Finally At Negative!

Well we thought it might be nice to post a quick update on the status of our Molar Pregnancy since we had our second follow up appt after the procedure done today. Good news, we're officially considered negative! My hCG level is not exactly zero yet, it's 4, but anything below 5 is considered negative so they said we'll do a couple more weeks of weekly blood draws and then we'll go to testing monthly. This is a good thing and we're definitely relieved to have gotten this news after only 4 weeks. After doing a lot of research we knew that it could very well take several weeks to get to that point so having only taken a month is great and the doctors are very happy. It's a bittersweet fact though, negative is what we want and needed to see but it also symbolizes that this short lived journey that we were originally so exited to embark on, is officially over. It's of course not completely over until we're through with being monitored but the big stuff if passed now and we're not likely to have to worry about needing any follow up treatment or care from it. We can just look toward the future and when the time is right hopefully we get the chance at starting our family again. But hey, maybe this PCS will be a fresh start and our 3rd try will be the charm.. We can have little Alaskan babies! ;)

So moving along, on the subject of Alaska, we're still just moving along and chipping away at little to-do's even though I must admit that we have a whole gamut of things to do that we could probably be allotting time to a bit more efficiently. We'll get there one way or another though, so there is only so much to bother stressing over I guess. That meaning that pretty much we have no choice but to get there so we'll do what we "gotta" do! One positive is that we got a room reserved there at the new base to stay in while we wait for a house to come available and it's pet friendly so miss Juniper can stay with us. This was a big concern because they only have a couple of pet friendly rooms and from there you have no choice but to kennel your pet off base somewhere and that could have been for a month or easily more. I know people do this everyday because sometimes there just isn't any other choice but as most already know, this dog is pretty much our spoiled child and we were flat our not even having the idea that she couldn't stay with us. So very needless to say, we got extremely lucky that a room came available when it did and crisis averted!

Secondly, because getting and keeping these orders were contingent upon Ryan reenlisting, he will be doing so on Monday. Just shy of 8 years in service and we're signing on for another 4. Looks like we'll be making this a career and will make the best of the journey the military takes us on. We can only hope that it's merciful and takes us to new and wonderful things. Maybe Alaska will be just our first stop in seeing what they have in store for us!

So it looks like we'll close this for now and we will definitely update more later on as things start rolling with our move. We'll be home this weekend for just a couple of days for our nephew Parker's first birthday so hopefully we'll get to see everyone, at least briefly for some hello's and some hugs! We are going to be taking the entire second half of May off to come home also, so that we will have plenty of time to say our goodbyes to everyone at that time. We will be planning on having a get together at that time so that we can have everyone together at least once more before we head out and are looking forward to getting to do that . It surely won't be the last time we see you all but it will just be the last time that we're only a few hours away from the family, at least for a while, and want to take advantage of every second we have.

Ok well lots of love and we'll be seeing you! :)

Change is Headed Our Way!

Well we decided that it was time to finally attempt blog number 3. It's been a couple of months since we've updated but it certainly hasn't been an uneventful time to say the least. I will begin by admitting something that we wanted to keep private until just the right time. We found out 2 days after Christmas that we were pregnant and were absolutely over the moon. This was our second pregnancy as our first one ended quickly in miscarriage a year and half prior. We were very proud and exited but wanted to wait to share the news with everyone once we'd had our first successful ultrasound and could be a bit more confident when we told the news. It tends to make you a bit nervous to say it out loud after a loss, in fear that it could happen again. But things seemed to be going well, I was feeling all of those crazy hormones and other blessed things that meant we were really expecting. Unfortunately at an ultrasound the doctor found that things did not look normal and he was suspected something called a Hydatidiform Mole (Molar Pregnancy) which can be dangerous and required us to do a D&C right away since that means that it is not a viable pregnancy. Well a week after the procedure we did get the results that it was a Complete Molar and I would need to be monitored for up to a year and that it would be dangerous to become pregnant again for a year. They need to watch my hCG levels weekly to make sure they they go down properly and once they do they will monitor them monthly to make sure they do not rise again. If they do not go down or they go back up it could be a sign that the tissue is regrowing and I would need treatment, which would be Chemotherapy. Googling the diagnosis would be easier than my trying to explain it but basically the mole is considered a tumor so if if comes back it could be cancerous. The good news it that my hCG did not get near as high as other much worse cases out there. I topped out at 38,000 but they can often times get up into the high hundred thousands, so see I was not as severe as I could have. If there is a silver lining in every situation than that would be ours, I was diagnosed so quickly. Now, my levels went down to 428 one week after surgery and two weeks after they are at 59. This is wonderful, they have dropped great but we have to keep checking weekly until they are at zero. My doctor said that since this did not appear to be a severe case and my levels are looking so good, we may be cleared to try for a baby after 6 months of zero results. Ok, so that is the gist of the situation and I know that I didn't explain in much detail what a Complete Molar is but there is endless info online so please look it up if you want to understand a bit more. But at the end of the day, my levels are looking good and we just have to hope that they keep dropping and things will be just fine.

So to close that topic I want to apologize for keeping it quiet. Some I'm sure had an idea that there was something wrong but it's been very very hard to come to terms with it and we've been doing our best with it. Yes, we experienced a second pregnancy loss and it turned out to be something that a bit more serious than that so it kind of feels like we relive it each week but time will heal and we know God has something great in store for us and our family. So while some days are harder to accept than others, the lowering levels are what keeps us feeling ok with all of it.. It's the very best we can do for now so we'll take it and keeping moving!

Ok well our next bombshell is a bit of a doozy as well so brace yourself.. We sure did have to! We just got orders and will be moving to Fairbanks, Alaska by June!! Yep, it's true but doesn't really seem possible. We're sure working on wrapping our heads around the fact and have been scrambling to let it sink in and just plan and prepare. When Ryan first shared the news all Angel could do was literally laugh. Things had just started to settle in here with the promotion and taking over down at Packing & Crating and we were waiting to move into the great 3 bedrooms here on base so hearing, "Hey babe, are you sitting down?" seemed like some kind a funny joke. But it really isn't so now it's wow, -60 degree weather and moose and caribou, here we come! Now let the fear, shock and excitement begin.

We found this photo taken in Fairbanks online and had to share it, not sure when it was taken but the point it, we are going to be living there!! That's incredible, isn't it? We've been researching like crazy and are finding that while it is going to be such a huge adjustment, that kind of cold feels so much different than what our cold feels like here if that makes any sense. They describe it as a "dry" cold and that the "wet" kind of cold is much more bone chilling. Now this is not to say it won't be cold, but I know we'll adjust. But beyond the cold, how about the fact that it will be light for 6 months of the year and pretty much dark the other half. When we are headed there in June is will be light all the time and looking on the bright side of things, it'll be helpful on our drive to squeeze a few more hours into the day. It's definitely great that we get to go when we are to take advantage of this and the fact that the weather will be warmer or more mild. This will also help with the drive so we won't have to worry about the roads along the way or that we'll freeze to death if we broke down and were stranded on some long stretch along the Alacan Highway. See what I mean, these are definite bright sides!

So as for actually being in Alaska, just think about all of the new things we'll get to see and do. Just the fact alone that we will be literally 8 miles from the North Pole. Literally, there is a town called North Pole and if we don't live on base we will probably be living there. Living in the town dedicated to Christmas all year long. How can you beat that when I love Christmas! Beyond North Pole and Fairbanks there is not much to see for a very long ways, the Arctic Circle is roughly 125 miles away. Haha, that will sure put the cold into perspective. Anyway the next super cool thing about being there will be the Northern Lights. We will be right in the middle of the best area to view the Aurora Borealis. How exiting to see something like that, it looks like something unimaginable that just happened naturally. One of those many wonders our earth really offers that we get to see first hand.

Well I think it's time to close this for now even though there really is so much more we could talk about on this subject but as we prepare and time gets closer we will definitely be updating and sharing more. Thanks for reading and we will hopefully be seeing all of you again soon!