Tender Mercies

Everyone has a different path. A different way to accomplish a task than their neighbor, sister, brother, or spouse. Yet, we can all learn from each other and celebrate in everyone's "big wins."  When I lost my 3rd pregnancy in a row in April 2016, I knew I needed a plan. It had been 11 months of positive pregnancy tests, miscarriages, and grief. I'm not one to give up on my dreams. I always complete whatever I start, and I knew I hadn't given conception it's fair chance.  Sure, I had started taking prenatals a couple of years ago, improved my diet in 2013, and switched from over-exercising to healthy movement, all for the sake of improved fertility. But for me, it was time for my husband to get on board too. Conception is a team sport. You've got to have two healthy people to have the best chance at a healthy baby. It takes about 42-76 days for a sperm to mature and 90 days for  an egg, and many specialists suggest a 180 day pre-conception pla...

I was hanging out in our rental apartment in Salzburg, Austria with my sister when my dad walked out of his bedroom and announced that I was having a girl. I was only 11 weeks along at that point and while I was wishfully hoping for a girl, I was preparing myself for a boy. His strong conviction of the gender of our child without any hints from an ultrasound surprised me. My dad seems to always be right about things, so I secretly hoped he was right this time too. Today during my scan, my favorite sonographer announced that we were having a girl. Grandpa is always right. I never imagined our family starting with a baby boy. I don't know why, but a baby girl seems to fit just perfectly. Now I just have to keep calm and stay healthy for 19 more weeks.

I was always blessed to grow up with excellent health and dental insurance. I never had to worry about whether or not mom could take me to the doctor or wondering if my teeth were healthy or not. When I was engaged to my husband, I told him that it was very important to me to have health coverage, and he promised me he would always provide. I trusted that. Well, we got married and we were blessed with Active Duty Army health coverage.  3 years later as we were preparing to get discharged from the Army, my Dad called to make sure we had health coverage set up before  we were officially discharged. I agreed with him since we were making the 5,000 mile drive from Alaska to Kansas. You never know what can happen. My husband wasn't in a hurry to get any, but since he loves me greatly he agreed. It's a good thing he did! Health insurance is confusing. I don't like things that are confusing. Because of this and other reasons, we decided to opt for a health care sha...