Autumn is in the air, all things Callie and update on TTC #2

I love the smell of the cool fall air, the dryness, the leaves, the bonfires. Football season, big comfy sweaters, fluffy socks and boots. We are still seeing peeks from Summer, but those 80 degree days are becoming less and less.

We have been enjoying what fall brings with it. Apple picking, street fairs, crock pot meals, and cozy snuggles.

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Callie turned 16 months this past weekend. She is walking, talking, laughing, and shouting. Her language skills are just exploding. We hear a new word or phrase almost every day! It is amazing, and I think so far my favorite stage. She is an exhausting delight. She is very much a Daddy's girl, a thrill seeker through and through. She loves to swing high on the swings, and go for a ride on her new bike. She shouts "Weeeeeeee" when I know she's feeling the familiar belly tickle when the swing heads back towards the ground.

She can sign several things, the list keeps getting bigger. Mostly it is requests "more, please" "milk, please" "all-done" "help" "eat, please" Almost all signs follow with the sign for "please". My polite little girl!

I love when you say tell so-n-so Buh Bye! And she waves and says "hello!" She'll hand you something and say "Thank you" It is just so sweet. I love that her Thank you's sound like "Fank oooo". She is also learning to count out loud, she can sign the number 1, and then says "two"...A few times I've even heard her say "two, three (sounds like fee), GO!"

She knows a couple body parts, her head and her belly and we are working on the rest.

She can follow short commands like "Callie come here please" or "Please pick that up" We sing the clean up song and pick up toys, and I think she may get the hang of it sooner than later.

She will answer to Callie or Callista, and I'm glad she knows both of her names.

Recently she'll look for her Daddy when we get home. She'll call up the stairs "DA, DAAAAAAA!!!" or she'll hear him coming through the door and run over to him and sigh "Daaaa" like she's relieved he's there. It is so sweet and makes me laugh.

Her best friend is her puppy. They chase each other from morning til night.

She is also a very healthy eater. There isn't much she doesn't like. So far cottage cheese and pulled pork is a no go. I don't think she's a very big fan of bbq sauce. Her favorites are meatloaf, strawberries, tomatoes, grilled whitefish, and spaghetti. She is also a recent fan of apples, since we just went to the orchard. Although they do make Mommy a little nervous about choking.

The one way she is like me is her LOVE of music. Music stops her in her tracks. We sing, we laugh, we do the hokey pokey and turn ourselves around. Music soothes her when she is sad. Music calms her down when she is fussy. She loves a good beat, she'll shake her groove thing to pop, she is extremely interested in large marching bands (from seeing them on the football games). She loves live music. Instruments are all the thing. I will encourage this with her to the depths of my soul. Music to me is as necessary as breathing. A good song speaks volumes. I hope we share this together.

She is also working on more teeth...the canines this round. We are touch and go and can tell when its gonna be a challenging day. Poor baby!

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As for TTC #2...it is on hold. Indefinitely we think. I did go back on the Metformin, but stopped after a few months as my digestive issues did not go away. We have decided the furthest we will go to TTC #2 is femara. No shots, no IUI's. If is happens, hooray. If not we are content. I am happy with this decision, although I have been having baby fever lately. Maybe we'll revisit early next year, however I don't think any trips to the RE are in our cards anymore.

I seem to be having a period every few months. Which is more often than before and keeps me from needs a lining ultrasound and surgery. This is just fine with me!

I am also going through genetic testing at the moment for the BRCA 1/2 gene. I want to know if I carry the gene and if so how I can prevent getting breast/ovarian cancer. It runs on my dad's side of the family. I am a patient at U of M, Cancer center and I'm very happy with the wonderful people who work there. I should find out more in the next few weeks. As of this moment there is a 25% chance I carry the gene.

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Here are some pictures of the last couple of weeks with our miracle!