a happier new year

Isn't it incredible how much life can change in just one little year? On the last day of 2010, I gave myself my first two shots and thus began my IVF cycle. Today, on the last day of 2011, I am holding my baby boy while he squiggles and squirms, and I can hear his sister crying in the background.

We started our interesting journey to our twins exactly one year ago today. 2010 was not our best year. In fact, I had never been happier to see a year go. New Year's Eve 2010 saw us with a guest bed packed with medicine and syringes, neatly organized and awaiting their "turn," and hearts filled with excitement, hope, and fear. We knew that IVF was our best chance to have biological children, and we had great hope that we would finally meet our little one(s) in 2011. We also knew, though, that IVF is in no way a guarantee, and that the process we were investing so much into both emotionally and financially could leave us empty-handed. Despite our fears, we jumped in with both feet on December 31, 2010. The girl who once fainted at a flu shot injected meds into her own belly, and off we went. One year later, we are oh so thankful that we took that leap of faith.

Because we did the January IVF cycle, this next month is full of milestones for us and our little ones. Bear with me while I reminisce a bit over the next few weeks...though it may not be interesting to everyone, these are days that will forever be celebrated in the Shafer home.

Happy New Year from our family to yours! May 2012 bring you as many blessings as 2011 brought us.

New Year's Eve 2010

New Year's Eve 2011