Not Lost

I have been working on that Prom Talk post but I haven't had a long enough time in one sitting to put it all in print.  Rather than just continually being silent in the blogging world, I thought I'd at least pop in to say helllloooo!!!!!!

Quick update:  I am done with bcp's and AF stopped in for her visit yesterday.  I am still doing 20 units of Lupron every night.  My suppression check and estradiol blood draw is this Friday.  If all is good, I will be decreasing Lupron to 10 units and starting taking estrace tablets on Saturday.  My lining check is May 17th, and I will start PIO injections on May 18th.  Transfer is scheduled for May 24th.  Yikes.  This is it!

Yesterday, I had to take our Embryo Thaw and Transfer Consent form to get notarized.  I went to our local bank here in town.  The notary is someone that I have seen many, many times over the years as I have banked there for 10+ years.  It was slightly awkward to say the least.  One of my softball players that graduated a few years back was in the bank at the same time.  I just tried to keep it casual, but of course the notary gal had to ask me about the form. 

Notary: "so are you thawing embryos or are you transferring them?"
Me: "Both."
Her: "Oh, well congratulations!"
Me: "well, I do hope that congratulations will be in order."
Her: "I just want to be the first to congratulate you!"
Me: "well, thank you."
Me: "we actually aren't telling anybody about this, so I would really appreciate it if you would keep this between just us."
Her: "oh, of course.  Congratulations!"

Three times.  Three times in a matter of seconds she congratulated me.  Shaking my head.

She obviously doesn't know much about this process if she had to ask if we were thawing them or transferring the embryos.  What else would we be thawing them for?  Not that it matters, I just wanted her to sign the damn paper and get out of there before the ex softball player over heard the conversation.  I happen to be currently coaching her younger sister, just another reason to want to keep this on the down low.

*********************

Softball is going well, although we have lost our last 3 games.  They were against 2 of the best teams in the state though, and I feel pretty good about our team because we were able to compete with them.  We are sitting in 2nd place in our league right now.  We have 5 more league games.  We need to win 2 of them to guarantee a playoff spot, and we need 3 wins to give us the #2 spot in our league so we can host the first playoff game.  We only have a few more weeks of our high school season left. It's been a good season. I love the girls and I am so glad that I decided to coach another year.

I am slowly but surely reading everyone's blogs, although I am several days behind.  I haven't been a very good blogger friend lately, but I am trying!  I just wanted you to know that I am still here and not lost.... and I will get that Prom Talk post out soon.  Although I fear it's been built up to be more than it is.  Hopefully it won't disappoint.

Quick Update

First, let me just say welcome to anyone visiting for ICLW.  This is my favorite blogging week of the month when I get to meet new friends and find new blogs to follow.

Here's the update of my fertility world:

We have one more shot at having a baby.  We started with an IUI, which we suspected wouldn't work and it didn't.  We've done one IVF which resulted in a chemical pregnancy.  We then had a cancelled IVF due to only one follicle, so it was turned into an IUI, which failed.  We then moved on to IVF using my sister as an egg donor.  This resulted in our first real pregnancy, which lasted 9 weeks, 5 days.  Our miscarriage was due to a chromosomal issue.  Our baby had Trisomy 18.  We had two extra embryos to freeze from that donor egg cycle.  We are now at the beginning stages of our final cycle.  This FET cycle will be our last shot at having children.

I have been on bcp's for a little over 3 weeks now, and have done 4 nights of Lupron injections so far.  To put it bluntly, the injections suck.  I thought I remembered the Lupron injections not being too bad.  I was wrong.  Grrr.  The first night actually wasn't too bad.  But then the next night I went to the left side of my belly.  For some bizarre reason, whenever I do an injection on the left side, I always get a few hives and an itchy rash.  That is not new to this cycle.  I just forgot about it.  Then on the 3rd night, I hit a vein.  Yeah, that hurt.  And it bled.  The joys of giving yourself shots.

The only side effect I really remember from the Lupron last time was that I could NOT stay awake!  I pretty much had to take a nap every single day.  It was impossible for me not to.  Oh yeah, and the fact that I suffered temporary short term memory loss last time too.  The doctor said that was normal because my body was basically in a state of menopause.  At least I know what it will be like in down the road.  haha!

So far I have not really felt the same fatigue I did last time.  I hope that continues because I have way too much going on in my daily life right now to have a chance to nap.  I will be sleeping on the softball field if I can't keep my eyes open.

Speaking of softball, the Prom Talk went very well.  The girls listened, were teary eyed in parts, and I think took home the intended message.  I will write more about this later as I think it's probably deserving of its own post.  However, I do not have anymore time right now.  We have a game this afternoon and I have to go prep the field and write our line up.

It is a beautiful day outside for a game!  It's supposed to be nice all week!  It is forecasted to be 76* on Wednesday.  I'm sure the girls will be complaining about how hot it is.  It's funny how 76* is hot right now, but during the summer we will be freezing at that same temperature.  Anyway, off to enjoy the blue sky and a little softball.

The Time has Come

In less than two hours, I will be meeting all the girls in my softball program and having the famous Prom Talk.  I will address the usual no drugs, no drinking, please drive safely....but this year I will be focusing on sex.  The high school I coach at has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the state of Oregon.  Fortunately, in all my 20 years of coaching, I have only had one girl from all my softball teams get pregnant during high school (that I know of).

I am going to share with them some personal stories that is going to include my infertility.  Last year during softball season, I had my first IVF that resulted in a chemical pregnancy.  I also had a failed IVF.  During the season, I was injecting myself up to four times a day with stim meds.  I had to hide from them the pain of our failures, while trying to coach them toward reaching the ultimate goal of winning a state championship which was a very realistic goal.

Last year during our softball season I watched my Grandpa die from cancer, experienced the whole IVF process resulting from two failures, and fell just short of our team goal of playing in the state championship game.  We had 8 seniors graduate from our team that had a very bittersweet ending to our season, losing in a close game with a score of 1-2 in a game we were predicted to win.  It was an extremely tough three months for me.

Today I am going to share all of that with them.  I am going to make it like a show and tell.  I am going to take my needles and syringes to help make an impact of everything that IVF entails and what I was going through last year.  I was worried about how that might come across if a girl goes home to her parents and says "Coach Amber brought needles to practice today."  I didn't want our Athletic Director to field phone calls about it without a heads up, so I ran the idea by him first and got his approval.  It's not really any different than a diabetic carrying their injection materials around, or the player on our team that has an EpiPen for bee stings.

You may wonder what any of my IF has to do with my Prom Talk.  I plan to tie it in to the sex talk.  What if one of them were to get pregnant now and chose to have an abortion, but later in life couldn't get pregnant and suffered from IF?  If I myself had gotten pregnant in high school, I don't know what I would have done.  I didn't really have the best home situation.  What if I had gotten pregnant and had an abortion?  I would definitely be regretting that now!

I've done a Prom Talk every year.  The girls expect it and many of the parents expect it.  They always ask "when is the Prom Talk going to be?"  Well, now that Prom is tomorrow night, the time has come for my speech.  I'm a little nervous to share my story.  I worry about how it will be perceived, by both the players and their parents.  I know many of them always go home and share with their parents what we talk about.

About an hour ago, I received an email from the father of one of my players.  She is a junior this year, and I coached her older sister for 4 years prior so their family is familiar with this talk.  Here is what the dad had to say:

Hey! I just want to thank you for your continued support of our girls! Many people think that your role as coach serves within the realm of softball only… this is not true. You pour your love out as if they were your own… In many respects they are! You want the best for every girl. When they are victorious… you rejoice! When they struggle, you are sad. You never let them settle for mediocrity in sport, which transcends into every area of life.

With prom looming, you will share your heart with our daughters, proving once again, they are more than just your team, but a great gift from our God… whom you love dearly!

Thank you for all you do!

May God continue to bless you in all you do!

 

I cried as I read this email.  It meant so much to hear these words of encouragement and support.  Being a coach is oft times a thankless job.  These girls do mean the world to me and I am so incredibly grateful that I am allowed to share this time in their lives.  I hope that I can make an impact on them as much as they have on me.

4 Seconds

A few years ago, I convinced one of my training clients to run the Portland Marathon with me.  We both completed the race, and she swore she would never do it again.  haha!

Well, she changed her mind.  She has since become quite the runner, competing in several more marathons and several half marathons.  She has continued to get better and has improved her times drastically since that first race.  So much so that it became a goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon, something that once seemed impossible, became a very realistic goal.

Today, she was not running in the Boston Marathon because she missed qualifying by 4 seconds.  She was 4 seconds too slow, which we have groaned about for the past several months, that she came SO close!  Today, we are incredibly grateful for those 4 seconds.

I cannot express how sad I am that we are living in a world that is becoming a place to fear.  We are forced to question whether we want to participate in something or go somewhere that will have a large crowd, for fear of what might happen.  We have been faced with terrorism, mass gun shootings, bombings....

Those people that were participating in the Boston Marathon today put in a LOT of training hours, not to mention the heart and soul they pored into getting there.  That is an event you can ONLY participate in if you qualify for it.  I know some people that have qualified but never actually got to run the race, because they couldn't afford the travel expenses to get there - the airfare, the hotel, the food money.  Participating in the Boston Marathon is a dream for a lot of people and a once in a lifetime achievement that many do not get to experience.  To have those dreams come to such a devastating end is a travesty.  Not to mention all the people that were injured just for being there to cheer their loved ones on.

Today, I am grateful for a mere 4 seconds.  But what about all those people that actually achieved their goal?  What about all those people that were so proud to be running the streets of Boston today and had every right to boast of their accomplishment?  Even if they are lucky enough not to have been at the spot of the bombings, their experience has been marred by travesty and will be one to be remembered not for their accomplishment, but how lucky they were to survive.

Softball and Other Stuff

We actually are undefeated in league so far, with 4 wins.  We haven't faced our toughest opponents yet, so we will see how long that holds.  I feel like we are hanging on by the skin of our teeth, but we just might make the State play-offs.  We'll see how it goes.

I am taking the team to watch #24 ranked Oregon State play Utah tomorrow.  Pac-12 softball is the best in the Nation, with the SEC not far behind.  I'm a firm believer in watching the next level to help you learn the game and improve your own skills.  It's important for the girls to see the intensity that the college girls play with, not just during the game, but during their warm ups as well.  Hopefully it won't end up getting rained out.  That would be a bummer.

In other news, I am now down 5 lbs.  My clothes still fit too tight, but I am definitely feeling a lot more comfortable in my own skin.  I went for a 2.5 mile walk/run today.  I actually increased my running interval pace by about a minute from last week!  I know I won't be as trained as I would like for my 10k coming up in May, but I'll at least be able to do it.

My box of meds arrived on Tuesday, but I have yet to open them.  I suppose I should make sure everything is in there that is supposed to be.  I just haven't taken the time.  I don't start the Lupron injections until the 18th, so I haven't felt in a hurry.  Although, now that I think about it, that is next week already!  Yikes!  Time sure does go by quickly.  Before we know it, we will be doing our transfer.  Scary.

Well, as usual, I have very little time.  I have several errands that I need to run before softball practice.  I just thought I'd write a little something to let you all know I am still alive and well!

Weekend Review

Friday:

I'd been doing pretty good with my eating most of the week.  I even got a 2 mile walk/jog in before practice.  Yay me!  I always start out doing intervals so I don't start out too hard and end up with an injury. 

I wanted to make our softball practice fun since our Thursday game was rained out and we didn't get to make it up on Friday either.  At the start of practice, I had each girl (and coach) share their favorite animal, but it couldn't be duplicated with anyone else.  Whatever animal they chose was then their name for the rest of practice.  We couldn't call them by their real name, only their animal name.  If someone called another player out by their real name, it resulted in said player/coach having to do 5 burpies (a torturous, not fun exercise that I now loath!).  By the end of practice, I think I did close to 120 burpies!  Who made up that stupid game?!!?!  (point all fingers at ME)  The girls thought it was pretty hilarious and it made for a very fun practice.  Most all the girls ended up doing burpies because they would get caught trying to call someone ELSE out for messing up.  "haha!  You said Jenny!"  And then they would have to do their OWN burpies.

Saturday:

I woke up and crawled out of bed.  Oh. My. Garsh.  So sore!  Again, who's idea was that stupid game?  Oh well.  I was wanting to kick myself in gear and start exercising, so I guess this was a good start.

I split the girls up into two groups for some Saturday morning hitting groups.  Each group came in for 45 minutes.  We have our make up game scheduled for Monday, so we need to still be sure we are ready to go.  After the hitting practices with my high school girls, I then had to help out with our local rec softball program.  They were doing tryouts and wanted me to be the one to evaluate the older 14u girls, rather than the parent-coaches.  It was good to see what kind of talent will be coming up through the program.  All I can say is, those girls need to be coached by a "real" coach, and not their parents that "think" they know what they are doing.

After that, I went to my in-laws to see my two nieces that were visiting.  Hubby had to work in the afternoon, so he had played with them in the morning already.  We went in shifts :)  My niece, Jade, thought it was great fun playing dress up.

 

 

Later that night, I found out from Facebook that my cousins are pregnant again.  Come to find out, my Mom DID know about it all week, but she was asked not to tell.  I can't really be mad at her for that.  It's not her secret to tell.  She didn't really understand why it was upsetting to me to find out via FB.  Oh well.  I'm over it.

 

Sunday:

 

My husband and I worked with 3 of the softball girls to work on some extra hitting. 

 

Then we went to my nephew Steven's Mickey Mouse birthday party.  His birthday was actually earlier in the week, but because the weekend before was Easter they chose to wait till the following week for his birthday party.  Everyone showed up to their house and he said "but my birthday is already over."  It was pretty funny.  He'd been looking forward to his Mickey Mouse birthday party though (he picked out the theme).

 

Cousins C and J, along with my Aunt R were actually at the party.  They don't always come to these things so it was a little bit of a surprise to see them.  They have no idea that their FB announcement was so hurtful to me, and I'm not going to tell them.  I know they would feel bad if they knew how I felt.  Yes, it was annoying and painful that they didn't think to tell me via text or email first, or through my Mom at least, but in the grand scheme of things, it's just not that big of a deal.  I wished them congrats again and asked if they would find out if it's a boy or girl.  We joked about C having to buy more guns if it's a girl.  It was kind of awkward for me, but again, no big deal.  I'm happy for them.

 

Now, here's some pictures from the birthday party:

 

The amazing birthday cake that a friend made

The birthday boy opening his presents

Proud parents of the birthday boy, S and Sis

Eliana with her Uncle Tony

Baby Nathanial, who is almost as big as his brother

Today:

I'm on day 4 of taking bcp's.  I am actually down 3 lbs.  Yay!  I got my Lupron and Estrace ordered and it will be shipped to me soon.  I start Lupron injections on the 18th.

I'm about to leave to go catch the softball bus for our game.  Then we have another game tomorrow and one on Thursday.  Busy week.

*Amanda at Beloved Burnt Toast just found out today at her ultrasound that she has lost her twins.  She could probably use some extra love and tlc.

**I haven't proof read this as I'm about to be late for my bus, so hopefully it isn't too bad in spelling or grammer!!!

 





The Cousins are Pregnant Again

At our family Christmas party back in December, my newly wed cousins announced they were pregnant.  I was also pregnant at the time, and literally had to bite my tongue to keep from making my own announcement.  They were due just two weeks before me.  I remember feeling like they had stolen a little bit of my thunder.  I was happy for them, but a little heartbroken for myself.  I had waited so long to be able to share my own announcement, and they beat me to it.

Turned out that they ended up having a miscarriage just a week after that announcement.  I felt so bad for them, especially because this was their second loss.  I was afraid of the pain it would cause them when I was having a baby due the same month as theirs was supposed to be. It didn't end up being an issue, because I miscarried my own just over a month later.

In February, I pored my heart out into a letter to my family.  I sent this letter to all my Aunts and Uncles, as well as to all the Cousins.  I shared all of our struggles through infertility, including the IUI's, IVF's, and that Sis was an egg donor for this last go 'round.  I told them about our pregnancy, which had later ended in miscarriage.  I told my family that while I am sad for myself and my husband, I will be happy for each of them and any future baby announcements that they make.

Today I saw on Facebook, that cousins C and J (the ones that had the miscarriages) are once again expecting.  They posted pictures to announce their pregnancy.  I don't know whether I am more mad, or more hurt that I found this out via Facebook.  Probably a bit of both.  I feel pretty disrespected.  I shared my whole infertility journey with them not too long ago.  I felt like I had somewhat of a common bond with them in that we both suffered a loss about the same time.  Now I feel as if they could care less about my feelings.

It would have been nice if they had thought to inform the family before plastering the announcement on Facebook.  It would have been nice if they were at least sensitive to the fact that it might be hurtful to me, knowing my history.  At the very least, it would have been nice if they had asked Aunt R to tell my Mom, who then could have passed it on to me.  Under normal circumstances, I can understand how maybe they wouldn't have thought to spread the word through the family first.  But knowing what I've been through....  I can't help but feel extremely hurt.

And here's the thing, seeing pregnant women doesn't bother me.  Being around little babies doesn't bother me.  All I want to do is snuggle with them.  Facebook pregnancy announcements don't bother me either.  THIS ONE DOES THOUGH!  This one hurts because it is FAMILY!  It is family that KNOWS what I've been through and apparently doesn't seem to care.  They are the only ones that never responded to my letter.  Every Aunt and Uncle, and every other Cousin reached out to me and responded to my letter, except for these two.  Maybe I'm being ridiculous, but I just feel like they should have at least let the family know, or at least let ME know, before plastering it on Facebook.

Even though my feelings are hurt and I feel a little angry (maybe a lot.  I haven't decided yet), I "liked" their pictures.  I sent C a text congratulating them and asking the due date.  She is about 13 weeks and they are planning for an October baby.  I am trying to be the bigger person by reaching out to them and offering my congrats, even though I am sitting here stewing over the whole thing.

I am happy for them.  I truly am.  I just wish that they had at least considered how their announcement might effect me.

Let's Get This Show on the Road!

I finally received a message back from my RE.  Here is what she said:

Hi Amber,

I know that the past couple months have been hard on you emotionally. Although weight/BMI does impact implantation and pregnancy potential in IVF cycles, a 14lb wt gain is unlikely to significantly affect your chance for pregnancy especially knowing that your uterus has achieved pregnancies in the past. I'll forward this to Jill for a possible map-out if you wish to move forward w/ the FET.

D. Wu

Knowing that Dr. Wu is comfortable moving forward, in addition to most of you saying pretty much the identical thing, we are going forth!  I am just waiting for my phone call from the nurse to go over our plan.  I assume I will be starting bcp's tomorrow, which I conveniently have on hand already :)

Now, time to kick my butt into gear and start eating right and hitting the pavement for my 10k!  Nothing like a little motivation to get you going.

Cycle Day #2

I did end up getting my visit from AF late yesterday afternoon, as I predicted.  I have not gotten a response to the message I sent to my RE yet though.  I just called the clinic to report that I'm on cycle day 2, so I should be hearing back from them sometime this afternoon.

I don't quite know whether to be excited because I'm at the beginning of our FET cycle and will be starting bcp's tomorrow, or will I be waiting one more month for me to get my act together by cleaning up my nutrition and preparing for the 10k I'm doing in 5 weeks.

I am happy to report that even with AF's arrival, I actually am down 2 lbs this morning.  I know that once I focus on making sure I am getting my 100 ounces of water each day and eating clean every 2-3 hours, I will see a pretty significant change fairly quickly.  The first few pounds will be easy.  It's the last 10 that will be the challenge.

With that said, I do want to add that it's really NOT about the weight.  My concern isn't the number on the scale.  My biggest concern is how that effects me internally.  I know that my blood pressure is high right now, but it usually does come down when I am eating clean.  I know my heart rate has also been elevated.  It's not so much about the weight, but rather how I've been FEELING.

I appreciated everyone's comments so much yesterday!  You actually helped me to realize that maybe it's not such a big deal.  Even if we do go ahead with this cycle, I still have about 7 weeks before we will actually do the transfer.  I just know that the bcp's and Lupron will not be a helping factor to getting back in shape.  However, if I am eating clean and more focused on taking care of myself, maybe it will still be okay.

These last two little embryos are it for us.  If this cycle does not work, we are done.  We cannot afford to take out any more loans to continue trying.  We do not have the luxury of having our insurance cover any infertility expenses.  My sister is not going to be available to donate more eggs for almost 2 years (because she is pregnant and then will be breast feeding).  We don't have the financial means to pursue adoption.

My concern isn't about my weight or the number on the scale.  It's not even about my elevated blood pressure or heart rate.  My concern is about whether those things will effect the survival of our embryos.  If there is any chance that we will have a lower chance of implantation and higher risk of miscarriage, I do not want to take that chance!  So many recommended to just go for it, and you know what?  If we had more chances after this, I would just go for it.  I wouldn't hesitate.  I don't WANT to wait, but more importantly I want this to work.

And you know what else?  If this doesn't work, I will be okay.  If Hubby and I have to move forward with a child-free life, we will, and we will make it work.  We will be heartbroken and sad at first, but we will be able to move on and live a happy life.  But I don't want to look back and KNOW that I could have improved our chances if we had just waited a month or two.  What is one or two months in comparison to the last 13+ years we've been ttc?  What is one or two more months in comparison to the rest of our lives?  I don't WANT to wait, but I WILL if it will help.  I just need to hear back from the RE to know what the decision will be.

Should I Wait?

AF is about to make her visit.  Under normal circumstances, I would be thrilled because that is supposed to be the start of our FET cycle.  However, I've been debating if it is in our best interest to wait a month or two.  I really, really want to get this show on the road, but I haven't treated myself very well the past two months since my miscarriage.

To put it bluntly, I have gained 16 pounds.  I have been eating really crappy.  Like, beyond crappy.  I've enjoyed lots of chocolate chips, pizza, ice cream, more chocolate.... I wrote a post about how I was drowning my sorrows in food following my D&C in January.   The only problem is that I had trouble getting past those bad eating habits.  As a result of the bad food and 16 pounds, I know that my heart rate has been elevated and I'm sure my blood pressure is too.  I can feel it.

I've been working to clean up my diet and I REALLY need to start exercising (on the softball field doesn't really count).  I signed up for a 10k coming up in just one month!  Ahhhh!  But more than that, I just really want to be sure my body is the most hospitable, welcoming place for our two frozen embabies to implant.

AF should be making her visit any time.  In fact, I expect full flow by this evening.  Going on bcp's and then starting Lupron is NOT going to help me take this weight off.  I have a month and a half before the transfer, which is a legitimately a decent enough time to make a change.  However, I know the meds will prevent me from losing the weight.

I finally broke down and sent a message to my RE, letting her know the circumstances and to ask her opinion on whether we should move forward or delay.  We will see what she says...

Coming Out of the Closet

The only person that has known about my blog from the beginning is my sister.  I told her about it and had her read my very first post only a day or two after I wrote it.  I'm not going to lie, I was initially a little embarrassed to have her read it, but I really, really wanted her feedback.  Her response was "oh thanks a lot for making me cry!"  That made me feel better, to know that I could evoke that kind of emotion with my writing.  She has continued to read my blog, but she usually doesn't comment unless I ask her specifically about a post.  I also know that while I was pregnant, she wouldn't look for my blog posts right away because she wanted to hear from me personally about my ultrasounds rather than finding out the good or bad news from a blog post. 

My husband knows about my blog too, but he doesn't read it unless I specifically point out a post to him that I want him to read.  I'm not sure why he doesn't read it.  If he was writing a blog, I know for a FACT that I would be reading it all the time!  I'm not ashamed to admit that I am nosy.  haha!  Whenever I am sitting down at the computer, Hubby will ask me "how is my little blogger chick?"  It's either "Blogger Chick" or "Blogger Wife."  He's always making up little names.  If I'm watching a TV show, he will walk through the living room and say "how is my little reality TV wife doing?"  He's pretty funny, which I appreciate most of the time, but admittedly not ALL the time.  lol

My mom has read a few of my posts that I have specifically shared with her.  She doesn't have a computer or a smart phone, so she doesn't really have access to anything that would allow her to read my blog.  I have shared a few posts with her though and let her read it on my phone.  I'm not really sure she was aware of what she was reading, and she didn't ask, just appreciated what I shared with her.

I have kept my blog private from my family and in real life friends because it's been a safe place for me to write about my infertility struggles without having to filter it and worry about who might be reading it.  It's not a private blog by any means, but it would be a long shot for anyone to just happen upon it.  It's kind of funny really, because I'm not actually a very private person and have no problem sharing about my life, but very few know the intimate details of everything we've been through.

Well, I have now come out of the closet with one of my Aunts.  I have a pretty close relationship with this Aunt, who also happens to be my Godmother.  She has always lived about 4 hours away from us, but my sister and I used to spend every summer with her when we were kids.  Not for like a week, but more like at least a month out of every summer.  I'd been thinking about telling her about my blog for awhile.  I hesitated because I have read from many other bloggers that regretted telling their in real life people.

I finally bit the bullet and emailed her the link to my very first blog post so she could start at the beginning, and I am so glad I did!  She has left a comment on every single blog post she has read so far and it has been so much fun!  Her comments make me smile and I have enjoyed going back and reading my posts again, so I could remember what her comments were referencing.  She knew about our journey before, but now she is getting to know the intimate details.

This whole blogging business has been a great outlet for me, a great source of information and knowledge, in addition to the tremendous amount of support I have found from all my bloggie friends.  Now I get to share it with my favorite Aunt D as well!  Maybe someday I will share it with more IRL people, but for now, we'll just keep it to these few.