A Period is a poingant mark

Women hate their periods anyway. You're bloated, cranky and in pain for like three days. It is never fun. But today brings a whole new meaning to starting your period ... which MJ started today. It means another round of watching doctors poke my wife. Another 30 days waiting for happy baby news.

On the good side, it means sushi dinners - which MJ has been avoiding cause of the raw fish. It also means MJ can pack boxes without the worry of hurting a fetus ... maybe that is a negative cause who really wants to pack boxes.

What is amazing to me is getting pregnant seems so simple. You mix one and one together and you get two. Just goes to show that children really are in God's time. Science can't do what he does. I am thankful for that.

Our First Baby Purchase

We were wandering around Target getting a couple items we needed...and decided to peruse the baby section...

It's amazing what you can buy for a baby...let me rephrase it's amazing what you can spend on a baby. I'm sure the baby will have no idea if the stroller does not match the car seat...but everything is offered in a set... some with little cartoon animals others with more abstract designs but colorful. All playing in to America's consumer mentality... And you know it works because it is all so cute and in the back of your mind your thinking...I don't want MY baby to have to touch something "re-used"!

It's an interesting internal conflict, I continue to try and be more green about how I live my life, and I always seem to fall short when it comes to my "consumer" self. I always end up going for the new instead of the re-used. But I recycle, I steer clear of Styrofoam, and I even have a worm farm for composting.... I keep thinking I will make that step...but the question is when??

The stroll through Target didn't leave me demanding that I have to buy every item for our baby new and that it has to all compliment each other as a matching set... However, I did find the cutest onesie that is grey in color and has the recycle triangle with the words "green baby" under it.... I grabbed it off the rock and my girl chimed in with "we should get it...it's only $3.00".... so I smiled and giddily carried it off towards the check out counter. While walking with it in hand I couldn't help myself and I checked the label... for an article of clothing that boasts being green there was nothing green about how it was made... no organic cotton no mention of being made from post consumer recycled products.... just a ploy to get us to consume based of the newest trend of being green.

Oh well its cute, and it will cover our baby's g-diaper with style.

One big plunge

So as you know - if you have read MJ's blogs - we have done the insemination process this month. What is amazing to me as a woman is you are told NOT to get pregnant. I still remember my mom talking to me when I was like 14 about safe sex. She told me something like "Being pregnant is not the end of your life, but AIDS is." She basically taught me that it isn't babies you are trying to avoid it is diseases. Made sense to me.  

As a lesbian, you don't really encounter sperm lol - so it was a strange feeling to be in a doctors office with a vial of the stuff ... that I none the less paid for. So after MJ got all prepped and propped up on the doctors table, came the moment of truth ... I got to push the plunger. As small a task as that is, it really made me feel like without both of us, we wouldn't be having kids. 

Then came a moment of "whoa". I just pushed a plunger and a could have just made a life long commitment. And then a huge smile came across my face because that is exactly what I want.  

Waiting Game

We are on day 5 of the waiting, according to the Mayo guide if the egg were fertilized it is now a blastocyst and it has made its way into my uterus but has not attached itself yet.... 

I always thought the egg got fertilized in the uterus, but it actually gets fertilized in the fallopian tube and then travels down into the uterus... At least Im learning something.

Luckily we have been distracted during most of the time we are waiting...as most of you know we went to Indiana to house hunt!  We think we may have found an alternative to the short sale we put an offer on at the beginning of the month.  We have made an offer for the alternative and guess what are WAITING to hear what the sellers think of it. 

So I'm learning to be patient even when attempting to distract myself.

I think I am getting pretty good at it.

So 7 to 9 more days until we know if we are pregnant.

The Seed Deed

This afternoon was the insemination!!

So I have about 15 million teeny tiny swimmers on the hunt in my uterus!  Oh boy!  

The experience was not the most pleasant, it actually hurt a little bit, like when they do a pap you feel that tinge of pain, it was like that but a little more constant.  It wasn't absolutely miserable we are both ecstatic at the thought that I could be pregnant!  

My girl is so wonderful, she has gone with me to every appointment, and today she actually helped.  The Dr. allowed her to push in the plunger on the syringe so that it was her getting me pregnant!  That to me makes the experience perfect!

So now the waiting game begins... two weeks until we will be able to tell.

Fingers crossed and fertile thoughts!

I have to poke myself????

So the insemination is scheduled!!!

We are going in on Thursday which means...I have to get up at 3 AM and administer a shot of "Ovidrel" to trigger my ovulation exactly 36 hours before the "seed-deed" (I am clever...or dorky you are free to choose)...  

As you may have read previously I like the majority of society am not a fan of getting shots and now they expect me to give myself one.  I don't know how you guys with diabetes do it... hopefully I will be so groggy I won't realize what I'm doing to myself until it is done!

I am off to set my alarm and get some rest!  Good night and wish me luck!

With October comes round two of Poking & Prodding!

Friday was my ultrasound for the month of October and it seems we were a few days early, my follicle (the largest of the bunch) on the left was 12mm and on the right were 13mm....so I was tasked with using LH tests this weekend to be aware if my body triggers ovulation, and have another ultrasound on Monday to see if they are closer to the very desireable 17mm to 18mm.

We both find it odd that they ask my height every time I come in...because women at age 30 are prone to growth spurts!!

And it is official every doctor at this clinic has gotten the turn to give me a check up....it is such a lovely experience having shown myself from the waistdown to the entire staff... Not sure why they dont have you see the same specialist everytime.... I had heard that you become less self conscious about your body during and after pregnancy, I think I am starting to really understand why.

Barnes & Noble Pulled me in!!!

I did some research on pregnancy books... and I was all set...

I was going to get two books:

The Mayo Clinic Guide to Pregnancy

Eating for Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today's Mothers-to-Be

I found my way to the right section and before I knew it had picked out 5 books.... Most of which I know I do not need.

So I begrudgingly put two of them away.... okay fine I put one of them away....bahhh.

Leaving with 4 books only one being what I was going in for...the Mayo Clinic Guide...

I also got:

Feed the Belly
The Well Rounded Pregnancy Cookbook
I'm Pregnant! Now what do I eat?

All of which touch on what you should be putting into your body during the all important 9 months when you are eating for 2!!

Besides, I'm a sucker for cookbooks...

I am actually enjoying reading 'feed the belly'....aside from the use of the words "prego" or "preggers" these terms annoy me and the author seems to enjoy them immensely!

Bye, bye Beemer

So part of our journey of having kids together is getting to one income - that way MJ can stay home if needed or wanted. So today I sold my BMW. .... moment of silence .....

A while ago MJ and I looked at our overall budget and we noticed that combined we spent more on cars than on our home mortgage - not ok. So I decided that since my car was the least useful (you try to stuff a Golden Retriever into the back of a BMW coupe that only seats 4) I should get rid of mine first. - Did I mention I have only owned BMWs for the last 9 years? - Anyway

You may be asking "What will you buy instead" ... the answer ... drum roll ... nothing. Yup nothing. We are going to try to get through the winter with one car. Now that is an adventure. And it is not that we work near each other. We work on different ends of town. I think we can do it.

Having the extra money feels really nice. Having to share a car .... well ... we will see about that.


Take Aways
1. Kids are expensive - plan ahead