embryos

Here is a picture of our embryos. Hopefully it won't be the last photo of these little guys. We get to see Jace tonight! It's been so quiet and dull without him around.

transfer

Yesterday was our much anticipated transfer. We were both anxious and excited as we drove to Salt Lake. Everything went smoothly for the transfer. It doesn't hurt just a little uncomfortable. The embryos did not look great but it was all we had. They had not progressed as far as the doctor wanted them to and there is no way to tell if they will. So now we are just waiting which is the hardest part. I am on bed rest for two days and limited activity for two weeks to avoid putting any unnecessary stress on my body. My mom is watching Jace and it is pretty quiet and boring around here without him. Jared is doing an awesome job taking care of me and I am just hanging out on the couch for the next couple of days. Our pregnancy test is on Nov. 10 so until then will keep praying and try not to think about it too much.

*Thanks to all those who are praying for us and for all your love and support. It means a lot to us and we really appreciate it.

week in the life: review

I had a good time doing this week in the life project. My goal is to get it scrapbooked sooner than later. It would be fun to do this again next year at the same time to see how our lives change. This project has also motivated me to try and write in my journal each day instead of once a week. I definitely won't go into as much detail as this but I realized how easily I can forget things that happen.

A couple of things I learned while doing this:
Jace pretty much only plays with his train and cars. The only time he plays with any of his other toys is when Jared and I get it out and play with him. He really does love all things trains and I can't wait for Christmas to give him his very own set. He will be so excited.

Somehow throughout the summer we have totally lost a routine with Jace. We don't have regular naptime, eating time or bedtime. No wonder we have such a problem with him going to bed at night. I don't think he went to bed at the same time all week. So, now I have to sit down and figure out a routine for our little guy because I really do believe they make everything run smoother and everyone happier.

Thanks for those who played along on their blogs. It was fun to read and relate.

sunday

*not many pictures today, i kept forgetting to pull the camera out


wake up about 7:45 and stay in bed until jace comes in around 8:00
jace tells us it's time to wake up and wants to read his train books
jared reads to jace while i take a shower
get jace some breakfast and check on the fruit leather
turn on some sunday music
jace and jared play with the blocks and build helicopters
i check email and update the blog
get jace dressed in his sunday "train" outfit
jared and jace take a nap
i make quiche for dinner tonight and figure out how to set my oven to auto bake at a certain time
jared wakes up around 12:15 to get ready for church
i wake jace up from his nap at 12:30 and feed him some lunch
gather some activities for sacrament meeting - books and lacing cards today
head to church and get there about 5 minutes early
jace enjoys being entertained by aunt carrie and hunter during sacrament meeting
he is fairly reverent and likes to sing the hymns
off to nursery for jace - his favorite
jared and i attend the marriage and family sunday school class
they pass out sweet breads for a treat and jared and i sneak some into our bag for later (we were fasting)
jared plays the piano in priesthood and i play the piano in relief society
set up visiting teaching appointments and then head home
jace shows us his pumpkin he made in nursery and tells us he played with cars and a baby
quiche is almost done cooking - yeah for auto start ovens
jace and jared help make the jello and green salads
jace and jared change out of church clothes and i put together a peach cobbler
hometeachers come for a quick visit
eat dinner with aunt carrie, hunter, daniel and adrienne
clean up the kitchen and play a little upstairs
watched hunter's story and helped him put it on dvd
jace and hunter play together
eat peach cobbler and ice cream
try to talk to grandma and grandpa mclaughlin and aunt katie on webcam but the sound isn't working
talk to uncle jason, aunt tae and kenshi on the webcam
get jace ready for bed, scriptures, prayers and bed
jared and i go over the calendar for the next week
read for a little while and then go to sleep

saturday

wake up at 7:45 and realize we slept in
jump in the shower, get ready, feed jace
out the door by 8:30
turn around because i forgot diapers, feeling a little stressed
i get back in the car and jace says "calm down, mom"
drop jace off at auntie lexi's house and head to the golf course
jared and i enjoy nine holes together and realize i am not patient enough to putt well
head to the byu football game at 11:40
park, walk really fast, grab some costa vida pork burritos and miss the first touchdown
buy a hot dog for jace and wait for lexi, alma and jace to show up
jace is excited to see mom and dad at the football game and loves that he gets a hot dog
jace goes from lap to lap eating and watching the football game
jace sings the fight song and cheers when they get a first down
a seat opens up by us so jace gets his own seat which he loved
i am worn out (from jace) at the start of the fourth quarter and offer to go and get the car seat from lexi's and pick jared and jace up outside of the stadium
walk as fast as i can to the car so i can finish listening to the game on ksl
pick up the carseat and back at the stadium before the end of the game
happy that byu beat unlv 42-35
call jared to tell him where i am waiting
talk to my mom on the phone
find out they bought tickets to hawaii so will be spending christmas by ourselves
jared and jace jump in the car and we head out to fight the traffic
jace falls asleep within two minutes of being in the car
home by 3:45 and transfer jace to his bed
turn the tv on to check scores on other football games
jared decides to play his new xbox game - madden 08 (football)
i get something to eat, read my book for a little bit and then decide to clean the bathroom
clean up the rest of the house
check email and blogs
jace wakes up about 4:45
jared and jace eat some tamales
decide to go to old navy to check out their sales - find some good ones and decide to go back when i don't have two impatient boys with me
stop at at&t and verizon to see what kind of deals they have on phones
stop at walmart to pick up a few things for dinner tomorrow
jace decides to crack and egg while jared and i are not looking
pick the longest line to stand in and wonder why they built so many check-out stands only to leave them empty
teach jace about the different holidays in the car
ask him what santa says and he says "ho ho ho, bring me some trains"
get home around 8:00
go up to talk to aunt carrie and get the mail
come down stairs and see that jace has decided to cook something - he has the frying pan out, some cheese, mandarin oranges and hot chocolate mix sitting next to it and is looking for a spatula
jace opens his halloween card from grandma and grandpa mclaughlin - he loves to open the mail so is very happy about his very own card
make sticky buns and hot chocolate and pour the fruit puree onto the trays so they can dehydrate over night
watch some football games while we eat
jace eats way too much sugar
throw him in the bath because he is sticky
pajamas, scriptures, prayers and bed by 9:30
clean up the kitchen so my house will be clean for sunday
jared plays a little more football while i read
jared gives me my shot and does an awesome job at it (hardly any pain at all)
exhausted from a long day

friday

*not very many pics today because i accidentally deleted half of them from my camera



jared kisses me goodbye around 6:45 and heads to work
jace climbs into bed with me about 7:00 and asks me to get his blankies
we stay under the covers for a little bit because it's cold
get up and give jace a bath and get him dressed
check email and talk to jared on the phone
jace eats a banana and strawberries and watches cars like promised last night
talk to jared on the phone about golfing today
bummed that i can't go with him but have no one to watch jace
talk to my grandma on the phone about byu game tomorrow
everytime i leave the room jace runs after me crying that he is scared
when i ask him what he is scared of he says "i'm scared of dinosaurs on my toothbrush"
(we were in the bathroom and he could see his toothbrush - maybe that is where that came from but who really knows)
jace loses interest in cars after about 30 minutes
i get dressed and we eat some breakfast together
enjoy actually sitting at the table on a chair
read jace's train books to him
jace goes down for a nap at 10:00 and falls right to sleep
turn on ksl and work on scouts - organizing, awards, calendar, etc.
take a break from scouts to make my bed and clean up my room
jace wakes up at about 11:30
he paints for a little bit and eats some goldfish and apples
i make some fruit leather puree and put it in the fridge for tomorrow morning
decide to try dehydrating apples
we make lunch and eat
talk to jared on the phone - he had a good time golfing and only has a couple hours left to work
jace and i dance to a backyardigans song in the living room
jace is playing with his "train" and informs me that santa is bringing him a train for christmas
pick up jace's toys while jace sings the "clean-up" song
put jace down for a second nap at 2:45
check on the apples
check to see if pow wow handouts are posted online - they are and i'm so excited about the resources available that are going to make my life easier
read an article in the byu magazine we got yesterday
reply to emails and enter scout awards in new spreadsheet
jared home at 4:15 and takes a nap
jared and i work on a crossword puzzle together and he is much better at it than i am
jace wakes up and asks if santa brought his train
we tell him no but we will go and see a train tonight
invite jon and aubrey to go to heber with us to eat at the dairy keen
jace is in train heaven watching the train go "round and round" the resturant
jace plays with the wooden trains the whole time we are there
jared and i and jon and aubrey have a good visit
jace eats his cheeseburger on the way home
stop at blockbuster to rent a movie and end up buying to super discounted xbox 360 games
look at all the wii games and think it would be fun to have one
get home about 8:00 and get jace into bed
play the xbox for about 15 minutes and then watch the third indiana jones movie
try really hard to stay awake through it all
get my shot after the movie and go to bed

thursday

jared is up at 6:45 and out the door by 7:00
i wake up and read a little in bed, jace comes in at 7:30
we snuggle and talk and sing songs in the covers because it is cold this morning
around 8:00 we get up and start getting ready for the day
jace looks in the mirror and says, "i looking so handsome"
call jared because i am in third place in the football picks contest
jace wants some hot chocolate like the polar express for breakfast
watch a little polar express and read his train books from the library
jace shows me how he can climb on his bed up to the window
get jace dressed and do my hair
jace puts his tennis shoes on by himself and is very excited about it
clean up the kitchen, look for jace's train, look for chairs on ksl and get ready to go to gymnastics
jace helps the teacher demonstrate at gymnastics and does a backwards roll all by himself
jace sticks his tongue out whenever he is concentrating on doing something
run home for a quick lunch, call on some chairs and head to the park to meet some friends
play and visit for a couple of hours
back home for jace's nap at 2:30
check email, read blogs and do my football picks
browse ksl and ebay for wooden train sets
jace wakes up at 4:30 and we snuggle on the couch for a little bit then get something to eat
jared gets home at 5:15 and we all play together for a little bit and get into a tickling fight
talk to my mom on the phone and get jared some dinner
we head to eagle mountain to look at some chairs for our kitchen table
like what we see and pay $30 for five chairs that will need a little tlc
stop at best buy to pick up a dvd cleaner
i wait in the car and listen to ksl while jared and jace shop
laugh at some campaign bloopers of both mccain and obama
unload the chairs and remember how it feels to actually sit at our table
jace and i eat a bowl of cereal while jared cleans the dvd "cars"
tell jace that he can watch cars tomorrow now that it is fixed
get jace ready for bed and teach him how to make animal shadows on the wall
read a scripture, pray and sing "five little monkeys" with jace before he goes to bed
jared turns on the baseball game and eats a bowl of strawberries and ice cream
jared gives me my first shot of progesterone
watch a little tv, read for a few minutes and go to bed

wednesday

jace wakes up coughing and crying at 6:00
jared calms him down and puts him back to sleep
jace wakes up and comes into our room and climbs in bed at 6:55
i get up, shower and get ready
jared teaches jace some silly faces to make
jared gets up and makes breakfast
we have prayers and i am out the door by 7:50
miss my exit and get stuck in traffic
i am five minutes late for my appointment
have an ultrasound and everything looks great
write a huge check to the doctor and talk to nurse about schedule and shots
on the road again at 9:20 and calling jared - no answer
feeling a lot of emotions but mostly anxious about everything
jared calls and is excited that everything looks good
talk to my mom about when she will be watching jace
while i am gone jared and jace watch sports center, play cars, hide n' seek and basketball
get home at 10:00 and jared heads to work and is late for a meeting
check my email and change jace from shorts to pants
head to the library, return books and pay my late fee
jace checks out several books about trains and i check out my book club book
head to the post office (one of my least favorite things to do) and mail malynda's picture cd
go to macey's for some groceries and jace is whining because he wants a different cart
last stop is walmart for some fleece for scouts
wait in a long line to get material cut and wait in another long line to pay
back home at 1:30, eat lunch, talk to shaunte' on the phone and put jace down for a nap at 2:00
put groceries away and straighten up kitchen and living room
check email, edit photos and update blog
jace wakes up crying from his nap because he is still not feeling great
he sits with me for a little bit then watches pbs while i cut fleece for scouts tonight
survive another night of scouts
jared pulls jace around in the suitcase, a new favorite activity
start dinner, leave kitchen to talk to jared, come back and see that jace has taken over and is frying the hamburger for me (you can't leave that kid for a second)
eat at 6:45, clean kitchen while jace finishes his dinner so he can have dessert
talk about money and the budget
we all play in jace's room for a little while seeing which stuffed animals fit through the basketball hoop
eat peaches and ice cream for dessert while watching baseball (not sure when we became baseball fans but apparently tonight we are)
put jace in bed around 8:45
jared gets ready and leaves at 9:00 to play basketball with guys from our ward
i start another book, update the blog, get ready for bed and read until jared gets home

ultrasound

Today I had my fourth ultrasound in the last two months. This comes after enduring three periods in six weeks. But, today my doctor said that my lining looks great and that we are finally ready to move forward with the transfer. Yeah! It is all worth it in the end if everything works out.

So I talked to the nurse and we are scheduled for next Wednesday, October 29th. Tomorrow I start my progesterone shots, which Jared gets to give to me. I will have to post a picture because the needle is much larger than the Lupron one and this one goes in my hip. Jared did a great job last time so I'm hoping he hasn't lost his touch.

They will call me on Tuesday to let me know how the embryos are doing and schedule a transfer time on Wednesday. My mom is going to watch Jace for us because I will have to be on bedrest for two days after the transfer. Two weeks later I will go in for a pregnancy test and if positive an ultrasound two weeks later.

I had a lot of emotions driving home from Salt Lake. I went in prepared for the worst but hoping for the best. I'm a little cautious of getting my hopes up after so many set backs when we started this whole thing before to get Jace up until now. I'm excited but very anxious because everything is still unsure and will be for awhile. I guess this is where faith and prayers come in which I am ever so grateful for because I rely on them a lot. Thanks for all of your prayers and support as we keep moving forward. I know in the end everything will work out exactly how it should.

tuesday

jace wakes up at 5:45 a.m. and is wandering around the house
jared puts him back in bed
i wake up about 6:30 while jared is reading his scriptures and go back to sleep
jared makes his lunch and jace gets out of bed again
jace comes into the room and says "you still tired, mom? time to get up."
jared leaves for work at 7:00 and i roll out of bed
talk to jared on phone to decide what jazz game we want tickets for
jace finishes fox and the hound while i fold clothes
jace helps me put his clothes away and i have to refold half of them
jace lets me get him dressed and then decides he wants to play with the suitcases so i edit some photos and update the blog
we eat breakfast and jace cleans his spilled milk all by himself
high fives because he did a good job cleaning up
jace goes down for a nap at 9:30
i read my book outside his door while he falls asleep
talk to jared on the phone, make my bed and finish folding and putting away clothes
work a little on scouts and then read my book
skip gymnastics today because jace is still asleep and decide he needs to sleep so he can feel better
jace wakes up at 12:30 and we snuggle a little bit
we see a "kitty cat" outside the window and jace wonders what his name is
we read a some books together on my bed
jace plays with his "train" while i fix us some lunch
jace has started saying "hey" before everything he says
talk to my mom on the phone about service project for scouts
jace and i play golf - he hits the ball through my legs then i hit it through his
jace calls jared to find out where his putting hole is
we look at trains on the computer
empty dishwasher and clean the kitchen
jace watches fox and the hound 2 while i read
jace decides he wants to clean the kitchen
i make dinner
jared gets home at 5:30 and informs me he is tired of the camera being in his face
i tell him that's too bad because we have 5 more days to go
we all play in jace's room while dinner cooks
we eat dinner at 6:00 and then jared cleans up
i get jace into his pajamas and he plays cars while i read
jared reads a story to jace
jace brushes his teeth, takes vitamin, says prayers and goes to bet at 7:00
jared plays tiger woods golf and i sit outside jace's door and read
jace is still singing and talking to himself at 8:00
jace brings his water and then his bear out because he doesn't want them anymore (he's stalling)
jared goes and talks to him and he is asleep around 8:30
jared and i get ready for bed and read
i finish my book at 10:00 (finally! now i can actually get something done)

monday

*most of the pictures ended up being of jace still but really, our lives revolve around him

wake up at 6:20 when jared turns on the light to get dressed
try to go back to sleep but no luck
jared reads his scriptures, i read an article in the ensign
jared leaves for work at 6:45 - says i love you!
turn on computer and head to shower (hoping i don't wake jace up)
take my shot, get dressed, make bed, pray
sit down at computer to check email and reader
jace wakes up at 7:37 and is happy with a stuffed up nose and cough
eat breakfast, take pills and eat on kitchen table because we have no chairs yet
jace wants a picture with jack the pumpkin
jace says the prayer "heavenly father, bless the food, thank you for the peaches, amen"
bribe jace into the bath and i do my hair
jace insists on dressing himself this morning
give jace benadryl and turn on dora for him (because he took his bath)
run a load of laundry upstairs
read a some of my book while jace watches tv
jace has to sit on his bed to calm down after throwing a fit
i make us all a lunch
take another load of laundry upstairs
run to a friend's house to borrow her food dehydrater
jace goes down for an early nap at 10:30 because he is tired, cranky and not feeling well
burn a picture cd for malynda
have to comfort jace while he falls back to sleep
more laundry and back at the computer
turn on itunes and resign myself to folding clothes
jace wakes up and looks at trains on the computer while i fold clothes
pick up jared and go to park for lunch
drop jared off and stop at seagull book to get the new nursery manual - they don't have it
jace goes down for another nap at 2:15
another load of laundry - ran out of stain remover
check email and blogs
listen to ksl and work on scouts
jace is up at 5:20, take another load of laundry up and start dinner
jared gets home at 6:10 and plays with jace
dinner at 6:30
family home evening is on "i am a child of god"
jace lasts about two minutes and has to stand in the corner for not obeying
jace hides in the suitcase so he can scare mommy
i give jared and jace a haircut while they watch part of fox and the hound
clean up, benadryl, brush teeth, vitamins, prayer, story and finally in bed for jace at 8:30
update blog while jared reads, take pill, read while jared sleeps and go to sleep