2010 Update

I’m sure we’ve been keeping you all is suspense since we have not updated in over two months. We’ve had a lot going on. Things have progressed pretty swiftly on the surrogacy front. Caitlin was on the nightly fertility shots for 10 days and then the egg retrieval occurred this past Saturday. Prior to the surgery, we were hoping for around 4-6 eggs. Unfortunately they were only able to retrieve 2eggs. The next step was finding out if we had embryos. We were in Target on Saturday morning and got the good news that we had two embryos.

Today at 3:15 pm our surrogate was implanted and now we are waiting. We have to wait 11 days before our surrogate can have a blood test to find out if she’s pregnant. The next 11 days are going to feel like an eternity. We would really appreciate prayers and positive thoughts for the next few weeks.

Cait’s also been really stressed about her mom Kerry. She had a bad fall several weeks ago when Cait had her out doing errands. Kerry wound up in rehab for a few weeks and is now staying with Cait’s oldest sister. It has been a really rough couple of months. We are really hoping that we have some good news coming. We’ll try to update more frequently!

Last Post of 2009

Hi All,
Two more days until 2010! Yeah!
Well, I am very excited because I just ordered tickets to see Wicked. I’ve wanted to see it for a few years but was too cheap to spend the $. It was playing in Boston last year but they tickets were all over $100 and I was just too stingy. Well, my sister Megan just saw it last night in Providence, RI and I had no idea it was even there. http://www.ppacri.org/

I decided to call up the theater and see if there were any tickets left in the accessible area because it is only there until January 10th! I lucked out and got us two tickets for the matinee on January 9th @ 2pm. Yeah! It was a splurge but we never do anything like this! Needless to say, I’m very excited.

The new insurance cards arrived two days ago so we are just waiting for January 1st to roll around so Boston IVF can begin the prior approval process. Yesterday I had to go for an ultrasound for my ovarian cyst and I was very disappointment to learn that it had no disappeared. The doctor mentioned that it could just go away but no such luck so far. I am waiting to hear back from my gynecologist to find out if it has decreased in size. I really hope the cyst does not set us back with our IVF process. Please keep your fingers crossed.
For New Years my friend Megan is coming over and my mom. We plan to make multiple appetizers. It should be fun. I just realized today that I have New Years Eve off from work! What a pleasant surprise!
We hope you all have a happy and safe New Years!

P.S. The pics are of Rosie with her adorable bow tie from Aunt Mo, our xmas tree and me with my adorable nephew Conor (age 5).

Good Riddance 2009

I’m very ready to say bye to this year. It has definitely been one of the worst years of my life. We are really hopeful that things will be better in 2010. We hope that all works well with the surrogacy and that we’ll be parents by this time next year.
I know a lot of you are curious as to what the next step is for surrogacy. Our new insurance through Kyle’s work kicks in on January first. Once we get our new insurance cards we will call the fertility group, Boston IVF that we are working with and they will begin the prior approval process with the insurance. Once we get the approval I will start taking the fertility meds to increase the amount of eggs I produce. I will take the meds for around 10 days. Once my Dr. feels that my eggs are in good shape, I will have day surgery to remove my eggs. The next step after that is invitro fertilization, also known as IVF.
I will try to blog more when this is going on to keep everyone in the loop. We would appreciate prayers during this time. I am really fearful of having some adverse reaction to the fertility meds. I just hope I can get through it all without any issues. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
On a different note, all of our presents are bought for Christmas. I’ve been baking up a storm and have enjoyed sharing the yummy baked goods. This year I made fudge & peppermint bark for the first time. They were both very easy and delicious. I also made the standard goodies which include macaroons, cranberry orange nut bread and thumb print cookies.
We will visit Kyle’s mother on Christmas Eve and exchange gifts. Then later that night we’ll head to my brother’s home and my entire side will be there i.e. siblings, nieces and nephews. The following day we will have brunch at my sister Megan’s house.
My mother had a bad fall last week. Thankfully she didn’t break anything but she did hurt her head pretty bad and had 10 staples as a result. She is now staying at my sister Deirdre’s house for the winter. My mom isn’t thrilled with this arrangement but right now it isn’t safe for her to be alone. I am extremely stressed about her health. I just love her so much and really need her to be around for MANY more years.
That’s about it for now! We hope you all have a happy and healthy Holiday Season J

Nice Turkey Day

We had a nice turkey day although it was very sad without my father and his wife Barbara.

My sister Maura came home from NYC for 3 days. She is with me in the picture posted above. My niece had just french braided her hair so I had to get a shot. This shot was taken about an hour b4 I attended my 15th High School reunion.

The other adorable shot is of Rosie with adorable xmas antlers.

The last few weeks have been really busy. I was in Dallas for a week with work. It was my first time there. I didn't get to see much other than where JFK was assassinated. The hotel we stayed in was gorgeous so that was nice. I missed Kyle and Rosie though.

My mom had surgery today to remove a kidney stone and that went well & I am very thankful for that. I'm slowly getting my xmas shopping done. We are still working on surrogacy and are making progress in that area. Things will really start progressing once our new insurance goes into effect on January 1st. Our current insurance has no infertility coverage so we are switching to a plan under Kyle's employer that has IVF (invitro fertilization) coverage. We will have a lot more to post about around that time. We hope all is well with everyone!

Halloween Photos

We stayed home for Halloween this year. We did visit our neighbors to show off Rosie's costume and to see their dog dressed as an adorable pumpkin. Just wanted to share these b4 I forget. Rosie was a ladybug this year. We usually take an annual halloween pic but I could not get my act together. We just have too much going on!!!!

What a Year!

This year has been a rough one. We are hanging on though and know that the future looks bright.
I’m sure some of you are wondering what the latest is on the baby front. We are trying to keep our decision on the down low but we have decided to pursue surrogacy. A longtime friend of mine has offered to carry for us. It would be our biological child and our friend would just be the carrier. We will begin the testing of the surrogate this month which includes medical and psychological tests. We were told the testing alone can take up to four months. I’m really hoping it is less! We decided that adoption wasn’t meant to be for us after the three failed placements. With gestational surrogacy we don’t have to worry about a birth mom trying to keep our child b/c they have no biological rights. We are excited and hopeful, but scared too. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!
We are going to keep the surrogates name confidential until she is actually pregnant. I can tell you that we have known each other since junior high. She has 3 children of her own and lives in the next town over. So, we would be able to go with her to doctor’s appointments and be very involved in the pregnancy. This is a major bonus!
On a different note, I’m finally feeling better. The last few weeks have been filled with doctor’s appointments. I am relieved because both my urology and orthopedic appointments went well and I can cross those two concerns off my list. The biggest issue now is a cyst on my right ovary. The gynecologist isn’t concerned so that is encouraging but I will need to have an ultrasound next Friday to be certain.
We went to Columbus Ohio for Columbus Day weekend to visit our friends Moriah & Eric. We had a great time. It was nice to get away and spend time with friends. We went to the Ohio State football game and they kicked Wisconsin’s butt! We also went to the Columbus Zoo which is a great zoo! On a last day there we went to http://www.thecandlelab.com/ We really enjoyed picking out scents for a candle for us and for Kyle’s mom for her upcoming B-day in November.
Work has been really busy because I am really behind from being out so much. I feel so blessed to work with so many amazing people that genuinely care for me. I am also so lucky to be able to work a flexible schedule.

My father's Birthday is tomorrow. He would have been 72. I really miss him!

Yesterday my best friend Megan had to put her dog Bailey down. Rosie and I went to say goodbye and it was really sad. He was the best dog and I attribute my love of dogs to him. He was just the best and will be greatly missed. RIP Bailey!

Update & Caitlin’s # 1 Pet Peeve

If I had to name my # 1 pet peeve it would be people that illegally park in disabled parking spots. This is an issue that I deal with face far too often. As most of you know, I work in Boston. If I am not running late for work, I try hard to get a parking spot on the street. Otherwise, it costs $19 a day to park in the closest parking garage. Luckily in Boston you can park in any spot with a meter for free if you have a disabled placard or plate. Disabled parking spots in Boston are few and far between.

I work pretty close to Spaulding Rehab which is right across the street from the County Jail which currently houses the Craig’s list killer and Clark Rockefeller. There are 4 disabled parking spots that I try to snag whenever possible. Watch this video and then I’ll explain:
http://wbztv.com/video/?id=81359@wbz.dayport.com

Clearly staff that work at the jail are abusing disabled parking spots. Kyle and I have suspected this for years. When we used to commute together, we would often see people parking in these spots that we suspected worked at the jail. I think we may have even seen them with their uniforms on. In the past, I’ve called people out that don’t “look disabled” and was wrong and felt like a real jerk so I stopped doing that. Anyway, I’m glad that WBZ’s sting operation worked. I just wish these jerks were penalized more strictly for this horrific behavior.

I know I haven’t been posting much. I got off the IV a week ago and am thrilled to be free from the wires and the dependency that came with the IV. I must say that my husband is an absolute saint. He took such good care of me and I am so blessed to have such a caring husband.
For those of you that are not on Facebook, my step-mother of 22 years died last week. She battled breast cancer for 12 years. We knew the day would ultimately come but it was still really tough to take the news. We had no idea she had gone downhill so fast. I received a call from my step-sister that she was in ICU and had hours to live. Remarkably she lived a few more days longer than predicted. She died at peace and is with my father again, which brings me comfort.

This Wednesday, My two oldest sisters went to NH to finally go through my father’s personal effects. My step mother wasn’t ready and we did not want to push her on the issue. It was really hard for them to go through his stuff. They were able to keep some mementos for us and the grandkids. Death is so final and I still can’t believe that my father is gone.

I recently read an amazing book called Cost by Roxana Robinson. It was one of the best books I’ve ever read. It is about a women who is dealing with her aging parents and her son who is a heroin addict. Ultimately her son died of an overdose and there is a quote in the book that really stuck with me and reminded me so much of my father. My father was cremated. He was a large man @ 6’4” and close to 300 pounds. I remember after he was cremated, my step-mother said something like,” it is so hard to fathom that this 6’4” man is now reduced to a small box. I came across this quote in Cost that I kept reading over and over. As I mentioned earlier, the main character’s son dies. They decide to disperse his ashes in the ocean in Maine. Before they start releasing the ashes into the water the author writes, “ The ashes inside were grayish crumbly and grainy, mixed with mineralish bits. It was Him. His whole life was here. Everything he had ever done had been reduced to this boxful of granular ash. This was all there would ever be of him.” Not sure why I felt the need to share that but it just really left a lasting impression on me. I know I will always have memories of my father but the fact that we won't meet again in this lifetime is still very hard for me to accept.

And I thought a broken leg was bad....

Hi All,

I have not been blogging much b/c I've been pretty ill. I was in the hospital for almost 2 weeks with a very bad bladder infection, partial bowel obstruction & 3 abscesses in my abdomen. Ugh! Kyle brought me to the ER on 8/15, and I never thought I'd wind up being hospitalized for 13 days! I am thrilled to be home, but the bummer is that I am on IV antibiotic for at least 3 weeks. Thankfully I'm not attached to an IV poll. However, I am attached to this IV pump thing that fits into a bag that looks like a fanny pack( see pic). I'm happy that I can be mobile but I still feel very restricted and am scared to venture off to far on my own to fear of pulling out the IV.

I am also very de-conditioned from being in bed for almost 2 weeks. Ugh! I am really discouraged by my streak of bad luck this year and being stuck at home is not helping things :-(

We were supposed to try adaptive camping this weekend on Cape Cod. Kyle even took Friday off and we can't go. I don't mean to be Debbie Downer but I'm just really overwhelmed with my current circumstance.

Cutest Dog Competition

Here is a quick vacation recap and some pics. For those that want to see more pics, just email us and we will send you all 200 pics that we uploaded on Shutterfly.com

Jordon Pond, Bar Harbor, Maine

The beautiful Maine Rocky Coast

We had a nice vacation in Maine. Bar Harbor is absolutely beautiful as is Acadia National park. We stayed at a really nice hotel but wished we could have stayed at a cabin. There are tons of cabins in Bar Harbor and I actually saw a few with ramps. If we go back, we definitely want to go the cabin route. We got tired of eating every meal out not to mention the cost of it all.
Luckily the weather was decent. Our first 2 days were gorgeous! The last few were not great but at least the rain held off. We actually left a day early b/c it was down pouring in the morning and was supposed to rain all day. We figured why not just head home

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We are having a lot of issues with formatting pictures on our blog. It is really annoying. Sorry the last few posts are sloppy. If any readers out there have any tips, we'd greatly appreciate them :)

Broken Leg Blues

Here is a pic of the bulky annoying brace that I have to wear for 5 more weeks. I even have to where it while in bed. It essentially stabilizes my knee and helps align the broken bones. I am happy I don't need surgery but am still so bummed this all happened. I also can't swim and that really bums me out. I see the doctor again on 8/11, so please pray that it will come off for good then. Thank God I can take it off to shower or I'd really be miserable.

We are headed to Bar Harbor, Maine this Sunday for a week. We are in desperate need of a vacation and are really looking forward to getting away. We will take lots of pics to post. Hope you all are having a great week :)

Priceless

Sunflowers Make Me Smile

I received these pretty sunflowers from three of my college friends the other day and had to post pics so they can see how pretty they are.
It has been really yucky weather here lately! I don't think we've had a full sunny day for at least 2 weeks. I thought the sunflowers we so appropriate b/c they brought sunshine into our home at a difficult time. This week has been hard and it is so nice to be thought of. As I am writing this now, I just received more flowers from two more college friends. I will take a pic of those to share too. I feel so loved. Thanks everyone :) xoxo

New Fridge

We had our new refrigerator delivered this past Saturday. We love it! I especially love the water and ice on the door! Kyle & I have always wanted a fridge with water and ice on the door!

The past two weeks have been really rough. As most of you already know, my father died on 6/17/09. We were busy last week with his funeral & wake. My aunt Maureen flew in from Seattle and stayed with us. It was so great to see her although I wish it was for a better occasion. She got the chance to bond with Rosie and now they are best buds. Aunt Mo is coming back in less than a month b/c she is renting a house on the Cape. I plan to visit her a few times when she's there.

As if I wasn't struggling enough with the loss of my father, things got worse b/c I broke my leg on Saturday night! I had no idea it was broken until 3 days later since I don't have feeling in my legs. I wound up being hospitalized for 2 days b/c of my leg and a really bad UTI. I am feeling a lot better but am still very tired. I'm not sure if the fatigue comes from the leg, UTI or just my overall sadness as a result of all the crap going on! It is probably a combination of everything.

It has been constantly raining here and that makes me even more sad. I still can't believe my father is gone. Although we knew the end was near, there is just no way to prepare for such a loss.

I smiled today when I received a beautiful flower arrangement from some of my college friends. I'll try to post a pic later. Thanks for all the love and support you have all provided. All the cards and kind gestures mean so much. Thanks so much!

Anyway, that is about it from here. I'm really happy that Bernie Madoff got such a long sentence. I hope it really sends a strong message! Bye for now!

Updated obituary

There were a few changes to my father's obituary. We changed the service in Hingham from a memorial service to a wake.


REILLY, Robert E. 71 of Keene, NH died on June 17, 2009 following a brave and gritty battle with heart disease. Bob was born in Warren, RI on October 24, 1937. He was the son of the late James J. Reilly and Mary King Reilly. Mr. Reilly graduated from East Providence High School, class of 1954. He attended Providence College, class of 1959 and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Bob received an MBA in 1961. He also completed his doctorate (ABD) in business and insurance. He would marry Barbara Binet on December 27, 1986 in Southborough, MA at the Pilgrim Church. They were married for 22 years. Together they enjoyed homes in Northboro, Boylston and Quincy, MA, before retiring to Keene, NH. He is survived by his wife Barbara. His daughters; Deirdre Prescott of Cohasset, MA, Tracy Perrin of Chesterfield, NH, Amy McLaughlin of Worcester, MA, Megan Orleman of Norwell, MA, Maura Reilly of NY, NY, Caitlin Reilly of Braintree, MA, A son Robert J. Reilly of Hingham, MA, His sisters Clare LaVallee, Patricia Rock, Kathleen Connors, Mary Cahill, Angela Carson, Maureen Reilly, His brothers, the late Charles Reilly, James Reilly, Francis Reilly and his thirteen grandchildren. Calling hours will be held on Monday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Pyne Keohane Funeral Home, 21 Emerald St., HINGHAM, MA. The Family has requested that donations , in lieu of flowers, be made in memory of Robert E. Reilly to the Reilly Family Scholarship Fund at Providence College, 1 Cunningham Sq., Providence, RI 02918. All services are under the direction of Cheshire Family Funeral Home. www.cheshirefamilyfh.com

My Father's Obituary

Robert E. Reilly
Robert E. Reilly, 71, of Keene, NH died on June 17, 2009, following a brave and gritty battle with heart disease.Bob was born in Warren, RI on October 24, 1937. He was the son of the late Lames J. Reilly and Mary King Reilly.Mr. Reilly graduated from East Providence High School, class of 1954. He attended Providence College, class of 1959 and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Bob received an MBA in 1961. He also completed his doctorate (ABD) in business and insurance.He would marry to Barbara Binet on December 27, 1986 in Southborough, MA at the Pilgrim Church. They were married for 22 years. Together they enjoyed homes in Northboro, Boylston and Quincy, MA before retiring to Keene, NH.He is survived by his wife Barbara; his daughters, Deirdre Prescott of Cohasset, MA., Tracy Perrin of Chesterfield, NH., Amy McLaughlin of Worcester, MA., Megan Orleman of Norwell, MA., Maura Reilly of NY, NY, Caitlin Reilly of Braintree, MA; a son, Robert J. Reilly of Hingham, MA; his sisters, Clare LaVallee, Patricia Rock, Kathleen Connors, Mary Cahill, Angela Carson, Maureen Reilly; his brothers, the late Charles Reilly, James Reilly, Francis Reilly; and his thirteen grandchildren.Services will be held on Saturday at the St. James Episcopal Ch. in Keene at 11am. A celebration of life service is also being held at St. Johns Episcopal Ch. in Hingham, MA on Monday at 11 a.m. The family has requested that donations be made in memory of Robert E. Reilly to the Reilly Family Scholarship Fund at Providence College, 1 Cunningham Sqr., Providence, RI. 02918. All services are under the direction of Cheshire Family Funeral Home.

The loss of my father

Hi All,

My father died this morning. We received a call yesterday that hospice felt he was nearing the end and that we should head to NH to be there for him. My sister Megan & I left Braintree around 4pm and arrived in NH around 7:30. My father looked much worse than the time I had seen him just a little over a week before. He was extremely fidgety and agitated. We stayed with him until after 10pm. My step-mom, Barbara requested a cot so that she could sleep right next to him. He died around 12:30 am. Barbara said he died peacefully in his sleep.

It was so upsetting to see him suffering last night and I feel at peace knowing he is no longer in pain. He fought a hard long fight.

We will be having a funeral for him in Keene, NH on Saturday and then a memorial mass on Monday in my hometown. I have not slept in over 32 hours and am physically and emotionally exhausted. We've known for a few years that my dad had a limited amount of time left, and we thought we could prepare ourselves but there is no way to prepare for this. I am very sad :(

For my fellow dog lovers

Just a Dog

From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a dog" or "that's a lot of money for just a dog". They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a dog".

Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog". Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog", but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog," and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it's "just a dog", then you will probably understand phrases like "just a friend", "just a sunrise" or "just a promise".

"Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy "Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that makes me a better person.

Because of "just a dog", I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

"Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day. I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog", but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a man or woman".
So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog", just smile -- because they "just don't understand".

A few recent pics

Last weekend we headed North and spent some time on the North Shore where Kyle is from.

We went to Gloucester, MA. I had never been there B4. The Fisherman's Memorial Statue ( to the right) made me think of the movie The Perfect Storm.

I liked the 2nd picture b/c of the tiny little lighthouse statue on it. Isn't it cute?

This was a low-key week. I took Tuesday off to go visit my father which exhausted me for the rest of the week. Driving over 6 hours in one day and seeing him in such a bad state just did a number on me.

We don't have much planned this weekend which is a good thing b/c we were super busy last weekend.

B4 I close, I just want to acknowledge that a friend of mine lost her mother yesterday and I am so very sorry for her loss. Joie, you ad your family are in my thoughts and prayers!

A whirlwind of emotions

Kyle & I headed to NH this morning to see my father in the hospital. He's been in the hospital since early April and won't ever be returning home. We spent about 2 hours with him and he was so happy to see us. We bought him an ice coffee and a blueberry muffin from D&D and he was happy as a clam.

He had a magazine on his table that we looked at together. There was a little blurb on Bristol, RI and their famous 4th of July festivities. He told me that we would go together this summer when I told him I had never been to the Bristol parade. This made me sad realizing we won’t go. In fact, I will never be able to go anywhere ever again with my father as he is dying. I think at times he really thinks he’s going to get better. He will be discharged sometime in the next week into hospice care.

I cried most of the way up there but I really tried to keep it together for him during our visit. Every time I leave him I wonder if it is the last time I will see him alive. Just knowing that he won’t always be that phone call away breaks my heart. Kyle and I have had some good times w/ Dad and Barbara (his wife) over the last 9 years. We will always treasure them. No parent sets out be a failure. I’ve had my issues with Dad but the bottom line, in my opinion, is that he did the best he knew how to do and there is no doubt in my mind that he loves all his children very much. I just want him to be at peace.

When we got home from our 2.5 hour drive from seeing dad there was a beautiful flower arrangement at our door pictured above. It was from my three sisters. That brought much needed smiles to both of us.