DECEMBER 2012
I left off November (2012) with coming home from Utah for our annual Thanksgiving trip to Andy's parents house. What I left out was that we told the family we were expecting again. We were a bit reluctant to share the news since the last pregnancy ended with such heartache and tears. However, things were going well and my Beta levels were going up as they should. Sammy sort of spilled the beans and it was no longer a secret from there. Part of the reason my head cold was so miserable was because I couldn't take anything that early in the pregnancy. I powered through, though.
About a week or so after we got home from Utah we were at my mom's house playing games. All of a sudden I felt very sick to my stomach and dizzy. I tried standing up and nearly passed out. Andy and my step dad helped my lay on the ground and the pain intensified. We left the girls and Andy started to drive me to the hospital. There was a lot of back and forth talk if we should go or not. I felt like I needed to make sure things were okay but at the same time if I was having a miscarriage there wasn't anything they could do. We ended up going home and talked to my doctor over the phone. He told me that I needed to be on complete bed rest till he could see me. So I was flat on my back for the next few days. My appreciation for women who are on bed rest during pregnancy grew a whole lot more. I couldn't even sit up without feeling worse. It was to the point I had to have a friend bring me lunch because I couldn't make my way downstairs. (Just before we had purchased a new TV for our bedroom and I was reluctant to buy the bigger one. It was what Andy wanted and so I caved. After being put on bed rest I was glad to have a big TV that I could see while flat on my back and kept me company during the day.) I was finally able to go see my doctor and they first did my blood work followed by an ultrasound. All tests were pointing toward either a miscarriage or I was off my dates and things were too early in the pregnancy to get a good reading. I was positive I wasn't off on my dates. It's hard to miscalculate when your on Clomid. Anyway, I headed home and continued to take it easy. Later that night I was driving home and felt heavy cramping to the point it was hard to breath. Andy ended up taking me to the ER and they confirmed I was certainly having a miscarriage. After doing a second ultrasound they said they couldn't be 100% sure but that maybe it was an ectopic pregnancy. That was frustrating but I felt relieved I wasn't further along.
With Christmas just around the corner I didn't have much time to dwell on what had happened. I was sad and disappointed, but there wasn't anything I could do but try again.
The Christmas holiday was spent at home again this year. Christmas Eve we had my parents and Andy's parents over for dinner. It was so yummy if I do say so myself. We had ham, challah bread with homemade jam, green beans, and mashed potatoes. (There was something for dessert... but I can't remember.) I laughed when Andy's dad tried asking delicately if the potatoes were instant or real. Of course they were mashed by hand. Andy will not have it any other way. Ed and Sally left and then my mom and Dale planned to stay the night.
I sent Andy over to get the play kitchen we had been hiding at Brandon and Sarah's house and my mom and I got right to work putting it together. We were glad we didn't play games first and then put together the kitchen. It took us 5 and a half hours to finish! The instructions were just pictures! Andy kept teasing us from the other room and then at one point we needed his help. It took him about 20 minutes to put in the one piece. After that he stopped teasing us. We didn't even get to games that night... well, it was morning before we were done. So off to bed we went.
Christmas morning was great! I love staying home and watching the kids open presents. This year there were very few gifts but each girl had one "big" gift. Katie's was the kitchen and she was practically in heaven! For Sammy and Ashley I found ipod nanos on craigslist. We got such great deals on both! They were 16GB and you can watch movies on them. They were probably the best things we've ever purchased for the girls. The next road trip was amazing! They didn't argue or fight with each other at all!!! We spent the rest of the day playing games with mom and Dale and then went to see Les Miserable in the theater, without the girls of course. They got to spend some time at their friend's house.
JANUARY 2013
We rang in the New Year with Corey and Hollie and their boys. It had been a very long time since we did anything with them and it was nice to see the kids play together. Jacob was wanting to play with Katie's kitchen, but I think it was mostly to get a rise out of her. She would spread eagle in front of it and say, "No! You can't play with my kitchen!" It was hard to balance that since it was so brand new to her, but at the same time she needs to share. We got Jacob distracted with something upstairs and then Katie sat down to watch a movie in the other room. (The kitchen was still in front of the fireplace since it was so heavy to move.) Andy thought it would be funny to tease the poor girl. He yelled, "Katie! Hurry! Jacob is getting into your kitchen!" Katie jumped off the couch and ran as fast as her little legs would carry her to stop... nobody. We of course laughed, but it was kind of mean.
FEBRUARY
The holidays were done and Andy and I started another round of Clomid. After 5 attempts and gaining 40 pounds we sat down and really talked about what we should do. We prayed about things and received an answer. We decided we weren't going to abandon the idea of having another baby, because we so badly want another one and feel it is the right thing to do. However, being on Clomid wasn't right for us at the time. It was all my thoughts and energy were focused on and it was becoming more and more frustrating as each month passed. So in an effort to shift gears we decided I needed to focus on running again. It was a way for me to have a healthy outlet and help me lose some of the weight I put on as a side effect of the drug. I jumped online and started looking at races. Then I called my friend, Erin Keller, and told her my plan. She said she wanted to do it with me and we've been running together since. Our goal was to run as many races as possible and then keep our fingers crossed we could get into the St. George marathon.
MARCH
Andy and I celebrated our ten year anniversary! Well... sort of. Andy had been studying like crazy for the GMAT and so we really couldn't do much. For a long time our neighbor across the street thought there was a pillow of some sort in the window of our office. Then Andy moved and freaked him out! We both wanted him to do well so he could get into the MBA program and so there was little to no complaining. Andy came home from work, ate dinner, and headed up to the office to study. I was juggling the rest of the duties of the house, kids, and homework. One night Ashley said, "It's not fair! We never get to see daddy anymore!" I wasn't very sympathetic and responded, "Well, you better get used to it because if he passes and gets into the MBA program it's going to be like this for the next couple of years." Ashley was shocked and said, "YEARS?!" So when our anniversary came around Andy took a break from studying and we went to Red Robin and then we went and saw the movie Mama... so freaky by the way. We laughed that you can tell you've been married for ten years when your anniversary is celebrated with dinner and a movie and your content. The next day I had to laugh at Andy when he was home alone and tried to take a nap but couldn't do it because our tree was reminding him of the movie we saw. It was too creepy for him! Kind of funny this grown man can't ignore the real life because of something make believe. It was totally scary, though.
A few days later all of Andy's hard work payed off when he took his GMAT. We were thrilled he passed the test and then started looking into MBA programs. The whole family was glad to see him in the evenings again!
For Spring Break I packed up the girls and went to Shiloam's house for the week. It was timed just right that we were able to be there for my nephew, Landen's, baptism and Easter. John had this awesome little robot thing that would draw these amazing things on your eggs before or after you dye them. It was AWESOME!!!
APRIL
April 6 was the year mark of when we lost our baby. I wanted to do something good in remembrance of our sweet baby. It seemed a bit silly, but I ran my first half marathon of the year on that exact day. Erin and my brother, Tanis, joined me. It took us nearly 3 hours to finish which was a ton slower than any of my previous half marathons, but we were all glad we finished. The weather was miserable that day! It rained the entire time and at one point Tanis said, "I can't hear what you are saying since the rain is hitting your windbreaker so bad." Andy brought the girls to see us at the finish line, and my mom was already waiting. It helped me focus on something good instead of what we lost.
Later in the month (April 20th) we went to Idaho Falls for something I can't remember... (This is why I shouldn't wait a year to write something down... I think it was for my sister-in-law, Lisa's 40th birthday. Fun and Crazy! She has some wild friends.) I had sent a text to my sister-in-law, Amy, to see if she would like to run with me while I was there. She said she was actually doing a race, the Menan Butte Trail Challenge, and that I should join her. She kept saying it wasn't really a running race, but more of a mellow race of getting it done. I thought it would be fun! I later learned it was actually a dormant volcano you run up!!! It was so fun to run with Amy as always, but I was SO SORE the next day! Andy was teasing me that he got a glimpse into our future and what I will look like as an old lady. Getting out of bed I could hardly stand upright. Definitely a memorable challenge!
MAY
Another race came and went (May 4th). Erin and I ran the Lake Lowell Half Marathon and really enjoyed it! We shaved a little bit of time from our last race and it was such a beautiful day. The course was pretty good and the aid stations were awesome! I would totally recommend that race to anyone.
I also ran the Famous Idaho Potato Half Marathon (May18th) and was able to run the whole thing. That was exciting to me. The shirts and medals were a lot better this year and I like to think my complaining paid off. I really do enjoy the half... just not the full for this race.
I started watching a little boy in our ward, Owen. I enjoyed having a little companion. He was such a good little guy and let me take him wherever I went. Super chill practically the whole time!
The girls finished up their last days of school. Katie graduated from kindergarten and was thrilled to have been in Mrs. Stallones class. Both Sammy and Ashley had her for kindergarten as well. Ashley advanced to second grade and cried that night because she missed Mrs. Massimino so much! We were all sad when we found out neither of those teachers were coming back to our elementary school the following year. Sammy advanced to the fourth grade and makes sure to tell Mrs. Nielson hello every time she walks down the third grade hall. The girls all LOVED their teachers!
This one is a little sketchy on the month... but I'm pretty sure it was in May. Erin and I found out we got into the St. George Marathon! We were lottery winners! I thought there was no way we would get in since I've gotten in every time I've registered... 3 times now!!! I didn't think my luck would hold out... but it did! So marathon training began!!! We figured out a schedule that worked well for both of us. I went to Erin 2 days a week, and she came to me 2 days a week. We were up and running well before the sun was even out. Many times we were up at 4:00! It seemed so crazy, but we loved getting out there and being together. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it was hard to wake up, but mostly it was just fine.
JUNE
The girls started their Dance Camp! They LOVE going to dance camp with Kaden and Kate! This year they went for 2 weeks and learned 4 different dances. Sammy broke out of her shell a bit and tried lyrical dance the first week. It's always fun to see them dance no matter their skill or ability. It's just fun to see their little faces light up!
I joined the Endorphin Junkies team and ran the Wasatch Back Ragnar. I was kind of torn because I thought it would be really fun, but on the other hand I would have to run one of the hardest legs. I finally caved and thought it would be good training for the marathon. It turned out that just before I called Cindy to commit there was another girl that dropped out and I was able to have one of the easiest legs! My first leg was pretty hot, but I kept thinking it wasn't nearly as bad as my first leg in Spokane to Sandpoint. My second leg was only 4 miles and I had just gone to the bathroom. So I thought I would be just fine for my team to go to the next exchange point. Shiloam told me they would maybe stop at 2 miles. Our SUV was really easy to spot at night since John hooked us up with awesome lights... However, I was not so easy to spot. So when I saw them I switched my headlamp to flashing and I was thinking, "Oh thank heavens! I really need to go to the bathroom and I need some tissues." Well, they didn't see me and decided to go ahead and meet me at the next exchange like I had told them to. I was needing a bush and tissues in the worst way! The really bad part of it was I was in residential areas and it was after midnight. So I flagged down another team and asked if they had tissues. They had a paper towel and I was so grateful!!! Next I tried my best to not go in my pants till I found a bush. The best I could find was a small patch of weeds by a wooden fence. I turned off my headlamp, dropped my pants, and started my business when I heard a man's voice say, "Hey, are you okay?" Ah!!!! I was so embarrassed and shouted, "I'm fine! Keep running!" As bad as that was I was so glad I did it then because I turned the corner and there was literally no place for me to stop. I would have gone in my pants. My final and third leg was pretty good. It was hot, but most of it was downhill. I met a nice girl near the end that said, "Instead of us leap frogging each other lets run side by side and talk." Okay! I passed off to Shiloam and she was struggling with her last leg. So I thought I would be a kind sister and jumped out to run with her for a little while. She later told me that if I hadn't she probably would have given up. It was so fun to be on an all girls team and to do it with Shiloam and Cindy. Plus, it was the tenth anniversary for Wasatch Back and we got the ten year medal! It was HUGE! If you don't know by now, I'm all about the medals when it comes to running.
Katie turned 6!!! She wanted a Tinkerbell Secret of the Wings party. I tried finding cheap wings to give as party favors and had no such luck finding them CHEAP. So I decided to be a little creative and made wings out of cardstock paper and tulle. The girls decorated them as their activity and then went outside to "frost" the backyard while the glue dried. Each girl was given a cup of glitter to represent the fairy dust or whatever the winter fairies use to frost Pixie Hollow. We just so happen to have a weeping willow tree in the backyard and that was their main priority for frosting. It was so cute to see all of them throwing glitter everywhere. I'm sure there is still glitter buried in the grass and dirt. After Pixie Hollow was saved they had a dance party! I turned on The Great Divide (a song from Secret of the Wings) and played freeze dance. After the girls got out all their wiggles we had cake and ice cream and took pictures of all of them in their wings. Katie said it was one of her best birthday parties ever! (It was actually her first friend birthday party)
JULY
We spent the 4th of July here with a BBQ, friends, and family. We kept it pretty low key and then went to Boise for the fireworks. The guys played frisbee while the girls chatted on blankets and watched the kiddos. Someone brought face paint crayons and decorated the kids faces with stars and such. I let my little niece have a go on my face. It was pretty funny!
Andy turned 34 (on the 9th)! We kept it low key this year. He bought himself some new golf clubs he had been keeping an eye on. It made him so happy! But he actually wanted to go bowling on his birthday instead of golfing. So we invited my mom and the kids and we all had a competitive game of bowling. I don't remember, but I would guess Andy won. And for his cake he wanted me to try something new and fill it with raspberries. It was delicious! Chocolate cake, raspberry filling, chocolate frosting, and garnished with fresh raspberries. Yummy!!!
On the 13th Erin and I ran the Fit For Life Half Marathon. It was supposed to be just her and I, but at the last minute another friend and Erin's sister-in-law joined us. It worked out well that both of them wanted to come because we didn't want someone to feel like a third wheel. I was glad that Erin and I were able to run together since it had been a few weeks since we ran a long run together. Jen and Angela stuck together in front of us. At one point Erin said, "Don't tell them, but I really want to beat Jen! She never lets me win at anything!" We set a plan to try and beat her without her knowing that was our plan. She must have figured it out a little past the turnaround and let her competitive side take over. Erin and I sure tried to keep up but she ended up coming in about 2 minutes before us. The plus side... We cut 30 minutes off our time!!! I almost cried when we crossed the finish line. This race is still my best time for half marathons and this year it was my best time for half marathons of the year. We were so happy even though we didn't beat Jen.
This year the Wyne family reunion was held in California. We were desperately looking for a new place to live and added expenses wouldn't allow us to go. Andy was completely disappointed we couldn't make it... and don't tell him I said this, but he was at times unbearable to live with. We made it through and he kept saying, "We are for sure going next year!" As if it was a question... it was the first we've missed. :(
The girls had swim lessons for the first time. They all did great and it was so fun to see them learn new things. Sammy in my opinion looks amazing. She makes the backstroke look effortless! Ashley still needs to learn to keep her little bum down in the water. It's pretty cute... and funny! Katie struggled a little in class, but became a fish when she went to her friend's house for a pool party. She was jumping off the diving board and swimming to the side all by herself. It was so fun to see the girls and not be afraid of the water. Later I decided to learn from their example and took swim lessons myself. It wasn't so embarrassing since my friend joined me and they were private lessons taught by another friend. I was better than I realized, but I still need practice.
Later in the month we were able to go to Idaho Falls for our nephew, Max's, baptism. It was fun to see him get baptized especially since he and Ashley would be Disneyland buddies. A lot of the family was there for the event since it was just after the reunion.
AUGUST
I was talked into running the 5k Color Run with a bunch of people in our ward. Andy was supposed to run it with me, but ended up having orientation on the same day at the same time. It was fun during the race and I remember thinking, "Boy, that was over quick!" It was a different thought when I got home. I was absolutely filthy!!! I can't stress that enough. My clothes were ruined and as hard as I scrubbed I couldn't get all the color off my skin. And to top that I had given blood the day before and then started. I was severely lacking in blood supply and felt sick for the next two days. I didn't think it would be a big deal running a 5k... it was a 5k! I was wrong and learned my lesson. It was a fun experience during the race, but I don't think I would do it again.
The girls started back up in school and were thrilled with their placement and teachers. They were all new teachers to us, but the girls were very excited for the new year. Andy also started school. He was accepted into the Boise State University MBA program. He was excited to start the new challenges. He is working full time so it meant night classes. He was in class Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday till 10:00 which meant he was home at 10:30. On Wednesdays he usually stayed to study and do homework and Fridays he met with his group. When Saturday rolled around we were so glad to see him!!! The first week was definitely the hardest. After that we decided to wake the girls early so they could see Andy at least for a few minutes in the day. The girls and I had a routine down and it was working well for us... we just had to get used to not having Andy around. :(
Marathon training was in full swing! I was up by 4:00 or 4:30 depending on the day so that I could be back home in time to see Andy off to work. I tried my best to keep my eyes open till he got home, but often I couldn't help myself and fell asleep. It was worth getting up early so that I could see Andy off and have family prayer with our girls. It was difficult at times, but I kept telling myself that there was an end in sight. I remember Erin telling me that she and her husband were talking one night and out of the blue he said, "How do they do it?" She was confused and said, "Who?" He replied, "Andy and Ally. How do they do their schedule?" I laughed and when I saw him the next time I told him it's only for three years. He laughed and sarcastically said, "Only three years!" There is an end in sight.
It was a slight adjustment being home by myself for the most part. On the days that I didn't have Owen it was almost boring... almost. I didn't know what to do with myself when my house was clean and no one to take care of. So I spent many days having lunch with my mom and catching up on projects that were long overdue. I'm well adjusted now and need to find projects that are little to no money at all otherwise I will need a job to pay for my boredom.
SEPTEMBER
Ashley turned 8!!! She decided this year that she did not want a friend birthday party. Instead she wanted to go to Build-A-Bear. She picked out a cute little panda she named Pixie and dressed her in sparkles from head to toe. She was complete with Cotton Candy scent, a voice pack from mom and dad telling her "I love you, Ashley. Happy 8th birthday!", another voice pack of One Direction singing You Don't Know You're Beautiful, a tiara, and wand. Whoa was it expensive!!! But it was totally worth it to see her face light up and not to put on a friend birthday party on the day I ran double digit miles. She made me even happier when she said, "Mom, I don't want a fancy cake this year. I just want one like you made for Daddy's birthday." Yippee! It was a butter recipe yellow cake, with chocolate frosting, strawberry filling, and fresh strawberries to garnish! It was so yummy and super fast to make! Love that girl!!!
Not much else happened in September except the last bit of training for the marathon. Erin and I were down to the last few weeks before the big race and counted down till we were back in the single digits for Saturday runs!
OCTOBER
St. George here we come!!! Marathon weekend was finally here!!! Erin and I got our kids off to school, said goodbye to our hubbies, and headed down to Utah. We stopped in Sandy for a bite to eat at the Training Table (oh that sounds good right now) since Erin had never been. Then we picked up Cindy and continued our drive to St. George. We arrived at the condo we rented dropped our stuff and then went to Kneaders for dinner. It was so crazy to think we would be running the marathon in a couple days. Friday we picked up our packets and went to the first timers clinic for Erin and had some laughs. I ran into Nancy Bishop... again. I grew up with her daughter and happen to see her on the course when I ran STG with Andy. We bought some fun souvenirs at the expo and tried to carb load (including eating at an amazing little Main Street Deli and Bakery that is to die for! Love their coconut cupcakes!!!) and get some rest for the next morning.
Race day was finally here!!! I had the hardest time sleeping the night before and kept worrying that things would go wrong or that I wouldn't wake up to my alarm. It felt different than the previous years since I kind of went with the flow and this year everyone was relying on me to get them to the buses on time. Ah! We actually made it on the first 20 buses (unexpected) and were put in a drawing for prizes. Michael, a friend's husband who drove to the buses with us, actually won one of the prizes. It was freezing at the start!!! We huddled around one of the fires until it was about time to start. That was new to me... but it wasn't supposed to be so hot this year anyway.
The gun went off and we were on our way to finishing 26.2 miles!!! Cindy, Erin, and I stuck together for about the first 6 miles. Then Cindy decided to back off a ton so she could have an amazing 2nd half. She watched as Erin and I ran up Veyo hill and thought, "There they go... yep... I'm walking this hill." Erin and I stayed together till about mile 19 and tried to keep the conversation going. I had written a name for each mile on my throw away shirt so that if we had a lull in the conversation we could look at the name for the mile we were on and talk about that person. Ironically it only happened once and we talked about Gavin, Erin's son. I remember we talked about how smart he is and how she didn't know what they were going to do with him. (They figured it out when she got home and he ended up moving up a grade in school) We saw our friend Tammy at one point and she made us stop and get a picture. We didn't mind though, especially since the picture was the best one taken of us. We only walked through the aid stations and ran in between. At about mile 19 we decided to put our headphones in and listen to music to pump us up and keep us going. I usually tend to speed up once I start listening to music and that can be a bit of a downfall if I'm running with someone. I kept looking over my shoulder to see how Erin was doing and if she was still in sight since we had talked about crossing the finish line together. This was bothering Erin and she finally said, "Ally, go get a new PR!" I looked down at my watch and thought, "I can totally get a new PR." So I picked up my pace and ran the whole rest of the way. Mile 25 was a killer because I wanted to walk so bad. I knew if I walked I wouldn't get a PR and then I would kick myself for leaving my friend behind. I kept running (not sure how) and I finished the race with a new personal record by one minute!!! It was by best marathon time overall and I cut 36 minutes off my previous marathon time. It felt great!!! Cindy came in a few minutes after me, and then Erin came in a couple minutes after her. It was so cool that we all came in under 5 hours and within 5 minutes of each other. We were all so excited that we reached our goal!!!
The three of us were sitting in the runners only section at the finish line and realized we needed our drop bags. I volunteered to go get them since I knew where the pick up area was already. I had taken off my shoes since I had planet sized blisters. I was watching the ground carefully as not to step on anything unpleasant. On my way back to Erin and Cindy I heard a woman's voice say, "Ally Wyne". I looked up and it was my good friend, Marilyn Boucher. She and her husband, Kurtt, lived upstairs and across the hall from Andy and I in our second apartment. We spent many hours playing games, watching movies (or other tv shows we were addicted to), and going on double dates with them. Even though we keep in touch it was so fun to randomly see her in person. She was there to support her dad and told me how impressed she was that I ran it, too.
Right after the race we went to Cafe Rio to get something to eat and stood in line for quite some time. We were having a great conversation with the guys in front of us (Cindy hoping they were single... no such luck.), and Erin thinking one guy seemed oddly familiar. She kept wondering if she dated him and couldn't remember... then it hit her! She said, "You're the point guard for BYU!!!" Yep he was! She then added, "Do you know how many nights I stay up late with my husband and watch you play?!" It was hilarious to see her get all giddy about a basketball player. We took a picture and of her with him (sorry BYU player, I don't remember your name) and then sent it to Cameron.
Afterward my body sure paid for the PR! I was so sore all over... ALL over. It was hard to walk around and often I would be standing still and then all of a sudden I would lose my balance and almost fall over. It made Cindy and Erin laugh. The next day we headed for home. We stopped at CPK for lunch since Erin had never been before (I made her go to some of my favorite Utah places, but she didn't mind). Erin's little sister and Shiloam both met us there and we had some good laughs. After we were done eating we dropped off Cindy and then finished the drive to Idaho. I adore Erin so much! She and I always have such a good time together and I respect her so much. We didn't listen to music practically the whole way and had such a deep conversation. We also laughed when we had to make a bathroom stop or fill up on gas and could barely get out of the car. By the time we reached her house she asked how my ankle was feeling (one of the many sore parts of my body) and I told her it was not too good. When I lifted my pant leg we realized how swollen it was... it looked like my ankle was hitting the floor!!! I said my goodbye to Erin and walked, I mean hobbled, in my own house about 10:30 that night. Overall it was a fantastic weekend! Good friends, good food, perfect weather (finished the race at about 68 degrees I think), and memorable race! Love you so much Erin and Cindy!!!
I tried not to lose momentum with running after the marathon... tried. I took a week off from running to let my muscles and ankle heal and then jumped back into it since I had a couple more races lined up.
Ashley was baptized by Andy on October 12th. She was so excited and told anyone and everyone the date from the beginning of the year. Sarah, Andy's sister, made the drive from American Falls with 4 of her kids. It was so fun to have them! We hardly get visitors so it's always fun when our guest room is put to good use. Sarah and I had a great time together running, shopping, cooking, and whatever else needed to get done. Sarah even took Sammy out shopping for the first time away from mom and used her money she earned over the summer. It made her so happy and now she prefers to do her "own" shopping. Other family members that attended Ashley's baptism were Grandma and Grandpa Pearce, Brigetta and Brandon Grow (and kids), Merridy and Chuck Anderson (and kids), Ashana, Tanis, and Mindy and Doug Bullock (plus Kassidy and Kelsie). My favorite part of the baptism was the funny noise Ashley made when she came out of the water. She makes this distinct noise that almost sounds like a tiny goose when she is really nervous or really happy. This time she was super happy!
We attended our ward Halloween party and let the girls dress up as whatever they wanted. Andy and I didn't really feel like dressing up... but once we got there I had to go home and change. I walked in and saw Brigetta dressed up as a runner which I almost did anyway. She had my running jacket, running tights, a bib number, and a medal on. Brandon encouraged this next part! I went home and put on all of my medals and bib numbers. It was pretty funny! Brigetta was asked more than once that night if she was dressed up as me. Haha!!! Sammy dressed up as a sailor, Ashley was a flamanco dancer, and Katie was Rapunzel. The funniest part of the whole evening is Katie had two loose teeth and wanted Bryce Thueson to pull them. He pulled one and then wanted me to pull the other. She lost two teeth in a matter of minutes!!! She started singing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth." I said, "Great! Here you go!" and then I handed her the bag with her teeth. Then she added to her song, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth... to grow in!" Funny girl!
It's a tradition with Andy's parents that when the grandkids turn 8 they take them to Disneyland. This year Ashley and Max were Disneyland buddies. She was so excited!!! I made the drive to American Falls to drop Ashley off, then her Uncle Joaquin drove her to Blackfoot on his way to work, then her Aunt Lisa (Max's mom) picked her up and drove the rest of the way to Utah to make the drop off to Grandma and Grandpa. They flew to California on Halloween (not my favorite thing since she wasn't here with me for my favorite holiday and missed two parties at school... oh well) and then returned safely to us on the 2nd. I honestly couldn't even tell you how it went since she didn't tell me much. All I know is she had a great time and Max refused to go on any scary rides, but she was okay with that. She also spent every dime she was given to spend at Disneyland. It was the complete opposite from Sammy. Sammy bought one Jasmine doll and saved the rest to bring home with her. Ashley came home with tons of stuff! And it's the complete opposite of how she is at home. When she gets money she immediately hands it to me to put in her savings. She pays her tithing and saves everything else.
While Ashley was off playing in California the girls and I were playing here. Halloween is my favorite holiday! Sammy dressed up as a sailor again and Katie decided to ditch the Rapunzel wig since it was itchy. Merridy and her family came to our neighborhood to go trick-or-treating along with my mom and Tanis. I gave Tanis a bunch of grief for actually collecting candy... he's 23 for crying out loud!!! I make my kids pay a mom tax, but I don't stand at the door and beg for it from strangers. After getting more candy than ever is needed we went to Brigetta's house to hang for a bit since it was after all Mikayla's birthday. We let the girls stay up way too late on a school night and eat way to much candy for any night. They were pretty darn pleased!
NOVEMBER
Andy and I had decided a few months earlier that once we made it through the marathon then we would go and see a fertility specialist to try and figure out what the problem or problems were going on with us. It had been over four years of trying and having difficulty getting pregnant on our own and then five miscarriages. We felt it was time to finally see the specialist my OB/GYN had recommended. We heard good things about her from friends as well, but it was all a little overwhelming. The only appointment they even had available for a consult was the first week in November. If we couldn't make it to that appointment then we would have to wait till the beginning of the year. Andy cleared his schedule so we wouldn't have to wait.
After meeting with Dr. Slater we felt discouraged because she went over EVERYTHING and it was so much information that I didn't even know what to think or where to begin. It was really expensive just to have a consult and then it got even more expensive from there. The worst part was they gave us an 8% chance of conceiving a child on our own due to our history and my age. I know a lot of people out there say, "Oh, you're young! You can still have lots of kids." I seriously want to smack people when they let those words come out of their mouths. I have hit the down slope on my child bearing days, but there is so much more to it than just my age. That same day we also had some genetic testing done, but we wouldn't get the results of those for some time.
It just so happen that I was at the prime time to have an HSG test done and that was highly recommended by the doctor. They needed to get me in on Monday or Tuesday the following week (it was Friday) otherwise I would have to wait another month. The test is extremely time sensitive meaning that it can only be done on a few days of your cycle. The only time they had open was on Monday morning... We were supposed to pick up Ashley from her Disneyland trip that day and it put a cramp in our schedule. Andy made arrangements with his mom to meet him halfway so that we could have the test done. An HSG test is where they shoot dye into your uterus and x-ray to see if there are any polyps, scar tissue, or anything else causing problems internally. It's definitely not my favorite test I've had performed. It's actually quite painful, but not the worst I've experienced. During the test they were able to see that my right fallopian tube is completely blocked. That was an answer as to why we were having such a difficult time getting pregnant on our own. The next step the doctor recommended was to undergo IUI treatments.
For those that are unfamiliar with these terms, IUI stands for intrauterine insemination. They would put me on Clomid (a double dose), Bravelle, and Ovidrel. Those drugs are for the purpose of helping my body ovulate. Bravelle and Ovidrel are both administered to the abdomen through a needle and syringe. I am terrified of needles!!!!! I can't stress that enough. It freaked me out to no end thinking I would have to give myself shots in my stomach. Yuck! Next would be an ultrasound to see if I had 2 mature follicles in my left ovary. Then they would get a sperm sample from Andy, wash it, and then inject it directly into my uterus. The purpose of doing it this way is it give the sperm only halfway to go rather than the full distance to find the egg. (Sorry, I know this is a bit too much information... but I said at the beginning of this post that this one is mostly for journal purposes.) The chances of us getting pregnant on our own was low and this would increase our chances dramatically. The major downfall of this process (beside all the drugs that would be pumped into my system) was it is really expensive. Dr. Slater said that they do three rounds and then reevaluate after that. The medication alone was nearly $400 a round. At minimum the cost would have been $1100 a month and it's not even a guarantee that it would work, just increased our chances.
We went home with a lot to process and really didn't have much time to talk it over. Andy was hardly home and the next weekend I was going to be gone. I had a trip planned for another race. I went to Vegas to run the Ragnar Relay Race. It was with most of the girls that ran Wasatch Back earlier in the year. Shiloam and Cindy were both running and we were all excited. Plus we were anxious to earn the Saints and Sinners double medal for doing both races in the same calendar year!
Shiloam and I flew into Vegas within minutes of each other and were picked up by Cindy and the rest of our van 1 crew. We took our stuff back to the condo we rented and then headed to the check-in party. While eating our pasta dinner some guy came and sat down between Ruthanne and I. Keep in mind this was a runners only section. The guy looks at me and says, "So.... there must be a race or something going on." I kind of laughed and said, "You think?" At first I thought he was a runner and trying to be funny while hitting on me. Then I realized he was completely serious. When he started telling us he was a couch surfer he became a bit creepy. He walked from state to state with only a backpack full of his necessities and slept on couches of complete strangers. He had no job, obviously, and no money and relied on the goodness of other people. I call that lazy. Anyway, just as he was walking away he said, "If you want to look me up go to ________ website and it's Stephen... with a P-H." We all agreed he gave us something to remember, but he was very odd. Later on our way back to the condo Tammy suggested that we have a code word if someone is being too obnoxious or something. Shiloam and I laughed and said, "Steph!!! With a P-H" Everyone was laughing and thus was the beginning of our code word... which we never needed. Throughout the whole race someone would randomly say Steph and laughter broke out again and again.
The next morning at the crack of dawn... well, it really should have been considered the middle of the night... we headed to the start of the race. I was supposed to be runner 3 but because of a last minute change in the course we traded things around and I ended up being runner 1. Cindy convinced me to take the second hardest legs as she told me she and I were the strongest runners... Okay... I couldn't complain. My first leg was actually amazing!!! We started at a ski lodge and it was freezing, but it was an all downhill leg. My average pace for the 7.05 miles was 8:45!!! That is way faster than I've ever run. When I was at my strongest pace I was running an average 9:30. The fastest I've EVER run was a 5k at an 8:11 pace. Needless to say I was thrilled when I finished and Shiloam said, "You finished in an hour flat!" The race started 15 minutes late and I made up the whole time we were behind. My second leg was not so great. It was 4 miles uphill... all of it! I kept thinking it's going to level out. Then I would turn a corner and it would continue to go up. It was pretty brutal. And my third leg seemed very much like my second leg. I met a guy at a stop light that started up a conversation with me and kept me going for awhile. When I felt like walking he would say, "You can keep running. Come on!" That one was supposed to be 4.5 miles and actually finished at 5.6 miles. That made me grumpy, but only till I was done. It was fun to be the first one to finish and I had a blast with all the girls. All of us got along and never had to say Steph to one another. In between legs we were able to go back to the condo and eat, nap, shower, or whatever we wanted till we had to meet up with van 2 again.
Some of the memorable moments during the race:
- Meeting a lot of interesting people... very interesting... Steph
- Seeing a guy in a hospital gown to run in and realizing that he was completely naked underneath. "That was a real naked bum"
- Tammy's car battery died and we had to get a jump start just before Ruthanne was finishing her first leg. Ah! We were so lucky there was another team that stopped in the same place to cheer on their team member.
- Ruthanne running in complete darkness, uphill, for 10 miles and hearing coyotes and still keeping it together. She's my hero!
- Getting that one last kill on my second leg and a ton of people cheering to see who would come in first... I did! :)
- Shiloam's security alarm company calling saying there was a smoke alarm going off at her house. Then trying to get a hold of John when we were out of cell service areas just to find out it was nothing to worry about at all. Something spilled and burned on the stove.
- Playing phone tag with the nurse at the fertility specialists because she had our test results. Never did get a hold of one another while in Vegas.
- Some guy commenting on how cool Shiloam's vest was and then asking if we saw the team with the vest that looked like ____. It was our other vest. :)
- Cops busting some guy as Melissa ran right through the middle of it.
- Falling asleep in the back of the van and getting stuck because "My legs don't work!"
- Earning our Saints and Sinners double medal. Awesome! And HUGE!
- Walking in circles trying to get out of the airport and then trying to find Cindy
- Putting lights on the vans and Shiloam almost making me fall off the stool several times. It's not exactly the best job for 2 girls that are barely over 5 feet tall.
- The girls' school calling me and telling me that Katie had a fever and I needed to come pick her up. Uh, sorry. I'm in Vegas! I had to make a few phone calls before I was able to get my friend, Sarah, to go and get her. When Sarah checked her temp it was normal. Dang nurse!
- Playing several games at the Billiards table with Shiloam... she had a terrible time with the 8 ball.
- Having to roll Shiloam out of bed because "Her body didn't work"
- Walking by an open door and seeing another naked bum. Ah! Well, it was covered by underwear but it was still surprising.
- Tammy freaking out when I screamed because she rolled the massage thing too hard on my legs. It was funny to see her reaction over mine.
- Shiloam falling down the stairs! What made it so funny is that earlier in the day she said, "Okay, if I fall down the stairs I give you permission to laugh... for a minute. Then you need to come help me get up." Nobody actually expected her to fall down the stairs.
On a side note, while I was gone I missed Sammy's Living Museum project she had been working so hard on. I was so bummed it landed on the same day I left for Vegas. My mom was so kind to get her all ready and take her to the school where she acted like Annie Sullivan and told people all about her life. Sammy spent many, many hours working on her tri-fold and practicing in front of her stuffed animals to make it exactly the way she wanted. She even did an example of braille using Velcro backs. Grandma was a HUGE help in her project as well. Her cutting machine has come in handy more times than we can count. Thanks, Mom, for all your help... not only with the projects, but for taking care of my girls while I was away twice this year!
As I mentioned before the nurse from Dr. Slater's office was trying to get a hold of me because she had our genetic test results. After I got home from Vegas we were finally able to talk over the phone. She told me that all my testing came back normal. Andy on the other hand came back positive for the Cystic Fibrosis gene, meaning that he is a carrier for the gene. Since I was not the chances of us having a child with CF were really low, but that the next step was to talk to a genetic councilor. We set up an appointment for a phone consultation and later learned that the chance of us having a baby with CF was 0.6%, but that our children have a 50% chance of being a carrier for the gene. We also learned that it would definitely not be the cause of a miscarriage. If we did have a baby with CF it would survive the pregnancy and most likely have very minor symptoms.
November was already a busy month and wasn't about to slow down. I felt that I needed to go to the temple about what Andy and I should do. I kept going back and forth in my head if I even wanted another baby. I thought to myself, "I am so far out of the baby stage. Should I just close that chapter in my life and move on? Or are these feelings just out of frustration because it's been so hard and I'm feeling defeated?" I picked up a friend and we went to the temple together. While there I had some positive experiences but still didn't know what the next step should be. I talked things over with Andy when he got home that night and it turned into a bit of a fight. I wanted to go forward with the IUI right away and he wanted to wait till after Christmas. If we started right away I needed to order the medication the next day so that it would get shipped here in time for us to go to Utah since I would need to start on it over Thanksgiving. Obviously I wasn't about to disagree with Andy and order $400 worth of medication anyway. The next day I was just grumpy. Andy came home that night and said, "I'm really sorry about last night. I guess I was just being selfish. I didn't want you on all those drugs while we were in Utah... 'cause they're not fun. So go ahead and order the medication and we'll try it this month." I was thankful for the apology, but it was too late to order the medication. We were leaving the next day for Utah and I can't just pick them up at any pharmacy. So from there we decided we would wait till after Christmas.
We packed up our car and headed to Utah for our annual trip to Andy's parents house for Thanksgiving. We were planning on being there a whole week and had some items on our agenda, but mostly low key. Sunday night after dinner I started to feel kind of icky. I had to run to the bathroom several times and after awhile my brother-in-law, Doug, said, "Gee! Where are you going every 5 minutes?" I yelled back, "The bathroom! I told you my stomach didn't feel good." I couldn't quite get rid of whatever it was that was making me feel icky. I was mostly okay, just not great. I went about my week trying to ignore it. We did a little shopping and eating out. One morning Lisa and I went walking with Ed and then the next morning the three of us along with Gwendolyn went on a bit of a hike. I was doing kind of a boxer shuffle from side to side on my way down the mountain because there was a deep groove in the path and it seemed easier than trying to walk down the middle. I felt so bad when Lisa tried to copy me and fell. Thank goodness she wasn't hurt too bad. She scraped and bruised her knee, but I think she was mostly embarrassed. Thanksgiving day Andy's sisters and I usually go down to the Porter Rockwell trail and go running or walking. This year we tried something different. A bunch of us registered for a race down at Thanksgiving Point called the Thankful 13. Some were registered for the half marathon and some were registered for the 5k. There was a bet going on between Doug and Ally (Moss) as to who would win. If Doug won then Ally would have to be his slave for 2 weeks. If Ally won then Doug had to pay her $100. They are quite the competitive family so we were all curious who would win... turns out Ally had him beat by a few minutes! I was registered for the half and ran with Cindy and Amy. They were so kind to stay with me the whole race. I was feeling like crap the entire time! It was still fun to run with Cindy and Amy, but I wish I was feeling better. I was talking to Amy about all the fertility and genetic stuff and at one point she said, "I just think it would be awesome if you were pregnant." I said, "Me, too. But there is no way I am. It would be a miracle... seriously!" We finished the race and were happy even with the slowest time of the family. It wasn't great, but not terrible. (2:20:21) We loved the medals and the shirts and mentioned we should make it a new family tradition. I'm all for it! We had a great time in Utah and came home at the end of the week.
Now that I've caught you up on a whole year I will post pictures next so you can see what it looked like! Oh, yeah... I forgot to mention we also got our family pictures taken in there somewhere (it's been 2 years since our last family pictures). It was crazy to try and schedule and decide what we were going to wear. I hate that part, but Becky always does a great job!
If you read this whole post you deserve a medal!!! I would give you one of mine, but I worked too hard for all of them and I'm not willing to give any of them up. I'll send you a candy bar instead. :)
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