Acupuncture

When you get close to exhausting your options in fertility treatments, you may find yourself volunteering to be a human pin cushion.  Never in a million years would I have imagined myself seeking out someone who has a Master's in Oriental Medicine.  By here I am, getting stuck with needles and talking about Chinese herbs.

For my fellow skeptics, it really doesn't hurt.  After the strategic placement of these little needles, you are left alone in the room for 30 minutes to "relax".  My first time "relaxing" with needles sticking out of me was less than relaxing. 

"I'm laying here with needles sticking out of my body."

"Uh oh.  My leg itches."  

"Will it hurt if I try to move?"

"What if I accidentally hit one of the needles?"

"There are needles sticking out of my body."

I know lots of people who say they fall asleep during acupuncture.  So far, I haven't been one of those people.  But I suck at relaxing, so that could have something to do with my lack of sleeping.

If you look closely you can see the needles in my knees and ankles.  By the way...taking an acupuncture selfie isn't the easiest thing in the world.

 Once the needles are in, you really can't feel them at all.  In fact, when I was driving home after one of my appointments I went to brush my hair out of my eyes when my hand brushed something hard near my temple.  I proceeded to pull a needle out of my head!  SO. WEIRD.

This isn't something I'll continue long term, but there are many highly educated experts in the field of fertility who recommend this process.  And even I (queen of all skeptics) am noticing some changes in my body.  We are hopeful this will play a part in helping us get pregnant!

Little Man Sip and See

Today I'm linking up with Boogieboard Cottage
to share the "Little Man" Sip and See I threw for one of my best friends.  It was so much fun to celebrate her sweet baby boy with lots of mustaches and neckties!

I started out with some mustache candy/lollipop molds I found at Michael's.  I used melting chocolate to make lots of chocolate mustaches.  Since the molds were really for lollipops they made HUGE mustaches.  I just didn't fill them up all the way, and they ended up being the perfect size.

They ended up being perfect cupcake toppers!

The rest of the spread was veggie sticks with veggie dip in the bottom of the cup.  Makes it much easier to eat when you're walking around and "oooing" and "ahhhing" over a sweet baby!

We also had fruit kabobs, bruschetta, and cheese/crackers.

 I decorated with mason jars and the brown crinkle packaging (go to the dollar store!) and yellow daisies.  

Then I found some wooden dowels from Hobby Lobby, some black card stock and a mustache pattern online to make these adorable mustache accents in the mason jars!

Neckties are also a MUST when celebrating a "little man."   I found a necktie pattern online and cut out big and small neckties from scrapbook paper.  The big neckties make for a great jute/necktie garland.  It's nearly impossible to see from the picture, but there are mini neckties on the mason jars, too.

And of course the invitations had to include mustaches, too!  Luckily, Hobby Lobby has EVERYTHING you could possibly ever want --- including mustache scrapbook paper.  

All in all, it was an adorable Sip and See filled with all things "Little Man!"

Merry Christmas!

Some Christmas family fun!

Two of my teaching teammates (and their families) came to Christmas Eve service with us!

Me and my niece on Christmas Eve

Our nephew loves his sister's Frozen magic wand!

Christmas Eve with my man

Celebrating Christmas with my mom's side of the family.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Christmas Preparations

Getting ready for Christmas has been busy but so much fun!  I can't even begin to explain what a relief it has been to have some time off of school!  Here are some iPhone picture highlights:

Michael and I were getting ready to go to dinner with some friends.  We get ready in different bathrooms.  Michael came back into our bedroom, and this is what happened.  Thankfully, he was willing to change his top.  We haven't been married long enough to start going out looking like this.

This is the magic tree.  It's right off the highway, and it's all by itself in the middle of a field.  It's absolutely stunning.  Michael and I had to make a quick stop to see the local magic tree.

After lots of cookie baking, present wrapping and house cleaning we are finally ready to celebrate Christmas!  Merry Christmas everyone!

Infertility

Here's a hint.  The majority of married women in their 30's without children are struggling with infertility.  It's usually a pretty safe assumption to make, and, for the record, there are A LOT of us.
Because this is an intensely personal and private issue, most people don't talk about it.  It's kept close to the vest as our little secret, and that makes it easy to feel incredibly alone.  The Lord has blessed me with an awesome support system and friends who understand the path of infertility.  The journey is long and hard, but there are lessons to be learned through the struggle.  And as weird as this is going to sound, when I finally get to be a mommy I know I will be grateful for those lessons.  So, here's what infertility is teaching me:

Lesson #1:  I am not in control.
If infertility doesn't teach you about Who is actually control in your life, it's likely nothing will.  There have been so many seasons in this process of giving up control and surrendering what I feel like is my right to be able to get pregnant.  Bottom line = God is in control (whether I like it or not!) and I have a CHOICE to be happy or to be sad.  I have a CHOICE to be angry at God or to trust Him.

PS....I choose happiness and trust!

Lesson #2:  Live for now.  Don't put your life on hold.
There have been so many decisions I've made in the last two years based on "if we have a baby."  I wonder how many opportunities I've missed out on because I was living for the future instead of enjoying the moment.

Lesson #3:  My pain has a purpose and He has made a promise to me.

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited (there's a purpose!), I was given (it's a gift....even when it feels like a thorn!) a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (He's promised to take care of me!) Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (And so I embrace where the Lord has me.)
2 Corinthians 12:7b-10

Lesson #4:  To appreciate my relationship with my husband.
If there's anything that depletes intimacy in marriage, it's fertility treatments.  Throughout this process, however,  I have come to appreciate my husband more than I think I would have if we had been able to get pregnant right away.  This has highlighted for me my husband's great faith in the Lord, patience in the waiting and love for me.

At the end of the day, I know I will get to be a mommy.  It isn't going to happen like I had planned and may not end up looking how I planned either.  But I'm confident it will be well worth the wait!