{WHW}: Looking Back

Happy Wednesday, and the first day of November!

What's hap-"pinning" around here is a lot of reminiscing...

Thanks to Facebook timehop, I've been thinking about how different things were a year ago, and especially 2 years ago.

Last year right around this time (give or take about a week), we had officially announced that we had a baby brewing:

I remember coming home from our 12 week doctor's appointment and MG teasing me that he knew I couldn't wait a minute longer to share the news. We'd waited SO long for our little miracle baby and the fact that we were pregnant and past the first trimester scares was such an amazing feeling.

Rewind a year prior to that and we had just gone in for our first consultation with our fertility doctors, with plans to start our first round of IUI in November. Obviously those didn't work, and I believe it's because our little Ellabear was just waiting for the right combo of "us" to grace us with her presence.

And now, two years after that we have our little girl--the one I dreamed about and prayed for for months and years. And she's even better than I ever could have imagined. I catch myself just starring at her sometimes, in disbelief that she's real and she's ours. I have moments where I look in my rearview mirror while driving, and see this gorgeous girl looking back at me and remember the days where I longed for that seat to be full. 

I can remember what life was like without Ella, but it feels so foreign to me and I can't imagine it being any other way now.

Struggling with infertility has truly made me love and appreciate our Ella-bear so much more. The last 6 months have been hard, figuring out this parenting/mom thing (I'm not sure I'll ever have it figured out), and doing it with less sleep than I'm used to, and taking things day-by-day (not my strength), but it has seriously been filled with some of my happiest moments. Seeing MG as a dad, and watching him with Ella makes me love him even more than I thought I could have before. Our family was always supposed to be like this, it's just finally the right time.

Honestly, I don't know where this post is going other than I'm thankful. I'm thankful for the prayers you all and our friends/family prayed for us along our journey. I'm thankful for all of the support from friends and family from infertility to parenthood. I'm thankful for my Dad who I know is watching over our baby girl each and every day (and I'm sure had a hand in bringing us our Ella). I'm thankful for my husband who held my hand through this journey, and continues to walk beside me being the best daddy, husband and best friend I could have ever imagined or hoped for. And I'm thankful for this little face, those tiny hands, kicky legs, the smiles and giggles...our perfect package:

Ok, now I've got to go and wipe down my keyboard from the tears. In the meantime, YOU share what's hap-"pinning" with you by linking up with Jessi and I below: