A long month

It has been an incredibly long month. It started off October 1st (as it usually does) with head colds for the boy and I. That was immediately followed by an ear infection (both of us), a sinus infection (just the boy), and the stomach flu for both of us as well. I'm happy to report that as of last Sunday we were both generally healthy. The boy still has a runny nose but nothing too bad.

I, on the other hand, was feeling the lingering after effects of the stomach flu. Vague nausea, constant sleepiness... and then Tuesday came... and AF didn't.

I POAS Tuesday night and it was immediately positive! Baby #2 should arrive in early July. I couldn't be happier.

On a side note, I think there is something wrong with me. I started craving eggs before I even knew I was pregnant. I had some on 4 different occasions during a one week period... and I HATE eggs.

Very odd craving.

The Boy

It occurs to me that it's been a while since I talked about the boy. He's been changing by leaps and bounds. His vocabulary is growing every day and he's now speaking sentences. I recently decorated his walls with blue and green polka dots and he's thrilled with them. He regularily and at random times of the day tells me "I wike it da bubbles". He ha yet to tell me he loves me but he's also started telling me "I wike it da mommy".

I was going to post a picture or two from his SECOND birthday party but I seem to have misplaced the cord to connect the camera to the computer... and it's after midnight so I'm not feeling like searching for it right now.

On the conceiving front, I'm firmly into the two week wait again. It's been over a week since I went in for IUI and I'm not feeling overly optimistic for this month. On the other hand, I went into this saying I would give it six months to try to get pregnant again so I have plenty of time yet. I did give it a time limit only because, as many of you know, it's not inexpensive to try. I would likely give it longer if I didn't already have the boy... but I could be happy having just the one.

Off to bed. I'm tired of falling asleep during the commute every day...

BFN

As I expected IUI #1 was unsuccessful.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been looking for a new donor. Originally, I had decided to go ahead with buying vials off the lady who had extra vials. After talking with her a bit I kind of had the feeling that perhaps she had changed her mind about selling but didn't really want to say. Based on that alone I would have not purchased the vials from her. During the same period I had been thinking more and more about the "weirdness factor" of knowing the mom of my childs half siblings. In the end I came to the conclusion that I feel like it's my childs decision if he ever wants to meet his half siblings. I don't think that's something that I can choose for him.

All this brought me to the decision to go ahead and call the clinic and order my new "first choice" sperm. Of course, I had to leave a message. When the woman called me back it was with the news that she had managed to location ONE additional vial of the boy's donor that she was fairly confident that the owner was interested in selling. Needless to say I'm ecstatic. As soon as the current owner of the vial signs the release form I will officially have one more try at having a full sibling for my son.

And on that note... I just remembered that I STILL haven't taken the clomid prescription that I'm supposed to start today.

How often?

How often do you actually look forward to your periods arrival? That's exactly the position I'm in right now. I peed on a stick this morning and it was VERY negative. The clinic had told me to wait until Saturday morning but as today was 15 DPO I went ahead and tested. I have every sign that it's about to start but apparently my body has decided to play tricks on me this month and gift me with the longest cycle I've had since just after I gave birth last time. CD33 and no period. I just want it to arrive so I can move on to the next try.

Would you find it weird to use the same sperm donor as people you "know"? I've met two women through a group I belong to and one of them has 4-5 extra vials of sperm in storage in my city. She is willing to sell them to me one at a time which is an added bonus, and actually her idea. Coincidentally, it was actually my first choice donor (the boys' donor has retired and I can't get any more vials) but when I went back to the site there were no longer any Canadian compliant units available. I had chosen another "first choice" which is still available. I'm just torn as to how I feel about using the donor knowing in advance about his siblings. Will the boy feel left out if the new baby has "siblings" that he doesn't?

What do you think?

The difference

that two days makes can be amazing. I got my LH surge the day of the ultrasound and went in for the IUI today.

Yes

I have been Sperminated.

On to the two week wait.

What to do?

Oh wait... I don't know. I'm currently on CD16 with no signs of a LH surge. Following the clinic instructions I called them today and told them I hadn't seen a surge after 5 negative tests (5 happened on the weekend so I called them Monday after 7 negatives). They booked me in for an ultrasound for tomorrow and sent in an order for blood work... slight problem being that when I got to the lab they had no order... for the labs I had to have done TODAY so obviously I couldn't have them done since the clinic was closed by this point. Might I also mention that I was excited because I walked into the lab and there was ONE person in the waiting room so I expected it to be a very short wait.

I left a message explaining that on the voice mail and asked them to call me in the morning.

I'm hoping the answer has to do with the unpredictable cycles I've been having. In the last 6 months I've had cycles ranging from 25 - 32 days... maybe I just haven't ovulated yet this month. Hopefully I'll have the answer tomorrow even with the missing labs.

Surprised

To say the least I'm a little surprised. I finally had my follow up appointment with my doctor on Thursday.

His response? I'm sorry for wasting your time. There was really no reason for concern.

Apparently the cyst that they were seeing on the ultrasound was present before I conceived my son. When he performed surgery 3 years ago he removed what he could of the cyst but was unable to remove the entire thing because of it's location. While it has grown back he doesn't see where it will be a problem and gave me the go-ahead to start trying next cycle. When I commented off-hand that it was too bad we just missed this cycle.

I was asked what calendar day I was on and when I replied 5... He asked me if I want to try THIS MONTH! Calendar day 5 was the absolute last day I could start the clomid so I came home from the clinic and immediately took my first dose.

Based on the cycle in which I conceived my son, I expect to be going in for an IUI approximately next Sunday.

Yay me!

Fluke?

Potty training Day 9 - The boy managed to pee on the potty at the two predictable times, first thing in the morning and right after nap, 1 success at grandma and papa's house... many pees in the pants.

Potty training Day 10 - The boy peed on the potty EVERY time I put him there. He still isn't asking to go but I can put him there on a regular basis. He did poop (not on the potty) and had one accident when we were outside playing. All in all a very successful day.

I'm hoping this was not a fluke and he actually has it down. I went and bought 2 potties from IKEA yesterday, for a whopping $3 each, I'm planning on leaving one in the car and we can take it everywhere we go. If he keeps up the good work we'll be heading down to play at the beach this week.

I've been searching for a new babysitter since mine was officially done at the end of June. I did like the lady I met today and have made arrangements to come back when she actually has kids over. I'd like to see how she is with them before I put a deposit down... using the excuse that I'd like the boy to meet the other kids just to be sure there isn't any instant dislike between them. I was completely honest with her about the fact that I'm still on a waitlist with the nearest daycare, but that I had turned down a space before because he was happy at the babysitter.

Well, it seems that my BIG boy wants my attention so I should run.

January?

Well, I got my period last week so I gave the clinic a call to make sure that everything was a go to have an IUI done. Turns out no news is NOT good news when the clinic loses your ultrasound results. Yes, I still have the cyst and now I have to go see the doctor... well that doesn't sound promising. The next available appointment is in August... no, there is nothing available at all during July, you know, since I have the entire month off.

Of course, following this news I had to google "ovarian cyst" and see what the internet has to say about it. Hmm... turns out that lower back pain I've been having that I attributed to my weight is actually a symptom... and the odd pain in my ribcage... yes, that's a symptom too.

Based on my last experience with having abnormal results, I'm estimating perhaps we'll be able to go ahead with an IUI in January assuming I'll need surgery again this time.

In other news, we're on day 3 of potty training so hopefully we'll start seeing some results soon. I'm hoping he'll pick it up rather easily and we can spend the remainder of the month doing more fun things like going to the lake, the amusement park, long walks, etc.

Enough already...

I get that your first visit to the zoo was exhausting but I'd like to go get groceries, find some new books for you and look for some Sesame Street "guys" since you love them so much... before everyone else is off work for the week.

8X8 Meme

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To:
1. A month of vacation this summer
2. Hopefully, having a second baby
3. Going to bed to finish my book
4. Travelling again at some point
5. getting started on my next _uilt
6. finishing my current _uilt
7. having a computer with a "cue" that works so I don't have to use a _ instead.
8. getting the results of my ultrasound today... maybe with a go-ahead to start trying for #2

8 Things I Did Yesterday:
1. got up
2. showered
3. made lunch (this is an accomplishment, I've been eating out way to much lately)
4. went to work
5. actually ate the lunch I took to work
6. slept on the bus on the way home
7. picked up the boy from the babysitter
8. went to bed

.... yes, it was an exciting day.

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. play an instrument (without having to practice, I play nothing)
2. lose a bunch of weight
3. bungee jump
4. move to a smaller town
5. decide what I want to be when I grow up
6. hire a maid service
7. travel around the world
8. go to Disneyland tomorrow

8 Shows I Watch
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. The Biggest Loser
3. The Amazing Race
4. Bones
5. Lost
6. House
7. ER (so it ended last month but I had watched it since it started)
8. ... whatever

8 Favorite Fruit:
1. cherries
2. grapes
3. saskatoons
4. watermelon
5. blueberries
6. pineapple
7. raspberries
8. strawberries

8 Places I'd Like to Travel:

1. across Canada
2. Norway
3. Denmark
4. Sweden
5. Africa
6. Australia
7. Scotland
8. the Netherlands

8 Places I've Lived: (I don't have 8 cities so I'll settle for 8 houses)
1. the "old" house
2. the "new" house
3. in the city
4. in a smaller city
5. in my own apartment
6. with my parents
7. in my condo
8. in my house

I was tagged by Shannon and Billy

Everyday

It's something new. I swear the boy is learning new things and saying new things every day that I didn't know he knew. We pick up the new big boy bed today and assembled it. He has been sleeping in the crib which I converted to a daybed about 2 months ago so I'm not too worried about him falling out. Plus he napped in there this afternoon and so far so good. He looks so tiny in a twin bed... it makes me sad to think he's big enough for a real bed already.

My babysitter officially told me last week that she won't be babysitting again next year. I've booked my vacation for the month of July and will spend that time doing something fun and exciting... potty training. I will get to spend the whole month home with my little bear though so it's all good.

Not much else new here. Just plugging away with the usual and working on getting some bigger projects done. Painting, fence staining and landscaping, oh my!

Today's post brought to you by the words "nice" and "apple" .
(Did anyone get the Sesame Street reference there? Brought to you by the letter U and the number 3? Yeah, I'm a dork. However, both are new words this week.)

Just waiting.

The clinic called me a couple of weeks ago. They want to monitor the cyst to make sure it's gone before they will let me start trying for baby 2. It's times like these I wish I had a hubby... if I was married I wouldn't even know that I had a cyst let alone have to wait to try for a baby.

I know it's not that long... my repeat ultrasound is booked for June 3. However, that is long enough that I will miss trying in not only May but also in June. I expect my period a couple of days after the appointment... before the clinic will receive the test results so I will have to wait until near the end of July for the next IUI.

I am trying to think ahead and get some things done around the house in the meantime. I picked up some shrubs to replace ones in front of the house that are growing too large for my taste (they're starting to cover the windows) so I've gotten a couple of lower growing ones. I also picked up stain to re-do the fence. I think it could wait until next year, however, I'm hoping to be either hugely pregnant or to have a newborn by then so I'm doing it this year. Now to keep the boy out of the way while I do it is the challenge.

Waiting. And a little wondering.

I went to the ultrasound last week. Contrary to what typically happens, the ultrasound tech told me that it looks like I have a cyst on one of my ovaries. I didn't get the impression that it was a big deal at this point but rather something that they will monitor in a couple of months to make sure it has gone away.

Regardless, it is times like that I'm very happy I decided to start looking into having children when I did.

I will admit to having moments of doubt about whether I've made the right decision about having another child. It's mostly a financial issue. I know I can do it but there is the niggling thought in the back of my mind about what I would do if I were to ever lose my job. Honestly, I can't see finding another job that pays the same. I also occasionally worry about the amount of individual attention the kids will get. Right now the boy gets my undivided attention.

I know I can do it. Really, I do. I'm not the type of person who will go ahead without being absolutely sure about that.

On another front, I have yet to hear from the woman who was trying to track down additional vials. She did tell me that she's left messages with several people and would contact me when she has news. It's now been 2 weeks so I'm going with the assumption that they will not be able to get any more. I've tentatively chosen a new donor... but I'm still hoping I'll be successful on the first try and it will be a non-issue (since I do still have the one vial left).

By my (or rather, www.mymonthlycycles.com) calculations I should be ovulating near the end of May and will go ahead with the IUI then.

Rolling along... fast

The plans for baby #2 are progressing far faster than I ever imagined they would. I visited my doctor for the physical and referral to the clinic and was called for my first appointment a mere 6 days later (it took 6 months last time). The appointment was made for 3 weeks after that. I went to that appointment and the doctor gave me the option of repeating all the tests or just going ahead and trying. I assume there wouldn't have been an option if he felt there was a need to have them repeated. I opted not to re-do them all.

He does want me to have the ultrasound done again. I was told to expect a 6 week wait to get in to have that done. You guessed it.... my appointment was made for 9 days later. At this point I'm waiting to go in for that and celebrating the arrival of my period. Odd concept. However, it means that it will be gone before I have the lovely internal ultrasound on Wednesday.

The clinic said it will take them a week to get the results and then it was just a matter of getting them read before I could have my first IUI done. Because of the timing of the ultrasound so soon after my period they will have 2 weeks to get the ultrasound read before my next period. I expect I will be trying NEXT MONTH!

On another positive note the doctor said they might be able to find me more samples to purchase. My donor has retired and has no more Canadian-compliant vials for sale. I do have one left in storage from when I conceived my son so maybe I'll get lucky and be successful on the first try this time.