First time IVF - Started Lupron last Thurs - Would Love some Buddies

[LadySosa]

Hi Sars - good to hear from you! Congrats on graduating to your OB! But sorry that you are dealing with the frustration with the labs/ insurance. That is annoying! And I LOVE your idea for a Facebook announcement. Those are the best - when they are unique to you and your DH and not a generic announcement. I'm going to have a hard time thinking of one that's unique to us since we aren't too into anything....maybe we'll have to get a baby Rams or baby Seahawks jersey. I am so, so jealous of your trip to Tuscany. That sounds like a blast to go with the entire fam! What great memories to have. And a villa?! So cool!!

I am still bleeding, not that lightly. Argh. The BFN on the HPT wasn't enough to make me doubt a pregnancy, but the bleeding is. I hope it's not bad to use a tampon - I ran out of pads at work and I got desperate!

 

[Babywhisperer]

Happy Friday ladies. I've had a few busy days at work and haven't been able to write. Although, I've been following along.

LadySosa: I'm so, so, so hoping you have a big surprise tomorrow!! I think you've got a great attitude about it. I will say having the frosties helped and I tried to focus on the fun things that I could do if things didn't work out this round. Hope you survived the meeting with your general counsel.

KFS: I'm so sorry you had to deal with a bird too! For those that asked, I still have no idea how it got in the house. We do have a chimney for venting our furnace but no fireplace. I have no idea where the chimney enters our house even. And I'm glad it gave some of you a laugh. It was rather comical, I gotta admit.

Brighteyez: Sending you good vibes and thought. It only takes one =) And you want the strongest ones. I hope they're still dividing and growing for you!

Terri: I seriously cracked up over your slackers comment. So, excited for you to start stimming again. You are such a positive force, it's time for you to have some good news! I'm praying for you.

Booger: Good luck on the ultrasound today! It's pretty special enjoy. And yay for DH surviving his trip.

JKB: The party sounds soooo cute and fun. That's the only thing that stinks a little about team yellow. I love throwing parties and there are so many fun options. Enjoy it! Soak it up. You certainly deserve to have some fun after all the stress you've been dealing with.

Amy: Sorry you're feeling sick. They say try eating smaller meals every two to three hours.

Beagle: Congrats on going Facebook official! That was a cute idea.

I'm super proud of my idea for when we're ready to announce. When I told DH he couldn't believe I came up with it by myself. He kept asking me if I saw it on Facebook or Pinterest. I almost got offended =). Since we're both big runners I wanted to take a photo of our shoes, baby running shoes and have a mock race bib that says Baby X, estimated finish: 10:17 and say: We've signed up for the longest race of our lives. We're still waiting a few more weeks. There are a lot of friends I'd like to tell in person around 10-12 weeks and then we'll throw it out to the world.

We told our mutual boss this week, who is my mentor. He was so thrilled and excited for us, it was just so sweet. He gave me a huge hug and said that's freaking awesome when we told him. He also said not to worry about the FMLA limits, basically told us we're taking off the time we need. So, if I feel up to it that means we can go to Tuscany with my family in June! Missing out on all that wine will suck but it's better than missing the trip altogether. It is my aunt and my brother's girlfriend's first time out of the country. It should be special. My parents are renting a villa we stayed at in 2011.

I had my first appointment at my OBGYN practice today. It was just with the nurse. I had to get on the scale. I was kind of horrified I was up four pounds since my last RE weigh in two weeks ago. I've really not been eating badly. We went out to dinner last night, so I'm blaming it on that!

The appointment was just a lot of paperwork, medical background, going over nutrition etc. The practice doesn't ban lunchmeat so I was psyched about that. I've been craving a hoagie like woah. They do recommend sticking to pre-packaged lunch meat. DH is taking it upon himself to make me a mean sandwich this weekend. Monday I have an ultrasound with a doctor. The practice does rotate between five OBGYNS. I love my regular doctor there so we'll see how the others are.

I was seriously missing the convenience of the RE this morning when I had to go to THREE labs to get bloodwork for various reasons: insurance/ prescription being written for a lab that lab doesn't work. So aggravating. I saw the OBGYN affiliated with the hospital I'll deliver at. The office is in a building adjacent to the hospital but they wrote the RX for a lab that is only affiliated with one of the network's labs. This is a massive hospital that spans five counties and two states. The first place I went wasn't affiliated, the second was but said they didn't think my insurance would cover it there. Our health care system is maddening.

I love your announcement idea! Very clever and original! Your boss sounds awesome and the exact opposite of mine. So happy you don't have to deal w/ the stress of a difficult manager and unpaid leave!

 

[beaglemom]

sars - I love the announcement...I have seen the shoes before but never the added in withthe race. Awesome. I have a friend who posted her chuck taylor tennis shoes, her husbands, & then a baby pair. My husbnd doesn't wear chucks otherwise this would have been cool. I didn't tell you guys I don't think...I posted the status I showed you...but my husband posted a pic on our patio of his yankee hat, my yankee hat, & a yankee onsie in the middle. Then on one side I wrote in chalk Oct 2015 & the other the initials D.C.M. Everyone is guessing we are naming him Derek...I guess we are predictable

Sorry about the dr visit run arounds. In the pat my dr has ran blood in her office so hopefully I won't have to leave to do that somewhere else. A friend told me ou are rotatd between the drs. This confuses me. Any pap I have gotten was with my dr...not even a nurse or NP. So why would I rotate? I have had enough rotating with the RE office. I guess we will see. My appt is next Fri. Can't wait to see him again!

Oh & the FMLA is awesome too...glad you have an understanding boss. I am going to try to take 12 weeks...but I will only get STD for the 6 weeks & then PTO or no pay the rest. I have my counter part worried I am not coming back. It is hard to answer right now. We haven't figured that out yet.

 

[sars930]

Aw thanks guys.

BabyW: Our boss is pretty awesome. He's kind of like a 6-foot-6 teddy bear. Hearing the work environment you're dealing with makes me so sad. We're so behind in our maternity/paternity leave policies compared to other countries. There's so much talk about family and having babies but little support to do it.

Lady: Here's a link to the villa if want to check it out: https://www.spannocchia.com/casetta-al-padule/ I'm excited because that last time we were there it was November. So summer time we'll get to spend more time exploring the property, using the pool and hopefully cooking in the pizza oven =)

Beagle: Aw, that's super cute too. Too funny everyone knows you guys so well. Do you think you might want to stay home with Derek?

From what my HR has told me (there's a little up in there b/c we just spun off into a new company and I'm the first pregnant person), I get the 12 weeks FMLA, use my PTO and then file for short-term disability. They pay for the policy. I'll get 6 weeks full pay and the remainder at 60 percent, which is awesome. Although, honestly I don't make too much money, so we were prepared to go without my pay. We've got a healthy savings account and figured we'd tap it if need be. I tease DH he is my sugar daddy.

The only thing I've realized in all this is that while I've been job hunting, if I took a new job the company wouldn't be required to give me FMLA. So, looks like I'll be staying put. It's been a very trying few years in the newspaper/media industry. We've been furloughed two weeks or a week since 2009 and had our salaries frozen.

I work for a company that's been a leader in a digital first model and very aggressive at cost cutting. My DH is in our upper management and he's afraid we might have another round of layoffs coming. They gutted us last spring and I just can't imagine how we'll be able to continue to function with less staff that we have now.

I did finally get a healthy raise last year, one of few people that did, but then this year they switched our insurance, doubled our monthly premiums and gave us a $1,500 deductible. And the city I work in doubled its commuter tax. So, I think in the end I'll be taking home less money. At this point, I'm happy to still have a job when so many of my colleagues don't. Folks that have worked there since the 70s were let go in our last round.

 

[beaglemom]

I get 4 weeks of 100% with STD, my first week I am required to use PTO. Then I get the remainder of the disability portion at 60%. Disability is basically when the dr says you ca come back...typically 6 weeks. I can take up to 12 weeks total...the remaining can be unpaid or PTO. So since it is the end of the year, I would max out my PTO & then see where we are. My husband just got promoted but his pay has not been increased yet since he has not been released from his current store. Hopefully next pay (in 2 weeks) we will see it. Then I can determine where we stand. We still have debt from the fertility treatments that I would love to have paid off by the end of the year. His increase will be about half my salary...so I would love to stay home if we can make that happen. Sometimes my job is so unimportant in the grand scheme of the world. I would rather be making my home function & rasing my child. Then me & my husband will not have to feel so exhausted together when trying to spend time with him. I would love for my husband to come home to a relatively clean house, fridge full, food ready...so he can relax. It sounds so demeaning when I say it that way. But basically I can see how stressful keeping up 2 jobs, a house, dogs, & a baby can be. I think BabyW can relate.

But then other times I think of the extra money we will have...and wonder if I can really stay home with him. It is a hard job...not everyone is cut out to do it. But I also think if we want more kids, I want to have them pretty quickly. So when you start thinking about the cost of 2 kids in day care...sometimes staying home just makes more sense.

 

[Babywhisperer]

I get 4 weeks of 100% with STD, my first week I am required to use PTO. Then I get the remainder of the disability portion at 60%. Disability is basically when the dr says you ca come back...typically 6 weeks. I can take up to 12 weeks total...the remaining can be unpaid or PTO. So since it is the end of the year, I would max out my PTO & then see where we are. My husband just got promoted but his pay has not been increased yet since he has not been released from his current store. Hopefully next pay (in 2 weeks) we will see it. Then I can determine where we stand. We still have debt from the fertility treatments that I would love to have paid off by the end of the year. His increase will be about half my salary...so I would love to stay home if we can make that happen. Sometimes my job is so unimportant in the grand scheme of the world. I would rather be making my home function & rasing my child. Then me & my husband will not have to feel so exhausted together when trying to spend time with him. I would love for my husband to come home to a relatively clean house, fridge full, food ready...so he can relax. It sounds so demeaning when I say it that way. But basically I can see how stressful keeping up 2 jobs, a house, dogs, & a baby can be. I think BabyW can relate.

But then other times I think of the extra money we will have...and wonder if I can really stay home with him. It is a hard job...not everyone is cut out to do it. But I also think if we want more kids, I want to have them pretty quickly. So when you start thinking about the cost of 2 kids in day care...sometimes staying home just makes more sense.

Oh girl can I relate. I will say this though, my house is very clean and organized. I find that doing a little bit every day or so keeps us on top of it. Dh is great at cleaning up toys, putting out garbage, and I vacuum every weekend, and do a deep clean every 3 weeks which I find to be sufficient. I did have to clean more this winter with all the snow, ice, sand and salt, but while Jack sleeps I can do that stuff. I also find myself doing more online grocery ordering for delivery which saves me a ton of time and hassle. For right now I am the breadwinner, so the loss of my income would be tremendous. I love having the time away to feel self sufficient and like I am an equal partner in the financial burden of the family. Where we live is in the top 5 most expensive places in the country, and only getting worse as far as taxes and home prices. I am lucky to have my parents 2 miles away who help a lot. I know I will have less free time to clean when the baby comes, but I feel by then I will have earned the luxury of having a cleaning service. We are pretty fastidious people, so it's more the dust, stuff you track in from outside, bathrooms and things like that. As for working full time instead of being a SAHM, I am hopeful that at some point in the next couple of years I might be able to transition to a 4 day work week, where I work from home 1 day or not at all...or work closer to home which would save me 2hrs of commuting a day. I do get concerned about what we will do when the kids get into school and need someone home after 3. There is an after school program in our town, but I know how much it means to come home to a parent, and have help with homework. I grew up with 2 working parents, but my Mom had a flexible schedule and was home either at 3 or 5. The addition of my income would make a huge difference in how we raise our children and the options they will have. Our schools are stellar, nationally ranked well within the top 100, but this whole Common Core nonsense has me rethinking private school as an option. There are trade-offs with anything, and I wish we lived someplace more affordable, but being close to family right now is key as is the fact the dh is on partner track at his firm. He needs to be happy and fulfilled too.

No matter what you decide, your kids will be ok. Seeing a working Mom as a role model has it's benefits, as does having a SAHM. Don't put pressure on yourself to make long term decisions now, or even right after you have the baby. Go back to work and see how it feels. For me the anticipation of returning to work was worse than the actual return. I'm glad I came back, despite all the crap I put up with. I like feeling empowered by working and getting the recognition I get at work. I feel well rounded, and on equal footing with my husband. I need that sense of accomplishment outside of being a wife and mother right now. Maybe that will change, but for now I like the mix.

 

[brighteyez73]

Good afternoon everyone,

Sars930 - Thank you for the support and that Terri is just awesome! Happy you are now see OB and out of RE stage, that is so great! Your announcement idea is so cool.

Terri - Stimming started toda, right? If so, cool that means you're getting close. I pray much success this cycle FX! And you were absolutely right got the slackers out the way....lol!

AFM - I go my update call today about 12:15pm and the nurse said my two babies are doing great. They should be 2cell today but they are 4cell, my little overachievers. You ladies are blessings in disguise and I really appreciate your prayers and support. I cried the whole time driving to lunch and was thanking God for the good report today!!!

 

[beaglemom]

I am leaning towards comin back to see how it feels...or just working long enough to pay off that debt. We are lucky in the sense we have lived reasonable. We overspend, but we had the money to do it. I want to buckle down a lot, but it is hard to chage your lifestyle you have been living so long. Besides the fertility treatments, we only owe a small amount on my vehicle & our home.

I have never ha a drive in life. I do well at the job I have, but never really feel the need to excess or move up. I have followed my husband as he moves up in his career. Something I do not regret. I am hoping this new position will give him the confidence& drive he needs to move up even further. If he had taken a larger store, his income would have increased by my salary amount. He also has the potential to earn up to 110% of his salary as a early bonus.

Having said all that...if the tables were turned & I was making more money, my husband would stay home in a heart beat. We have never had gender roles in our house. I have the mind for it, so I do the finances. He tries his best to manage the physical parts of the house. Oh & our huge problem is dust & dog hair...then the general stuff like laundry & dishes. My philosophy now is if e have a clean plate & clean underwear, we are doing alright!

 

[beaglemom]

Also my mom was a single parent for a large part of our life. I saw her struggle in keeping up a job & the house. She often took her frustrations out on us...something I hope I never do. She is an amazing woman & was just doing the best she could.

 

[beaglemom]

Good afternoon everyone,

Sars930 - Thank you for the support and that Terri is just awesome! Happy you are now see OB and out of RE stage, that is so great! Your announcement idea is so cool.

Terri - Stimming started toda, right? If so, cool that means you're getting close. I pray much success this cycle FX! And you were absolutely right got the slackers out the way....lol!

AFM - I go my update call today about 12:15pm and the nurse said my two babies are doing great. They should be 2cell today but they are 4cell, my little overachievers. You ladies are blessings in disguise and I really appreciate your prayers and support. I cried the whole time driving to lunch and was thanking God for the good report today!!!

I love being able to say this...WE told ya!!!

 

[brighteyez73]

Beagle - yes yall did, and glad ya did....lol!

 

[Babywhisperer]

Good afternoon everyone,

Sars930 - Thank you for the support and that Terri is just awesome! Happy you are now see OB and out of RE stage, that is so great! Your announcement idea is so cool.

Terri - Stimming started toda, right? If so, cool that means you're getting close. I pray much success this cycle FX! And you were absolutely right got the slackers out the way....lol!

AFM - I go my update call today about 12:15pm and the nurse said my two babies are doing great. They should be 2cell today but they are 4cell, my little overachievers. You ladies are blessings in disguise and I really appreciate your prayers and support. I cried the whole time driving to lunch and was thanking God for the good report today!!!

Woohoo go little embies go!! Quality over quantity girl!!!

 

[brighteyez73]

Good afternoon everyone,

Sars930 - Thank you for the support and that Terri is just awesome! Happy you are now see OB and out of RE stage, that is so great! Your announcement idea is so cool.

Terri - Stimming started toda, right? If so, cool that means you're getting close. I pray much success this cycle FX! And you were absolutely right got the slackers out the way....lol!

AFM - I go my update call today about 12:15pm and the nurse said my two babies are doing great. They should be 2cell today but they are 4cell, my little overachievers. You ladies are blessings in disguise and I really appreciate your prayers and support. I cried the whole time driving to lunch and was thanking God for the good report today!!!

Woohoo go little embies go!! Quality over quantity girl!!!

Babywhisperer - Yes girl....yes I am so syked right now. I pray they keep growing and make mommy proud!

 

[LadySosa]

Woogoo Brighteyez! So happy for you. You deserve to have some wonderful, strong little embies. I am sure your positive thinking and praying has an impact.

I hear you guys on the struggle of SAHM vs. working mom. I am the breadwinner between DH and me, so it would be harder to justify me staying at home when the time comes. And DH says he'd have no problem with staying at home, and I would be ok with that except that he doesn't know how to do laundry or cook. Nor would he want to do any housework. I would love to have one of us stay home. Both of my parents worked, and I always hated having to take the bus home when my friends' moms would pick them up. I'd come home to an empty house and had to kind of fend for myself. I always wanted to spend more time with my parents. They both worked long hours and commuted long hours (from the island), so I didn't get to see them as much as I would've liked. It is a tough decision though, because Beagle, I see what you mean, we've become accustomed to a lifestyle and it would be hard to cut out one salary at this point. No more little trips, no more nice dinners out, no more nice cars. We'd be scrimping and saving. Hmm. I think I'd like to take a few months off, then something tells me I'll be itching to jump back into the workforce!

Booger - how did your scan go??

 

[booger76]

Hi ladies!!

Lots to catch up on but I thought I'd pop in to say that my scan went great! Dr. Said it looks exactly like you'd expect it to for where I'm at. I haven't heard from my nurse yet on blood results or anything else.

It was really cool but not a whole lot to see yet. Next week we should see the heartbeat.

 

[terripeachy]

Awesome report brighteyez-God is good!! Now keep growing overachievers!! Hee hee

Booger-great picture! I see something.

 

[Babywhisperer]

Hi ladies!!

Lots to catch up on but I thought I'd pop in to say that my scan went great! Dr. Said it looks exactly like you'd expect it to for where I'm at. I haven't heard from my nurse yet on blood results or anything else.

It was really cool but not a whole lot to see yet. Next week we should see the heartbeat.

Looking good girl. That's exactly what you are supposed to see. You must be so excited that all is as it should be. So happy for you.

So tonight we decided not to cook but to order bbq. Everything I eat I give Jack. He wants it anyway and he has such a diverse palate because of it. He even uses a fork half the time. Well not tonight. Instead he dropped the form and started to eat mac-n-cheese and pulled pork with his hands. It was everywhere. He likes to clear his tray so a lot was on the floor. Dh bent down to pick stuff up to clean the floor and Jack reached down and grabbed Dh's hair. When he removed his hand poor dh had bbq sauce and cheese stuck in his hair and it was sticking straight up. I started laughing. Remember I told you ladies I get giggle fits when prego. I couldn't stop laughing. And DH looks at me like, really is it that funny? And all I could think of was that scene from There's Something About Mary and I tried to tell him that but words wouldn't come out, only laughter. That made my night. Oh the joys of having a toddler.

Hope you ladies have a great weekend. We are taking Jack to the Museum of Natural History. He's going to freak when he sees all the dinosaurs and whales.

 

[booger76]

Good luck today, LadySosa!!

 

[beaglemom]

BabyW that is hilarious

We went to a st paddy parade with our beagles and the beagle rescue. It was decent mostly but when we started back for our car we got drenched with rain. I felt so bad for my wet clan!

Painting the nursery today!

 

[LadySosa]

It was negative.