A Look Back...

This isn't going to be the "look back" that you are probably thinking as we bring in the new year. I'm not going to take you through the whole year of 2010. However, because 2010 will forever be a special year as it was the year we brought Kaden and Kenley into our lives, I am taking you on a "look back" tour of the journey of becoming a family. I thought about doing this on their 1st birthday, but let's not kid ourselves, I more than likely won't have the time that I have now and the blog will probably be filled with more exciting things from that day. Although the journey actually started in 2008 (or even a couple of years earlier if you want to get technical) our lives forever changed, smack-dab in the middle of 2010.
Here's where it all started:

* Cody/Holli initial infertility visit: September 23, 2008
     *Cody Semen Analysis: September 23, 2008
     *Holli Lab Work: September 23, 2008
     **Action: October 2008: Cody Vitamin C 1000mg
         Vitamin E 400IU
          Fertility Blend Vitamin
          Recheck Semen Analysis ~8 weeks

*Cody 2nd Semen Analysis: December 8, 2008
     **RESULTS: Low sperm count
     **Action: Appointment with Dr. Hansen January 6th, 2009
                    -Discuss option of doing IVF with ICSI
                    -Cody appointment with Urologist

*Cody lab work/hormone levels: January 15, 2009
     **RESULTS: OK, testosterone levels slightly below avg.

*Cody Urologist: January 27, 2009
     **RESULTS: Normal

*Cody/Holli office visit, Dr. Hansen: March 9, 2009
     -discuss IVF and other options
       **Action: Cody hormone injections M/W/F
                               -Novarel 2mls
     -Recheck labs in one month
     -Recheck Semen Analysis in two months
     -Goal: increase amount of semen produced
              -possibility of artificial insemination

*Cody lab work/hormone levels: April 7, 2009
     **RESULTS: bloodwork: #199-749 (good, injections doing what they are supposed to be doing)
     **Action: Cody continue hormone injections M/W/F
                    -Recheck Semen Analysis in 6-8 weeks

*Cody/Holli office visit, Dr. Hansen: June 8, 2009
     -discuss results of semen analysis and injections
      **RESULTS: Testosterone (blood) improved
                            Sperm count continues to be low
     -Decision to try IUI

*Cody/Holli IUI #1:
     **Holli Clomid (100mg) June 10-14
     **hCG injection
     **IUI June 20, 2009 (8am)
     **Fresh Sperm
     **RESULTS: (P. Test July 4, 2009)
                           Negative: cycle day 1: 7/4/09

*Cody/Holli IUI #2:
     **Holli Clomid (100mg) July 6-10
     **hCG injection
     **IUI July 20, 2009 (9am)
     **Fresh Sperm
     **RESULTS: (P. Test August 3, 2009)
                            Negative: cycle day 1: 8/4/09

*Cody/Holli IUI #3:
     **Holli Clomid (150mg) August 7-11
     **hCG injection
     **IUI August 20, 2009 (10am)
     **Fresh Sperm
     **RESULTS: (P. Test September 3, 2009)
                           Negative: cycle day 1: 9/5/09

*Cody/Holli office visit, Dr. Hansen: September 29,2009
     -Discuss IVF

*Cody/Holli IVF #1:
     **Holli cycle day 1: 9/5/09
     **Holli birth control: 9/8/09-9/28/09
     **Cody/Holli appointments: 9/23/09
            *Cody Labs
            *Cody sperm collection
            *Holli Labs
            *Holli Saline Sonogram: NORMAL
            *Injection Training

     **Holli: Lupron injection started 10/24/09
                 Bravelle and Menopur injections
                 hCG injection
                 Doxycycline (oral antibiotic)
                 Progesterone in Oil injections
                 Vivelle Patch

     **Egg Retrieval: 11/18/09
                   Eggs Retrieved: 12
                   Eggs ICSI: 10
                   Eggs Fertilized: 6

     **Embryo Transfer (day 5): 11/23/09
                                                Transferred: 2 embryos
                                                Froze: 2 embryos

     **Pregnancy Test: 12/4/09
         **POSITIVE
             **Due Date: August 11, 2010

**First Ultrasound: 12/23/2010
     **TWINS

We want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! Tonight we spent the night at home just the four of us. Of course we didn't make it until midnight, but the night was perfect anway.

2010 was filled with tons of excitement...the greatest joy being that the Lord blessed us with our two little miracles. We have been beyond blessed this year. Thank you for being a part of it. We are ready for what 2011 has to offer.

Our First Christmas Is Coming To An End

Well, it's Wednesday today and it's time to put an end to all the festivities. We have been at my mom and dad's since last Friday and have been enjoying every minute of our break. We celebrated Christmas Eve morning at Grandma Deb's house and then that evening we went to church in Slayton and had Christmas with Great-Grandma Finke. We actually had no plans for Christmas day. Daddy went snowmobiling for the day so the rest of us just stayed in the house and did some baking and getting ready for when Kris, Josh and Khloe came later that evening. We celebrated Christmas with my family on Sunday and we have all been hanging out since. Now today, my parents are headed to Arizona, Kris is heading back to Des Moines, and we are headed back to Brewster....we've missed daddy this week :)

Christmas was absolutely fantastic this year looking at it through the eyes of our chidlren. I know they are too young to remember any of this or to really get anything out of it, but for us, it was priceless. Last year my sister was pregnant and we surprised everyone with the news that we were expecting TWO babies. We were all soo looking forward to this Christmas to enjoy the miracle of three beautiful babies. So very different than last year. Of course it all went way too fast and now we are left with going home, unpacking, putting things away, and finding space for all of the wonderful things we were spoiled with this year. But, we loved spending time with family and we can't thank our parents enough for for everything they've done for us this past week.

**I also wanted to let everyone know that Cody's nurse called him yesterday. The Dr. showed his scans to the neurosurgeons who all felt very comfortable with waiting the two months for his next MRI. They didn't say anything about what they thought this "spot" might be, just that they felt comfortable with him coming back in two months. They gave him the option of having the next scan done in Sioux Falls or to go back to Rochester to have it done. We've both talked about it and feel having this next one done here would be just fine. The Dr. did feel though, that if there was change on his next scan, that they would recommend we go back to Rochester to have them look at it. We are very comfortable with this plan. As for now, we don't feel it's necessary to go back up there unless needed. So we will wait and see what this next MRI brings. For now though, the nurse will schedule it for sometime in February and let us know.

5 months

The biggest event here that's been taking place the last couple of days is that Kenley is scooting....backwards!!  It's such a hoot to watch her. She's got the rolling over down pretty good. Everytime you put her on her back she's flipping on to her tummy. Which, is fun to watch, except after she's just eaten. That is definitely not a good thing for such a puker :)  But once she is on her tummy she starts pushing herself and ends up going backwards. And when she gets mad, she gets going pretty good! We can't take our eyes off of her for more than a couple of minutes or she's got herself into some unwanted predicament. She's been trapped under the swing, gotten herself under the Christmas tree and even scooted herself into the kitchen.

(now she's really mad!)

Yucky Day

Whew, what a busy day! 

Both kids have been sick the last couple of weeks with colds...snotty noses, coughs, and an ear infection for Kenley. She was put on an antibiotic and seems to be getting better. Kaden on the other hand is still hanging on to the nasties. He has been so crabby, which is completely not normal for him. I made another appointment for him today just to make sure there wasn't something going on that we were missing. They couldn't get a good look in his ears, apparently he was a little waxy. So they came in and flushed his ears out, which was not one of his favorite things. But after they were cleared, they looked good, which made me feel better because I was sure it was going to be an ear infection for him too. Because he's had a cough for so long they also wanted to check his white blood count. A prick in the heel was also not a highlight of his day. All in all, they think that he could have walking pneumonia. They're not sure and they could do more tests, but they didn't want to subject him to that. So they gave him a prescription of Zithromax, and if it is pneumonia then this should kick it in the butt.

We didn't get in to Kaden's appointment right away which made Cody think he was going to be late for his MRI. He left Kaden's appt. and walked 4 blocks to make sure he got there on time while I finished with Kaden. When he came out of his MRI he looked pretty rough. His face was red, swollen, and blotchy. I thought that maybe he had fallen asleep, but he looked at me and said "I almost died in there!"  Apparently he had a pretty bad allergic reaction to the injection of contrast. He instantly started sneezing, which he described as someone shaking pepper in his face and then he started to cough. When they slid him back into the machine, he said his nose had completely closed up and his chest was starting to get tight too.  He was really struggling to breathe. Even when he was finished, for about an hour, he was wheezing and very out of breath. He had me really worried! He was showing improvement but all day he would easily feel out of breath.

Now on to the results. Cody's MRI report stated that there was no new tumor growth, HOWEVER, it was showing an area of increased intensity. There was something showing up as a bright white spot. Of course, they weren't exactly sure what it was, but didn't feel it would be best practice to let it go for another 6 months, especially with his history. They want to see him back in 2 months instead. He explained that it could possibly be some swelling or maybe even scar tissue. Cody asked if it could be tumor and of course that's always a possibility, but they just "don't know." He explained to us that Cody's type of cancer, if it were to come back, typically comes back between two and three years. So he of course thinks it's a positive that he is 5-6 years out. The dr. was going to talk to the radiologist and also the neurosurgeons and get their opinions. If they felt it was something that needs to be addressed sooner, they will let us know. But for now, we wait for another two months. UGH!!

A lot of emotions today and a lot of "unsure-ness". Cody doesn't really know what to think. He told me he wasn't surprised because he said he's "just not that lucky."  I told him that it's really not about luck and we will continue to get our strength from the Lord. Even though these days are always a little difficult, we both feel that it brings the two of us closer together. We are so very thankful for what we do have.

Really, Already???

Here we are again. It's time for Cody's 6 month check up. I know I say this every time, but it simply amazes me how the time passes us by. Last time he had his appointment, I was waddling down the hallways and about ready to pop. This time we are excited to bring pictures of the kids to show off. Cody has a pretty special lab nurse that has done his labs from the very beginning. Even through all of the years, she has been the one to draw his blood every single time. Cody has never been shy around her and he can get rather sarcastic, but she's always right there to dish it back. So anyway, we know she'll be excited to see baby pictures :)

His MRI is scheduled for 11:30 and then we don't see the doctor until 4:00 in the afternoon. Hopefully we'll get some last minute Christmas shopping done in between!

We can't thank you enough for all of your continued thoughts and prayers. We know Cody is often in your prayers but it's always nice for a few extra around this time. We love you all!

Yummy Cereal

Cody brought up the highchairs from the basement and put them together today for our first attempt at eating cereal. It actually didn't go too bad. We tried Kenley first and she did fantastic. She was very helpful to mommy as she would grab the spoon and try to feed herself. She loved every bit of it. Her first taste she was a little unsure of, but after that she was wide mouthed for more! She munched it right up, finishing her whole bowl. I expected nothing less from our little (or should I say big) Kenley girl.  Kaden didn't seem to mind the cereal, but he wasn't quite sure how this was supposed to work. We gave him a few bites but he just didn't know what to do with it. So we'll keep working at it. Here are a few pictures of our first day in highchairs!

4 Months

Four months seems like it has been a very eventful time period. Every stage in their growth gets a little more exciting. What's been going on:

*Kaden and Kenley both have been flipping from their tummy to their back. They're not real consistent with it yet, but they sure enjoy doing it when they've remembered how.

*Kenley rolled over (from her back to her tummy) for the first time all by herself. She is a very strong little girl and has been swinging her legs over acting like she's wanting to flip. I always give her a little support behind her butt so she doesn't flop back over and she is able to swing her shoulders around and get up on her stomach. But yesterday, she did it all without any help from mom!!  I was soo excited!!

*Both kids have been sick this last week. They have pretty nasty colds with super snotty noses and terrible coughs. Kaden actually even lost his voice today. It's a pretty pathetic sight to watch your baby cry but not hear anything come out. Broke daddy's heart :(

*Kenley ended up with her first ear infection. She loves her antibiotic though. Mmmmm...bubblegum!

*Cody has been sick too this past week and I think he's handling it worse than the kids. Pretty sure he's the sickest guy in ALLLLL of Minnesota (or at least he thinks he is)!

*They both had their four month well baby check on the 6th.
          Kaden: 15lbs. 7oz. (50th percentile)   24 inches long (10th percentile)
          Kenley: 17lbs. 7oz. (95th percentile)  25 inches long (70th percentile)

*We were given the ok to start the kids on some cereal. We're excited to try it, but we've held off because they've both been sick. Maybe this weekend.

*They both are starting to talk and giggle tons (it's our favorite)

(how can you not love that big toothless cheesy smile)

*Every time we get Kaden to giggle, he gets the hiccups!

*We're sleeping through the night now!    (shhh, don't tell anyone...we don't want to jinx it).  We put them to bed between 8:30 and 9:00 and we usually have to wake them at 6:30 in the morning.

*They both love looking at themselves in the mirror. It's like they've found their new best friends. I don't think they've ever seen anyone cuter :)

*Kenley is absolutely IN LOVE with her daddy. Like "high-school-crush-type-love."  She gives him the biggest smiles. It's not even worth the attempt to get her attention when she is sitting with him, it's just not going to happen. Her favorite place to be is sitting in his lap and gazing into his eyes. She will most definitely win a staring contest. What a flirt!

**I LOVE BEING A MOM!!**