Appreciation

The other day I decided that this week I should write about appreciation when I did our blog update.  A couple years ago, I would never have associated infertility and appreciation!  How could one appreciate the hope and heartbreak, medicines, procedures, and the other physical and emotional issues that come along with fertility treatments?  Well, to be honest...it still isn't always the easiest thing to do, but it's important to appreciate and be thankful for the blessings we do have!


The first thing we have to appreciate this week is my TSH being 1.6, which means my thyroid hormone is right where Dr. Bopp wants it!  Now, we just keep an eye on it to make sure it stays between 1-2.


What else is there to appreciate at the Jones' house?  I'm so glad you asked!  :)  I appreciate the fact that Joe takes care of the dinner and the laundry.  This week, I started home bound services with two very special kiddos.  While the extra income will be nice, I am so thankful to work with these little ones.  Little ones that have so many challenges ahead of them, but have the sweetest smiles in the world!  I do appreciate all the munchkins, even though they make me a little bonkers from time to time!
We are so blessed with family and friends that support us through everything, not just our fertility stuff.  This week I enjoyed ice cream with the girls, playing at the museum, and we celebrated Joe's grandparents 60th wedding anniversary.  Is it wrong to add that I appreciate having President's Day off?!


In Cade Foundation news, we are excited to be part of the Fertili-Wine Tasting for the Cade Foundation in March.  If I haven't e-mailed or sent you anything on Facebook, let me know.  I am working on this with my cousin Stacie, who received the Cade grant in 2008.  If it wasn't for Stacie and her husband being so open and sharing the Cade Foundation, we wouldn't have been introduced to this great organization!


Just when I was getting ready to update the blog, this picture popped up on my Facebook time line...it just fits perfect!


Have a wonderful week, and remember to appreciate the little things!  

When you believe...

"When You Believe"

While I updated the yesterday, I've been watching E! and this Whitney Houston song seems a fitting addition to our blog!

Day to day

When it comes to IVF, there really won't be anything to report until we start doing tests and all of that fun stuff in a few months.  In the mean time, we continue with the day to day of life at the Jones' house.  
February 3, we ventured out with Craig, Audrey, and hundreds of thousands of others people to Super Bowl Village!  Oh, what a night...we'll leave it at that!  
Operation Demolish the bedroom is coming along, but we have discovered at this time it's best to leave that as a Joe project because someone else just gets overwhelmed and stressed when it's not really necessary!  (I have no clue who stressed out, maybe it was Kitty!)
Testing, testing, and more testing seems to be the recurring theme with the big munchkins, but I still am so thankful to be doing resource and preschool this year!  This week, I was able to see some of my kiddos making connections and understanding things...it's those moments that make the stress of teaching worth it.
If you don't like the Cade Foundation on Facebook, you should!  They post updates regarding Cade families, infertility articles, and outreach events.  If you are going to be joining us for the Race for the Family, be sure to check out the group rates on hotels if you will be staying in the city.  
Have a wonderful week, and as always thanks for the love, support, and prayers!

A poem about the journey

The journey from infertility to family,
someone once said,
is like taking a train ride;
Never knowing whether
you'll reach your desired destination.

There are plenty of stops along the ride.
And each of the passengers
makes it's own decision
when its time to get off.

Some never need to take the train.
Others ride it for a lifetime.
But whether you reach your destination or not,
pay attention to the journey.
If you will,
as painful as it is,
it may reward you in unexpected ways.

New York, December 2000
(c) 2000 Ronen Divon, All Rights Reserved

God Gave Me You

"God Gave Me You"

So, for a week now I've been trying to think of just the right words for a blog post.  It just hit me tonight to start with using a song as a jumping point.  "God Gave Me You" was a song that I found on one of my infertility inspiration pages.  While it perfectly applies to Joe, I can also relate it to the friends and family that we have had support us for the past five years.  God really has given us people to get through the ups and downs.  We have such a great support system, and hopefully each of you know how we appreciate the love, support, and prayers.

This year I switched positions and now teach resource at Allen with special needs preschool in the afternoon.  While I love my big munchkins, I have really enjoyed going down to preschool and being with the little ones.  Our little ones are mostly working on speech and language, but we have some that have more obstacles ahead of them.  A week ago, Pat and I were set up for a day of preschool screening.  This wasn't my first day of screenings, so I wasn't really expecting such an emotional day.  We met two little ones that really stood out as miracles for surviving the challenges they face.  After the kiddos had gone for the day, I stopped to think about what these little guys face day to day and was a little overwhelmed.  Having a cold, being tired of giving tests, or not having any Diet Coke seem like laughable worries when you stop and think of the medical and physical issues that some little ones are faced with daily.  It's so easy to get caught up in the busy day to day stress of life and forget to take time to be thankful for everything you do have.

Infertility doesn't seem like something you would be thankful for, but yet I have to be thankful.  Through the ups & downs, hope & heartbreak, tests and procedures Joe has always been there for me, and hopefully I've been there for him.  Having gone through so much in expanding our family has brought the two of us together as a couple.  I have faith that our journey will help us to always remember to be thankful and appreciate the blessings we have currently and will have!

Here's the gist...be thankful and appreciate the blessings that you have!

Joe's still working on demolishing the middle bedroom, and thankfully Acuity testing is finished with the big munchkins!  There's nothing much else to report.  I will get my TSH checked again in a week, and we will see if Dr. Bopp changes medicine again or just keeps an eye on things.  There won't be any major news with the IVF journey until April when we get updated testing.  Until then, we just have to keep positive, have faith, and take our vitamins!

Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Sarah & Joe

We were lucky to spend the long weekend up north with PJ, Kevin, the Flora family, and Buzz & Linda.  Joe and Kevin got fitted for their tuxes, and then we were off to Chicago.  It was frigid, but I give props to Joe for finding the sign for Giuliana and Bill’s new restaurant!  Now, we know where we have to go.  J  We met Linda and Buzz at Maggiano’s.  Yummo!  Joe made dinner for all of us on Sunday and we enjoyed being Aunt Joey and Uncle Sarah.

Tuesday I received a special treat!  Grandma Ross mailed me three bracelets that she’d made at church.  They are perfect…faith, hope, Jeremiah 29:11!  Her church group makes them, and they came with a card.  It has the Serenity Prayer on it and that it was made especially for me by Gramma.  J  Knowing that we have the love and prayers of our family and friends as we embark on our journey this year means so much!

While I’ve been testing away in Munchkin Land, Joe has a new project.  Our middle bedroom needs some updating.  Joe is taking down the plaster walls, and is going to work on the electrical wiring, the walls, and carpet. 

That’s really all to report from the Jones’ front.  I’m eating fresh fruits and veggies (not cooked of course) and Joe is taking his vitamins.  We’re taking steps to get us ready!  We hope that you have a wonderful week, and know how much we appreciate all of you!  Don't forget to check out www.illraceforthefamily.com and join us this June!

Love, Joe & Sarah

Race for the Family

The Cade Foundation Illinois Race for the Family, hosted by the Fertility Centers of Illinois,  is a 5k run/walk, a 1 mile Family Fun Walk and  Savannah's Playground, a free outside festival for children and their parents/caregivers. Race for the Family is a heart warming event that that raises money to help infertile couples in become loving parents! This year is the  first year for the Cade Foundation Illinois Race for the Family and Savannah’s Playground. Our goal is to raise $50,000 for this years event.  Sign up today and help support families OVERCOMING infertility!

Date: Saturday June 23, 2012
Time: 8AM until 11AM.
Location: Busse Woods Park

“By partnering with the Fertility Centers of Illinois (FCI), we expect our fundraising efforts and the philanthropic support we can therefore provide midwest infertile families to grow exponentially,”said Camille Hammond, physician and co founder of the Cade Foundation.“We look forward to increasing our education focused programming to underserved infertile midwestern families and to being able to communicate our message of hope and empowerment through FCI's vast networks of past patients, current patients,and partners."

To register visit us at http://illraceforthefamily.eventbrite.com

Need more information?  Visit us online at www.illraceforthefamily.com orwww.cadefoundation.org or call us at 312-765-7880.  Together we are OVERCOMING infertility!