IVF, ICSI, hCG... What's it all mean?!

It's Thursday so that means I have time to blog because it's not our evening miss Faith. I'm still on cloud 9. I'm still so completely ecstatic. I'm still on top of the world. And do you know what that means? That means I don't want to go back to that time when we were going through chemo. Not today. Especially because the week that I will be blogging about next was a particularly bad week with chemo and with other things. So. I'm not going to do it today. I don't want to come down from this high (on life) I've got going for me.

So, instead I will blog about the different IVF options for us. I know a lot of you have questions or are just absolutely clueless about the whole thing and want to know more about it. Well, that's what this post will be about... AFTER I update you all on fundraisers of course!

There are only TWO days left to get in your Mary Kay orders!! TWO DAYS!! I need to pimp this out big time, because we get such a huge percentage of the sales (50%!!! READ 50%!!!). So, have you ordered yet? No? Get on it people! AND the person that orders the most gets a special surprise!!!
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Mandi-Gilchrist-Mary-Kay/320496594660914 or
http://www.marykay.com/mgilchrist04

The Easter cupcake event will be posted on Facecbook tonight! I am SO excited about it and I hope we get as many orders as we usually do! Remember, these are perfect for all the family gatherings that will be happening that weekend!!!

The Photography fundraiser with Jennifer will be in April. I will give you all a date when we decide on it!

The Cherry Berry Fundraiser is still a go for April 19!! Yummm!! How could you pass up participating in THIS one?!?!

And the inside scoop on our latest fundraiser that is still in the works... ZUMBA!!! We have found a location (PURE Entertainment) and it will be kid friendly! A date is still up in the air. But it's going to be HUGE!!

I think that's all I've got for today... So... On to an explanation of our IVF!!

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Please note that all of this is simply MY understanding. From research online and books and talking to what doctors we've been in contact with. I am not a doctor, so if I get anything below wrong, please know that is my fault and my misunderstanding. I'm no expert.... yet.... ;)



What is IVF?
Well, IVF stands for In Vitro Fertilization. Basically that just means they will remove my eggs, they will be fertilized (the eggs each go into a separate petri dish, then sperm is put in each dish. The sperm fertilize the egg), and then they will then be placed back inside me. We will then cross our fingers that those eggs stick, and then grow grow grow.

Is traditional IVF an option for us?
NOPE. Of course not. Because we are special and therefore the most simple form of IVF isn't special enough for us. And believe me, that doesn't make me happy. We have to have IVF with ICSI. And that raises the cost. Special = costly!!

What in the heck is ICSI?
Well, the actual name is intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Now you see why everyone shortens it, right? Basically it's when they (they meaning our babies' first babysitter... the embryologist) take each egg, one at a time, and then take a pipette and physically insert a single sperm into the egg.
This takes time and skill, and therefore it costs more. You can see why, right?

Why do we have to have ICSI?
Well, because we're special... I already said that!
No, really. We  have male factor infertility. You all know that. You also know that Danny's sperm was surgically removed from him. Because of this, the millions or sperm they collected aren't fully mature. So, they wouldn't be able to swim and then penetrate my eggs on their own. Therefore, they need to be injected.

So, how does this all work? What's the schedule/procedure like?
Ahhhh now it's time for me to get squeamish. Needles, shots OUCH OUCH OUCH.
~First, we will meet with the RE (reproductive endocrinologist, a fertility doctor) who will check all of my numbers/levels in my blood. He/she will also do a sonogram on me to make sure everything is shaped correctly and all that good stuff.
~Once we officially start the treatment (sometimes the RE wants to do a month of birth control first, to make sure the eggs are... well... I don't know. But I know this can be common!), it will start with shots, every night. Shots that I will have to give myself (or convince Danny to do... He is willing). These meds will encourage my follicles to grow and produce eggs.
~Once the sonograms show a good amount of eggs and they are the right size, I will get a shot that is usually called the "trigger shot" which will encourage ovulation (the release of the eggs).
~Before my body can release the eggs itself (thanks to the trigger shot), the egg retrieval will be done. The doctor will go in and suck the eggs out. I will be OUT so it shouldn't be too painful.
~Then my eggs are taken away and fertilized through ICSI and we wait for them to mature and grow.
~This is where IVF is different for some people. Some choose to have the embryo(s) tranferred on Day 3. My choice will be Day 5, once the embryo(s) has reached blastocyst stage. My reasoning is just that at that stage, you can really see how mature and healthy (I'm not sure if healthy is the appropriate word here, but you get what I'm saying) the embryos are, and choose the best to transfer. Also, some may not survive to the fifth day, and I'd hate to rush it and choose an embryo that won't survive. The success rates are generally higher with day 5 transfers. So, that's what I want!
~My body will have been prepped since the day of the egg retrieval, for the transfer. I will be given another medicine that will prepare my uterine lining, which will help the embryos stick when they are transferred.
~The day of the transfer, the doctor will choose the best embryos to transfer. Here locally they try to encourage a ONE embryo transfer if you haven't had any failed attempts before. To lower the risk of multiples. But, your chances are 50/50. And if we come up with the money once that doesn't mean we can come up with it again if it doesn't work. I'd rather have two than none. So, I will refuse a one embryo transfer. Yes, I know there are risks with twins. Yes I know I am a small person and carrying two would definitely not be easy. But YES I would still rather go through all of that, than have it not work at all. So, I will insist on two. And I will shout this to the world... THEY WILL NOT TRANSFER MORE THAN TWO. I am a healthy woman with zero previous pregnancies, miscarriages or failed IVF attempts. They will NOT transfer more than two. Period.
~So, the emrbyos are inserted into me, and they will HOPEFULLY stick. And then HOPEFULLY grow grow grow.

A week to two later, my blood work will be taken to monitor all the numbers (hCG) and see if I'm pregnant or not, along with sonogram(s) that will see how many are there and growing. Then, hopefully, we will see a heartbeat (or heartbeatS). We will THEN celebrate :)

Hopefully that didn't all confuse you too much, and it answered any questions you have. I didn't go in to too much detail, but if you'd like to know more just message/comment and I can recommend some amazing books and sites!

I will get back to our story on my next blog post! Promise!! Please continue to read and SHARE SHARE SHARE!!!

I AM breathing!!

I have so many updates for all of you!!!! So many so, that I don't think I will continue with our story today. Because we have THAT MANY updates. Including the latest health update from the oncologist appointment we had yesterday :)

This last four days have been absolutely HUGE in regards to our fundraisers and our future.

Friday I had my Pure Romance party, where I had a great turn out and not only got the normal (wonderful) hostess benefits, my wonderful friend Mel also donated 10% of the sales from the party to our IVF fund!!! So, we made almost $80 there. Just for hosting a party which gave me free product!!! So amazing!!! It was a ton of fun and well worth it!!

Saturday wasn't a big day for us but it was a fun day for me because I went and seen the Hunger Games... I tried to talk Danny into seeing it, but he decided he would rather NOT see it. Blah blah blah. I took my niece and her best friend who is like another niece to me. We had fun. And Danny didn't have to suffer through it ;)

Sunday... Sunday was SUCH a fantastic day!!!
The Cut-a-Thon at B-NV'd Salon for our IVF Fund was from 1-5 and we got there early to set up the food and get everything ready that we could help with. We had hot dogs, chips, drinks and cookies for sale. Hair cuts were $20 and massages were $5 for 15 minutes. Right at 1:00 people started coming in. People I didn't know. Some people I did. Almost everyone also bought food. There was a steady flow of people who came in during the entire time. A couple of times we had to make a list of people waiting for hair cuts because there was a bit of a wait due to a rush. Some people came in who didn't know us and didn't know the stylists, they just seen a repost of a repost of a repost on Facebook. THAT was amazing to see. Social media is a wonderful thing and it was touching to see people come in to donate who haven't been following our story but seen the fundraiser flyer and wanted to help.
Tonya was there with her Scentsy product and all the sales/orders from that day went towards our ongoing "party" so we got the commission off of them. And I'm not exaggerating when I say it's like the money was being thrown at us from every direction.
The grand total JUST from the Cut-a-Thon (minus the cost of the food/drinks) was $659!!!! That doesn't include the Scentsy that was sold either. We are still in shock by the number of people who came to support us and the amount of money raised.

I cannot thank everyone enough for all the help and support we've gotten so far. But I'm going to do a quick run through for the people that helped so much this weekend:
Mel, your idea to turn my fun party into a fundraising event was a great one and even though you didn't have to do it, we are so thankful! You're an amazing PR consultant and I'm glad some parties got booked off of my party so you can make some more money for yourself since you donated so much of my party to our fund!
To everyone who came out for a hair cut, massage, food or to smell the Scentsy scents... THANK YOU. Seeing the constant flow of people was heart warming. Family, friends, strangers.... We didn't expect such a big turn out and are still so happy that we have so much support from all around.
Aunt Nell, you are such an amazing person! Thank so so so so much for spreading our story and for coming up with the idea to have a cut-a-thon for us. Thank you for talking to your fellow stylists and please tell them thank you for us, for helping out! I'm including the massage therapist in this "stylist" category as well. You all worked so hard for us, on your feet the entire afternoon. You didn't have to do it, but we are beyond thankful that you did!!
Tonya, thank you for taking the time out of your Sunday to come and sit at the salon and take orders for our fundraiser party. It was great chatting with you all afternoon. Thank you for being so willing to help out with so much!!
To all of our family and friends (you should all know who you are!!), thank you doesn't cover the gratitude we feel for each and every one of you. Your constant support is astounding. Your ideas for future fundraisers, your participation in current/ongoing fundraisers, your love and kindness.... It all means so much to us. I cannot put in to words how wonderful it is to know we have so much love and support at all times, completely surrounding us.
Lyndsey, please know you are included in our family. You do so much for us that I cannot even sit here and list it all out, and I know that you do it out of love. We love  you so much!! Thank you doesn't begin to cover it... I just wish you'd gotten the massage I offered to pay for while you were up at the cut-a-thon!!
We are so honored to know each and every one of you!! We could never thank you all enough, but I hope you all know how much every thing means to us. The money is one thing and is obviously appreciated, but the kind words... the prayers.... the love and support. Those are all "things" that mean more to us than you will ever know!


Now that I'm sufficiently weepy, I may as well go on with the rest of today's post... I get to fill you all in on our wonderful day yesterday! We're still on cloud 9, and I want you all on cloud 9 with us!!!

Danny had a CT scan last week. I haven't blogged about the scare that occurred at the end of last year yet, but let me just say that we were nervous about this scan. It wasn't originally due until June, and it was supposed to be his "final" cancer related scan. There was a scare though, and because we were worried (Dr Johnson wasn't), the scan got moved up. So, last Monday Danny went in for lab work and on Wednesday he went in for his CT scan. Yesterday was the big "results appointment," which basically means I was so scared and nervous that my eye was twitching constantly and I couldn't sleep at all.
Yesterday Danny and I went to lunch, like we always do before his appointments at the cancer center. I'm pretty sure you could feel the tension in the air. We were both nervous and you could see it. Danny is great about trying to ease the stress and kept the subject on unimportant things like KU making it to the Final Four and so on. I only heard about half of it.
We headed to the cancer center and waited in the regular waiting room which was very empty considering it was a Monday. We both played Draw Something on our phones while we waited.
"This drawing is for Deena... would you be able to guess it?"
"Islands?" Well duh...
"Yes.. But WHICH islands?"
"Oh, are we calling those islands Hawaii?" Ha!! Smarty pants...
"We are... And I'm sure she'll get it..."
BBBzzzzz Bzzzzzz. Instant panic attack... I'm not ready for this appointment yet. I'm not ready to hear what he has to say.... Oh no...
We were taken back to our normal exam room and waited a few minutes for Dr Johnson.
"Babe... Breathe." I AM breathing!!
"I'm breathing just fine."
"It's going to be fine, okay?" Oh God, I hope so.
"I know it is."
Silence...
We both just stared at the pamphlets on the wall, waiting....
"Hello!! How are you guys?" Ahhhh NERVOUS is how we are.
"Great."
"Well that's always nice to hear!"
"Just hoping this really was my last scan...." Please please please.
"This was your last scan." What?? Does that mean the scan was clear?
"Oh yeah?" Yeah... what he said...
"Let's see here. The scan was absolutely clear. You do not need another CT scan." Oh thank you Lord, thank you!!!
"Well I went in for a colonoscopy at the end of the year and he wanted to do the PET scan, so I was hoping this scan would be good too."
"Yeah, I seen the results of all of that. It all looks great. And... let me look here... Okay he wants repeat colonoscopies every three years which is a good amount of time, and that will be lifelong." Thank goodness. That needs to be lifelong!
"That's great."
"But I will only see the two of you... four more times. Once every six months. Now, let's do the exam so you can get out of here." Four more times. We will only see Dr Johnson four more times. No more scans. No more dyes, no more barium drinks. This is the end. There isn't a light at the end of the tunnel, this IS the end of the tunnel. We can finally focus on us and our family and our future. Oh, FINALLY.
Danny and Dr Johnson were talking about hockey and the Thunder. I was in my own little blissful world.
"Okay, you both are free to go. I will just have the schedule mailed to you. See you in six months!"
"Thank you so much!!!!"
We walked out into the hallway and pushed the elevator button. I was still in my own little world when Danny grabbed my face and kissed me.
"We are done! We don't have to worry about any of this any more!" We are done. We really are.
I hugged him tight, and he reached down to wipe the tears from my face that he knew were coming...


We are done. We are done done done done done done done. NO MORE SCANS!! Have I mentioned that we're done?! Danny is CANCER FREE still. We have marked EVERYTHING off of our To Do list.

Thanks for reading today. I hope you enjoy being on cloud 9 with us!! Please remember to SHARE SHARE SHARE!!! :)

Okay, Negative Nelly

Ahhhh it's Wednesday and I'm JUST NOW getting a chance to blog. Really, I don't know how employed people find the time to do this day in and day out!! But I won't complain because I'd rather have a job than have nothing!
I'm having a hard time adjusting. My body still wasn't used to the new time change, and then this week I have been up early every day (earlier than I'd been up in MONTHS), so I've been absolutely exhausted. Last night I went to bed super early and I can finally say that today I woke up and didn't feel dead. The constant rain doesn't help my energy level though... Ahhhh okay, I'm done with my pity party!

FUNDRAISER UPDATES!!!!

My Pure Romance Party is this Friday! Looks like we will have a good turn out for it! Hopefully the orders really add up!!

The first Mary Kay order has gone in. You still have another week to order, so ORDER ORDER ORDER. Remember, this fundraiser is for THIS MONTH ONLY. And we get 50%!!! That's a HUGE percentage and we really want to take advantage of that!!!

The Cut-a-Thon is THIS SUNDAY!! If you're local PLEASE come out and show your support! $20 haircuts (by AMAZING stylists) and $5 15 minute massages! You CANNOT beat that deal! There will be food and drinks for sale and bracelets available as usual. We want this to be BIG BIG BIG!!

The photography fundraiser has been rescheduled for April. Once I have a date I will let everyone know! If you're interested but want to see more of Jennifer's work (the picture at the top of this page is by her, and the picture at the bottom of me kissing Danny's cheek and Faith laughing is also her work) let me know. I have HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS of pictures she's taken of us that are wonderful!

As always the Scentsy fundraiser is still open and on going :) I'm hoping that Tonya will even have a booth set up at the Cut-a-Thon but am just waiting on the okay right now! This is a great chance to come smell all the scents and buy items she has in stock already!

The Zumba fundraiser is slowly coming together but I don't want to share any details until it's all set in stone. But be sure to check back often so you can be in the know!!

That's all the fundraiser info I've got today!! ON WITH OUR STORY!!!!
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Danny's third chemo week was coming up and things at home were a little crazy. One of our new kittens had been sick basically since the day we got her and we spent many afternoons at the vet's office (two different vets) trying to figure out what was wrong and what to do to help her. I was stressed and upset and Danny was starting to feel worn down from the chemo. Our house wasn't a happy house.

Monday morning we decided we should call the vet again and see if we could get yet another refill on Dahlia's (my sweet sweet kitten) antibiotic. I did that while we ate our normal pre-chemo lunch together. When I hung up I was feeling optimistic.
"The lady said it sometimes takes a couple of rounds of it, so we can pick it up tonight."
"Okay. We will try to rush through chemo and then get Faith and run out there. They're open until six, right?" Ohhh it's going to be such a rushed night.
"Yeah, six."
We headed to the cancer center and Danny went back for labs. He was back quick and we headed down to the comfy waiting room to work on our puzzle.
"Another new one. I wish we could see one finished. We always get the beginning or middle and never get to see one all done..."
"I'm glad we don't. That would mean we are here WAY too much." Touche!
BzzzBBZZzzzzz What?!?! Already?
"That was REALLY fast."
"Yeah it was... Let's go." Maybe we really will get out of here quick.
We were walked back to the scales and Danny was weighed.
"You've put on a couple pounds! That's great!" That IS great! How is that possible when he is having to force himself to eat though?
"You must be a good cook!" ME?! Is she talking to me?!
"Ha!! No. Unless you count spaghetti or french toast. Neither of which he's wanted lately. So he's been dependant on cereal."
"Hey, whatever works." That's right. Whatever he can force down his throat.
We went into our normal appointment room and waited for Dr Johnson. We only waited about two minutes before he came in.
"Hey there! How are you feeling?"
"I'm doing alright." Just alright, though. Not great like he usually says...
"Any side effects? Tingling in the hands and feet? Mouth sores?"
"Cold intolerance for the same amount of time as usual, and I'm feeling kind of tired."
"Well all in all I'd say you're doing pretty good if that's how you're feeling. And you've put on a couple pounds and that bumps up your chemo dosage." There was something I wanted to tell him... What was it, what was it??
"He had heartburn last time, worst than the first time. It was pretty bad."
"Okay, I will go ahead and make sure they give the shot for that. Along with the higher dose. Let's do the quick physical...." A shot for this, a shot for that, a chemo pump. Blah blah blah. Poor Danny is getting stabbed so many times it's ridiculous... I could never do all this. Ever.
"Okay, everything is great. We will raise your dosage, add the extra med.... Any questions on anything?"
"Nope."

We walked down to the regular waiting room and decided to just wait there. The place seemed kind of empty. Sure enough, we were buzzed right away and taken to a chair that was open in the large room.
"Hey you two. Last name and birthday?"
"Crabb. Nine, one, seventy two."
"Okay, I've got everything set to go and have a machine ready for you. That will speed up the time you're sitting here for this part."
"That's really great actually, we need to get out of here before five today."
"We are running ahead and since you have the machine today, you should be out of here WELL before that. Don't worry." Well that's a welcome surprise...
The nurse walked off after hooking Danny up to his first bag, looked at his paperwork, and came back.
"You get these sheets every chemo week, right?" Yes but who can read those things?!
"Yeah but we don't really know what each number is..."
"Oh I'm sorry nobody has explained all of these to you. Here let me grab a pen..." Is there something wrong? If there was something wrong, Dr Johnson would've said something... What the heck!!
"Okay, this number is... normal is in this range over here and this shows that this number is normal.... This number..." blah blah blah blah blah. Everything has been in the normal range every time. Why is the paper bent? Why can't I see the numbers at the bottom?
"Okay, so now we're going to look at his cell counts... This number is low. It's not dangerously low where he'd have to be in the hospital or anything. And it's not even so low that he has to have the booster shot. BUT, that chemo is building up in him and this number will probably drop again after this week's treatment. It's low enough to be cautious." Be cautious? Hospital? SHOT?! What the heck did I miss here?!
"So... Cautious how? What's that number mean?"
"His ability to fight off infections is what is basically shown in that number. It's low so his body isn't going to fight everything off as easily as normal. He needs to be sure to stay away from anyone who is sick. I wouldn't be so drastic as to wear a mask in public, but I would be sure to use the antibacterial wipes on the cart handles at stores. Just be extra careful." Ohhhh geez.
"Okay."
"And since the dosage is higher this time, I will assume that number will definitely go down even more." Okay, Negative Nelly.
"I'll be careful."
"Okay, let's get your next med set up, your first bag is done." Wait, what? Already??
"That was fast..."
"That machine forces the fluids in more quickly than just gravity does." That's awesome!
"Well goodness, we need that machine every time then!"
"I'll do what I can." Oh that would be really great.
The rest of the treatment went by equally as fast and we were seriously out of there in record time. So fast, as a matter of fact, that we had time to get to the vet to pick up Dahlia's medicine before we got Faith from daycare. Faith was ecstatic that we made it in time to get her for the evening on a chemo day, and we were happy to be home and on a somewhat normal schedule for the rest of the night.


That's all I've got for today. I'm exhausted, in case  you didn't catch on earlier ;) Thanks for reading and please remember to SHARE SHARE SHARE!!

Fundraiser updates and a piggy bank

I am full of updates today!!

The "official" cupcake pick up was last night, and I LOVED seeing so many great friends and hearing all about how yummy the cupcakes were after they all left! The final total of cupcakes ordered was 660!!! That's a LOT of cupcakes!!! We, yet again, didn't expect such a huge amount of orders. And yet again, we had to invest more than we expected. We had to go buy more frosting yesterday because we ran out. We went ahead and ordered 200 cupcake boxes, instead of buying them individually, because the prices are going UP. And it looks like the profit from this event is going to be minimal. We are really thinking that we will need to charge more, per cupcake (or per dozen rather). At cupcake shops they charge $2 per cupcake on sale, and $3+ per cupcake normally. Dillon's and Walmart are cheaper, but the cupcakes there don't taste as good (per students that tasted our cupcakes on Wednesday). Also, these cupcake events are FUNDraisers. We are supposed to RAISE FUNDS. And we just really aren't. Not when you look at how many cupcakes are sold. I love a good deal as much as the next person (I really don't like paying full price for ANYTHING), but I also understand that things cost more when its a FUNDraiser. I hope our loyal cupcakers understand that. We know this may mean we get less orders. We just hope our friends continue to order!! We haven't decided what to change the prices to, but they will be changing!

MARY KAY!!!!
We need Mary Kay orders!! And, if you order the most this month, you will WIN something special. I know what it is, and it's AWESOME!! You want it!! So order order order!! I've mentioned before and will mention again, you don't have to use MK make up to order. There is so much more to Mary Kay than just make up!!!

The CUT-A-THON!!!
I know you've all seen the flyer... or should've, if you've been following! Well, there's a little something more to it now. First of all, there will be food there for purchase!! Beef hot dogs, chips, drinks and COOKIES. AND, for the part that should REALLY bring you all in.... 15 minute massages for $5!!! You canNOT beat that deal! Really! So, if you wanted to go but didn't want a haircut, now you have an excuse!! ;)

More cupcake updates
So the next cupcake fundraiser is for EASTER. And then May Day. And in June... well, in June I'm super excited. We will be doing a ZUMBA fundraiser (still need to find a location!) and along with it will be BRIGHT NEON cupcakes!!! Neon colors is kind of a Zumba thing, so we thought they'd go hand in hand. And what better way to burn off those calories than with Zumba?! Heck, I may just sit and eat cupcakes and let everyone else Zumba away and burn off the calories FOR me ;) No, I'm kidding. I love Zumba!!

SCENTSY
Don't forget, the Scentsy fundraiser is still on going!!!! There are lots of new scents this month! Go check out Tonya's site!!

CHERRY BERRY
This is a fundraiser that a lot of people are pretty excited about, myself included!! It is April 19, and 10% of profits from all sales AFTER 4pm (until close) will go to out fund!! Yes, we love delicious fundraisers!! :)

And.... for another fundraiser that is new.... CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS!! I know I know, it's MARCH. But, I'm a planner and so is my friend Jamie who is taking charge of this one! So, we've already got huge plans!!
We will be making personalized ornaments! You order them, we make them!! The idea is a clear glass ornament, with colored ribbon inside, and then your initial on the front. You can do one ornament with just your last name initial on it, for your family. OR you can do first name initials and get enough for your whole family!
We also will do the same type of ornament, but with cancer ribbons on the front! I of course am partial to the blue cancer ribbon, BUT I know how frustrating it is so not be able to find ANYTHING with your color ribbon on it, so we will do pink, purple, blue, orange, etc. Whatever color ribbon you need!!
We will also do snow man ornaments... clear ornaments with white filling and a snow man face painted on!
This is still in the early stages so we may add more ornaments to our options. If you have an idea for one, let me know! We are open to opinions and ideas!!


Now this is when I would normally go on with our story... but something came in the mail today that made me cry and I feel like I should share it with you all. So, our story will wait for today.

My cousin, Shana, lives in Mississippi. Her daughters are huge Monster High fans, as is Faith. So we are always shopping online and in stores and calling each other, seeing if any of the girls need the latest doll that is in stock, or a shirt that isn't available locally. Well, Shana found some adorable shirts for Faith and shipped them to Kansas. The box came today.
Our mail lady knocked on our door and then walked off, which always means there's a package.
I went to the door and seen a much bigger box than necessary for two shirts, looked at the name on the box and seen it was sent from Shana. I picked the box up, and it was heavy! It was DEFINITELY more than just two shirts!
I opened the box (while trying to push the dogs and cat away, they thought they needed to smell every inch of the box!) and immediately see a note on top.

 If you can't read it in this picture, it says:
I made this for you guys a few weeks ago just for a cute piggy bank. When I brought it home and told the girls what it was for they ran upstairs and emptied their piggy banks in it. Love you guys.

Yeah, so I wiped the tears away and dug into the box! First was the bag with Faith's shirts inside! They were adorable of course, and I went and put them in the "gift closet" where I hide all the stuff we buy for Faith until her birthday or holidays or until she really earns a special something. Then I came back to see the piggy bank!!
I stuck my hand under the bubble wrapped package... and realized I was grabbing something SHARP! I decided to be careful and grab the ends of the bubble wrap and pull it out that way... I slowly unwrapped the package and found what was once the most ADORABLE and AMAZING piggy bank of all time!! However, it was broken. Very broken. I took pictures of it all, before I unwrapped the bubble wrap, right after I unwrapped it. After I cleared everything away and tried to put the bank back together. Danny is the person in this house that fixes everything. He really does, EVERYTHING. He always has a solution. I needed to send him the pictures anyway, since the gift was for him too. So I sent them. And said I need him to fix it. His response? "That's not broken, THAT'S DEMOLISHED." He's very upset and wanted to know how it was shipped (usps) and vowed to do SOMETHING about it. He will try to fix it of course, but he's also going to contact whoever he needs to. I also of course sent pictures to Shana, along with a THANK YOU THANK  YOU THANK YOU because it still means so much to us, even if it arrived in pieces.
I also need to add that those sweet girls really know how to save up their change!!! Look at all of the change they donated to our fund!!

Now, I took a picture of the piggy bank once I got it pieced back together myself. It didn't stay, because I have no idea where any glue is in the garage. But here it is. Shana said she will make another one if we can't fix this one. But Danny is going to try. And I LOVE it. I can't say enough how much I love it. So, I will share it with you...

Amazing, right? I love it. Even though it's broken. I can't wait to see it once Danny puts it all back together!!! Thank you again Shana, and thanks for raising such thoughful daughters!! They're such a gift!!

That's all I've got for today!! I do have some other special news to share really quick though... I AM NO LONGER UNEMPLOYED starting next week!! Woohooo!!! So, I will try to blog just as much as I do now, if not more!! Hopefully MORE!!! :)

Thanks for reading everyone!!!

At least he listened to me...

Good Monday Morning!!

The cupcake event is going and going well!! We didn't get as many orders as we did for Valentine's Day, but I'm hoping the Easter Cupcake Event next month will be the biggest yet!!

Have you placed your Mary Kay order yet?! If you plan on ordering, send Mandi a message on Facebook and let her know what you want. And if you need to wait a couple weeks before you order, just let her know! :)

If you're my friend on Facebook, you've seen the big YUMMY news. If not, I can finally tell you!!
The CHERRY BERRY FUNDRAISER!! Yumm!! Cherry Berry (at Central and Maize) is donating 10% of their sales on April 19 from 4-10pm to our IVF fund!!!! So, come on out and enjoy some fro-yo!! Bring the kids! Bring some friends!!

If you are on our Facebook, you've also seen the details on the Cut-A-Thon! I will update the fundraiser page later but here's what you need to know:

Please feel free to share my post on Facebook, save this picture and share it yourself, email it to your friends, etc. We want it to be HUGE!!

I think that's all the updates I have for now... On with our story!!

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The night of the second chemo treatment wasn't as easy as the first time...
"What do you want to eat babe?"
"Nothing sounds good. I could really go without dinner tonight." What?! Seriously?
"You have to eat dinner. You can't just skip a meal!"
"Nothing sounds good." Too stinkin' bad!
"I'm sorry, that stinks. But you HAVE to eat. If you don't, you're going to get sick. Maybe you can just snack around or something. But you have got to eat!"
"Well then I will just have some cereal." Better than nothing.
I made Danny a bowl of his favorite cereal and set it down in front of him. He ate two bowls.
"So, I guess Cinnamon Toast Crunch tasted good even if it didn't sound good?"
"It was okay." Okay?!
"You had TWO bowls!"
"You said I had to eat!" At least he listened to me... This time...
We sat around watching tv for a while, and then the night got worse. Danny looked miserable.
"What's wrong? Do you feel sick?"
"Heartburn." Oh great.
"Well, I think we may have something for that. Let me look." I got up and went through our medicine cabinet as fast as possible. He really looked awful. I came up empty handed.
"Okay, I was wrong. We don't have anything for it. Do you want to go to the store and get something for it?"
"No, I will call the doctor tomorrow and ask what I can take." This sucks.
"Okay..."
That night before bed, Danny rolled up the chemo pump and put it above our heads on the bed again. And yet again, we both slept like absolute crap. I KNEW the sound I kept hearing every minute or so was the pump, but that didn't stop me from checking my phone. It all sounded the same!

The next morning we both woke up groggy.
"Did you sleep okay? Is the heartburn gone?"
"I don't feel like I slept at all. But the heartburn is gone." Thank goodness!
"Well, that's good news then. You should still call the doctor though, so you know for next time."
"I will call sometime this week." What a procrastinator!
"Whatever. Now, let's stop at Quik Trip before work. You need some hot chocolate or something to drink."
We then went about our day like it was any other day. Off to work. Then home and Danny headed to school. By the time he got home I was ready for bed and he was getting ready for bed too.
"Did you eat something on your way home?"
"Well no." Ohhh no.
"Well then go eat something now. You're not skipping dinner!"
"Okay MOM." Whatever.
"Someone has to take care of you and make sure you're eating!! Did you eat lunch?"
"Yes, and I ate during my morning break and my afternoon break." Surprise surprise.
"Well that's great. But you still need dinner."
"Ugghhh." Love you too, punk!

That night was full of tossing and turning again, but we both woke up happy that it was finally Wednesday! No more pump! And it was our day with Faith! We couldn't ask for more!!
That night after we got Faith, she asked me about her Daddy, again.
"How many more chemo's does Daddy have left?"
"Well, he just got done today with his second session. So, he's only got FOUR more before he gets a little break."
"Four. Okay. And then three. And then two. And then one! And then I won't have to miss any days with you guys for a while?" Awwww.
"That's right baby. We are really going to try to hurry up the nurses from now on, too. So we can still get you on chemo days."
"Oh GOOD, because I miss my Daddy those days. I miss you too. But I really miss my Daddy."
"He really misses you on those days too. Being around you makes him feel a lot better, so he really needs to see you those days. And I need you to help me make sure he eats! We have to tell him over and over again sometimes."
"Because he doesn't listen?!" Ha! Right!
"Not when it comes to eating dinner those nights!"
"I will help you. He will eat for both of us." He better!!




Please continue to read, follow, and SHARE SHARE SHARE!! Thanks everyone!!

Fundraiser updates and KONY 2012!!!

Updates updates updates!!!!

We haven't gotten ANY Mary Kay orders other than previous customers that wanted to help out! I just want to throw out there that Mary Kay isn't just about make  up. I'm picky about mine and use specific brands. But I still order Mary Kay! Their eye make up remover is AMAZING! And I've heard wonderful things about their sunless tanner. So I will be buying that (skin cancer scares me, especially considering my ignorant teen and early 20's [pre-wedding] years when I fake baked, ahhh!!). They have lotions, bath stuff, ohhh so much!! So, check out the website! And ORDER! We get a HUGE percentage of the sales for this fundraiser!!
http://www.marykay.com/mgilchrist04
(http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mandi-Gilchrist-Mary-Kay/320496594660914)

Now, we HAVE gotten orders for our CUPCAKE event already!! Woohooo!!! If  you purchased last month, be sure to check out the Facebook Event page, because there have been some changes. Also, you get to see all the pictures there! The cupcakes are DELICIOUS, so be sure to order lots and lots! ;)

The Scentsy Fundraiser is still going, so be sure to check out the Fundraiser page to the right for that link and the info on EVERYTHING else.

There's also a brand new fundraiser in the works!! I don't want to spill the beans before it's all set in stone, but a lot of work has already been put into it and I'm SUPER excited about it!! One hint... it is going to be DELICIOUS!! :)

That's all the updates I have today I think.... Normally I'd go on with our story now. But not today. Our story is on hold while I talk about something else. Please continue reading below!
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Now, on to something that is very important to me today...

 It is important to me TODAY because yesterday at this time, I didn't know who the heck Kony was. I seen some posts yesterday afternoon on Facebook, but didn't watch them. Well, Danny and I watched it last night before bed and I vowed to do ANYTHING to help. So, it is important to me today, and will be every day until that awful scumbag is caught and justice is served.

I can't go to Africa and help. I don't have a ton of money to spare while we are focusing on our own things. But we WILL be donating monthly to Tri. If you've seen the video and know all about it, and want to donate as well you can do so here:
https://www.stayclassy.org/checkout/donation?eid=14711
If you donate $15 monthly, you'll get a free action kit. It's worth it and is what we will be doing!

Now, if you don't know about Kony and haven't watched the YouTube video, I will tell you a little about it.
First of all, I know a lot of people from other countries think that the US butt in too much and too often and it's not necessary. I'm not going to get into that, but I will say that it is ABSOLUTELY necessary that we butt in with this. It is absolutely atrocious what is going on. And it's ridiculous that Kony has yet to be arrested. I wish more countries would stick their necks out and help out as well. I know there is support for this project world-wide. I wish the other governments would listen to their citizens! This is a project that will make the world a better place. This doesn't benefit us financially. It doesn't benefit us at all. It benefits those in Africa who can't sleep at night because they fear this man. It benefits the people who have been hurt and captured by him. It benefits the families of those murdered because of him.

Now, I would explain everything on my own, but the words on invisiblechildren.com say it better. So for a brief histoy on this war, I'm copying and pasting straight from their site. (NOTE: I did not write the following, I didn't even KNOW about it until last night. Credit to invisiablechildren.com)

A history of Africa's longest-running armed conflict

In 1986, Yoweri Museveni gained the presidency of Uganda. Alice Lakwena, a woman from the Acholi tribe in northern Uganda started the Holy Spirit Movement (HSM) in opposition. The group recruited followers and forged alliances with rebel militias with the intent of entering Uganda’s capital city, Kampala, and freeing the north from government oppression. The Holy Spirit Movement had regional support, but regional support only. When Alice Lakwena was exiled, there was no obvious person to take over leadership of the Holy Spirit Movement.

Joseph Kony

Joseph Kony claimed to be a distant cousin of Alice Lakwena’s and the natural successor to lead the Holy Spirit Movement. Soon after Joseph Kony assumed management of the group, he changed the name to the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA. Joseph Kony wasn’t able to maintain the group's number or regional support, so he started stealing food and abducting children to fill the ranks of his army. Subsequently, he lost any remaining regional support. What had started out as a rebel movement to end the oppression of the north became an oppression of the north in itself.
Joseph Kony’s tactics were—and remain—brutal. He often forced children to kill their parents or siblings with machetes or blunt tools. He abducted girls to be sex slaves for his officers. He brainwashed and indoctrinated the children with his lies and manipulated them with his claim of spiritual powers.
At the height of the conflict in Uganda, children “night commuted.” That is, every evening they would walk miles from their homes to the city centers. There, hundreds of children would sleep in school houses, churches, or bus depots to avoid abduction by the LRA.
Kony and the LRA abducted more than 30,000 children in northern Uganda.

The ICC indicts five LRA commanders

In 2005 the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Joseph Kony and four of his top commanders: Dominic Ongwen, Raska Lukwiya, Okot Odhiambo, and Vincent Otti. Of those, only Kony, Ongwen, and Odhiambo remain at large. Raska Lukwiya was killed in combat with the UPDF in August 2006 and Vincent Otti was killed by Kony in November 2007—reportedly for wanting Kony to sign the peace agreement, a stance that Kony considered a betrayal.

Juba Peace Talks

In 2006 the LRA indicated an interest in peace negotiations. They were held in Juba, Sudan (now South Sudan), and dubbed the Juba Peace Talks. Meanwhile the LRA set up camp in Garamba National Park in northeastern Congo. In August of 2006 a Cessation of Hostilities agreement was signed by the LRA and the government of Uganda.
The talks took place over the course of two years. Joseph Kony sent a delegation to negotiate on his behalf, but when the Final Peace Agreement was ready to be signed, Joseph Kony failed to show up—five times.
Throughout the peace talks, and in retrospect, it is suspected that Joseph Kony never intended to sign the Final Peace Agreement. Instead, he possibly entered peace talks as a means of resting and regrouping. The entire time that the LRA was involved in peace talks they were provided with food, clothing, and medicine as a gesture of good faith. It now seems that the LRA was gathering its strength and stockpiling food.
There is also significant evidence that Kony ordered his fighters to attack villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during the Peace Talks.



There is more info at invisiblechildren.com, I just copied a few sections over here. Feel free to go to their site and learn more! Now for how I feel....

Joseph Kony is the number ONE wanted man on the Internal Criminal Court's list... That list is full of well know war criminals, etc. Most of them I had heard of many times. But that number one person was a strange name I'd never seen. Never heard. Until last night. Until I watched the YouTube video. How has this man gotten away with all of this without catching world wide attention? He definitely earned that top spot on that list, and yet most of the world had no idea who he was?! Well, it's time to change that! If you haven't watched the video, I encourage you to do so.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Y4MnpzG5Sqc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Now, I encourage you to DO something. Spread the video around. Order a kit. Donate. Talk about this war to someone who doesn't know. Write or call your government. Encourage them to DO SOMETHING, or if you're in the US, encourage them to CONTINUE doing something. We need to stay and help! We need to continue with our intelligence missions there, we have the means to do so! How would those in Africa do all of this without help?! THEY NEED US. And now it's time to step up and DO SOMETHING.


That's all for today. My next post will be back to my normal posts, but I had to put this one out there. Please continue to read and SHARE!! :) Thanks everyone!!


 

I wonder if she sees that smile on his face...

Time for a new post!!

I hope everyone is staying safe from all the crazy storms we've had lately! Our hearts and prayers go out to all those who have lost friends and family and also to those who have lost their homes. I absolutely cannot imagine going through anything so awful.

The Mary Kay fundraiser is off to a great start!! If you'd like to order, there is now a page to the right that talks all about our current fundraisers, and the links are over there!

The St Patrick's Day Cupcake fundraiser is also starting. The "trial" cupcakes have been made, taste tested (by Danny and I, they were delicious!) and photographed. We will make an Event page on Facebook later with the prices so the orders can begin!!
And while  I'm thinking about it... I have the total for the Valentine's Day Cupcake total profit.... The grand total was $365.64!!!!!! We didn't expect such a huge number and we are so happy with that turnout. Also, that Cupcake Event was an investment event. We bought enough supplies (not any supplies that will go bad!) to last us through St Patrick's Day and maybe even into Easter. So the St Patrick's Day Cupcakes will give us more profit than the Valentine's Day Event did, if we get lots of orders again! I'm hopeful!!

The other fundraisers will be happening soon. It's finally March, it's Colon Cancer Awareness Month, and we have so many fundraisers planned!! The Cut-A-Thon, the J. Crisler Photo fundraiser, the Pure Romance Party. Ahhh I'M SO EXCITED!!!!

I will be updating more as soon as I get any more information regarding any of the fundraisers :) Now time for our story!!
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It was Monday again. Chemo week. We woke up that morning absolutely dreading the day. The one part I wasn't dreading was lunch. It didn't matter where we ate, what mattered is that we'd get to eat together. The one good thing about chemo days!
Danny picked me up from work and we decided to eat at Taco Tico. It was close to the cancer center, and they were fast.
Danny ordered his food and a HUGE drink, full of ice.
"I've got to drink it now and enjoy it. Since I won't be able to in a few hours." My poor husband.
"At least your appetite is still great."
"Yeah. Everything else is normal." Nothing is normal now... With chemo and cancer constantly on the mind!
We finished our lunch and headed to the cancer center. An appointment was scheduled with Dr Johnson before chemo, after a blood draw/labwork for Danny. So, we got the pager and stayed in the regular waiting room until Danny was called into the lab, and then we went down to the awesome waiting room. We started in on a different puzzle.
"I guess other people finished the last puzzle since we were here last time."
"Yeah, they've all got plenty of time to work on it. Waiting time averages what? An hour?" More than that, last time.
"I hope we don't have to wait as long this time."
We messed with the puzzle, enjoyed each other's company. We also snacked on some Jolly Ranchers that were set out in dishes all over the waiting room.
BzzzzzBBZZZZZZzzzzzzz.
"Oh look, I didn't even have to complain this time for it to go off!"
"See, complaining doesn't guarantee you'll get your way. Sometimes you'll get your way without complaining. Are you taking notes?" Oh he's so funny... Not.
"Shut it, jerkface!!"
We laughed as we walked down the hall to the regular waiting room, and some people stared. I didn't care, we were making the most out of chemo days by still having fun and joking with each other.
"Hello Mr Crabb. How are you feeling?"
"Just fine." And I hope hope hope it stays that way!!
"Step up so we can get your weight. Okay. Great. Right this way."
We sat in a different exam room, and waited for less than five minutes for the doctor to come in.
"Hello you two!"
"Hey."
"So, you've got one chemo session under your belt. How are you feeling?"
"I'm really feeling great." Thank God.
"Any side effects that we talked about?"
"The cold intolerance. Carbonation in pop also bothers me."
"The chemo can make your throat raw, which would be bothered by the carbonation. This type of chemo med causes heart burn easily, and even if you haven't noticed it yet it could still be there. Those acids damage your throat. So, drinking pop won't hurt anything. It's just your comfort level. If you feel like you need pop and can handle the pain, that's perfectly fine." Danny always thinks he needs pop!
"Okay, great. I did notice that the cold intolerance stopped before this last weekend."
"Hopefully it stays like that for you. Some people have the side effects for longer and longer with each session. Others don't. I'm hoping with your otherwise great health, you'll be fine with the side effects and they won't last as long. Also, the break for radiation and then the month long break after that, will help, too."
"Great."
"So, do you feel any tingling in your hands or feet?"
"Nope."
"None at all?"
"None at all, whatsoever."
"Well that's great! Okay, let's do a quick physical exam."
He felt Danny's incision area and also looked at the port area. Listened to him breathe.
"Okay, everything looks great. I looked at your labwork
"Okay."
"Do you have any questions on anything?"
"Nope."
Oh, he's looking at me now.
"I don't have any right now."
"Okay, well I'll walk you two out. And you should be called back for chemo shortly." Shortly! HA!!
We headed back down to the good waiting room and went back to our puzzle. And yet again, Dr Johnson was right. The pager went off quickly and we marched right back to the main waiting room.
"Right this way, I'll get you set up in your chair and then grab a chair for your wife." Grab a chair for me? We don't get the individual room again? Dang it....
We walked into a large rectangular room. On each side of the room were rows of recliners. In front of most of the recliners was a chair, filled by a spouse or other caregiver. Above the recliners were also cabinets. One nurse was getting into one as we walked in and I seen stacks of blankets. Everywhere I looked, people looked miserable. The people in the recliners. Their caregivers.
We do not belong here. We don't fit in. We aren't miserable. We aren't unhappy.
"Here's your chair Daniel. And I'll grab you a chair." At least his seat looks comfy. Here comes mine, and it definitely doesn't.
"Here you go. So, your nurse will be right with you."
"Thanks."
I am pretty sure I can feel the misery from every one else leaking into me. Just being in this room makes me feel down. I want our own personal room back!!
"Hello!! Daniel?" Oh, look!! A smile!! Someone in this room ISN'T miserable! Finally!
"That's me."
"Can you tell me your birthday?"
"9-1-72."
"Great, just have to make sure we're giving the meds to the right person is all. I will be your nurse today. Time to get you all hooked up." I wonder how long it'll take this time to get to the meds. The fluids seem to take forever.
Danny took his over shirt off and moved is undershirt over.
"Oh, you didn't need any numbing cream?"
"No, it's fine."
"Okay, here it goes. One, two... three."
"OUCH!!" I wonder if she sees that smile on his face...
"Oh I'm so sorry!!!"
"I'm just kidding. It didn't hurt."
"Oh geez." She sort of swatted at him, playfully. "Today is going to be a fun day, isn't it?" She's catching on. I like her!!
She looked at me, "Does he always act like this?"
"Yep. Better get used to it."
"Well, that's okay. We could use some fun in this room." YES YOU COULD!!
The rest of the afternoon (which turned into early evening) seemed to go by quickly, but we still didn't get out early enough to get Faith from daycare. I knew this was bothering Danny because he couldn't make up that time or switch days, because he had school on the other days.
"Maybe we should start telling them we really need out of there earlier. There's enough time. If they'd just pay close attention to when it's time to switch the bags, and have the pump ready, we'd be out of there in plenty of time to get Faith." He has a point...
"Yeah, that's true. Maybe we should try to catch their attention when the bag runs out, or gets close to running out. Instead of waiting for the beeping of the machine to start."
"We'll have to do that... Now, let's get home so I can have some warm tea. Ugh." Poor Danny. Cold intolerance sucks!!!


That's all I've got for today. Please follow and SHARE SHARE SHARE!! Thanks for reading!!!