A Ron Swanson Birthday

Mike and I love the show Parks and Recreation. We enjoy the characters, the jokes, and the overall ridiculousness of the show. One of his favorite characters is Ron Swanson, a meat-loving curmudgeon whose deadpan humor make him a fun character.

"There's only one thing I hate more than lying: skim milk. Which is water that is lying about being milk." - Ron Swanson

Haha. Love it.

Anyway...several months ago, we were watching the episode where Leslie Knope surprises Ron with a birthday dinner all to himself, watching his favorite movie, drinking his favorite whiskey, eating his beloved steak. Mike mentioned how fun that would be, so I tucked it away as an idea for his birthday.

Fast forward to having 3 kiddos under 2, and my crazy health issues, and I just wasn't sure what I was going to do for Mike for his birthday. I have such limited capacity these days, but I needed to do something special for my sweet hubby. He has basically held us all together the past 3 months, and I wanted him to know how much I love and appreciate him. So I enlisted the help of my brother, his sister, our moms, and my aunt...and together we were able to pull off a pretty decent re-creation! :)

Of course, I made the "Mike" version of the dinner, ordering filet mignon fajitas to go with his 2 favorites: chips and salsa and Costco chocolate cake. He got to enjoy his whiskey and his favorite movie, and I even ordered a cheap "bib" off Amazon to complete the episode replica. I stayed to have dinner with him, but then he got an evening to himself to relax and sleep, without the craziness of bedtime with little ones.

This was a fun and silly way to celebrate Mike's birthday, but I wanted to make it special for him. He has endured so much chaos in the last few months, never once complaining and repeatedly asking how else he can help. He really has been the glue for our family, and I am so thankful for how he loves and takes care of us all. He deserves so much more than chocolate cake and whiskey, but hopefully this small token of my love and gratitude made him feel loved and adored.

I am so thankful to everyone who helped me pull this off, because I certainly couldn't have done it without all of them. And I am so glad that Mike loved his Ron Swanson birthday surprise :)

{iPhone Rewind} :: November

She is pretty fun :)

Grandma is a genius...give them a rag, and they "help" clean! #teachthemyoung

Sorry...there is no privacy in our house haha

Chillin' on a cold day

Cousins are the best

He's such a great helper!

Aiden with his namesake! :)

Eli & Maddie's birthday t-shirts for their Two Cool, Two Sweet birthday party :)

I think the new birthday toy from Uncle Ben and Aunt Lindsay is a hit :)

Aiden had to have some physical therapy for his neck and head...and he did fairly well!

When you insist that your monkey wears your pajamas

True. #zoolander

Sasha...she's such a patient girl.

Aiden loves his Uncle Bryan!

He worked so hard to catch this monkey and he finally did!

Sharing her love of reading with her little brother

Little Man is sitting well in his Bumbo :)

Oh man. I love snuggles with this sweet boy.

We took a walk to see the Christmas tree at Melissa city hall

We enjoyed a fun morning at the McKinney Home for the Holidays event

Can't get enough of these baby snuggles

Reading with Daddy

Haha #maddiehasbeenhere

She's such a cute little mama :)

Aiden :: 3 Months

Aiden,

We thought you were the absolute cutest with your tiny baby smiles...and then you started giggling this month. And our hearts have just about melted! Talk about the ultimate cuteness factor :)  But you have also mastered the pouty bottom lip...and that just about kills us every time.

We love how you have just settled into our little family. We are still trying to figure out our new family routine, but you are patient and mostly go with the flow. Your brother and sister have adored you from day one, but it is fun to see how much you are starting to adore them too! You want to be a part of the action, so we can't imagine how excited you will be when you are actually able to keep up with them. 

Love, 

Mama

AIDEN MICHAEL

Stats :: 16 pounds

Clothing/Diaper Size :: you wore 3 month clothing for about a week and have jumped to 6 month clothing {mostly because of your cute little belly}, and you have moved into size 2 diapers

Loves :: being held, smiling, kicking your legs

Dislikes :: tummy time {even though your physical therapist says you're GREAT at it}, being in your carseat {unless we're going at least 60 mph}

Eat :: you got a cold this month, so you weren't feeling great, which affected your eating. you didn't feel like eating much, so it has taken a little bit of time for you to work back up to your normal eating levels. you tend to eat lighter {and more frequently} in the morning and then increase your intake as the day goes on, tanking up before bedtime. you often want to be swaddled to eat, and you will hold tight to my fingers to keep the bottle in your mouth :)  

Sleep :: when you got sick, you struggled with eating and sleeping. so it has taken some time to work back up to a better sleep routine. you still only take 30-45 minute naps, though you have started taking a longer nap in the afternoon {sometimes}. most of the time you give us that long 5 {sometimes 6} hour stretch at night, but even that is not consistent. we're just hoping you move to another long stretch for the second part of the night soon. you're still super noisy when you sleep, so we will be moving you to your own room soon. as part of your physical therapy, we had to stop letting you nap in the swing. you also have to sleep with a rolled up blanket in your swaddle to help lean you to one side {so you turn your head to your left side}. we're glad it doesn't seem to bother you {and it's definitely helping to even out your little head}!

Play/Development :: you have been batting at toys and even grasping some of them. you started physical therapy for your torticollis, and you are doing so well! we have to do stretches to strengthen your neck, and your plagiocephaly is getting so much better already. you are "talking" ALL the time now, and you have even started giggling! you are constantly moving, kicking your legs and flailing your arms, like you are going everywhere in a hurry. you have discovered your feet and stare at them, trying to figure them out. your legs are super strong and you can "stand" really well. you are also able to sit really well in your Bumbo seat, though you don't seem to like to work that hard for too long :)

Unique to You :: little man, you are so fun! you have always been our smiling, happy baby, but now that you are starting to interact more and even started giggling...you are just so fun. you love watching your brother and sister, as they tend to provide endless entertainment. you just want to be a part of everything. you LOVE the little monkey on your bouncy seat and the little turtle on your carseat; you get so excited when you see them :)

Embryo Adoption Awareness Day

November is National Adoption Month. Of course, Embryo Adoption is near and dear to our hearts, as we have been blessed with 3 beautiful snowflake babies. We love sharing about this option, and I love that we have a specific day to help raise awareness!

For some general facts, you can read my post here. And for some information regarding donation, you can read my post here. I thought that this year I would share some of the numbers related to Embryo Adoption. 

• There are over 600,000+ embryos in frozen storage*
• Over 7,000 babies have been born through Embryo Adoption/Donation
• Embryo Adoption is available in all 50 states
• The success rate of Embryo Adoption averages 44%
• The average number of transfers to achieve a successful pregnancy is 3
• Up to 50% of donated embryos were created using donor egg or sperm
• The oldest recorded frozen embryo to result in a healthy baby is 24 years
• The average cost of Embryo Adoption is $14,000 for one attempt at pregnancy

There are many ways to build a family. Whether you choose one of the varying fertility treatments or to walk the road of adoption, many of these options are not inexpensive. One of the advantages of Embryo Adoption is that it is actually a more cost effective way to build a family. To be clear, I am not advocating for the "cheapest" way to adopt. But many people are not aware that it can sometimes be a more affordable option.

To provide some perspective on varying fertility and adoption options, I have listed some cost estimates below:

• Sperm Donation $250 to $1,000
• Egg Donation {fresh eggs, never frozen} $20,000 to $45,000
• Frozen eggs $16,000 to $20,000
• Surrogacy $75,000 to $150,000
• Domestic Infant Adoption $25,000 to $30,000
• International Adoption $25,000 to $50,000
• Frozen Embryo Adoption {agency} $12,000 to $15,000
• Frozen Embryo Donation {clinic} $4,000 to $8,000
• U.S Foster Adoption $1,500 to $3,000

It is illegal to sell embryos, but there are costs associated with embryo adoption/donation. Some of these costs are for administrative services, legal contracts, embryo shipment, transfer fees, lab/embryology fees, etc. If you choose to use an agency {like we did}, there are also costs for home studies, matching services, etc.

While Embryo Adoption is not an inexpensive option, we {obviously} believe it is worth every penny we spent. We are incredibly thankful for this amazing option, and we are so humbled and blessed by the success we had with the process.

-------

*though not all of these are available for adoption, as many families choose not to donate

- Facts from the Embryo Adoption Awareness Center

Happy Thanksgiving!

This was Aiden's first Thanksgiving!

This year, we enjoyed a quiet morning at home. We turned on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Eli and Maddie thought it was SO fun! They enjoyed watching the floats, balloons and marching bands; it was such a treat for them to be able to watch something on TV :)

We then got dressed and headed over to Granny and Grumpz's house for Thanksgiving lunch. We missed seeing Uncle Ben and Aunt Lindsay {since they were in St. Louis}, but we enjoyed seeing Uncle Bryan and Aunt Christa. It's fun that Eli and Maddie are able to play with cousins and just enjoy running around with family. And Aiden just enjoyed being held :)

And of course, they totally rocked their turkey day outfits!

Happy Thanksgiving from our crew!

Eli & Maddie's TWO Cool, TWO Sweet Party

This weekend we celebrated Eli and Maddie's second birthday! This year's theme? TWO Cool, TWO Sweet...cool shades and sweet treats :)

I had started planning their party before Aiden was born, but with all the craziness of becoming a family of 5 and my health issues, I wasn't sure if we would be able to celebrate the way I originally wanted. In the end, I decided I wanted them to have a fun day of celebrating with family, so I scaled back on what I originally planned and was still able {I think} to make a fun day for them!

Before our guests arrived, we were able to snap a few photos of the birthday boy and girl! I was able to make their birthday shirts this year again, and I really liked how they turned out.

We kept things pretty simple for decor and food, but I think it worked really well. I'm super thankful for my Silhouette Cameo because it makes it easy to cut the designs I want really fast. Everyone seemed to enjoy the sweets, and Eli and Maddie had a blast!

Thanks to Sugar Babe's in Melissa for these awesome letter donuts!

Thanks to Aunt Lindsay for these awesome cupcakes!

We had donuts, sausage rolls, and fruit. Maddie really enjoyed her donut, but Eli wasn't too interested. I can't ever figure those two out...they switch their preferences all the time. But boy did they both enjoy their cupcakes! :)

Eli and Maddie loved playing with their cousins and seemed to enjoy a little more of the attention they got {compared to last year}. They got lots of fun new toys, but of course enjoyed the balloons the most :)

We loved having all the aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents there to help us celebrate and make the day fun for Eli and Maddie. I am so glad that we still had a party for them, despite the craziness, and we hope everyone had oh so much fun!

Happy Birthday, my Two Cool and Two Sweet little ones :)