Over Halfway There

I can't believe we are over halfway there. I am nearly 23 weeks now and am still doing well. I have been feeling so great the past few weeks. Other than my growing front side & regular belly thumps, I feel pretty normal. We had a Dr. appointment on 5/14 all seems well. Good heartbeat and I "measured just right". Our little girl's kicks have now become more forceful and and are more like thumps which we can see. Aaron felt her move for the first time on Monday. That was very special. I am so glad he can now see and feel her movements. Of course, I am continuing to grow (I'll post some pictures over the weekend).

With the recent realization that we are now over halfway there, I have been reflecting on our journey to get here. It is really amazing to me how quickly the sadness and frustration of dealing with infertility can fade away when you you find out that a baby is coming. Definitely not forgotten, but FINALLY out of focus! Infertility was such a big part of our lives for so long, it is so refreshing to not have it right there in our face everyday. For those interested, here is the short version of our story....

Married nearly 7 years now! For the first 3 years, we were open to children, but none came along. After 3 years, we went to Dr. Hilgers at the Pope Paul the VI institute here in Omaha. He developed what he calls: Naprotechnology, the use of a woman's natural biological markers to help diagnose and treat women's health issues. He also uses a disease based approach and considers infertility a symptom of a larger health problem, not the problem itself. We saw him for the first time in the fall of 2004. We started with Natural Family Planning and based on my charts, and hormone levels he said he was 99% sure I had PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome), but that he needed to do a laproscopic, diagnostic surgery to be sure. I had the surgery the following fall and his diagnosis was confirmed: "text book PCOS" along with the diagnosis of endometriosis. He recommended an ovarian wedge resection and removal of the endometriosis. I had that surgery in December of that year. I was then diagnosed with a benign tumor on my pituitary gland which was causing my hormones to be out of whack. Six months later, we went to an adoption seminar. Because we were still not successfully pregnant, we wanted to get started on that process. That week, we found out that I had became pregnant. We suffered a missed miscarriage several months later (that means the baby died at about 8 weeks, but we didn't find out until about 6 weeks later). Another 6 months later, I was diagnosed with a slightly under active thyroid. Then seven months later, we found out we were expecting this little one.

I know everyone has their crosses to bear, and I do not for one second doubt that many others have much larger ones than we have had over the past years. So, this is not a ploy for sympathy! I have learned SO much through this and would not change what has happened. My heart goes out to all those that still struggle with infertility and have not been able to put any closure to the grief process or get off the rollercoaster ride. I am so grateful that this experience, for us, has brought Aaron and I closer together. I am also thankful that the Lord put so many great family and friends in our lives to support us during that period. Please keeping praying that I can carry this baby to term.

And now...Here's to moving on!