IVF & Baby Sterling

First things first:  My apologies to those of you that read the title of my last post and thought it was a pregnancy announcement from me and Logan.  That was definitely not my intention!  Another baby for us is so far off my radar right now that it didn't even cross my mind when I wrote that but afterwards many people told me that's what they thought it was about.  I love using this blog as a journal and am so grateful for the support we receive through it but I would never do something like that just to get more people to read what I write.  I'll be much more careful in the future!

With that being said, I'll share a quick IVF update so everyone has a better idea of where we truly are in that journey.  We received the happy news just last week that our insurance has approved the pre-authorization request for coverage of the PGD portion of IVF.  This will take care of a large chunk of the overall cost so we are very pleased!  Now that we have the okay from our insurance company, in the next couple weeks we will be sending the lab what they need to get the probes made for the test--our blood, Eli's blood (stored at PCH), and our parents' saliva.  Sending the lab all of that will allow them to create the most accurate test possible.  The test will take a couple months to create but it will be a great feeling knowing it's ready so that when we are ready to begin a cycle the test will be ready to go as well.  We are slowly but surely getting there!

On February 20th Paul and Cheryl welcomed boy #5 to their family!  It has been so crappy living away from them during all of the excitement.  I have never been more grateful for FaceTime!  Sterling Elijah, named after my grandpa and brother and of course our little Eli, is a healthy, big boy!  He was 9lb 2oz when he was born and has already surpassed his birth weight.  At his first doctor appointment he was in the 98th percential for height, 90th for weight and 90th in head circumfrence.  My mom and I are going to visit in a couple weeks and I can't wait!  I'm sure he'll be huge by the time we see him, especially compared to the 5 pound peanuts our family is used to lately.  Welcome to the Rowley clan, baby Sterling!

 

Logan has Spring Break next week which I am very excited for!  We don't have any big plans and he'll probably just end up working a lot more but it means that warmer weather is on its way!  Yahoo! 

Valentine's Day and More Babies!

Logan and I had a great Valentine's Day week!  We promised each other we'd make up for not being able to celebrate last year and I feel like we definitely did that by doing fun things all week rather than just on Friday.  On Monday we went to dinner with a group of fantastic friends from our ward.  We love these couples!

Don't mind the fuzzy picture quality

During lunch on Friday I ran over to Logan's work and filled his car with pink and red balloons. It wasn't anything too exciting but I wanted him to know I had been thinking about him throughout the day.  He totally blew me out of the water when he came home with flowers and some biking apparel that I can't wait to use!  This warmer weather the past few days has made me so excited to get back on my bike!

We headed over to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner--Asian Star!  Put sushi in front of us and we're always in heaven!

On Saturday afternoon we went with some other dear friends to their cabin in Midway.  We planned this little getaway a few weeks ago and have been so excited for it!  For some lame reason I didn't take a group picture but I'm sure that's because we were having so much fun!  We went sledding, ate dinner, played games, watched a movie and laughed a lot!  The highlight of the night came when we gave our boys a little V-Day gift.  It was nothing big but I think they appreciated it!

Once again, sorry for the fuzzy cell phone picture!

Thanks to our wonderful friends and my amazing husband we had a great week!  Thank you for making it so special, babe!

Happy news!  For those of you that didn't see the announcement on Facebook:

Blake and Staci are expecting baby #2 this summer!  This little boy means grand kids numbers 11, 12 and 13 are joining the Rowley family this year!  There aren't many things that are better than being an aunt so I can't wait to meet these little men and watch them become best buds!

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!

A Year of Travels

Logan and I love to travel and have made it a priority to go on at least one trip together each year as long as our circumstances allow it.  We've had 3 amazing trips with just the two of us including Hawaii, a cruise to Mexico and Jamaica.  We are going big this year and just booked the tickets for the trip we've been fantasizing about for 3 years now--Europe!   Logan and two of our close guy friends all served missions in Germany so the three guys and two of us wives are heading back to visit together!  We are still working on the details but we do know one thing: August can't come soon enough!

Aside from our European adventures, I have a couple other getaways I'm pretty excited about.  My oldest brother's wife is delivering their FIFTH boy at the end of February so my mom and I are heading to Minnesota in March to kiss on that sweet baby as well as the other four rascals!  I can't wait!

A good friend of mine lives in New York and in April will be driving back this way for school so I'm going to tag along with her and her mom!  Details of this trip are yet to be finalized as well but we will probably take a few days to make the drive and we are determined to have a blast along the way!

Yesterday we planned what we thought was going to be a fun Super Bowl party at my parents'.  Don't get me wrong, being with my family and eating way too much food was fantastic but you all know how lame the game was.  I'm a Niner fan so I didn't care too much who won but along with everyone else, I was definitely hoping for something a bit more competitive!  This picture just about sums up how we were feeling/reacting the entire game:
 

It has been a few weeks since I've posted but not much is going on.  Let's face it--January is boring!  It feels so much better being out of that yucky month and into February!  Logan continues to enjoy work and school and I am very grateful for the job I have working for my dad.  Valentine's Day is just a couple weeks away and Logan and I are determined to make it fun!  Last year Eli was admitted to the hospital on the 13th so we never really got to celebrate.  We'll make up for it this year!

My Boys' Birthdays!

This time of year is exciting for us not only because of the holidays but because all of our birthdays take place as well.  First up: Eli on January 4th.  I had many different thoughts and emotions leading up to this day.  I was excited and nervous all at the same time not knowing how I would feel but also wanting to make sure we made it as happy a day as possible for him.  It was definitely happy!

I had the opportunity to spend the morning at a baptism for a man in our stake who's been investigating the church for a couple months.  I was fortunate enough to attend a few of his lessons with the sister missionaries and learned so much as I watched his spiritual growth.  Witnessing this man enter the waters of baptism definitely got me in the right mindset for what we had planned the rest of the day because it allowed me to have a much more eternal perspective.  

After the baptism we met our families at the cemetery where the kids had fun putting little toys on Eli's headstone.  Even though Eli never had a chance to do many "little boy" things, it made me so happy listening to his cousins talk about how much he loved playing with trucks because, naturally, that's what all little boys love.  We spent a few minutes talking and taking pictures before singing and releasing white balloons in honor of SCID awareness.  

There was a slight breeze that took the balloons as soon as we let them go so it seemed as though they were being taken straight to to Eli.  It really was a neat experience.

Afterwards we all went to lunch together and had a chance to reflect on the year.  My parents gave us each a gift "from Eli" that we loved.  I got a neat bracelet with Eli's name on it and Logan got a model airplane that says: "To My Daddy, Who Gave Me Wings To Fly.  Love, Eli" That couldn't be more accurate!

It's hard to believe Eli joined our family 1 year ago.  It feels like it was 10 years ago but I'm sure that's to be expected given what's gone on the last 12 months.   Although we had a wonderful day, I can't wait until we can celebrate all together.  Happy Birthday, little buddy!

**Many, many thanks to everyone for all the love and support on Eli's birthday!  It truly does make it so much more enjoyable having so many friends by our side.**

January 6: Logan's Birthday!

Some of you may remember that we were still in the hospital last year on Logan's birthday and I completely spaced it!  I couldn't believe I didn't remember until he said something about it halfway through the day.  To say I was mortified is an understatement.  I was bound and determined to make it up to him this year.  

During lunch I surprised Logan at work with some balloons and one of his favorite desserts: Kneaders' Fruit Tarts.  I didn't get to see him so I called him and asked him to take a picture but he wouldn't.  I know it made him happy though!

The treats were gone by the time he got home but at least I have a picture with the balloons!

After we both got home from work we went to Tucanos for dinner.  We both love it and always over eat.  Midway through dinner Logan said: "Please don't ask them to sing to me" so what's the next thing I ask our waitress to do?? Sing to him, of course!  I'm an awful wife.  I should have taken a video of them singing but I didn't even think about it.  They walked out yelling to the whole restaurant, shaking a tambourine and asked everyone to sing along while Logan stood up in front of everyone.  His face was priceless and I'm sure he still hasn't forgiven me!

We had a fun night and hopefully somewhat made up for last year's debacle!  Before my 

brother headed back to Minnesota we were able to celebrate Logan's birthday with my family so that was a lot of fun as well!  Happy Birthday, Rico!  Welcome to Club 24!

When all the kids were together for the holidays we were able to get this adorable picture of them.  Even better: This group will be expanded this year! (No, NOT by us!)

Left to Right: Adam (3) Tanner (7) Ben (3) Nathan (6) Klara (6) Will (9) Lily (1) Mady (8) Amelia (18 months) Not pictured but there in spirit: Eli (1) :)

Love you, little peanuts!

So Long, 2013

What a year.  My feelings about last year are hard to put into words.  I experienced the most happiness I've ever felt but I have also never experienced more heartache.  I have never been tried more in my life yet I've never been more blessed.  My faith has never been shaken harder and my testimony has never been stronger.  I can't deny that I'm anxious to turn the page and see what our future holds but I am absolutely grateful for everything I experienced the last 12 months.   

So much of our lives is vastly different from how we thought it would be right now but I truly love what my life has become.  As a result of everything that happened last year, specific people and opportunities have come into my life that wouldn't have otherwise and I couldn't be more grateful for each one of them.  It's always said that God only gives you trials you can handle but I know I was given such a trial because my testimony was lacking in many ways and needed help.  If this is the price to pay to become closer to our Savior, I know it will be worth it.

Logan and I are a happy family of three but people often ask when we will get pregnant again.  'One day' is all we tell them.  We are happy, enjoying being with each other, and healing.  In time our desire to expand our family will be there but not right now.  Through medical technology we will have the blessing of ensuring our future children aren't affected with SCID and we are so grateful for that.

One thing Logan and I constantly talk about is how grateful we are for the endless amount of love and support we have received from the moment everything began last year.  Every single thing that was done on our behalf, no matter how big or small, was more critical to our strength and healing than any of you will ever understand.  We are able to put one foot in front of the other each day because of the help we continue to receive from everyone around us.  We hope to one day have the ability to repay each one of you that have been such a blessing in our lives.

We hope everyone has a fantastic new year!

When we were living in the hospital, we had the opportunity to be a part of the StoryCorps project with Primary Children's Hospital.  We had a roughly 1 hour interview where Logan was the interviewer and I was the interviewee.  Our interview was condensed into a 5 minute segment and posted to the hospital blog.  For those of you that didn't see it on Facebook a few days ago, you can listen to it below:

http://primarychildrenshospitalblog.org/2013/12/30/elis-battle-with-scid-a-parents-perspective/#comments
(If the link doesn't work for you, go to www.primarychildrenshospitalblog.org and scroll down until you find out story.)

Other random happenings...We had a fun New Year's Eve with my family playing games and eating lots of food!  My brother had to take his family back to Minnesota this morning and, as always, it was sad saying goodbye.  I'm going to miss this face!

Some of our good friends invited us to the Jazz game on Monday and it was my first time in a suite!  The new video boards are absolutely massive and no picture can do them justice.  Many thanks to the Neff family for the invite!

Here's to a happy and healthy 2014!

Christmas!

I can't believe Christmas has already come and gone! On the Saturday night before Christmas my dad called me and said: "Hey, come on over real quick.  I want you to see something we got for Christmas."  Considering it was so late I figured he wouldn't call unless it was important so we drove over there and opened the front door and these boys ran and jumped into our arms!

Christmas could have never come and I would have been as happy as if it had!  For those of you that aren't aware, my oldest brother and his wife and kids live in Minnesota.  We don't get to see them nearly often enough and haven't spent Christmas with them in 4 years so you can imagine how excited we all were when they surprised everyone and showed up at my parents' house on Saturday!  Because of missions and family living out of state, it was the first time since 2006 that my entire immediate family was together for Christmas and and it was fantastic!

We spent Christmas Eve with Logan's family this year and had a great time.  There was quite the crowd at his parents' house so it was a lot of fun catching up with everyone.  We had a White Elephant gift exchange which is always hilarious and exchanged gifts with Logan's siblings.  The younger kids got to open a few presents which, in my opinion, makes Christmas so much fun.  I love watching the kids get so excited as they open everything.  After our Christmas Eve festivities wrapped up we headed home to prepare for Santa to come!

Christmas morning rolled around and we were up pretty early to get ready for the day.  We opened stockings and presents from each other which is always so much fun even though there's only two of us.  I feel like we're creating our own traditions that we'll have one day with our kids.  As always, Logan spoiled me and I think (hope!) he enjoyed what I got him as well.  

We opened our door to throw away some garbage and found a gift waiting for us.  I read the card and was so excited to see that it was from one of the amazing SCID moms that I've become friends with.  I couldn't believe the time and effort she put forth to make this for us.  Look how amazing!

They look exactly like the boxing gloves that we hung over Eli's crib!

This wonderful lady lost a baby of her own this year to SCID and continues to serve others before herself.  I feel so blessed to know her.

Our first stop of the day was to the cemetery to visit our little man.  I expected it to be crowded or at least to see other people but there was no one in sight which was actually nice.  We spent a few minutes talking to him and wishing him a merry Christmas while enjoying the peaceful feeling that was there.  I was never a fan of cemeteries before all of this but now it's one of my favorite places to be.  We felt such a special spirit and know Eli was there with us.

My family always does a Christmas brunch so we headed for my parents' house first.  To say their house was wild is a definite understatement.  The cousins get so excited to see each other since it only happens a couple times a year and they get a bit crazy.  We had a great afternoon eating and hanging out and loved being all together!

Logan's family does Christmas dinner so we headed for their house later that evening and enjoyed yummy food and played games with his fam.  Thanks to our amazing families we had a wonderful Christmas and couldn't have asked for anything more!  

Logan and I were both able to take the day after Christmas off which hasn't happened since we've been married so we decided to go skiing for the first time this year.  We had a ton of fun but I haven't been in a couple years since I was pregnant last year so I could barely walk the next morning.  I clearly don't work out enough!

I typically leave my Christmas things up until around New Years but we got home from skiing and I had a sudden urge to take it all down so that's what I did!  It didn't take too long and a couple hours later we had our house back to normal and everything put away so it was definitely worth it.  

We had a wonderful holiday and are so grateful to everyone for all of the love we received.  It could have been much tougher than it was so we are very thankful to everyone for all of the support!  We hope everyone has a safe and happy new year!

**SIDE NOTE**

Before Eli was in the hospital I had never donated blood consistently but because he needed nearly daily blood transfusions I became very grateful that the blood was readily available whenever he needed it.  After we got home from the hospital I promised myself I would donate as often as possible and have been able to do so a few times now.  I always feel so happy after I leave knowing my small donation could potentially make a big difference for someone.  If you ever have the opportunity to donate, please take advantage of it!

There's something so rewarding about doing this!

Festival of Trees

What a week!  I fantasized about the Festival of Trees since the moment I knew Eli was going to have a tree and it turned out better than I could have wished for.  There aren't words to explain my feelings of this event or how I felt when I saw Eli's tree for the first time but this picture does a pretty good job:

I was quite emotional and know Eli was there with us.  This is definitely a moment I will never forget.

Everything about Eli's tree and everything around it is absolutely perfect.  Although the fantastic ladies who put this all together never met him, they captured Eli better than even I could have.  I'm sure he was helping them along the way :) For those of you that weren't able to make it to the festival, here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Logan and I have gone to the Festival of Trees every year for awhile but this year was different so I made sure to be there every night.  It was so fun to be there each night with different friends and family.  

Wonderful Co-Workers

Fantastic High School Friends

The Lovely Cynthia

Because of these wonderful people, Eli's tree gets to go home with me and Logan!

Thank you, thank you, mom and dad for this Christmas surprise!  Logan and I are so grateful Eli's tree will stay in our family.  Maybe one year we'll let you put it up in your house... ;)

I loved going to the festival each night to see Eli's tree but it was definitely a welcomed sight to see it delivered today!  Its home will be my dad's office this year before being moved to mine and Logan's casa for next year.

If it weren't for these two incredible ladies, none of this would have been possible.  Dana and Melanie, all of it was perfect and we are so grateful you provided our family with this wonderful experience. You will forever have a special place in our hearts.  

I sure love these ladies!

In other exciting news...Eli's headstone was finally installed!  There was quite a bit of drama trying to get it so we couldn't be more relieved to have it figured out.  The cemetery told us they would continue installing headstones until the snow came so we were nervous it might not happen.  It ended up getting put in on Monday and the snow came on Tuesday.  What a blessing!

We are so happy with how it turned out!  It was definitely worth the wait!