I got a new...

Piano and a new job!! YAY!

Let's start with the more exciting topic.. my new piano =D I should get it probably on Tuesday of this next week. I am really, really excited. I will have to take some video of me playing and figure out how to post a video on here. I didn't get the piano that I showed in my prior post.. I ended gup getting a Samick 48" upright. Here is the beauty:

About my new job.. I will probably start either March 26th or April 2nd. I'm glad I got out of my current department when I did. I have a feeling that things will start going a little haywire here shortly when everyone is leaving because they feel like their position is being threatened. So, I am happy about my move; although, my shift/hours are really going to stink. I will be salaried now, but the position requires me to stay later in the day, until around 5'ish. I am so used to leaving work at 3:30 or 4 at the latest. I've been spoiled. We'll see though.. there is some flexiblity with that.

Jared's Grandma has shown some improvement, but we are not out of the woods yet. She could use prayers, if you think of her. Her name is Zelma.. here is a picture of us with her and my parents at Christmas time. This is from my FIL's camera:

Piano

I have wanted a real piano since I moved out of my parents house. Jared has finally agreed to buy me one! WOOHOO! We went tonight to look at new pianos and my parents came with us. This is the one that I will most likely get. I apologize that the photo is so poor. I am going to see it again on Thursday and will get a better pic at that time.

My mom found a baby grand that she loved, but she is probably just going to keep her piano that she has now. Here is my mom at the baby grand:

There were a few other pianos there that could work, just have to decide on which one I want and how much we want to pay.

I did see Ted on Sunday and that was alot of fun. He is a bit thinner than I like to see him, but he wasn't underweight by any means.. he is a really hard horse to keep in the winter. Here are some pics of him. I didn't ride because my family was with me. I will go up again soon and get on him though.

Dad, Jen and me

Ted getting a good brushing

After the brushing.. he still looks dirty.

Other news is that Jared's grandma had a stroke today. She survived, but things aren't looking great. My MIL, Judy, is flying out to Tacoma, WA tomorrow. Jared may join her later this week, but that is still left to be determined.

That's all for now.

? DPO

I am pretty sure I O'd yesterday/Saturday but, I am not quite sure. My cervix still has not dropped and closed up. I imagine it will at some point today though. Surely I am not still fertile, if my first +OPK was on Thursday. Usually you will O in the next 48 hours of a +OPK. Either way, we had some great timing and hopefully it will get us our BFP!

Last night we went to a going away party for some friends of ours. I was the designated photographer for the night. It was alot of fun! Even though I took most of the pics, I got a few with me in them.

Me and Jared

Lesley, Tracy and me

(Lesley is getting married in October and Tracy and I are 2 of her Bridesmaids. Hopefully I will be big and pregnant by then!)

Bye Scott, Tracy and Audrey! We will miss you!

Today I am going to see my horse, Ted. Guess he's really not mine anymore, but I can still pretend. I'll head up there after church, as long as it's not raining. I imagine I will bring my saddle so I can hop on him for a bit. It will feel so good to be back in the saddle.

Thank you all for all of your comments and support. I'm so blessed to have such great friends. I know God hears our prayers. I feel very good that Jared and I will get a BFP this month.

+OPK!!!

CD 16 and I got a very very very +OPK! YAY!! This was taken just a few short minutes after I started the test. It really darkened up even more after 10 or 15 minutes. Guess we all know what we'll be doin tonight. hehehe Hopefully making a little Kuntz.

I am so glad the weekend is almost here. Tomorrow, I should be hearing about the job that I interviewed for last week. I am really good friends with a girl that is in that department and although she can't come out and tell me the decision, I am pretty positive that they are offering it to me. So, that's exciting.

Well, I am so excited that I am having another "early" ovulation. And I am glad that I am prepared for it this month, unlike last month. We'll be using the Instead cup and Preseed tonight. Please Lord, let conception take place this month!

Ok, I gotta go get ready for bed aka.. BD!!!

Our appointment!

Our appointment went pretty well today.

The Dr. came into his office where we were waiting and first just introduced himself. He was a very nice man with quite a sense of humor. He made us feel very comfortable and we talked very openly with him.

He first started asking about our background and what tests we've had so far. At that point, I handed him a printout that I had done up that detailed each of my cycles and also Jared's semen analysis results. I went on to tell him about my progesterone level that was checked and also my HSG. Right away, he could see some issues with my cycle. Namely, my late ovulation pattern and my short luteal phases. I was so excited that he recognized this because those were the same things that I was concerned about. He also commented on my knowledge of my cycle and fertility issues and asked me "Now, why do you need me?" haha. funny.

He was not too impressed with Jared's semen analysis and said that while it is within a "normal" range, it is closer to the bottom of that range and combined with my cycle problems, he could see why we have been having some issues with TTC.

So, what we are going to do is this:
I need to have some blood drawn so we can do some more tests. The Dr. wants to check a couple different hormone levels to see if it may indicate PCOS. I might have 1 or 2 possible symptoms of this disorder but, maybe not. Hopefully we can rule that out but, if not.. I think it is still workable. I will probably get my blood drawn early next week.

Next step is to call the nurse line as soon as my next period starts (please Lord, let me be pregnant this month). If my period does come again, I am going to start Clomid. I will start out at 50MG on days 3-7. I will visit the Dr. again on days 13 or 14 and have an ultrasound to check out the size of my eggs. If there is one (or more) that is mature, they will give me an HCG shot to induce ovulation. We will be instructed to have intercourse that night since I will be ovulating and then we wait.

We will go through 2 cycles of this. If we are still not pg after 2 Clomid cycles, he wants to move us onto IUI's.

That's all that we talked about so far today and I think that is enough. haha. Both Jared and I feel really good about this though and are ready to do whatever it takes.

Another thing we discussed is that I had some mid-cycle spotting yesterday on CD 13. I have never had this before. I came home from work and noticed some pink but, it was gone by bed time and I haven't seen anything since. The Dr. said that it could be 1 of 2 things. Some women experience mid-cycle spotting before ovulation because the hormone estrogen dips and that could cause a small amount of spotting. Another reason could mean that my uterine lining quality is poor and that it is already starting to shed. Since I haven't noticed any more spotting, I doubt that it is my uterine lining but, who knows. I hope that I am just getting ready to ovulate. I have been having somewhat fertile signs by my CM and CP but my OPKs are still really faint. I haven't taken an OPK yet tonight but, I will in about another hour or so.

Well, that's all for now. I am having good thoughts that we will be preggers in the next few months :) Keep those prayers coming!

Jared fixed the car!

A few posts back, I wrote about how we backed into a snow plow truck that was behind our driveway. Well, we finally got the car fixed! Jared bought the new trunk lid and replaced the damaged one. He did a fantastic job! I am very proud of him :)

The smashed trunk:

The new trunk:

We have been searching for a new (used) truck and we found one that was a few hours away in Hutchison, KS. Jared talked with the car salesman a couple times today and decided that it was "the one" so we put a deposit down and made arrangements to drive down and pick it up tomorrow.

I was really excited about making the trip because a friend of mine from Babycenter, Staci, lived near Hutchison and I was so excited to get to meet her and her family! We set everything up with them so we could meet for lunch and be able to visit. Then tonight, as I was getting ready for bed and watching TV, Jared pulled a carfax on the truck, just to be sure we knew what we were getting. We were so dissapointed when it showed that it had been reposessed and also been in a collision with an animal. Uggh. Needless to say, we are not going to get it after all. (sorry Staci) :(

But, we will continue to search for another truck as we want to get a little bit cheaper one and also, since we don't have horses anymore, I don't need such a big truck to haul a trailer around.

Hopefully Stac and I can meet one of these days too.

Interview

I have an interview today with another department where I currently work. I am excited about the interview and hope that I get the position. I won't be too bummed if I don't because I really enjoy where I am right now. I am comfortable with my work right now, it is easy and pretty low stress. The main reason for this move would be because my current department's work is being sent to India. They are still going to need some people to stay here in Kansas City and my manager has told me that I would probably be safe here, if I wanted to stay because I am one of the top producers on the team. I was really glad to hear that but, at the same time, I think I would really like this new team and it would fit me well. So, we'll see. Either way, I will be happy.

I bought a new suit the other day and I think it's really cute. I took a pic with my camera phone and it is currently in the works of being sent to my work email but, my phone is taking forever. I may have to post it later.

On Sunday, I got to hang out with my sister Jenny for some of the afternoon. We always have alot of fun together :) My sister is the BEST! (are you reading this, Jen?) haha

Jen and I went to Walmart to see the baby gear that I want. I set up registries online when I was pregnant with Abigail and I have kept them up so they aren't deleted. Some of the things that I originally wanted have been discontinued and I have had to find other replacements for it. The things that were most recently discontinued was my baby gear, including the travel system, swing, high chair, bouncer and pack n play.

I like the idea of having the same theme with most/all of the gear and was disappointed when my favorite Graco print was discontinued. I went shopping (online) again and found another very cute print by Graco. It is brand new for 2007 so, I am pretty sure this one will still be around by the time my showers are here (hopefully). The print that I have registered for is sold at Walmart and it is Pooh themed. It is alot more affordable than the other print I wanted too.

Jen took the stroller down from the shelf and I wheeled it around the baby department. Wish we would have got a picture of that :)

See pics here:

Travel System:

Swing:

High Chair:

Pack N Play:

The Pencil Test

My sister asked me how the pencil test worked so, I will post the instructions here:

You need a sharpened pencil with a threaded needle stuck in the middle of the eraser. like so:

You sit in a chair, with your right arm extended and your palm facing up. Another girl holds the pencil above your wrist. She first rests it lightly on your skin and then raises the pencil to where it dangles and begins to move. The pencil will likely begin to circle, this means that it is thinking. If the pencil begins moving side to side (horizontal) above your wrist, this means that your first born would be a boy, if it moves up and down (vertical) it will be a girl. If the pencil begins circling again, after it made it's first prediction, that means that there will be another baby in your future and then will go on to tell you if it will be a boy (horizontal) or girl (vertical). If the pencil moves in a diagonal line, above your wrist, this means that you will have TWINS! Each time the pencil circles, it means that there could be another baby on the way. When the test is complete, the pencil will slow down and start to either twist in place or come to a slow stop. Try it! It is fun and amazing how accurate it can be!

CD 1 of Cycle #11

We are doing everything that we can, in order to get pregnant this month. I will be using OPKs again, and also using these things called instead cups. They are made for women to use during AF time; however, alot of ladies use them while TTC because they help keep the little swimmers inside :)

Along with the OPK's and instead cups, I am going to start taking: Vitamin B6 again, Evening Primrose Oil until ovulation (to help with CM), Baby Aspirin (to help promote implantation), and also drinking Decaffinated Green Tea and Red Raspberry Leaf tea, everyday.

Of course, we will still be going to our appt. with the fertility Dr. but, hopefully we won't have to go on any fertility drugs, in order to get pregnant.

Pray for us!!

On a funny, kinda neat/strange note..
A girl that I work with is preggers and she is having a girl. She was doing this pencil test today at work that predicts or tells you about your kids. It works on any woman whether she already has kids, is pregnant or doesn't have kids yet.
Anyways.. she did it on alot of the moms here and it worked on each of them. She did it on me and it said that we would have a boy first and then twins!!! She did it on my good friend Mia and it said that she would have a girl and then no more. Mia does have a girl already and isn't planning on any more children.
It took a while for the test to start doing anything on me. The girl said, "Man, yours is taking a while" I kinda chuckled and said "Ya!!" My 2 good friends who both know that we are TTC were there and they both chuckled too.

I made the appointment

I know the inevitable is just around the corner so, I went ahead and scheduled an appointment with the fertility specialist. It will be on March 6th at 9:30 AM. I'm interested to see what he has to say and what his game plan will be.

Not feelin it this month..

Yesterday brought on some signs that AF will probably be here soon. I'm praying that it doesn't but, I have more signs that AF will start than I do pregnancy symptoms. So, we will see!!!

I Tested...

and I always ask "Why do I do this to myself, every month?" This test is crazy though.. It's obviously defective. The dye bled on the whole stick, instead of passing over it like it should. Take a look. Keep in mind, these pics were taken well after the 10 minute mark so, it gave the dye plenty of time to cross over the stick:
I am 10 DPO today. I did not get my BFP with Abby until 12 DPO.

1 week!

We are down to 1 week from testing/AF time.

I am having no symptoms whatsoever so, of course I am getting down and thinking this is not my month AGAIN. But, I am trying to stay positive and think good thoughts.

Jared and I had a nice Valentines Day yesterday. We got home from work and I made dinner. It was quiet and romantic. Jared helped me clean up the kitchen which was very nice. He is such a great helper around the house! Then we just hung out at home and didn't do much of anything. After a while, we decided to go shopping. Jared bought some new jeans at Old Navy and then we went to Target. There was hardly anyone at Old Navy but, Target was packed with last minute shoppers.

I have started getting some supplies for my new idea of how to announce our next pregnancy! While browsing around some online store at Christmas time, I found this neat little plaque that lets you countdown the weeks until a new baby is due.

Even though it is not an expensive item ($14.99), I (being the creative person that I am) decided that I could make it cuter and only spend about $5 or less on each one!

Next Friday (February 23rd) is my Mother in Law, Judy's birthday. Jared and I want to take her and Gary out to dinner on Saturday the 24th and I would love to give this countdown to her as a gift. If I do get my BFP next week, I want to also invite my parents out to eat with us and give one to my mom as well and have them open it at the same time, since it will be an early birthday present for her. (Remember, the baby would be due on her birthday, November 2)

I really hope I get to use this! Even if this is not my month, I'm still going to make the countdowns but, it would just be neat if I could use it for this month since it would be for both of the Grandma's birthdays! I may also make countdowns for my sister and brother too.

I will post of a pic of the countdowns, as soon as I get them finished.

In other news, Jared and I decided to take the for sale sign down infront of our home. We received zero calls on it and we also have closing dates set for our duplexes and land so, after these sell, our house will be more comfortable to stay in. I would still like to be closer to family but, I know Jared really likes our location. And we are still only 20 minutes from family which is not that far at all. We love our house and neighborhood and we are both happy that we decided to stay a bit longer.

3 DPO

Monday. Blah.
I'm at work being very unproductive today. It's always hard to get back into the work groove on a Monday morning.
I am 3 DPO today and very hopeful for this month. I just had my HSG, I O'd within a "normal" timeframe and we BD'd at a good time. So, things are looking good.
It would be awesome to be pregnant this month because my O date was on Abby's birthday and if fertilization occured, it would have occured on her birthday. How neat! Also, my due date would be November 2, 2007, which is my Mom's birthday!
We shall see! I will probably test Thursday, February 22nd. I will be 13 DPO and AF will be a day late.

YAY! Early Ovulation!!!!

I've been kinda wondering if I was Oing the past few days but, since I am not temping or using OPK's, I am only basing that on CM and CP. Well, today, I checked (WARNING: TMI!!!) and my cervix has closed up and dropped and become hard! YAY! So, I am saying that I O'd yesterday on CD 18. I had the most EWCM on Thursday though. I am so happy and excited. This is the first time that I have O'd before CD 21 while TTC. PRAISE THE LORD! So, AF is due Wednesday, February 21. If we did conceive this cycle, my ovulation day was the same day as Abby's birthday. What a way to celebrate her birthday!

Today, Judy and I went to see Mukul and Manju and their new baby at the hospital. I am probably spelling this completely wrong but, they baby's name is Mrittika. She's a beautiful tiny baby. I can't wait till I have one of my own!!

A day full of babies!

I don't know if this was God's way to take my mind off of Abigail's birthday today or if it was just coincidence but, today has been all about babies.
A co-worker of mind who has been TTC for a long time got her BFP last night. This was her last natural cycle before starting up fertility treatments again. I am really excited and happy for her and it just really put me in a great mood this morning. Gave me alot of hope.
Then, Judy called and told me that our friends, Manju and Mukul just had their baby girl this morning. It is neat that she shares Abigail's birthday and I am really excited to go see and hold the new little bundle later on.
Jared also went to a baby shower today for his co-worker.
So, today is just full of baby stuff.
Alot of women who are TTC tend to become jealous and have hard feelings when others around them become pregnant or are having babies when they themselves are having difficulties. I must confess that I have personally experienced this in the recent past.
Today is different though. I am happy that my friend became pregnant this cycle so she did not have to start up any fertility treatments. She and I have gone through the TTC process together and I hope we can share the pregnancy journey together.
And I am happy that our friend's baby shares Abby's birthday.
I don't feel jealous or upset by it and I am embarassed to admit that I am surprised that I don't have those feelings today. But, I am happy and thankful to God that he gave me these things to be thankful for on a day that I thought would be harder for me.
I've recently been advised by a lady who I do not know personally but, met on an online forum for Turner Syndrome pregnancies that perhaps I haven't put Abigail's loss fully behind me and I am still grieving it. I don't know if I necessarily feel that way but, it is possible. I think today has shown to me that I have put her death behind me and I can enjoy this day and be happy in other's good news.
I am just so thankful to the Lord for my blessings. I pray that he would continue to give me strength and understanding and that I would know his will in my life.

Happy Birthday Abigail!

One year ago today
I held you in my arms
One year ago today
I delivered my baby girl

My precious child so silent and still
Yet perfect in my eyes
I tried to capture every glimpse of you
And memorize them in my mind

I had imagined that day so differently
The day I met my first born
I imagined all of the pain and excitement
Bringing a miracle who would be adored

You were so very wanted
And now are very missed
By all of you family here on earth
We wish you were here to cuddle and kiss

I often wonder what it’d be like today
If you hadn’t have had to go
Daddy and I could have shown you our world
And all of the love that we know

The Lord is holding you now
Daddy and I are at peace
We know that you are in a perfect place
And that puts our minds at ease

Happy Birthday Abigail
I will see you again one day
Please know that Mommy and Daddy love you very much
And think of you everyday

I am in love

With my camera. It is the coolest thing ever! Oh, I can't wait to learn how to use all the fun stuff on it.

Here's a few pics that I shot tonight. Princess loved modeling..

Nothing too exciting

Not much new going on lately. My camera shipped yesterday and they say the expected arrival is today or tomorrow. I can't wait!

We had a nice, relaxed weekend at home this past weekend. Seems like we have always had something going on every weekend in January. My Uncle Mike came for a short visit on Friday night. We went to eat with him and my family at Ryan's Buffet. The next day, my parents brought him over to see our house and we ate at Jason's Deli for lunch.

Jenny, Chris and Peter came over on Sunday to watch the Super Bowl. We got some pizza and had some snacks.

Abigail's birthday is on Friday. I can't believe it has been 1 whole year already. This past year has not been the best but, I know we have many good things ahead of us.

As far as TTC goes, we are taking a break from "trying". If we are still not preggers in a couple more months, I will probably schedule an appointment with an RE, who is basically a fertility specialist. Until then, we are just taking a break and enjoying our time together.

Car, Camera, ACTION!

What a way to start off February!

This morning, (approximately 6 AM) Jared and I backed out of our garage, into our driveway and back into the alleyway behind our house, just like we do every morning before heading off to work/the gym. This morning was different though because, this morning there was a truck parked in the corner of the alleyway, right behind and to the side of our driveway. And we smacked right into it.


Who parks their truck in a dark alleyway, right behind another person's driveway at 6 AM?.. A couple of snow blowers who were blowing snow off of the driveway's of the town homes located on the other side of our alleyway that we share. Apparently they were told that they could not park on the street so, it left them with only 1 option.


The accident was our fault since we are the ones who backed into them but, it really was a poor place to park. How ridiculous.


No one was hurt, thank goodness but, now my 99 Sable looks like it got it's rearend kicked in. The truck was not damaged at all. We will only have to replace the trunk lid on our car and we already found one at a salvage lot that is about 20 minutes from us. It will be a couple hundred bucks that we really weren't planning on spending but, such is life. They could have at least blown off our driveway for parking in such a bad place!

There is better news though and that is that I am getting a new camera! YIPPEE! It's a Canon Rebel XT 8 Mega Pixel. We ordered it from Amazon yesterday and it should arrive hopefully sometime next week. Here's a pic of what it will look like:

I am really excited about it and can't wait to start using it. I will be a pro with it by the time a baby comes :)