IVF calendar!

So I use the term calendar loosely, but it's all I've got for now.

I just got a voice-mail that my clinic left this afternoon, that assuming everything looks good at my 3D u/s on Thursday (CD7) that I should start my OPK next week. I should O around 9/12 and then start Lupron later that week (~our 4th wedding anni). Then AF is due again on my 34th b-day (:\), so then I'll start stims with a tentative ER/5dET the week of 10/3. Beta in the week of 10/17 (almost exactly two years to the day that we started TTC). I hope these are all good omens. I.am.so.excited!!!!

Marriage

The 'rents as newlyweds in June of 1969.

Dealing with infertility makes you think a lot about marriage. Why we get married, how we stay married, roles in a marriage, what makes a marriage work, or not, etc.

Mr. Happy and I are getting ready to celebrate four years of marriage in a few weeks. Two of my sisters were married and divorced by 25, "starter marriages", if you will. The one that is on her second, is going on 13 years. Over the last few months, both of my parents have celebrated their silver wedding anniversaries (25 years). Now that may seem odd, since I'm pushing 34 and have two older sisters, but they are, of course, on their second marriages.

My parents were high school sweethearts and married on my dad's 20th birthday, in May of 1968. My mom turned 20 two weeks later. Since my parents foolishly left college in the middle of a war, my eldest sister was born when my dad was serving in Vietnam in 1970, and the rest of us followed in orderly succession in '73, '76, and '79. Four girls. Then they divorced in 1982. They were both remarried by the end of 1985.

Unfortunately for me, their marriage doesn't teach me much about how to be good at marriage. I have tried to learn this from others, and gone out of my way not to repeat their obvious mistakes. But you know, it's really hard when you have a shitty example to learn from. But their second marriages are so different.

My father married an heiress (her family owns and runs Presto) who had been a friend of my parents when they moved to WI just before I was born, and apparently she shared his desire to live off the land, in the country, off a trust fund. Too bad for me, they have an ironclad pre-nup. Oh well.

They have an odd relationship, that apparently works for both of them. Except for that short stretch in 2002, when I had moved back to Boston, when he left her and got his own apartment wanting to escape the confines of the life they had created, or whatever. I must tell you, there is nothing more bizarre than counseling one's own parent, by phone, on how to secure an apartment, and then later how to get out of one's lease when said parent decides to go back home.

My mother met my step-father in nursing school, where she went after my father left. He had never been married and didn't have any children and was probably certifiable to marry my mother with four daughters under 16. When they weren't quite ready to commit when they graduated in 1984, we returned to OH where my parents were from, and my mother worked, my grandmother watched us after school, and he, apparently, pined for her.

So the next year, we all moved back to WI and they got married. He is the perfect step-dad, if such a thing exists. Understanding that we already have a father and that his primary role is as my mother's husband and looking out for us silently behind the scenes.

Marriage/life lessons learned:
Don't date seriously in high school (check).
Don't leave school for any guy, or any other reason (check).
Be able to take care of yourself before (and after) you get married (check).
Don't have fanciful notions of what marriage will be like (check).
Marriage is hard work (check).
Don't have more children than you can take care of, or than you agree to have (check).
Don't marry someone who is immature (check).
At the end of the day, the best you can do for your kids is love each other (check).
You have to have your own identity outside of being a spouse and parent (check).
Marry someone who knows what a good marriage looks like, because their parents have one (check).

I could go on...

I'm curious what you learned from your parents (or others) about marriage? Do share.

"The stash"

What happens when two, or three, or four years go by and your plans (seeded much much earlier) don't go anything like you planned? And you're a planner? And a shopper?

You end up with what I affectionately refer to as "the stash". Our yet to be conceived children and my sister's real ones are very well accessorized. A quick run-down...

*A top-rated Maclaren jogging stroller that was a killer deal at Costco.com. This is a seriously amazing ATV stroller (and the only model not part of their recall), though they stopped making them when they came out with the Grand Tour. I bought this under the guise of having my sister use it when she visits, which she does, and us using it with our kids. Though if I had known she'd have her kids so close together and we'd end up doing IVF, I would have bought the one for twins ;) I've also had my eyes on the Uppa Baby Vista since way before they were popular (yay for an upstart Boston co.), and the Maclaren umbrellas since forever.




*A gender neutral Pack and Play, plus an extra fuzzy sheet for use as a bassinet. My sister has gotten a lot of use out of this on her visits with the three kids she's had since I bought it.


Though again, I may end up needing one that looks something like this...


*A top of the line breast pump. This I bought at a charity auction (it was a new donation from local co. Medela) for less than retail and the proceeds went to help fund music education for kids. Win, win, right?
This thankfully already comes with as many pumps as I have twins... ;)

*Enough gender neutral layette clothes for a newborn (0-3 mos.), 3-6 mos., and maybe even 6-9 mos., bought on sale over several seasons at Janie & Jack.

Mine are much cuter, but they are something like these. Their classic layette collection varies only slightly from season to season.






I used to work down the street from the world's only Land of Nod outlet (which has since moved to Naperville). Danger ahead! I actually managed to keep my buying for myself to a minimum, mostly just stuff for the niece and nephews and friends' kids.

*But I did find a great deal on a changing topper like this...


To attach to the top of this, which we also bought on sale for our future nursery...

I'm already scoping out cute knobs that I think this will need.  Anthro anyone?

*And a cute alphabet wall art canvas, like this for ~80% off retail...


*And last but not least, the Vera Bradley baby bag (from the infamous Fort Wayne annual sale) in my forever favorite pattern 'Seaport Navy' that I bought before I even met Mr. Happy.


I haven't bought anything for a looong time, but here I am the eternal optimist, who ends up feeling like a very well prepared, and well accessorized, infertile loser... Someday, hopefully soon.

DIY: paper covered cork boards

This project is about as easy as DIY can be, but it's about as DIY as this busy girl gets... ;)

Supplies:
Pretty papers (all by Rossi Italy from Parchment in Nantucket) - $10 for all three (with tons left over)
Cork tiles (Wal-mart) - $6 for pkg. of four
Cute flat tacks (Wal-mart) - $3
Misc.: Scissors, adhesive (double sided tape, rubber cement, etc.)

Instructions:
-Cut paper to size
-Attach paper to cork with rubber cement(another adhesive might work better)
-Attach to wall with adhesive included with wall tiles
-Put tacks at corners to help adhere
-TBD: tack fun stuff to tiles :)

It's official

I'm a (community) college co-ed! :) Thankfully, I'm not the oldest person in my class, there are a few other women about my age looking to change careers/start firms of their own. The class looks like it'll be fun. The first objective on the syllabus is to gain an understanding of design resources, like design periodicals. Yeah, I think I'm totally getting an A in this class. ;) I'm also looking to milk my student ID for all the discounts I can get. I'll easily make my money back... ;)

Last day of meds (for now), first day of class

Tonight I take the last of my Premarin (E2), Provera (P4) and my "Cape meds" (as I'm calling them) and then can start back on my regular vitamins tomorrow. After the stomach episodes I've had, I stop all other "non-essentials" while on my post-surgery meds. I can't believe it's been three weeks since the surgery. Hopefully AF will come soon, though I'm expecting it to be pretty terrible, for myriad reasons. When AF is over, I'll go back to the RE to get another 3-D u/s of my new and improved ute and if all is well (please God), we'll chart out a plan for IVF (w/long Lupron).

I also have my very first design class tonight. I swung by the college last night before my business dinner to pick up the last of my textbooks and it was a circus. I'm preparing myself to be the old fogey in the class. I'm hoping the professor is good. :)

Good stuff

We stopped in Boston on the way to the Cape (in a successful attempt to time the weekend traffic). And since it was a sales tax holiday weekend, we went to Newbury Street. Who am I kidding? We probably would have gone there regardless, since it was too nice out to go to the ICA. I heart Massachusetts for not having sales tax on clothes. ;)

So I finally got to go to Sweet for a (mini) carrot cake cupcake (my fav). Heaven.


In Chatham, there's a seasonal shop called Shelter Island Home, which is ALL John Robshaw. OMG, love.

He's the new hot guy, I saw his textiles all over the Cape and Islands' cutest shops.

In another adorable little design shop in Chatham, I found this Dash & Albert tile rug and just had to have it for my bedside.

I have the unique (or maybe not so unique) ability to walk into any store and fall in love with the most expensive thing, without even trying, of course. I don't usually shop at the Gap, they lost me as a regular long ago. But S wanted to stop in, and of course I had to have this Band blazer. To me, it yells "back to school", which I am on Wednesday...


On the stroll back from lunch at Sayles Seafood between the Great Harbor and Nantucket Yacht Clubs, we happened upon Parchment.


Parchment profile on Wooster & Prince

I just had to have all of these...


The three papers are by Rossi Italian paper, and I'm planning on covering a large cork board with them to fill with inspiration pictures.

As for the rest...


French labels/stickers from Chronicle Books
Wooster & Prince Hither Creek trio list pad.