*May* Your Bajingo Juice Be Plentiful and Flowing ~ TTC#1 in Our 30s - Page 3

[Ramzubo]

Pitchou & Taxi: Oh Paris, I'm a little jealous. Dh is from the other side of France and is pretty anti-Paris (he's from the Alps and a lifetime of people asking him to bring back Eiffel towers has given him a complex). We finally agreed to go to Paris and see the Tour de France this year but then his family is coming to the US at the same time so not this year. I went to school with the plan of teaching a foreign language but I work for a company doing market research online in Russia and France and get to use my language while staying in my PJ's

Yah Boots, almost done. Hope you're getting some answers from your testing.

Cath: And hope you get answers from Dp's sa, but hopefully you'll already have gotten a bfp.

 to Boggles, Rosie, Lilac and anyone else out there needing some.

Hope you're hanging in there Caly!

and look at Val go, half way there! Hope your feeling well.

So I got the smiley face today, yippee! I was about to give up hope for this month then poof he shows up. We're giving it our "all" and hope for the best.

[femmeknitzi]

Hey ladies!

I know it's been several months since I've popped on here. I needed to take a break from the forums to keep me from obsessing. I've had a lot of pressure from family to "relax" when it comes to TTC. They see charting as something you wait to do until you're having problems, so they think it's stressful, but it's not. Yet, I think maybe reading books on parenting teenagers and breastfeeding is a little premature, so I had to admit that I was obsessing a bit.

Anyway, congrats to all the BFPs I missed and welcome to the new folks! Please fill me in on anything I've missed!

Pitchounette--I would have MAJOR issues with my husband leaving me to hang out with his buddies on Mother's Day!! You're not alone there. :) Luckily, we have the same buddies, so I'd probably just go with him! LOL

Boots--Sorry about the BFN; glad you're staying positive!

Hi ValH! Hope everything's going great for you!

AFM, we're still trying with no luck. I had the strangest cycle in April that just ended 5 days early with the sudden and unexpected appearance of AF. But I also O'ed much earlier, too so we didn't time things well anyway. Still, it was a hasty end to our 6th month of trying and that feels like some sort of ominous milestone. I know it's not that big of a deal and we only really had one or two months that I felt we actually "hit the mark" because my ovulation seems to fluctuate a lot. I'm still really optimistic and hoping for good news soon!

The sudden change in my normally regular cycle could be from stress--we've had a lot of financial issues and my husband may be losing his job in the next few months so we're plagued with uncertainty. It makes me want to stop trying for fear that we can't afford it, but I'm afraid to lose any time. We're both putting in for new jobs so that we can try to make more money. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Good to be back and hear how everyone's doing. Baby dust to you all!

[TickleToes]

Femmeknitzi - good to see you back! Sometimes we all need a break. I've taken one this last month myself.

I'm pretty sure I'm back now... the next few weeks are still going to be crazy-busy, but I am making myself slow down. My fibro was starting to get the best of me, so I've been cutting back on activity and stress as much as possible. Hmmm... lets see if I can do a quick recap of where I'm at...

My bloodwork came back normal except for a deficiency in vitamin D, which could be playing into my pain and fatigue. So, I'm taking 2000 mg a day in addition to sun exposure as much as possible. They didn't find anything wrong with my hormone levels. I still need to call the doc to have her clarify her message to me about DH's semenalysis. She said there were some abnormalities, but nothing clinically significant.

I'm either 12 or 10 DPO - depending on how my chart is looked at, I guess. I didn't bother to OPK, so FF didn't give me defined crosshairs. If I'm really 12 DPO, then I ovulated way earlier than usual. In any case, I got a big spike this morning that makes me cautiously hopeful. I'd love chart stalkers.

I dropped one class. My instructor of the other classes gave me an incomplete so I can have some more time to complete my work - this takes a lot of pressure off. Work is super busy with end of school year tasks. We had our star rating evaluation two weeks ago and my classroom was chosen as the one to assess. We haven't received the results yet, but I think they will be good. The assessor came back a week later to get a tour as a parent. I'm really counting down to the end of the school year - I work in the summer too, but the change of pace and mix of children is always refreshing.

The only other big occurance is that I spoke with my mom last night for mother's day... and have come to the conclusion that she is mentally unstable. It is something that I've suspected for a long time, since every conversation is filled with more drama than anyone living in a rural area is bound to come in contact with. I don't speak with her very often because we have a strained relationship, so it has been difficult to tell. Last night, however, it was crystal clear. She is convinced that a group of Muslims sought her out in the local Walmart and introduced her to Bin Laden - who wanted to ask her about bus transportation systems. She is convinced that he was taken down unarmed because she begged him to lay down his weapons if he was ever confronted by troops. This story started out with a hard to follow tale of her history with Gaddafi.  I don't know what to do about it... or if I can, really. At the moment, it is too much to take in.

Enough about me... I noticed someone else asked for the Cliff Notes version of what's been going on... I second that request!

[RosieL]

Wow, there's a lot of activity going on this month! Welcome back to those of you who have been away for a while. 

TickleToes - Sounds like your mom might need help. Does she have support where she's at? Coming to a realization (no matter how long suspected) that someone close to you is losing touch with reality is really hard. I'm sorry you're going through that. 

pichounette - your chosen name delights me. I always loved that "my little cabbage" is a French term of endearment, and I assume this is related to that. I fully plan on calling my future little one "mon petit chou". 

femknitzi - I'm getting the same from my DH, he thinks Mothering.com might be adding stress rather than helping conceive. I have decided to have a different perspective on trying this month, so we'll see if that changes his perception of my stress levels. In any case, I'll be fertile this week (assuming I'm regular), then he leaves for a week day after forecasted O, and then I leave for a week. So we won't see each other during the TWW! I assume that the stress of potentially losing an income is a huge factor in your cycle. I'm half expecting this cycle to be whacko just because of finals and term papers. I hope it turns out for the best...good luck with those job apps!

Boots - I'll PM you about the thread. Somehow I've made it act pretty weird. 

Cathe - When do those SA results come back again? Good luck with the home stretch of the school year!

Hi Caly! Hi Taxi! Hi everyone! 

I have a couple things. One, can someone tell me just *how* stretchy CM has to be to be called EWCM? FF says two inches. My first EWCM collection yielded about 3/4 of an inch of stretch. I dunno these things! I must say, though, that I find it fascinating. How our CM changes, how cervical position changes, and that it's actually pretty easy to perceive once you start paying attention. I'm so enthralled with biological processes and how our bodies work!

Two, I'm curious, what are you all looking forward to this summer? I'm really excited about a couple prospects: my food garden, my (first time) zinnia garden, and my first "real" research project. I love the summer and I love being outdoors. What are you guys planning for the coming season?

[iixivboots]

I am so burnt out from work I can't even really process all that is being said, but I just wanted to say welcome back Tickletoes and Femmeknitzi. :) We missed you!

My mind is looping in circles. I think I need to go play sims 3. ha.

Hope everyone has a relaxing Monday night.

xoxo

p.s. still no a.f.

[TickleToes]

Rosie - I think she does need help. Unfortunately, I don't know how to go about getting her the help she needs. It's complicated, but in a nutshell: Her husband (my step father) is/was abusive when I was growing up... the abuse included molestation. She is still married to him and this is one of the big reasons we have a strained relationship. I never visit her because I can't fathom being in his presence again. I have a hard enough time asking for her when he answers the phone. So I don't know how to go about getting her help without having to go through him... and I just can't. My oldest little sister is 22... way too young, I think, to have to deal with it... but I might call her and ask her what she thinks. Maybe she can get her dad to help my mom. Of course, she'll think we are all ganging up on her, if it is pushed... she's got a touch of paranoia too.

About CM... I saw a really good guide somewhere that included pictures. I'm trying to remember where I saw that... if I remember it, I will come back and post a link.

As for this summer... I'm looking forward to life slowing down. If I take any classes, it will be the computer class that I dropped this past semester - it is easy. I have to decide by tomorrow though - so maybe I won't take it. I want to putter in my garden, play with knitting, and visit with my friends. I miss doing all of that. :)

[TickleToes]

Missed you too, Boots! I love to play Sims 3 sometimes when I just need to zone and slow my brain down. My husband doesn't get it :)

[RosieL]

TT - I hope I'm not over-stepping, but it seems like you mom stepped out of the role of "mom" with her choices about her husband after your experience. That kind of makes it unrealistic for you to remain in the role of daughter. I hope your younger sister can help.

I'd love to see this visual CM guide. I found http://www.beautifulcervix.com/, is that what you meant? It's pretty interesting! What kind of garden puttering do you do? Food? Flowers? Landscape? I am thinking about taking a class to supplement some of my research work, but it's kind of getting late for that for me too. 

Hi Boots! We'll be excited when you're done with school and ready to process everything. In the mean time, thinking of you and I'm crossing my fingers. You never know...

I had an annoying experience this morning. I overslept up, moved around, kind of annoyed at myself for moving around and waking up late because my BBT would be off. While taking my temp and realized that I had been dreaming, it was 4:38, 22 minute before my alarm goes off. 

[TickleToes]

No worries, Rosie, you aren't overstepping and you are absolutely right. Sometimes I need someone else to point that out to me. :)

The cervix link you posted isn't the one I was thinking about, although I might give that one a thorough looking at sometime when I'm not hungry! o.0 I have the hardest time figuring out the whole cervix thing. I thought, perhaps that the photos I saw may have been from one of the forums on babycenter, but I haven't used that forum in months and couldn't locate it.

I've had those BBT stress dreams too! The latest one had me trying to temp with a really complicated and broken thermometer.

[femmeknitzi]

Thanks TT! Welcome back, yourself! Sorry to hear about the issues with your mom. Just remember that ultimately, you can't force a person to get help; they have to be able to accept it. You might consider contacting your local NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) chapter. They might have some suggestions about how to help her. Here's their website: http://www.nami.org/

Boots, I totally get it. Sims 3 totally relaxes me, too! Thanks for the Welcome. :)

Rosie, thanks! Good luck with your finals and papers. I remember how stressful that time can be! :)

AFM--I've spent the morning reading up on adoption and foster care. Don't worry! It's not because I've given up on TTC; I don't see adoption as a last-resort option. It's something I'd like to do regardless of whether or not we can conceive. But I read this article on Offbeat Mama this morning and it really inspired me. I'll need to talk to my husband more because I think he may see adoption as a last resort thing. Regardless, it's not a step we'll be able to take for quite a while--we need to get our job situation secured and get back on our feet, but its the first time I've considered it this seriously. Otherwise, AF has me tired and cranky. I almost called in to work today but my pride wouldn't let me call in just because of AF. For women who have debilitating AF symptoms, that may seem weird, but I've never had serious enough symptoms to justify it. Still, it would've benefited all of humanity for me to stay home today. LOL Oh well! :)

[RosieL]

Femmknitzi - I know what you mean about AF and being cranky. And I *use* to be one of the types without debilitating AF symptoms, but the last few cycles have really physically kicked my butt. I've been off BC for over a year but I had no idea how bad cramps could be until the last could months. Grr.

I have an aside that I want to bring up. Today, all day long, I have been collecting and processing data on doctors who have had board actions. Not too many doctors have state medical board actions against them, but the ones that do often get to keep or get their licence back after a probationary period. It is kind of scary what doctors can get away with and still keep their licenses. It's also kind of scary that research papers I'm reading say that most people never check up on their doctor before going to them...even surgeons! So, here's my PSA: PLEASE check your state medical board before choosing any new doctor, midwife, or other medical practitioner who is licensed. It doesn't take long to check!

[birdie.lee]

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Edited by birdie.lee - 5/7/13 at 12:38pm

[pitchounette]

Taxi, I should have wished for a baby when we were on the Arc!  I was probaby too preoccupied with thinking about how many steps I was about to descend. 

Ram, let me say that Paris is my favorite city in the world!  I took DH there for the first time this spring and he fell in love with it, too.  I lived in Paris for 2 years after college, and it still feels like home.  There are many days I would rather stay home in my PJs speaking French than teach French to elementary school kiddos!

Rosie, you're right---the name is a quebequois expression related to "chou-chou"... I've gone back and forth with giving our future kids French-y names but DH does get some say in the decision too.  We actually like celtic names, so who knows!

AFM, I'm very annoyed today.  According to FF, I should O tomorrow, but I just now took an OPK and, of course, negative.  Seriously?!?  Just when I thought I was figuring this out and really beginning to know my own body, mother nature slaps me back into my proper place.  Sigh.  I've still got good EWCM so I might do another OPK in the morning, then again tomorrow afternoon.  I feel like I should O very soon, but with no LH surge today, I'm just scratching my head.  Does anyone have experience getting a +OPK actually *on* ovulation day?? 

[RosieL]

Birdie - CNMs would be on the state nursing board (at least they are here). Direct-entry midwives I'm not sure about; they can't legally practice here so I haven't looked into them. 

Pichounette - I have never known when I ovulate, because I only tracked via OPKs. This month I should have temps and CM tracking to corroborate. In any case, hang in there, you might get that + tomorrow. I admit to peeing on two a day when I expect to O...

*** My Summer Plans: I will dine outside whenever the opportunity arises. ***

[Shellhawk]

Hi Girls, I'm back again.  lol    

Pitch - Before I forget, first off, welcome.  Second, the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility has a lot of pictures of cervical mucus and lots of advice on everything.  Also, it's not the Robitussin that works, it is the active ingredient Guaifenesin that is important.  Some of us tried using Mucinex (again Guaifenesin) for a few months.  I take Evening Primrose Oil before ovulation only.

(For Those Interested) ** I actually found generic "Mucus Relief" at Dollar Tree.  They are bottles of 15 tablets of 400 mg Guaifenesin.  I'm actually not taking it this month, but it's a great $1 deal.  Mucinex was around $18 a box.

I mentioned the eggwhites last month.  Val, Hey Girl.  I appreciate the bacteria worries, lol, but at this point, I'll try anything.  I did worry, but read so many positive BFP stories that I couldn't resist.  (just google it)   I used organic egg whites last month.  You leave an organic egg out for one hour (set a timer), then separate the yolk & egg (I use a shell when you first crack it, leave the yolk in one side of egg shell and dispose).  It's amazing how it feels like how our EWCM does when it's not super cold and firm!  When I buy preseed, I get like 20 applicators with it.  I simply used like a spoon over a glass with the egg white to put it in the applicator.  Keep it upside down to prevent spillage.  I put it in a glass next to the bed and it says you should use it pretty quickly to opening it.  I inserted it like preseed.  I did not notice anything different the next day or at all (bacteria wise or anything).  The only thing I noticed was a really easy AF (no cramps), but no BFP.  I'm sure the egg whites didn't have anything to do with easy AF.  lol

I purchased a ovulation microscope (saliva) but so far I either get nothing or major air bubbles. It will be interesting to double check it when I get a pos OPK.

I purchased a better BBT thermometer with two decimal places (after looking at four stores).  Turns out it is CRAP!!  Walgreen's BBT thermometer has the worst reviews on line and apparently gives the same 4 temperatures all the time (It gave me 3 of it's popular readings within the four days I used it).  I went back to my little BD brand (lol) thermometer.  Everybody be warned about the Walgreen's thermometer. 

I purchased some readings from a few baby psychics on line and they all said I would conceive by April, and I didn't...

So now, I'm out of money and surprisingly more que sera sera (for you French lovin ladies) about this whole freaking ttc thing.  LOL      P.S.  Only my name is French, so if I misspelled the Doris Day song (I have it on my iphone - lol), forgive me.  

That would be a neat topic!!!  How did everyone get their birth name??  Never mind!!   Just realized that would kill the anonymity!!  Darn, mine is a kind of cool story!  LOL   Darn public threads.  LOL

Caly - You should visit Taxi and I in California!!  LOL 

Taxi - Hope everything is going well!!!

Hi to everyone else!       Rosie - The thread looks great.  You mentioned garden pics.  I have some of my flowers on my phone so I'll see if I can upload them from there.  Hopefully I can figure out how to do it...........  

Talk to you ladies later this week.                 

[Shellhawk]

Pitch -  (We sort of shorten people's screen names as nicknames  )        I forgot, what I meant to tell you in my above post.  I used to get positive opk's every CD 14 & CD 15, like clockwork for many months.  Then suddenly one month, I got a positive on CD16 (on a digital smiley) then negative that night and didn't get a positive until CD 19 & CD 20!!  Last month, I again didn't get a positive opk until CD19 & CD20.

Apparently, it is pretty common for ovulation days to change for someone?!  So don't worry, it will probably just be a few days different than it has been.

For example, I'm on CD 18 and still don't have a positive opk.  I haven't taken one this evening yet.  Hold on.    Just kidding!!!      I just wanted you to know that it's "normal" to have it change by a few days. 

[lilacvioletiris]

Using eggwhites for EWCM.  Very interesting.  You are gutsy for trying it.

As for practicing with the HPT, I thought I had Od earlier in the cycle and that FF hadn't caught it.  I think ti did the HPT before FF guessed at my O date.  Now it says to wait until May 23 before I test again.  Not sure I will hold out that long.  DH wants to do another one this Sunday.  Dollar store special HPT so no big deal.  If I get AF, then we won't have to use another one this cycle.

I am CD34.  Having "normal" periods after 12 years of BCPs will be weird.  Not looking forward to the debilitating cramps which was the reason I started taking BCPs in the first place. 

[pitchounette]

Hi Shellhawk!  I like the nickname 'pitch'.   Both you and Rosie, thanks for the advice on the OPKs.  I have TCOYF (DH calls it my bible) and I'm feeling like I might need more EWCM.  (Although it does vary from cycle to cyle.)  I'm with Lilac---that is pretty gutsy using real eggwhites!  I'm totally impressed.  We get our eggs from an urban farm behind my school, and I actually know the hens that lay my eggs (my favorite is named Lady Gaga).  That might be a little too weird to think those hens were responsible for getting me pregnant. 

The OPK drama continues here.  Tested again today---negative.  Might need to go buy more tests.  BBT shows no rise yet so I'm still waiting...

Then this evening after leaving yoga, I've had some bleeding.  My first thought was O bleeding but then remembered I haven't O'd yet. ???  I'm not hurting or cramping, and the bleeding only lasted about 2 hours.  Needless to say it was discouraging and I'm feeling pretty low.  I wish I had a medical degree.

[Hykue]

Hi ladies.  I know I pretty much never post at all anymore, but I wanted to stop in.  I still am up-to-date on all the goings-on, I find the time to read and think of everyone, just not usually time to post.

To new people:  Welcome

Caly:  I wanted to give you a special "missing your DP" hug.  That's truly hard enough even when you're not TTC, to have him away during TTC must be really difficult.  You're a strong woman to deal with that hard situation.  I'm about to join you in having to be strong, and I've been thinking of you a lot.

Boots:  Just wanted to say hi, and I'm thinking of you too, and I'm glad you're almost to summer.

Taxi:  Maybe the baby dust will work this month . . . I'll send all I've got of it your way.

AFM:  So BUSY!  Summer is a crazy busy time here, some of which is good fun, some of which is a little stressful.  One of my goats had her babies (a boy and a girl) on her own - when I checked her in the evening, there they were, all dried off and happy.  I was (and still am) very proud of her.  She's a good mama.  We butchered some chickens, put up a greenhouse, plastered our straw bale chicken coop (mostly), dug a bunch of garden beds for veggies, and even occasionally found time to clean some part of our house.  I haven't been fantastic at finding time to eat, so I haven't gained any weight yet, but the doctor didn't think that was a cause for worry.  I'm trying to do better about eating . . . so little time . . . I find it helps to think of things that sound outright delicious, like crepes with fruit salad and maple whipped cream, and then make that.  It takes more cooking time, but I will go through the bother to cook properly because it's so delicious.  Pizza's up for when we finish our current chicken soup leftovers.  Our new greenhouse makes me very cheery, and I can't wait to fill it with tomatoes and peppers and watermelons.  In fact, I think I need to go to bed, but I should have spent this evening starting watermelon seedlings, if I remember correctly . . . ah well, tomorrow.  Goodnight, all, I'm still thinking of you.  Many hugs to everyone!

[lilacvioletiris]

My temp dropped this morning, considerable.  I think AF may be on the way.  Have to wait the next day or so to see what happens.