Baby Registry for Addyson Grace by Crystal & J.T.

Thank you for visiting our registry for "Baby A", Addyson Grace. We can't even tell you how excited we are to celebrate Addy's soon arrival with our loved ones, and how much we appreciate the love and support we have received from all of you. For those who are not familiar with our story, there is a brief(ish) synopsis at the bottom of this introduction; However, we thought you might also appreciate a little guidance regarding the registry itself...

Obviously, we don't expect everyone to buy gifts but babies require a LOT of stuff and we appreciate ALL the help we can get! The great thing about BabyList is it allowed us to register for a wide variety of items (both the cute stuff and the not-so-cute but necessary stuff). We can list items from ANY store or website, at any price point, and many items are available both online and in-store. It also allows us to include some less common gift ideas! Even better, the site automatically updates items if anything changes. Thank you for taking the time to browse!

***Be sure to keep reading for tips on how to use the registry!!!***

We will warn you, there is a lot of stuff on this registry!!! (We do NOT expect to get everything.) The list is organized so it is (hopefully) easy to browse. Feel free to go "off list" for most items; however, we would like to stick to specifics for nursery items, baby gear, and cloth diapers. AGAIN, we really appreciate everyone joining us in celebrating our little Addy!!!

TIPS FOR USING BABYLIST:

* Pay attention to sizes/specifics in the notes section.

* You can "CLAIM" an item BEFORE you purchase it to keep others from buying it and then come back and mark it off the list once the item is purchased. Note: If you claim an item and don't purchase it PLEASE come back to the list and "unclaim" it.

*We have requested multiples of some items, so be sure to only claim the correct number (size, etc.) of items you purchase.

* Gift receipts (or gift cards) are appreciated.

* Pay close attention to sizes (listed in the notes usually).

* Side Note: Addy's room is being done in YELLOW & GREY with highlights of white and teal.

*Feel free to email questions to graycrystal13@gmail.com

We want everyone to share in our excitement for Addy's arrival. We just can't wait for her to get here! We have put everything we can into bringing Miss Addy Grace into the world, and we are honored to be sharing this journey with you!

Love,

Crystal & J.T.

Our Journey...

First, I should tell you we have never felt joy like we have since getting pregnant with Addyson. Every milestone throughout our pregnancy just increases our joy more and more, making our struggle seem very small compared to our little miracle.

Some of you know I've struggled with reproductive issues for a long time before meeting J.T. Some doctors even encouraged me to give up. When, J.T. and I had an unexpected miscarriage in 2013 we were caught off guard, and not equipped to deal with it, honestly, but we got through it and decided to wait awhile before we addressed children again. Fast forward to April, 2016... I went to urgent care with severe abdominal pain. I swore it was appendicitis but instead found out we were pregnant. We lost the baby a week later, and suddenly we were faced with those terrible feelings that come along with child loss again, but this was different. This time, we WERE ready, and the loss (my fourth and our second together) was more devastating than we expected. Suddenly, our hearts were ripped wide open.

The midwife at our OB's office referred us to a reproductive endocrinologist in Evansville, Indiana. I underwent a fairly invasive surgery. We started treatment following my surgery but we were NOT happy with that clinic (for multiple reasons) and ultimately went back to the OB to seek further guidance. The midwife then told us about this amazing doctor in Chesterfield, Missouri, Dr. Peter Ahlering.

I wish I could explain how amazing MCRM Fertility and Dr. Ahlering are. Dr. Ahlering is who really sold us on continuing our treatment. We first went to MCRM on April 26, 2017 - exactly one year to the day after we discovered our last pregnancy. We had to work with my insurance and scrape some money together, which took a few months and some support from family and friends (THANK YOU!). In June we started medications.

I can't even explain the torture that is an IVF retrieval cycle. It was kind of awful, but totally worth it! On July 29, 2017 we retrieved 21 eggs and I managed to tear an ovarian ligament in the process. Eleven eggs fertilized normally, and on transfer day we had six "usable" embryos left. On August 3, 2017 we transferred two embryos - Babies "A" and "B"- and froze the remaining four.

Sadly, we lost "B" at around 8.5 weeks. They can't really tell us what happened but that it likely involved a subchorionic bleed I went to the E.R. for Labor Day weekend. We allowed ourselves to grieve, but only briefly because we still had "A" to worry about. We had to keep it together for "A", so we did. One week later our testing and ultrasounds came back with flying colors. Dr. Ahlering discharged us back to Dr. Asbery's office - where it all started - on September 13, 2017. Now, Addyson Grace is due on April 21, 2018, almost exactly two years after we began this journey (04/26/2016). Everything is coming full circle, just as it was always meant to.

Obviously, this is an EXTREMELY simplified version of our story. I won't bore you (or gross you out) with all the messy details, but if anyone wants to know more we are glad to share. There was a LOT we didn't know going into this!!! I used to think those who did IVF were "cheating". Boy, was I wrong! However, if we had to go back to April 26, 2016 and make this decision again, we would do it over, and over, and over because we just can't imagine it going any other way. Thank you for sharing in our joy!