A Sibling for Drake? Part Two

Since we couldn't do Clomid in my last cycle, I was patiently waiting for mid-September to come when we could try again. AF was due to arrive on September 17th. Saturday came and went...

I had a meeting in Chicago on Sunday...still no sign of AF.

I was home with Drake on Monday...still nothing! On my run to the grocery store, I picked up a pregnancy test, just in case. When Jason got home from work, he asked me if I took it yet...my typical response came..."no".

I hate pregnancy tests. I always felt like taking them and seeing a negative was such a waste and so disheartening. When Jason left for football practice, I just felt God telling me to take the test. This is exactly how I felt when I found out I was pregnant with Drake. So, I did.

And, the result was

POSITIVE!

To say I was shocked would be an understatement! This has NEVER happened...in all the years of trying for Drake and months of trying to have another baby, I have never seen this on a non-medicated cycle.

Now, I had to figure out how to tell Jason...and quick. He would be home in about 45 minutes. It was bath night for Drake so I ran upstairs and put "Big Brother" on the tub wall with Drake's letters. (It was the only thing I could think of that we had enough letters for...well, kind of.) When Jason came up during Drake's bath, he saw me with the camera and didn't want me to take his picture (totally normal), but I just told him to look at the tub wall. The first thing out of his mouth was, "Are you serious?" with a huge grin on his face. Then, I showed him the test.

The Great Grocery Challenge

 

Meijer: OOP $37.42, Saved $17.33! (32% savings)

Rader Family Farms

This past weekend, my college roommates came to town with their kids. On Saturday morning, we headed to Rader Farms and had so much fun.

 Hudson and Drake ready to go in!

 Aireol and Drake jumping on the "pillow."

 An attempt to get a picture of three toddlers! lol!

 Drake and Hudson loved the corn bin!! I wouldn't be surprised if they played in there for 30 minutes, seriously.

Addison, Drake and Aireol looking at the goats.

 I wasn't sure if Drake would go down the slide. It was pretty dark in there, but he loved it!

 Drake, Hudson and Addison

Look how much Drake has grown! He did so good...walked right up there and didn't want to get down. :-)

Click here to see last year's trip.

A Sibling for Drake? Part One

After you had your first (and/or only) baby, how long did it take for the comments about number two to come along? I was actually pretty surprised. We didn't get too many questions, but maybe it's because people are aware of what it took to get Drake here. I have always wanted more than one child. I actually would love to have three. Jason thinks we should stop at two. I say it depends on what it takes to get two. :-) lol!

You know you've heard the stories about people getting pregnant right after delivering a baby that was conceived with infertility treatments. So, after Drake was born, I knew another baby so soon just wouldn't work for me. I went back on the pill. After a few months on the pill, I came to my senses and realized that this was crazy. It took me 5 years of being off the pill, 3 Clomid cycles, 3 IUIs, and 2 IVF cycles to get my little man Drake....so, I ditched it! We officially started trying for #2 in January.

I had my annual in March and talked to my doctor about the option of "starting over" with Clomid come the fall and she was totally fine with that. In April, we found out that we might be losing our amazing insurance, and I was more than a little nervous. I would get to keep my ob/gyn, but I would have to drive three hours for every appointment with my RE if that were necessary. Thankfully, the contract was extended until the end of September and then we found out that we are actually set until June 2012...yeah!
 
In July, Jason had another semen analysis since it had been so long since his last one. Everything came back normal, and we did Clomid for my August cycle.That cycle was kind of a mess because they believe I ovulated over a weekend when I didn't have an appointment. AF arrived a day early...August 20th.

We were planning to do another round of Clomid in August, but I had a cyst when I went in for my ultrasound. That never happened before.

To be continued...

Apple Orchard & Shopping

My parents came for a visit this weekend so we headed over to one of the apple orchards nearby. The weather was absolutely perfect - upper 60s and sunny!

Drake even got his first pony ride.

(Sorry for the crooked picture - I couldn't fix it.)

After the apple orchard, we drove to the outlet mall to find Drake a pair of shoes! He had a few pairs of 5s and 5.5s that I thought would fit him this fall, but we have been squeezing his feet into them. When they measured his foot at Stride Rite, he was right at a 5 which means they suggest buying a 6.5! No wonder the shoes weren't fitting. I found a cute pair of brown shoes, but we still need a pair of tennis shoes for him. 

We did a little more shopping and had to get a caramel apple for a snack. :-)

 

The Great Grocery Challenge

 

Walgreens: OOP $20.93, Saved $25.50!

Not my best Walgreens trip, but I got some pretty cheap diapers and wipes which we needed.

Target: OOP $20.64, Saved $18.01!

Pretty nice trip even if I had to pick up a couple things without coupons.

Jewel: OOP $22.10, Saved $41.00!

I don't typically shop at Jewel, but they had a great deal on Jack's pizza. I also ended up getting a coupon for $2/$25 in my email so I picked up quite a few canned vegetables and some sand toys for Drake's first trip to the beach next spring!

Meijer: OOP $40.62, Saved $21.28!

The hubs made a trip to Meijer to pick up a few things for his "boys weekend". :-)

Weekly Totals: OOP $104.29, Saved $105.79!

So, I went quite a bit over my budget this week, but my last few weeks were under.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Drake loves being pulled around the house on this blanket. What a fun ride!

 

The Great Grocery Challenge

 

Target: OOP $4.58, saved $6.05

Love some super cheap Kleenex - 16 boxes...$.29 each! One thing I have realized is that Target's receipts aren't a true representation of the savings. It doesn't take into account how much the store has already marked down the item. For example, the Kleenex boxes were originally $3.29, but they were clearanced down to $2.54.

 Meijer: OOP $19.00, saved $29.75!

Aldi: OOP $15.65
 This was my first time shopping at Aldi's. There some things I needed to make a dessert this week and I didn't have coupons so I thought I would try them out. I was suprised at how many name brand items they had in the store. You definitely have to watch the prices...milk was $.18 more than Meijer when on sale, but eggs were $.30 cheaper.  I don't like not knowing how much I saved, but I know I got some deals. :-)

Weekly Total: OOP $39.28, Saved $38.50+! 

Pinterest

Pinterest...have you heard of it? Are you on it already?

If you aren't sure about it, here's a little bit about it from their website:

Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard.

Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.
 
Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

So, to say I'm hooked would be an understatement! I LOVE it!

I am not a big cook and I don't like to spend a lot of time searching around for new recipes and Pinterest has helped me with that. Here are the recipes we have tried so far:

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

Slow Cooker Beef Dip Sandwiches

Crockpot BBQ Beef

Chicken Roll Ups

Garlic Herb Potato Wedges

Lemon & Garlic Grilled Chicken

We have loved everything except the Chicken Roll Ups.

There are lots of other things on there, too, from fashion ideas to saying and verses to photo ideas to diy projects.

Here's something so simple that I never thought of but did recently - http://pinterest.com/pin/85405222/!

And, this is my next project - http://pinterest.com/pin/79312865/!

If you want to check it out, let me know, and I'll send you an invite.

Wordless Wednesday

We got this "tricycle" from our neighbors shortly after Drake was born. Jason brought it up from the basement last week and Drake can't get enough of it! He LOVES it!

 

 

Labor Day Weekend

We have had a GREAT weekend! It was the perfect blend of busy and calmness. Unfortunately, I wasn't so good at taking pictures. :-)

Friday: I took off work and Drake and I had a playdate with my friend, Mel, and her daughter, Ayla. Since it was in the upper 90s, instead of going to the zoo, we decided to go swimming instead. I think they had fun except that Drake bit Ayla!  I cannot wait until he grows out of this. He's done it twice at daycare now and then this time. I know it's because he gets frustrated, but I feel awful. In the afternoon, Jason went to a work gathering and I cleaned while Drake napped.Then, we had a new dinner that I found on Pinterest!

Saturday: We went to the zoo in the morning and then while Drake napped, I finished up cleaning. It was as in the upper 90s again so we had friends over to swim in the afternoon. We swam for about 2 hours and then a storm/cold front came through and the temperature dropped quickly.

Sunday: It was in the low 70s when we woke up...can I just say, beautiful?!?! We went to church and then after nap, we went to Target and out for dinner. It was so nice that we were able to play outside until bedtime. Drake loves playing outside which is like a double-edged sword because he doesn't want to come in when it's time.

Monday: We had another beautiful day in the 70s! We watched 1.5 hours of the Labor Day Parade in Bloomington (It lasted 2.5 hours!). After Drake's nap we went to a cookout at our friend's house.

 The Clutts Family

 Reggie Redbird

(Like I said, I didn't do too well taking pictures...didn't even get one of our family at the parade.)

The Great Grocery Challenge

 

 Walgreens: OOP $2.44, Saved $30.42!

The only negative is that I didn't walk out with any Register Rewards. :-(

Target: OOP $3.51, Saved $11.02!
More free Cascade!

Meijer: OOP $37.07, Saved $49.74!

And, I'm submitting for the $10 P&G rebate! yeah!!

CVS: OOP $1.44, Saved $5.20!

Another good deal on milk!

Weekly Total: OOP $44.46, Saved $96.38! (68% savings!)