IUI

Well, that is the game plan. What's an IUI  (Intra-Uterine Insemination) you ask? Click this linky HERE if you wanna know all the medical details. What it is not: it is not where they place your eggs and sperm in a "petri dish" and make a baby. That is IVF - In-Vitro Fertilization. And NO, my chances of multiples aren't increased because of this technique. The Clomid (to induce ovulation) does not increase my chances, either! A lot of people have that misconception that because we are taking fertility meds and are doing the IUI we will have twins, triplets or quads or even become like octo-mom! However, that isn't the case! If God decides to bless us with multiples, it is because it was HIS plan! *I secretly want twins!* Science has advanced so much that even with IVF, they are only implanting 1-2 embryo's in the uterus now, rather than the 3 or 4 like before. It's amazing how much things are changing! I love to read about the new advancements medicine is making regarding infertility!

This whole process of IUI really reminds me of when I was in high school and was involved in FFA. I remember having to help and watched numerous artificial inseminations on sows (girl pigs in lamens terms) and it was kinda icky and kinda cool, too!

Anyways, we are super excited to have a game plan! I know that God will give me the desires of my heart, because His word says so.

Also, y'all keep me in your prayers: I am going to see a specialist about being diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. I have always struggled with school, work, housework, any task that takes focusing and really am bad at procrastinating to the point where I have almost lost my job. This is very hard for me to talk about because it isn't something I'm very proud of, but I'm so ready for help! I was telling my co-teacher this morning when I try to think, my brain feels like a super-highway full of roads and bridges and intersections with cars zooming all over the place...I just want a slow-paced country road! If that makes sense!

"Infertility is a heart-wrenching, faith-questioning, relationship-testing, life-altering experience. April is Infertility Awareness Month. Whether a friend, a family member, a colleague or yourself has fought through this difficult fate that MILLIONS of people are fighting day in and day out, post this as your status if you or someone you know has walked to hell & back for the chance to be a MOM"

This was one of those "repost" things on Facebook, and I generally don't do them, but this one hit home with me. We are in the midst of this horrible battle, and it has been a long 5 years! Even though we did the surgery to remove everything, are getting ready to go through our first IUI cycle, we still aren't guaranteed a baby. I had a breakdown last night (well, at midnight or so) when I realized that I still don't have any greater chance of conceiving. Part of me wants to not go through with the expensive IUI because what if it doesn't work? Then we are out all of that time of missed work, putting others in a bind, the financial burden will be tough, and then we would have to do it all over again. I'm not sure how much of this I can take emotionally anymore, either. I have prayed for peace regarding the choices we have to make, but still, I'm really confused. I know that God will provide the peace in His time and will allow us a chance to be parents in His time.

Some days are really starting to suck again. I have been "moping" more and crying more. I have been angry lately and really resentful. I hate that I've been doing this to myself, and I feel it's now time to get back on my knees and pray more. Satan has been doing a number on my spirit and just tearing me down. It's just really hard because this is the greatest desire of my heart and I just feel so empty inside. I think it's okay to feel this way sometimes, but I really need to get rid of it. This is not me anymore and this is not from the love of God.

Team Emmalyn!

Hey everyone! Here is the link to our March of Dimes page! We are in dire need of walkers and if you are interested, PLEASE let me or Jennifer Young know ASAP! The walk will be April 30th, in Abilene. It is only 3 miles. This is an amazing foundation who allowed my niece a chance at a healthy life after being born 10 weeks early and spending a  little over 5 weeks in the NICU at Abilene Regional (the best NICU in this area!)


Please consider joining this team or if God leads you to make a donation, you can do both on my website, listed below! Thank you for all of your help!

http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_dashboard.asp?w=4786384&si=04F920AA-1FDD-47B7-B1D6-06DDE87E888C&walk=company&u=emsaunt&ft=1

March for Emmalyn!

April 30th I will be participating in my first March of Dimes walk in Abilene!

I am so excited and so very humbled to be a part of this amazing foundation!

For who you ask? The answer is simple! This sweet, sweet face!

You see, this is my precious niece Emmalyn Kae! She is a miracle straight from God! She decided she needed to jump into this world 10 weeks early and surprise us all! It was a surprise infact! A scary, exciting, nervous, anxious and most definitly prayer filled journey through NICU and the first few months at home! She is amazing and growing so much and I'm so honored to be her AUNT! So, please keep this team that is forming in your thoughts and prayers, and if you felt led to help give to this foundation, a website is being formed and will be up soon and I will post it! There will be many fundraisers in honor of this walk, as well!

Such a tiny angel! God is so good!

Power in Prayer

I'm not sure exactly where I've been since I last wrote....I was pretty dedicated to this blog for a LONG time...But everytime I thought about blogging, I would start and just couldn't get enough words together to create a blog worth reading. Today I realized I need to blog about prayer. Maybe it's because I haven't spent enough time on my knees lately and I'm feeling that conviction or something else. It seems like when I stop praying, stuff starts happening! Is that true? I'm not sure!

I have sooooo many prayer requests right now, but for some reason, I don't feel that I should share any of them. I have friends who need prayer, co-workers who need prayer, family who needs prayer and of course, we need prayer. I guess you just could pray that God takes care of everyone on our prayer list. He knows who they are and knows their specific needs!

I just wanted to share one last thing, I found this scripture online while researching what God has to say about praying and wanted to share it with you:

1 Chronicles 16:11 (NIV)11 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

This says to me that NO MATTER how rough things may be, always turn to God and He will guide you in the direction you will need to go!

and finally ~

Psalms 145:18 (NIV)18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

This tells me, that I should tell God my heart (He already knows it anyways, so why hide it from Him????) and share with him my dreams and hopes and desires and He will listen to me. He will be near to me and hold me in His arms and comfort me!

May you each be blessed!

God is SO Good!

I cannot even begin to explain how happy my heart is right now! God does all sorts of things to amaze me each and every day and show me that He is still in control! Example of the day: A family member and a new friend have the same "disease" -- PCOS. Both were told that it would be VERY hard, if not, impossible to get pregnant without the use of fertility medicines, surgeries and such. BOTH are pregnant! ON THEIR OWN! Our God is an awesome God who is really great at proving to others that He is in control and that He has a "game plan" for each and every one of us! No matter how much we try to plan, how much dr's try to tell us otherwise, His healing hand is in the midst of it all and has always been - It's His plan, afterall! I LOVE it when He works like this and it only makes my heart happy to know that I'm in His plan, too! =) Love you all!!!!!

Here's one of my favorite songs right now:

Our God by Chris Tomlin

Water you turned into wine, opened the eyes of the blind there's no one like you none like You!
Into the darkness you shine out of the ashes we rise there's no one like you none like You!
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!

Into the darkness you shine out of the ashes we rise there's no one like you none like You!
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!
And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
What could stand against.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!
And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
Then what could stand against.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!

Romans 12:6-8 

⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your^[a] faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,^[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Did you know that as Christians, we are all called to serve God and to share the Good News with the world? Well, for a long time I've had this perception that we are all called to go door-to-door and share the Message. For those of you who don't know me, speaking to strangers has been a struggle for me! I get nervous and jittery. My hands sweat and I get shaky. But guess what? God has called us to serve Him using our TALENTS that He gave us! Each and every person on this Earth was given talents. We do not all have the same talents, which is in fact what makes us a part of the body of Christ. Here is what scripture says about that. I know it's a little long, but to get the message to you, you needed to read the entire thing!

I have been praying dilligently for God to show me how to serve Him using my talents. I have asked what exactly are my talents? I don't sing in the choir (yet), I don't go door-to-door (yet), etc. (I say yet, because God can ask me to do anything He needs me to do at anytime and will equip me with whatever I need!) Do we have only one talent? Most likely no. I'm pretty sure I have a mix of a few! I love to help others. I love to give to the less fortunate! I love to craft! I just really feel that God is showing me my talents because he wants me to use them to glorify Him! Have you noticed a lot of things I make have scripture on them? I beleive that I am sharing His word with others just by doing that!

¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

 ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

 ²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues^[a]? Do all interpret? ³¹ Now eagerly desire the greater gifts

I'm so excited to be able to do this show in a couple of weeks. I am praying for God to show me a way to help the Holden Uganda Foundation by using these talents! I know He will give me the ideas and I will only use them to glorify Him and Him only!

Well, what are your talents? What is He calling you to do? Are you listening? Don't be afraid to ask! But don't be afraid to say "Yes, Lord" when he asks you, for he will not lead you into something that will harm you!