We finally unloaded our camera, so here are some random pictures!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Baby Ciardi Update
We went to the doctor again today and everything looked terrific. We heard the heartbeat again and the doctor said it sounded perfect. And apparently I've gained some pounds! :-) It looks like we're out of the scariest time now...yeah!!!!
I'll add some pictures (like our ultrasound pic) when I can get to a place to scan it in....stay tuned!
I'll add some pictures (like our ultrasound pic) when I can get to a place to scan it in....stay tuned!
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Good news!
Yesterday, I had blood drawn to check my hormone levels....if they
turned out to be low, they would put me on hormone supplements to boost
the number. I got a call from the nurse this morning and she said my
numbers looked great! My HcG level was 383 (average level at this point
in pregnancy is about 200, but can be as high as 426). These levels
should double about every 48-72 hours. My progesterone level was 27
(average level is about 20). So things are going well...I have a
sonogram scheduled in 3 weeks on March 2 so we'll know more at that
point.
turned out to be low, they would put me on hormone supplements to boost
the number. I got a call from the nurse this morning and she said my
numbers looked great! My HcG level was 383 (average level at this point
in pregnancy is about 200, but can be as high as 426). These levels
should double about every 48-72 hours. My progesterone level was 27
(average level is about 20). So things are going well...I have a
sonogram scheduled in 3 weeks on March 2 so we'll know more at that
point.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Let's try this again!
Well, I'm pregnant again! We'll see if this one sticks.... I actually had an appointment with a fertility specialist for next week (I actually got pregnant on what they said would be my last dose of a certain fertility drug). I guess I'll have to cancel that appointment! I go to the my OB on Monday. He's going to to monitor me closely this time to make sure everything is okay early on. I'm excited but at the same time, scared that we will have to go through the heartbreak that we went through last September.If you don't mind, please pray for this baby to stick and for a long, full pregnancy.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
A Solisitation for Prayers...
Well, after reading my sister's blog on her and Ty's road to adoption, I thought, "Why can't I do the same thing only with my situation?" I would like to share my story (and Chris') so that others may be encouraged to pray for us as we also try to build a family. So here we go....I'll start from the very beginning:
Chris and I got married May 2005 and decided to start trying to have a baby right away. We "officially" started trying in July of 2005. After 9 months of no luck, my doctor decided to put me on Clomid, a fertility drug. Nothing worked with the first 3 months of 50 mg of Clomid. In July 2006 (12 months of trying to get pregnant), my doctor decided to double my dosage...I was put on 100 mg of Clomid. That seemed to do the trick. I found out I was pregnant on August 16 (I was 4 1/2 weeks pregnant). When I looked at the test, I couldn't believe it. After so many months of negative tests, finally a positive! I just started crying!
I knew that things could go wrong and that a lot of people wait until they are out of the 1st trimester to tell people, but I couldn't keep it in. I wanted EVERY ONE to know our wonderful news. When I went in for my first prenatal appointment at 7 weeks, the doctor discovered during the ultrasound that I had an enlarged yolk sac. The yolk sac is supposed to be fairly small (it's located within the gestational sac...where the baby grows) but my yolk sac took up about 3/4's of the gestational sac, leaving no room for the baby to grow. He said I would most likely miscarry. If I hadn't miscarried on my own in 2 weeks, he would do another ultrasound and possibly schedule a D & C surgery. I began to miscarry on my own the weekend before that appointment. The whole experience was incredibly painful, both physically and emotionally. The weeks and months following turned out to be as, if not more, emotionally painful. Through suggestions of others, I have found a wonderful support group through the Bent Tree Bible Fellowship Church. It is a support group meant for women who have or are experiencing infertility and pregnancy loss.
So what now? My doctor gave me the go-ahead to start trying again last month. He started me with the 100 mg of Clomid and I actually had to take off a week of school to travel to New York so that I would actually be in the same state as my husband. It didn't work. So I am trying the 100 mg of Clomid again this month and we'll see what happens. If we are unsuccessful again this month, I have made an appointment with a fertility specialist to run tests and see where we need to go from here on. My insurance does not cover ANYTHING so we are paying for all of this out of pocket. We have been approved for a financing program through the fertility clinic so hopefully, that will help make it bearable.
Please pray for Chris and I as we continue this journey. I think about the baby I lost everyday (some days with tears, some days without). I am both excited about what the future may hold, but extremely fearful at the same time. I know that it may take us many more months to conceive again and then once that happens, we may loose another. But I will continue to have faith that God will provide, no matter what that may be.
Chris and I got married May 2005 and decided to start trying to have a baby right away. We "officially" started trying in July of 2005. After 9 months of no luck, my doctor decided to put me on Clomid, a fertility drug. Nothing worked with the first 3 months of 50 mg of Clomid. In July 2006 (12 months of trying to get pregnant), my doctor decided to double my dosage...I was put on 100 mg of Clomid. That seemed to do the trick. I found out I was pregnant on August 16 (I was 4 1/2 weeks pregnant). When I looked at the test, I couldn't believe it. After so many months of negative tests, finally a positive! I just started crying!
I knew that things could go wrong and that a lot of people wait until they are out of the 1st trimester to tell people, but I couldn't keep it in. I wanted EVERY ONE to know our wonderful news. When I went in for my first prenatal appointment at 7 weeks, the doctor discovered during the ultrasound that I had an enlarged yolk sac. The yolk sac is supposed to be fairly small (it's located within the gestational sac...where the baby grows) but my yolk sac took up about 3/4's of the gestational sac, leaving no room for the baby to grow. He said I would most likely miscarry. If I hadn't miscarried on my own in 2 weeks, he would do another ultrasound and possibly schedule a D & C surgery. I began to miscarry on my own the weekend before that appointment. The whole experience was incredibly painful, both physically and emotionally. The weeks and months following turned out to be as, if not more, emotionally painful. Through suggestions of others, I have found a wonderful support group through the Bent Tree Bible Fellowship Church. It is a support group meant for women who have or are experiencing infertility and pregnancy loss.
So what now? My doctor gave me the go-ahead to start trying again last month. He started me with the 100 mg of Clomid and I actually had to take off a week of school to travel to New York so that I would actually be in the same state as my husband. It didn't work. So I am trying the 100 mg of Clomid again this month and we'll see what happens. If we are unsuccessful again this month, I have made an appointment with a fertility specialist to run tests and see where we need to go from here on. My insurance does not cover ANYTHING so we are paying for all of this out of pocket. We have been approved for a financing program through the fertility clinic so hopefully, that will help make it bearable.
Please pray for Chris and I as we continue this journey. I think about the baby I lost everyday (some days with tears, some days without). I am both excited about what the future may hold, but extremely fearful at the same time. I know that it may take us many more months to conceive again and then once that happens, we may loose another. But I will continue to have faith that God will provide, no matter what that may be.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
New Update!
Well, no New York! (well, at least for now). We decided to spend atleast one more year in Texas. I got a teaching job in Plano and Chris is still in Abilene until his enlistement is up (somewhere around the end of October). We visit each other on the weekends...kinda sucks...but it's better than not seeing each other for longer.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Update
So....here's an update on what's been going on with Chris and I:
I am in New York right now (for a month...until June 24th) as a long-term sub for a middle school general music/choir teacher. They finish school MUCH later than us Texans! It's been pretty good so far. I'm staying with my in-laws and driving about 30 minutes to the school where I'm at. One thing I've realized is that I think I'm meant to teach elementary music. Middle School music is okay....but I don't have as much fun as I do with the little ones. While I'm here, I'm looking for a job for the 06-07 school year. I do have an interview at an elementary next Thursday so wish me luck! During the interview, I have to do a "demo" lesson with a 4th grade class so that should be fun! I'm also taking another online graduate class while I'm here....Foundations of Music Education...fun, fun!
Chris is still back in Abilene. He's working away on those little jets :) and also taking an online class through ACU....an English Literature class. We were not together on our first anniversary so we were a little sad about that.
Well, that's all for now! I'm off!
I am in New York right now (for a month...until June 24th) as a long-term sub for a middle school general music/choir teacher. They finish school MUCH later than us Texans! It's been pretty good so far. I'm staying with my in-laws and driving about 30 minutes to the school where I'm at. One thing I've realized is that I think I'm meant to teach elementary music. Middle School music is okay....but I don't have as much fun as I do with the little ones. While I'm here, I'm looking for a job for the 06-07 school year. I do have an interview at an elementary next Thursday so wish me luck! During the interview, I have to do a "demo" lesson with a 4th grade class so that should be fun! I'm also taking another online graduate class while I'm here....Foundations of Music Education...fun, fun!
Chris is still back in Abilene. He's working away on those little jets :) and also taking an online class through ACU....an English Literature class. We were not together on our first anniversary so we were a little sad about that.
Well, that's all for now! I'm off!
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Our little Kitties- Duncan and Sophie
These are some pictures from a day when we decided to play dress up. Duncan is the orange and white cat and Sophie is the gray cat. As you can tell by the looks on their faces, they had a great time!
Friday, April 07, 2006
April 7, 2006
Well, nothing exciting here.....We are just up to our usual routine: Chris- work and school and Minda- work and school. Chris is in an English online class and is also taking a History class. I am taking a Psychology of Music graduate class and also auditing a Kodaly Level II class so I'll be ready for Level 3 this summer. We did have both of our kitties declawed so that was pretty traumatic. I even took Sophie to the Emergency Vet Clinic in the middle of the night b/c I overreacted and thought she was bleeding and crying too much. Apparently, she was fine.
We did take a trip to visit Chris' family in upstate New York during Spring Break. It was a lot of fun. We got together with basically ALL of his family (lots of fun). We got to take a "VIP Tour" of a winery...so that was really neat. We also had lunch one day at this country club with a beautiful view of a lake. (See picture) I did have one job interview which I felt went pretty well. The next week, the assistant superintendent I interviewed with called my principal for reference checks and then I received a letter saying I was put on an "approved candidate list." Now I just have to wait for a principal to call me for the next
step. Fun, fun!
Right now we are planning to take a trip to Fredericksburg, Texas for our first anniversary. It seems wierd that we're actually already to that point.
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