Daffodil Hill...

Well, this afternoon we made the annual trek to Daffodil Hill. Mommy said I was a real trouper, because it was a loonnngggg drive just to see some flowers and the weather was pretty grey and cool. But we got to meet some friends up there and I got to watch a movie in the van (for the first time ever). So I was relatively happy. Here's some of our favorite pictures from the day!

Also, there was a beautiful peacock running around the grounds and just posing for pictures! Isn't he pretty?

The difference between girls and boys...

Did you know that girls are different than boys? I think I'm just starting to figure that out. I won't go into any huge details, but here's some pictures my Mommy took of me that explains my newest realization. And just for the record, Mommy did not show me how to do this... I figured it all out on my own when I was playing with two rubber balls!

I think another difference between boys and girls is that girls tend to be into personal hygiene a little more (although I recognize that this is a big generalization). I'm obsessed with brushing my teeth right now and would brush them every couple of hours if Mommy had the time. Today I tried to brush my baby doll's teeth... but for some reason brushing her eyes seemed so much more alluring (see video below).

A busy Easter week!

Hey everyone! Well, today my cousin Hailey, Aunt Christie and Uncle Scott left to drive back home to Portland. They were here for 8 days, and I was SOOOOO sad that they left. After we said our goodbyes, I had to spend some time alone in my crib with my binky to get over it. So much has happened over the last week that it was hard to determine which pictures to post here (out of the hundreds that were taken). But here's a taste of what our week was like.

During the week we enjoyed the great weather. We spent some time at the park and playing in our backyard. Hailey and I had to learn share the swing... it appears that we're BOTH struggle with a swing addiction!

We also spent some time hitting some of the Sacramento Valley tourist spots, including the Nut Tree, Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale Town. At the Nut Tree, Hailey was much more brave than me and went on many of the rides with her daddy. We also met Daddy's cousin Debbie there with her kids.

Of course, we also spent time preparing for Easter (read: shopping). Here is Hailey and I doing a thorough egg inspection. Note the coordinating outfits that Mommy and Aunt Christie put us in.

And then Easter Sunday was a whirlwind of excitment. We woke up and found some pretty awesome baskets waiting for us (although I must note that NEITHER of us had any chocolate in our baskets which is very disappointing). Then we went to church and got to participate in an Easter egg hunt after service. It's good that we had the hunt at church because I didn't really get the concept at first! It prepared me for the second egg hunt later at Aunt Nancy and Uncle Fred's house, at which point I got the concept. And not only did we get to hunt for more eggs, but we got to play with our other cousins (Logan, Brandon, Brody, Peyton and Gavin) and eat obscene amounts of food. I made up for the fact that there wasn't chocolate in my Easter basket!

It was a really fabulous visit. Both Hailey and I had our moments of sheer exhaustion and grumpiness, but all in all we had a blast together! I even cut my third eye tooth (one more to go) and lived to tell about it! I hope you all had an Easter as memorable as ours!

Happy Easter!

Hi everyone! Just a quick post to wish you all a Happy Easter! Jesus rose from the grave! What better reason to celebrate? I have a lot to write about since my cousin Hailey and her parents are here for a whole week. But for tonight, I'm going to make it quick and just share some photos Mommy did of me and her today for Easter. We gave her a run for her money, and they had to resort to bribery with chocolate. And we definitely weren't going to sit for a photo together! Happy Easter!

Mommy's Post: Testing done...

Hey everyone. Well, just a quick update to let you know all our testing is done. I had my HSG done in Stockton today (since there was no "room at the Inn" here in Sacramento). It wasn't too painful (thankfully) and the test showed that I don't have any blockages, which is good! My blood work had good news and bad news. The good news is that my cholesterol, LDL's, HDL's, triglycerides, and fasting glucose are all excellent! The bad news is that my hormones are definitely whacked out (surprise, surprise). First of all, a normal woman has FSH levels that vary between 4 (lowest) and 15 (at the peak) through their cycle. They measured mine at the "peak" time and mine was ZERO. Hmmm... makes it pretty hard to ovulate when there's no hormone present that would initiate it. Also my prolactin is too high and they're actually going to take more blood and make sure that the test result is correct. Sooooo.... testing is pretty much done. Now I have an appointment for Thursday, April 10th to go over all the tests, to have an ultrasound, and to determine a course of action with the doctor. So we continue to plod along. Thanks everyone for all your prayers! We definitely feel God's peace as we go through all this hassle.

Checking out the Nut Tree!

Hey everyone! Today I spent the day with Mommy and Daddy at the Nut Tree Park in Vacaville. This place is pretty darn cool and has a variety of rides for kids including a carousel, bumper cars, a train, and a small roller coaster. We had a blast. Now, I must admit that I was pretty timid about going on many of the rides. But I found my happy place on the carousel. I think I rode it at least a half dozen times. The lady running the ride knew me by the end. Anyway, I highly recommend this place and maybe I can convince my cousin Hailey to go next week. Yay! Hope you're all enjoying your weekend as much as I am!

Mommy's Post: Let the testing begin...

Hey everyone! Well, just a quick update. Our fertility testing has begun and this morning I went in for a enough bloodwork to drain my left arm. Alrighty... that was probably a little over-dramatic, but they did take six rather large tubes of my blood. My hysterosalpingogram (HSG) has been scheduled for next Thursday. It has to be next week so that it occurs at a particular time in my cycle. Unfortunately radiology is completely booked up all week for HSG tests in both Sacramento AND Roseville. So I will be driving to Stockton (an hour away) to get my test. What a pain in the butt. Thankfully, my sister-in-law (Christie) and her family are in town next week and can watch Molly. That's the hardest part of this whole busines... sometimes I won't have a ton of notice for certain tests and procedures and it's not like Steve and I have family nearby that can watch Molly. So... some of you friends out there may recieve a urgent plea for baby sitting services. Thankfully, Steve's work give him a little flexibility and in dire situations he has promised that he can take time off work to wrangle Molly. Now that we're rolling down this track, it's ironic that child care is the only thing that is really making me anxious. Go figure? The "planner" in me just likes to have things scheduled and all laid out, and unfortunately this process can't work like that. Anyway, keep us in your prayers!

Spring has Sprung!

Well, the title says it all. It's absolutely beautiful and warm and sunny here in Sacramento. The pear and cherry trees are dripping in blossoms and all of Mommy's shrubs are flowering. It's hard to believe that my cousins Alexander and Maya are currently enduring freezing temperatures and record snow-fall at their house. Apparently they have around 10-feet of snow in parts of their yard. There's some definite perks to living in California! My "warmest" thoughts are being sent out to the Gueulette family!


We've been trying to get out as much as possible to enjoy the good weather, considering that once the summer hits it will be 100F and too hot to be outside. We had some fun play dates at the park and I've been enjoying my new sand & water table in our back yard. But amidst all the fun, I still try to help Mommy out as much as possible. I love to sweep the floors and wipe the counters and it's almost more excitement than I can handle when Mommy breaks out the vacuum! I LOVE the vacuum! I'm also enjoying helping with the laundry more and more, and I beg Mommy to dress me up in all the clothes. Here's a photo taken after Daddy dressed me up in his socks and underwear!

Life has been pretty busy with "tedious" tasks. Daddy has been occupied dealing with some details of his grandparents estate and trying to get all our tax information gathered. Poor Daddy... between work and his various administrative tasks, he hasn't had very much time for anything fun. AND he's fighting another allergy-induced sinus infection! And Mommy has been doing some spring cleaning and consulting work. So nothing to exciting to report. But we're looking forward to a visit from my cousin Hailey (and Christie & Scott) in a week. I can't wait to play with her! Anyway... that's the latest from us! Take care!

Another Mommy post...

Well, as Molly is in bed now, I thought it would be a good opportunity to update everyone on the fertility plight. This afternoon, Steve and I attended the seminar and recieved our lab requisitions. They are going to be checking all my hormone levels, thyroid, blood glucose, etc. I also have to have a hysterosalpingogram (HSG), where they use radioactive dye to see if there's blockages in my fallopian tubes (sorry if this is more than you want to know). Part of me thinks this is a waste of time considering I already have one kid and I know my issue is lack of ovulation, not blockages. But they want to preclude it as being a problem, especially as we invest all this time and money into fertility treatments. Fair enough. After all the lab work is completed, then I get my first visit and ultrasound and they'll be able to prescribe a plan of action.

I had some thoughts about the fertility "seminar" that we were at today. At first it seemed like a waste of time, but that's just because I've read every book on the shelf (hyperbole) on fertility and felt like I didn't need some stranger to teach me high-school reproductive physiology. But I appreciated that they more fully explained the whole process. They also gave a really good list of resources which was nice. It also makes sense to me that they want all the lab work done before sitting down and discussing treatment, even though it felt impersonal that I didn't get to talk to anyone face to face. And really the only horrible part of the seminar was when they gave us the handout with the price list. Ouch! Our future kid better appreciate what we're doing for him/her!

The more I talk with people about our experience, the more people I meet who have had fertility problems. In fact, today they told us that 1 in 6 couples have fertility issues. That's a LOT! I feel very luck that I have family, friends and faith - all of which have made this experience easier! Thanks Andrea, for the encouraging scriptural reminder, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)"

Let's see... on a lighter note, the van ROCKS! Last night I got to drive it to our band practice, and that's the first time that I've been alone (read: without Molly) in it, allowing me to properly test out the sound system to it's full extent! Also on a lighter note, today Molly figured out how to take her shirt off (one with a zipper) and has been practicing her new found skill all day. Great. Oh... and I got Molly's allergy test results. According to her tests, she doesn't have any allergies. Huh, so I wonder why the apple I gave her today gave her hives? Obviously the tests aren't very sensitive. A friend of mine has had similar experiences with her oldest son and so-called "negative" allergy tests, so obviously they're not the best diagnostic tool.

Anyway, that's the latest from Molly's Mommy. Hope you're all doing great!