Furbabies

Introducing........

Sergeant Major (Sarge) and Spike

Holiday Traditions Quiz

I felt this would be a nice thing to do, so my readers can get to know a little more about me and not just my TTC journey.  I follow Katie's Blog and got this Holiday Traditions Quiz from there.  I need to give credit where credit is due, I've never hyper linked before, so I hope the link works for yall.

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?   Hot Chocolate.  I can honestly say that I've never tried Egg Nog.  I'm not much of a milk person, and thick milk would gross me out beyond... just beyond lol. 

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?   This may sound sad but because of my family traditions, I don't ever remember knowing the Santa REALLY existed.  Santa never left us presents, they were all from my parents.

Colored lights on tree/house or white?   Growing up it was always colored lights, on the tree and the house.  Now that I've lived on the east coast for a handful of years, I really like the how white lights look so classy and southern.

Do you hang mistletoe?  My first year here a coworker gave me a mistletoe because Northern Starr and I were newly engaged.  And we did hang it, but that's the first and last time I've had a mistletoe.

When do you put your decorations up? Decorations get pulled out of the attic the weekend after Thanksgiving.  And everything is set up by the first weekend of December. 

What is your favorite holiday dish?   My Mom's baked beans.  It's the only time we get to have it.  Now that I'm so far away from my family, I use her recipe and make it for my hubby and I.  It makes a pretty big batch, but that's all I'll eat for a few days.  Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.  I'll be tootin all day but it's worth it! 

Favorite holiday memory as a child?  My Mom's Mother's birthday is on Christmas Eve.  Our family tradition is to go to her house and celebrate her birthday.  My brothers and cousins and myself, would put on little shows for her.  Singing, dancing... acting, you name it, we did it for her.  I have the best memories putting on the show for her and practicing for the show.  Afterwards, we'd stay up and watch old family movies, to remember all the fun times and the people who were no longer physically with us.  So therefore, because we always stayed up all night and opened presents at midnight, I knew there wasn't a real Santa Claus. 

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?  See previous answer =].  

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Technically since it's midnight, it's Christmas day... just not Christmas morning.  Now, DH and I just open the gifts my family sends us on Christmas Eve and then spend Christmas day with his family opening presents.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree?   I've always wanted a themed tree.  But for now my tree has white lights, red green and gold ornaments, and some Hawaiian ornaments from back home.  

Snow! Love it or dread it? Growing up in Hawaii - I love snow because I've never had it.  I love the first snowfall and how crisp the air is.

Can you ice skate?  Yes, but not very well.

 

Do you remember your favorite gift? Easy Bake Oven... I got it three years in a row because I always broke it.  After I'd make everything the box gave me to make, I'd use it to dry Barbie's hair after I gave her hair cuts LOL!  

What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Spending time with family.  In Hawaii, family is everything.  Not saying that it's not like that here.... I guess Hawaii just takes everything to the next level.  You mess with me and you'll have MY WHOLE family jumping down your throat.  It's like, you mess with one, you mess with the whole tribe lol. 

What is your favorite holiday dessert?  Strawberry Jello Cheesecake.  I don't like cheesecake, but I eat that.  DH ordered a chocolate cheesecake from the new bakery in town, for Christmas dessert.... Ugh.  I don't even eat the thing and he bought it.  It's all fancy so it's expensive. =/ 

What is your favorite holiday tradition?   Putting on shows for my Grandma.

 

What tops your tree?   An angel.  But DH didn't pack her good when we had to put her away last year, so her right cheek has a crack on it.  But all of God's children are beautiful so she will be my tree topper for more years to come.

Which do you prefer giving or receiving?   Can't it be both??  I love picking out the perfect gift for my friends and family.  And I also love gifts for me when they're well thought out.  Most of what I get is stuff I've asked for, so when someone puts their own thoughts into it based on who I am really touches me.

Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum?  I like the fruity flavored ones.  I'm not much of a peppermint person, a cowork gave me a peppermint candy cane attached to a Christmas card this year.... it's still sitting on my desk, and I'll probably throw it out.  

Favorite Christmas show? Movie?   I like How the Grinch Stole Christmas... Jim Carey's version.

Saddest Christmas song?   It'll be sad every time I hear it from now on... But it is a beautiful song.  O Holy Night.  DH's grandfather passed away a week before Thanksgiving this year and that was his absolute favorite Christmas song.  When it comes on the radio, I tear up.  Just all the memories associated to that song.

 

What is your favorite Christmas song?   Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas, Is You.  I watch X Factor.  I really wanted Carly Rose Soneclair to win, but on the finale she sang that song.  AMAZING!  I was laying on the couch watching the show, but when she started singing it, I got off the couch and "danced" with my furbabies LOL

IUI #4 is a Go

My ovaries like Bravelle, but not as much as it likes Clomid. I've never had just one mature follicle. It's always been two or three.

But I have a mature follie in my right ovary that 2 days before my IUI was measuring 22mm. Please let this be it. It's so not the perfect time right now because we don't know about our living situation and how that's going to be in the near future. But God knows what we can and can't handle.

Northern Starr wants to be a father so bad. He needs to be a father, and not just to our furbabies. This would be the perfect late Christmas gift. Okay, getting teary eyed.

Less than two weeks until I find out. 3dpiui.

Disappointed

CD 13 mid-cycle check was not good. I had lots and lots of follies but none big enough. Dr. S said that they were going to give me a shot in their office that day and then I’d have to have another shot (all of Bravelle) the next evening. And to come back on Thursday (Thanksgiving) to get checked again.

We did the shots. Went back on Thursday. My 2 follies with the most potential, they measured 10mm on CD 13, actually shrunk! Now one was 8mm and the other 9mm. IUI#4 is now officially canceled.

Dr. S prescribed me Provera 10mg for 7 days so I can shed all of my lining. Apparently my ovaries don’t like the Clomid and Bravelle combo. They’re high maintenance and can only have one or the other, not both at the same time.

New Game Plan:
Take Provera 10mg for 7 days. AF comes 2-4 days after last pill. Start injects on CD3-7. CD 8 have bloodwork and ovary check and we’ll go on from there. Bravelle is costing us an arm and a leg, even with my insurances help. But we can only do a couple more rounds of Clomid because of the lifetime max, IF we decide to go back to Clomid because we know it works and my ovaries LOVE it.

Ugh! I’m disappointed to say the least. Northern Starr has been really sympathetic. He knows there’s nothing he could do to help me with it. I’m more disappointed now because of canceling the IUI than I was when I found out IUI#3 didn’t work. All that medicine and time, wasted. Come on uterus, get pregnant!

Correction

Ovidrel is my trigger shot. Tonight Northern Starr has to give me the inject of Bravelle.

RANT
I understand that you just love being a mom and you keep posting pictures of your precious little ones on Facebook. Those are so totally adorable but to be honest it ALWAYS stings a little when I see them. Even on my good days it stings. But that's not what I'm complaining about. What I am complaining about is why the F do you have to post pictures of your baby bump from when you were pregnant with your precious angels?!?! Just because you love the way you looked pregnant. Give me a break! It's over with, done. Look at your bump pictures on your phone or what you already posted on FB and Instagram from when you were pregnant. There is no damn need to repost it!!!
Rant over.

IUI #4 - Game Plan

So my check up with Dr. S yesterday… I have an ovulatory cyst that she says is small and is nothing to worry about, but they’ll keep a close eye on it. And we came up with a new game plan. Dr. B’s nurse Glenna was there and I love her. She had paperwork filled out for us because she just knew we wanted to be more aggressive now. Glenna came and got us from the waiting room and took us to examination room and said, “What am I going to do with you? I was so sure it was going to work this time! Everything was lining up!”

“Me too, Glenna… Me too”

And then Dr. S comes in once I got undressed and even she was telling us that she thought IUI #3 was it for us. We didn’t tell all of our friends and family that we were doing treatments again, but for the few that did know, even they were shocked it didn’t work out.

GAME PLAN:
150mg Clomid CD 3-7. Ovidrel (forgot the mgs) on CD 9. Mid cycle check on CD 13. IUI on either CD 15 or 16.

Side note, this is the worse boobs and back ache from AF that I’ve ever had!!

IUI #3 :: Negative

I haven’t taken a pregnancy test yet. AF is here, so I know the test will be negative. But I will still POAS tomorrow morning to confirm. We are seeing Dr. S tomorrow afternoon to discuss our options. IVF is out of the question for us. So we know we will do another IUI. But maybe up the meds or do Clomid + injects, or just injects ??? We’ll see what Dr. S recommends and go from there.

I’m surprisingly not as devastated as I thought I’d be. I mean, I am crushed. But the last two IUIs, you couldn’t get me out of bed even if the house was on fire. And here I am, at work, going on about my day like it’s a normal day. I guess it is a normal day. For everyone else. As much as I hyped myself up for it, I’m okay. God knew it wasn’t the right time. My due date would’ve been July 16th. There’s already too many birthdays in July LOL!

Staying positive! Keep sending me positive vibes people!