The Official TTC Thread!

[AmberWaves]

Good Morn'', ladies. AFF is due today or tomorrow, and I''m consoling myself with a caramel macchiato. Which I can not spell. Alas, I am a mess this morning.

Ever just wake up cranky? And then take it out on your poor husband who offered to make you lunch to take to work? And then get to work and just feel wiped out? I feel like that troll who gets pissed off that everyone keeps making noise on his bridge.

Annnyway, no fried food for me, instead we had cuban food. I''m dying for something crispy and battered.

How are my fellow TTCers?

 

[mela lu]

Amber - I SO know that ''person'' you referred to. I am that ''person'' once a month. *cringe* If it''s any consolation, I don''t think you are any kind of troll!

...more like a silly monkey.

I just satisfied my salt craving with spicy tuna sushi. mmmm. Hopefully AFF™ will come today or tomorrow and you and I will be on the same schedge!

Oh yah, GREAT news, my Dr. called...my HCG levels are back to ZERO!!!!!!!! I kinda knew based on the EWCM two weeks ago and my raging PMS...that kinda tipped me off that I''d normalized. LOL

 

[AmberWaves]

Yay for news you already suspected but was true anyway! Wow that was long.

Anyway, that''s great news! In other late breaking news, I realized I liked my engagement ring too much by it itself, and have moved my wedding band to my right hand. Perhaps just for today. Or should I say just for when DH isn''t around, as he''s a fanatic about my wedding band.

I can''t believe I''ve only been married 8.5 months.

 

[lovelylulu]

mela - that is excellent news about your body returning to normal - but for the unpleasant side effect of PMS. here''s to looking to a ahi tuna-free future.

amber - i think that we can all relate to the ahem *mood swings* known to come around every 28 days or so. although, for me personally, i don''t necessarily become b*tchy but rather far more emotional and even a tad gloomy...not fun.

DD: thanks for the insight about likely o-ing. you basically summed up my plan for this 1st go around. so far so good. hopefully something will stick.

i also went to the dermatologist at the beginning of the week. while i''m 30, i am forutunate enough to have the bad skin of a 16 year-old

(perhaps cosmic payback for having crystal clear skin though puberty - who knows) so, for the past couple of months i had been using a topical antibiotic and differin. but after researching, i realized that those are NOT recommended for pregnant women or women TTC. i know that some people''s skin gets better when they''re pregnant and some people''s skin gets much worse (lucky me it''ll be the latter) so i wanted to consult with the Dr. to see if there was something i might do -- she prescribed something and i''m keeping my fingers crossed that it helps...

 

[mela lu]

Amber - I''ve taken to wearing my wedding band alone on my left hand, and I''ve moved my engagement ring to my right hand. hah
My 1 yr wedding anniversary is coming up in a 3 weeks. CRAZY!

Lulu - I suffer from adult acne as well. it was bad while I was pg (hopefully that wont be you too) and is still not great. sigh. I too had an acne-free teenage era. But you cant have it all... I have acne, but I have a killer metabolism and never watch what I eat (and don''t gain weight)...so I have other lucky things, I suppose.

I''m a touch bored today. I bought a new pair of gold flats at lunch to cheer me up (as today is DH''s bday and he''s leaving tomorrow for 4 days in the Bahamas). I''m going to spend the weekend up north with my Girlfriends. Weekends at the cottage actually make me feel happy I''m not PG and that I can drink wine with the girls. haha. Small pleasures.

 

[AmberWaves]

Lulu, I hope the new meds work for you! I suffer from insane eczema, and break out in rashes and hives constantly, so I know what a struggle skincare is. Due to my excessive consumption (not through my mouth!) of cortisone, I got cataracts! I too, think this is payback for that lack of bad skin in high school.

Mela, I love shopping to make myself feel better, and a trip up north sounds fabulous. Sadly, I''m looking forward to our tub getting roto-rooted, when we got back from Hawaii there was crap all inside it, like there was a backup from our upstairs neighbor''s tub! GROSS. And since our poor landlord passed away right before we could let anyone know, we felt kind of bad calling the NEW landlord (old one''s daughter) and asking them to fix it so soon after the death.

I wish I could go to the mall!

 

[mela lu]

Oh Amber that SUX! whoa. you deserve a trip to the Maul. oh yes indeedy, yes siree.

Is it wrong that I''ve already picked out my push present even though I''m not PG? OMG do women with TWINS get TWO PP? wow...

girl: http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/beverley-k-jewelry/rings/13PP1/168/
boy: http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/beverley-k-jewelry/rings/02PP1/90/

 

[jcrow]

Date: 7/16/2008 3:25:37 PM
Author: mela lu
Oh Amber that SUX! whoa. you deserve a trip to the Maul. oh yes indeedy, yes siree.

Is it wrong that I''ve already picked out my push present even though I''m not PG? OMG do women with TWINS get TWO PP? wow...

girl: http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/beverley-k-jewelry/rings/13PP1/168/
boy: http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/beverley-k-jewelry/rings/02PP1/90/

hehehe. too funny!

 

[AmberWaves]

Mela, NIIIICE. I told DH that since he''s never changed a diaper before, he has to change the first 8 or so diapers, with no help from me. Our poor, helpless child.

DH said that since I already changed my e-ring setting 3 months after the wedding, I''m not allowed any new jewelry for a while!!

 

[mela lu]

hahaha. ''changed your setting'' - try upgraded my diamond before we were even married! HAH! That''s why I''m trying to be ''conservative'' in my push present. What I REALLY want is another upgrade (size size size) to my center stone. Something tells me though, that a baby is all the present I''ll need

 

[littlelysser]

Hello All.

Things here are alright. This is day four of EWCM this round...so we are doing what we can to make this darn thing happen!

. Also, CD 15 over here.

I''m a bit cranky for sure. Still. Some more. Feh. Blah. I don''t know what my problem is.

Amber - I LOVE costco. LOVE IT! We are currently addicted to the fruit crisps. They are freeze-dried apples and pears. SOOOO good. And healthy too! Good stuffs. Also, I totally want to hear abut Kauai! Where did you go? What did you do? PICTURES???

Also, I totally hear you on ering/wedding band thing. I''m at home today, but I decided to wear just my ering. I love my ering by itself. My DH forgot his wedding ring (he took it off cause he was making chicken burgers for dinner) and was freaking out all day at work. Silly Dutchman.

Lisa - Ugh. I''m just sorry.

Mela - 1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE THOSE RINGS!!!! LOVE THEM! 2. Congrats on the levels! Yay!

Lulu - Honestly, she is functioning and her mental health has improved greatly over the past 7 years...but I tend to think that she is who she is...she refuses to see a psychiatrist and so there isn''t much that we can do. Blergh. As for the BD every day or every other day...we are using the every other method this month. I hear you on the slightly forced. I just told DH to prepare for sexie time later. So yeah...Also, I don''t know what I''m going to do about coffee. I''m such an addict. I figure I''ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

HIL - I hope you get some answers soon. The knitting time sucks. I analyze just about every twinge and symptom...it stinks. But I hope you get some good news soon soon soon!

Blen - Yay for good CM! Boo for family crapola. Just stinks.

 

[decodelighted]

OMG ... THIS is where everyone is! Aw, dudes, I''m sad I''m not in the "cool" clubs anymore.

I guess all my peeps are either here in the TTC or over in Preggers or Mommies. Blerg. Just Blerg. Prepare for me to take my balls & marbles & jacks over to my own, very lonely DRIED UP OLD CRANKYPANTS thread.

 

[mela lu]

haha. oh Deco - you can play with us anytime you like!!!

re: coffee. Since when did caffeine (coffee) get such a bad rap? I''m convinced that a little bit is okay...ie. I wont give up my morning cup. Why are you lassies talking about ''giving it up''? completely? cutting down?

 

[AmberWaves]

Mela, I was angling for an upgrade, but decided that my new setting will do. BAH. He'd better give me something for squeezing his progeny (LARGE-sized, all ten pounds and up in his fam) out of my tiny-giny. TMI? perhaps.

LL, I've been sooooo lazy about the Kauai pics, I haven't even uploaded them to the computer yet! I'll upload them tonight, I swear! I had shave ice at LEAST three days while we were there, I couldn't believe the roving gangs of hens and roosters, and that sand can get HOT.

Deco, coooome to the dark side.

No? Alright then, it's still kind of fun in here with all our talks of EWCM, TTC, DD, DPO, AFF, and POAS! Hell, I have a bunch of sticks here for ya, if you get the urge to baptize some ovulation (or pregnancy) tests. just sayin'!

I must admit: I take pregnancy tests even when I know I'm not pg.

My name is Amber, and I'm an obsessive pee'er on sticks.

ETA: Coffee: despite my drink this morning, I can actually do without coffee. It's iced tea I can't do without!

 

[Independent Gal]

Date: 7/16/2008 4:34:26 PM
Author: mela lu
haha. oh Deco - you can play with us anytime you like!!!

re: coffee. Since when did caffeine (coffee) get such a bad rap? I''m convinced that a little bit is okay...ie. I wont give up my morning cup. Why are you lassies talking about ''giving it up''? completely? cutting down?

OK, here is what I have learned about coffee (and no, I haven''t given it up completely!). Over 200 mg a day (=a regular sized Starbucks coffee) is definitely not such a hot plan. One (possibly dubious) study says it doubles the risk of miscarriage and many others suggest that multiple cups contribute to lower birth weight and pre-term labor. Given that my twins are bound to be on the lower end of birth weight and likely to be pre-term, I feel like I got the shaft on this one anyway.

But also that eventually I probably want to be extra careful with anything that could make it worse.

Then there''s the fact that the caffeine, once there IS a nervous system and once there IS a placenta, will probably make your bebe speed up a little too. But, hey, big deal?

And then there''s the fact that, as one article I read pointed out, pregnant ladies have enough to deal with, so geez, one cup of coffee probably won''t hurt and may just give you some comfort. Absent strong evidence that one cup (not a Starbucks cup but an 8 ounce cup) does any real harm, you just have to weigh your comfort with your level of risk tolerance. It is definitely not ''out out out'' like alcohol in the first two trimesters or smoking. So it''s kind of up to you!

I''m down to half a cup a day. I could give it up, but I just enjoy it so much. So I may hold out for another few weeks. I have a lot to deal with right now. Like, say, jetlag.

 

[littlelysser]

Deco -

. Hola.

You can totally hang out here! We've got moms, preggos, and nonpreggos wandering about. Some of the other boards give me a pit of boiling rage - waffle house, for example. But this thread is pretty darn awesome.

Although I may join your old crankypants thread, cause that totally describes me too!

Mela - Oh, I can't give it up. I'd imagine I'd cut down to a cup a day. Right now I drink caffeine all darn day. And I lurve it.

Amber - LOL at tiny-giny. hehehehehehe. I'm still in denial about that part of the whole birth thing. But I am not in denial about the push present. I will have one. Oh yes I will.

I haven't POASed in weeks! Hopefully I haven't lost my skills!

ETA - Indy - How is your mom? And the trip?

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

Hi guys!

Have any of you watched "Nanny 911?" OMG

Last night this couple had 3 triplet boys age 5 and they were so completely out of control.

One of them smacked the mom in the face while being disciplined!

Those Nannies are great!

What do you guys think about the to spank or not to spank issue?

BTW - I''m a total freak and have 3 good follies (15mm, 13mm, 13mm & 2@12mm). They''re still cookin'' away.
They''ll be mature around 18-20mm. At 1-2 mm/day growth that puts me at 2 or 3 days from trigger HCG.

The RN at the clinic told me that a fist fight almost broke out the other day in the waiting room between 2 women
over cell phone use. 2 staffers had to break it up.

That place is a whoremonal looney bin! The staff walk on eggshells around us hopped-up women I guess.

I keep having irrational thoughts that my DH''s sperm sample will accidentally get switched in the lab right before the insem.

Statistically this has had to have happened to someone right?

 

[happy in love]

Date: 7/16/2008 9:09:23 PM
Author: lisa1.01fvs1
I keep having irrational thoughts that my DH''s sperm sample will accidentally get switched in the lab right before the insem.

Statistically this has had to have happened to someone right?

lol... I think you''ve been watching too many soaps!

Congrats on the 3 follies, I really hope this is the magic cycle for you.

Man, you ladies have been chatty today! I''ll have to catch up when I get home.

As for me, one more BFN today at 13dpo. By my FF chart AF should be here today, but no sign yet. waiting. waiting. waiting. Maybe tomorrow will be a two line morning!

 

[AmberWaves]

Lisa, a fight in an RE''s office? Jeez!! And I thought I was bad with the uncontrollable troll-ness!

Happy: Sorry about the BFN today, I hope AFF stays far far away and you get a two liner tomorrow!

 

[E B]

Hi everyone! As usual, I haven''t had a chance to catch up so I''m sorry for the quick post, but I won''t be officially joining you until next cycle. We fully planned to try this cycle until CD 5, when I was to take my first Clomid. I froze, and realized I''m not quite ready. I think I need just one more cycle to let things "regulate," and then...BRING IT ON!

I''m still charting however, so I can have my progesterone levels tested at 7 DPO. Tomorrow is CD 11 and things are already feeling kind of (TMI ALERT!) watery/slippery, so I''m thinking O is around the corner. Next cycle will be here before I know it.

Good luck to everyone else!

 

[Dreamer_D]

EBree, I know it must be hard to wait, and hard to go ahead too, but I think taking this one more cycle could really be a great thing! You can test your progesterone, which was the one thing that was still a question mark right?? And you can chart a whole cycle, which will be really interesting. Plus, this gives your body time to get back on track. This month will fly by and you''ll be on the TTC train again in no time!

 

[Blenheim]

Lovelylulu, I obviously read everything too quickly! Sorry about that.

Mela, congrats on the hormone levels!

Coffee - I''ve been drinking 2 half caff cappaccinos a day. Espresso is less caffeinated than regular coffee, so I feel fine with this.

Hey Deco!

Amber, for some reason I''m convinced that when the time comes, I''m going to have a humongo baby at 41-42 weeks. Maybe because that was totally me.

(Sorry, Mom!)

And, a confession: I''ve taken preggo tests in my preovulatory phase before.

Kind of in my defense, my periods are super light and short and I sometimes I begin to wonder if it was just late implantation spotting or something if my temps don''t immediately go down.

Lisa, that sounds dramatic! And I''m sure that they have measures in place to make sure that the right sperm go into the right woman.

HIL, do you know how long your luteal phases normally are? (I can''t remember if you''ve mentioned.) I hope tomorrow morning is a good one!

Ebree, I''ve been thinking about you. I''m sure next cycle will be here before you know it.


I''m expecting to ovulate sometime between tomorrow and Saturday.

I had an awkward, long car ride some some colleagues today. One of them has five kids (and at least a couple of them were oopses) and just found out that her daughter and daughter-in-law are due 1 day apart in January and both of them were kind of assuming that since they JUST had babies, they didn''t really need to be careful with birth control. So I was already feeling mildly frustrated that apparently everybody is getting knocked up right and left without even intending to, when they decided to start interrogating me about baby plans. I just said that we didn''t know when we were going to start (technically true - it could be this cycle or it could take 5 years) and then they started going on and on about how I should wait and enjoy baby-less marriage. Um, thanks for the unsolicited advice.

I was much better at deflecting before we started trying: "Oh, the three dogs are keeping us plenty busy for now!" is my usual. But now I feel more put on the spot and can''t immediately remember what to say.

 

[mela lu]

Hiyas!
I''m off soon for the weekend away - so I thought I''d pop in and say my hello''s!

HIL - Good luck tomorrow morning. OB(viously), we''re all rooting for you and your BFP.

Lisa - yikeroni! what dramz. Thankfully, you can see the ''humour'' in these crazy sitch''s and bring us the funny stories. It must be so nerve wracking for you...but again, i''m confident that your sense of humour will get you through these difficult days.

Ebree - GREAT seeing you here, and great plan! Eventhough waiting is hard, I feel like waiting will give you that much more perspective on the matter, and hopefully a less scary/emotional rollercoaster ride. Hang in there! Let us know how your Progeterone tests go.

Blein - oh lady. you are stronger than you know. I can only imagine what you must be going through ''on defense'' all the time. Hang in there. You''re time will come, and then all of this angst will be behind you. *hugs*

sorry if I''m forgetting any shout-outs. Thanks for all the response about caffeine! I cut back to one shot of espresso per day when I was PG. It was just enough to get me out of bed, but not enough that I worried. The way I saw it - all those little Italian ladies before me drank espresso daily and had successful pregnancies...so why worry?! I don''t think it contributed to my m/c at all - I believe mine was just ''not meant to be''.

Still no AF for me. maybe tomorrow?? It seems quite a few of us are expecting AFF...which means a packed knitting club to come!!!!

 

[AmberWaves]

Yep, I should be getting AFF tomorrow, already feeling a bit crampy, which is odd. Ebree, I totally understand waiting another cycle. Good luck!

Blen, I get the same things, everyone is asking when it''ll be our turn for babies. Now I really want to be able to say, "actually, we''ve been trying, so please stop bringing it up." I CAN''T say that, though.

Mela, have a GREAT weekend, and enjoy your "vacation"!!

 

[tiffanytwisted]

Random people at work ask me that all the time. I just tell them I had an ectopic. That shuts them up real quick!!

Date: 7/16/2008 11:18:40 PM
Author: AmberWaves
Yep, I should be getting AFF tomorrow, already feeling a bit crampy, which is odd. Ebree, I totally understand waiting another cycle. Good luck!

Blen, I get the same things, everyone is asking when it''ll be our turn for babies. Now I really want to be able to say, ''actually, we''ve been trying, so please stop bringing it up.'' I CAN''T say that, though.

Mela, have a GREAT weekend, and enjoy your ''vacation''!!

 

[happy in love]

Mornin'' all.

I feel like a bad PSer the last few days, I keep doing drive-by''s to talk about me. I will have time later today to catch up though!

So, it must have been all that wishful thinking that made me so tired (or the traveling oot every weekend!) and light headed cuz it was another single line moring. And... I can feel AFF''s eyes staring at me... I want to tell her COME IN ALREADY SO WE CAN GET THIS OVERWITH!

More later...

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

HIL - so sorry about auntie! That single line is daunting no? On to a new cycle.......no worries about the narcissism

AMBER - also sorry about AFF! OY! Have u tried deep fried pickles? They are so good!

MELA - have a fab time w/ the girlies and the wine, vodka, whiskey, tequilla, gin, COFFEE.....you get the picture.

EBREE - I hear ya on the "freeze-up" taking meds of unknown everything can be very scary. I guess I''m just desperate b/c I opted out of Clomid and straight to injections!
Actually, I''m getting really good at them. I even extract fromt this vial or that and mix dilluent to powdered meds. and suck everything out with huge needles like a mad scientist!
Tonight I''m actually combining 2 diff. FSH formulations as I have leftovers so we''ll see how that goes (one is already liquid, the other has to be reconstituted).

BLEN - I''m sorta straight forward, not that I''m trying to give u advice or anything....well OK I am, but I usually tell the truth like "well I had a huge alien cyst that destroyed my rt ovary and now at the decrepit age of 39 I am busy sticking myself w/ needles to obtain these follicles so that my DH''s sperm can be injected in my tiny-giny (thx AMBER) to fertilize those targets so I can continue THE CYCLE OF LIFE!!!!" HAKUNA MATATA to U!!!!

DD - did I read somewhere that you are naturally a DD???? Whoa.....that makes for a lot of boobage after preg. when your milk comes in......

TIFFANY - Yes anything clinical "ectopic" will usually get people to leave it alone!

AFM - I have some sort of CM today. It''s not runny but going in that direction. We were told to BD tonight and then I have US in am tomorrow. Looks like 2 back-to-back insem. on Sat. & Sun. This time DH will produce sample at home. I think he''ll have an easier time of it and produce more. It''ll be weird driving it to the clinic sitting on the passenger seat.

Lisa

 

[AmberWaves]

Ooooh, Lisa, it''s crazy hearing about your injections! Sooo off topic, but I had to inject my diabetic dog, and I FREAKED OUT all the time. And now back to topic. I hope everything is all working right.

Today AFF is supposed to show up, but I have weird cramps, not like my usual (especially since AFF cramps usually show up RIGHT when AFF shows up), which is off-putting. I''ll not be too happy should my cycle get all whacked out all of a sudden, after perfect 27 day cycles. I''m currently on CD28, and if AFF shows up today will be CD1, like usual. Gah. Stupid body.

Anywho... I suppose I should do some actual work. Ingenious, no?

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Date: 7/16/2008 9:53:37 PM
Author: EBree
Hi everyone! As usual, I haven't had a chance to catch up so I'm sorry for the quick post, but I won't be officially joining you until next cycle. We fully planned to try this cycle until CD 5, when I was to take my first Clomid. I froze, and realized I'm not quite ready. I think I need just one more cycle to let things 'regulate,' and then...BRING IT ON!

I'm still charting however, so I can have my progesterone levels tested at 7 DPO. Tomorrow is CD 11 and things are already feeling kind of (TMI ALERT!) watery/slippery, so I'm thinking O is around the corner. Next cycle will be here before I know it.

Good luck to everyone else!

I too have been thinking of you. Hope to see you here again soon!

 

[littlelysser]

Hi ladies!

Nothing much to report today...my sister sent me flowers and apologized for her behavior while she was here...which is a huge step for her.

I'm still kind of a cranky pants. no real reason. just am. grrrrrrr. CD 16. Think I ovulated in the last day or two...but don't know for sure.

So speaking of horrible shows...we were watching the baby borrowers last night (what can I say, I like my tv cheap and trashy)...anyway, the episode was the one where there were toddlers. And there was a lot of screaming and crying and tantrums. DH looked at me and said, Um, we are so not having kids. I think it scareded him!

Now, I have a couple of questions for you lovely ladies.

I'm not sure what the average number of days that one has EWCM, but I've had it for the past 4, maybe 5, days. Which seems pretty long. Today it is kind of an EW, lotion mixture...But what the heck do I know. Very little, apparently. Any ideas on an average type thing?

And now another..I've been taking to a number of my friends who were TTC and are now moms to some of the cutest cutes that ever cuted. Anyway...several of them lived like their weren't pregnant until they got the positive test. Meaning that they drank, ate what they want, etc. One even continued smoking cigs until she got the positive test. What do you all think about it? On of my friends was TTC for almost 18 months...I think it would be tough to live like one is prego the whole time...what do you think?


Amber - Um, so you are late, right? I'm guessing you POASed...but have you? Hmmmm? Also, I am saddened by the lack of hawaii pictures!

Ebree - Hi there! Take your time - you'll know when you are ready!

Blen - I did the same thing! I totally took a test after I got AFF...because it was lighter than normal. As for what to say to people...it is tough. I'd say go with the dog thing - and say that you guys aren't ready yet. No one's business but yours. I would never ask someone that question!!! People are so darn rude.