Confirmed.

By Fertility Friend.. but I was a day off.

Which is okay by me, looks like I ovulated Saturday and we had great timing.

That's all that matters.

Today is CD 16 - 3 DPO.

Hooray!

One week... should I do it? Should I count down to 10DPO? 

Or should I vow off early-testing - again?

Should I bring tests with us to Port A, or wait til we get home?

Oh, decisions, decisions.

I'm just happy to see such a beautiful chart this cycle!!

Hello, Monday

Today's not going too bad, for it being Monday and all.

-I didn't have to kick my husband to get him out of bed this morning, which means it was very easy for me to fall back asleep after he woke up (hooray!). 

-There was NO LINE at Starbucks this morning, which was wonderful since I was running a few minutes behind (because I was able to fall back asleep?). :)

-I got a call from my tied-for-second-favorite place on earth (first being home with hubby, other tied-for-second being Starbucks).. a nice lady from Archiver's called to let me know that I won their weekly drawing!! WOOHOO. Free gift from Archiver's.. what could be better? 

-Also.. I was able to get an appointment with another surgeon to discuss my fibroadenoma situation. Luckily, the new dr had an available appointment the same day I would've met with the old dr so I didn't have to change my day off. I took that as a sign I was meant to switch doctors after all. 

As for the baby-making adventure... I am fairly certain I ovulated yesterday. Now I am just waiting for FF to confirm that notion. I had what I think were ovulation pains both Saturday and Sunday.. and then today, there's nothing. No pains, no CF. And a high temp. We'll see what happens over the next few days.

I know I said I had stocked up on OPKs (which I did) but for some reason I only tested twice this month. I have no idea how, but I kept on forgetting!! 

Forgetting!! 

Did you hear that? I forgot to OPK. 

I had been testing 2x a day for at least a week each cycle.. and I was always looking at the time of day in reference to when I test next. But this time, this cycle, I forgot. Everyday. 

How wonderful its been to not be 254% consumed by obsessive-compulsive TTC behaviors. 

So.. I kind of wish I had OPK results to back up my feeling that I Oed yesterday, but on the other hand - we've been able to just have fun during the fertile window and go about our lives without stressing and worrying every hour of every day. Its been nice. I don't know how or why that happened this go round, but I'm certainly not complaining!

Another great thing about this month, the 2ww should be coming to and end over the Thanksgiving weekend. This year we will be in Port Aransas with the IL's so I am hoping that I will be so distracted while we are at the coast with the whole family, that I won't be obsessive-compulsive about early testing either! How wonderful would that be?!

Here's to November ending with a wonderful announcement (if not for me, than hopefully one of you!!). 

Hope all is well with everyone!

Its getting to be about that time...

We are on Cycle Day 10. 

Of our previous 5 trying cycles, my soonest ovulation day was on CD12 (that was the wonky, super short cycle during a very stressful time that made me stress even more because I started to worry about my LP length!) and my latest ovulation day was CD17. 

Today is 10.

I went this morning to stock up on OPKs.. so I am ready to start that fun again tomorrow. 

I decided this time I would go with the digital smiley's. Ovulating makes me smile all on its own.. so I thought maybe it would be fun to have something else smiling with me. :)

I am very eager to enter that window of opportunity.

I am very hopeful about what this cycle may mean for us.

I am very ready to see 2 lines in about 2 1/2 weeks.

But I am trying to keep my feet planted firmly on the ground.

That's hard to do for me right now, but I have to at least try.

I cannot start thinking I deserve this (though deep down I do think that). I am not any more deserving than the next, than someone else in my exact same shoes, or than someone worse off than me. I am not any more deserving now than I was 1, 2, 5 months ago.. despite what we faced last month. "Deserving" has nothing to do with this.. and I have to remind myself of that.

All we can do be patient, be hopeful, and press on.

And temp, and chart, and BD, and pray, and wait, and pray, and test, and pray.

And then we'll just go from there.

That's all we can do.

But, I'm still excited. And eager. And hopeful. And ready. 

All I wanted was a little Me-Time.

That's all.

I am almost ashamed to even admit this, but I think it may be too funny to pass up.
Keep in mind, as you read this, that I am usually a sensible gal. Also, that I have had a very stressful few months, and that my master bath has been out of commission since February.

I love to take baths.
Long, steaming hot, sometimes with bubbles.. I love baths.
We bought our house in January, ripped up our bathroom in February.
That allowed for 3, maybe 4 baths.
I need baths to stay sane sometimes... even more than I need coffee.

My wonderful, loving husband finished the tile work in our bathroom a couple weeks ago.
Tonight is Monday Night Football (read: hubby not home).
I thought tonight would be the perfect night for getting reacquainted with my old friend, the jacuzzi tub. I've missed him so. (Yes, he's a him).
Sooo.. I stopped for some very unhealthy fast food for dinner on my way home. I watched my DVR'ed Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters, and I went to take my bath. I even skipped my ice cream nightcap for a bath tonight. (That's a huge sacrifice.)
Since the tub hadn't been used in so long, I filled it up with cold water (so as not to waste the hot) and ran the jets for a few minutes... to clean everything out.
Then, very excitedly, I drained the cold and filled the tub with beautiful, wonderful, steaming hot water.
But ya know, that wasn't enough for this epic reunion. I wanted to add some bath salts.
Where, oh where, did the bath salts go?? I couldn't have used them up since February.. that's impossible.. I haven't taken a bath since then. Oh well, these bubbles will do.
Poured me a cap full of bubble bath in the tub, dimmed the lights, and turned the jets on to 15 minutes.
I climbed in and slid down far enough that I was submerged in this wonderfully hot water from the neck down. Leaned my head back on my bath pillow and closed my eyes.
Aaaaahhhhh. This is wonderful. I so love Monday Night Football.
About 13 seconds later, I feel bubbles nearing my mouth.
Opened my eyes.
Sweet Jesus - what in the bloody hell was I thinking????!!!
BUBBLES EVERYWHERE!!!!

And when I say "everywhere", sadly, I am not exaggerating. There is a least a 1 foot wall of bubbles in front of me. Overflowing onto the floor, into the shower pan (since the glass enclosure has not been installed), up the wall.. bubbles. are. everywhere.

I panicked for just a moment, then laughed, then wanted to kick myself in the bum.

I had to have known this would happen.

I did know! In fact, we discussed this just before our first bath in the new house. Bubbles and jets don't mix.. I KNEW THAT!

So, I started draining the tub. 

I had to continue shoveling bubbles into the shower pan, into the sinks, off the floor.. it was a mess.

It took me well over 30 minutes to get the bubbles under control and the tub rinsed free of all bubble residue.

Or so I thought.

I pleaded with God to let there be enough hot (hell, I'd settle for just warm) water left to fill the tub one more time. I got a good 2/3 of the tub full before I ran out of hot water, and I decided that would do. Turned the jets on again... and more bubbles.

It wasn't nearly as catastrophic as my first bubble encounter, but there were definitely bubbles far beyond my comfort level.

I settled in as best I could and tried to enjoy my luke-warm bath. Laughing at myself all the while.

I am such an idiot.

But I am so glad my husband did not return home to find me stark naked wrestling with a mountain (a mountain) of bubbles.

I debated not even telling him about the ordeal, because I know I will never live this down, but his first question upon coming home was, "How was your bath?".

My answer, "Fucking Fantastic!" As he looked at me with a puzzled look on his face, I just busted out laughing. He followed me into the bathroom and found that there were still bubbles standing about 8 inches tall in the shower pan. 

He didn't even have to ask what happened. All he did was laugh. Hysterically, I might add.

As I explained just how bad the bubbles were, I think he was struggling to catch his breath he was laughing so hard.

His only response, "I'm sorry to have missed that."

Yeah, I'm sure you are. 

I'm such an idiot.

I would say to let this be a lesson to you, but I really feel as though I am the only person in the history of the universe dumb enough to make such a mistake. 

What was I thinking?

So much for my wonderful, relaxing bath night.

CD1

And I can honestly say, this is the first time I have ever been eager and excited to see AF... even before we were officially TTC, it wasn't something I necessarily looked forward to.

So here we are.. back at it.
Counting days, waking up to temp, monitoring and making note of every twinge and twitch and notion, getting excited and anxious and hopeful and.. well, you know, you've been there.
I'm very happy and grateful to be here again!!

Let me talk for a moment about my booby, please. ;)
I participated in the Komen Austin Race for the Cure on Sunday. This was my 3rd year walking in support of Kimberly Ellis, our team captain. She is a good friend's mother who was diagnosed in 2006 and then again this summer. She had a lumpectomy the first time, followed by chemo and radiation. Coming up on her second anniversary in remission, she was rediagnosed with the same type of breast cancer, but at a more advanced level. This time she underwent a double mastectomy and is currently in chemo again. She is such an inspiration to all of us who know her, just by her sheer determination to beat this evil disease. She has always stayed so faithful and hopeful and positive, and even been the one to dry our tears from time to time. She is such a strong woman, and I am honored to be able to walk with her for this cause each year.

There aren't a whole lot of people who know about what Andy and I faced the last couple months, but Kimberly is definitely someone who I was eager to discuss it with. I wanted her opinion on what was going on, and what we were being told, and I trusted she would be able to point me in the right direction and ease some of my fears.
That she did. And she also directed me to one particular woman's story to gain a little perspective. The woman she told me about is trying to put a younger face on cancer and make people aware of the fact that cancer does not discriminate based on age! This woman was concerned with a lump she found herself when she was in her young 20's. Her doctor brushed it off saying it was likely a cyst. She soon got pregnant, and revisited the issue with her doctor. This time she was told it was just a part of normal changes breasts go through during pregnancy. Same kind of thing when she was nursing and done nursing - don't worry, you're so young, it's just this or just that. Eventually she insisted on a mammogram, to which the doctor commented that he would be laughed at for ordering at her age, but sadly her fears were true. She had a very advanced stage of breast cancer, with a young toddler at home.
I know that I am BLESSED to be dealing with only a benign tumor, but one thing Kimberly wanted me to remember from this story is to go with my heart. If I am not fully confident in what I am being told by my doctor (in this case, my surgeon) I have every right, and I owe it to myself, to seek a second opinion. I have never really been at peace with the way our surgeon consult went, and after talking to Kimberly and reading this other woman's story, I know I need to dig a little deeper. I will be calling tomorrow to get referred to another surgeon, and one that specializes in breast conditions. I deserve to speak to a doctor who can put my mind at ease and explain the reasoning behind his/her opinion, not one who speaks from his pedestal or makes us feel like our questions aren't valid.
We will be keeping our Dec16 ultrasound appointment, unless I can get in to speak with another surgeon before then that wants to start us down a different path.
Please wish us luck that the next surgeon has a little more compassion and that we can be put at ease over all we have on our plate. We are feeling better about things already, just knowing that we aren't letting ourselves be pushed into a decision. We'd like to request a lumpectomy, so now we just hope the next surgeon can explain his/her opinion on the matter much more effectively, regardless of what that opinion may be. If this surgeon can give us a good explanation for leaving this thing in my body, then we'll feel better about that. But if we are met with opposition once more, based on a shoulder shrug and "chances are" statement, we'll be looking into a third opinion.

And yes, we will still be TTC this month. :)

Jumping back on the wagon....

I am so excited!!
After almost 6 super crazy weeks, Andy and I are once again confident enough in our situation to hop back on the TTC train! It was an agonizing decision when we first decided we were ready to try back in May, but once we realized that now was the time - we got soo excited about starting our journey. We endured 5 cycles with no success, and in that time learned a lot about hope and patience, disappointment and perseverance. When our plans were sidelined by my terrible annual exam, we were crushed. We knew that it would be best to follow doctor's orders and postpone our plans for a while, but that was the last thing in the world we wanted to do.
We had mentally prepared ourselves for it to be at least a couple cycles before everything was resolved - but much to our surprise and amazement, after 5 1/2 short (read: looooong) weeks, we are in a much better position than we ever imagined to be this soon.

It was kind of strange to be back in a position discussing whether or not now is the right time to TTC. Who would have ever guessed that after our first exciting decision in May, that we'd be back at square one before we even had our first BFP. But, here we are.... once again "starting" our journey.
I've thought about convincing myself to wipe my slate clean.. tell myself this is the beginning, cycle 1. Maybe that would put me in a mindset where I am more relaxed about the whole process, just "having fun" or "seeing what happens". But, unfortunately, once one's naivety is shattered, there's no going back. As much as I'd like to treat this like Cycle 1, it still feels like Cycle 6.
I still remember how much it surprised me (and pained me) to see that first BFN, after we knew we did everything right. I still remember how much more the second cycle's BFN hurt than the first. I still remember convincing myself that third time would be the charm. I remember that Cycle 3 was the first one where I was tortured with phantom PG symptoms - where every twitch, every headache, every ping or pain or thought all led to "This is it - I just know it happened this time!". Cycle 4 was hard for me to be as hopeful as before, yet as each day of my 2ww passed, I got more and more excited - only to once more be let down. Cycle 5 was easier than 4, I had really worked on not becoming bitter and fearful and just living in the moment - then at 3dpo, everything collapsed around me.
I became so conflicted about how I felt that cycle should turn out. It was so hard to go from trying to get pregnant one week to worrying about what getting pregnant would mean for my health the next. A few days into the booby-drama, I told myself it would be okay this one time if we got a BFN. I told myself not to be upset if we failed this time.. because we had other things we needed to worry about. But still, seeing that BFN absolutely broke my heart.
With that negative test, it became time to postpone our dreams. I really struggled with putting my hopes and plans and fate in someone else's hands, and I really worried about how those 2 health issues would play out. October was a terribly emotional and trying time for us.. but we made it through.
I am happy to bid October good-bye and I really look forward to what November holds for us. Cycle 6 should start in the next few days.. and I am SO HAPPY to say that we are TTC once again. I will miss not having to wake up and temp everyday, and it has been kinda nice to not worry about OPK's - but I will gladly pick those rituals back up again. And no, I cannot go into this half-heartedly and just "see what happens". If we are TTC, then for my own sanity, I need to do whatever it takes to feel in control of such an unpredictable journey. That means that for me to stay sane I need to temp and chart and use OPK's and all that jazz.. I just need to.

So thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of me and my husband as we tried to weather this crazy storm! We were truly touched, and so thankful, to have so much love and encouragement from our friends and family.
I hope we have good news to share very soon!!

Pictures, As Promised....

Sooo.. here's a recap...

My husband works for a flooring company, which I used to think was great because we could always get great deals on tile/wood floors/carpet and I had a hubby handy enough to do the work himself! The first 3 (count em, three) houses we lived in, he only insisted on minor projects here and there. However, something about this house (the first one we are actually planning on staying in for a while!) has him all kinds of crazy about remodeling everything!

We closed at the end of January, moved in the first weekend of February, and by the end of that month our master bath was half-gutted. He ripped out the nasty old glass shower enclosure, and all the tile around the shower and tub, as well as the old shower pan. I was certainly glad to see all that go.. the house was built in the late80's and it definitely looked like the bathroom was still the original. ICK. Little did I know it would take 8 months to get to this point, where the end is in sight! I was pretty patient the first few months, because until mid-July he was working 2 jobs and hardly had enough time to think, let alone tile our bathroom! But once he quit his PT job and was home on the weekends, my patience slowly dwindled until I finally gave him a deadline. He was to have it finished before we leave for our Thanksgiving trip, or I was going to hire someone to come finish the job... on his dollar. Suddenly, he had the time to work on it! Huh.

The tile is now complete.. all we need to do is caulk around the edges including up by the ceiling, and order the glass. We talked to the glass company today and they should be coming out to take measurements Friday, then it should only take a week or so to get our order in - then we're good to go!! I can't wait to shower in our own bathroom again and not have to trek across the house at zero dark hour every morning!!! Can-not-wait.
So.. here are the "after" tile photos (before caulk and glass).

In the first photo - you can see why the edges need to be caulked!
Also.. the ribbon of tile around the middle ends where it does because that is where the glass enclosure sits, no need to use the fancy stuff underneath the glass where it can't be seen! ;)
One more thing, that little nook wasn't there before. DH was kind of enough to build that in when he ripped out the old stuff. YAY! I don't have to put my shampoo's and things on the floor anymore!

Zoomed in a little, you can see a bit more of the detail.

Close up of the deco tiles - this is more true to the actual color than the other 2 pics.
I'm not sure what happened with the lighting there.. its not as orange as that second picture makes it seem. Its a soft, sandy brown color.
The front edges of the nook will be glazed to match the rest of the tile, instead of having the raw edges they have now.

I am so proud of my husband for working so hard, and doing such a great job. And I am so glad he works for the company he does.. know how much this project cost us? Um... about $150 (before glass). YES!!!

Next on his Honey-Do List: Finishing the Kitchen Countertops he ripped out in June! Luckily we have completed all the prep work and already have all the granite for the counters and travertine for the backsplash - we're only waiting on installation. And I will not let it go 8 month unfinished this time, I will not.

Think About It....

"Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."
-Marilyn Monroe

"Women are like teabags; you never know how strong they are until they're put in hot water."
-Eleanor Roosevelt

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."
-Robert Frost

"For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy to Report....

I finally had an appointment with my doctor that didn't leave me in tears!
Hooooooray!
Today was my colpo, and everything went really well. Far better than I had prepared myself for, but with the bad news that has been drowning us lately, I have learned that its easier for me to expect the worst and hope for the best. Well.. I finally got something I hoped for! That seems to be a rarity these days and I couldn't be any happier with today's results!
Sooo.. basically she said everything with my cervix looks "pretty normal" (and I didn't ask her to define 'pretty normal' though I debated doing so in my head) and she couldn't even find cells worthy of a biopsy! Wooooohoo! She did say she noticed a few "changes" (again, did not ask for a defintion) but nothing that we need to worry about at this point. She wants me to come back in 6 months for a follow-up pap and --without me even asking-- said that my cervix is no longer cause for postponing pregnancy.
See, my doc and I have seen so much of each other in the last couple months that she now knows me well enough to know that the very first question out of my mouth is always "So what does this mean for us trying to get pregnant?". I don't even have to ask anymore. I think I love her.

I am so far beyond relieved by today's findings, or lack thereof, I suppose. I keep trying to think of words to describe how I feel, and relief is all that comes to mind.. but "relief" just doesn't like an accurate description. There's got to be a better word for this... But I don't care to waste my time thinking of one. I'd rather revel in my happiness for a time.

Soooo... "jacked up cervix" can now be crossed off our list of TTC setbacks. Now we can focus on this thing in my boob. We have our next ultrasound set for December 16 to track what kind of (if any) growth we are dealing with. I'm still not exactly sure why we need to wait 8 weeks just to potentially say "Yep, it is indeed growing, lets get it out of there" when we could just get it out there now and never think about it again. I like the idea of resolving the issue in a way that means it will never need a second thought - not in a way that will require follow-ups every year from now til forever. I mentioned that to Dr. Awesome today and she agrees with me, but she said she can also understand why the surgeon didn't want to rush to surgery over something that is not-cancerous and only about 2cm (according to the biopsy). Ok fine, makes sense.. but come December, I'm asking for the surgery.
Dr. Awesome also said something to the effect of "..And ya know, it wouldn't be the end of the world if you were to accidentally get pregnant before the next ultrasound. Your life wouldn't be in any danger, nor would your baby's, we would just want to monitor you a bit more closely."

Soo.. I plan on discussing the idea of "accidentally" getting pregnant with the hubby. Maybe that would be fun... I mean, come on, all the cool kids do it. My logical brain (which is much much smaller than my emotional one) says to just suck it up and wait 2 more months like we were told, just to be safe and to get the surgery behind us. I think I'll mull it over for a few days (since this cycle is already hopeless) and see which brain wins.

G'Nite

Ha! I wish!
Here is that insomnia crap I was talking about earlier in the week.
My body feels so physically exhausted.. my eyes are so puffy - I just want to sleep.
But I can't.
I've tried laying in bed, TV off - nothing.
I've tried reading a book in bed (which almost always works) - nothing.
I've tried sleeping in the guest room - no better than the master.
I've even tried laying on the recliner and the couch - Nope. Nothing.
I had every intention of being in bed early (and by early I mean like 7pm!) and getting a full night of much-needed rest.
Bwahahaha... my wandering mind had other plans.
And yes, I know 1030 is not late by most standards, but for me it most certainly is.
There was only ever 1 night a week I was up til 10, and that is Sundays to watch Brothers & Sisters. Every other night of the week, I like to be in bed around 9.
I wake up for work at zero-dark-hour and spend an exhausting (but exciting) 11.5 hour day with twin toddlers, not counting my time spent commuting to and fro. 1030 is laaaate. Especially when I am already beyond sleep deprived.
Hmpf.

In other news,
I had a less-than-awesome conversation with my mother this evening.
Left me feeling sad and misunderstood...
And I have also come to the conclusion that every time I post a positive blog, I jinx myself.

Mere moments after bragging about my awesome week, I was face to face with one instance that left me fearful and worried and another that left me a little saddened and jealous.
But that's okay - today's afternoon turn of events does not take away from the almost 5 wonderful days I had Saturday thru this morning.
I am thankful to have had a break from all the stresses of our new reality, if even for just a few days.

Now I sit here at the computer feeling physically exhausted, but unable to fall asleep.
The vanilla-coated Tylenol PM's in my nightstand are calling my name.. my husband hates when I take them, so I rarely do - but I think tonight he'd understand.

Let's try this again.
Nighty Night.