Jut when you start panicking that your kid STILL refuses to crawl, pull up, or stand, she goes and does this.
Who knows? Georgia might just bang out one or two more milestones before her first birthday after all! :)
I've had IVF on the brain lately.
What with Georgia's 1st birthday looming, a few friends who are expecting young babies, becoming an aunty for the first time {to a little niece who lives overseas in the UK} as well as the well-meaning question of 'When will you be going for #2?' that we've been getting already, it's not hard to see why.
But why IVF?
If you're new to these parts, or visited post-Georgia, you might not know our backstory; me with PCOS, anovulatory cycles, clomid-resistant; hubby with several male factor issues. For us, our odds were to gamble with IUI or IVF/ICSI. Due to finances, we decided to go ahead with IVF - and thankfully we did, as I never did respond well, even with injectable medications. First round got 5 eggs, with only 1 transferable. Second round got 3 eggs, one of those being Georgia {and 2 frozen embryos in storage}.
So amazing to imagine this gorgeous girl as a blastocyst, isn't it?
Everyone seems to have a story about their best friend's sister's cousin who used IVF for their first baby but then fell naturally the next time. Or their aunty's next-door-neighbour who was told she couldn't have kids but then boom, surprise baby! I know, I know, those stories are lovely - but they just aren't practical, and they certainly don't seem to be the case for us.
It would be nice to be able to plan for when we have another baby. It would be nice if that decision didn't revolve around the timing & finances involved in planning another IVF cycle - albeit a frozen embryo transfer first, if we're lucky & they thaw well. But alas, we're not one of those people who get so lucky - I'm 10.5 months post-partum, no period in sight, back to anovulatory cycles by all of my tracking & charting - so things don't look like they're happening anytime soon.
10 months old & showing off those pearly whites!
So why IVF? That girl right there is why. Without it, I'm confident that we'd still be child-less right now. I'm a huge supporter in science, and so thankful we are able to plan ahead for it financially. Infertility is something I wouldn't wish on anyone; I just wish that it was more readily available for those who need it.
No word on when we'll get started again, but I'll be sure to keep you posted. :)
Oh, this puppy dog. It's been a while since I mentioned how the fur-babies are doing. The fur babies are great; Oscar and Evie are loving life & are SO good with Georgia. It's so sweet to watch them interact with one another. Georgia is ALMOST saying 'cat' when she sees one, and they lie next to each other quite a bit. Other than the trauma of their annual vet visits, they're happy little indoor kitties.
Spencer is also doing really well. He lives predominantly outside, but comes in for visits - though we have to do a toy shuffle beforehand. Georgia's toys go in her toybox; Spencer's toys go on the rug. ;)
Handsome man.
Spencer is such a gentle giant. He loves Georgia, would lick her to death if we would let him. Unfortunately, while he wouldn't hurt a fly, he's also a big fraidy cat when it comes to being groomed. We bath him out the back in his swimming pool, but he's frightened of going in the car, and he's even MORE frightened of strangers trying to groom him. We tried to get him done again today - and despite me warning them over the phone well in advance that Spencer was nervous - they rang 15 minutes after we dropped him off & said they couldn't handle him.
Poor puppy. He's such a sweet boy, but he is so easily frightened. I rang around a few other places today after this morning's disappointment, and have found a lovely lady who we're going to try next week - she's happy for us to stay with him during the wash, and will start slow - even just a bath if he gets too nervous. She's dealt with scared dogs before, and is happy to try and give him a pleasant experience. We'll see how that goes. I hope she can tidy up some of his fur (and give him a good stripping, right down to the undercoat) because he LOVES lying in his wading pool in summer & gets a lot of matted fur. I've already had to cut some out, which I hate doing to his lovely coat; but the mats get so big, so fast. Hopefully by next Tuesday, he'll be a new pup.
Poor puppy. He's such a sweet boy, but he is so easily frightened. I rang around a few other places today after this morning's disappointment, and have found a lovely lady who we're going to try next week - she's happy for us to stay with him during the wash, and will start slow - even just a bath if he gets too nervous. She's dealt with scared dogs before, and is happy to try and give him a pleasant experience. We'll see how that goes. I hope she can tidy up some of his fur (and give him a good stripping, right down to the undercoat) because he LOVES lying in his wading pool in summer & gets a lot of matted fur. I've already had to cut some out, which I hate doing to his lovely coat; but the mats get so big, so fast. Hopefully by next Tuesday, he'll be a new pup.
Spencer says 'YAWN. Baths are for losers.'
Miss Georgia is currently snoozing, so I thought I might update about life in general. Things are good - great, even. I feel so lucky to be able to say that. The baby is sleeping better, even if she's still avoiding naps like the plague. I'm still doing my Couch 2 5K three times a week, and feel like I'm doing well there. I lost about 3kg in January; nothing to write home about, but a step in the right direction. I've cooked a fair bit & am experimenting with new foods.
Hubby & I have been taking some time out with just us and it's been positive. It's so easy to get lost and focused on all things baby, and it's taken a while to realise that we were starting to get stuck in a rut. His current job project has allowed him to work from home, so we're being really spoiled by that. He's able to look after Georgia while I run about and get things done, which is great for both of us - he gets to see her learning new things, and I get a tiny bit more independence. Her bedtime routine is pretty consistent now, and she's asleep by 8pm - so we get the evening to spend together. Sounds silly, but we spent months being so tired that we'd have dinner, play on the internet {me downstairs; him upstairs} and realise that we'd crashed into bed at the end of the night and barely seen each other of a night time. I'm happy to say this has changed for the better. Board games, for the win!
All in all, I'd say we're in a great spot right now. And this little girl makes life so much more fun. She's a sweetheart.
Well, I made it: thirty-one promts later & #weverb14 for January is done! It's been great thinking of my previous year & the year ahead, and what do you know? It's already February. Time flies when you're having fun.
30. anticipate
What are you waiting for in 2014?
I'm - we're - waiting for the right time to start planning for potential baby #2. I say potential, because there's just no guarantee with these things, but a girl can hope! I want to get to a healthier weight, and we need to save more $$$ first, but when the time is right - hopefully we can attempt, or at least plan to attempt another batch of IVF this year. We have 2 frozen embyros that might just help us out there, though having never gone through a FET before, I have no idea how that will go. For now, we wait & I dream. Even closer though, is Georgia's first birthday party. It's been great fun planning it; and we still have eight weeks to go!
31. venture
Stop saying I wish; start saying I will! What 14 things will you accomplish in 2014?
1. I will finish 6 books - and push myself to get through more if I can.
2. I will move - in some way - at least three times per week.
3. I will cook as much as I can, and experiment with new recipes as well as the old faithfuls.
4. I will organise more date nights with hubby so that we can have some baby-free time.
5. I will take more baths after the baby is in bed.
6. I will read to Georgia often and loudly, and hopefully pass on my love of learning to her.
7. I will stop letting the bathroom get so dirty before cleaning it. {I hate cleaning my bathroom.}
8. I will try to curb my swearing. A little. Hey, I said TRY. :)
9. I will keep on blogging, and writing what comes into my mind.
10. I will plan a fabulous 1st birthday party for my girl, just close family & friends.
11. I will continue taking fifteen million photographs of Georgia and documenting her growing up.
12. I will stop comparing milestones between babies & focus on all the amazing things Georgia CAN do.
13. I will donate more baby things to charity.
14. I will always remember how lucky I am when spending time with my little family.
2. I will move - in some way - at least three times per week.
3. I will cook as much as I can, and experiment with new recipes as well as the old faithfuls.
4. I will organise more date nights with hubby so that we can have some baby-free time.
5. I will take more baths after the baby is in bed.
6. I will read to Georgia often and loudly, and hopefully pass on my love of learning to her.
7. I will stop letting the bathroom get so dirty before cleaning it. {I hate cleaning my bathroom.}
8. I will try to curb my swearing. A little. Hey, I said TRY. :)
9. I will keep on blogging, and writing what comes into my mind.
10. I will plan a fabulous 1st birthday party for my girl, just close family & friends.
11. I will continue taking fifteen million photographs of Georgia and documenting her growing up.
12. I will stop comparing milestones between babies & focus on all the amazing things Georgia CAN do.
13. I will donate more baby things to charity.
14. I will always remember how lucky I am when spending time with my little family.
27. move
Is 2014 a year for more walking or more running?
A little bit of both! I don't want to get ahead of myself, since it's only January - but so far, it's been a cracker of a January. I've done 11 runs in January. I've completed four weeks of the Couch 2 5K program. I've run a 5k on the treadmill. I've MOVED. It's been a wonderful beginning to the year. That said, I don't want the year to run away from me too quickly; the last 10 months have already disappeared WAY too fast. I'm more than happy to walk through some of it, so that I don't miss a single moment of Georgia growing up!
28. spark
What creative thing do you do that lights a spark in your soul? How will you create more sparks in 2014?
This little girl is the spark in our lives. Everything we do, we do for her. {Sing that to the tune of Bryan Adams, if you like.} Watching her learn new skills is such a treasure. This afternoon I was playing with her on the floor - hitting a few keys on her xylophone toy. She grabbed the stick from me & smashed out a few notes of her own, to which I clapped & cheered; the grin she gave me was priceless. She was so pleased with herself! We'll keep doing fun things, letting her experience new events, and introducing her to new places this year, which will be great fun.
29. retire
What will you retire from your life in 2014?
I'm trying to retire my old bad habits - being lazy! But really, I'm trying to focus on the year ahead & not worry so much about the years gone by. The future is more important than the past. Bring it on! :)
Double digits - ermagerd! This is nuts, man. Georgia is 10 months old & is cruising towards her first birthday.
Goofing off with her daddy.
This month Georgia has:- Grown! At her last weigh-in, she clocked in at 8.8kg (65%) and 72cm tall (73%) - meaning my little shorty is officially getting longer than she is heavy. We always had the opposite until now. I noticed that her legs and arms looked like they'd grown in the last few weeks - and they most certainly have.
- Cut her top two teeth - bringing them to a grand total of 4 now. She's also started grinding her teeth together in the last few weeks, which is a noise that I will be happy to NEVER hear again. It's awful!
- Taken off! Nope, no crawling yet - but the girl can cross a room quick smart! She does a combination of roly polies, dragging, butt shuffling & pulling. We lost her behind the lounge & in the kitchen the other day; can you tell we're still not dealing with a crawling baby full time yet? :)
- Gotten LOUD. Seriously, is 10 months a loud stage? We are constantly yelling - happy yelling, cranky yelling, shouting & babbling at the top of her lungs. This place is super noisy.
- Begun eating finger foods each lunch time in her big girl high chair. She's still not too sure about this whole feeding herself nonsense though; half the time she spends her lunches mashing the food into the tray, and the other half of the time she's cramming EVERYTHING in her mouth all at once.
- Started to wave to people - we make a habit of telling her HI! or BYE! with a big exaggerated wave of the arm, and she's starting to copy it. It's a little bit cute.
- Been sitting up really well, and getting down onto her tummy by herself.
- Saying mum, mama, dad, dada & beginning to say 'hey' & what I swear sounded like 'cat'.
- Been busy smooching up to her little baby friends. Lots of fun play dates this month!
24. dare
What will you dare to do in 2014?
I'm daring to hope. Hope that the future is going to be bright; hope that we can continue to raise Georgia to be a happy & healthy little girl; hope that the year brings us some lovely surprises. Hey, a girl can dare to dream, right?
25. cull
What items are sitting on your to-do list? When will you do them?
My to-do list this year was to focus on my hopes & dreams {in lieu of resolutions for 2014} - and I'm working on them! 6 books in 2014, move more & blog more, and get cooking! Things are already in motion & I'm really chuffed. So far, I'm trying to do them already - the real task is going to be keeping them going throughout the year.
26. transfer
Think about everyone in your life - what do you want them to have this year?
I want them to have HAPPY moments. It's going to be an amazing year for a lot of my friends and family members - 1st birthdays (Georgia + her baby friends), 30th birthdays (me!), 50th birthdays (mum!) & we all deserve to enjoy every moment that's ahead of us. I still can't believe that January is almost over; 2014 is going to fly!
21. read
What do you want to read about this year?
I just want to read, in general. ;) I'm working on it! But honestly - I'd like to read about more success stories. I want to read tweets/blog posts/emails from my long-term TTC/IF friends with good news. I still read along the forum posts from my fertility clinic, to follow along with those who have graduated, but also those who are still there. Hopefully we can have more positive stories to read about this year; everyone deserves the chance to be a parent.
22. guide
Do you have a quote/motto/saying for 2014?
Move. Just move. Even if it's a little bit. Move! And if you can go a little bit further - even better! I'm trying so hard to work with this - and guess what? This morning, I ran my first 5km. 5km! This coming from the person who, 25 days ago, was barely exercising at all. Move, move, move. I can totally do this!
23. discover
What was something new you discovered in 2013 from a friend? What do you want to share with others this year?
I discovered the joy of solid foods - thankfully, I have some amazing mama friends who were my gurus. Talking me through purees, mixes, snack foods & combinations to start Georgia on - it was so welcomed, because I was a nervous wreck before starting, particularly when it came to finger foods. {Choking, gagging, ERMAGERD.} I'd like to share any parenting advice or helpful tidbits that I learn over the year with other folks, to pay it forward.
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