Preserving Memories...

One could argue that I'm a little crazy with the camera. I can fill up an 8Gb memory card in just a few months. Ed had to buy another hard drive just for photo storage and back up!! But I wont' change...and he wouldn't ask me to. I am intent on preserving every memory.

Ed lost his parents when he was very young and there are very few pictures from his childhood. We have this one, and just a few others.

For that reason alone it's important to me that our children have lots of pictures of themselves to show their children.

We just never know how much time we have on this planet. The other day a freak windstorm blew down a concert stage at a Sugarland concert, one of my favorite bands. Four people died instantly - a fifth died at the hospital. They went to have a great time - and they never came home to their families. If that happened to me tomorrow, I want my children to grow up and have this blog and all of the photos and videos to go to. In a way they could get to know me through my writing...and in turn find comfort that they had a Mother who deeply, deeply loved them.

I would want them to know that I enjoyed every second of my pregnancies with them - good days, bad days, uncomfortable days, painful moments - I loved the hope and possibilities that came with pregnancy and I couldn't wait to meet their little personalities.

Even being wheeled into my C-Section I snapped a picture of myself to show how positively joyful I was! I know...out of control!

I would want them to know that I love their Father. Lots and lots.

I'd want Gavin to know that I treasured every second with him and did everything in my power to help heal his brain and his body. I took this picture with my outstretched arm the night before Brian was born.

I'd want Brian to know that I loved every single thing about him and wanted to remember every day - even preserving a photo of him in a favorite pair of pajamas that he looked extra-cute in.

I'd want them to know that they had a little sister named Darcy Claire. That she will always be their personal angel.

And I'd want them both to know that I was always watching them. Some of my favorite moments were watching them interact with each other. Spending time with them was (and is!) my favorite thing to do.

Will they appreciate all of these efforts? I am sure they will. Actually...I'm pretty sure at least one of them already does. You be the judge...

Crisis Averted...

Everyone can breathe...the crisis has been averted. I had an incident yesterday at the Allergist that sent me into PANIC MODE. I dropped my camera and the lens shattered. My camera...or my extra appendage as I sometimes refer to it. Luckily, the only thing that shattered was a UV lens that I screw onto the actual camera lens. Everything else was intact and working fine. But when it dropped, the lens was jammed and I couldn't unscrew it. I went to two camera stores and was told that they'd have to send it out for two to three weeks. TWO TO THREE WEEKS? Clearly they do not know how much I depend on this camera. I was able to find a store an hour away that would fix it on the spot for me, so a big chunk of today was spent doing that. My camera is now good as new...and has a new UV filter on the lens. Thank GOD!

Can we just stop for a moment and imagine what my life would be like without my camera? Ok, let's not. It's a terrible thought. It was bad enough I had to improvise yesterday and screw on my zoom lens. When Ed was pushing the boys on the swings I had to run halfway across my neighbor's yard in order to get a picture!

(That part was hilariously inconvenient)

This morning I headed to the fertility clinic to get an ultrasound. They wanted to check on the progress of the egg follicles we're trying to produce. Initially they estimated that I would not be ready to ovulate until Sunday...but my body really responded to the injections! There were several egg follicles that will be ready to release during ovulation Friday or Saturday!

The plan is to do one final injection tonight...and then tomorrow I give myself what's called an HCG trigger shot. This will trigger ovulation just at the right time when my follicles are the perfect size. It also dumps extra progesterone into my body, which is needed in order to support an early pregnancy. Let's hope it results in that! After that, we sit and wait and pray and cross our fingers. Well, after a few other activities that need not be mentioned here. *wink*

The timing is the best. After Saturday, I am free from doctor visits. They wanted me to come back next Wednesday for a second HCG shot - but I told them I could do it on my own. Why? Because we are taking a VACATION!!! We will likely leave Monday and head to Ocean City, NJ for a few days. Our friends, Geoff and Elayne (the family that adopted our dog, Lucy, from us after we found out Gavin was allergic) have offered us their shore house for the week! We are so excited and can't WAIT to bring the boys to the beach...to the boardwalk...and just be together as a family. Miss Katja is thrilled to have some unexpected time off, too!

Elayne and her children, Ali and Drew, came by for a playdate this afternoon and it was a lot of fun.

I think Gavin was in love with Ali - following her right into the Jump-O-Lene!

Brian took a bit to warm up, but then had a fun time playing trucks with Drew.

It was just too hot to go out on the swingset today. We're having a bit of a heatwave in Pennsylvania! Hopefully it will pass and next week we'll have nice weather at the beach.

Did I mention we're going to the BEACH!?!?!?! Yippee!!!