2011 is almost over??

Time is flying by ... each night I want to post an update but then remember all the things to write about, get overwhelmed, and decide to wait another night. But it won't catch up on its own for some reason. ;-P

So let's see ~ blogger's digest version!

This felt like the quickest Christmas I can remember. I even listened to Christmas music every day on the way to trims and around town, and I baked Christmas cookies. Yes, fruitcake chocolate chip! Also made some boob cookies (snickerdoodles with a maraschino cherry in the middle looks pretty suspicious post-bake). I made gluten free brownies which were literally the consistency of glue but still really yummy somehow. Somehow managed to get the cards written and mailed out before it was too late. Shipped out some packages and sent some direct from the store. Trimmed a bunch of horses. Shopped. Drs appt. Handed out horse treats to my clients. Fire near the ranch (all is fine). And walah -- it was Christmas Eve! Mario and I changed up the traditional Chinese food in place of perogies, and I am pretty sure we each ate our body weight in those little Polish potato raviolis. Yum. We stayed up wrapping and watching sports. ;)

Christmas day we had my mom over for brunch, gift exchange and dinner. Brunch was Mario's specialty scrambled eggs with cheese, bagels, facon, fruit, pastries, coffee and mimosas. We opened presents, watched the pugs play with their new Christmas toys and then somehow it was time to eat again. For dinner I made cranberry stuffing chicken, corn, mashed potatoes, salad, and rolls. No one wanted to eat any more but we could have had cherry pie, sweet potato pecan pie and mom's cookies to eat for dessert.

The next day I had my follow up blood work for the start of my next IVF cycle. I then had an acupuncture appointment and we trimmed some horses, then came home and started prepping to paint the office. Around 3pm I got the call that my blood work showed elevated enough estrogen to begin my shots. I thought she was going to say the next day, but to our surprise she said "no, right now! take the morning shots now and the evening ones before bed". So without further ado... the stims began! 5 shots a day, with the belly bruises to prove it. Mario is doing a great job and so far it has been relatively easy. 2 in the morning, 3 at night, plus a baby aspirin and some prenatals. I had my first monitoring appointment yesterday morning, and Mario went with me. It was a pleasant surprise! At this appt last cycle, I had both ovaries resting and my E2 (estrogen) was only at 50. This time around I had 4 follies growing, 3 on the right and one on the left, and my E2 was 80. (or 90... I was so excited I immediately forgot what she said!) I go back in for another appt on New Year's Eve in the morning. I have another acupuncture appt then as well. At today's appt I felt so incredibly relaxed and the feeling lasted for hours afterward, I was in a kind of foggy mellow state, I can't wait to go back. I also started listening to my IVF guided meditation CD, I am going to try to do it on off days from acupuncture.

Squished in between all of this, was Mario's 40th birthday!!!!! It started off with him going to my monitoring appointment, and then he wanted to .... well, you'll never guess. What does a newly 40 year old guy want to do? Golf? Go to Vegas? To the beach? Santa Barbara? Dinner and drinks? Actually, he said he wanted to paint. He insisted this was his wish... I resisted because a day off for a birthday can easily become a day of fun for me too! I pried to make sure he wasn't secretly wishing to get manis and pedis and have champagne at lunch and a fancy dinner out. He assured me that no, painting was what he wanted to do. So we did... But first, he opened a fabulous gift from Aunt Elaine, Uncle Vinnie, Jess, Rebecca and Richard. They got him the awesome new golf bag that he asked Santa for. ;-) It fit beautifully into the golf hand cart I got him for Christmas, and he did actually get to golf after all - not quite on his birthday, but he did back to back rounds today, so it's all good. Before painting the office, laundry and bathroom ceilings and trim, and scraping the overlapped paint from the french door (that was a fun job to tape), we got in our new dining room table! It was supposed to be delivered before Christmas, but was delayed, but it was pretty cool that it showed up on his birthday. We set it up and ate our first meal at it for his bday - Chinese food made it this time - and we also had chocolate pie at it as well. :)

this is probably my most disjointed post to date, and I know I left out a bunch. But I really want to say that I am one lucky girl. I have an amazing family and so many blessings. I love you, Mario, and wish you the MOST happy, dream come true 40th year any guy has ever had. Also, please don't have a mid life crisis. thank you. :)