks" sounds so much more official than "6 weeks" to me;)  I'm so excited to have hit this milestone!  It was actually yesterday but if you know me at all, you know I'm always running just a little bit behind...

My Bump app says baby is a half-inch long now.....just about the size of a blueberry!

I can't wait to see what sort of fruit she turns into next Tuesday:)

5.4.13

I can't believe its been so long since I last blogged. 

Life has been busy but good:)

I've been slowly telling people our news...and for whatever reason, its happening much sooner in the pregnancy than it did last time.  I think all of the anticipation & time spent waiting just bottled soooo much excitement up in us that we can't contain it!   Its been lots of fun, though.  Seeing our friend's surprised smiles + yelps of excitements & waves of happy tears is making the whole thing feel that much more real & wonderful.  Its really been awesome:)  I kind of can't wait til everyone knows.

I scheduled my first u/s appointment for Wednesday, May 29th...at which point I'll be 10 weeks, 1 day.  I am OK to wait that long because I wanted to see my most favorite doctor in the practice & I wanted to be sure that the appointment was on a day that RJ could take the afternoon off to come with me & that date was the best we could do.....but at the same time, I know that I'll be counting down the hours til it finally arrives and we get to hear our little bean's heartbeat for the first time.  I remember that moment with Stella like it was yesterday & it was truly just about the most magical feeling I've ever experienced.

I also really can't wait to have his/her first picture to hang on my fridge again.

:)

4.25.13

I saw this & just had to smile.

Today was a good day.  I found out that another great friend is also expecting a babe around the same time as mine.  That makes 3 of us now........and/or potentially more to come cause hardly anyone knows yet........so who knows who else will have similar news to share when I finally do officially make my special announcement:)

I feel so much, in spite of how hard the waiting was while I was going through it, that this is precisely when & how this was meant to happen for me......and what a great feeling that is.

xo

4.24.13

So is it totally ridiculous to buy your acupuncturist flowers just because you love her that much?

My first appointment since officially *knowing* is at 6pm tonight & I just couldn't imagine walking in there with "the news" empty-handed...?!

She's a saint.  And a gem.  And everything that is good in this world.

Flowers aren't nearly enough to properly express my gratitude.....but I had to bring her something.

I hope she likes lilies:)

4.23.13

When I got home from class tonight, RJ was hanging our new dining room chandelier fixture.  He needed me to help him hold a couple of the wires & all I could think the whole time I was doing it was..."How am I going to eat the popcorn I am so badly craving for dinner after I've touched these birth-defect causing, lead-covered wires?"  

Pregnancy paranoia has definitely set in.

And so.....I washed my hands but still ate my popcorn with a spoon:)

Today marks the 5-week mark, by the way....which is super fun.  Second trimester definitely feels light years away...but I know it'll be here before I know it.

I also made an appointment for orientation next week at the Birth Center in Bryn Mawr.  I really looooove my OB but I thought I might consider the midwife route this time.  Not sure which way I'll go yet; but I'd like to at least going to see what they're all about.  

4.22.13

I haven't been real symptomatic yet.  Its so hard to remember when all of my symptoms hit with Stella so I'm going to try to make a more concerted effort to blog about them this time around.  Maybe it'll help me someday if/when we try for # 3.........

Funny thing is, I'm starting to be more in tune with them I think, now that I know that its for real.  Or maybe they are honestly just really starting to kick in today...?  I can't be sure.

What I do know is that I could not keep my eyes open reading stories with Stella this afternoon.  No matter how hard I fought the urge, sleep just overcame me...and that never happens!  I got a full night's sleep last night....so my 1st trimester fatigue must be starting to set in.   I remember it well with Stella....I just don't remember how early it started.  But there was many a night I was out for the count by 7 or 8pm back then.  RJ didn't know what to do with me....lol.

I was peeing a whole lot last week & over the weekend but I didn't notice that as much today.  There was the tiredness for sure though & a wicked headache/slight sort of nausea-type feeling came over me riding in the car today. It was almost like carsickness, which was weird...kind of like the feeling I get when I try to read in the car....only I wasn't reading; I was just daydreaming out the window of the passenger seat.  

I am kind of hopeful for lots of symptoms because I feel like they are signs that the pregnancy is flourishing & healthy.  So hopefully I'll have lots more to report here before long.

:)

4.21.13

I found it so lovely to blog my pregnancy the first time around & I seriously couldn't wait to do it all over again!  Being pregnant with Stella back in 2008 was such an amazing time for me.  We got our happy BFP news so quickly.....much, much faster than we'd anticipated would happen for us.....and then the time she spent in my belly was just a joy.  Not a single day of morning sickness, a relatively easy & fast delivery & the most perfect little bean in my arms when all was said & done.

Our perfect little Stella Olivia.

Fast forward a few years & I started to get the itch again.  

I couldn't wait to have another!  

To be fair....I got the itch kind of almost immediately after Stella was born;)   I really missed being pregnant.  Most of all, I missed laying on my bed after work & feeling her wiggle all around in there.....and having RJ come home from work shortly thereafter & laying down again for him to do the same.  

We didn't actually figure we would start to try for another until Stella was 2 or so.  Maybe a bit thereafter.  Or so.  With my first pregnancy, we were pregnant before we even had time to think about basal temperature charts or ovulation predictor kits or anything like that at all.  And...like the silly girl that I am...I kind of just assumed that it'd happen just as effortlessly the second time around.

Not one to push the issue, I found comfort in the thought that it would happen "when it was meant to happen". So we didn't calculate things or complicate things or buy fertility doodads or anything.  We just went about life as usual and assumed that I would get pregnant.

It didn't exactly pan out like that.

Stella turned 3.....and then she turned 4.......and still, hers was the only BFP I ever saw.

I just couldn't understand or believe it.  People seemed to be having babies all over the place.  Why not me?

I kept telling myself that all of this one-on-one time spent with Stella was a tremendous blessing & possibly the  underlying reason behind this tremendous wait we were being put through.  I've been lucky enough to stay home with her for the first 4 years of her life & even found the time to nurture & grow my portrait photography business in a way that would've been much more challenging with a newborn on my hip.  

So yeah.
Maybe that was it.
Makes perfect sense now.
But still.

I really wanted another baby!

So a couple of months after Stella's 4th birthday, I bit the bullet and made an appointment with our local fertility doc.  He's been on TV & won awards & his success rate is through the roof.  If anyone could get me pregnant, it'd be him...right?

I went there for a few months but resisted any advanced sort of treatments he offered me.

Injectables?  That I had to inject myself?  

No thank you.

I figured it was harmless enough to take Clomid for a few months & hopefully that would do the trick.

Problem was; I didn't believe in it much.  

He had done blood tests on me & tested RJ just the same and everything had checked out just fine.  We were fiiiiiiiine.   My cycle was regular.  I'd had a baby before.  Hormone levels checked out as they should.  And u/s monitoring proved that I ovulated monthly....just a bit later than is considered typical.

So I was taking this medication to artificially convince my body to release eggs.....when my body had no trouble releasing eggs in the first place?  

I just didn't like it & gave up on the whole idea before long.

I try my best to eat organic as much as possible & avoid artificial anything.....and yet I was willingly taking these drugs to have a baby??

I
just
couldn't
do
it
another
day.

Back in October, RJ & I bought a new home, which, interestingly, turned out to be 2 doors down from a Chinese acupuncturist/herbologist.  I'd heard about the wonders of acupuncture & wondered what it could potentially do for me.  It was mid March that I called Dr. Sheng & made my first appointment.  She gave me my first acupuncture treatment that very night & I started to drink a highly nutritional (but not particularly delicious-lol) Chinese herbal tea twice a day thereafter.  She had me start to monitor & chart my basal body temperature every morning when I woke up, so that she could take a look at it as I visited her weekly & assess where I was in my cycle.  In only two (lovely, calming, beautiful, meditative) treatments, she regulated my ovulation.  I had believed in her from the moment I met her.....but this was extraordinary!   I learned from the fertility doctor that I had been ovulating late for months...around Day 20-21...and now, this month, on Day 14!  My eggs were not over-mature this cycle...they were just right.  I continued to visit Dr. Sheng with more faith than I've had in anything in a long while.  2 more treatments.....and a different mix for my herbal tea now that I was post-ovulation in my cycle........and I started to TRULY believe that this was our month.  I don't know what it was but everything just felt right somehow.  And suddenly I was visiting the bathroom much more than usual & I remembered that being a very early symptom in my pregnancy with Stella.  Plus my legs were achy at random times of the day & I smelled my friend's daughter making lemonade in their kitchen when we were sitting in the middle of their backyard.  

"What'd you plant some lemongrass out here?  It smells awesome."
"Um, no.  Maya's actually making lemonade in the kitchen.  How the heck did you smell that?!"

Lol

But could it be?
My first month with her?
Only 4 treatments in?
After alllll of that time spent trying?
Was acupuncture all I needed all along?

Well, as it turns out...it was.

I visited Dr. Sheng on April 17th for my 5th acupuncture treatment & she smiled when she saw my temperature chart.  "Take a test in 2 more days," she told me.  "You just might be pregnant."

I waited til today to test but even before I took it, I knew.

Baby #2 is due on December 24th, 2013.  

I don't know whose plan it was for things to pan out this way but, right now...in this moment...they feel just about as perfect as can be.  

I feel like I need to shout acupuncture's praises from the rooftops.  

I hope that someone out there reads this & ends up with a similar happy ending for their family.  It was a long & winding road to find her............but now that I have, everything seems to be falling into place. 

...xoxo...