Objects of Torture

I had the sonohysterogram yesterday and it did NOT go according to plan. According to my RE my cervix was closed tight. He could not get the catheter in so after a bit of poking and prodding he decided to dilate my cervix and use a smaller catheter. In order to dilate the cervix he sprayed my cervix with some numbing spray which feels like someone is spraying your who-ha with acid. My cervix was very sensitive yesterday so every thing he did was painful. He finally got the catheter in and then inserted the saline into my uterus. I'm pleased to say everything looked great in the uterus. There were no abnormalities. However the closed up cervix presents a problem because when I go for the embryo transfer everything has to go smoothly. You don't want to aggravate the cervix or dilate on transfer day because it is not good for implantation. I now have to go in about 4 days before my transfer and my RE is going to insert a stitch into my cervix (can't wait for that). I asked what was the purpose of the stitch and he said so he could get traction and help the catheter go in straight through the canal. This is why they like to do a trial run before transfer time to make sure there are no problems on transfer day.

Happy Halloween from Roxie & Nemo.

The Ball is Rolling (Slowly)

I finally have my calendar for the FET (frozen embryo transfer) and it is December 4th. I start my drugs to prepare my uterus on Nov. 15th. It is great to have something to look forward to because it has been a long wait.

On Thursday I'm having a sonohysterogram. For those of you who don't know what this is I'll explain. A sonohysterogram is to detect abnormalities on the inside walls of the uterus. The doctor will insert saline through a soft flexible plastic catheter while an ultrasound wand is monitoring the entire thing on a computer screen. The saline is injected into the uterine cavity to separate the walls and allow the doctor to see if any abnormalities exist. I had this done prior to my last transfer in March 2008 and luckily there were no issues. I will also have a "sounding" at the same time. The "sounding" is like a mock transfer to ensure the doctor can insert the same type of catheter that will be used during the actual transfer. I'm praying that all goes well.

Other Happenings & Updates: I decided NOT to go to the shower for the girl that is just an acquaintance. I sent a gift and just said that I had a conflict and could not make it. I decided there was no reason to put myself through the agony of a shower for someone I don't even know that well. I have one more shower to attend on Nov 8th and I adore the mommy-to-be so I look forward to seeing her. She no longer lives in Atlanta but some of her friends here decided to throw her a shower so it will be nice to see her again.

I'll post again after the sonohysterogram on Thursday.

Jury Duty

I was called for Jury Duty back in August and I requested a deferment because I was about to go on vacation. Well my deferment came due today. I had to drive to a sketchy part of Atlanta at the crack of dawn (7am but seemed like the crack of dawn) and serve my county. What a LONG and drawn out process. This was the first time I've ever had to go to jury duty. They make you wait in a huge room with about 400 other people and then they call your name (after 2 hours) and send you to a court room. I was juror #67 out of #68. I went to the court room and they tell you what the trial is and then ask a bunch of "group" questions and if they apply to you then you hold up your laminated juror number. That lasted about an hour. After that they had Row 1 stay, row 2 return in 1 1/2 hrs, row 3 to return at 2.15 and row 4,5 & 6 return at 3.30. It was 11.45 AM so I had nearly 4 hours to kill. UGH! This part of Atlanta isn't the nice area with all the shops, it is the area surrounded by homeless people. I did take myself to a nice lunch and I had a great piece of homemade key lime pie.

I walked back (about 1/2 mile) to the courthouse and sat in the sunshine for about another hour. At 3.30 a large group of us waited in the hallway on hard wooden benches. And we waited and waited. They called in a few people but they only made it to #48 before they had selected their 14 jurors. This was around 6pm. We all had to file back into the courtroom and after another hour we were finally free to go. Unbelievable process and I was never in the running to be a juror. I would say an entire day wasted but it was a small lesson about how our justice system works.

In case you are wondering the trial was for a teacher that was beaten by a 17 year old female student and her mother (the mother was tried last week and got 1 year in jail).

On a happy note, I had my 3rd and final shot this morning. YEAH! I'm planning to call the RE tomorrow and see if I can get my schedule for the FET. I hope to start the process in 28 days. It is like seeing a faint light at the end of a very long tunnel.

Showers Galore

I've been invited to three baby showers over the next few weeks. Yesterday was the first of the 3 baby showers and it was for a really old friend of mine. I met her the first day of college and she lived next door to me in the dorm. I'm really showing my age but that was 24 years ago (1985). Even thought we no longer live in the same state we have always kept in touch. It was great to see my girlfriend and the shower was nice. I thought I was doing well but as I walked out the door to my car I could feel the tears building up and by the time I got into my car they were pouring down my face. It was much harder than I had imagined and it left me in a major funk the rest of the day. Shower #2 is for a girl that is more of an acquaintance than friend so I will probably just skip that one. I bought a gift and RSVP but now I'm having second thoughts. I will make the final decision based on how I'm feeling.

On the IVF side of things I take my FINAL shot on Tuesday. I'm planning to call my RE's office to see if I can get my schedule for the FET (frozen embryo transfer). According to my schedule it should be the second week of December. I will either have a wonderful Christmas or one that really sucks. I praying for a good one!

I was nominated for an award:

Thanks Rachel for nominating me for this award!

Shrimp, Shrimp & more Shrimp

I went to visit an old friend of mine in South Alabama this weekend. We met in 1990 at work and she moved back to her home in Alabama a few years later but we have always kept in touch. I drove down on Friday afternoon and got there in time for dinner. Amanda made a yummy shrimp bisque for dinner. The next morning we got up and went to the Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores. The last time I went to this event was about 19 years ago. We had such a good time. We walked around in 80+ degrees and looked at all the awesome vendor booths and of course there were tons of food vendors. I had a basket of fried shrimp and fries. Yum! We took a walk on the beach and dipped our feet in the warm water. Before we left we split a funnel cake. Seriously when was the last time you had a funnel cake? It was just as good as I remembered. That night we went to dinner at the Original Oyster Bar and guess what I had for dinner? More shrimp. The visit flew by and after a home cooked meal with Amanda's in-laws I drove home.

I had a five hour drive home by myself and that gave me a lot of time to think. Amanda has two teenagers and as I looked around her house at all the pictures of her children growing up I thought to myself that is what I want. I want to have cute drawings hanging on my refrigerator, I want pictures of my child sitting on Santa's lap, I want so many things but most of all I want a baby.

I only have 5 weeks left of menopause. I take my last shot next Tuesday and hopefully 4 weeks later I will start the drugs for my transfer. Stay Tuned.

I DID IT!

I DID IT! I walked a 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) and I did it in under 3 hours. My unofficial time is 2.57. It was much hillier than I had anticipated but it was fun. Sarah & I were able to maintain a pace of 14 minute miles so there was no fear of the bus picking us up. (If you were unable to walk the entire race in less than 3hr 30 min there was a bus that would pick you up so they could open the roads back up).

I've had a busy week. My in-laws were visiting for 6 days and we had a nice visit. I made a huge lasagna on Thursday and invited my dad and stepmother to join us for dinner. I think everyone was impressed with dinner because they all know I don't like to cook and somehow my dad thinks this translates to I can't cook. I can I just don't care to.

My bible study started back this week. The group that puts it on is Church 4 Chicks and this fall

our study is called "Wisdom is a Girls Best Friend". I think the timing is perfect because I need an outlet to get close to God again and soften my heart. My girlfriend sent me an e-mail recently and said that she thought about me while doing her devotional last week. One thing she sent me was "Patience means awaiting God's time without doubting God's love". I like that.

Here is a shot of my well earned t-shirt. I just hope I'm not hobbling around like an old woman tomorrow. Cheers!