October 30 Somethings TTC #1 - Page 3

[Taxlady]

Hi Ladies! I just got home from a super fun art class. I normally wouldn't take an art class, but it's pretty cool..

Blanca, I think it is touching that you used your friends name. It's someone you never forgot, that's nice.

ValH - I'm really glad you are back. I truly did miss you. You always have something nice to say. All you need is one good BD, and I think you have a trip home soon. Go for it!

Rubygirl36 - DO NOT GIVE UP HOPE. How can you call yourself out already? The mean witch hasn't shown up, has she??

Bootsvalentine - since you don't BBT, but you think you ovulate around 19-20, maybe you should start a little earlier??? I'm just saying because I am totally surprised that I might be O'ing a little earlier this month. Not that I have any idea.. I'm only on my third month BBT - so I am no authority.

Hykue, we will miss the super woman. I think we all send you wonderful baby wishes, you are always welcome to spread some

[Taxlady]

I was so into replying to all of you I forgot to add my thoughts on CM.

Nobody mentioned that when you add semen to the mix, that CM becomes all crazy to identify. Right? Dh and I have been going for it and I can't tell what is what. Also, there is a hydration factor, right? The more hydrated you are the more thinned out the CM.. that's the purpose of Mucinex, am I right? I keep asking if I'm right, because this is just what I have gathered from reading, but I can't say I'm an authority, I could be wrong.

Ok, there's my two cents, I know there is an icon, but it's late - good night.

[ValH]

Originally Posted by Taxlady

Also, there is a hydration factor, right? The more hydrated you are the more thinned out the CM.. that's the purpose of Mucinex, am I right?

Wait, what's this about Mucinex?? How have I not heard about using it when TTC? It makes since, though, since it's similar to Robitussin. Hmmmm, I've been using Mucinex for the past week since I got sick while on vacation. I had planned to stop using it today, but may keep going a few more days until O. Guess that explains the increase in CM for the past couple of days, and my increased confusion regarding CM!

[birdie.lee]

Hi all,
Yeah, I sometimes have a hard time w/ my CF (yep, I'm calling it fluid because mucus just sounds yucky). I've noticed a positive change when I drink more water, and that it is easier for me to figure out what is going on if I am hydrated. Never tried the musinex... But DH and I decided we wouldn't try out anything 'extra' until January.

Oh, day 2 of temp being up. Without sleeping in so I think it might be genuine and that means I actually ovulated.

I like to feed birds over the winter, so that's where my screen name comes from. I think the lee makes it sound tough like Bruce Lee.

Taxlady - What type of art class did you take?

So what do you do to reduce the stress in your life? I'm looking for ideas to relax - thanks!

[rubygirl36]

Val ~ oh, just with all the uncertainties about our kd, we're okay with it not happening. we just see this try as a learning experience.

hmm, not sure about the mucinex bit. i see how it could work, but it doesn't seem good to take it for long periods of time. (ex-pharmacy tech here.) plus it alters my head too much for my liking. i'd think the super-extra water would be the healthiest route.

taxlady ~ i think you're name is humorous, just for the fact that taxes make people cringe. i love art classes. unfortunately, i don't have the discipline for art. (but don't tell my paintings that.*snicker*) what kind of art class did you take? when i ttc'd on my own, the semen factor was quite confusing. is that me leaking or him? eww! haha.

still in the 2ww, but we're planning our next try without the kd. we may or may not use another kd, my partner's best friend who looks exactly like her . . . beautifully scandinavian. *sigh* she hasn't talked to him about it, though, so we may be using either fairfax or manhattan cryobank. oh, decisions.

[Teetina]

Wooohooo! Congratulations Hykue! I hope you stay strong enough to be lifting bales of hay your entire pregnancy. And don't feel guilty about how quickly you got pregnant. Its a totally fantastic thing and we are so happy for you. I hope you stop by often and let us know how everything is going.

Bootsvalentine - That is an awesome fortune. How cool a story would it be if you could tell people your little one was announced by a fortune cookie?! As for BBTs... hopefully you won't even need to start taking them hehe. But if you do, I gotta say, temping vaginally is the BEST for having an excuse to hit the snooze button. When the alarm goes off, stick it in and have a nice little ten minute nap as a consolation prize for being such a good temper.

ValH - Welcome back! I hope you had a nice little trip and that you're recovering well from your illness. I'm wishing you really patient ovaries so DH can have a chance to make it to you. TAKE A NAP EGGIES!

Question of the Day - When my grandmother was a toddler she loved to tinker on the piano and sing her own name, but she couldnt pronounce it very well yet. So she'd slam the keys and sing out Teetina, Teetina! Everyone thought it was endearing and so they all started calling her by that name and it stuck with her for a lifetime. She went on to have seven children and many more grandchildren. When her husband died she came to live with my family and was like a second mother and best friend to me all in one. So I picked her name to honour her memory and to bring me luck in conception, since she had such a big family.

Rubygirl - I don't think I have a typical CM pattern either. I never seem to get that white creamy that is indicated in TCOYF. I seem to go from sticky, to small clumps of EW mixed in the sticky, to swimming in EW. And its always clear. I'm guessing everyone is a little different and you just gotta keep taking note of your own and see what is normal for you. I found checking internally helped me a bit more, since barely anything makes it out for me, but there is tons hanging out around my cervix. However charting position for me is a bit trickier. The differences are really subtle for me. My cervix feels way more open when AF comes around lol. Here's hoping that you won't need to worry about finding another doner due to a little one that's already moved into your belly!

Taxlady - For me its the stretch factor that helps me tell between semen and CM. Semen usually won't stretch very far for me but CM will stretch many inches. Dunno if that will help you much though if you're one to get more watery CM. And I like your screen name. Taxladys save me from doing a lot of paperwork, right?

Birdie.lee, I take long walks to reduce stress. I find it meditative and the exercise doesn't hurt either. When I don't feel like thinking, I like to get cozy on the couch with a movie or play a video game that really sucks me in.

AFM - AF was only two days this month and my temperatures were kinda high during that time so I got a whisper of hope, but that's all gone now. Temp is back down to normal. Just chilling at CD8, waiting for the action to begin. Tonight I'm going to a friends place to play board games and meet his new boyfriend. I love new romance! And I love boardgames! It should be fun.

[ValH]

Well, after finding out Mucinex can help with TTC, I decided to keep taking it for a few more days. I'm still coughing, so I can surely justify it as necessary! I got a very dark positive OPK today. That means I'll probably O either tomorrow or Friday, which most likely means today is the only BD I'll get in for this cycle. Stupid dog/housesitting, it's messing up my timing! I should have told my parents I couldn't do it, it would interfere with me making them a grandchild - I'm sure they would have understood if I put it that way!

Anyway, I hope everyone else is doing well and having a reproductive day.

[bootsvalentine]

Thanks, ladies, I do hope the fortune cookie is right!

Enjoying this thread this month, everyone is super!

Does anyone else just ever feel like their timing sucks. Taxlady, you are right we should've started BD'ing earlier this month. I was soooo tired from the end of the quarter and parent teacher conferences. Maybe it's because we haven't been at this that long, but sometimes I just don't care that we "should" be trying at that moment. How do you get over that feeling?

Teetina, I LOVE your screen name story. How adorable to think of your grandma as a toddler!

My screen name is pretty simple. I was born on Valentine's day. Several years before we were married, my huz got me awesome purple Fluevog cowboy boots. I was unemployed at the time and I came up with the saying "Sometimes all you've got is your shoes and your birthday." =bootsvalentine.

I tried mucinex early on. It was hot hot hot summer in AZ, so I was also trying to drink tons of water. As long as I stay super hydrated, I didn't see much of a difference between using the drug or not.

As for stress reduction, I am a knitter, so is huz. We knit socially a lot with our friends. But I also love to sit alone and knit. Also, snuggling with kitties helps a lot.

[Bel718]

Q of the Day - I wasn't very original with my name either - short for Annabel with my birthday.

As far as CM goes I haven't a clue. I'm on Day 3 of taking my temp every morning since OPKs are not very clear. We'll see. (Day 3 temp is already over a degree higher?)

Birdie.Lee - very cool! I love feeding birds. I would do it all year but sometimes I forget to buy seed/suet when I run out.

Bootsvalentine - I just starting learning how to knit. A friend started a group that meets at a bar, so we knit while sampling (hoping I won't be able to for long!) I'm only good at casting for now...

[TickleToes]

CM baffles me a bit too... this will be my first cycle tracking that. If I don't get a BFP in early Nov, then I'll also try to track my cervical position... THAT one has definitely got me boggled! For a girl who was raised to call my vagina a "hmmhmm", I still have a lot to learn about my body ! I don't even know where to begin finding my cervix... and the fact that my doc has had to search a few times during exams doesn't give me much confidence in finding it by myself.

My screen name: My last name is Tickle... hubby was shocked when I told him I wanted to take it. What preschool teacher would pass that up though?! We're both dancers and he likes to find vintage jazz tunes in his spare time. So one day he dredged up this crazy tune from the early 1900's called Tickle-toes. It makes me laugh... we're going to play it for our kids when we have them

[Taxlady]

So I just wrote a long message and then pressed a button and poof it was G O N E. Bummer.

So anyway, I'll start over. I really like all your screen names. They are imaginative, but Teetina - that is the sweetest. Boots - yours too! What great names with good karma attached!

The timing does make me tired, I know how you feel. DH is a high school teacher and it's not an easy job. In fact, while I was taking my bath, he fell asleep on the couch. So sweet.
The timing is the most pressure because it really boils down to just that, timing. It's hard to be in the mood every time the timing is right. Which makes me think of you Val - it's like movie drama, "will she make it home in time?? Are the ovaries going to cooperate??" Here's a for you!!

For stress relief and relaxation - I've been taking epsom salt baths with a little lavender oil mixed in - it truly relaxes me. I like doing needlecrafts, but I haven't been doing much of that - I should be studying for my CPA exam. My dad is a knitter too, Boots, he and my mom watch their shows while crafting. It's so sweet.

Another stress reducer - this thread, I've loved reading the stories about the names. I'll try and think of another good question for next week as we all wade through another cycle.

[Taxlady]

OMG.. "For a girl who was raised to call my vagina a "hmmhmm"" That has got to be the funniest funny - sooo cute! Honestly, I am still a giggling.. and the part about the doctor finding it.. TICKLETOES!!! That is pure written comedy! I also grew up not really mentioning the unmentionables. The things we have to go through to conceive.. The part about your screen name, that's classic.

All of you will be awesome moms.. I'm going to have send more

[bootsvalentine]

Can our new question be "favorite euphemisms for the vagina"?
I am partial to "the area" aka area 51.

Taxlady, I love that your parents knit! We've not met many older couples who both knit, although we do have two couples a little older than us who we knit with. I've been obsessed with knitting for my friend's baby, she's 8 months pg. She had a long, tough journey to her now perfectly healthy pregnancy so I think that motivates me.

Okay, I'm probably 2 or so DPO and I'm having wicked cramps. I am not thinking these are anything except normal (I remember having them before but never knew they were just after O'ing) but they are terribly annoying. Sharp-ish pains across my lower back and/or abdomen.

I know the anecdotal evidence is conflicting on taking it after O but I drank some RRL tea to see if I can calm down "the area"

[ValH]

TickeToes - Your story about the "hmmmhmmm" for vagina is so funny! I didn't grow up talking about "that area" either. I think "woohoo" or "hoohoo" would be the most common words I've heard for vagina. Good luck with checking the cervical position, though I hope you don't have to! I've tried that a few times, but can't tell the difference.

Taxlady - I agree, it is a hard time to be "in the mood" every time the timing is right. Especially when work is stressful, like your husband's job. I couldn't imagine being a HS teacher, that takes a special person!

bootsvalentine - Sorry you are having cramps. Let me know how that tea works for you... I've been having some nasty AF cramps in the past few months, and would love to find something to help!

AFM: I was able to see DH last night, so was able to get in one BD for this cycle. Only one. That doesn't give me too much hope for this cycle, but I know that one is all you really need, so we'll see. My temp went up slightly this morning. I've been having slow rises recently, so it's possible that this is the start of the slow rise, which would mean I O'ed yesterday. I did have some twinges yesterday, so could be... though it would be odd from me to O on the first day of a positive OPK. I was really hoping I wouldn't O until Friday, that would give me one more BD. Only time will tell, though.

[birdie.lee]

Thanks so much everyone for the stress-free suggestions. I am going to incorporate them into my life. I do love to knit but I haven't lately, so I am going to take that up again. And yesterday I took a walk with DH around the neighborhood. Next on the list is to get some Epsom salts for a nice hot bath. The yoga is really helping me. And this thread is super stress relieving too! I don't have anyone to talk to IRL about TTC except my DH, and I don't want to ruin the mood (you know what I mean) if I talk about it too much.

Of course, I woke up early this morning so I did not take my temp. I did not feel well last night, had a bit of a headache and nausea. Not sure what caused it. I have a sensitive stomach anyways.

ValH - I hope your one chance was perfect timing!

[kingbaby]

CD 35 and confused.

Hi there! I would like to join the group TTC #1. I'm currently on day 35 of my cycle and had a really weird cycle in September- the first month TTC. Right now waiting for AF to start again.

[ValH]

Birdie.lee - Thanks for the well wishes on the timing. If it takes this cycle, it would be perfect... yesterday was the anniversary of when DH proposed to me.
Good luck on the stress-relief! It makes me want to take up knitting again. I used to knit, but haven't in probably five years. I'm not sure I'd even remember how!

kingbaby - Welcome to the group, and I hope your stay here is short!
I'm sorry that your cycles are confusing you! Did you have regular cycles before starting to TTC? Where you on BC before? I know it can take the body a while to regulate after stopping BC.

AFM: No more "twinges" in the abdomen today, so I'm thinking I really may have O'ed yesterday. That would be early for me (CD14, lately I've been around CD16/17), and it would be quick based on the OPK (I usually O a day or two afterwards). I wish I could confirm O immediately instead of having to wait for the sustained temp shift, so frustrating! Of course, what part of TTC isn't frustrating?

[ValH]

Okay, so I just had another very positive OPK, so I'm guessing that means I didn't O yesterday?

[TickleToes]

Val - sounds like your mum was a little more advanced in her biological vocabulary than mine, but not by much! hehe

Boots - Area 51 - that cracked me up!

I'm determined to teach my kiddos the proper names. Watch it come back to bite me when they loudly discuss them in a crowded room!

[Taxlady]

O M G! I DID IT AGAIN.. HIT A BUTTON AND ERASED EVERYTHING!!

Kingbaby! Welcome Count yourself in..welcome to our group. You are going to love everyone here.. Do you want to tell us how old you are and if you have a chart I'll be happy to post it on the front page with your name. right now we have some really good discussions, as well as, two specific questions.

How did you come up with your screen name? & What do you do to relax?

Boots.. you have me "Area 51" I am dying over here laughing so hard.

VALH!!! So let's talk about this.. you timed it perfectly for the first +OPK and now you got another +OPK which means you've timed it perfectly again. Maybe there are two eggies?? Maybe dogsitting for your parents is actually a super timing blessing!

Tickletoes.. that is exactly what will happen, some mother in preschool will black list you because your child actually uses the correct names for things. So much for being real...

Last night I forgot to tell you guys about two other things. ONE - the art class I took on Tuesday, I didn't mean to ignore the question. My Aunt has an arts and crafts school, so I am taking a six week class on Tuesdays making mandalas in all different types of artistic media. It was so fun to do something out of my norm of a calculator and excel spreadsheet. We used water color first and then moved on to "mixed media".. I can't wait for the next class.

And Two, BEL718 - in reference to your screen name.. I saw that you were from Maryland I thought, oh maybe she's from Beltsville. I'm a Maryland Terrapin Alumni myself, Fear the Turtle!!