Highs and Lows...

It's been crazy here since my last post. After getting home from the hospital with Ryan, Wayne and I both managed to get sick and are still recovering. Two weeks later and I'm finally feeling almost normal today...woohoo! Ryan is doing really well, and recovered very quickly after returning home, and Wayne is still coughing, but he's on the mend. I'm ready for all of us to be healthy!

I volunteered in Ryan's class for the first time a couple days ago. It was so fun and so exhausting! Fifteen barely 5 year olds can keep you on your toes. His teacher is a saint! I had groups of 5 that I did an activity with and had a hard time keeping track of them, I have no idea how his teacher maintains order all day with 15! Ryan was so sweet while I was there. He was a model student and came over to give me a hug numerous times, telling me he loved me each time. I was enjoying it, but that extra love from him made it even more fun and special. I go back next week, and can't wait.

Ryan also had his first soccer practice on Tuesday. It was hilarious. He did well physically but was really consumed by what was going on every where else on the field. His coach was great and really good at working with the little ones. I got a couple pictures that I'll try to post. We'll see if Blogger is my friend. Looking forward to tonight's practice and his first game on Saturday!

In other exciting news (What am I...a News Anchor now?) a cousin of mine got engaged over the weekend. We've all been waiting for it and I'm so happy for them. I'm already looking forward to the wedding, she'll be a GORGEOUS bride. Also, a close friend got two lines on a pregnancy test! (Congratulations again, if you're reading this!!) I can't believe the baby boom I've witnesssed over the last 18 months. Of my friends and family, she's the 24th pregnancy in that time period. Unbelievable, but so wonderful! Our little girl is going to have lots of playmates.

This post is titled highs and lows, so it's time to share the low. There's only one but it's such a big one it's overwhelmed almost everything else over the past couple weeks. My friend Jenna was diagnosed with Leukemia a week ago and is already in the hospital for treatment. It's been a whirlwind of doctors, diagnosis, emotions, stolen moments with her kids and family before heading to the hospital for treatment, and amazingly, strength and faith. Thankfully she has a huge network of support to help her through this, but ultimately she is the one who has to fight this battle. She's done it once before, when she was 14 she had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. I know she has the strength and spirit to do it again but I hate that she has too. Her first night in the hospital was really rough, but since then things have been better, and her spirits are really high. I'm so thankful that the chemo hasn't been as bad as anticipated and that her Mom and Dad are here to help her and her family right now. She's amazing me with how matter of factly she is approaching each day and how she's able to look towards December with hope and faith. Please add her to your prayer list.

Since this blog is labeled Fertilely Challenged, of course Infertility has to make an appearance. Many studies say that the depression felt by infertility patients is similar to that experienced by those facing major illnesses. During my months of treatment and loss I completely agreed with that statement. Fortunately, a positive pregnancy test, a heartbeat on an ultrasound and monthly OB/GYN appt's confirming that things are going well reduce that depression in leaps and bounds. The fact that I had to seek therapy to get through it, however, was a testiment of how rough it was for me. I lost my desire to do anything other than provide Ryan's basic needs. I became a shell of myself. I lost interest in life, I forgot how to laugh, and I barely remembered how to love my husband, family and friends....oh, and I had no love for myself. Jenna helped pull me through that. She made sure I got out of the house. She called to check in on me. She offered to watch Ryan numerous times. She helped me remember to live during a time where I just wanted to sleep. She didn't know exactly how I was feeling, because how can you if you haven't experienced something, but she did her best to let me know she cared. I only hope I can be that good of a friend to her over the next few months.

Don't forget your prayers.