Getting Twice as Ready ;-)

Well I've had 2 weeks off of work to start getting ready for Dean and his sister to join us.  It's been a busy two weeks and lots of cleaning has gotten done along with a lot of fun stuff too.

 My wonderful friends threw a FABULOUS a baby shower last week that totally overwhelmed me with love and appreciation!  It was beautiful, fun, relaxed, and all over perfect!  So many people came to share in the joy I couldn't believe it - Fabulous I tell you, fabulous! Another baby shower (a work shower for Mark and the other expectant team members) is on the calendar for tomorrow. 

 

Mom came out for the shower too.  While she was here she helped us set up the nursery furniture, buy decor, and stock the drawers so everything will be ready when the twins come home.  

  The car seats are installed in the van, so they are ready for babies to use them whenever they're needed.

 We've also started monitoring babies at the doctor's office twice a week in hopes that they hold off for at least 2 more weeks and ideally 4 weeks (double heartbeats on top).

  

 The two-ness of it all is starting to come to the front of our minds!  

  

I can't talk about all of these fun double blessings without also acknowledging that this week is National Infertility Awareness Week.   I've tried to be open about our IF journey.  I do this for a few but reasons, but the one I consider the most important is that I felt very isolated about the first year and a half of our experience.  A year and a half is a long time to feel alone! One of the things that helped me the most was reading about other's struggles.  I became very aware of the bible stories of Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, & Hannah who struggled with infertility.  I appreciated the encouragement of a close friend who answered questions and convinced me to visit a specialist.  Without those examples I would not have been able to get through the blues and move into acceptance & hope. I  knew I wanted to be available to others who needed an example to look toward.  I have had a few friends share their stories with me that I had no idea had a story to share.  I keep those names close to my heart and pray for them often.  This year the theme is HOPE.  For some of these dear women seeing our IVF success may bring Hope and for some it may make things harder while they continue to wait, but either way I've been there and I completely understand!

Even if you haven't struggled with infertility I encourage you to educate yourselves.  Know what kind of questions can hurt, know what kind of things can help, and be aware of what laws are being passed that involve the disease of infertility.  Did you know some states are considering passing a law that life starts at fertilization.  Which sounds great until you realize that it means people would lose control of their fertilized embryos.  Yes, that could have includes us.  We had 3 embryos survive to day 5.  We used 2 and froze the other for the future.  Some of the laws would no longer allow this practice.  There is also a bill getting ready for congress to vote on that offers tax deductions for those paying out of pocket for IVF (did you know it's often more expensive to create a child with IVF than destroy one with abortion - that fact hurts a lot), another bill will allow wounded veterans to receive financial assistance for infertility treatments.  Lots of things are in the works that would benefit from more public awareness and NIAW is all about education, sharing, and support.  A good site to start at if your willing to become more aware is Resolve.org.