A Lesson in Faith

Well, we found out that our 2nd IUI was not successful. It was another hard day/weekend/week, but we were grateful we had the weekend to spend together before going back to work. We have faith that when the time is right, we will be able to grow our family.

My last ultrasound went well, there were no cysts!!! Such a relief! So we have been able to start a 3rd round of IUI. If this round does not work, we will be saving up for a while for IVF, which costs around $16,000-$20,000. Some other good news/ a tender mercy, I had asked the nurse on the phone if there were any sample boxes of FSH shots I could use before going into my appointment. She said she would check & save one for me if there was. After the ultrasound, I asked the nurse & she said there were no sample boxes but that someone had donated a box of shots, the exact kind I needed. I never would have thought I would have been excited about getting shots, haha! I know that this, along with many other things, was an answer to a prayer.

I have been so stressed about the costs of everything & also wondering if this will ever even work for us. It is so stressful to think that we could spend over $25,000 on treatments & still never get pregnant. But I know that Heavenly Father is watching over Nate & I. I know that when the time is right, we will be able to have children. On the drive to the appointment, I felt worried & stressed but on the drive back I felt comfort & peace knowing that my Heavenly Father is watching over me.

Melissa gave birth to a healthy baby boy a few days ago! I am so happy for her!! She struggled with infertility for several years before getting pregnant through IUI & having Jenna & then struggled for another 5 years before getting pregnant with her little boy. She has given me comfort & hope many times when I have felt discouraged. Because of my dr's appointment on Thursday & then our IUI which will hopefully be scheduled on Monday or Tuesday, I will be driving up to see Melis & baby Andy on Friday afternoon & then heading back Sunday afternoon. It will be a very short trip but I'm happy I'll be able to go!!

Here's hoping & praying that this 3rd IUI will work & that we will have a miracle!!

Christmas Break!!!

This Christmas break was amazing. It was the perfect amount of being busy & also having relaxation time. The week before Christmas I made about 100 cookies to deliver to friends, family, & Nate's clients.



After my last day of work, we packed up our car & headed to Tempe for a doctors appointment that I had. We had good news at the appointment that everything looked good to start a 2nd round or IUI! We were also cleared to go on our trip & would have the rest of our appointments when we got back! So we headed straight to San Diego!

Our time in San Diego was really fun. All of Nate's siblings were there & everyone had work off, so we got to spend a lot of time together! My favorite day was Christmas Eve when we woke up early & all drove together to Mount Laguna (only a 45 min drive & still in San Diego County) where it was snowing & already had about 1 1/2 feet of snow!!! It was soooo much fun & so crazy to have a snow day in San Diego!!! It was so funny to see people using body boards as sleds down the hills! We ran around & played in the snow until we were freezing & then drove up the mountain some more. It was the most gorgeous view, seeing all of the trees covered in snow & the untouched hills at the top of the mountain.





After our snow morning, we headed back to the house, relaxed a while & then Nate & I started on Christmas Eve dinner! We made mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, brussel sprouts, rolls, & chocolate mousse pie w/ a peppermint oreo crust. Nate parents cooked a ham & Christina brought the best green bean casserole, It had bacon & the best homeade cream sauce, sooo good!!! Everything turned out really good & it was nice to sit down & relax! Christmas Eve dinner is my favorite! We stayed up late watching Christmas movies & working on a puzzle.



Christmas day we woke up, got ready, & headed to 9am church. It was such a beautiful sacrament meeting with the prettiest musical numbers. My favorite one was a harp musical number, so pretty! Then we went straight to a rest home where the ward was caroling. It was the fanciest rest home I have ever seen! It made me sad thinking of older people or anyone being alone on Christmas. It was nice to do something for others. On the drive back home we were all pretty hangry because we hadn't eaten anything yet. We got started on Christmas breakfast right away & made hashbrowns, ham, toast, & hot chocolate! Then we sat around the Christmas tree & opened presents. I was so excited to give Nate a pair of board shorts for one of his presents! I had bought them for him about a month before & right before Christmas we were at the store & he was looking at the same pair of board shorts & wanting to buy them! So crazy! I made some excuse that he didn't need them & he just started laughing when he opened them. Nate's favorite present was a shirt with a bike on it that I had gotten him! I picked out most of my own gifts but Nate surprised me with a really pretty necklace! It was really fun watching everyone open there gifts & we got some of the sweetest gifts. We took Blitzen & Cora to the dog park & the weather was soooo perfect! Then we relaxed the rest of the day watching movies & puzzling.



The rest of our trip, we got to see Ryan & Christina's new house, I met up with Clare, Kristine, & Matthew,we went to Christmas Card Lane & Candy Cane Lane to see all the lights, we went car shopping with Nicole, & we spent a lot of time visiting with everyone. It was a really fun trip & awesome Christmas!



When we got back to AZ, Nate took one more day off so we could have a fun day together. We relaxed at home watching movies, did some errands, & made dinner together. It was nice to have one more day together before he started work. I still had a week and a half of break left! I spent the rest of my time with my sisters! Ally had a few days left before going back to Hawaii so it was really fun to be able to hang out with her. We hot tubbed at Brooke's, went to gym classes together, had pizookies & watched a movie while having a hairbrushing/braiding/back scratch/massage train, & then Ally had a sleepover at my house. It was so much fun getting to hang out with Ally, she is so fun! We missed Melissa! It is so fun when all 5 of us get to be together!



It was so nice to be able to meet up & go to gym classes with Brooke & Brittany over the break! For some reason, it is so much fun with a sister there! Brittany had everyone over for homeade personal pizzas & s'mores one night & it was sooo much fun! Britt & I took the boys to the Phoenix Zoo for a day & had so much fun with them. They were so cute & happy the whole day! I am so glad they still like hanging out with us!!!

On New Years Eve, Nate & I had Brooke, Cody, Brittany, Matt, & Matt's over for a fondue party. We had appetizers, 2 cheese fondues, & a chocolate fondue & everything turned out sooooo good!!! New Years Eve fondue is one of my favorite new traditions!



Over the break, I started my shots for IUI round 2 & went in on Saturday, the 7th for the IUI procedure. I never thought I would say this but I was thankful to be having shots, just because I knew it meant we were able to be doing an IUI. Having this round pushed back 2 weeks really made me grateful that we were still able to do this round. Now for the 2 week wait! Even though it has been hard getting back to work, it has helped to keep me busy & this time I am trying to not think about whether it worked or if I have symptoms or anything, I am just trying to forget that I am even waiting for anything. I'm also very glad that when I will find out the results, that it will be a Saturday & not right at the beginning of a work week, which was hard last time. I am thankful for my Heavenly Father & know that He watches over me. I am so thankful for my sweet husband & for my wonderful family & friends. I feel so blessed.

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