A Day of Thanks

 

Wishing you all a very Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for all that I have......

November Rain (Well, almost.....)

......and I'm not talking about November Rain by Guns & Roses!  Looks like we are in for an onslaught from Sandy......

from www.weather.com

Time to batten down the hatches!  I guess I'm going to have to make sure that my Nook is charged just in case the power really does go out.  (Thankfully, we are on the same grid as the only hospital in our city. So, if it goes out, it won't be for long.)  Otherwise it is going to be a great weekend for stitching!

Stay safe everyone!

Unicorns Aren't Just A Fantasy

When I was a little girl I was fascinated with Unicorns.  I collected Unicorns of all shapes and sizes in any kind of medium (clay, pewter, china, etc.).  My favorite was a glass Unicorn that was given to me by a person who didn't even realize how much I loved Unicorns.  About a year ago I felt like it was time to simplify my life and I cut my collection down to a precious few.

While I was cleaning our bedroom, I accidentally knocked over the case with my collection in it and all but one broke.  I knew then that it was time to stop living in the fantasy and threw those broken pieces in the trash.  At the time I didn't know that I was a real Unicorn myself.

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

After almost three years and three miscarriages I've been diagnosed not only with abnormal Natural Killer Cells but with a Unicornuate Uterus, which is a congenital abnormality of the uterus.  There is a treatment for the Killer Cells, but not for the Unicornuate Uterus.

During fetal development (around 10 weeks) the Mullerian tubes (there are two) fuse together to create the uterus and they also form the fallopian tubes.  In my case one side did not develop creating a single horned uterus....hence the "Unicorn".   Basically, the right side formed and the left side didn't.  I have both of my ovaries, but I am missing the left fallopian tube and the left side of my uterus.  My uterus is only half the size of a normal uterus (which makes it hard to carry a child to term).  Also, because the kidneys are forming at the same time, many women who have this are missing one of their kidneys or they may even have deformed kidneys.  This is not the case for me.  I had an FL IVP done and I have both of my kidneys, which is good news.

Many women do become pregnant with this condition and do not even know they have this until they are faced with a breech birth.  Still others, have a hard time becoming pregnant, or have a hard time holding a pregnancy which sometimes results in multiple and mid term miscarriages.  For many women it is not until they seek infertility treatment that they end up finding out the truth.

There are so many risks associated with this condition.....I could have another miscarriage, I could go into preterm labor, I could be put on some form of bed rest for the duration, I could carry and give birth to a stillborn mid term, I could carry and my uterus could rupture......you get the picture.  Then again, the possibility exists that I could get that one sticky bean that will endure for the full term with little or no complications.  We just don't know......

Dr.P has recommended that we find a "gestational carrier". This means that we will be able to have our biological child since the eggs will come from me and the sperm will come from DH. It just means that I won't be the one to carry our child.  I will never know how it will feel to have a life kicking inside me.

I'm not sure yet where this journey will lead us as we have yet to make the big decisions.  This will be so much more expensive than just a 'simple' IVF procedure.  And there are so many laws that go along with this.  It is just so daunting!

Right now I'm doing my best to take each day as it comes.  I've joined an online support group for people with my condition and I'm hoping that there may be some helpful answers there.  I'm praying that the right answer will be just around the corner.  We've both been through so much!

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

I started writing this post almost two weeks ago.  Since then I've "talked" to women who have UU like me via yahoo groups.  I've talked with my regular OBGYN in order to seek out his opinion.  I also took the time to email Dr. R who heads up the clinic where I'm currently seeking treatment.  I emailed her because I just couldn't imagine myself giving up the chance to carry my own child....especially when I have received hope from other UU women.  Her response to my email (less than 5 hours later) was to get us set up for a meeting less than 48 hours later (which she did not charge us for).  During the meeting she gave credence to our sliver of hope.  She insisted on sending us to a "pre-conception counseling appointment" with a local high risk OBGYN group.  She also encouraged us to seek the opinion of another doctor with another local group so that we can make a well informed decision as to what is right for us. 

We now have appointments set up (for the middle of the month) to meet with the high risk group and with the other doctor for the second opinion.  On one hand I'm trying to keep faith involved and stay positive.  On the other hand, I am trying to make sure that I'm not becoming overly optimistic because another let down might devastate me.

I don't know what this means for us, but I do know that whatever it does mean, it is worth the fight.



P.S.  To my friends who are finding out about this from this post instead of hearing it directly from me, please accept my sincerest apologies.  It is hard enough live with this on a daily basis.  To rehash this over and over again each time I tell another person makes it even more agonizing.  Right now this post is the best I can do.  I'm sure you all understand.....

Answers Bring More Questions

Please be patient with me as I cope....life has really been throwing me for a loop and the latest was a very low blow.  While I've gotten answers there are more questions than ever.

Because of this, I have been and will be away from my blog for a short time.  Even though I won't be posting I will still be following all of you because your posts inspire me (more than you know) and keep me going. 

Stay inspired!

Laboring on Labor Day

Happy Labor Day to all!  I hope you have enjoyed the long three day weekend if you were lucky enough to have today off.

I decided to take Labor Day to heart this year and I have spent a good amount of my morning/early afternoon laboring over my sewing machine.  There were lots of grumblings and mutterings but I managed to crank this out.....

Yellow Brick Road Quilt Top
Started 8/26/12
Finished 9/3/12
 

Here's a close up so that you can see the fabric a bit better.  I mentioned it before, but just in case you missed it, I used Puttin' on the Ritz by Bunny Hill Designs and I mixed in Blueberry Crumb Cake by Blackbird Designs.  The border is Meadow by Blackbird Designs.  The backing will be a solid dark blue.  Boring, but functional.  I plan on taking it up to my LQS tomorrow to see if I can get it quilted by the middle of this month.  My sister's baby shower is on the 22nd and I want to be sure I have enough time mail the package in case I can't make it to the shower.  (Everything is dependent on when my doctor wants us to start "trying" again.)

 

I only have one concern when it comes to this quilt.  I'm not sure that my sister will appreciate the quilt or the time that it took to put it together.  Because it is my very first completed quilt top, it isn't perfect.  But, a ton of love was put into it.  And, because of all of our losses, this baby quilt was very hard for me to make.  I should have been able to make it for our little one instead of for another person's baby.  Still, I felt a very strong tug and I knew that I had to make it for my new nephew.  I just don't want to give this as a gift and then find out that it was put up in a closet and never used.  Or, worse yet, I don't want to find out that it was given to some place like the Salvation Army or Goodwill because she didn't like it.  Would it be horrible of me to put a stipulation on this gift?  I was thinking that I would tell her that if she absolutely hated it then I would take it back and get the baby something else instead.  It wouldn't hurt my feelings if she didn't like it but it would if she didn't tell me.  What do you think?

I know I love the new quilt top my Mom made.  I'd be happy to call it mine!

Now I'm off to labor over some of my cross stitch.

Happy Stitches!

Life In Pictures

*WARNING....PICTURE HEAVY*

I thought this would be the easiest way to tell you everything I've been up to lately.....Enjoy!

I've been birdwatching through the sliding glass door.....

The pole system was a birthday gift from Hubby and MIL.

I think this may be the same Cardinal that I found back in July.  You can still see his tufts of baby feathers!

 

I've been on vacation......

Wild Ponies in Corolla, NC

Shot of the ocean looking out from behind the dunes.

 

Hubby anxious to go 4 wheeling behind the dunes.

 

Area behind the dunes where we typically see the wild horses.

 

I decided to put my sewing machine into action and attempt a baby quilt for my new nephew who is due in December......

 

Six fat quarters for the Yellow Brick Road Quilt Pattern.  I'm using a combination of Puttin' on the Ritz by Bunny Hill Designs and Blueberry Crumbcake by Blackbird Designs

Block A (fabric locations vary)

Block B (fabric locations vary)

Block C (fabric locations vary) in progress

 

And, of course, I've been stitching......

Be thou the Rainbow by Blackbird Designs

Summer Needlebook by Blackbird Designs

 



I think I'm all caught up now!  Happy Stitches!

Inspiration Revealed

A few weeks ago I found this little guy under my bird feeder and I asked for guesses as to who it was.

If you guessed Cardinal, you were right!  Surprised?  Well here's another surprise.....Vickie, please email me your snail mail information.  I would like to send you a little something for guessing correctly! 

I was finally able to get outside to take pictures of the piece inspired by the baby cardinal.  I wanted to incorporate my feeder stand into the shot.

PRESENTING.......SERGEI (by Plum Street Samplers)

Ignore the wrinkled look.....I haven't decided what I want to do with this piece yet.

Sergei
by Plum Street Samplers
40ct Vintage Buttercream (Lakeside Linen)
Gentle Art and NPI as charted

Don't you just love him?  He was such a quick and fun stitch!  After all that fun I know that there will be another Plum Street Sampler design in my future.

Happy Stitches!

Birds of a Feather

My plan to photograph my visitor inspired piece didn't work out as planned.  It has been very overcast today with only small periods of sunshine.  Tomorrow isn't looking much better with a 60% chance of thunderstorms.  I guess that means waiting a little longer to take that snap.

Thankfully I have some other progress that is bird related.  Last weekend I met up with all three of my stitching sisters.  (Our foursome is back in the groove!)  Both Maggee and Sheryl (no blog) had progress on BoaF.  Here's where we were at the end of Saturday:

Top Left - Maggee
Top Right - Sheryl
Bottom - Me

I haven't touched mine since last Saturday so when I pick it up tomorrow it will look the same as it did at the end of last week.

Looks like I will be building the house tomorrow.....

I still haven't decided what I am going to do about the alphabet.  I have a few sayings floating around that I may use instead.  If I go that route I have to figure out what alphabet to use since the one that is charted won't work.  I'm pretty sure that an alphabet from one of my Blackbird Designs books/leaflets would go nicely in its place.  Of course, I will need to decide on the saying as well. Maybe I'll leave it up to a vote.

Don't forget to guess who my visitor was.  Be sure to post your comment on yesterday's post.  You never know what may happen if you guess correctly!

I hope your needles are flying....

Guessing Game

Earlier this week I decided to stop guessing when my computer would be ready and I placed a call to the Geek Squad at Best Buy.  Imagine my surprise when I find that it has been finished since July 24th!  They told me that they tried to contact me but they had the wrong phone number in the computer.  What kind of excuse is that when I left two different phone numbers with them?  Those numbers were there plain as day on my copy of the Service Order.  What is so wrong with people these days that they can't look at a sheet of paper?  Computers are wonderful and all, but they aren't the only answer.  It is a good thing my husband picked the computer up becuase I would have given them a piece of my mind!

Speaking of guessing, no one guessed who my new visitor was.  Now that I have my computer back I can post a much better picture of my guest.  Take a look......do you know who this is?

I will say that my new visitor inspired some wonderful stitching that I will soon share with you.

Good luck with the guesses!

34 Count

I'm going to stitch on 34 count for the first time and I have come up against the ultimate question:

One strand or two?

Opinions, please!!!

Happy Stitches!

(P.S. No ETA on the computer yet...Boy am I starting to miss it!)

Traveling Pattern

Another finish has been sighted.  Check out Lisa V's version here.

Happy Stitches!

Snuck One In

I was able to steal a few minutes at the end of the day for a quick post from my work computer.  I couldn't help myself because I've been itching to show the BoaF progress.  Here is what our pieces looked like at the end of Saturday (7/7/12)....

Left - Mine
Right - Maggee
Bottom - Sheryl

Since Sheryl doesn't have a blog anymore, here is a closeup of hers. (You will have to check out Maggee's blog for hers!)

The color of the fabric is washed out here.  It is more golden than it appears.

 And, of course, I couldn't leave you without a closeup of mine....

I've stitched a bit further than you see here, but not much.  Plus, I'm really thinking about pulling some of the greenish color out of the trunk of the tree.  It is a bit too stripy for my taste, but the longer it sits the more it grows on me.

So, has anyone been able figure out who my visitor was?

Happy Stitches!

Sans Computer

The screen on my netbook has been acting up and I finally took it in to the Geek Squad at Best Buy. Thankfully it is still under warranty.  The bad news is that I will be without it for two weeks.  So, unless I can steal my husband's laptop I will have to resort to phone posting.  Ugh! 

Instead of stitchy pics I will leave you with a crappy snap of the newest visitor to our backyard.  Look closely.....he really blends in to the surroundings.

Time on My Hands

It seems that I've had lots of productive stitching related time on my hands lately. 

Last Saturday two of my stitching buds and I headed to a not so local needlework shop.  It is about 45 minutes away (on a good traffic day).  We love the short trip for a different take on our hobby.  While I was disappointed in the lack of new patterns in the shop, I did manage to pick up some fabric and threads for a couple of projects that are waiting in the wings.

The Gentle Arts Threads and the 32ct Bo Peep Pink Belfast was purchased for the Birds & Berries Needlebook by Blackbird Designs. (Crescent Colours are from my stash.)

The 34ct Legacy Linen in Oaten Scone was purchased for the Summer Harvest Needlebook by Blackbird Designs.

I also managed to stitch and finish a cute little Shepherd's Bush piece for my Friends Through the Seasons exchange.  This was the first time I tried this finish.  I'm pleased with this first time effort and I will definitely use this finish on future projects.

The pillow is sitting on the fabric that I used for the backing.

I've been spending the rest of my free time working on BoaF.  Boy, has my needle been smoking.  Here is where my piece stood shortly after last weekend.....

Part I ~ DONE!

Speaking of smoking, I don't know how the weather is where you are, but temperatures have been smoking here.  We've been in the high 90's to low 100's for the past week and tomorrow with be another 100+ degree day.  With the humidity in the area it means we are under an "Excessive Heat Warning" and the temperatures feel like they are 110 or higher.    They aren't forecasting the cold front to come through until sometime tomorrow and they are talking about it possibly stalling off the coast.  That means we go from extreme heat to lots of rain with violent thunderstorms and damaging winds.  Either way, heat or rain, I guess that means more stitching time on BoaF!

Wishing you cooler stitches!

Bed Rest

Over the weekend I was put on bed rest.  So, what is a girl to do while on bed rest?  This of course!

Birds of a Feather Saturday SAL
Did I catch up to you Maggee?

Why was I on bed rest?  Because on Friday I unexpectedly found out that I was pregnant.  You should have seen all of the people in my room.  No one could believe it!  Especially since I had just experienced the time of the month where I become "an unpleasant person to live with" (if you know what I mean).  Unfortunately my progesterone level was extremely low and even though they tried to boost it with meds, it was too little too late.  Yesterday the doctor's office confirmed that I ended up losing Baby #3 over the weekend.

I'm fine.....we are fine......our faith hasn't waiverd with this loss.  In fact I think it is stronger than it has been in a long time.

Thankfully this new doctor and his staff are the most wonderful, caring people.  They will be able to get me back on track and figure out what is going on so that they can help me carry a healthy little one to term.

In the meantime, I was thinking that maybe I would skip the alphabet on this one and save the space to make it either an inspirational sampler or save it for a baby sampler.  What do you think?

Stitching with angels,

Traveling Pattern Update

You forgot about it, didn't you?  I know that for awhile there I was afraid it was lost.  Turns out that it went very "slow boat" from Blu's house to Andie's house.

You can check out Andie's version here.