Stairs to Heaven??

A while back I mentioned that we were looking into re-doing our stairs in our house.  As some of my RL friends can attest to, our stairs are WAY STEEP.  I have often nearly gone tumbling down these stairs and we have finally decided to take the plunge.  We’re making them new and much less steep.

We signed off the drawings yesterday and now our new stairs are in production!  Exciting stuff… And yet another thing that will hopefully help keep my mind off our upcoming 2ww (method to my madness dear hearts, method to my madness)

This is what they currently look like!

From our lounge seeing the whole staircase

From the top of the stairs looking down – yikes right?

From the bottom of the stairs looking up

 

We’re looking forward to the new stairs!

Technical 10/11

Sjoe, I’m so glad that the call to the lab is done for today.  I really think that the wait to call them is the worst part of an IVF.

We’ve got 7 normal ferts and 3 possibles.  So a technical 10 out of 11.  I’m so darn happy, scared, nervous, hopeful, excited all at the same time.

Gotta call again tomorrow and see how our embabies are doing…

This process is a ride for sure!

Seven + Four = Eleven!

Proof that when push comes to shove I can count!

That’s what we got today my lovlies – 11 lovely eggs.  I’m feeling a little tender but happy that we got a good number of eggs.  I’m really hoping that the 11 we have are excellent quality.  Now the tenterhook wait starts until we get to call the lab for our fert report.  I hate this part.  It feels like pure torture not to know immediately how many embies you got. 

Please continue with your good vibes, postive thoughts, prayers, thumb holding etc.

Bizarre!

How weird is this?  I was just looking at the dates for the month of March (doing my staff rosters in fact) and I just realised something really weird…

March and February 2009 have exactly the same days… like the first is a Sunday, the second is a Monday and so on and so forth.  We have had a Friday the 13th in February 2009 and now we’re going to head into another Friday the 13th in March… Totally bizarre!

I wondered to myself how often that kind of thing has happened so of course had to consult Mr Google.  This will happen if February’s 13th day falls on a Friday and it is not a leap year.  I thought it was pretty interesting.

What bizarre things have struck *YOU* today??

Oh my aching ovaries!

IVF # 2 has literally flown by in the blink of an eye!  Sometimes it seems so bloody unreal to me that we’re this far along into the process and that we’re busy with FRESH IVF # 2!!  Flipping heck…

Apologies for the lack of updates, but honestly, I really did not think that the daily grind of follies growing on left and right and endo checks was thrilling reading.  But things have been going well thus far and I have follies.  Nice fat (but not too fat) follies.  At the final scan this morning, we saw that we have 4 on the LHS and about 5 – 6 on the RHS.  So my last burny stingy injection will be at 19h30 tonight.  (How apt – just as Grey’s starts!)  Trigger time!  ER on Wednesday.  I’m hoping for 8 – 12 eggs.  And if my aching ovaries are anything to go by I think we’ll get em.

We’re definitely going to be doing a day 5 transfer this time round – the only thing that will be changing this cycle.  I’m really praying that this is the variable we need to finally get our BFP and a healthy baby.

Wish me luck dearhearts!

Honest Scrap…

Thanks Mel for this award, I’m thrilled to receive it  

The rules for Honest Scrap are:

1) Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.

2) Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with “Honest Scrap.” Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.

3) List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

Hmmm 10 honest things about myself, here goes:

1.     While growing up I was an army brat – my father was relatively high up in the food chain army wise and I made the most of that.  I can’t tell you how many times the bus driver had to drive right up to our house to collect us to get us to school cos we (my sister and I) were late/lazy to walk to the stop.

2.     I have an unhealthy obsession with savoury snacks – give me chips, nuts, crackers etc anyday over chocolate!

3.     My maths skills suck!  Ask me to write a letter, article anything but please don’t ask me to add or subtract etc in my head.  That is what calculators were invented for.  The time for doing maths in one’s head are WAY long gone… IMO of course

4.     I HATE ironing with a passion.  When our domestic worker goes on her annual leave it really is the worst thing I have to do while she is away.  Ask me to scrub loo’s – anything else but ironing.

5.     I am really competitive.  When I’m involved in a competition of some sort I play to win.  Otherwise what’s the point?

6.     I’m really not a girly girl and I think I’ll be a better boy mom than a girl mom.  (That being said I will take whatever I can get at this stage.)  I don’t really do the whole shoe thing, handbag thing and lipstick thing.  I’m more rough and tumble and into sports.

7.     I *knew* on our second date that Cliff was the man I was going to marry.  I never really believed the whole “you just know the one when you meet them” stuff but it was true with him and I.  I just knew we were going to be together.  It took him a whole lot longer to get with the programe but all’s well that ends well. 

8.     I am a true Gemini.  I have a nasty side that when provoked can be quite scary.  It does not come out often but when it does it is not pretty.

9.     My animals are incredibly spoilt.  They are not animals to me – they are an integral part of our family.  I allow them on the couch, on the bed and they really are two of the highlights of my day 98% of days. (When they dig in my garden they are not so much the highlights of the day – that equals the 2%)

10.     I kept my maiden name when I got married and double barreled it cos my family are so important to me.  Many ppl think it is a feminist thing and maybe a small part of it is.  But I really just thought that my family have helped shape who I am, why on earth did I have to give up my claim to them cos I was marrying into another family who shaped my husband?  I don’t ever regret doing this – even when ppl get all confused by it and ask me millions of questions or when I run out of space on forms etc..

Now for the business part of this award – 7 bloggers that I love… tough choice!  I love all the blogs I read and follow, but here we go:

Brenda, Sharon, Elize, Maritza, Chicklet, Murgdan and Dee

You girls consistently lay out “Honest scrap” for us to read, gain knowledge from and share.  You rock.

Bah humbug…

This is exactly how I feel today.  Bah humbug.

And this is why.  I got an email from a friend today.  A friend I used to share a house with and who admittedly I have lost “closeness” with.  Her first child was “one time without condom” oops.  A real miracle child considering that my friend was told she’d never have kids.

Once her daughter was born she never went on birth control and she and her husband have been trying for # 2 since their daughter came along.  She’s unfortunatley had 2 miscarriages in the last 3 years and in her email said they did not want to announce their pregnancy until they were past the 12 week mark in light of their history with m/c.  I totally understand that and I am SUPER happy that she is finally going to get her second child.  I really am.

But.

I spoke to her just shot of a month ago.  She had called me to ask me if I was pregnant cos she said she had a feeling I was.  I assured her I was not and she went on about how she was SO sure that I was.  After chatting a bit I asked her where she and her hubby were in terms of ttc.  She said they were still trying.  But she was already nearly 9 weeks pregnant.  I have to admit that I am a bit upset by this “white lie”.  I understand in my heart of hearts why she never annoucned her pregnancy before passing the 12 week mark, but in light of the nature of our conversatoin and how she went on and on and on about her having a feeling *I* was pregnant and not telling, I’m a bit miff with her.

That being said I guess we’re in much the same boat as she was about not wanting to say anything about the pregnancy.  We have not told many people that we’re busy with IVF.  The only people that do know are the people who read this blog, our direct families and one set of RL friends.  With our last treatments we told a lot of people – many of which did not understand the process and honestly probably did not care overmuch.  At this point I just don’t need the added pressure of “everyone” being in the know so to speak…

So the question is this, am I being hypocritical by feeling hurt that she kept this secret from me?

Sparrow Farts or Night Owls?

I’m not a morning person.  I never have been and I probably never will be.  I don’t really function well on little to no sleep.  (What on earth am I going to do when I finally get knocked up and have a real live baby??)  That being said I have always been a night owl.  I can quite easily stay up till midnight or early morning – as long as I don’t have to be up at sparrows fart.

That being said, as my alarm went off this morning at 04h30 am, I realised that if the desire and the need to be a sparrow fart kind of person is there, I can be that person. 

When I was a kid I remember that my Dad had to bring me a cup of tea to get me out of bed for school each day and even then it was a battle of wills to get me up and going.  But let me have to get up early for a hockey away game and boy was I out of bed like a shot without my tea.  It was a matter of prioritie.  School = not really worth the effort but hockey = so.much.fun and totally worth it.

Even when I first started working at in the hotel industry I hated those early (start at 06h00 am) morning shifts!  I would work a late shift (start at 15h00 pm) anyday.   But when I started running and the bug hit it was not problem for me to work a late shift (finishing at 01h00 sometimes 02h00  am) and then to get up again at 04h30 to go for a run.  Priorities you see.

Now in the midst of IVF # 2 I find that the priorities are there for me to get up before sparrows fart to have scans to check my follies and lining.  And it is because of those priorities that I am quite willing to get up at 04h30 am and have divine black rings under my eyes.  Cos you know what?  My priorites are in the right place right now.

What kind of person are you?  Sparrow Fart or Night owl??

Valentines Day

How are you all spending your Valentines day? 

Cliff and I have never been especially “romantic” as a couple, and honestly I really feel that I know my husband loves me – everyday.  And one day a year is just not enough for him to show it in outlandishly expensive manners.  Valentines to me = money making racket.

However I do enjoy seeing the little emails and clever advertising campaigns that generally happen around this time of year.   The SA organ donor organisation ran an excellent campaign that I just loved.  (I’m a donor btw, I really hope the link works its stunning!)

And I got these from a family member – they are truly South African so I’ll try and explain for my international readers…  Most of them are puns on Afrikaans words and the humour is more than likely going to get lost in translation so bear with me… For the SAFFA’s enjoy some true Souf Effrikan Valentyns fun…

(Boerewors is the most amazing sausage you will ever eat in your life!  It is a SA staple at a braai (barbeque) and “smaak” means to taste to to like someone.)

(Lekker means nice)  Truly SA humour at it’s best  – nice like a cracker… )

(Pomp is slang for ” S E X ” – this is really funny!! “Smaak” {fancy/ like etc} a Bang??  Hahaha, erm *cough*)

(“Tjerrie” means girlfriend or “main sqeeze”)

 

So!  However you’re spending the day of lurve, I hope you enjoy it – get loved up get loved down.  But most of all – have a blast and internets – you can all be my “tjerries”.

Smooches!

And we’re off!

Ah, hello AF. 

You’re right on time (thanks bcp) and now we have a date with dildocam tomorrow morning before the sparrows fart and all being well we’ll start meds on Thursday.

IVF # 2 has officially left the starting blocks!

Now I’m just hoping that the left over cruddy headcold won’t effect my cycle too much!!!