[*becky*]

THE MEMBER OF THE WEEK IS: CHRISTINA

on Monday: you'll post your story of your life and TTC, etc.

on Tuesday: you'll post 20 random/interesting facts to get to know you better

on Wednesday: Will be Q&A time, others will ask you questions and you answer

on Thursday: Is show and tell, show/share pictures that relate to you and your life and tell about them

on Friday: you'll post anything you know about TTC , share your knowledge!

[SavaAngel]

Sorry for the book in advance:

I was conceived from a blind date meeting. From what I have been told (and knowing my mother I can’t be sure it is the real truth or not), the relationship continued until he found out she was pregnant. According to my mother, he wanted me aborted and she told him HELL NO and he left – apparently never to be seen again.
Skip ahead 9 months and my mom was still working the night shift. She worked Thursdays – Monday’s and had just gotten off work at 7am on Tuesday and had a bunch of errands to run including a doctor’s apt. Everything was normal at her appt and when she got home my grandmother took one look at her and said “You better head back to the hospital, you are going to have that baby tonight.” Mom called her friend who was going to be her labor coach and take her to the hospital, but she was at a BINGO game and couldn’t be contacted. Her husband was going to watch my sisters. She finally gets home from BINGO and they rush off to the hospital. I was born that evening, September 7th, 1982, in Geneva, New York. Right after I was born and my mother found out I was a girl, the nurse asked if she had a name for me. She told her Christina and started to ask her friend (named Terry Rose) if she would mind if she used Rose as my middle name. All she got out was Terry before she passed out and that is what got put on my birth certificate and she never corrected it.
I grew up living with my mother, grandmother, and three sisters until they had babies (sister 1 and 3)and moved out or moved in with their fathers (sister 2). For most of my elementary education years, Mom would get home just before the bus arrived. As I got older, I would come home from school and my grandmother would watch me while Mom slept for work. I would wake her up for work and then go to bed in her bed. When I was 11 we moved again and Grandma didn’t move with us. Mom got back together with my second sister’s father and Mom’s hours changed. Mom’s friends would watch me after school. Eventually my sister’s father moved in with us and life went down hill. He was nice before he moved in and then it was like a switch turned off. He started threatening me and yelling at me. I felt like a glorified maid. I wasn’t allowed to do anything unless I had cleaned the house on the weekends first. I had to stop doing my homework in order to do the dishes right after dinner. I don’t think my mother ever did dishes in that house until I moved out the day of my 16th Birthday.
My friend, her mother, and my boyfriend ended up coming and picking me up that day. I had just come home from a weekend with family friends and promptly threw all my stuff in garbage bags and started taking them outside. They drove up and threw them in the trunk of the car. Mom proceeded to put me down and tell me I was going to end up like my sisters: drop out of high school and get pregnant. I told her we would see and left. Things between us have never been the same (not that they were that great before then). I moved in with my 3rd sister and her family. Shortly after my birthday my boyfriend got kicked out of his house and he lived with us for awhile – well until he broke up with me after our first time together. At the end of that school year I had to move again – and moved in with my friend for the summer. My sister wouldn’t let me stay with her anymore because I failed a class (I hated Biology – yuck). At the end of the summer, I had to move again because my friend’s father was sick and things were just too complicated for me to be there.
I ended up moving in with family friends of my mothers at the beginning of my Junior year of HS. They got a computer and internet connection shortly after that so I didn’t spend too much time in town at the school’s computer lab. I got into the wrong crowd for a little while but learned some lessons and started getting online a lot. I did homework a lot while in chatrooms. Fun times. LOL During Finals week of my Junior year I got online and was chatting with my now DH and just getting to know each other. Within two weeks we were “dating” – as well as you can online. We talked EVERY night online or on the phone, sent letters and email, etc. In no time we were planning a trip. Originally I was saving up to go down and visit him in Texas but no one would let me and I lived to far from the bus station/airport for me to just go. Both of our families (and in that I am including the people I lived with) thought that we could both be the opposite sex and really old or axe murders. So Tony came and visited me two days after Christmas and left after the 1st of the year. It was awesome. I had never been so happy. I was so sad to see him go back.
My school had a week off in February as a “Winter Break” and Tony’s parents paid for me to come visit them for that week. I spent most of it with DH in his college town. It was so nice to meet my IL’s and apparently Tony’s mother told him that he couldn’t get rid of me because she was already attached. It was a whirlwind week, but so much fun. I almost missed my flight home because none of us wanted me to leave. Tony went home and he said he smelled my body spray everywhere and it made him sad.
Sometime after returning I started getting really depressed. I was just really down in the dumps a lot. A friend pushed me to go to the doctor and I was diagnosed with mild clinical depression. I knew why I was depressed but there wasn’t anything I could do about it until I move to Texas. I was planning on going to college in Texas to be closer to Tony.
Tony ended up coming to my Senior Prom with me. Yep, flew all the way back to New York for my prom. He was there another week. It was so nice! A little over a month after that I was flying to Texas for good.
I went to college at Blinn College in Brenham (where Blue Bell Ice Cream is made if anyone knows what I am talking about). Tony was finishing up his degree at Texas A&M about an hour away. We saw each other whenever we could. On holiday breaks I lived with my future IL’s in their guest room since I couldn’t afford to go back to NY all the time.
December 22nd, 2002 I was house sitting for a friend of Tony’s parents while they were on vacation and Tony came over to get me for the Christmas weekend. I made him dinner and he proposed afterwards. It was really sweet and totally unexpected. His entire family knew about it.
We got married July 24th, 2004 in LaPorte, Texas. It was just a small ceremony with a little bit of family and friends. The family friends I lived with came and the wife fell and spent most of the week in the hospital. That wasn’t fun, but she was able to make it to the wedding anyways. We went to San Antonio, Texas for three days for our honeymoon and lived with my IL’s for a year after we were married.
Shortly after we moved into our own place, we unexpectedly got pregnant with AJ. I had gone off the pill, which I had been on for too frequent periods, to see if I would start having my cycles the same as before I went on the pill at age 18. This way we had insurance and hopefully I could get real answers (the doctors in my hometown were no help). We didn’t use protection and got our BFP November 20, 2005. We told my IL’s over Thanksgiving as to not get the third degree about why I wouldn’t be drinking.
We just celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary and AJ’s second birthday. I am in my 8th month of TTC #2 (7th if you take away the month we couldn’t try because of schedules and traveling).

So, there ya go - the book on my life story.

[KCMomma]

What a great story!!! It sounds like your DH is truly your knight n shining armour!!!! Can't wait for the rest of the week to get to know you better!!!

I definitely agree! God sent you Tony when you had just had enough

[*becky*]

Wow - that is QUITE a story!! I'm sorry your childhood was such a rollercoaster ride - but I'm glad that you met Tony and have a family of your own now!!

[caseyb]

Wow- we really did get to know you better after that story. Thanks so much for putting so much time into it!

[Melanie0507]

Very interesting--thanks for sharing your story Christina!

It sounds like you and Tony are definitely a match made in heaven I love it when I hear true love stories like yours!!

Can't wait to learn more the rest of the week!

[SavaAngel]

20 Facts:

1. I am a procrastinator - partially cause I forgot.
2. I hate folding laundry
3. I get along with my IL's better than I do with my actual mother.
4. I haven't gotten a birthday card from my mother in many years. So I don't send to her either.
5. My mom never calls me.
6. I have three sisters - but technically they are all half sisters
7. I grew up in the Finger Lakes area - between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes.
8. I hate shoes and would much rather wear sandals if I have to go out
9. I decorate with earth tones and neutrals but tend to wear a lot of pastels
10. I like to bake, but detest cooking dinner.
11. I am not a morning person
12. I prefer white or blush wine over anything else.
13. I collect angels.
14. I scrapbook - both digital and paper. I make siggies and blinkies too
15. I am a big sister for the International MOMS Club and the Secretary for my local chapter.
16. I watch Guiding Light fairly regularly - but that is the only one I can keep up with with a toddler.
17. My college dorm room and bathroom exuded purple and I am saving it all for a daughter hopefully.
18. I have only been to two concerts - both at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (Dierks Bentley and Pat Green)
19. My favorite house chore would be mopping.
20. I listen to mostly country music but I like everything.

ETA: I had a hard time coming up with 20, but now I could probably come up with 10 more - LOL

[Hopingfor1soon]

Amazing story!! You and DH truly are a match made in heavan!

Loved the facts too! I am actually the same way with my ILs vs. my mother. I get along way better with my ILs than her.

[SavaAngel]

Thanks everyone. I applaud you for reading my book. LOL I hate to think about where I would be and what I would be doing today if I hadn't met Tony.

[*becky*]

10. I like to bake, but detest cooking dinner.
11. I am not a morning person
12. I prefer white or blush wine over anything else.

I can "ditto" all of these!! Great facts!

[snsgirl336]

Wow! I loved reading your story and your facts! I agree with everyone else that you and your DH are a match made in heaven! I can't wait for the rest of the week to get to know you even better!

Oh yeah- I watch Guiding Light too... thanks to my Tivo!!

[*becky*]

Wednesday Questions (sorry I'm late on them!)

1. If you could travel anywhere in the world - where would it be and why??

2. What is your favorite meal?

[Hopingfor1soon]

Oh my gosh!! Yes I have questions! I completely spaced....sorry they are so late!

If you had another baby today what gender would you want? (You cant say you dont care, thats not an answer) haha

What if it was twins?

What do you feel is the hardest part of parenting?

If you could choose when your child was born what day would you pick? (Cant say tomorrow either) haha

What is your favorite Holiday and why?

[SavaAngel]

Wednesday Questions (sorry I'm late on them!)

1. If you could travel anywhere in the world - where would it be and why?? I would love to go to Italy

2. What is your favorite meal? Lately, Taco's or anything Mexican.





If you had another baby today what gender would you want? (You cant say you dont care, thats not an answer) haha This is a hard one, because I would love to give AJ a brother close to his age to play with but I would love a daughter too. I guess maybe a boy.

What if it was twins? I would LOVE LOVE LOVE twin girls. I dream of having twin daughters

What do you feel is the hardest part of parenting? When your little one is sick or hurt - it is so tough when you don't know what to do and they are just miserable

If you could choose when your child was born what day would you pick? (Cant say tomorrow either) haha I kinda wish AJ was born August 4th rather than the 5th cause that was my grandfather's birthday. As for another child July 8th, 2009 would be neat - 07-08-09 I would love to have a baby around Mothers or Father's Day - what better gift, right?

What is your favorite Holiday and why? Christmas - I love the lights, the excitement of Christmas morning, etc. I love to sit in a dark room with our tree on and just relax - it is so nice. We will be starting our Christmas traditions this year (the past two years AJ didn't really understand much so we were rather lax about traditions to start doing) so this year he should understand more. DH and I have always watched The Polar Express before Christmas so that will be included at some point. DH also has build a Polar Express out of LEGO's.

[Melanie0507]

What's your favorite thing to do with dh?

How many kids do you want to have?

What's your favorite dessert?

[snsgirl336]

Oh I forgot questions!

In the past year, what has your biggest accomplishment been?

What meats and toppings do you put on your Sub sandwiches?

What's your favorite thing to do with AJ?

If you had a day (or few days) to do anything you ever wanted to do for free, what would you do?

[SavaAngel]

What's your favorite thing to do with dh? Watching a movie. We used to do double features on the weekend before we had AJ. The whole day was a date. We would either do lunch or dinner and just spend the day together.

How many kids do you want to have? I want 4.

What's your favorite dessert? If it is chocolate I will usually eat it. LOL!


In the past year, what has your biggest accomplishment been? MINE - cleaning our bedroom, we still had boxes in there from when we moved in 2 years ago.

What meats and toppings do you put on your Sub sandwiches? turkey and cheese and then at say, Subway I get lettuce, tomatoes, banana peppers (occasionally) and pickles, plus a little salt. Don't forget the honey mustard

What's your favorite thing to do with AJ? I am assuming I can't say everything. But whatever makes him giggle or makes his face light up, so tickles, playing with his new trains and cars. He likes chalk drawing until the driveway got a fire ant infestation and the rain started.

If you had a day (or few days) to do anything you ever wanted to do for free, what would you do? This is a tough one. I would be inclined to do something nice for myself, by myself - maybe a facial or go away to a spa and get a whole work over. That would be something we would never be able to afford so it would be perfect if I got to do it for free.

Thanks for all the questions ladies.

[SavaAngel]

Sorry this is late:

Pics:
Wedding pics:


First BFP with AJ

MIL, me, SIL at my baby shower:

One of my last belly shots:

House we signed on the day I left the hospital with AJ (where we currently live)

Compilation of AJ pics:

At the beach in July:


My feet at the beach LOL:

After leaving the beach in the car: