Year in Review: 2013

My running shoes

 I am not big on looking back but this year seemed like one to review. A lot of really important stuff happened. We got pregnant, we had our 10th wedding anniversary, and we both turned a whole year older than before. Ha Ha. Here are the highlights of 2013.

Nothing of great note took place during the first part of 2013.

I started running and working out on a regular basis with one of the woman in my ward in early February. We would lift weights at her gym, run the trail behind my house, and twice a week we would complete a workout video together. Sometimes we would sit in the hot tub afterwards. I started dropping weight and losing inches.

 Andy and I also changed the things and the ways that we had been eating. We were detoxing from our previous on-the-run lifestyle of the past years. I started finding my way as a stay at home wife and Andy started to have success in his profession. He wrote a new code that was well received by his company and started collaborating on papers with fellow co-workers.

I went to Utah in February with a friend. I was able to go back to Logan and check on our condo as well as see my old office and co-workers. While I was there I met with an herbalist who gave me some really good advice. She suggested that I learn more about hypothyroidism and made some other suggestions regarding my health. At the time I thought she was a total crackpot but once I got home I did some research and found out that she was very knowledgeable and spot on. 

Andy and I settled into a nice comfortable routine. We worked during the week and went and saw local sites on the weekends. I started volunteering with the church and with a local organization called Survivors of Torture that assists displaced torture victims and asylum seekers from war torn foreign countries. The work that Survivors does is truly important and it was nice to play a tiny part in it.

Us at a Survivors Event

Because I was feeling so good and felt that I was making a lot of personal progress on my goals I decided to reopen the infertility door. In April we went to Reproductive Partners the top IVF clinic in San Diego and one of the best in the state of California. It was not cheap, but we felt like it was time for some answers. As many of you know I have undergone two separate fertility related surgeries in our quest to have a family. The first was in August 2011 where a large mass was removed and the second was in May 2012, where my right ovary and fallopian tube was removed out of necessity. I had taken all sorts of drugs, some turned things off, and some turned things on, and others well, they just made me crazy.


 After speaking with the doctors at UCSD and undergoing their tests we were advised that our best option was IVF but we could try a round of Clomid first if we wanted. The prognosis was poor, the treatments were invasive and they would be expensive. In short, we could keep chasing the rainbow, but it was going to cost us. I will never forget sitting in that doctor's office as she explained all the reasons she felt were contributing factors to our inability to conceive. It was so hard to hear them listed out like that. She basically stated that I could get pregnant but due to the scaring and other factors I was unlikely to stay pregnant. Without significant medical intervention I would miscarry. It was hard to hear.

Us on Andy's Birthday

We left the clinic with more information and questions than we had before. In a totally uncharacteristic move for us we decided to ignore the problem and stop giving it so much power over our lives. I changed my prayers from "please Lord allow... and/or grant..." to "please Lord help me to accept..." and life continued on. 

As we pondered what to do we found out that Andy's work was dropping the infertility portion of his health insurance in July and if we wanted to keep that coverage we would have to pay for it out of pocket. This was disappointing as having coverage had played a part in accepting this particular job offer.

In May Andy turned 32 years old. He got a fancy new razor and I made his favorite dinner BLT's light on the Lettuce and heavy on the Bacon. I even made him his own cheesecake.

Our tree 10 years later

 In July we traveled to Utah to visit relatives. We spent a few days camping with my family in Dry Fork Canyon a few miles outside of Vernal. While we were in Utah we were able to see both sides of the family and visit the spot that we had gotten engaged at 10 years earlier. The tree that Andy carved on is still standing and our initials are still clearly visible. It was so nice that we were able to find the spot again and take an updated picture ten years later. Things have changed considerably since that time so finding the tree was no small task. It was a nice moment.

This trip was especially poignant as Andy and I were both keenly aware that life for others was moving on and we were getting left behind. It was hard to see nieces and nephews getting married and having children. As we drove home from Utah we decided that we should seriously pursue adopting a child. Neither one of us felt good about undergoing more medical treatment with no guarantees that any of it would work at least with adoption we would end up with a child.

Baby Spencer's 1st photo

Upon returning from Utah I went to see a new doctor who specialized in metabolic disorders. We had just shared my entire medical history from A-Z when she casually mentioned she wanted me to take a urine screen as I was a new patient and it was her standard procedure.(You can read more about this in my post entitled "Patiently Awaiting PieDay 2014)

We were pregnant!! It was hard to believe and truthfully I didn't believe it until the first ultrasound in August from that point on the pregnancy became very real and I became very scared that I would miscarry. I could hardly sleep and I could barely eat anything. At the next checkup I told the doctor about my fears and some of my symptoms. She was very sympathetic and helped me deal with my anxiety by giving me information so I felt more empowered. I was then told that my dizzy spells were pregnancy related and it would be best if I did not drive unattended. (This basically meant I could no longer drive since Andy works during the day when I would be driving) Luckily, various ladies from Relief Society were willing to help me and for their assistance I will be eternally grateful.

Desree and her kids come to visit

Andy the Surfer

In August my best friend Desree and her kids came to visit us on their way home from Disneyland. It was so much fun seeing them again and being able to show them around town. They are the first people who have come to visit us since we moved here in August 2012.


 Andy went to Japan in September for work for a week. I was invited to go with him but in light of the pregnancy we decided I would stay home. I think this was a good choice because Andy had a hard time eating while he was there. I can only imagine how I would have fared. He was able to make some important work connections and he was able to see some of the local sites and he ate all kinds of strange foods. When he returned the first thing he wanted was a hamburger. This trip lead to some useful collaborations with people he met at the conference and he was also able to write and publish a paper with his findings a few months later.

The pregnancy progressed along and other than my daily dizzy spells things seemed to be fine and all was well with the baby. In November we found out that we were expecting

Andy working in Japan

Andy in Japan

a Girl! I am convinced that no one on earth could have been more excited about this than Andy was! He had told me for years that he played with a little girl in his dreams and he told me way before we got pregnant that if we had a child he wanted it to be a girl. He was over the moon.

Our Baby Girl

The dizziness kept getting worse and I was put on bed rest for the month of November as my blood pressure was really high but eventually it stabilized. Unfortunately, I gained 10 pounds during that month and my doctor was pretty concerned and warned me not to gain anymore weight. I did what I could but at the next checkup I had gained 5 pounds. I then underwent some standardized tests for pregnant woman and  I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes in mid-December and at the present time I am on a very strict diet and test my blood sugar four times a day by pricking my finger.

Me on my 33rd birthday

This is something I could never have done before I got pregnant but somehow I can do anything if it is for this baby. Loving my unborn child has been a small glimpse into what it must be like for Heavenly Father to love us as his children. There is nothing you won't do for them. I will be forever grateful that I had the opportunity to experience pregnancy with all of it's ups and downs. There is nothing like feeling a baby move inside your body. I am honored to have been allowed to feel all the feelings I have during this pregnancy. It has been especially neat to be pregnant at Christmas time, each hymn seems to take on a new meaning when you can imagine what Mary may have felt like.

I turned 33 in December. We celebrated by having dinner at Red Lobster and picking up a piece of sheet cake from Vons.

 We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary on December 20. The 20th was also the first day of our 3rd trimester. We celebrated both occasions
 by going to Outback Steakhouse and having dinner. We then returned home and watched our wedding video. I am amazed at how different we both look. It was a nice quiet evening filled with memories and snuggling. We had talked about going to Catalina Island and staying the night but riding a ferry to an island and being on on island while you are very pregnant just did not seem like a very good idea.

Christmas loot 2013

My new Stand mixer!!

Christmas was also very quiet this year as well. This was our year to travel home but we felt that it was in our best interest to stay close to home just in case. It was a strange Christmas as it was 83 degrees and sunny. We were able to Skype and call friends and family throughout the day which was a nice way to share in everyone's celebrations. We got Sonicare toothbrushes, Andy got some new clothes (which he needed) and I got a Kitchen-aid Stand mixer in my favorite color blue!! I have wanted one since we were married and I have talked myself out of buying one multiple times over the years. It was a very nice and thoughtful gift from my loving husband.

Unwrapped Christmas Loot

Our Stockings this year.

We recognize that we have been exceedingly blessed. We have our health. Andy has a good career in a field that he loves and we have sufficient for our needs. We have the comfort and peace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to guide and bless our lives. We have good friends here in California who care about us and our well being. It is nice to be surrounded by people who have tread the path you are about to walk down and who are willing to help and offer guidance.

We are so excited for the New Year. We cannot wait to welcome Baby Girl Spencer into our family in March  and we know that life will never be the same. We wish you all well and sincerely hope that 2014 is the best year yet!! Feel free to check the blog for updates and baby photos we will more than likely post more here than on Facebook as I have a bit more control over this format.