Please pray...

for my sanity. I went for my 8th scan this morning, CD18 and was told it looked like I had ovulated. Yay!

Then, this evening I got an email from Dr. S....

I have looked at the scans from the last 4 days, including today. The leading follicle, on today's scan, has developed into an LUF.
There is a second follicle that has reached a mature size today, of 1.83 cm mean diameter. It would be good to see a scan tomorrow to see whether that follicle continues to grow, or ruptures, or becomes an LUF also.

Yeah... my response was pretty much *?#@!!!!!

Back to PA tomorrow for a NINTH scan.

Oh, and I have a migraine.

Terrific.

8th trip...

Gosh darn follicle must be trying to set some kind of record! It's a little over 3 cm now... I sure hope tomorrow is my last trip up to Camp Hill. I'm beginning to feel right at home. I'm driving those streets more often than my own around the corner, haha! :)

One interesting thing happened this morning... we went to Mass at the chapel at the hospital this morning - it was easier than trying to rush back home. It turns out the priest was the same from when I had my surgery last year. He was willing to consecrate a second chalice so I could receive Holy Communion. Yay! And the homily was good. Plus, the priest had one of the Sisters read a letter from the Bishop of Harrisburg about the recent health care ruling. I could hear people talking about it after after Mass, when DH and I stepped outside and were waiting to put our hymn book back. There were a few folks gathered outside chatting - one of the Sisters, and 2 doctors. How AWESOME is it to see nurses & physicians in their scrubs at Mass? :) One of the doctors (he had a coat on so it took me a minute to see he had scrubs on underneath) introduced himself to us & said he hadn't seen us there before. He was super friendly and nice. He asked what brought us to the hospital, and we explained that I was there for some testing... and did he know Dr. S? Turns out he's Dr. C, in practice with Dr. S and is one of the doctors Dr. S recommended in his letter once he (Dr S) retires!! We talked with him for a bit... he mentioned coming down to DC last week for the March for Life (again, AWESOME!), and was telling us about his time in the military (he was Army, DH was Navy). He told us he resigned from one particular assignment due to matters of conscience and finished up medical training elsewhere. And here we are all facing the same crap again. It's maddening. With all the medical care I've received over the years, the BEST care I've ever received has been at this Catholic hospital. Everyone is so helpful and kind and friendly.

I wonder why??

Thanks for trying to take this away, Mr. Presi.dent. You won't succeed.

U/S update

Short update...

So... 2 follicles on the right. One is 3.0 cm and the other is 1.8 cm. Way to go follies! Haha. :)

Seventh trip up to PA tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM... so I am REALLY hoping one ruptures before then so I don't have to go for an 8th trip on Monday! Please pray that it does!

And uh, DH and I are doing our part. ;)

Eight...

5 on the left, 3 on the right so far! :) Go follicles, GO!!!

On Sunday there were 6- 4 on the left, 2 on the right. What is normal??

The tech on Sunday said "well, we don't want all of them to rupture because you'll end up with a lot of kids". My response was "Uh...we've been waiting a while. I'd be happy if several ruptured!"

Next appointment is Thursday, CD14. I'm hoping after that appointment to meet up with this pretty lady. My first blogger meet-up!

Also, my appointment with Dr. S in February was changed - he won't be there when I originally scheduled. Unfortunately, without thinking, I rescheduled it to when DH is traveling. So... tomorrow I'm going to call and hope I can get an appointment the following week.

40 Bags Update:
I cleaned out the closet in the office to help get it ready to become a nursery. I shredded a bag of paper of old college notes and had another bag of trash. Woo-hoo! I ransacked the closet in the guest room where off-season clothing is stored and this morning donated 4 bags from there. Ahh... bliss!!!

In the office I was using an old dresser from DH to store miscellaneous paper and office supplies. It's literally fall.ing a.part. So, as I am really fond of my fingers, and didn't relish them being squashed by the drawers, I emptied that and replaced it with a smaller drawer unit from the Con.tainer Store. I LOVE it!!! AND I put it in the guest room storage closet.. AND more importantly, there is still room for guests to hang a few items when they visit. Yay!

So... I'm up to 6 bags. 34 more to go!! :)

Quick Takes

1) CD1. Ugh. I am doing the Follicular Ultrasound series starting on Tuesday, and I'm kind of interested to see what's going on. I also asked about getting another HSG done, and am waiting to hear what Dr. S says.

2) I am so, so, so excited to do another 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge. I know it's not Lent yet, but I was itching to start, so I already went through one closet. I figured if "the call" comes, I won't have time to work on it, so I better start now! I don't know why I hang on to older clothes - especially ones that I don't really like all that much. I took out It's All Too Much  from the library again to get me in a good mindset. If I don't love it, why is it in my home??

3) One thing I discovered about myself is that I. love. Paper. Pretty little notepads, notebooks, stickers, etc, etc. But do I use them? Nah... I use the back of an envelope or whatever else I find lying around. I hereby resolve to start using them!! I can't remember what blog I read this on recently, but one woman told her daughter she needed to buy a new candle. Her daughter asked why she didn't use the one already sitting on the bookshelf. The woman replied that she was saving it. The daughter told her to save herself the trouble and not buy it the next time! Come to think of it, I think I have a purse I need to start using, too! :)

4) Despite being a lover-of-all-things-paper, I restrained myself tremendously when I went into Paper S.ource today. I've been wanting to check out the store for a while, and finally went in this morning when I was nearby getting some yummy olive oils from this place. (Side note: I got Lemon and Italian herb and can't wait to try them! I got a coupon earlier this week from Living Social so I got a good deal too!). Anyway... Paper S.ource. I made a few handmade cards this year, with the help of Mar.tha Ste.wart punches, and while there I discretely took some photos of sample cards to give myself ideas. I also checked out possible invites for my sister V's bridal shower and bachelorette party invites. My sister R, has been calling every few days to run ideas by me. I told her I'd start looking around for invite ideas and favors. Did any of you do favors for your bridal shower? I can't remember that I did, although I think there were prizes for games. Do you have any great suggestions? :)

5) I am so glad it's Friday. DH has been working some crazy hours this week - he's had training for several days which means the work he's not getting done during regular business hours, he's doing in the evening. This week has felt like we're ships passing in the night, and I miss him! :) We have NOTHING planned this weekend, which I am really looking forward to. Sometimes it's great to just hang out at home and relax.

6) Our Christmas tree is still up and still looking good! I can't believe it. We bought it the first weekend of December! I expected it to look like a Weeping Willow after we returned from our trip, based on prior experience, but it looked as perky as ever! I hate to take it down. It's definitely been the best tree we ever bought! I think it's a Balsam fir. I know it's not a Douglas or Frasier - so is that the only other fir? I kind of want to start putting decorations away, but iI love seeing it lit at night. Anyone else feel slightly depressed putting things away?

7) Now that the Stee.lers are out of the play-offs, who are you cheering for, my fellow Pittsburgh fans? I couldn't believe that last game, but for some reason, I didn't have a good feeling going into it. At least Sid.ney Cros.by should be back on the ice soon for the Pens! Yay!

Happy Friday, everyone!!

Let them eat Crepes!

DH and I had a nice lunch date recently at a French Crepe restaurant nearby. I took notes on mine while I was there so I could try to duplicate it! We tested it out earlier this week as I wanted to make it when we had some friends over for brunch this morning. It was delicious!! :)

You can use crepes if you want, but they are not necessary - the filling is good by itself. We made crepes using Jules GF flour and coconut milk, and they turned out pretty well. We had to tweak the recipe since this was the first time with the coconut milk. Once I figure out quantities, I can post the recipe if anyone wants it!

We made bigger crepes (dinner-plate size), placed the filling in the middle and folded up the edges around it.

Filling:
1 Eggplant, diced into medium-sized cubes
2-3 Yellow Squash, diced into medium cubes
1 Red onion, diced

1-2 lbs Chicken, diced (I figure 4-5 ounces of chicken per person as we eat a lot of protein)

Extra-virgin Olive Oil (a generous amount)
Black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Herbes de Provence (sorry - no quantity) - I just shake it on for a light coating, stir the mix up and repeat.

I combined everything except the spinach into a 9x13 glass pan (this morning I made extra, so I used 2 pans) and baked it at 350 for 35 minutes. Oh, and I covered each pan with aluminum foil.

While that bakes, dice up the tomatoes and prep the spinach:

2-3 Tomatoes (mine were on the small size so I used 3), diced

Spinach - maybe 3-4 cups - I just filled up the colander (I cooked it separately, just until it wilted on the stove).

After removing the filling from the oven, I added the spinach and tomatoes.

Since we served it on crepes and the original recipe had Brie in it, I used a spreadable brie and spread a thin layer on each crepe before adding the filling. You can omit this if you're not eating dairy, and it's still very tasty!

If you have any questions, let me know!! :)

Dr. S :(

First, Happy New Year, Friends!! :) I hope 2012 is a great one for all of us still waiting...

Today I got a letter from Dr. S saying that he is retiring in March. I had a strange feeling before opening it. This morning I picked up our mail from the post office from the last 10 days and had 2 envelopes with receipts from his office. I could tell the one today from the mailbox was a letter and I thought either he was moving (I know he hasn't always been in PA) or retiring...

It's sad to have it confirmed. I've been thinking and wondering these past few weeks about our next steps. Since DH & I are officially waiting now, I wonder if it would be a good time to take a break from all the meds and blood work. Not that we would stop TTC, but in effect putting it completely in God's hands. I've been feeling for a while that He might want total abandonment from me- it's freeing to think about, and incredibly scary at the same time. Will it leave me wondering if He did want us to continue pursing it medically? I don't know. I imagine I will stay with one of the other physicians in his practice, just to keep things simple. I don't think Omaha is in the cards right now. And I don't know what else they would do - I've already had my final surgery.

I have one more appointment scheduled with Dr. S, and this next cycle am planning to have the ultrasound series done later this month. I've also considered asking him to check to see if my tubes are open with the dye test (right now I'm blanking on it's official name) one final time. I'm curious... did things heal nicely after my surgery last year, or did more adhesions form and this is all a waste of time and money? I'm glad I'll get to finish all that with him.

At the very least, Dr. S was a great doctor - I got misty-eyed before each surgery as he prayed with me asking for Our Lady's intercession. And I must admit that it's great to have a letter signed "God Bless You!" and with him assuring me of his prayers and asking for prayers in return.

God Bless you, too, Dr. S!