Very Cute!

This is a great video...just wanted to share, it actually made me tear up! Not sure if it was because it made me think about my idiot dogs and how I love them dearly or due to all the pregnancy hormones running through my body!

The Jersey Shore

We changed up our annual trip a little this year...we stayed at the McGinnis apartment in Brooklyn on Thursday night and did a little tour of Brooklyn on Friday instead of heading straight to the beach. There are amazing views of NYC from the Brooklyn promanade. We headed off to the beach on Friday afternoon. We actually had an extra special trip this time...there is a pod of dolphins in the river which is where we cruise around on the McGinnis fishing boat. On Saturday morning we found ourselves sitting in the middle of the dolphins all around us. See below for pictures and video footage of our day on the river. If you want to read about the dolphins, please click here. We had a great time (as always) with our friends out east. At the beach, on the river, in the thunderstorms on Sunday...fun was had by all! Thank you McGinnis family for opening your home again!

*Pause the playlist at the bottom of the page*

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Our NJ Trip Continues...

So, I haven't had the chance to download our trip pictures yet because we're not home! We were scheduled to arrive last evening (Sunday) at 6:54pm and our flight was cancelled due to storms in NJ. Today, we were confirmed on a 12:48 flight that we found out was cancelled when we arrived at the airport. They confirmed us on a 7pm flight that was cancelled as well. We are currently waiting to fly stand by but all flights to Chicago are delayed - 3pm until 4:45pm, 5pm until 5:30pm...6pm is still listed as on time but we know it won't be. We are confirmed on the 8pm flight, but we were really hoping to get out prior to that. To say it's been SUCKY is an understatement. Anyway, I will post pictures as soon as I get the chance. Here's hoping we get back home tonight!

We're off to Sea Bright, NJ!

We're heading out this afternoon for a long weekend in Sea Bright, NJ! This will be our 3rd year heading out there to visit our friends - Julee, JB & Jacee. We will have lots of pictures to share when we get back. Have a wonderful & safe weekend!

I would also like to clarify something from my previous post...Cameron & I have nothing against Hispanic children, it's just that a Hispanic child is not something that us fair skinned blondes should have created together. My Peruvian aunt had to point out that Hispanic babies are actually adorable and I completely agree! :)

Finally...we relaxed!

First off - thank you for all the positive feedback from my last post. I've said this before and want to assure you all that I am not turning this into an infertility blog, however it's nice to know that our situation might help someone else. Please always feel free to share our story with anyone struggling - even give them our blog address. I hope that we can be an encouragement to other couples somehow. Okay...enough of that!

We had a wonderful, relaxing, vegetative weekend! I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to sleep in (kind of embarrassed to share that Saturday morning we didn't get up until 10:30am). I really don't remember the last time we slept that late! Saturday afternoon we had some of our college friends and their kiddos over for a cookout. It was great to see everyone and catch up. Thank you Schmidts, Wrenchs, Mertens and Eric for stopping by! Cirks family - sorry about the pink eye, hopefully you can make it next time!

I also have to share that Cameron is a bit concerned right now...he's afraid we're having a hispanic child. Major craving: Mexican food!! I could eat it all day, every day.

Our Journey...

I think everyone knows of our struggle through the last 3 years, it was never something I hid. I am so excited that our struggle is now over and being pregnant has eased the pain & frustration of the last 3 years. It is something that has changed us forever and we will never forget what we endured to get pregnant. I know there was a reason for us to go through it, although I'm not sure I will ever know why. I never shared this VIDEO with anyone because I never wanted to let on how distressed I was over our inability to conceive & I certainly didn't want anyone to feel sorry for us. I want to share it now. Not for your sympathy for everything we went through, but to let everyone know what a BLESSING it is to have a child. It's not a simple thing for many couples.

"When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better." How incredibly true...we're so excited to meet our first in February!

Shrinking Tumor...

...Andon has one!! I haven't gotten all the details yet from Janel, they just got out of their meeting with the oncologist. The preliminary info I did get is that the one remaining tumor has continued to shrink with the current treatment! We all realize how incredibly lucky we are to still have our little Superman around...almost 2 years ago we weren't sure how long we had with him. Andon has miraculously beat all the odds stacked against him and we believe that God is going to FULLY HEAL this precious little man. Watch out world - big things are in store for Andon "Superman" Zehring!

Busy, Busy Weekend!

As always, we fill our weekends from Friday afternoon to Sunday night with no stopping. I'm having a hard time keeping up! Friday afternoon, Cameron hosted his team from work for an outing at his parent's lakehouse. I did manage to get up there for a little while to hang out with the crew. Saturday was the Relay for Life...it was a pretty amazing experience and I look forward to doing it again, maybe even putting together my own team! Sunday we spent the afternoon at the Cubs game with Sean & Sarah. They were able to find a night away from their 2 little girls and also gave us our first baby Hatten article of clothing...a Cubbies shirt! Thanks Sean & Sarah for a fun time in Wrigleyville! See below for pics of the weekend...

Fun at the lake house:
Relay For Life:*remember to turn off the music at the bottom of the page:

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Baby Hatten Attire:

Tagged!

By Karin, so here goes...I'm supposed to list 6 things about me, then tag 6 people!

1. I grew up on a farm, we had sheep when I was really little and then when I was older we had cows. My parents still think I'm crazy for moving to the city, even though I now live in the burbs.

2. I used to have my belly button pierced and it left a scar.

3. I love to travel and there are so many places left on my list to see before I leave this earth.

4. My six year wedding anniversary is coming up August 3. I can't believe how fast it goest by...6 years with my wonderful hubby, Cameron - I'm a lucky lady!

5. I have become one of those "dog people" I used to make fun of - they are like children to me.

6. My dream is to eventually move back into Chicago once we've raised our children and they've left our nest to start their own.

My six tags: Christy, Jodie, Priscilla, Sara, Krista, Katie...I don't mean to leave anyone off, but I didn't include my friends of family that have private blogs.

Here are the rules:
- Link to the person who tagged you.
- Post the rules on your blog.
- Write six random things about yourself.
- Tag six people at the end of your post.
- Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
- Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Pretty Princess Birthday

Last weekend while in Pittsfield, IL to visit Cameron's family we attended Molly's first birthday - a Pretty Princess celebration. See below for pictures of Molly in all her glory!

Many Thanks!

Thank you all so much for the well wishes, congratulations, prayers, etc. from our last post. It's been very hard waiting to share the news, but I wanted to wait until our doctors felt that we were out of the woods. Although we're not quite 12 weeks, both our specialist and regular gyne feel that we are past a miscarriage scare. We are officially 9.5 weeks as of today. The ultrasound picture is a bit blurry, but our little one was crossing his/her arms in front of his/her face like a genie...quite cute!

My Eggo is Prego!

Today, I am so excited to share that my best friend got me pregnant (and yes - I'm talking about Cameron)! It's true...after all this time I am KNOCKED UP!! The most unbelievable and miraculous part about it is that it happened the old fashioned way! No IVF, no fertility meds, only the wondrous hand of God. Apparently a little surgery and a Hilton Head vacation was all we needed...maybe the Zehring fertilness rubbed off! Anyway, our dreams have finally come true and we couldn't be happier! We are due on February 8th, 2009.

All of the praying...all of the TEARS...all of the "trying"...all of the negative pregnancy tests...all of the ovulation kits...more of the TEARS (every month)...more of the prayers...all of the doctors appointments...all of the sleepless nights...all of the "what ifs?"....all of the stress...all of the tests....all of the procedures to treat my Endometriosis...all of the procedures to get pregnant...more of the TEARS...more of the prayers...has FINALLY come down to this miracle of life growing in me right now!

I will be a posting fool from this day forward - we will have A LOT to share in the upcoming months so stay tuned! Thank you for your support & prayers through our journey of infertility. It means so much to have those close to us share in our long awaited joy!

Psalm 127:3
Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Happy 4th of July!

Here's wishing you a very happy & safe Independence Day!! We're heading to Pittsfield, IL to visit Cameron's extended family. Looking forward to seeing them, it's been a while! We're also celebrating little Molly's first birthday on Saturday and we haven't seen her since she was a month old!