Memes from the Dirty catholic in my family!

Questions that my sister-in-law wanted me to answer, I think it may be for black-mail . At any rate you can see her blog at www.dirtycatholic.com

1. Just how lazy are you?

Well I can sum it up in 3 words: recliner, laptop, microwave.

2. What are you going on and on about these days?

LOL, let em see...Egg donors, Jr. High School musical productions, and oh yes did I mention we are in the middle of an audit at work?

3. Your husband/significant someone always calls it a crackpot theory, but you know you're really onto something. Tell, tell, tell!

a) Children only do what they are capable of doing....(oh yeah, then why do so many of them have broken bones?) this one is from my friend Paula!

b) If you cry more..you pee less....(uh thanks Mom for those words of wisdom)

c) If you keep your legs up in the air after having sex it increases your chances of getting pregnant....(I do not which is worse actually having tried it or admitting to it...oh wow block it out, try not to get a visual)

4. Have you ever eaten a half a hard boiled egg that you found on the floor, and then absentmindedly shaken salt directly into your mouth to chase it?

No but I have accidentally picked up a week old diet coke out of the cup holder in the car and drank from it! GAG!

5. What did you really screw up this year?

Wow I guess it would have to be continuing to drink diet coke after discovering I was pregnant and then hating myself when the pregnancy failed.

6. What did you really get right?
I married the right man and my 13 year old thinks I am a good parent!

The sacrifices we make...

For those who know me, this will come as a complete shock. I have stopped drinking diet coke...I know...I know...can you believe it? I am on day 6 now, and aside from one killer headache and a couple of swollen feet I have faired very well. However, I have just finished a bowl of vegetable soup and what would be better than a cold diet coke to wash it down with? This flavored water is great, but I am afraid it is just not the same.....

SO why have I done this??? Well thanks to Kaiser for publishing this article (NOT) http://ckp.kp.org/newsroom/national/archive/nat_080121_caffeine.html
that and given that we lost the baby earlier this year, and that I have the guilt of a good Catholic or Jewish girl (although I do not happen to be either)

6 whole days without caffeine....this May be a bigger miracle than actually having a baby! I have certainly had a child since I started drinking diet coke!

Wish me luck for the stressful weeks ahead!

Blogger slacker.....

Well my co-worker (so not my friend) calls me slacker nurse, now she has transferred that title to my blogging habits (or lack of blogging) so I decided to get back on the ball here.

Thought for the day:

Choosing an egg donor is like choosing a one night stand, only without the free drinks!

How is that Ann?

How to ride an exercise bike and blog at the same time....

First get a recumbent exercise bike. Then adjust the seat to a comfortable position. Then have your husband measure how tall a table you would need to go over the bike and pedal without being obstructed. Then have him build said table for you! I will try to attach a picture! The cost is less than $20. It is not pretty but it gets the job done!

Food glorious food!

I am so happy that I have a planned start date for my donor cycle. I have really been depressed and in a funk since we lost the pregnancy in February. As a result, via my normal way of dysfunctional coping, I have gained some weight.

Today as I write this, I am busy riding the exercise bicycle. I am back on the wagon..err at least the bike anyway. Fortunately I have never had a problem with drugs or alcohol, but I have definitely been known to abuse myself with a spoon and fork, if I am in the car, I do not even need to have those, I can eat chips right out of the bag.

So with my new found glee, I am going to put put my energies to good use.

Wish me luck and say prayers for me, I am going to need all the help I can get.

Out with the old.....

Here is great news, we very quickly found a new donor! The best news is she will be ready in 6 weeks...hooray!

She has cycled once previously: 30 eggs, 21 fertilized, 2 transferred, singleton pregnancy, 10 embryos were frozen.

She had such a great cycle that she has earned the coveted shared cycle title.
We have to make her available for 6 weeks, in case another couple would like to share, but if nobody claims her in 6 weeks, she is all ours. She is our new hero!



Woot...in 6 weeks we start Lupron!

sometimes you bite the bullet.....and sometimes

Well after much fretting over $$$, my husband and I decided to bite the bullet. pay the extra money, and move forward with a donation as a sole recipient and not a shared cycle.

Aside from some logistics to schedule timing with the donor, everything seemed to moving ahead according to plan. Then...the donor revealed to the coordinator that she had had a piercing 3 months ago. I personally do not care what she has pierced, but the FDA sure does. In fact she can not donate again for a year after she has the piercing. This restriction also applies to a tattoo.

Sigh, so now we are back to square 1.

Looking for a donor.

Someone is that 20%

I am a member of an online support group for mothers via egg donation. There is a lot of love and support found here, but sometimes things just hit me the wrong way. The leader of the group after years of infertility was one of the lucky ones and eight years ago had a son. There are those of us who have not yet been so lucky and are just trying to make it the best way we can. Those who have made it are full of advice for the rest of us, they tell us where to go, and what questions to ask, and who to talk to and what to read. I argue that at the end of the day, none of that really matters:

Even though clinics have great rates, all that matters in the end is your personal experience. At any clinic, even the best ones, people go home with no baby. If you are one of those unlucky people who goes home with no baby, 20% unsuccessful in the stats is 100% unsuccessful to you personally. On the other hand, if you spend $5K in Kenya and go home with a baby, it is 100% successful to you personally.

It is a gamble with very high stakes, some of us are winners the first time we "pull the handle" and some of us continue to feed every spare dollar and even those we do not have for a "chance" to make our dreams come true.

We can try to "learn the tables", and "count the cards", but in the end...how much control do any of us actually have? For those of you who have "hit the jackpot" congratulation are in order, but please do not judge the rest of us on how we decide to "play our hand"

The truth is, no matter what we do, and no matter which clinic we go to...someone is that 20%. We just all pray it is not us.

Theresa

13

Can you believe it, my baby Katie will be 13 this weekend?
No longer a child, not yet a woman.
She still climbs up in my lap for hugs and asks me to tell her stories.
She loves shoes and handbags of which she told her 8 year old cousin, you can never have enough.
She is still my little drama queen, but she has taken her talents to the stage as well.

I am so proud of her and I love her very much!

Names

While we are not so patiently waiting for a second donor, it is "fun" to re-address the topic of names. Although my co-workers have made fun of Juniper, I am sorry to let them know that it has not been entirely ruled out. We think it is kinda pretty. My husband does not like Junipero for a boy so yo can relax there.

Here are some other potential girl names

Lily

Elizabeth

Isabella

Chloe

Zoe

Julia

Anna

Grace

Juniper

unfortunately the boys are not fairing so well:

Nicholas

Zachary

Of course if you want to make a donation to:

The Nameless yet-to-be Conceived (because we do not yet have a second recipient) Child Relief Fund, we may consider naming our child after you,

That is unless you have a stupid name or a name similar to someone we hate. George's need not apply. And no we are not naming the baby girl or boy AnnBetsyRose (this is an example of a stupid name)

All suggestions will be considered or made fun of as the case may be,

Thanks for your support!

Theresa