8 Years.

8 years.

1 dog.

4 places of residence.

7 vehicles.

2 degrees obtained with one (still) in progress.

9 jobs held.

1 trip to France.

1 surgery.

1 infertility diagnosis.

1 trip to Maui.

1 successful round of IVF.

6 freezer babies.

1 baby girl on the way!

We Are Blessed.

It dawned on me the other day, that I most definitely would not be where I am today without this guy.  I'm not saying that I wouldn't be a functioning member of society (okay maybe), but I most definitely would not have been able to battle infertility and achieve one of my life-long goals of becoming a mother by my lonesome.  I'm specifically referring to my Mr. D - because together we were able to heal from our diagnosis, make a plan of achieving our goal, and will see parenthood come to fruition in the very-near future.  That's a huge thing to get through!  It had to be him . . . we've come a long way together . . I can't wait to see what the next year holds!

We're Having A . . .

GIRL!!!

We were told back at 14 weeks that it very much looked like a girl - but to not start going crazy on decorating/purchasing.  I started wrapping my mind around this baby being a girl and so when we received the confirmation this past Monday (19 weeks), we were overjoyed!

I'll admit - originally, I had kinda wanted a Mama's boy/an older brother for the girls who came after.  I love my younger brothers, but secretly always wanted an older brother to look out for me.  God had a plan.  I'm a first-born through and through.  My overly analytical mind has weighed the pros and cons and I think I've come up with a good list of reasons why it's a good thing we are having a girl . . .

-I've been hoarding baby girl items since 2006.  No joke.  I've had a stash.

-She'll have an older girl cousin on each side of her family = instant playmate

-Bows, accessories, shoes.  Need I say more?

-Girls' names are so much easier to choose - she has a definite first name - possible middle - we're just not revealing quite yet!

-I can pass on my Samantha - American Girl Doll (I chose her because we are totally alike! Ha, right.) and Playmobil dollhouse (holy-freak! check out the price tag on that now - vintage gem!) - Two of my most treasured childhood items.

-She'll have an inherent love for the Nutcracker as much as her mother.

-Most importantly, Steven has a soft spot in his heart for a sweet baby girl.  He needs his own. Period.

PS-  I'm pretty proud of my Petunia Picklebottom set (photo - right) that I snagged for $15 on clearance at TJ Maxx.  Those suckers run for $60 at Nordstrom see here.  It's been on my mind since I first saw it over a month ago - it was $20 then!