Our House

Since we moved I have not shown any pics of our new house. Well, that was partly because it was buried in snow and was rather blah. Now, with spring here in full force, everything is green (even though the lawn is more weeds than grass, lol), and the flowers are bursting. Actually, that was a very pleasant surprise. We had no idea we had so many tulips. They are EVERYWHERE. Sometimes in odd places. We think the seeds must have been spread. It is so much fun to see all that color.

We will likely be changing the garden quite a bit next year. I want lots of purple and gold tulips, irises, daffodils, daisies, lavender, and maybe some pansies or violas. I am a big fan of flowers:-) We are also putting in a vegetable garden in the back. The plot is already there, although it is very weedy. We are going to extend it out a little further. I plan on putting in raspberries along the back fence, and then the garden itself will have strawberries, bell peppers, jalapenos, carrots, onions, cucumbers and maybe a few other things.

Some people love cooking. I love digging in the dirt. For me, it is sooo therapeutic. I love being out in nature, seeing all that it has to offer. I love the smell of freshly turned dirt, and newly mown grass. You can never find those as candle scents, lol. The best smell? The smell of the earth right after it rains. Mmmmmm.

So, a few more changes you might see in the future: We are taking out the tall aspen in the front. It is already half dead due to bug damage, and I do not want it falling on my house. We are also taking out a bunch of trees in the back because they are interfering with the power lines.

We do plan on replacing some of the trees (because a yard without trees is just boring). I really wanted to put in a weeping willow. I have always LOVED those trees. But even though we have a large yard, those trees can get enormous, both in heighth and width. So, I am considering a weeping dogwood instead. Not quite the same, but still pretty. We want to add some cherry trees, and a blue spruce or two, and possibly some lilac. I would love to have some Texas Mountain Laurel, but not sure how it would fair up here. The blossoms look like bright hanging grapes (they are purple), and they smell like candy:-)

Yup, lots of plans for our yard. In a couple of years, it will be transformed into an oasis of color and peacefulness:-)
We don't have a lawnmower yet, so our yard was very ovegrown. It is mostly various weeds, most of which are dandelions. LOTS of dandelions. We did borrow a lawnmower today, so it is not quite so bad looking now, but still not great. The lawn we are saving to work on next year. It needs so much work, we just can't do what we want to do with it this year. Still, even dandelions can be pretty in their own way.

Nieces and Nephews

I have a new nephew! Baby Austin was born on April 17, weighing only a sleight 6 lbs 12 oz. That's kind of funny, considering that his big sister, who was born a whole month early, weighed nearly that much when she was born. We expected Austin to be a bit bigger. But tiny is cute:-)

Austin is the spitting image of his daddy, just like Aubrey was. Guess he's got some good genes:-) I love his great big eyes.

Here's a couple pics of the newest member of the family.


We also have a new little cousin, Chloe, who was born on the 14th. She lives down in Vegas, though, so no pics of her.

And here are a couple of cute ones of Madison, our "niece". She is really a cousin, but we think of her as our niece, and we are Uncle Craig and Aunt Sarah to her. And we call her parents Aunt and Uncle to Cameron as well. We are pretty close with them.

Madison is so cute with her great big eyes and her adorable curls. She is talking more and more, and is so expressive. We love spending time with her and her family.

Infertility Breakthrough!

As you know, I have been diagnosed with Unexplained Secondary Infertility. In almost three years of trying, I have not been able to get pregnant even once, even though by all accounts Craig and I are "super" fertile. In my doc's own words, "All the tests indicate that you and your husband are both so fertile you should have been able to get pregnant on the first try." No one could tell us what was wrong, and the only "advice" we have gotten is "Just relax and keep trying." That is terrible, unprofessional advice in my opinion. I mean, it's not like you would tell a cancer patient to "just relax" and then they will magically get all better!

We were thinking very seriously about adoption, but when my Craig lost his job, that dream got put on hold. We can't adopt until he has good job security.

So, I have been doing some research, and came a across a book by Dr. Alan Beer called "Is Your Body Baby-Friendly?" It talks about how our immune systems play a significant and even vital role in our fertility. Women who have any autoimmune diseases, or have a family history of them, are at risk for infertility. Basically, an autoimmune disease puts the immune system out of whack. In some cases, the immune system could be acting so aggressively so as to prevent a pregnancy from ever happening, or attacking the embryo, so it dies before it has the chance to implant. That totally blows my mind, thinking that I could be conceiving over and over, and yet my body is attacking the embryos.

I know I am at risk for this, because autoimmune diseases run in my family. A lot. In fact, I am beginning to develop arthritis in my hands and knees, and arthritis is an autoimmune disease. Believe it or not, there is a connection between that and infertility. Almost all autoimmune disease start the same way from the same cells, they just attack different parts of the body. People who have one type of autoimmune disease are at risk for developing other types. Thus is the case with infertility.

This is not to say that ALL infertility issues stem from an autoimmune disease, but many do, and I would not be at all surprised if such were the case for me. The great news is that it is treatable. I can undergo immunotherapy to help me conceive and bear a child. The clinics that do this say that a general success rate is to get pg within 3 cycles of starting the therapy. The down side is that the clinics are in California and Chicago - not exactly nearby.

I am not sure when exactly we would be able to get testing done and possibly start treatment. Craig just barely got a new job (yay!) so we will need to save for a bit. But I am hoping that by this time next year I can be pregnant:-) It is such an exciting thought! Finally, I may have found an answer, and a solution to go with it!