Let's do this!!

Started my birth control pills tonight!! This is the reminder that pops up in my phone, gotta make it fun!! :) Hoping they don't mess with my hormones too much. And maybe they'll even help my acne a little bit, that would be nice!! I'll be taking these for the next 1-2 months so we have control over my cycles, since they're so wonky we don't know what it'll do. So BCP it is!! Wish me luck :)

The Beginning All Over Again

Well I figured that blogging helped me so much the first two times I did IVF that I might as well do it again, I still look back on those posts or reference them or send them to people that need help or have questions. It's like a personal journal for me that I'll forever have, so I've decided why not. I'm writing this for me. I have a hard time remembering things. I probably should've done this for Hank's first year, oops! :/

Okay, sooooooo here's the dealio! Casey & I have wanted another baby for a long time. We love Hank so much we want him to have a sibling, he plays sooooo good with other kids, it's amazing! He's seriously going to be the best big brother. We decided, let's not wait around and at least TRY on our own because what does it hurt. Well 15 months later, and still nothing. It's funny after going through all the infertility procedures I went through and only ever getting pregnant via IVF that I would even have any hoping of getting pregnant naturally. But it's there, and I cannot help it. Getting AF month after month sucks!! It was regular for awhile which was nice, thought maybe my body was kicking itself into gear, then I'd be late, get hopeful (OMG I'm pregnant), then NOPE, hello AF! You son-of-a-bitch! I hate YOU!! Anyways......

We've been on Casey's health insurance for a year now (they don't cover IVF) and I knew they didn't. We decided to go on his insurance to get a bit of a monetary break and since I was nursing, I didn't want the thought of doing IVF jeopardize that. So we knew we could not do IVF while on Casey's insurance. Guess what?! I'll be going back on my insurance as of January 1, so we can do IVF again.

I setup a meeting with Dr. Sullivan up at Buffalo IVF a few weeks ago. It was a family outing for us. He got to visit with Hank, we got to see our favorites up there & they got to see how much Hank has grown and see one of their miracle babies! We love visiting them! They're like a family to us. We went there for 2.5 years before they released us! Anyways, Dr. Sullivan decided we know what worked to get us Hank, so let's do that again! Yay! :D

So we're in the EARLY stages of preparing my body for IVF. I know the next 5 weeks are going to fly by, so I'm very thankful for that. First, Dr. Sullivan started me on metformin again, ahh my old nemesis. I was on metformin for YEARS. It's given to women with PCOS to help regulate your cycles essentially. Metformin is known to TEAR UP my stomach (and most women's stomachs who take it). So they have you ease into the drug. Start taking it very slowly. I took it with dinner on a Friday night and it was within 30 minutes that my body was like WTF!!! Ugh, great, this again!! Thankfully, as I've been increase the prescription and up to the full dose now it's really not too bad. I have to make sure I take it on a full stomach in the mornings, or I feel like I'm going to puke, learned that lesson a couple weeks ago. And taking it right before bed after I've eaten dinner works for the night time dose. I have to be careful what I eat specifically around taking it, which is a good thing. Sometimes during the day too, that's more of a guessing game. Good excuse not to carb-load or eat greasy! Which I shouldn't be doing any ways! Haha!

Next step was to wait for AF, theoretically she shouldn't arrived around November 10th, of course not though haha. Buffalo wanted me to call up on November 17th either way, so I called, the nurse says give it one more week (since we aren't in any rush here). So after more than 2 weeks late, it arrived with a VENGEANCE on November 23rd. So I got blood work this morning, November 24th, down at Brooks. Had 7 vials of blood taken and had the best phlebotomist thank goodness!! I love when they actually listen to me when I tell them I need a butterfly needle because it was painless!!

So now the next step is waiting to hear back from Buffalo IVF about how the labs look and when I'll start the birth control. This part always makes me laugh. Going on birth control before doing IVF, doesn't that sound like an oxymoron? We need to do this so we can get my body "normal" and this way we can control when to do certain things. So I'll be on that until sometime in January.

Next things we have to do are: blood work for Casey and a sperm-analysis, which I know he's greatly looking forward to both of these haha!! Then WAIT for the NEW YEAR!!!!!! Ahhh I'm so excited!! I seriously cannot wait to give Hank a sibling :D

Oh one more thing to add, in the myst of all of this, I've had to wean Hank. I know, I know, we went WAY longer than anticipated, expected, etc. and he's only been nursing 1x/day for months, but I really loved those few minutes in the morning with him before he started tearing ass around the house haha!! I decided the last time I would nurse Hank would be his 18 month birthday (mean Mommy haha), I truly treasured that last time, more so even because I knew (or planned) it would be the last time. I just changed up the morning routine and he never once asked for it. And I'm so excited that I never even felt a thing either! I'm telling you, THAT is the way to wean!! So thankful I didn't have to go through that pain! :D

Sooooooo, that is what is going on :D So stay tuned!!

My Future Fanatic

So everyone around me knows that I am a New England Patriots fan, love it or hate it, that's the truth! So of course, Hank will be a little Patriots fan until he can decide whether he truly is a future fanatic or not! Haha! 

I chose the New England Patriots as "my team" at a very young age. Growing up just south of Buffalo, NY, everyone around me is a Bills fan. Well I've never been one to do what everyone else around me does. So I just decided that I liked the New England Patriots, why I chose them, I can't remember, I was probably 10 years old. But I did and I've been a fan ever since. I wear my New England Patriots jerseys to games against Buffalo and get booed, but still have fun! 

Fanatics is doing a "Future Fanatics" campaign and I wanted to participate since we are such huge Patriots Fanatics! Fanatics knows that team loyalty often begins at an early age, so they thought, why not see how the superfans of tomorrow are getting their start? In case you don't know, Fanatics is the leading online retailer of everything sports -- sports apparel, offering everything from your teams hat to your favorite players jersey! And they wanted to see my little fandom in action!

So anyways, the moral of the story is my future fanatic, Hank, sporting his New England Patriots jerseys :D I can't wait until he can truly cheer on the Patriots!

First time trying his Brady jersey on!

Mommy & Hanky

Such a goofball

Yup, he even has a Patriots diaper

Gotta add the leg warmers when it's cold out!

In his newest Brady jersey, he wasn't too happy to have that on!

9 Month Update

Happy 9 months to my sweet boy!! Hank is quite the chatter box, talking non-stop. Words he says are mama, dada, all done & doggie (kinda). He also thinks the cats are doggies too. He has 6 teeth & has learned that it's funny to bite & grind his teeth! He also thinks it's funny when mommy says no, but when daddy says it it means business! He likes all sorts of foods (although he's been a little picky lately), his favorites are Mac & cheese with veggies & yogurt! He still is breastfed & never had a drop of formula. He weighs around 17 lbs. He had his first big illness, RSV, last week & got breathing treatments from his puppy nebulizer, but is thankfully all better and off the treatments for now. He army crawls & gets up on all 4's & crawls backwards. He likes to get up on his knees & "stand" in his crib & grab his mobile! He's a funny boy with a big personality!!

My Fitness Journey

So I know it's been a long time since I've done an update, so I figured I'll do two separate posts! My first post is one that I'm very excited about, it's been my fitness journey. Mid-November, I had enough of how I looked. I gained weight back that I lost and wanted to lose 20 lbs and wanted to do something about it ASAP. After seeing many posts from a facebook friend, I decided to join a 30 day challenge group! I did the T25 program and drank Shakeology. Since I invested money in it, I found myself even more motivated to do the program! After 30 days I saw awesome results! I was losing weight over Christmas, while many people were gaining weight! I decided to become a Beachbody coach since I loved the program so much and saw what awesome results I had! So I'll share a couple things here: I now run a 30 day Challenge group to help people get a jump start on their weight loss program. I run a private group that's all about keeping up accountability and motivation! It's awesome! And we have so much fun! I also have a Facebook page where I post a lot of food/fitness tips and just started my own website as well! I'd love for you guys to check these out and enter my giveaway on my website!! I also have FREE coaching too if you want help losing weight/getting fit!! I finished the program last week and I lost a total of 17 lbs since starting the program (22 lbs since committing to doing the program) and 7.75 inches and I'm officially BELOW my pre-pregnancy weight!! Below are some of my progress pictures :D

Post by Angie Astry.

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Cloth Diaper Resources

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 I am very passionate about cloth diapering and as a matter of fact, it has become a hobby of mine! Haha! Anyways, I figured I would share some of my favorite cloth diaper resources for those that are considering cloth diapering or would just like more information about them. I'll share some links and documentation that I've pulled from various websites.

• Cloth Diaper Finder - this is literally a master cloth diaper finder. You can search by all different fields to see what your options are with each kind of diaper. You can search by price range, company, sizing, diaper type, closure type, outer material, country of origin, manufacturer type, and a few other options. Once you search, you can get details, where to purchase it, and reviews on the diaper. Note - not ALL diapers on here, but pretty much all of the well known brands are on here

• Cloth Diaper Resource Mother Lode - "Here you’ll find everything from what types of diapers there are (and what ones might work for you) to how to use them, wash them and troubleshoot!" - literally everything you ever wanted to know about cloth diapers is here. Different topics include: Cloth Diaper Washing & Troubleshooting, General Cloth Diapering Questions, Additional Resources by Other Great Cloth Diapering Bloggers

• Printable Guide to Cloth Diapering - "The sheet covers environmental facts, health facts, explanations of the different types of diapers, how to wash (our detergent recipe too!), what’s needed and a whole lot more." - A basic "How-To" for cloth diapering

• The Cloth Diaper Whisperer - This is a go to site for many cloth diaper mama's! You can find an answer to just about everything on here relating to cloth diapers! 

• Dirty Diaper Laundry - Love this website! Tons and tons of different videos on cloth diapering! Her videos are awesome! She also has great articles and pictures to accompany any questions one might have!

Places to shop and/or learn more about cloth diapers:

• Abby's Lane - They're a small company that sells many different brands of cloth diapers. They offer free shipping (yay!) and you earn 8% back in reward points on everything you purchase!

• Cloth-101 - All about cloth diapers!

• Kelly's Closet - Another small company that sells many different brands of cloth diapers. I've ordered from them many times! They offer free shipping over $49 all the time, and many diapers they have coupons where you spend $X and earn a free diaper! They also have a reward system where you earn points on everything you purchase.

• Cloth-101 - Their version of everything you need to know about cloth diapers

• One Size Diaper Store - A sister store of KC that only sells one-sized diapers

• Jillian's Drawers - Another small company that sells many different brands of cloth diapers. They seem to be known for "trying" a bunch of diapers for $10 or rentals. They also have rentals of carriers (yay!). They offer free shipping over $99 & 10% in rewards on everything you purchase.

• New to Cloth - This is a great resource. It breaks it down why cloth diapers are so great. This is actually what I used to present why we should use cloth diapers to Casey! This is what got him on board initially! 

• Chelory - These are my FAVORITE diapers (I'll talk about this in another post!). But this is a WAHM (Work-At-Home-Mom) owned business! Which I LOVE to support! She always has free shipping and you earn reward points as you buy. For every $2.50 you spend, you earn a point that is worth $0.25. So essentially 10%. 

• Green Mountain Diapers - Another small company that sells many different brands as well as their own brand. They have free shipping over $75 and only $4.95 shipping up to $75. 

• New to Cloth - Great info here!! 

• Fresh & Fluffy - Another small company that sells many different brands and has a store in Hamburg, NY (yay!). Stephanie is awesome and is very knowledgeable! She offers special packages, cloth diaper classes, has a layaway and even now has used diapers for sale. You can order online and pickup in store which is awesome! She does have a reward system, but I'm not sure how much it is! 

• Tips - Lots of cloth diapering tips here

Check back to this post, because I'm sure I'll update it as I find new sources (or sources I may have forgotten) and places to buy the diapers. I also highly recommend signing up for their email newsletters as they're always loaded with great information and you may even learn about a special promotion or sale!! :-)

I also highly recommend purchasing the book, "Changing Diapers" by Kelly Wels - it's a great simple, layman's terms guide to cloth diaper. Big writing, short book, sweet and to the point! Click below to purchase!

Please feel free to message me with any questions and if you have any favorite resources that you think I should include, let me know!! 

6 Month Photo shoot!

Post by Mitchell Photo Studios.

Post by Mitchell Photo Studios.

Post by Mitchell Photo Studios.

Post by Mitchell Photo Studios.

Post by Mitchell Photo Studios.

Post by Mitchell Photo Studios.