One week countdown?! Where did the time go?!

It's beginning to feel very real. Very, very real. Mitch and I are going to be attempting for pregnancy in just one week. One week! It seems absolutely surreal and I cannot believe how excited I am over this. I am excited, nervous, anxious, worried, and all kinds of other feelings that I simply cannot translate into words.

As seen with the picture, on our 6 month wedding anniversary, Mitch and I were at Chianti Grill (the restaurant he took me to on October 17, 2008 right before he proposed to me) and I could not help but stare at this young couple that was out with their family celebrating the new addition... their baby girl that was 4 weeks old. I knew I was staring, but I wanted to take it all in as that is something that I want and desire... and we are so close to that now. All that is left is for me to continue eating healthy, continue taking pre-natal vitamins, and to drink more water... in addition to a lot of lovemaking with the husband!

Merry Christmas, Lindsay. If all goes as planned, you could potentially be a mother in the next year.

And yes, I know that I keep saying that I shouldn't get my hopes up for immediate conception, but how can I not? When you make the decision to attempt to conceive... you are admitting that you are ready and willing to have a baby. You do not start trying to conceive thinking that you want to wait another 2-3 years before you are successful. So although I have said that I need to try and not get my hopes up, I now know that as a pointless and unobtainable goal. Truth is, my hopes are up. I am hoping that by the middle of January that Mitch and I will both have a secret to keep to ourselves until we decide to let our family and friends know of our baby news. I hope to be successful right away to spare ourselves the disappointment of each unsuccessful month that follows no conception.

Either way... in one week we are playing for keeps. I can't wait.

It's the holiday season!

Thanksgiving came and went in a blur. Christmas cards have gone out and the majority of gifts have been purchased, wrapped, and placed underneath our beautifully decorated Christmas tree. The stockings have been hung and Christmas music abounds.

And the countdown for Mitch and I to start trying to conceive is beginning to tick very loudly.

Here it is, December 11th. This is my last week of caffeine, alcohol, medium-rare steak, fish, cookie batter, etc. This is my last week of birth control pills. This is the start of a new chapter in my life.

I've always loved the holiday season. Christmas is my all-time favorite holiday and this year it has that "extra" feeling about it. This will be our first Christmas as a married couple and it might (hopefully) be our last Christmas with it being just the two of us.

This year will be Mitch's first Christmas away from his family. Yes, I am stealing him away to Tennessee with me to have Christmas with my grandfather and all of my extended family on my mom's side. Da-Da's house at Christmas time is just absolutely magical and something that I always look forward to. My family has always been one to have traditions and Christmas is full of those family traditions. The reading from the bible and lighting candles for everyone involved with the birth of Jesus Christ. The sitting around in candlelight and singing Christmas songs with the family. The love and the warmth that comes from quality time with loved ones.

It's no wonder why this is my favorite time of year.

An Upcoming Whirlwind of Events

... free time? I will miss you.

So, looking ahead I have discovered that free time will soon become an absolute luxury for myself. This week/weekend we have Thanksgiving and Black Friday (because saving money on Christmas gifts is always a good idea). The following weekend (Dec.5-6) we are visiting Grandma for her 90th birthday celebration and we are also cutting down a Christmas tree with my family... which means that Christmas decorations need to come out and fall decorations need to go back into storage. The weekend after that it is our 6 month anniversary and we will be going to the Vikings game.

Yeah, that weekend might not be a "non free time" weekend, but whatever.

The weekend after that we have Christmas with Mitch's family and Christmas with my dad... and Christmas with Da-Da and all of the extended family on my mom's side is Christmas weekend. The weekend after is New Year's and the weekend after that is me preparing to go back to school while working full time. Once school starts I will hardly ever see my husband seeing that Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays I will be away from the house from 6am-9:30pm, Wednesdays 8:30am-7:30pm, Fridays 4:00pm-9:30pm and a couple of Saturday mornings as well.

...

All while also trying to conceive and make a baby in this belly of mine.

I know that it sounds crazy, but I still want us to try for a baby in December. It is something that I really want and I know that I can make it work. Besides, school is only for a couple of months (under 5!) and that will be finished early on in the pregnancy; which is also under the assumption that we are even successful right away. By the way, yes. I absolutely realize that I am complaining about my upcoming lack of free time when it is all self-made obligations and tasks, but still. I can't say that I am completely looking forward to the upcoming schedule I have given myself. At least I have the TTC to look forward to.

Date Night Traditions and Discussions

Ever since August 7, 2007, Mitch and I have gone on "date night" every single Tuesday that we possibly could go to. We've missed a handful (less than 10) due to illness or vacation, but it is something that we treasure and cherish in our relationship.

It used to be that we would always go to Grizzly's Bar and Grill right here in town every single week. We were known by name by a majority of waiters and waitresses and we were always recognized. Our main waiter for the last year was Dan and we truly did enjoy having him call us by name; joking and having fun with us. We were even joking with Dan that he would be one of the first to know if we were successful in our attempts to become pregnant because that would be the night that I would order the "Kodiak Burger", the biggest burger that they had on the menu. Unfortunately, Grizzly's did not last as they went out of business after 15 years of being open just a few months ago. Since then, we have still continued our date night, but we have made it a traveling date night. We keep trying new places in town and we haven't quite found the right place yet.

It's odd to be jumping from place to place on date night when, for over 2 years, we always went to Grizzly's. Mitch and I both enjoy having traditions and it can be difficult to alter a tradition that you have grown to love. It is a little disappointing to know that we no longer have the relationship with the "Grizzly's Society" that took 2+ years to build and that I will never have the Kodiak Burger to announce my pregnancy to that particular group of people.

We are still looking for a new "home" for our Tuesday Date Night, however I am beyond thankful that we still continue to have our date night. It is so wonderful to have something to look forward to each week and I firmly believe that it does wonders for our relationship together. It is something that I want to continue to do throughout our marriage and I know that Mitch feels the same. Even as we begin to create a family, we both know that Date Night will carry on and we couldn't be happier knowing that.

So last night after our date night at Carbone's, we discussed exactly *when* we are going to start trying to conceive. Previously we have always said "January 1, 2010", but due to my cycle, that is not going to work. So, we are faced with either the end of December or the end of January. This may not seem like a big deal, but in all reality it is to us. December is prior to when we discussed, but only by about a week. January is after we discussed, but a little later than what we had originally been thinking. I am of the opionion that we should start trying in December as it is only a week earlier and we never know exactly when we will be successful. We may be successful on our very first try or it may take 6 months. We decided that we still have a month to make any final decisions, but I think December will win both of our votes.

I also think that we might keep the fact that we are going to start trying in December a secret from most others if that is the route that we decide upon. So far, it is just my mom outside of the two of us that knows of the potential new "attempt date". For some reason I am very nervous about the potential of not being able to conceive right away and I think that maybe if others don't know of our first attempts, it might take some pressure off of us. This is probably me just being silly, but it makes sense in my mind. I guess I need to just try and content myself with the knowledge that what will be, will be.

Scentsy Disaster of 2009

Shortly after our wedding in June, I started to occasionally have problems breathing right before bedtime. This was odd considering that I have never had that problem beforehand unless I had consumed celery or some other food that I am highly allergic to. Mitch and I just figured that it was from Brady and Zelda's dander (our pets of whom I am allergic to) and that there was nothing that we could really do. However, this never seemed to sit very well with me considering that I have owned Brady for about 4 years and we have had Zelda for a year and half now.

Well, Friday night? We finally figured it out. One of our wedding gifts was Scentsy, a wickless wax that you use to scent the house and is safer than having an open-flamed candle. We would use them on occasion and it only took 4 months for us to figure out that my throat would start to close up after we had the Scentsy product going for a couple of hours with me sitting right next to the darn contraption.

So, Mitch removed Scentsy from our home, opened up the bedroom window, turned on the fan, closed the door and then we went for a late night walk to try and allow me to breathe a bit easier. That night, I was very thankful for my heating blanket as we kept the window open all night long and relieved that we had finally figured this out.

New Chapter to Begin

Just under 5 months into our marriage, Mitch and I have decided to start preparing for the next step of our life together. We are making plans to start a family and we are determined to do everything that we possibly can to plan appropriately. Just yesterday I began taking prenatal vitamins and even though it is about two months before we actually start trying... I am beginning to feel my heart beat with excitement and anticipation.

The idea of starting a family is both wonderful and frightening all at the same time. It changes your whole life and your marriage which are both things that I do not want to lose. However, while it does alter current situations, I do not think that it is necessarily for the worse. Family is something that Mitch and I have discussed at length and it is a step that we both want to experience together. While things will change, I know that we will be able to embrace the new chapter of our lives with arms open wide.

I honestly think the most difficult part of this new chapter will be trying not to get our hopes up too high when we do begin trying for our baby. There is never a guarantee that we will be successful and Lord knows that I am not one for much patience. This will be our hardest obstacle and I hope that we are successful when we try so we can avoid this possible hardship.

Either way, there is no possible way for me to know what lies in store for us, so I am starting to prepare for our attempts by taking prenatal vitamins. Next on my "To Do List" is to start eating healthier and exercise more regularly. I also want to start this blog/journal as something I can write down my thoughts and experiences as we do begin this new and exciting chapter, or journey, of our life together.