IVIG | Round 1 & 2

    I just started my second round of IVIG this morning. I am just now getting around to writing about my first, and now second, experience because the day after my last infusion we moved! Hooray!

    I wasn't able to do much because I found out [the hard way] that my IVIG migraines are triggered by lifting heavy things. I did what I could, but I was blessed with some wonderful friends and family who helped out a lot. We could not have done it without them!

(My boxes of medicine and IV pole. I get boxes like this every month for every infusion)

    So onto the actual IVIG. First of all my nurse is great. She loves Zerah, in fact has a doberman of her own. I was a little worried about getting a nurse who hated dogs but it all worked out. My first IV went it no problem. Sure it stung a bit and was sore, kind of bruised feeling, but we got it in on the first try and it was over quickly. I got to leave that IV in my left hand for three days, then it was time to get a new one. Unfortunately the next one didn't go so well. My nurse told me that she's worked with NICU babies that are easier to stick than me, and that the catheters have a really hard time threading into my vein because they are so deep and so small. Yay me. 

    The infusion wasn't awful but it didn't feel great. Because my veins are so small and the medicine is so thick, my veins kept spasm-ing and aching. The only way I could find relief was to massage my arm for the full 3-4 hours, but then I bruised. It was kind of a lose-lose, but I made it through. I've learned the hard way that you just do what you have to do. It might suck, and it's probably no fun, but it is what it is and there's nothing you can do about it. 

    I went about three days without a headache but on Wednesday night I felt one coming on. I went to bed early thinking I could sleep through it but around 4 am I woke up with a horrible migraine. I took some Excedrin but it barely made a dent. I got through the day with fluctuating pain but by evening it was excruciating again. The pain sucked but what was really worrying me was the risk of Aseptic Meningitis that comes with having the IVIG. The symptoms are neck pain, headache, photo-sensitivity, nausea, fever, and loss of appetite. Of course, all of the symptoms are exact matches for the symptoms of a normal migraine. I didn't have a fever, though, so my nurse stayed on call for me in case I got worse. After about 25 hours, around the time I was considering going to the hospital, the migraine became just a headache and we were no longer worried. I felt pretty off for about another week and discovered that lifting anything heavy really triggered another headache. Not good when you're in the middle of moving. In the end I was just grateful that it wasn't Meningitis and decided to take it easier for my next round.

    I was told that it will take a while to see a big difference, but there was enough of a difference for me to notice! Very encouraging!

    On to IVIG round two. This time I kept myself mostly on bedrest, with the exception of getting things around the house done. Laundry, dishes, meals, etc. This week went much better than the first week. I suppose that the answer really is to just take it easy and rest when your body is telling you to rest. I did get a tiny headache (it didn't even warrant any medicine) for a day or two but that was it. Success!
    What made this round hard was having surgery (I had to have a Laparoscopy) on Thursday. I got home from the hospital, marched upstairs, and got infused. It was a lot for my body to take, but rest will do wonders in keeping your body resilient. Luckily the hospital let me keep my IV in so I didn't have to get stuck twice in one day.
    Speaking of my IV's, I got even more good news (sarcasm). I might have to have a port put in. *sigh* My veins are just so small and hard to get that it's difficult for my nurse to get the catheter in. I'm going to try to bundle up in warm clothes and see if raising my body temperature will help next time. I really would love to avoid a port for many reasons.
    Well, that's about all I have for an update.

IVF When You're A Christian

   I hear a lot of conflicting emotions when it comes to IVF, or fertility treatments in general.

"It's abortion!" 

"It's taking matters into your own hands!"

 "It's playing God!" 

"You're going against God's will!"

    Most of these ideas come from ignorance (before anyone gets upset the definition of ignorance is: a lack of knowledge or information). Obviously fertility treatments and infertility are something that is close to my heart, and something that I've done a lot of research and praying on. I'm here to give you the facts on IVF and what I have come to truly believe about God and fertility.

"It's abortion!"

    I am not here to discuss pro-life vs pro-choice. I'm discussing things that have been said, whether to me or others considering or going through IVF. The people who say this are, obviously, pro-life, so that is the position from which I will answer and the stance from which I will defend IVF.

    The reason this comes up is because sometimes there are things a couple (or individual) can chose to do during IVF that is considered abortion when you are pro-life. Multiple embryos can be transferred in hopes of getting one to stick. Sometimes they will all take, resulting in an extremely high risk multiple pregnancy. The course of action typically taken is 'selective reduction', or aborting all but one or two. This is very rare. The majority of doctors do not transfer more than 1-3 embryos, and even 3 isn't incredibly common in my experience. A twin or triplet pregnancy is considered high risk but generally not life threatening, and there is no need for selective reduction.

    The other reason that this argument comes up is that the way IVF works when it comes to fertilization. The embryologist will fertilize as many eggs as they can, sometimes resulting in as many as 15-20 embryos, or babies. Obviously couples will not implant 20 babies. So what happens to the 'leftovers'? Well first of all not all of the embryos will survive. Some will die. The same embryos that would have miscarried or never implanted in the first place will pass just like they would have in the uterus. You can take the healthiest embryo and inject the healthiest sperm and give them the best environment but you cannot force them to fertilize or grow.

    Now lets say you are left with 10 healthy embryos. You probably won't plan to have 10 babies. Again, your numbers go down. Not every embryo will implant. You can take the healthiest blastocyst (a 5 day old embryo) and put it in the healthiest uterus but no one can do anything to force it to implant and grow. By then you could only have 6 embryos left. 

    Now what if you only want 1 or 2 kids? What happens to the other 4 or 5? Well, this is where to beauty and gift of science comes in, once again! You can freeze them. Through my research I have found that the technical shelf life of a frozen embryo is 13 years, but most doctors agree that an embryo can be frozen almost indefinitely. This is wonderful news for couples who can only conceive through IVF because it means that you can put your embryos on ice and in a few years when you're ready to expand your family you don't have to go through the egg retrieval and fertilization process again.

    Some couples, however, don't want to use more than 1 or 2. Ever. You are still left with 4 or 5 unused, healthy babies. Legally you can throw them away. I can see where this poses an issue with those who are pro-life. You are discarding babies. But did you know that most clinics have internal embryo adoption programs available?  Or that there are websites where you can connect with couples who can't have biological children and are looking for embryos to adopt? Isn't this beautiful?! Through your infertility you can help others going through the same thing have a baby, too! There are so many options for embryo storage and transfer now that it's very rare for an embryo to be discarded, and even more rare for a doctor to recommend discarding of the embryos.

"You're taking matters into your own hands!"
"You're playing God!"
"You're going against God's will!"

    God doesn't make people infertile. Infertility, miscarriage, and infant/child loss is not part of God's perfect plan. 

    The bible is full of examples of barren women crying out to God and finding nothing but comfort in Him. He never rebukes them. God told us to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 9:1). That children are a blessing from the Lord. People try to treat our world like it's a world made new by God. It isn't yet. Satan still "roams the earth" (Job 1:7). Broken things happen because we live in a broken world ruled by the consequence of our sin. 

    A lot of the indifference and un-compassionate mindsets towards infertility come from the refusal to acknowledge it for what it is. A disease. No one views it as acceptable to walk up to someone with cancer and say, "Get over it. It's not a big deal. It happened because God wants it to. If you try to treat your disease then you're sinning. Accept it and just pray you don't die." If someone said that to a friend with a severe illness we would be horrified. So why, then, is it ok to tell someone with infertility to stop grieving and accept that God wants them to be infertile? 

    I will admit it. I'm bitter. I hate that I, and others, have had to feel the pain of infertility, miscarriage, and infant loss. But you know what I'm not bitter towards? God. I'm not bitter towards God because I know that He didn't do this to me and that His heart breaks with mine. To be honest I don't know how someone can go on with the mindset that God made them sick. Sometimes God is all I have to cling to. God and the knowledge that He didn't want this pain for me. In His perfect world there wouldn't be infertility or death. That's how I know it's not caused by God.

    While it is not ok to place having children above your devotion to God, it's also not wrong to seek healing from infertility. God created science. He gave us brains. He meant for us to use them. In the above section I talked about the fertilization and implantation process being out of human hands. You can have the perfect embryo in the perfect uterus but there is nothing anyone can do to force that baby to grow. Only God can do that. IVF is a miracle. Just like chemo and the IVIG treatment I get for my DM. Just like penicillin and casts. To write off medical treatment is like writing off science. And if you're going to do that then you have to give up electricity. Cars. Stoves. Houses. Indoor plumbing. TV. Etc. All of those things happened because of science. 

    Now that we've discussed the fact that God doesn't make people infertile, let's move on to 'taking matters into our own hands' and 'playing God.'

    Once again, nothing that any human can do can force a baby to implant and grow. Nothing. To say that fertility treatments are taking matters into my own hands is saying that I have the power to force a baby to grow and be born. You are saying that I have the same power as God (obviously I don't). IVF is only around 60% effective at the highest level. It does not guarantee a baby. Only God can make that baby implant. I don't have the power to make myself have a baby. All I can do is utilize the gift of science that God gave us.

    People say that if you are unemployed and need a job, you can't just sit on your couch and expect a CEO to knock on your door asking if you can start tomorrow. You need to go out and do interviews. Seek the job, and pray for God's strength and will along the way. Why is infertility any different? I'm not going to sit on the couch and hope a baby suddenly appears in my uterus. We have a disease, and we're going to seek a cure. I believe that God's miracle is waiting for us in a form other than natural/traditional/PIV conception. 

    I want to make clear that I do believe that someone can have a personal conviction against fertility treatments (or anything really). I call this a 'personal legalism'. You may feel like God has called you not to do anything other than sex in order to try to conceive, and that's 100% ok. What is not ok is when you feel like medical help is wrong for you, that it's wrong for everyone else as well. God spoke to me about my situation. He did not speak to you about my situation and leave me out of the conversation. You don't know people's personal relationships with God and you don't get to tell other people what to do just because you feel a certain way. I completely respect people's right to feel that medical treatment, fast food, soda, alcohol, or makeup are wrong. What I don't respect is when they try to impose their will onto me. You're not God. Don't act like it. Not everything is laid out black and white in the bible. Sometimes we have to talk to God about it to find out what our path is. Everyone has a different path, that's the beauty of it all.

    In the end, one of my biggest points is that yes, IVF can be displeasing to God when done a certain way. So can sex. And food. And entertainment. God created sex as something so good, but people pervert it all the time. Does that mean that all sex is bad? Of course not. Gluttony is one of the 'seven deadly sins' yet we don't make food off limits. That would be ridiculous. There are many books, movies, and television shows that are pure filth and totally dishonoring to God. Does that mean we can never read or watch TV again? I certainly hope not.
    Every good thing can be and has been perverted. That doesn't make it off limits. It simply means that we should strive to do those things in a way that is honoring and pleasing to God. 

IVIG | In The Works

    In my last IVIG post I talked about being on the phone with a lot of different companies and trying to get some extended insurance coverage to help pay for my treatment. Well, we got some good news! The original company I was signed up to go with was MedProX. They called me just a few days after my last post and said that they have a sister company, BioRX, that is in network! Not only does our insurance cover it completely but our deductible that comes out for the IVIG will also go towards any fertility treatments we decide to do! We were ready for some good news. Though it seems like it does all come in waves, so I am trying to balance my hope and bracing myself for the next wave of rough stuff.
    I was scheduled to start my IVIG yesterday (October 26), but the lovely employee at BioRX who was in charge of my 'case' never sent my paperwork in. Fantastic. Now the doctor has the paperwork but he hasn't signed it yet. I informed them that they will be hearing from me at least twice a day every day until the job is done. I'm actually on the phone with them right now, checking to see if my doctor sent the paperwork in (spoiler: he didn't).
   I swear guys, it's easier to get a Target order corrected than it is to get your medical information sent where it needs to be. It's incredibly frustrating and terrifying.
    Moving on....my first day of infusion is going to be pretty long. The average infusion time is 4 hours, but the first couple days will be 5-6 hours, just to see how I respond to it. I'm hoping not to get any migraines with it but at this point, I'll take it if it means I can get better. This treatment couldn't come at a better time. I'm in a lot of pain lately and my joints are so sore. Yesterday my thumb decided to just randomly start bleeding, and my leg thought it would be a good time to get stiff.
    I'm hoping that when I call the doctor again in about an hour the paper will have been sent through. Faxing's hard y'all.

IVIG | Getting Started

    As many know I have suffered from Dermatomyositis for the past 5, almost 6 years now. You can read more about my story in my post 'A Little Twist on the Ice Bucket Challenge'.
    During my last trip to The Mysotis Center at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore my doctor decided that we were not seeing the results she wanted on my Imuran. Due to the stress of the house and infertility I've been getting flares more often and, while I haven't relapsed completely, I have not been making any sort of improvement at all. She decided that it was time to bring out the big guns, so to speak, and get going with IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin). IVIG is a blood product administered intravenously. It contains the pooled, polyvalent, IgG antibodies extracted from the plasma of over one thousand donors. IVIG's effects last between 2 weeks and 3 months. According to Dr. Christopher-Stein, it's a 'miracle treatment'. She is optimistic that it could even take care of my rash completely! When she told me the news it was all I could do to fight off the tears. I had resorted myself to the reality of being somewhat disfigured (to a point) for the rest of my life. The thought of having normal looking skin and hands for the first time in 5 years was more than I could ever ask. Right now I'm just on the phone a lot with insurance and doctors and IVIG companies. Trying to get everything right so we can start. It's a process, though. The IVIG company is out of network so insurance doesn't cover as much as if it was in network, and right now we aren't really in a position to pay for the treatment. I've been requesting pre-certification, though, and am hoping that they will agree to charging an in network rate.
    On another front I finally found a Myositis support group! They meet every three months near Chicago. Their next meeting is October 24. I'm very excited for it!
    Hopefully I'll have an update soon, but until then....

Tyra and Chrissy Sound Off About Infertility

I stumbled upon this clip from Tyra Banks' new show 'The FABLife' and was brought to tears. 

 My respect for Tyra and Chrissy grew a lot after I saw this video. 

It's not easy to put fertility struggles (past or present) out in the open, because it also opens you up to new types of hurtful comments and scrutiny. 

When I say that [hurtful comments and scrutiny], I get a lot of push back.
"Well I know people who have IF and they have never had hurtful comments."
Good! 

I'm really glad.

But I have.

And 98% of the women with infertility that I interact with [and there are a lot. I am involved in an international online support group] have as well.

We have been told "Get over it."
"Kids are expensive anyway, you're lucky you don't have any."
"You must be doing something wrong."
"If you are sad about infertility it means you don't love God."
"I don't care if my pregnancy is hard for you, it'll teach you a lesson."

"If God wanted you to be a mom you would be."
"Fertility treatments are a sin. You're not going to do IVF are you?"

It's all ignorance.

Most of the time people don't mean to hurt you, but frankly...no one cares how you meant it.
We care what you said.

We educate ourselves on the proper etiquette when interacting with cancer patients, amputees, disabled people, and different races.

Why then, do you get a pass for one of the most common diseases of all?

Infertility is a disease, and together we can remove the shame of it.

It's amazing to see so many high profile people speak out about this disease. 

Because it is a disease. 

Bravo ladies.

Another Update | Actual Consistency....?

First of all:

I haven't been blogging much because my keyboard was broken.

You think 'i's and 'k's are important?
You have NO idea until those buttons no longer function.

How do you type without an 'i' or 'k'?!

You copy and paste, that's how.
And yes, it's as much of a pain in the BUTT as it sounds.

So that, my friends, is why this blog has been dead.

How did the keyboard break, you might ask?
Let's just say that it involves me being home alone, a can of Dr. Pepper, and paint.

Luckily super Tyler bought a new keyboard and replaced the old one!

So now we can type without ctrl+shift+v!!!

Second.
This.

this. This. THIS.

Newly discovered and instantly loved.

Jim Beam Honey Bourbon.

We love Bourbon anyway, but who knew that adding some honey to it would make it magic?

Legit magic.

Pretty sure this means unicorns are real.

Last but not least, the third 'update';

I have no idea when we will be in the house.

I have given up on a timeline.
I *think* it will be sometime in the next couple weeks but I have thought that before.

Several times, in fact.

I have decided to give up on a time line or 'target date'.
All those do is stress you out and discourage you.

I'm mostly anxious to get moved because I'd like to finally start producing some art at a consistent rate, as well as post photos of our progress.

I've been taking them, but I haven't been good about posting them
I'm getting burnt out, we both are, but we are trying to remember that we are so close and in the end we can't take it with us anyway.
Do what you can and know it's ok!

That about wraps up this post. 

I'm hoping to blog more consistently from now on.

I have some reviews of hair prodcuts coming soon.

My dear friend, Emily (of Emily Only Prettier) has given me some products to review for her and I'm excited to share with those interested whether or not they are worth the purchase.

Until then, stay classy and avoid situations with paint, Dr Pepper, and laptops.

Life Update

As I sit here in the dark, with a keyboard that hardly works, (a large part of no recent posts) I think back to when I thought I knew stress.

HA.
HAHA.

HAHAHAHA.

I'll be there again I'm sure.

And while I won't share everything going on (because not everything needs shared),

I will just say that it's amazing what stress can and will do to your body.

I'm fairly certain I'm coming down with my third bout of Shingles in 3 years.

Second in 5 months.

I'm having a flare.

I can't sleep.

I watch Batman everyday for background noise.

And the only thing I want to eat are chicken nuggets.

We are hoping to move into the house soon.

We were supposed to already be in, but some unforeseen frustrations have occurred and we will be slightly delayed.

It's to be expected I suppose.

Things have gone mostly according to plan up until now.

I should have known something would happen sooner or later....Grrrrr....

So with so much on my plate and a broken keyboard to top it all off,

needless to say I won't be posting many updates until after we are snug inside our home.

At which time I will be locking myself inside and never leaving.

EVER.

Clive Samuel George

From Sam and Rachel George:

"Clive Samuel George went to be with Jesus today.
Our hearts are so heavy, but we are so grateful to have such an amazing son. We're grateful that he is healed and he is home. We will post more in the coming days. Thank you all for your prayers, they were heard by a loving God. He healed Clive in the most perfect way.
"This is the end, for me, the beginning of life." Dietrich Bonhoeffer (on his way to his death)
And we know this is the beginning of the best part of Clive's life, and it's forever, and we'll get to see him again."

___________________________


I met Clive when he was 4 days old. He had the deepest dimples, a red tuft of hair, and, despite everything he had already gone through, smiled at me. He held his mother's finger tight, with a strength that said he was such a special boy. And what a special boy he is. Rachel said it best when she said that 'this is the beginning of the best part of Clive's life, and it's forever, and we'll get to see him again.' Sweet Clive, you are so loved. Not only by those who knew you, but by so many who are moment by moment touched by your parents.
You are missed.
And we can't wait to see you again.

Update: House Updates

(This title is somewhat repetitive....oh well)

I know I haven't done many [any] house updates lately, so I thought that I should probably do a quick check in.

We are in the final stages now and clamoring to get to a point where we can move in.

This means not a lot of time for anything; let alone blogging.

I may give some video/vlog walk-throughs at some point, but ultimately am afraid that photos and updates will have to wait until we are in.
I have been good about getting photos through the past few weeks, though, I just haven't gotten them up here.
So never fear!
They will come. 

So keep a lookout for some walk-throughs and for the big posts coming in the next few months.
Until then....

The Infertility Companion | The Spiritual Struggle

"Proverbs 30 compares a barren womb to other powerful forces of nature, and for the first time I really felt that God knew - that he not only accepted me with all my "crazy" emotions, but that he created me to have them and he understood the way they affected me." Great wisdom in God's work and in 'The Infertility Companion'.

If you haven't picked up 'The Infertility Companion' yet  I highly recommend you do so. Even if you haven't been diagnosed with infertility,  you know someone who has. 

This book was a collaboration between a doctor and a woman who struggled for years and still hasn't had the 'happy ending' so many people tell you will inevitably happen. 

It's full of facts, experience, and truth. 

You can find it on Amazon for $13.99 or less.

You can buy it here.

Baby Clive | Stories from the NICU

I've been doing birth photography for a few years now, but only recently had the honor of shooting my first NICU session.
My dear friends delivered their sweet boy, Clive, at 32 weeks.
He got his first photoshoot at 4 days!

Such precious, tiny hands!

Loving mommy's milk and daddy's touch!

f you or someone you love has a baby in the NICU, please contact me for special packages and pricing designed especially for NCU families!


Macy Lynn Photography

Nobody's Mommy

    

  Mday. 

Or rather, Mother's day. 

It's one of the few days I would rather just no longer be than deal with. 

On Mday I avoid church.
I avoid resturants.

I avoid teas and brunches. 

Teas and brunches that are filled with babies and toddlers.

Mothers-to-be having their bellies rubbed and talks of their first Mother's day.
Moments of joy and moments of pain.

I used to love this time of year.

The spring rains are finally subsiding.

The grass is green, there are leaves on the trees.

Flowers are everywhere.

The air is fragrant with the promise of new life.

But for me there is no new life.

I look down at my empty belly and wonder if it will ever be full.

Knowing that even if it is, the scars will linger on.

Now this time of year is full of dread.

That an innocent child in pink and yellow skirts will once again refer to me as,
"Nobody's Mommy."

The dread of sitting awkwardly in a pew as  the mothers are asked to stand.
Wondering if I should stand.
But my babies aren't here.

I stay seated.

Biting my lip until I taste blood in an attempt to hold back the tears.

Walking, empty handed, through a crowd of smiling women with handfuls of flowers.

Given to them as symbols of us all honoring our mothers.

Evidence of their day.
And we should honor them.
They are wonderful and hardworking.
What they do and who they are is incredible.
Without them we would not be.
But this thought does little to dull the pain of empty arms.

My eyes look down.
Tracing the carpet as I hurry through.

I don't know which would be worse; 

the looks of pity or letting them see my red, swollen eyes.
I rejoice with them.
I envy them.
I refuse to deny the pain, because that would be a lie.
Instead I trust God.
I trust that my desire for children is God given; that it's good.
And I trust that my pain is real and natural and ok.
At the end of the day I will still trust You.
Because right now I'm nobody's mommy, and all I can do is trust.

______________________________________________________________

"Maybe "being joyful" isn't actually a feeling, especially not the feeling called "Happy." Maybe "being joyful" gives us the freedom to embrace whatever emotions we are struggling through: the sadness, the anger, the worry, the pain that paralyzes at times. Maybe "being joyful" is more of an attitude. Maybe "being joyful" means that we simply choose to see God's hand orchestrating, choose to trust His sovereignty, and choose to praise His name - no matter what. {Even when we continue to walk through the darkness.}"
 -Kendra Broekhuis

National Infertility Awareness Week | NIAW

April 19-25, 2015 is National Infertility Awareness Week.
Even if you aren't struggling with infertility, you know someone who is.
This week I urge you to show your support to your friends and family who have struggled.

Struggled with the desires, pain, and destruction of infertility.
Infertility is a disease, but sadly is all too often overlooked as such.

A few kind words are sometimes all it takes to let someone know that they are not alone.

Light a candle, share accurate information about infertility.
There are too many myths when it comes to infertility, help us set them straight.

Facebook banners will be listed at the bottom of this post for your use.

Just knowing you care, even if you don't understand, means more than you could know.

Click here to learn more about National Infertility Awareness Week.

You are not alone.

In support of someone with Infertility:
(Link to banner)

If you struggle with Infertility:
(Link to banner)

355 days

Hard to believe that I actually managed to stick with my blog for over a year now.

Though, given the nature of my blog, it's rather depressing to look back on old posts sometimes.

This Beautiful Mess: April 30, 2014

"I'm hoping that we'll be pregnant by the end of this year. Even if it isn't until December, seeing those two little lines in 2014 would be nice. Especially since the realization that we wouldn't be having a baby this year hit me so hard."

Ha.

 You silly woman.

Will this ever not be true?

It's a rough day.
I have Shingles on my face [again] and I'm still not pregnant.

Counting down the months to when we can move on from CFNBC to IUI or IVF.

There isn't much to say right now, but I haven't written in a while and was aching to write.

"He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted."

Job 5:9

House Updates | My Studio

I think that it's safe to say that this was the kid's room.
Many have told me to keep the paint job.
It's tempting, really.
But I think I'll stick with the paint I picked out for my studio long ago. *insert winky face*

You know the drill!

Before photos, then during, and colorful commentary in-between!

Before:

Look at that paint job!
I might as well just buy stock in primer now....

The door to the attic is in this room and that makes me so happy!

We'll finish the attic eventually but we haven enough on our plate now.

During:

I began insulating this at night but had to stop.
The light was reflecting so strongly off of the foil backing that I couldn't see!

This is also the room where we store the trim.

Walls!

That's all for now!

House Updates | The Dining Room

The dining room need the least work of any room in the house.
I guess the previous owners just didn't use it very much...
There aren't a whole lot of fantastic updates for this room as only two walls got insulated and drywalled.
It's also currently being used as storage for our kitchen cabinets. 

Before:

During:

The bare bones!

Tyler removing the trim.

We are trying to keep as much of the original trim as possible. 

Tyler did a fantastic job removing it while keeping it intact.

This is why I have no more good photos of the progress in this room:

Mt. Junkmore!

The end!