Double Trouble: A Little More LaRosa

It's hard to believe, but the LaRosa family will be growing in just over 4 months! However, the journey to grow our family wasn't as smooth and easy as it was the first time around (although, as you may recall, the pregnancy itself made me miserable for a substantial amount of time and wasn't without a few surprises along the way).

About a year after C was born, I went to a fertility specialist for imaging of my uterus to get an official recommendation on if the uterine "defect" we discovered when I was pregnant with C would require removal prior to having another baby. So, in January 2019, I had a saline ultrasound and was told that the defect was fairly minor and while there was a risk for miscarriage, it wasn't severe enough to definitively recommend surgical intervention. Just to be safe, my OBGYN advised me to get a second opinion, and in February I had a hysteroscopy and hysterosalpinogram, which lead to a diagnosis of an arcuate uterus (rather then a septate uterus as was suspected), which didn't need correction. With that news, K and I decided it was time to grow our family!

As part of the work up with the second fertility doc, we both had some blood work done and to our surprise, my results came back abnormal. I had a second round of testing done to see if it was just a fluke, but in October were told to stop trying to conceive and I was instructed to see an endocrinologist for screening of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. Easier said than done apparently, as the wait time to get into an endocrinologist was 3-4 months time...

In January 2020 I was finally able to have a stimulation test to check my adrenal glands. The doctor suspected that I was possibly a carrier for the disorder since I didn't exhibit all of the classic symtpoms and the ones I did have were fairly mild. But, to everyone's surprise, the test came back indicative of CAH and genetic testing confirmed the gene mutation on both chromosomes. So with that, my journey on corticosteroids began.
The next few months were a blur of frequent blood work and bone density scans. There were several adjustments made to my meds and side effects to manage. Since I had the gene mutation for CAH on both chromosomes, we were instructed to see a genetic counselor so that we could get genetic testing done on K - but the wait time was over 6 months long! Ultimately, we discovered K was not a carrier for CAH and our debate between IUI vs IVF settled on IUI. It was just a matter of when my body would be ready and capable of sustaining another pregnancy.

In July we had our first round of IUI; I had a baseline ultrasound, was started on Clomid, and then had another ultrasound 10 days later to check on how my ovaries were responding to the ovulation drugs. Not well it turned out. So we added 3 days of injectible drugs (luckily K had lots of experience with my weekly progesterone injections with C, so those 3 days were a breeze). A follow-up ultrasound showed follicle growth and we "triggered" ovulation with yet another injection 24 hours before the IUI procedure. After the procedures, I was started on progesterone to aid in implantation and help maintain an early pregnancy. Two weeks later I had a blood test to check for pregnancy - I was convinced the procedure took. I had all the early pregnancy signs! 

But, the beta blood test was negative; turns out the progesterone Rx was just mimicking all the symptoms.

Once my cycle restarted, we began the process again... baseline ultrasound, ovulation drugs (this time we combined Clomid with the Follistim injectable, rather than adding it at the end if the Clomid cycle), another ultrasound, trigger shot, IUI., and progesterone. Again, I had the early signs and symptoms of being pregnant, but I was much more skeptical this time around. And yet, 2 days before the beta blood test to check for pregnancy my belly was poochy - and I found myself asking if I had just eaten really poorly over the Labor Day weekend or if I could really be pregnant this time around? Turns out, our second round of IUI was a success! Actually, it was a bit more successful than we realized, as we found out at my first ultrasound that we are expecting TWINS!!!

A Little Party Never Hurt Nobody

The “Shelter in Place” home quarantine lasted more than 50 days, and things are JUST now starting to re-open here at home; meanwhile COVID-19 has traveled the globe and (as of today) infected more than 54,000 people in Texas alone. But – fear not – this is not a coronavirus post. This one is to show you how to have a little fun after the virus has waned and you are ready to par-tay!

It’s hard to believe how much everything has changed in just over 10 weeks. It’s hard to remember what “normal” is when I look back at what we were doing just a few months ago, let alone a year ago.

Although certainly not as life changing as the current state of things, K and I had reason to celebrate in 2019 - I was turning 30 and he was turning 29, and we wanted to do something special to commemorate the event. If you know me, you know I like any excuse to dress up in costume… so what better way to usher in the end of the 20s than a Roaring 20’s themed party?! Like they say, I little party never hurt nobody! (This year, K’s 30th was a much more subdued quarantine celebration at home and quite the tragedy given that it fell on both Taco Tuesday AND Cinco de Mayo this year.) So here are my tips on how to throw a GREAT Gatsby-esque soiree and put a little happy flare on 2020!

The Basics: The Color Scheme & Décor

The foundation to any good 1920’s party is the atmosphere – the booze, the décor, the music, the costumes. And there are so many good ideas on Pinterest these days, how could you not throw an amazing party with your friends decked out in your best flapper dress and pearls?

There seems to be some unspoken rule that a Prohibition era shindig should be black and silver, or black and gold, or both – thank you Leonardo DiCaprio for having the color scheme picked out for us. Luckily, black and anything sparkly is glamorous, so pick your preferred metallic accent and just start looking for all the easy décor you can find in the desired color scheme… grab some garland, poms, balloons, feathers, fairy lights, confetti, photo booth props, and you’ll be set!

For our party, we went with the classic black & gold (with a hint of champagne for good measure). I found some gold foil backdrops to hang across our windows, and made several strings of black and gold circle garland to drape in various places around the house. We spray painted wine bottles, dressed them up with ostrich feathers and fake pearls, and strategically placed some empty bottles in a box to give the look of stolen, bootlegged booze.

I used Vistaprint to make our black and gold invitations and even designed “Wanted” posters with the faces of famous gangsters of the time. I saved a few shipping boxes and stenciled some labels on them – Gin, Vodka, etc. and used our largest wall for our photo booth backdrop. But, my FAVORITE piece of the décor was our “popped champagne bottle” balloon display. It took a lot of air and a lot of tape, but I loved the way it looked like the champagne was pouring down our spiral staircase. 

The Food & Drink

Appetizers and h’or doeurves were a popular speakeasy staple in the 1920s, so “small bites” is a less stressful way to keep your guests fed. Our food spread was easy to execute: black olive tamponade, meatballs, fruit & cheese + veggies & dip plates, and brownies. Throw in some mixed nuts and crackers and voila! Party snacking made simple.

Now, there will be no shortage of drink choices for all the guys and dolls to indulge. Your giggle water choice could be as simple as bottles of champagne and call it a day, or you could get more creative with signature cocktails like Mint juleps, gin fizz, and bathtub punch. We kept it simple; we got a few bottles of champagne plus some liquor to add to mixers. I am no expert of mixed drinks, and I was not about to pretend I was an experienced bartender for my friends. And honestly, once the drinks start pouring, your guests won’t mind what’s in their cups when the company is good!

The Look

1920s attire has to be one of my most favorite things. Flapper dresses, bobs (which I could never truly pull off with the curly hair), glamorous accessories, and a smoky eye. For the guys, anything from a casual vest and fedora to a Gatsby-style tux will be the cat’s pajamas and period appropriate.

I found my dress online at Retro Stage – good fit and very reasonably priced! I made my pearl necklace from leftover peal strands I’d used as décor, and tried my best to pull-off a faux-bob via YouTube tutorials. It took a million bobby pins, but it totally worked! And trust me, if I can do it, anyone can!

The Music

I love creating playlists – whether it’s for exercising, driving in the summer with the windows down, belting out show tunes. You name it. So I was jazzed about the opportunity to set the mood for the party - big bands, 20s jazz, and even the Great Gatsby movie soundtrack. There was so much to choose from; I even discovered a new genre (well, new to me) – Electro swing – that combines the vintage sounds of the jazz age and combines it with EDM, effectively bringing it to the modern ‘20s. Check out our Spotify playlist here for some musical inspiration: Roaring 20's Playlist

Party Time

Hopefully this quick quarantine post has given you some good ideas for your own party, and shown just how easy it is to throw a themed Roaring ‘20s party. When it comes time to actually let loose, remember to be safe and have some fun! It really doesn’t take much to make your party the bee’s knees!