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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

No longer a teenager

My sweet, baby sis just turned 20 a few days ago...
Umm hello, what? Where has the time gone. I just had her bassinet beside my bed pretending like she was my very own baby doll. This just cannot be real. How did she turn into an adult? I take partial responsibility for her. As in I helped raise her, name her, taught her numbers, letters and taught her wonderful morals, and so on ;). Kidding, Kind of! Because we are 7.5 years apart, I did in some ways become a second mom to her. I loved every minute of it as I'm sure she did not enjoy one moment of it. So as she is finishing her second year of college and thinking about a career and all of that fun adult stuff, I hope she will enjoy the next fun years of when life is simple and fun! I know this is a "mom-ish" post, but I really am so proud of her. She has the kindest heart and would do anything for me or anyone else. I have loved every second of her being in Fayetteville with me and never want her to leave! Ever.

My grandmother even got to make a trip to NWA for her b-day! This was only the 2nd time she has ever been to my house. It was so special. 3 generations!

Happy 20th Meg!


You can look back at her birthday post from last year here:  http://www.theyounthappenings.blogspot.com/2011/01/happy-birthday-meg.html



Friday, January 27, 2012

Dreaming of 2

Lately I just cannot quit thinking about having twins. Yep, I said it. I dream about it, talk about, and think about it often. In most cases people would think I'm crazy or to never wish that upon myself but I have this strong, deep desire in me that wants twins. In my days of pre-infertility I would have said no way. I could have never pictured myself with multiples or a large family. That would have always seemed overwhelming. A couple years into not knowing if we will ever have children that view has definitely changed. 
Now don't get me wrong, I'm well aware that it would be challenging. I know the first couple of years would be serious survival mode and living off no sleep, but I know several people that can and do manage. Then there is also that hurdle of my back, with the 4 rods and all... so that's kind of my main concern. Since my back doesn't really give or bend that could really put some strain on my body and/or babies in there.
So that used to scare me very badly, but now I feel like I'm so mentally ready and prepared to have any baby in me that it wouldn't even matter. I would be so overjoyed, just like my friend that is having quads!
There hasn't been a week go by when I don't say something to Marc about having twins. First he thought I was crazy, but he has over time for sure warmed up to that idea!

So maybe the next FET cycle we will get 2 out of the deal! I'm definitely praying for that and would be absolutely thrilled! My mom likes to say 1 for her and 1 for me. Ha! So I guess we will just see, for now I will continue to dream.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Crystal Bridges

This past Saturday we headed to to the new, local art museum in Northwest Arkansas with some of our friends. I seriously cannot believe this is so close to us. It is a beautiful art museum with gorgeous sculptures, prints, and architecture. I have only been to a few museums in my life, some in D.C. and one in Chicago, and this one really did impress me. I couldn't believe it! If you are ever in the Northwest Arkansas area, you should definitely make it a point to go visit this place. Plus it is free to get in thanks to Alice Walton and Walmart.




Fun Sculptures!




Josh and Marc acting like kids! 
And we had lunch at the cafe called, Eleven.



Aubs, sheppy and marc!

Night view

Pic Found from google images.

The museum has been on the top 10 list for trip advisor, been talked about on forbes and the NY Times! So look at small town AR becoming a big deal! I'm so proud, and it even has nothing to do with the Razorbacks! I can't wait to go back in the spring because they have beautiful trails with dogwoods and tulip trees planted all around and it will be breathtaking!

Side Note:
I took all those photos above (minus the night view pic) with my iphone using the "PicFrame" App. It is my new favorite app. Once you arrange your pics you can then upload it to instagram and put filters on the collage. I think it cost $1 or $2, but I have used it a ton so far! Just in case you were looking for a new, fun App!  Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Pinterest Recipes!

The other night I actually cooked for the first time in a LONG time. And when I say a LONG time, that is no exaggeration. Just ask my husband. I have decided to set a goal to cook at least 1 dinner a week. Marc just asked for one every other week, but I thought why not try to over achieve! I do not enjoy cooking whatsoever, but no that it is necessary. Lots of people ask what we usually eat and I honestly couldn't tell you. Lets just say I buy lots of rotisserie chickens and we can somehow make that go along ways. :)
I'm really trying to eat "Clean" foods for the most part. (Except for the days when I cheat and have pizza or chick-fil-a fries :) but that isn't too terribly often. I have really gotten into the clean food eating. Right now I'm loving whole wheat tortillas, hummus, and goat cheese! It's hard not eating processed stuff, but I'm really liking it so far. I think its making me feel a ton better. (maybe that is just mentally though! Ha!)

So I made 3 different recipes that I had found and pinned the other day and I wanted to share them with you!

I decided to make some healthy snacks for us for and these were absolutely delicious.
 This pic and recipe came from HERE

No-Bake Energy Bite
(makes 18-20 bites)
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes (I omitted this b/c I hate coconut and it didn't effect the consistency)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.



For our side I made these Cauliflower Fritters!
Recipe and Pic from HERE via Pinterest
 Cauliflower Fritters.
I halved this recipe since there are only 2 of us.

  • 4 cups steamed cauliflower (roughly chopped in a processor)
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano
  • 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup hot water
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
In a large bowl, combine cauliflower, flour, garlic, eggs, grated cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Add water so that batter becomes slightly more dense than pancake batter.

On medium-low heat, add 1 tbsp of oil in a 10 inch skillet coating bottom of the pan. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to form fritters. You can fit 4 fritters at a time. Cook until golden brown, turn and cook another few minutes. Add a little more oil to the pan, and repeat with the remaining batter. Makes 24 fritters.



For our meat I made this delicious Balsalmic glazed pork tenderloin.
Recipe and Pic found HERE via Pinterest 

Balsalmic Encrusted Pork Tenderloin

  • 4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced or crushed
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 pork tenderloins (about 1¼ pounds each)
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil (if preparing in oven)
Stir together garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a small bowl. Rub the paste all over pork. If you like or have the time, marinate overnight. If not, no worries, it will still be great!
Grill preparation:
Sear the tenderloins on all sides, then grill for about 20-30 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees. Try to let it rest before slicing.
Oven preparation: (what I used)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat canola oil in a large, heavy saute pan over medium-high heat.  Working in batches if necessary, add pork, and brown all over, about 4 minutes.
Transfer pan to oven. Roast pork, turning occasionally, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees, about 20 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board, and try to let it rest 10 minutes before slicing.

They were all so delicious and it kind of has inspired me to cook more.


In case you would like to follow my pinterest boards here is the link:  http://pinterest.com/mlyount12

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Our Timeline

For some reason I haven't ever done a timeline on here. This was a year to not forget, so I decided I better write it down for us to remember someday. Some of you may not know all the terms, but you can look them up.

Here is our timeline to becoming parents so far:

March 2010- get off BC
April-Dec 2010- TTC- Nothing but finding out all of our friends were pregnant.
Jan 2011- get diagnosed w/ PCOS
Feb 2011- start 50mg clomid
Marc 2011- HSG (a small procedure)-tubes were all clear
April 2011- clomid w/ HCG trigger shot
May 2011- clomid, HCG, and 1st failed IUI
June 2011- clomid, HCG, and 2nd failed IUI
July 2011- clomid, HCG, and 3rd failed IUI
Aug 2011clomid, HCG, and 4th failed IUI
Sept 2011- Decide to move on to IVF. Started BC.
Oct 2011- injections of Lupron & follistem, estrogen patches, progesterone injections. Retreived 8 eggs. Made 5 embryos.
Nov 2011- Transferred 1 embryo, lost 1 other one. Froze the other 3. 2 weeks later found out that it had failed.
Dec 2011- Took a much needed break... Praise Jesus.
Jan 2011- Still enjoying the much needed break of not feeling crazy. my body is thanking me and I'm thanking it.

 
We are quickly approaching our 2 year mark which is crazy to me. Looking at all of that is so surreal. All I know is time flies when you are trying to make a baby. I also know that looking at this is exhausting in which I have felt every bit of that. I'm definitely thankful all of that is over with and I'm also looking forward to whatever the future holds. My new thing for this year is not to plan ahead. So far I haven't thought past the next transfer. I'm leaving it up to the big guy. No more planning or controlling. It is completely out of our hands at this point. We have learned so much through everything and have grown more than we ever thought we could in a year.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

4

4 is the number of babies my best friend is having. 4 is the number of children she always wanted. Thats right, my college roommate, my maid of honor, and one of my dearest BFF's is having quads! We had been on the infertility journey for the past couple of years together until she did her first iui right before thanksgiving. I was so happy to know that it had worked, but little did I know how well it had worked. She had called me thinking that it would probably not work the first time, but I was praying for a different outcome! I swear I didn't pray for 4 Mare ;). Joking aside, this is such a true miracle! There was a less than 1% chance of this ever happening and about a 15% chance of it working in general. The doctor was in complete shock and cried when he told them. Mare and her husband Reid have been handling this news like a champ! I love how God is using their story and their response is such a testimony to that. She knows that this is meant to be and she will make one heck of a mother. We actually used to call her "mother mare" in high school, so now that is more fitting than ever. Pray for them and their 4 sweet little miacles growing in her.
You can keep up with her journey at: http://mareandreid.blogspot.com/

A look back over the past few years of us!



 my personal fave. :)




 
Congrats Mare! Can't wait to meet those precious babies!

Friday, January 13, 2012

Top 5 Gifts

Here were my top 5 favorite gifts from this Christmas! If you know me, you know I love gifts. Its my love language, therefore I feel really loved during Christmas!


Ugg boots! I live with super cold feet constantly!
food processor/blender combo! Now I can make all kinds of healthy food!
Clarisonic face cleansing kit. its like having a facial everyday and can already tell a difference in my skin.


Duh. My happy Light!




And a big surprise gift was a new orange chevron rug from West Elm! I love this, oh and I love orange!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Christmas #3

Next up was our 3rd stop. It took place in Little Rock (my hometown). On Christmas eve we got to go to the Christmas eve service at our church. This was the first time we have been able to go to one in several years. It was a candlelight service and just beautiful. It was a great reminder why we would be celebrating the very next day.
my fam. Love them!
(self-timer pic is the reason for the awkward angle and the reason the boys heads are cut off)

moms beautiful tree... and the ridiculousness underneath it.

Meg: the pride and joy of Christmas morn.

Mom opening her surprise gift from me and meg. We took a pic sitting on santas lap.
It was definitely her favorite gift...
See in this pic to the left. It was a framer.
 this was dad opening one of his 20 shirts he received for Christmas. It got humorous after the 3rd one.

moms for real favorite gift. She must have been good this year.

my boys. Doesn't Lou look so cute?

and the aftermath...

my sis and my Nana.

We had a fabulous Christmas. I wasn't near as sad as I thought I would be and I will forever be thankful for that. I had no emotional breakdowns or freak outs. I consider that a huge win. I'm continually thankful for Gods grace that has protected me throughout all of the Holidays.

Hope you all had wonderful Christmases as well.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Christmas #2

Christmas #2 was spent at Marc's dad and stepmoms house. We don't get to see them very much because they live 6(ish) hours away from us so we are always excited for when his whole side of the family can get together. We usually have to get together the day before Christmas Eve so we can all be together.  

all the Yount men! Marcs 2 brothers, Matt, Luke and his dad. (plus little Jack)

Marc's new nephew, Maddox! He was dressed in his santa suit :)

Moody and Maddox, our 2 new nephews
 

Sarah, David and Moody

Nick and Deanne

 me and Maddox

Marc's brothers family. Matt, Andrea, Avery, Karter, Jack and Maddox

Again it was such a great family time. Thankful to be able to have such a close, loving family to enjoy the holidays with!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

christmas #1

I know this is extremely late, but I do love to look back each year on what we did. This year did lots of traveling and had 3 separate Christmases.

We first started with Marc's mom and step dad who we call "Bear." He cooked us delicious steaks and we had a great time! I also got my happy light in which I still love.



Then we headed to Piggott, the northeast part of Arkansas in case you were wondering where that was!



On Christmas eve morning we got to see Bears mom and Marc's brothers family along with their new baby boy, Maddox

We had such a wonderful time considering we don't get to see them very much.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Good Riddance, Farewell, So Long 2011

Well this year was one for the books. I honestly didn't even want to write this post, but just felt like I should so I can hopefully look back a year from now and be able to see a big difference.

The Low Lights of 2011
-6 rounds of Clomid- failed
-4-iui's- failed
-3-HCG shots- failed
-1 round of ivf- failed
-2 embryos we lost
-countless injections
-countless dr.'s appt's
-countless medical bills
-gaining all kinds of weight
-feeling like I want to go crawl in a hole and never come out
-feeling like the only infertile in my area
-feeling disappointment after disappointment
-losing Marc's grandfather
-.........

The Highlights
-having a God that is bigger than any of our problems and loves us regardless
-growing closer and forming an unbreakable bond with my husband
-having 3 precious, frozen embryos
-understanding and feeling with others pain.
-Learned to be sensitive to others
-Learned that I can't control anything or everything
-My faith was tested and expanded 
-Learned who my true friends are 
-went on numerous trips- Big Cedar, Keystone Co, Austin, Vegas, Dallas, Tulsa, OKC, Florida, san antonio
-blessed by a family who cares for me and loves me dearly
-blessed with amazing insurance
-blessed with an amazing job that I love
-one of my best friends getting engaged
-another best friend finding out she is having quads
-welcomed 2 nephews into the family (on Marc's side)
-got to feel Joy again


So here is to hoping 2012 brings joy, peace, hope, a baby (or 2) and maybe a few more blog followers ;)!
 Love you all. Thanks again for your continued support as we live our battle out.

Happy New Years everyone!