day 1: reintroduction

Hello everyone. Some of you have been here a while and others may be new here. For some this may be your very first time seeing my blog. I feel this would be a good time to reintroduce myself. My name is Ashley. I am originally from Ohio and moved to Florida earlier this year. I was married to my ex husband for 10 years we had 5 kids together. We have 4 on earth who are 11,10, almost 9 and 6. We also have 1 in Heaven who passed at birth 8 years ago. We are now divorced. 

I got remarried to my amazing husband in March of this year and we are currently going through IVF to have a baby of our own. We live in Kissimmee, Florida but moving over to Tampa to be closer to the beach.

i have my associates degree in medical administrative assisting, but my dream career is to work with kids, so I am currently working on my bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.

 That is the basics about me feel free to look through all my previous posts and be on the lookout for my new posts to learn more. In the comments tell me something about you.

Oscar’s 8th birthday in Heaven

On this day 8 years ago I gave birth to a beautiful 5oz 7.5 inch baby boy. He was only 16 weeks 4 days and passed shortly after birth. There has not been a day since that I haven’t thought of him. Happy 8th birthday in Heaven baby boy I miss you. This year you have someone special to celebrate with as I lost one of my best friends a little over a month ago. I know Casey is giving you a big celebration today. 

 

another IVF update

Hello everyone. Figured I would update everyone on where we are with IVF. My husband’s genetic results came back that he is not a carrier of the same things I am so no further testing is needed on that front. That doesn’t mean nothing can happen as my husband does have HLHS and cleft lip and palate, but that will be checked once we are pregnant and get far enough along. As for now my medicines have been ordered and are awaiting shipment. We are just waiting on my next cycle to start which should be around October 5. This will put our retrieval around October 18 and the transfer around the 23. If this results in a pregnancy we will be due July 2022!!! I will keep everyone updated as things progress.

ivf update

Well it’s been a little bit since I first posted about our IVF journey. We had our consultation back at the end of June. They ordered a genetic carrier screening test for me to see if I was a carrier for anything on that screen and it did come back that I am a carrier for two different things on there that can both potentially be very life-threatening. So the next step is going to be to test my husband to see if he is also a carrier for those things. After we do that we will finish up our blood test and the semen analysis then go from there. We will hopefully be ready for a transfer around October or November.

I will attach a picture that tells you what the two things are that I am a carrier for. I could also potentially be a carrier for other things as well as my husband just things that they don’t test for on that screen especially my husband with him having the hypoplastic left heart syndrome and the cleft lip and palate so we have a lot of decisions to make but also depends on what the semen analysis says because he potentially could not have the ability to have kids. 

Practice Makes Perfect During the Pandemic

 Have your kids been missing out on dance lessons? While the pandemic has thrown off

everyone’s regimen, that doesn’t mean you can’t keep up a semblance of your old routine. In

fact, now might be the ideal time to set up a studio space to play with some styles — try a few

new steps and work on your form. While it won’t replace formal instruction, when you can return

to the studio, you’ll be ready to dance up a storm with these tips courtesy of Crazy Mommy!

Hone Skills and Learn New Ones

Trying to establish an in-home routine isn’t the same as going to a professional. Your dance

buddies aren’t there, the instructors can’t engage you directly, and you don’t have the space

and equipment that a professional studio offers. However, the next best thing is in-home

practice, and that begins with finding your inspiration.

● Stream sessions. You don’t have to totally miss out on the studio since you can

participate in fun virtual classes.

● Embrace a classic. Ballet is centuries old and still alive and well, and the basics carry

over into other dance styles.

● Try new flavors. If your home routine gets dull, spice it up with a little salsa.

● Add old school moves. Give the 90s a nod by tossing some hip hop into your regimen.

● Click and clack away. Just for kicks, another idea is to toss in some tap.

Your Space, Your Way

Having your own studio space tailored to your needs ensures you can practice whenever

inspiration strikes. Contemplate what areas in your home are out of the way and underused,

and think about what it will take to make it into your dream studio.

● See yourself. Mirrors are a must-have! You can buy Mylar sheeting as an inexpensive

solution; it comes in under $35 per roll.

● Brighten the space. Think about what types of lighting the space will need.

● Quiet down. Unless your studio is in an outbuilding, garage, or basement, noise might

be a problem, so you may want to soundproof your space.

● What’s underfoot. Dancing is definitely a full-body sport. To help avoid strains and

injuries, choose flooring that will keep you comfortable and safe.

● Keep it clean. Aim for a hygienic studio space.

Maintain Your Motivation

Dance is good for you, and you already know that. But you might not realize just how good for

you it is. As you contemplate your project and setting up a routine, focus on the carrot at the end

of the stick.

● Body and mind. Dancing is loaded with physical and mental health benefits, from better

cardio fitness to stress reduction.

● Personal space. Your household has likely spent a lot of time together over the last

year, so this is your chance to be alone.

● Home improvement. Your house is your biggest investment, so sprucing it up with a

new studio is one great way to enhance its value.

Are you ready to create your own home studio? A place to practice gives you a chance to stay

in shape and decompress. What’s more, it ensures you keep up — and even improve — your

hard-earned skills. When you get back into the professional studio, you’ll wow your instructor

with your improvement!

IVF Journey

 Ok so in my last post I promised a post about our IVF journey. After I had Silas 6 years ago I had my tubes tied because my ex husband didn't want anymore children. Well here I am no longer with him and now happily remarried. My husband loves my kids like no other, but he has no kids of his own. Since we already have my 4, we only want 1 or 2 kids. Instead of putting my body through another surgery to try to do a tubal reversal which may or may not be successful to only have 1 or 2 kids, we have decided to do IVF. We have our consultation with a fertility clinic on June 14. Of course insurance doesn't cover IVF so we have to pay all out of pocket. We are fundraising to try to help cover some of the costs.

T-Shirt Fundraiser

Above is the link to our t-shirt fundraiser. Feel free to support us and all proceeds will go straight to IVF costs.

If you don't want to buy a t-shirt but still want to help here is our GoFundMe. 

I will continue to post our updates on our journey for those interested so be on the lookout. 

update

Well hello everyone. It has been a little while since I have posted because things have been busy. I moved to Florida back in January and I now work for Sea World at Discovery Cove. We are at peak time with spring break right now so been working 6 days a week.

 Oh in other good news I got married to my best friend on Wednesday March 17!!! It was an intimate ceremony at the park on a beautiful day and we couldn’t be happier.

 Our next stop besides getting a goose is to have kids. We will have to do ivf so I will be writing about our journey here to keep everyone updated. I will be writing a separate post about that later.