Ordered AI Kits

I think I may have forgotten to post that we did purchase the Sterile Artificial Insem. Kits... only 2 to start as I am curious to see the size (length) of the syringe included....there is also a cath. that we are planning to use.

Anyway, just logging everything... or trying to! :)


-Jess

OPT & Temp.

Temp.: 98.1 ...again. (Temped at 5a vs 3a...still as soon as I woke up).

OPT - Negative, as scheduled. I did get a faint second line, however not enough to warrant a second test today. Testing will continue tomorrow am as scheduled at 5am. :)

-Jess

Water Intake for Friday

Got a late start this morning even though I was up at 3am ..E.M. took the jugs of water to work to fill them up because tap water in AZ is horrid and unhealthy >.<>

Anyway... on with it...

8am - 8 0z (1 cup)

9am - 16 oz (2 cups)

10am - 8 oz (1 cups)

11am - 0
12pm - 8 oz (1 cup)

1pm - 0

2pm - 8 oz (1 cup)

3pm - 8 oz (1 cup)

Total = 7 cups // 56 oz

I couldn't get into the water today, oh well, tomorrow is another day.

-Jess

OPT For Today + Temp.

I did the first OPT this morning as scheduled.... and it's negative, as scheduled.

E.M. and I decided that anytime we don't see 2 lines we won't double test that day, so I won't be testing today at 5pm instead I will resume at 5am tomorrow morning. :)

Temp: 98.1

Have a good morning all,

-Jess

Fantastic News in the Form of One Little E-Mail!

Are you ready?!???

Our paperwork has been processed and we are now able to purchase sperm!!!!!
That's right we are no longer sperm-less! ...well we are for the moment.... but we don't have to be!

No more trying to find a donor, getting them to sign the papers, testing them, etc.

We are going to order our first vial May 1st for May's cycle!!!!!!! Woohoo!!!!!

We are crazy excited; can't you tell? Haha!!!!!!!!

I read the email outloud and E.M. and I totally high fived...it was cute.


-Jess

E.M. has sperm!

Okay, not really but... I sure thought he did for a whole 5 seconds!
We were talking about a news article that read along the lines of Military Wives turning to surrogacy/AI to have a baby while their husbands were on duty out of Country/State.

We were saying how it's an interesting idea and I was talking about how our sperm bank offers (for a fee of course) to store sperm from a husband or partner to use at a later date and some Military Wives are taking advantage of this! Then I went on to say "yea it's a good idea if you ever leave the country or are dying we should store your sperm" .... .... .... .... "wait....I totally just thought you had sperm..." Meanwhile E.M. is busting up.

Yea, oops. It's like with all this baby planning my brain farted and I forgot WHY we are using a sperm bank. Wow.


-Jess

Water Intake and Temp for Thursday

I will be posting this daily for my own reference.



Temp.: 98.4

Water In-Take Goal: 10 8 oz glasses (80 oz)

Water:
4am - 8 oz (1 cup)
5am - 16 oz (2 cups)
6am - 24 oz (3 cups)
7am - 8oz (1 cup)
8am - 0 oz
9am - 8 oz (1 cup)
10am - 0 oz
11am - 0 oz
12pm - 0 oz
1pm - 0 oz
2pm - 0 oz
3pm - 0 oz
4pm - 8 oz (1 cup)
= 9 Cups ...72 oz of water.

**Being well hydrated is suppose to help your overall health AND regularity of ovulation/period**

The Jewel Box Home: Ten Tips for Raising Children in a Smaller Home

The Jewel Box Home: Ten Tips for Raising Children in a Smaller Home

To go on from rearing children in a small place/apartment... I agree with most of the tips posted in the above linked blog :)


-Jess

Rearing Children In An Apartment

Did you know that some families in NYC raise up to 4 kids in a 2 bedroom apartment?

I'm not sure why some people think that you need to have a huge area to raise a being at. I have been intently searching advice on google (As well as good things to buy such as furniture that can be used for multiple purposes and for multiple years!)
Now we have a plan...
-We are buying a dresser and changing pad with covers for next to the couch... between our livingroom and dining area.
-We are buying a booster seat with tray that attaches to one of our already existing 4 dining chairs instead of a large high chair.
-We are buying a bouncer seat vs. a bassinette to keep in livingroom or a swing due to size.
-We are buying a full size crib and mattress that can be used in a toddler bed later... the crib will fit between the wall and bed and E.M. and I have decided we will switch sides since I am breastfeeding and need to be close to baby.
-We are selling our two 20-tall tanks (one with stand) and a 10 gallon to make room in our livingroom.
-We are buying a glider and rocker set and placing it next to the couch and end table (the end table has the 10 gallon tank on it) then placing the breast pump and supplies in the end table.
-We are buying playmats from BRU vs. a floor rug for tummy time.
-We are buying a wood shelf (double shelf really) which has 6 12in x 12in cube buckets to put toys in... next to our tv.
-We are going to utilize our folable bookcase on the other side of the tv for larger toys.
-We are buying a stuffed animal chain to hang next to toy bins since stuffed animals take a lot of room in bins.
-We have chosen a beautiful wicker chest of drawers for the closet that is currently being used as storage but will be cleaned out before baby is home. We plan to use this for bath supplies, extra breastfeeding supplies, etc. The neat thing is the cheat itself is wood but the baskets are just that, wicker baskets that fully come OUT so you can take the one with the bath supplies out to bathe the baby.
-Bath time will be in the kitchen sink... no need to waste money/room on a baby bathtub.

Really other than all of that we are just planning to condense our belongings some more.
This is a good thing because I am sure there is a few hundred dollars worth of stuff we can sell and then put that money toward the baby (Ok Im sitting here looking at a tv and 2 aquariums...)


I don't know why people think they can't raise a child (or 2) in a one bedroom apartment. It is possible and I think if we decide to stay here for number 2 (99% sure we wont) we will buy a new couch when that baby comes home, one with a pull-out bed. Then our 3 or 4 year old will simply learn to help us make and unmake the bed every day :)

I think it is more than entirely possible it depends on the layout of your apartment (ours is spacious even if it does have less than 700 sq. ft.) and the amount of baby gear you plan to have (us, very little, not even a stroller as we don't go places that dont have carts and we are planning to practice baby wearing). You also have to be willing to part with bulky and large possessions and be creative ...we installed floating shelves in our livingroom for breakables and a 3-pc leaning bookcase in the bedroom.


That's just my 2-cents.
-Jess

Good Non-Baby Related News

Sort of.
E.M. had a phone interview yesterday morning with the Apple Store and it sounds like he is going to be hired!! The lady said she would email him in 2 weeks with the "next steps" of the process.

With the onset of ttc we have chosen to postpone his school 1 semester. Instead of taking classes during the summer he will work at both jobs for 6 months (his current one part time nights and the Apple Store full time days) then he will quit his current job. The whole point in him doing this is our bills can come out of the money earned from the part time job is going into the baby savings account :)

This is great news and will give us lots of room to breathe and get everything we want for the baby including 3d/4d sonogram session and a video camera. All it really means is the E.M. will be taking his math class and doing 1 of his 2 80 hour internships next spring (2010) before baby is born. Therefore it is putting off graduation by one semester. No big deal. :)

Also we decided (After measuring) that the fold up changing table isn't going to work so we are going to purchase a slightly used chest of drawers (5+) and place a changing pad on top.

We also figured out what we are selling vs putting in the storage shed and how we are rearranging the apartment to accomodate baby things and a whole other person! :)


-Jess

Month 1 - TTC Preparation

So the goal for a "planned pregnancy" IMO is so we can prepare and have ample finances and support available to us! :)

Now, since that's the goal... onward to Month 1's purchase (each month we will purchase 1 baby related item that is inexpensive so that we can gather a good amount of things by the time we actually conceive....this also makes me happy and satisfies my feelings of need to buy bigger things until we hear a heartbeat!)

Socks!


And of course something you will see each month...


So....wish us baby dust and please pray for our little family (if prayer is your thing).


-Jess

OPK & TTC

So I am confused beyond all belief and it seems the more I read online the more complicated timing insemination becomes.

I think we have our plan down... For this month:
Test for OPK+ every day @ 5pm/5am (starting the 12th)
Once a + result shows we will invite our donor over (he already knows the dates in which we will be stealing him away from his life for a day)...
Inseminate at 9am (4 or 16 hours after +)
Have breakfast, watch a couple movies.
Have lunch, enjoy eachother's company.
Re-inseminate @ 5pm (12 to 24 hours after +)
E.M. will take him home. E.M. will go to work.
Test for BFP/BFN on the 28th.

For other months when we are planning to combine both his sperm and our vials from the sperm bank together we are planning on following this plan:
Test for OPK+ every day @ 5am & 5pm
Order vials (as they will stay frozen for 3wks in dewars) on 2nd day of testing.
Once a + result shows we will invite our donor over.
Inseminate at 9am (4 to 16 hours after +)
Have breakfast, watch a couple movies.
Have lunch, enjoy eachother's company.
Re-inseminate @ 3pm (10 to 22 hours after +)
E.M. will take him home.
Inseminate with bought vial @ 9pm (16 to 28 hours after +)
E.M. will go to work.
Test for BFP/BFN on charted first day of period.

Hehe...

Anytime "My Girl" by The Temptations plays E.M. sings it to me it's so sweet....and May is the month we are going to start TTC w/vials from the 'bank'. :)

----------
I've got sunshine on a cloudy day.
When it's cold outside I've got the month of May.
I guess you'd say What can make me feel this way?
My girl (my girl, my girl)
Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl).
I've got so much honey the bees envy me.
I've got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees.
I guess you'd say What can make me feel this way?
My girl (my girl, my girl)
Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl).
Hey hey hey Hey hey hey
Ooooh. I don't need no money, fortune, or fame.
I've got all the riches baby one man can claim.
I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way?
My girl (my girl, my girl)
Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl).
I've got sunshine on a cloudy day
With my girl.
I've even got the month of May With my girl

*dances*

The 'bank' received the paperwork! I got the confirmation email... followed by an email requesting proof that E.M. lives here because his proof of age/residency (licence) didn't match our new address.
So when he went to work tonight he took the front page of the lease and faxed it their way. :)

We are very excited!!!! Only a few more days until we can begin ordering the "other half of the baby"!


-Jess

How We *Think* Children Will Change Our Relationship

I posted the following on thenest.com on the SSH board.... it was a response to someone else's post.... I just don't want it to get lost in the load of responses/posts to come... It's something I would like to be able to refer back to. :)

--------------------
E.M.'s take on how children will change our relationship: "I honestly think they will bring us closer; because we will have to work together on a lot of it; a lot of what we do now we can do on our own. It's part of us, it's ours"

My take on how children will change our relationship: I am not too sure, I know E.M. and I have spoken about making it a point to have dinner as a family every evening. to not lose our sex life, to not stop talking about our days (Even if they do consist of laundry and diapers and finger painting!) We've also spoken about making sure we go out once a month after the baby is a few months old for "adult" time.... goto dinner, go dancing, get a hotel room. Mommy and Papa time. I worry sometimes because we do fight... things I think should be common sense (taking the trash out when you leave for instance) aren't always what's on his mind... I've had to learn to be a bit more flexible and realize it won't make the house colapse if the dishwasher isn't unloaded the day it runs or there are absolutley no marks on the hard wood floor. I've had to realize that I didn't fall in love with E.M. for his cleaning habits I fell in love with him for his personality and eagerness to do right in all he does... much like I am sure he has had to remind himself he didn't fall in love with me for my temper that can sometimes get out of hand but for the reasons he loves me. I think as you spend more and more time with someone you do indeed take for granted the little things.... you just have to sit down and take a deep breath and remember to be together.... to make the time to be with one another.... if we waited for time to appear in our schedules I wouldn't have seen him since 2 christmas' ago... I believe much of what we have learned since becoming a couple will apply with children... and as always we will learn as we go.

Okay, Breathing Easier!

Awww thank heaven for my fantastic husband-to-be!
He saw how stressed I was and is not only making us food but looked up everything reguarding the way we mailed the envelope!!!

According to USPS.com
"Postcards, letters, large envelopes (flats) and small packages can be sent using First-Class Mail®. This service, along with Priority Mail and Express Mail, is ideal for sending personal correspondence, handwritten or typewritten letters, and bills or statements of account. It may also be used for advertisements and lightweight merchandise. First-Class Mail prices are based on both the shape and weight of the item being mailed. For items weighing more than 13 ounces, use Priority Mail."

Priority Mail is defined as 2-3 day delivery sooooo then I looked up about how long First Class Mail delivery is ...and it's 4-5 days!!!!!!!

Ahhh what a sigh of RELIEF!

Have a great day everyone! I will be calling the bank on Thursday afternoon to verify they have received it if I haven't received the confirmation email.

:)


-Jess

Shouldn't Have Called

I shouldn't have called the 'bank'... now I'm beyond nervous.
They haven't received our envelope!!

He said he isn't sure what's up with the mail... but that I can give them a call back toward the end of the week. I don't know why this makes me so uneasy... the paperwork was easy to fill out and I guess I am just second guessin myself ...I can't remember if we definitley filled out everything... but that may just be my nerves talking as I am sure I checked every paper twice! I don't know -- I was praying that they had received it yesterday and it had just been placed in the to-be filed stack and not gotten to yet.

Gah, now I am wondering if we DID send it 3-day or just regular. All the receipt says is "first class mail" ...IF we accidently selected regular postage in our euphoria of the prospect of filing the papers I will feel much more confident... I just don't know how to verify that detail. >,< oi vey.


-Jess

Music

So part of the birth plan that E.M. and I have had together for countless months (really, it's a sad thing, the amount of planning and thinking we have done for this child that has yet to be conceived!) we have stated that we want minimal interruptions during labor, lowered lights, quiet room, etc. and that we want to play our own music during labor and delivery. Now, if you know either of us in the slightest (offline) you know our every waking moment is filled of the sound of music -- hip hop, rap, pop, oldies, country, rock, alternative....anything but metal. So we have found some (specifically 66) songs that are calm, that embrace family and love, as well as embrace diversity but that are also soothing to me and compiled them on itunes as the "Labor and Delivery" playlist.

Anyway the point of this blog update is because I found the absolute most magnificent song ever... and E.M. likes it! :) So... I wanted to post the lyrics as it is a truly beautiful song.

--------------------
It Takes A Man :: Aaron Lines

She locked her fingers and bowed her head
She said I'm late, and I'm really scared
You can go, but I hope you stay
I'm gonna keep it, either way
In my daddy's el camino
In her driveway in the rain
Staring through the windshield
I could see my future change
And my heart hit like a hammer
And my thoughts were running wild
Any fool can make a baby
It takes a man, to raise a child
I laid my head, down on the wheel
She said I know, I know, it don't seem real
She closed her eyes, tears flowed through
She said don't hate me, for loving you
In my daddy's el camino
In her driveway in the rain
Staring through the windshield I could see my future change
And my heart hit like a hammer
And my thoughts were running wild
Any fool can make a baby
It takes a man, to raise a child
Well I could not reassure her
I couldn't say what I had planned
Couldn't put three words together
So I just, took her hand
In my daddy's el camino
In her driveway in the rain
Staring through the windshield
I could see my future change
And my heart hit like a hammer
And my thoughts were running wild
Any fool can make a baby
It takes a man, to raise a child
It takes a man


-Jess

BFP Dream on First Attempt

So now that I've had a chance to lougne around the house for a couple hours and recall my dreams from my sleep I remember only one in particular that is of great importance to me... I remember E.M. and I talking about trying that cycle and looking at the calendar and usddenly realizing my period was infact due that day, the 28th I remember (the day my period is due on this month) and looking at eachother, he said he had to go to work and asked how long at home test would take - I responded only a couple of minutes. I shuffled through the kitchen drawers (yea this is where I keep my new pregnancy and OPKs along with my prenatals!) and found the brand new box of 3 (which is indeed sitting in the drawer, once I remembered the dream I went and checked) I took them into the bathroom and peed on all 3.

I lined them up on the back of the toilet and stood there, door locked, staring at them.

All 3 were positive.



-Jess

I Wish I Had Fantastic News

But I don't.
Not yet anyway. Still no word from the 'bank' ....I hateeeeee waiting! >,<
Why is everything about creating a baby about waiting?! Hmmm?? God, you need to tell me so I understand and can hopefully gain more patience.

Anyway I totally opened up my ttcamiracle email account expecting to have an email confirmation stating that they did infact receive our papers and they were waiting to be filed (a roughly 5-day process) but no... not at all. Instead I found emails from babyzone.com and the like.

I think I told E.M. if we hadn't heard by Monday evening at shutting time we would make a point to call close to opening hours tomorrow morning.

So far this has all gone smoothly and I truly hope it continues to go that way as I am already beyond nervous with anticipation of what's to come.

Please keep thinking good thoughts as we pray we didn't forget any signatures or initials! :)



-Jess

Re: Washer for Cloth Diapers

Someone posted a comment saying that the washer E.M. and I chose may not be best for cloth diapers.... we did have a backup washer chosen....actually it was the one we found first, before the egg shaped one...

You can find this washer on walmart.com for about $200.00
It is suppose to hold 6.6 lbs and has wheels. I really like this and was actually debating buying it for just E.M. and I when we moved to our new place this year but chose to use the 200$ else where.

We like this one too... to the person who commented, thanks for pointing out what I had missed!

-Jess

The Arts

Yesterday was extrordinary.... E.M. and I went to a script readin of a play I've been asked to be in. I believe the Director was kind of confused as I have matured/grown up since I was last working on plays with her -- 3 years ago. I'm quieter now, I don't feel the need to be the center of all attention at every moment.

Anyway it was enjoyable.... a beautiful first draft on my generations take of "gay" (loose term with thise group -- encompasses the ENTIRE LGBTQAS community) history propped up by the heart wrenching and beautifully scripted stories told by past generations. Definitley something I am willing to commit to.

After the reading we went over to a cute little coffee shop; now when I say cute I mean.... grimey... but in a cute way... sort of. I suppose it would be one of those places you need to visit to truly understand the atmosphere. We walked in the front door (side door, rather) into a dimly lit pub of types, definitley not your typical coffee shop for downtown Phoenix. There were no business people dressed in suits or heels, instead there were college students and people with laptops who (I can only assume since I have taken on this whole "quiet" demeanor in public, only really speaking to E.M.) were writing, researching, etc. So we ordered a diet coke, split it, and headed of to the "Phoenix Fringe Festival" -- This is the last weekend and it was extrordinary. We are actually thinking of going to one other play today if we can away from cleaning my mother's house for the hour and a half. Last night we watched an almost silent play called 7(x1) Samarai ....It was one man and he acted out the entire show. The gist of the show is the the peasants are working in the fields and bandits of some sort came and took away all the crops (or whatever it was that they were cutting down), so the peasants get upset (both angry and sad) and one peasant decides to go find the Samari ...the first place he comes to he explains his story and they ask for money, he has no money so he is thrown out... the second place he comes to he explains his story and they too, ask for money, he has known and he is thrown out... the third place he comes to he briefly describes his story... then quickly adds the "no money" concept and cowers, expecting to be thrown out. The Samarai says "okay", the peasant says "okay?!", and the samari reassures the peasant by saying "alright". The samari fight the bandits after much blood shed, wins. It was intriquing but wouldn't recommend for children....very few words and no bathroom - I had to remind myself to remain "lady like" as it was a long show.

So we went out to dinner and filled the tank with gas. Then we decided we would goto a second show, it too was completley unplanned... we went and saw A Man, Magic, And Music. A comically told lifestory through the eyes of a black man born in the '40's, with 12 brothers and sisters ...he told his story through song, dance, and tap - he intertwined songs of the decade of which his story was being told... it was a truly magnificent show and aside from one small part I would say it is a great show for children who enjoy music.

So all this culture has E.M. and I talking. We already knew we wanted to take our child camping one weekend every 2 months so we decided that the opposite month we would like to take our child to "childrens" plays ....2 of them ...one every other weekend. And we would like to start as soon as our child can sit still for 15 to 45 minutes (usually the length of a child's play!) I guess our goal is to submerge our child in a little of everything as niether of us were at a young age. We want to take the best pats of our lives (for me being in and watching the theatre, for him camping with family and being a techie in the theatre) and highlight them for our children.

Oh yea, along the same line our child is going to have the opportunity to play the piano at a young age... and will learn to read music, something I am *still* trying to learn.

The goal is to provide better for our children, yes? The best way we can figure to do that is to expose them to a little of everything and support them in what they choose to do!


-Jess and E.M.