Seaside Weekend Getaway

Since I just did a Oregon post about Laura's wedding reception, here are a few more photos from a weekend we had down in Oregon with friends a few months ago.

One of the top places to vacation here at the beach is not a Washington beach, but an Oregon beach. Tons of people from our church head on down to Cannon Beach whenever they want a little vacation.

Some sweet friends of ours have decided to allow the Air Force to move them away from us and before they left, we all wanted to have a little weekend away exploring.

We actually ended up in Seaside which is just a few miles north of Canon Beach, but we were still only a half a mile away from the beach. It actually worked out because we were able to explore both of the little downtown's in Seaside and Cannon Beach.

Kristen found us this adorable little cottage through AirBnB. This is the same site we found the places we stayed in London and Paris. Definitely a new favorite traveling site.

And with staying in a house,  it worked well to bring food for dinners and breakfasts, but to go out for lunches. Love little ways to save money!

 

The sweet little house where we stayed.

Already made it our home.

We were all going to head down together, but with an ER visit and a few other key things happening, Thomas and I headed out on Thursday and sweet little night away. We slept in and after a leisurely morning, Kristen and John joined us with their two kiddos Sydney and Luke.

Friday - Seaside Beach

So we set the crockpot on low and walked to Seaside beach the first night.

I feel as though I should permanently do my hair this way. Thoughts?

Yay sweet little family!!!

And our little family. But seriously? What is wrong with my hair?

Saturday - Cannon Beach

This is the rock! That one called Haystack famous from the Goonies? Anyone?

Yes it was cold! At least my hair looks a wee bit better.

This wee one was EVERY WHERE! She just has a blast running around like crazy.

We all forgot our kites, but John bought another one and, he and Thomas had a fun time keeping it in the air.

Sunday - Cannon Beach Hiking

Sunday we went back to Cannon beach and tried to find the Clatsop Loop trail head. Turns out we were at the wrong parking lot and found the Indian Trailhead instead. It was a beautiful hike that actually dumped us out at the beach and at the parking lot we were supposed to be at to hike the Clatsop trail!

Sorry Thomas. Cut off your head.

And naturally it was a beautifully calm sunny day. And we had to head back early. Oh well. It was an awesome weekend spent making memories with friends who are moving to the beaches on the opposite coast.

We just might have to make a FL trip to visit you Kristen and John!

The Start of InVitro, The End of Infertility (we pray)

Now that my hiking adventure is over, next up... 

InVitro!

I know it has been a little while since I have talked about it, but mainly because it has just been a waiting game for us.

I will be explaining what we are about to embark on, but before I do that I want to ask you for a few things.

1. We are not going to be blogging play by play. We are letting this be an "us" thing. Thank you for your respect in that.
2. Although I will be explaining everything in semi total detail, I will be keeping time frames out of it, for the most part. We will be starting this, this summer. So there is your time frame :)
3. Please do not ask us about if we are pregnant or not until the end of September. (unless for some reason we cannot start when we think, then we will need a month longer then that.)
4. The reason we would like a little wiggle room, is because I want to tell you in a fun way! So if you ask me ahead of us telling our families, you will ruin the surprise of me telling you! 
5. PRAY! Above all else pray. regardless of if we succeed the first time around or not, I will definitely keep you posted about that. However we just really need your prayer for wisdom, relaxation, and no stress. It is amazing how much stems with NO STRESS.

So here we go...

 You all know about our struggles up until now

The two halves of our story are here: Part 1 and here Part 2.

So from the end of part 2, we have healed from the surgery and now we are on to the ACTUAL IVF part. Eek!

The IVF Process for the Kucera's:

• Initial meeting with Dr Murrain at the Gyft Clinic where all aspects of IVF or more specifically ICSI (the type we are doing) is covered. That was a crazy meeting. (Apr 2014)
• Blood draw to check Mica's hormone levels since it had been a year (Jun 2014)
• Sonahystogram and Injection (Yes, Thomas gets to give me all the shots!) Training (Jul 2014) 

All of these lead up to the actual process. (If I skip days, nothing is happening that day)

1. Go on birth control for numerous reasons.  - To regulate my hormones, to allow my body to "relax" until it needs to be ready, so the Dr's can semi predict when the whole process will take place.
2. Stop birth control on the agreed upon day.
3. 3-5 days later, my cycle will start and that will be the start of the whole process!
4. Day 1 (of cycle) - Call the Gyft Clinic
5. Day 3 to 7 - Go in for blood work and an ultrasound. Start injections that night between 5-7.
6. Day 8 & 9 - Go in for blood work and an ultrasound. Wait for the nurse to call about what injection to use.
7. Day 10 to 12 - Go in for blood work and an ultrasound. Wait for the nurse to call about what injection to use. Any day now they will say all is well! Take injection #2!
8.  35 hours later - Retrieval Day - Thomas and I go our separate ways. The embryologist goes with Thomas to get all of his little swimmers that are needed. I get consciously sedated and my eggs are taken and then put into a petri dish to relax. Hours later they are joined by the little swimmers.
9. At this point we will be getting daily phone calls to tell us how many embryos we have and what their score is. Yes, my children will be getting scored in life from the very get go.
10. Either on Day 3 or Day 5, it will be transfer day. Basically at this point they will be transferred into me to give me a chance to be pregnant and them a chance to live.
11. I have to rest for 4 days. That means not leave the house, not walk tons of stairs, and definitely not do any situps for 4 long days. 
12. And then we wait... and wait... and wait... and come up with fun ways to tell you all that we are expecting.
13. And then we find out that we are expecting.
14. And then we tell family and friends and the blog in the fun way that we want to. 
15. And then we have a baby and our 3 year long dream becomes a reality. Of no sleep. And loving this little one with everything in us.
16. The end.

Pink and Green "Ready to Pop" Baby Girl Shower

My second baby shower these last few months was for my friend Laura who is having a sweet baby girl. It was so much fun to plan a girl shower as well. Erin, Kristen, and I all got together and those 2 ladies made a huge difference in making my life simple! We went with the colors pink and green as well as the theme "Ready to Pop"!

We tried to make all the food pop related. Cake pops, strawberry pops, rice krispie pops, 3 kinds of pop corn, and even sparkling pop to drink!

Kristen made these 2 adorable onesies, while Erin made the adorable tutu. Such creative ladies!

Erin also made these awesome paper pom poms.

Such good food!!!

I had a blast making personalized thank you notes again. Laura was having difficulties with names so we played 2 name games! And guess the number of jelly beans (which are super expensive for bulk food! $22 for jelly beans? What on earth!)

We also made little "pop"corn ball treats as party favors. Erin, Kristen, and I got together the day before to cook which was the best! Love my some girl time!

I got a Cameo Silhouette last year and it has made these banners a cinch! I just love it!

And the other game we played was guess how much the baby items all cost.

Laura, the sweet mama, myself holding Luke, and Kristen. Luke belongs to Kristen and they are the ones we threw the baby boy airplane shower for.

It has been so much fun celebrating these ladies and their beautiful babies.

Thank you Kristen and Erin for all your help!

Laura also wrote about the shower in her blog over at Storybook Reality.

Can't wait to meet her sweet baby girl in the next week!

Yellow, Orange, and Blue Baby Boy Airplane Shower

In the past few months I have thrown 2 different baby showers for friends. 

This first shower was for Kristen and for a not yet named (at the time), little baby boy who's daddy is a C-17 pilot. 

I had the help of Kristen's sister-in-law Sara-Anne who soon because a sweet friend!

This was the banner for the facebook invite.

 I quickly learned that I love paying attention to the little details, but not stressing about the big things.

All the food with the help of Sara-Anne and her mom. Love when MIL's help!

Had to get a little creative with the drinks right?

And with banner's being all the rage.... I had to unclude one! And use maps because dad is a pilot. Ok yes they are road maps, but still! And yes, I happen to see my thanksgiving decorations in the background. Oops!

Another paper airplane banner. Doesn't my neighbors back yard look nice! Thanks Mike!

More mini paper airplanes on fantastic chocolate chip shaving cupcakes! Oh yum. Thank you Sara-Anne for introducing me!

We made personalized thank you notes, goody bags, and played 2 different games!

Love these ladies... Erin, Kristin (the mama to be), Laura, and myself. These 3 were key to the little girl baby shower that is up next! And yes, excuse the lens distortion. Clearly had the wide angle on for this shot!

And of course the day tons of people come over to my house is the day the wind blows all the leaves from the entire neighborhood, onto my front steps.

Thank you Sara-Anne for your help.

And thank you Kristen for allowing us to be a part of a day to celebrate you and baby Luke! (who yes, has been born for months now and now has a name.)

Loving People

It normally only hits me once a month for a few days when I am a little more emotional than other days. If I happen to hear of another friend getting pregnant or that a sweet friend found out that she is having a little one. And then I pull it together because I am strong, right?

This month however it has stayed with me for more then just those few days. The choked up feeling when I felt the touch on my leg from the little boy on the subway in London. Or I heard the sound of the little girl laughing behind me on the airplane. Or the sweet little girl chattering in French in the orange jacket with her beret in line in Paris. (I won't lie that she and adorable little boy with glasses on the train in Paris almost came home with me if it wouldn't have become an international incident…. Just saying.) Every sound of these little voices, every little face has stayed with me. And tugged my little heart strings choking me up.

I don't know if it is because for the first time since the surgery we were told again that we can't have kids naturally. And it became real. Or if because we actually have to sit down and plan a full 2 months where we have to be here in WA to do the IVF procedure. (Do you have any idea how hard it is to plan 2 months of being here with no travel?!?!?!) Maybe it is the fact the I had given planning to God and finally NOT had the desire to planned it. And now I have to plan it? I just don't know.

But after getting home monday night and going through the remainder of the Christmas cards that came in the mail, I received a few different notes where people wrote they were praying for us through this whole process of growing our family. And it made me choke up.

And then there was the little package. I didn't remember ordering anything that hadn't already come in time for Christmas. And as I opened the beautiful little packaging… and opened further… I unraveled the mystery which said…. "She knew that if she kept her eyes fixed on Jesus, nothing could steal her Joy." For a moment, that was all that I needed. He is my Joy. He knows the perfect timing. And then there were tears.

Turns out a sweet friend of mine shared some of Thomas and I's story with another friend of hers who has a little etsy shop where she makes little things for people who are waiting to adopt little ones. Although we are not adopting, she still included me and my waiting in her desire to bless. And, I can tell you that Jesus definitely used her encouragement in the most needed way today.

And I hope just a little bit that the little voices will keep choking me up, because it reminds me that in the midst of our need, it allows for people to love on us. And to remind me that I am not alone in this. To have people all over the world praying for you is a humbling and mighty thing.

So thank you. Thank you for your encouragement, your prayers, and Kate, your reminder that NOTHING CAN STEAL MY JOY.

Infertility - What's Next?

In the first post about infertility that I wrote, I left you with a few things. First off, we needed to do more testing to see if I have the cystic fibrosis gene. Second we were running test on both Thomas and I to see what was going on with our bodies that is stopping us from bringing a little one into this world. However through all of it, we have had incredible hope.

So here are the updates:

• We found out through testing that I do NOT have any of the 97 different types of the cystic fibrosis gene. Thank you Jesus! One less thing we have to work through.

• There was a surgery that was done. Success. Healing. Everyone survived, we are doing well!

• After the surgery we were told that there was no reason we couldn’t have biological children, but that most likely it would always have to be done through In Vitro. Oh. Sad. But Yay! We can have biological children!

Next up: Basically we need to wait a few months for healing and for our bodies to regenerate life and go back to normal. So it will still be a little while, but there is a very bright spot at the end of the tunnel!

Prayers: My prayers are that our bodies would do a complete healing and that we would be able to get pregnant naturally. God is a God of miracles. He is completely capable and in control. So we welcome your prayers for healing, for life, and for the continued peace He has given us through this entire process.

And again, thank you for all of your stories that you have shared with me. I literately could write a book with all the different stories you all have shared (I would never do that of course), but it is truly incredible. I have been so blessed to be able to listen as you have each shared about your own struggles or of people you know. Thank you. You are a blessing to me.

Infertility

What is the first thing you think of when you hear that word?

For Doctors it is the inability to get pregnant when trying for a year or if over the age of 35, trying for 6 months.

For those in the middle of it, the word is the sound of hopes and dreams being crushed.

Let me walk you through our journey…

Oct 2011 – With only months left in my Masters program, and Thomas just landing a job after being unemployed, we decided to take the plunge. I mean really, it shouldn’t take long right? People get pregnant all the time on accident, right?

Dec 2011 – Yay! We are past the 3 months we were supposed to wait after being on birth control! Passed that milestone. Check.

Feb 2012 – Start acupuncture in the attempt to get our hormones level correct without taking meds. Just in case. I mean it can’t hurt right?

Apr 2012 – Our first chemical pregnancy/miscarriage. So confusing. And sad and yet we are doing something right! Keep pressing on!

Jun 2012 – Time to step up the game. Started taking my temperature every day. EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Sep 2012 – Nothing is happening with the temp. So starting with the LH test (AKA the urine test).

Oct 2012 – Technically considered infertile. But it has only  been a year right? Keep going strong!

Dec 2012 – Learned about embryo adoption. Definitely something to consider.

Jan 2013 – Chemical pregnancy #2. Something is clearly wrong. Time to get the Dr’s involved. No more temp and urine tests.

Feb 2013 – Started testing – everything is ok.

Mar 2013 – More testing – everything is not ok. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming! (sung in the voice of Dory from Finding Nemo)

Apr 2013 – Really praying about embryo adoption.

May 2013 – Different testing – even more wrong than anticipated. Oh and by the way, the Cystic Fibrosis gene is suspected to be a possibility. You should get more tests done.

Jun 2013 – Starting to think embryo adoption is our main plan of action, but let’s get the Cystic Fibrosis thing taken care of.

Jul 2013 – Meet the Dr’s at the Gyft Clinic to talk through our journey to date including what to do for the Cystic Fibrosis gene testing. HOPE. The sweetest word ever.

Next step – Seeing what the next round of tests this next month tells us. It seems to be on the up and up though.

Hope. As I posted here, Hope is a powerful thing. It allows us to get through times that are the hardest. And yet that glimmer of hope can place a smile on our face. Some times a tentative smile, some times a full blown grin. Because for some of us, although we have been labeled as infertile, it means we are one step closer to having a wee one in our arms. And that my friends, is reason to smile.