Sooo...any comments?

What is the story? When I ask for advice there are no comments. When I don't care either way I get 10. Is this reverse psychology from you all or what? The funny thing is this falls into a subject I have wanted to post on for a long time simply because it has intrigued me. When, why, and who comments on blogs.

When do I comment? I find it funny when people seem to fall in the pattern on commenting on one of my posts because I commented on theirs but if I don't comment on theirs there will be no comment. Does this happen to be coincidence or is this blog etiquette that I am not familiar with? Either way this is not an angry comment just an observation.

Why do I comment? I am they type of girl that leaves a comment when I feel like it, not out of obligation but because something struck me funny or because I wanted to just shout out some support to my fellow blogger. Not because I feel obligated to. So I should stop crying about not getting advice last post? Yep!

Whose blog do I comment on? Any and all that will let me that I find interesting. Nie Nie does not give you that option and it drives me crazy! But she also is able to safeguard herself from any negative comments that may come her way. I find it disturbing when you read comments and they are all negatively geared towards the writer of the blog-simply unnecessary. Yes I believe in free speech, unfortunately some people take it to the next level simply because they can, not even processing what they are commenting half the time and do it to drive traffic to their own blogs.

Why do I blog? Because I love it! I love this community that we have going on and really do appreciate all the support, insight, and comments. I love reading about all of your lives, getting updates on your kids, and feeling that I am not the only crazy in this universe. Cheers!

Should we stay or should we go? Advice please.

So Erik and I are debating selling our camper at the lake. We laid out our pros and cons.

Pros:


1. It is a special experience with our boys.

2. We have made many great friends at Tony's.

3. It is also a great way to keep up with friends that also camp there.

4. We all love the lake, especially when it is sunny and warm.


Cons:

1. Even though boys love it they are exhausted after staying out there due to later bed times, overload of activity, and there schedule gets thrown.

2. Extra expense of the camper and lot rental. Not to mention groceries, gas, etc. So changes that we want to make on our house tend to go on hold.

3. We don't have a boat so we don't have regular access to the water.

4. We love it when its warm, but get no use out of it when it is rainy and cold.

5. The maintenance of our home goes down over the summer and we are trying to win the battle of an overgrown lawn as well as a ridiculous amount of laundry.

6. Since we pay for it we feel like we need to use it and tend to not do anything else over the summer.



So you can probably see where we are leaning. Any thoughts to help a girl out?

So what, I'm still a rockstar...

The song by Pink is constantly going off in my head. Is this a sign that I am suppose to be a rock star or that it is time to throw the towel in on this dream? I do love me some Pink, if I was to be a rock star she maybe who I would want to be.


Regardless, a couple of updates. This past weekend we went and stayed with the Heer's (thanks again AJ for an awesome weekend). I did notice that she was very sad after we left. I mean after all having 5 children in the house 6 and under for a weekend can lead to depression the day after they are all split up. I have to say the kids were really good though. The dynamic when we get together with the Heer family is so easy. Kids like each other, adults like each other, and it is very relaxing considering that we are outnumbered by children.

On Sunday before the Super Bowl Erik and Bill took the kids sledding at this hill that provided the tubes and a "magic carpet" ride back up the hill so you didn't have to walk back up. They had a blast and I was jealous but us girls stayed back with the babies and enjoyed our down time and some chicken wings in ode to the Super Bowl. I am definitely in the next time they want to go. Pure genius if you ask me-going up the hill is when you start to lose the kids and the adult’s stamina.

We came home on Monday; since it was mildly storming the roads were horrendous. It took us 8 hours to get home; Erik drove between 40-50 the entire drive home. There were tons of cars in the ditch, semi's jack knifed, and troopers everywhere. We contemplated stopping multiple times but as long as you drove with the conditions in mind it was okay. I can never get over the jackasses that insist on driving like maniacs in bad weather, like the rest of us are being too cautious and 20 miles down the road you seem them stuck in the ditch. I started to take stock and saw that it was consistently college age girls and man over 40 in big trucks that thought they were invincible. Kids slept at least half of the drive because they were exhausted and I was finally able to breathe when we got off and the interstate.

This week have been preparing Valentines and getting used to Zoe again. Forgot how much work a puppy is while we were gone but I am also still happy with our decision to bring her on. She helps complete my rock star image. So who is your inner rock star? Do share.

Happy Belated Birthday Alex!

Oh how we love our Big Al! I am so grateful that we took the big step and added to our brood. I was on the fence if I wanted to take the infertility wagon and thank the Lord we decided to. We did infertility for one month that is all it took. Dr. Christianson told us that Alex should be the poster child for infertility because it was a turnkey process with him. We went in had our consultations, waited until I ovulated, took a couple of shots, and shazam I was pregnant.

I went online and purchased a bulk of pregnancy test strips (btw-best way to do it, it was like $13 for 15 strips vs. $15 a test). I was sure that I wasn't, I had taken all the tests except for one the Friday before Memorial Weekend. I kept one to confirm that I wasn't so on Tuesday when we got back from the lake I could call into the clinic and let them know we needed to start the process over. I went to take the test on Tuesday morning. The strip turned blue, I bet I turned white. I was thrilled! I called Erik in shock. Then drove to CVS to buy another test because I had uses all of my strips up. Sure enough I was pregnant.

If you have ever gone through any infertility you know that it just doesn't end there though. You go in for an ultrasound and blood testing every week until you are 12 weeks and passed along to your regular OB. So I went in and they told me that some of my levels were lower than the like to see so I was put on Progesterone to maintain my levels. After being on them for 9 weeks it seemed my levels were good so I started to wean myself off of the drugs a little (I am not one that likes to take medication for any reason). After my next appointment the clinic had called and left a message that my levels had dropped significantly and I was in the range of being at high risk for a miscarriage. I had forgotten my medication at the lake and I was hysterical. I drove out of Moorhead like a bat out of hell to the lake. I was pulled over on the I-94 and I was sobbing. The officer asked if I knew how fast I was going, I told him yes. He asked me why and I just blurted out the entire story. He walked back to his car with my license and registration, approached my window again and said very calmly, “I understand, my wife and I have gone through infertility. Try to stay calm, slow down, and take care." I will never forget what that officer looks like and how I felt that day. I was so terrified that I was going to lose this baby that I had desperately wanted for so long.

When Alex was born I noticed very quickly when they were taking him to be weighed, that he had a birthmark on his back. To me it is always a reminder that he could have pulled away from me and how I am so thankful that he stayed. He is truly a light in my life and my little miracle.

So Happy (Belated) Birthday Alex! You are LOVED! XOXO- Mom