You've Got Mail!

This post is dedicated to all of the wonderful women in the IF (infertility) world who I have met through IG (Instagram). This may sound odd to some people, and honestly it's one of those things you kind of have to be involved in to fully understand, but I have made instant friends with lots of amazing gals from all over the world through one social media app on my phone. It started a few months ago when I would hashtag infertility on some of my pics. It was my way of slowly starting to open up to the world and the public about our struggles. It would start with #ttc (TTC means "trying to conceive" to all you lucky enough to not ever need to know or use that acronym) because it was simple and wasn't sharing too much info... then I started adding more like #infertility, #infertilitysucks, #notfair, things like that. I started searching for other pics tagged with the same # and started to find accounts of other girls facing infertility. The first one I started following was a girl in Australia (shout-out to you, G!) who would post quotes and things related to infertility. It was nice meeting someone who understood. From her account and the hashtags, I started finding other TTC-related accounts and started following them. Being infertile and finding another in the same boat just gives you an instand bond, it's hard to explain, it's just an automatic understanding and support. You suddenly feel like you have new bffs and you can all relate to the roller coaster of emotions. We can all have different interests and personalities but we are all bonded by one crazy detail in our lives and BAM, instant friends. Being able to read new quotes that apply to life's ups and downs, cheer on an infertility sister as she goes to yet another fertility doctor appointment or starts a new round of self-injections for baby-making meds, give support to those who have to read yet another negative pregnancy test, or congratulate those who are lucky enough to see a positive, it's all about support and love. 

Now just that would be enough support and positivity for me... but it doesn't end there. I started to realize that some of the girls were taking part in a "lucky sock exchange" and were paired up with other girls on IG to send a care package of goodies for love and support. The theme was around fun and funky socks ("lucky socks") to wear to Dr appointments, tests, or just because for good baby vibes. Other items sent were things like candy, nail polish, books, magazines, scarves, jewelry, you name it. I thought this was such an amazing gesture for people who were otherwise strangers outside of meeting online. I happened to get into the mix with a few of the girls I was starting to have frequent convos with, we exchanged email addresses (and sometimes even phone numbers so I now have new texting buddies), and we started shopping for little goodies to send to one another just because~ to thank each other for their support in our journey, or to cheer them on in their own journey. It's amazing. I'm blown away every time a card or package shows up in the mailbox. Wow. Seriously, thank you all... you're all amazing. 

I SWEAR finding this group on IG has been a huge saving grace over the last few months. Prior to finding this amazing support group, I was reading helpful books, talking to friends and family, and reading blogs online. All of these were great and helpful (still are) and are what got me to be more open. Taking it a step further and finding these new friends is what pushed me to finally start my blog, follow them, and get involved with sending care packages and cards. I've been less stressed on the infertility front because I have lots of support and people to go to instantly for advice or encouragement... people who have been through it and are going through it. So I feel blessed really to have met these wonderful people. So thank you, infertility. You suck, but if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have new friends in Australia, Colorado, Minnesota, Texas, North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois,  Louisiana, Niagara Falls, Florida, and other places. You ladies rock, thank you!! <3 

 

(All pics in this post were gifts and cards I received from these amazing gals! <3 <3)

Taken Hostage by My Busy Life

Hi everyone! Sorry I have been MIA for the last few weeks; school (my job) has taken over my life and I don't see any hope of truly coming up for air until the school year is done (June 21 is the last day). So here are some updates on what's been going on...

Scott is all better from surgery! (YAY!!) His recovery was actually really smooth as far as I could tell! Let's see, surgery was on Friday, May 10th, and he went back to work the following Wednesday. All weekend he was camped out on the super comfy recliner with an ice pack attached to him at all times. It was kind of a fun weekend helping him around and taking care of him. We used it as an excuse to pig out on junk food (just for recovery reasons; a good excuse in my mind! Wink, Wink) and order takeout. The Dr. called Scott personally on Saturday morning to check in on how he was feeling (again, really impressed by this guy, but they say you get what you pay for and it's def not a cheap practice but it's worth it!). Close fam friends of ours (Alli, Steve, & Caroline) came over Saturday to visit and bought lunch, and then on Sunday Scott and I walked around the Christmas Tree Shop for something to do. The Dr. didn't want him to just sit and do nothing all weekend, so we took a short outing. I felt bad going back to work on Monday because I had to leave him at home alone (he was fine and more mobile each day, but it was nice being together the whole weekend for a change of pace). There was definitely some discomfort for a few days but now fast-forward 3 weeks and he's totally back to normal. The only difference is some icky incision scars~ bleh! So now we just wait, and wait, and wait... but we get to totally enjoy the summer in the meantime and I'm totally okay with that little blessing!! :) 

Hmm, what else? School has taken over my life. The end of the school year is so busy, we all feel  like chickens with our heads cut off. The kids are mentally checked out and are so excited for summer (rightfully so, I am too!), we have rounds of mandatory testing to complete by this week and next, we all had to have one more observation by administration (unannounced walk-in), report cards are due soon, our teaching assignments for next year were announced (a few of us are switching grade levels because we are such a small district and numbers in each grade change each year), organizing class parties, filling out forms, completing supply orders for next year, etc. That might not seem like a lot and you might say you don't care because I have 2 months off~ yes, true, but it doesn't change the hectic buzz going on in the building. Also, I'll be spending about 2-3 weeks working over the summer anyway. I signed up for a workshop the week after school gets out, I have to pack up my room and move to a different classroom upstairs, and then return to that new classroom once it's cleaned to unpack, organize, and set it up for my new placement next year. Not to mention all the prep work at home, too. So it's really never a full 2 months off from work, it's just 2 months without the kids. I mentally need this break too. By this time, everyone is so frazzled and needs to recharge. 11 school days and counting... I'll miss the fun conversations with my students each morning and their smiling faces; 1st graders can be so fun/funny to talk to! They really amaze me with their creativity and crack me up with their jokes/stories sometimes. They're so social. Plus, I had 1/2 of them in K last year, so it's been really wonderful to see how they've changed and grown since September 2011. Wow. I will miss them but they'll be right down the hall next year. :)

Speaking of summer, I'm excited to get away for 2 vacations this year! Scott, Brian, & I are taking a road trip down to Myrtle Beach to stay at their parents' new vacation home. We're excited  since we've never been there and haven't done a road trip outside of NY. I think it'll be fun. We are looking up all the fun restaurants and things to do there and I know I'm going to gain like 5-10 pounds just from all the great food (we are SUCH foodies and yummy drink fans) that I'm trying to lose a few before we go. Ha, easier said than done! Aside from MB, we'll be headed back to Disney again in August (practically our home away from home!) and I decided to go down a week earlier to stay at my mom's in New Smyrna Beach, FL and visit other family (my brother & his gang, Nanny, aunts/uncles, etc) while there, too. 

There's always so much to do and I'm so tired and worn out by the time I get home that I usually end up crashing on the couch or falling asleep earlier than normal lately. I've been neglecting my Instagram family (sorry gals, I'll be back soon!) and have been trying to just focus on what I really need to get done first. Technically blogging isn't on my "must-do" list but I was behind and I accidentally missed Piloxing class tonight because I thought it was at 6:30 instead of 6:00 (sorry, Jess!) and Scott is getting out later than expected tonight, soooooo I ended up with time to blog a little.

Sorry for the boring rant, lots to complain about and I feel stupid for complaining. I have a great job that I am super thankful for. It's just a busy and stressful time, and unfortunately most people do not realize it unless they work in a school. It's just too crazy to explain accurately in words.

Ok, done with this post and planning to dedicate the next one solely to the IG (Instagram) kindness and support I have found with our IF (infertility) struggle. Thanks for reading (or not, I only have 6 followers so it's hard to tell if people are reading or not). :) xo

Surgery Day!

We were up bright and early at 4:45 this morning for Scott's surgery!! . We had to be at White Plains hospital really early and luckily Dad lives 10 mins away (it's an hour and 15 from home), so we had a sleepover at Dad's to make the morning process easier... The surgery was scheduled for 7:30 and he was wheeled in right around the , so we were right on schedule! It's supposed to take about 2 hours or so, so we will be home later today.

Scott's getting varicocele surgery today (you can Google it if you're really interested so I'll spare you the fun & crazy details), and this is the next step on our path down the road of infertility. Dr. Werner (Scott's reproductive urologist) is amazing, so we know Scott is in good hands today!

Sporting one of my fav shirts today, "My husband rocks"... One of the best ways I thought I could show support. :) Dad took this pic and said "You're documenting your first step in baby making!"....We laughed and said "Well, for us it is!" Ha, you HAVE to have some humor while undergoing serious things. 

All of the staff was nice and friendly this morning. We were among the first people to arrive at the hospital since it was so early, and Scott kept smelling coffee. He wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything after 11 last night, and he loves coffee, so he kept joking with all of the staff because it's all he wanted and we kept smelling it!

Having the first scheduled surgery time is pretty nice because they were right on schedule for everything. The anesthesiologist was a funny guy too and told Scott he would be his personal bartender for the day; the IV was a nice white wine, and the happy drugs were a vintage 2013 bottle from the wine cellar just for today. Lol. He had us laughing and said our Dr was his urologist as well and did IVF also! I knew that was a good sign for us. :) Being present for the IV setup was creeping me out (I am NOT good around needles, even though it wasnt me- I kept shaking my foot and staring at the wall. Blah!!). So then they told me to give him a hug and a kiss goodbye (3 for good luck because that's our thing), I said "see ya later, alligator!", and they wheeled off down the hall.. I'm sure Scott knocked out prob seconds later.... It's just about 2 hours since they said he started, so it shouldn't be too much longer now until he is in recovery... Then we can head home and relax for the weekend. From here, we have to wait 4-6 months before taking the next step to proceeding with IVF. Hopefully the surgery will help get sperm production going, then in Sept & Nov we have to check and see if there are any recruits for a swim team! (Haha- best way I can put it in funny terms, sorry!) So after today, we sit back and relax for the summer because it's out of our hands at this point! But we are on the right path! :) 

One step at a time!

After today, Scoot's not supposed to carry more than 10 pounds for like 2 weeks. So this was the last he could do for a while, carrying my stuff upstairs to Dad's last night... Hehe

Dr. Werner came out to the waiting room himself to let me know everything went well and Scott was doing great. I got to go in and check on him in recovery for a bit and he will be good to go home soon. Because I am such a dork and we wanted to document all the big pieces of our journey, Dr Werner agreed to take a pic with me to celebrate one more hurdle! (Ignore the cheesy-face, I was very appreciative and happy we are done with this step!) Luckily, he was a good sport, too!! :)

Here's to lots of good vibes and some swimmers in the fall!! :) 

Xoxo <3

School is Cool... Hug a Teacher!

*~*Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!!*~*

This is one of my favorite weeks at school because we really feel loved and important. Sometimes Often being a teacher is hard work. Some view it as babysitting, a cake job where we work 1/2 the year and are overpaid. I can see how this would be thought of from the outside, but anyone who has worked in a school or is the family member of a school employee knows that this can't be further from the truth. Yes we have weekends, holidays, summers, and snow days off... and yes, it's a nice perk. But we work hard all year long, our work is not done when the school day is over, and our job is constantly changing due to state/district guidelines. We are always on our toes; you have to be ready for anything at any given time, there are so many unknown variables in each and every day. This makes it exciting because each day is never truly exactly like another.  We don't just teach academic skills all day; we teach manners, social skills, attend to injuries (physical and emotional), break apart "he-said, she-said" situations. Teachers do more than just simply teach.... This is one of my favorite quote-pics about the many hats of a teacher...

I do so much more than just teach. <3 

It's a wonderful job, it really is, despite all the stresses that surround it. It's a hard job but I love it and I can't picture myself doing anything else. Yes, summers off are nice... and summers off are well-deserved in my opinion. Not that I think it's more difficult than any other job, because that's not true, but every time the end of June rolls around, it's a much needed time to re-energize and rest before jumping in and starting all over again. So, this summer when you are cursing all of your teacher friends for having the summer off, remember this: many of them will still be working many hours (unpaid) searching for lesson plans and ideas, creating name tags and bulletin boards, and setting up their classrooms to prep for the new year. Nights and weekends are sometimes spent in the same manner- grading papers/tests, checking homework assignments, researching new websites and activities, and creating lessons and games. On most days, I don't leave school for at least an hour after the kids have left (by the time cleaning/prepping/checking emails/filling out papers/etc is done). It's more than just a babysitting service for the day, and I just wanted to bring awareness to that, especially this week. 

One last note... I almost forgot!! Our PTA always goes above and beyond to show appreciation of us at school, they're really incredible, but today I was almost in tears (of happiness) because of their latest idea. Recently during library classes, the kids had to write poems about a teacher or staff member in school, and these were collectively hung up in our long breezeway. EVERY staff member in the building was represented (office personnel, custodial staff, etc) and had a rhyming or acrostic poem hung up about them. Being a classroom teacher, I had a stack of poems that each student in my class (1st grade) wrote/illustrated about me. They were so sweet. I made sure to read each and every one of them this morning and they really brought a smile both to my face and in my heart. I have some difficult days with my class sometimes, and some days I really wonder if I'm making a difference... but reading their adorable little lines about me were so heartwarming, it was a great confidence booster. The special treat was that there were 2 extra poems from girls in upper grades (1 third grade, 1 fourth) who remembered and thought of me when doing this assignment. It was very special and I started my day on a great note. Words of appreciation are an easy way to my heart; well, besides food! ;) 

Thank a teacher... after all, you're able to read this because of one. <3