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On to round two then

Woke up to my period this morning. So the IUI didn't take then. Bummer. I'm upset, I did cry a bit, but I'm ok. Not too bad actually. We just do it again. I called the Dr.'s office this morning. They're to call me back andlet me know when I'm supposed to get bloodwork done this week. We're supposed to leave for vacation soon, and we'll probably be gone when we would be starting the next set of scans. So July might not happen. We'll have to wait until August. I need a vacation too badly to pass it up. Plus I want to see D's family. Miss them.

But Dad, I've never gotten Poison Ivy...

but I've got it now. Not bad actually, but I definitely have it. It's either from scrambling up the banks thru the weeds while we were fishing (but that was severaldays ago) OR it's from two nights ago when I was scrambling thru the woods looking for Ned after he chased his first rabbit, and going thru the woods several times to get him from the neighbors. I think the stuf on my arms is actually from carrying him. Dad siad he thought he got a bit from holding Ned as well.

But it is weird. I really can't remember ever getting it. All the years of being in the woods with Grape Ape and handling her, never had any come off her fur onto me, or just from the plants.

Last year weeding around the garden I even crushed some in my hand to see if I'd get it. Nothing. And YES - it was poison ivy. This time I've just got tiny little red bumps. Pretty spreadout, and they aren't itching. Glad I got the gene for fighting PI. My brother gets it awfully bad. I rememember him in high school with his forearms wrapped in gauze because they were just solid blisters. And he had to take medicine, and it itched horribly.

Wouldn't it be awesome if the reason I was open to getting it was because I'm pregnant and my hormones are messed up and somehow I got it? That's how warped all this infertilty stuff makes you. You get excited about poison ivy.

Tonight btw - I took three of the glucopage pills. My back didn't hurt yesterday or today. Wanna make a bet it does tomorrow? If it does I'm staying at two pills.

Latest Ned story: I had every Harry Potter hardback but the 2nd one. I finally got around to ordering one really cheap second hand online and it came Monday. Tonight he tore the dust jacket off and did good number on the spine. Oh well. I'll tape the cover back together and write a note in it about what happened. Then maybe 80 years from now a grandkid will read it and someone will tell them about Ned.

Fishing On Father's Day

From the time I was a very little girl I've gone fishing with my father. It's always been a special thing that we've done together. Over the years we have so many funny stories from all of our fishing outings. They usually have to do with our mishaps, not so much actually catching fish. As happens to all of us, as I got older I didn't get to go fishing with Dad as much as I would like. I thought it would be fun for both of us if that was what we did for Father's Day this year.

I packed a special lunch of toasted Rye bread deli sandwiches, Dad's favorite really unhealthy potato ships and Pepperidge Farm cookies. Trying to beat the heat, we left at 7 am and thought we'd fish til 1 or 2pm. We headed out to Piedmont Lake in Ohio which has always been our favorite lake to go to. There are many family stories associated with that lake. A favorite being that our Grandparents honeymooned there in a tent. Also, we got April from someone who lived out by the lake.

We had a great day of fishing! We started out fishing for crappie and bluegill. It was probably a little too hot for it. We probably went 2 hours before we found a hole where they were biting. Which of course was a spot the fishfinder said there weren't any fish. Stupid sonar. But I caught two bluegill and dad caught one bluegill and one small, small-mouth bass.

We motored over to the other side of the lake and fished a bit longer and took a break for lunch in the shade. The lake was really pretty. Clear water, blue skies. Not too many boats, but a nice amount of people out. After lunch we trolled a bit.

I like trolling, as you're seeing a lot of the lake, usually getting a nice breeze as you go along, and sometimes you catch a fish. I personally have never caught a single fish trolling. At least that I can remember. I have no luck with it. But. I don't know how long we'd been going along when dad cut the engine real quick and yelled "I got one!" Bending his pole pretty good too. So I reeled in as quick as I could and grabbed the dipnet. Dad said "grab your camera and get a picture of it coming up to the boat!" (From longtime family experience of the big one getting away right as you pull it in the boat) It was giving him a good fgiht, making it fun. I did get a few shots of it coming up to the boat, and on the deck. As soon as we got it in the net it did throw the lure, so it could have been a close one. It was 27" just under keeper length. You'll notice in the photos below the gill got Dad good on the finger - there's blood dripping on his left hand.

After we let him go we continued trolling with the sunshade up on the boat. It was getting pretty hot. The next thing I know, Dad's cut the engine again and is reeling in a fish. He caught a small Walleye. Which he would want me to clarify was a TRUE Walleye and not a hybrid. Its the top photo below in the "small fry" section. We trolled for about another hour and called it quits. Just getting too hot to fish. But we had a really great day of fishing. Glad Dad caught a few nice one's for Father's Day!

The "Happy Father's Day 27in Muskie"

The small fry

Bit of shopping

When we lived in Rockville one of my favorite things to do was shopping after payday. Not a crazy haul of things we didn't need. But wake up Sunday, go to Rio, get a Starbucks, meander in B&N for as long as I like, then go to Target to buy all the toiletries and cleaning supplies, etc we needed. Maybe go crazy and buy myself a shirt.

Last night did a bit of that. But at K-mart. I love our K-mart. I haven't stepped foot in a Wal-Mart in 2 years. I hate everything about it, not just the corporation, but ours in particular. The people, the lines, the narrow aisles, the crowds. K-Mart is always empty, and the selection and prices are great. How long it will last, I have no idea. But last night I bet there were maybe a dozen shoppers in the store. It was nice to just meander around and look at stuff, and then come home and have new stuff. I felt better. Why does shopping make you feel good? Not always the "shopping" part, but the "having new stuff" part?

weird feeling

I just have this weird feeling I'm not pregnant. I go back and forth each day with this. The hard part of the waiting to see part is all the mind games you end up playing. My skin breaks out and I think 'ooohhh, that's a sign" no, probably just stress. But I feel like I usually do ramping up to a period. Cranky, emotional, feel pudgy, boobs feel huge. So I think I'll probably get a period this weekend. Even worse though will be if I get it, but get it like a week late. And I don't feel good today. Super tired and my back is really achey again from the medicine.

Dang what a good day!

I am just having SUCH a good day! Like - DAMN!! What a good day kind of day.
(please please please knocking on wood I just didn't jinx myself)
Last night at one point I literally felt my back relax and the pain went away. Right now it doesn't hurt at all. Hoping that it's just gone on its own. And that when I start doubling my glucophage tonight it doesn't come back. I still haven't had any of the standard side-effects so far, but I did have quite a rumbling tummy after I had curry for lunch today.

Reasons I'm having such an awesome day:
• went on a photo shoot this morning and for once actually got to work in real 'art director' capacity overseeing the shoot. It was for our local Easter Seals chapter. The photographer was a great guy, very talented. Also enjoyed working with the EA marketing girl. But it was the kids that made it so much fun. So sweet and cute. All ages, all ability levels. We were trying to get them to hold there arms out wide and say "Sooooo big!" Some would, some wouldn't...but several wouldn't stop once they got going. One little guy just walked around saying "cheese!" all morning. What a good feeling to work with the munchkins.

• having conversation with the photographer and using actual design speak with someone who got it, and talking with him about London, museums, tube etc.

• that yummy curry I had for lunch

• Listening - make that reading - the World Cup matches while I work today - and then England winning!! Nothing like leaving it to the very end and scaring us, but they did pull two goals out in the last few minutes. I wish I had seen Crouch's goal...he's such a freak. Human walking stick. But he's great! I've got my World Cup bracket up in my cube, and keeping track of how my picks are doing. Not bad so far!

• Virgin Radio playing great post-match songs to keep the spirits up
• it's payday
• hanging out after work with a girlfriend
• nice 'heyhowyadoing' call from T

Make that waiting in pain....

I've had a major non-stop ache in my lower back and hip since Saturday. It started right before the IUI. As of tomorrow I'll have been on Glucophage for a week. Tomorrow I'm supposed to up the dose. I really think this is what is causing the aches. It isn't listed as a side-effect - major stomach and 'bowel' disruption/eruptions are supposed to be the side effect with a few people experiencing stomach cramps. So nothing official online states it, but I read in several forums of people experiencing back pain. When I stopped by the Doctor's office today to pay for Saturday's IUI, I asked the nurse about it. She just said she'd never herad of it, but we could stop the glucophage and see...great. Then what if if doesn't take or I miscarry? No, I'd rather stay on it. I said i hadn't actually taken anything for it. She said it was ok to take advil or tylenol. (which I thought was odd, aren't y ou only sposed to take tyelenol when preg?) So I went home and took 3 advil. It cut the pain in half, but seems to be getting better. I just hope it doesn't get worse once I start taking two pills day. Even scarier is that I'm supposed to go up to 4 pills.

...and now we wait...

Well it's been a long time since I've had anything 'fertility' related to share. Last fall we had the scan done to check and make sure my tubes were clear. They are, that hurt like a bitch though. Then at that point we decided to take a few months off. I had been crying way too much about the entire idea. At the first of the year we decided to wait a few months longer, because of financial/ employment concerns. Then we were all ramped up for April and May, only to realize we'd be out of town both months during my most 'fertile' days for any procedure to be done.

Which leads to June. And boy did things move fast this month. I had my first follicle scan on the 5th. Followed by several more that week, got my HCG shot Friday and was inseminated Saturday! So now we wait. If I don't get my period we wait until cycle day 35 to take a test. That's three long weeks from now. As excited as I am, I'm trying to be realistic. Most people don't get it the first time with an IUI. It's just going to be the worst period ever though if I do get it.

But we've both decided that even if it didn't take, this has been worth it for all that we've learned. For instance...at my second scan the dr. casually mentions, "..and of course you have polycystic ovaries..." Excuse me what!?! Noone had ever told me this. HUGE news to me. The good news is I have no other symptoms, so I don't have PCOS which is the syndrome associated with having cysts on your ovaries. I just have it enough to mess with my estrogen amount. So I took estrogen for the week leading up to the IUI. And I'm also on Glucophage. I may have to stay on it for the entire time we try to concieve and are pregnant. It can have some nasty side effects, but so far I just have a really achey lower back. But I can't tell if it's a side-effect from the drug, or from laying on my butt with my hips up while I watched 7 DVD's after the procedure. The dr. didn't say to do this, but I just wanted to take it easy just in case.

So that's the latest update. Practically everyone we know, knows about this. Which will make it really hard if it doesn't work. But it's also been great to know everyone is really excited for us and crossing fingers, wishing on stars, saying little prayers.

Great Blue Heron

On my way home the other day I glanced over at the pastures to see what horses were out and noticed a heron up on the fence. There is a small pond across the road from this field where I guess he was coming from. You see plenty of them around the creeks in our area, but I've never seen one up on the farm anywhere. Really cool birds. Oh, I couldn't get my camera to focus on the bird, it kept focusing on the branch in front of it.

I can sleep anywhere...

...in my daddy's clothes basket...

...with my head jammed under the table...

...at the Chili Cook-Off