BFP Chasers...........Feel free to join....

[TTC74]

No kidding Wish! And I got this crazy second line on a first signal but it’s so close to the control, I’m sure it’s an Evap.

 

[terripeachy]

I’m loving all the updates everyone. Congrats Wicky!!
Ask you look amazing. Those stripes really bring out the curves. Hee hee.
Wish-glad you got to spend time with your family.

AFM-my sis and BIL are here and they are taking my two nephews to Ecuador tomorrow morning for the summer. We went out to eat last night and one nephew is excited and the other is super quiet. I think he’s excited on the inside. What an adventure. My sis said they could have Spanish names if they want. Hee hee. We were guessing different names for them.
I’m still working hard and getting many clients. Things are coming around and I’m so thankful. Enjoy the summer ladies!

 

[Wish2BMom]

TERRIIIII!!! AHHH! That's amazing that you're building your BoB!! And I love that your nephews get such an adventure this year - how fun! Spanish names, that adds extra fun!

 

[Spudtastic]

Hi everyone.

How are you? I'm still in England but planning on heading back to New Zealand in Sept/oct via Singapore.

Seren is 2 and a half years. She's doing well. She is a very determined young lady who doesnt want my help to do anything.

Isla is 5.5 and she is loving school.

So DH has been away for 3 months back in NZ. He got back a month ago.
We have been using the pull out method. I think we bd once when i had ewcm. Then a few days ago i had some spotting (just wiping). So yesterday i got a cheap digi and a clearblu digital. The cheap one said pregnant and the clearblue said not pregnant. A cheap midstream said bfn.
I have ordered some frers for today.

So after all the babydancing and years of trying for Seren I may have just got pregnant on a pull out. Hubby is happy and I'm actually really excited though super nervous.
Or the cheapie was a false positive which I'm ok with too.

 

[mikihope]

Ask, your bump looks amazing! I'm happy to hear that all is going so wonderfully.

Wish- How great that your folks got to spend quality time with T and M. Its had when thy have to leave, though. I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying time with your little babies so much. Aren't they so precious and hilatious?

Terri- It's great that your hard work is paying off!

Spud, great to hear from you! And what exciting news...Fx for you!

AFM- What a trip it's been so far! Gummy has been out for many day trips or events that have lasted at least 5 or 6 hours. He either chills out and amuses himself, or he sleeps, or eats. We never noticed before, but DH's house in Mauritius is extremely noisy. It's in a residential area, but next to a church and a hindu temple, and loads of buses pass by. And the vehicles are noisy! It's a constant background noise of a developing country. Gummy has learned to sleep in various situations and places. I can just plonk him on a bed in a bright and noisy place, and he self soothes to sleep.

Yesterday's Indian wedding was sooo loud, and we sat next to the speakers. The chanting went on forever, and gummy was sitting happily in his stroller. Today, we went to a zoo thingy and safari and spent 6 hours there. He was happy too. He loves people and they love him! He was picked up and photographed and fussed over, and he laughed and smiled through it all. But it is tiring for him, poor thing. Tomorrow is a rest day for him.

He's such a good traveler. The time differences haven't fazed him, he adapted almost immediately. He gets goofier by the day and just so happy. But he's starting to be really wriggly and it's now hard to change his diaper. He's now managing to move forward on his belly by plunging face down and inching forward like a worm. I hope he doesn't get to be a handful, my aching back cant take it!

 

[Spudtastic]

Quick update already.... AF just arrived. I do think a CP over a faulty test as i did two of the cheapies at different time with a bfp. I looked up the sensitivity ofthose and they were 20 whereas the others i uses were 50.

 

[Wish2BMom]

hey spud! good to hear from you! i'm sorry about AF showing up - I got really excited there for a sec. Think you'll start to try again now? did you guys want 3 kids? or more? how's England going? i cannot believe Seren is 2.5 now!

miki - sounds like you are having a wonderful trip! Gummy sounds just so stinkin adorable. Our boys are kinda like that too - they, so far, seem VERY easy to take to places as long as we have diapers and a bottle to change into. I brought T with me to a baby shower the other day and he was as good as good can get! Even started to look around and flirty smile with some of the ladies.
how much longer do you have over there? I think you said you left on 6/6 right?

The boys are doing well - they are both teething like crazy so they are drool buckets. M has a cold or respiratory infection or something. He's going to the Dr today b/c he's had a wet cough for over a week now. I'm sure there is nothing they can do about it and we'll have to bring him into a steamy bathroom or something to help get rid of it. But I just want to make sure it's not turning into pneumonia or something. He's still got a smile on his face constantly and wriggles, rolls and kicks up a storm. We put him in the jumparoo and got it to the right height this weekend and he goes NUTS! Like a little Russian dancer! It's hysterical!

 

[Wicky78]

Hi, ladies!

I finally had time to catch up on all the posts since mid-April. It was so fun to read all the updates and watch the progress with everyone. Having a LO myself, it's especially helpful to read about what everyone's babies/toddlers are doing, as I can begin to get an idea of what is in store for me

Thank you all for your sweet wishes for M and me. We have been doing well and she is now 9 weeks old. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone since she came home! We had her 2 month checkup last week and she did well with the shots. DW, though, didn't fare as well and ended up having to leave to throw up She came right back and was fine after that, but I felt so sorry for her. The room was really hot, so I think that had something to do with it, not just the stress of seeing the baby get 3 shots. M still weighs only 6 lbs 10 oz, which is the 3rd percentile for 34 weekers at this age. I guess I got a little peanut!

Wish - to answer your questions, the postpartum depression is much better, but still lingering a bit. If I am (extremely) sleep deprived, the symptoms are much worse, but most of the time, I feel pretty much like myself again. The biggest change came last week when my PCP stopped my BP meds. They had been making my BP too low and sapping my energy. I am still on maternity leave but go back to work 7/6. I'm not looking forward to leaving the baby at home, but I am not dreading work, so I guess it will be okay. I also like that my first day back will be a Friday, so I can ease in. I am breastfeeding, but M doesn't latch well, so we use a nipple shield, supplement with formula, and I pump. It's a lot... she seems to eat forever and then I have to pump. When I was feeling really bad, I think I might have killed my milk supply, but I'm hoping that I can take a nursing/pumping vacation for a day or two next week to try to get it back up again. We go to MD to introduce M to DW's family Wednesday. I'm looking forward to it, but a bit stressed about traveling with a baby for the first time!

Rain - I am so glad to know someone else who had a similar experience with not seeing their babies in the first day or two. It's especially helpful to know that you and your babies are well-bonded, as that was my main concern at the time. I worry less now that M is home with me, though. We have had my step-mother here since April 25, but she goes home tomorrow. She has been super helpful and supportive, so we will be sad to see her go. My dad came to visit in May and is coming again in July. Other than that, our visitors have been minimal. My mom comes over sometimes, but she only stays a short time and is less-than-helpful. She doesn't have a car so she has to rely on the bus, which is a pain for her. She may come more often or stay longer when my step-mother goes home, but we will see. Thankfully, DW has been really great, despite having to work full time. She takes the early AM feedings so I can sleep in a chunk of time. Last night I was ill (accidentally ate something that I was allergic to) and DW took ALL the night feedings and let me sleep in, too!

Miki - I can't even imagine traveling internationally with a baby, but it sounds like you are doing great with gummy! The wedding sounds like it was quite an event, but I'm glad gummy enjoyed all the attention. I hope your trip continues to be enjoyable (and maybe a little relaxing?)!

Ask - you look amazing! Glad to hear you passed your GCT and are ready to begin NSTs. I enjoyed mine, as it gave me 20 minutes or more of hearing M's heartbeat. It was pretty relaxing, and I liked knowing that we were being closely monitored. It's amazing how fast it goes while seeming to crawl at the same time!

Ahhh, M needs to eat, so I have to go. I'll be offline for the next week or so, but will try to get back to more regular visits and posts after that!

 

[Wish2BMom]

so good to hear from you Wicky and i'm thrilled you're doing better! You DO have quite the little peanut! I'm sure she's adorable and I'm quite positive she's bonded very well with you.

DH took the boys to the Dr yesterday for M's respiratory cough and T's diaper rash that won't go away. They were weighed - T is coming in at 16.4lbs and M is 14.1! Closing that gap! (they have been about 2.5lbs difference since month 2 or so)
They just told us that M's cough should clear up in a few weeks and gave us an Rx for T's rash. Glad nothing was too serious! M has been rolling on to his belly so much lately and he sleeps that way now. They both only woke up once last night (thank GOD) - I think the sleep was good for Malcolm.

Other than that - nothing new here! Still trying to get my Arbonne biz off the floor but I think it'll take awhile. I've had some sales and made District Manager qualification in my first month, but it's a little tougher to actually MAKE IT to DM. Fingers crossed I can do this in July! I still want to build my own team of super stars!

 

[TTC74]

Everyone seems to be doing well. Great news! Still BFNs for me. A little ray of light, though. DD came to see me at work today with a little surprise.

 

[Wish2BMom]

a granddaughter?? lovely! congrats, ttc!

 

[Vedika]

I am Vedika from UK. I have been trying to conceive past 2 months now. I seem difficult at times.

 

[terripeachy]

Congrats TTC!!

Wicky-hopefully it'll be a smidge cooler when you get here. The last few days have been almost unbearable. 97 today! Have a great and safe trip.

 

[mikihope]

Spud- I’m sorry AF arrived, I was quite excited for you. I hope that you’re having a wonderful time in England. Seren sounds adorable!

Wish- Your boys sound really wonderful and hilarious! They’re at a really cute age now Gummy also does the flirting thing... a lot! Poor M, I hope his cough clears up soon. What a trooper!

Wicky- Well, my trip was never relaxing as we had to spend loads of time with relatives in both countries. But it was great fun! Aw... M is a little peanut! I’m relieved to hear that you’re starting to feel like yourself again, and that your PPD is getting better. Glad to hear that DW is being so great, and I hope that her support helps you get over the bf challenges you’re facing. How was your first day back at work?

We got back 3 days ago from our monster month-long trip to our home countries, and gummy has been kind of fussy. I can’t tell if it’s jet lag or teething. He’s now extremely wriggly and distracted when feeding, and he’s trying hard to crawl. He pops up on all fours and rocks back and forth, then tries to launch himself forward. It doesn’t quite work. Right now, he can only worm forward by smashing his head on the floor, butt in air. He’s a raspberry-blowing champ now, and more vocal than ever. I can’t help but feel a bit sad that he’s growing up so fast.

Gummy had to adapt to a lot things on this trip. He had to drink different formula in both countries. I hated the Singapore (tropical) version of Enfamil, it was so ridiculously hard to dissolve. He had to sleep in different cribs and all sorts of different situations. He had to go to many gatherings and was constantly passed around from relative to relative. Everyone said that he was a very happy and mellow baby. He was really well-behaved in general, but he did get super fussy at the 2nd wedding ceremony (a beautiful one at the beach). He’d only 1 hour of sleep all day. The wedding started at 4pm, and gummy was doing well until it was around 9pm, when he started making a big fuss during dinner. He was a well-behaved baby the rest of the time, so we went out with him a ton during our trip and didn’t have to change any plans. The flight back home was hard on me as I basically had him on my lap for the entire 16 hours. He’s become so wriggly of late, it wasn’t easy keeping him there.

Gummy had his toes dipped in the ocean in Mauritius, and he was immersed up to his neck in my folk’s pool in Singapore. He was happily kicking the water. It was sad leaving our home countries, and leaving his grandparents behind. We live so far away from them, it will be ages before they see him again.

One thing that struck me while I was on this trip was that my side of the family was not genetically related to gummy. Nobody knows he was conceived by donor egg except our parents and my sister. I felt like I was a fraud and I was letting them down. Also, I felt awkward when people kept saying that he is the perfect mix of DH and I. We hear this a lot, actually. I think it looks that way because we are of different ethnicities, and gummy looks like a mix of those two. Many people congratulated us on how cute/handsome he is, and I did feel a twinge and thought, "That’s not from my genes"€. I never think of these things unless people bring it up, but I guess I need to get used to hearing these things. Gummy is the light of my life, and it saddens me that I feel so awkward at these well-meaning comments.

 

[TTC74]

Miki - have you considered getting some counseling to deal with all these feelings you have? I know that you love gummy to pieces but you shouldn’t have to deal with the challenges of these feelings that you’re being deceptive. Not revealing private health information is not deceptive! It’s perfectly ordinary.

AFM - pos OPK today. Thank heavens! The stress pushed my O back pretty late last month. I thought my body was going nuts!

 

[Wish2BMom]

miki - I can relate SO MUCH to what you're saying and feeling. I feel fraudulent too and I hate it. I just want to shout it as a confession sometimes. Especially when people are looking at the boys and going 'what do they have of yours? I see DH but...'. Like they're on to me or something! Or even when they say something like 'Malcolm is spitting image of you' - no, he's not. But thank you.
However, I have allowed myself to sometimes say stuff about characteristics they might have of mine - M likes to sleep on his side, T is very social and both have 'crazy pants' like Mama. Things that wouldn't be genetic, per se, but they'd pick up from me and my character. And then I'll say stuff like 'Mama had chubby cheeks as a baby too!' which isn't a lie - I did. He just didn't get them from me. It makes me so sad and I don't think I'll ever get completely over it but I have them in my life b/c of this glorious, generous person that one day decided to do some stranger a solid.
I don't know if this helps or more points out that I might need to talk to someone too!

Go TTC! You're so tenacious in your baby-making!

 

[TTC74]

Forget what I said. I like Wish’s answer better!

Bonus! She actually has experience with this!

 

[Wish2BMom]

I liked your answer too, TTC! We shouldn't feel that we have to disclose any medical history to anyone unless necessary. It's just not a typical 'old fashioned' way of making a baby. Not even more common 'new' fashion of JUST ivf! We're in a whole new realm to most of society!

 

[mikihope]

TTC- I liked your answer too! I should remind myself that it’s not deceptive to withhold private health information! Thanks for your concern, I think I’ll talk to someone if it continues or becomes worse. I don’t feel bad when those things happen, just awkward, like I can’t thank them because it’s not true. So many people have told us in a heartfelt manner, “He’s such a perfect mix of the two of you.” I'm very honest, so I can't even bring myself to thank them, but instead I just smile and say nothing. I feel like I’m letting them down, and hiding something! DH and I decided early on that we would let people know if they asked, or if it came up, so maybe it will be easier as time goes on.

Wish- I’m sorry you have all those feelings too. I do feel weird when people make comments about who he looks like. Strangely, people keep seeing my features in gummy. The only person who keeps saying loudly that he looks exactly like DH is my mom I like how you’re talking about M and T's characteristics which they could have picked up from you. That’s a great idea, I should do that!

I think that going back to both home countries was a big exercise in dealing with these things, as hordes of relatives were meeting gummy for the first time. Maybe things will be easier from now on. I forgot, I did tell my cousin and her mom as they mentioned my (advanced) age. And I told the daycare lady early on. They all reacted very well, and I was glad I told them.

We're all slowly getting over fatigue from the trip and massive jet lag, and things are starting to return to normal. I hope everyone is doing well!

 

[Wish2BMom]

oh man, I get jetlag just going to Vegas! I can't imagine being halfway around the world!!