One year later....

On April 24 our little miracle turned ONE!
I can't believe a whole year has gone by and now I'm already back to work and missing every moment at home. But he is thriving at his great home daycare that is just around the corner from our house and meeting new friends. He comes home with messy hands and paint covered clothes--a great indication of a day well spent! His precious artwork gets hung up on the fridge and when I got my first "Ethan-made" mothers day card I felt a small tug of joy in my heart that I would be getting one of these every year. At the end of the day after tucking E in, I put my card up on the mantle and it made me realize just how lucky I am to be this lil man's mom. 

And then I got another small tug in my heart..full of sadness for all the ladies I've met online and through these blogs, those amazing ladies who have yet to fulfill their journey to mommyhood. I can't forget how sad the holiday of Mothers Day can be when you are still counting out cycles, measuring out meds, taking temperatures and bloodwork and peeing on sticks that never produce that silly second line you pray for. 

I keep all you ladies in my heart and still log on to follow your journeys while I can--I'm excited when I hear someone's BFP (Big Fat Postive) and heartbroken when those embies just don't stick. I can only hope that one day your miracle will come your way as well.

It is the simple things in my day--like a painted handprint card-- that make me ever so grateful for becoming a mom. Of course, like many women who struggle with infertility, I never forget our journey and already have many people asking us when we are going to have another. It's a difficult question, especially when the person asking doesn't know that Ethan was conceived through IVF. We are extremely lucky that we have nine top grade embryos sitting in the freezer so our next cycle won't be as invasive (or expensive) as our first--but I also know the success rates of frozen embryo transfers as well as the fact that while it is significantly cheaper it is still $700 a cycle (not including meds which can be up to $3000). 

For now my hands are full with my rambunctious one-year old who  everyday makes me smile.

The following pics are of a recent trip we took to our fertility clinic in London (a three hour trek from where we now live) for Ethan to meet the man behind it all. Dr. Power will forever hold a special place in my heart and not only for helping me become a mom. He is the same doctor that saved my life in 2001 and I can truly say I wouldn't be here today without him.  

It was a great moment for mommy. 

                             Ethan meeting our fertility doctor with lots of smiles and giggles.

When we started our fertility journey I snapped a picture of myself in this exact spot to document our clinic...what a great feeling to snap another pic with my lil munchkin in it!