Giant ta-tas

I am halfway through the wait and I thought I would let you all know that I have the biggest, heaviest, most uncomfortable tits off all time. Now, don't get excited. Prometr*um does this to me every time - this is not - NOT, I say - a pregnancy symptom. Those little yellow bullets bring on lots of pregnancy-like symptoms, but this one is killing me.

Those of you with C+ cups now have all my sympathy in the world. Where do you put these things when you sleep? And how can I get them to stop sweating in this humidity?

Didn't I Just Write This Post?

I feel like I just wrote this exact same post, but here I am, a month later, happy to report that we have successfully (in a matter of speaking) executed our 13th insemination. It was pain-free, I am happy to report, with a super-awesome-wonderful nurse who, if we proceed on to IVF, we will be working with closely.

And on the IVF topic...we went to the two-hour overview our hospital requires us to go to in order to even begin considering IVF. Let's just say that it wasn't a complete waste of time, but there wasn't anything they told us that a.) we didn't already know or b.) we could have learned through looking through the IVF information binder. I don't mean to be cocky, but we've been ttcing for a year and a half--we know what happens in the body when it gets ready to ovulate, we know what a basal body temp is, we know what trigger shots and FSH do...but! Oh, a big but...there were 15 couples in this room (we the only homo couple), and only 3 of them, including us, had ever even done a basal body temperature reading. Also, only 3 of us have ever done an OPK. Ummmm..hello people..and you're already jumping to IVF??? I've said it before and I will say it again..sometimes, straight women just astound me with their stupidity about their bodies. UGH!!

(Sorry, straight women readers of this blog, but COME ON!!!! If you have infertility issues, how could you have never done any of these things before assuming you need IVF to get pregnant?? It just seems careless to me.)

Okay, that rant is over. SO! Here we are in our 13th tww. We have very good feelings about this, since we know for sure S. had at least 2 good sized follies, possibly even 3. We hope this is it because next stop on the ttc train is IVF-ville.

S.'s follies (not Seward's)

Our expensive injectible meds have proved useful at long last--S.'s follicles responded very positively this month to the higher dosage we've been taking. She had 4 at the first ultrasound on Sunday, of very decent size, and then two large ones today. The on-call doc wanted us to just take the trigger shot without coming in today, without knowing what size the follicles were or how many were there. We did not like not knowing at all--and not because we didn't trust this doc, but because we don't trust S.'s follicles! They took soooo long to mature last month, and even on the higher dosage of meds, how are we supposed to really know how the follies would respond?? So we insisted on another ultrasound. Looks like we didn't have anything to worry about in the first place, but we feel much better knowing what we're working with. Trigger tonight, insem. Thursday. We're almost looking forward to it!

Next steps & staying good-bye

I had to go home to attend a funeral of a great aunt today. It was appropriately sad--I definitely lost it standing next to my grandmother as Aunt Helen's casket rolled down the aisle at church--but I have such fond memories of her, and it was wonderful to see family I usually only see at such unfortunate gatherings. We all sort of joked and called it the funeral/family reunion. Not funny, but I know my aunt would love that we were all gathered together to laugh and share stories and pictures, and just be with each other. My mom made two of Aunt Helen's famous dessert cookies to a tee--even Helen's own daughter said they tasted identical. It was--nice. I "inherited" (more like took) some old-fashioned mixing bowls once Helen had to move out of her home and in with her daughter down in Maryland, and I think of her every time I use them (which is a lot). Thanks, Aunt Helen. I hope one day my cookies can live up to the reputation of yours!

S. had to have a sono HSG today in ensure continuing insurance coverage for our babymaking endeavors. It was not pleasant--crampy, icky, uncomfortable, from the sounds of it--but if possible, it sounded slightly more pleasant than the full-on HSG with the dye and everything. No dye used here. I unfortunately could not be with S. to hold her hand today, due to the funeral. And I didn't like not having S. with me. Many family members asked about her, which made me feel good, and I did explain to many of my second and third cousins about my "partner" and how we moved and live in a house in MA now, blah blah blah...they're younger, you know, so I think they get it. Who knows--maybe the rumor there's a queer in the family has trickled down that far, but today, no one really batted an eyelash.

A Beautiful Thing

Something amazing happened to us today. We got our meds in the mail. This should be rather normal for us. But today, it was special. Our drugs had been costing $600 a month (this is for the injectable stuff, of course). Guess how much they cost us this month? $25.00!!! Insurance is a beauuuuutiful thing! Thanks, HMO! For once I don't feel suckered and upset at my insurance plan.

MEME!! At long last..not like you've been waiting...

Time to buckle down and do my me-me, I suppose. So, here it goes!

1. I grew up without cable television and video games (my dad swore up and down they would wreck the television set). And, though my parents have a 50" flatscreen HD TV, they still do not have cable!

2. I have curly hair that I am quite vain about. It looks like crap most of the summer, but I love it anyway. It's about the only physical feature of mine that I really like.

3. I am the oldest child. I have one younger sister who is significantly younger than I am--she's 21 and I'm (almost) 28.

4. I was born on Labor Day. Get it--my mom was in labor on Labor Day? I always found that amusing. And, on those years where my birthday actually falls on Labor Day, like it does this year, I make the joke repeatedly.

5. I spent one glorious year living in London in college. I attended University with other British 3rd years who usually didn't want to talk to me. Consequently, most of the friends I made there were either American or from some other European country. I still love the Brits, though, and long to go back for a visit.

6. I went to Catholic high school. Plaid uniform, religion classes, the whole thing. I am no longer a practitioner of any organized religion, though I do not begrudge those who are unless they are clearly bigoted, foul, and hateful.

7. S. was the first woman I ever dated or kissed or..anything, even though I attended an all women's college. Guess she always will be!

8. I've visited both non-contiguous U.S. states on vacation, and driven through every single state on the Eastern seaboard at least three times, since my dad doesn't like flying. (My first time on an airplane was when I was 16)

Okay, I think I've done my duty now. If you want to play along, go to it, but I think there are precious few who haven't been tagged these days!

Just Beyond the Horizon...

We just got home from our 2nd mini-vacation in a week. Last week it was my family up north--this week, S.'s family down south. Okay, not really "south," per se, but south from here. We went down to Rhode Island, where S.'s aunt and grandmother rent a house for two weeks on the beach. We only got two beach days out of it, but that was enough to get a sunburn. Ouch! I was so careless with my sunblock application yesterday that I completely forgot my back, a little spot near my armpit, and the back of my thighs. It hurts to sit. Owww! S. also burned one of her knees...

And we are not having a baby this month, either. We tested Thursday to a bfn. We'll do it again tomorrow, juuuuust in case...but yeah. So looks like we're on to cycle #13. But, now covered with insurance, which is good, since our doctor decided to up the G*nal F injections this time around. Hopefully this will be good. And hopefully we won't go past this, for past this next cycle is the mysterious place where IVF may be lurking ahead for us. I'm disappointed in not being pregnant this month. But---like last cycle, feel that there is at least some sort of possibility ahead to look forward to, even if it seems strange and a bit scary.

Meme Delinquent

We've been in Maine/New Hampshire/North Shore MA for the past few days, so apologies for lack of updates. We're now 1 week and 3 days past insem. S.'s boobs have been killing her, and she swears they're so big that she's in pain carrying them around, but that's just the progesterone talking (we know that now). Trying to think positive thoughts and hope that a little babe is burrowing in for the long-haul.

Here's a recap of our trip Northwards this year:

--Portland, ME is a really cool city. We were treated to a spontaneous dance recital/fashion show outside the restaurant we ate dinner at. Very random. We then watched a woman who had flames coming off her hula-hoop do some fun stuff. We now believe Portland is truly the sister city of Portland, OR.

--Being with family can be exhausting but satisfying. We saw a lot of them.

--Laying by the pool when it's ridiculously hot and humid is good. Laying in the pool is even better.

--Fried dough, though it makes us sick at the end of the evening, is soooo very tasty.