Painting, Pregnant Women, and Pottery Barn!

I have slacked on the blog because I am knee deep in paint. The project looked small...but I have added rooms on as I got started. I really needed to change the weird blue/green color of my side entrance floor. I decide to paint it black along with the stairs leading down to the basement. They look fabulous now..however, I see little white foot prints. My foot of course...let's hope this is just because my house is a dust haven from all the sanding!

Quite similar to the famous saying from the little boy from The Sixth Sense..."I see dead people"...well "I see pregnant women." Everywhere!! I went out to Target and Home Depot today and they were out in full force!! Cute little pregnant women with children in tow. Actually I saw many large families at Target. Now, I say large..because you rarely see families with more than 2.5 children...but I was seeing 4 and 5!! All going shopping for school items. My Mom had 7...she never took us all out to the store. Only one or two was allowed to tag along.

I wanted to run up and rub the belly of every prego women for good luck...had to control myself!

I am P+9 today. Went to get my blood work done for the 4th time this week. I am on a first name bases with the hematologist. She is the best! 29 nine years of sticking people. She calls me baby..and sweety! Today she tried my left arm which has been used the past 3 times and it was flat out DRY! Funny that on the way to give blood I thought about asking her take from the other arm...well needless to say I got stuck twice! So, I am waiting for the results and hopefully I will be given the okay to start back on my HCG shots!

I am thinking about getting a very part-time job at Williams Sonoma. Mainly becuase I want the 40% discount at Pottery Barn. However, I would rather be around food things than furniture things while working. So...we shall she is I get hired!

Home Alone!

I am all alone tonight. Husband and kids are down the shore. I am painting the house. Taking a break...renting Bride Wars on Demand and eating a frozen pizza! And for dessert...ice cream. I am so bad!

I let you know how it goes!

Square One!

Yesterday was P+3 (Peak plus 3)...which means I am back to square one. I am starting my series of blood giving to determine my progesterone levels. I was secretly hoping my doctor would just put me back on the HCG shots...but Creighton is pretty systematic and they want to get my accurate levels. So, this means I have to give blood at P+3, P+5, P+7, P+9, and P+11...and then if mt levels are low I will start taking HCG to improve my estrodial and progesterone.

The bummer part is that these injections start at P+3. So, I won't be able to ttc until October's cycle. Napro does not use HCG as a "trigger shot" like some fertility doctors. HCG is used to help your own body produce the hormones for the following cycle.

The last time I did this series of blood work...besides the low progesterone...they discovered signs of a hypothyroid and high testosterone. I went to my General Practinoner and did my blood work and got an ultrsound. The results: She thinks the Quest Diagnostic Center gave my Napro Doctor the wrong blood....nice!

Off to iron some of hubby's shirts! He normally spends almost 2,000 dollars at the cleaners every year...so I volunteered to iron his shirts! I need to get into a better rotinue with this....he had to iron his own this morning!!!

Real Ways To Enhance Your Fertility

I am laughing at a post I just read from A Complicated Life. She blogs about another post titled 999 Reasons to Laugh at Infertility. I have copied the part I was laughing at:

Here are the real ways to enhance your fertility:

1. Do it in a public place, preferably under an apple tree.
2. Take a piece of broccoli and swallow whole.
3. Do a full handstand after intercourse, followed by a full back flip. Your husband's applause will increase his sperm count.
   
4. Eat a bowl of melted chocolate without a spoon following intercourse.
5. Have intercourse before Oprah but never during Dr. Phil.
   
6. Create a fertility dance to a Paula Abdul song (other artists won't be as effective).
7. Melt 4 marshmallows and let sit overnight. Rub on your husband/partner's nipples at 3:07pm the following day.
   
8. Wear purple on odd numbered days, blue on even.
   
9. Drink 4 tablespoons of wine from a baby bottle every Tuesday after sundown.
   
10. Glue a tampon to your doorbell.

It is true....you hear the craziest stuff from people when they try and give you their "best advice" about getting pregnant!! My General Practitioner, who I thought was an intelligent woman tried to get me to use egg whites as a lubricant!! Totally gross...and unhygienic... and totally GROSS! Now I am concerned to even talk to her about the common cold!

So, had my Napro meeting with my practitioner last night. I was directed to see her about a month after my miscarriage. It went fine...but honestly, having the "marital embrace" is a lot of work if you do it the "Creighton Way." All of the waiting an hour afterwards and getting up to get rid of the sperm, the checking for muscus every minute of the day, the 25 Kegels that you have to do after...this is all serious work!!! Menwhile hubby gets not ONE instruction!!!! I am so mean...but woman have all the work.

I am so mad at Eve for eating that damn apple!

The Big Apple Cares About Women!!!

Opening at the end of September 2009

Comprehensive. Restorative. 100% Pro-Woman. 100% Pro-Life.

At the Gianna Center for Women, we are delighted offer a new, exciting approach to women's healthcare.

We combine comprehensive primary care with specialized obstetrical and gynecologic care and serve women with a deep commitment to honoring their dignity and the sanctity of human life. With this as our promise, we are uniquely qualified to care for women of all ages and at all stages of life.

We are pleased to be the first medical practice in New York City to feature two new women's health services -- the CreightonModel FertilityCare System and NaProTechnology, both of which allow us to provide you with a natural, scientifically-based approach to monitoring your health and managing your fertility.

Our mission is simple - to acknowledge your dignity as a woman and to provide you, our patient, with exceptional medical care. Our goal is to be of genuine service to you - and we look forward to serving your healthcare needs.

Gianna Center for Women

Oh, how I wish Philadelphia had something like this! One stop shopping!

Total Desertion!

I am sooo selfish! I love this women's blog. And she has totally deserted me!! Her last post was titled "Ciao!".... Ciao?? You say goodbye...but I say "Don't Go!!"

Amy is a wonderful Catholic writer whose husband just recently passed away. He was very young...heart attack at the gym on a treadmill. Her writings during that time are so beautiful. I love this snippet:

"Let go. They are the Lord's. They walk with Him, they do not belong to you, they do not exist for your satisfaction or pleasure or entertainment or for any affirmation of anything you have done. They are the Lord's."

This is comforting in so many areas of my life...my miscarriage..my teenage daughter who is making me a saint...and just all people who do not stay..

I also adore her because I do believe you had a baby at 44!! She really is good! And now she is gone!

On the fertility front: 10K/C fertile mucus....I was told NO ttc...but I cheated! This is the first time I have seem any fertile mucus since I got pregnant on May 4th...miscarried on July 6. So it was nice to see that I still can produce it. This is also minus the HCG and Mucinex...but I am still taking the Vitamin B6...which make me gag!

I Love Fall! I Love JCrew and this Dress!

I am a big fan of JCrew.... long before the First Lady. I think this is a great dress. The sleeves are my favorite part...now I just need an excuse to buy it! My husband has made it clear that I must not touch the JCrew credit card anymore...so I need to think of a way to get this dress! Any ideas!

The Assumption of Mary: Happy Feast Day!

“In the bodily and spiritual glory which she possesses in heaven, the Mother of Jesus continues in this present world as the image and first flowering of the Church as she is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise, Mary shines forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come (cf. 2 Peter 3:10), as a sign of certain hope and comfort for the pilgrim People of God” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 68).

"We're Jewish, We Abort!"

Ugh! I went out last night with one of my best friends and I am feeling the pain today! Too many Blue Moons! Anyway, she was telling me a story about the last time she was pregnant, the receptionist at her dentist office asked her if she was getting the "Quad Marker Screening"..when my friend said no..the woman said, "That's right, you're Catholic, we're Jewish, we abort." Is that not just horrible!! My friend told me that I would not like the story...but, honestly..we are talking about little helpless babies!

I was always curious about why most Jewish people are okay with abortion. Especially since so many Jewish people were killed during the Holocaust ..you would think they would want to create more of their own. Ironically, Hitler was all about getting rid of the handicap and those "non-productive" individuals. It would seem to me that Jewish people would try extra hard not to repeat the destruction that Hitler created! Just a thought.....

The Red Sea!

Ha! It feels like it anyhow....the never ending Red Sea. My miscarriage was roughly one month ago...I never fully stopped bleeding and then the Red Sea came about 6 days ago. Yesterday I thought that was it and put the first green stamp on my chart in a while. Then today...back to red!! Seriously, I am tired of the smell of blood (sorry!) I think I am going to call my doctor tomorrow and asked her WHAT IS UP??? I need to give blood at P+3, P+5, P+7, and P+11..I just hopr I get there! For some reason...I am craving an HCG shot!

Off to get ice cream!

Welcome!

After reading countless blogs, I have decided to take the plunge myself. Here are my thoughts on my blogging:

1- The blogs on fertility/infertility/sub-fertility have been so helpful to me. I believe the information that is out there needs to be shared. Especially the information on the Creighton Model...it is so new and so intricate that we need to support one another in the journey.

2- I just resigned as executive director of a non-profit organization to be a full-time wife and mother to my 16 year old daughter and 8 year old step-daughter. Unfortunately, I have discovered that they don't really need me 24/7...so I am feeling misplaced. I figured some writing could occupy my time.

3- I have been married for 14 months. I was diagnosed through Creighton that I had low progesterone and was put on HCG shots. I got pregnant the first cycle, was put on progesterone shots, HCG shots and then miscarried during week 10. I was obsessed with finding out all the information I could on the web concerning low progesterone. This enabled me to stumble upon some wonderful blogs about fertility and Napro..some very honest and heartwarming blogs that have helped me through the miscarriage. So, I am here to add to the "support group."

4- Hopefully...I can be of some help!