Good News

I had a appointment with my RE on CD 3 of this cycle just to check out my ovaries and do some blood work as a follow up to my lap. Everything came back looking good. The nurse told me I would have to come in for another CD 3 workup next cycle before I started my Clomid on CD 4. As soon as I left the office, I realized I was going to be out of town on CD 3. Of course, total panic ensued. I would seriously loose it if I had to skip another cycle. I feel like I'm in the most miserable holding pattern ever.

I called the nurse yesterday and explained the situation to her. I am going to be out of town for two weeks starting this Sunday (CD 19 - CD 5 assuming I have a 27 day cycle like usual). She said she'd talk to the RE today when he was in the office. Of course, I missed a call from the clinic today around 10; I called them back and went straight to voicemail; they called me back and I'm in another meeting; I called them back and went straight to voicemail AGAIN! The nurses desk's no answering the phone and no leaving messages with any content in them is starting to annoy the crap out of me. Finally at 3:45, me and the nurse were able to actually speak to each other.

The Doctor approved for me to take the clomid without the CD 3 B/W and U/S. Our protocol will be the same as it was for Cycle #16 - IUI #1:
Dexamethason = CD1 - Trigger (for elevated Dhea Sulfate levels)
Clomid = CD4 - CD8
Novarel (HCG) = When eggs are good and ready.

I'm starting to get excited about things again. The thought that we could be in treatment in a little over 2 weeks renews my sense of hope.

I must admit that I have been in such a funk since my surgery. I'm just exhausted with this whole process. It's been 2 years. I mean that is a bit depressing to think about. 2 years. My mother tried to rationalize it to me today that nothing before my lap really counted because the endo was probably preventing me from getting pregnant. While I understand what she's saying, it doesn't mean those 16 cycles didn't take a toll on me. This whole thing is just so exhausting. Why can't my body just function like a normal person's body?? Blah.

Spring is officially here

Yesterday we went to Bantings Nursery, which is in my opinion the best nursery around. We had to completely replant our front beds because the unseasonably cold winter killed everything in them. Two weeks ago we pulled everything out of the beds, so we were in need of a LOT of plants. We arrived at the nursery at 9:00am and by 10:30 we were headed home with two car loads of plants. Since we were starting from scratch we were able to really design the beds how we wanted them.

This was the before:

Under the window on the left was a Hibiscus, which had palms on both sides of it. There were palms also on both sides of the stairs and another one in the right bed. I hate palms. I don't know why, but I just hate them. The hibiscus was really pretty but it was growing out of control. In the summer it grew so high that it totally covered the window. I loved that it flowered almost year round, but I hated it always looked unkempt. I would cut it back all the time, but it was growing like crazy. We pulled everything out and started over.

We brought my mother with us to the nursery because she is a total green thumb. We decided to anchor the yard with two Tom Knudsen Camellias. These will grow taller and wider, and help add a great punch of color to the yard. I bought them in red so they'd match the front door.

Next we added in some Boxwoods. These are smaller bushed that are often used to create manicured hedges. We will shape our next year once they've had some time to grow. They should end up about 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide. There are a total of 10 of them in the beds.

Then we added some white Gardenias in front of the boxwoods. I wanted something that was really fragrant which is why we picked the Gardenias. I'm really excited for them to start blooming.  

In front of the Gardenias we added Calla Lilies. We really just added these because they're pretty and were already in bloom.

Then, we added an orange bird of paradise. Its just a touch of something different and a little less traditional.

And finally, we planted some red and white impatients. My center bed gets replanted every season & the impatients were just about to bloom so I thought they might make it through mid summer.

The finished product:

view from the front.

Left bed.

Right bed.

I think we got a great foundation for both of the beds picked out and planted. Next year, I can add some annuals to the front of the Gardenias. But for now, I am just excited to see everything grow and bloom.

Tis the season

This is my favorite time of year. The temperature is getting really warm, things are starting to bloom, and crawfish are finally in season.  I LOVE crawfish. I know they can seem a little gross for those who aren't used to eating them, but they are the best things ever to me!

CD 1 - Cycle #19 (Natural)

Today is one of those days where it feels like I may never get pregnant. Sigh.

The good news is that this last cycle before I can start treatment again. I'm going to call the RE tomorrow and find out if I need any testing this cycle to be ready to do IUI #2 next cycle.

So let the Hail Mary cycle begin....

$15 & $865

$15: That is the amount of money I have wasted already testing this month. I don't know what has come over me, but this cycle I am a testing fanatic. Needless to say, they have all been BFNs. I will probably test again Wednesday if AF doesn't arrive. I just had a really good feeling this cycle, but maybe I was wrong.

$865: That's the amount of Money DH and I came home with this weekend at the Casino! We were treated to a weekend at the Beaurivage by my aunt. My grandfather lived with her before he passed away, and as a way to thank me for all I did for him and for helping her clean out his house once he passed, she treated us to a weekend away. She loves to gamble, and DH and I had never been to the casinos on the MS gulf coast so she thought it was be a fun way to spend the weekend. We had taken out $400 to gamble with ($100 for me, and $300 for DH), so coming home with $865 meant we over doubled our money!! I actually lost my $100, but DH did really well at the tables so that saved us. Here's me with some of his winning on Saturday night:

(notice the $500 chip in the upper left.

I had never seen one of those!)

The weekend was a blast, and my massage Sunday morning was so relaxing I wasn't sure DH was ever going to be able to drag me out of there! 

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Love is in the air

So let me tell you about Ella. The pug of my life. I got her as a present for my 22nd Birthday. My husband (then boyfriend) and 2 sisters thought I might get lonely when I moved to Washington, D.C., so she given to me to keep me company while I lived in the big city. She was flown up from the breeders to me while I was living in Cincinnati with DH, where she and I lived until we made the move to DC together.

She was so stinkin cute.

When she and I moved to DC, it started a 16 month period where DH and I lived apart. Needless to say, Ella and I spent a lot of time together. She quickly stopped sleeping in her kennel, and started snuggling with me in bed. She learn very quickly that she was queen of the castle.

Eventually DH was able to get transferred to Washington, DC and we moved in together. Ella was pretty ticked at first that she had to share the bed with someone else. But eventually she warmed up to him, mainly because he let her do this:

She loved snuggling in his shirt.

So the 3 of us lived happily ever after for the next 3 years. We lived in DC. We lived in Maryland. We moved to New Orleans. We bought a house. All the while she was queen of the castle.

Then came the day when I was finally able to give DH what he's always wanted. A "man dog".

And let me tell you this, Ella was pissed. This rambunctious, big puppy had entered our little universe, and  she was not happy about it. She has basically spent the last 2 years on the top of our couches out of Maggie's reach. She regularly snapped at maggie when she got too close, was never willing to share any of her toys, or play with maggie. I had resolved myself that they may never really get along. But recently something has changed. I'm happy to say, I think love is finally in the air.....

Last night, Ella actually snuggled with Maggie while she slept, instead of me. It was a monumental day.

Well there you go

My husband and I are taking out life insurance to help protect our phantom fetus.  Given our income, debt, school expenses in new olreans, ect it worked out that we each need about $1 Million in coverage. When a company issues a policy for that much money, you have to go through a physical exam so at 7:15 this morning we arrived with bells on. to We had to give them lots of samples, and answer hundreds of health history questions. So I'm sure you know where this is going...

"Are you taking any medication"
"Prenatal Vitamins"
"Congratulations, How long have you been trying?"
"Two years"
::insert blank stare here::

Yeah. Never good to get one of those. I know she felt like an ass as soon as I responded. But then she asked me if I was seeing anyone, and I told her I was going to a Reproductive Endocrinologist who worked with a fertility clinic.She told me about how she had trouble conceiving #1 as well and that she had an endo diagnosis. She said that when she finally got pregnant with #1 she was so excited there was no comparable feeling. She then when on to tell me that after #1, she never had trouble getting pregnant again. She got pregnant with #2 and #3 on accident in pretty quick succession. Then she had her tubes tied after that #3, and 6 months latter #4 was on the way. Not joking. 4 kids in 5 years. She told me that her doctors assumed the first pregnancy had cured the endometriosis which was something I had never heard before (but dutifully Dr. googled it). I'm still not sure if that can actually happen, but its always nice to hear stories of success and her story started my Monday on a happy note.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!