Craftiness

I had intended for this to be a weekly or even biweekly blog but things haven't exactly gone according to plan. It probably doesn't help that I started it the week before Thanksgiving. This is obviously one of the busiest times of the year!

This year I came up with the bright idea to give my nieces, brothers & sisters-in-law handmade gifts for Christmas. I would've made my nephews gifts as well but I knew they'd appreciate gift cards more :) My brothers & I haven't exchanged gifts in years but this year I just felt like sending them something. I really enjoyed making all of their gifts but I think I bit off more than I could chew!

On top of making all the gifts, my friend Holly & I have a business called Mad Kat Chryations. We specialize in infants & children's apparel, i.e. hair bows, headbands, tutus, tulle wreaths, etc. We participated in a few craft fairs in late November & early this month as well. I have to admit at this point, I'm all crafted out!

Even though it's time for me to take a break for a bit, crafting is a huge part of my life. I am an avid knitter and scrapbooker. I love knitting and I've been slowly teaching myself how to crochet. Although I personally don't know that many people who knit or crochet, I think both of these crafts have begun to gain popularity again in recent years. I absolutely love knitting. It is quite relaxing and it is an awesome feeling to look at a finished product and know that I created it. Knitting also helps me feel connected to my mother who passed away almost 13 years ago. She taught me how to knit when I was a teenager. For me, knitting is cathartic. I feel the same way about scrapbooking.

I began scrapbooking when Madelynn and Mason were in the NICU. It was a way for me to work through the many emotions I was feeling at the time. I didn't get very far during those months; however, as I spent as much time as I could at the hospital. I really became engrossed with it after Madelynn passed away. Creating the twins scrapbooks was a way for me to memorialize Madelynn. It also allowed me to create something that was a physical representation of the bond between Madelynn and Mason. Madelynn's scrapbook and the first half of Mason's scrapbook which chronicles his first year of life are almost identical. I guess I needed some tangible proof that they were twins. I have continued making scrapbooks for each year of Mason's life. I love capturing and preserving the memories and Mason loves looking at all the scrapbooks as well. He loves Madelynn's book the most!

I know this post probably seems a bit out of place with the seriousness of my last two posts. As my blog is titled A Day in the Life of a Redhead though, I thought it would be a good idea to share a bit more about who I am which also includes my hobbies. Once I figure out how to adjust my layout and such I'll post a few pics of some of my finished products :)

Infertility

Infertility is often considered a taboo topic. No one wants to hear about someone's struggles with conception. I find this very interesting considering the fact that society seems to be fascinated by pregnant women. I've had close friends tell countless stories about people walking up to them while they were pregnant and touching their swollen bellies without invitation. People love babies so why is it that they shy away from the topic of conception and the difficulties some couples face achieving it? Furthermore, why are those who suffer from infertility afraid to admit it and instead chose to hide it from their family and friends?

I'm most definitely not in the majority. I have never hidden my struggles with infertility. In fact, I've probably been more open an honest about it than many people would prefer. I don't see any reason to be ashamed of it though. It's a disease, like any other, and there is no reason to feel ashamed. There's nothing wrong with me because I can't conceive without medical intervention. I'm not defective.

I've always wanted to be a Mommy. I had 5 Cabbage Patch Dolls when I was a little girl for goodness sake! They were poor substitutes for the real thing though and I couldn't wait to grow up and have babies of my own. As I got older and I was able to understand the birds and the bees, I never once considered the fact that I would have trouble getting pregnant. Ironically, until after my mother passed away when I was 22, I did everything in my power to prevent getting pregnant. I assumed that when I stopped using contraceptives, I would conceive quite easily. I was so naive!!

My husband and I had several factors working against us and it took us 7 and a half years to finally conceive. We spent the first 2 years trying on our own and then sought medical help. We had no idea what a roller coaster ride fertility treatments would be but we quickly learned!! We underwent multiple cycles of IUI and after a lot of soul searching we ultimately decided to take the plunge and do IVF. It was the best decision we ever made.

Once again I was naive. When we finally conceived, I assumed that the hard part was over. Boy was I in for a rude awakening!!! Almost 5 years ago we were blessed with two precious miracles; however, the pregnancy and delivery were anything but typical. Giving birth to Madelynn and Mason at 24 weeks gestation by emergency c-section after spending 5 weeks in the hospital on bed rest was certainly not what I had envisioned. I couldn't hold my sweet babies or even touch them for fear of hurting them because they were so sick. Mason was 2 months old the first time I got to hold him and the first time I got to hold Madelynn was also the last.

It has taken my husband and I a long time to get to this point, but we are finally ready to add to our family. We have always wanted to have at least 2 children, and while we still very much consider ourselves to have 2 children even though one of them resides in Heaven, we feel that our family is not yet complete. Mason frequently asks for a baby brother or sister and we would prefer not to have him grow up as an only child.

We are once again climbing aboard the fertility roller coaster ride, but this time we're going into it with our eyes wide open. There are no guarantees and, if we beat the odds and conceive, I will have to be monitored very closely throughout the entire pregnancy. It's a risk we are willing to take though. God blessed us almost 5 years ago with 2 precious miracles and we are confident that he will bless us once again.

World Prematurity Day

A friend recently suggested that I start a blog. She said that I have a lot share so I decided to take her advice. What better day to do so than World Prematurity Day! I am the VERY proud Mommy of two micro preemies, one who is an angel and the other who I fondly refer to as my little miracle man.

Almost 5 years ago, at only 24 weeks gestation, I delivered twins via emergency c-section. Madelynn weighed only 1 pound 5 ounces and was 11.5 inches long. Her brother Mason weighed 1 pound 9 ounces and was 12.5 inches long. They both faced multiple complications due to being born so early.

I spent 5 weeks in the hospital on bed rest prior to their birth and a nurse from the NICU visited me just about a week before they were born. She gave me a brochure which listed all of the possible complications they might face depending on when they were born. Sadly, between the two of them, they had all but one of the complications listed in the brochure. They each underwent several surgeries in their first few weeks of life. It got so bad that we started to joke that they were trying to beat each other to the operating room. One day, as we were preparing for yet another surgery, one of the nurses from the NICU told us we should write a manual for other NICU parents since we had just about seen it all!

Among the complications that they both faced were a grade IV brain bleed which resulted in hydrocephalus (Madelynn's was much worse than Mason's); NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis) which is a condition that results in the death of portions of the bowel; PDA (patent ductus arteriosus) which is a hole between the pulmonary artery and the aorta that normally closes after birth but often does not with preemies; ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) which involves the blood vessels in the eyes and can lead to retinal detachment and ultimately blindness; and last but not least RDS (respiratory distress syndrome) which resulted in them both being on ventilators and oscillators for a prolonged period to time. Needless to say their first few months of life were pretty scary. We spent as much time as possible with them and as a result got to know the nurses and doctors very well.

As I said before, Madelynn's brain bleed was much worse than Mason's. Both of them had catheters placed in their brains so the excess fluid could be drained. The doctors would do so every few days. They also ordered weekly ultrasounds to monitor the fluid and assess brain damage. I vividly remember while viewing one of Madelynn's ultrasounds my husband Shane commenting that it looked like someone had taken a spoon and just stirred her brain matter. Unfortunately, due to the severity of her brain bleed, as well as the condition of her lungs, Madelynn passed away when the twins were a little over 3 months old. She fought very hard and we are extremely grateful for the time we had with her. She was most definitely Daddy's little girl. In fact, about the only time she was content was when Daddy had his finger on her foot. She would curl her toes around it. One of the nurses asked one day if she could please make a mold of his hand!! We take comfort in the fact that she is no longer suffering and we know she is her brother's guardian angel.

Mason spent 140 days in the NICU. We were told several times that baby girls usually fair better than baby boys. He beat the odds though. That's why I call him my little miracle man. He overcame so many obstacles and continues to do so on a daily basis. By all outward appearances, most people wouldn't even be able to tell that he was a micro preemie. He has suffered some lingering effects from being born so early though. He has been developmentally delayed which is understandable but about a year and a half ago Mason was diagnosed with PDD-NOS or Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified, which is a form of Autism. He has had to undergo physical, occupational, and speech therapy practically since coming home from the NICU. He has made great strides though and we are so very proud of all that he has accomplished.

Madelynn and Mason are just two out of millions of babies born prematurely for one reason or another. Prematurity is not prejudiced; it's a real threat for all women, no matter their ethnicity or socioeconomic standing. Hopefully, one day soon, prematurity will be a thing of the past. Until that day though, we need to continue to fight to give each and every baby a happy and healthy 40 weeks. Shane, Mason and I participate annually in the March of Dimes March for Babies Walk in attempt to help prevent other parents from having to experience the heartache of prematurity and/or the loss of a baby as a result of it. We also created a band in honor of Madelynn so family and friends can donate to the March of Dimes if they're unable to participate in a walk in their area.

I wore purple today in support of World Prematurity Day. I also replaced our front porch light bulb with a purple bulb. I know it's not much but if even one baby is prevented from being born too soon by my efforts, that's good enough for me!!

P.S. Here is the link for Madelynn's band if anyone is interested:

http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/b_new.asp?band_id=36060