A Look At 2011

It's been a very BIG year for Jacob and I! Each month has held it's own challenges, surprises, and blessings. Here's a look back at our year....

January held another failed attempt at fertility and an increase in my injectable meds. I was taking 5 shots a day!! In the end, it failed yet again!

February brought about some devastating news from our doctor. February was the month that we were basically told that IVF was not a good option for us and getting pregnant was unlikely. The doctor suggested we not try any more attempts at IUI and probably not waste the time or money on IVF either....ouch!!

In March, we took our annual Florida trip, which is always one of my highlights of the year (although this year it was overshadowed a few times!) It was beautiful, relaxing, and fun. However, in the midst of it all, I suffered a miscarriage in Florida. It was a very early miscarriage and I had barely taken a test when I started spotting. Still, it hurt....yet, I had a become pregnant! It gave me just enough hope to keep hoping!

My brother Zack, my Mom, Me, and my sister Megan

Jacob's sister Leah, sister Sarah, and Jacob

My handsome hubby and I

In April, our year really started to turn around, we found out we were expecting a new niece or nephew this year. Jacob and I were thrilled to welcome a new little one, and yet there was that aching pain in my heart, "will it ever be me???"

In May, we found out we were moving HOME!!! What an unexpected blessing that was! We had geared ourselves up for at least another year or two in Knoxville, but God had a bigger plan for our year and He knew that we would need to spend this one celebrating at home with our family! Back to Indiana!!

In June, we adjusted to life Lafayette, did some house hunting, spent lots of time with friends and family, and had an appointment to see my regular OB, deciding to hold off on a fertility doctor until we were better settled. We had decided to see a fertility specialist and meet with an adoption agency once we were settled in our new home and things had "calmed" down!

July brought about another new medicine. It was just a low-dose medicine that works very similar to Clomid. We hadn't tried Femara yet and hoped it might work a little better for me, but were really just trying to get through until we could move on to something else. In the first month, on the new medicine, I miscarried again. But maybe that was a sign that it was working? We also bought our house!!

August was a huge month for us, we moved into our new home at the beginning of the month, after Jacob put lots of work into new flooring and paint! Our second month of the new medicine failed, but I did have two good follicles, which was huge considering I had rarely gotten that even on high doses of medicine! I also decided to go back to teaching part-time.

September was my favorite month of the year....ironic since it's the month of Kinley's birthday and is usually one of my hardest months. However, on September 8th, I found out I was PREGNANT!! On the 10th, we shared that with our immediate family. Then we kept our mouths shut (mostly!) for the next couple of weeks! On Kinley's birthday, the 24th, we let the cat out of the bag and shared our big news with the rest of our family and friends!!!

October and November were filled with all things pregnancy related! I threw up throughout most of October! By the end of the month, I felt my first little baby flutters! We also got to celebrate Bristol's 1st birthday and Brenna's 5th in October!! By November, I was feeling better and feeling lots of movement! On November 28th, we heard those blessed words "It's a GIRL!!!"

If September was my favorite month, December is a close second. First, we got the "bad" news that there appeared to be some abnormalities in Emersyn's ultrasound. Then we prayed and were joined in prayer by literally thousands of people!!! WOW! Then we got the "good" news, that God had seen fit to give us a perfectly healthy and whole baby girl!!! Then to top the month off, we welcomed our first little nephew, Benjamin, on Christmas Eve. And if he isn't perfect, I don't know what is!!!!