Moving on to the next cycle!

Well AF (period) came once again as I was about to take a HPT (home pregnancy test) this has happened to me repeatedly!! So this next cycle, I will not test until after AF is do, if I get that opportunity! So my plan of action this cycle is to baby dance every other day to every day for 8 days or so. This cycle I contemplated buying evening primrose. But after lots of thought I decided against it and bought preseed instead. I just felt like EP was doing a little too much at this stage. I thought preseed was less complicated and has no side effects. I know we are fertile and capable of conceiving. We just need to be patient and enjoying ttc and not stress about it and it will happen. I have faith that it will. Today is cycle day 9 and baby dancing is going well and it's not at all like a chore, it's been fun and spontaneous. So far preseed is great! I'll do a review on it soon, here and on my YT channel.

Until next time!
Mandi

Trying to conceive our rainbow baby!

We officially started trying to conceive in March on our third cycle, after our miscarriage. It's been a bit emotional since we have been trying because I'm just so nervous. Which I know is to be expected. I just feel like when we do get pregnant that I'm just going to be walking on egg shells the whole time and that's not what I want. So I've really been working on my faith and having a positive mind set. Just really trying to be more of a optimist. Because it really is in the hands of the Lord, and that's where I believe it should be.
We are in our third cycle of trying to conceive (ttc) and at this point we are just making sure we BD (baby dance) which means having sex, for those of you that are still learning the ttc community language. We are also using OPKs, which are ovulation predictor kits. That's all we are doing so far. Right now we are at the very end of our 2ww (two week wait) if AF (aunt flow) doesn't show in the next day or two, I will be testing. It has been really hard to hold off on testing. The last two cycles I've thought about testing a couple days before AF was due and AF has come right as I'm attempting to test or a couple hours before. So I'm trying to avoid the extra let down. 
I have been vlogging my whole journey from the very beginning on YouTube. So if you would like to get caught up on my previous ttc experience, my previous pregnancy, miscarriage, and this ttc journey through video as well. Check out my channel: MandieHeartsLife I would love the support <3

The loss of our angel baby!

I'm blogging again after being gone for 6 months. Well let's get right into it. The last blog I posted in Oct. 2011 was me TTC. Well we successfully got our BFP (big fat positive pregnancy test). Nov. 2nd 2011 we were so excited to be pregnant after only 2 cycles of ttc. We had our first OB apt. the Dr. gave us a due date of July 16th 2012. We were over joyed.
At 12 weeks pregnant our walls came crashing down when I started spotting on New Years Eve. I had my Dr. Paged (of course it was a holiday so everything was closed) it took a little while to get a return phone call. Finally I talked to my Dr. and he said it was up to me I could go to the ER or wait until my 12 week apt that was scheduled Jan 3rd. He asked me a bunch of other questions. After the phone call I talked to my husband and we decided there was nothing we could do, so we waited. The spotting was vey light at that point.
The day of the apt came and I was a nervous wreck. My heart was pounding so hard and fast that when then Dr. Came in to listen to the babies heart beat he mistaked mine for the baby's heart beat. But I told him "I'm concerned that, that may be my heart beat" so we went to U/S (ultrasound) and the tech went to look and there was my little angle on the screen the cutest little face, lifeless, no movement, nor heart beat. That day I left a little piece of my heart in that u/s room. Our world was broken into tiny pieces. We had lost our angel baby! I've never felt pain like that before! It was something I'll never be able to explain with words, how I felt then and feel now.
I ended up rushing into the ER very early the next morning when I fully started to miscarry, because the pain was so unbearable mentally and physically. About two hours after getting checked in, I went down to the OR and was put to sleep for a D&C. Jan. 4th 2012 around 4am. I later went home empty in every way.
The healing process has been long and hard. Slowly, each day has gotten better through prayer and faith. My family, and my Facebook/YouTube ttc, pregnancy, and mommy community have been the best support. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart.

Let me bring you up to speed!

My husband and I started ttc September 2011, I stopped taking my birth control in August. AF came August 23rd and came again Sept. 13th, after that we officially started ttc. I felt overwhelmed by it all because I really didn't know what to do. That's when I started watching YouTube videos and reading blogs and searching more on the Internet. I really loved the YouTube community and it helped so much. That's when I decided I wanted to start vlogging and blogging my ttc journey and beyond. I tried the OPK's this cycle and wasn't very successful I think I started using them too early and stopped using them too soon. That's really the only thing I did, other wise I just went about it the natural way. Lots of baby dancing :)!!

Pre TTC: I went to the dentist and had x-rays done and got my teeth cleaned. 

I started taking Women's One-A-Day Prenatal with DHA and Omega 3.

I went to see my OB and talk to him about our plans to ttc. He thought everything would be just fine with us ttc and had no real concerns since we've conceived before successfully. I did have a fibroid when I was pregnant before that caused me a lot of pain. Therefore he wanted me to come back in for an ultra sound to get the measurements of it to see if it has grown or is still the same size. We are hoping it's the same size. I go in for that on Oct.14th. I will let you know how things go at that appointment.

I also started drinking a lot of water, I wasn't a very good water drinker before. I went and purchased a 24oz BPA free water bottle and drink at least three of them a day.

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I started taking HPT's CD 22 BFN, CD 26 BFN, CD27 BFN and CD 28 AF came around 8pm which is today 10/10/11. I think I should actually count cycle day 1 as 10/11/11 because today it showed so late in the day and I don't have full flow yet.

Hope this brings you up to speed. If you have any questions for me or blog ideas for me I'd be glad to answer and do them within reason.

So today is my CD 1 of cycle # 2 TTC. I will be ordering or store buying OPK's and HPT soon, if you have suggestions of a brand that worked well for you or you know of and the price is right as well please comment and let me know. I would really appreciate that.

Hope this brings you up to speed. If you have any questions for me or blog ideas for me, I'd be glad to answer and do them within reason.

Thanks so much,

xoxo Mandi

Welcome to my blog!!

Hi everyone! My name is Mandi, the purpose of me starting a blog is to track my TTC (trying to conceive) journey. Nevertheless, I have many more plans for the future of this blog. I want to not only blog about ttc, but pregnancy when it happens, my family life, life as a mother, and just life in general.

Just to get a snap shot at my life, I am a wife and a mother of three girls. This is the break down of my three daughters, there is a much longer version but I'll give you the quick version. :)

Ok, our oldest daughter is my step-daughter 13, our middle child is my niece 9, my sister passed away when my niece was 20 months old. So my husband and I stepped up and made the decision to raise her as our own. Our youngest 7, is ours together, my only biological child.

We are a very close family! We love hanging out together doing whatever, as long as we are together.


If you have questions please let me know, or if you would like me to check out your blog I would love to do so.

I am also vlogging on YouTube.com MandieHeartsLife, have a Facebook page Mandi Heart, and Twitter.com/HeartMandi
If you are ever on those sites please check me out.

Thanks for following my blog, xoxo Mandi.