Coming Soon

Dad,
I'm working on a post that's just for you. All I have to do is gather a bit more information and down load my pictures. It's something I just know you're going to LOVE!

Phone Call

Today I got a phone call that I've been anticipating/dreading for almost 2 weeks and the news was what we expected but devastating none the less. Let me fill in the gaps by going back about 3 weeks. This was a very hard time in the Zugner home for we were experiencing our second miscarriage at almost 6 wks. A week later we went to the Dr to talk to him about our situation. He did some basic blood tests (they took 13 vials of blood!) but warned us that most likely everything would come back normal. Since we've already had one successful pregnancy (J) and have been pregnant twice in the past few months (the 2 miscarriages) then there's most likely not anything "medically" wrong. And this is what the phone call today confirmed, all the tests came back negative (normal). I'm glad that there's no medical problems that we need to start worrying about, but it's hard to face the fact that there is no reason as to why this is happening. It's a bit devastating to know that we can wait months and months to get pregnant again and then miscarry time after time and there's nothing that can be done. No drug to take or procedure to be done to help our situation. All we can do is sit and wait until the Lord sees it fit to bless our family with a little one. Don't get me wrong, I love my family the way that it is and if it's the Lords will for us to be a 1 child family we will LOVE every minute of it being just the 3 of us and will have no regrets, but we strongly feel that this is not the case and that there is at least 1 more little one waiting to join our family. My heart yearns for the time that we can welcome this little one into our home, but not for my sake, for J's. She wants a sibling so bad that it breaks my heart. She frequently brings me one of her babies and tells me that it's her sister, or she'll be playing with her princesses and say "This one is J and this is J's sister". I have a great desire for her to have the joys (and pains) that come with having a sibling. I know my siblings and I about killed each other growing up, but they're some of my best friends now. I can't imagine my life without them. My relationships with my sisters are very dear to my heart and I love my little brother to pieces! I want my little girl to experience those same joys and be able to make lasting memories with her siblings, so it pains my heart that this is being denied her. I don't know that Lord's plan for our family, I don't know what the future will hold, but I guess all that's left to do now is sit and wait and cherish every moment with the little one that I do have.

Give Away

If you live in Houston and would like pictures taken by an amazng photographer, look no further than here (and if you hurry you may end up with a free session)!

Love/Hate Relationship

That's how I feel about our new house right now. I love the layout, the upgrades and the location, but I hate all the problems that are arising. The first issue is our dishwasher. It is very temperamental. Sometimes it uses the detergent, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it floods the kitchen, sometimes it soaks the cabinets and sometimes (though very rarely) it cleans ALL the dishes. We're trying to hold out until the "cash for clunkers" appliance version happens in April. The second issue (and a far larger one) is this lovely hole in the wall. In mid January we found a leak that was soaking the carpet in our hallway. We called our home warranty company who sent over a plumber to try to find the leak. He found it and then we were told that it would cost around $1800 to fix (that's just for the plumbing part) and that the warranty company would only give us $500 for the cost. So we called our home owners insurance thinking that they'd pay more and help replace the damaged carpet. Boy were we wrong, all they would pay for is to have the carpet cleaned (not even to fix the pipe). So finally, we did what we probably should have done from the beginning, we tracked down the home builder because the broken pipe was in the foundation (meaning that it was something the builder had done wrong). Almost 2 weeks later the builder finally sent a plumber out to fix the pipe and now over a week later we're still waiting on them to come and patch the hole and decide what they're going t0 do about our moldy carpet (if they don't come fix it this week, we're afraid we'll have to get a lawyer). Now, onto the good stuff, and there is good stuff about our house. We LOVE the location. We're in a small town North of Houston so it's a bit further for Erik to drive, but it takes less time because we're only about a mile off the highway so he doesn't have to deal with stop & go traffic. Our neighborhood is relatively small (though there is a larger one being built next to us) and it's very kid friendly. There are always kids riding their bikes or playing basketball in the streets and most importantly to us, its very safe. In fact to the local law enforcement, our neighborhood is known as "Trooperville" because there are 5-6 State Troopers, a couple of County Boys (Sheriffs), Constables, a few HPD officers and 4-5 Houston Firefighters. From what we've heard the biggest problem out here is an occasional loud noise complaint. We love that our house butts up to the community park & pool. We enjoy the openness and all the windows in this house as well as the tile (no linoleum!!), the fireplace, granite counter tops, all the cabinet space, the HUGE backyard, and the large deck.

Daddy

This week I have been very grateful for my wonderful husband. I'm always grateful for him, but even more so this week. Lately I've been trying to be better at showing/telling him how grateful I am for him. I've had a rough week and he's really stepped up to the plate to help out. Not only does he work his regular job (40+ hrs/wk) he also has 3 extra jobs (doing security at various places) so that I can stay home with J and he helps out at home when he can. This week I'm grateful for his shoulder to cry on, his listening ear, his ability to make me smile even when my heart is breaking and my soul is aching, his ability to lift me when I'm down and to help lift me when I don't think I can go on. He's always encouraging me to pursue my dreams and never complains about getting left overs for dinner (several nights a week) or when the house is a mess. He is the best Daddy that J could ask for. They are the best of buds. J can't wait to grow up to be a "police girl" and be like her Daddy. I truly love this man and am so very grateful for all that he does for me and our little family. WE LOVE YOU DADDY!

Promotion

I got a promotion today, I think. You see, J loves pretend play. She loves to be different princesses and those around her are usually assigned a supporting character. J is ALWAYS the princess, Daddy is ALWAYS Prince Charming, Grandma is usually the Fairy Godmother, Mimi is usually Ursula or Cruella (though I think this is more Daddy's doing than J's) I am usually the step-sister, step-mother, or wicked queen. Today, J was Ariel and I got to be Flounder! When she told me this I stated, "so I get to be a fish" she said "NO! You're a Guppy!" A guppy's an upgrade from the wicked queen, isn't it?

Our Princess

Well, as you all know, every princess needs a castle so we decided to make J a princess bed and as soon as she saw it she exclaimed, "It's my castle" and there our princess has slept ever since, except for last night when she tucked herself in on top of her hope chest. Oh, and something else every princess needs, a good pair of rain boots. Her Daddy got these for her last week and she hasn't taken them off since.

p.s. here's a close up of the blanket I made for her bed. My mom finished it off for me and brought it back with her when she came to visit earlier this month.