Today the diapers we made and donated in memory of Braelyn are recognized on the Teeny Tears website. Check out the blog post here:
http://teenytears.blogspot.com/2013/01/for-love-of-braelyn.html
Thank you again to Teeny Tears (Megan) for letting us participate in your organization!
Thank you to all of my friends and family who helped with this donation! Love to you all!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
32 Weeks!
My amazing sister made it to 32 weeks in her pregnancy! This is a huge goal that she was fighting for, and I am so proud of her! The babies are continuing to grow and both are healthy. Let's all pray for at least 2 more weeks as that will make the chances of them needing to go to the NICU even smaller. She is still hanging out in the hospital for now, but may have a chance to go home sooner than later. Thanks to everyone who has been lifting the three of them up in prayers!
If you want to check on her progress you can look at her Caring Bridge website:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katebeaumont
Happy Monday, everyone!
If you want to check on her progress you can look at her Caring Bridge website:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katebeaumont
Happy Monday, everyone!
Friday, January 4, 2013
Refections of an Infertile...
I can't help but to think about my family as we enter 2013...
Let me first say, I think 2012 will be a tough year to top. Cole was here and we got to enjoy watching him grow and change so much. It was long overdue year of wonderful things for our family.
...but as we enter a new year I can't help but to wonder what the future holds for our family of 3. Eventually we would love to expand our family to include another child. Making the decision of wanting another child is easy. It's the how can we get there that is the tough decision. Or yes, even the thoughts of will we be happy as a family of 3 if it never does happen?
It seems like a lot of people I know are going through the adoption process lately. I think that it's so incredible that couples do want to adopt children. There is so much financial responsibility in the process. And often times before a couple gets to bring their child home there is a lot of stress and heartache. But there are children out there waiting to be brought "home" to a family that will love and cherish them for the rest of their lives. This might sound terrible for me to say (and please don't judge until you have walked in my shoes), but I don't think adoption is the route for us. There are many reasons why I feel this way but I'm not sure I want to put my feelings about it out for the public eye.
We could do IVF again. Although, I'm not entirely sold on this idea either. You may have read my earlier post where I talked about having to change our health insurance. We no longer have coverage for any infertility related procedures. This means we would have to pay nearly $30,000 for one try! The way that it has worked out for us in the past is that we have never had any embryo's left to freeze to try with later. So the $30k could be for ONE try. I'm not sure that I can justify that cost, especially now that we have Cole's well being to think about. Also, with IVF there is a greater chance of having multiples. Since I already know that I have an incompetent cervix I don't feel like it would be fair to put ourselves in the position of having more than one baby at at time. My sister is having twins and watching her struggle through her pregnancy the way I struggled through both of mine makes me very nervous to even consider the possibility of twins.
I sometimes wonder if now that we have one child if things will work out naturally to have another. Wouldn't that be hilarious to one day just realize I'm pregnant after spending thousands of dollars to get Cole here? As funny as it would be, I would welcome the surprise. I truly hope that this is what happens to us, but I don't waste a lot of time daydreaming about this being the case.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that we do want another baby some day. How we are going to get there I haven't a clue. Even though we have one child, it seems like if you suffer from infertility, it always comes back to rear it's ugly head and slap you in the face from time to time. It's hard to know that you don't have control over the future you want. I completely acknowledge that God never gives you more than you can handle, and he is in utter control of our lives. Maybe it's in his plan to bless us with another child. Maybe it's not. The hard part is not knowing-- and trusting that He does know what he is doing. I may never get to go through another baby phase, nurse another child, rock another baby to sleep, or plan another 1st birthday party. And if that's the case, then I will be happy knowing that I am not letting one second slip by me that I don't appreciate and love Cole! I will do everything in my power to raise him right and give him what he needs. There may not be a second time around to get it right, so I have to really work hard this time!
I'm not writing all of this so you have a pity party for me. I'm a tough girl-- I think I've proven that! I don't need anyone's sympathy. I just wanted to document some thoughts that I had been having. I felt like I owed it to myself to put it down on "paper", so someday in the future I will be able to look back and see how far I have come.
Lately I really feel called to do something bigger with my life. To help others. I don't know necessarily what that looks like right now, but maybe posting about how I feel about infertility will help someone who is going through a similar situation. Or maybe it will remind someone to really cherish the children they have because it doesn't come easy to everyone.
I hope 2013 is a year full of good surprises and blessings for everyone!
Let me first say, I think 2012 will be a tough year to top. Cole was here and we got to enjoy watching him grow and change so much. It was long overdue year of wonderful things for our family.
...but as we enter a new year I can't help but to wonder what the future holds for our family of 3. Eventually we would love to expand our family to include another child. Making the decision of wanting another child is easy. It's the how can we get there that is the tough decision. Or yes, even the thoughts of will we be happy as a family of 3 if it never does happen?
It seems like a lot of people I know are going through the adoption process lately. I think that it's so incredible that couples do want to adopt children. There is so much financial responsibility in the process. And often times before a couple gets to bring their child home there is a lot of stress and heartache. But there are children out there waiting to be brought "home" to a family that will love and cherish them for the rest of their lives. This might sound terrible for me to say (and please don't judge until you have walked in my shoes), but I don't think adoption is the route for us. There are many reasons why I feel this way but I'm not sure I want to put my feelings about it out for the public eye.
We could do IVF again. Although, I'm not entirely sold on this idea either. You may have read my earlier post where I talked about having to change our health insurance. We no longer have coverage for any infertility related procedures. This means we would have to pay nearly $30,000 for one try! The way that it has worked out for us in the past is that we have never had any embryo's left to freeze to try with later. So the $30k could be for ONE try. I'm not sure that I can justify that cost, especially now that we have Cole's well being to think about. Also, with IVF there is a greater chance of having multiples. Since I already know that I have an incompetent cervix I don't feel like it would be fair to put ourselves in the position of having more than one baby at at time. My sister is having twins and watching her struggle through her pregnancy the way I struggled through both of mine makes me very nervous to even consider the possibility of twins.
I sometimes wonder if now that we have one child if things will work out naturally to have another. Wouldn't that be hilarious to one day just realize I'm pregnant after spending thousands of dollars to get Cole here? As funny as it would be, I would welcome the surprise. I truly hope that this is what happens to us, but I don't waste a lot of time daydreaming about this being the case.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that we do want another baby some day. How we are going to get there I haven't a clue. Even though we have one child, it seems like if you suffer from infertility, it always comes back to rear it's ugly head and slap you in the face from time to time. It's hard to know that you don't have control over the future you want. I completely acknowledge that God never gives you more than you can handle, and he is in utter control of our lives. Maybe it's in his plan to bless us with another child. Maybe it's not. The hard part is not knowing-- and trusting that He does know what he is doing. I may never get to go through another baby phase, nurse another child, rock another baby to sleep, or plan another 1st birthday party. And if that's the case, then I will be happy knowing that I am not letting one second slip by me that I don't appreciate and love Cole! I will do everything in my power to raise him right and give him what he needs. There may not be a second time around to get it right, so I have to really work hard this time!
I'm not writing all of this so you have a pity party for me. I'm a tough girl-- I think I've proven that! I don't need anyone's sympathy. I just wanted to document some thoughts that I had been having. I felt like I owed it to myself to put it down on "paper", so someday in the future I will be able to look back and see how far I have come.
Lately I really feel called to do something bigger with my life. To help others. I don't know necessarily what that looks like right now, but maybe posting about how I feel about infertility will help someone who is going through a similar situation. Or maybe it will remind someone to really cherish the children they have because it doesn't come easy to everyone.
I hope 2013 is a year full of good surprises and blessings for everyone!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Christmas 2012
This year was Cole's 2nd Christmas. He got into opening the presents a little bit, but mostly just liked to climb on top of all of the boxes. We had fun with Cole this year, but I already can't wait until the time he understands more about Santa and the magic of Christmas. I have so many fun traditions planned out in my head. We spent Christmas morning at home, just the three of us. Then in the afternoon we went to my parents house to watch Cole open their presents and to eat lunch. My mom is a great cook, and we were stuffed after we ate. We all went up to the hospital to visit my sister and Kyle in the early evening. We wanted to make sure they got to celebrate Christmas with the family too! It was weird not having them at my mom and dad's, but we know Kate is where she needs to be to keep the babies safe! Actually, we had a great time at the hospital. They bent the rules a bit and allowed Cole to come in too! We were probably loud, and I hope the person in the room next to my sister's wasn't too mad. Cole did great being contained in the room too. We did our stocking exchange and Cole opened MORE presents. Even though our Christmas was not "normal", it was as good as it could have been. Really to me, I just want to spend time with family. It didn't matter to me where we were.
I'm already looking forward to Christmas next year. There will be 3 little ones and Luke and Margo are moving home too! It'll be awesome to have the WHOLE family together.
 |
| Ritz and Cole wanted to switch stockings the entire time they were opening them. |
 |
| Tree in our nice finished basement this year :) |
 |
| What is this stuff? |
 |
| I think I'd rather climb on top |
 |
| Ok, if you insist...I will open it |
 |
| Just chillin on the box |
 |
| Playing in the tent at Grandma and Grandpa's house |
 |
| A new sled...no snow, so for now we sled in the house! |
 |
| Grandpa made the mistake of getting the iPad out in front of Cole. |
 |
| Aunt Kate & Uncle Kyle (and Grandma snuck in there too) |
 |
| Twins Christmas gifts |
 |
| More stuff for the twins :) |
 |
| Apparently this is how you keep a 1 year old entertained in a hospital room. Trust me, it's whatever works! |
 |
| Love Love Love My Family! |
Cole's 1st Birthday
We went all out for Cole's 1st Birthday bash. The theme was Winter ONEderland. We decorated with penguins, snowflakes, and candy canes. Everything turned out perfect! I wanted to share some pictures of the party. One thing is for sure, Cole is a very loved (and spoiled) little dude!
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Trip to Peoria: Kidney's & Diapers
Yesterday Matt and I traveled to Peoria with Cole for another appointment at The Children's Hospital of IL to check his kidneys. We were lucky last time we went and didn't have to go back for 6 months...man the last 6 months sure flew by! I really was not looking forward to this appointment at all because Cole had to have a VCUG procedure done. It's not a painful procedure, but it entails a catheter and a screaming baby. We had to hold him down on the table so they could get x-rays. All in all, it was about a 15 minute procedure, but it seemed like a lifetime. I was so glad when it was over and I could hold my baby again. They are so great with children at this hospital. They let us wear lead gowns so we could stand by him while he was being x-rayed and they were so nice to Cole. I am glad the people who were doing the test work with children often...we were in good hands!
Even though I didn't want to do this VCUG again, I am glad we did. The x-rays showed that he does not have any reflux in his kidneys anymore. He really did outgrow the reflux like his doctor thought he would. We are so grateful! He does have to go back in 6 months again, but this time just for an ultrasound. If that looks good then we hope we only have to go back once a year at this point until he is potty trained.
After Cole's appointments, we went to the NICU to deliver the Teeny Tears diapers. Everyone who donated towards the cause should feel so proud...we delivered 500 diapers to the NICU in Peoria. That's 250 sets...or 250 families we will help. It felt awesome to hand these over to the people they are meant for. I would never wish for anyone to need these diapers, but the reality is that people do. I am happy that we can try to help someone who is on the journey of losing a child. I saved out 22 sets to take to Bromenn on January 9. That's right folks, in total we made/donated 545 diapers!!!!! Can you believe that? That's beyond my wildest expectations when I started this project. Thank you all again so much for your love, support, and donations to make this possible. Love you all!
I have some pictures of all of the diapers...but my storage on my blog for photos is at it's max. Once I figure out how to fix that, I'll post some pictures.
Even though I didn't want to do this VCUG again, I am glad we did. The x-rays showed that he does not have any reflux in his kidneys anymore. He really did outgrow the reflux like his doctor thought he would. We are so grateful! He does have to go back in 6 months again, but this time just for an ultrasound. If that looks good then we hope we only have to go back once a year at this point until he is potty trained.
After Cole's appointments, we went to the NICU to deliver the Teeny Tears diapers. Everyone who donated towards the cause should feel so proud...we delivered 500 diapers to the NICU in Peoria. That's 250 sets...or 250 families we will help. It felt awesome to hand these over to the people they are meant for. I would never wish for anyone to need these diapers, but the reality is that people do. I am happy that we can try to help someone who is on the journey of losing a child. I saved out 22 sets to take to Bromenn on January 9. That's right folks, in total we made/donated 545 diapers!!!!! Can you believe that? That's beyond my wildest expectations when I started this project. Thank you all again so much for your love, support, and donations to make this possible. Love you all!
I have some pictures of all of the diapers...but my storage on my blog for photos is at it's max. Once I figure out how to fix that, I'll post some pictures.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Thoughts...
I was thinking today about how Cole's birthday is right around the corner. It's so crazy to think that it's been one year already since I first saw my beautiful baby's face. I have grown to love him so much more than I ever thought I could. His personality is showing through in new ways each day. He is so fun to be around and his giggles just melt my heart. He is a very strong willed child already, and I know I'll have my work cut out for me, but I'm so ready to experience all that the next several years bring.
It's bittersweet thinking that this could be the only 1st Birthday that I celebrate for a child of mine. And because of that, we are going all out for Cole's party! Some people may think Cole is a spoiled little guy, but I think he is just well loved :o) I am trying to live every moment with Cole to the fullest. It's funny to me that I don't want each stage to end, but at the same time I absolutely can't wait for the next stage. I have so many fun ideas to make his childhood memorable.
We found out a few months ago that our health insurance is changing at work for 2013. Our new health insurance won't have any coverage for infertility. We have been so blessed to have coverage for 3 IVF's and several other infertility type expenses over the last few years. However, it doesn't make it any easier to digest that we won't have any more help paying for these expensive procedures in the future if we want another child.
My thoughts go back and forth about having another baby. I would love for Cole to have a sibling, because some of my greatest memories involve my siblings, and to this day my sister is my best friend. But getting pregnant is so complicated...and then carrying a baby to full term is so nerve wracking. I just don't know if I want to go through all of that again. Plus if we only have Cole we know for sure we can provide anything he ever needs. It really stinks to have to think about these sorts of things. If we do IVF again, it would cost close to $30,000 out of pocket and there is no guarantee that it would work.
It's probably good I don't have to decide about any of this today... But sooner than later we will have to face some tough decisions. I don't know what my family will look like in the future, but I do know we have one incredible little boy that we are going to continue to love. I'm so thankful for all the moments this year held for us with Cole.
I can't wait to share some posts about his birthday party and his birthday in the next few weeks. Then right after that we have Christmas to celebrate, and this year it'll be so fun to watch Cole and to start new family traditions.
It's bittersweet thinking that this could be the only 1st Birthday that I celebrate for a child of mine. And because of that, we are going all out for Cole's party! Some people may think Cole is a spoiled little guy, but I think he is just well loved :o) I am trying to live every moment with Cole to the fullest. It's funny to me that I don't want each stage to end, but at the same time I absolutely can't wait for the next stage. I have so many fun ideas to make his childhood memorable.
We found out a few months ago that our health insurance is changing at work for 2013. Our new health insurance won't have any coverage for infertility. We have been so blessed to have coverage for 3 IVF's and several other infertility type expenses over the last few years. However, it doesn't make it any easier to digest that we won't have any more help paying for these expensive procedures in the future if we want another child.
My thoughts go back and forth about having another baby. I would love for Cole to have a sibling, because some of my greatest memories involve my siblings, and to this day my sister is my best friend. But getting pregnant is so complicated...and then carrying a baby to full term is so nerve wracking. I just don't know if I want to go through all of that again. Plus if we only have Cole we know for sure we can provide anything he ever needs. It really stinks to have to think about these sorts of things. If we do IVF again, it would cost close to $30,000 out of pocket and there is no guarantee that it would work.
It's probably good I don't have to decide about any of this today... But sooner than later we will have to face some tough decisions. I don't know what my family will look like in the future, but I do know we have one incredible little boy that we are going to continue to love. I'm so thankful for all the moments this year held for us with Cole.
I can't wait to share some posts about his birthday party and his birthday in the next few weeks. Then right after that we have Christmas to celebrate, and this year it'll be so fun to watch Cole and to start new family traditions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)