A Celebration of Babies

Today, my old RE's office hosted a Celebration of Babies. They invited all of the patients who they helped become parents.

It was so cool. It wasn't a huge deal. Just a tent in the parking lot of the office. Balloons, face painting, and cupcakes for the kids, and pictures with Dr. G. A couple of hours hanging out outside in the nice weather, chatting with other parents.

Jeff and I agreed it was unlike any party we've ever been to. Usually, we at least know someone. Here, we were all strangers, but with something in common. It's not like the RE's office invites lots of chatting and new friends. So it was neat to talk to people who are every bit as grateful for their children as we are for Cate. Singleton babies like Cate were definitely the minority, but what can you expect from a party thrown for former RE patients?

It was awesome. I think Dr. G really liked seeing all the kids, and I know the nurses did. They said they're going to try it every year, and I really hope they do.

Eggs, Toes, and Shout-Outs

First off, I have a few shout-outs go give. Rach and Lindsay both have beautiful babies that you should go oooh and aaaah over if you're up for it. Seriously precious. And Rebekah has an early new arrival!

Foxy and Melissa both had wonderful baby showers for their soon-to-be-here babies!

Cherbear, Michele, Jenni, and Jackie are all either in the middle of their TWW, or about to start a new round of treatment. Go wish them luck.

Finally, go say hello to Auntie A. She just boarded the crazy MFI train, and could probably use some friends and well-wishes.

Now for the toes. Well, toe. I wasn't planning on writing about it, but it's pretty much the only thing on my mind at the moment. I kicked a desk this morning. Not on purpose. I turned in my chair to talk to one of my students, and kicked the edge of a medal desk in doing so. As soon as I did, I reached down and grabbed my toe, cause it HURT, but didn't look at it for like, 3 minutes while I talked to the kids. When I finally let go, my hand was covered in blood. I sliced my little toe open almost an inch. I put a band-aid on it, but it has been bleeding and throbbing all day. Probably doesn't help that I also managed to whack it another 3 times. Oh, it hurts.

Ok, now for the eggs. Egg donation, that is. Way back in August when I did my survey, most women said they went through their RE to find a donor. Unfortunately, all the research I've done and phone calls I've made have pretty much solidified the fact that most REs in the area use donor agencies. So, I researched those and finally sent in a preliminary application to one. They, in turn, send me about a billion questions to answer that are ridiculously hard.

For instance, one is "What does family mean to you?"

Really? What family means to me I can't put in to words, and every time I try, it sounds canned. Also, I have no idea how to describe myself, nor do I particularly think I have any talents or achievements to share. And, one of the questions asked for future career goals. How do I say I am perfectly happy where I am, and have no desire to move up into administration without sounding like a loser-y, lazy bum?

Ohmigosh. It's hard. Unbelievably, the hardest question is "why do you want to be a donor?" That shouldn't be hard. I know exactly why I want to be a donor. She's sleeping in her crib right now. Because everyone should have this. But how do I say that without coming off as crazy???

That's all I have to say.

No....my toe hurts. Now that's all.

Fall Crafty-ness

Go over to Best and Better Still and see my fall craft. I'd post it on here, but I figure this is easier!

A Month of Silence

Sorry about the prolonged silence here. I've been reading, commenting when I can, but haven't had time to sit and write.

It's been crazy around here. Jeff caught a stomach bug around Labor Day weekend, then promptly caught mono (oh, the joys of teaching), so has been sick for over a month. For a while there, he couldn't stand for more than a couple minutes without getting light-headed. I even had to go pick him up from work one day. I've had to do everything: house, dogs, and baby. Oh, and work.

Speaking of work, I'm thinking I must have been on crack at some point. I volunteered to be Student Council sponsor, Dodgeball Club sponsor, and Spelling Bee sponsor this year. This is on top of having a special ed inclusion room.

I'm exhausted. My house is disgusting, because just keeping up with the laundry and the dishes (usually Jeff's job) and the dogs is wearing me out. By the time Cate goes to bed, I'm practically asleep.

On top of that, we are broke. Painfully broke. This month's daycare was $1,000, plus our electric and water bills were through the roof, for some reason I have yet to figure out. Add that to the 600+ we spent trying to figure out what the heck was wrong with Jeff before someone decided to test for mono, and we've had a rough month. I feel like a terrible parent, because Cate's only professional pictures have been her newborn ones, and every time I plan on getting them done, that money goes toward something else. At least she gets fed and bathed semi-regularly. (She only gets baths 2-3 times a week b/c of her eczema anyway.)

Sorry this post is so whiny. Wanted you to know that we're still here, even if we're just hanging on.