Lauren!

This little one needs no introduction!

Our phone conversation with Lauren are usually our favorite time of the day. Everything out of this girls mouth makes our day! Our conversations (mostly on speaker phone so we can both talk) usually go like this:

Auntie Jen & Uncle: Lauren we're going to tickle you!
Lauren: hahahahahaha!!!!
Lauren: I'm going to tickle you!
Auntie Jen and Uncle: hahahahahahaha!!!
Lauren: Are you coming to my birthday party?
Uncle & Auntie Jen: Sorry we can't make it this year Lauren, we live too far away in New York.
Lauren: You're in York :(
Uncle & Auntie Jen: Yep Lauren...we're in York :(

Each and every time we talk to her she is more clear than the last and impresses us so much with how much she knows. However...just recently there was a huge jump in our conversation that made me take a step back. It went like this:

Lauren: Auntie Jen, tell Uncle he is a silly goose!
Auntie Jen: Uncle! Lauren says you are a silly goose!
Lauren: hahahahahaha!!!
Auntie Jen: Lauren...if you call Uncle a silly goose one more time I am going to tickle you!
Lauren: No you're not. You can't reach your hands through the phone.
Auntie Jen: Yes I can!
Lauren: No you can't. You are too far away in New York!

I was SO sad! Not only did she say New York for the first time ever instead of just York...she knew that I couldn't really tickle her. That there was no way for me to reach my hands through the phone. I literally felt like crying. And then this happened...

Lauren: Auntie Jen guess what I did today!
Auntie Jen: What's that Lauren!?!
Lauren: I got my FIRST haircut!!!
Auntie Jen: YOU DID!!!! Uncle, Lauren got her first haircut!!!
Lauren: And guess what Auntie Jen!
Auntie Jen: What's that!
Lauren: IT DIDN'T EVEN HURT!!!!

Ahhh....I instantly felt much better about things! She may be getting older...but she is still learning and experiencing new things each and every day. And to see her outlook on them...afraid that a hair cut was going to hurt...is my favorite part about her!

Someone would like to say hi!!!

13 weeks 5 days

On May 16, 2008 we had a very special someone waving to us when we went for our Dr. visit! Here is a little secret...they took their first shot at telling us boy or girl!!! At first I didn't want to know until they were 100% sure...but once we got in the room and the Dr. said she was able to see whether it was a vertical line or a horizontal line (even though it was still early and when things develop more there is a chance she could be wrong)...well you know me...I just couldn't wait!!! They said they will most likely be able to tell us at our next appointment if she was 100% right...and that is when we will tell all of you!!! THAT IS SO MEAN!!!! I am sorry!!! But I had to document that we were told on this visit :)

A Very Big Thanks!!!

I've always felt Paul and I have been blessed with the best families and friends anyone could ask for...and over the past two years...I've proven to be right! I never really wanted to post about what Paul and I have been through emotionally and physically over the past two years with me having ITP, but with all the love and support we have received, well it just wouldn't be fair not to mention and acknowledge how amazing everyone in our lives have been during this time!

As many of you know when we found out that I had ITP our Dr. recommended that we put the idea of having children aside until my body was able to get better. There were many days that this was very difficult to deal with...but I am a very firm believer that everything happens for a reason and that our time to start a family was going to happen when it was supposed to.

But what most of you didn't know was the Valentines day before last I got a call from my Mom telling me I NEEDED to call her back at 4 oclock. I left work early that day (went home sick!...shhhhh) but really I was going home to cook all of Paul's favorite foods to surprise him with a Valentines Day dinner to thank him for being there for me every step of the way with ITP. Not missing a single Dr. appointment. Holding my hand when I was scared. Sneaking back into my hospital room when nurses told him he wasn't allow to spend the night. Asking Dr.s a million and a half questions. And telling me everything was going to be OK when I got scared that it wasn't (sorry! I couldn't go without mentioning 5 of the millions of things he did for me!) So when I got done grocery shopping I anxiously ran to sit in my car where it would be quiet to call my mom. As I am sitting in the parking lot...my mom picks up the phone and sounds quite different than normal. I got a little nervous as to what she was going to say and then she proceeds with "I went to the Dr. today and asked them if I would qualify for being a Surrogate mother for Paul and you. They said they would be willing to listen to my case so I need you to really consider this with Paul if it's something you want me to do" For the first time in my life (as you can tell from how long this post is) I was speechless. It wasn't even something she had ever mentioned to me before. I don't really remember how I got home that day. All I was thinking was....my Mom is willing to put herself at risk (cuz a lot goes a long with being pregnant) for Paul and I to start a family. Needless to say the entire time I was cooking Paul dinner I was crying hysterically. And when Paul got home I had a much bigger surprise waiting for him than dinner! Obviously we decided against this idea. As much as Paul and I would have done anything to start a family, possibly putting my Mom in harms way was not one of them. However, knowing she would have done that for us....well...still to this day there are just no words to describe that feeling. It just showed me a parents love for their child is endless.

As did the phone calls I'd get from my Dad every Wednesday if I went too long after my Dr. appointments without calling him at work to let him know what my numbers were that day. He rode the entire roller coaster with us...and still does! As did my sister and brother who would constantly call to see how things were. My sister having gone through a similar thing, and my brother having a friend who also had ITP, would always reassure me that it would all work itself out!

What you also might not have known was that every night Paul's parents would toast to my numbers! It didn't matter whether I was there or not...they were toasting! The times that I was there we would go out to dinner and just as I was about to dig in...I would realize they had their glasses raised waiting for all to make a toasts.

And Keri getting me a crocheted mouse making light of the situation that I was taking medicine that was half rodent! We would always joke that I was going to one day grow a tail! And Paul's Auntie for always calling and asking what drug I was given and then spending the next 30 minutes looking it up online to make sure she knew all about it!

Or that our dear friends Kathy and Karyn participated in a Triathlon raising money for ITP. That's right...not only did they swim...but they biked and ran!!! None of which I could ever do, but they did!, and they did an awesome job crossing the finish line!!! They told me they ran "for Jen to one day have babies!" Thank you ladies!!! And thanks to the many that supported them in their run!!!

And our great friend (and secondly...boss) Matt! Always allowed me to slip out and run to a Dr. appointment without asking any questions. And would always have a look of concern on his face when I'd return...wanting to ask how it went...but not wanting to mention it if things weren't going so well.

And my dear friend Andrea once came with me when I had a treatment. She took out her laptop and showed me pictures and played a card game with me to take my mind off of things and completely understood when I started to fall asleep on her thanks to the Benadryl!

I also receive a special drawing every Tuesday from our great friend Nick Bruno! They are good luck drawings for my Wednesday Dr. appointments! So far...they have helped each and every time!!! These are just a few of my favorites!

And my girlfriends Ally, Nikki, and Jess always made me dessert if we had a get together that had NO SUGAR in them (when I cut out sugar to try and help with ITP) just so I could have something to eat and didn't feel left out! And Nikki would always send me links to sugar alternatives so I would have something to cook with!

This is not even mentioning the constant support from ALL of our friends. I hold a special place for each and every one of you! I thank you for always being supportive! And for telling me I looked really good even though my face/body had doubled in size! And most importantly, for your prayers!

Having gone through all of this with everyone made us that much more excited to let everyone know that I was pregnant!!! That I had made enough progress over the past two years that we got the go ahead from my Dr!!!! Thank you everyone for being as equally excited to hear our news as we were to share it!!! We received so many hugs! So many congrats! Tears! Cards! Smiles! Gifts! Way too many to mention! So thank you for sharing in our excitement!

There were two gifts that we received that won't last forever, unfortunately. So how do you fix that problem! Take pictures! hahahaha!!! And that is just what I did! We received beautiful flowers from our great friends Bryan and Jane! Here are a few of the pictures I took. I love walking over to it every morning to see if a new bud has bloomed. It started out with four...and now there is only one left that needs to bloom!!!

We also received beautiful flowers from our great friends Parke and Matt!!! The name of the flower is slipping my mind right now...but I fell in love with the shape of them!!!

Bottom line...we'd like to say THANK YOU to EVERYONE for EVERYTHING!!!!!

Happy Mothers Day, Mom!!!

Now that I am soon going to be a first time Mommy I often find myself asking a lot of questions. Am I going to be able to be there for them like they need me to be? Have the right advice for them? Protect them? Guide them? I know I am going to try my hardest but will it be enough.

At times it can be a little scary. But then I think...it is now my turn to teach everything I've been taught. Once I think that...I know I am going to be just fine. I owe everything I've become to my parents. They have provided me with everything I am going to need. They were always there for us. Provided for us. Disciplined us. Taught us. Guided us. Put their wants aside for ours. They were our friends when we needed them to be...and our parents when they needed to be.

I already see all of this taking place in the way my sister is doing such a wonderful job raising her little girl. (who is also my favorite little girl in the world!) We had the best teachers anyone could ask for...and I hope I can pass that along as well as my sister is doing.

I know this supposed to be a Mothers Day post...but I always find it hard to single out my Mom on Mothers Day and my Dad on Fathers Day. So I'd like to make this post about the both of them...but wish my Mom a very Happy Mothers Day!!! And to say a special thanks for preparing me for what's to come!!!

1st Trimester

6 weeks 0 days
(Our baby's nickname at this point...spec!)

On March 26, 2008 Paul and I were able to see our baby for the first time!!! As we were waiting for the Dr. to come in, the nurse warned us that we were there pretty early for a first time appointment and that we shouldn't be worried if we weren't able to see anything. Depending on the anatomy of your body some woman will only see "thickening" at this point. It had been two weeks since the at home tests said that we were expecting...I couldn't believe there was a chance we were going to have to wait longer to see our baby for the first time. Once the nurse left I turned to Paul and said "I will be so sad if we only get to see "thickening" and not our baby". As always Paul calmed me down. He told me not to worry because that only happens to some and even if it did happen to us as long as she said everything looked OK what is another two weeks. He was completely right and I realized I really had nothing to be upset about. Soon after the Dr. came in and hooked everything up. Within seconds she started to point out our baby to us! Not thickening...but our baby!!! In the picture above you will see a circle like object. That's just the yolk sac that the baby feeds off of for the first few weeks before it feeds off of you. Our baby is to the right of that and it's just a few pixels big. Those were the cutest few pixels we have ever laid eyes on! Then suddenly as the Dr. made a slight movement with her hand those pixels started to flicker and she told us that was the heartbeat!!! The heartbeat!!! Just like we were on that day...I still find myself speechless trying to describe that moment. We walked out of there with one overwhelming emotion...thankful.


7 weeks 6 days
(Our baby's nickname at this point...nugget!)

On May 09, 2008 Paul and I went back for our second visit! Figuring we could barley make out our baby the first time...we were all set to squint our eyes and try our hardest not to blink. Like the first visit, we didn't want to miss a thing!!! Then suddenly this image appears! We couldn't believe our eyes!!! It had only been two weeks from our first visit and our baby had grown SO much!!! Not only that but we saw movement!!! The baby uncurled it's bottom half and then curled right back up again!!! Paul had been asking the Dr. a question so he missed it the first time...so the Dr. was kind enough to wait there long enough for the baby to do it again. This time with Paul not blinking an eye... moments later he or she was uncurling itself again and went straight back to being curled up again!!! It was amazing!!!! Almost 8 weeks in and everything is looking great!!!


9 weeks 5 days
(our baby's nickname at this point...teddy bear/pumpkin head!)

For our 9 week appointment we were referred to a high risk Dr. My last Dr. only saw woman up to 12 weeks so I was going to have to be referred sooner or later...but due to my ITP my Dr. felt most comfortable passing me off slightly before I would have usually been. Our first meeting with her was perfect. (We had been to her before for a consultation when we were considering trying so we already knew we really liked her) Once again we were surprised to see how much progress was made in just two weeks! He or She was starting to take the shape of a baby! This visit it didn't matter if you turned you head for a second...he or she was moving the entire time!!! His or Her little arms and legs were moving around like crazy!!! It was amazing to see how much movement takes place without me feeling any of it!!! It's almost 10 weeks and so far my IPT has acted the same as it was before I got pregnant...which was a big worry of mine so it feels really good to know everything is going better than I could have asked for!!!


11 weeks 5 days
(our baby's nickname at this point...our thumb sucker!)



We have Arms, Legs, Fingers, Toes!!! Yeah! During this appointment they said the baby was in a good place to check the back of his or her neck for the thickness of fluid (? I believe fluid) It's to get a better understanding if the baby will have Down Syndrome or not. They said the lining they were looking at was very thin which was a really good sign. They also drew blood as a second way of looking into it. We haven't heard the results from those tests yet but they told us that they are pretty certain with my age and the thin-ness of the back of the baby's neck that those results will most likely be OK. We are so thankful that everything is looking right on track so far! It's crazy to think that my 1st trimester is coming to an end and I am about to enter into my 2nd!!! Things I would change about my 1st trimester....absolutely nothing.

We'd like to introduce you to.......

Our long awaited miracle!