The Kyser Family

WE ARE BACK!!!!

2010-11-20T21:10:00.002-06:00

So when people told me that you barely have time for yourself when you become a mommy....I now believe you! I feel horrible for being such a blog slacker, but I will try to get back on track!! So here is everything in a nutshell to catch you up on the Kyser family....

Avery is now walking...EVERYWHERE! She is non-stop on the go! Always talking, laughing, playing! She can say mama, dada, nana, GinGin, bye, hey, no, stop, thank you and lots of jibber jabber! She has 2 1/2 teeth and will hopefully be cutting more soon! She LOVES eating! I have never in my life seen a child eat so much! =)! She isn't into TV much, but if you pop in a Praise Baby DVD she is amazed! Jamie and I never knew how much joy a child would bring into your life! She is such a blessing to us! She is out of the loving/ cuddle phase because she is so busy all of the time, but people say that does come back! (sometimes!) Right now we are busy planning her first birthday party! I am excited, but sad at the same time! She has grown up WAY too fast! It is crazy that not even 11 months ago she was in my belly and now she is a walking, talking, tempermental, joyful, happy baby! That is something else that makes me sad....once they turn one they are no longer in the baby category...she will now be a TODDLER! So sad!

Anyways, just wanted to catch up a little! I promise not to slack (As much) as I have been! =) Enjoy the new pics!!!

March Madness....

2010-03-30T12:52:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe how fast March how flown by! Sorry for the blog slacking, but with a baby it's hard to find time these days! Avery is growing up so fast! I cannot believe in 2 weeks she will be 4 months already!! Here is what we are up to:
-still sleeping through the night, now just trying to transition her into her crib and out of the swaddle.
-rolling over from tummy to back and trying back to tummy.
-can almost sit up by herself
-eating 6-8oz every 3-4 hours
-LAUGHING...all out laughing, no longer a chuckle! It's the cutest thing!
-still doesn't care too much for tummy time
-loves being outdoors
We are absolutely loving every moment with her! She is such a blessing to Jamie and I and we feel so blessed to have her as our child. She is perfect!!!! God is Good!

tears, tears and more tears....

2010-02-18T17:28:00.005-06:00

Avery at her 2 month check-up

Daisy monitoring bathtime!

Before her 1st day of MDO!

After her 1st day of MDO!

Mrs. D~ Avery's teacher!!

Ready for church!

Best friends already!

A with her valentine's day goodies!

Sound asleep!!!

There has been a lot going on the past few weeks so I decided it was time to give an update! The title tears, tears and more tears is EXACTLY what has been going on....for me that is!!! HA! Here are the updates:

-Avery had her 2 month check-up with Dr. W last Monday! She weighs 12.9lbs and is 24 inches long! She is in the 95% on both height and weight! She is a healthy little baby!!! She also had to get 2 shots at this visit. I made Jamie come with me to this visit because I knew she was going to get the shots and I didn't want to have to be the one to hold her still! Anyways, so Jamie held her as she got her shots and she screamed for a second with each one. Hearing her "pain" cry just absolutely broke my heart because I had never heard it before, so I was crying like a baby!!! Avery is smiling afterwards and i was trying to regroup! HA!

-Because I knew I was going to be a basketcase putting A in daycare I decided to go ahead and do a few "trial run" days to help me adjust to things before my first day back at work. I am so blessed to be able to leave her with women I know and trust and that has been helpful! But even dropping her off and trying to leave her...I cried like a baby! AGAIN! She was smiling in her carseat and they were comforting me!! She ended up doing good and we have gone a few other times and I haven't cried, until yesterday! Yesterday she rode in the car with her grandmother for the first time (she hasn't ridden in the car with anyone else without me being there!) and I was a nervous wreck and again...I cried! I never knew being a mommy could bring sooo many fears and tears!! I have never been a very nervous person, never really worried about anything and now it is a whole new story! I am worrying myself sick...literally! I hope this gets better soon!!!!

-Updates on Daisy: I am very glad that I did not give her away! I can already see her and A being best friends! If A is on the floor Daisy is there with her, when I give A a bath...Daisy watches! Anytime I'm holding A, Daisy is at our side! Its really cute!!!

-Lastly: We had A's first Vday!!! I've never really been a big fan of Vday, but even the small silly holidays are so much fun with a little one!!! I loooove buying her stuff! I'm ecspecially addicted to buying her any outfit that says "my first ______"! We already have one for St. pattys day and Easter!! They are just such cute keepsakes! I love it!!!!

-Avery is "talking" a ton now! Her smile, laugh and coos brighten my day!! She makes the cutest faces when she is trying to talk, you can tell she is going to have very animated facial expressions!! Jamie and I are so blessed to be her parents!!!!

2 months!!!!

2010-02-15T11:52:00.004-06:00

This past week has been full of fun!!! First off, last weekend we went to visit Jason, Lisa, Luke and Grant! That was the first time we were able to meet Grant out of the hospital and be able to hold and love on him! This was also the first time they were all able to meet Avery! It was lots of fun seeing all of the kiddos together! We also had Patty Cakes made!! I can't wait to see how they turned out! Then we had the snow on Friday!!! This past weekend was also Avery's first Valentine's Day!! So we have had lots of firsts recently!!!

Avery updates: She weighs 12lbs 9oz and is 24 inches long. She can hold her head up and is beginning to push herself up when she is laying on her tummy!! She loves sucking on her thumb and bath time! She is sleeping thru the night normally 6-8 hours! She smiles, laughs, coos and tries to talk ALL of the time! She is such a happy baby...atleast until she gets hungry! =) We are so blessed!!! Every day is so much fun! We are loving every moment!!!

We also had her 2 month check up today! Her dr. said she still looks perfect! She is in the 95 percentile for weight AND height! She is a chunky little thing!!! Also, she had 2 shots today and had an oral vaccine. She seemed to like the liquid! When she got the shots I made Jamie hold her!! She cried with the initial prick and then would be fine! I however, cried the ENTIRE time!! It broke my heart hearing her cry because something hurt her! In the end I was worse off than she was!!! =)

6 weeks!!

2010-01-26T11:07:00.003-06:00

Sound asleep!!!!

Found my thumb last night!!!

Chubby cheeks!

When everyone told me to enjoy each moment because it will fly by, I never really took it to heart until now! It seems like I just got pregnant and now Avery is 6 weeks!!! I cannot believe how fast she is growing!!! It amazes me each day how much she changes and the new things that she will do!!! As a dental hygienist I should not be excited about this, however it was too cute not to be...Last night Avery found her thumb for the first time! She has sucked on her hand and fingers, but never her thumb, so when she found it I had to get a picture!!! Also, now that we are beginning the transition to formula, she is sleeping MUCH better!! She even took a nap on her tummy today which is huge because normally when I lay her on her stomach she cries instantly!! YAY!! We are also beginning the transition to her crib. It will take a while, but we will get there. Since she likes being surrounded I think I have found a method to getting her in the crib. I have a moses basket with a sleep positioner in it. She is sleeping in that in her pack and play in our room. Once she begins sleeping through the night we will move the basket into her crib. Once she is adjusted to that we will put her sleep position on her crib and get her adjusted to that and eventually have her alone in the crib. SO, that is the game plan...we shall see how it goes!!! =)

A smile that warms your heart!!!

2010-01-21T08:54:00.003-06:00

This week Avery has began smiling ALL of the time when I play with her cheeks! It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! I never knew one smile could mean so much to me, but each time she smiles her whole face lights up and it just melts my heart! If I am lucky I will even get a little chuckle! =) Life is amazing and we feel so blessed that God has allowed us to be Avery's parents! She brings so much joy into our lives!!! God is so GOOD!

1 month Dr. appt

2010-01-14T20:47:00.002-06:00

Today we had our 1 month check up and I could not wait to see how Avery was progressing! She weighed 10llbs 2oz and is 23 inches long! She is a little chunk and I LOVE it!!! She is in the 95% in length and 75% weight! She had to have her little heel pricked and then get a shot and she did not like it at all!!! It broke my heart knowing that it hurt her! But she stopped crying pretty quickly! The nurse went ahead and gave me the heads up for next months round of shots!

The dr. said that Avery is still doing wonderful and is perfect which is always music to my ears!!!

On another note...I had absolutely noooo idea how hard it is to get myself and her ready alone and today I got to experience that first hand! Her appt was first thing this morning and I was running around like a chicken with their head cut off! It was craziness! Today was the first time I have gotten her out alone and it was really her first time out in public besides her first dr. visit. I know each time it will get easier, but boy this morning was crazy! Next time, we will have a later appt and I will definately have everything ready the night before!!! =)

2010-01-12T11:10:00.001-06:00

Happy 1 month!!!

2010-01-12T10:50:00.003-06:00

I cannot believe that Avery is already 1 month old! It blows my mind how fast it has gone by!!! We are getting better with a schedule. She still eats every21/2-3 hours, every 2 at night (=no sleep for mommy)! She is much more alert these days! She will follow objects and will follow mommy or daddy with her eyes. She loves her swing and bouncey seat. She is still sleeping in our room in her pack and play. We are having a hard time getting her use to laying on flat surfaces, she loves to be surrounded but we are working on it and hopefully will get her into her crib soon. Bath time is still not her favorite, but she is beginning to get use to it!! She is changing and growing so much everyday! It amazes me! She smiles a lot, but it's not in response to anything yet. Normally its while she is sleeping and sometimes it sounds like she even laughs in her sleep! We go to the Dr. this week and I cannot wait to see how much weight she has gained and how much she has grown in length. She has definitely gained weight!! I can feel it when I'm holding her and you can see it in her thighs!! I love all the little rolls!! She has also just about grown out of newborn sizes and she hasn't even had a chance to wear all of her newborn stuff yet!!
As for Jamie....well lets say he was TRULY welcomed into fatherhood last night! He was holding Avery and knew she was filling up her diaper and was waiting until she was done to change her. When he got up, he realized that Avery's diaper had leaked all over him...hands, arm, shirt and all!! The look on his face was priceless!! I wish I had a picture of that!! But he handled it very well and cleaned her all up first and then himself!! Too funny!!!

Happy New Years!!

2010-01-04T11:31:00.006-06:00

My Beautiful Princess!!!

She LOVES her swing!!!

getting my first bottle!

Happy New Years! Can you believe it is already 2010?? That is just crazy to me! I'm sad to see 2009 go because it was such a special year for us, however we cannot wait to see what 2010 holds!! As for NYE, we did absolutely nothing!! And it was wonderful! Jamie didn't even make it til 12 but Avery and I were able to watch the ball drop! Her sleeping patterns have gotten much better! She eats every 2 1/2 -3 hours during the day, but at night she will go every 3 hours (3 1/2-4 if we're lucky!) until waking to feed!! She has also gotten into the routine of eating and going back to sleep instead of staying wide awake at 3am! Thank goodness!!!! She is definitely growing and yes....she still has hair! Woohoo!! We are still figuring things out ecspecially when it comes to breastfeeding and what upsets her tummy and what doesn't! It breaks my heart when I know something I have eaten hurts her, so I've been playing it as safe as possible! However, last night she had an upset tummy so we decided to try out giving her a bottle with milk previously pumped and she did great!! I'm glad to know that we have that option of being able to bottlefeed her if I am not around, plus it will give Jamie the opportunity to feed her as well!! Speaking of Jamie....he is already wrapped around her little finger! And he will admit it too!! He is such an amazing father! I love watching him hold, love and kiss her! It is the sweetest thing ever! I know there is always a bond between the parents and child, but there is something so very special about a father and daughter! It is beautiful!!!!

This past Saturday we took our newborn photos and they turned out great!!! We used Mari Wilkes photography who I actually found through looking at friend's blogspots and I came across her blog and fell in love with her work! She is absolutely amazing and was wonderful with Avery! You can preview some of our pics on her blog www.mariwilkes.blogpsot.com!!!

Now the sad part....our other daughter AKA Daisy is not doing so well with Avery! She is not aggressive or anything, but she is going through some serious seperation anxiety and it is not good!! She is depressed and acting out just to get our attention. Everyone kept saying give it 2 weeks, well Avery is 3 weeks now and Daisy is still not getting adjusted and honestly I don't know how much more I can take of it. I feel horrible for Daisy because since we have had her, she has been our child and always the center of attention and she isn't anymore! If we can find her a good home we are going to give her away to a family who can love her like she is used to being loved! It breaks my heart, but it really isn't fair to Daisy to be neglected!! So if anyone knows of someone who would like a beautiful miniature dachshund please let me know!!!!

2009-12-27T13:23:00.001-06:00

"For unto us a child is born..." -Isaiah 9:6

2009-12-27T11:46:00.006-06:00

We officially welcomed Avery into this world on Decemeber 14th at 8:34 am! She weighed 7lbs 10oz and was 20.5 inches long. She is absolutely the most beautiful baby I have ever seen! (okay so I'm a little partial!)! The labor and delivery was pretty easy and very very FAST! Way faster than we or the nurses expected! They began my IV at 3am, broke my water at 5am and at 7am I was 10cm and ready to push! However, the dr. wasn't there yet, so we had to wait until 8 and after 3 contractions our sweet little miracle was here!!! We really did have a great experience and I am ready to do it again, however Jamie isn't quite ready yet!!! We want to enjoy Avery as an only child for a while, but I am already ready to have another! Childbirth was the most amazing experience I have ever had and I feel so blessed that God allowed me to experience it!!

As for Avery, we had her 1 week check up on Dec. 21 and the Dr. said she is "absolutely perfect". She had only lost an ounce from when she left the hospital so she is eating very well! She is eating extremely well and sleeping pretty good! She hasn't lost any of her hair yet and I'm hoping she doesn't! I can already put a bow in it! =)! We are just working on getting into a routine right now and so far so good!!

Thank you so much to everyone for praying and supporting us throughout this entire journey! We are so blessed to have so many amazing family members, friends and church family members! Thanks to everyone for everything!!! I hope you enjoy the pictures and MANY MANY more to come!!! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! God Bless!!!

6 days!!!!

2009-12-08T15:56:00.003-06:00

Today I had my 38 week check up! I am still 1cm dialated and thinned out! Dr. A said Avery is extremely low and didn't know how I was still working! We are on the books to be admitted into East at 5pm on Sunday and we will deliver on Monday! So this time next week we will be holding our sweet Avery!!! Words cannot explain how excited I am to meet her! I cannot wait to be able to bundle her up and just hold her! I am nervous about some things such as the epidural and the wait to hear her cry, but overall I am extremely excited! As soon as I can I will put up pics and updates on the delivery! Please keep us in your prayers that everything goes smoothly!!! God Bless!!!

updated belly pics

2009-11-24T12:37:00.003-06:00

33 weeks

34 weeks

35 weeks

9 months!!!!!

2009-11-24T10:58:00.005-06:00

My sweet hostess Joy, Hayley and Judy!!

The proud grandmothers!

This past Sunday was my last shower and it turned out great!!!! Jamie and I are so blessed to have so many friends and family members!!! I am officially considered FULL TERM so if Avery were to come today, they would not stop her!! I had my weekly visit yesterday and Dr. A said my cervix is already thinning out and her head is very low! He said there is no way I would make it to 12/22 and is still talking about poss inducing 12/11 or 12/14! So we shall see!!! I already have Avery's bag packed and have begun packing mine so that we will be ready just in case I do go into labor. I will keep you all posted weekly after each visit!! I hope everyone has a blessed and safe Thanksgiving!!!! God Bless!

35 Weeks!!!!

2009-11-16T13:30:00.003-06:00

I cannot believe I am already 35 weeks!! This pregnancy has FLOWN by and I have loved every minute of it!!! I had my 35 weeks check up today and Dr. A said Avery is still "perfect"! He is guessing she weighs about 6lbs now and thinks she will weigh about 7lb 12oz at birth (just a guess though)! We also discussed inducing today more than before. Originally I said I did not want to be induced, but the more I think about it, the more seperation I want between her birthday and Christmas! Her 40wk mark is Dec. 22nd and he said he will typically induce within 10 days of the due date. Soooo he said we will either induce of Fri. Dec. 11 or Mon. Dec. 14th! Just having a time frame narrowed down excites me!!! I cannot believe she will be here that soon!!! We have her nursery complete now and I love to just go in there and look at everything!! I have my last shower this weekend so I will post pics on Monday after my Dr. visit! I hope you all have an amazing week! Thank you for all of your prayers!!! God Bless!!!

FUN preggo questionnaire
Due date: Dec. 22nd is the 40 wk mark!
How many weeks: 35
Gender: Girl
Planned or unplanned: Well, we were trying for 2 years and the one month they put me on BC to shrink some cysts (that we did not try) we got pregnant!
How much weight gained: 28 pounds
Latest food craving: Nothing really!! I haven't really had any food cravings!
Food adversions: Mexican!
Worst thing about being pregnant: absolutely nothing!!!
Best thing about being pregnant: the feeling of our sweet miracle moving!!!
Are you more scared or excited: EXCITED!!
First person you told was: Jamie
Happy or Moody: Happy
Weirdest dream since being pregnant: too many to name!
Who will the baby look like: I think she will be a good combination of us both!! People have mistaken Jamie and I as siblings before! We have a lot of similarities!!!
When did you start to show: 15 weeks
When did you feel the first fetal movement: about 22 weeks
Formula or breastfeeding: BF hopefully!!!!
Do you talk to your baby: all of the time
Energy level: mine has been good until the past few weeks! The no sleep nights are catching up with me!
Belly button: Poking out
Milestones: there have been SO many!!!
What are you looking forward to the most: finally getting to meet, hold and love on our precious miracle!!

Updates!!!

2009-11-03T09:44:00.005-06:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post!!! We have had a lot going on! So to update....

We now have a precious new nephew who was born October 12, 2009 weighing 5lbs 15oz! He was born 5 weeks early and has been in the NICU since birth. He is doing very well now, but it started off pretty rough for the little guy! Thank you to everyone for your prayers for Grant, Jason and Lisa!

As for me, I am doing great! I am now 33 weeks and steadily growing!!! I had an appt with Dr. A yesterday and he said everything is still "perfect"! Avery continues to roll, punch and kick ALL of the time! I am amazed at how big she has gotten and how active she is! I have not had any contractions or anything yet, so we are still expecting to carry full term! I just cannot wait to meet her and see her precious face!! Her nursery is pretty much complete, minus curtains and a few paintings!! I love just walking in there and looking around! I do believe I have gotten into my "nesting" phase! I am always cleaning, organizing or doing something! I normally don't post close up belly pics, but I have had several people ask for them so here we go!! This one was taken at 31 weeks!

Emily and Mrs. Barbara hosted shower #3!

We also had our halloween festival at our church which turned out great! Our Sunday school class did a street car which we decorated as a farm and our dogs were the farms animals! The kids loved the dogs and seemed to have a blast!!!

Baby Shower #2

2009-10-12T12:34:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday I had my second baby shower thrown by my sweet sister! It was held out TRBC and it turned out great! Food, fellowship and fun!!! Avery has gotten so much stuff already, I have no clue as to what to do with it all!! Really...just figuring out what to put in which drawer is so hard for me! I am so indecisive these days! I'm really beginning to think her walls will never be painted!! =)! Anyways, I hope you enjoy the pics! Have a blessed day!!!

Fun filled weekend!!

2009-10-06T12:23:00.005-05:00

So this past weekend was amazing and filled with tons of fun!!! First off Friday Jamie and I had our 4D ultrasound! It was amazing being able to see Avery, however we didn't get that many shots! She is quite stubborn like her mama and did not want to move her hand OR foot from her face!!! So we only got a few shots of her profile and a little of her face!! Then on Saturday, my little sister wanted to go Skydiving for her birthday! I was super jealous and cannot wait to experience it for myself! But she had a wonderful time!!!

Lastly our church had our "Taylorgating" where everyone dresses up in their team colors and we all tailgate at church!!! It was a good time! BUT the best part was that 2 of our best friends Jay and Emily Wallace were both baptized during the evening service!! It was such a blessing to be able to witness such a moment in their lives and we are blessed to have them as friends!!! The pictures are kinda dark, but they are of them both getting baptized!!!

Baby Shower #1/ 7 months

2009-09-30T12:27:00.007-05:00

Brenda and I

A few of the girls from work!

The 3 preggos...Courtney 4 mo., Me 7 mo. and Jessica 7 1/2 mo.

This past Sunday I had my first baby shower and it was tons of fun! Avery is definitely not going to be without anything!! My mothers best friend Brenda Day was the hostess and she did an amazing job! She made all of Avery's bedding for me as my gift which turned out beautiful!!! We have gotten all of the funiture in and set up, however I haven't decided on what color to paint the walls yet! I am officially 7 months as of Monday...yay! Only 10-11 weeks left to go!!!! It's so hard to believe she will be here that soon! We are going this Friday to have our 4D done and we are both so excited to get a small glimpse of what our little miracle looks like! I will try to post those photos this weekend!! I hope you all have an amazing week! God Bless!!!!

6 months!!!!

2009-09-04T08:37:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe I am already at the six month mark!! It is amazing how fast this pregnancy has flown by!!! Avery is officially moving in full force these days! My ultrasound techs and Dr. A said she is a very active baby!! I had my glucose test a few weeks ago...not too bad, but not much fun!! Good news is that I passed the test! YAY! We did have a scare last week, I began spotting some so I called the Dr. office and they saw me right away. First thing they did was an ultrasound and God knew exactly how to calm my nerves...as soon as we saw her, she was holding her foot and trying to get it up to her mouth! She was perfect, playing away!!! Just knowing she was okay was such a relief! Dr. A said everything looked fine, it was just some unexplained spotting and nothing to be concerned about! Such a blessing! We are slowly getting everything ready for her arrival, my bedding is complete but I haven't been able to see it yet! I cannot wait! I know it is going to be beautiful!!! Anyways, I will post some new pics soon!! I hope you all have an amazing a blessed day!!!

Avery's nursery!

2009-08-02T14:28:00.003-05:00

The fabric for Avery's bedding!

The first painting I made for the nursery!

#2 for the nursery!

So, I have FINALLY made some decisions for Avery's nursery! For those who know me well are by no means surprised it has taken me this long....I am very indecisive! Yesterday I went to the fabric store and bought all of the fabric which was my first actual purchase for the nursery! Once I made an official decision on it I began painting and made a final decision on her furniture! We are getting her antique white furniture and we are painting her walls a very soft pale yellow (the same color as in her fabric)! I always said I wouldn't do everthing in pink, however once I saw this fabric and then the dragonflies, I fell in love!!! I have so many ideas now for the nursery, I can't wait to see it all put together!!! Once the furniture comes in I will post more pictures!!!!

Half way there!!!!

2009-07-30T12:36:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we had our 20 week visit (a few days early) and everything looks great!!! Dr. A said Avery is "Perfect"! That was music to my ears! Everyday I pray for her and that she continues to grow strong and healthy and just to hear that she is doing wonderful was such a blessing! I am finally able to feel here move and kick, I honestly didn't know what on earth it was at first, but once it kept happening I figured it all out! We are slowly getting ready for her arrival and she already has a closet FULL of clothes, my mom is making all sorts of stuff for her, I have picked out the fabrics for her bedding and we are ordering furniture this week!!! I have had so much fun shopping for her!!!

I have the video from our US yesterday and I will get it up as soon as I can figure it out! She is definitely a little dancer! She is moving all around in the video, but finally goes to sleep at the end! It still amazes me how I can love someone so much who I have never even met! She is such a blessing to Jamie and I!! I just can't wait to meet her! I hope everyone is doing great! God Bless!!!!

Thank heaven for little Girls...

2009-07-10T18:34:00.005-05:00

We are going to be blessed with a precious baby GIRL!!! Her name is Avery Elizabeth!! I am 16 wks and 4 days today and so far pregnancy has been wonderful! I'm already planning our next one!! =) Still haven't felt much movement or kicking, or if I am I don't know it yet. We have already begun buying several items for Avery and we are working on her bedroom furniture and bedding. Once we make some decisions I will post the pics!! Jamie made his first purchase for Avery which of course is the Alabama outfit!! The belly bump is actually coming out now and I sometimes look pregnant, however for the most part people really cannot tell yet! I'm sure it will be bigger than I ever imagined soon! Everyday I thank God for this amazing miracle within me! I am still amazed that I am even pregnant! God is so faithful and absolutely amazing! Thank you all for your prayers! I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! I will put up some new pictures soon!!! God Bless!!!!

10 weeks 2 days

2009-05-27T11:49:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone!! I am so sorry it has taken me so long to post again! I am doing great and the baby is doing wonderful!!! I am 10 weeks now and Dr. A said everything is looking perfect! I have been continuing to go back to the Dr. every 2 weeks for US and it is amazing to see how fat Baby K is growing!! I go back next week for another US and to hear the heartbeat, however I kinda spoiled the fun of that appt...I bought an at home heart monitor and I FINALLY found the heartbeat on Monday! It was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard!!!! Anyways, sorry I don't have a picture this time, but I will post one at my next visit! I hope you are all doing wonderful! God Bless!!!!

A Christmas Blessing!!!!

2009-04-30T10:31:00.007-05:00

Yesterday I had my first appointment with my OB to talk with him and have our first ultrasound done!!! I have to admit that I have been having really bad nightmares about going in for my first ultrasound and them not being able to find anything. I know that sounds crazy, but since I have already lost one pregnancy I am terrified about losing another! SO, when she found the baby and heartbeat I was extatic and filled with joy! I am 6 weeks and 3 days pregnant and my due date is December 22nd! What an amazing Christmas present that will be! God is truly amazing! To be able to see baby Kyser inside of me and to see it's little heart beating was a blessing within itself!!! We have waited so long for that moment to be able to call a child our own and now we can!!! Dr. A said everything looks really good and they will continue to watch me closely throughout my first trimester and I will go back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound! Being able to actually see that there is a baby makes me truly realize I am pregnant and now I am ready to SHOP!!!!! Jamie had his first visit to Storkland yesterday which I think may have been a mistake! He was trying out all of the rockers to see which one "glided" the best! I think seeing the ultrasound made him realize that he is going to be a dad!!!! Another neat factor is that my sister-in-law and I will be going through this together! She is due Nov. 13th so our babies will only be a few weeks apart!!! How neat is that! God's timing is absolutely perfect!!!

Every keeps asking if I am showing yet and the answer is "no", however I am getting a little FLUFFY!

Anyways, I will keep you all posted on updates and everything! Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and prayers! Without them, we wouldn't be where we are today!!! God Bless and love you all!!!

A very Bittersweet weekend!

2009-04-24T09:09:00.003-05:00

This past weekend has been an emotional roller coaster! We went down to Mobile Friday night to see Jason, Lisa and Luke but we got a phone call from Jamie's mom saying that their uncle Joe had a brain aneurysm and we needed to come home. So we rushed back to Montgomery and stayed at the ER until 3 am. The prognosis was not good at all and after several days of fighting, Joe passed away on Tuesday at 2:19pm. He was 45 years old and leaves behind his wife of 20 years LeAnn, daughter Jessica and son Justin. The picture above is extremely symbolic to all of our family because Joe was an organ donor. The chaplin at Baptist South held a ceremony for our family where they took down the Baptist South flag and hung the "Donate Life" flag in Joe's honor. Once his organ recipients have fully recovered they will take down the flag and give it to his family to keep! Please keep out family in your prayers, ecspecially LeAnn, Jessica and Justin! The visitation is going to be this Saturday 4/25 from 5-7 and the funeral will be Sunday at 2pm at Alabama Heritage.

On the other hand....Jamie and I have gotten some amazing news. We have found out that I am pregnant! Yes, you heard that right...I am preggo. It is definitely a miracle from God alone. We tried to conceive for 2 years, we were told by doctors that we would not be able to conceive a child naturally! The one month I was put on BIRTH CONTROL I got pregnant! Now tell me that is not a miracle! God really does have a sense of humor!!! =) We are both extremely excited and are kinda still in shock! I am still at risk for a miscarriage since I have already had one previously so we are praying that this pregnancy stays healthy. I went to the dr. Mon. and Thurs. and my levels have increased which is a great sign! My progesterone went from 24.5 to 30.8 (which last time my progesterone was only an 11) and then my hcg went from 1631 to 5,000!! Praise God!! Sorry I don't have any pictures yet! We have been at the hospital all weekend and this week so we haven't had any time to take pictures yet. But once everything calms down again I will post some. I am going to Dr. Ashurst next week and I think we will probably do an ultrasound then and I will know all details about how far along I am and all that fun stuff! I will keep you posted!!!! Thank you so much for all of your prayers!!! The power of prayer is absolutely amazing!!!!

"For this child, I have prayed" - 1 Samuel 1:27

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

2009-04-13T11:02:00.008-05:00

So, I had to post some new pictures of this past weekend! Easter was amazing!!! We had a great time with friends and family!!! Daisy was spoiled rotten, but looked adorable in her Easter dress! (sorry, I just couldn't help myself)! And to top it off, we welcomed 3 new babies into our Sunday School class!!! This was their first day at church and what an amazing day to start on!!! God is truly so amazing!! He definitely knows what He is doing while helping me get through all of this infertility by giving me 3 new babies and my handsome Sam to love on all the time!! I look forward to getting my baby loving! It really reminds me what I am fighting for when I am holding those precious miracles!!! It gives me strength in more ways than you can ever imagine!! As far as our stuff goes, we have our appt. with Dr. Inge next Monday and I am super excited! I am ready to hear what he has to say and get a game plan in order!!!! Please continue to pray for us!!! I hope you all have an amazing week! God Bless!!!

"You are the God who works wonders; You revealed Your strength among the peoples"

-Psalm 77:14

A step forward!

2009-03-31T11:00:00.002-05:00

Hey!!!! So not much going on right now with fertility stuff besides frustration!! However, we have taken a step forward! I have an appointment with a reproductive endocrinologist out of Mobile on April 20th! YAY!!! Hopefully we will get somewhere! =)! Jamie and I are still considering adoption but also want to keep our doors open with the RE as well. I know for a fact that I want to adopt, but I don't want to give up on the chance that I may possibly be able to have a child of my own one day as well! We thought at first that IVF wasn't something we wanted to pursue, but now we are considering ALL options. It just breaks my heart everytime I think about giving up on becoming pregnant and not being able to experience what mothers do while pregnant! I know many people who have been successful with this particular doctor, so I am really excited to hear what he thinks about out case!!

On the other hand....we will be welcoming a new niece or nephew into our family this November! Jason and Lisa found out a few weeks ago that they were expecting again!!! I'm hoping for another boy! But another girl would be fun too!!!! Also our Sunday school class has welcomed 3 new babies into our class!! Dalton Colt Hibbard, Mackenzie Layne Minor and Hayden Lucas Vaillant! So congrats to all of them!!! =)

Thank you so much for all of your thoughts, emails, comments and prayers! They mean more to me than you will ever know!!! I hope you all have an amazing day and God bless!!!!

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." -Romans 8:25

Updates!

2009-02-25T10:21:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone! I'm so sorry I have been such a blog slacker here lately!! Jamie and I have been doing great! However, we got some pretty bad news yesterday. I have "officially" been diagnosed with PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome- not too sure on the spelling). I went in yesterday for an ultrasound check up and I now have nine cysts on my ovaries and they were able to diagnose me with that! So, I am now on birth control (HUGE step back) and a new med called metformin to help get rid of the cysts and control my insulin issues! It's good that we found this out and hopefully it will be the icing on the cake to help us to get pregnant! However, with so many odds going against us(endo, PCOS and Jamie), Jamie and I are really feeling that adoption may be our best option. It is something that has been placed upon on hearts and we both know that there is a special child out there that God has created (or will create) that is meant only for us! How amazing is it to think about that??? We have both said that even if we do conceive, our second child will be through adoption!! God has truly opened our eyes to so many new things that we would have never seen without struggling with our infertility!! God is truly amazing!!!

We have had so much to keep our minds and hearts busy with here lately! Our Sunday School class is getting HUGE! It is awesome! We have so many wonderful people in our class and it is such a blessing to be able to watch them grow and strive to live better lives and become stronger in their walk each day!! Our nieces and nephews have had a lot going on too! Sarah-Marie broke her foot and had a boot just like Uncle Jamie, Annah-Jane lost 2 teeth and little Luke is now crawling and pulling up and even standing up on his own a little!!! And last but not least....Daisy is wonderful! =)! Sadly enough, she has really become like our child!! She goes to daycare, wears clothes, we paint her toenails and all of that fun stuff!!! I think I may have even talked Jamie into letting me get Daisy a playmate later on in the year!!! But we'll see how that goes!! Anyways, I hope you are all doing amazing!! Please continue to pray for Jamie and I while we still search for guidance on which direction to follow! We love you all and God bless!!

"Blessed is a man who endures trials, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that He has promised to those who love him." -Jamies 1:12

Blessings....

2009-01-12T10:41:00.002-06:00

Okay so this is pretty random, but I wanted to post it anyway. Throughout this whole infertility process I have really discovered a lot about myself, my marriage and my faith. If you want to test all of those...try infertility! It will push you to the max!! I have learned how strong Jamie and I are and how blessed I am to have him as a husband. I've learned that I can push myself far further than I could have ever imagined. And last but not the least...I know that God is with me every step of the way. In the midst of our hardest times, Jamie and I were both saved and baptized together. How amazing is that?? Every aspect of our lives have changed since we were both saved including our outlook on our future plans. You know how they always say to give your worries and fears to the Lord and He will handle them for you? Well I only halfway gave them. I felt like maybe I still needed to do some work on the side to help the process along and look where that got me! (Still not pregnant)! So I have officially given everything to Him in hopes that He continues to guide me on which direction I need to go. I have stopped ALL medications and procedures! I know, crazy right?? But to me...it's the best thing for me right now! I'm tired of crying every month, I'm tired of worrying about procedures working and overall...I'm just tired! I want my life back!! And thats what I'm working on now! I'm getting back into working out again which I had stopped in hopes of being pregnant. Working out has always been a passion and bonding time for Jamie and I. And lately...it's just been Jamie's passion! So I've started back with that! Since I can't have a big round preggo belly....I'll do my best to work on the one I've got for now! =) Yesterday in church our preacher did a sermon on "Energy for Life" and it talked about the Fullness, blessings and Gospel of Christ. When he was on the "Blessings of Christ" section he said something that really hit home to me. He said that we should not focus on the past or future, but always on today so that we can clearly see all the blessings of Christ. Which is SO true! I have been so focused on getting pregnant and having a family that I have not seen any of the blessings occuring in my life here lately!!!! Anyways, that is my life story for today! Sorry it was so long! I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed day!!!

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24

Happy New Years!!!

2009-01-02T09:44:00.003-06:00

Can you believe it is 2009 already? I'm ready to start a new year, last year was pretty rough for us both so it's good to have a fresh new start!! We had a wonderful new years! Our Sunday school class had a social out at a fishing camp and we had a camp fire, food and fireworks. Can't get much better than that! Our Sunday school class is truly a blessing! We normally have around 16-20 people each sunday. Our class is for couples, engaged and newlyweds. So if you are interested please come visit!! It's really great to be surrounded by so many christian friends and being able to watch them change and grow in Christ. Jamie is doing a really good job teaching as well. It's amazing how much we learn by trying to prepare a lesson!
As far as the fertility stuff goes, I am taking a break this month. I may start back in February. I say I want a long break, but when your heart yearns for something so badly it's hard to take a break really! I just don't want to give up. I have requested some information from several adoption agencies, so I am interested in seeing their information and learning more about the adoption process. I think now that even if we do concieve I feel like I may still want to adopt later. It's something that has been placed in my heart here recently so we will see where that road leads us! For now, I am thankful for Jamie and our family! We may not have children yet, but I know that one day God is going to bless us! Til then we will wait patiently!

" Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." -Hebrews 10:23

Christmas

2008-12-29T13:39:00.004-06:00

Here are a few pictures from Christmas! We truly had a great time! We didn't exactly know how it was going to be with our IUI not working and Jamie's grandfather passing a few weeks ago, but all in all it turned out great! We are truly blessed to have such great family members! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!! God Bless!!!

Infertility

2008-12-25T20:19:00.003-06:00

Since this is my first blog I feel like I need to explain all that is going on in our lives so that our later posts will make sense....
For a year and half now we have been trying to conceive a child, but have unfortunately been diagnosed with infertility. It's something that you have no clue how bad it hurts unless you are going through it yourself. Monthly you are left heartbroken and in tears when you find out that it was another unsuccessful month. This past month has been ecspecially hard because it was our first big fertility treatment and it had been exactly a year since I did get pregnant, but lost it in January. I am on some medication that stimulates my body and then this month we did a procedure called an IUI (aka artificial insemenation). It took an emotional toll on my emotions and body and I guess it made it worse being around Christmas, ecspecially when I found out it didn't work the day before Christmas Eve. It hurts, but I'm okay and so is Jamie. We both trust in God and His great plan for our lives!! Trust me, there are times where I do not understand, but I still trust and continue to pray for peace and understanding. Right now we are debating on next months plan. We have 4 options.... 1. do another IUI, 2. save the money for the IUI and apply it to IVF, 3. go on Lupron for 6 months (a medication that will basically send me into menopause temporarily), or 4. just take a break from everything. Right now I'm leaning towards the break! I think Jamie and I need it and I'm not ready to go into menopause. I have also been considering the adoption route. Looking at some websites and requesting information. On Christmas Eve we spent the evening with my Aunt and Uncle (who were also diagnosed with infertility)and their son Sam who was adopted from China. His personality is amazing and he loves his parents more than anything. Spending time him made me think that adoption might be in my heart. But right now that is just something we are looking at. Everything is so expensive, it's hard to make a decision on something like that! I know that God is going to lead us where we need to go and He will bless us with so much more than we ever asked for! Please continue to pray for us and our journey! More than anything we need peace, understanding and patience!!! =) God bless you all!!!