Merry Spring!

It only seemed like it! 

I couldn't handle baring my heart for awhile. 

Ok, it was a long while this time. 

I left you here mid 2013. So what's happened?

SO MANY THINGS. 

Not too long after my last post, things became dicey with our Dane girls. Kira was almost 8 years old, which is toward the higher end of average for Great Danes. We had been managing her discospondylosis, hip problems, and knee conditions for about two years. She was not only taking supplements, but Rimadyl and Tramadol for pain control. But she became more touchy, and was lashing out at Misha. There were a couple of fights, a couple of trips to be patched up. In the end, we had to make the heartbreaking decision to let Kira cross the Rainbow Bridge. She was our first 'baby,' a comfort while we were trying for a human baby. She was my very first dog to boot! It colored the rest of the year. 

We also made the decision for Monkey to attend public school, since we are in one of the best districts in our state. I couldn't keep up with his appetite for learning! We'd finish his work in just a couple of hours, and I had no idea how to fill our days so that he was learning and moving forward. He's had amazing teachers who helped him, pushed him, and let him keep progressing. This year that has changed, and we are reconsidering our decision if this trend continues. For now though, it works. 

2014

It was a good year! Monkey did well in school, Kevin and I were both very involved in the class room and I went on a couple of field trips. We just lived a normal life, whatever normal is. 

At some point, we decided to try a few more rounds of fertility treatment. Two rounds with my regular OB/GYN (while working with a Reproductive Endocrinologist) led to two extremely early pregnancy losses. We followed through with more intensive testing, which didn't reveal a lot, but did leave us taking a few months off of trying to conceive. 

Sometime in there, I started attending a FitSkate class with a local roller derby team! Tons of fun, even if it ended in a bruised tail bone a few times! I hadn't been on skates since I was a teenager, so there was a definite learning curve. However, I started having super strange symptoms at the end of the year (numbness, a foot drop, falls, weakness...just a host of weirdness). I saw my primary care physician for a work up, and a referral to a neurologist. I needed to see one anyway for following my migraines, so this wasn't cause for alarm at all. 

We had a good holiday season, my mom came near Thanksgiving and Christmas was great! 

2015

While following these issues, I ended up in the hospital for a few days in January. They found an ischemic event in my brain (either a stroke no one knew about, or tiny bleed from a concussion during a car wreck in 2012). It was old when found, so not a giant concern but it sounded scary! I was evaluated for Multiple Sclerosis. Since this is a diagnosis mostly made by exclusion, it involved lots of testing. At the same time, we working on another round of fertility treatment. We had to stop right when I was to start Femara again, so the cycle was interrupted.

To make things just slightly more fun, we knew Kevin was soon to leave for pre-deployment training and then for deployment to the Middle East. We decided then we'd try once more with the doctors help after he returned. I started occupational therapy to strengthen my left side, and kept up with that while Kevin was away for training. He left just after our wedding anniversary. I had a few tests with results that were only *slightly* out of normal, but my symptoms slowly faded, and it was determined I wouldn't need to come back for several months. A couple of weeks later, I noticed I hadn't had a cycle since the medicine I used to induce it for our aborted fertility cycle in January/February. Nothing unusual, especially considering my PCOS and endometriosis. I took a pregnancy test before I called the doctor. 

Imagine my shock when it was *POSITIVE.*

I'm sure I almost fell over. Talk about pins and needles! My first ultrasound was inconclusive, showing only an amniotic sac and yolk sac. Since we had no idea when I'd conceived, we weren't sure if this was a problem or not. The next week though, there was a tiny flicker of a heartbeat! Monkey found the pregnancy tests I'd inadvertently left on my bathroom counter, and me forgetting how smart he was, demanded to know "does dad know about this?!" He was fairly excited though. He got to come to the 13 week ultrasound, where baby looked like a baby instead of a blob. He announced this big news to my mom via video chat. Kevin was home for a few weeks between training and deploying, and got to see an ultrasound as well.

Kevin left just as school got out, and Monkey and I spent the summer playing at the splash pad downtown and took a trip to Colorado with Kevin's sister. We found out baby's gender, and used pictures of Monkey to announce our little girl! Monkey started 2nd grade in August, and Kevin returned home in October. I spent most of the summer and fall craving cheeseburgers and grapes, and watching my active belly bounce around. She was due Dec 10, but after a concerning biophysical profile on my birthday, we induced labor.

My little Owl was born on 20 Nov at 1018am. She was 6lbs, 15 oz and 19 inches long. (I'll be back soon with a proper birth story post and many pictures.)

Thanksgiving and Christmas were spent at home with our tiny new baby! In January, Kevin attended two weeks of training (and I survived my first TDY with 2 kids!).

2016

 

On this day in 2004,

(which was also the first day of Spring)

Kevin and I were married. 

Twelve years! 

Two babies! 

An almost 8 year old Monkey,

 and as of today, 

a 4 month old Owlet.

Life is awesome.

 

 

An Adventure

We took a road trip with our closest friends.

"Forever and ever" is what we were told it took.

In reality, it was about 8 hours to Flagstaff, Arizona.

While we were there, we decided to drive the bit to see the Grand Canyon.

It was another hour and a half or so, but we all figured that was a lot 

closer than driving from home!

 Daddy and Monkey

Mommy and Monkey

All of us. Kevin forgets to smile a bit.

It's the military, I think.

Monkey hangs out with his best friend.

She needs a blog name.

We'll call her.... Pony Princess.

Proof! An actual sign! 

View from one of the look outs.

We were on the South Rim.

********

Here's where it gets good.

We drove back to our hotel, and found that our Elf 

(Jolly Jingleheimer. He's mostly known as Jingles.)

He brought pajamas!

And tickets.

To the NORTH POLE.

Apparently, there are portals all over the world.

It's how Santa gets around. 

There's a magic trolley that some elves took us on.

We had to say a magic spell with our eyes closed,

there was music and flashing lights, and 

POOF

There we were. 

After we got there, we knocked on the door.

An elf let us in, and we saw Santa's Toy Hall of Fame.

It was pretty cool.

(Monkey and Pony Princess checking out a wagon in the Hall of Fame)

The next room the elves let us in, was Santa's original work room.

It's a much bigger operation now.

His head elf, Alabaster Snowflake, 

showed us some cool stuff.

They were pretty impressed.

This train is magical, and it goes from the old workshop to the new one.

And it is pretty awesome, as you can see from Monkey's face.

We went to the actual workshop,

and the kids made some toys for other kids who might not get any.

Monkey made a cheerleader bear, Pony Princess made a football bear.

Then there was rocket Nerf war among children and elves.

Next, we walked through the wrapping room.

 After the wrapping room, we got to sit down and have a snack.

There were cookies and snow man soup

(for you grown ups, that's hot cocoa).

 Pony Princess, Monkey, and Pony's sister Minnie Mouse.

And an elf. See, she glitters!

 

Then, we headed to Elf University.

We had to learn Elf Manners and pass a test so we could leave.

 After that, there were lists for Santa to write.

It took a lot of concentration, especially for Pony Princess.

She needed to know how to spell DOLPHIN.

 After writing them, it was *almost* time to see Santa.

First, the elves had to check and see if their names were on the nice list!

It looks worrisome.Very stressful.

 They were all on there! Even Daddy's!

They had to do the Nice List Dance.

Next up, we got to visit the Sleigh Room.

 It's a lot bigger than I ever imagined.

 This is Santa's Navigation System.

 And the Believe Meter.

Because if you don't believe, he can't stop at your house!

The last bit of the night was seeing SANTA!

(We got a picture from the workshop, but I don't have it with me right now.)

********

It was a pretty amazing adventure. 

If you'd like to check it out for yourself, 

I totally recommend it!

The North Pole Experience

Wishes

I just read about a young man, 'Mighty' Max Low. He's 12 years old and has been battling leukemia since age 5. He hasn't attended his school in over a year. His parents, Greg & Bambi Low, were told to enjoy him while they could, because it looked like it was the end of the road on February 15.

However, now there is hope of a bone marrow transplant on the horizon. His own bone marrow showed no cancerous cells last Monday, and his father Greg is a 90 percent match!

Max has a wish - nothing outrageous. He doesn't want to meet a celebrity or some other extravagance. Max just wants to receive one million 'get well' cards! Please help fulfill his wish by sending him a card to the address below. I've read on one site that he has received thousands of cards so far, one of them from former President George Bush, Sr! She takes about 300 of them a day to the hospital for him to read.

Mighty Max Low
c/o Greg & Bambi Low
P.O. Box 111
Neola, IA 51559