The Duchess Turns 8

 On January 15, 2003 I arrived at the hospital at 7"00AM for my scheduled c-section.  Hubby and I could not wait to find out if we were having a boy or girl....although Hubby was so convinced we were having a boy he wouldn't even discuss girl names.

At 9:44AM the doctor announced "You have a big baby girl!"  I will never forget the look on Hubby's face.....it was complete and utter shock!!!  He turned to me stunned and said "What on earth are we going to name her??"  I gave him my top two picks and said "Pick one."

The Duchess weighed in at 8lbs. 10oz. & 21".  MUCH bigger then her 5lb brother and 4lb sister who had been born just 13 months earlier!!

That's right...13 MONTHS between TWINS and another baby!!!  CRAAAZZZYYY!!!!!

I suppose I should explain The Duchesses conception......well, not THAT part....get your minds out of the gutter!!!  But more the HOW I learned of The Duchesses impending arrival.

I went through nearly 4 years of infertility prior to conceiving my twins through IVF.  Over those 4 years I worked with 4 different doctors, had NUMEROUS medical procedures and was told by ALL 4 doctors I had a 0-1% chance of every concieving or carring a baby to term without medical intervention.  My infertility journey is a long and complicated one I'll share another time.......

Ultimatley I had a successful IVF cycle in which I concieved triplets....Yep TRIPLETS!  Sadly just one week after learning we had concieved 3 babies, I lost one.  Thankfully the other 2 continued to grow and arrived healthy, although 6 weeks premature.

When My Boy and The Contessa were about 6 months old I started feeling very yucky throughout the day.  Several things went through my mind..............the flu, exhaustion, or even a allergy to dairy (I craved milk like you would not believe, but felt horrible every time I consumed it!)...........never, and I mean NEVER did pregnancy even cross my mind!!!

While on the phone with a very dear friend, I was telling her how I had been feeling for the past several weeks.  Her response.....she laughed and said "I bet your pregnant!"  "yaeh, right." was my flipant response. 

Later that night I was telling Hubby about the conversation with my friend and her comment about me being pregnant.  Suddenly I noticed Hubby had stopped what he was doing and just stared at me.  "What?" I asked him.  He quietly said "I've been thinking the same thing."    "You WHAT!!!???" I was stunned.

"I've been thinking your pregnant too.  You've been acting the same way you had early on before." He said

You know in the movies when a character has a revalation or realisation and they get that look and the camera zooms in on them??  Yeah, that's how I felt right in that moment.  It was like I was watching a film of my ealrier pregnancy with the twins in my mind and comparing it to how I currently felt and suddenly....and I mean SUDDENLY I knew!!!  I just Knew!!!  He was right.  My friend was right.  I was pregnant!

I left right then, and headed to the drugstore for a pregnancy test.  I came right back home and walked right into the bathroom and took the test.  There were two lines before I even laid the test down!!!!

I waited the alloted time and grabbed it and walked out to show Hubby the test.  He was on the phone with his brother and I just shoved the test infront of him.  In mid-sentence he said into the phone "I gotta go!" and hung up.

The first person we told was my sister, who had also been the first to learn we were pregnant with the twins.  The next day we told our parents and other family members.  It was a scary and joyous time all at once! And sadly just 3 days after my very first ultrasound, my stepdad passed away unexpectadly.  So, as you can imagine I was an emotional mess throughout my pregnancy.

The day The Duchesses was born was such an emotional day for my family.  We had endured the loss of a loved one and now were being blessed with a new family member to love.  It was VERY emotional!!

So, how is The Duchess 8 years later..........
*She is very loving, very kind, very smart
*She is Beautiful
*She LOVES school, and wants to be a teacher when she grows up
*Her favorite color is brown, followed by purple and pink
*Her favorite food is a tie between meatloaf and tacos
*She loves to play Barbies
*She likes to read, draw and color
*She REALLY wants an Ipod Touch, which she is saving her money to get on her own
*She loves Full House reruns
*She Loves Taylor Swift
*She is PERFECT in every way!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETPEA!!!!!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

This week has just flown by for me.....I can't believe it's friday ALREADY!!!  I have a very busy weekend ahead, which I'll share with ya'll next week.

For today how about a little 5QFriday


You can play along too, visit My Little Life

1. What is your current favorite book, and why? I haven't been doing much reading latley, but my Fav is the Outlander series.















2. Do you go to the dentist regularly? YIKES!!  Ok, seriously..........I have NEVER been to the dentist.  (bow's head is shame)
There are a number of reasons for this......I grew-up in a very poor family and we couldn't pay the cost.  Then when I was older, I was barley making ends meet and there was no $$ left for dental or even medical care.  Then I had kids and I make sure to take them every 6 months.....which in turns leaves no $$ left for me or hubby.    Excuses I know, but it's the truth.  (walks away in shame)

3. What is your worst memory from High School? I would have to say my worst memory was finding out my boyfriend asked my best friend on a date.....she declined and immediatley called me.....but the impact was the same as if she had accepted.  It sent me into such a tail spin......resulting in an eating disorder that took me years to recover from.  I was a sophmore in High School.  Although because of that event, I met my Hubby the follow year...almost exactly to the date, and have been madly in love with him for the past 21years!!  So I guess you could say the worst was for the best.

4. What do you hope to be remembered for in your life?  I hope to be remembered period!  So many people pass away and are forgotten.  We had inscribed on my step fathers tombstone the following phrase.........."Move on, be brave,  dont' weep at my grave, just please don't ever let your memories of me fade"  That pretty much how I feel.

5. Are you superstitious or do you have any superstitions? Yes and No.  I don't fear I will break my mothers back if I step on a crack and the number 13 is one of my favorites.  I'm not afraid of black cats crossing my path or of open an umbrella inside.  However, I will not break a mirror, walk under a ladder and if I spill salt I toss it over my shoulder.  I ALWAYS say "God Bless You" when someone sneezes and I say "God Bless Me" when I sneeze.