Happy Birthday To Me....

Easily the best (early) gift I could ever recieve...

the little peanut is a SHE-nut!

We're having a GIRL and everything looks perfect!

We are absolutely {over the moon} excited to get to be parents to this little miraculous baby girl. My heart is exploding with gratitude that I get to be a mother and I know that CJ is going to be the best daddy EVER!!

*******

To celebrate this good news... we're looking forward to taking her on her first family beach vacation to celebrate mama's big 35!

Adiós for now...

Friday Night Fortune Cookie

{the perfect cap on friday night take-out}

{yep... it's already starting to come true}

{May Highlights}

So far, May has not let me down...

A recap of some of the good stuff:

Our first picnic of the season. We spent all afternoon on Sunday in the park lounging on a blanket, soaking up some much needed vitamin D, eating yummy food and enjoying the company of friends. It was pure bliss.

The Perfect Sunday Afternoon, Indeed!

It's true...you can see for yourself: "OPEN" for business...MY business!

the {beetlejuice} was just as good as I remembered!

I got my first birthday package in the mail from one of my dearest friends and I couldn't be more excited about this soft snuggly body pillow. It's been on my list to buy and I just haven't got around to it. This is why! I love her!

I'm crossing my fingers that it might help sleep to come a little easier the bigger I get!

My surgery was successful and the Doc gave me the OK to resume normal activities and best of all, we got the go-ahead to travel one last time. We certainly didn't wait long to book a trip, just in case he changed his mind. :)

We'll be lounging here and celebrating my 35th birthday next weekend!
Just me, the mister and baby j.

I can't wait!

{the 18 week "belly" shot. There's definately no hiding it and I still have a LONG way to go!}

And last of all, the best news is that baby j is thriving and is tucked away nicely after my surgery. Everything went well and the little peanut handled it like a champ. I have had 2 doctor's appointments these last couple of weeks and although we did get another post-op ultrasound, we weren't lucky enough to get a sneak peek at baby's parts. Between still being the size of a twix bar and the position of the umbilical cord, there was no big reveal. We were, however, equally excited to see a strong beating heart and little wiggly limbs, so we still left sqealing with delight!

Our "big" ultrasound is scheduled for next week and we are praying that loads of good news will be revealed then.

Stay tuned....

i wish i MAY... i wish i might...

I can't believe that it's already May! (of 2010, no less)

Although the weather this week has not been an appropriate respresentation of the classic promise that:

"april showers bring may flowers"

(what the heck with all the snow?!?)

I still couldn't be more excited to welcome in a new month... one of my favorite months of the year, in fact.

***

Here's a quick run-down of a few of the things that have me giddy about this month...

sunshine and warmth (pretty please)

going back to work
(I've decided that I definately don't want to end up on bedrest. Choosing to be lazy and stay in bed is one thing. Being required to is entirely another. 4 days is enough for me, thanks!)

rumor has it the sno-shack will be opening any day.

sour grape please.

i have 2 huge pots begging to be planted and filled with

beautiful flowers to adorn my porch.

the big reveal of what kind of parts the little peanut is sporting!!!
(we're crossing our fingers that we are just days away,
rather than the 3 long weeks until our big anatomy u/s)

my birthday. 35 this year. gasp.

doctors clearance to take a summer vacation
(pretty please with sugar on top)

a much needed pedicure.

(i should've made time for one last week)

the birth of my niece Amy's first baby.

a sweet little baby boy.

mother's day.
i hated mother's day last year.
i cried all day, even though i have the best mom in the world.

completing the {last} of our basement remodeling projects. hooray.

(next comes the looming outdoor projects)

shaking the dust off of our golf clubs and hitting some balls.

(before my belly gets too giant)

just *being present* and enjoying every single minute of it.

life is good, indeed!

xoxo

5 little fingers

Yesterday, I had another doctors appointment getting me ready for Wednesday, the doctor wanted to do a quick scan just to make sure the baby was doing well and ready.

This is one of the first images we saw...

the little peanut in there waving to us as if to say:

"hi mom! I'm here and I'm fine. don't worry, everything is gonna be okay"

I seriously feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

(I must say, I was also slightly relieved to know that we do have atleast 5 fingers. hopefully there's another five fingers and some toes in there somewhere too!)

just stuff...

{a little of what we've been up to...}

can't get enough of these...

did you know that these little furry green things have more

vitamin c than an orange and more fiber than an apple.

really, they do. and they're yummy.

and i'm loving this.... perfectly, deliciously tart.

Reading this. still unsure if i like it.

LOVING, LOVING, LOVING THE SUNSHINE.

mid-seventies and sunshine is about as close to perfect as it gets in my book.

Stressing about...

Girls Camp.

It's times like this that I don't like being in charge.

Feeling a bit like this....

I can't seem to get enough sleep and I'm always tired.

Feverishly keeping my eyes peeled for a perfect deal on one final summer vacation before our two becomes three.

crossing our fingers and praying that dr. m will give us the go-ahead.

We are hard at work on the final push to finish all of our lingering projects from our 2+ year remodeling project.

And by "we", I mean CJ. I haven't done a thing.

He does good work and I really heart him.

We (and this time, by "we" I mean me!) are counting down the days until sno-cone season begins.

Without a doubt, one of the best parts of summer.

And mostly, I've been spending lots of time day-dreaming about

the little peanut.

We're crossing our fingers that we'll know if it's a she-nut or a he-nut in just a short week or two.

one of the "glass half fulls" of being "high-risk"...

extra appointments, extra procedures and extra ultra-sounds.

And lastly, I am anxiously anticipating the upcoming weekend of showers to celebrate the upcoming arrivals of both her and her.

I couldn't be more excited for either of my two Amy's!

{the little peanut and other good news}

Had another doctor's appointment today...

They did another ultrasound to make sure things are ok...

We listened to the lub~dub...

The cute little peanut is growing and has a strong heartbeat...

...AND...

the doc told me not to feel guilty for craving diet coke.

(haven't had it for nearly 3 months... and these last 2 weeks, I've never wanted it more!

Besides... isn't lent over anyways?)

He even told me (much to CJ's dismay) that I could drink diet coke every single day from here on out and everything would be fine.

It's not something worth feeling guilty about.

I probably won't go that far, but I really miss it... especially believing I couldn't have it.

Now, just because I can, I probably won't want it.

On second thought... that's just crazy talk.

I'll definately still want it.

(But don't worry CJ... just in moderation!)

I couldn't be happier about how things went today.

April Fool's Day Joke?

I think Mother Nature went a bit too far this year.

Don't you think?

Thank You---

Thank you so much for all the kind and thoughtful comments, emails, phone calls, flowers, balloons, text messages & cards. I can't begin to tell you how very loved and blessed I feel!

I had so many people calling who were just as shocked as I initially was and I realized that I forgot an important one in my list of "believes"...

Do you believe in beating odds that seem impossible?

It was almost exactly a year ago when we were told by a reproductive endocrinologist that we had less than a 1% chance of ever conceiving on our own. We were also told that based on several factors (including the results from many comprehensive tests to determine my ovarian reserve, as well as my known cervical issues), that we were not good candidates for further fertility treatments unless we considered using an egg donor.

It took nearly another entire rollercoaster year,
but we did it and we did it on our own!

It was a year filled with much heartache and frustration. It was probably one of the hardest years of my life. Although we never doubted that there was a plan for our family... we really struggled to understand what it was.

I could not be more thankful for all that this year has taught us about ourselves, each other, our marriage, our faith and our most sacred desires.

It was a year that consisted of "taking a break", a year that had us attending education classes and beginning the application process for adoption, a year that educated me on alternative medicines (I'm a big fan... you can't argue with success), and a year that ultimately had us scheduling an appointment with yet another specialist for a 2nd opinion (and boy did it feel good to be able to cancel that appointment) but most of all it was a year that reminded me that the Lord has a plan for my life and things that he needs for me to learn along the way. Often, the plan that He has for us and what is really best for us might be very different than the one that we may have already mapped out for ourselves. I have learned this many, many times in my life and I'm thankful for yet another reminder.

I don't know what the future holds for us, but I am confident that there are great things in store for us and that these are lessons that we needed to learn.

Plus... I really like being that >1% statistic!

BELIEVE!

(and thanks again for your love, support and prayers!)

Do YOU believe?

Do you believe in miracles?

Do you believe in answers to prayers?

Do you believe in tender mercies?

Do you believe in un-expected surprises?

Do you believe in a loving Heavenly Father? One who knows us, knows what we need and challenges us to help us grow?

Do you believe in success & joy, even after much failure and heartache?

I DO...

Yes... that's a picture of a baby!

And YES... that baby is growing inside of ME!!!!

(can't you tell by my ear to ear grin?)

THIS IS THE HARDEST SECRET WE'VE EVER HAD TO KEEP!!! It goes without saying that we are overwhelmed and surpised, humbled, in awe, over-the-moon excited and more grateful for this miraculous blessing and opportunity than two people could ever possibly be. SO YES...
The C*K*J's definately believe in all of the above!

(eta: OCTOBER 2010)

It has been a long, difficult and interesting road that has led us to this point. There are several factors (the least of which is my age) that have quickly categorized me as "high-risk", so any positive thoughts and prayers are encouraged and very appreciated!

(I knew that I was gonna like 2010 more than I did 2009. It's gotten off to a pretty good start so far!)