The ins and outs of our family

I told the dentist that I couldn't even look in her mouth because there were small and giant teeth scattered everywhere! Yes, we're going to have to take a second mortgage out on the house for the orthodontist :)



Because of the unseasonably warm weather a couple weeks ago (not currently), we had a bonfire in the backyard. Tyler took down a tree (in the background). It was so fun!

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And the girls spent the night out in the tent with the dog all night long! Mom and Dad (us) didn't get much sleep, but they were safe with the dog and our window was open to the back the whole night. They had a blast. It was probably the last outing for the tent, and it was thoroughly enjoyed.



You're probably sick of the winking kid pictures. But he stacked all the blender wheat pancakes on his plate. See the white plate to the right? That's where they came from. It is just too cute.






Aunt Audrey came home!! What a joyous reunion.



Tyler and I got a "stay-cation" and Tyler's parents watched the kids for the weekend. I had been wanting to do dinner under a sheet tent for a long time and finally got to do it. Tyler came home by 6 on Friday night (never happens) we said a prayer, took two bites, took a picture, then Reid called and he did business the rest of the meal. C'est la vie.



Tyler is off on a business trip for the first time in over a year. It is SO weird not to have a husband that is travelling all the time. I was so used to it. And now I am not. But they are raising another round to fund the business which is really exciting. Their pitch deck looks amazing! I am starting to trust the whole entrepreneurial thing. It might just work.

The big appointment day

It is Tuesday morning that I am meeting with the Reproductive Endocrinologist. I feel really calm about it, but would appreciate your prayers.

I have gone pretty much Paleo - an organic/grass fed meat, seed, vegetable, berry diet. No milk, cheese, eggs, sugar, carbs. And for the second day in a row I have not had a bit of foggy headedness!! This is a huge step forward and I cannot tell you how elated I am with the results. I am running a 5K on Saturday, and I ran one this past Friday AND Saturday on the treadmill. I am sore today but I DID IT! My friend Michelle and I are doing some sort of Prevention Magazine workout this week. It's going to kick our butts and it is every day which will be a challenge. It is so nice to have a good friend to work out with. We just talk the whole hour we are on the treadmill or eliptical and the time passes so quickly.

Freeing

Okay, so I finally went private. And the way you post to the blog changed. So I'm just a little bit disoriented right now. I've been blogging since 2008. You can't just change the homepage for posting so quickly! Also, just because it's private doesn't mean you can't talk about what I say to others. It's just a way to screen out people. Tyler doesn't want us quite so "exposed," especially when he's been in the news and is trying to grow his company. I agree, the thought of his employees and potential customers knowing everything that is going on with our family is a little odd. And I am free-er to post what is on my mind among some trusted friends.

For those of you who read this blog with a reading service (like google reader) just use http://thepaxventures.blogspot.com. I will post with the link so you can easily know when it is updated.

I've been avoiding posting. I admit it.

I had my ultrasound as scheduled two Mondays ago. As soon as I saw the little pearls show up on the ultrasound around my ovaries I was met several thoughts that surprised me. The first was that I was right. Seeing these pearls is a classic indication of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) the leading cause of infertility in women. Did you know that 1 in 8 women suffers with some type of infertility?

The second thought was love. It may sound odd, but seeing those little circles I saw the possibility of all those little half babies! There were 9 little follicles on one side, and 17 on the other. Normal for that stage is under 10, but closer to the 4-5 range. PCOS range is up to 15. And I had 17 on my right side. That's a lot of little half-babies! My body has the capability somewhere to make those into eggs, even if it doesn't happen in this lifetime. It was comforting to see.

The other thing that has happened through this waiting period is trying to make myself as healthy as possible. Over the past several months I have been experiencing other weird health symptoms including depression, foggy-headedness, exhaustion, super dry skin, stomach upset, etc.

Some of those can be attributed to the hormones I was on from Jan-March. I am finally not nauseous all the time! Horray!

I have also been exercising and sweating on a regular basis for the first time since I was 14. 16 years ago!! my 5K has been postponed until May 6. Only this one has hills. haha

Also in an attempt to get healthy and get my head sorted out I have been seeing an acupuncturist. I first went to see her more than a month ago. She diagnosed me with something called Spleen Qi deficiency. Crazy, I know. But I needed help and support from someone other than my obgyn, and my friend Jenny really encouraged me. So I changed my diet, and along with the acupuncture have more energy and am feeling much better. Although some of the symptoms are still there, I want to find the ROOT CAUSE of my issues so that I can solve them if possible. The fuel of PCOS are sugar and carbs. So I am trying to limit those things as much as possible and have cut out all dairy and eggs. I think there is a diet that would really help me, but it will take a lot of time to determine what exactly it is. Until then I will keep experimenting.

The last two changes are more in the self-help realm. I read a book called, "Love What Is," and it was wonderful. It opened my eyes to who I would be without my worries, and I loved that person! I have also been reading my scriptures more often and take comfort that Jesus knows what I am going through and can speak to me through the scriptures. It is awesome!

My specialist appointment is May 1. I keep thinking, "What if I get pregnant before then?" or "C'mon, is this really necessary? You've had 3 already." But I am determined to find the root cause, and look forward to talking with a doctor who deals with my issues every day. He is supposed to be excellent, and I have had two recommendations for him.
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Family Happenings

Tyler- Really busy weeks. Kind of stressed, but for every stress there is something good that happens so I guess it balances out. He was named one of Crain Detroit's "20 in their 20's" which is awesome. We will go to a dinner for it in May.

Sarah- First blood test came out normal, ultrasound on Monday. Specialist appt. set up for May 1st. Continues to train for a 5k on April 21st.

Ava- Said today she is, "the goodest reader in her class." I wouldn't doubt it. She breezes reading the scriptures, which is about as hard as it gets.

Violet- Also wanted a reading lesson today out of the blue. I have kindergarten round up tonight for her. I don't have my act together to actually register her, but it will be nice to hear how they are going to organize full-day classes next year. She is imagination and coloring crazy. Very independent.

North-Is taking huge naps of late (uh oh, I JUST heard him after 3.5 hrs). I continue to work a little with him on making sounds, but he is much more interested in grunting and pointing. No longer cries when I take him to child watch at the gym!

Milo- Has taken up escaping again.

Easter and Spring Break 2012

We had a lot of fun over Spring Break. I got an amazing deal on swim lessons for the girls so we were at the gym M - Th. Afterward they said they didn't want any more lessons. Especially because Ava can swim by herself now. And Violet was cold the whole time.

We went to the Toledo Zoo, Ann Arbor and got some quality time in with uncle Jared who was visiting. I'm not a huge holiday person. But we did egg hunts on Saturday and Sunday. The kids did have fun. North has a huge sweet tooth, so he was in heaven.

Sadly, the sweet tooth has a dark side.

Why do I think these pictures are so cute?



Here are the girls at Grandpa's house.

Somehow the spacing on this picture turned out pretty sweet.

It was fun!