My adventures in Mommyhood

I can't believe that Kiwi is almost 16 months old now!! Time has surely flown by!

As I have been preparing for the rapidly approaching holidays, I have been teaching Kiwi all about Santa, how to say "Happy Thanksgiving" and learning so much about her and from her. Kiwi adores Santa. She loves going to Home Depot so she can see him on display.

G and I have already bought (and received) most of her gifts. Santa is bringing her a big walk in toy kitchen, she'll absolutely love! From us she is getting a shopping cart, since she loves to use the one at the indoor play place. We only have to buy some stocking stuffers...I mean, Santa only has to make some stocking stuffers.:)

Having a child has changed me so much. It has also changed G, as well as our marriage. I never knew how exhausted to is to be a stay at home mom. Kiwi was a very needy baby, and is still very needy as a toddler. I am not complaining, as I know what a huge blessing she is to us. Especially after all it took to have her. I am just exhausted! :)

G has been hinting lately (will, more than hinting) that he would like me to be pregnant again. He misses the prego belly. :) Not only have we had our lives change because of Kiwi, but G just got out of the military. He served his contracted 5 years, and decided to not re-enlist (much to my dismay.) So, with a 10 month old, we moved the 3 hours back to our home. (We owned a house, and rented it out for the 3 years while he was stationed out of the area.) We completely remodeled the floors and painted the entire house, which consumed every weekend in May, before moving back Memorial weekend. I should say that Kiwi and I moved back, G had a few more months before he actually got out (took his terminal leave.) He joined us the end of July, just after Kiwi's first bday. (he was able to come home on the weekends for those 2 months though.)

G took 35 days off. He started applying and looking for a job mid August. Thankfully, he found one quickly. We took a much needed mini vacation to San Francisco with my parents at the end of August. He got the phone call while there and did a phone interview. He got the job!!! I was thrilled, I had been so scared that he wouldn't be able to find anything, in this economy, and the pay ended the 5th of September. G started his new job on the 7th of Sept. and has been working like a dog ever since. Usually 6 days a week, 56 hours a week. Loving the pay, but missing the time with him.

We had decided awhile back (while he was still in the military) that once he had been on the new job for 6 months we would talk about doing ivf again. Six months would Be March, which is a short 4 months away. So, G and I have been more than talking. We ahve started planning. I have contacted the our new insurance company and to my delight learned that our plan has a fertility benefit. So excited that we won't have to borrow as much money as we originally thought. So, as of now, if we are able to pay down some of our newly acquired credit card debt (thanks to the new job, G needed to buy tools, clothes, etc) we will proceed with the ivf in March!!!!

G wants a boy, and I am NOT doing ivf a third time. So, we have agreed to do pgd for gender selection. We do have 2 remaining embryos frozen form ivf #1 in June of '08. Because they are frozen, our clinic can't tell the gender. So, G and I are talking about placing those 2, as well as any remaining ones from the next ivf, form adoption. Embryo adoption (EA) is a new and great thing available. We want to pay it forward, and also I personally feel strongly about EA because Kiwi was once frozen!! I can't imagine life w/o her, so I know the life that could be from the other frozen ones.

I will keep you posted on the status of our next ivf....as well as EA.