Here We Go Again

I'm utterly embarrassed by the length of time that's passed since I last wrote.  I was in my second trimester, May 2012, to be exact.  Well, it's a good representation of a) how quickly pregnancy flies by & b) how crazy busy life gets with a little one.  But, I wouldn't trade this life for anything else in the world.  

Here's a recap + an update on our recent happenings:

Gavin Blake was born on November 16, 2012.  He shocked the doctors (and us!) measuring 9 lb 6 oz and 21.5 inches long.  He quickly earned the nickname, "Tank".

The answer to our prayers

SO much cuteness in that bucket!

Gavin is now 2 years old.  We enjoy lots & lots of laughs with this sweet boy.  It seems he grows by the minute.  He has my smile & chubby cheeks, but most of all, his Daddy's drop dead gorgeous eyes.  Somehow, he's also in the 70th percentile for height.  So, I'm bracing myself to be the shortest member of the Bachman family in just a few short years.

November 2014
Our little monkey had a Curious George themed party to celebrate turning TWO!

Fall 2014

The holidays are more fun than ever before.  It's incredible to see Christmas through the eyes of a child.  Birthdays are a Pinterest-explosion of fun.  Honestly, we treat most days like special occasions, since lots of them involve cookies "just because".  

Christmas 2014

For the past year, we have been praying for God's guidance in the timing of our next IVF cycle.  Many times circumstances would arise showing us the time isn't right.  We had originally planned to start last Fall.  Shortly after this decision, Jake was hospitalized for over two weeks with a very severe virus.   Thankfully, he made a full recovery, but we decided take it easy through the end of the year before starting another cycle. 

It's now February 2015.  We feel ready to get the ball rolling.  Gavin adores babies and keeps asking for a "brudder".  We will meet with our specialist at Nashville Fertility Center tomorrow morning for an initial consultation for round #5.  It's hard to believe we've made it this far.  (Fun fact: I was absolutely petrified of needles when we started.  500+ injections later, I'm a Pro!) Our plan is to do as many cycles as we can with the three frozen embryos we have in storage.  Gavin was a successful single embryo transfer, which is pretty unheard of.  Most clinics transfer at least two.  We are prepared this may be suggested to us this time around.  

I have tons of questions for the doctor.  I'm sure he'll have tons for me.  After all, it has been 3 years since we were in his office.  There will be tons of testing over the next few months.  I'm anticipating a rush of emotions walking back through those doors.  So much of our life has happened there.  It's where we mourned the loss of our first child.  But, it's where we celebrated the success of our 4th cycle -- Gavin.  

We are blessed beyond measure, no matter the outcome.  Thanks for walking with us through this wild journey.  You mean the world to our family.

One Week Later

Today marks one week since surgery.  I've had no weird side effects or major set backs. No need for pain meds any longer and all antibiotics are finished.  Still taking it easy on lifting and such.  But, I'm feeling more like myself as each day passes.  

I have to rave about the care I received at Centennial Surgery Center.  The nurses were phenomenal.  You know the dorky little comment cards?  Yeah, I normally toss those in the garbage.  But, not this time.  I jumped on the opportunity to brag on those nurses, especially Sharrell.  A great nurse can make all the difference in the world.  She's called almost once a day since surgery to check in.  

It has been an absolute godsend to have my family here for the past several days.  They were a HUGE help.   I'm blessed to have such wonderful parents and sister.  They headed back to NC yesterday and I miss them already!

We've got a break from medical appointments for the next week and a half.  Next up is my post-op appointment on Sept. 19 and Hubby's meeting at the Vanderbilt Diabetes center on Sept 21.  Then, before we know it, it'll be time to start another round of IVF.  So, we're going to take advantage of this short lull by being lazy bums at every chance we get.  I foresee lots of movie nights and Sunday afternoons spent in pajamas watching football.  You wouldn't believe how excited I am.  Sometimes, it's the little moments...