Los Porchs

I am such a cluster of emotions; I feel like if you ask me right now how I'm feeling, in 20 minutes, my answer will change.  Or grow.  Yeah, it'll grow.  I never stop feeling excited.  But I cycle through panic, disbelief, terror, exhausted -- all of them.  Sometimes all at once, sometimes just one or two at a time. But what gets me goin' these days?  That movement!  Sunday afternoon, Porch and I went to run some errands (dropped a few bags of donation at Salvation Army and did some grocery shopping) and for the first time, I could feel her while I was out of bed.  I had been feeling her every now and then while laying down to get ready to fall asleep and occasionally in the morning, but this was in the afternoon.  And I was in the car.  Every time I feel that bump bump bump, I freak (in a good way).  She's real.  She's moving.  I find her movements to be the ultimate reassurance that everything is okay in there. How far along?  20 weeks Total weight gain:  I

Word.

I found this image while creating our work schedules and traced it back to this Etsy shop ... and I have to say, I am really feeling this message today.  Too often, we dwell in the darkness rather than lifting our chins to see the rainbow!  Can't find the rainbow?  Dance in the rain. xo Mrs. Porch

How far along?  19 weeks Total weight gain:  I seem to be holding steady, though I can tell the weight has shifted... I'm getting to be belly-heavy. Maternity clothes?    I live in maternity leggings and jeans; I can still get away with the hair tie trick though the Belly Band is preferred as it keeps me from feeling like a stuffed sausage. Stretch marks?   None that I can see (yet).  I've been scratching my skin right off my body though, I'm so itchy.  And it's not really my belly; it's my arms and legs.  Winter, please go away!!!! Sleep:   Mostly good, so thankful for the pillow my parents bought me early on -- it is something I could not sleep without right now! Best moment this week:  Celebrating my mom (2/16) and dad's (3/15) birthdays this weekend at Brazzaz downtown; so much food.   Miss anything?   I miss sushi and  caffeine  overdoses. Food cravings:  Nothing that I'm aware of beyond our love for ketchup & fries.  We prefer Burger

Porch and I have been on the hunt for good Crock Pot recipes; we love the idea of throwing stuff together on shopping day, dumping it in the morning we want a good dinner, and coming home to a hot dinner that hasn't been ordered on GrubHub (no offense, GrubHub, we still love you, we just want an open-relationship). I typically look on Pinterest for good ideas (follow my board Crock Pot Eatin' ) and we give them a try.  If they pass, they stay in rotation.  If they suck, we agree never to speak of it again.  We're all about trial and error. Today we agreed to test out the Crock Pot Lasagna recipe I found.  We made a few modifications (especially the cooking time) and were so pleased with how it turned out, we decided to share the recipe with you & ask for any similar recipes you may have! We used this: 1 lb ground beef 36 oz spaghetti sauce 8 oz ricotta cheese 12 oz cottage cheese 1/4 C grated Parmesan 1 egg 1 t Penzey's Pasta sprinkle 9 lasagna nood

It's weird over here, on the other side of the infertility line.  When we go to our appointments, we sit in the waiting room with other woman who may or may not have had struggle to conceive.  I mean, we don't wear an I on our clothing to mark us as infertile.  Once you finally find success in treatment, you're kind of thrust into the mainstream and "good luck!"  I can't quite describe it and I sometimes feel like a fraud because we only did 1 cycle of IVF and our fresh transfer worked.  There are women out there who are on 2nd or 3rd (or more) cycles of IVF and have done fresh transfers and frozen transfers.  It makes it really hard to feel like a member of this culture even though, by definition, we are very much a part of it.  Four years to make a baby?  We're in. It's so strange when the nurse calls with test results of any kind and says "You passed with flying colors."  Really?  I'm so used to hearing there's something wrong wi

How far along?  18 weeks Total weight gain:  I'm up!  Gained a bit more this week; must be right on track as Dr G hasn't yelled at me or anything... yet. Maternity clothes?    Maternity leggings are still what I like to call "the shit."  I'm still able to wear my regular jeans and dress pants, either with a hair tie or with a belly band :) Stretch marks?   None but sweet baby JESUS does my skin itch.  ALL OF THE TIME. Sleep:   Improving & a few nights a week, I even sleep through the night!! Best moment this week:  Nursery furniture came this weekend! It's so exciting to see the room set up for baby. Miss anything?   Not really... still miss sushi though. Food cravings:  Baby Porch & I are not likely to turn down French fries though I'm beginning to think it's the ketchup we're in love with... Anything making you queasy or sick?  Nothing really.  I'm afraid to say more without having wood to knock on.  I still have rand

Delivery yesterday was shockingly near the beginning of the window (9-12) & when the truck pulled up at 9:30, I stood excitedly at the window to watch the furniture arrive. Yes. I was that excited. I hid in the living room while the delivery guys assembled the crib & didn't peek at all until they were gone. I wanted to see the finished product. Amazeballs, y'all. Now every time I walk past the room, I have a surge of excitement (we're already almost halfway through this pregnancy) and sheer panic (there's going to be a tiny human in that bed soon). We love it. What do you guys think?

Because we do. We lied. (About something else, not about having a secret) We know. Porch & I know the sex of our baby. And we've known since last week Friday's appointment. And we've told the Grandparents. And we're getting ready to tell you... isn't that exciting?! Nursery furniture gets delivered this weekend & perhaps there will be an announcement about whether we're expecting a boy or a girl!  I mean, if there's time and whatnot... xoxo

How far along?  17 weeks Total weight gain:  I'm up!  Gained a bit more this week; must be right on track as Dr G hasn't yelled at me or anything... yet. Maternity clothes?  Wore the belly band to work a few days this week & enjoyed the extra room!  Maternity leggings are still what I like to call "the shit." Stretch marks?   None but sweet baby JESUS does my skin itch.  ALL OF THE TIME. Sleep:   Improving & a few nights a week, I even sleep through the night!! Best moment this week:  Our ultrasound on this past Friday was fun :)  Seeing how much Baby Porch has grown is INSANE.   Miss anything?   Not really, though we went out for dinner on Sunday with my family & both places we stopped at had AMAZING beer menus!  Can't wait to return post-pregnancy! Food cravings:  Baby Porch & I are not likely to turn down French fries though I'm beginning to think it's the ketchup we're in love with... Anything making you queasy or s

After a busy and mentally exhausting day at the office, I was ready to come home and kick it on the couch with the remote and DVR. I'm so thankful that when we brought home the carpet the other day, we left it in the dining room, right in the middle of everything.  Why?  Because when I walked in tonight, tired as hell, I felt excited to change into sweats, roll up my sleeves, and scrub the floors in the nursery so that I could finally get that carpet into the nursery.  I grabbed Porch's Bose speaker and sang along with my running playlist (which hasn't gotten much love since we started IVF). Everything has a new home now and things are coming together!  The crib and dresser will be delivered Saturday and I am PUMPED.  For reals.  I love when I roll out of bed at night to use the bathroom and walk past the nursery (and I love that it's a nursery now) and see where the furniture will go!  I can't wait to see it tonight with the carpet!  It's the little things...

It's fun to be so busy! The nursery furniture is being delivered on Saturday and between now and then, Porch and I are busy working to get everything put away in its new home. I bought some Murphy's oil today and my after work workout tomorrow will include deep cleaning the floor in the nursery so that we can lay down the new carpet. I also need to hunt in the basement for a can of the paint used in the apartment (all of our walls are the same color) to touch up the place where the headboard of the guest bed had been rubbing against the wall. If I can't find the paint, we may have to investigate the idea of using a wallpaper border as camouflage. When it's all said and done, I'm excited to figure out the best placement for the crib and dresser. And for the delivery of the furniture! When I woke up at 1am to pee this morning, it was so odd to look into that room and see it empty. It's weird in the day too, but something about knowing that soon we'll be spen

Porch and I headed out shopping yesterday afternoon with a few friends and while I was decidedly over the entire process, I am pleased to tell you we found a set that met all of the criteria and it will be delivered next weekend.  We got home and enlisted the help of said friends to relocate the guest bed to the front sunroom.  We chose this location to be the "new" guest room because it has doors and heat and lots and lots of windows which creates an amazing cross-breeze in the summer (man do I miss summer). The new guest bedroom!  Ready for its first guests:  My parents!!! This room looks totally empty now... and it's a little overwhelming to think about what it will look like in a week. Now that it's all moved, Porch and I are kind of having this realization that we'd like to purchase a large rug for the nursery and ideally have it down before the furniture arrives (in t-minus 7 days).  We'll be out and about today looking for the right pie

With the realization that our next appointment is our 20-week appointment and marks the half-way point in the journey of gestation, I started to breathe a little easier.  We had our 16-week appointment yesterday and seeing those tiny hands and feet (and that amazing, developing brain), I was in awe of what we were doing. After holding my breath for 16 weeks, I felt it escape me as I looked at the baby on the screen and realized he or she is ours... and then came the worry. It was surreal to be in the ultrasound room hearing only good things and to sit with the doctor afterwards and hear "Everything looks great!"  It's just not what we are used to from a medical standpoint.  Typically, whatever can go wrong, does, and we deal with the process of moving forward in our own unique way.  Yesterday, I honestly found myself totally overwhelmed -- but for once, not because of some struggle, but because I realized this is real.  This is happening.  This baby will be here with us i