Wednesday, October 27, 2010

A Miraculous Day

What a whirlwind week!  Can't wait to share with you...


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

Ingredients
6 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!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Humbled

Wow.  There have been over 150 visits to my blog in less than 24 hours.  I've heard from many who have been silently struggling through infertility.   I'm discovering it's much more common than we think, and we need to talk about it more!  I'm humbled by the many thoughtful words of encouragement and know it's all for God's glory!  Thanks for journeying with us!  

As promised, I'm including a photo from my baking expedition yesterday.  A couple of things to note:

-Holy cow, this recipe makes a whole lot of cookies.  Great for a big party.
-I left out the nuts and dates.  Gross. 
-The icing hardens super fast.  I had to add milk halfway through; otherwise, it's pretty hard to spread.  

The verdict:  It's a keeper.  These are delicious.  Anything with Crisco and a stick of butter is yummy.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Why Start a Blog Now?

The infertility journey is a long and painful one.  We hope this blog will bring comfort to those who may be on a similar journey.   We also believe adoption is close to God's heart and hope to bring awareness to this global issue.  We love sweets and hope to share tasty recipes with you!

Infertility: Here's where we'll be chronicling our journey.  Here's the latest.  I (Rachel) have PCOS (info here).  What's that, you ask?  It basically means starting a family of our own will be difficult and requires doctor intervention.  However, we think God is bigger.  We're taking some time to try some less invasive treatments, like acupuncture.  We're prayerful that this will help!  Here's what God has to say about it: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)  Much easier said than done, but we know God is all good, all the time.  

Adoption:  We just came back from the Together for Adoption conference (http://www.togetherforadoption.org/).  God placed adoption on our hearts even before I was diagnosed with PCOS.  We know we want to adopt and are praying for God's timing.  At this point, we've narrowed our search to a domestic infant adoption. 

Baking:  Today I'll be baking these gems.  Pictures soon to follow (recipe below)

Frosted Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup shortening
  • 2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup chopped dates

  • CARAMEL FROSTING:
  • 1/2 cup butter, cubed
  • 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon maple flavoring
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 to 2-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

  • In a large bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans and dates.
  • Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 13-15 minutes or until firm.
  • Meanwhile, for frosting, combine the butter, brown sugar and milk in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in maple flavoring and vanilla.
  • Cool slightly; beat in enough confectioners' sugar to achieve spreading consistency. Remove cookies to wire racks; frost while warm. Yield: 6-1/2 dozen.
Tip of the Day:  Never ask your friends when they'll be starting a family of their own.  We know this question is never meant to be hurtful, but it can be very painful for someone experiencing infertility.