More pictures....

Lil' Sass

10 minutes after putting her under the lights, she decided to show us how she really felt about them;). She totally flipped us off! We didn't even pose her for this or anything. Looks like she's got a little attitude already!
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Under the lights

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Headed for home!!

Notice her "raccoon eyes" from the sunglasses they made her wear under the bili-lights. Looks like the light therapy was working!
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So Blessed!

Where does the time go? I've been meaning to post more pics and actually write a little more about our newest blessing, but man she sure does have me busy! I am completely and totally loving every minute of it.

While things have been completely crazy, we are all doing well. Makenna developed severe enough jaundice at the hospital to require her to stay an extra night under the "bili-lights". I'll be sure to post pics of her in there - its like a little baby tanning bed. The first few days were tough because we really just wanted to hold her and cuddle with her, but she could only come out of the lights to eat and be changed. Poor little thing. Luckily she didn't mind it too much and was a total ham in there posing like a movie star in the lights. She'd lay with her hands stretched over her head - so cute. We were able to come home on Saturday afternoon, but only to have her sit on a "bili-bed" until Tuesday so the routine was the same - on the bed unless we were feeding or changing her:( Soooo hard to do. We just wanted so badly to cuddle with her. Luckily her bilirubin levels came down enough that we could take her off on Tuesday and we've certainly been loving the constant cuddling since then.

She is such a good baby, hardly crying at all and eating and sleeping pretty good so far. She seems to have her days and nights a bit mixed up, but hopefully will learn that soon enough. The other night I got 5 straight hours of sleep out of her, which is really good for such a little gal.

My recovery has been slower than expected which has me worn out and frustrated at times, but just a quick glance at my little girl and it is all soooo worth it.

I still find myelf just staring at her in awe, thinking about the awesome story of how she made it into our arms. God really is amazing.

So far our only real outings have been to the doctors office (too many times), Alterra for breakfast between appts and to the seamstress today to get my dress fitted for my brothers wedding next weekend. Everywhere we go, everyone loves the hair and the big eyes. We've been told by so many that she is the most beautiful baby they've seen. We are of course quite biased but we sure do agree!

A big thanks to everyone that has helped out this week with meals, running errands for us, sitting with her so I could sleep or shower and especially those that have continued to pray for us. We really feel the love!

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My first hair pretty:)

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Just loungin'
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My little snowflake

LOVE this one!! Thanks for the outfit, Rachel!!
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Brewer Fan

Just watchin' the Brewers beat the Cubs with my Papa....... Looks like my lucky Brewer onesie worked!!
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Our little angel...

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Makenna Lee Best.jpg

Introducing............Makenna Lee Best. Born 1:19am, Wednesday June 2nd. 7lbs 10 oz and 20 1/4 inches of pure joy!!

Turns out she wanted her own birthday - Grandmas was June 1st and when I started pushing at 11:10pm, I was really hoping she'd come out quickly. No such luck - doctors had to literally "pull" her out in the end after 26 hours of labor. She really did like it in there, I guess.

We're so happy to have her out! She is ADORABLE and has won both our hearts! Thank you all that have prayed for us on this journey!!
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"Bonus" Day #5

I'm thinking this blog is gonna get a whole lot cuter when this little girl decides to actually come "out" - these belly pics are getting HUGE! Eventually she will make her appearance, right? Ha! Today is "bonus" day #5 for us. The fifth day past her due date I get the honor & privilege of carrying her in my belly. She's still moving around like crazy in there, letting me know she's ok and loving the warmth and comfort I've been able to provide her. I suppose up until she went in there 10 months ago (yes, it was almost 10 months - September 5th is when I had my embryo transfer - wow!), she spent the previous 3 years frozen in a little tube and stored at a hospital. If she's waiting for a really hot day to come out, now would be the day - its almost 90 out there and a bit humid. I keep telling her that, but she's apparently just not ready. Oh well, maybe tomorrow:)

Still no.....

Nope, still no baby. Doc appt today showed still 1cm dilated, but I am now 50% effaced so that was somewhat exciting stuff. Full moon tonight, too so stay tuned:) My parents came down to Milwaukee today to help me with yard work - they did an AWESOME job weeding and planting all my flowers for me. Thank you mom & dad!! The yard looks GREAT!! There's nothing like a freshly weeded, freshly updated backyard. I love our backyard and look forward to sitting out back admiring all the colors once the flowers are in full bloom, little girl in my lap, daddy and Bugsey by my side. Soon enough:)

What a great day.....

No, she wasn't born today for those of you hounding this blog wondering if our little girl has made her way into the daylight yet. But mommy had a WONDERFUL day! I took the day off today to get some stuff done around the house and just RELAX. I took full advantage of "cooler by the lake" and headed down to the Alterra by the lake late this morning to read. That got me a little sleepy so I went to the park, threw down my blanket and took a little nap in the sun. This afternoon, Rachel and I went for a nice swim (or I suppose it turned into a nice "float") at the Princeton Club and then sat outside and just hung out for a few hours. How funny we must have looked, 2 VERY pregnant ladies first waddling toward the pool, then lounging out in the sun like beached whales. No offense, Rachel - you make a beautiful pregnant gal, but geez we sure are getting BIG:) Now I'm getting ready to head to Daddy's softball game - beautiful weather for a May game. This just might be the last one I make for awhile:)

For those of you looking for a picture with this blog, I decided against posting the picture of Rachel and I getting ready to go for our swim. Its a frightening picture, despite how darn cute we both are preggo:)

Its funny to look at the ticker at the top of this blog say "Its your due date!" and the one to the right say "0 days to go" - I'm wondering what it will say tomorrow.... by the time she comes, I'm pretty sure the picture is going to be of a chubby little baby, busting out of that bubble they show her floating in. Hopefully Makenna isn't too big - ouch!

Here's to 40 weeks!!

Enjoy Each Day....

Back in September, the night before our embryo transfer we were blessed to have nearly 20 of our closest friends and family come around us and pray over us and the upcoming embryo transfer. We had them all over to our house and as we sat around the living room, people went around and lifted us up in prayer. It was an AMAZING night - so humbling to see all these people coming together just for us. Pastor Jenny prayed that we would enjoy each day of our pregnancy - no matter what God had in store. At the time, it was a prayer of peace for me - that I wouldn't worry whether or not the embryos had latched on and decided to stick around, that I would just have peace each day and not worry about the looming pregnancy test and if the transfer was successful or not. It was a very thoughtful prayer and one that I really feel God answered as we awaited the news of our pregnancy. That first 10 day waiting period can full of anxiety and worry - trying to find a balance between hope and caution.

Having gone through a miscarriage after our first transfer, I had very mixed emotions going into the second transfer. We had a prayer night the night before our first transfer too and I left feeling like this simply had to work - that it had to be God's plan for us. I think I even prayed a prayer of thanks for my infertility - that God had really used it in my life and He had brought all these amazing people into our lives. I remember commenting that I was the ony gal in the world that had 20 people over to my house to pray over me the night before I was to get pregnant. You just don't get that when you're relying on "the old fashioned way" :)

When we found out news that we had miscarried just days after our positive pregnancy test, we were crushed. I didn't understand how this could have possibly failed. We had all those people praying over us. We had fully embraced embryo adoption and it was just such a perfect option, it had to work didn't it?

What I learned in the next few months as we grieved the loss of these babies and went through the re-matching process to find another family was that God could and would use our pain, if only we let Him. In the next few months, Rachel and I started a bible study with the ladies from our infertility support group. Its been such a privilege to walk with these women through our infertility struggles and I found that in going through this miscarriage, I was better able to relate and to really talk about the power of God in my life and what it really means to trust in Him fully. This had been a lesson He had been working hard to teach me over the past years of our infertiity struggle, but this time it took on new meaning. As healing slowly followed, I was again reminded to "enjoy each day" rather than worry too much about what would happen next.

Ironic that today, my prayers have been answered, I'm about to meet my little miracle and I have to remind myself to enjoy each day. Our doctor's appt on Thursday showed I was still just 1 cm dilated. I left a little frustrated, a little uncomfortable with my ever growing belly and wondering if I'd ever get to meet this little girl. I'm sure hormones have much to do with these feelings and I'm pretty sure every pregnant woman that gets to this point probably thinks the same thing. But yesterday morning I remembered Pastor Jenny's words - "Enjoy each day" - and slowly, my heart began to change. I have waited a long time to feel life moving around in my belly. Its one of the reasons we chose embryo adoption - so that I would be able to experience pregnancy. And yes, I may be getting a little uncomfortable and sleep is getting tougher, but I AM going to enjoy each day from here on out.

39 weeks

Wow, 39 weeks already - how time has flown by. We're looking forward to tomorrow's doctors appointment to see if we're making any "progress". Last Thursday I was a whole 1cm dilated and it felt like quite the accomplishment.

Unfortunately daddy managed to catch quite the cold in the last few days - we're hoping he can get rid of it quickly before she decides to make her arrival.

Other than that, I think we are both ready for her and looking very forward to meeting this little monster thats been making all these funny movements in my belly lately. Right now I think she's trying to get comfortable in what little space remains in there - she's flopping from side to side making my belly all lopsided:) I love it!

The finishing touches are complete!

Yay!! Daddy did a nice job with the Brewers logo. So glad its finally done:)
Lucky little girl's initials fit the MB in the Brewers logo perfectly. Daddy is so proud of this fact..

Can't wait to rock her to sleep in our new chair

We have LOTS of reading to do!

Now, we just wait for her arrival!!

38 weeks, well almost....

Brad and I went out to a nice dinner to celebrate Mother's Day, my birthday, our anniversary and the impending baby day. With so much to celebrate, I tried to save room for a yummy dessert, but this little girl is taking up way too much room in there and I can't seem to eat much of anything without feeling really full these days. We had a lovely night and a really nice mother's day today. This morning, on the way to chuch I got 2 emails and a text message wishing me a Happy Mother's Day - I teared up at each of them. I can't believe this day is finally here. Just a year ago, we received our match Snowflakes and were busy reviewing the letter, pictures and information from the genetic family. We were cautiously optimistic that this would be it - that this transfer would result in a pregnancy and that our prayers would be answered. We were still pretty heart broken after our first transfer resulted in a miscarriage earlier last year, but ready to forge ahead and continue on with embryo adoption. God really answered our prayers with the family whose embryos He was saving just for us:) We are so looking forward to finally meeting this little girl that was frozen last year at this time. How crazy!

Happy Mother's Day, to me?

I just got a card in the mail from a dear friend of mine wishing me a Happy Mother's Day. That's right, me. I teared up reading it, remembering the past five Mother's Days & how each was a painful reminder that I was not a mother, but wanted to be so very badly. Mother's day can be tough for infertiles - we have such mixed emotions, so thankful for the wonderful mothers we have, but left wondering if we will ever be able to partake in this celebration for ourselves. My hope this Mother's Day is that each of you reading it would say a special prayer for those women in your lives that yearn to be moms. Tomorrow will certainly be a special day as I celebrate the life growing inside me and the answer to my prayers. At the same time, I'm sure it will still be painful as I think of all the women I've met on this journey that are still waiting.

37 weeks

Wow, does that really say 37 weeks?? I can't believe my pregnancy is almost over and its time to meet this little girl!! I must say that I'm still feeling great and loving pregnancy. Sure, I'm a little uncomfortable from time to time carrying this watermelon around, but for the most part I still really feel good. People keep telling me I don't look that big - I think that's just something nice people say to you near the end of your pregnancy 'cuz I certainly FEEL big. Ha! I love it, though.

Its May.....

May has always been a big month for me. I was born in May. I love the spring - the grass turning green, flowers blooming, an end to tax season:) My anniversary is in May. This year, Brad and I will celebrate 7 years together - my how time flies! The picture below is of the tree in front of our house - its a crabapple tree and it its the most beautiful tree for about a week out of the year - in early spring it gets pretty pink flowers all over it. I wanted to make sure I got a picture of me, in May, by my tree, pregnant with my little miracle baby. I got it just in time as the flowers are already started to blow off it. Happy Spring! Happy May!

Wow, I can't believe May is finally here. Yesterday I was listening to K-Love on the way into work and they were saying May 2010 is finally here - what have you waited until May 2010 for? I teared up as I thought of this finally being the month (hopefully) that I meet my little girl. I've waited over 4 years for this! Heck, I've waited my whole life for this. I can't believe its finally about to happen! And as I look back on how I dreamed this would be, never in a million years would I have imagined it like this. God has bigger and better plans than we can even phathom. And the years of waiting, the years of wondering if this day would ever come - I'd like to think they have made me a better woman, a better wife, a better Christ follower and a better mom. And I am so thankful to the couple that gave us this gift of life - this little baby, tiny as can be and frozen - just waiting, waiting for us and waiting to fufill our dreams. Little girl, you are my dream come true. I can't wait to meet you!!!

More celebration....

Our Tuesday night bible study group was nice enough to have a little celebration for us after our study the other night. Mary made a diaper cake, yummy cupcakes and even decorated for us. We got some super cute gifts from them, too. Its so humbling to think of all the people that have prayed for us on this journey and continue to pray for us - thank you Tuesday nighters!! It was nice to finally be able to celebrate an answer to your prayers!!

Weekend fun...

Rachels' hubby was out of town for the weekend, so we had her over for dinner on Friday night and "movie night" watching In The Womb - Multiples. She was kind enough to bring over the makings for rice krispie treats. Here she is licking the bowl clean:) (Sorry Rach, I couldn't resist posting this:)) - we did manage to polish off over half the pan that night... Between the 2 of us, we were feeding 4 kids. Ha!

Rachel's baby shower on Sunday was lots of fun! It was so nice to be able to celebrate her pregnancy and these 3 precious triplets she is expecting. Makenna will have lots of playmates! Rachel is a little over 25 weeks pregnant and I am just under 36. Her belly has defintely surpassed mine!

Aren't we cute? Getting chubbier by the day!

I know I've posted about this before, but I feel so lucky to have Rachel in my life. Its been such a blessing to walk through infertility, embryo adoption, pregnancy and soon parenthood together! I love you, Rachey!!

35 weeks

35 weeks already! Wow, how time has flown by. We're in the homestretch now. I am continuing to LOVE pregnancy. After work today I sat and stared at my bare belly for 20 minutes just watching her squirm around in there like crazy. I love it & can't get enough of this little girl.

Her room is just about all done - we just need daddy to paint the MB logo (the old school Brewers logo also spell out dear Makenna's initials, so daddy decided he's going to paint it on the wall above her crib - I know, I know she's a girl, but he's doing it in pink and I'm spelling out her name in block letters above it & I actually think it will look pretty darn cute).

I have all her clothes washed & put away and have started packing my hospital bag "just in case" she decides to come early. We have a breastfeeding class this weekend and LOTS of reading we are hoping to do before she gets here. We met with our pediatrician yesterday & are excited to have found a doc we both really like.

I can't believe its almost May - she has a lot of big days to choose from with her birth - May 5th is my sister Amy's birthday. Mother's day is May 9th. My birthday is May 12th. Our anniversary is May 17th. My nephew's birthday is May 18th. And Uncle John's birthday is May 26th. My guess is she'll come on May 19th. Not sure why, just a hunch. We'll see......

Baby Fairy......

Today we got an email from the baby fairy. That's right, an email:


Hello Mom and Dad Best!

I hope you had a great tax season... I bet it's been a little more exciting than previous years as it has also been filled with much preparation for YOUR OWN tax deduction! After you wrap up the season's loose ends I hope you're able to relax and enjoy these last six weeks of waiting for Mackenna's arrival.

Love, Prayers, and "Best" Wishes!
The Baby Fairy


The email came from babyfairy@email.com. How crazy!!

We thought we were on to who you were, but this email threw us for a loop. Now we're stumped again!! We're still putting the clues together, but not sure who you are. Maybe you'll show up at the hospital with a fairy costume on once she's born, finally letting us know who you are! ha!

Future Fan

Kenna's first Brewer game!! Last Friday Brad and I went to the Exhibition game against the Tigers at Miller Park. The couple we adopted her from is huge Tiger fans so I thought it was appropriate that her first game was a Brewers/Tigers game! Looks like she's a good luck charm - Brewers WIN!

I bought this shirt right after we found out we were pregnant - it seemed HUGE at the time, but my big old belly seemed to fill it out quite nicely:)

34 weeks!

34 weeks already! Wow, how time has flown by. Makenna is officially clear to come at any point after today - before 34 weeks, the docs will try to stop labor - after 34 weeks, they let it come. We of course, would rather she kept on cooking for the remaining 6 weeks, but its good to know that she is doing well and has made it this far!

I'm feeling GREAT now that tax season is over. Yay!! This year was especially hard as a 10 or 12 hour day felt more like a 14 or 16 hour day, but I survived! Thanks to my dear hubby Brad for working his tail off to make sure me and Kenna were taken care of! Poor guy is beat and we are very much looking forward to a day off tomorrow!

Now that tax season is over, the fun begins - time to go through all Kenna's many many shower gifts & get organized, finish putting her room together and reading up on what's to come.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and well wishes in this journey! We are truly blessed by this miracle baby and can't believe its almost time to meet her.

Milwaukee Shower Pics

Last Sunday my mother-in-law threw me a shower in Milwaukee - thanks, Mary!! Everything turned out GREAT and I couldn't have asked for a better day! Thanks Sanam, Aunt Sharon, Katti and Kari for all your help, too!! And thanks to everyone that came to celebrate!!

Rachel, Allison, Cheryl, Hope, me, Katie, Diana & Allison - thanks for coming ladies! So glad you could make it!!!

The "Best" clan

Great Aunt Sharon had this made for us - isn't it soooo cute!! (disregard the goofy look on my face:))

I love these little hats with the big flowers on them - can't wait to see her in it!

Some UW Badger nuks - thanks Aunt Sharon!

And of course, a matching little sweatshirt. Daddy got a sweatshirt to match, too - thanks Sharon!

The happy little family:)

Brad's parents & us

Brad & our niece Madison. She couldn't wait for Uncle Brad to come!! She can't get enough of him!

There's always one tear-jerker gift at each of my showers - congratulations Rachel - you made me cry at this one!! She had a bib and a little onesie made that say "I was once frozen" with a picture of a little snowflake on it. So thoughtful and so original - love it!!

Carrie, Kim, Sarah & Dena

My niece Madison, sister Amy and Grandma

Kenna & Mads - so cute! She CAN'T WAIT to meet this little girl.

Kari & Katti, Brad's cousins. Aunt Sharon, where were you hiding?? I wanted to post a pic of you, but you managed to hide from the camera all day!