New Doctor, Matching Begins, and More Waiting

A few weeks ago we met our new fertility doctor that we will be working with to do our FET (frozen embryo transfer).  It was an exhausting three hour meeting and physical examination but we are really excited to work with Dr. K.  In February I will have some tests done to make sure my body is ready to accept the embryos and then  it is just a matter of waiting for our match from Snowflakes.  Our profile was sent out last Friday to a family for consideration.  The average time it takes a couple to be matched is one month and then it will take another month or two to get the legal paperwork done and the embryos transferred to Dr. K's clinic.  So the wait continues.   I'm getting good at this.

California Living

This past weekend I went to Palm Springs with a few girls to celebrate the upcoming marriage of my  childhood friend Julie.  This was my view from the lounge chair by the pool.  Just another winter day in paradise. 

Prayer for Haiti

Most likely you all know that on Jan. 12, 2010 there was a massive earthquake in Haiti.  One of my close friends from Biola, Dephanie Lilite, her husband Louima and their two daughters were in Haiti doing ministry when the quake hit.  I am so thankful that they are okay but they report that the nation is in devistation and it is not known whether Louima's sister and her family are safe.  Please pray for the nation of Haiti, for the Lilite family as they work through this disaster, and for their safety as they attempt to find a way back to the U.S.  If you want to know more about Louima's work with the Haitian people in the North Haitian Music Camps click here.

UPDATE - JAN. 14 6:00am

Dephanie updated on facebook this morning that Louima's sister and her family are safe.  His sister was in a building that collapsed during the quake but she managed to escape to safety.  Dephanie and Louima and their girls were scheduled to leave Haiti today.  Dephanie said that they heard MFI was flying out of Haiti at Cap and they were going to go there Thursday morning to get on a flight to the U.S.   She said they had to get past a bridge that has been deemed "impassable" due to quake damage.  She asked for prayer that the bridge would not collapse.  

UPDATE - JAN. 14 6:00pm

Dephanie updated tonight and they made it to Florida!  She didn't explain how they were able to make it but they are in the U.S. and will fly home tomorrow.

UPDATE - JAN. 19 7:00pm

The Lilite family is back and safe in Oklahoma.  Today marks one week since the quake hit.  Louima's cousin is still missing and his cousin's wife has had to have both of her legs amputated. 

A Plan of Attack!

My goal from now until our transfer is to lose 20 more pounds. I lost three this week so I need to lose 17 more. I am watching my calories and focusing on eating quality food and running 10 miles per week. Check out my ultra organized fridge that I stock every Sunday for the week:



My new favorite item is the Orowheat sandwich thins. And of course I love my 60 calorie sugar free pudding for my treat. My ultra favorite thing that I look forward to everyday is my light and fit vanilla yogurt with low fat granola and fresh blueberries. YUMMY!!! Portioning out my food ahead of time helps in convenience when I need to pack my breakfast and lunch in the morning and in avoiding overeating. (p.s. The Cheese Whiz on the top shelf is Dan's = )

On the adoption front. . .

We meet with our FET doctor on Monday. We have tons of questions and are excited to begin the transfer process.

We were notified by Snowflakes that we will begin the matching process on Friday, January 15th! We are very excited and are praying for a quick match that is just right for us.

Inspiration

I know some people get annoyed with New Year's Resolutions. Some think that it is pointless to make goals that will inevitably be put aside. I am not one of these people. My life is a life of second chances. Our adoption is a second chance at me becoming a mom. My fitness plan is a second chance to become a more healthy person. My salvation through Jesus Christ is a second chance for me to be blameless in the eyes of God. I worship a God who is merciful- a God of second chances. When a man asked Jesus, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." (Matt. 18:21-22) If the God of the universe can have the compassion and patience to dole out endless second chances then can I not do so as well with others and with myself?

Does it matter that in the past I have lost weight only to gain it back? Does it matter that after almost six years of trying I am still not a mother? Does it matter that I still struggle with bluntness, laziness and other character flaws? Do my past "failures" to realize my goals mean that I should stop trying to attain those goals? I have to answer NO!!! I challenge you all to not give up either. When I was training for my marathon ten years ago I had a bulletin board up in my bedroom that was filled with inspirational stories, quotes, and pictures. It was important to me (and I think everyone) that I realize that I was not alone in my struggles. Everybody struggles. Everybody deals with adversity. It just looks different in different peoples lives.

We can help remind each other that there is always hope and there is always a second chance but we must step out and take that second chance and be willing to fail again. I have to admit I am afraid to go through with our embryo FET (Frozen Embryo Transfer) because it might not work and that would be very painful for Dan and I. But if we don't try we won't be taking steps towards our goal of being parents.

As I gear up to get refocused on my goals I wanted to share the story of Matt Hoover (and his wife Suzy)who won season two of one of my favorite shows, The Biggest Loser. In this video clip Matt recaps his experience in attempting to finish Ford's Ironman in Hawaii on Oct. 10, 2009. It is long (7 min.) Watch it - it is worth it! Enjoy. . . it is my New Year's gift to you all!



If you want to know more about Matt whose next goal is to make the 2012 olympic wrestling team visit his blog here.

"It's not about what you have done in the past. . . it is about what you are doing." -Matt Hoover


I don't have a picture of my marathon handy but I LOVE this picture of Dan at the Disney Half Marathon in 2007. I ran it too but I only made it through the first four miles. But I ran!