LGBT Parenting

GTKY 3/28 Edition!

edited March 2014 in LGBT Parenting
Morning all! Join in!

1. What is your favorite Spring vegetable/food you are looking forward to after this long winter?
2. The thing in life you are most looking forward to right now is.... ?
3. Share a couple goals that you have right now - could be anything - but what are you working on in life? What's on your plate?
4. If you were invited to be on Ellen, what topic would you want to talk with her about? Could be about you, the world, or her...
5. What's up this weekend?

Bonus PIPs are always welcome!
Lil'mamaz was born on Aug 21, 2014! She's PERFECT!

It's been a long road to here...
Me (43) and J (45) - same sex couple. And we don't feel 40+!
June'12 - First RE Visit
Sept. '12 - Tubes removed
Dec. '12 - Donor Egg/Donor Sperm IVF Cycle - 4 good embies!
Dec. '12 - Fresh transfer, BFP! EDD 8/29/13
Mar. '13 - Missed m/c at 16w1d, baby boy stopped growing at 15w4d
Loss due to umbilical cord clot...baby was perfect. :(
Jul '13 - FET#1 - c/p
Sept. '13 - FET#2 - BFN
Dec.' 2, 2013 - FET#3 with our last chance embie - BFP!!!
Dec' 26, 2013 - hb!!
EDD 8/20/14 with a baby girl!
Little S was born on 8/21/14 - 8lb, 14 oz and 20 inches long.
We live in Seattle and used SRM for our donor egg IVF cycle


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Re: GTKY 3/28 Edition!

  • edited March 2014
    Last week got away from me so much I never answered my own GTKY! LAME! So I am going first today!

    1. What is your favorite Spring vegetable/food you are looking forward to after this long winter?
    Asparagus. We eat it almost daily. Mostly I oil it up and throw it on the grill!! LOVE!

    2. The thing in life you are most looking forward to right now is.... ?
    Hawaii on 4/16! We love Maui so much, and this trip feels SO needed for both of us - not even fro the sun (Seattle has actually had a very mild winter) - but the break from work and life will be awesome.

    3. Share a couple goals that you have right now - could be anything - but what are you working on in life? What's on your plate?
    Honestly getting out basement in order/to center is weighing on me. Dumb, but man, we were quickly becoming candidates for hoarders. It's getting there, but is a little overwhelming for sure. Secondly, we are getting rid of our chickens! Sad but true, we're ready. And J wants that dog, and I don't see that changing - so something had to give. Otherwise just, ya know, prepping for having a baby!

    4. If you were invited to be on Ellen, what topic would you want to talk with her about? Could be about you, the world, or her...
    I think a discussion on gay stuff would probably be my choice overall. If she wanted to talk about me ... hm...I don't know. I can always talk about how awesome living in Seattle is; or growing up in a funeral home; being in a tornado; owning coffeeshops in a coffee town... those probably are my best monologues/topics.

    5. What's up this weekend?

    Oy vey. I'm in Pennsylvania for the weekend - T's & P's please for my dad's quadruple bypass happening at noon EST today. Yesterday was VERY emotional as he is a giant ball of anxiety and fear. They called to move his surgery time and he flipped out. Throwing things, swearing... so when my sister and I left last night, he was "not going, it's cancelled" - and  seemed to really dig in his heels. He is just so fragile about this, a 4-hour move seemed to be the thing that sent him over the edge. However, his wife texted me at 7 a.m. that when he came to bed, he smelled like the surgical soap they required him to use...which was a HUGE relief. He's really close to his step-daughter, and she and I talked last night and had an intervention plan in case we had to but it's looking like he's making the right choice. Super rough day. I'll be glad when today is over, and hoping it just all goes as well as it can.

    Lil'mamaz was born on Aug 21, 2014! She's PERFECT!

    It's been a long road to here...
    Me (43) and J (45) - same sex couple. And we don't feel 40+!
    June'12 - First RE Visit
    Sept. '12 - Tubes removed
    Dec. '12 - Donor Egg/Donor Sperm IVF Cycle - 4 good embies!
    Dec. '12 - Fresh transfer, BFP! EDD 8/29/13
    Mar. '13 - Missed m/c at 16w1d, baby boy stopped growing at 15w4d
    Loss due to umbilical cord clot...baby was perfect. :(
    Jul '13 - FET#1 - c/p
    Sept. '13 - FET#2 - BFN
    Dec.' 2, 2013 - FET#3 with our last chance embie - BFP!!!
    Dec' 26, 2013 - hb!!
    EDD 8/20/14 with a baby girl!
    Little S was born on 8/21/14 - 8lb, 14 oz and 20 inches long.
    We live in Seattle and used SRM for our donor egg IVF cycle


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  • KH826KH826 member

    @2mamazinseattle - I will be thinking of you and your family all day. I know today is going to be a tough day for you. Buy some trashy magazines from the gift shop and an indulgent treat from the cafeteria for the waiting room (if that floats your boat!). Every person and situation is soooo different, but I will share that my paternal grandfather had a quadruple bypass when I was 9 (he was 61 at the time), and it went well and he lived for 20 years after that surgery (passing away earlier this year at the age of 81 from something unrelated). He was a horrible patient and just about drove my saint of a grandmother up the wall, but he made a full recovery. I will be hoping for the same for your father... and hopefully he will find it in himself to be a little bit better of a patient for everyone else's sake! Big hugs! :)

    OK... here are my GTKY answers...

    1. What is your favorite Spring vegetable/food you are looking forward to after this long winter?

    Well, this is truly more of a summer food, but I am going to cheat and go with it anyway. Watermelon! I mean, I buy it in small quantities all year round (but it is mega expensive when out of season and doesn't taste as good). In the spring/summer time when it becomes more affordable and super yummy my wife and I have been known to polish off 2 entire large watermelons in a week. I love it!


    2. The thing in life you are most looking forward to right now is.... ?

    Meeting baby girl!!! There is nothing else on the list even close. I can't wait to see what she looks like, snuggle her, know she is healthy, etc. I don't want to rush the next 2 months because I want her to keep growing and I want to enjoy the last little bit of time with my wife before we become 3, but really I also just can't wait to meet this baby and be a mom! Ahhh it's still so surreal.


    3. Share a couple goals that you have right now - could be anything - but what are you working on in life? What's on your plate?

    • Finish prepping for maternity leave before the end of April so that I feel 10000% comfy that should anything happen I will be ready and able to disconnect and not feel stressed or guilty (yea right! But I am working on it...)
    • This is a goal for my wife, since all of this is 90% her project(s), but I will still include it -- finish getting the house ready for baby and get settled in with all of the rooms that have been in transition (i.e. the nursery, the new dining room and the new playroom). My wife promises it will all be done before our baby shower (april 26th)... so we shall see...
    • I have a goal for the month of May to be as relaxing and easy going as possible. I plan to work from home when I need to, continue nesting at a slow/comfy pace, finalize last minute things like hospital bag and car seat install... but I also want to read and watch movies and try to sleep when I can... oh, and eat what I want. I have tried really hard to ignore cravings this pregnancy, and I think I have decided that for the last month I am going to just eat what I want. Not go "hog wild" as my mother would say, but also just enjoy the home stretch of pregnancy and give into the cravings that I have as they come.
    • My final goal is for after baby... I want to be back to my pre-TTC weight (not just pre-pregnancy) by Christmas this year. That gives me 6-7 months to get my butt in gear, and I think I can do it. I have a dress that I love to wear to holiday parties (I have shared about this dress before)... I associate this dress with when I was the happiest with my body, and I think that was my ideal weight (for the hot second that I weighed that much)... so my goal is to get into that dress for Christmas this year. It will happen! :)


    4. If you were invited to be on Ellen, what topic would you want to talk with her about? Could be about you, the world, or her...

    First of all, my wife andI are kind of obsessed with Ellen. We DVR her show everyday and watch it at night together. We joke all the time that we are going to send this or that to Ellen (we have never actually sent anything in). Everything from cute dog photos/videos of our pup, to daydreaming about being in the audience for one of her 12 days of giveaways... I would give my left arm (I am right handed HAHA) to go to a taping of Ellen.

    Anywayyyyy, I suppose I would want to split the time that I have to talk with her between 1/2 serious and 1/2 happy/funny/light-hearted. I would probably want to touch on some gay issues. I would need to show a few photos of Reese (our doggie)...oh and I guess baby girl assuming she is on the outside by then!... Maybe dance in the audience with her and play one of her silly games (Heads Up on the iPad is my favorite). Can I have a whole hour with her though? Thanks! :)


    5. What's up this weekend?

    We are going out to dinner tonight with my in-laws for my bday (rescheduled from last weekend after my wife cut her hand and ended up in the ER), Tomorrow afternoon our close friend is coming over to deliver the baby's bedding and other assorted things that her mom (the amazing seamstress I have talked about) made for us. Then she is staying and she and my wife are finally going to paint the nursery and I HOPE put the crib together. I am not sure what I am going to do with myself during this time. I would like to hang out with our friend, but I am not allowed in the nursery, and I also would like them to be super productive, so I think I should just let them be. I might use the time to go grocery shopping or run errands... So far Sunday is an open book.

    Happy Friday everyone! :)

    Me - 30, My wife - 31 , Together for 10 yrs - Married August 2012

    5 medicated IUIs w/ RE (March - July 2013) = BFN

    Fresh IVF Cycle in September 2013 resulted in 18 mature eggs, 16 fertilized, 12 made it to day 5. Transfer of 2 Grade A blastocysts on 9/15/13, and 10 embryos in the freezer!      *****BFP on 9/25/13 - betas: @10dp5dt = 232; @12dp5dt = 465; @15dp5dt = 1,581   *********William George born June 4, 2014*********
  • @2MamazInSeattle‌ I will be thinking about you, your dad, and your whole family today. I hope that it is smooth, successful, and uneventful. Sending lots of love. You deserve good.
    ****loss discussed*****

    We're queer. I'm 33, have severe stage 4 endo, and had both fallopian tubes removed. My love ("Manada" on the boards, 32) was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve. We did Partner IVF (my eggs, her uterus). We lost our twins Tavin and Casey at 21 weeks gestation.

    Our IUIs
    with @Manada: IUI# 1-7 (December 2012- September 2013) all BFN. Tried natural, femara, clomid, puregon/follistim, clomid and menopur combo, both the ovidrel and HCG triggers.

    Our IVFs:
    IVF #1 my eggs November/December 2013: Cancelled IVF due to poor response

    IVF #2 my eggs/Manada's uterus January/February 2014
    BCPs and lupron overlap Stimmed: 1/22-2/2: Bravelle and Menopur (dosage ranged from B300 and M150 to B375 and M150 to B300 and M225)
    2/4 retrieved 10 eggs. Endo was much worse than expected. Only 3 eggs fertilized; February 7 transferred two day 3 embryos, froze one. All great condition.
    BFP eve of 6dp3dt; Beta 1 (11dp3dt): 110; Beta 2 (13dp3dt): 175; Beta 3 (15dp3dt): 348; Beta 4 (19dp3dt): 2222; Beta 5 (21dp3dt): 4255
    1st ultrasound (3/6  6w 1d): TWINS!!!! Twin A measuring 6w1d with a heartbeat of 118bpm. Twin B measuring 6w0d with a heartbeat of 113bpm. 

    ***July 18, 2014 we lost our beautiful babies at 21 weeks gestation. They were born too early. Tavin Sara T. and Casey Elizabeth T. are beautiful and precious and we will love them and miss them forever.***

    FET #1 December 2014
    Intralipid infusion on Dec 10. Transfer of 1 day 3 nine-cell embryo into my uterus on Dec. 19. (acupuncture immediately before and after)
    BFP on Dec. 27; Beta 1 Jan 2 (14dp3dt): 665, Beta 2 Jan 4 (16dp3dt): 1859, Beta 3 Jan 6 (18dp3dt): 4449, Beta 4 Jan 10 (22dp3dt): 12,251.



      Lilypie Angel and Memorial tickers
  • @2MamazInSeattle‌ - thinking about you too. My dad had a triple bypass about 5-6 years ago and it was extremely scary and stressful. I'm glad you are surrounded by family. Hoping everything goes perfectly.
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  • @2MamazInSeattle‌ sending positive vibes for your family.
    Same sex couple, Married 8/6/11
    Baby Oliver born 11/27/13

    TTC stats with donor sperm...
    IUI #1 with trigger, 1/4/13 - BFN
    IUI #2 with trigger, 2/1/13 BFN
    IUI #3 with tigger, 2/28/12 BFP EDD 11/21/13
  • @2mamazinseattle Sending positive thoughts for you and your dad today. Surgery is so hard. I remember sitting and waiting for hours staring at the status screen while my stepmom was having surgery many times. If you need distractions we found this pretty hilarious earlier this week. https://distractify.com/people/kids-write-scripts-for-grown-ups/
    Wishing for a fast and easy recovery for your dad

    1. What is your favorite Spring vegetable/food you are looking forward to after this long winter?
    Well it's more of a summer food, but nothing beats a garden fresh tomato. I could just eat them like an apple. Mmmm

    2. The thing in life you are most looking forward to right now is.... ?
    Meeting our baby! I know the next 4 months are going to fly by but right now it's seems sooooo far away. Last night J and I were talking about the baby and what we are excited and nervous about. I just can't wait to see what the baby looks like and then later to see who he becomes. 

    3. Share a couple goals that you have right now - could be anything - but what are you working on in life? What's on your plate?
    1. Finish the mural for the baby room. This is a daunting task. 
    2. Finish my piece for the art exhibit by the end of May, also daunting
    3. Start making art on a regular basis. I think I may have mentioned it before, but the  more I work, the more I realize I just want to be an artist. I know it's possible, I just need to make it a priority.

    4. If you were invited to be on Ellen, what topic would you want to talk with her about? Could be about you, the world, or her...
    We also love Ellen. We don't watch her show anymore now that we don't have cable or satellite service, but we watch her stand up DVD's a lot. I don't know what I would want to talk about. I'd be interested to talk to her about her decision to eat a vegan diet. I know some hardcore vegans who are less than appreciative of how she presents as vegan and would be curious to hear from her on the topic. I think it would be fun to just be silly and/or listen to her because I think she's hilarious. I'm not nearly as funny or entertaining. 

    5. What's up this weekend?
    My dad is finally coming this weekend to do our closet. I need to finish painting our bedroom after last weekends fiasco, ugh. Sunday we'll go to yoga. I can't think of anything else we have planned. Our house needs some serious deep cleaning, decluttering and organizing so we'll probably work on that. 


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  • @2mamazinseatle - thinking about you and your family today and wishing for a smooth and successful surgery and recovery.  Keep us posted.

    1. What is your favorite Spring vegetable/food you are looking forward to after this long winter?
    Strawberries, all berries really, and come summer stone fruits (peaches, etc.)  yummm

    2. The thing in life you are most looking forward to right now is.... ?
    Meeting Owen in about 30 days.

    3. Share a couple goals that you have right now - could be anything - but what are you working on in life? What's on your plate?
    OMG, super emotional and anxious today for some reason.  Well I know the reasons, I made my to do this morning, but still I'm usually fairly upbeat even about "stressful" life things.  A few things on my to do list: finishing my real estate classes and passing my exam soon (mid to late May).  Jumping into a new career this Summer. Determining if we're selling a house (right now we're leaning toward putting Roatan on the market, it can take over a year to sell there). Needing to rent our CA house in April/May when our current tenants move out. Finishing my MBA Capstone before end of April. My best friend growing up (we've known each other since kindergarten is visiting April 8th!!  And of course wrapping up 1000 things before Owen's arrival (homebirth supplies, etc.). Plus getting some good quality time in with EV and Kaden just the three of us.

    4. If you were invited to be on Ellen, what topic would you want to talk with her about? Could be about you, the world, or her...  
    Gay issues definitely and family life.

    5. What's up this weekend?
    Today Kaden and I are heading to a consignment fair in San Mateo.  Our goal is to find 3T clothes for him.  Yup with his cloth dipes he's definitely a 3T at 20months.... Even in regular dipes some of the 2T clothes don't fit...  Pants will be a little long but EV will hem them.
    Saturday we're going to lunch at a friends new house in Marin County.  She and EV were former co-workers. I'm excited to see her place.
    Sunday I'm working in the city doing my driving gig.  I'm not looking forward to it now (because I'd rather spend our last free weekend together just the three of us).  But I love it, I'm sure I'll be happy once I get there :-)
  • 1. Oh God. Well really I just generally get excited about being able to eat local stuff and shop at the farmer's market, which doesn't even open here until around Memorial Day. I love rhubarb, which is generally an early spring thing, but since I can technically get it year-round (and it still tastes pretty good in the winter), it doesn't feel as special in the spring (I do eat a whole lot more of it when it's local though). Ditto, sort of, for asparagus, although the fresh local stuff IS better. So I'm going to go with native strawberries, because they are NOTHING like the big fatties you get in the store year-round, and they really are only available for a month or so in May and June. I generally gorge on them when they are around because I know my window is small.

    2. Um, meeting our son? Like KH said, nothing can really come close to that at this point.

    3. Getting ready for Mr. Baby is really taking up most of our free time. My wife is in nesting mode and has plans to re-grout and paint in our guest (soon to be baby) bathroom while we are waiting for our nursery-rehab supplies to arrive and the electricians to re-wire in there. We also have two closets (coat closet in our front hall and a utility/kitchen overflow closet) that need to be re-organized. Those are the major house projects; we are also working on overhauling our diet to be a little less carby and a little higher in protein (for both our benefits) and to get some more exercise (together and separately).

    4. Oh, I have no idea. I don't think I'd be very interesting on TV! I'd let Ellen drive the conversation.

    5. Kind of busy. Haircut tomorrow followed by tea/coffee date with a friend. Home for lunch, meal planning, errands, nap? Then dinner out with friends. On Sunday I have yoga and possibly dinner with the family. I'd like to start tackling one of the closets I mentioned above, but I tend to run out of steam quickly these days.
    Married my wife 8/2007 ~ TTC #1 since 7/2011
    9 IUIs = 9 BFNs
    IVF October 2012: 22 eggs retrieved, 17 fertilized, 5 frozen
    ET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Blighted ovum discovered at 7w5d; D&E
    FET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Missed m/c discovered at 9w5d; D&E
    Karyotyping: normal ~ RPL Testing: normal ~ Hysteroscopy: normal
    FET #2: 1 blast transferred 10/25; BFP 10/31!
    EDD 7/13/14 ~ Induced at 37w4d due to pre-eclampsia ~ Born on 6/28/14
    *Everyone welcome*

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  • rkborkbo member
    1. What is your favorite Spring vegetable/food you are looking forward to after this long winter?

    I am not a huge vegetable fan. I try to eat what I can, but I'm sure I don't get enough veggies. I do love Brussel Sprouts though. My wife hates them, so I don't ever cook them. Lol

    2. The thing in life you are most looking forward to right now is.... ?

    GETTING PREGNANT! We are on our 3rd IUI and we have told ourselves that we will cap out at 6. 

    3. Share a couple goals that you have right now - could be anything - but what are you working on in life? What's on your plate?

    Selling my current condo and buying my wife and I's forever home. We are in the process of looking for a new place to move once she is back from working in Vegas. She should be home at the end of June or mid July. We will probably rent an apartment or house for about 6 -12 months so that we can save save save for a bigger down payment. 

    4. If you were invited to be on Ellen, what topic would you want to talk with her about? Could be about you, the world, or her...

    I was in the audience for one of Ellen's 12 days of christmas shows before! It was sooooo much fun. She is such a nice person. Considering I HATE being the center of attention, I would never ever in my life want to be on a talk show...but put me in the audience where there is fun dancing and great music and I'm game! 

    5. What's up this weekend?

    My wife is home for the weekend! I'm so excited. :) Today I am 9 & 10 dpiui so I will start peeing on sticks tonight when my wife gets home. Its been a tough week waiting for her to get home, I usually start testing on day 7ish. We are going to a Jennifer Nettles concert in LA tomorrow night and Sunday she is playing in our playoff hockey games. It will be fun to watch and root the team on. 
  • 1. Mmmm... Grilled asparagus sounds heavenly. Our spring FTM share started last week and so far it's a LOT of greens. I love greens, but I can only eat so much in a week! I'm struggling to figure out what to do with it all. We've been giving whatever we don't cook to our friend's chickens, but that's some pricy chicken feed!

    2. So excited for my mom and stepdad to visit next weekend. And then my sister is visiting the next weekend. And THEN Z's mom will be staying with us for a couple weeks. Stressful for me, actually, but will make Z super happy, so that makes me happy. I'm also looking forward to a fat raise soon when I'm officially promoted. :D

    3. Transitioning into a director level position at work, BF until at least one year, and saving up for a down payment are my current goals.

    4. I think we could chat about our vegan diet. @redrockmama‌ - that's interesting. I don't identify as "a vegan" usually, though, because I think veganism is a political identity that I don't adhere to completely. I try to say that I eat a vegan diet instead. Anyway, mentioning that to say that I've never thought about how she presents as vegan in a negative way, but maybe it's because I'm not "hardcore." You've made me curious!

    5. I have to do Z's taxes. Should have been done a long time ago but we "lost" one of her W2s and had to get it replaced. Then home study Saturday afternoon. I'm trying not to focus on how insulting this whole process is and just get through it so that Z's relationship to Ash is every bit as legal as mine. And hopefully I can rest, but that's probably just wishful thinking. I'm going to have to take work home with me. Yech. Hope everyone has a good weekend!
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  • 2momsinCA2momsinCA member
    edited March 2014

    1. I'm like @jazibel, I love strawberries and the ones I bought at the farmers market last week and this week have been perfection! I love stone fruit too and I'm looking forward to eating more than my daily apples.

    2. We just got tix to an event next week that benefits trangender youth with Tig Notaro, Zach Galifinakis, and Patton Oswalt. Which is pretty awesome especially since we have managed to do very little going out at night since I got pregnant. I'm glad I'm finally feeling like I have the energy to do something like this and I know we need to take advantage of going out while we still can.

    3. Our huge goal is to tackle the nursery. It is currently a spare bed room with all the various baby stuff we've acquired thrown on the bed and floor. Its awful. We need to get rid of the bedroom furniture, move in the baby furniture, clean out the closet, organize the whole space. Its an undertaking and since I can't do any lifting I think it will mostly have to wait until my sister can come up and help K with the bigger stuff. It will feel so good when that is done!

    4. As far as Ellen goes, I would talk to her about anything! K and I have been fortunate enough to be in the audience at Ellen twice and it was a blast both times. @rkbo- one of those times was for 12 days of giving too! It was the "tech and gadget" giveaway for Xmas 2012. Pretty awesome! I know she's an animal lover and perhaps she would be amused by silly stories about my goofball dogs.  

    5. This weekend involves us attending my cousin's baby shower. She accidentally got pregnant wit her husband before they were officially trying, which is just lovely for us to know given our journey. This weekend's event will feature 35 or so of the girliest girls with extensions and acrylic nails over in a very conservative suburb of Los Angeles. K and I will make the most of it! K at least can drink wine...

    A & K, married 7/1/13.

    After 10 months of ttc via medicated IUIs and two early losses, we finally got our boys- Perfect premie twins born 5/27/14.

     

     

  • @atxmommas It's just the hardcore vegans (my sister included) that take issue I think. I know plenty of vegans that do so for reasons besides animal cruelty and they are far less black and white about it. A while ago Ellen talked on her show about eating eggs from backyard chickens. The hardcore folk didn't like it too much and already doubted that she led a vegan lifestyle as opposed to just eating a vegan diet. So not that she presents veganism negatively, just not accurately, in their opinion. I was vegan for a few months and it was so hard. I could do the diet again, but everything else just made me feel like a hypocrite all the time. 


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  • rkborkbo member
    @2momsinCA the show I went to was a techy one too, I want to say it was way back in 2006/2007. We got the new and improved 80gig ipod video, itunes cards, a portable ipod video player and an ipod radio player. It was weird, I was going with a friend and I woke up the morning of show and texted my friend and told her I had a dream that we were going to get electronics...and it came true! When we were at the show and she started naming off all of our gifts, my friend and I turned and looked at eachother and just screamed like giddy little girls, LOL it was so funny. Where in CA are you? 
  • rkborkbo member
    2MamazInSeattle Where in Maui do you guys normally stay? My wife and I have been twice and we absolutely love it there! For our honeymoon we actually stayed at the Sunseeker in their Penthouse suite with Jacuzzi on the patio. FUN FUN FUN!
  • 1.) Strawberries, although in Canada those are a summer, not spring thing. I'm not actually sure what are spring things in Canada. I think it's time to talk to @Manada about whether we want to do a produce box this year.

    2.) Even though it is hopefully 6.5-7 months away, our twins, obviously! In the meantime, I'm looking forward to our 11w ultrasound and our 12 week NT scan. Hopefully those will show babies that are continuing to grow on track with strong heartbeats and then we'll announce more than we have. Also, yesterday M and I decided that we'll go to Chicago in a couple of weeks for a couple of days to see my family. Because we can't get travel pregnancy insurance for her (becauce a twin pregnancy is considered high risk), we won't be able to go to Chicago at all this summer because the risk of pre-term labor is too significant.

    3.) Finish my dissertation. That is absolutely the big one.
    Related to that is getting one or two articles published in academic journals so that when I do finish my dissertation, I might actually be hireable.
    Shorter term-- getting rid of a lot of our stuff to make room for the babies and with that re-organizing our storage and furniture and all that jazz.
    Shorter term than that-- doing our taxes
    Shortest term-- sending out our Love Party thank you cards. Yes, it was June 15, 2013. We know we suck. Infertility has been a signifcant factor in their lateness but most people won't know that and won't understand. Here's hoping if folks receiving them get all judgey, we never find out about it.

    4) Love this question!!
    If I actually got to choose the topic and Ellen would talk about anything I wanted to, I'd probably consult with some AIDS activists (which is where my activism background is) to find out one particular, important issue that they thought having a bunch of people calling Congress or the President about would actually help. And I"d talk to Ellen about that (and ask her to bring on a current activist on the issue to talk about it, too).
    If we were talking about me, I would make the topic about our journey with infertility and I would selfishly hope that in addition raising awareness about infertility, the segment would result in Ellen giving us a minivan and possibly a check. :)

    5.) I'm babysitting this evening. Tomorrwo morning we're going to a used baby items sale run by the local chapter of a parents of multiples group. Then I have indoor baseball practice. Don't know what else we'll do. Maybe some thank you cards. :)

    ****loss discussed*****

    We're queer. I'm 33, have severe stage 4 endo, and had both fallopian tubes removed. My love ("Manada" on the boards, 32) was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve. We did Partner IVF (my eggs, her uterus). We lost our twins Tavin and Casey at 21 weeks gestation.

    Our IUIs
    with @Manada: IUI# 1-7 (December 2012- September 2013) all BFN. Tried natural, femara, clomid, puregon/follistim, clomid and menopur combo, both the ovidrel and HCG triggers.

    Our IVFs:
    IVF #1 my eggs November/December 2013: Cancelled IVF due to poor response

    IVF #2 my eggs/Manada's uterus January/February 2014
    BCPs and lupron overlap Stimmed: 1/22-2/2: Bravelle and Menopur (dosage ranged from B300 and M150 to B375 and M150 to B300 and M225)
    2/4 retrieved 10 eggs. Endo was much worse than expected. Only 3 eggs fertilized; February 7 transferred two day 3 embryos, froze one. All great condition.
    BFP eve of 6dp3dt; Beta 1 (11dp3dt): 110; Beta 2 (13dp3dt): 175; Beta 3 (15dp3dt): 348; Beta 4 (19dp3dt): 2222; Beta 5 (21dp3dt): 4255
    1st ultrasound (3/6  6w 1d): TWINS!!!! Twin A measuring 6w1d with a heartbeat of 118bpm. Twin B measuring 6w0d with a heartbeat of 113bpm. 

    ***July 18, 2014 we lost our beautiful babies at 21 weeks gestation. They were born too early. Tavin Sara T. and Casey Elizabeth T. are beautiful and precious and we will love them and miss them forever.***

    FET #1 December 2014
    Intralipid infusion on Dec 10. Transfer of 1 day 3 nine-cell embryo into my uterus on Dec. 19. (acupuncture immediately before and after)
    BFP on Dec. 27; Beta 1 Jan 2 (14dp3dt): 665, Beta 2 Jan 4 (16dp3dt): 1859, Beta 3 Jan 6 (18dp3dt): 4449, Beta 4 Jan 10 (22dp3dt): 12,251.



      Lilypie Angel and Memorial tickers
  • @2MamazInSeattle I hope everything went well today. I was thinking of you.

    1) I'm not sure I can pick just one. We get a CSA year-round, but the winter ones are only every other week and they can get a little sparse. I'm looking forward to new fresh vegetables every week!

    2) A BFP. Also, our upcoming trip to Puerto Rico! We finally booked flights and a place to stay.

    3) I want to level my floors. They are very uneven now everywhere except the kitchen and bathroom.

    4) I've also been in the audience for Ellen. I would not want to be on the show. I'm definitely not interesting enough to warrant being on her show, and I would hate the attention.

    5) Work. Also a baby shower for my Spanish teacher. I wonder if I'll be expected to speak in Spanish the whole time...

    Me: 28 DW: 28

    Together since 5/30/02. Married since 8/31/08

    IUI#1 - 12/13/13 = BFN

    IUI#2 - 1/22/14 = BFN

    IUI#3 - 2/21/14 = BFN

    IUI#4 - 3/23/14

  • @rkbo we live in Long Beach. We screamed like little girls too when each prize was announced. We didn't end up keeping much of it (either sold it or gave it as Christmas presents) but it was still incredible and we were so happy to be there. Where in CA do you live?

    A & K, married 7/1/13.

    After 10 months of ttc via medicated IUIs and two early losses, we finally got our boys- Perfect premie twins born 5/27/14.

     

     

  • rkborkbo member
    @2momsinCA Laguna Hills right now, but will be moving to Long Beach/Lakewood area in the next few months! 
  • 1. Ditto on local asparagus and strawberries. I discovered ramps a couple of years ago. Since they are only sold for a couple of weeks each spring here, they seem like a treat. I can't wait to make April Bloomfield's ramp butter.

    2. Looking forward to renovation of our bathroom. It has been in a tragic state for almost two years while we were deciding what to do-put just a little money to make it passable or entire gut. Now I hate the current state so much there was no choice but to redo it all. Spending many hours searching decor ideas helps keep my mind off TTC too. 

    3. I haven't felt energized lately to meet new goals, even though I always have a long list of projects I want to tackles. I blame it on late winter doldrums that are common for me every year. Once spring starts I will be excited to think about what's new in my garden this year. 

    4. Quite a number of NPR stories focused on women during my commute today-Jimmy Carter has a new book about discrimination and violence against women, 2 women running for mayor of Paris which will be an historic first, and the President of the IMF was interviewed about different countries' economic policies towards women. Today, I would want to talk with Ellen about these important issues-but that would make for a pretty serious discussion. I once read she is really into decorating her home-maybe she can give me bathroom design advice. 

    5. Watching NCAA basketball right now. I am scheduled to work this weekend, so not much planned other than that. 
     TTC at age 37
    Feb '14: Unmedicated IUI=BFN
    March '14: Ovidrel + IUI=BFN
    April '14: Ovidrel + IUI=BFN
    May '14: Clomid, Ovidrel, Prometrium+IUI=BFN
    June '14: Ovidrel, prometrium+IUI=BFN
    Aug '14: Letrezole, Ovidrel, prometrium +IUIx2=BFN
    Oct '14: Letrezole, Ovidrel, prometrium+IUI=BFN
    Nov '14: Letrezole, Ovidrel +IUI
  • 1. What is your favorite Spring vegetable/food you are looking forward to after this long winter?

    Little spring sugar snap peas are my dead-on favorite.  But in Hawaii those are all shipped in, which makes me sad.  I like all green things, though, so that is fun.  
    2. The thing in life you are most looking forward to right now is.... ?

    I want DW to have a really successful IVF.  I want to get started on that and see little heartbeats on the screen ASAP.  
    3. Share a couple goals that you have right now - could be anything - but what are you working on in life? What's on your plate?
    • Complete a bunch of new products for my etsy shop.  This is mostly for fun.
    • Make shelves for our bare kitchen wall, frame pic for that wall, hang the shelves, decorate, the wall, etc. 
    • Clean the house today.  Why does it get so crazy?  Oh, that's right, the four of us crashing around like crazy things.  Two adults, an 11 year old, two dogs and a 1 year old boy make a lot of clutter.  And dirt.  Our house is about 1000 square feet, which is great, but it gets a lot of traffic. 
    4. If you were invited to be on Ellen, what topic would you want to talk with her about? Could be about you, the world, or her...

    I adore Ellen, but I can't think what I'd say to her.  I could build a coffee table with her.  That would probably be funny.  Then she could dance over it. 

    5. What's up this weekend?
    We are going swimming this morning (at the Y, not the beach), then just hanging out.  It will be fun to just hang out with DW.  The big kid is at a sleepover, so it will be kind of "grownups only." Except for the toddler.  :)

    Bonus PIPs are always welcome!

    Here's the little dude this week.  His favorite things are hoses and heavy objects and bikes.  He likes to carry hammers around (and, shhhhh, I let him).  He was enjoying reaching into this drain hole and pulling out leaves and rubbish.  


    Image and video hosting by TinyPic

    CageyMack
    37, married to my favorite person in the world, DW! One darling surfer-girl (12) and one darling, sweet boy born 3/16/13.

    5/2013 Started TTC #3, DW's turn: 5/2013: Diagnostics (shg) and surgery (polyp rem.) for best chances. July-Oct: IUI # 1-4, medicated, monitored, triggered.  All BFN. IVF in Jan May. Sheesh. Whoop! IVF#1 cycle started 4/2/14. 5/1: 19 eggs retrieved, 8 matured, ICSI'd.  4 fertilized.   Only 2 to transfer/freeze stage. 5/6: Two embryos transferred. 5/15: Beta #1 9dp5dt is 134! BFP! 5/19: Beta #2 13dp5dt is 672! B'erFP! 5/21: Beta #3 15dp5dt is 1853.  Yay!


    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker



    "Things separate from their stories have no meaning. They are only shapes. Of a certain size and color. A certain weight. When their meaning has become lost to us they no longer have even a name. The story on the other hand can never be lost from its place in the world for it is that place.” ― Cormac McCarthy, The Crossing

  • 1. What is your favorite Spring vegetable/food you are looking forward to after this long winter?
    Last year we discovered scapes which are the tops of garlic plants. They taste buttery and oniony and garlicky and they are delicious.

    2. The thing in life you are most looking forward to right now is.... ?
    A BFP (ha ha...our forever dream)... That's the biggest. Besides that....maybe getting my house organized and under control!


    3. Share a couple goals that you have right now - could be anything - but what are you working on in life? What's on your plate?
    1) Spring Cleaning! 2) Finishing my weight loss program and moving on to a more personalized one


    4. If you were invited to be on Ellen, what topic would you want to talk with her about? Could be about you, the world, or her...

    Oh man! So much! I love Ellen and I love playing games and dancing. I would make want to cook and do all the things on her show...I would also want to talk with her about anything!

    5. What's up this weekend? C's sister is in town so we are hanging out with her...it's been pretty chill and fun so far!

    Bonus PIPs are always welcome!

    Here is a PIP of my most recent tattoo (this one is #4).

    Queer coupled and having a BABY with the love of my life! Love my life and wouldn't have it any other way!
    First IUI 1/22/2013 BFN: 2/7/2013, Second IUI 2/21/2013 BFN: 3/9/2013, Third IUI 4/23/2013 BFN: 5/8/2013, Fourth IUI 5/24/2013 BFN: 6/7/2013, Fifth IUI 6/24/2013 BFN: 7/8/2013

    C began IUI's
    7/23/2013 C's first IUI BFN, 8/21/2013 C's second IUI BFN , Took a break in September and October, 11/05/2013 C's 3rd IUI (TWW...we meet again...) BFN, Took off the month to switch to an RE. 01/01/2014 C's 4th IUI...BFP!!!!!!!! Beta #1- 17, Beta #2- 34, Beta #3-140....  6W Ultra-Sound Reveals nothing in Gestation Sack... Natural M/C at 7W, 2/3/2014

    03/21/2014 IUI #10...BFP!!! Beta #1- 48, Beta #2- 416, Beta #3- 1018. GROW BABY GROW!!!

    1st Ultrasound 4/22/2014 Baby Squints is PERFECT! Measuring at 6w2d with a heartbeat of 129. EDD: 12/12/14.

    Ultrasound at 18 weeks on 7/14/2014. Baby is healthy and growing just as she should!

     

    Check out my blog at: http://journeytoparenthoodandmakingmilk.blogspot.com/

     

    image

     

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