On the count down...

We leave 4 weeks from this Sunday and I just can't stand myself!

We are taking our 5 year anniversary to 

celebrate in Aruba!

This was planned before we were pregnant, but with the 

thought in the back of our minds "if we were."

Best case scenario I would be 20 some weeks and 

that would be ok to fly and safe for the baby.

So here we are... leaving on a plane at 22 weeks

on our

Baby moon!

We honey mooned in Aruba so we wanted to go back before babies entered our lives and sucked up all our dough, because I can't help myself but to spoil our little munchkins, and before we didn't want to leave them behind.

So, the reason of the last post of a few of my favorite pics from our wedding was to inspire me and remind me that I have not made  a wedding album for us!

Yes... 5 years later, I need to do it now or forever forget about it!

You guys know I do photography on the side and I have made many albums for clients, and even my mom has one of our wedding, but not us.

So my goal over the next 22 weeks is to FINISH IT!

Any way, I am rambling, and packing and trying to get out of here and head to the beach.

Be in prayer for us that God will deliver, heal and refresh the spirits of the ladies going with me on the retreat.

He is faithful!  

Wordless Wednesdays

Rainy Monday's

Today has been crazy at work, as most Monday's are. I am just happy that I only have 2 more days in the work week! I am going on a women's retreat on Thur and I am super excited!  Have any of you gone on women's retreats before with your church?  Being over the Women's ministry at our church, I am the one responsible for coordinating the trip. We have a huge house rented at the beach that sleeps 20 and we have 22 going!  I just pray it doesn't rain and if it does thank God that we will have several cars.
  I have made welcome packages for each of the ladies. I am so excited about them. I just want the ladies to feel special. I know they will just love getting a surprise present. I will post pics of them soon.
  So more fun pics to come of all of the ladies at the beach!
I will also post pics of the photo shoots I did on Saturday. I offered a special on the sitting fee and alotted 1 hour (instead of 3) to do family pics in time for Christmas. Yes! I said Christmas!  I had 3 shoots that I think turned out great and I know the families are already loving them as they have posted comments on their proof galleries.  Definately a fun hobby that I love!
  Happy Monday and although it's a gloomy day on the outside here, I feel I am beaming with sunshine on the inside... I am! There is life in there!!! Praise God!  I will post pics of my bump too.
  Whew that's a lot of pics to post! lol!

Be blessed,
EWO,
Jen


 "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence." 1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)

IUI advice needed... Stress free infertility

If only I had someone to tell me these things... This is from a post from the Stress Free Infertility blog... Of course my comment was the longest. I just wish someone would have told me before our IUI.

~Both of you take the whole day off together… if you can…for us it turned into a relaxing day, almost like a staycation for a day. We slept in, then I delivered the goods and when I came back I crawled back in bed with him and snuggled. This kept my nerves calm and helped me to relax. You are already a bundle of nerves kinda like your wedding day. I loved having him drive me into the clinic for the procedure and sit with me in the waiting area plus hold my hand during the insem. I didn’t expect the tears during the procedure, because it felt nothing more than a pap, but the MD said it was all the hormones they had pumped into me and the emotional stress of it all. I can’t imagine being there alone. I don’t think it is something you would want your mom to hold your hand for, it’s a little to intimate for that.


~For us collecting the “goods” at home was key. Friends of ours collected at the clinic and he froze and had 7 min to perform. They were told that the stress could effect the quality and # of sperm, which it did. When I spoke with my RE about it she said that she once had a couple that left their specimen on the counter at home and drove an hour to the clinic only to find that they forgot it… 4 hours later the specimen was fine and they have a little one to show for it. Shrug… do what is best for you. My RE says that they tell you an hour, just to make sure you get it there and if your late it’s not that big of a deal.

~I took the specimen in myself… so what does a girl take the specimen in? Certainly not just the clear container! I had never put thought to the matter until the morning I had to deliver the package. Solution: Grab a small gift bag from your stash so you conceal it but feel as if you are carrying something very important… which you are!

~ Most importantly RELAX and take care of your body… I am convinced this helped our first IUI to be successful. I have other friends that totally freaked out the week before and didn’t eat and take care of themselves (the female). So when the big day came, they were frazzled and basically exhausted mentally and physically that they couldn’t relax. They now have 2 IUIs down and have decided it was too much to try for the 3rd… which per my RE the 2nd and 3rd are peek for IUIs.

~Acupuncture helped me mentally and physically prepare for the insemination. Use what ever methods to get a grip on the hormones being pumped into you. If you like hot baths or massages, try to do these together to get your body chemistry working in sync. Sounds crazy, I know, but a fertility massage just might be what you need. Some massage therapist specialize in this area and they teach the 2 of you the different techniques.

Hope this helps

Jenny H

It's Almost in the Air...

Fall

my favorite time of the year!

Anyone ready to join me in my back yard?

I will be serving pumpkin everything!

I wish this was in my back yard...

I would so have a dinner party if it was mine.

I am dreaming of warm apple cider

bon fires and

yes... the fair...

Silly I know, but I just love all the food 

there and all the fried oreos!

I am also looking forward to Thanksgiving.

This year we will have it with my family

and we will have a new addition!

My middle brother (2of 3) and his wife

are expecting a baby boy in November.

This will be their 3rd adopted child, 

and we are just so thrilled to welcome little

Garrison Mark

into our family. 

They have 3 girls already and are excited to

be getting a boy.

So this year will be much different than last...

we will have 2 new lives to be thankful for.

Praising God today for my little orange!

The baby is just over 4 inches long head to rump.

I should start feeling this little one soon!

Abundance is... a warm promising future to look forward to, life unexpected times 2!

Tired Dreams

 Is that a term you have lived?  Let me elaborate. I have always been a dreamer and believed that what ever I ask of God it shall be given unto me if I am faithful to Him at least that's what the book of Matthew tells me. I have always encouraged people to dream, but what happens when that dream is not answered. At least not in the time or way you would have liked it or pictured it. Whatever the dream may be you still hold onto it and wonder when or how or if it will ever be answered.
  In the last year I have experienced the fatigue of emotions and mental disappointments of an unanswered dream.   I have felt days of defeat and wanting to fly the white flag in surrender. The emotional drain of the dream being constantly on your mind and in your prayer is exhausting to the point of physically not wanting to get out of bed. There always seem to be reminders around when you are not thinking of your dream that remind you that it hasn't been answered yet. Does anyone get what I am saying?
  This could be anything from a loved one who has forgotten God to the longing of a companion and the list goes on.  I want to encourage you to not loose hope. In the past year I could not let go of the dream of becoming a mother. I knew this was something God had placed deep within me and I knew it was not going away anytime soon. So I researched all the women in the Bible who were barren. Do you know what I found? A multitude of women who longed for the same dream I had and waited. It doesn't say how long they waited or the definition of "in time Hannah conceived". So I have no idea if it was months, years or decades. What I do know is in time these obedient and faithful women received their dream.
  Notice the words obedient and faithful. They are the two common grounds that I found in the list of women documented in the Bible that were barren.  Obedience simply means "the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person; the trait of being willing to obey." Faithful simply means "any loyal and steadfast following".  I found it interesting that in order to obey you have to act, it is a verb; the same with being faithful you have to be steadfast. So how then can you move and not move?  Think about it. Ask yourself am I being obedient?  If you don't know start reading more of His Word to find out. Don't forget to tithe. The act of tithing is an act obedience of giving of the "first fruit" of your store house. Are you being faithful?  Has your faith been shaken or have you questioned it?  Or have you become more steadfast in your faith in Christ? The way I answered this question was by my thoughts and deep down beliefs on if God was going to make my dream come true. If you know that He will give you the desires of your heart, but don't know how, that's okay. It means you have some faith left in there and that's okay too.
  I know it is hard to live what seem like everyone around you is living their dream, while you are living your nightmare, but hang on. He has not forgotten you.  "In time" you will receive your dream. I don't know how and can't dream of how God will make it come true, but I know He will. I encourage you on days that seem unbearable to find your strength in His Word and find your encouragement in those around you praying for you. Also remember your comfort will not come from them, but from the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised to "give us" at His departure from this Earth.
   Ask yourself on a scale of one to ten where would I rate my fear of what I dream never coming true. 10 being never; 1 being He definitely will. Do a soul searching inventory to make sure you are mentally focused on the right focus. Put yourself through a spirit spa, that sounds wonderful doesn't it?  Find a refreshing and renewing in the Hope of God's Promises written all in His Bible.  Refocus your strength not on your own might and power, but on His might and power. Learn to really rely on God with your dreams. With Him they will come true. I know that to be a Promise!

Psalm 62:5, "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him." (NIV)

Proverbs 23:18, "There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off." (NIV)  

to be continued...  A Dream given in 1997 made true November 2010...