And now we wait...

Once again, a lot has happened since I last posted about our journey. Contracts are signed and the "business" portion of the journey is out of the way and we can focus on the fun stuff. I finished all my Lupron shots and managed to get through them with only a small bruise on one side. Considering things I've heard about these, I am pretty proud of myself for this!

With those being complete it means we moved onto the big guns, the PIO (progesterone in oil). Those come with a large needle and go into the muscle in my backside. Yuck, right! I'm not going to lie I was dreading these shots, and really felt for all the couples going through this process that have to do these shots to have a baby. It's kind of like adding insult to injury in my opinion! Chris said he would help me with these ones, as I just wasn't sure I could jab that needle into myself. We received an email from the clinic that the egg retrieval would take place on 11/13/15, so I started the shots the night before.

The first night was not fun, we figured out the right location to inject and drew a circle on my skin so when we got around to the shot we knew where. There is a decent sized area where you can inject these, and I've heard it is best to find your sweet spot. If you find this is will hurt so much less! After about 20 min of going back and forth between Chris would do the injection to I would do the injection, and hormones getting the best of me with some tears. It was finally decided that Chris would do it and I just couldn't look. He just had to stick it in. After all of that it really wasn't that bad. I'm not going to say it was painless, but fairly close. I massaged the area afterwords and let a heat pack sit on it for awhile. It was starting to get sore, but that was supposed to happen right? That night I didn't sleep much due to the pain in my hip and got to get up the next morning only to have another shot right away. We switched sides and adjusted the area up slightly. MAJOR difference on that one! Since that first injection I have had very little pain with them after. We have the system down pretty good currently. I warm the PIO up under my arm while I brush my teeth and put my contacts in. Chris then injects it and I massage and use a heat pad. It's working so far. Maybe one of these days I will get up the courage to do them myself, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. 11 shots down and only like 9 more weeks of them.

Five days after the retrieval it would be transfer day! We flew to CT on the 17th and hung out in the hotel for a little while and then ventured out to the mall to kill some time. Once again I found a Target! And this one was two levels which meant that it had a cart escalator! I know, your thinking seriously, but they are really kind of cool! After some shopping and supper we headed back to the hotel to hopefully sleep. After all the next day was transfer day! We met with Colin and Tracey for breakfast at the hotel that morning and then all rode together to the clinic. 

 

Transfer was at 9:30 and we arrived at 9 so we were ready to go! Up until this point we were planning on transferring 1, unless the doc thought we should do two. I asked if anyone had heard with the embryo grade was and Colin mention that they were thinking of doing 2. It was probably a good thing I was sitting down! I was always willing to transfer 2, but in all the discussions the thought was just 1, so I had wrapped my head around that. So this came as a slight shock. Statistically transferring 1 would give them a 60% chance of having a baby, transferring 2 gave them an 80% of having 1 baby, so they decided to go for 2. In the end the embryo grades were both A's and the doc said they looked great!

I was taken into the procedure room and got prepped for the transfer and then Chris, Colin and Tracey came in and stood at the head of the bed. They had an ultrasound machine to see the embryos going in and a tv on the wall where we were able to see the embryos in the lab. The embryologist then brought them in and the procedure probably took all of 5 min. and was completely painless. IT still amazes me when I think about and what all happened in such a short amount of time! Chris and I headed back to the hotel after and just spent the day hanging out. Chris was able to work some and I watch tv and took a nap. Colin and Tracey had an 8 or 9 hour drive home so they took off right away to get a start on that. The next morning we got up and flew home. A quick trip, but a very important one.

So now we wait, and wait, and wait! I had some blood work done a couple days ago just to make sure my levels were where they should be and all looks good, so more waiting. The day after Thanksgiving I will go in for more blood work and we will find out if we are pregnant. 10 days is a REALLY long time to wait!!! So here

s to hoping that at least 1 took.

Halloween Fun

I can't believe it is already November?!? Wear did that last month or really the year for that matter go? We have been busy with lots of Halloween/fall activities this last month. From fall festivals to trick or treating the kids have had lots of fun and gotten lots of candy and treats!

For Halloween this year, my kids had a hard time deciding what to actually dress up as. Isabella and Corbin choose costumes at Costco back in August, but then would change their mind about every other week. 

Isabella originally picked out Chase from Paw Patrol and once purchased wore it almost daily for about 2 weeks straight. Even when it was around 90 degrees outside! I had my Rainbow Brite costume my mom had made for me in the 80's and I was really pushing for that. She did actually choose to wear that twice to events so I was happy! For her Halloween party with her friends she in the end was a monkey (very fitting). On Halloween afternoon she went back to Chase and that is what she settled on.

  

Corbin chose a superhero from Costco, we have multiple ones from the last few years with 2 boys that I don't actual remember what he picked out this time. In the end he went to 1 event as Black Panther (but wore a batman mask). For Halloween he settled on Spiderman. What he was last year, but it works! He had the most fun in the studio with his costume.

 

  

Jack didn't want a new costume this year and was just going to wear something we already had. I was fine with this, but was also more than happy to get him a new one. I continued to ask him what he wanted to be and one day he told me he had chosen what he wanted. A knife, because they're sharp. He definitely got Chris' sense of humor! I quickly shot that idea down and convinced him that being Steve from Minecraft would be just as cool!

 

My troop in the end!

On The Move.

 A lot has happened since my last post! We spent two very busy (but not busy) days in CT and DC. Thursday morning we got up and walked over to Target for a coffee. My girlfriends joked that I would be able to find a Target while on vacation! #Imaybeatargetaddict We had until noon to kill some time so it was a logical step considering it was right next door! After wandering around we headed back to the hotel room to chill for a little while until the taxi picked us up. Neither of us is used to that much downtime and so I'm not sure that we really knew what to do with ourselves!

At noon a taxi came and took us to the fertility clinic. We were able to meet with the doctor, and run a few tests. I've read stories about these, but they really weren't that bad. We also met with one of the nurses to go over injections! Yikes! I knew what I was in for (she did mention some people had no clue they would have to give themselves shots?!? To that I say you clearly haven't done your research!). We got the 411 on everything and were sent out our way. Pretty painless all in all. From there we headed to the train station. We had no idea how far it was, so we just went straight there. Big mistake on our part! It was of course in not the nicest part of town and we now had 2 hours to wait for the train. We were both hungry, but didn't really want to wander to far with luggage and things, so we camped out and snacked on a left over snack from the airport.

Once the train came, the ride was pretty uneventful, we were able to get some food and just sit back and chill. I finished 2 books on this trip due to all the down time. I can't tell you the last time I sat down and read more than a chapter? We arrived at Union Station in DC around 11pm that night. A taxi was lined up to pick us up, but was about 20 min late. We were some of the last people hanging out outside waiting. The homeless people were yelling at us and I felt like the Amish coming to the big city for the first time! I've been to DC and traveled plenty, but standing on the curb of a big city late at night with only 1 other person around is a little daunting!

We made it to the hotel and grabbed a quick bite from the make shift store in the lobby and headed to our room. I have to say our eating while on this trip was lacking due to times of things, but we made it work

The next morning we got up and met with our case manager for coffee to go over a few things and then she took us to the therapists office for our psych evaluation. I'm assuming we passed as we are moving forward! Once our portion was done we finally got to meet our IP's in person. Their names are Colin and Tracey and they are both so sweet! We had a quick joint session with the therapist and them and then it was on to lunch. Lunch was just the 4 of us and it was very pleasant. You never know how things will go with someone you just met, but there was never a lag in the conversation (although Chris was with us!) It was wonderful to get to know them a little better and discuss things that will be happening in the coming months.

After lunch we walked around the area a little bit and then parted ways. We had to get back to the hotel to catch our taxi to the airport. The flights home were uneventful and smooth sailing. Like I said busy, but not busy! It was a good trip and a lot was accomplished in a short amount of time.

 In the week following the trip, I got a call that by box of meds would be delivered. I was very excited when I received my box of "goodies" to get the process rolling. My box came with lots of meds and needles, all of which will help tell my body to not discard the pregnancy.

 

 I had done some research on how people store all of these things and keep them organized and found a good tip on getting a over the door shoe organizer. So that's what I did! A girls got to be organized right!?! I started my Lupron injections last week and those have been going well. They are injected into my stomach with a small needle and really aren't bad at all.

Onto this week and we are in contract negotiations. Which I expect to run smoothly and then comes the fun part. The actual process.

Fab Finds Friday: Muffintops and Tutus

Can you believe it's Friday already, and with that we are 2 days into October?!? No...me either! This week has flown by and I feel like not much was accomplished? How does that keep happening? Never the less it is time for another Fab Finds Friday! 

This week you get another 2 for 1! The boutique up for review is the amazing Muffintops and Tutus. But the owner didn't just stop at 1 wonderful boutique, she recently opened up a second equally amazing boutique, My Sweet Jules.

 

Both boutiques are on Facebook and etsy for your shopping pleasure. Muffintops and Tutus can be found on facebook here and etsy here. My Sweet Jules can be found on Facebook here and etsy here.

 

Both boutiques have some pretty amazing headbands and hair clips. My Sweet Jules focuses more on leather accessories. These are adorable for the little ones as well as older girls! The are simple, yet make a bold statement and we adore the ones we have!

 

Muffintops and Tutus has a wide variety or headbands and hair clips. They are a mix of flowers and bows made out of felt, glitter and lace. She recently posted the most ADORABLE princess inspired clips, they are swoon worthy and I think Miss Belle may need the collection! Another recent addition is some holiday 4 packs of felt bow clips, again, I want them all. I love the holidays as it is, but these will just make them so much cuter! I think I will order some for Belle and then hijack a few of them for myself!

 

 

The owner is a true gem and it has been a pleasure to work with her! And of course the product quality is top notch! You won't be disappointed in your purchase. This amazing boutique is also offering Chronicles of a Momager readers a special code for 15% your purchase! How awesome is that! Just enter fab15off at checkout and be sure to like and follow her pages to stay up to date on all the new sweet accessories you or your little lady need!

This post is written by me and all opinions expressed are my own. This is not a sponsored post.

Fab Finds Friday: Tessa's Trunk

Welcome to another addition of Fab Finds Friday's! I know that it is Saturday, but I had a pretty crazy busy day yesterday and my iPad apparently doesn't like blogger and wouldn't let me complete this. So with that it will be posted today! 

Today I'm going to share with you an amazing boutique called Tessa's Trunk. If one boutique wasn't good enough, you're in luck, because the owner of Tessa's Trunk has two! Baby Bloomz Boutique is the second boutique and it is filled with adorable headbands that will compliment the amazing outfits from Tessa's Trunk. 

 

You can find Tessa's Trunk on Facebook and at www.tessastrunk.com, and Baby Bloomz Boutique on Facebook and etsy as well.

This is another boutique that we have worked with for quite some time and adore! The items are all extremely well made and so adorable! I bet you won't check out with just one item!

Some of our favorite items are the ruffled pants and shorts. They are sold in a variety of colors and well, we own about 10 pairs, they are that awesome! Belle loves wearing them with her Toms or boots, they are so versatile! What little girl doesn't want a little extra frill on her pants?!?

 

With Tessa's Trunk you will want to make sure to follow her Facebook page so that you can be updated when her new items come out. Some sizes can sell out quickly, and you don't want to miss these sweet dresses.

One of our favorite items from Baby Bloomz Boutique is the chiffon bow headbands. These come in a variety of colors, and look adorable with everything. 

 

 

Like I said, just adorable! If all of that wasn't enough already, Baby Bloomz also offers a variety of leg warmers and lace rompers. Excellent for milestone photo shoots, cake smashes, and those leg warmers look adorable at dance and gymnastics classes. We have received so many compliments when we wear ours!

 

Whats even better is that the owner of these amazing boutiques has very generously offered to do 20% off for Chronicles of a Momager followers! Seriously it doesn't get much better than that. So go check out her shops, and place a few orders, because what little girl doesn't need a sweet Halloween dress? It's also perfect for those trips to Disney to wear to the Haunted Mansion ride (a personal favorite!) Use code FFF20 at checkout at either shop to receive the discount!

This post is written by me and all opinions expressed are my own. This is not a sponsored post.

A new journey

The sun is up, the birds are singing...actually it is raining, a lot and I'm pretty sure most of the birds have flown south for the impending winter. But in my mind the sun is up and the birds are singing! Today is the day that Chris and I are embarking on a new journey. I am hoping to become a surrogate and today we fly out on a whirlwind trip to do some screening and meet our IP's.

Say What?!? I have mentioned this to some, well quite a few, I'm just a little excited about this. But for those who don't know, this post will fill you in on whats been happening behind the scenes for the last few months and what the coming months will hold for us!

Back in April I applied to an agency, Creative Family Connections. Due to our insurance not having a surrogacy clause we were unable to use it for this process. Because of this I had to wait until June to start the application process to be going in it when their insurance open enrollment started. I know it is nothing compared to the years that couples going through infertility deal with, but that was several long months for me.

June 1st rolled around and you can be sure I emailed right away that morning. With that, the application process got started with reference checks and medical file reviews. Easy breezy right, well then it means more waiting. I'm a very patient person, but I'm so over the moon excited to do this for someone that I feel like a 4 year old waiting for Christmas!

After a little more waiting and a few emails back and forth checking on where we were in the process, (okay maybe more than a few!) I got an amazing email saying that they had some potential IPs (intended parents) for us. I could hardly stand it, but had a busy morning and didn't get a chance to read their letter until the afternoon. After getting a chance to read the profile, our potential IPs sounded wonderful on paper, and sound like someone we would get along with great on this crazy ride.

So after letting CFC know we wanted to move forward, we got to set up a Skype meeting with them and our case manager. We were able to set it up later in the afternoon so that Chris was able to join the call as well. With a meeting in the afternoon, that also meant that all 3 kids would be home! Luckily Belle napped during our call and both boys were super excited to play iPads that we had an uninterrupted meeting. All went well and the next day we were setting up meetings with the fertility clinic in CT and our journey to the east coast was planned.

So here we are today. After a day of travel by plane and town car we are hanging out in our hotel room excited for what the next few days will bring! Make sure to check back and follow the blog to follow our journey!

Fab Finds Friday!

 Isabella has been modeling for boutiques pretty much since the day she came home from the hospital. There is no lack of photos of this 3rd child. Although the photos are all in a studio and not necessarily real life shots, but she's a 3rd child, so I'm not sure much more can be expected!

We have worked with some amazing ladies, that are super talented and create one of a kind items. We have so many that we have worked with on multiple occasions and have purchased items from as well. If you have been on Etsy lately, there are a million different shops. Most with extremely cool and unique items. But sifting through some of it can give you a headache! It can also be an amazing time sucker, but a favorite thing of mine to do! It can be hard to find these hidden gems, and then once found know if the quality is what you are expecting it to be, it can be daunting!

Insert my newest blog series Fab Finds Friday! Fridays I will be showcasing an amazing boutique, that offers some pretty fab finds! Up first for review is Once Upon A Time Creations. You can find them on facebook here, and Etsy here.

 

This was Belle's first booking with Christie and we have been hooked ever since! On a side note, where did my baby go!

 

We have been working with this boutique for over a year and the quality of her items never ceases to amaze me! She makes some adorable headbands and the variety is almost overwhelming. And if by chance you don't see what your looking for (which I highly doubt), she can custom create a piece for you that will match any outfit! Along with the headbands Once Upon A Time Creations also makes tutu dress. Perfect for costumes, picture days and dress up!

These are just a few of our favorites from this shop!

 

 

 

 Be sure to stop by her page and say hi, check out all she has to offer. Then when you find some adorable items you just can't live without, and you will, you can use coupon code Pretty for 15% off you purchase on Etsy.

LLK Pocket Romper Blog Tour

I am over the moon excited that I get to be on the Little Lizard King blog tour! I love LLK patterns and have sewn up lots in the past. They are always easy to follow instructions with pictures along the way. They have lots of adorable patterns to fill your little girls closet with (trust me, I know!) But what we are really here for today is the newest pattern, the Pocket Romper! You can purchase this pattern here, but don't forget to enter to win one at the bottom!

I was lucky enough to get to test the amazing pattern. Originally I made a Disney romper for my little Mickey obsessed girl. Who are we kidding, I might be a little Mickey obsessed too!  I loved how it turned out and Belle LOVED the pockets. She still adores pockets. She has two older brothers, but I am pretty sure that she will be the one coming home with rocks, worms and frogs in her pockets!

This pattern is a fairly quick sew to begin with , but if you skip the optional pockets it could be even faster! (Although those pockets with a ruffle are so darn adorable!!!)

Seriously, in only several months, by baby has grown up to be, well not a baby! We are also in the potty training stage of life with this one right now, so when I was thinking about how to make my romper for this post, I wondered if maybe I could modify it. The pattern comes with instructions on how to sew a snap bottom or a sewn shut. My first I did the snap bottom and it works so well for diaper changes. But now my little one is gaining her independence (some days a little too much) and I knew that it might work best if we could just pull up a dress vs. unsnapping something.

 

Now I will start off saying that I have NEVER modified a pattern, not even slightly! I am a very by the book person when it comes to sewing and cooking. That way I know it will turn out and I didn't waste time and money trying something new. But alas I wanted to try something new. Like I said before I love the pockets on this romper, but with potty training and moving into a size 4t, this pattern wasn't going to work for us much longer. But now problem solved! Which is also a testament to LLK and there amazing patterns!

 

I started out by cutting the bottom part of the main romper pattern off. Right where it starts to angle another way. So essentially from the hip to the crotch. I knew that I wanted to add length to it and from there I added two panels (in the end I wish I only added the ruffle panel and for my next one I will!) I sewed up the 3T version with an added 1" to give some room to my growing girl, so these dress measurements go with that, but it wouldn't be hard to adjust. 

The yellow panel is 4" x 36" (cut 1) and the pink is 6" x 37" (cut 2).

We also have issues with having to raise our arms up and put something on or off. Like serious issues. I'm pretty sure if someone would record us sometime we could win the $10,000 on America's Funniest Home Videos it's that bad! So I decided to also add buttons to the straps to make it an easier on and off. To do this I simply added an extra inch onto 1 end of the strap. Then I only sewed the straps into the back of the bodice and put button holes in the front. Next time I will also make the button holes go horizontal and not vertical for obvious reasons :)

 

 

And you know, everyone needs a little tushy grab in their lives!

It is clear to see that she adores her dress (or maybe it's the pink lemonade I bribed her with). Either way I love how it turned out and I can't wait to make another one with a few modifications. I already have the fabric picked out and this little princess is demanding I make it NOW. We chose some Marvel Avengers fabric and she can't wait!

Don't forget to enter to win this amazing pattern for free below!!

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