Disneyland, Doctors, and Dancing!

So, we're less than a month from our trip to Disneyland! I'm sooo excited! We'll be going Nov 17, 18, & 19th to celebrate mine and my stepdaughters birthdays. It's been a few years and I'm having withdrawals. We're also getting season passes so hopefully I can talk the hubby into going even more often :) I'm most excited to see "World of Color". I've heard nothing but amazing things about it, and even cheated and watched Disney's High Definition video of it and it was super awesome. Of course, I cried, but hey, that happens alot at Disneyland for some reason. Such great memories of childhood. I'm always just reminded of how special those times were going as a kid, and seeing things for the first time. I truly cherish those times, and need to scrapbook all those old pictures I have and make an album for my mom.

I saw my Fertility Specialist today for the first time since I had the surgery last November. A few things have happened in the recent weeks that I'm convinced were signs that I needed to start being aggressive again. To be fair, when I was seeing this Dr before, they weren't aware that I had endometriosis, and of course neither was I. So now that they know what we're dealing with here, they've come up with a treatment program designed for specifically my case of Endo. It's kind of an aggressive medication, but the chances for conceiving are high and hey at this point, I'm ready. We're ready. David has even expressed to me in the past few days how much he wants a baby, and that's huge for me. Of course we've always agreed we wanted a family together but he never really has just came out and said it like that. Tonight I also had an appointment with my Therapist (Yes, I'm not ashamed. It's starting to change my life so much, and let's be honest here, everyone could use some of it). Anyway, while I was at my appointment tonight, David went to Target and actually looked at baby stuff. Oh how I love that man :)

In closing I just want to say how super obsessed I am with the game "Just Dance" for the Wii. Not only is it super fun, but it's a workout! I'm bugging David to buy me the second version that just came out...some of the songs include "Hey Ya" by Outkast and "Rockafeller Skank" by Fatboy Slim. Watch out people cuz you won't beat my score!

Eat. Pray. Love.

I saw this movie today with my mom. I have to say..I got choked up a few times. Not out of sadness, but out of happiness I think. This woman was saying things to herself that I have said word for word in my head. I think for a good part of my adulthood (not that I'm THAT old)..I've felt lost. Looking for something to define me. I've always thought all I ever wanted was marriage and babies. Well let me clarify..a GOOD marriage..and babies. I don't want the kind of marriage where after you have the kids, that's all you talk about is the kids. I cherish the conversations I have with my husband. Now, babies. Babies has been a struggle for those of you who know me well. Even those of you who don't. I'm not very shy on the topic. You can't be. After you've been married 4 years and turn 25, it kind of becomes a topic everyone asks you about. "So, when are you having a baby?". Boy, you don't know what you're in for after asking me that.

I finally decided a few months ago to just let it all go. It's not in my control, so why have I been acting like it is this whole time? How the heck could having a baby be in my control? There's no way. So, I finally accepted that it will happen if it's supposed to. In the mean time, I want to enjoy life. I want to EAT, PRAY, and LOVE. I consider myself to be a very lucky woman. I have such an amazing husband. We're usually pretty in sync. We share so many of the same interests. We have great conversations. We truly enjoy eachothers company, we really do. Watching this movie, this movie that at times could be devastating, and at other times reminded me so much of myself, made me think so much of myself, and my husband. Ever since I was little, I've wanted to travel. France, Ireland, England, Italy, Germany, Japan, India, Australia...all places I've dreamed of going. I didn't care how I got there, I just knew one day I was going. Well, one day I will. But it won't be alone, it will be with him <3

I still don't know exactly what defines me yet. Or really if anything is supposed to define me. I just know I'm happy being me. Being his wife. Being somewhat of an artist (in my eyes, at least), being happy, being loved, being funny, being well traveled (for now, I think compared to most people my age I've been to alot of great places so far), being an unperfect perfectionist, being..Tiffany Van Ingen :)

Advice from a friend..

So a friend of mine recently suggested that I should blog about my journey to motherhood. Most of my close friends and family know that it has been a long hard road already. My husband and I decided fairly quickly after getting married that we wanted to start a family. Most people know he is older than me, and while he has more energy then most 20 year olds, he of course doesn't want to be too old when our child is grown. So like most women, I think, "Oh a few months and it will happen!". It just seems to easy to get pregnant, especially when EVERYONE around you is! Well that didn't happen. Months and Months and MONTHS went by...nothing. So, I decided to visit my Dr and explain our situation. She referred me to an amazing Ob/Gyn who is so energetic and positive..that I actually LIKE going to see him. Who actually likes visiting that kind of Dr? I am weird..this I know.

After him running lots of blood tests, and tests on David of course. He couldn't find any obvious problems. I ovulate great, have great egg count and David..well he is excellent in that area that's all I'll say :) So he decided to do an x-ray type procedure of my uterus, where they run a catheter in..fill it with dye and let it run through you to see if there's any blockage or scar tissue. Man it was painful. But, again, nothing came back. "Your uterus is beautiful" is what he said. He also told me, as well as the Nurses in his offices that a lot of women get pregnant after having that procedure because it kind of blows up your tubes and cleans them out. So, this was exciting news to me. I thought "Maybe that's just what I needed, to be cleaned out or something".

Well guess what? 4 weeks and 3 positive pregnancy tests later, it was confirmed. I was pregnant. There are no words to describe how I felt when reading those tests. I think I cried for hours, counted down the hours until David got home, and then just wanted to scream it from the roof tops. I did pretty much tell everyone I know. I guess this is kind of a no no until you're about three months along, but I was just too excited. Now I know, it is a big no no. I was about 8 weeks along. Never felt better except EXTREME tiredness. I remember sleeping for like 10 hours at night, then waking up taking a shower and heading out to town with David to go Christmas shopping and after walking around for about 20 minutes, I was so tired I was in tears. I guess that was another "symptom" I had..I cried at everything. I had also started a new job. I was commuting about an hour and fifteen minutes each way for a week just for training. The actual job was in my own town, but the training was out in the city. I was stressing a lot, I hate driving, I hate traffic and I'm not used to driving in the city. Of course I was also stressing about starting a new job, wondering if I was making the right decision of leaving what was my current job, a waitress at Harris Ranch.

Most waitresses don't like their jobs. This I know. But me, again, I'm weird. I liked it. I LOVED it. Harris Ranch is right off I-5, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. I loved interacting with people. I loved hearing about where they were going, where they were coming from, how their trips were, seeing the kids all decked out in their leftover Disneyland gear. Plus, the tips weren't bad either. :) It was very hard for me to leave this job, but ultimately, it came down to the management being a huge problem. So, this added to my stress. I loved my job, I loved my co-workers, knew I was making a better decision, just couldn't really accept it.

I finished my week long training for the Bank job, and spent the weekend with my hubby. I wasn't feeling that good, but didn't think much of it. I started cramping and spotting which I knew wasn't a good sign. So, we went to the ER, and of course heard the dreaded news. "Sorry, there's no baby." I was pretty much inconsolable for the next month or so. I cried myself to sleep every night, just couldn't accept it. I finally went back to work, to try and keep my mind off of it, and decided to stay part time at Harris Ranch. I figured I needed to be around a comfortable environment, with my friends, people who know and love me and were there to give me a hug when I walked in the door.

I thought since it happened once, surely it would happen again. But it didn't. So about a year ago, we went to an actual fertility clinic. Again they ran blood tests, tests on David, no problems. So they immediately started me on Clomid. I was so excited, as I always do, I put all my eggs in one basket and knew it would work. It didn't. So the next month they upped my dose, and actually did an insemination procedure. This I knew HAD to work. Again, it didn't. After about two more months of the Clomid, they started me on actual injections. David had to give me a shot every night in my stomach for about 10 days. Painful, but worth it. I had so much hope this time. We decided to do the insemination procedure again, and it just happened to fall on November 19th, my birthday. This had to be the time it would work I thought. Again, no. So, a few more months back on the Clomid, because the injections were just to expensive with Christmas around the corner and other things we had planned, and still nothing.

So, after thousands of dollars spent, and no results, I have decided to take a break I guess you would say. Mainly because I have other health issues going on and have to be on medications which shouldn't be taken during pregnancy but I have gone back to my awesome Ob/Gyn, because there were some pretty big cysts found on my left ovary, and I'm pretty adamant on them testing me for Endometriosis. I am currently taking birth control (ick) to try and shrink the cysts, and I go back to see him on the 15th so see if it's worked, it not, they have to come out they said because they are too big.

I am no longer putting all my eggs in one basket. I am handing this over to God. God knows how badly I want to be a mother and without sounding conceited or something I think he knows that I will be a great mother, as my Pastor recently explained to me, I am already a mother. My baby is in heaven, and I will see him/her when I get there. This is something that might sound kind of weird, but was something I struggled with. What happened to my baby? Will it go to heaven? Because everyone is written in the book of life, and my baby was alive. I cling to a verse he gave to me from Psalms 139: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

So, for those of you that pray, just keep me and my struggle in your prayers. I know that God will bless me, whether it be with my own, or through adoption for a child that needs a loving home. I just hope and pray that this day comes soon!

"When you were in the womb I knew you" Isaiah 49:1