Dear Lila: You’re Seven Years Old!

Posted in Wedding Planning by

Dear Lila,

A few days ago you turned the big SEVEN! I keep telling you that you’re not allowed to get any older, but for some reason you’re not listening. ;)

This year you’ve been more excited about your birthday than any other year. We’ve been planning your party for months now and you woke up beyond excited. Daddy and I set up donuts with candles, balloons, rainbow flowers and presents for you in the kitchen.

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You got dressed up in your “alternate dress” for school, took your class treat (frosted brownies) and kissed me goodbye.

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For your special birthday lunch, you requested Lunchables pizza with a cookie treat. I tried to tell you that Lunchables are actually pretty gross, but you insisted! Sure enough when your brothers and I met you at school for lunch, you quickly decided that “Lunchables are yucky!!” Good thing I brought you a milkshake and salad from Zingos too. :)

This weekend you’re having 25 kids to the local gymnastics place for your birthday party. This is your first “big” party and you cannot wait to have fun with all your friends, and mostly to open all your presents. I’m going to be almost 38 weeks pregnant with your brother, so I called in all four of your grandparents to come as reinforcements.

What can I say about you at this age other than you are an absolute delight. You make daddy and I so proud with how sweet, considerate, smart and talented you are. You melt my heart daily with your little notes, drawings and “I love yous.”

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You are doing so well in first grade, where you’re learning to read like a pro. You recently asked us to get you a light for your bed so you can stay up reading at night. You also love making up your own stories, illustrating them and then reading them to your brothers in bed. They LOVE when you read to them!

You are also completely obsessed with art. Every morning you wake up, turn on your favorite show “Beastmasters” and get out your art supplies. By the time it’s time to go to school you’ve usually created 3-5 pieces of art already. You are also taking a drawing class at our local art studio, which you love.

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In addition to being creative, you also are quite physical. This fall you ran cross country again and placed your highest at 8th place out of 150 kids! You also are constantly on your climbing wall or pushing yourself to do new tricks on the playground.

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Beyond all your talents and accomplishments, I think what I love about you the most is how kind and loving you are. While your brothers may annoy you, you still are gentle and patient with them. You are a loyal and supportive friend to your classmates, and respectful to those around you.

Daddy and I love spending time with you because you’re so enjoyable to be around. On days where I feel like I’m failing as a mother, you always find a way to pick me up with a hug or by telling me “you’re the best mom ever.”

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Honestly on those days when I feel like I’ve not lived up to my best as a parent, I think “well I must be doing something right, because Lila is such a great kid.” And you ARE! Thank you for paving the path as the oldest in our family.

I can’t wait to see what new things you discover in your seventh year. I love living life alongside you and watching you grow up into a spectacular little girl.

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Love you always,

Mom

 

Baby Batman # 4

Posted in Pregnancy by

Our brood of little Batman’s is growing again! We are expecting our fourth baby at the beginning of December and are thrilled.


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I’ve always said I wanted four children and after the boys, just had a strong feeling that there was supposed to be one more in our family. Luke thankfully agreed and in January we decided to pursue getting pregnant.

Many of you already know our background, but in case others don’t, we conceived Lila easily, miscarried when she was 18 months old and then had unexplained secondary infertility. We tried for more than a year after my miscarriage with no luck and no real answers before pursuing fertility treatment, which led to conceiving twin boys, who are now three.

Since we had unexplained secondary infertility and no real medical reason why we couldn’t get pregnant, we decided to try on our own for awhile while also lining up next steps for treatment if it didn’t work. We met with our doctor in January and made plans to give it a go for six months on our own before getting help.

I started using the Ava bracelet to track my fertility closely. About three months into it, I went on a girls getaway to Mexico and kept joking with my friends that “maybe all I needed all along was a vacation!” The day after I got home, I tested without much anticipation and was shocked to see a very faint line.

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For my readers who have infertility, I wrote a separate post outlining what I was doing differently this time vs when we struggled. I don’t know if it contributed to our success, but I know I always wanted to know what changed for people.

Thankfully that line got darker as the days went on and by 5.5 weeks pregnant my typical morning sickness (all day sickness really) kicked in. And boy this first trimester was a doozy! My sickness was worse than even with the twins. I was dry heaving every 15 minutes and vomiting several times per day.

On top of the morning sickness, I came down with a horrid stomach virus at 7 weeks that lasted a full six day. Then almost immediately after that, I got bronchitis and laryngitis for another 7 days. I began to wonder how the baby could survive with how sick I was.

My doctor is amazing and worked to get my the right medicine support so I could be functional during the day and curb the vomiting so I could keep food down. At 10 weeks we confirmed the pregnancy and that there is just ONE healthy babe. I am 13 weeks now and still battle nausea every day – with it being worst at 4pm on, but am hopeful it will subside like my other pregnancies around 15 weeks.

The kids are all super excited about the baby in mommy’s tummy. Lila wants it to be a girl and the boys want it to be a boy (of course). We all agree that our already crazy house is going to be even more fun with a baby around.

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Thank you all for your well wishes and especially to my friends and family who supported me emotionally during this tough first trimester. We are so excited to meet this baby in December!

What Was Different This Time Around

Posted in Pregnancy by

I know a many of my reader have struggled with infertility in the past, so I wanted to share what I was doing differently this time around vs when we struggled to conceive. Keep in mind we had no diagnosed cause for our infertility, but I still wanted to share as a few friends have already asked.

Of course I’m not a doctor and this is not medical advice. Just my thoughts on what I think helped.

1. I used the Ava bracelet. My cycles were always very consistent even when we struggled, but the Ava helped me to see that I ovulate later than I thought – day 16/17 vs day 14/15.

2. About six months before we started trying I began to use natural progesterone cream in my luteal phase. This was after having symptoms of estrogen dominance – heavy, clotting periods, insomnia, breast tenderness and bad PMS. I researched and started using this OTC cream days after I ovulated. Within two months my symptoms pretty much disappeared including my year long battle with insomnia.

3. I was on the keto diet for 12 weeks prior to getting pregnant. I also remembered when I got pregnant quickly with Lila I was on a low carb paleo diet. I followed Mark Sisson’s Keto Reset plan and found the gradual ease into Keto to work very well for me. The keto diet is supposed to reduce inflammation, balance hormones and balance blood sugar. I actually did not lose ANY weight being keto, but clearly my body was working on healing other things!

4. The final thing that was different was that my stress level around TTC this time was very low compared to when we struggled. I was in an emotional nightmare then and this time I knew we had a backup plan, so I felt no anxiety or worry. I know they said stress doesn’t cause infertility, but when you read up on things like the pregnenolone steal, it’s hard to believe that emotional stress doesn’t play some role. During my TWW this time around I was relaxing with great friends in Mexico. One day we slept 11 hours and laid by the pool all day! My stress level was extremely low and I think it was to the benefit of my body.

Those are the main things I think were different this time around. Whether they affected my ability to get pregnant or not I’ll never know for sure, but I do know I entered this pregnancy feeling healthy and confident. I hope some of this info helps any of you out there looking for answers!

Dear Boys, You’re Three Today!

Posted in Davis, Twins, Whitaker by

Whitaker & Davis,

Today you little sweeties turned three years old! We are celebrating your birthday this weekend with a party with your family. You are both so excited for “pwesents” and “cake!” This year the theme of your party is “construction.” I got you a cake that looks like a construction site with trucks on it, a truck piñata and shirts that say “I’m digging being three!”

Life sure has been fun with you two lately. As if it was even possible, you two have gotten even closer. You play together so well and generally do not want each other to be out of sight. Yesterday you got new baseball hats in the mail from Aunt Amy and Uncle Mike. You both put them on and immediately said “now let’s play baseball!” We set up your little t-ball and you took turns whacking the ball.

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The sweetness you both display melts my heart. We get a LOT of unprompted “I love yous” from both of you along with big long hugs. You are quick to call nearly anyone your “best friend,” including last week when Whitaker follower our cleaner around saying “you’re my best friend, Abby!” You melt hearts where-ever you go.

You both are starting to drop your naps, but still tolerate quiet time in your room (mainly because it’s really just playtime with each other). You both are also extremely physical – climbing, jumping off things and generally pushing your abilities to the limit whenever you get a chance.

Davis, you have become quite an applesauce lover. In fact, it’s pretty much the only thing you want to eat these days. You still love your “blue bankie” and have also amassed a large assortment of “snuggle ings” that you MUST have in your bed in order to sleep. Laying with you at bedtime is my favorite time. You hold my hand and say “I love you mama” over and over again. You also have started asking us all “are you happy, dada?” The answer is always yes when we’re with you bud.

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Whitaker, you are SUCH a ham. Seriously you have the biggest personality and are not afraid to talk to any one. It’s not rare for you to approach adults, kids or even grandparents when we’re on an outing and strike up a conversation. You are still insanely loud and prefer yelling vs talking. I think you just have so much personality in there it bursts out of you! You are not much of a cuddler still, but will happily give me big bear hugs whenever I ask for one.

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You two bring so much life, laughter, silliness and vibrant energy into our house. It’s often loud, chaotic and busy around here, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. I love hearing your trucks roll across the floor, your giggles as you chase Finn and yes, even your requests for a SNAAAACKS (seriously can you eat any more??).

It’s hard to believe how quickly time is going by. It feels like not long ago you were teeny tiny babies home from the nicu. It’s hard not to cry when I look through your baby photos. It’s just so bittersweet! But I will say I am beyond thankful I’ve gotten to spend every day with you since you’ve been born. What a blessing it is to watch you grow up.


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We all love you both so much. Three is going to be a big year for you – potty training, preschool and becoming more independent. My wish is you stay your sweet, good-natured selves, keep your special twin bond strong and know how dearly you both are loved by so many.

Love always and forever,

Mommy