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 ...

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 l...

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 n...

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 k...