Thursday, April 19, 2018

When you suddenly become a cliche of the most annoying kind

Hi there. Long lost blogger here. Truth be told, it’s been so long that I actually forgot my login information and it took me a shockingly long time to hack my way back into my account.
Anyway...as per the usual, I’m still following along with so many of you and particularly have loved seeing even more of you on Instagram!
But I’ve returned to this space because sometimes there’s no where else to go.

I bet if I held a poll for 1 billion infertiles with the one question, “What’s the absolute most annoying thing someone has said to you about infertility?” that at least 90% would answer, “Just relax and stop trying so hard and it will happen!”  (Or something along that line and equally as infuriating.)

And then that actually happened to me.

8 years, one IVF cycle, 2 FETs, and 2 kids later, my body figured it’s shit out and I’m pregnant. WTF. 

I took my IUD out, we made plans to meet with an RE in the Fall if we felt like we wanted to try for a third baby at that time. Then 31 days after my first period since Owen was born, I took an expired pregnancy test because I just had a weird feeling that I should have gotten my period and hadn’t. And two lines. 9 weeks today and still wondering if this is all some big joke. I don’t know what to say. Life is so weird. Bodies are so weird. This is all so weird.

Friday, October 14, 2016

Shameless Plug

As if I'm not busy enough, you know, raising babies...
I have decided to start a little side gig while on maternity leave. The decision kind of was made because I was spending ALL the money on skincare products and I needed a discount. But listen: if you're having weird hormonal skin issues, I was SAVED by this. 
I had crazy IVF skin, crazy pregnancy skin, and crazy postpartum skin with my last pregnancy. This time around I was proactive and decided to try something new that I had heard great things about. Long story short...zero skin issues. 4 months postpartum and not a blemish or rash or red spot. 

So I signed up because I'm sold (and need to save money).
If you're interested, check me out. I have my very own website, so I'm kind of a big deal ;)


And! If you're interested in a little side money of your own, I'm growing my team, so let me know and I'll send you some info.

Advertisement done. Now for some cute baby deliciousness.

Because...toddlers.

The happiest.

This girl gets me EVERY TIME!

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Turns out, I kind of suck at this.

My little guy is almost 3 months old and I did not post anything about it. I have been meaning to update you all, but...
I don't know. No excuses! I mean besides the normal "I have a newborn and toddler" thing that is life now!
In a nutshell:
-I went into labor at exactly 35 weeks (just like my daughter!) and delivered my sweet baby boy by C Section (due to a transverse lie) about 2 hours later. I was 8 cm dilated when we got to the hospital, so all that back pain was apparently labor. Oooooops!
-C section recovery was hard. Man, I didn't expect that level of ouch.
-Baby Boy is the sweetest thing ever. Holy moly he's a chill baby. Good eater, good sleeper, happy as a little clam 99% of the time. Love him, like woah.
-Toddler life is kind of hard. Adjusting to being a big sister is kind of hard. Big sisters don't always know how to express that, so temper tantrums and meltdowns are a thing. 
-Life is good and I type one-handed always, so sentences are short ;)

Blogging is going to be sporadic for a time. Maybe forever. So...if you'd like to stay in the loop, here's my instagram! 

Also, I was recently featured on one of my favorite blogs, Design Mom, talking about growing our little family! Crazy cool, starstruck moment for me because I've been reading the series for so long!

And finally...meet Owen William!!!












 I still follow along with all of your journeys (even if I don't usually comment! I blame it on the on-handed typing thing again!)

xo- Emily

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Still Cooking!

I'm still pregnant! Three cheers for that!
I was discharged home from the hospital at 30 weeks because, despite contracting every few minutes, I had not dilated further. At that time, the doctors were very concerned that I would deliver within two weeks and that it might happen really quickly, so I had strict instructions to not do much of anything and to call 911 at the first signs of labor. I am currently 33 2/7 weeks and feeling much more secure. I still am not allowed to pick up my daughter (or lift anything, actually), but I can get out and about a little bit and have been getting some things done around the house. Mostly I am feeling good that if I have the baby, it will most likely need very little interventions and should be able to come home after just a brief stay in the NICU. Still, I'm crossing my fingers and my toes that he stays in a few more weeks so he can skip the NICU all together! We also have a LOT of nursery prep to still complete, so there's that. I'm fully prepared to not finish it before he's born, but it just gets so much harder once they're here that I'm afraid we'll never finish! Small problems. 

"Couch rest" as I've been calling it, is not so bad. Being in the hospital was rough and I was just so bored, but being home has given me the illusion that I'm just having some extra downtime to get stuff done. A lot can be done from a couch, people: laundry folding, baby-book completion (thanks for that suggestion!), girl clothing purging and organizing, reality TV watching, online shopping...some days I feel quite productive! 

As far as the pregnancy goes, I'm feeling pretty good. So very different from last time in just about every way. I honestly never felt quite so giant as I do now. Sleep is getting more challenging by the day, as is life in general. Just the normal woes: hard to shave my legs, hard to get off the floor after lego sessions with my gal, and I have quite the waddle going on. The biggest thing has probably been my immune system, or lack there of. I got a wicked cough just as I was discharged from the hospital that lingered and lingered, and now I am fighting a sinus cold. Ugh. This little guy is sucking the life out of me ;)

Here's the latest belly shot! Taken about a week ago.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

This is Hard

I'm not really sure where to start.
This has not been easy. I have been contracting on and off for several weeks and have had many visits to L+D to be checked. My house has also been struck with so many stomach bugs this year that it (literally) makes me barf. My sweet hubs just got pneumonia and was out of commission for a week. It just hasn't been all that great around here for the last 6 weeks or so! 
I really started contracting on Thursday when I was 28 4/7 weeks and I was admitted to L+D for monitoring, betamethasone treatment to help mature the baby's lungs, and some tocolytics. Almost a week later, I am here in that same space of wait and watch, dilated to 3cm, hoping and wishing that this baby stays in for many more weeks. And there is absolutely nothing that I can do but hope and lay in bed. Awesome. 

I go between feeling semi-at peace with the situation and my lack of control and the opposite extreme of feeling pissed off that this is happening and super anxious at what the outcome will be and the long road ahead. The thought of staying in the hospital many more weeks is daunting, but even more so is the thought of having a baby is the NICU for many weeks. So I'm focusing on staying pregnant. But damn. Every single time my daughter and husband leave the hospital at night, I die. They are both handling this like rock stars: Daddy in full awesome Daddy and house-husband mode, and Piper her sweet, blissful two-year-old self, seemingly unaware of how weird this situation is. For that I am super grateful.

So now we wait; everyday a little closer to my due date and baby a little stronger and bigger. Good thoughts for a quiet and calm uterus and a healthy baby are appreciated!

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Poppin'

Week 17 brought a big ol' belly pop. It's 100% apparent that I'm pregnant now, which I love because I don't feel like I look so fat! I did finally invest in some new clothes: a couple pairs of jeans and some non-maternity shirts that are cute but and should see me through most of my pregnancy. It's amazing what a little wardrobe update did for my feeling of cuteness. I went from feeling totally frumpy to kinda cute. 
Physically, I am feeling pretty great almost all of the time with very few food aversions left over from the first trimester! I even have started adding some decaf lattes into my morning mix, which if you know me means that I am getting back to normal ;)
The only big news is the upcoming ultrasound...a couple more weeks until we find out the gender. I am SO MUCH MORE IMPATIENT this time around for some reason. I feel pretty different than I did last time, so I'm putting my money on a boy! I just want to know. Now.
Not many symptoms except for hiccups!


How amazing is a non-maternity shirt with strategically-place buttons for belly growth!?

Friday, January 29, 2016

Weekly Updates Start...Now!

16 weeks, guys. 
It's big for me. I don't quite know why. 4 monthsish. Crazy talk.

It is FLYING by for the most part, even though the embryo transfer feels like it was a long time ago. I am feeling much more pregnant than I did at this point last time. I am bigger (like, a lot bigger), some back pain, hungry all.the.time. and just overall feeling pregnant.

The hardest part of the whole thing for me is how yucky I feel. Physically I am pretty much better, but the first 14-15 weeks were really, really bad. Sick and tired, heartburn, grossness. I feel almost 100% better now, but I think those weeks took a toll on me. 
Last time I felt cute and like I looked pretty good through the end. This time I feel like a run-down whale. Part of this is because I'm legitimately huge and part of this is because I'm not energetic enough to care a whole lot about how I'm dressed and made up. I'm going to try to change this.
I think I'm giving myself more "free passes" related to pregnancy this go around. If I want another cookie, I've been eating another cookie. But I stepped on the scale at my last OB appointment and almost lost my mind. Also, I tried to put on some jeans that I wore through my third trimester last time and I literally could not get them over my ass. So...healthy snacking is in order. And new clothes.

I have not taken many pictures of myself either (which I know I will regret later), so I'm going to make a very big effort to take weekly photos and post a weekly update so I have something to look back on! 

Week sixteen was a pretty good one (aside from the pants incident!)
I am definitely feeling some little baby movements now and they are much more than just flutters! It is so fun! I can't wait to be able to feel them on the outside!!!
I feel like my energy has picked up a little too, so that's been a welcome treat.
This week also brought a lot more baby talk at work because the news is slowly reaching everyone. I didn't do a formal announcement or social media announcement, so it has really been word of mouth and lots of suspicious belly glances :)

Without further ado...the bump.


Happy weekend, friends!

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Double Digits

So, ten weeks. 
I'm fairly convinced that time is actually slowing down and that the last two weeks actually were as long as they seemed. This may be because I am so freaking nauseous all the time. Or it might be because both my toddler and I got the stomach flu and were laid up for what felt like an eternity. 
I'm trying to be mindful of my complaining because (duh) I've wished for every symptom known to man to hit me if only I'd be pregnant, and here I am blissfully living it out. But in the moment the constant nausea is actually giving me quite the run for my money. I also have a lovely mix of heartburn most of the time...and WHY SO EARLY?!?!?

The ninth week felt pretty monumental. I feel like something changed and I was hit with all the stuff. Aside from the nausea that I will refrain from going on and on about, I just feel different. I am pretty rundown looking and feeling most of the time. I attribute this to eating all the bad food and to my sweet little lady who has decided to wake up between 4 and 5 every morning crying. Please say there is an end to this...two year molars? As I hear her loud wails echo through our house, I think about a sleeping newborn not sleeping through any of it and the chaos that two crying children could cause. Am I getting a bit ahead of myself?
The heartburn is a weird thing that lingers much of the day. I do remember having heartburn early last time, but not this early. I have started drinking a swig of diluted apple cider vinegar in water and it has worked like a charm so far! I hope that continues to be the miracle cure!
The baby bump is there already as well. I have not taken any pictures yet, but plan to start soon. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to keep this mum because damn. Large and in charge. I supposed that speaks to the state of my abs at the moment...or lack thereof. Or muscle memory! 

We went to our first OB appointment yesterday and got to see the little one again on ultrasound! I had forgotten how much better the RE machine in comparison. No measurements were done, no heart rate calculated, just a quick little peek. We did get a glimpse of the arms and legs- not as blobby looking! 
Because I had a kinda preemie last time around, I will take progesterone once a week starting at 18 weeks. The relief I felt when I found out it was weekly was profound! My numb and lumpy booty cheeks might have actually smiled. Other than the progesterone, there is not much of anything that they'll be doing differently except for more cervical checks (I forgot to ask how often).  

Next step is the nuchal translucency scan at 13ish weeks (right after Christmas). Luckily, I think this will be a pretty painless wait since I am so busy and have so much to do between now and then!

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

All a flutter

The little niblet is bigger and the heart is still fluttering away! Holy bleep. 

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

P-p-p-paranoia!

I little snippet into my life right now: nausea. 
Oh god, the nausea. 
Heartburn, yuck. 
Oh yeah, I'm pregnant! I almost forgot in the chaos that is the life of a Mom of a 22-month-old. Maybe I should check what the miscarriage rates for today are since I'm probably not pregnant anymore. 
Am I feeling cramping? 
Shit, are my underwear wet? 
I'm bleeding. I must be bleeding. Hmm...no blood. Fab. 
Oh no, I might throw up. Must eat immediately. 
So bloated. So fat.

I thought that maybe I might be less nervous this time around, but it seems that the first trimester is just as much of a bitch the second time around. Maybe worse, honestly.
The symptoms are there much of the time, like whoa, but other times I feel nothing. Why, oh why has no one invented a portable ultrasounds machine for post-infertility preggos?!?!

I have ultrasound #2 with my RE tomorrow, which I hope will put my mind slightly at ease for 2.5 minutes. Then first the first OB appointment in scheduled for next Friday. Since my last pregnancy ended in a slightly preterm birth, this time I'm considered high risk so am going to start seeing a maternal fetal medicine specialist instead of the run-of-the-mill OB I saw last time. I have no idea what this means or if anything will be different, but I guess I'll find out next week! I have an inkling that I will continue progesterone injections throughout the pregnancy (hoping for only once a week, but the RE wasn't sure). My ass cheeks are starting to get pretty lumpy and sore, but I could definitely handle it if it was only every 7 days instead of every. single. day. 

We shared the news with our immediate families over the Thanksgiving holiday and shocked everyone! Pretty drastically different than the last time when they were all waiting for it impatiently! I was really surprised that my Mom didn't guess before since I was SUPER tired and nauseous for the few days leading up to the announcement. 

So, that's life now! I am going to start posting weekly updates because I feel like I need to document this time in some way or it will pass in a flash and I won't remember anything. It's just so different than last time where I obsessed over everyday and moment!

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Beating

The ultrasounds was today! I was really pretty nervous, but in went the dildo cam without any fanfare and it was there.
There is a baby with a heart rate of 136.
It was measuring 7 weeks, a little ahead of schedule (I'm 6 weeks, 4 daysish). 

I can't shake this guarded feeling I have, but I am definitely getting more excited as this feels a tiny bit real. We're starting to think about how/when we're going to share the news and I'm starting to feel all day queasiness and freakish hunger...so seems that we're chugging along!

Holy shit.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

6 weeks "ish"

Today is six weeks. Six weeks of a tiny, tiny baby supposedly growing in my usually empty ute. 
Wednesday is the ultrasound and I obviously can't wait. I pretty much feel nothing. The only maybe symptom is that my boobs seem to be a tad tingly at times. And sometimes when I make a quick movement I get a scary pain that shoots through my lower abdomen making me think that the baby is surely detaching from my uterus.  I remember that from last time, but don't remember when it kicked in. I might also be a little more tired than normal, but that could just be life talking. And I'm fat. Lupron definitely doesn't agree with my waistline, so I started about 5 pound up from my baseline and now I just feel poochy and flabby.

I threw a baby shower for my best friend this weekend. You might remember her from my scathing posts way back when, you know, in the dark days. I am happy to report that I am 99% happy for her this time around. I was super excited to throw the shower (which I absolutely couldn't stomach last time) and am truly happy that they will be welcoming another babe into the family. The 1% not happy isn't exactly NOT happy, but more avoidance. I still have a teeny bit of resentment that she got pregnant so quickly and has such easy pregnancies and can say things that only an uber-fertile can say like "the timing of this pregnancy is horrible". I keep all jealousy at bay, but I don't tend to ask a lot of pregnancy questions. 

So, that's it, folks. 
Wednesday! AAAH!!!

Friday, November 6, 2015

Betas

Beta #1 704 13dp5dt
Beta #2 1887 15dp5dt

Holy Moly. Now begins the longest 2 week wait ever until the first ultrasound. I remember from last time it was a HARD 2 weeks. But I am pregnant, and for that I am uber thankful and obviously that makes it worth 2 weeks of utter torture :)

I have been feeling totally normal except for a tad light-headed, which I don't remember from last time. I know I will kick myself for this later, but I am hoping that some symptoms start soon. The constant nausea, while hard to handle, was such a reassurance when I couldn't keep a constant ultrasound eye on what was happening!
According to my calculations I am 4 weeks, 6 days pregnant today and due July 9th. 
:)
:)
:)
:)
:)

Monday, November 2, 2015

Cautiously...Positive

I am no longer PUPO; I am pregnant.
I started testing on 5dp5dt, like I planned to do and saw just the faintest of faint lines. Since then they have gotten darker. I had a scare in the middle when one of the dollar store tests was negative, but it was expired, so I'm thinking maybe that's why? 
I braved the digital test today and got a lovely "pregnant". Wednesday is beta day, so I'm waiting to celebrate until then. Now, I'm just feeling weird. Excited but oh-so-cautious, still waiting for something to go wrong. 
Whoa, negative Nancy. Just guarding my heart, I guess.
Updates Wednesday! And hopefully a little more chipper :)

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

5dp5dt

Wow, you guys. This FET process could not be more different from my last. Last time I was zen. Last time I was calm. Last time I was Circle and Blooming like a champ.

Last Thursday one blastocyst was transfered. That's about the only similarity. 
That night (even with my valium on board) we had our daycare woman and her husband over to watch the football game that The Hubs begrudgingly missed seeing live because of the FET. Entertaining them and my 21 month old was not exactly the relaxing evening I had hoped for. 
The next day our daycare was closed and The Hubs was traveling for work, so I spent the day pumpkin patching with my sweet girl and a friend and her daughter. So much fun, but also not so relaxing. 
Then all hell broke loose. The barfing happened. ALL the barfing. 
Piper started throwing up Friday afternoon and didn't stop until bedtime. The next day I had to help out with the NICU reunion that my hospital hosts every year, so we all trucked into the city and spent a fun day with the throw up a seemingly distant memory. 
That night it hit me bad. All night I was up and out of bed feeling sick as a dog. The next morning Nick woke up with the same thing. To say the day was a living hell is an understatement. I'm pretty sure a toddler-stomach flu combination should be considered legitimate torture. It goes down in history as one of my worst days ever. 
Needless to say, I was not thinking much about the FET, ecxept to think, "this does not seem like a good thing". I hope my body didn't expel EVERYTHING in it, like it felt like it did. Anyway, I completely forgot about my progesterone injection. I had a momentary freak out when I woke up teh next morning, but I'm hoping a late dose wouldn't sabotage the whole cycle. 
Ugh. 

So...that's how it's been, hence the no blogging since the transfer.
And today I will test. Last time around I got my first BFP EVER 5dp5dt, so I'll try for a second one. I will likely keep the results to myself for a few days either way, but I don't know. 
I'm feeling absolutely nothing right now, but had some slight cramping and tightness on day one and  two. I'm feeling pretty neutral right now, I honestly think it could go either way, so only time will tell...

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Happenings and comparisons

We're still gearing up for the FET next Thursday (!!!)
The lining check last Thursday showed a lining of 12.3. Like last time, I'm trying not to ask a lot of questions or google like crazy any of my numbers. At this point, it's going to work or it is not and my normal over-googling to the max sometimes makes me more stressed. According to the Nurse Practitioner, my lining looks good and I am on track for a Thursday transfer. Woah. 

Last night was my first progesterone injection, and for some reason that brought all the memories back like nothing else has so far this cycle. That's where the comparing is starting to happen. Like just yesterday when I got my lining number, I thought, "hmm...wonder what it was last time?" (It was 8.5 according to my blog, by the way.) And then I started reading my symptom spotting log from last time. Ugh. I might not be googling, but I certainly am referencing other sources. 

I can't say that my head is where I want it to be right now. I think part of it is having a toddler running around keeping me too busy to think about it much or do a whole lot of pre-cycle planning. I also feel like I don't have the same "community" I had last time. Not that I don't appreciate you all out there :) but last time I followed several other bloggers who were literally going through the same things that I was at the same time. It's different, and definitely a void I'm feeling this time around.
I'm trying to zen myself out before Thursday. I have Wednesday off to yoga, massage, maybe acupuncture. If that doesn't do it, nothing will ;) Or maybe the pre-FET valium will do the trick! Either way and ready or not, blastocyst from straw 2 is going to make its way into my uterus Thursday at 3pm. 

I ordered the Wondfos because you know I'll be peeing on a whole bunch of things in my two week wait!

Sunday, September 13, 2015

10-22-15

I have a calendar. 
And October 22nd is the projected day for the embryo transfer. 
I'm half freaking out and half not thinking about it at all. I just can't believe I'm here again. Wow. 

On another note, I feel like Pinterest is sending me a message. At least half of my suggested pins are baby boy related. Weird, right? I have not, to my knowledge, pinned anything to make Pinterest think I am interested in anything boy-related. I'm choosing to take it as a good omen for this cycle ;)
I'll be updating as the cycle progresses...

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Back In the Game

The labs have been drawn, the consult is done, the birth control pills are ready for the taking, and tomorrow we head to the good ol' RE's office for a pre-FET saline sonogram. 
We are ready. But...are we ready?
It is such an intensely strange feeling this time around. Last time, I was chomping at the bit and anticipating every step, and I was SO, SO ready. We were dying to have a baby in our grips and could think of nothing else. This time we actually have to think a lot about if we're actually ready for this whole thing again.

We met with our RE in June and decided that we would think about an early September FET. My little lady is just now 18 months and he deemed 18 months as the earliest he would recommend for someone my age to elect to get pregnant through FET. We have a vacation at the end of this month, so as long as the saline sonogram shows a good uterus we will likely start the prep for an FET when we get back. But, gosh...it seems so soon! 

Despite feeling like adding another babe to our mix will be wild and crazy and being just a tad bit frightened about that, I am also getting so nervous that it's not going to work. I just don't feel up for that amount of heartache again. And last time I don't remember worrying so much about miscarriage, but this time around I am worrying about that too. 

Wish me luck tomorrow! It's been so long since my last saline sonogram, I don't remember what to expect. Time to consult my friend Google, perhaps. I never thought I would forget all of the details of IVF that I was such an expert on a couple of years ago!

Friday, May 29, 2015

No Miracles

No miracles happening here, people. 
We've been loosely "trying", actually staying very relaxed with the whole process shockingly! If it was gonna happen, I think it would have happened now because we really aren't thinking about it much. A natural pregnancy is seemingly not in the cards for us, so we're heading back to the RE in the end of June as we decided we would do.

In some ways I feel very calm about the whole situation because I know what to expect and I know from experience that we can have a successful FET. In other ways I am terrified. Mostly I am scared to reopen the emotional floodgates that tag along with fertility treatments, but also I am nervous that it won't work. I mean, duh, right? But I think more so because my only experience is that it does work, so I know that subconsciously I am expecting this one to work too. And the disappointment if it doesn't? Ugh.

Anyway, thought I keep y'all in the loop! 

In other news, my Sweet P is blossoming into such an amazing little toddler. I'm still not quite sure when that happened, but it did. It is wonderful and exhausting and challenging. I am just so glad she's mine.
That lip.

I mean...does it get cuter?

Don't mind the runny nose!

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Aaaaannnnd, it's baaaacccckkkkk!

I was wondering how long this feeling would last. Wondering when I would return to the beginning and have the feelings. You know, those feelings. 
I've been in a perpetual state of bliss for going on two years now. Pregnancy and Piper's babyhood has really felt like heaven on earth and for a while I have felt like a normal human being. One that procreates, gets pregnant, has a baby, and gets to be happy for others. I have been genuinely thrilled to hear that one of my friends is pregnant and I haven't care that it was easy for them. I stopped looking at pregnant passerbys with envy, but instead looked at the belly with a sense of camaraderie. I greeted other newborns and Mamas with joy and sisterhood. Because I was there too, even if I didn't get there in traditional methods.

The creepy creeper called jealousy and that feeling of injustice is back. It's not yet making my life miserable, but it's here nonetheless.
At Thanksgiving two of my married friends with no kids and I were chatting about baby-making. One of them was very forthcoming and said that she and her husband were "trying", but it wasn't working. The other said that they would begin soon, but not quite yet. But she was VERY versed in baby-making lingo and alluded to talking with her OBGYN about conceiving, so I suspected otherwise.
This conversation was my first little preview of what was to come. I remember thinking, "These bitches will be pregnant by New Years. Damn it." Two of my very best friends. I logically do NOT want either of them to have infertility, I really, really don't. I want them to have babies the normal way. But I'm still jealous that I don't get to.

Yes, they're both pregnant now, and I'm actually quite happy about it! I have been able to be genuinely excited, and buy them gifts, and be involved with planning baby showers, and overall be very involved in a way that I never could have been pre-Piper. But I know that is fleeting. I catch myself with pangs of envy at a belly shot and feelings of annoyance when they talk about they're pregnancies incessantly. I LOVED being pregnant, and 6 months ago I would have happily chatted all day about the amazing process. So...why the change? 

I'm thinking a lot about what happens next for us. In an ideal world, I would love 2-3 kids. I would have planned for my children to be 2.5ish years apart. Piper is 13 months now, so I feel like we need to start thinking about next steps soon. Our original plan was no birth control when she was 6 months old. That didn't happen. I was extremely torn, but we decided we were not ready for a miracle spontaneous pregnancy when she was 6 months old. I sometimes wonder if we were stupid to not go for it right away, but my body and mind just didn't feel ready. 
I got my period when she was 11 months old and immediately started tracking my cycle, which has been pretty regular since, and we stopped using condoms. We are not officially trying, but I do consult my calendar often. Truth be told, between business travel for The Hubs and exhaustion, even if we were UBER fertile, I probably wouldn't be pregnant right now! Must fit in more sex...

So, sorry for the ramble. That's where I am. Slightly envious, maybe wanting to be pregnant again soon, not quite trying, not sure where to start. 

We're going to make an appointment with our RE for next month and come up with a plan, but I think we're going to tentatively plan for an FET this Summer and start actively trying to get pregnant next month. I'm scared to move forward because I know what this journey entails.  I am keenly aware that as soon as we start really trying, I will be obsessed. I am not looking forward to living in 2 weeks stints again. I know that once I go to the RE, I will be focused on that FET month and my lab results. I am so scared that things will not work out this time like they did last time. What if we don't get pregnant on the first FET? What if I do get pregnant but it's a chemical pregnancy or I miscarry? There are so many unknowns and so many hurdles. But this time I have a baby who I need to be present for, who I want to be present for.

Oh geez, too much future-thinking for one day. I'm stressing myself out!