Baby Girl Shack's First Shower!

Some of the very lovely ladies in my family!

This past weekend we had my first baby shower with family and work friends in honor of Baby Girl!  It was great to celebrate our long awaited girl with pretty outfits, fun toys, and practical accessories.  The prize for the most creative gift goes to my neighbor Ginny who made this personalized diaper cake! 

The BELLY at 27 weeks!

My mom surprised me by restoring many of my baby dresses that I wore in the late 1970s and displayed them with pictures of me wearing the outfits.  My cousin Rachel planned a few really fun games with prizes and my cousin Karen spoke some special words about me and Baby Girl Shack and then prayed over us.

 My mom, sister, and sisters-in-law worked hard to make yummy food and drinks to go with the bright colored decorations. 

Thanks to my family and friends for making this day so special and exciting!  I will post pictures of the progress in the nursery soon!

These are the headlines that make a woman with IF go CRAZY!

Favorite Things: Baby Legs!!!

So one of the baby/kids items that I think are so cute are the leg warmers from Baby Legs.  Today and tomorrow only (Aug. 22-23) the entire site is 50% off and shipping is only $3.95 or free if you order $30 or more.  The coupon code is "Halfoff".  Happy shopping!


Of course  my favorites are the newborn BabyLegs:

These are called "Little Sunshine" and it is one of my favorite styles.

Double Digits!

Only 99 days left until baby girl Shack's due date!  Lately she has been moving and kicking a ton!  She likes to move especially after I eat and late at night.  The numbness in my hands has continued to worsen but thankfully I have been able to sleep a little better the last few nights due to a special pillow I bought called the Luna Lullaby Bosom Baby.  I did read that because of the increased blood flow in my body pressure is being applied to my median nerve which causes temporary carpal tunnel in my hands which is why they feel so stiff and sore.  I was glad to learn that I am not doing any permanent damage to my hands as I am quite fond of them.  ; )  I have lately taken on the challenge of finding cute and comfortable shoes for my gigantic swollen feet.  I was already a size 9.5 pre-pregnancy so it is a little hard to find shoes large and wide enough for me.  I have to return to teaching in a few weeks and we are not supposed to wear flip flops.  I got lucky a few times at the thrift store and found a couple cute pairs of wedges in 10wide and size 11 that feel comfy and fit well.  I am wondering just what my shoe size will end up being in the end because pretty much all moms have told me their shoe size never goes back to being what it was before pregnancy.  I have also been trying to find some clothing items that are work appropriate.  JC Penny was helpful as has been Old Navy Maternity.  This dress from JC Penny has been my absolute favorite lately!  I got it in both pink and black.  It is so comfy and cute!  I have taken to wearing dresses a lot more these days as they are much more comfortable in this hot weather than pants.  I still haven't taken  a belly shot yet.  Maybe soon...

Look what is back on Kidsteals.com!

Last January my cousin (Rachel Lesiw) did an adoption sale in honor of baby Shack's March transfer with her awesome blooms from http://www.littlelesiw.com/.  Today only her blooms are 50% off at http://kidsteals.stealnetwork.com/index.php  My favorites are:

the Modern Set in White, Ocean, and Red and....

  and the Bright Polka Dots Set!  

 

 

 Rachel and her husband Bob are in the process of fundraising for their third adoption.  Go to Kidsteals today and support them!

Thoughts from an Infertile-Though-Now-Pregnant Woman

Out where we live in dairy country, our neighborhood is surrounded by large pens of dairy cows.  On the street nearest to our house is one of the many birthing pens where the dairy farmers put all the pregnant cows in one place.  I often drive by this birthing pen or walk by on my way to the nearby dog park.  The past three years since we moved here I often had mixed emotions when I would see this pen full of pregnant or new mommy cows.  I would coo and sigh at the site of a new shinny baby calf in the pen but then a sadness would set in.  I actually felt jealous of all of these cows that seemed to endlessly get pregnant and give birth to their young - something I could not do.  I consider it a low point in my fertility story that I actually harbored jealous feelings towards pregnant cows.  It was a constant visual and auditory reminder (because you could hear them moo like crazy from our house when they are in labor) of my inability to create a family for Dan and I.

Similarly, we had our beautiful dog Jersey spayed a few years ago.  Then and now I often look at her and feel guilt and sadness.  I willingly took away her fertility.  She is such a beautiful and good-natured dog that I feel sad there won't be anymore Jerseys in the world because of our decision.  Her bloodline ends when she dies.  We didn't make a bad decision to have her spayed.  I am all for spaying and neuturing your pets and adopting shelter/rescue dogs and cats rather than purchasing from breeders.  But it is funny how in life I have projected my own experience with infertility onto others.  I see things in the world differently because of my infertility.

Now that I am 24 weeks pregnant I don't think these thoughts quite so often.  I have found a great joy in carrying our miracle girl thanks to embryo adoption.  But our infertility will always be part of our story.  My current pregnancy doesn't erase all that we went through to get here.  I still look at Dan's gorgeous ice blue eyes (the same eyes his dad and grandpa all had) and feel sad that his bloodline ends when he dies.  It amongst others are thoughts that still occasionally push their way into my mind despite our joyful anticipation of baby girl Shack.  While bloodline is not what is most important to Dan and I (obviously or we would have done IVF rather than embryo adoption), losing your ability to produce a genetic child is in fact a loss.  It would have been neat to see what a genetic mix of Dan and I turned out to be but I so look forward to meeting baby girl Shack and learning what she will uniquely bring to our family.  What habits and traits will she pick up from Dan?  What will she pick up from me?  I am excited to get to know our little girl!

The Shacks Get Back to Nature!

Dan and I have made an informal list of things we want to do before baby girl shack makes her appearance in November.  This July we have hardly been home because we have been out adventuring in the California wilds!  First Dan took a day long deep sea fishing trip with a close friend to Catalina Island.  It was Dan's first experience deep sea fishing and he LOVED it!  He was able to keep six of the fish that he caught including four grouper and two white bass.

Later that week Dan and I returned to Catalina Island to camp for three nights in Hermit Gulch.  We were able to go on a great hike to the top of the Island, go snorkeling off the shore, go fishing in Avalon off the pier (Dan caught two calico bass!), and enjoy the abundant wildlife on the island.  It was such a great and inexpensive way to see the island!  Our entire trip including food, travel, etc cost less than what most people spend in one night at a bed a breakfast in Avalon!  Camping is awesome!

For those of you who are not familiar with Catalina Island it is a private island that is 26 miles off the coast of California that was once owned by Mr. Wrigley of Wrigley chewing gum.  The Chicago Cubs (which he owned) used to have spring training on the island and their baseball field is still there!  Now it is a magnet for people who want a quick getaway into nature and also a romantic escape for couples.  Unfortunately, as we found out this trip it is also a magnet on weekends for those who like to party.  A bummer and very annoying but it didn't ruin our trip at all.  When we go next time we will go during the week to avoid that crowd.  Up next is a trip to San Diego to go camping with friends in Chula Vista!  We will be trying out our new big tent and our dog Jersey will be coming along!