We Got the Green Light!

Today Nils and I went to our preconception appointment with my new doctor, Dr. Campbell, who I really liked right from the start. I have read that couples looking to conceive should get a preconception appointment to double check for any health issues the mother might have that could prevent her getting pregnant or might interfere with a pregnancy when she does get pregnant. Its like the women that find out they have breast cancer while they are pregnant- they would have benefited from an appoint like this.

They did many of the same test they do when you go in for your yearly exam- checking your weight, blood pressure, breast and pelvic examination. Dr Campbell said they would normally do a PAP at that time too but since I am not technically due for one until about April, he felt we would be okay to skip it since he didn't know if my insurance would cover it or not. But the good news is everything looked good and based on my health and previous pregnancy history, there was nothing to make him there would be any reason to have to wait. The only thing he thought might be of concern was that coming right off the pill might make my cycles off and I might not ovulate right away. That is why many women coming off the pill wait about 3 months (3 cycles) to establish when they ovulate.

Oh yeah, and the fact that women who ovulate coming right off the pill DOUBLE their odds in conceiving TWINS! Yikes!

He explained that birth control pills basically keep you from releasing an egg (ovulation) so women that go off the pill might ovulate right away and some women's bodies jump into overdrive and might release more than one egg that can be fertilized, hence doubling their odds for conceiving fraternal twins from 1 in 80 to 1 in 40! Needless to say, this made Nils and I both raise our eyebrows in apprehension. It made me think back to when I was pregnant with Shaylee and one of my first vivid early pregnancy dreams was my doctor telling me I was going to have twin boys (however, the day before my ultrasound appointment to find out the sex I had a dream that it was a female nurse who was performing the ultrasound and told me it was a girl- what I really wanted and now I have Shaylee!)

But then again, he said the majority of women don't ovulate right away either so getting pregnant could take longer. I basically look at it this way- it's in God's hands. One baby or two...boy or girl......or no baby at all. It's all His plan. And whatever He gives me, I'd be happy with...( but God, if you are listening, I'd like a single, healthy baby boy!).

Bring on the Baby Making!

End of birth control pill pack. Check. FINALLY!

Appointment with OB/GYN for preconception examination. Check.
 

Bottle of prenatal vitamins. Check.

Basal body temperature (BBT) thermometer for fertility charting. Check.
 

The book “What To Expect Before You’re Expecting: The Complete Preconception Plan” by Heidi Murkoff. Check.
 

Twenty pack of First Response Ovulation Tests. Check.

Membership to various TTC (Trying to Conceive) websites such as BabyCenter.com, FertilityFriend.com, WhatToExpect.com. Check, check, and check.

We Have An Announcement....!!!

After much discussion, Nils and I have decided to begin trying for baby #2, hopefully a boy!!

I will be going off my oral contraceptives on February 11th (funny because not only is that the end of my pill pack, not including those placebo "reminder" pills, but also because it's our wedding anniversary!). We will be charting my fertility for a while...how long exactly, we haven't decided. We may begin actively trying straightaway or we might just hold off and continue charting for a few months to get a better look at my cycles to pinpoint ovulation. Sorry if I get too personal! Anyhow, we'd like to try the Shettles Method as we are wanting a boy.

It is the sperm that fertilizes the egg that will determine the sex of your baby. Some sperm carry the X-chromosome and some sperm carry the Y-chromosome. If an X-chromosome-carrying sperm fertilizes the egg, the baby will be a girl. If a Y-chromosome-carrying sperm fertilizes the egg, the baby will be a boy.

The idea behind the Shettles Method of sex selection is based on the premise that the X and Y chromosome carrying sperm have different characteristics and that under different circumstances either X- or Y-chromosome-carrying sperm will be more likely to fertilize the egg.


The Y-chromosome-carrying sperm are said to:

• be faster and smaller than the X-chromosome carrying sperm.
• die faster than the X-chromosome-carrying sperm.

The X-chromosome-carrying sperm are said to:

• be slower than the Y-chromosome carrying sperm.
• be better able to withstand the acidic cervical environment before fertile cervical fluid is produced.

Based on these premises, according to Shettles, you can time intercourse, choose a sexual position that favors conception of your preferred sex and influence the reproductive environment to increase the likelihood of conceiving your preferred sex, which of course, in our situation, would be a boy. Of course, God has the final say in what we have, when and if we have anything, but it certainly isn't gonna hurt to try, right?

Last night I went out and bought some prenatal vitamins (gonna get my body as healthy as possible from the start) and  a BBT thermometer which to me looks like a regular digital thermometer but came with a ovulation tracking chart. I am kinda familiar with fertility charting as I briefly begun charting when Nils and I were planning on having Shaylee. I signed up to receive lessons, 20 in all, emailed me directly from FertilityFriend.com, the site I am using for charting. You can learn more about charting by checking out these series of short educational videos which introduces you to the basics of fertility charting by clicking here.

So that's all for now. We will keep you posted with the updates on how we are doing as we begin this adventure!

Fort Myers is CommTech Jeopardy National Champion!

 (Story taken from www.TeamComcast.com)


Fort Myers is bringing the Dan Aaron trophy home to the Comcast Southern Division after winning National CommTech Jeopardy Thursday night in Charleston, South Carolina.

The team, known as the Ed Parsons Project, is part of the Comcast Coastal Region and won the Southern Division Championship last November. Team members are Nils Laufer, James Grantham, DJ Simms, Tom Weisend, Andy Schickowski and Coaches Ken Sapp and Chuck Blaisdell. The team faced off this week in a battle of wits, technology and company trivia against the North Central Division’s Sterling FREQs (pronounced “freaks”); East Division’s Cherry Hill LanMINDS; and West Division’s Mountain Madness. The West was eliminated early Thursday leaving the final game to the South, East and North Central. Fort Myers enjoyed a significant lead for most of the game, and then showed confidence with the Final Jeopardy question which asked them to identify the eight components of a house amplifier.

Barb Hagen, vice president and general manager for the Comcast Sarasota/Fort Myers market, was thrilled. “What an awesome day. I am very proud of our team,” Hagen said. “They worked hard, studied endlessly and deserve this national championship. The Fort Myers system had numerous accomplishments in 2009, and this championship is the final chapter of a great story.”

“What strikes me again is not just how knowledgeable these guys are, but how fortunate we are to have ‘ambassadors’ such as all of these technicians representing our company to our customers,” said Scott Calloway, vice president of operations for the Comcast Southern Division. “Collectively, they are so dedicated and committed to their teams, their company and their customers. It should make us all proud to be Comcasters.”

With the trophy now safely in their grasp, Hagen shared some of the team’s strategy: “Divide the categories between team members so they all share in the preparation,” she explained. “They studied from a stack of note cards that was 36-inches high. The team involvement was noticed by our competition and Fort Myers was the most well rounded team in the competition.”

Hagen points out that this is the second time Fort Myers has competed in a national CommTech Jeopardy championship. In 2001, they placed second.

International Fresh Faces Pageant

Today was Shaylee's very first pageant- the International Fresh Faces pageant. She was to compete in the three year old division. I had been very anxious up to this point, having picked her dress out off eBay weeks ago.I even used a straightener on her hair to make it perfect.

The pageant was being held at the local Holiday Inn in a conference room, which was thankfully only about 10 minutes from the house. When we arrived, there was only the director, her daughter, and another mother and her girls. The International Fresh Faces banner hung as the backdrop to the "stage" and a table was set up with lots of gleaming trophies and sparkling crowns and sashes. I knew Shaylee was going to at least get a crown and had a 3 ft trophy to be sent to her via the mail (since I did not get the sponsor check out in time) but what was about to happen totally surprised me.

After waiting for about 30 minutes, it was evident that noone else was going to show up. Poor Shaylee never really got to "compete" as she was the only child there! So she not only won a metal for each of the catagories: On Stage Beauty, Best Eyes, Best Smile, Best Personality and Most Photogenic, but also won a trophy for Most Beautiful and was crowned Queen! And therefore, she automatically qualified to go to state finals in April. I have to say, as awesome as it was to get ALL the awards, I was really looking forward to competing! I knew she was all these things, but I wanted to see what random judges in a beauty contest thought as well. I reminded myself that we never intended to pursue pageants. This was only for fun, to have a "princess day" with Shaylee, but I was slightly bummed just the same. Anyhow, after considering all the costs that would go into attending the state finals, Nils and I agreed that we would rather spend the $400+ on something better- a family trip to SeaWorld this summer!

She Just Wanted Pink Roses- Saying Goodbye to Grandma Lisa

Today we said goodbye to my paternal grandmother, Lisa Ann Eugenio. She passed away Monday, December 28th at the age of 72. One of the few requests she had was that there be pink roses, as pink was her favorite color. And indeed there were.

One thing that surprised me was that Shaylee, although young, seemed to understand the concept of death fairly well. When asked what happened to Grandma Lisa, she would tell you that she "was very sick and died". She then would proceed to tell you that "she went to heaven and is an angel now.

At the beginning of the service, the casket was open. Shaylee asked to go see her. My mom, who was holding her at the time, looked to me for the answer and I nodded that it would be okay, although I was quite unsure myself. When my mom took Shaylee up to view her, she said "Bye Grandma Lisa." And that was that. She didn't question why she was in a casket (or box) or why she was "sleeping" which is what I anticipated out of a child her age. Once she was back at her seat, I quietly whispered "when people die, their spirits go to heaven but their bodies stay here and we bury them and put flowers on their graves", just in case the concept was still questionable. She said "oh" and that was that. Out at the actual grave site, we all said the Lord's Prayer and placed a pink rose on the casket. To my relief, everyone, although teary eyed, seemed to hold their composure well. It was a relief to all to know that she was at peace now.

After the service, we all went to my Aunt Debbie's house for fellowship. We ate, drank, and socialized. Shaylee entertained everyone by performing a dance routine she made up in the living room and everyone commented on how she should take dance. Even though the day was a sad one, it went along smoothly and well.


Rest in Peace Grandma Lisa.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Well 2009 is finally over. I'd like to move forward with this blog instead of trying to catch up and fill in the blanks of events that have already occurred. Fresh start! As you might have also notice, the Laufer Family blog has gotten its own domain! New Years resolution: keep this blog updated so not to fall behind!

Looking back- A Summary of 2009 (in no particular order):

* Shaylee's first dentist appointment
* two trips to Disney- once for my 27th birthday (Magic Kingdom)and another in August (Animal Kingdom)
* successfully potty-training Shaylee
* participation in Race for the Cure and Autism Speak charity walks
* participation in Operation Christmas Child
* a visit from Nils' parents and sister
* Shaylee ties for first place in costume contest during Halloween
* the loss of both my paternal grandparents- my grandfather in March and my grandmother just recently in December
* Shaylee started gymnastics
* I accepted Christ and was baptized
* joining New Day Christian church
* going back to school (Edison State School) for a business major
* Nils and I get new tattoos
* Nils' advancement in CommTech Jeopardy, a knowledge based competition offered through Comcast for technicians,all the way to Nationals (read all about out upcoming trip in January!)
* moving out of my parent's house and into our own little duplex
* the adoption of Milo, Shaylee's very own pet- a male orange tabby kitten

Here is to 2010- Hope it is good one!

CommTech Jeopardy = Charleston Place Accomodations!

The excitement is building each day as CommTech Jeopardy Nationals comes closer! January can't come soon enough! The competition is being held in Charleston, South Carolina and Jeopardy members (and their spouse or guest) are staying in one of the United States' top 100 finest hotels- Charleston Place.

We are talking about Italian marble floors, brass fixtures, mahogany furnishings, and World-class luxurious accommodations including a full-service spa; rooftop pool, “The Club” a private concierge level located on the top two floors; award-winning dining (exciting!) , 28 exclusive boutiques and the legendary Orient-Express service, all in the heart of downtown Charleston. A perfect blend of 18th century style and 21st century comfort, Charleston Place is situated in the heart of Charleston and is famous for its traditional southern hospitality. Rates on the rooms start at $235 and go as high as $880 a night. Its pure elegance and luxury! The hotel is also ranked among the "Top 10 Hotels in North America" by Conde Nast Traveler, and impresses from the moment you enter with its Italian marble lobby, stately Georgian Open Arm staircase, and 12-foot crystal chandelier.


Nils and I would never have an opportunity to stay in a place like this, let alone for four nights! Sure, there will be work involved for Nils as he does have a competition to win (wink, wink- staying positive!) but it also has plenty of down time for us like horse-drawn buggy rides throughout this historical city and other extremely romantic possibilities! Its like the honeymoon we have yet to have!

Not only do we get treated like kings and queens but we will also get a chance to rub elbows with some VERY important people of Comcast corporation. For Nils, this is a golden opportunity for that supervisory position he is trying so hard to obtain, but it also will be good for me, to help put my name out there a little too. How funny would it be to be considered the Comcast Power Couple?? LOL! We both have big plans for our future with this company and are very happy to have the opportunity we are given to make this known to everyone who is anyone at Comcast.

To see more of this amazing hotel:

http://www.charlestonplace.com/web/ocha/charleston_place.jsp

Nils Won Divisionals!!!!!

Fort Myers is Southern Division CommTech Jeopardy Champion



The Ft. Myers Ed Parsons Project ponders a question at the Commtech Jeopardy Division finals in Jacksonville.

After two days fielding questions on light wave lengths, telephone acronyms and just about every other conceivable fact on Comcast, the Fort Myers’ Ed Parsons Project won the CommTech Jeopardy Southern Division finals held in Jacksonville on Wednesday.

“Our team worked very hard and came well prepared for this competition,” said Barb Hagen, vice president and general manager for the Ft. Myers market. “We are thrilled with this win.”

Indeed, the Ft. Myers players studied for months before the event, even drilling themselves with a five-foot stack of 2400 flashcards. Six Southern Division teams competed for the division title including the Atlanta Metro Scramblers, the Houston Terminators, the South Florida Region Davie Tugboots Extreme 3.0, the Mid South Region North Alabama All Stars and the West Palm Beach Region North Triple Playerz. More than 120 Comcasters attended the competition at the Sawgrass Golf Resort in Ponte Vedra, Fl, near the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

West Palm Beach, Ft. Myers and Houston earned a place in the final round. But in the end, Ft. Myers gained a narrow win over West Palm Beach – 8198 to 8201 -- on the most important query of the competition: Name the seven points of the Comcast Customer Guarantee.

Both West Palm Beach and Ft. Myers got the question right, but it was Ft. Myer’s point wager that edged out the West Palm system by three points.

“This game is about taking a risk to go for it all,” said Doug McMillan, senior vice president of the Coastal Region, who hosted the event. “There is no second best.”


Doug McMillan, senior vice president of the Coastal Region, welcomes Comcasters at the kickoff of Commtech Jeopardy Southern Division finals in Jacksonville.

Based on the popular television game show Jeopardy, Commtech Jeopardy pits the best of the best system techs from each region against each other in a two-day battery of questions on Comcast and the cable business.

Scott Callaway addresses the Commtech Jeopardy Southern Division finals. “Your leadership the conviction is what makes Comcast great,” he told team participants. “You are the future leaders who will lead Comcast.”

“This competition demonstrates the amazing level of dedication and knowledge of our employees,” said Scott Calloway, southern division vice president of operation. “They are the future leaders we look to to beat our competition.”

While the Southern Division title is great accomplishment, the work of the Ft. Myers team is not over. In January, they travel to Charleston, S.C., to represent the Southern Division at the national Comcast Commtech Jeopardy competition. This is the second straight year the Coastal system represented the Southern Division at nationals. Last year, Augusta won the Southern Division title.


Shown (L-R) Front row: Nils Laufer, James Grantham, DJ Simms,Tom Weisend. Back row: Ken Sapp (coach), Chuck Blaisdell (coach)Andy Schickowski. Below is the final Jeopardy question on the Comcast Customer Guarantee, which put Fort Myers over the top and locked in the win.

Our First Ever Family Game Night

Since Nils is leaving tomorrow morning to Amelia Island for divisional finals for Comcast's CommTech Jeopardy competition so we enjoyed our very first family game night playing Shaylee's new Candy Land board game. She got to chose what playing piece to be and decided on blue because she "is the best" and then proceeded to assign Nils' and my playing pieces. Nils was green and I was red. The game started off rocky, trying to explain to Shaylee that we needed to take turns, but got rolling once we kept it moving. She was quick to help us determine which color our chosen card instructed to move our piece on the board although the concept of only moving one or two of those color squares depending on our card, was a bit confusing for her. If she had it her way, her playing piece would just skate all over the board, LOL. It ended with Shaylee being the winner (and that was without even purposely allowing her to either!)Our patience was tested in the beginning (Shaylee could win, hands down, at any pouting competition) but in the end we had a good time being together as a family.

Packing Our Box for Operation Christmas Child

Tonight Shaylee and I went shopping for goodies to pack in our shoebox for Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan's Purse which is a nonprofit Christian relief and evangelism organization. With Operation Christmas Child, you decide if you would like to pack a box for a boy or a girl and then choose which age group to purchase gifts for (2-4 years, 5-9 years, or 10-14 years). We decided to shop for a girl between the ages of 5-9. Some of the gift suggestions included school supplies, toys, hygiene items, and other items such as hard candy and lollipops, socks, tee-shirts, ball caps, sunglasses, etc. They also encourage you to write a note and include a photo.




Our box for our little girl was based around Hello Kitty and the color pink. Our box included:

• two bars of soap
• a pink washcloth
• a pink hairbrush
• Hello Kitty ponytail holders
• a purple toothbrush and a tube of children's toothpaste
• Hello Kitty necklace and ring set
• Hello Kitty spiral notebook and journal
• Hello Kitty markers, pencils, pens, crayons, and mini highlighters
• Hello Kitty color and activity book
• Hello Kitty socks
• Hello Kitty playing cards
• a wooden tic-tac-toe game
• a jump rope
• a copy of the Holy Bible (KJV)
• a note and family photo

I am very excited to be a part of Operation Christmas Child and am happy to get to share the experience with Shaylee. I see this easily becoming a family tradition. It was a bit hard in the beginning to explain to Shaylee why we were buying things for someone we didn't know and even harder to explain why we were not buying these things for her, but in the end, when asked who we buying these gifts for and why, Shaylee proudly stated they were for "a little girl who's parents doesn't have any monies". We had explained to her that some mommies and daddies do not have a lot of money to buy things and can't buy their kids presents for Christmas so we buy them presents because every boy and girl deserves to have a Merry Christmas. As she gets older we will be able to better explain that the real meaning of Christmas isn't about getting presents and not even so much about giving presents as it is a celebration of Jesus' birth, but for now, our explanation seems very age appropriate. Shaylee was quite proud to pack the box of goodies this evening.



I felt so proud as a mother to get to share this opportunity of sharing and giving with her. Tonight, as we prepare to lay down in our comfortable beds in our AC home with full tummies, we will pray that which ever little girl out there that gets our box will have light up with happiness and that her heart will be opened to God's love and that He will meet their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Walk Now for Autism Speaks

I am quite pleased to announce that Team Dylan, named on behalf of my autistic cousin Dylan, raised over $700 for the 2009 Walk Now for Autism Speaks! The money goes to research and resources for families affected by autism.

From left to right: my cousin Joie, Shaylee, Nils, myself, Uncle Johnny, Dylan, Aunt Julie, cousin Jag, Tammy from New Day Christian Church, and Shayla- a friend of the family's daughter

Here is a little background about Dylan and his condition in a letter that was handed out to members of my church, family and friends to raise awareness of autism and why we decided to walk:

He is 13 years old. He was born on February 29^th, making him a Leap Year baby, has brown hair and the longest lashes of anyone I know. He loves action figures, computer games, and Pizza Rolls, whales and dolphins. Looking at Dylan you would never know that he has a debilitating disorder known as autism. Autism affects every aspect of Dylan’s life…and the lives of everyone around him.

Dylan has come a long way since his diagnosis in 1999, at age 3. Since then, he has learned to speak, to read, to hold a conversation with some help. But for all his intelligence, Dylan still cannot interact with others the same way as other children his age. He has trouble processing the world around him and may forever be dependent on others to help him function as an adult as autism is a lifelong neurological disorder that impairs a person’s ability to communicate and relate to others. Only 7% of children with autism go on to be independent. With twin younger siblings and an older brother and sister, his family has a lot on their plate and as hard as it is to focus on their daily lives, they find it hard to imagine what the future holds for him. We can only trust that God has a plan for my family and especially for Dylan and other children who are challenged by autism.

This year my grandmother, family, and I will be participating in the 2009 Walk Now For Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest walk program dedicated to autism research, in honor of my cousin. We are asking for as much support as possible and would be honored if you would join our team and make a donation or walk with us on Walk Day. We realize there are many charities that vie for your attention, but any contribution, large or small, will be greatly appreciated.

WALK NOW FOR AUTISM SPEAKS

“TEAM DYLAN”

Saturday, November 7^th Estero Community Park

Time: TBA

http://www.walknowforautism.org/swflorida/teamdylan

As always, thank you for your consideration, support and prayers.

There was a lot that showed up to support Autism Speaks!

The ribbon cutting ceremony

Shaylee at Gymnastics

Shaylee really loves gymnastics! Today Grandma Nea, Poppa Ed, and Aunt Sara came along with us to see our little gymnast in action! I got some great action shots this time too!