OUR LIFE TOGETHER {05.12.2015}

Let's start from the beginning...

It all started in 4th grade at Golbow Elementary in Katy, TX. E and I attended school together until 7th grade and then I moved to a different school district about 30 minutes away in Cypress, TX. We lost touch for about 5 years.

Erik was an offensive lineman in football his senior year.

I was the Varsity Cheer Captain my senior year.

Somehow, by the grace of God, E got my number and we attended our very first date, Sweeney Todd the play at Klein Oak High School. A few months past and he finally asked me to prom. We arrived to prom as friends, but while dancing to Big Green Tractor, E asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes! Prom was May 8, 2010 and it was there we shared our first kiss, which E's mom captured for us.

 

We dated for 8 months and during that time, E moved to Huntsville, TX to attend Sam Houston State University and I stayed in Cypress, TX to attend community college.

On December 23, 2010, E asked me to marry him. Although we laugh at the story every day, it really was a beautiful night at Santa's Wonderland in College Station, TX.

After begin engaged for about month, I finally decided to move in with E. We got our very first apartment together on January 11, 2011. Just one month later, we welcomed sweet baby Chief Crunchy Richards into our life. He was only 6 weeks old when we brought him home! His name is a combination of nicknames given to E and I. My father always called me "crunchy" growing up and E's dad called him "Chief."

A few months passed and we decided that we wanted to bring another little pup into our lives and found Brooks Harlow on Craigslist. She was only 8 months when we got her. Her name is a combination of names and things we love. I have always loved the name Harlow but never really felt it appropriate for a child. E named her Brooks after Garth Brooks.

We moved around a bit from Huntsville, TX (01/2011-07/2011) to College Station, TX (07/2011-07/2012) then down to Cypress, TX (07/2012-09/2013) until we landed back in Katy, TX (09/2013-current) where it all began. While living in College Station, TX we found a photographer we could actually afford (keep in mind we were only 18 and 19 and didn't have a whole lot of money for a fancy photographer).

On May 12, 2012, E and I said our vows and became husband and wife. We were married at Huntsville State Park at 2pm. It was a beautiful day. Not too hot and not too cold, it was perfect! A few months before our wedding, we decided to start trying to have a family. I got off birth control in the hopes that we would be able to get pregnant after our wedding. After a full year of trying to conceive, with no luck, we headed to the Dr's to find out next steps.

While in Cypress, TX we celebrated 1 year of marriage and I started my first round of Clomid, just one month later, in June 2013 at 50mg. After one month, I was adjusted to 100mg for July 2013.

On September 26, 2013, after our first round of 100mg in July, E and I found out we were pregnant after 2 years of trying to conceive. I was about 8 and 1/2 weeks pregnant. On October 3, 2013 we had our first Dr's appointment. It was at that appointment, almost 10 weeks pregnant, that we found out we had lost the baby just the week before. 

We decided to take a break from trying to conceive for 2014 and focused on traveling. We moved to Katy, TX and celebrated our 2nd year of marriage. We traveled to Las Vegas, Florida, and took a cruise to Mexico! We also focused on losing weight.

As 2015 rolled around, we decided to start trying to conceive again. To our surprise, we got pregnant on our first cycle January 2015. I found out at 9DPO with a very faint positive on February 10, 2015. Unfortunately, just a few days later, I miscarried.

But after all the bumps, joys, tears, laughter, and crazy times we've spent together, we have made it through and are stronger than ever. Today, we celebrate 3 years of marriage! I look back and even through the loses of multiple family members, our two babies, moving from city to city trying to build ourselves with jobs, and finding who we are together, I am so proud of us. I look forward to whatever the future holds and know that as long as I am with E, life is complete and I am blessed.

 

Here's to many more years together with you my Husband!

 

 

Happy 3 Year Marriage Anniversary!

SPEAK UP {05.07.2015}

I am not normally the type of person to "vent" or complain about things. I usually always try to see the bright side of everything, but recently, there has been something weighing on my mind. For my fellow TTC sisters, you know first hand how frustrating it can be when you know you were made to do something so simple as have sex, and get pregnant, and can't do it on your own! It's not only frustrating, it's degrading. It {infertility} goes against everything we were taught in our younger years. I still remember clear as day all my High School teachers talking and preaching about how easy it is to get pregnant. Well, that's not true for everyone. Not for E and I, or the other 1 out of 8 couples out there.

Back to that thing on my mind...recently I was talking with a friend about my 3 years long TTC journey. And as we were talking, she reminded me how she "briefly" struggled. Now, please don't take this the wrong way. But if you only "struggled" for less than a year to get pregnant, then that wasn't really much of a struggle was it? Sure, you probably had some frustration and heartache in there, but less than 1 year verses the likes of couples such as E and I who have had this battle on-going for 3+ years...So, she reminded me about her "brief" months of TTC and how she was so upset and angry. She talked about how she tried X, Y, and Z things and nothing worked until she finally just "gave up." Then BOOM! She was pregnant!

Well here's the thing...let me just let you in on an extremely short version of my TTC journey with E.

For the first year of TTC we had no idea why we couldn't get pregnant but assumed it was due to no ovulation or PCOS. To our surprise, I had no PCOS but was right on the money with the no ovulation part. The Dr put me on Provera to start my period (since I barely ever had one), then drugged me with Clomid and this continued for 5 rounds. We got pregnant after the second round of 100mg Clomid but lost the baby at 10 weeks. Then, we got pregnant again after the four round of 100mg Clomid but lost that baby at 6 weeks. Now, I am facing Provera, Clomid, Progesterone, countless ultrasounds and blood draws, and yet all my tests keep coming back perfectly fine! Guess you could call it "Unexplained Infertility." Well, you can imagine the frustration when people (not just friends and family) say things like: "just relax, it will happen" "oh don't worry, I struggled for a few months too and it happened pretty fast" ect., ect., ect.

I would never wish infertility on anyone, but sometimes it can be so annoying when people don't realize that it just isn't like that for some people. E and I have tried the "relax it will happen" all of 2014 and guess what? I didn't have but maybe 2 cycles with 0 ovulation and surprise, surprise- I did not get pregnant! Sure 1 year maybe isn't enough for the time period people would like to hear but either way we tried it and nothing happened. We can't just sit around waiting for cycles that never happen, trying to get pregnant on cycles where I don't ovulate because I didn't take medication.

Maybe that's the most frustrating part. E and I really have no option but to use medication. We have both been tested and are absolutely fine. No major problems other than Dr's have no idea why we can't get pregnant on our own or keep the baby. At the end of the day, I just want people around the world to realize that infertility is a battle, a struggle, an on-going, endless circle of aggravation, sadness, and pain. It's not fun. No one wakes up and thinks, "I'd LOVE to be able to struggle through infertility for a few years, waste a whole lot of money, and get absolutely nothing out of it but maybe a few miscarriages and heartaches." Most of us TTC ladies wake up thinking, "My only dream and prayer is to be able to carry one, healthy baby to full term." Crazy huh? Half of the TTC community would celebrate every single day of the rest of our lives if we could just get one little baby and yet, there are people out there with two or more just waiting to find ways to get rid of them or complain about how hard it is and how "you should just wait" or "come babysit then you wont want children."

I guess this venting session was really just a way for me to get out all my thoughts. Maybe people need to see the heartache because even though I may seem happy all the time, I can promise you that my heartbreaks just the same as everyone else's. And that goes for the TTC community as a whole. Even the few that get pregnant in less than a year, I know their hearts break too from the sight of those negative pregnancy tests, bad news Dr's appointments, and degrading comments from passers standing by.

Let me just leave on at least a few good notes. 1) I have faith. I have faith that the Lord, my Savior, my God will keep His word for me to go forth, be fruitful, and multiply. 2) I have learned how to be grateful in the good times, and faithful in the bad times. 3) No matter what, keep going! I always remind myself that a dream or goal is worth the wait and the hard work. 4) Sometimes things don't go your way. Too many times TTC sisters turn their backs from God because they can't understand why we aren't getting what we want, when the truth is, God isn't giving us what we want because He has already planned what we need to fulfill our lives. And Lastly, 5) always find hope and grace in the journey. There are so many negative things to be said and thought about infertility, but bottom line is, the journey makes that healthy miracle baby all worth it. And, if you're lucky, will blossom a whole new relationship with your significant other.

God Bless, Baby Dust, and Well Wishes to my TTC Sisters

WHAT IS LOVE | GOD'S VIEW BIBLE STUDY PLAN {04.25.2015}

Recently, Erik and I have been embarking on a new kind of adventure, one that involves our love for the Lord. I have had a few friends and family members ask me to help guide them through a plan that they may be able to follow with their loved one. E and I believe that the most important relationship, aside from a powerful one with God, is an equal strength with a significant other, husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend. The closer your relationship to your loved one, the closer you will both become with the Lord, and may even notice that you both begin to walk with Him throughout the struggles, happiness, and trials of your relationship. E and I have always stressed the importance of building our relationship with each other and keeping God in the center of it all.

So I want to challenge all the couples out there to take our weekly Bible Study Plan Challenge. Starting tomorrow (Sunday, April 26), grab your bibles, your significant others, and a few moments of alone time while you read or listen to the readings. If you use Instagram, use the hashtag: #FBBBible and snap a few photos of your bible study. Alright, here is the plan that you will follow throughout the week.

 

Day 1 | Sunday, April 26 ~ Leviticus 18:18

Day 2 | Monday, April 27 ~ John 14:15

Day 3 | Tuesday, April 28 ~ Deuteronomy 6:5

Day 4 | Wednesday, April 29 ~ Amos 5:15

Day 5 | Thursday, April 30 ~ Matthew 1:18-19

Day 6 | Friday, May 1 ~ Proverbs 17:17

Day 7 | Saturday, May 2 ~ Matthew 5:44

We will be making a page where you can visit the Bible Plans if you missed a week, so be on the lookout for that. We will provide you with the next week's plan on Saturday. Finally, we want to know what you want to read. Maybe about Infertility and God's promise, how about family, or even friendship? Let us know what plan you'd like to see, and we will create it for you!

If you do not own a bible, that is ok! Visit https://www.bible.com/ and create a login. You can also find the bible app on your iPhone or Tablet for use and it does include voice readings.

"Be grateful in the good times and Faithful in the bad times."

God Bless and Love Always

Ahoy! {04.14.2014}

This weekend we were busy!!! First we attended a Mom Expo where both E and I won door prizes, we recieved lots of information, and a ton of free samples! It was a really great experience and we are looking forward to attending more. On Saturday afternoon we finally sat down together and worked on our adoption packet. I really hoped we would have had it finished before today but it didn't work out. So far we only have one more page to do together and then the last thing will be E’s questionnaire. I completed my questionnaire earlier last week. We’ve been thinking a lot about what we wanted to do for the bedroom and I think we both settled on a theme. I have a huge thing with quotes, and so does E. Right now I am just loving the bible verse from Hebrews that says “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul” for us that has been the bible verse that has gotten us through every storm we have faced and it certainly has been in our hearts and minds throughout this process thus far. {Oh sorry, the theme…duh!} The theme will be chevron navy blue and white with anchors and, of course, the bible verse will be somewhere in the bedroom. I’m really looking forward to moving into our new place because my first focus will be getting our son’s room setup. The good thing is that, by the grace of God, if we do end up getting pregnant, we still want the theme to stay the same. The colors would change a little for a girl, but everything else would remain. Below are a few of the photos and ideas I have for the room. Not everything will be just as you see it, but there will definitely be some similarities.

For this picture, my focus is on the wall! I am really loving the stripes! 

Here, I adore the beds and the white! I don't want stripes on the bed though. 

I am loving these monogrammed pillows! I'm thinking they are definitely going in the room.

I am looking forward to making this! I just think it is precious! 

Of course the room is not complete without an anchor somewhere! 

And of course, a lamp!!! This is just the shade but isn't it adorable?! I will also be buying the chevron navy and white scentsy warmer as well but it will only go up high out of reach. 

 

God Bless,

 

Megan

Waiting for You {04.10.2014}

Last night I worked on our application a little more, managing to complete my questionnaire and the first few introductory pages which include information about E and I, such as our marriage, expenses, and just life in general. I skipped over the questions about how our family deals with things, like happiness, stress, arguments, etc. because I felt that those pages were for E and I to sit down and discuss together. I also started working through the checklist, trying to find things that we already have and checking them off one by one. I also started making reservations for our training classes. So far it looks like we will only be able to take them on the weekends, but I am hoping that maybe we can move it to during the week like on a Thursday or a Friday, mostly because I have photo shoots on the weekends and I hate making clients wait. I will probably end up having to call the agency because we realized that in order to turn the application in, we have to have an address for the home study to take place {which we can’t do until all the training classes are completed}, and we are planning on moving to a new place with more room in September so we have few questions regarding that. As far as everything else goes, it’s one day at a time. There is so much that needs to get done and I am trying to make sure that all the classes and paperwork are done before September. My ideal situation would be we would get everything done by mid to late August, move into our new house, and then have the home study around late September – early October. That would be the most ideal situation, especially since we are really trying to have the child in our home before Christmas. They say the whole process takes about nine months to a year and nine months from now would be January. I guess it’s a just one of those “we will have to wait and see” processes but either way we both feel confident that we will be able to welcome a child into our home once everything is done. Oh, one of the things I really can’t wait to accomplish is our photo book. It will detail everything!!! Things about E and I, our friends, our families, our life, and will be filled with lots and lots of pictures. E and I are talking about attending the Adoption family meetings at our church but aren’t sure if we are able to make them since they are usually during the 11am service and that’s typically the service we attend but I think we can make arrangements for a class that will support us and we can listen to and support others through their journey. That’s all I have for now, until next time!

This quote has been one of the greatest quotes that explains why we are choosing to adopt.

 

God Bless,

 

Megan

 

Adoption Checklist {04.09.2014}

So there were quite a few people interested in finding out what the adoption process checklist details, so I thought I would go ahead and share with you the three checklists we recieved. ***Please note: not all adoption agencies are alike, you may not have the same checklists as we do, this is just what we have as requirements for our particular agency***

Checklist 1 is just a brief overview of what we need to do:

1) Attend information session - check

2) Submit a complete application - in progress

3) Complete required training - will being at the end of April

4) Participate in Home Study

5) Recieve approval to be an adoptive home

6) Welcome child into home

So that was just a brief overall summary, this next checklist is more detailed and really goes over what they are looking for in adoptive families.

Checklist 2 is a yes/no checklist:

-attend required training

-participate in home study

-provide references

-meet finanical needs

-at least 21 years of age

-be married for two years

 

Those were just a few of the 30-something yes/no requirements, I thought those were extremely important because not many people know that you have to be married for two years or provide references.

The last checklist details all the paperwork and documents needed to apply.  I will post just a few of the ones that stood out to me.

Checklist 3 is just a regular checklist:

-copies of birth certificates, driver's license, social security card, marriage license, high school diploma, paycheck stubs, auto insurance, photos of everyone in the house, background check, finger prints, and driving records

So as you can see, there is quite a lot that goes into the adoption process and there are a lot of things that are needed, but I feel like in the end all the hard work will pay off when you get to welcome a child into your home to be apart of your family forever. 

Please let me know if you have any questions. If you or someone you know is adopting, please share your story!

God Bless,

Megan

Adoption Meeting-Check! {04.08.2014}

Well, the meeting was fantastic!! It started out a little off track, we waited about 30 minutes before realizing that the whole group was in the wrong location, thankfully one of the workers came and escorted us to the correct location. After we entered the meeting room, we were handed a piece of paper to fill out brief information regarding ourselves and what we are wanting to do. Afterwards each couple was handed a packet which detailed all the information regarding the adoption process and what the adoption company would look for when choosing adoptive parents. Another piece of paper was handed out and that was a checklist {and yes! the planner in me was thrilled lol}. Our meeting leader took us through the packet while pausing to answer questions along the way, I was very thrilled to have her because she was very detailed and honest through the whole meeting. After reading the packet, we were asked to raise our hands for those of us still interested in moving forward with the process, and, of course, Erik and I raised our hands. We were then handed a large packet {aka: the application} which had question after question and some more questions. So many in fact that I was only able to complete the first three pages. The meeting was brief but very detailed and I must say, we walked out feeling positive and excited. We have a lot of work to do over the next few months including attending lots of training classes, gathering together the millions of documents needed, and even preparing a room for our childs forever home. But in the meantime, we are thankful that we feel confident enough to move forward with the process. 

God Bless,

Megan

Spring is Here {04.05.2014}

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love Spring! Although I'm sure E could disagree considering his Allergies. But I still love it! The colors of the windflowers, the warm but not scorching hot sunshine, and the fact that every now and then rain comes to soothe you to sleep...Ahhhhh! There's nothing better. Being a photographer, I love taking pictures! Really that's an understatement for how much I enjoy taking them but you get the point. So being that I love photos, I decided we needed some updated photos of us around the apartment. Especially considering the ones we have up are from two and three years ago some even four!!! So I thought I'd share a few of our photos from our spring photoshoot! Also, if you live in the Katy, Sugar Land, Cypress, Houston, Galveston, or surrounding areas, check out my website: http://meganrichards1674.wix.com/affordmephotography, each session is just $50!!! So without further ado, here are our pictures! 

That's all folks!

God Bless, 

Megan

***SHOUT OUT: Danielle K. for being a faithful reader and follower of our Blog. May God Bless you with a rainbow baby and may you always be blessed!***

Waiting for Tomorrow {04.07.2014}

Tomorrow is the first meeting, we can't believe it's already here but we are very excited. We both have so many questions and we are really looking forward to getting those questions answered and learning more about the adoption process. We've been reading about the adoption process through personal stories from others, but everyone's adoption is different and that's a very important thing to remember  when going through the process. We have learned that looking at others and how their story went will not be the same or even similar to our story, but ours will still be unique in it's own way. We were talking over the weekend about things we are looking forward to throughout this process, and aside from all the little things like the meetings and home study, we are most looking forward to meeting our new son or daughter and, of course, adoption day! I must admit that I think our biggest fear is the "financially stable" part. Yes, we have money and good jobs but what one persons idea of "stability" is may differ radically from what someone else thinks. Either way, I'm very excited and I know Erik is too. We feel like this is an amazing opportunity and feel so blessed that God has led us down this path wholeheartedly. After tomorrow, the nine months to a year process begins and we will be running around like crazy trying to get things done. We can't wait to share all the excitement and hard work we will be going through with friends and family! We thank you for following our journey and if you have an adoption story, please share with us!!! If you are currently going through the adoption process, we pray that God may bless you with your sweet angel quickly and without delay. 

God Bless,

Megan

We Are...{04.04.2014}

Lots of things have taken place since our last post but the most important is a decision that we made over the course of our hiatus. We have decided to adopt and have our first meeting April 8. Adoption has always been something that we wanted to do but we just recently started pushing for it to happen since we are at the peak of our lives. We both have steady jobs, make great money, have insurance through my husbands company, and we are settled in our town. We are looking to rent a house in September when our lease is up because we want a bigger place and more room for a child. So we are back because I thought we could use our blog as a way to share our adoption story. I know many people who want to adopt or who are adopting and I loved reading their stories so this is ours and it began the second we made the decision to adopt. One thing I can say is that we have realized that this decision started out being about us but quickly it changed to being about the child, his or her needs and every child needs a loving forever home and we know we can give that to them. So here's to hoping the journey is smooth and we can be blessed with a child to love. 

Here are some pictures we took during our spring photo shoot that we will add to our adoption book for our child to look through.

God Bless,

Megan