Pre-Pregnancy Musings...

I know that I sound silly repeating myself over and over again, but seriously, WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE? I almost have a one-year-old! And while I won't lie and say that it's been the easiest year of my life, I will say that it's been one that I've been very blessed! I know that I've mentioned that it was difficult getting Bubha here during my pregnancy, but it also took us about 17 months to get pregnant. I look at my little guy, and I truly consider him an answer to prayers, and I think that I had to endure the struggles to get pregnant, and then to stay pregnant, so that I would have a FULL appreciation for this special little spirit that has blessed our home. 

I just wanted to post about some of my frustrations with getting pregnant, mostly because while I fortunately didn't have to get to drastic in our measures, I have had quite a few people ask me how I finally got pregnant after well over a year of trying. In January of 2007, I took my last birth control pill, and decided that I would get an IUD. I knew that this was not something that doctors usually gave women who had never had kids, but I had a few friends that got them anyway, and swore by them. So, I went to the doctor to ask for it, and scheduled an appointment, but I never felt good about it. To make a long story short(er), my husband and I decided that we would end birth control, and just put it all in the Lord's hands. 

I was totally naive to the fact that it could take several months to get prego. I just thought that I'd go off the pill and by the next month I'd be prego! :) By April, I was getting antsy, and so I went to the doctor to see what she could do to increase my chances. She put me on Metformin, which is a pill for diabetics, but has a side-effect of increased ovulation. I tried that for a few months, but nothing happened. 

My husband will confirm that my antsy-ness with conceiving kicked into HIGH gear at that point. I was constantly "google-ing" tips on how to conceive, and by the end of June, it was starting to consume me. In July, I got a call from my mom, who informed me that my family just found out that several members had a genetic disorder called, Fragile X Syndrome. http://www.fragilex.org/html/home.shtml (Go to this link to learn more). The short version is that my sister has the "full mutation" of this disorder, and it has caused developmental delays for her, almost considered autistic. We also found out that my mom, my cousin, and my uncle were all confirmed carriers of this. If you are a carrier, there is a possibility of infertility. When my mom called me I thought for sure that this is why I couldn't get pregnant. (I also had several of the other symptoms of a carrier, such as fibromyalgia.) I cried and mourned for days. I didn't know what I'd do if I couldn't get pregnant. I went and got tested and after a month found out that I was NOT a carrier. I was glad to rule this out. (I'll write more later on FXS.)

For the next several months, I had regular blood tests to test my hormone levels and everything else under the sun. I even had an ultra sound to make sure that I didn't have any cysts or anything that would cause problems. In September, I asked the doctor what the next step was, and she prescribed me Clomid. I had mixed feelings about it because I had heard negative things about it. But, I was getting so consumed by trying to get pregnant, that I started taking it. (Let me just say here that while this works for some people, it didn't help me get pregnant, or help my husband want to make a baby with me. In fact, when your husband sleeps on the couch each night because his wife had turned into a crazy, constantly crying, lunatic, it actually makes it harder to conceive - when you're not in the same room. :) 

But, to my husband's horror, I stuck out the Clomid for several more months. By the year mark since we had started trying, I was going crazy. I had so many emotional break downs. The smallest things would set me off. (And can I also just say: People, don't go around asking child-less couples if they don't have kids because they just don't like them...SERIOuSLY!) 

Every month I think that I bought enough tests to keep the pregnancy test companies a float all on my own! I would take several tests, and close my eyes, almost like that would make an extra line appear, because I wanted it so badly.  I would also like to add here that the process of making a baby was becoming more like a chore. And while I know that my husband and I have a very good relationship, between the Clomid craziness, and instructing him on when we would be trying, we started to struggle a little. 

In February, I had the dye test procedure done, and my tubes were just fine. I was almost hoping for a reason, but was glad that nothing major was wrong. I went for a second opinion and that doctor said that I was doing everything possible right now. (Again, I wanted to hear something else.)

We live in a small town, and to take the next steps of insemination, or IVF, would take a commitment of driving 1 to 2 hours each way for appointments, not to mention the costs involved. I begged my husband for us to go to specialists, but he talked me into waiting, mostly because of money. Wanting a baby so badly, I pitch the idea of adoption to him, but he said we should hold off a little longer.

My main job is for a school district, so I have summers off. To appease my husband, and to give myself a time frame, we made a deal that I wouldn't be so consumed with trying. That I'd get off the Clomid, that I wouldn't "schedule" times to try anymore, that I'd throw all of my conceiving tips out, that I'd get rid of my ovulation calendar, and that we'd just have a normal relationship, and see how things went. If by the summer when school was out, I wasn't pregnant, then we could look into going up North to a specialist (when I'd have more time). While this was VERY difficult for me, I up held my end of the bargain.  So, at the end of February, I took myself off of the Clomid. I stopped worrying about when we tried, and just worked on having a healthy marriage with my husband. 

I did need something new to fill my once-baby-obsessed mind though, so I decided to start training for a triathlon. While I was training, I re-injured my hip that I had hurt in high school track, so I decided to go to the chiropractor. I told him that I was training for the tri, and he asked if I had kids. I told him no, but I would like to. He told me about a women that came in because she couldn't get pregnant, and after a few treatments, she was pregnant. I tried not to get my hopes up, but kept this in the back of my mind as I went to three more sessions with him. 

School was getting out, and for Memorial Day we went to visit my parents. During that time, the emotions of wanting to get pregnant took over, and it's all I could think about. I was so emotional, tired, and I felt my fibro myalgia starting to kick in while we were visiting my parents. They live in the South, and the humidity was horrible! My fingers, toes, and boobs swelled up, but I just blamed it on the humidity! :) Finally, the morning after we got home, I woke up a little nauseated, so broke my promise, and used the last pregnancy test that I had. I figured I may as well use them up, and just throw the box away. All of a sudden, I noticed that there were two lines... and to make an already very long story short, I was indeed prego!!! 

I don't know what factor finally helped us to conceive. But, I think that the biggest part was that I stopped stressing about it, and just let it happen. I had thought that I knew exactly when I was ovulating, but since high school, my cycle has always been off, so maybe we were completely missing our fertility window. Maybe the chiropractor helped too. Or maybe Heavenly Father just had a plan of his own. Anyway, that's my pre-pregnancy story - complete with a happy ending! :)

You Know You're a Mommy When...

You know you're a mommy when people ask you what kind of candle you have burning in your house, and you tell them that it's the new scent, "Puking Kid".  (This scent also comes in perfume, so that you're body and clothing can match your house.) 

You also know you're a mommy when the term "all night-er" no longer refers to fun, crazy, all-night escapades with your friends, but is now used to describe a night filled with scrubbing carpet, stripping bedding, doing laundry, and attempting to rock a sick baby back to sleep. (Can you tell that it's been a long, flu-filled week at our house?) 

Musings of a CHEAP Mommy!

Lately, I've been really trying to get creative on saving my pennies (who isn't, right?), because I'm learning that these little blessings called kids cost some money! I decided that I would list a few of my new-found "mommy money-saving tips". I have to add that if you're new to my blog, or don't know me personally, I am NOT the domestic, homemade mommy type! I HATE, HATE, HATE cooking, and I'm not crafty by nature, so for me to do these things says that I'm really making an effort, and if I can do them, ANYONE can! :) My new motto is: one person's cheap is another's "creativity!" (Disclaimer: Suze Orman, I am NOT! These may not be for everyone, but they sure helped me.)

#1- Homemade Baby Food!

I've mentioned this before in my blogs, but I can't say it enough - this saved me quite a bit of money. I recommend buying some store-bought baby food for trips, and to test out which flavors your baby likes before you load your fridge and freezer with it - but otherwise, I'm a HUGE homemade advocate. My Buhba really enjoyed sweet potatoes. So, I bought several large ones, and cooked them in the oven. Then peeled them and pureed them with "mommy milk" and/or water. (Buhba liked the milk ones better...) I then poured them into ice cube trays and froze them. At dinner time, I would pull out a few cubes and defrost them (not cook them) in the microwave. I did this with MANY different types of fruits and veggies. You can modify the thickness for your baby's age. This worked great as Bubha started getting older, and bored with runny purees.

#2 - Homemade Diaper Wipes

Before you roll your eyes and think that I've gone totally crazy, let me tell you, these work GREAT for babies up to about 6-7 months. I got this recipe from one of my friends, and it worked really well. Get a good brand of paper towel (don't scrimp on this!). Cut the roll in half, leaving in the cardboard center. Put the half in a tuperware container. Then mix a solution of 1 cup hot water, 1 TBSP baby oil, and 1 TBSP baby soap. Mix it together, then pour over the paper towels in the container. Let sit for 10 minutes. Then pull the cardboard center out, and pull the wipes out from the center. Cover when not using. I loved the smell of these (before use of course), and loved how long they lasted!

#3- Return, Return, Return

I'll admit it: I don't get attached to items very easily at all. I hate keeping things things that I don't use, and I'm not a person who will hold on to something "just in case I need it with baby #2" several years down the line. Bubha got soooo many cute things from people, but he just grew too quickly to use them all, so I'm not ashamed to say that I did return some of the items we got that I didn't use, or had too many of.  Some places require receipts (which some givers include), but places like Wal Mart allow you to return items (from their stores of course) without a receipt. (There are limits to the amounts you can get back, and the amount of times that you can return so, ask your local WM before returning.) Anyway, it's not that I didn't appreciate all of the things we got, but you can ALWAYS use cash... 

#4 - Sell What you Don't Need

Some of the items that we used, but grew out of, I have taken to sell back to stores that buy gently used kids clothes. I liked Kid-to-Kid. Understand that by NO MEANS will you get rich off of this, but it will put some extra cash in your pocket, and give you some extra room in your kids' closet! (Before everyone thinks that I'm a heart-less mom that has no sensitivity, I did keep a bunch of outfits that had sentimental value to me!) :)

#5- Buy Kid's Clothes Post-Season

I am sooo turning into one of those good bargain-shopping mommies who have to brag about their great bargain! I've learned that there are AMAZING sales on clothes for kids at the end of the season (yeah, I'm a late bloomer). Last month, I went to the Children's Place online, and found great deals on clothes for Buhba for next spring and summer. For the same shorts that I paid $10 for last summer, I got two pair online for 99 cents each! SERIOUSLY! I got 11 items for less than $40 (with tax and shipping and handling). I also got the clothes part of his Christmas all done! It can be difficult to guess his future size, but I can't feel that bad if something that I paid 99 cents for ends up not fitting. (I'll just revert back to tip # 3 or #4 at that point! LOL!)

Happy Savings! 

The MAGIC Book!

I have found it! More valuable than gold: my baby's book has real, honest-to-goodness magical powers! :) Well, okay, that may be a stretch, but for the time that this book keeps my Buhba busy, you would think that it really did have magical powers. Seriously, how many toys (or books, none-the-less) can you say will keep a (hauling aka) quick-crawling, nine-month-old still for 5-10 minute increments??!??!?! This cute little Sesame Street Halloween book (with flaps) was given to us by my mom on our last trip to visit her in September, and since then, we've read it several times a day! Buhba loves it so much that he will seek it out when he's playing on his own, and sit and turn the pages and flaps by himself - seriously for up to 5-10 minutes! (It's amazing how much you can get done in that time when you're not constantly saying, "NO! Don't touch that!" or "No, don't eat the dog food!") Not to mention the fact that it has survived so much "love" from a nine-month-old - MAGIC, I'm telling you! :)  

You know You're a Mommy When...

You know you're a mommy when you look in the mirror and realize that birds aren't the only things going south for the winter, but some "key" parts of your body are also following the migration patterns...if only it was just for the winter, and things would perk up in the spring!!! :)

That Bites! LITERALLY!

I have been MIA for a while, but with good reason: I now have a baby who All OVER THE PLACE! :) In August, Buhba started the "roll-where-you-want-to-go" stage, test-driving crawling occasionally; and at the beginning of September, he just started doing it; currently, he's no longer crawling, but hauling (which is my new term for very speedy crawling!) and now there's NO stopping him! I love watching him explore his environment, but of course, NOTHING is safe now. Our poor dog is having anxiety because Buhba always seems to get to the dog's dish and mix the food with the water. We may have a chef in the future! :) Anyway, as all of you veterans know, chasing a mobile baby is a full-time job in itself, so please excuse my lack of blogging!

Along with the new mode of transportation, Buhba also got two, new shiny teeth at the end of September. And boy, I've had a few incidents where I have been VERY, and I mean VERY aware of his new pearly whites! On one occasion he was irritated when I was nursing him, so he bit down...HARD! EWWW! My first instinct was to flick him, which I did, and later felt bad about (don't call the authorities, I don't abuse my child!!!). This didn't help anyway, but only made a game of it, because then he looked at me, laughed, and did it again! I pulled him off and after a few minutes latched him back on. Big Mistake! At my poor nipple's expense, he continued this bitting and laughing game, so we were DONE for the afternoon! For some reason, it hasn't happened since (knock on wood!), but we'll see how it goes from here on out. My goal is to make it to his birthday (just his first birthday, none after that!), but if he keeps taking chunks off my feeders, there may not be anything left to feed him with! :)

Ode to "Third-Day Hair"

Oh Third-Day Hair...how I appreciate you. While some may turn up their noses at you, and think that you carry the stigma of laziness and uncleanliness, I however, realize that you are the official hairdo of busy, hard-working mommies.  I turn to you when time does not permit me to wash my hair, blow dry my hair, and style my hair (after three days), because I'm late for a meeting, trying to rush out the door, and it's more important that my little boy looks cute. You may be third string on the hair line up, Third-Day Hair, but teamed up with baby powder to make my look less oily, it is you that I count on to pull my "I'm a mom, so I don't have the time to do my hair" look together. While we met for a period of time back in my college days, it has been in the last eight months that I have really come to know your qualities, and how you help to make my life as a mommy just a little easier. (Please tell your kin, "fourth-day hair" and "fifth-day hair," and even "sixth day hair," that it's not that I don't appreciate them, because I do, but it's just not as socially acceptable, and while I won't say that I haven't met them, I try to draw the line (even if it means going to bed at 2am) so that I can avoid them.) And that's why I appreciate Third-Day Hair...