a little late, but two years ago...

I gave birth to my youngest. Gosh, it seems like only yesterday I was emailing everyone to let them know i was going to be delayed with their reading as I had a newborn! Time really does go by quite fast.

When we decided to start trying for our youngest, I immediately used my positive thinking techniques that are located in this blog (use the label section on the left side to access this information). I actually got pregnant the first month I tried this. I was excited, but also shocked to learn I would have another child in the same month as my first. If you actually look at my posts in August 2007, you will notice a post about a dream I had. Involving me and my sister and my dad going into a tunnel/waterslide and coming out at the bottom, and eventually going into another area that had two pools. The funny thing is, I remember this dream to a T, and even translated wondering if it meant i was pregnant.. which sure enough it did.

With my pregnancy with my first, I bled off and on during my pregnancy, and found out how common this really can be. So if you are pregnant and experinece bleeding, please dont panic at first. It can be a number of reasons and doesn't always mean a m/c is about to happen.

My second pregnancy was more textbook including the fact I had swelling in my ankles! That was NOT fun!.

With my labor, I wanted the baby to come on her own. Within a few days of her EDD, i used visualizing techniques, seeing my cervix opening and relaxing, and seeing myself give birth to my healthy baby girl. This was about 2 days before I actually gave birth. The fun experinece was, that the night of May 25th, my eldest, had woken me up at 1:30am. (so technically the morning of the 26th) She had to goto the washroom. Not normal for her to wake up, but fine whatever. I goto the washroom myself and notice I am bleeding. Of course, like any other pregnant woman I panic and worry about what is going on. I call the hospital who tells me to just come in and they will check me. My husband, used to me bleeding during pregnancy with my first, tells me to just relax and come back to bed (this is funny now, but was not funny then! lol). I tell him I would rather go in and get checked for piece of mind. My In laws come to watch my daughter and we head into the hospital. I am concerned worried, something is going to go wrong, but on the Radio comes the song "I'm coming out" by Dianna Ross. It was then I felt more comforted. My labor started around 2:30am. My youngest was born (I used the gas for pain relief) at 7:33am. (my eldest was 3:37am - I think its cool that its the same numbers, just backwards).

I love reading birth stories and fertility stories, so please, if you would like to share either, I will draw two winners. One for birth story and one for a fertility storey. Winner to be announced on FRIDAY

I did something stupid...

okay perhaps it was two things. Since I am able to laugh at myself, and its always fun to laugh when someone has done something stupid (in a good way of course), I figured I would share it you all so that you can laugh right along.

First, I had pictures of my mom that we used for the funeral. Pictures I had, my sister, my mom's husband. I took the boards home we had taped them too with the intention of getting them back to the people they belonged to. I put them in a box, and left it on the ground. My sister had the remaining pictures that never made it on the board and I figured when I got them all together, I would seperate it then. Well, my sister brought me the rest today, I get home after my youngests second birthday party and go to put them all together. Only this time the pictures are gone from the first batch. I look in the computer room, I look in boxes that I have. They are NO WHERE to be found. This is when I panic. These pictures mean something to me (and other people that are expecting them back) only to realize that the box that they were in, had possibly gone to value village when I dropped off a box full of stuff there almost a month ago. My heart sunk. Realizing that this is probably where the pictures have gone, and trying to wrack my brain with an apology to the people I would now be telling that these pictures are gone. I asked my mom (for those of you recently tuning in, my mom passed away March 8, 2010) to please help me locate them. It was then, my eyes were drawn to a small shaped box to my right. Inside where the pictures! Thank you mom! I did feel stupid though as I remember now putting that box there, out of the way when I took the other box to value village.

As some of you also know, I purchased a lap top about a month ago. I figured with my youngest not sleeping properly and me working in my computer room downstairs it was getting difficult with hearing her getting up and walking around looking for me. So with the laptop I work upstairs and here if she needs me. I can also accomplish alot more during the day as well. Anyways, the last week the keyboard has been going crazy. First, the c button was not working, then the next day it was the d button. This was driving me crazy. It would work but you had to push REALLY hard on it to get it to write that. I figured I could live without the d as I really dont use it alot. Then, last night it was the E. I had no idea what was going on. There are ALOT of E's to be used while typing and when you type as fast as I do, its quite a piss off not being able to just type normally but having to go back or hit another key really hard to ensure that its going to be in there!. So I managed and turned the key off. Part of me thinking I am going to have to return the laptop as its not working, but have never heard of keys not working in different spots. You would think it would just stay the one key. Well, last night when starting to my readings, it turned out the R button was not working. I would push it and NOTHING would happen. This was really making me PISSED off! I even pushed hard (okay I admit it, I hit the dam key with my finger a few times!). I even tried lifting the key up slightly to see why it was jammed. Turns out, there was a tiny little plastic piece that came off a clothing tag under the key. It had been traveling all along the last few days and getting under certain keys and moving around. Gosh I feel pretty silly for not thinking of looking before and just going crazy with what was happening!

I figured it gave me a good laugh, hopefully gave you all a good laugh as well

Another option out there?

I recently got an email from my client talking about embryo adoption. I had NEVER heard of this before and thought that perhaps some of you have not either and would like to hear about other options. Here is my clients story.

One thing I’ve learned is that there are many different paths to parenthood. Our own personal journey led my husband and I toward embryo adoption.
For us, adoption was always a backup plan. Four years ago- before seven IUI’s, two IVFs and a small fortune in meds- we explored our thoughts and resolved that if we can’t get pregnant, we will adopt.

We felt that our second round of IVF might be our last hope of having our own biological child. We started with two fresh cycles, but both failed. So our last FET with two leftover embryos from the previous cycles truly seemed like our absolute last chance. It resulted in a pregnancy, but then sadly a miscarriage after nine weeks.

According to our original plan, our next step was the adoption agency. We had already selected an agency about a year ago, and had learned as much as we could about the adoption process.
But during this very sad time, my acupuncture doctor suggested embryo adoption. I had heard of that option before, but as with other possible options, I had never really considered it.
While lots of my friends in my support group were discussing donor eggs, I really was not drawn to that. And surrogacy never came to my mind either, maybe because of the enormous expensive. We agreed that we are not going to have a child and be completely broke.

But somehow embryo adoption sounded more and more interesting to us as we looked into it. If you know anything about regular adoption, then you know that it can be very expensive, with lots of legal requirements.

Embryo adoption -as presented to us- seemed like a much easier route. Basically, couples that have had IVF treatments often have left over embryos that are kept preserved in cold storage. If they conceive without using all of their stored embryos, they can choose to donate their leftovers for adoption.

For people in our situation, this process bypasses many of the legal hurdles of full adoption. And often- not always- there is only the cost of the frozen embryo transfer and legal fees. Altogether, it can be up to ten times less expensive than adoption!

Not all IFV clinics have an embryo adoption program, but we were lucky enough to be referred by my acupuncture doctor to one that does. While some embryo adoption programs can be a lot more complicated than others, on the whole it’s less complicated than the full adoption process.

I had accepted that my being pregnant was not as important as having a child of our own no matter how we got there. Still, I find the prospect of being pregnant and carrying our adopted child to be a major plus of embryo adoption. Of course I know that there is no guarantee of success, but as ever, there is always hope.

L.

So what would you do?

I have always wondered when watching American idol when they show the people at the beinging who just can't sing yet insist that they are amazing and can't figure out why everyone has turned them down. If you were their friends/family would you not tell them the truth that they can't sing? Or do you spare their feelings and tell them how wonderful they will be and be in "shock" that they did not make it?

This is always such a tricky position to be in.. Would love to hear other peoples opinion on what you would say/do if in this position. Do you let your friend or family member find out on their own with their abilities, or do you break it to them gently to not quit their day job?

Let see what happens shall we?

I have been in contact with someone named Tania. Shes going to be posting on the blog articles that she writes about fertility that should help those of you who are trying to conceive. I have seen samples of her writing which are always really informative, which is why I have allowed her to contribute to the blog. I think that its going to be really beneficail to all of my clients. You can never really have too much information when it comes to your body and trying to conceive.

So keep an eye out for a post from her. I am not sure when shes going to do her first one, but it will have her name on it so you know its from her.

On a side note, I went with my husband and my two girls camping this weekend. I was a bit afraid at first because of BEARS! I really do not like them. On our way up the mountain, we did see a small black bear off the side of the road. I was really hoping our campsite was no where near there. Thankfully it wasn't. We ended up camping in a wide open field with about 20 other campers (we knew some of them). I did not end up seeing any bears while we were there which is good.

You know how you get a bad impression from someone? I always try to listen to my intuition as its been proven right so many times. There was a guy there, who had 4 year old daughter. He just did not sit well with me. My daughter and her friend wanted to go for a walk, as it was getting later and would be bed time soon, I told them to stay within sight, no going for a walk and to stay away from the woods. About 10 minutes I turn around, and notice them in the woods. I ask my Mother in law to watch my youngest, and go "marching" over there. The one thing about me, I am consistant, and follow through, I do not like being "ignored" with my "rules". I am pretty flexible, but when I say something, I do expect my own daughter (who is now 7) to be able to follow it. I get there, and that dad is with his daughter, his girlfriend and my eldest and her friend and another little kid in the woods. Hes trying to take their picture. I call my daughter and her friend over and remind them what I had asked. Not giving them crap, but being stern about it and my expectations. The dad comes over and tells me that I should not be giving them crap but him instead as it was him who told them to come into the woods for a few minutes. I then explained that both my daughter and her friend are 7 and are old enough to tell him that they were told NOT to enter the woods and should not have gone in there. (to which my daughter replied that she DID tell him that but he insisted it would be for only a minute) What kind of parent tries to get the kids to go against what they were told? (regardless if he thought it was a silly rule or that they would only be a minute). If I was him, I would have told the girls to go ask their parent if it was okay for just a few minutes.. Perhaps I am over protective?

He is just kinda "creepy" and kinda made me feel uncomfortable with the way he talked and acted this weekend, and I would rather have avoided him entirely.

Anyways, for those of you who had a long weekend, I hope it was an enjoyable one. I will be posting again in the next day or so with another contest!