Ten Things Tuesday!

KH826

It's Tuesday again -- what's on your mind?!?! Share any 10 things that tickle your fancy

KH826

1. Yesterday and this morning have been totally insane for me at work. We had a bit of a crisis situation, but it seems to be resolving. I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off yesterday for about 4 hours and cried when I got in my car at the end of the day because I was just that tired.

2. 25 weeks today! Viability! Holy Cow!

3. I am so excited for @Healz413 and @Manada -- I can't wait to hear their beta results!

4. Baby is currently kicking me as I type this. Best thing ever.

5. We were sooooo busy this weekend that it went by so quickly like a giant blur. We got a lot of baby things done though and managed to spend a ton of money (blah)... we brought our crib home, bought the crib mattress, ordered our glider, got some baby clothes from Carters with a coupon my mom sent us... then we had an estimate for replacement windows and ended up pulling the trigger on a new window for the nursery and one for our master bedroom. We also went to a party our friends were having, went grocery shopping, took our dog to get groomed, got cards and bday presents for my mom and sister and took them to Fed Ex and sent them... and some miscellaneous cleaning and laundry. It was productive, but I started out the week super tired. Then my little work fiasco happened yesterday and I was in meltdown mode by last night. I am feeling slightly better today. Slightly. HAHA

6. We got another 4ish inches of snow here this AM. Have I mentioned I am over snow? Because I am.

7. My wife made a really yummy stirfry for dinner last night because I was too exhausted to cook. It was carrots, broccoli and snap peas with a little but of seasoning over quinoa. She cooked the quinoa in vegetable broth. It was really yummy. I am impressed. She used to never cook. She has mastered a small handful of meals now so that she has something she can make 2ish nights a week when I just can't bring myself to do it.

8. I have had super dry/cracked/itchy skin lately... I think some of it is the weather and some of it is pregnancy related. I bought cocoa butter lotion 2 weeks ago and have been using that... it has helped somewhat, so that's a start. My legs and lower back still seem to get super itchy during the day though.

9. My youngest sister turns 18 on Thursday. I cannot believe it. I thought of her as my baby when we were younger. I am almost 12 years older than her (my bday is next month), and we were really close when she was little. She used to climb into bed with me at night when she had a bad dream. I have such a hard time thinking of her as an adult!

10. I am pretty much hungry 24/7 these days. It is fairly annoying. I am trying to make good choices most of the time, but all I want to do is eat. My stomach literally growls in between meals. And snacks. I am eating way more than plenty, but this little girl must have a monster appetite. Apple doesn't fall far, I guess...

AandStilltrying

1. Had some really vivid dreams of me with a little baby girl. Was sad to wake up. Reality bites! Lol

2. DW is home with strep...yuck! I feel bad for her. She started getting it on valentines day.

3. This week is looonnnnggggg. I get to come in to work an hr early each day, thurs we have an after school community function I have to stay for, Friday starts All County Chorus weekend so I will be taking 4 students across the county to participate in that. Then back on sat. For final rehearsal and concert.

4. If DW feels better on Sat., her and a friend are building me raised beds for our strawberry plants!

5. A kindergarten student yesterday (after singing our hello song) said, "how do you get your voice to sound like that?" I said, "what do you mean?" He said, "it sounds so beautiful!" LOVE that kid...major ego boost for the day!

6. On sat. Part of my valentine gift from DW was an appointment at a fancy hair sal. For a new cut and highlights because she knew I kept putting it off because of feeling guilt about spending $ on myself instead of TTC.

7. I have pcos and for 3 months in a row I've had a natural period on my own!!! This is a BIG deal for me. Way to go metformin. Maybe it really is helping?

8. Made appointment to speak with RE next Tuesday!!! We will discuss new insurance and hopefully some testing before attempting iui again this coming cycle.

9. DW has been on my case to make dermo appointment for my finger. I get strange little tiny water blisters on my fingers and they swell and sometimes itch. My skin is peeling away and my nail is all bumpy because they are under the nail too. They say it's a form of eczema but idk. It's rather painful but normally goes away on its own. Haven't ever had it last this long.

10. Excited to see the "Twinkies" tonight (friends twins). Our friends literally jumped train and joined the circus. Lol it's how he met her....she is from hungry. They have a set of boy/girl twins from ivf, and well...circus is in town so I will be going to my sisters house tonight to see them. They just turned 7. . Aidan and Allie

Bonus pips of old hair and new hair! .

2MamazInSeattle

1. We are having a great time on our trip. J's family has been amazing to meet in its entirety, cousins, uncles and her (mean) Aunt Sandy, who I managed to charm the pants off of! Go me.

2. Eating is back to normal! I'm so glad, because I would never want to be rude and refuse any food people made for me in her family. It's not the normal way I eat, but a few days of non-organic blah blah food won't hurt the baby in the big picture, and it's more important to me to be gracious to them. I ate Aunt Sandy vegetable beef soup, and had some chicken too.

3. I am loving 60's and 70's here in Arkansas!

4. We are going to Hot Springs, AR today! I've never been and am kind of excited. I love cute lil' towns.

5. New Orleans tomorrow for 4 nights!

6. Miss home, kinda, and routine, but it's a nice break to be away from work - bonus my boss is on a trip so he's not missing me much which is a good thing too.

7. SO freakin' excited for @healz413 and @manada! Go ROCKIES!

8. Two more weeks to our loss date!

9. gotta go!

shelly2314

1. So far today, so good. No real nausea, just exhaustion.  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let this continue!

2. My DW is gone for 3 WHOLE DAYS! Sorry, I know that's a lot of caps/yelling but I'm hormonal and it happens LOL. She has a training in Orlando and I already miss her. I am trying not to freak out about it, as that happens for very trivial matters nowadays. Maybe I will sleep better not worrying about waking her up with my constant flipping around during the night???

3. Our girls hs basketball team is in the final four! It truly is cool to see how hard some of them have worked and where they have gotten. This was not a "given" at the beginning of the season as they have had a lot of trials and growing up/together as a team. We are all so very proud.

4. I actually tried the neti-pot last week. I was very reluctant as I gag very easily and something running from nostril to nostril (and down into my mouth) was not at all appeasing. It is not that bad, not a favorite, but not that bad and it actually works really well. So thank God for that and also that my OB has given me a list of allergy pills I can take. The pollen count here has shot through the roof.

5. I do not even know how to begin looking for childcare for infants. I am so afraid of something happening to my babies there. I know that it is unlikely, but still a fear. Somehow, googling childcare doesn't seem to be quite enough for me to narrow down a search

6. M said she is taking me to the Melting Pot for some cheese fondue when she gets back! I cannot wait. My mouth salivates just thinking about that.

7. I am desperately in need of some sun. I do not think I have ever been this pale in my life! Really hoping for warm weather here (and a 2nd trim. that doesn't make me want to hurl)

8. I am seriously thinking about bringing something and napping under my desk LOL. I think I could get away with it

9. I have to figure out what I am going to do for dinner....maybe have to order something and pick it up on the way home. Not sure what sounds good right now.  Eh!

10. Now that I am stuck on what to do for dinner, I cannot think of anything else....Hope everyone has a good week

Jazibel

1.  I distracted Kaden by opening a toy box we hardly ever go into (its a leather ottoman and I forget about its contents).  So let's see if I can type out ten things before he discovers I have the laptop out.  One of his favorite past-times is to climb on the dining room table and touch all the laptop keys.

2. I'm 30 weeks today!! Woohoo.  Part of me feels like we have fooooorever before we meet our little guy.  But I know realistically its a couple of months +/- away. 

3. Elizabeth and I were talking in between Downton Abbey episodes last night about what life will be like once he's here. I'm really starting to visualize our routine, etc.  One thing I would like to do is get Owen started on a bottle in the first few weeks. Last time we had been advised to wait until 6 weeks + to avoid nipple confusion and supply issues. But.... I might have a part time job on the weekends (and potentially some evenings). And I'd like to be able to work a couple/few weeks after Owen is born to keep our income steady. Anyway, Elizabeth is against bottle feeding too early so I need to do some research and talk to our midwife to see if I can change her mind. Unfortunately our midwife R tends to be conservative and think more rest/bonding, etc is better.  Sigh...

4. I am terrible at sewing and a horrendous knitter. I've tried to pick up these more crafty skills and so far I'm worse than a beginner.  I should PIP what happened to the cloth wipes I tried to sew on our new machine... Needless to say the stitches didn't connect and my edges are barely tacked down, that and there's a ton of extra thread everywhere.  EV says it's something to do with the "tension" so now I have to Youtube some instructional videos. Part of me wishes I had learned these things as a kid so I could pick them up more easily now.

5. We had such a great weekend. We spent a ton of time hanging out around the house and even watched a couple of movies including Stardust as well as starting Season 4 of Downton Abbey. We don't usually watch TV around Kaden but this weekend was an exception. He crawled all over us and the furniture and played while we relaxed, it was a nice break. 

6. We also had a great brunch and playdate with friends that lasted all day Sunday.  It's so fun to see Kaden hang out with his buddy. Our friends have 3 cats, on of which is a huge, fat kitty named Monkey. Monkey is so patient he let Kaden and their son L, pet him and lay their heads on him. So sweet.   Part of me wishes our landlord allowed pets....

7. @manada & @healz - I am so excited for your BFP.  All fingers and toes crossed for a great beta :-)  

8. Kaden loves toy cars.  He's pushing one around the living room right now.  We're kind of "wooden toy" oriented, but through gifts, etc. we have a bunch of different toys - though thankfully not too many that make noise. His current favorite is a hot wheels monster truck. ;-)

9. I love black tea with cream and sugar. 

10. Our in laws are in South East Asia right now. Their trip is taking them through some of the places we traveled to several years ago (on our TTC break) including Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I'm so excited for them (they're also on a TTC break).  I can't wait to see pictures and hear stories so I can live vicariously through them. 

StacyLH24

1. We were not prepared for the amount of snow we woke up to this morning. Not a huge deal, we live in WNY and it snows at a moments notice. I would have gotten up earlier had I realized we were supposed to get so much though.

2. I'm heading out shortly for a home visit in an area that is notorious for getting slammed with snow. Hopefully it won't be too bad.

3. We leave for Florida in two weeks and 4 days. I can't wait for a break from the snow and cold.

4. I triggered last night. Our IUI is tomorrow morning at 7:30 am. There is definitely one good follie, with two others close behind. At this point, I'm just happy that we can move forward. I'm going to ask tomorrow how many showed to be mature through the blood work.

5. My right ovary produced zilch this cycle. Usually my right ovary is rockin and rollin and the left is quiet. Guess the right is getting tired.

6. We will find out if we have a BFP a few days before we leave for Florida. At least if it is a BFN we will be relaxing on vacation.

7. I know we haven't been on this journey for a really long time, but I'm getting worn out from it. I mentioned that to C the other night and she agreed. We currently have three vials. Our plan was to move forward with IVF with the third vial if necessary. I'm not sure what our plan is anymore. We have discussed stopping TTC if these three vials don't produce a baby.

8. We are starting to talk about fostering/adopting again. There are a few agencies we can choose from. Though we would like to have a biological child, it isn't a necessity for us. We discussed starting the fostering/adoption process after these three vials are gone.

9. We think a friend of ours is pregnant with her second. She posted something sly on FB and made a few comments when we stopped to see her Saturday. She was recently talking about leaving her husband. She is very knowledgable, and from past conversations, if she is pregnant again, this wasn't an accident. I wish she would have just told us instead of trying to get us to ask. C and I are a little angry and ended up leaving shortly after we got there Saturday. We are angry because of our journey and because she was just on our couch months ago talking about another man and how she isn't getting what she needs from her husband. That isn't an environment to bring a second child into. Her daughter is about 17 months.

10. I just want one egg to mate with one sperm and then to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy take home baby. That's all.

ball.and.chain

1. I'm with @KH826 -- I've had it with snow. We're set to get 2-5" today. It's the third snow storm in a week and is supposed to cause a nasty evening commute. Yippee.

2. Four weeks and two days until the first day of spring! Not that it means much around here, but it's something.

3. I'm only working 3 days this week. Yesterday was a holiday for us and I took Friday off to help my sister settle into our house after surgery.

4. I didn't sleep well last night -- couldn't seem to get comfortable and had weird dreams. I think it may be pregnancy pillow time.

5. I want hot cocoa. I'd also like to be snuggling with the kitty at home in my PJs, but at least I can get the cocoa at work.

6. @Jazibel, I was taught to sew and knit as a kid and I still suck at it. My mom used to make us beautiful dresses for Easter and back-to-school, and my grandmother knit us tons of sweaters. I figure it's OK cause my sister and aunt knit like crazy (I know my sister has already started something "secret" for the baby and she likes to make baby hats so we will probably get a few of those) and my step-mother owns her own custom slipcover/drapes business. So we end up getting handmade stuff even though I can't make it.

7. I need to find out what kind of breast pump my insurance covers and whether any accessories are covered so I know what to put on our registry in that department. But I hate calling my insurance company. Just tried to see if I could fill something out online, but no luck.

8. I also need to register for childbirth classes, but we're waiting to find out how my wife's schedule is changing.

9. My wife's interest in cribs and baby gear right now is pretty cute.

10. I'm sleepy. See #4.

redrockmama

1. We had a great, but short, trip to Little Rock this weekend. It was so wonderful to reconnect with our "family" from grad school. I was so touched that so many people came in from DC to celebrate us and our baby. 

2. One of our flights was delayed in Dallas for what seemed like forever. I was exhausted by the time we made it to where we were staying. We then went out to dinner with friends and to a bar we all used to go to. All of a sudden I wasn't feeling too great. I told J I wanted to go as soon as she was done with her game of pool. Then, I got really dizzy and light-headed. I told her I was going outside to get some fresh air. As soon as I got outside I threw up. We headed home and I felt a little better. It was really weird. I felt fine the next day so I assume all is well with the baby, but it freaked me out a little.

3. It was good for my brain and my soul to be with so many people who just get me, and who share our values as social justice workers. I love hearing what all my classmates are doing for work and how they are changing people's lives all over the world. I miss academia and I think a Ph.D is definitely in my future.

4. We have our anatomy scan on Thursday and I can't even wait. 

5. I probably say this every week, but I really need to start working on the mural for the baby's room. That is my one and only goal for this week. 

6. I read the updates for the pregnancy check in and felt very unprepared compared to all of you. We have done almost nothing. We are almost to the halfway (20 week) mark and it seems like we have so much time, but maybe we should start crossing stuff off our list. 

7. Has anyone used an arm's reach co-sleeper? I have a few questions if anyone has. 

8. J's sister in law told her kids that we are having a baby and they are planning to explain to them that we are a couple. J's niece was really excited about the baby (she's almost 5). This is a REALLY big deal. For the last 5 years the kids weren't allowed to know that we are a couple and we have to almost pretend we don't know each other when we are with J's family. I am so so happy that progress is happening.

9. It was so warm in Little rock, we even went on a hike which I LOVED. Now we are back to the cold and expecting a little snow this week

10. My midwife said I should really do some grief work about losing my stepmom before the birth or it will likely all come out during the birthing process. I realize that denial can't work forever, but I don't even know where to start. I don't think therapy would work for me. I'm open to suggestions of any of you have ideas. 

trisholio

1. Today was probably one of the most challenging of my life!  I had to take our two new girls to the Dr and along with that I had the little boy I babysit.  So a 6 month old, 10 month old and 2 year old all by myself.  I have never taken a child to the Dr before, because I have never had children!  So I had no idea what to expect or anything.

2.  I say that to say that I think I rocked it!  I had snacks, bottles (but forgot the toys) prepared and even though both girls got fussy at times I was able to console them.  Both of them got vaccinations (we have no say on their medical care) and they screamed their heads off during that, I almost cried along with them.  Everything was managable until we went to leave and the toddler M, threw herself on the ground and wouldn't get up.  One of the nurses had to carry her out to the car because I had one child in my arms and the other in the stroller (a double stroller will be purchased ASAP!).  But that was the worst part.  They all fell asleep in the car and are all asleep now, THANK GOD!!!!

3. I didn't sleep well last night worrying about how today would go, but my wife was sweet enough to get up both times to feed the baby.

4. I am 12 weeks pregnant today and I am hoping the exhaustion goes away soon!

5. I think I am going to need to bite the bullet and ask for some help.  We have so many little projects to get done around the house since getting the girls and nothing is getting done.  Just stuff like organizing clothes, going thru boxes of toys in the garage and pulling out age appropriate ones, laundry, ect.  Nothing that is major, but we can't get caught up and by the time the girls go to sleep between 8-9 I am so spent I can't keep my eyes open.

6. We had a friend donate over 5 bags of clothes to our girls last night.  Winter, spring and summer clothes for multiple sizes for both girls to grow into.  I was beyond words and couldn't express to them how much that meant to us.

7. My sister moved in with my mom on Sunday.  After moving everything we gathered at my mom's house.  We brought over both girls and I loved seeing my mom with them.  My mom is so excited to be a Gigi :-)

8. I never thought I would say this, but I really miss having my sister live next door :-(  We haven't always gotten along, but it was nice to have coffee together a few times a week and just chat.

9. We had the social worker from our foster agency come visit yesterday.  She was really nice and said we were doing a great job.  It is nice to hear from a 'professional'

10. I am going to try and relax for a little bit and enjoy the peace and quiet while the kiddos are sleeping.  It's one of the best parts of my day ;-)

doodah1013

1. I would like a baby now.

2. My beta is back to normal so we are just waiting for CD1 so we can wait to ovulate, so we can go through a TWW. This is overwhelming me.

3. I may be getting a big promotion. My boss said she wants to give me the job... But HR is making me go through the interview process. If this falls through I am going to get in bed and never come out. My boss said I should know in two weeks... Which I think is a rather symbolic amount of time.

4. I work for an organization who is currently in the middle of selling cookies... Lots and lots of cookies. So now all I think about is cookies. Not good for the healthy eating.

5. A kid at camp told me yesterday that they were half boy and half girl. I told them, me too! I think the kid was surprised.... But the kid surprised me first!

6. Speaking about trans stuff... Facebook changed their gender options to be a lot more inclusive... You can pick a custom option and pick from an extensive list... And you can even pick multiple genders! I was so freaking excited. It is nice that a large social media outlet finally substantiated that not everyone is only male or only female!

7. My best friend was featured in the Advocate online for registering their marriage in NC on VDay. I am so proud of them!

8. I am so freaking excited for @manada and @healz413 that something positive is happening for them. They have been through so much!

9. I am thinking about cookies again.

10. I have gone back to working out daily again. I hope the endorphins help my mood a bit. It's just so all over the place these days.

Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday!

healz413

1. We decided to go in this morning for our first beta. (Two days early; we called and they said we could come in.) We should get the call between 3 and 5 this afternoon (eastern time) and will post an update.

2. I wanted to write my TTT before then because I think one way or another my TTT would be very much shaped by the Beta outcomes.

3. I have so many thoughts, feelings, fears, etc. about the beta. I was doing okay for the last few hours but now it is getting close to the time frame they could call during.

4. @Manada's sister has been visiting since Sunday which has been really nice. But she's leaving now.

5. I need to get back into working on my dissertation. I got almost nothing done on it during the IVF journey of the last month.

6. Thank you all for being so lovely to us in your well wishes and celebration of our home pregnancy test results.

7. I didn't post in the TTC check-in this week because we had a HPT positive, but I do want to wish @stacylh24 and @rbko well on their IUIs and @goalieswife on the femara and anyone I'm missing (which is probably important people, but I"m doing this from memory).

8. I'm ready for spring.

9. M and I are talking about a warm-weather destination for April. I'm excited!

10. I was worried that my period would be super horrible after so many stims, such a thick lining, and so much new potential endo growth, but it has been pretty normal for me. (My normal is very heavy and painful, but manageable if I stay on top of the ibuprofen intake). I'm grateful for that.

rkbo

1. This is my first TTT

2. I have always been afraid that I couldn't fill 10 things, so I never do it. lol

3. I had my second IUI this morning for the month. Lets go little swimmers!

4. The donor we chose is a total nerd. My wife is also a total nerd. Here's hoping that our children take after her. She loved school...I hated every last second of it. 

5. I went to Pretty Kitty over the weekend for a Brazilian wax....I didn't want to go to my IUI appt yesterday with 80's porn bush :P

6. My wife and I bought new phones last night. I got the new Droid Mini and she got the Droid Maxx. I love new electronics. 

7. I'm really going to try to hold out till at least 10dpiui to test this month. Its hard.

8. In 3 weeks my wife is leaving for a job in Vegas for about 4 months. It will be hard to go through more IUI's by myself or if we get lucky...first tri without her here everyday. I am lucky that its only a 1 hour flight from where we live, and that I absolutely love vegas. Although it will be hard to visit often if I can't drink like I normally do while gambling.

9. I'm sitting at my desk waiting for work to come...I hate days like these, it makes the days/week go by so slowly. 

10. I think I will surprise my wife with her favorite homemade meal tonight. Going to make teriyaki chicken with baked potato. I make the teriyaki sauce from scratch, its sooooo good!

2brides

1. The boys got into a charter school near our house so we need to make big decisions. We love their school and L is VERY involved in it, but it is private and by going to the charter we would save a huge chunk every month (ie. more than our mortgage.) We are going to the school orientation in the next few weeks.

2. My face is breaking out along my hair line. I am thinking it my new conditioner. 

3.  I heard it might snow next week. Are you kidding me!?!?  I am done.

4. At the end of this week, I'll have worked 7 out of 15 possible work days.

5. I need to work from home. When I am home, I don't have a case of the munchies. When I sit at my desk, all I can think about is eating.

6. I tried the overnight oatmeal that was all over Pinterest. Ehhh.

7. G is in the school play in 2 weeks. Practice is ramping up. Oof.

Off to work...

7. My greek yogurt froze in my office fridge. Blech. It is crystallized.

8.

JGY

1. So much for ear tubes being the magic sleep cure.  Gabe was up ALL NIGHT last night.

2. I am exhausted.

3. We have a leak in our house.  It's coming in, dripping rapidly, in many spots through the ceiling of our office (or what I like to call our "Crap room"). There is no space in that room to move, it's so loaded with crap.  Crap that is now soggy.  Some of which is important.  I want to cry.

4.  I called our insurance agent to pick his brain about whether we should file a claim or not (the roof guy suggested we probably should), and he said - NO JOKE - "Put a bucket under it and call us in the Spring."  PRO-fessional, sir.

5.  An awesome friend is coming over tonight to chase Gabe while I deal with said soggy crap.

6.  Seems like lots of us snack uncontrollably at work, amiright?  @2brides?  I am on to Girl Scout Cookies now, having downed half a bag of doritos.  WHO AM I?  I don't eat like this.

7.  I'm so stinkin' happy for @manada and @healz413.  I can only hope that the good tide continues to others around here who are struggling.

8.  I complain a lot and I shouldn't.  I have a happy kid who I adore.  If it makes it any better, I do remember that often and give him extra hugs because of it.

9.  Gabe has learned how to say "Uh-oh."  But he doesn't really say the "Oh" part.  So he toddles around the house just sing-songing "Uh-uh, Uh-uh, Uh-uh."  It's adorable. 

10.  I've been trying to sort through his old clothes so that I can pass them along to a friend who will desperately need them.  But my I-have-to-keep-this-one-because-it's-so-special-to-me pile is bigger than my give-away pile.  Sigh.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE!

 

GoaliesWife123

1. My Ovidrel was just delivered! The pharmacy we went through (Mandells) was so amazing. They even included 10 hershey kisses. This small, personal touch, has made my wife's entire day. 

2. I go in for my monitoring appointment tomorrow, CD 10. This is earlier than most people, but because I didn't respond to clomid last cycle, they want to know early if I'm not responding to Femara. 

3. I just got my claim information from my insurance carrier, and they have covered everything so far. There have been no questions asked and all I have to pay is my deductible. This makes us so happy!

4. I am happily employed full-time once again. The case I was working on last year did not settle during the mandatory stay that was ordered, and thankfully, the firm needs me for an undetermined amount of time. I'm thrilled. I get to work from home, in my pjs, and my own hours. Currently, I'm sitting in my home office with a fire in the fire place and my wife sitting in the chair next to me. I'll take it. 

5. DW and I decided that renting is no longer financially responsible for us. We absolutely love the location and the house we are in, but our second month in a row of $800 electric bills (everything is electric....everything), it might be time to move. We found out that she is pre-qualified and we could easily get a home, on a good chunk of property, for less than what we pay in rent. Looks like it's house hunting time!

6. I love looking at houses for sale. I love house hunters (even though we don't have cable). This is going to be a fun process. 

7. I think it is funny that as soon as I purchased my real estate licensing course I was asked to work full-time again. It might take me longer, but I'm determined to get the licensing done very quickly. This will help us save some serious costs house hunting!

8. In the process of looking for houses, we have agreed that moving further away from both of our families is a good idea. This idea makes me very happy. We're not moving "too" far, but we will definitely be making a drive-by impromptu visit more difficult

9. We are supposed to see temps in the mid 30's or even *gasp* low 40's this week. DW and I are dying to hit the trail, so this is welcome news. Next week is supposed to be back in the teens...blah.

10. @trisholio, I think you're amazing for what you are doing with your foster babies. @2mamazinseattle, so glad you are enjoying time away. Every one else, I'm sending positive thoughts and happy vibes to all of you!

StacyLH24

Thank you @healz413. I appreciate all the positive thoughts we can get! I have been keeping C and my SIL posted about your and @Manada's journey and I was so happy to tell them last night about the beta results.

Manada

Hi everyone,  I'm late, but I'll play today.

1.  I had some bleeding yesterday (at 4w0d) and basically lost my mind.   It turned out to be spotting (I suspect the first bit was because I had been napping prior so more came out the first time I peed...), and thankfully it ended pretty quickly --- but it scared me, I did a lot of crying, and am wound up pretty tight and anxious today.    2nd beta is tomorrow.

2.  The internet reassures me that spotting is totally normal, and I know that too -- but it brought the vulnerability of the whole situation to the surface and reminded me acutely that IF-brain is not something that will just go away.

3.  On that note, and a bunch of others - I'm pretty sure I am going to need a new therapist.  There aren't local people to us here, but if any of you have tips on searching out a queer positive, familiar with IF, therapist - or a particular therapeutic modality you might recommend, I'd be happy to get a PM from you.  Right now I'm leaning toward a combination of Trauma therapy, CBT, and narrative therapy for what I'm thinking.

4.  On a happier note:  since the bleed I am now officially scared off sex for awhile, so I get to play this very fun "All about H" game, which I love because it's very different from our usual mutual dynamic. 

5.  Pringles were recommended by someone to stave off nausea from having too empty a stomach (a side effect of the estrace + other hormones) - they have become my new go-to snack, I'm so glad they come in little snack packs!

6.  I have so much to do today at work!  Part of me wishes I had the stamina to just pull super late nights until I'm all caught up, but I don't generally have the attention spans for that.

7.  Do any of you work Alternative-type work weeks?  I've been considering finding ways to flex my hours a bit so I can work shorter days, or take more time away from the office.   I'm considering trying a 5day/4day work-week pattern (every other friday off) -- but I worry it'll mess with the flow. 

8.  @Healz413 is the best partner in the world.  She makes breakfast and packs my lunch most days, and takes such good care of me when I need her.   I love that person so much.

9.  H. got me a confetti gun for my birthday.  It shoots glitter confetti out of it.   It is probably the best b-day present I got this year

10.  I wish I could bring my dog to work.  I somehow am convinced I would be more productive if Frannie were sleeping in my office right now....

healz413

Manada said:

10.  I wish I could bring my dog to work.  I somehow am convinced I would be more productive if Frannie were sleeping in my office right now....

except Frannie wouldn't be sleeping in your office right now. She'd be getting into everything and barking at every noise. Just saying ....

ball.and.chain

redrockmama said:

10. My midwife said I should really do some grief work about losing my stepmom before the birth or it will likely all come out during the birthing process. I realize that denial can't work forever, but I don't even know where to start. I don't think therapy would work for me. I'm open to suggestions of any of you have ideas. 

I lost my mom 10 years ago, and though it's not a fresh loss, it's obviously a significant one.  My psychiatrist (a perinatal specialist) said that having lost my mother put me at higher risk for PPD.  I'm on Prozac and will continue to be on it through delivery (because I was dx with depression while TTC, and was at risk for perinatal depression as well as PPD), so hopefully it won't be as much of an issue.  But I agree with your midwife that whatever you can do to work through it now is probably going to help you later.

Is there a reason you don't think therapy would work?  Next to meds (which doesn't sound like it is necessary in your case), therapy has one of the best things to happen to me in the last few years!  I think a grief counselor or really any compatible therapist could be a huge help.

I'm sorry you are going through this, especially so close to a time in your life that is supposed to be happy.

ball.and.chain

Manada said:

1.  I had some bleeding yesterday (at 4w0d) and basically lost my mind.   It turned out to be spotting (I suspect the first bit was because I had been napping prior so more came out the first time I peed...), and thankfully it ended pretty quickly --- but it scared me, I did a lot of crying, and am wound up pretty tight and anxious today.    2nd beta is tomorrow.

2.  The internet reassures me that spotting is totally normal, and I know that too -- but it brought the vulnerability of the whole situation to the surface and reminded me acutely that IF-brain is not something that will just go away.

I'm so sorry.  It's so effing scary.  But it really is normal and it really does happen in normal, healthy pregnancies -- including mine.

redrockmama

ball.and.chain said:

redrockmama said:

10. My midwife said I should really do some grief work about losing my stepmom before the birth or it will likely all come out during the birthing process. I realize that denial can't work forever, but I don't even know where to start. I don't think therapy would work for me. I'm open to suggestions of any of you have ideas. 

I lost my mom 10 years ago, and though it's not a fresh loss, it's obviously a significant one.  My psychiatrist (a perinatal specialist) said that having lost my mother put me at higher risk for PPD.  I'm on Prozac and will continue to be on it through delivery (because I was dx with depression while TTC, and was at risk for perinatal depression as well as PPD), so hopefully it won't be as much of an issue.  But I agree with your midwife that whatever you can do to work through it now is probably going to help you later.

Is there a reason you don't think therapy would work?  Next to meds (which doesn't sound like it is necessary in your case), therapy has one of the best things to happen to me in the last few years!  I think a grief counselor or really any compatible therapist could be a huge help.

I'm sorry you are going through this, especially so close to a time in your life that is supposed to be happy.

Thanks, sorry about your mom as well. There isn't any specific reason I don't think therapy would help. My wife is a therapist and I work for an organization that provides therapy and I've seen a therapist in the past, so it's not that I don't believe in it in general. I guess I just feel like it's something I can do on my own. I've been thinking of making some art. I just need to figure out what is safe and what isn't. I'll try therapy if I don't get anywhere by myself.