A different kind of BFP....

Beautiful Furry Puppy... meet the new fur baby, Mac + PC= meet "Apple" :]











And for all my dog lover IF friends.... something cute that came across email today...

TEN PEEVES THAT DOGS HAVE ABOUT HUMANS

'1' Blaming your farts on me ... not funny ... not funny at all !!!
'2' Yelling at me for barking. I'M A FRIGGIN' DOG
'3' Taking me for a walk, then not letting me check stuff out. Exactly whose walk is this anyway?
'4' Any trick that involves balancing food on my nose. Stop it!
'5' Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons. Now you know why we chew your stuff up when you're not home.
'6' The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw. You fooled a dog! Whoooo Hoooooooo, what a proud moment for the top of the food chain.
'7' Taking me to the vet for 'the big snip', then acting surprised when I freak out every time we go back!
'8' Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests. Sorry, but I haven't quite mastered that handshake thing yet.
'9' Dog sweaters. Hello ??? Haven't you noticed the fur?
'10' How you act disgusted when I lick myself. Look, we both know the truth. You're just jealous.

Icebreaker=Heartbreaker Game!

This morning I had to attend a meeting with other people in the county where I live who do the same work as me. The presenter started with an icebreaker game. Name 2 truths about yourself & 1 lie and the group has to decide which is the lie. Mrs. H read "I love to run" "I love to swim" "I am pregnant". And her (lie) was "I am pregnant." I know Mrs. H's background. She has 3 kids (boy & boy/girl twins) through IVF & we've talked about it. We have the same insurance so I asked if she had advice about financing IVF & she was very honest & said "my husband's family paid for it or I couldn't have done it." She's really nice & I think her anovulation is due to how much she exercises.... this girl is like super woman... no hard feelings about her 2 truths & a lie. The heartbreaker came next. The presenter said "you know I was having a hard time once and someone told me... no matter what kind of hard time you're having... it could be worse... you could be pregnant." Laughter followed. Wow. That comment hit hard. Rewind to my life 4 years ago... I may have joined in the laughter. I didn't laugh this morning. It was a reminder to me about the power of words & thinking before speaking... you never know what the person next to you is experiencing. It could be worse... you could try for over 3 years and not be pregnant!

I've been thinking... (IF Vent #3)

... about how pregnancy is achieved so easily for some. How is that?!? I've learned much more about the female reproductive system than I've ever cared to over the past 3 years. Obviously those who deal with IF get the fine print version. Like when you get something with an instructional manual & it doesn't work so you turn to the back where it says "If it didn't happen... then maybe..." or "Try this..." Most of the time I've taken something back by then! Maybe the next time I visit the RE I'll say... "I'd like a refund on these ovaries please!" I was great with thinking that sperm meets egg-- sounds easy enough! But then when it didn't happen cycle after cycle, I started the 4 r's of IF... reading/researching/relying on specialists/ranting on blogger. ---- Let me get this straight... my cycle is managed from my brain when the hypotha.lamus sends a message to the pitu.itary at just the right time and both must have just the right amount of FSH & LH (don't forget estrogen/progesterone) to release an egg at just the right moment which must travel to just the right place to meet with just the right swimmer--- and this happens all the time!?!  I'd just like the chance to not worry about my brain not sending the right signal to increase the right hormone needed to stimulate a mature follicle to release a viable egg... wouldn't this seem like a reasonable request? Is it a mystery to anyone else how this happens right on cue (planned and not planned) for so many???

Thankful for...

It seems appropriate to count my blessings on Thanksgiving Day. Those would include a wonderful husband, a loving family, caring friends, having a home, food, clothes- things I'm sure I take for granted, my health (except for the not ovulating!), a job & job security... and the list goes on.
AF showed on Sunday and I'm also thankful that it seems to be -dare I say it- normal. I went for acupuncture last week and told Dr. C about my 1 year to IVF plan. He said "that gives me time to get you in the best health possible for the procedure" but I wished he would have said "hopefully you won't need it by then." SO, I just finished watching a news clip about the the effect of stress on fertility. It talked about women who have high levels of stress have excess cortisol around the brain and could benefit from talk therapy (that doesn't sound cheap). The OB/GYN expert said that these women often have high expectations for themselves. Hmmm.... sounds familiar!
Too tired to blog much tonight... too much turkey! Think I might turn in early although I'm not planning on a big shopping day tomorrow- don't need to add to my stress level!

Happy Thanksgiving out there!

November Ramblings...

Last night, PC (very sweet of him) and I went to see the movie Twi.light in a theater FULL of teenagers. We got there 20 minutes early and still had to sit in the 2nd row. I'm always partial to the book versions because you're "there." I loved the book series (even if the intended audience is 10 years younger) and loved the first movie... the actors were a good fit. I think PC even got a little interested in the whole vampire saga! IF ladies deserve pure take-my-mind-away in a relaxing kind of way distractions, whatever that may be.

We're missing our dog, Cooper... doggie deprivation around here. We're stalking the couple that has some puppies that will be ready in a couple of weeks, and we're looking at others that are due the first of the year.

So... is it crazy that Thanksgiving is here? I'm a creature of habit & it's no different with the holidays. I make the same casseroles with the same recipe in the same dishes. When I try new things, it usually doesn't turn out so good... so I stick to what I know. Broccoli casserole, rice casserole & carrot souffle are on my "mastered" list. Carrot souffle tastes like a sweet potato and it makes 4 square pans- 2 for now, 2 to freeze for Christmas. The trick with it is to make sure the carrots are boiled long enough and it's all mashed good. (Learned that the hard way.) If anyone's interested:

Carrot Souffle-

• 1 3/4 lbs peeled carrots

• 3/4 lb sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 lb margarine, softened
• powdered sugar

Directions

1. Steam or boil carrots til extra soft& drain well.

2. While carrots are warm, add sugar, baking powder and vanilla.

3. Whip with mixer til smooth.

4. Add flour and mix well.

5. Whip eggs separately and add to mixture, blending well.

6. Add margarine and blend well.

7. Pour mixture into baking dish-ABOUT HALF FULL--as the souffle will rise.

8. Bake@ 350 about 1 hour or until top is light brown.

9. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar before serving.

It's COLD here. I can handle the cold okay until around the middle of January and then my attitude is "blah...grrr...tired of winter, skip spring & bring on summer."

My mom called this morning & said she's having genetic testing done soon. She's also having her ovaries removed because of high estrogen (next year) and she had a melt down on the phone... which makes me sad, but for what she's been through I'd have a good cry now and then too. My mom and I have had a up/down relationship... she had me at a very young age, divorced soon after that, & I've always felt like the grown-up. But these three things are givens about my mom:
1. She's strong & stubborn- so breast cancer didn't have a chance. 2. She loves life- her energy & ability to be the life of the party is something I wish I had more of. 3. She would be a GREAT grandmother.

Enough of things on my mind... feeling a nap coming on & some of my blog world friends have inspired me to pull out some Christmas decor.