Our guinea pig is...

Let's see if everyone can keep up... Last summer we had 4 guinea pigs. Two boys, Patch and Snickers, and two girls, Olive and Chloe. We decided to breed 2 of our little piggies, Patch and Olive. From that we had 3 very cute little boy piggies. Pumpkin and Mouse went to the neighbor boy and we kept Spike. Our 2 males passed away shortly after the babies were born so we decided to keep Spike just to keep a little bit of Patch with us. So now it's fall and we have Chloe, Olive and Spike. Spike was a bit lonely after his brothers left so we got him a little companion and named him Coco. He's the sweetest little piggy! Last week while cleaning the cages P decided that Coco was getting fat. I didn't pay much attention and told her he was just maturing and filling out. Yesterday she brought him downstairs to play with and I noticed that not only is he getting fat but his fat is moving! Then I compared "his" parts with Spike's parts and noticed they look different (guinea pig parts look very much alike until the pigs are about 4-5 months old). I'm sure it wasn't like finding out that your teenage daughter is pregnant but it was pretty shocking. First, to find out that Coco is a girl and then to find out he's...she's pregnant! I have a pretty good idea that the babies will be born in the next 2 weeks and there is probably 3 of them in there. Coco is very young and his...her prenatal care started a bit late but hopefully things will go smoothly for him...her. I'll keep you all posted.

Update

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We've had a busy month or so with the holidays and all that comes with it. We had to make a quick trip up to Ohio for a funeral on the first day of J's block leave. It was FREEZING up there so after 4 days I was more than ready to come home. When we got home we had a house full! Family and neighbors spent Christmas with us and we had a great time with everyone. New Year's brought more friends and family. Shortly after Christmas my parents came down to celebrate late. It's always sad to see them leave but they miss their 5 dogs at home and mom has to work.
As far as the baby thing...I'm off of the meds for this cycle. I would have needed an ultrasound the day after Christmas and the clinic was closed. My body is freaking out trying to produce all of these hormones on its own. I'm pretty sure I'm more psycho off the meds then I am when I'm on them, but you'll have to ask J to be sure!
I am obsessed, yes...obsessed! with the Twilight Series. If any of you haven't read this series you're missing out on a GREAT story. I was happy to get my Texas buddy obsessed too. I could make this whole blog about Twilight but that would bore everyone (as if my life isn't boring enough) so I'll move on...
P is riding 4 times per week getting ready for the spring shows. It's going to be an expensive summer!!
J works and works and works. LONG HOURS!!!
D is still dating, nothing serious.
My Kent State friend just had a beautiful baby boy and I really can't wait to see him up close and personal.
My Texas friend is coming to my house in March and I'm so excited I could do cart-wheels.
My grandfather has lung cancer and just started chemo and radiation. Positive energy, thoughts and prayers would be much appreciated :)
My VA friend is ready to start trying for a baby and I hope she has a healthy pregnancy this time.
Hmm...I think that's all I have for now.

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 :)