TGIF

I am so ready fro the weekend...hooray!!! I have tons to do, but it will be nice to not have to work anywhere for the next two days.  I am hoping to drag my hubby to finish some shopping tomorrow. I still have no idea what dessert I am going to make to take to his dad and step mom's gathering tomorrow.  I can take whatever I want to my mom's on Sunday so I plan on making winter sangria and then an appetizer or dessert...maybe both, if they are easy.  I am looking forward to hanging out with our families. Perhaps on Monday I will actually feel rested....I can hope can't I?

Need a vacation...

I have been so busy working, I feel like I just need a break.  I have so much to do for Christmas...shopping, wrapping, cleaning, and deciding what covered dishes to take to all of our gatherings...only 11 more days till Christmas, when will I ever find the time to get it all done?  We are celebrating Christmas on Saturday with my father in law and his wife's family, then off to my mom and step-dad's on Sunday with my sister.  I have to at least get my shopping finished of the two gatherings this weekend.  I am usually the person still wrapping every year on Christmas eve....guess it is tradition.

Christmas Tags...

So for several years I have planned on making these and have never gone through with it, well last year I saved all of our Christmas cards and decided this was gonna be the year to make them.  I bought a one ound pack of scrap cardstock at  walmart and I already had the various scissors.  Basically just cut the cards a little smaller then the card stock, put a thin layer of glue on the card, and attach to the chosen card stock.  I placed under a heavy object till dry. Once dry punch a whole in corner or where ever you like, tie ribbon and attach to wrapped christmas gifts or gift bag.  Here are the few that I have started minus the whole and the ribbon, I will add those when I have completed all my cards....I still have a ton to do.  You can write on the blank side to/from.  Tags can be made from any card to keep on hand for other occasions.  Just wanted to share : o )

wOrDleSs WeDnEsDaY ... My <3 belongs to him.

Early Christmas

So the picture from Wordless Wednesday is of my step-daughter's christmas present. Her name is Ginger, she is 11 weeks old.  Of course we had to give her to Miss Lindsey early, there was no way we could hide a puppy for a month.  She is the best puppy and my puppy seems to really like her. Miss Lindsey is absolutely thrilled to have her own dog, she adores her. I am so thankful all the dogs get along, I was really worried we would mess that up by adding yet another dog into the mix. Hopefully the next new addition to our family will be a baby and not another dog..hee hee. Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving, and for those that shop black friday, I hope you found all that you were looking for.

Wordless Wednesday

Persistance Pays Off!!

So I have called the office of my GYN doc almost every day since I realized that my already scheduled appointment will probably fall on CD1, because for some odd reason I am was 2 days early on my cycle this month. Anyway, after the appointment this past friday I am even more eager to get in so I can talk to her about the specialist's findings and recommendations.  So my phone call yesterday landed me an appoitnment 9 days sooner due to someone else cancelling. I am thrilled and just wanted to share.  Have they never heard of a cancellation list, this is what my office does where I work, quite simple and effective, and I don't get someone calling me everyday to see if there were any cancellations. Toodles!

Wish, hope, pray!

So we were given a thumbs up at my hubbys appointment Friday, the second results came back and the doctor said all his numbers are good, there are no male fertility issues and he recommends that I go back to my doctor(way ahead of you doc, already had appointment scheduled) to start clomid. Of course it takes forever to get into my doctor, well maybe it just seems like forever for me because I would have loved to gone right to her after my hubby's appointment. Anyway I am scheduled to see her in december, but I plan on calling EVERYDAY to see if there are any cancellations.  They are gonna love me..ha ha  I am really anxious to get in there so we can start the next step...I am concerned about one thing, I have NEVER had my hormone levels checked, she ordered this test for hubby but not for me and I have not thought anything about it until hubby went for his first appointment with the specialist. I figured I would bombard my doc with all these questions/concerns when I go for my appointment.  SO I feel really good but a small part of me is freaking out beucase if everything is ok then why have we been TTC for 18, almost 19 months?!?!?
My mind starts wandering to all kinds of possibilities and reasonings...I need therapy, thank goodness for this blog. So until the day that I have a positive pregnancy test I will be wishing, hoping, and praying for a miracle, our little miracle made possible by gods help!

New favorite.

I had to work at my part time job last night till 9:30 so I only got to see a little over an hour of the CMA's...and let me tell ya I absolutely loved the Kenny and Dave song they did together, I already downloaded it on my phone...my hubby and I love DMB, go see him every summer....he puts on one hell of a show. Anyway if you did not have a chance to watch them or hear the song on the radio you really shold check it out, I think it is very inspirational and just a beautiful song. I also like Kenny, don' t want to leave him out.  I just love love love this song! I was really excited about Taylor winning all that she won, she rocks...listen to her Fearless CD all and I mean ALL the time...I get hooked on a cd and will wear it out then move on to something else. TTFN : o )

Anxious and worried....

Well my hubby scheduled our follow up appointment with the fertility specialist on Friday. We will meet with him to get our results from hubby's second(hopefully more accurate results) semen analysis and see what
options lie ahead for us on this TTC journey.  The last visit went better than we expected, we were expecte dto be told that he owuld have to have a procedure scheduled, but turned out the doctors' assumption was worng once he met with hubby, gave him a list of a few simple instructions, an order for a second analysis to be done at the lab the doctor recommended(not the place we had the first one done), and then a follow up two weeks after the second analysis was done.  So until Friday, I am keeping my fingers crossed that everything is ok and we find out we are a healthy couple that cen get pregant...but the timing must just be off :o )

Wordless Wednesday...isn't he pretty? hee hee

One step closer.

So my hubby and I finally made the trip to the lab that the fertility specialist recommended for a second semen analysis; we had our first appointment in September but had to cancel and since then between our cruise, work schedule and timing we were not able to get in until today... thank goodness because he leaves for work trip next week for 5 days! We now need to call our specialist to make a follow up appointment to get our lab results and see what lies ahead for us in our journey of TTC.

I am absolutely exhausted, I did not sleep well because I had a sick puppy...hubby siad when he came home for lunch yesterday she had gotten into our potatos and was jsut walking around with it in her mouth so proud. He took it away and told her that was bad and she came out with two more before he left.  She has never gotten into them before, guess we need to put them higher. I am thinking that the raw potato is behind her upset belly at 3 in the morning. Of course she continued to cry, growl, and whimper because she wanted back up on the bed, but I did not want to tak any chances of her getting sick on the bed. Hopefully I get better sleep tonight!

Wordless Wednesday... my BFF and I.

Busy, busy, busy....

I can't believe the weekend has came and went already.  We went to our friends' house Friday evening to play cards, got home around 10:30p and went to bed, I had to work a health fair Saturday morning,so I had to leave my house by 7:30a to get there on time to get set up and ready to start by 9a.  I left there around 12:30p and headed home. I ate a quick lunch and then I layed down for two hours before getting ready to go work my part time job at 4:30p.  I got home from that job at 10:00p and stayed up for a little while before going to bed because I had to be back at work at 9:30a.  I came home for my lunch break and went back till 5:00p.  I was wore out and hungry.  My hubby got our gutter fixed on Saturday with thehelp of his Dad, thank heavens, it has been falling for a while now.  Everything had to be taken down, new wood put in and then everything put back up.  He also got the new medicine cabinet and light fixture put in our bathroom, it looks so nice. I plan on going home today after work and loading all of our stuff back in it. Te only left ot do in our bathroom is to do the floor, I hope to get that started this week, once the floor is in then we can fasten the cabinet to the wall, right now it is jsut sitting in there, sink needs fastened also. So once that is all done, I can put in the new curtain, rugs, towels, accesories and pictures on the wall. I can't wait to see it all done.  My hunbby and I watched a movie while we drank some yummy red wine that we bought from the wine festival that we went to in May... and I ate some dark chocolate with my wine..goes well with red!

Where does the time go?

I cannot believe it is almost Halloween, thanksgiving is right around the corner and before I know it, it will be Christmas! I recently started a new part time job that so far I really like, it is a completely different pace from seasonal job and yet so different form my full time job...confused? I have worked at a jewelry store for the past ten years, when I first started I was full time, then I went to part time, and for the past 8 years I have been "seasonal", but I usually work year round when the hours are available. Well the hours have slowly been dropping the last two years and this year I have not worked since may, and that was only about 10 hours between 2 days. Needless to say I have been actively looking for other part time work and finally came across something that would work great with my full time hours, so I applied, interviewed twice, was offered the position....and accepted! I will get my first check next week and I can't wait. The plan was to quit the jewelry store, I do not need or want to work 3 jobs, but I am actually going to help out through the holidays, so November I am only working 3 days, no problem.
My hubby has been a huge help already while I am working 2 jobs. He has been doing some cleaning and cooking. Yesterday, he painted our garage door, still needs another coat or two, he painted 2 of our 6 shutters, and he weeded the front flower beds and put new mulch in. Looks great. I finally had him take down the old medicine cabinet wednesday so I could finish painting above, behind, and around where it was haning on the wall, so all the painting is completely done in our bathroom. I am hoping that when he gets home from work we can hang the new cabinet and light fixture. I am anxious to have a mirrow and better light in the bathroom, plus all of our medicaine cabinet supplies are in a box waiting to be returned to their home.
I would love if we could have all of our projects done before the holidays so that maybe we could have something at our house, but right now no way do I want guests coming over for a big holiday dinner with the way everything looks right now. Besides we still have not put up our brand new kitchen table, waiting for the floor to get done...may have to put it up regardless, we can not leave it in the garage through winter, it could get ruined. One project at a time, the kitchen will get done eventually. TGIF.

Wordless Wednesday

Day of birthdays...

How awesome is it that my best friend's dad and my dad share the same birthday!!! (Happy Birthday Dad!)I fortunately get to tell my dad in person Happy Birthday, my best friend however does not have the same luxury as I...her father passed away 12 years ago. Even though he is no longer with us, the memories I have of him will live in my heart forever. Happy Birthday Pete...I miss you.

Today is also my friend Leslie's birthday...a big milestone one...happy bday girl!

Wordless Wednesday...here's to Pete, gone but not forgotten. You are truly missed.

Two years ago...

on this day I said,"I do" and it was the easiest thing I have ever done. Marrying the love of my life was truely one of the greatest days of my life and I look forward to continuing our journey together. Happy Anniversary Lindsey; for me, it's you.

Vacation is over.

Well we are back home and back to work. I have a ton of work to catch up on so I will post about our trip at a later time...back to reality..haha.

More ready than ever for our getaway.

This has been a day from H-E-double hockey sticks! I am soooo looking forward to having my hubby all to myself for a whole week...no phones, email, internet, or work!
I know the whole point of vacation is to get a break from work but I am already dreading the return, because I know that I will have a weeks worth of work to get done,. plus get all my stuff ready for clinic that takes place the next day after my first day back. I know it is job security but I am the only here that when I go on vacation my work or at least a majoritu of it does not get done by someone, everyone!
It is just so very frustrating. I instantly get the biggest grin on my face when I think how lost this wonderful place of employment will be when I go on maternity leave(at least I hope I am lucky enough to someday have maternity leave...still TTC) I am evil today..heehee. I have so much to do to prepare for my week off and I have been having computer issues for two days...still no resolutions...I hope they get me up and running or I will not be able to complete a lot of things that are needed for next week..when I am cruising. Let's not forget that I want to color my hair, finish laundry, tidy our house, dispense our puppies to our wonderful family and friends that have each offered to pet sit for us, pack...and I think that is all!

Let us never forget.

TGIF and my birthday.

I am another year older today...35...feels like 29...haha I wish I was 29 again!
I know age is just a number and I really don't feel 35...but tell that to my eggs.
I never thought I would be 35 and TTC...unsuccessfully that is. I am hoping with this new age comes some new milestones, like childbirth...I am keeping my fingers my finger crossed. Enough about that, it's my birthday and I am going to enjoy it. My husband took a lovely picture with my phone of me sleeping this morning and sent it to one of my freinds and said it's my birthday. One day I might share the pic, it is pretty bad though. He is so goofy that way...it is why I love him. He sang happy birthday to me too. I have received a ton of messages and texts that started at 6 am,(thanks cousin)and I loved them all. My mom and step dad came by yesterday. She brought me a cake with candles(thanks Mom, I love cake and it was delicious). They bought me some clothes, perfume that I had asked for(yahoo), a bag(perfect for the beach)and she had an old photo blown up of my dad when he was just a toddler...I do not recall ever seeing any photos of my dad as a kid, the only pic I remember was his senior year. I love that my mom even though she is remarried did this little thing for me, I love it. I realize not only now how much I look lik emy dad, but how much I looked like him back then when I was that age. I can't wait to show it to my dad too, just to see his reaction! I am so thankful that even though my parents are divorced and both have remarried that they can still get along an dbe in the same room. I will check back in next week to fill everyone in on the rest of my birthdya and to share what goodies I got from my hubby. May god watch over all those who lost loved ones on this horrific day 8 years ago, they may be gone but not forgotten and we will never forget!!!

On a roll....

I actually started to paint our master bathroom last night. I just made up my mind that I was going to start it as soon as I got home from work. I am almost done with the ceiling, I see one spot that looks a little lighter than the rest, so after I touch that up when I get home today I will then decide if I need one more coat or if I am ready to add color to the walls! It makes a huge difference already, the previous owners paited the ceiling the same as the walls(a peachy color)and I just painted it flat white. I also painted the exhaust fan cover white(it was silver). I am hoping to finish the rest of the painting this evening, except for where the
medicine cabiet is, once I am ready, my hubby will remove that and the lights so I can paint behind it and then install our new mights and cabinet. Slowly but surely it is getting there. We have so much home improvement stuff to do...bought most of the supplies just running out of steam to tackle the tasks! When it is all said in done, we will have replaced the toilet, the vanity, the lights/medicaine cabinet, painted and put new floor down in our bathroom. I already bought the rugs, trash can, deco stuff, curtain and towels. I am ready to finish this!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Ready for the weekend.

I am so glad it is finally friday. This has ben a busy week for me at work, which has been good because the time flies. I am gonna be hanging out with my step daughter tonight, hubby has plans with his buddies. My aunt might be coming to hang with us, hopefully. I guess tomorrow I am gonna take Linz to volley ball practice abd then we have my hubby's football game tomorrow at 1, then who knows what we will do. I got my hair trimmed to day during lunhc, it feels so much better, i was in need! I had her layer it just a little so it had some shape. If I won the lottery I would hire a stylist full time to take care of my hair, that would be my big indulgence! Maybe I should start playing...I can't win if I don't play! I love going to see my hairdresser because we have a conection, we are both TTC. SO we spend most of my appointment discussing, comparing and be so hopeful for the other.
I hope eveyone was a wonderful weekend.

Wordless Wednesday(my first)

Time flies...

It has been absolutely wonderful having my hubby home, but now his time is spent coaching football so I rarely see him. He has practice everday Monday through Friday and then games on Saturdays. They had their preview games this past Saturday and I was planning on going but never made it because I had a killer headached that I just could not get rid of, I never made it out of my pj's until almost 6, even then I only showered to put on a clean pair of pj's. I was bummed to miss his games and I know he was disappointed...I will go to the next one! My step daughter made the volley ball team this year so I/we will have some of her games to go to also, I am unsure when her first one is, I need to look at the schedule again.
Yesterday we went for a ride on the motorcycle to get our favorite pizza, it was only about 30 minute ride one way, but it was nice, not too hot, not too chilly. The pizza was delicious, I decided to try the buffallo chicken pizza, and I LOVED it, wish I would have order the next size up. Hubby and his friend got their own pizza. I am picky on toppings but will usually go along with what everyone else wants...except sausage, I can not stand sausage on my pizza, anything else I can pick off..so it was really nice to have my own pizza all to my self. I did make hubby try a piece...this frustrates him, I always want him to try my food if it is something we have not had and I think it is good and that he will like it..he always protests that he does not want to try it, but in the end, he has a mouthful of my food ...small victory...and he usually always ends up liking it too! That pretty much sums up my weekend. It is only Mondya and I am wishing it were Friday already!

Home at last!

My hubby is back in town....and I am so thankful and excited. Of course I think United, was trying to prevent this, his flight from Chicago was delayed twice. As if 3 weeks apart was not enough, lets go ahead and add a couple more hours! I am thrilled that he made it though. He had so many neat pictures,the Taj Mahal looked absolutely incredible. There are still more pictures on his digital camera, maybe I can get some posted on here...I keep saying that and have yet to do it...lol
He had to go back to work today and tomorrow but then is off the rest of the week, I know he is really wore out and jet lagged, so hopefully his time off will get him adjusted back to Ohio time. I can't wait to get off work today because I get to go home to him instead of an empty house(except for the doggies). He had pictures of this temple and once there you could buy this silk scarf to lay over this woman's tomb and then you take I string and tie on to this elaborate screen and make a wish..he did not reveal his wish but I know what he wished for...let's hope his trip to India proves well for expanding our family....making our dreams come true.

Update on TTC

So I went with my hubby to meet the specialist he was referred to in Kettering. He was very nice and seemed compassionate. He went over hubby's analysis and hormone lab results. Hormone levels were fine, exam was fine(no Varicocele, that was the possible culprit of our TTC issues), the doc did have some issues about the level of accurancy of the analysis, due to where the results were compiled from. So our list of instructions were to start hubby on 2 different vitamins(one is an antioxidant and for the life of me I cannot remember the other), avoid hottubs and hot baths, no laptop directly on hubby's lap...if you are sensing a theme with heat being bad for the little swimmers..you are right! Ten weeks from this visit, hubby has an prescription to go to another lab(one of five recommended by our specialist)for another semen analysis to aquire accurate better results. He believes it is still motility that is an issue, but the number was not much lower than the ideal number so we will meet back with the doc 1-2 weeks after second analysis. He told us to continue TTC aggressively when I am ovulating. So the bad news...I am ovulating while he is in India....I hate a missed opportunity..but I am looking at it as everything happens for a reason and this cylcle is not the one that our baby wants to be concieved in ; o ) Plus I am hoping with the procedure I had done a little over a month ago, and no diagnosis of Varicocele, and the fact that we have been apart over 3 weeks...that this will all be beneficial..do I dare dream? You bet, I still have hope that our dream will come true!

So much time, so much to do, so little energy.

I thought I would use the time that my hubby was in India to do a lot of "around" the house stuff. There are some rooms that need painted, we have new doors that need painted before he hangs them, flooring to do, and then just some odd projects that i want to do...like get our photos in frames and hung around the house!...oh and some cleaning. Well I did start some cleaning, I got that main bathroom completely done, and the kitchen, only thing left is inside oven and inside the fridge. I have placed a few photos, just none that hang, oh and I polished some old silver knick knacks that belonged to my hubby's grandfather. That was all done by Sunday. Now when I get home from work I can;t help but fix some dinner, and then I plant my but in my hubby's recliner and find myself watching lifetime(Lifetime is a no no when hubby is home..haha). I am so unmotivated. I have managed to keep all my laundry caught up though. I am the type person that I only want to start a project if I know I can get it done before I go to bed..must be the Virgo in me...most of the stuff I have in mind to do I know can done be done in a few hours, so I think I am holding out for the weekend when I do not have to get interrupted by going to bed to get sleep to go to work in the am. Perhaps this will be my weekend to accomplish big things!!! We will see.

18 days and counting....

My hubby headed for Bangalore, India this past Thursday(July 16)...I miss him so much, wish he didn't have to go. I took a half day off of work so I could see him off
and we headed to Dayton Airport. Once we were there we got the bad news that his flight to Chicago was delayed by 4 hours(of course I was secretly jumping up and down inside because this meant more time with my hubby). This was a huge problem because he would miss all his connecting flights to reach his final destination of Bangalore.
The airline agent was able to find him another flight leaving at 7:45pm, going directly to Frankfurt Germany(avoid Chicago), then he would still make it to connect to Bangalore...we just have to get him to Cincinnati Airport...did I mention that by this time it is almost four o'clock...perfect time to hit rush hour traffic as we approach Cincinnati.
So we made it to Cincinnati, and I said goodbye to my husband for 23 days : o (
My father in law went with us, which was really nice, I am glad I did not have to drive back all by myself. We stopped for dinner and had a really nice time talking...he is the best dad in law!
I finally got to talk to him yesterday, he has had a busy weekend already..he went to see the Taj Mahal...can't wait to see the pictures. He said it is really something else over there. I am counting the days till he is back home and in my arms.

One day at a time..or should I say one appointment.

I posted earlier about my HSG and that results came back normal, well we finally have the results from my hubby's analysis and it came back abnormal, due to motility. My doctor referred us to a specialist in Kettering and we have that appointment for next week. The specialist thinks after discussing with my doc that the motility issue may be due to Varicoseles, which is fixable..says my doc. I am trying to play out 50 scenarios in my head and what will be the best decision for our future of TTC...my hubby seems to be the more sensible one and does not want to make any decisions or get all worked up about what little information we have so far(we don't even know the break down of his analysis)until we meet with the specialist...did I mention fertility specialist...there it is, it's out there...that word that I hoped to avoid...I kept thinking and hoping that we were not pregnant because we were trying to hard, and that it just wasn't our time...yet, but it would eventually happen without all these appointments, procedures, and physicians. Of course I can not stay away from the Internet, trying to research anything and everything having to do with infertility, motility, varicoseles...you name it and I have probably been there, which may not be a good thing, because I think I am reading to much conflicting information which will just confuse the hell outta me! Hubby also had a blood draw for testosterone and estradiol levels, that are supposed to be faxed to my doc who will then fax them to the specialist, so I guess we will get those results at our consult as well. Can I also say that I am frustrated with the specialist already, we have to pay $150 up front and file all our own insurance claims...and I am sure our insurance will not cover...I am hoping that it is still considered diagnostic, since we have not actually been told what his diagnosis is, in that case they should pay....but now I am sure we will run into paperwork issues because we have to file ourselves...how ridiculous! Oh and of course I am sure like most couple TTC, that are having issues...money is a huge factor...we just never prepared for the possibility of infertility costs. I am keeping my fingers crossed that since I know what his number are form his analysis(just don't know what they mean) and that since there was not a zero for motility that means someof his swimmers are motile, which makes me think we have a chance(no matter how small) of getting pregnant regardless of his possible diagnosis. I am holding on to that thought...because it gives me hope! I am sure I will have a better understanding of both lab results once we meet with the specialist and go from there.

Doing the impossible...

I decided a few months ago that I wanted to have a surprise birthday party for my hubby's 40th. I was worried about how I would ever pull it off without him finding out, he always has a knack for figuring stuff out,so to surprise him is impossible, well almost! I started with the guest list and from there I started calling different places to see about renting for the night. I finally decided on a place that would not break the piggy bank. I bought the invites so I could work on them when he was not around but still get them mailed out a few weeks before the party. The party was planned one week before his actual birthday. His birthday is on July 4th so with the holiday I did not even want to plan it on the day of, plus I figured a week before would throw him off. My grandparetns 60th anniversary is JUly 2nd, so that was my ruse to get him to the surprise party. He thought we were going for a surprise party for my grandparents..PERFECT! I covered my tracks for the day of the party by telling him that my mom asked me to help make some food and get stuff together for the party...no problem. I went to the store got all the food stuff I needed, the sheet cookie and the rest of the decorations. All the stuff I had bought in previous weeks was hidden away in the trunk of my car...I just prayed that he woul dnot have to get into my trunk for anything. I met my mom at the party spot so we could rearrange tables, decorate and leave any food that we possibly could. We then headed to her house to get busy making stuff. I left there with enough time to go home, eat with the hubby and get ready for the party. We headed out and once in the parking lot, I called my mom, let it ring then hang up, so she knew we were in the parking lot and headed up. Right as we got to the top of the stairs, he hesitated and said this is not for your grandparents is it? I could not help but to let out the biggest grin I could, grabbed his hand and said let's go. Everyone yelled out surprise as we made our way through the entrance. He was so SURPRISED and I was relieved that I pulled it off. There were so many friends and family there, it was a wonderful night and he really enjoyed it and was thrilled that I did that for him.
Happy 40th my love!!! Of course we will be celebrating more the weekend of when we have his daughter and see the rest of his family.

Waiting...

So the dream did not prove to be a sign for me being pregnant, not sure what it meant?!?! I actually made a follow up appointment with my gyno, because the hubby and I have been TTC since April 2008 and no luck. I actually started the day of my appointment, so another cycle that I prayed would not happen, happened. She(my doc) suggested that I have a hysterosalpingogram(HSG) and my hubby have a semen analysis done. Once we get the results of those tests then we will proceed from there, if everything is normal then she said that she would go ahead with the referral to a specialist, because she is concerned about my age and pregnancy and does not want to waste time within her office when the end result would be referring me to a specialist anyway.

Just a little info on HSG and Semen Analysis: A HSG is an X-ray test that looks at the inside of the uterus and fallopian tubes and the area around them. It often is done for women who are having a hard time becoming pregnant (infertile).During a hysterosalpingogram, a dye (contrast material) is put through a thin tube that is put through the vagina and into the uterus. Because the uterus and the fallopian tubes are hooked together, the dye will flow into the fallopian tubes. Pictures are taken using a steady beam of X-ray (fluoroscopy) as the dye passes through the uterus and fallopian tubes. The pictures can show problems such as an injury or abnormal structure of the uterus or fallopian tubes, or a blockage that would prevent an egg moving through a fallopian tube to the uterus.
A semen analysis measures the amount of semen a man produces and determines the number and quality of sperm in the semen sample. A semen analysis is usually one of the first tests done to help determine whether a man has a problem fathering a child (infertility). A problem with the semen or sperm affects more than one-third of the couples who are unable to have children (infertile).


So I had the procedure scheduled and performed on June 10...I must say that I was not at all prepared for the severity of the cramping and I think I jinxed myself by asking how long the procedure would take becuase needless to say my doc coudl not get the catheter where it need to be to inflate the balloon so she had to use some other instrument to manipulate my uterus(painful). My hubby went in with me and was so supportive, he tried so hard to take my mind off of what was going on and the pain that I was feeling. I think he even wooed the other ladies that were in there with us(the doc, xray tech, and the doc's student). Of course it seemed like I was laying on the table for eternity, of course hubby corrected me and said no it was only a few minutes...and then saved himself by adding, but it must have felt like forever to you having to go through that. I am such a wuss..I have never had any major surgery(does mole removal count? haha) or broken bones, so I have no idea what my pain tolerance is/will be. I did tell hhubby that if that was any indication of what childbirth will be like, then I want the drugs! (of course I know I will actaully weigh that decision better when I actaully am faced with that chance) So my doc said unofficially that everything looked good and the dye flowed through like it was suppose to, of course we will get the official report from the radiologist once he reads the xrays.
My hubby did his deed and stopped off at the lab to make a deposit for his semen analysis, so hopefully we get those results sometime next week...and pray that everything is ok with his swimmers and we can get back to TTC, hopefully with success here real soon.
I hope to have results so that I can update everyone in blog world. I also plan on posting some pics of our mini vacation to west virginia May 29-June 2..hopefully this weekend!

Dreaming of a lil' Dabe...

I awoke to my hubby calling Piper's name early this morning to go potty outside...and it jarred me from my dream that felt so real. I dreamt for the first time ever(or at least the first time that I remember dreaming about it)that I took a pregnancy test and I was looking at two lines!!! I was in some unfamiliar place waiting for my hubby to get back into town, he must have been away on business..who knows?!?! I kept running into people I knew but I could not say anything because I want to tell the papa to be first! Then I run into my BFF(Danielle)and of course I can not fool her, she knows that I am unusually happy or different some how, and she guesses that I am pregnant...I deny it, no way, me...nope we are still trying....I don't think I fooled her...but I will never no because that is when I woke up to ...Piper, Piper wanna go potty? It felt so real, I hope it is some SORT of sign of whats to come...I will forever wonder, if I was having a boy or a girl...no matter what it was sure to be a little Dabe! I found this little excerpt online(after checking several, I liked hers the best) that I wanted to share: One of the most common requests for dream interpretation I receive comes from women with dreams of pregnancy. Some are terrified that this is a dream of prophecy, some are hopeful of the same. So what does dreaming of pregnancy mean? Is it an omen of literal conception?

It is entirely possible to have dreams that are prophetic announcements of a literal pregnancy. The Biblical tale of the Annunciation as told by Luke is a great example of this. However, we don't all have to be giving birth to the Christ to discover we are pregnant via a dream. Hormones may kick in or the all-knowing unconscious may make us aware of what is going on in our bodies via a dream well before we see the evidence in waking life's blue line on a store bought strip.

As possible as a pregnancy prophecy may be, usually the meaning of these dreams is not found in a literal event. This should not however, lessen the impact or meaning of the dream as pregnancy dreams are extremely potent. They are telling us that something important is coming; something life-altering is forming in our being. When we think of pregnancy in symbolic terms the dream is much easier to decipher.

12° 58′ 0″ N, 77° 34′ 0″ E

...you ask what is this? Those are the coordinates of Bangalore, India. My husband has been informed that he will be traveling there for about 3 weeks for work. I was really freaked out at first, but I know that this is a huge opportunity for him and I support him 100%. He has traveled for work in the past but it has only been a few days, and I disliked being away from him then, what ever will I do without him for three weeks? I worry if we will be able to talk as often as we want and what is the time difference...I need to google that! We initially thought he would be gone over his birthday, and I was devastated...it will be his 40Th and I already bought his gift and was looking forward to giving it to him and trying to make his day really special...of course I can not tell him what I have been planning, I do not want to spoil the surprise just in case there is a change in plans...then today he calls and tells me they have his dates locked down and he has good news; he will not be leaving until the middle of July...Hooray! I am thrilled that even though it will suck with him gone for that long, I am so happy that we will get to celebrate his 40Th together!

I have been tagged...

Rules:
*Mention the person that tagged you. - Kiki at The Story of You
* Complete the lists of 8's.
* Tag 8 blogger friends, go tell them you tagged them...

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To:
1. Our mini-trip to West Virginia to see my cousin and his family...and go to my first ever wine festival(hopefully I will be the DD)
2. Getting our house done, we have wood laminate to finish installing and we are going to tackle tiling the kitchen floor ourselves(more like my Hubby, but I will observe).
3. Cruise vacation in September, it will be my third, but the first time with another couple. I am excited that it will be my cousin and his wife.
4. Summer...I love it!
5. A certain job position being posted so I can apply and hopefully get chosen to fill it...
6. My hubby's big milestone birthday...that is a whole other post on it's own that I will get too!
7. My second anniversary, thank goodness we have no year old cake to eat!
8. Being pregnant so I can be a mommy!!! I wanted to save the best for last!!!

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:
1. Get pregnant already.
2. Be the best wife and stepmother ever!!...one day soon I hope, a mommy.
3. Ride my motorcycle like my hubby...he makes it look so easy.
4. Cook like Rachel Ray.
5. Figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life, then finish school to get me there.
6. Pay off all our debt!
7. Take my hubby on the trip of his dreams for his big birthday.
8. Learn how to play one song on the guitar and play it for my hubby(maybe even one I could sing along too).

8 Shows I Watch:
1. One Tree Hill
2. Gossip Girl
3. America's Next Top Model
4. Dancing with the Stars
5. Desperate Housewives
6. What not to Wear
7. Dog the Bounty Hunter
8. Divine Design

1.Cave Clan 2.The Furious Five 3.What She Really Wants 4.If you lived here I'd know your name 5.All About Austin 6.Confessions of a Moody Mommy 7.Craving of Motherhood 8.Sweet Pea's Place

If you've already played, disregard or send me a link so I can come see your list!

Hip Hip Hooray!

My BFF, fixed my blog so comments can be made now...she is my guardian blog angel!
I have no idea what was wrong but she fixed it yesterday...THANK YOU DANIELLE.
I probably messed something up when I changed my layout, I am still learning.
I am getting irritated with the whole layout thing because most of the time my background stuff does not show up : o ( Anyway I just wanted to put a quick post out here to say thank you to Danielle!

Where does the time go?

I can not believe it is Friday already, this week has flown by! I am glad that is Friday though. My mom and step-dad are finally back from their annual trip to Florida, they left January 1st and just got back on April 15...I have missed them.
It sucks not seeing my mom for 4 months. She said next year they will probably stay until May...yuck :o( I want my mom here year round!!! I am hoping to foil there plan by having some baby news..keeping my fingers crossed...heehee My hubby and I are having dinner with them this evening and then she will see me tomorrow at my PC party. I am so excited to see them. So I guess there has been an issue with trying to leave a comment on my blog since my last post...I have no idea why this is happening or how to fix it...I did update and change some stuff today, so hopefully everything is back to normal and comments can be added..feel free to just say hi so I can see if it is working again...thanks! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
Peace, love and sunshine!!!

"Spring Break"

My step-daughter is on Spring Break this week and it is our year to have her for the break. She stayed with her aunt the first two days and then we took her and her friend to an indoor waterpark Wednesday and Thursday. We had a blast and the girls loved the bunk beds with their own tv... a little surprise we did not tell them about.
We tried to have her friend stay over at our house one more night(we love it when she spends time with us, her and my step-daughter get along so well)but it did not happen.
Probably better that way we were all exhausted and just layed around the rest of the evening...and of course I had to come to work today. There are two things that I am very aware of after our little "trip"...I need to work out and I desperately need a new swim suit..or two. I actually threw one of the two that I took with me away, it had served it's purpose for as long as it could...it was one of my favorites too! I am sure that my hubby and I will both be on some sort of work out routine by summer time so we can get in tip top shape for our cruise in September...it is always nice to be able to show the beach pictures with you in them...heehee My step daughter siad the sweetest thing to me yesterday, we were having lunch before going back into the waterpark and we were talking about families and stuff and she looked up at her dad and I and said well I have 3 parents...looked at me and gave me the biggest smile...totally melted my heart, I love her so much! Anyway, I hope that everyone has a wonderful Easter!!!

Much better now...

This has been a busy busy week for me at work, but I am in a much better mood than last week. I feel better that I got some of my mad and sad frustrations out about TTC. I really think I need a break from the whole idea and planning of it; my hubby and I need to regroup before we decide what step we want to take next or if we want to leave it to fate...a little while longer. We are planning a long weekend to West Virginia in May and we are really looking forward to it. We are planning on trailering our motorcycles(perhaps by then I will have more practice riding on my own) and going to this huge wine festival. I look forward to having my cousin and his family to ourselves, no sharing with all the other family and friends like when they come home to visit! Hubby and I are going to go get our passports this weekend...well at lest start the process, we won't have them in hand for 4-6 weeks. I am looking a little excited about them, I have never had a passport before and they are now required for cruises and since we are going on one in September we need to get them. I can't believe next weekend is Easter...this year is flying! TGIF!!!

Could it be the weather?

It is such a gloomy day and my mood is matching. I am feeling so sad today, thinking about the fact that I feel I am no closer to pregnancy. It is so funny how I spent most of my life being safe, cautious and at times just a downright prude to not have an unwanted pregnany and now that the right person has come into my life and we are ready to add to our family; nothing, kaput, zero, zilch, nada! Who knew the overwhelming mix of emotions that go along with trying to concieve and being unsuccessful at it. So many times I feel like such a failure that I can not give my husband the chance to be a father for the second time(first time with me). Then I have thoughts of anger, why not me,what have I done wrong or not done, would I not be a good mommy? Ultimately, I feel sad... I think of all the things I would give up in the future or trade in from the past just to be a mommy and how I feel that ultimately there is something or should I say someone missing from our lives. Then I get scared because I will be turning 35 in September and I am all to aware of what that means...my odds go down tremendously. So I am about a month away from making the dreaded phone call to my doctors office that after a year or more of frequent sex without birth control, we are still not pregnant. How did I go from being so excited to tell everyone that we are trying to almost hoping that no one asks us about it because it so disappointing to say that we are not. Of course I am always sooooo envious(and yes even a little jealous, I am human)when I hear of another friend or coworker or heck let's be honest, just about anyone at this point being pregnant. Gosh I sound evil...well I have one thought to leave you with: practice makes perfect...or at least that is what I am hoping for...as my BFF once told me when the time is right our baby will choose us :o)

What a week...

My cousin and his wife were in for the weekend,not long, but I did get to go out with Amber Saturday night, it was a blast. We watched her cousin's incredible band, I loved them;STS kicks butt! We went to dinner Sunday to celebrate my neice's sweet 16 ...it was yummy! Monday I was not feeling so hot, made me wonder about the seafood I ate Sunday....Looking back on the week my stomach has not been right all week : ( Tuesday was the 4 year anniversary of the first time my hubby and I met(it was after this night that I told my mom that I met the man I was going to marry)...Happy St. Patricks Day, it is also my niece's actual birthday. We hung out at our house with some friends and watched Halloween... I worked on cleaning the house and preparing food for my jewelry party that i was hosting the next night. Wednesday I came home and scrambled to get the sloppy joe in the crockpot(it turned our pretty good, this was the first time I ever made it)and getting all the other snacks out and put on "display". I made chocolate covered strawberries in under one hour and they were a hit, more yummies! I had a pretty successful party, I will be getting a ton of free and half priced items. Yesterday I was exhausted and still feel about the same today. We have no plans for tonight, I may have to sneak a nap when I get home, I feel that tired. We have an uneventful weekend, might be going out with my sis in law and some friends tomorrow, still uncertain!

I was tagged...

...by my BFF.



Step 1: respond and rework -- answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.

Step 2: tag - eight other un-tagged people

I will not be doing this because I do not even have 8 people I follow...yet : )

1) What do you do for a living?
I work at a sleep center, basically I am an office manager, but do not get the luxury of that being my job title. I also work seasonal(year round not just Christmas) at Kay jewelers...i love me some jewelry!

2) What is your biggest fear?
Not being a mommy and/or losing Lindsey.

3) Do you nap a lot? No, not really, every now and then Lindsey and I lay down on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and doze off.

4) Who is the last person you hugged?
Lindsey last night.

5) What websites do you visit when you go online? Blogger, CW, Menus, IMDB, Domestications, Myspace, and Facebook...i guess that sums up my regulars.

6) What was the last item you bought? For myself, necklaces at a jewelry party. Lindsey and I just bought a class ring Friday for my niece's 16th birthday on March 17th....Happy Birthday Katelyn!

7) What is your favorite vacation place?
I would have to say anywhere I go with Lindsey is wonderful, but I really like cruises.

8) If you woke up tomorrow and were a boy, what is the first thing you would do and why? Hope that I would wake up the next day as a girl...i can't really think of anything I would want to do...i guess pee standing up too!

9) Has a celebrity's hair cut ever influenced your own hairstyle? Oh yes, probably more so by color than by cut but I know at sometime or another I have wanted a celebrity's style as well!

10) What is your most embarrassing moment? I can only think of one and guess what...I am not going to share because it is a one of a kind and I will never live it down, and I have never spoken about it so it is like it never happened : )

11) What was the last movie you watched? The Wrestler

12) If you had a whole day to yourself with no work, commitments, or interruptions what would you do? Organize all of our photos and put them in albums. I would love to cook some great recipe off of Rachel Ray and surprise Lindsey...he loves hershow...or maybe just her : )

13) What artist's music is currently playing (or did you last listen to) on your iPod/mp3 player/ car CD player, etc? I have an ipod I got for Christmas and I tried Saturday for hours to get music on it and no luck...I was trying to sync music already on our computer(like our wedding cd). In my car I only keeeo a few in there at a time and then I take those in and bring out a few more, so right now I have Maroon 5, Britney Spears(i love her new CD), and a couple of burned CD's that I leave in my car always.

14) Have any big plans for the Spring/Summer? We are planning an overnight stay at Fort Rapids for Springm Break. Then a weekend to my cousins in May for a festival in Virginia and we are taking a cruise in September to the Caribbean. WE are going to see Dave Matthews in June...we have not missed a year yet since Lindsey and I have been together...it's kind of our thing.

15) If you could make one wish,no limits, what would it be? Four or five years ago I probably without a doubt would have said some denomination of money, but now there is only one thing I would wish for....to be pregnant!

Is it Friday yet?

I am so ready for the weekend. I had the bright idea of coming in 2 hours earlier each day this week so I could have Friday off without using my paid time off...well
getting up at 5:30 is kicking my butt. Of course I will be so excited that I am off on Friday so I can go with my hubby to The Arnold in Columbus. I went last year with him and it was so neat to see Lou Ferrigno and Batista! We plan on taking our time going through it this year and perhaps watch some of the competitions. I had my nephew, Joel, this weekend. He is 10 and he and my step daughter get along pretty well, thank goodness because I was not much fun for him. I woke up Saturday with a cold sore(YUCK!) and it affects me pretty bad but I did not have the heart to cancel on him so I got him anyway. I am finally startin gto feel half way back to normal and the cold sore is going down, I no longer look like I got punched in the mouth! I also tried another crock pot recipe, the french toast bake. It was not a hit, we ate it but pitched the extras along with the recipe...sorry no intentions of making that one again.

Best Friends Forever

March 1, 1978...my BFF was born.

Danielle you have been there through good times and bad, happy times and sad whether it be to listen or to talk, you have been my rock. You have shared some of my biggest milestones; boot camp graduation, standing by my side at my wedding to the man you introduced me to and I can only look forward to what lies ahead...because I know you will be there throughout the years to come. I thank you for being such a special part of my life and I am so fortunate to be a part of yours. You are a partner, you are a mother, you are a daughter, you are a sister, and you are my best friend. You truly are my bestest friend and I know that I may say that a lot, but I mean it each and every time with all my heart, I only hope that you never get tired of hearing it. I hope you have a very Happy Birthday and may all your wishes come true. I love you.

A day of firsts

Yahoo, yippee, I have my first follower...my BFF! So yesterday I bought my very first Vera Bradley purse(the green cupcakes print), I love it and can't wait to transfer all my stuff from my present purse into it. I also made my first recipe from the many that I have printed from the crockpot blog that I am obsessed with. I made the recipe she made on Good Morning America 2/19/09, Buffalo Chicken Lasagna. It was super easy to make and it was absolutely delicious...my husband and mother-in- law agreed that it was tasty too. I would definitely make it again, it is a little spicey so I recommend only making it when the people eatting it are into a little spice...it is buffalo chicken lasagna afterall : ) I am attending my first "jewelry' party this evening, so another first! I am a sucker for jewelry, probably a bad idea for me to go....I will try to be good.

Day two:

Well I was able to get a picture to upload, although not the recent one that I was hoping for, I still love this picture of Lindsey and I.
I was excited to get a picture though and I even did it without the help of my BFF. I still have a ton of questions on navigating this blog so I will definitely be looking for her help and guidance : ) I think I have a lot to learn!

Virgin Blogger

So I finally did it after thinking it over for a few weeks...drum roll...I created my own blog!! Of course I need some help because I can not get a photo to upload...so I have no picture(s) on my page yet, but that will soon change when my BFF helps me navigate this stuff and make my space me.
I can't wait for my BFF to realize that I am on here now..at least I think I did that part right...who knows? Only time will tell.