It's Official!

i took this test last wednesday. had official blood work done today. my "numbers" are good and i am officially pregnant! the levels could indicate one baby or two, we aren't sure yet. i have a repeat blood test on friday and then my first OB appointment next thursday. 

we know it's very early and anything could happen, but we're cautiously 

optimistic and sincerely asking for your prayers for our new little one(s).

THANK YOU for your prayers up until now. We are so appreciative.

7 Years Old.

Collin's surgery, my IVF and Laila's 1st birthday all overshadowed the fact that I just celebrated seven years of marriage with my awesome husband. To celebrate, we went to our favorite restaurant, Mastro's Steakhouse, in Beverly Hills and then spent our first night away from Laila in Santa Monica. 

(Granted, we only did that because Collin's surgery was the next morning and we had to 

be at the surgery center at 6:30am and Santa Monica is over an hour from our house, but still! 

I was very proud of myself for leaving her - It wasn't easy!)

Thanks so much for seven amazing years babe. We've had our ups and downs, learned a lot, created a child, and had lots of fun adventures. I can't wait to see what the next seven years bring.

One Year Old!

We had to postpone Laila's one year well check due to Collin's surgery and my IVF, so here's her 12 month stats - 2 weeks late.

what we've been up to this week...

We have had a pretty crazy last few weeks (hence the lack of blogging, sorry), but this past week takes the cake. We may be (are) insane, but went for it anyway...

On Monday, Collin had surgery to repair a cartilage defect in his right knee. It went well but he is in full recovery mode and will be out of commission for a while, not driving, and on crutches for at least 6 weeks.

1) goofing off before surgery 2) ready and waiting to go into op. room 3) post-op just waking up

The last time I was early pregnant I was rather private about the details and didn't share much with people. I feel very differently this time around and decided to be pretty open about everything that's going on and what we're going through.  In November 2009, Laila was conceived via in-vitro fertilization. We harvested 6 embryos at that time; 2 were implanted at the time Laila was conceived and 4 were frozen.

We have decided we're ready for #2 (and, potentially #3!) so I was implanted yesterday with 2 more of the frozen embryos! We won't know for a few weeks if they attach and I am pregnant, but we've taken the first step.  Here's a photo of our teeny embryos in the petri-dish before the transfer. Both of them are about 100 cells right now. Technology is so amazing.

Anyway, that's what we've been up to. I'm on strict bed rest for 3 days and Collin's still in bed, so my mom is here watching Laila and taking care of us. She's been amazing and we couldn't have done it without her. Thanks for everything, mom!

Special Girls get TWO Birthday Parties!

Because we were in Boston to celebrate my sister's wedding, we decided to celebrate Laila's birthday with our East Coast loved ones a week before her actual birthday.  Her party was a luau theme and we had it at Laila's DeeDee and Grandy's backyard pool.  We got to catch up with lots of friends that we miss terribly and meet some of their new kiddos as well! It was such a fun day celebrating our little girl.

The day after we returned from Boston, we threw Laila a good ol' fashioned hoe down on her actual birthday. We went a little crazy and bought hay bales and got all dressed up in denim, plaid, cowboy hats and boots, and had BBQ for lunch. It was a blast to spend time with friends and family and once again celebrate Laila's first birthday. We can't believe our little girl is ONE!

Thank you to everyone who came to both parties and for all of the awesome gifts Laila received. She is one lucky girl!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Girl!