Crazy Night!

Last night ended up being a crazy night for us. We have been working with the head of the breed rescue for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels in our city for a couple of weeks to try and adopt a puppy. Not just any puppy, Flash Gordon, super puppy extraordinaire! He is a blenheim colored Cavie and he's 6 months old. He was a puppy mill puppy that had a heart murmur so the breeder did not want him and could not sell him. The rescue eventually got him and with help from the veterinary cardiologists at Ohio State, diagnosed him with 2 congenital issues, patent ductus arteriosus and pulmonic stensosis. He had both heart issues treated last week and is doing wonderfully. Since he has to get cleared by cardiology to get neutered, we have been waiting to find out when we would get to take him home. Well, last night was our 'site visit' and the person from the rescue, who happens to be a veterinarian at OSU as well, came over with Flash. Our 2 other dogs and our cat got to meet him and they all had very different reactions.

Brewster began drooling uncontrollably and gave me the stink eye for allowing another dog to cross our threshold.

Cricket play bowed, growled and ran around like a complete idiot with Flash to the point that she was completely exhausted.

Patra kitty sat very still while Flash inspected her and then went up into her perch where she could look down on the little bugger with bitter disdain.

As the site visit came to a close, it became clear that Flash would not be going back to the rescue, but staying with us. We were both thrilled and completely unprepared to have the little guy so as soon as the visit was over, we scooped Flash up, hopped in the car, and headed to the pet store to get a bowl, a leash, and a kennel for our newest addition.

Even with all of the puppy excitement, in the back of my mind was the impending first injection that was to come. As soon as we got back from the pet store, I went on youtube to watch the instructional video for follistim injection one more time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02eyCAM0vQ0

As soon as it was over, I mustered up my courage, grabbed my supplies and headed to the bathroom for some injection privacy. Amazingly, it wasn't a big deal at all. Plucking my eyebrows is more painful than the needle and I got through it in one try. Just as I put the needle in, Tim shouted "I love you" up the stairs and through the bathroom door. I pushed the plunger, counted to five, pulled out the needle and shouted "I love you, too!"

Here's hoping that this new protocol does the trick and here's to the newest little member of our family, Flash Gordon!

Here we go...

Ok, I admit it, I'm a crappy blogger. I never feel like I have important stuff to say so I don't update like I should
I have a milestone today so it seemed like a good time to get things going again. Last cycle was a bust/waste. I had one follicle that just wouldn't grow much and we finally triggered around CD26 but didn't waste $ on an IUI since it was such a crappy follie. Fortunately, it must have ovulated because 2 weeks later, AF showed signaling the start of a new cycle and a new protocol.
We are doing injectables! I am on CD3 today and I will be doing the first injection tonight. The plan thus far is to start with 50 IU Follistim once a day and go in for my first ultrasound and bloodwork on Saturday morning to see how things are going. I am freaked out more by the multiple blood draws than the daily injections because, as you may have read in previous entries, my veins suck and I really only have one good place for getting blood. I have to have faith in the professionals that they will be kind to my vein so that it can be poked every couple of days.
I'm wondering if I should invest in some maternity pants now, that panel in the front might be just the thing to deal with all of the bruises and tenderness from the injections in my belly. I guess I'll give it a few days and see how it goes.
Wish me luck! I promise to update more often and keep up with the fun stuff too :)

Trust me, I'm a Professional

Some of my most brilliant moments happen on the toilet. I have had great ideas while sitting on the can and from what I hear, this isn't uncommon. I'm trying to come up with an example for you, but on the spot, nothing immediately comes to mind. Hmmm, maybe I should go have a seat in the 'oval office' and think about it for a moment.

I was in a bathroom stall at work the other day and I noticed that the toilet paper holder was made by Kimberly-Clark and it was part of their "Professional" series. This really made me think... What does it take to be a "professional" in the bathroom? Am I really qualified to use this toilet paper? I mean, I've been going to the bathroom all of my life and potty trained for most of it, so I'm probably qualified, but really how do I know for sure? Is there an application process that the building owner must go through to have professional TP holders installed?

This got me thinking about all of the other products that I buy or have bought in the past which I was probably grossly under qualified to use. Off the top of my head, I have professional series food processor, blender, toaster, hairdryer, hairspray, gel and hairbrush. I promise when I bought these things, I wasn't trying to impersonate a chef or a hairstylist, I bought them without thinking. Now I feel like a fraud who is completely under qualified to operate the machines in her own home to make hummus and toast or even dry her hair.

:Sigh:

I'm sorry I haven't been updating much. I hate to admit it, but I am in a real funk right now.

I hate break cycles. I really didn't want to take a cycle off and I am having a very hard time sitting out this month. I will start prometrium tomorrow in hopes that AF will show around Thanksgiving and we can finally move on.

I temped this cycle just in case we got lucky and I ovulated on my own, but it didn't happen. Honestly, I don't know which is worse, a failed cycle or knowing that we had no chance at all this cycle. There will be no Thanksgiving BFP or Christmas PG announcement for us again this year.

:sigh:

Flipping the Odometer

Wow...I just read my little profile blurb and realised that I have our ages wrong. I'm not 31 anymore and Tim's not 32 anymore. Damn...when did that happen? It's time to fix that. I think I'll leave it for a few more days though, and just pretend that we aren't yet another year into this journey.

It's crazy to think that we are almost at the 2 year mark. This time last year I was trying to convince Tim that we needed to get a puppy, but he was still flying and I was working long hours so he talked me out of it. The compromise was that if I still wasn't pregnant by Christmas 2010 we would get a puppy. I'm pretty sure he didn't think there was any way another year would go by sans pregnancy/baby. Sadly, it looks like I need to make a trip to the local dog shelter. It's nice to have something to look forward to though! :)

Timing FAIL

Well, September was a bust and I am super bummed. :(
I was really depressed on Friday after yet another BFN and then I started spotting on Saturday which killed any bit of hope I had left for the cycle. I had a wonderful martini on Saturday night and a margarita yesterday as consolation prizes, but ya know, they don't quite cut the pain of a failed cycle. (they were tasty though...)
As for this cycle, we have to sit it out which is absolutely the worst. I will be in Baltimore at a meeting for work from CD14-CD18 so my RE said it wasn't worth doing any meds this cycle. It's so incredibly frustrating to sit out, particularly when we really don't want to.

In the mean time, I'll try and come up with some fun/funny things to post about to help the time go by, but today, I'm still sulking.

The Women Who Stare at Pregnancy Tests

I have become a member of a very elite group of women. We are the women who stare at pregnancy tests a la The Men Who Stare at Goats. I don’t know how it happened, one day I was taking a pregnancy test, as I so often do, and it was negative, as…well…it ALWAYS is, and I proceeded to stare at it for an inordinately long period of time. I don’t know what prompted this behavior, but it has now become a part of my routine when I POAS. {Technically, I pee in a cup (PIAC), but the acronym doesn’t roll of the keyboard as nicely so I type POAS instead.} So anyway…I POAS, I use the “internet cheapies”, and I wait maybe 10 seconds for the control line to show up. Then, I pick up the stick and proceed to stare at it for at least 5 minutes WILLING it to be positive. I haven’t quite gotten one to turn yet, but I think I've almost got it. Until then, I will keep practicing. For anyone else who is interested in becoming a member of this elite club, here are some step-by-step instructions. You too, can be one of the women who stare at pregnancy tests.