Adding a Third Scoop in December!!!

Surprise!  I know it has been awhile and many of you probably have suspected this.  We are seriously still in shock that the Clomid worked the first time and we are actually expecting!  Sometimes I don't even feel like I am pregnant and am worried that all the pregnancy tests (only four), ultra-sound, heartbeat, and doctor are all wrong.  We feel so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to become parents soon!  We are so appreciative and thankful for all of the kind words and prayers that have been said in our behalf.  There is no way we were able to do this on our own.  So thank you, thank you, thank you for all the love and support!

So picking up where I left off... here is the story:

So as you know, in early March I started taking Clomid.  You take Clomid for 5 days; cycle days 5-9.  Then you get to wait and hope that it works.  A lot of people have said that the Clomid makes them crazy, but I honestly didn't feel any different.  None of those hormone drugs really affect me too much, which is definitely another blessing!  Anyway,  I was taking ovulation tests every day so I wouldn't miss it, not expecting much since I had never gotten a positive ovulation test.  I ran out of tests and bought a brand new box with 20 tests.  The first test from that box I used was positive! (Now I have 19 ovulation tests just sitting there...)  I couldn't believe it.  I was trying not to get too excited though, because a positive ovulation test doesn't necessarily mean there will be a positive pregnancy test.

After waiting about a week and a half, Travis asked me when I would be able to test.  I told him that I could test that weekend, probably on Sunday.  I could see in his expression that he was excited, but more so dreading the weekend because he knew how hard it would be to see another negative pregnancy test.  I was so glad that it also happened to be General Conference weekend because I knew either way I would need some spiritual guidance.

On Friday morning, I decided to test.  I wanted to be alone so I could pull myself together before seeing Travis or so that I could surprise him later if the test was actually positive.  It was April 1st (April Fool's Day) and I honestly was expecting another negative test.  For the previous two weeks, I had little pregnancy symptoms here and there like slight cramping and I could smell everything! But I didn't want to read too much into it and get my hopes up.  Been there, done that.  After about 5 minutes, I looked at the test and saw two lines.  I was shocked.  I didn't know how, but I knew that the world was playing a sick joke on me.  So at lunch, I bought digital tests and took another test.  It is a little harder to refute the digital tests when it spells out "Pregnant" for you, but I still just couldn't even believe what I was seeing!

Side note:  The night before, we had put a deposit down on our Goldendoodle puppy!  (This is relevant, I promise)

At lunch, I also went and bought a dog collar and some binkies.  I attached a binky to the collar and put it back in the bag.  I couldn't wait for work to be over and for Travis to come home!  After work got out, I called Travis and of course he was on his way to meet with a financial planner, that day of all days...  On the phone, I told him that I had already bought a collar for our puppy because I was so excited.  He didn't think anything of it.  So about an hour later, he finally called me to tell me that he was on his way home.  He asked if I just wanted to meet him outside so we could go to dinner and I was like, "Well don't you want to come in and change first?"  He agreed and came up when he got home.  I knew I wouldn't be able to get through dinner without spilling the beans.

The whole thing couldn't have worked out more perfectly!  When he came in, he saw the Petco bag on the counter and was like, "Let's see this collar."  He pulled it out of the bag and was looking at it forever!  He even noticed that it was a Cesar Milan collar before he saw the binky.  But I'll never forget when he saw the binky.  His expression went from confusion to realization to disbelief in about 5 seconds.  I could see the wheels turning in his head.  As soon as he realized what it must mean, he looked up at me and said, "You're pregnant?"  I nodded and he immediately came over and gave me a big hug.  Definitely one of the best and most memorable moments of my life thus far.

We are so excited and nervous to be blessed with the incredible opportunity of raising a child.  It's crazy how you can have your life planned out, but God has a different path for you.  God sees the big picture and we can only see a fraction of it.  He knows what will help us grow the most and bring us the most happiness in the long run, even if we have to suffer for a little while.

I know that we only had to wait a short time before being able to get pregnant in comparison to some, and I know I can't even begin to comprehend the pain of waiting for years and years for a child, but please don't give up!  There are so many options these days and all of you ladies struggling with infertility are strong as hell!  Try to stay positive!  You are all in my thoughts and prayers.  Love you all! :)

Cali with the Evans!

Last week, we were able to go to California with our good friends, Nate and Amber (and Katelyn)!  It was so much fun and a much needed few days away from reality.  We left on Friday, March 11th after work.  When we got to the airport, we found out that our flight had been delayed 45 minutes.  No big deal.  We went through security and apparently I had a metallic crotch, so I had to go back into a private room while the TSA lady patted me down.  Awesome.

So finally we got on the plane and made it to LAX.  Once there, we waited for the car rental shuttle to come pick us up.  I swear, every other car rental shuttle came at least 3 times before ours came!  When we got to EZ car rental, we rented the car and went out to load the car.  Well they gave us a car that had a big dent in the hood and the bumper was coming off on one side...  The car only had 34 miles on it!

So we took pictures and made sure EZ knew of all the damage before we left and we were on our way.  After driving for about 20 minutes, all of the lights start coming on: the ABS light, the check brakes light, the check engine light, etc.  So we decided to turn around and take the car back to EZ to switch it.  After an hour at EZ, we finally switched the car for a different one (with no dents) and left again.  On the side of the road, we noticed the famous Randy's Donuts so we decided to pull over for a midnight snack.  As we pulled up to the drive-thru window, poor Katelyn (Amber and Nate's 18 month old) started throwing up.  Amber was catching it and throwing it out the window into the garbage by the window!  The poor kid at the window didn't know what to think!

We cleaned Katelyn up and were on our way again.  Katelyn threw up again in the car and Amber was very apologetic, but I thought, "Hey, it's not her fault!"  So we finally got to Nate's Grandma's house in Santa Clarita (where we were staying) at about 1am!  When the lights came on, I realized why Amber was apologizing before... Katelyn had thrown up all over me!  Haha! Ew!  Glad they had a washer and dryer waiting!

The next day was much better.  We spent the day at Zuma beach soaking up the sun and watching the waves.  We even saw a few dolphins!

On Monday (my birthday), we went to Disneyland!  It was a blast!  Little Katelyn was a trooper and loved the churros!  We got to ride everything we wanted and then stayed at a hotel only a ten minute walk away.

Such a fun birthday!

On Tuesday, we hung out in Santa Monica for most of the day.  We went to the pier, the beach, and walked down the outdoor mall.  We finished off the day eating at Coco's.
The next morning, we got up and went to the airport to come home.  So sad to go home, but so grateful that we had at least a few days to get away!

100 Bucks

I promise I won't be posting this often in the future!  I have debated with myself for a while on whether or not to share this much, but my whole purpose of sharing our experience is to possibly help someone else who is struggling with the same thing.  So this next post is just to catch you up to where we are now in this whole baby journey.  I wrote this on 2/25/16, so don't miss the update at the end!

"Yesterday was a bad day.  It had been 15 days since I stopped taking the progesterone and still no period.  Even though I was sure I wasn't pregnant, I knew I needed to take a pregnancy test before calling the doctor's office to see what's going on.  So as soon as I woke up, I peed in a cup and took the dreaded test.  I hate taking pregnancy tests! (As I'm sure I have mentioned before.)  I mentally and emotionally try to prepare myself each time before to not be surprised or sad by a negative result.  Sometimes it kind of works and other times it completely fails.  Yesterday was a "completely fail" kind of day...  So I had a good cry sesh before work, put on my big girl pants, and left for the day.  Not a great start to the day.

At lunch, I called the nurse at my doctor's office and explained my being off the progesterone for 15 days and still no period.  Sure enough, the first thing she suggested was for me to take a pregnancy test.  I told her I already had that morning and it was negative.  Then she said, "Oh."  Not the conversational, high-pitched "oh!", but the blunt, "oh, we have a problem" type of "oh."  That's never a good sign...

The nurse said she wanted to talk to my doctor (we'll call him Dr. L), and then she'd call me back.  So for the next hour I tried to calmly and patiently sit at my desk, waiting to hear back.  Finally, she called back to tell me that Dr. L wanted to prescribe me with Premarin, which is estrogen.  I'll have to take the Premarin for 21 days and then take the progesterone for 10 days.  Then my period should start within 7 days after stopping.  If not, call the nurse again.  I'm hoping I don't get to the point where I have to have the doctor's office on speed dial!  Anyway, so what was the first thing I did after hanging up with the nurse?  Googled Premarin of course!  That was probably the worst thing I could have done because the first thing it listed under what it is prescribed for is menopause symptoms and the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis!  I know that I'm not a spring chicken, but I'm not that old!  Still in my 20's thank you very much!

So as everything began to sink in, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed, impatient, and a little bummed.  Just the realization of the fact that I probably wouldn't have a period for over a month and if I do, it'll be another week or two before I have the possibility of ovulating.  Also meaning that the chances of having a baby in this calendar year are slim, which shouldn't be a big deal, but it feels like one.

Anyway, so after work, I stopped by the pharmacy to pick up the Premarin.  I found out that for 21 pills it would be about $100!  And I know this could just be the beginning of the expenses...  It just feels so unfair that I have to pay $100+ just to have a period!  Ladies, never resent your periods again!  I seriously feel like I am 50 years old or something!

Moving on... The day did get a little a better.  I went home to some beautiful, brightly-colored flowers and a husband cleaning the long over-due bathroom.  If anyone knows my husband, you know he is the sweetest, most thoughtful person who never gets mad.  I think when you marry someone, you obviously know or can see what kind of a person they are, but it's when you go through something like this, you can really see them shine.  He has been my light and my support through all of this.  Whenever I just need to vent or cry, he is there to listen.  Whenever I am feeling negative, he always points out the positive and makes me see the blessings we have.  And whenever I need to laugh, he is always there acting silly even if it only makes me smile sometimes.  So even though this has been the hardest thing I have had to go through,  I am so grateful to have the best companion by my side and love knowing that he will be there no matter what."

"A Trial is Just a Precursor to a Great Blessing." -unknown

Update: So after I was prescribed with the Premarin, I waited a few days to start taking it.  I took one pill on 2/29 and lo and behold!  The next day, my period started! (21 days after discontinuing the progesterone, might I add).  So I didn't take any more of the Premarin.  I have started the Clomid and we are crossing our fingers that it works!!!

$100 Pie

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Oreos

2 sticks butter 

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Crush the Oreos with a food processor or blender.  Stir crumbs together with 1 stick melted butter until well combined.  Press into the bottom of a tart pan (or pie pan).  Freeze crust for 10 minutes until set.

2.  Combine remaining stick butter and brown sugar in a small sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with whisk, until mixture begins to bubble.  Continue cooking and stirring for 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream until smooth.  Cool caramel about 15 minutes.  Pour the caramel into the Oreo crust and return to the freezer for 30-45 minutes until just chilled and set.  (Don't let the caramel fully freeze.)

3.  Place chocolate chips in a glass bowl.  In a saucepan, bring 1 cup heavy whipping cream to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes, then stir until completely smooth.  Pour the chocolate over the caramel and freeze for a final 30 minutes, until just chilled and set.  Before serving, sprinkle the top with sea salt. 

Nothin' in the Oven

You may have noticed that in the “About Me” section, it now says “…Hopeful-Soon-To-Be-Mama…”  Surprise!  Yes, we have been trying to expand our family for about 10 months now.  We have kept it pretty quiet until now.  There have been a few times I have wanted to tell some of you, but I'm not the greatest at communicating the serious stuff in person.  Or over the phone (I hate talking on the phone!).  But I'm telling you now!

Anyway... You never think that it is going to take awhile for yourself to get pregnant; just like they teach in high school: if you have unprotected sex, you will get pregnant.  I sometimes wish it was that easy for everyone, but in some cases, I’m glad it’s not.  Life rarely turns out exactly how you have pictured it.  Like I said in my first post, I want to be able to share my experiences so that maybe it can help someone else who reads it, going through the same thing.

Before I tell the beginning of our story, I just want to say that I know there are many, many couples who have struggled with infertility for a lot longer than we have and have gone through much, much more.  We haven’t even officially been diagnosed with infertility, but we definitely know that there is something not right.  And I want to be open about it from the start because, why not?  There is such a stigma about trying to get pregnant and infertility that it should be kept hush-hush.  But how is that helpful to anyone?  That being said, I will be getting into some girly details, so if that bothers you, stop reading now. J

Around December of 2014, Travis and I started talking about having a baby.  We weren’t quite ready.  We still had some traveling we wanted to do and I always have to let big decisions sink in for awhile.  So we decided that we would start trying in the spring.  So at the end of March 2015, I got off the pill and we started trying in May.  I had done a lot of research on tracking ovulation and I also read that it could take a few months for my cycle to regulate after getting off birth control.  My first cycle off of the pill was 24 days.  The next one was 33 days and the next one was 36.  During this time, I would take ovulation tests around when I thought I should be ovulating, but they all always came back negative.  I just figured that I was either doing it wrong or testing at the wrong time.  My next cycle was 42 days and I thought for sure that I was pregnant that time.  But I wasn’t.  After a negative pregnancy test and a period soon after, I knew I wasn’t.  Finally, I knew that something definitely wasn’t right when my next cycle lasted 140 days!  That’s about 4 ½ months!  Time after time I would take pregnancy tests and each time they came back negative.  I can’t describe how heart-breaking it is to repeatedly only see one little line instead of two.  I have cried countless times on Travis’s shoulder, wondering why I have to wait to be a mother.  Why he has to wait to be a father.  I guess I haven’t quite mastered the art of patience yet…

So after I hadn’t gotten my period for 3 months, I called my doctor.  They wanted me to go in to have some blood work done, but right about that time (November), I switched jobs and wouldn’t have health insurance until the beginning of the year.  So I had to wait…  As soon as January hit, I went and had my blood drawn.  They ran some tests and didn’t find anything abnormal.  So I went in for a check-up and everything seemed to be fine.  So my doctor prescribed me with Medroxyprogesterone (progesterone) to induce a period.  He also prescribed me with clomiphene citrate (Clomid) to then induce ovulation.  On cycle day 35, I was to take the progesterone for 10 days.  After stopping the progesterone, my period should come within 10 days and then on cycle day 5, I would take Clomid for 5 days.  That process started on January 31, 2016…

Nothin' in the Oven Cookies

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

4 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup peanut butter

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 tsp vanilla

Handful Heath Toffee bits (optional)

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa.  Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla.  Stir in toffee bits.  Drop spoonfuls onto wax paper and let cool until hardened.

I'm New Here...

Hello and welcome to my blog!  It seems like everyone is blogging these days, so I thought I would give it a whirl.  I have never blogged ever, so don't judge me too harshly.  Anyway, my goal for this blog is to share experiences and thoughts that might be relatable to someone else in some way.  I also find it very therapeutic to be able to express myself on "paper" and through words.  My most recent version of blogging has been writing my thoughts on paper and shoving them in my journal.  Super organized, I know.

I will also be sharing "tried and true" recipes that I have found, mostly on Pinterest.  I love to bake and hope to own my own bakery one day.  You probably have noticed that the title of the blog is "Two Scoops".  Some of our friends gave us that nickname because we love ice cream so much.  I love anything sweet, really, which is probably the reason I love to bake so much.  Most baked goods are sweet!

Have you ever seen the movie, "Waitress" with Keri Russell?  Well in the movie, Jenna (Keri Russell) is always talking about these pies she makes and she names them after events or thoughts she has going on in her life.  For example, "Falling in Love Chocolate Mousse Pie" and "I Don't Want Earl's Baby Pie" and my favorite, "Baby Screamin' Its Head Off In The Middle Of The Night & Ruinin' My Life Pie."  Well Jenna has inspired me and I will be modeling my blog after this idea, so stay tuned!



Enjoy!