Wordless Wednesday - Pinterest edition

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A Different Kind of Two Week Wait

Instead of obsessing over every single symptom or lack of symptom during this two week wait, I've decided just to relax and not analyze anything. You may be thinking, "How is it possible to not obsess? You're in the two week wait?!"

The answer is easy. I'm choosing not to let the two week wait consume my life as it has for the past (almost) three years. This IUI cycle has been completely different from the previous four IUI cycles, so I made a conscious decision to make this two week wait completely different.

How this cycle has compared to others:

• Instead of stimming for 25+ days, I only stimmed for 15.
• A new medicine protocol. Instead of using only G.onal-F, I used a combination of Me.nopur and G.onal.
• Instead of getting poked by the blood draw needle 10+ times, I only got poked twice. This resulted in no bruising for the first time!
• Instead of stressing out, I've chosen to remain calm and relaxed.

Will these differences bring us our long-awaited and much hoped for BFP? God only knows that answer. I don't plan on testing until Sunday morning, which will put me at 12 dpIUI. I know I've said I would wait until 12 dpIUI plenty of times before, but caved and tested at 10dpIUI (and maybe 9dpIUI once - shameful, I know). But this cycle is different and I will stick to my promise that I will not test any earlier then Sunday.

One week down, one to go. Hopefully this cycle ends differently for myself and all my other friends currently in the two week wait!

ICLW and an IUI update

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If you're here from ICLW - welcome to my little corner of the Internet. If you're not here from ICLW - welcome too :)

This is my 5th time participating in ICLW. I wrote a decent introduction post back in November, so if you're interested in our TTC history, you can click here or here to learn about our journey.

Since I wrote my last ICLW post, E and I have resumed TTC since his deployment thankfully ended at the beginning of this month. For this IUI, our fifth, we decided to switch up my dosage of G.onal-F and also added Me.nopur into the mix. I stimmed for 10 days with just 1 vial of Me.nopur a day. Due to poor response in hormone levels, we decided to up the dosage of Me.nopur to 2 vials a day and also added in 2 vials of G.onal-F a day. Thankfully, my body responded well to the increase and my E2 levels shot up to from 69 to 364 in only a few days. I triggered with O.vidrel on Sunday night and had my IUI done this morning. I've officially entered the 2 week wait (for what seems like the 100th time) and my beta is scheduled for March 6th. I'll be back on En.dometrin twice a day during the 2 week wait and will hopefully continue through the first trimester!

During my appointment today, Nurse D (my RE's nurse) told me that E's numbers looked good - 65 million spermies post-wash - and that she thinks we're working with 4 eggs according to where my hormone levels were at last week. Unfortunately my clinic doesn't perform an ultrasound on the day of the IUI, but I trust my RE and his nurse and am hoping for the best. 1 out of the possible 4 have to stick, right?

Well that's where we are so far. I've been swamped with homework the past few weeks, which has affected my blogging. I just submitted a 20 page research paper for my psychology class and will have to submit 2 more before the quarter is over with. Student teaching starts in 2 weeks and I'm definitely feeling excited, nervous, and overwhelmed! Hopefully my next IF-related post will contain good news!

Wordless Wednesday - Pinterest edition

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Our Love Story

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I would go ahead and fill out this love story survey that I've seen floating around on quite a few blogs.

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

I met E back in the spring of 2001, but he was still enlisted in the Army. We didn't start officially dating until 2003. We've been together for almost 9 years, but have known each other for almost 11!

2. How did you meet? (What's your "love" story?)

E and I first met during my second semester of college. I was hanging out with a few girlfriends and one of my comm major friends had asked if it was alright to bring over his best friend from high school to hang out with us. My friends and I had been drinking for awhile at that point (yes, we were doing some dorm drinking), so I was feeling unusually social by the time my friend and E had arrived. My friend introduced E to all of us and told us that he was home on leave from the Army for his birthday.

I don't know that I would say it was love at first sight, but it was definitely a strong like at first sight. The alcohol gave me the courage to strike up a conversation with E and we talked and hung out all night. After he left, I figured that I probably wouldn't see him again since he was headed back to NC in a few days. Much to my surprise, I received a phone call from him the next day. He had asked my friend for my dorm phone number. We ended up going out for dinner and then headed back to my dorm room to watch a movie.

E headed back to NC a few days later, but we kept in contact through email and AIM (ha, again this was back in 2001). He deployed twice - first to Kosovo and then to Okinawa, so we didn't see each other in person for quite awhile. When he returned home from his second deployment, I found out he decided to enroll in the Green to Gold program and he would be attending my college. We started officially dating in 2003 and the rest is history.

3. If married, how long have you been married?

We got married on December 16, 2006. We've been married for a little over 5 years now.

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding?

We got married in E's church in Lancaster, PA. Our wedding wasn't big, but it wasn't exactly small either. We had about 115 guests at the wedding, even though our original guest list only included about 80 people. Then the mothers got a hold of the guest list. All hell broke loose. That's another story for another time.

5. Do you have any nicknames that you call one another?

Nope, no nicknames.

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey?

He's funny and knows how to make me smile even when I'm having the worst day. He's determine and motivated. He's athletic - I wish I had half the stamina that he does.

7. Tell us how he proposed?

Yah our proposal story isn't very long or really romantic at all. We had been dating for about 3 years at that point, so we had talked extensively about marriage. I picked out my ring, but E told me that it had to be ordered because the store didn't have it in my size. I came home the next night after work and started making dinner. When I turned around to put dinner on the table, the ring box was sitting in the middle of my dinner plate. E asked me to marry him and of course I said yes!

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

He's neither. We usually go out to see a movie and have dinner a few days before Valentine's Day because we won't like dealing with crowds. We actually had our date night this past Saturday. We saw "The Descendants" (I loved it, he hated it) and then enjoyed a wonderful Italian dinner.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

Most definitely a pop a movie in and relax on the couch kind of girl. I like to keep things simple.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant other one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

There are so many places that E and I would still love to travel to. Even though we've been to Paris before, I would LOVE to go back. We'd also love to see England, Ireland, Hawaii, and Australia.

11. Tell us what you plan on doing this Valentine's Day.

Since we already celebrated with our dinner and movie date, I'll just cook here at home. I'm planning on making pasta primavera and a special dessert.

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's Day?

I actually asked for the box set of Harry Potter movies. Yes, I'm aware of my nerdiness.

13. Give us one piece of advice to keep a relationship strong and full of love.

Keep the lines of communication open. If you can't or aren't willing to communicate, how are you going to work through problems?

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

A Valentine's Day Guest Post

I was contacted by Allison, who blogs over at Musings of a Curious Mind , about writing a guest post geared towards Valentine's Day ideas for loved ones who are deployed. She came up with some great ways to share the love even if your soldier is far away. Here's her article!

Having Valentine's Day with Your Solider

Every year on February 14, millions of people spend a romantic night with their sweethearts. Sadly, with so many of our brave men and women serving our country overseas, many husbands, wives, boyfriends and girlfriends will be an ocean away from their significant other on Valentine's Day. However, that doesn't mean you can't do something special for your soldier. Here are five fun ideas to still have the special day with each other:

Send Sweet Treats

There are few better ways to say "I love you" than by filling up your loved one's tummy with delicious food. Does your soldier have a favorite cookie? Bake some and send them along with a sweet note. If you aren't too handy in the kitchen, go out and buy some of their favorite candy.

Make a CD

Yeah, the era of mixed tapes may be gone, but CD and MP3’s can still get the job done. Your soldier may not be a sucker for love songs, but you can pick out a few of songs that have a special message or that remind you of each other. Pick out that one song, that whenever you both hear it, it takes you back to a special memory. Music can be powerful. Add a few of your loved one's favorite songs to the list, and they'll know you are thinking of them every time they listen.

Write a Love Letter

Whether you write it by hand or send it via email, nothing beats a good, old-fashioned love letter. You special man or woman, might not be a fan of the Notebook, but “sappy” love letters and thoughtful remarks can be resisted. Let your soldier know how much you love and miss them or write about a special moment you spent together when he or she was not deployed.

Have a Care Package Party

Do you have friends who are military spouses or significant others who will also be alone on the big day? Throw a Valentine's Day Care Package party and together, you can take pictures, bake, and put together care packages for all of your soldiers at once. This way, loved ones can take comfort in knowing you didn't spend the day alone and also reap the benefits of yummy treats and Valentine’s Day gifts.

Make a Phone Call

If your soldier is in a position to make phone calls, spend some time talking to him or her. Even though you may be separated by a long distance shout-out, your voice still sounds the same and brings out many emotions. Sometimes a simple “Hey Babe” or “I Love You” can make all their stresses go away. Let them know how much they mean to you and what it is you love about them. As a bonus, if your soldier has computer access, you can talk via Skype.

IUI #5 - Update #2

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I reluctantly woke up at 5:15 this morning to get ready for my second monitoring appointment. The beauty of showing up at 6:00 AM for an appointment is being finished by 6:30. After getting my blood drawn and explaining my cloth bandage allergy to the nurse, I headed in for another date with Wandy.

Dr. P. told me that my lining was 7mm - a big jump from Friday's number of 3mm. The right ovary decided to get its act together because we saw two 10mm follicles. The left ovary showed three measurable follicles. The 6mm follicle from Friday jumped to 10mm, the 8mm jumped to 12mm, and another 8mm one appeared. When the ultrasound was finished, Dr. P discussed triggering. Since I go to a military clinic, we're always affected by government holidays. Since Monday is President's Day, the clinic will close on Thursday afternoon and not open back up until Tuesday morning. Dr. P. told me that depending on Thursday's blood draw, we might not be able to go forward with IUI. If I trigger on Thursday, then we'll just do timed intercourse (TI).

At first I was a little upset about possibly missing out on doing IUI, but the last four IUIs have been unsuccessful. I got pregnant both times through TI. Who's to say that TI wouldn't work this time?

However, plans could change. If my hormone levels don't match up, then I probably won't trigger until Sunday. If that happens, the IUI will happen on Tuesday.

I walked out of the office feeling pretty confident. Things were progressing and we had a plan. It looked like I wouldn't be increasing my meds or adding anything into the mix.

Well.....

I spoke too soon.

The new RE nurse gave me a call while I was waiting for spin class to begin. She told me that while my E2 level rose significantly from Friday's number (9.4), it was only at a 69.6 today. Still not where it should be. She told me that Dr. P. wanted to up my Me.nopur dosage and add in G.onal-F. I was told to do 1 vial of Me.nopur and 2 vials of G.onal-F twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening. I thought to myself, "Why are we going from one vial of meds to six vials all at once?" This made absolutely no sense to me. I questioned new nurse and she put me on hold to confer with Dr. P. She got back on the phone and told me that's what he wanted me to do.

The entire spin class I felt uneasy about the conversation. Once spin was over, I hopped in the car and drove back to the clinic. I talked to Nurse D and she looked shocked when I told her about the dosage increase. She said we weren't doing IVF, so there must have been a mistake. She sent new nurse back down to confirm with Dr. P. New nurse came back and told me that he wanted me to do 1 vial of each med, twice a day. I was told to come back in on Thursday morning to check my progress so we can make a decision about the trigger.

I'm so glad that I stopped into the office to confirm the dosage. If I didn't, I would have more than likely overstimmed, which would have resulted in yet another cancelled cycle. I'm not at the point where we can afford to cancel cycles. IVF in April is looming in the not so distant future.

Life lesson learned today - If you feel uneasy or unsure about a decision, don't hesitate or be afraid to ask questions and challenge that decision. You have to be an advocate for your own health. I know my history. I know what can happen if I have too many hormones floating around. I've had too many follicles to count. I've had 3 cysts rupture at the same time. I've had mild OHSS. I don't want any of this to happen again.

I'm not looking forward to poking myself twice for the next few days, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Hopefully adding the G.onal in will make my E2 levels rise to where they should be. Let's just hope I don't end up being like Octo-mom.

More updates coming on Thursday afternoon.

IUI #5 Update

I went in for my first monitoring appointment for this IUI cycle bright and early on Friday morning. My RE's office was dead, which was a welcomed surprise. It's very rare to be the only one in the office on any given morning. I got my blood drawn (and ended up being allergic to the bandage they used to hold the gauze in place) and then headed in for my ultrasound.

The ultrasound tech wasn't in, so Dr. P. came in to take a look. My lining was only at a 3 (but I was only on CD 8) and there were only two measurable follicles on the left side - one 6mm and one 8mm. My estradiol levels came back at 9.4. Still very low.

Dr. P. decided to keep me on the 1 vial of Me.nopur throughout the weekend. I'm scheduled to go back in on Monday for another monitoring appointment. I would assume if things are still quiet, they'll up my dosage of the Me.nopur and/or add in a vial of the G.onal-F. I was really hoping not to stim for weeks and weeks, but so far it's not looking good for me.

I hope that we see some significant changes on Monday - maybe something will pop up on the right side. Hoping for a good report when I write my next blog post!

Wordless Wednesday - Pinterest edition

Source: vi.sualize.us via Lauren on Pinterest

2 years ago

2 years ago today I got my first BFP. I remember jumping up and down in the bathroom then running out into the bedroom to shove the pregnancy test in E's face. We both couldn't believe that I was finally pregnant. We had tried for so long and we were finally getting what we wanted so badly.

It was Super Bowl Sunday and were having friends over to the house to watch the game. It was so hard not to share the news with anyone. We were both bursting with excitement. However, I was superstitious about sharing the news too early and didn't want to tell many people until I was out of the first trimester. We were so happy and excited and didn't even think about the dreaded M word because of the overabundance of pregnancy symptoms.

Unfortunately, after an uneventful first half of the first trimester and then 6 weeks of intense all-day sickness - constant nausea and throwing up a minimum of 6 times a day - our world came crashing down at my 11 week appointment. We found out that our sweet miracle baby stopped growing at 6w5d.

I guess I'll never forget the important dates surrounding both of my pregnancies. I guess it'll never stop hurting when these dates come around. March 25th is our next big date - the day of my 11 week ultrasound.

I really hope that we get to see another positive pregnancy test soon. Hopefully we get to our happy ending.

He's home and an IUI update

I haven't written much about E's deployment here on the blog because of his job, but I'm happy to report that he's finally home after being gone for almost a year. After being pushed back several times, I got an email on Thursday morning confirming that he would be home that afternoon. It's been a busy past couple days around the house. We had to find a new vehicle for E since we sold his car before the deployment. We're the proud new owners of a slightly used 2009 T.oyota T.acoma. I wasn't super excited about the price, but he loves it and is keeping it for a long time.

Also, readjusting to having two people in the house has been interesting. My routine has been completely disrupted, but it's ok because he's home and he's safe and that's all that matters. My OCD has been kicking into overdrive though because apparently E still hasn't learned how to pick up after himself. Ugh that's a whole other story.

Onto IUI news...

Stimming started on Sunday morning. I went over to my RE's office last week to pick up my bags (yes, bags) of medicine. Since I stim for weeks upon weeks with the G.onal-F, we decided to try out M.enopur instead. We're hoping that my body responds quicker to this med. I go in for my first monitoring appointment on Friday morning, so hopefully things are going well and my hormone levels match up. If not, I'll probably add G.onal-F back into the mix.

(Holy meds!)

Let me just tell you if you've never used M.enopur before, it burns. It burns like hell. Never before has an injection made me cry, but I broke down yesterday after giving myself the injection. Today was a little better, but only because I went into my right side. My left side is always the problem side, so I might have to double up on the right side for awhile. Mixing the meds is easier than I had thought it would be, so that's a plus. Nurse D told me that if I respond quickly, we might have a shot at another IUI before IVF if this one fails. Let's hope it doesn't though, alright?

Pinterest Challenge - Week 5

I was a slacker last week and didn't complete anything from Pinterest, but this week I'm back with a great new recipe: Broccoli and Cheese Mini Egg Omelets from Skinnytaste. If you haven't checked out this website before, head over there now. What are you waiting for?

I came across this site about 2 months ago when I found the recipe for my whole wheat blueberry muffins. Every recipe I've tried so far was delicious and full of healthy ingredients. Also, Gina (the author of the site) lists all the nutrition facts for each recipe, which is helpful since I keep a daily food journal. Anyways, enough about my undying love for this website, and onto the recipe.

Ingredients

4 cups broccoli florets

4 whole eggs (I prefer to use brown organic eggs)

1 cup white eggs (I use liquid egg whites as opposed to separating)

1/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup grated parm or romano cheese

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Steam the broccoli florets with a small amount

of water in the microwave for 7 minutes on high.

3. After the broccoli is steamed and cooled a bit,

mash in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

4. Spray cupcake tin and evenly distribute broccoli

mixture into 9 wells.

5. In another bowl, combine whole eggs, egg whites,

parm or romano cheese,salt, and pepper.

6. Pour egg mixture over top of the broccoli mixture,

filling the wells up about 3/4 of the way.

7. Top egg and broccoli mixture with cheddar.

8. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

9. Serve warm and if there are any leftovers,

wrap or store tightly in the fridge.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

After a long hiatus, the MilSpouse Friday Fill-In is back. Wifey is turning the weekly questions into a monthly feature, but I'm just happy it's back! Head over to her blog to learn more and to link up your blog.

1. What is your favorite winter memory?

My favorite winter memory has to be our wedding because I got to marry the man of my dreams :)

2. What is your current favorite TV show?

My current favorite is "How I Met Your Mother". I got hooked on this show when we first moved back here to NC about a year and a half ago. I quickly got through the first 5 seasons of the series on N.etflix and eagerly await a new episode each week. I've been disappointed that it's been reruns for the past few weeks, but it's new this coming Monday. Make sure to tune in!

3. What was your favorite thing that happened in January?

E left Afghanistan!

4. What is the best sound in the world to you?

Thunderstorms or laughing babies or the ocean. So many good sounds...

5. What is the biggest lesson you have learned as a MilSpouse (or significant other)?

That I'm capable of being independent and can live on my own if I need to. Just because E isn't around, the world doesn't stop or fall apart. You just have to keep going.

Wordless Wednesday - Pinterest edition

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