Thursday, March 26, 2009

Jump Jump

M helping Daddy assemble her new play toy.



A TRAMPOLINE.



Just her size.



She loves it.

PS-Jessica, as you can see, we are taking full advantage of the clothes you so kindly gave us. Thanks again!

Saturday, March 21, 2009

She's Crafty

Just want to share a bow holder I made for my friend, Jessica's, daughter Madeline.



Well, I can't take full credit for the idea. My sister, Kristy, made one for Marlee for Christmas.



No, I am not ashamed to admit I copied the idea entirely.
As for all the bows, they were handmade by Kristy. Marlee is in bow heaven!



Yes, I'm crafty. Or rather, Kristy's crafty and I'm just a reproducer.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Mine

Marlee's favorite fruit...

is bananas.
Which she calls mine.
I just love this picture.

Avocados come in at a close second.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

First Piggies, Take II



Two weeks ago (February 26), I put Marlee's hair in piggies for the first time, officially. That is, unless you count these as her first official set of piggies.



Now does she look adorable or what?



The bows didn't stay in long and who cares if after nap her tiny little rubber bands were nowhere to be found. If she did in fact eat them, she'll pass them, right?

**Adorable bows courtesy of my talented sister, Kristy. M is in bow heaven!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Time to Change

Tonight I come home from girls night out, dinner and a movie with my Mom and Sissies, to all the clocks in the house already an hour ahead for the time change tomorrow. Who does this? Other than my husband, of course. Am I the only one who goes off old time for weeks? Sheesh.
I am not happy about losing an hour of my precious Sunday. Furthermore, if this bloody time change disrupts my daughters great one nap groove that we have finally achieved, I will be one very unhappy Mama.

One more thing...
Am I also the only one who, after my husband has done the dishes and cleaned the kitchen, reorganizes the dishes in the dishwasher because they have to be neatly loaded in the correct area of the dishwasher.
Okay, so I also re-wipe down the counters. Is re-wipe even a word?
Don't worry, I give him a big thank you for helping and I wait until he goes to sleep to redo his already done. I wouldn't want him to think I didn't appreciate all his help, now would I?

Okay, so maybe that was three more things.

Well, according to my clocks, it is after 1:00am and I am going to bed.

Friday, March 6, 2009

An Answer to My Prayers



Marlee's peanut allergy, although very scary, is easy to maintain. No peanuts (or any nut for that matter), peanut butter, peanut oil, etc. Pretty simple, right?
The egg white allergy, well that's a different story entirely. It is quite frustrating to say the least.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Near and Dear

So, it's happening as I knew it would. Georgia is trying to put forth legislation limiting fertility treatments. The hearing is scheduled for tomorrow. You can read both of the bills here and here. Here is a recap of the bills:

Senate Bill 169 would restrict doctors' ability to perform IVF in accordance with best medical standards.

No more than 2 or 3 eggs could ever be fertilized in a cycle; if a woman produced more eggs, they still could not be used.

Only 2 embryos could ever be transferred to the uterus, unless the woman is age 40 or over (then a max of 3).

No extra embryos could be cryopreserved. If they are created, they have to be transferred.

No financial relief, such as insurance coverage, is proposed to help with the added financial burden of using less effective treatment. Patients will still have to pay out of pocket for less effective treatment.

Bans all financial compensation for donor gametes, such as egg donor, sperm donor, or embryo donation, which would reduce the pool of available donors in Georgia.

Senate Bill 204/HB388 is an embryo adoption bill. It would subject embryo donation to all the same provisions as required by law for adoption of a child. This would subject infertility patients needing an embryo donation to go through the judicial proceedings, home visits, and other procedures required for an adoption. We do not believe that such treatment is appropriate or needed for embryo donation.



If any of you have missed all the hoopla surrounding OctoMom, where have you been? However, because of her, people are up in arms, and now the government is getting involved.

As many of you know, this is very near and dear to my heart, and I am seeing red over the ignorance and public perception that ART (assisted resroductive technology) and IVF (in-vitro fertilization) has.

So, because this is my blog, I am going to share my feelings. Feel free to move right along.

My struggle with infertility...

I am one of the many many faces of infertility. We all have a story, a struggle, that is unique and ours alone.

After years of infertility, three IVF's, over 35 follicles extracted and fertilized, a total of twelve embryos transferred and spending over $50,000.00, I was childless. All that was left was an emotional, bloated, angry, sad soul. Dave and I are not alone in our struggle. There is another side of infertility that does not include multiples or even one child, for that matter.

The above bill would mean that all three of my IVF transfers would not be allowed today. It would mean that if I was lucky enough to have extra follicles, they would have to be destroyed, not fertilized and frozen for a future cycle. It would mean that there would be no financial compensation for embryo donation or sperm donation. And most importantly, it would still mean that insurance companies would not have to cover infertility treatments. Even though what the bill is proposing would drive the cost of infertility treatments up even more.
Then there is also the embryo adoption bill, which basically treats an embryo donation as an adoption.

And I fear this is just the beginning.

I think this article might be on to something. These bills do not protect the health of women, but more about establishing legal rights for embryos. The bill would ban embryo-destructive stem cell research. So, basically, I wouldn't have the final say with what happens to my embryos? This all coming from the Georgia senator who believes in less government, more personal responsibility, and greater individual freedoms. Um...okay.

When did it become acceptable for the government to regulate my health and personal life?
My body, my choice.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Today I...

Had the best day with Marlee. After 3 weeks of not so great days with M not feeling well, I welcomed this great day with open arms. I think she is finally on the mend.

Started my menu plan for the month of March, made my grocery list, and clipped coupons from Sunday's paper.

Went to the bank and the grocery store.

Worked while M took a long, much needed, nap.

Walked to and played at the park with Marlee, Dada, Cooper and Mollie.

Made chicken piccata for dinner (minus the capers). So so good. Give it a try.

Went to the gym*. Did cardio, then strength with my bomb ass trainer. It felt good! Major stress reliever.

Came home from the gym to Marlee's tornado of toys picked up and put in their designated spaces (thanks Babe).

Took a long, hot shower.

Am going to bed...right now. Okay, maybe I'm going to go fall asleep on the couch while trying to catch up on all the shows I am very very behind on. Yes, I heart DVR...necessary evil in my opinion.

*As I was leaving for the gym, I bent down to tell Marlee goodbye. She ran over to me with her lips puckered, making her kissing noise (something like mmmmm) and gave me the best kiss without me even asking. I love unexpected gestures.