A not so "fertile myrtyle's" journey to a full house...

      So, here's the thing. I don't even know how to start this blog or this post, but I have wanted to blog for a couple years now. This may be a rambled mess of thoughts, because let's be honest,  I have mommy brain half the time and I am not the most organized person in the world either.  I am Andi.  I am a wife, stay at home/working momma, business owner, and children's photographer.  Of all those things, being a mommy is my favorite. (Sorry, Cody) I feel like I was totally born for this. God put me on this earth to rock babies, cuddle them, wipe snot, kiss boo boos, and raise awesome people to love Jesus...and their momma. Ok, their daddy too. And boy do I have a story for you. A story that I am not ashamed to tell. A story that I sometimes tell to complete strangers. A story of how those 3 sweet babies came into this world.  
      They didn't come into this world without many prayers, tests, needles, surgical procedures, and lots of money (and a drained savings account), and a petri dish.  But that brings us to where we are today. Meet Hudson, Paislee, and Baby Dax.

         Aren't they cute? :)  I could go on and on about my love for these 3. Ahhhhh, they are my heart. My whole world, my littlest loves. They were worth every shot, every tear, every heartbreaking negative pregnancy test, every penny. They are my whole world, and I would walk through fire for them. And I kind of did with all those hot flashes from the Lupron injections ;) (but we'll get into that later). They came into this world with the help of IVF and an amazing team of doctors, that I feel with my whole heart were guided and directed by God. How glad I am that I didn't listen to those who told me "Just adopt," or "Maybe God doesn't want you to have children." I know without any doubt, that IVF was part of our story from the beginning.  Through each of these processes, I have gained patience, a stronger marriage, and appreciation for motherhood and for life in general.  I would not change any of it. But here's the thing...our family isn't complete. Not that I am not content with what God has given me...Yes, we are super duper blessed beyond measure....and YES, we do have a beautiful girl and two handsome boys. So why, you ask? Why is our family not complete? Because we have 7 frozen embryos waiting for us. You see, they were all conceived at the same time. Pretty wild, huh? That is another story that I promise to tell later. I can only leave my eyelids open for so long at 2 am while typing this. ;)

   I have so many stories to tell about all things fertility, motherhood, and our journey.  I should actually write a book, and I actually hope to one day. That's on my bucket list. This blog is not meant to rant or complain about the obstacles of IVF. Because let's all be honest, who likes a negative nancy.  Nobody. Oh, I'm funny, haha.  Come on pregnant girls, we know you have morning sickness. But there are a million women who would love to hug that toilet with a smile on their face, because it would mean they had life growing inside of them. Hey my IVF ladies, I know the shots hurt. But look at it from this perspective...there are women that are working 2-3 jobs to save up for that process. Anyways, be thankful, always, don't take it for granted. My hope for this blog is to be a voice to those who are more private about their fertility journey. You have no idea how many women have emailed me to discuss fertility issues. And I am so passionate about discussing it and sharing our success stories with them.  As women, we should not be ashamed at an inability to conceive. We should love and support each other always. I hope this blog will encourage others to speak out.  There are more of us than you realize. You think that "multiple birth" boom just happens when the stars perfect align?   Some are just more open about it than others. And like I have said before, I am an open book.  

      Fertility is also a very emotional roller coaster. Due to a fluke in my recent injections (yes, we are on cycle #4), I have been a bit of a basket case these days.  I will sometimes cry out of no where, for no reason at all, totally beyond my control.  Hey, Hormones, you suck!  I hope to bring a little honesty and humor to the situation. By the way, I wish I had a photograph of the older man who saw me giving myself an injection in Walgreens parking lot today.  No, sir, I wasn't shooting up drugs, just hormones :).  I also want to document my life with 4 year old twins and an (almost) one year old along the way. Because trust me,  they are pretty funny too. This blog will have lots of grammatical errors, I'm sure. And lots of run-on sentences. So please don't judge. Just read and share. If I get a good response, I will blog often. Trust me, there are many stories yet to be told...  ;)

With love and baby dust,

Andi