Exciting News!

I just took a home pregnancy test. The results are a (+) I am pregnant!!! Kind of a surprise, kind of not. See my husband and I decided that I would go off of birth control several months ago. So we used other means for a few months( ok maybe only one or two). Then went off completely. It has been at least 6 months since we last used anything. I was beginning to wonder if it was going to happen at all. My periods began to get to normal and I was never a single day late. Until today! I actually started spotting on Monday. It lasted until Wednesday. Then I was supposed to start today. We were out of town on a tiny vacation, so I tried not to think of it. When we got home tonight, I decided to go ahead and use the last home pregnancy test I had here. The plus sign showed up almost immediately! There is no doubt in my mind that it is true. I am pregnant! The only thing is that now I have to wait untill the first of February to see my Dr. That's when the new insurance kicks in. I hate that!!! My last pregnancy I needed to take progesterone pills for the first trimester to keep the pregnancy going. I had lost two prior to that due to not enough progesterone being produced naturally. There is a difference this time though. With the home pregnancy test that I took those times, the second line on the + came up very faintly. This time it is dark, just like the other line and the test line. That shows that the hormones are there. Now what worries me is the spotting that took place for three days.

I need lots of prayers for this one to work out for me. At least good thoughts!

We have decided not to tell anyone in our family about it until I can get to the Dr and know that all is well, for sure. I'm not sure how long I can keep it a secret. I need some help with that too! That's why I am posting it here. I can't hold it in. I need to tell someone, everyone! But it needs to wait for a little while longer.



Mean while I have found a pattern to use for the blankets I will make. It's the diagonal box stitch. It's not hard at all, and I love the way it looks. I went ahead and used a different hook though, size H. The Jimbo Hook is just to big for most blankets(size J). =( But given the news above, I think I will put that hook to better use! No harm after all. lol

Well, I guess I better go now. I have a lot to do before bed.

I haven't actually made anything in a while. Well it's been about a month now. I got Jimbo's hook in the mail on Saturday night! It's a beauty!!! So nice to work with and comfortable to hold. I went to JoAnn's on Sunday to get some pink yarn. I am going to make two blankets for some new born baby girls. I am searching for the perfect stitch! I would like to have a beautiful stitch to go with the beautiful hook that I am using. Some one from Crochetville recommended this pattern Crossed Ripple Preemie Afghan. But I'm not satisfied with it. Maybe I'm just not doing it right, or maybe it would look better in a different yarn. I was able to do it though, so that's a plus! I didn't think I could just from reading the pattern. Anyways I am off to look for a different pattern. I'll have to frog the few rows I got done but that's OK.

This is My Jimbo Hook!The picture just wouldn't come out right, so sorry about the quality.
It's tulip wood and has a kind of pinkish tint to it.
I just love it!

On another note, today is my 4th anniversary to my wonderful husband! We've had our ups and downs. But that's to be expected I guess. Especially when his father died, we lost a baby and we had a baby. All within the first couple of years. But life has been good in general. He got hired on with a new company today too. He is there right now filling out paper work and picking up his company truck. I love the fact that he can get those! It saves us a lot of money!!! Any ways, I look forward to many more wonderful and loving years!

We aren't really doing much to celebrate right now. But we have decided that we are going to book a cruse for the summer. We just have to decide which one! We are calling that our gift/honeymoon(since we never got one).

Retinoblastoma

"There are approximately 350 new diagnosed cases per year in the United States. Retinoblastoma affects one in every 15,000 to 30,000 live babies that are born in the United States." http://www.retinoblastoma.com/frameset1.htm

That's not many! However this is a condition that affects my cousins little girl.

Macy was under a year old when she was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma, a cancer of the retina. At first it was unilateral, meaning in one eye. By the time she was two years old it had become bilateral. Macy had to have both of her eyes removed by the time she was two years old. In there place there are now some prosthetic eyes that matched hers.

She is now 5 or 6 years old. She uses a cane to walk with and reads braille. Just last year this wonderful, strong little girl played baseball! Yes, you read that right, I said she payed baseball! They used a special ball that made a whistling noise. She was on a team of little kids that could see. She loved it! Just not enough to play this year. My son was the same way though. Baseball is a pretty slow game. And little kids, like these two, lose interest quickly and become board. So I don't blame her there.

This little girl is the strongest little girl that I know! She sets her mind to do something, and she does it! Just this Christmas she asked to have a camera. Well, no one can say no to her so of course she got one. And from what I hear, she has taken at least a couple of shots where the people are right in the center of the picture! See what I mean. She CAN do anything she wants to. Having no sight doesn't slow her down!

Any ways, Jimbo's interest in getting the word out there for his cause got me to thinking. What if I can do something to get the word out about this condition as well?! I know what you are thinking now, especially if you know his blog. But no! I don't carve wood. So I can't make you a nice, pretty crochet hook. And I doubt that I will have time to make anything to auction off or to give away as a prize. But I thought I would put the word out there for those few people that might read my blog. Maybe one day I will get around to holding a contest something like what Jimbo is doing on his blog. But I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.

So here are some links that you can go to, to find out more about Retinoblastoma. The first link is where you can find some stories about the survivors as well as information about the condition. The second one is where you can find some information that is easier to understand(for me at least). The other two are just some links that I found by googling.

http://www.retinoblastoma.net/about.html
http://www.retinoblastoma.com/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinoblastoma
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/retinoblastoma/


Thanks for reading!

Friedreich's Ataxia

I would like to share my support for Jimbo's Front Porch. He is helping to raise money for Friedreich's Ataxia. There he puts the website info. He is giving away a hand carved crochet hook to one lucky winner. No donations are required. He just asks that you go to that sight and read about it. Then click on some of the stories from the family's of those with Friedreich's Ataxia. You can read more about it in his blog. He is also trying to sell hooks made from chopsticks. You can order yours on his sight here. Please take a look. Even if you don't crochet, or have a need for a crochet hook.

It's all about getting the word out!

http://www.curefa.org/