Happy Friday!

After nearly 18 months, today I had my Mirena removed. There are a couple reasons for this, first, my son is almost 2, and I'm starting to feel a little itchy for a baby. And to be honest, I think he is too. At my cousin's house (who has 3 little girls) he loved pushing around a doll stroller with his Tigger in it. He is so very helpful (most of the time) and will assist with many chores. He throws things away for me, puts his toys away, and will push the right buttons on the dishwasher or washer/dryer when asked to. He also feeds the girls for us. We just have to fill the cup up with the amount we want them to have. He will pour the cup out into the bowl regardless of how much is in it. (And when he misses a couple pieces of dog food, he will sit there and pick each one up and put it in that dog's bowl. It is something he doesn't need to do, because they will eat it, but he is a slight neat freak.) :)

The second reason, is one that is a little bit more detailed. And for that reason I'm going to put it behind a "jump break." That way, it is your own fault if you accidentally read something you don't want to. It isn't too graphic, but it is a bit detailed and personal, so some people might not want to read about it. Hint: it involves my reproductive organs.

Read on...

Day 31.

I have to admit, I wasn't testing with my ovulation strips most of this cycle. But I figured, since last cycle, I didn't ovulate until day 40/41, that I'll be okay. I still stand by that thought.

On Saturday, Day 29, I woke up nauseated, I was sooo ready to call in sick, because I was sure that I was going to puke. But since I'm working with a student at work, and Saturday was her second day, I decided to grin and bear it.

While my LH test strips continue to be negative, I am noticing increased "wetness." I'm thinking that ovulation day will be coming soon.

:D

Jamaal and I will be going to Vegas soon, and after we booked our flight, I told Jamaal that it would be condoms from here on out, until at the very least, we get to Vegas. I want to be able to have a couple drinks while I'm there, and if I were pregnant, I wouldn't drink (or would feel incredibly guilty) the entire time.

Also, I would prefer my future child to have a birthday anytime between January and October, but not around Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years. And that means conception should be after April 20th (with a due date of January 6th).

Finally, a visitor.

Day 2.

After a 54 or 55 day cycle, I am happy to report that Aunt Flo has finally arrived. No other details are really necessary at this time. Though I'm finding this "independent" period is a little different than my "dependent" periods were.

Last night, Jamaal, his dad, his dad's friend and I went to see Charlie Murphy at the Moore Theater. It was funny. We laughed a lot. Jamaal especially enjoyed it, which is a good thing since it was his birthday present.

The suspense is killing me...

Day 46/47.

It appears that Aunt Flo might be making her appearance soon. I have some very slight spotting today. If I start for real tomorrow, I'll call today Day 1 of my second independent cycle, because I'm tired of this confusing mumbo jumbo with 2 possible days.

So I must admit, that I got slightly confused about my cycle. You see, I've been reading How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby by Dr. Shettles, but I had checked it out from the library and had to return it last week. Well, I've come to realize that some resources a person just needs to have at their disposal at all times just in case.

Let me explain.

I had signs that ovulation was starting on Saturday, and it was confirmed on Sunday via the ovulation test strips. The ovulation test strips test for a hormone commonly referred to as LH (or Luteinizing Hormone). This hormone is released prior to ovulation and is usually detected for 24-48 hours in the urine. (I unfortunately had no tests with me on Saturday, and had I tested then, I'm sure it would have been positive, making my LH surge on the long side at 48 hours or so.) But since I didn't test on Saturday my first positive test was Sunday at 1700. I continued to test positive at 2200 on Monday, with my first negative test on Tuesday morning at 1100.

The positive LH surge signifies impending ovulation, it does not necessarily mean that ovulation has occurred, which is where I got confused. The "fertile period" begins about 4-5 days prior to ovulation and ends 24-48 hours after ovulation. This means if a couple is not trying to get pregnant they should abstain or use a condom beginning 5-6 days prior to ovulation (which gets tricky if, like me, your cycles are new to you and/or not regular), and continue until 48-72 hours after suspected ovulation. In my head, I was thinking that Saturday was the day I ovulated, so on Tuesday, the day I had my first negative LH test, I thought we were in the clear. We had unprotected sex on that day. Now, I realize that I was possibly ovulating on that day and should have waited 72 hours after Tuesday. (Which, if you do your math is actually today.)

It isn't likely that I'll get pregnant, but there is a chance.

Confused? Join the club. ;) Even as a nurse I feel overwhelmed with the planning, timing, and details of conception and fertility. It takes a while to get a good handle on all of this fertility craziness, and that is why I decided I needed to purchase some resources so that I could easily reference them if I had a question or concern. I ended up with the following:

I actually enjoyed How to Choose the Sex of your Baby book, even though there are some chapters that I skipped over as they talk about the history of sex selection. People have wanted to be able to pick the sex of their baby for a very long time. It was kind of funny reading about some of the ways they used to increase the chances of having a boy (or girl, though I think it was more common for people to prefer to have male offspring.) The methods in this book are not 100% effective, because there is always a chance of having either sex, though you can increase your chances of having either a girl or a boy if you time intercourse at a certain time.

I will love any baby I am blessed with, but I really want to have a daughter. I also want to have a son, but I am my mom's last chance to have a granddaughter, and I promised her way back when I was 19 that she would get one. I just love little girl clothes etc...

Fertility and Conception, was a book I picked up because it looked like a good one from the outside. After perusing it a bit, I found that it was very colorful with lots of pictures and looked like it had a variety of information, so I chose it for a simple resource. It also looked like a fairly simple read, and looks like it has a bit of humor as well. Let's face it, when you're reading about cervical mucous, positions of the cervix, and timing of intercourse, a person needs a little humor.

And finally Taking Charge of Your Fertility is a book that I had heard of, and also googled online and got it because it spans the lifespan of a woman. It features explanations of how to conceive, how to naturally avoid pregnancy, and generally teaches about reproductive health. It looks dull, upon flipping through it, and since it is pretty thick, it will be a daunting read, but the reviews say that the text is easy to understand and enjoyable. We'll see. It might be one of those books that is more effective to use by going to the index and reading what you desire at that moment in time...(The reason I say it looks dull, is because the pictures are in black and white, and there appears to be a lot of text, in pretty small font. I didn't even read a word out of it, so I don't know how it flows.)

Hope you all don't mind hearing about my reproductive parts in action...

An icy surprise

Day 35/36.

Aunti still has not come for a visit. The guest room is all made up, but remains empty. If both (pregnancy tests and period) are still negative by this time next week, I'll be going in to get some blood drawn. I can't handle the suspense.

Unfortunately, even if I am preggo, I'm a high risk for miscarriage since I just got off of the pill.

I've got some very slight cramping going on right now, so chances are I'll have a visitor in the next couple days.

In other news...

On Saturday, my family took Jamaal and I to Tokyo Steakhouse for dinner to celebrate our birthdays. Mine isn't until March 23, but my brother will begin coaching baseball at his school, and is super busy in March because of that. And Saturday was the first day we were all available to go out for Jamaal's.

We were all having a good time. We were actually nearly done, he was about to serve us our steak when a waitress spilt diet coke down my back. It was a shocker. It was freezing cold, but all I could think about was the fact that the shirt I was wearing was brand new, and it was hand wash only. And it wasn't really all that cheap. I think it was $24 but I really liked it, and I never really treat myself with new clothes all that often. I usually only buy from the clearance racks anymore. The rest of dinner I was freezing cold. It got on my jeans and on my underwear as well, so it was uncomfortable to walk. I kept feeling as though I wet myself. I was in shock when it happened and didn't really want to talk about it. Later my waitress came up (as the girl who did it was simply refilling our drinks to help our waitress) and apologized and said that my drinks would be free. It really was a slap to my face. My $2 diet coke (with free refills) was free. And my brand new shirt was possibly ruined? And I did not enjoy my food, or the fact that I was out to dinner with my family, as much as I would have with dry clothes. As we were getting ready to leave I started to cry. And I had a very hard time stopping. I really really didn't want to cry. I didn't fight the fact that I felt at the very least that girl should have bought me dinner. After the fact, I wished I would have told them how I felt, but I also know that she didn't do it on purpose. It was an accident...but definitely not worth a free $2 drink.

Taking a break...

Oh night shift, how you make me crazy. ;)

Yesterday I got off work, and since I knew I didn't have to go back to work until Friday night, I was a bit wired when I got home. Finally, around 1000, I shut my eyes with the intention of waking at 1330 (1:30pm). Well, next thing I knew my hubby was calling me to let me know he wouldn't be home on time, and it was 1730. Oops...I had to get up and move, because I had water aerobics last night, and I need to leave my house by 1815.

Then at midnight, the hubby and I went to sleep. I found myself awake again at 0600, and began thinking of my plans for the day and my crafty ways to the point where I decided I would get more done up and about.

My "To Do" list for the day is getting longer and longer by the moment.

1. I'm picking pictures to get printed, and have been doing that since 0600, and will pick them up later today at Costco. (I love being able to upload pictures at home, and later that same day pick them up from Costco.)
2. I would like to buy some frozen fish fillets from Costco if they have individual servings of fresh, wild caught salmon or cod. And a few other things like condoms. ;)
3. I will be going shopping with my mom later, I want to go to Kohls to get a jacket and matching shoes. (Don't know if I'll find what I'm looking for there or not, but I have a gift card, so it's worth a shot looking.)
4. We received our tax credit check in the mail, so I need to deposit that today.
5. It's time again to do dishes, so that will be what I do after I'm done blogging.
6. Water aerobics again tonight at 1900.
7. Groceries for the rest of the week, however, I might just find something for dinner tonight and tomorrow instead of buying for the rest of the week, since I might be pressed for time today.
8. If time permits, I'd like to work on a project of mine...
9. I want to take Jamaal and his dad and brother to see Charlie Murphy when he comes to Seattle in March, so I need to buy the tickets.
10. Jamaal and I (and a few friends) want to go to Vegas in March as well, so I need to book the hotel.

Whew...

I'm currently sipping on my Breakfast shake, and working on taking my vitamins. I need a system that helps me to remember to take my plethora of vitamins!! I want one of those plastic weekly medication containers, but none of them are big enough for my chewable calcium. I'll keep my eyes peeled for one though. Here's one I found on amazon.com but I don't know if that is big enough or not. I'd have to see it in person.

On the Fertility front, still no real signs of ovulation. I'm currently on day number 31 or 32 with no signs of Aunt Flo. (I was supposed to start my period on a Monday and only barely spotted so I don't really know if I should count that as day 1 or not. If I do, I'm on day 32, if I don't I'm on day 31.) I hope she comes soon. I'm getting anxious for my cycle to normalize. I KNOW I'm being silly, but I've been kind of wondering if I'm pregnant already. I've tested with pregnancy tests, and according to them, I'm not. BUT I looked into it, and hCG doesn't show in the urine for a few weeks after conception. It doesn't show until 1 week after a missed period, for most women. That means conception was probably 2.5-3 weeks prior to the positive result.

Though like I've said before, there have been no signs of ovulation thus far.

I'm going to be a nutcase for a while until I regularize...I guess I should say, if I regularize.

Off the pill

I asked my husband today if it would be okay if I stopped taking birth control. (Yes, I asked him via text message.) Kayleen found that pretty funny, I don't always use text messages as my communication with him. This felt appropriate, because he was at work, and I didn't want him to have to answer me out loud. His response:

"Only if you stop being mean once a month."

From the mouth of babes...

Haha. He has a point though. I realize that I get a little bit of an attitude problem when Auntie Flo comes to visit. I blame the birth control. We'll see who truly is to blame...

I don't really want to get pregnant right away. I'm going to monitor my ovulation (or not) via these test strips:

I don't recall that I've shared on here that way back when I had a problem with my lady parts. I would go without a period for 3 months or more. It was lovely most of the time, but once I became sexually active, it became way too scary. It also was not very convenient to have Aunt Flo visit without calling first. She could literally drop by at anytime, and I might not be prepared for her.

My MD recommended birth control (prior to being sexually active) to help regulate my cycle. But he told me at that time (we had some blood work done) that I might have to have a little help to become pregnant when I was ready. This has been plaguing me ever since. So now, we will see from here where this goes. Perhaps I've been regulated enough for my body to kick in and work on its own. But perhaps not. It will be difficult, but I won't be going in to the MD for help for a year. I'm going to try it on my own first. I'll let you know how it goes. :D

At this point, however, I'm not actively trying to get pregnant. But if I do, I will not be upset either. I really don't want to have a child around Thanksgiving or Christmas, as I feel like their birthday will be overshadowed by other events and make the child feel less special. A baby in February through September or October is okay though. (Late January on the 29th would be fine too, as that is Jamaal's birthday.) So that means May or later for conception.

I'm going to track my cycle for a while, and read this book:

Don't judge me, but I want a daughter. I don't want to have 3 children, so I'm going to try and follow this book, and also the Ancient Chinese Gender Chart to attempt getting a girl. That means conception in May, July or September this year. If it fails, we have another shot to try for a girl, and if that fails we'll adopt one.

I'm prepared to be disappointed, but I know that I will cry if my first child is a boy. (And since I have these feelings I'm sure that I will have a boy out of spite!) I'll love him too I swear!!

Just an FYI, I probably won't be announcing that I'm pregnant until I'm well into the 2nd trimester, unless I'm sooo nauseated I can't help but share. We'll see what happens, but don't be surprised if I'm secretive about things, as I'm nervous to be able to conceive at all.