Lily is one of the sweetest little girls I know and it was so easy getting her to smile. I had a great time playing with you girls! Thank you for the opportunity!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Lily Turned 1!
Lori and Jason are good friends of mine so when Lori contacted me and asked me to take some pictures of Lily I said YES! I don't usually do this sort of thing but since I am still learning all the functions of my camera I took on the challenge. I am so pleased with many of the shots that I got. Here are some copies that I converted into Black and Whites.
Lily is one of the sweetest little girls I know and it was so easy getting her to smile. I had a great time playing with you girls! Thank you for the opportunity!
Lily is one of the sweetest little girls I know and it was so easy getting her to smile. I had a great time playing with you girls! Thank you for the opportunity!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Asherman's Syndrome
Ever heard of it? Neither had we!
As I am sure you have already guessed, I have been diagnosed with Asherman's Syndrome. So.....What the heck is Asherman's Syndrome?! The image below kind of shows you.
Basically I had my first D&C (2005) and after my loss about a year ago (2008) I had to get another D&C. Through this process I developed Asherman's Syndrome. Most likely it was caused by excessive scrapping in my uterus. There are only a few ways to develop AS and they all have to do with surgical procedures due to miscarriages, fibroids, cysts, etc.
What happens is scar tissue develops inside the uterus. As you can see in the image on the left, there isn't much room inside there for a baby. This is because the scar tissue grows and starts flattening the uterus like a pancake. When this happens not only is there no room for a fetus to implant but there is no blood supply to keep it alive.
As you know, there is no blood supply where there is scar tissue. This means I was producing healthy babies but they were getting no blood supply to the placenta causing me to miscarry. So this explains why we saw strong heartbeats and what appeared to be healthy babies....they were!
So what's next?
The truth is we aren't for sure. We have no idea how bad the damage is until we get in there and see. For now, this is what our schedule looks like for the next couple of months....
1. Blood work-- I have to get some blood work done to test for Antibodies. This is not related
to AS but the Dr. wants to be certain there is nothing else standing in our way.
2. Sono Hysterogram done-- This is where they inject saline into my uterus so they
can say, "Yes, it is definitely Asherman's Syndrome". The results of this test are
immediate because they are right there on the monitor for us to see.
3. Hysterosalpingogram (HSG)-- This is where they inject dye into my system so they
can see how extensive the damage is. It is rated like Endometriosis and has 4
levels of severity. It can also start in one area and branch out to others like
ovaries and fallopian tubes, etc. Again, immediate results.
4. Laser Laparoscopy-- This is where they go in through my belly button and zap all the scar
tissue with a laser. Cool huh?
If everything goes okay and looks okay.....
5. Wait 2 months-- UGG! I think this part will be the hardest for me. The Dr said it will take this long for my body to heal and be strong enough to take on a new pregnancy.
After that, it's on!
As I am sure you have already guessed, I have been diagnosed with Asherman's Syndrome. So.....What the heck is Asherman's Syndrome?! The image below kind of shows you.
On the left is what my uterus looks like and on the right is what it should look like.
Basically I had my first D&C (2005) and after my loss about a year ago (2008) I had to get another D&C. Through this process I developed Asherman's Syndrome. Most likely it was caused by excessive scrapping in my uterus. There are only a few ways to develop AS and they all have to do with surgical procedures due to miscarriages, fibroids, cysts, etc.
What happens is scar tissue develops inside the uterus. As you can see in the image on the left, there isn't much room inside there for a baby. This is because the scar tissue grows and starts flattening the uterus like a pancake. When this happens not only is there no room for a fetus to implant but there is no blood supply to keep it alive.
As you know, there is no blood supply where there is scar tissue. This means I was producing healthy babies but they were getting no blood supply to the placenta causing me to miscarry. So this explains why we saw strong heartbeats and what appeared to be healthy babies....they were!
So what's next?
The truth is we aren't for sure. We have no idea how bad the damage is until we get in there and see. For now, this is what our schedule looks like for the next couple of months....
1. Blood work-- I have to get some blood work done to test for Antibodies. This is not related
to AS but the Dr. wants to be certain there is nothing else standing in our way.
2. Sono Hysterogram done-- This is where they inject saline into my uterus so they
can say, "Yes, it is definitely Asherman's Syndrome". The results of this test are
immediate because they are right there on the monitor for us to see.
3. Hysterosalpingogram (HSG)-- This is where they inject dye into my system so they
can see how extensive the damage is. It is rated like Endometriosis and has 4
levels of severity. It can also start in one area and branch out to others like
ovaries and fallopian tubes, etc. Again, immediate results.
4. Laser Laparoscopy-- This is where they go in through my belly button and zap all the scar
tissue with a laser. Cool huh?
If everything goes okay and looks okay.....
5. Wait 2 months-- UGG! I think this part will be the hardest for me. The Dr said it will take this long for my body to heal and be strong enough to take on a new pregnancy.
After that, it's on!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Jay-Cub! Eff Yeah!
So today is our 4 Year Anniversary and I thought I would do this post Jay style. If you know my husband at all you know he loves quoting movies. LOVES it. So here are my top 15 reasons for loving being married to him....movie-quote-style.
"And here...we...GO!"
#15) "Aww, he's just yakin on a bone."
Jay is super laid back about everything. I always thought I was pretty laid back but compared to this guy I am d.r.a.m.a.
#14) "Did we just become best friends?"
"Yep!"
"Do you wanna do karate in the garage?"
"Yep!"
Jay is my best friend....as cheesy as that sounds. I love hanging out with him.
#13) "Uh, oh oh oh sweet child of myeeeine"
He is a great dad even though he had little to no experience with kids before we had Caiden. (Thank you Abby for being such a great guinea pig!)
#12) "Is there sugar in syrup?"
"Yes"
"Then YES!"
He loves it when I bake. He has such a sweet tooth!
#11) "Stay golden Ponyboy"
He is very good at his job and is currently making all the money our household spends....scary!
#10) "I give you the Griswold family Christmas tree....lotta sap in here! Mmmm.....looks great!....little full, lotta sap."
He is great about creating family traditions for our family and getting excited about our holidays together. In fact, he quotes Christmas movies year round!
#9) "I can't talk...I'm out seeing a band....they SUCK...but I'm here!"
He LOVES to play the guitar on Rockband. Which is great because I love to play the drums. What a great pair?!
#8) "It's just like Santa's workshop except it smells like mushrooms and everyone looks like they want to hurt me."
If you aren't impressed by him the first time around, no big deal. This happens. But be ready to adore him after you have met him a few times. Trust me, this is normal and it happens to a lot of people.
#7) "Is he looking for a new haircut?"
"I don't know, what about a What-Would-Jesus-Do?...hee hee"
He goes to church with me. This is a big step for us for so many reasons.....
#6) "He will bring sexy back!"
"What do you mean brother Timberlake?"
"It will be gone! and he will bring it back!"
He is so so cute! Have you seen him all dressed up in his business suits? Yowza!
#5) "Now you see, the new world is inevitable."
"It's what?"
"Inevit- inevitable."
"One more time?"
"Inevitable! Things are inevitably going to change!"
He is so patient with me even when I can't get the words out quite right. (this happens more than I would like. There is a reason I am an artist!)
#4) "If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now."
He is great at surprising me. Everything from the big stuff like a trip to Vegas for my birtday to a bottle of wine on a random Tuesday night.
#3) "Why are you so sweaty?"
"I was watching Cops."
He watches Grey's Anatomy, The Hills and Desperate Housewives with me....WILLINGLY. Sometimes I think he gets into them a little more than I do.....
#2) "Answer your phone! Oh wait, that's my phone."
We get this joke and that's all that matters....but the best part is that our son walks around the house quoting his line. HA!
#1) "First we'll make snow angels for two hours, then we'll go ice skating, then we'll eat a whole role of tollhouse cookie dough as fast as we can and then....we'll snuggle."
He is the best snuggler I have ever met. Seriously, pillow forts, blankies, he has it down!
So there you have it. My top 15 reasons for celebrating today all quoted using his favorite movies. I love you Jay! You are the best! I can't wait for many many more years with you.
(*movie quotes from: Elf, Christmas Vacation, Stepbrothers, My Best Friend's Girl, Team America: World Police, SNL host Justin Timberlake & Dark Knight)
"And here...we...GO!"
#15) "Aww, he's just yakin on a bone."
Jay is super laid back about everything. I always thought I was pretty laid back but compared to this guy I am d.r.a.m.a.
#14) "Did we just become best friends?"
"Yep!"
"Do you wanna do karate in the garage?"
"Yep!"
Jay is my best friend....as cheesy as that sounds. I love hanging out with him.
#13) "Uh, oh oh oh sweet child of myeeeine"
He is a great dad even though he had little to no experience with kids before we had Caiden. (Thank you Abby for being such a great guinea pig!)
#12) "Is there sugar in syrup?"
"Yes"
"Then YES!"
He loves it when I bake. He has such a sweet tooth!
#11) "Stay golden Ponyboy"
He is very good at his job and is currently making all the money our household spends....scary!
#10) "I give you the Griswold family Christmas tree....lotta sap in here! Mmmm.....looks great!....little full, lotta sap."
He is great about creating family traditions for our family and getting excited about our holidays together. In fact, he quotes Christmas movies year round!
#9) "I can't talk...I'm out seeing a band....they SUCK...but I'm here!"
He LOVES to play the guitar on Rockband. Which is great because I love to play the drums. What a great pair?!
#8) "It's just like Santa's workshop except it smells like mushrooms and everyone looks like they want to hurt me."
If you aren't impressed by him the first time around, no big deal. This happens. But be ready to adore him after you have met him a few times. Trust me, this is normal and it happens to a lot of people.
#7) "Is he looking for a new haircut?"
"I don't know, what about a What-Would-Jesus-Do?...hee hee"
He goes to church with me. This is a big step for us for so many reasons.....
#6) "He will bring sexy back!"
"What do you mean brother Timberlake?"
"It will be gone! and he will bring it back!"
He is so so cute! Have you seen him all dressed up in his business suits? Yowza!
#5) "Now you see, the new world is inevitable."
"It's what?"
"Inevit- inevitable."
"One more time?"
"Inevitable! Things are inevitably going to change!"
He is so patient with me even when I can't get the words out quite right. (this happens more than I would like. There is a reason I am an artist!)
#4) "If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now."
He is great at surprising me. Everything from the big stuff like a trip to Vegas for my birtday to a bottle of wine on a random Tuesday night.
#3) "Why are you so sweaty?"
"I was watching Cops."
He watches Grey's Anatomy, The Hills and Desperate Housewives with me....WILLINGLY. Sometimes I think he gets into them a little more than I do.....
#2) "Answer your phone! Oh wait, that's my phone."
We get this joke and that's all that matters....but the best part is that our son walks around the house quoting his line. HA!
#1) "First we'll make snow angels for two hours, then we'll go ice skating, then we'll eat a whole role of tollhouse cookie dough as fast as we can and then....we'll snuggle."
He is the best snuggler I have ever met. Seriously, pillow forts, blankies, he has it down!
So there you have it. My top 15 reasons for celebrating today all quoted using his favorite movies. I love you Jay! You are the best! I can't wait for many many more years with you.
(*movie quotes from: Elf, Christmas Vacation, Stepbrothers, My Best Friend's Girl, Team America: World Police, SNL host Justin Timberlake & Dark Knight)
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Downtown Shooting
Okay, okay so the title was a little dramatic but there was a lot of shooting...just the good ole fashioned kind with a camera. MY camera actually! I was invited to tag along with Rebecca on a "Trash the Dress" shoot and I had so much fun. I am still learning all the functions of my camera so I set the mode to AV and went to town. Here are some of the better ones from the shoot.
Thanks again Rebecca! I can't wait to see your shots!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Around the House
I have been working on this all day and I finally got it! There were so many things I was doing wrong and as you can tell by the small size, I still haven't got it right. Ahh! I suck at this kind of thing!! My go to girl is crazy busy so I didn't want to bother her but I think this works anyway. If you click on the image you can view it in a larger size.
These are some pictures I took around my house yesterday. Caiden and I spent most of the day outside because it was AWESOME weather. I had fun shooting and he had fun playing with his frogs and riding his bike.
These are some pictures I took around my house yesterday. Caiden and I spent most of the day outside because it was AWESOME weather. I had fun shooting and he had fun playing with his frogs and riding his bike.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
10 Reasons I Love my son.....
...just this week.
(in no order)
1. He has been walking around the house saying "Gotta get that boom boom boooom."
2. He is so so good when I take him out in public.
3. He WANTS to play with me.
4. He looks just like his daddy.
5. He goes right to bed when I put him down for a nap or bedtime.
6. He is a morning person even though we are not.
7. He is always putting things in order of Daddy, Mommy and Caiden and sharing his toys that way.
8. He loves being outside.
9. He is so worried about our "broken tree" in the front yard (he thinks because the bark is coming off it is broken and we need to fix it.)
10. He has the best giggle I have ever heard.
(in no order)
1. He has been walking around the house saying "Gotta get that boom boom boooom."
2. He is so so good when I take him out in public.
3. He WANTS to play with me.
4. He looks just like his daddy.
5. He goes right to bed when I put him down for a nap or bedtime.
6. He is a morning person even though we are not.
7. He is always putting things in order of Daddy, Mommy and Caiden and sharing his toys that way.
8. He loves being outside.
9. He is so worried about our "broken tree" in the front yard (he thinks because the bark is coming off it is broken and we need to fix it.)
10. He has the best giggle I have ever heard.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Yes. That is me screaming. Happy screams of course. I am screaming because I GOT A JOB!!! I am so happy I could melt.
Ever since I made the decision to go back to school to be an art teacher I knew I wanted to teach elementary. The problem was, we are certified K-12 so we go anywhere that will hire us. That brings up the other problem- who is hiring in this economy?!! I not only want a job in art but I want an elementary job in art!
I interviewed with a few schools but one wasn't hiring at all and the other one, well, they are on "the list" now. The third interview I went on was in Raytown for an elementary position. There was something that just felt right at this school and I picked up on it the second I walked in the room. The staff is super friendly and the school has a cozy feel to it since it is the old, brick style building rather than the cement block institution style you see now.
When I got called back for the second interview I must say, I got a little cocky. I was SO SURE I was going to get the job that I didn't prepare myself as much as I should have for the interview. Did I mention it was with 6 complete strangers? Yeah.
Needless to say I left there feeling very low and so mad at myself for ruining what felt like such a wonderful opportunity. When the principal said he would know in a week I held on to those words and checked my phone every hour for the entire week. When Monday rolled back around and still no call, I was devastated. I knew I didn't get the job and there was no one to blame but myself...until I got the text from Lorel.
The principal was checking my references!!! What a good sign. From there I feel like everything happened so fast. He called me, I called him, he called me back, offered me a job and I said YES! I don't even know if I was that excited when Jay asked me to marry him?!
Anyway, since this IS the Internet and I have a whole 20 people that follow me (officially and unofficially) I will not say the name of the school I am going to work for. I will say that it is in Raytown and I am very excited for the opportunity to work with these kids. Actually I was so excited to work for this school that I turned down opportunities at Grain Valley and Ray-Pec to go there. Crazy, I know but I think I'm right where I am supposed to be.
Wish me luck!
Ever since I made the decision to go back to school to be an art teacher I knew I wanted to teach elementary. The problem was, we are certified K-12 so we go anywhere that will hire us. That brings up the other problem- who is hiring in this economy?!! I not only want a job in art but I want an elementary job in art!
I interviewed with a few schools but one wasn't hiring at all and the other one, well, they are on "the list" now. The third interview I went on was in Raytown for an elementary position. There was something that just felt right at this school and I picked up on it the second I walked in the room. The staff is super friendly and the school has a cozy feel to it since it is the old, brick style building rather than the cement block institution style you see now.
When I got called back for the second interview I must say, I got a little cocky. I was SO SURE I was going to get the job that I didn't prepare myself as much as I should have for the interview. Did I mention it was with 6 complete strangers? Yeah.
Needless to say I left there feeling very low and so mad at myself for ruining what felt like such a wonderful opportunity. When the principal said he would know in a week I held on to those words and checked my phone every hour for the entire week. When Monday rolled back around and still no call, I was devastated. I knew I didn't get the job and there was no one to blame but myself...until I got the text from Lorel.
The principal was checking my references!!! What a good sign. From there I feel like everything happened so fast. He called me, I called him, he called me back, offered me a job and I said YES! I don't even know if I was that excited when Jay asked me to marry him?!
Anyway, since this IS the Internet and I have a whole 20 people that follow me (officially and unofficially) I will not say the name of the school I am going to work for. I will say that it is in Raytown and I am very excited for the opportunity to work with these kids. Actually I was so excited to work for this school that I turned down opportunities at Grain Valley and Ray-Pec to go there. Crazy, I know but I think I'm right where I am supposed to be.
Wish me luck!
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