Our Baby’s 1st Birthday

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October. Our baby girl’s first birthday. It’s party time. Make a wishlist. Pick a theme. Find a venue. Order everything. Buy the smash cake. Decorate the smash cake. Order the party dresses. Borrow an air pump from the neighbors. Blow up the balloons. Visit craft stores for the perfect candy board. Trash the kitchen making treats for the party. Every thing has to be PERFECT for our little girl’s first birthday. It HAS TO BE.

We’ve worked so hard to have this precious little lady perfectly made for us. To celebrate her first year was something so special to me and the people that love her dearly, I wanted this day to be perfect.

So here it is, a small glimpse into our preparations, the party day, and her cake smash photos.

It was an entire week of making memories. Yes, of course SHE won’t remember any of this, but momma, daddy, and the rest of her friends and family sure will. I couldn’t have done a single bit of this without the help of our amazing family and friends stepping in to lend a helping hand, a few dollars here and there, and mostly, their love.

To everyone who made our little girl’s first birthday so special, I want to send out my sincerest gratitude. Her birthday is always going to be special, but one day, she’ll look back at these photos and see her first friends. She’ll see the family that drove HOURS to celebrate with her. She’ll see the smiles on our faces and know without a doubt that she’s loved by so many people.

THANK YOU!!

Here’s to our little girl, she’s perfect in every way.
Happy Birthday, Adalyn.

Welcome to the world, little Bean!

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I’m sure you’re wondering where I’ve been for the past year and I’m here to tell you it’s been a whirlwind! 2022 was our best year yet.

In January 2022, Hubman and I decided to go to Mexico for another round of IVF. We went on a whim, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. On February 4th, 2022, we transferred 2 embryos and headed back home.

Sunday, October 16th, 2022 our perfect baby girl joined our family. She weighed 5lbs and 14oz and is absolutely the best thing that has ever happened to us.

We now have a 4-month-old daughter.

Welcome to the world, little Bean. Momma and Daddy love you more than you’ll ever know!

We are SO GRATEFUL for Dr. Garza in Matamoros Mexico. He changed our lives in an instant.

I’ll be posting more later, as you can imagine, my hands (and heart) are very full!
Until next time,

Rest Well, Sweet Mimzee

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**Trigger Warning**
**Pet Loss**

When we came home from Barbados, we noticed that our sweet, 9.5-year-old kitty was acting unwell. We thought it might just be depression from us being gone for a while, but then we started thinking about it and she had been a little off for a few weeks leading up to our Barbados trip.

Zelda & Mimzee enjoying their first plate of milk.

I kept an eye on her and made sure she was still eating, drinking, peeing, and pooping… you know, all the things you want to see happening in your little fur loves. She became skinnier and skinnier as the days went by and then we started to see bathroom accidents in places they shouldn’t have been. I was practically begging her to eat, and serving her treats, food, and water in bed.

Cuddles.

My mom came to visit me while Hubman was out of town for the holiday. I think we both knew what was going to happen that weekend. Here I am, mourning the loss of our embaby and trying to get my body back to normal after our first round of IVF, and my sweet kitty was trying to leave me too.

Instead of growing our family, it was actually shrinking. We were losing our sweet Mimzee to cancer.

My mom and I loved on Mimzee most of the weekend; making sure she was warm and comfortable. But Saturday night was when we realized that something had to be done. Our sweet baby Mimzee was in so much pain. I sat on the bathroom floor with her until 3 in the morning. We both cried. She was hurting and I didn’t know how to fix it.

At 3am, I finally gave in and tried to clean her with a shampoo wipe to freshen her up a bit, then I wrapped her in her favorite cuddle blanket and laid in bed with her next to me so tightly, to try to warm her and calm her. I was hoping maybe, just maybe we both could get some sleep.

My heart was breaking into a thousand pieces. I knew this was going to be the last time I laid in bed and held our cuddle bug. The best hugger in the whole house was letting me love her for just a little bit longer.

Hubman wasn’t home to give her pets, belly rubs, or even say goodbye. It was heart-wrenching.

One of her last photos. *sniff*

The next morning, we took sweet Mim to the ER. After spending all day there, we finally got the news that we all knew was coming. Sweet Mimzee Cat was laid to rest on December 19th. Her G’ma was by her side, as this sensitive and heartbroken kitty momma couldn’t bear to witness her transition.

Mimzee’s last photo.

We love Mim dearly, and she’s already missed more than words can express.
Rest well, sweet Mim. You’ll ALWAYS be our “Little Bitty Pretty One!”

Sister kitty, Zelda, will keep your basket warm. She misses you too.

Love your babies a little harder tonight. Give the dogs some cheese and catnip the kitties.
Give them a nose boop and lots of kisses.
Play tug of war extra long time and don’t stop giving those belly rubs until your arm falls off.
Tell them you love them.

Visit Mimzee’s Instagram for more photos:
https://www.instagram.com/mimzee_cat_diary/

Sorry for the downer… This year has been hard.
Happy Holidays, lovies.
See you next time,

IVF in Barbados: My Team and My Cycle Outcome

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My Team

The Clinic Director Anna Hosford and Medical Director Dr. Juliet Skinner became like family during the 14 days that we were visiting Barbados. They greeted me with hugs and warmth and the biggest smiles! They made Hubman and I feel so comfortable and were kind, patient, and honest with us both. They took such wonderful care of me throughout our entire process, from the MONTHS before meeting them, to even weeks after our 1st round was complete.

The entire clinic was truly amazing. Not once did we feel like a number, or just a process. We felt respected, honored, heard, and welcomed from the very first encounter we had with our clinic. Each and every person in that building was warm, kind, welcoming, loving, and patient.

Results of our first cycle

Unfortunately, our dream of a “Barbados Baby” didn’t happen this time.

When Anna called me to discuss the result, I swear to you that I could feel her warm hug 2000 miles away. She was so comforting and sensitive and knowing that she truly cares about her patients was the most heartwarming part of this entire journey.

I’m so appreciative that our first experience was with such amazing people, in such an amazing place. ZERO REGRETS.

What’s next?

For now, we’ll snuggle our 2 precious kitties into the holiday season while we mourn, grieve, and make a roadmap for our next steps on this journey.

I hope we are able to return back to the clinic someday, even if it’s just to swing by some breakfast while we are on vacation. I couldn’t recommend Barbados Fertility Centre any more than I already have. Many of you have reached out to me with questions and I’m more than happy to help anyone on this journey that I can.

Infertility is hard. Know that you are not alone.
I love you all. Always.