8 @ 8 on 8

Shaz tagged me, I saw this one on Chicklet’s blog as well and think it’s kinda a cool one so here goes!

To do list (i.e. “the rules”):
1. Mention the person who tagged me.

2. Complete the list of 8’s.

3. Tag 8 bloggers & tell them I tagged them.

Eight things I am looking forward to:

1.Going home tonight. 

2. Seeing my Dad this weekend – he’s visiting for 3 weeks 🙂 

3. Getting the damn results of our HLA studies so we can get cracking on a POA 

4. The glass of red wine that’s waiting for me at home right now… 

5. My birthday!  I love my birthday 🙂 

6. Getting rid of the darn fever blister that’s made a home of my bottom lip 

7. Being off the entire weekend – no work for once – yay! 

8. Being pregnant one day soon…

Eight things I did yesterday:

1. Read blogs and commented on them

2. Completed a mosiac frame for my friends daughter – very cool if I have to say so myself 😉

3. Made a poo (ok two)

4. Kissed my husband and got shivers 

5. Ate bean soup with warm bread and melted butter 

6. Read my book – nearly finished – It’s called “Blood Sisters” if anyone is interested 

7. Let my labrador sleep on the couch while I sat on the floor

8. Told the internet about my new wedding ring bling 

Eight things I wish I could do:

1. Sing!  Like a professional, all I can do is croak along to the tune. 

2. Go on a world tour and not worry about the cost. 

3. Get pregnant.

4. Learn that sometimes it’s best to just shut your mouth. 

5. Get motivated enough to get back into my running. 

6. Be a better friend to those who need me. 

7. Pray more.

8. Be more gentle with myself.

Eight shows I watch:

1. Grey’s Anatomy

2. Big Love

3. Gary Unmarried

4. Two & a Half Men

5. Kimora – Life in the Fab lane (I know, don’t judge me!) 

6. The Mentalist

7. Project Runway 

8. Nip Tuck (back tonight local lasses)

Eight favorite fruits:

1. Grapes

2. Banana’s

3. Naartjies

4. Kiwi’s 

5. Paw Paw’s

6. Watermelons

7. Plums

8. Gooseberries

Eight places I’d like to travel:

1. Russia – really want to do Siberia in Winter!

2. Thailand

3. Morocco

4. Egypt – I worked there for 9 months and really want to go back with Cliff

5. Caribbean

6. India

7. Tibet

8. Ireland

Eight places I’ve lived:

1. Zimbabwe

2. Swakopmund, Namibia (when it was still called South West Africa)

3. Walvis Bay, Namibia

4. Omururu, Namibia

5. Eshowe, KZN, SA

6. Taba Heights, Egypt

7. Sharm El Sheik, Egypt

8. Johannesburg, SA

Eight people I’ve tagged:

Pretty much everone I would have tagged has already been tagged, so if you’re reading this one and have not done it already – get going!  And leave me a comment here with the link so I can read along 🙂

New Ring!

I’m SO excited!!!  When we got married 5 years ago we could not afford to have the wedding band made that I wanted, so I settled for a plain band with eensy diamonds set in it all the way around the band.  I truly love my wedding band, but when we went to Namibia for a holiday a while back we got an amazing deal on some diamonds at  the airport.

These diamonds have been sitting in our safe for a loooonng time (cos you know we’ve been spending all our extra cash on treatments) and last Saturday I took them to a local jeweller who is making me a new wedding band with these diamonds set in the way I wanted my original band to look.  I’m not giving up on my band that I got married with, but now am going to have two wonderfully sentimental rings to wear.

I get my new ring on Saturday morning!  SO SO SO excited 🙂

Crafty Lasses

As you all know I do ceramic painting, and I’ve always wanted to learn how to do mosiacs, so when a friend and I found a studio that did mosiac courses I called together my mates and said “Come on girls, lets do it”

We headed off yesterday morning for a morning workshop and learned how to make mosiac photo frames.  There were the three of us, me, Tam and Shaz and boy did we have fun!

This is what we got up to, and I have to say I’m hooked, I have plans for a few more pieces for our home…

We rocked!!

Skin Snip

In an effort to save some moola for our next treatment I decided that there was one little luxury that I could get away with cutting out of the budget every 8 weeks or so.  The brazilian wax money! Ok, so granted it is not a lot of money to save but every little bit helps right and a close friend of mine shared her secret tip of how to keep your lady bits looking snazzy without having to rip your hairs out by the roots and for no major cost.  Like Bonus!!

Her style secret was to use my husbands hair clipper/shaver (with no attachment on it) to pretty up the old vag.  And it’s a great one, except, well except that I was a bit lax in my,  shall we call it upkeep? and needed to give myself a little trim in order to use the shaver thing to it’s full advantage.  So last night before bed, out came my hair sissors and I started to give myself a hairdo.  All was going well and things were looking good *eyebrow waggle* until I winced and saw red!!!!  I inadvertendly gave my skin a bit of a snip and it was bloody (hehe, good pun…) sore!

Now I’m walking like I got a carrot up my bum… So if you see me anytime soon – ask no questions and I’ll tell no lies…

A Whale Tale

A male and female whale were swimming off the coast of Japan when they noticed a whaling ship.  The male whale recognized it as the same ship that had harpooned with father many years earlier.  He said to the female whale “Lets both swim under the ship and blow out of our air holes at the same time and it should cause the ship to turn over rand sink.”

The tried it and sure enough, the ship turned over and quickly sank.  Soon, however, the whales realised that the sailors had jumped overboard and were swiming to the safety of the shore.  The male was enraged that they were going to get a way and told the female “Lets swim after them and gobble them up before they reach the shore.”

At this point, he realised the female  was becoming reluctant to follow him. 

“Look,” she said, “I went along with the blow job, but I absolutely refuse to swallow the seamen.”

I know him so well…

The scene:  Sitting on the couch watching Greys, glass of wine in hand.

The players:  Him and Her with the Jack Russel wedged between them.

*Scene fades in *

Him:       I see you bought us a peanut brittle.

Her:        No, I bought me a peanut brittle.

Him:      Oh.

*Ad break comes on and he looks over at her with doe eyes.  (Cue forward about 4 ad breaks with same actions mentioned here)*

Her:        Why do you keep looking at me like that?

Him:       I’m looking at you admiratilty…. admir….. adm…. or whatever the word is….

Her:        Admirably?

Him:       Uh huh….

Her:       [With eyebrow cocked jauntily at him]  Are you sure it’s not cos you’re wanting me to open the peanut brittle and share it with you??

Him:     [Stunned look on face]  Is it *that* obvious???

Her:      [Chuckling]  Babe, I know you so well.

*Scene closes with two happy nutters munching on a peanut brittle while the jack russel snoozes on between them oblivious.*

Straight as the Crow Flies?

Last week when we went to have our HLA testing done, we had to plan our route cos we were going to a place that we were not really 100% sure where it was.  We took out the old trusty map book and my darling husband looked at the where the spot was and planned a relatively easy route to get there.  It was a smiple “head straight down Jan Smuts Ave and we’ll get there” kind of deal.

The morning of the tests dawned and it was POURING with rain, now any logical person knows tht when it rains people in general forget how to drive and that traffic is going to be intense.  No matter the route you take.  So we left our house before sparrow’s fart and got on our merry way.  Now I was following my dear husband in my own car cos we work in totally different areas of Joburg.  Well.  Lets just say that sometimes it is not a benefit to have a husband who grew up in this city and who knows the back roads and supposed short cuts.  By the time we were 5km’s into the drive I was hopelessly lost and darn confused – cos?  This.was.not.the.route.we.discussed!  Also my darling husband thought that by changing the afore mentioned route to the HLA testing place, he was saving us time, saving us petrol and saving us from traffic….

FAIL!  We ran late anyway, we used more petrol cos we saw practically the whole of Joburg just getting there and due to the precipitation falling from the grey skies we sat in traffic practically the whole trip regardless of the route.  And because I was so hopelessly lost due to the round the mulberry bush he had taken me on, there was no way that I could do a tail spin and get myself there sooner than he…

It is just one of the many things that confungle me about my husband.  In my mind it would have been easier to take the direct route (the one we had discussed and agreed upon).  But then again, who am I to say?  What you think internet?  Straight as the crow flies?  Or round the mulberry bush?

Super Mom

Today is Mother’s day. 

Since we started trying to make a baby over 5 years ago this day has become a bit of a challenge issue  pain in the ass  difficult day to face.  In the first year of ttc it never really bothered me cos naturally I was going to be celebrating it the following year along with the other mothers in my family and church.   But as we passed the two year mark and then the three year mark I was less sure of the fact that I would be celebrating anything at all.  This year I am again on the other side of the glass looking in and funnily enough it is not as sore as I thought it would be.  Sure there were tears at church as they honored the Mothers, but overall I guess I’m just happy to be able to honor my mother.

Cos my Mom?  She’s the absolute BEST there is in the world. 

I hear of so many mother daughter relationships that are strained and that are a clash of personalities  and are defined by tension, and I thank God everyday that I don’t have one of those relationships with my Mom (not judging anyone who does, I know there are always reasons for everything, I’m just saying).  My Mom is one of my best friends, she is just wonderful.  She’s taught me to always do my best at everything I do, but has also managed to teach me the fine balance between being good at things and doing them well and understanding where your limitations lie.  My Mom is a true lesson in strength.  Growing up she was often left alone to look after my sister and me while my father was sent away (he was in the military).  She always provided us with the best home even when we lived in an army base in what I like to call our “cardboard house” (the walls were not made of cardboard, but they were precast I think and boy does it annoy Mom when I call it that… which naturally is why I do it *wink*).  We always wore the latest fashion (not name brands cos they were not cool when I was a kid but if it was in fashion we had it *remembers her denim bubble skirt* ).  And when we were naughty, we got the belt or shoe.  I often think about how hard it must have been for her in those days.  Practically a single mom with two constantly bikkering, naughty kids to take care of and still put in a full day at work?  I’m not sure that I could handle all of that with as much applomb as she did.

And when my neice came along, my Mom became a Granny and looking at the special relationship that she has with Kayla makes my heart sing.  Cos I know when I do finally have my own kids that they have something really special to look forward to by having my Mom as their Gran.  My Mom has stood by me every step of this infertility journey, she cries for me (cos we all know that I don’t do the crying thing), she holds my hand when I’m sad, she prays for me when I can’t pray for myself, she stands in the divide for me.  She doesn’t always get how I’m feeling or why I’m feeling it but she’s always there.  Holding me, keeping me sane and strong.

My Mom adores my husband.  In fact many a time she takes his side in an arguement and I’ll be like “hey, I’m your blood not him”.  She has simply accepted that because I love him He is her son.  She loves him probably more than she loves me (she always wanted a boy) and knowing that she loves him just because I’m married to him is pretty darn cool.

My Mom is also REALLY cool.  She’s fashionable, keeps up to date with all the happening things of the world and is beautiful inside and out.  My Mom does all the above and WAY WAY more for me while still being there and doing all the above and WAY WAY more for my sister and my neice AND works her butt off all day. 

Quite simply, if I am half the mother she is one day, I will be a happy girl.  Cos my Mom?  She’s Super Mom.  She’s my hero.

I love you Mom.  So, so much.  You Rock!

HLA Testing…

First up, apologies for being the sporadic blogger, I’ve been… well uninspired of late.  I have so many things that when they happen I’m all like “ooh must blog about it” but when it comes time to put finger to keyboard, I’m all like “duh how do I say that again?”…

At the time of our post IVF failure appointment our FS told us that with our next IVF he reckoned we’d have to do IVIG with it cos they wanted to “throw everything at it” and that the tests to confirm we needed IVIG for sure were expensive and bladdi blah… We left that appointment and first course of action was to get our chromosonal tests done and dusted. 

Then began the analysing and debating as to whether we take our FS’s advise to just do IVIG without doing the tests and see if that is the variable in our formula that we’ve been missing all along.  My brakes hit when I realised that what if I do my next attempt with IVIG and it then fails?  Will I then need to be sent for the tests anyway?  What was the point of doing a drip which cost a fortune if I only had a less than 1% chance of *actually* needing it?  Back and forth, back and forth.  Should we, shouldn’t we?

In the end we decided that we were going to go ahead with the tests, simply because I we wanted to be sure that I’d we’d crossed every possible “challenge” off the list before we proceed with our next attempt.  Cos dude?  There is research out there that proves you lose your edge after your third fresh attempt at IVF.  *cue mini freak out*  And cos this is our *shudder* third fresh attempt and techinically our 4th attempt I we wanted to be pretty darn sure that we were giving it our all.

What I did not prepare myself for was HOW much blood they drew for this “little” test.  Crikey!  One small bottle (no lies – blood drawn with a syringe – a really BEEG one – twice (!) to fill it ) and 8 vials of blood as well.  From each of us.  Thank gosh they used a butterfly needle (? hope that’s the right teminology I know a doctor who reads this here humble blog).  I felt like I should have been auditioning as a victim to a sexy vamp on a vampire show or something. 

As they were drawing it though, I looked at the small bottle and thought to myself – that blood looks damn good.  It looks like blood that CAN and SHOULD sustain a little person or two growing inside my body.  And THAT gives me hope.

Now all we do is wait for the results – they said it can take 2 – 3 months but a friend of mine who also had it done had her results back in 1 so I’m hoping for a speedy lab tech and either proof that we fall into that less than 1% margin (we’re on a roll here being on the right side of the stats so why not right?) or proof that we do in actual fact need to save for IVIG drips which will then begin a WHOLE new ball game…

I’ll be a better blogger… (I promise while holding nix behind my back…)

😉