Another one bites the dust...

This month brings no good news in the baby making game. I was watching The Doctors the other morning and they mentioned that teen pregnancy in this country has gone up again. Then while reading the news online I came across a story of a newborn found dead in a bucket. The mother was a 22 year old crack head. So I ask myself the same question so many other fertility challenged women ask...why??? There is no answer for this question so I can't ponder on it too long or I will drive myself nuts. So let's add the fact that there is nothing physically or medically wrong with J and I but we're still not getting pregnant. There's another huge WHY? We're taking all of the necessary medical and personal steps to make it happen (and trust me, when you have a 9 year old and a mother in law in the house this is not always easy.) So basically all the hormone injections are doing is making me very moody and very fat. Hmmm, is it really worth it? Maybe today, cycle day 1, with 15 extra pounds sitting on the waistband of my pants is not the time to ask myself that question!
I'm going to call the Dr. to find out what our plans are for this month. J will be off for 2 weeks over the holidays so for us it will be a perfect time to be on the meds and do what needs to be done but of course the clinics will be closed over the holidays so it's a bad time to need ultrasounds and bloodwork. Maybe if I took this month off of the meds I could lose the 15lbs. and start over in 2009. Wishful thinking!
J is still working like crazy. He even goes in on the weekends! We're hoping for an early promotion (the board meets next month) but not getting our hopes up too high. I'm excited to move on in his career. We've lived here for 6½ years. This place feels more like home than Ohio did but Europe would be so nice.
P is in her last week of school before winter break. She's getting a little burnt out and cranky so this break should recharge her batteries. Last weekend we cleaned out her bedroom to get ready for Santa Claus' visit. We took out 5 garbage bags plus 3 trips downstairs of things that are too awkward for a garbage bag. Is my child overindulged or what!?!
This week will be filled with cleaning and shopping. Next week our Christmas company will be here so there is lots to do. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
See you in 2009!!!

It's November already

November came quick this year. I have some pictures I could post but I don't know how. As soon as I figure that out, I'll post them.
Halloween was fun. P got a lot of candy. J was so excited to take her trick or treating since he's missed it the last year or so. I sat on the porch with my blanket and handed out candy. The neighbor boys are very creative with their costumes so the highlight of the evening was watching them scare the trick or treaters.
We're still not pregnant :( We'll find out this week what our next step is. Meds with IUI or just meds. With the holidays I'm not sure when the staff at the Fertility Clinic will be in and due to the fact that they're military, they get a lot of time off for the holidays. So we'll just have to wait and see. I'm tired of waiting but a friend of mine just told me it took her 5 IUI's until their daughter decided to join them :)
P got her first report card this year and did really well. There are a few areas to work on but with 3 A's 1 B and 2 C's we're off to a pretty good start.
J has been super busy at work. He has some time off for Thanksgiving and 2 weeks off for Christmas so it will be nice to have him home all day everyday.
D is also doing well. She keeps herself busy with dating and the job search. Her brothers and their families will be here for Christmas so I know we'll be entertained.
That's all for now. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!!

The James Adventures

Where shall I begin? My life is not all that exciting most of the time but everyone always has something going on, right? We have a lot going on at the moment. For me, the most important event is the fertility treatments. I don't always call my friends or my mom for that matter because I don't always (actually, never) want to talk about the troubles we're having trying to conceive. Especially when people say "you had P, why can't you have another one?" Like I haven't asked myself this question a million time already. Or when people say "there's always next month" Dah!! I know people are trying to be helpful and uplifting but there is absolutely nothing anyone can say to make it better. So maybe I can write about it here to keep everyone updated without having to talk about it all the time. Where I am right now...still not pregnant. Where have I been... First round with IUI (artificial insemination aka intrauterine insemination) in July did not work. We used 75IU of Gonal F in an injectable form. I couldn't do it myself so J had to give me shot in the belly everyday before work. Second round had to come to a screeching halt because I hyper stimulated. So the IUI was cancelled. I had to wait 6 long weeks to start again. My dose of Gonal F was cut in half for the October round and I was given the Gonal F pen which was nice because I can give myself this shot. It's still given in the belly but surprisingly enough, it doesn't hurt. I had the IUI done on Oct. 6. This round was also a bummer. Where I'm going...Monday I'll start injecting myself in the abdomen everyday with the Gonal F pen. We should be able to do the 3rd IUI around Nov. 12. If that's the case, I'll find out whether I'm pregnant or not on my 33rd birthday. Let's all wish for a Happy Birthday!!

Moving on...the last time we stayed home for Christmas P was a baby, J was a full time college student and I was working full time. We didn't have a lot of money so I bought dollar store stockings and a dollar store Christmas tree skirt. I used hand me down ornaments and made some really hideous decorations. So this year, 7 years after dollar days, I get to stay home for Christmas. Although I will miss Christmas in Ohio, I'm very happy to be home this year. So I've overloaded myself with quilting classes to make stockings, a Christmas tree skirt and a few wall hangings. The difference between these homemade items and the hideous ones? Now I have some skill and a killer sewing machine courtesy of my wonderful husband!! We going to have a small Christmas Eve party with the neighbors and Denise's brothers are coming on Christmas day for dinner. No traveling back and forth across town to visit with this family and that. No pulling P away from her her toys to go visit. No eating 2 Christmas dinners! I'm so excited :)

J is working hard these days. It's the first time in his career he's had to work 10-12 hour days. I have no idea what he does all day but that's the price of working in intelligence. It's all so secret. Next week he'll be going to the DC area for a few days. For what I'm really not sure. Something about touring the intelligence centers in the area. He's also getting ready to deploy again around July. It will probably be a 12 month tour but I'll take that over 15 months any day!

P is in 4th grade and doing well. She enjoys school and has many friends. She's also still riding horses just about every weekend. She'll start showing again in the spring. She takes a weekly sewing class at the quilt shop where they make little projects to learn different techniques. By the end of this year she'll be teaching me a few tricks. This child is so creative and talented. I can't believe she's already 9. Those of you with toddlers, make every minute count. Time really does fly.

Denise is finally divorced and doing well. She's looking for a job and dating. I'll let her start her own blog about that :)

So that's all I have for today. I'll update as often as I can. I hope I don't bore you with our oh so exciting lives :)