10th Anniversary Central American Adventure

For 24 days in June Dan, Lena, and I went on a grand adventure to Costa Rica and Aruba to celebrate ten years of marriage.  Since words cannot adequately describe how wildly fun this trip was I will let the pictures do the talking!  It was our last plane ride before Lena turns two and we had enough frequent flyer air miles so we booked our tickets in first class!  I was a little nervous that Lena might have a meltdown and disturb our fellow passengers but we wanted the extra space, the free meals, the shorter airport lines, access to the club lounges, the extra luggage allowance...and while Lena wasn't an angel the whole time it was totally worth it!  She even slept during several of our flights on the floor in front of our seats and we got to enjoy the amenities.

Movies with Mom

Movies on the Ipod came in handy!

Nap time!  Lena's airplane "bed"

We spent the first two weeks in Costa Rica and made five stops in order to see the many different ecosystems the country has to offer.  Our first stop was at a small bed and breakfast near the Poas Volcano.  We hiked to the volcano's caldera, visited the La Paz Waterfall and Gardens, quickly toured a local coffee plantation, and enjoyed the peace and quiet that the dairy lands of this region has to offer.

Poas Pictures

A little taste of traditional Costa Rican living.

Our view of the Poas Volcano caldera.

Inside the butterfly farm - Lena was a little freaked out when they started landing on her and Dan!

Hiking with Pop

Powerful waterfalls on our hike.

Enjoying a chai latte while I watch the dairy cows from our hotel.

Our second stop was at a bed and breakfast near the base of Arenal Volcano and the nearby Arenal Lake.  This was one of my favorite stops because of the gorgeous views of the Costa Rican forests and landscape.  We enjoyed  soaking in the natural hot springs at our hotel where the water is heated underground by the volcano and having breakfast on their garden patio.  We did one of our most favorite activities at this stop when Dan and I took turns ziplining down through the rain forest adjacent to the volcano and lake.  Afterwards we took a two hour hike on through the forest and hanging bridges viewing beautiful waterfalls and the most amazing trees!

Arenal Pictures

Arenal Volcano from the top of the zip line.

Lake Arenal in the background before I take my turn on the zip lines.

Dan getting ready for his zip line adventure.

Breakfast on the hotel patio - the fruit in Costa Rica is AMAZING!

Enjoying the volcanic hot springs!

Can you believe how huge this leaf is?

Our third stop was high up in the central mountains of Monteverde in what is called the cloud forest because you are actually up highers than the clouds!  Here we hiked through a nature preserve and saw one of Lena's favorites, lots of hummingbirds!  We also took a chocolate tour and a great tour of the Monteverde Cheese Factory-both delicious activities.

Monteverde Pictures

Crazy awesome rain forest trees!

Post hike near the hummingbird tree.

Lena loved this fuzzy caterpillar.

Up in the cloud forest

Our fourth stop was on the northern Pacific coast in the dry rain forests of the Guanacaste region.  We stayed at the JW Marriott near Tamarindo beach and LOVED the beaches in this part of the country.  Langosta beach in particular was full of shells and little crabs that Lena and I had a ton of fun playing with.  Lena is a total beach baby and couldn't get enough of the water.

Guanacaste Pictures

Lena with her favorite "Sticky".

Beach walk - Lena couldn't wait to get into the water!

Playing with the shells and hermit crabs on Langosta Beach

Sand toy time at Langosta Beach

Lunch in the sand at Lola's

 Our longest and last stop was at the Marriott Los Suenos Resort in the southern Pacific coast of Playa Herradura near the popular surf town of Jaco.  We enjoyed eating "comida tipica" with the locals in Jaco, visiting the crocadiles below a bridge near our resort, seeing monkeys and scarlet macaws in the wild, and hiking in San Manuel Antonio National Parque which had gorgeous views of the Pacific coast.  We visited Costa Rica during the rainy season so we loved that we didn't have to deal with crowds and droves of tourists.  The people of Costa Rica are amazingly hospitable and friendly.  We would go back in a heartbeat!  It is such a family friendly location that can be done on a budget.

Herradura Pictures

Crocodile watching from the highway overpass.

Dan and Lena (small white speck in center of ocean) taking a dip in the ocean after our Manuel Antonio hike.

Creek emptying into the Pacific on our hike in Manuel Antonio

Just one of many breathtakingly beautiful sites.

Trying a fresh coconut!

Comida Tipica: rice, beans, vegetable, chicken, beef, and tea frio!

 For the last third of our trip we flew over to Aruba which is a small Dutch island 20 miles off the coast of Venezuela.  We had been to Aruba for our 5th wedding anniversary and we were so excited to go back and just relax on their beautiful beaches and enjoy our timeshare amenities at the Marriott Vacation Club resorts there.  We celebrated our anniversary day by eating at our favorite restaurant Texas De Brazil (a Brazilian Steakhouse) where Dan feasted on 17 different types of meat and I enjoyed their sensationally elaborate salad bar.

Aruba Pictures

Aruba is populated with iguanas and Lena loved them!

Floating and iguana "hunting" in the lazy river with Mom.

Lena LOVED the water slide!  She made us go down it 10 times in a row!

Playing in the sand with Pop on Baby Beach

Strolling with Mom at Baby Beach

Snack break!

Beach Baby - strike a pose!

Lena on the move - the girl can't get enough of the ocean!

Anniversary Dinner at Texas De Brazil

We loved our trip and treasure the memories our little family of three made while we were there.  We live in an amazingly diverse and "rich" world and I look forward to our next adventure together in a few weeks when we head up to the Sequoia National Forest for Lena's first camping experience at Hume Lake!

The Glad Game and the 101 Freeway

Our cycle for our fourth FET has officially begun!  Yesterday I spent five and half hours in the car driving in LA traffic to and from my first appointment with Dr. K.  The drive is not my favorite part of this process..in fact I dread it.  With our first two FETs Dan would often accompany me to my appointments and we would stop at various fun destinations in downtown LA to make a fun day of our journey to see Dr. K.  Now that we have Lena (who is not allowed in Dr. K's office for good and obvious reasons) I go to my appointments alone.  Yesterday tried to pull out my inner "Pollyanna" and find the good in my commute to Dr. K.  My first "glad" thought was that I only live a few hours by car away from Dr. K when he has many patients that fly all the way from Asia and across the US to see him.  Next, I was "glad" to see that it was a beautiful day in LA.  There wasn't smog and the skies were blue and clear which gave me a great view off the city and surrounding areas.  Next, I was "glad" to be driving by so many iconic sites while I was in traffic on the 101 freeway (which is the old "El Camino Real" route) which winds through the heart of Los Angeles and then up through Hollywood and Studio City and onward to Dr. K.  I drive right by the Capitol Records building, have a clear view of the Hollywood sign, and drive past numerous studios including the famed Universal Studios.

I was also "glad" to have time to listen to Mumford and Sons and Dave Matthews and an interesting segment on "The Dave Ramsey Show".  Lastly, I was "glad" to arrive safely and on time to all my destinations.  I had a good appointment with Dr. K and my favorite nurse Ms. A.  I had my baseline ultrasound and blood work done.  I also tentatively scheduled our FET for August 12th and ordered our meds for this cycle.  I didn't end up having any meaningful conversation with Dr. K.  When he asked me if I had any questions I totally chickened out and said "no".  I don't know why...but I am terrified to discuss with him how uncomfortable I was with his decision to thaw additional embryos for our last transfer without my consent.  It is a conversation I need to have with him at some point soon so I will muster up the courage next time.  I want all surviving thawed embryos put in and he doesn't like to put in more than two.  Somehow we will have to agree on what is best to do.  Anyways, Dan gave me my first delestrogen shot last night which hurt and stung quite badly.  I make the trek back to Dr. K again next Tuesday.  Anyone want to visit with me on the phone while I talk on bluetooth and brave the streets of LA next week?  ; )

Shift in Focus

It has been a little over 8 months since our third FET and while at first it was disappointing to decide to wait at least 6 months before our fourth FET I am glad we waited.  Truthfully I didn't feel ready when we did our third FET in November.  While I had made progress losing some of my baby weight I was still considerably heavier than I hoped to be at that point.  Since November I have lost 50 more pounds and am currently 20-25 pounds lighter than  when I got pregnant with Lena.

Part of me has really enjoyed the process of focusing on my physical health.  It feels good to set and achieve fitness goals.  I was able to complete a half marathon,  take a very active and fun family vacation where I hiked, zip lined, and swam in a two piece bathing suit without feeling self-conscious!  It is now time though to shift focus and I don't think it is going to be an easy transition for me.  I LOVE being a mom... but I also LOVE being active and adventurous.  I want to go camping, and train for my favorite race (the Long Beach Triathlon), and start my new job teaching 2nd grade homeschool without the stress of doctor visits and waiting for blood test results and getting a sore behind from shots.  I still find it hard to believe that the normal way most people conceive is to simply have sex for a few minutes. (Sorry if that was too crude!)  While I want so badly to have a sibling for Lena and to give her embryo brothers and sisters a chance at life I wouldn't be honest if I didn't also say that I am not looking forward to the process to make this happen.  I am so fortunate to remember that I have family and friends who support us so well: financially, with babysitting during doctor appointments, and also with prayer.

On another matter, if I am blessed with another pregnancy I am terrified of gaining back all the weight I have worked so hard to lose.  I will HAVE to find a way to be pregnant and healthy this time.  I don't know how to keep the weight off without proper exercise.  I don't know how to exercise properly and not constantly worry about a miscarriage.  I am glad that my new OB/GYN is a female who is so personable and has personally dealt with pregnancy and infant loss and also is into fitness.  She will be a great guide should I navigate the world of pregnancy again.

On occasion I am asked what our plans are if our next FET doesn't result in a pregnancy.  I really am not ready to think about that yet.  What we have decided is that we will keep on with our FETs until all seven of our remaining embryos have had a chance to grow.  That is about as far as we have decided at this point.

I called our fertility clinic a few weeks ago to let them know we are ready to begin an FET cycle.  Right now we are just waiting for my body to be ready and then our weekly 2.5 hour drives across town will begin.  I am trying to get excited about the possibility of being pregnant again but I am only 35 pounds away from my goal weight and it is hard to shift my focus from fitness to fertility.  I have a few more weeks to get my head right before we are deep into needles, ultrasounds, and hard discussions about embryos.  Pray for me friends!

4th of July - Celebrating our Freedom!

Lena and I sporting our patriotic colors!

Happy Independence Day!  We are having a great 4th of July weekend!  We started with a fun day at Grandma and Grandpa's house with a big family BBQ, swimming, playing games, and setting off fireworks!  

Dan was the the leader of the "fireworks set up team".

Snuggling with Mom during the fireworks.

Trying out a sparkler!

Watching from her wagon.

Lena wanted her bottle for comfort during fireworks.  

We spent the night and the next morning joined some cousins at Knott's Berry Farm for a fun morning on the rides in Camp Snoopy.  After more swimming, leftovers, and a nap we headed out to our first Southern California Catch baseball game of the season followed by dinner with the cousins at Chick fil A.  

Lena and four of her cousins on the Huff and Puff!

First time on the race cars!  "Weeeeeee!!!"

On the Knott's train!