Tap That App

In a previous post, I'd included a link to several fertility/ pregnancy apps that I thought could come in handy.  Although I did mention that most of them are for after you become pregnant, I found a very useful one for keeping track of your cycle during the time being.  I used to have the MyDays app when I had my old phone and I only used it to log the beginning and end of my period so that it could tell me roughly when my next cycle would start.  While it served its purpose, I guess I never really knew what I was missing.  Now that I had to go ahead and download all my apps onto my iPhone, I decided to try the WomanLog app from the link instead of MyDays.

What I love most about WomanLog is the calendar screen (on the left) because it tells you at a glance what cycle day it is in parenthesis next to the actual date.  As usual, it's always the little things that make me the happiest!  On this screen, the different smiley faces indicate that you've set a mood.  The days with flower petals/ flowers in the bottom right corner mean these are your most fertile days for those trying to conceive naturally.  The little people with a red belly indicate you reported a symptom that day, but you could also click more than one if need be.  The dates fully colored show the days you were on your period and as you can see the cycle resets on the first day.  Today is CD lucky #7 mostly because I consider myself lucky that I don't have a headache from taking the Delestrogen yesterday!  As a matter of fact, I think I'll add a smiley face to this date.  Another feature I almost forgot to mention is the fact that I can add daily notes.  Those show up on the calendar as little conversation bubbles.  I especially like to use these for documenting the meds I'm taking.

The WomanLog app does a great job of logging the dates of my period just like my old app but it does so much more.  It has options for tracking your weight, BMT, mood, symptoms, if you had sex or if you've taken the pill (right photo).  Needless to say, I heart this app!  It allows me to do do much at the touch of a finger, making my already busy life a little easier. 

CD #5 / Let's Catch Up

Not too much has changed since my little pups birthday but I have some updates.  We had a nice relaxing weekend because I actually had the day off on Saturday.  My mom and bro were kind enough to visit us and bring lunch on Sunday, which made us very happy since we got to eat some buñuelos (the Colombian kind).  If you don't know what it is, you are really missing out.  I wish I'd taken a picture or something but they were gone pretty quick.  Sadly, we don't get to eat as much South American food as we'd like so when we do, we dig in!  FYI, my family is from Peru on both sides and my mother in law's family is Colombian and my father in law's family is from Brazil.  Ok, so let's get back to TTC updates.  Warning: the following my be a tad bit graphic for some readers.

Monday, 3/24, became CD #1 again as it was the day I got my monthly visit from AF.  Unfortunately, I was totally unprepared for it because I wasn't expecting it at all.  Although I hadn't brought any tampons with me, at least I had a change of undies in my purse.  Not that all the symptoms weren't there, they were... the cramps, the bloating, the soreness in my boobs not to mention how full they get, but apparently I was too preoccupied to notice.  Even though I'd been on the Lupron for just under 2 weeks now, AF was pretty much like normal only a bit thicker on that first day.

Wednesday, 3/26, was my scheduled appointed for blood work and a sonogram.  It was such a hectic day because I had to make the appointment for 7:30am, which is their opening time, since I had to be at work at 8:30am.  I was actually so nervous about getting there late that I mistakenly thought I had to be there at 7am instead.  Clearly, I arrived very early but, the staff were all ready to help and didn't make me wait until their official opening time.  The first part was the blood work which I never have any complaints about because they do a great job of drawing blood without causing any bruising.  The next part was the transvaginal sonogram which is never any fun because even though they're all professionals, it's awkward to lie there half naked with my legs open in those stirrups.  The good news is that Dr R said everything appeared to be in perfect condition thus far.  Later on in the day, I got a call from Jen, my primary nurse from Dr R's office, who said the blood results were also positive and that I could now reduce my Lupron dosage to 10 units and begin the Delestrogen shots biweekly on Wednesday and Saturday at .6 ML.  These shots have to be taken in the upper butt area so I would have to drive to my Mom's to have her do it.  After work, I went home to get the meds and my DH was nice enough to offer to drive me to my Mom's for my shot, after picking her up from an optometrist appointment, after picking up my brother from work.  It'd been a really long time since I'd had this shot done and I'll admit I was freaking out a little about how much bigger the needle is next to the Lupron needle.  Turns out, the needle wasn't the bad part at all.

Thursday, 2/27, was the worst day of the week for me.  I woke up with a terrible headache only to have it bother me all day long no matter how many pain relievers I took.  While I was worried about the pain in the butt (literally) shot, I hadn't even considered the side effects I'd have for taking the Delestrogen.  The headache I had was so bad it actually hurt to blink!  At the end of the day, I was so happy to finally be home that I made dinner, ate, and went to bed early hoping to sleep it off.

Friday, 2/28 (today), was much better.  I woke up feeling normal again and well rested at that.  I worked long hours but at least I didn't feel like someone had banged my head against the wall.  My only fear is that on Sunday I'll end up feeling the like crap since I'll be taking the Delestrogen shot again tomorrow.  Let's hope I don't but if I do, I'll just keep telling myself it's only a small part of something wonderful to come.  Trying very hard to stay calm and positive!

Brodi Turns 3

This post is dedicated to my little Frenchie, Brodi.  He's such a brat sometimes but I love him nonetheless.  I can't believe 3 years have gone by so fast and hope that time somehow slows down so that we can enjoy the days we spend together a little more.  Our future baby will be lucky to have buddies like him and Rennie.  I'll let the pictures do the talking on this one... a year in the life of my fur baby.  Happy 3rd Birthday Brodi!!!  I LOVE YOU!!!

SMILE!

 Hogging all the toys.

Brushing his teeth like a good boy.

Playing fetch, lol.

Plotting something mischievous.

Sleeping with his tongue out.

Making tiny snowballs.

Turn to the Dark Side

My little Android, I have loved you so much these past 2 years.  It breaks my heart that I must let you go, but alas I have turned to the dark side... (see the Star Wars reference) and bought the iPhone.  

I'm being overly dramatic, I know, but I will miss it for several reasons.  I will miss they way I could swipe over the letters to create words instead of tapping each one.  I will miss the way I could hard press the top row QWERTY keys to insert numbers.  I will miss the alarm setting that tells me how much time I have until it sounds.  I will miss the timer setting on the camera.  I will miss the big clock/weather app on the main screen instead of all those little app widgets.  So, remind me why I got this phone?!  J/k actually, I very excited about my newest device.  My DH has had the iPhone for about a year now so I do have some experience handling it.  I don't mind the changes too much since I've had so much time to do a trial run with his.  I'm pretty sure there are apps to get back most of the things I miss about my old phone or I'll just get used to the new stuff but for now I'm really enjoying it!  Plus, did I mention it was completely FREE!  Got to love that!  Will definitely add pics when I get my cases.  I also forgot to mention this pin about recommended apps for pregnancy.  Just keep in mind that most are for after you actually become pregnant.

http://pinterest.com/pin/212584044885432205/

Movies for Days

This past Saturday, my DH and I had invited another couple over for a movie night.  We spent some time cleaning the house earlier and I was so proud to have it complimented for its tidiness.  I believe the phrase used was "OMG, your house is spotless!  I'm really impressed!"  I'm actually still smiling about this because it really means the world to me that people notice how much time and effort goes into keeping a clean home.  As much of a pain it is to do chores, I'm going to try to make sure I keep with it to avoid added stress during these times.  A clean home is a happy home, right?

The main attraction Saturday night was Star Wars IV: A New Hope, since surprisingly the guy had never seen any of the Star Wars movies.  We ordered pizza, had some beers (except me), and had a really great time.  So much so, that I almost forgot to do my injection.  If it wasn't for the girl's phone reminder to take her birth control which actually reminded me about my Lupron, I might have missed it.  Now, I'm taking her example and setting an reminder on my own phone.  Movie night was such a success that we're actually planning to have more until we finish watching all of the Star Wars films.

Apparently movie night turned into movie weekend because the next day my DH and I were being couch potatoes and watched movies all day long.  Sunday, I woke up and began the day with some relaxing yoga before making a pancake breakfast.  See my cute mat on the left, so cheerful in the sun!  Then, we watched the Great Gatsby on HBO which I'd been highly anticipating.  I remember enjoying the book as a kid but not well enough to compare it to the movie.  In general, the movie was great but I expected the music to go with the era it was set in, instead it had one too many Jay Z songs, in my opinion.  Next, we watched A Good Day to Die Hard.  It was actually my second time watching it but honestly, I was so tired the first time that I fell asleep in the theatre.  If you've seen it already, you probably think I'm weird for being able to sleep though all those explosions and gunshots but this is actually very normal for me.  I can sleep though just about ANYTHING.  Now that I've seen it, I'm glad I stayed awake this time.  Last and certainly not least, the movie of the night was the Academy Award winning, 12 Years a Slave.  I'm not going to give away any spoilers but this is an amazing and inspiring film.  If you're anything like me, have some tissues handy too.  I can get so emotional when I watch sad movies but it's hard not to get enthralled in this unbelievable story no matter how tough you are.  Definitely a must see!

Which brings us to today.  What began as a bad day turned out pretty good.  Nothing major so I won't divulge, just little annoyances that I couldn't avoid.  At the end of it all, I came home to a fridge full of groceries, dinner ready to be served (both thanks to my DH), and the added bonus of a day off from work tomorrow.  So as you can see, things in my world are back to normal for the time being.  Let's hope they stay that way!

CD #22 / Lupron

Quick check in, I finally received my box of meds and can begin taking my Lupron injections.  I will be taking 20 units daily in the abdomen for two weeks.  Then, 14 days from today, I will go back to the office for blood work and a sonogram to get further instructions.  I have another post from my IVF cycle with info on the drug if you need it.  I'm really excited that it's here because I'm already a day behind.  Praying for the best!

CD #21

I was supposed to receive my package of meds to get started for this FET cycle about a week ago and here I am on CD #21 empty handed.  This post should be about how it's my first day taking the Lupron injections and my excitement about starting the cycle,  but that will have to wait.  It's very hard not to stress out while my pharmacy takes it's sweet time to send out my meds in a timely manner.  I've been on the phone with them and my doctor's office pretty much everyday trying to sort it all out.  First, they delay submitting the request that my doctor's office faxed over.  Then, they denied my coverage over some minor paperwork error, yet didn't inform either myself or my doctor's office.  I had to call to find out, and when the office sends over an amended form with the correct information, they don't tell us that it had to be sent on a different "appeal" form until I called again to check the status of my order.  Once all that paperwork is sorted out, they send the office a confirmation of approval and the nurse calls to tell me that I should be getting the package today.  Of course when I get home there's no package to speak of and when I call the pharmacy they tell me they'll have to transfer me to someone else to schedule the shipment, meaning if I hadn't called it'd probably never come.  They finally confirm that it will arrive tomorrow and the doctor's office informs me that it is ok to start the injections a day late.  At least the whole cycle isn't ruined but I'm very disappointed with the runaround the pharmacy put me through.  Is it too much to ask that meds be delivered on time?  God forbid I was dying,  I wouldn't be here right now if it was up to them.  Anyway, I'm ranting.  I just wanted to note that my last post will come in handy now as I am in serious need of de-stressing and relaxation.  Off to find my yoga mat.