All Good Things are Worth Waiting For (Our Unexpected Journey to Have Another Child) <3

Well, surprise! If you’ve been wondering why it’s been so quiet over here on my end, here it is!!! It’s been a crazy 3 months, but we’re finally so excited to share that we are pregnant with Pfeiffer Kid #3, or as my dad endearingly calls she or he “PK3”.

If you’ve been following along, you may have read my very personal blog post about my devastating loss a few months ago. After speaking with our doctor and doing some personal reflection, we decided that we would continue to try the following month. I understand this topic is a very personal one, and each family probably has their own opinions about when they decide to try after a loss. But, it was very early on for us, and we decided we were emotionally ready to keep trying.

So here we are 3 months later, 3 months pregnant! I’m just now at the end of my first trimester, but boy oh boy has it been a rough couple months! I’m now remembering why I thought I was done having kids after my second pregnancy. I’ve been feeling pretty sick, extremely exhausted, and due to some complications, I’ve been instructed to lay pretty low. So it’s been lots of unplugging and resting and trying to keep this baby cookin’! But we’re OVER-THE-MOON with joy and gratitude that God has blessed us with this miracle!!

We’ve now seen the heartbeat a total of 5 times, so we’re feeling pretty good about the progress of little PK3, and we should even find out the sex within the next week!

I’ve been pretty open about our journey, and I plan to continue to be, as I hope that our story can inspire even one person. After having 2 kids, we decided we were both done, and my husband had a vasectomy. Fast forward 4-5 years later, my youngest was going to school full-time, and I started majorly second-guessing that decision. I just didn’t feel like I was ready to be out of this chapter yet. Life felt so good and I wondered why we made such a big decision at such a young age, and I started questioning completely if we’d made a huge mistake…

After lots of discussion, pondering and PRAYER, we decided to move forward with doing a reversal. Going into it, we weren’t sure what the outcome would be. We were told that statistically we were the perfect candidates for this procedure, as we as a couple have had 2 healthy babies together, we did not have a history of fertility issues, we were both still “young” AND it had only been 5 years since the original procedure. Still though, there were no certainties, so we had to go into it unconditionally with as much hope and faith as we could muster up.

The very first month we were able to try I had a positive pregnancy test around when my period was due. However, within 24 hours I got my “period”, and I learned that this is typically considered a “chemical pregnancy”. I’d never even heard of this before, but I felt a mix of emotions that day. On one hand, I was pretty disappointed once I realized I wasn’t actually pregnant. But, on the other hand, I felt optimistic that we showed signs of being able to get pregnant again so quickly, so I was also very hopeful.

Over the next several months after this I had my own personal health scare that postponed our baby journey completely. While I sorted out my own health, we had to put the idea of a baby on hold, which was extremely difficult after everything we’d been through. But several months later, we were ready to try again! (Maybe I’ll share more on that another time…)

The early miscarriage was more devastating than I could have ever imagined. But after the almost year-long journey from the reversal to now, I can honestly say it makes me even more full of gratitude for this blessing God has given us now. I know that my story is unfolding as it is supposed to, and God will continue to answer my prayers and teach me through unanswered prayers that He is in charge and that I can plan as much as I’d like, but some things are simply outside of my control.

With that, I accept this journey unconditionally. I pray for health and happiness and that this baby is the perfect completion to our little family. The kids are gleeful that they are going to have a baby brother or sister, and that makes my heart explode even more! When I consider how lucky I am in this world to be surrounded by so much unconditional love, it only seems right to consider adding another soul to our loving circle.

I so appreciate all of you coming on this journey with us. After my last blog post, I was flooded with the most kind, caring, considerate messages from so many of you, I couldn’t even believe it. While we can all knock social media and the issues that it can cause, it is also be the most incredible forum for a bunch of strangers to come together for so much good. Your support has meant the world, and I hope that you know that I’m here for each and every one of you who may have a similar story or ANY story of your own! Please feel free to comment below, and I’d LUV to connect with you!

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**Amazing photography by Kristin LaDriere Family Photography! If you’re in the Tampa Bay area, check her out! She’s done our photos for many years, and she rocks!!!

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Our Behind-the-Scenes Experience with the New Disney On Ice: Dare to Dream

For those of you who have followed along for a while, you probably know that my mom was a professional ice skater, and I basically grew up in an ice-skating rink. One of my fondest memories as a child was attending the big ice shows when they would come to town. My mom usually knew people, so she’d get us backstage passes, and we never took for granted mingling with the professional skaters and getting a behind-the-scenes look at the shows. As I’ve gotten older, I’m realized how lucky we were to be able to have these experiences and how much the ice-skating world has made such a mark on my heart.

Whenever Disney on Ice comes to town, we always make a point to attend. It’s kind of like going to Disney World- it’s just magical and you can FEEL the magic when you’re there. The smiles are priceless and the memories are too. So, when Feld Entertainment contacted me about a behind-the-scenes experience at Disney on Ice, there was zero hesitation! The best part… I got to bring my mom! After all of the years of her treating me to backstage passes, here I was getting to bring her! So amazing! With that, we headed down to Ellenton (a little over an hour from us) to get a sneak peek at the newest show Dare to Dream. Here’s a peek at our behind-the-scenes experience…

We first met the Feld staff and other bloggers/influencers with their kids in the hotel lobby and caravanned over to Feld Entertainment Studios. Once arriving, we started off with a little mat session of stretching and exercises with some of the hosts and skaters from the show! I believe this back area is where the staff let get to loose before a show. There are ping pong tables and some of the staffs lockers and looks like it’s a place they like to hang out (which the kids thought was cool). The kids thought the staff were the coolest people EVER! They were incredible with the kids, and the facility is top notch!

We were then treated to some Moana-themed snacks, in honor of the addition of Moana to the show lineup.

After our snack, we headed over to the costume area and got a hands-on presentation of some of the most elaborate, gorgeous costumes you could imagine. I mean, you see them from afar and think they’re gorgeous, but up close, they’re even more amazing. Corbin was stoked he got to hold “Maui’s hook” and Em was enamored by all of the gorgeous dresses.

After the costume designers answered a few questions and let the kids touch the props, we headed rinkside. There we got to chat with the director of the show and some of the skaters about what the new show was all about. We got to hear about technical aspects of the show, listen to some of the performers’ feedback and watch choreography practice! (My mom and I really enjoyed that!)

Next, we headed upstairs for an amazing, healthy Moana-inspired dinner, complete with crafts and goody bags for the kids! The coolest part… we got to chat one-on-one with Show Producer Nicole Feld. She was incredibly sweet and down-t0-earth and happily obliged to answer all of our questions.

After dinner was complete, we headed back down to the rink to watch the first ever public performance of Dare to Dream. It was amazing to experience being at this performance and seeing this incredible show before anyone else was able to see it! We were joined by families of the cast, crew and staff, and sat directly rinkside. As someone who has such a special appreciation for ice skating and the art of performing, this was an experience I was incredibly grateful to be a part of!

Included in the act were Beauty & the Beast, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Frozen and the newest addition… Moana.

(Em dancing with her new bestie! lol She and Hollie Woodward‘s daughter Brielle were inseparable from the start!)

(Em and Corbin, after the show, excited to get on the ice!)

(with bloggers Hollie Woodward and Destiney Green)

The final cherry on the cake was after the show when we got to actually get on ice and skate with the hosts and performers. For my mom & I, this was certainly the highlight of our day. It was like a flashback to my childhood to be on the ice with my mom and all of these performers, but with the added bonus of having my own kids with me. It was heaven on earth.

If you’re looking for something fun, magical and heart-warming to do with your families, I’d highly encourage you to attend a Disney on Ice show. The newest show Dare to Dream is now touring. For a list of show dates/times and to find out when this show will be in your town, head here!

I hope you enjoyed this peek at our experience behind-the-scenes. Thanks for coming along with me! I hope you’ll get a chance to check it out for yourself when the show comes to a town near you! Got any questions? Comment below, and I’m happy to answer!

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*Disney on Ice hosted and sponsored this event, but all opinions are 100% my own. There are also some affiliate links in this post, which means I get a small commission when you use my links to make purchases. Thanks, as always, for your support.

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