San Diego Getaway

Last June my husband and I went on a safari in South Africa for our honeymoon. South Africa was truly a trip of a lifetime. It was so amazing to be literally like a foot away from wild animals. We decided to relive the experience and visit the San Diego Zoo. We also are trying to take as many mini vacations as we can before starting the next IVF cycle. Here are some pictures from the Zoo and San Diego.....

Itchy Elephant

Rattlesnake

Praying Gorilla...Love this!

Beautiful La Jolla Cove with Sea Lions

The New "Curry in a Hurry"

Ever since going to Thailand, my husband and I have been obsessed with Thai cuisine. I especially LOVE curry and all the health benefits of it. Did you know that curry can help prevent Alzheimer's disease? Yup...I eat plenty of it because it is a disease that runs in my family. I used to make a dish that my husband and I loved called "Curry in a Hurry." But after discovering this new recipe from www.skinnytaste.com, this our new "Curry in a Hurry."

Here is the recipe courtesy of www.skinnytaste.com...I altered it a little bit

(original recipe is "Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp")

1 tsp olive oil

4 scallions, whites and greens separated, chopped     

2 tbsp of red curry paste (used THAI brand)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 chicken breasts sliced in thin pieces 

4 oz of low fat coconut milk

2 tsp of fish sauce (used THAI brand)

1/4 chopped fresh cilantro

In a large skillet, heat oil. Add Chicken and cook 5 min. Add scallion whites and red curry paste, cook 2-3 mins. Add Garlic and cook 2 mins. Add coconut milk and fish sauce. Cook until chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat, mix in scallion greens and cilantro. Serve with rice. 

It obviously was a HUGE hit....Hubby's belly is very happy :-)

Acorn Calabasas Newspaper

We are so excited that the Acorn Newspaper wrote an article about Brandon and my experience with SMA. It is so important to us to spread awareness about this cruel disease. Here is the article....

                                                                                                  

         Couple Wants to Spread the Word about Little Known Genetic Disorder

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS—Brandon and Stephanie Humes, above, are joing forces with Bill and Victoria Strong in the fight against spinal muscular atrophy. The Humes learned they are both carriers of the disease.A young local couple who wanted to start a family saw their dreams dashed when they learned they both carry a little-known genetic defect that kills more children than any other inherited disease.

A month after their storybook wedding in Santa Barbara in May 2010, Stephanie and Brandon Humes decided to start a family.

“ We both just really love children,” said Stephanie Humes, who grew up in Calabasas. “Even on our first date we talked about children. It was important to us to have a family young so we could travel with our kids and do fun things,” she said.

To ensure that their baby would be healthy, the couple visited an obstetrician who offered a long list of genetic tests, including one for spinal muscle atrophy (SMA).

Most children who have Type 1 spinal muscle atrophy die before age 3 due to muscle weakness and atrophy.

Although Stephanie and Brandon had never heard of SMA, she said she opted to get the test because it was one of the top three suggestions on her doctor’s list.

When results showed that she’s a carrier of the defective gene, the doctor suggested that Brandon also be tested.

His test also came back positive.

“We were in shock because, like most people, we never thought that it could happen to us,” Stephanie said. “After I got off the phone, I couldn’t stop crying because I felt like all our dreams of having a family were shattered.”

According to Humes, one in every 40 people carry the spinal muscle atrophy gene. Each year 1 in 6,000 babies is born with the genetic defect, which is classified in four types.

If both parents are carriers, the likelihood of a child becoming affected by a terminal form of the disease is 25 percent. About 50 percent of children born to parents who have the gene will carry it without adverse health effects and the remaining 25 percent are unaffected.

Most babies born with SMA appear healthy until symptoms such as floppy limps and difficulty with feeding appear about six months to a year later. As the disease progresses, children need round-the-clock care, breathing treatments and a feeding machine.

Since the brain is unaffected, children also become self-aware and frustrated about their physical limitations.

Rather than dwell on the negative, Stephanie began doing research online to learn more about the disorder and determine what she and her husband could do to have a healthy child.

The Humes decided to try in vitro fertilization because it allows doctors to test embryos for SMA before impregnation.

“We have had no luck so far but will continue to fight for the family we’re both longing for,” Humes said.

Since there is no treatment or cure for SMA and it’s not a standard prenatal test, the Woodland Hills couple joined forces with the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation to help raise awareness and find a cure for the disorder.

The foundation was created by Bill and Victoria Strong of Santa Barbara, whose daughter Gwendolyn was diagnosed with a terminal form of spinal muscular atrophy Type 1 at 6 months old.

“As witnesses to the degenerative cruelty of the genetic defect, Bill and Victoria are passionately dedicated to leaving no stone unturned in raising awareness about and funding research for SMA and supporting families who are impacted by SMA and other life-altering diseases,” Stephanie said. Victoria Strong is a former teacher at A.E. Wright and A.C. Stelle middle schools, she said.

The Humes, who are both 26, recently hosted a fundraiser at Fresh Brothers Pizza to help support the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation.

“We just really want to spread the word and help people to realize that it can happen to anybody,” said Brandon, a wedding photographer who grew up in Agoura Hills.

According to Brandon, most couples don’t think twice before they get pregnant. “Even couples who know our story choose to get pregnant without pre-birth tests.” But things can change in the “blink of an eye,” he said.

Stephanie, who runs a baby blanket website called Lullaby Blankies, said she donates 25 percent of proceeds earned through her business to help advance the Strong foundation’s cause.

For more informa- tion about SMA, visit www.thegwendolynstrongfoundation.com.

Build it and it Will Come!

For the past year, my husband and I have been wishing and praying for our little miracle. Well, I actually have been wishing and praying for a baby ever since I was a little girl. I cannot wait for that dream to come true and I become a Mommy. My Mom taught me so many things growing up and showed us the world, I am so thankful for that.  Like my Mom, my husband and I are most excited about teaching our children everything we possibly can. I can't wait to see their little minds grow and learn. It will melt my heart when I hear Mommy for the first time.

I know most people don't like to buy baby stuff till they are well into their pregnancy because they are afraid to jinx it. Well, I am the opposite...I say, "build it and it will come." It truly makes me happy and this process a little easier to take the occasional trip to Babies R Us. It gets me very excited for what the future holds. Here are some of my goodies....

IVF Update-
My recovery from my surgery has been very tough, a lot of unexplained things have happened. I also have been on so many hormones..another one of the many joys of IVF. I think that is my husband's favorite part....NOT! I am now getting to end of my recovery and things are starting to get better. I am counting the days till I start the medications and get this show on the road. I feel so good about this cycle and feel that my dreams of becoming a Mommy are going to come true.

Blanket of the week- Little Flower Violet

This weeks blanket of the week is Violet Madison Wehrkamp. I met Violet's Mom Allison when my husband and I first found out we were carriers of SMA. She was the first person that I talked to in  the SMA community and was so kind to me. Thank you for your friendship and support during this difficult time in my life. 

Here is Violet's story from www.littleflowerviolet.com

Violet Madison Wehrkamp passed away on August 27^th, 2010 due to respiratory failure from SMA
 Type 1.   She was 6 months 8 days and 1.5 hours old.

"Violet was born on February 18, 2010.  She was our first child and she was a perfectly healthy, beautiful little baby girl.  Of course we immediately fell in love with her!  She was our life and we were so excited and ready to teach her everything we could.  Little did we know but Violet would be the teacher and we would learn so much about ourselves, our family and love and life.  How could such a little girl be so wise?  She had an old soul and we are so blessed she chose us as parents! 

We began to notice she was not hitting her gross motor skills milestones at her 2 month well visit.  She began physical therapy through PA’s Early Intervention program and she showed promise of improvement.  She was always very sociable and loved to coo, smile and laugh.  As the weeks and months went on, we still suspected there was something wrong with her.  After some research, Muscular Dystrophy popped up on Google, along with SMA.  I was heartbroken because I knew she had one of those and I was terrified it was SMA because she fit all the symptoms.  She had severe low muscle tone, no head or neck control.  In fear, my husband and I took her to Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia on Aug 2, 2010.  The neurologist immediately suspected SMA and they took blood from her.  Meanwhile, a few days prior to her doctor’s visit she seemed to have a rattle or wheezing in her chest and she was coughing a lot and it began to affect her feeding.  Our pediatrician started nebulizer treatments.  She seemed to improve slightly the week of Aug 2.  But on Friday Aug 6, 2010, after I picked her up from daycare and she was napping she started making these horrible squeaking sounds. When I checked on her, her nose was flaring and I could see her ribs as she struggled to breath.  I took her immediately to our local ER (we live in the Poconos area in Pennsylvania), they did a chest x-ray and she was confirmed to have pneumonia and she admitted to the hospital.  At the very same time I received a call from the neurologist to have me schedule an appointment to go over her bloodwork.  I knew it was bad- if the doc wants to talk face to face instead of over the phone- it’s bad… so I called the neurologist back and begged her to tell me the results over the phone.  

She finally got in touch with me the next day Aug 7^th and confirmed our worst fears that Violet had SMA Type 1.  After our local hospital and pediatrician learned this they immediately sent us to Lehigh Valley Hospital PICU so Violet could get the very best treatment.  We spent 3 weeks at Lehigh Valley PICU.  During that time, Violet was intubated, underwent bloodwork and chest x-rays daily, was constantly under sedation medication, had a feeding tube inserted through her nose and “lived”.  The whole time she would look at me with these eyes just asking why we were there- I knew she wasn’t happy and she didn’t understand what was going on.  The worst was I was unable to even hold her and cuddle with her because of the breathing tube- but the great nurses and doctors at the PICU allowed me to sleep in the same bed with her so we could be close.  It broke my heart to see her in that condition.  In the end, they extubated her because they thought she had a chance to go home with some medical equipment because she had been improving.  The day she was extubated was her very best day since she entered the hospital- she smiled, laughed and cooed and I held her the whole day- we even got a special walk outside with the nurses, respiratory staff and resident- Violet smiled and it was like she was herself again- she totally lit up and it was like we had our little girl back!  But within 12 hours of extubation her left lung had collapsed and she was only working with half a lung on her right side.  She didn’t tolerate a BiPap machine so she had been on oxygen since the extubation, but we knew it couldn’t last forever.  We knew we would lose our little girl and that she would never come home again to see her puppy, Noodles… to take naps with Mommy on the couch… to sleep in her crib… to be rocked to sleep in her rocking chair…to talk… to grow up and be a kid and a grown woman… to have children of her own… that was all taken away. On Aug 27^th, 2010 at 1:30am Violet passed away in my arms and I never cried so hard. We miss our little girl so very much and we would’ve traded places with her in a second.  We know there is nothing we can do to change what happened, and we hurt more than anything right now.  But we will always remember Violet as our beautiful little angel with the most expressive eyes ever.  Violet loved lions, elephants, fish, cows and she would giggle every time she saw her puppy, Noodles, do his tricks.  Her personality was infectious and everyone she met was drawn to her.  She loved to coo and smile at us and she showed us more joy in the 6 months she was with us than I have ever experienced in my lifetime.  We are slowly picking ourselves up off the ground and trying to put the broken pieces of our life back together… we feel like we can never be whole again since a part of us is now gone, but we feel that Violet wanted us to spread her story and to educate others about SMA and the importance of carrier testing and our hope is that another family NEVER has to feel the heartache we feel after losing a child to such a horrible disease.  No one should ever lose a child this way… SMA sucks and it’s just not fair."

50% of each purchase is donated to FSMA in memory of Violet

Click the picture below to take you to Violet's Blankie

Pebbles Joins the Fight!

My Sweet English Bulldog Pebbles has been by my side for almost 9 years now. She is the sweetest and most loyal doggie I could ever ask for. It was only appropriate as a member of the family that she joined the fight against SMA with us! We love you Pebblina!

My IVF Chronicles

A few of my friends who are going through IVF have inspired me to share my IVF experiences with everyone. IVF is one of the most emotional experiences a women can go through. It is a constant emotional roller-coaster! IVF is not something that you can just forget about, there are constant reminders everywhere! Weather it's seeing a mother holding her child, seeing baby clothes at the mall, or family and friends having babies. You need to be strong every day and know in your heart that your time will come.
Where does my story begin....
Well, it all started when my husband and I found out we were carriers of Spinal Muscle Atrophy. We were devastated when we found out, we felt all of our dreams of having a family were shattered. We then decided that we need to figure out our options if we wanted a family. We could either try naturally or do in-vitro fertilization. We talked to many SMA families and learned how devastating this disease can be. Knowing our carrier status, my husband and I both felt that we didn't want to take that chance.
I then started researching IVF clinics around the world. Yes, we were willing to go to the ends of the earth for our child. We flew to New York City to see Dr. Rosenwaks at Cornell. Our first meeting with him went well, he didn't seem to have the best side manner but that didn't matter to me. I wasn't looking for a friend, I was looking for a doctor to get me pregnant. He assured me that I would get pregnant because of my age and no known fertility problems.
We then traveled back to New York in December of 2010 and started my IVF cycle. I was so nervous! I just got nervous staring at all the medication I had to take. I am not one to take medication all the time! I kept wondering, what is all this medication really doing to me? I took a deep breath and said, if I want to be a Mommy, this is what I gotta do! I remember being so nervous for the first shot, it took me about 15 minutes to work up the courage to inject myself. I felt such a relief once it was done and I really thought we are making a baby! My nervousness then turned into excitement!

My stimulation went very well...I quickly developed lots of follicles. Soon it was retrieval day! They retrieved 10 eggs and 8 fertilized. I was sooo excited! They then were tested for SMA and 3 were affected (had SMA) and 5 were carriers. I was so happy but was a little weirded out that none were completely SMA free. After the surgery, I had a lot of pain and could barely go to the bathroom (sorry TMI). I had a feeling that something just wasn't right.
after watching the clock for 5 days, it was time for my embryo report. All 5 SMA carriers made it to day 5 and I was going to implant 2 almost perfect embryos that day. I get to the OR and sit on the table ready to be a Mommy. The doctor does an ultrasound and tells me that I have hyper-stimulated. Which means my ovaries were giant and I had a bunch of fluid. As I sat there in the OR, tears started running down my face. I was so embarrassed that I was sitting there naked and crying in front of my doctor. I felt so vulnerable and let down. They then said we need to freeze them and transfer them next month. I was so disappointed but wanted to do the right thing for my body and future baby.
We flew back to New York City at the end of February for our frozen transfer. The whole month before, I was getting my body prepared in LA for a pregnancy. I had to take two injections a day, one in my stomach and one in my behind (which my hubby had to do and did a great job). Oh, and Estrogen patches which were so itchy! I was so excited because I got to spend my birthday in New York (March 2nd) and thought maybe my birthday wish would come true and I would have a successful transfer.
March 4th came and it was transfer day. I had to wait for the call in the morning to see if my embryos (babies) thawed okay. I was so nervous, I went to sleep at 4am that night. They called and the two they were transferring thawed and were ready to transfer. The feeling I felt was unexplainable, I really felt I was going to become a Mommy that day. Here is a picture of my embryos....

They transferred them....the feeling was overwhelming. I said to myself, I am a Mommy! I then flew home a few days later . During those first few days, I felt so much going on in my stomach. I knew they implanted. At home, I couldn't help myself and I took several HPT's. My husband thought I was losing my mind! I just had to know! Well, I got a faint positive at about 9 days after the transfer. I was soooooo excited, it really felt surreal. A day before my official blood pregnancy at the doctor, I took another HPT and noticed it looked lighter. I knew something was very wrong at that point and I just felt different. I went in for my blood pregnancy test the next day and it came back at 46. I was excited but kept thinking about the lines on the pregnancy getting lighter. I knew my baby was gone.....2 days later I went in for another blood pregnancy test and it went down to 9. Again, I got that dreaded phone call and felt once again that all our dreams have having a family were gone. I thought, what is wrong with me?
More bad news came after that, I was informed that my three remaining embryos were not good quality and they don't recommend transferring them. My heart was broken and I felt so lost. All of this time, emotions, and money was all for NOTHING!!!
I need a break.....
I started researching IVF doctors in LA and came across Dr. March. We went to see him for a consultation and immediately loved him! He was so kind and explained everything in a way we could understand, it was a nice change. He suggested that I do an HSG test since I had a previous failed IVF. An HSG is were they inject dye into your uterus and take x-ray pictures. Well, he found some abnormalities and suggested that I have surgery before I try another cycle. Again. I felt so lost and let down.
I had surgery last week and Dr. March said he has now made "my house" ready for a baby. They don't call him the "Uterus Doctor" for nothing.
My next IVF journey will be starting soon and I will be documenting my journey. IVF is not something many women talk about, especially the emotional part. I think it is important for all of us to stick together and support each other. I couldn't have gotten through this so far with out support from my husband, SMA friends and friends going through IVF.  It has been one of the hardest trials in my life. I know in my heart that it will happen one day and I will be the Mommy that I am longing to be!