{WHW}: It's Falllllllll

Happy WHW, friends!

It's been a really busy start to the week (something that seems to keep happening) so I'm recapping the weekend way late, as usual.

Friday after work, MG and I had planned to go out to dinner with Ella, but she had a pretty epic meltdown as we were getting into the car, so we scrapped the plan and ordered pizza in instead. She was kind of cranky and fussy the rest of the evening off and on, so bedtime was very welcome when it came.

In the meantime, we play with milk cartons...because toys are just boring

Saturday was Clarendon Day in Arlington, so after a trip to Costco (because that's a Saturday activity when you're in your 30s), we headed over to meet up with our friends and their twins and check everything out. Luckily the weather held out for the most part, with a couple of sprinkles. The kids got some of the street food (they eat better than we do I swear!) and Ella enjoyed stopping and dancing to the music at some of the booths. 

We snapped a picture of the three amigos before we headed home for nap time.

That afternoon it was still nice out, and the first day of Fall so we took Ella to a nearby playground. Apparently every other family in the area had the same idea and it was way crowded, so we went off on one of the paths nearby and had a little Ella photo shoot before heading home and having dinner.

Sunday we ran errands in the rain just to get out of the house for a bit, and then settled in for an indoor day, and football. 

My fantasy football team is pretty terrible this year, which sucks after winning last year.

Other random updates:

MG and I have also started watching Suits and are totally into it.

Ella has started saying 'snack' (she says "nat"), and my name has now moved from "mama" to "mommy". Also, "mommy" apparently also means "give it to me" lol.

If you saw my Insta-story, you know that Ella also enjoys playing "night night" where she lays on the floor, we put a blanket over her and she says "night night". This kid. I love her to pieces.

Anyway, that's whats been going on here, with a TON of rain to accompany things since Sunday which has made for a pretty dreary week so far. 

Hoping your week has had sunshine and fun! Link up below and tell us about it!

Round Two

I'm kind of writing this stream of consciousness, so forgive me if it doesn't make sense.

If you missed it, the other week we went to our fertility doctor and decided that if I got my period, we'd be moving forward with the process, which I did get.

So I'm back to trips to the doctors' office for bloodwork and ultrasounds (thankfully, far fewer than a regular IVF cycle), talking out financials with their adviser, ordering medications and shots (ughhh the dreaded shots)...planning my life and work around these appointments. Despite having gone through this, or something similar before, it's not easy. All of it is emotional, and draining, nerve-wracking, etc.

I've reached out to a few people who I went through everything with before and even some friends who haven't, but were there for me through the experience the last time and for the most part, everyone has been really supportive, empathetic and compassionate which is all helpful, even in the smallest way. Does it fix this for me? No. But it does make me feel just that tiniest bit better, supported, and ultimately loved.

In the face of someone dealing with this, just be supportive. Lend a listening ear, arms for a hug, comforting words.

I know I've written a post about the things TO do, and things NOT to do when dealing with a friend who is going through infertility, but I'll mention this:

The appropriate response to someone telling you they're going through this is never "I'm pregnant" or "The process is awful" (two actual responses I got). Even if you're pregnant, there are better times to share that information. And we all know the process is not the easiest, most comfortable or fun...but no one needs to hear that "it's awful." Thankfully I have other friends who have gone through this and have shared how NOT awful it is, which is helping to rest my fears and lessen my anxiety. They're both still there, trust, but I'm doing my best to focus on the positive. Because the scary, "awful" thoughts are already there.

Knowing that we got beautiful Ella from this process gives me hope.

Seeing my friends go through this process and have their babies gives me hope.

Having support and love from friends who have and have not gone through it gives me hope.

Looking towards the positive, while working through my feelings of fear and worry.

Anyway, if you've read this far, thank you. I promise all of my blog posts will not be fertility related, but given this season I'm in, it's definitely been at the forefront. I look forward to the day where I can put the fertility thoughts in a box, shut the lid and put it on a shelf in my brain for memories. Until then, one day at a time....

{WHW}: Weekend of Twins!

Happy Wednesday--once again I'm recapping our weekend way late, because I just can't get my act together to do it earlier sometimes (most of the time!)

Anyway, our weekend was one that had no plans and ended up being packed full of plans. I kind of like it when that happens.

I got home from work on Friday to what I "lovingly" have dubbed my 'baby making kit'...aka the meds for our next fertility cycle. There were way too many needles in there for my liking.

Our friends Gary and Hanna came over and brought pizza Friday night from a place near their house and it was SO good! Ella ate an entire slice of pizza herself and then carried the crust around the dining room, taking nibbles out. She also decided to move from my lap, onto the dining room table and do a dance. Lord, let this not be a sign of things to come in my daughter's future hahah.

waiting for our friends to arrive

Saturday morning I spent 2.5 hours at a Labcorp waiting to have my blood taken. Let me tell you, this is NOT how anyone should spend their Saturday morning. If you saw my Instagram stories, you saw the lovely (sarcasm) gentleman next to me who decided to pick his nose with his index finger and flick it on the floor. I'm lucky I didn't vomit right then.

MG took Ella to an indoor soft playground and they had a blast while I was being tortured. The cute picture updates helped ease my torture. Slightly.

That night our friends with 2.5 year old twins came over and we grilled up hamburgers and chicken. Ella loved having two older friends to watch, run after and play with! I will say, it is an incredible feat how quickly three children can ransack toys and create utter mayhem, but it was fun to watch. 

Sunday morning Ella started getting another runny nose (our third for the daycare season so far!). We ran errands, had lunch and watched some football while she napped, and then I FINALLY got to meet up with Rachel of Cubicle Couture, her husband, and twins who were in town for a wedding. Luckily the weather was amazing (considering it was supposed to be pouring all weekend) and we grabbed coffee, walked down to the water front and let the kids run around. We got lots of questions about whether they were twins/triplets because they were all dressed in similar colors.

It was really fun to see these three together since we went through the IVF process together, and Rachel had her babies 5 days before I had Ella. And for all of the talking and texting we did through the process, it was great to finally meet face to face, with our little miracles in tow.

Prior to it being taken out, Ella rocked one of her big southern girl bows that she got from Jess@The Newly--finally hair long enough to support this haha

One of my new fave pics of her

So, our weekend of twins was complete! We picked up Chipotle for dinner on the way home, and had  a quiet night in, getting ready for the week ahead. 

Hoping your weekend, and your week so far, have been good, too! Link up with Jessi and I to share what's hap-"pinning" with you!

Weekly Wins

Happy Friday, friends! Hoping that all of my Carolina friends are doing ok with this storm—everything about it sounds super scary so I’m hoping that all of you are safe now, and stay safe throughout!!

It’s been a bit since I’ve done a Friday post and wanted to talk about some wins, especially in light of the crummy work stuff that keeps happening.

~Ella LOVES her preschool and all of the teachers there. So much so that she has reached for them, while in my arms, twice this week. She doesn’t do this with anyone really except for MG, so that’s a sign to me that she really loves them, and loves it there.

~When my neighbor sends me photos of Ella when she picks her boys up. Earlier this week it was a shot of her, still napping and it made me swoon looking at her all nestled in there!

~I had a dinner date with my friend Mary Katherine who I hadn’t seen since part way through the summer because of our vacation schedules, and then her daughter got sick with Hand Foot and Mouth. It was nice to catch up over sushi and just have some time out together.

~Our friends are coming over to hang out tonight for a chill night in, perfect on a Friday night! Good nights with good friends always make for a good end to the week :)

~Ella is doing MUCH better after getting her antibiotics—allllll the praise hands for this one! As much as it stinks to have an ear infection, you mamas know how nice it is to have a diagnosis that is something treatable and not just a “virus that has to run its course”

~Despite a crappy work situation, I’ve gotten so much support from my coworkers at work, as well as my supervisor and that helps. It may not solve everything, but it definitely feels nice to know that I’m not crazy, and that I have support.

Hoping you all have a nice weekend, and those of you in the hurricane’s path stay safe! Thinking of you all!!!

Tell me some wins for you this week!

{WHW}: Infections and Aggression

Quite the title, eh? That's what's hap-"pinning" this Wednesday in my area...

Ella's preschool called me yesterday in the late afternoon saying she'd been fussy and upset off and on during the day and woke up crying and grabbing her ears. A telltale sign of an ear infection. So I picked her up and whisked her off to the doctor to discover that, indeed, double ear infection. We're lucky that this is only her second ear infection in her life, and hopefully the next one is way far off. Just glad to get some antibiotics and have those start to help ease the pain in her poor little ears.

In addition to that, I'm still dealing with an aggressive administratior, for no reason other than to assert power over me. I won't pretend to understand WHY this is a necessity for this person, but I'm making sure to keep records of everything in case I need to go to HR about it.  It's not in my personality to make waves, but I'm not going to sit back and be treated unfairly for no reason.

At the end of the day, this little girl makes each day brighter, despite all of the BS that unhappy people try and put on others. I'll happily show my daughter what it means to stand up for herself and for fairness.

In the meantime, snuggles make even the crummiest of days that much better.

Hoping your week is better than Ella's and mine have started. And for all of my friends in the South, please stay safe with this storm!!

Rainy Weekend/Cold #2

Happy Tuesday friends…

Pardon my absence lately but my school system decided to block all blogs from being accessed, and I used to do my blogging either before school when I got here early, or during my lunch and now I can’t do either. So we will see how this shakes out.

Our weekend was pretty uneventful overall. Lots of rain (hoping you all in the hurricane’s path are doing alright and staying safe!), and cooler temps on Sunday made for lots of time indoors.

On Saturday went to Tysons (the mall), just to get out of the house for a bit and grab dinner. Macys was having an awesome sale, and I ended up snagging this adorable reversible jacket, and these two shirts for Ella for $30. I tried the jacket on her when we got home to see how it fit (huge of course), and when I took it off, she insisted on putting it back on, so I think we have a success hehe!

We got dinner at Bushel and Barrell around 5pm because we have a kid and no eat early like old people (Sarah, I know you can relate to the old people eating time based on your Insta-story this weekend). The food there was SO good--we got the tots with the cheesy cream sauce and two burgers which were super yum!

MG had to go in to work really early Sunday morning, so little miss and I had a morning of snuggles and fun to ourselves. She finds it funny to wear my socks (and insists on me putting them on her, even when they are on my feet), so I snapped a shot of this hilarity:

Ella also decided to perfect her stacking skills on Sunday and by the evening, she had stacked this set of blocks, totally on her own. I’m not as well versed in baby skill development, but I feel like this is pretty good fine motor abilities for a 16 month old!

Ella started coughing and had the tiniest of runny noses Sunday, and woke up Monday morning coughing a lot but in a good mood. So, here we are, cold #2 for the school year and only week 4 of daycare/preschool.

We made chili at home for dinner, and watched football—the perfect rainy Sunday activity.

Hoping your weekend was nice, and dry!

{WHW}: Labor Day'ing

Happy WHW! Thankfully with Monday off, this week is actually going by pretty quickly, unlike last week.

Despite the frustrations around work last week, this one is off to a good start and I'll take it. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we had a great weekend away with MG's family, and Ella's started at her new school which I already love a million times more than the daycare center she was at the previous two weeks!

The end of my crap week came with the highlight of getting to finally see Hamilton at the Kennedy Center with MG and my mom, and let me tell you, it was IN-CRED-I-BLE!!!

The Room Where It Happened!!

Unfortunately our drive home we hit some MAJOR torrential rain which actually made it super scary to get home. By the time we made it from the car to the house, we were all soaked.

~We went to bed and got up early in the morning and packed up to head to PA. Ella took a little snooze on the drive up and we got there by noon without hitting any traffic. Praise!

~After a little kerfuffle with plans, we met up with my SILs, and nieces at a shopping center and went to Old Navy. Ella decided to explore the store, and become one of their window models.

~We ended up running into more extended family in the shopping center, and then made plans to meet up at my SIL's house for dinner, pool time, etc. It was really nice because we rarely get a chance to see this part of the family, so the chance meeting and later meet up was a lot of fun.

Ella enjoyed making my SIL's dog her living pillow :)

~After pushing Ella two hours past her bedtime, we made our way home and the next morning dropped Ella off with my SIL's and nieces so that we could go to the outlets and they could get some time with her. More adorable pics were sent:

~After buying quite the haul of clothes (and getting ridiculous deals), we made our way back, had lunch and let Ella nap and then headed out to look at some houses in the area.

Later, we went with our family to see this new place they'd been raving about (an outdoor garden thingy) before going to an early dinner

Dinner was a slight debacle in that we obviously got an inexperienced waiter, who spilled beer all over my MIL (she was drenched) at the start of the meal, and then it took over an hour for us to get our food despite being the second people in the restaurant for dinner. Nevertheless, the food was really good and they comped us some of the meal.

That night we stayed in with my in-laws and watched a movie, and the next morning we hit the road right after breakfast. 

Weekends like this make it super hard to leave, and definitely make us want to move even more. Just having the extra support for running errands was awesome, not to mention all of the extra impromptu family get togethers that we miss out on.

Hoping your LDW was a great one as well!

Link up with Jessi and I to share what's hap-"pinning" with you!

TBB Asks (Cozy Edition)

I always love the TBB Asks posts, and wanted to participate in the Cozy Edition this month!

1. Slippers: YES or NO?  

    Sometimes. I have slippers that I wear that are super comfy (Target!) but mainly in the winter time.

{via}

2. What is your favorite Blanket?

     These super soft ones that we got from Costco. They're always on our couches and we always curl up with them every night. You've probably seen them many times in the background of photos that I take of Ella.

3. Thin or Thick Pillow?

   Thick! My husband prefers thin--I call it the "no pillow pillow". I used to sleep with two pillows growing up but now I have one of those fancy sleep-specific pillows (based on how you sleep) and it's magical.

4. Favorite Warm Beverage?

    Probably coffee

5. Robe: YES or NO? 

     I have a robe...actually i think I have 2 or 3, but I rarely use them. I used them slightly more when I was on maternity leave and nursing.

6. Favorite Comfort Snack Food(s)?

    Chips and Salsa, white cheddar popcorn, cheese and crackers...I could go on and on

7. Movies or TV Series Binge?

    TV series binges. 9 out of 10 times when we watch a movie on the couch anymore, I fall asleep.

   Currently watching The Sinner (although the binge-ing part is over since we're all caught up), and trying to get caught up on The Affair.

8. Actual PJ’s or Leggings?  

    I could do either honestly. I go to bed in just a t-shirt though.

9. Do you cozy up on the couch or a chair? 

   The couch, 100%

10. Hoodie, T-shirt or Sweater?

   Hoodie for coziness!