Infertility: Last week started with more bad news. The medicine I was taking was not working. My doctor encouraged us to consider our options, which included injectable medications or IVF (invitro fertilization). Both of those options are very costly, and unfortunately insurance doesn't cover infertility treatments (side note: 90% of insurance companies do not cover infertility. Not cool.). We did not have a peace about moving forward, so we decided I would take the rest of the year off from doctors appointments, bad news, and disappointments. Here's where the fun begins...
As many of you know, I work at a nonprofit Pregnancy Center. I know! Dealing with infertility and working around pregnant women everyday is no walk in the park. However, I absolutely love my job and believe it's right where God wants me. We provide free ultrasounds, done by doctors or sonographers, at least 3 days a week. One of the sonographers scanned me for fun last week, just 3 days after my doctor's appointment. And there it was! A mature follicle on my ovary, just a fews days away from allowing me to ovulate.
I've learned more about the ovaries and uterus than I ever thought I would. If you read my blog, you'll be learning a lot, too! Not ovulating (also called anovulation) is a big part of PCOS. If my ultrasound was correct, this would only be the 3rd time THIS YEAR I had ovulated.
Fast forward to this week. I used an ovulation predictor kit (OPK) for a few days, and I got a positive! Again, this doesn't happen much, so I always take a picture - You have to celebrate the small things.
Yesterday, we had an IUI (info here). We never even thought we'd have this opportunity, so we're so excited! In 2 weeks, we'll find out if it worked and I'm pregnant. Please pray for November 9th, the day we'll find out.
In short, it's a miracle. As I said in my blog post, God is bigger than medicine. Join with me in praising Him for that! Here's what He has to say: "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8
Adoption: The response to our desire to adopt has been overwhelming. We have received countless stories from others about the beauty of adoption. Thanks so much for walking with us!
Baking: It's just about Halloween, so I'll be working on these beauties this week:
Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Swirl
Ingredients6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups sugar; divided use
3 large eggs; divided use
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; divided use
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/3 cup water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 kosher salt
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick foil or parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth. Beat in 2 eggs, pumpkin, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/3 cup water until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
3. In another bowl, mix flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until and combine until well blended. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan
4. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, remaining egg, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and remaining ½ teaspoon of vanilla until smooth.
5. Drop cream cheese mixture in evenly spaced portions over the pumpkin batter. Pull a knife tip through filling to swirl slightly into batter.
6. Bake in a 350° oven until center of the pumpkin batter (not cream cheese mixture) springs back when touched, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan, then cut into 24 bars.
Lastly, I have to say, I just could not go through this without this man. What a gift to be married to him and walk through life together!
