Los Porchs

Our insurance company is currently backlogged and is trying to get caught up as soon as possible to approve our treatment plan and options.  I love that there's never a delay in billing, just in approvals.  Because when they want something, I should drop everything and give them all of my money.  But when we need something.... hurry up and wait.  And then call back.  And wait. So I have nothing to report at this point in my life and am anxiously awaiting any contact from the insurance folks. xoxo, Mrs. Porch

I may have to get over my fear of my sewing machine as well as my tendency to leave half-finished shit everywhere.   We just accepted a $20 Christmas challenge; we're only going to spend $20 on each person when we celebrate our Richmond Christmas.  Plane tickets have been purchased and we are super excited to spend some time with Porch's mom and sister. The $20 Christmas Challenge: Spend no more than $20 on a gift Must be air-travel friendly OMG.  I just realized what I agreed to & feel the compulsive need to get on Pinterest and find something acceptable to create between now and December. Wish me luck! xoxo,

Listen up everyone, I seriously had to talk myself down this past week.  I almost packed up everything (including Porch) and moved to Toronto.  No joke.  We got back on Monday afternoon and on the train ride to class, I was already looking online for jobs and housing and trying to figure out how to become a resident.  That's how much I loved the experience.  And the people.  Especially the people. Jellyfish at Ripley's Aquarium, Toronto, ON Jellyfish at Ripley's Aquarium, Toronto, ON The Dangerous Lagoon at Ripley's Aquarium, Toronto, ON Stingray at Ripley's Aquarium, Toronto, ON A skyline to love (Toronto, ON) I took all of these photos myself.  I can't thank Porch & my parents enough for the awesome camera they bought me last year for my birthday!  I'm getting such great shots and love it!  Thank you!! From the moment we landed on Friday, there was just something different about being in Canada.  And it really exceeded the &qu

Don't panic.  That's so far.... okay, it's really not. Kind of crazy, right?  Halloween isn't even here yet and I already have Christmas on the brain.  I always feel like I shortchange Thanksgiving.  Knowing this about myself, we decided to host Thanksgiving at our home this year and we are super excited about it!  My mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and my parents are joining us so we'll have an intimate group size of 6 and lots of yummy food and drink options (I've been pinning away with great ideas -- see them all here & follow me on Pinterest!).  We're busy planning and considering how we'll accommodate the 6 of us for dinner and football -- PACK ATTACK! -- and most importantly, how to prepare this bird. Initial thoughts were to grill the turkey; have any of you ever done this?  We have a charcoal grill now so I'm not sure how well this would play out, but we're nothing if not adventurous!  And the side dishes, oh the side dishes!  We&#

We met with Dr. TK this week & are excited, anxious, scared, all at once.  I am back on birth control for the first time since before my surgery.  We are hoping to start injections by the end of October (OMG, there really isn't much left of October) or early November.  Given our plans to travel around the holidays, I asked Dr. TK what he thought about us being away for a few days and he simply stared at me and said, "By December, we'll know if you are pregnant."  Ha.  I almost fell off my chair.  There it is again, that feeling of hope!  Ryan and I are having serious conversations about who to tell and when to tell. I am jumping up and down at the notion of possibly being pregnant by Christmas.  I believe with the help of Dr. TK we can actually make this happen!  And even if it doesn't happen the first time, it's so ridiculously exciting to have hope in our lives again.  The news about our odds wasn't very good and our chances of conceiving naturally a

My, time certainly does slip away from us, doesn't it?  We've been busy busy for the entire month of October and there doesn't appear to be any signs of a slow down until later this month.  We spent this past weekend in Wisconsin for the wedding of one of my dearest friends, KT and her new hubby.  It was so nice to be able to see them & how genuinely happy they are together -- and how relaxed they both seemed throughout the day. Next weekend, we will be celebrating another dear friend's wedding in Canada!  I'm so excited; we're flying out on Friday morning so we have some time to play in Toronto.  We're open to your suggestions about things to do/see/try while we're there... (ketchup chips are amazeballs).  We gave ourselves an extra day so we could travel to Niagara Falls as well.  I've been there once with my family, but it was such a breathtaking view that I am eager to return.  I would loved to honeymoon there, but a minimoon with Porch wil

Sometimes we have to take things into our own hands. After many attempts to reach Dr. TK's office and figure out our next steps, I called again today and am so thankful I did!  They are going to start pre-certification of our IVF round & medications.  I will go in on CD3 (cycle day 3) for another ultrasound and blood work... and when we meet with Dr. TK, we will learn more about our treatment plan.  As of now, it seems we may be able to start this month if all goes well with the approval process.   I know when I called the fertility department, the people were super sweet to me, so I'm hopeful that all will go smoothly and that by Christmas, we have something to celebrate.  I so badly want to be pregnant for the holidays!  It's always something I've wished for & maybe, just maybe, this year is our year! xoxo

Don't you kind of want Porch to contribute to this blog too?  I know I do!  Maybe if enough people start asking him about it (hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge), he'll take that first leap! He knows lots of stuff about lots of stuff!  He's my favorite nerd. xoxo

To everyone who told me I would come to love running and crave it, I'm kinda sorry I laughed in your faces.  On my way home from work, I was feeling anxious and fidgety and like I had some extra (seriously, how?) energy that needed to be dealt with pronto.  I came home and putzed around, avoided homework, the usual... and then decided to lace up the old (they're new, it's an expression, work with me) running shoes and hit the track even though it's my night "off" from running.  Porch's only request?  Make sure I'm ready to run with him tomorrow.  This running business is growing on me, even if I move slowly, because I've come to associate it with good sleep, less anxiety, and most importantly, time with Porch.  When the snow gets here, we're going to have to think of ways to stay in shape (let's call it maintaining at best) since the track will be covered with snow and is typically a mud hole until late spring. All my Chicago friends, te

I saw this online the other day and at first, thought how appropriate it is for what Porch & I have been attempting lately (lots of running) but after some deeper thought and revisiting, I've come to think of this as being more fitting for our story on the road to making a tiny human. I think it's appropriate, meaningful, and inspirational all at once.  A great reminder that no matter how slow we move, how many baby steps (no pun intended) we take, as long as we keep moving forward, it's better than giving up in frustration.  I once had a colleague tell me that it was only important that we "keep moving forward, no matter what."  That mantra has stuck with me for years and I've come to apply it personally and professionally.  It's okay that this is taking time.  It's our story and it will never be the same as anyone else's story. Likewise, I am not a runner.  I honestly don't even know why I started running, but damn it.  It feels so