June Blogging Challenge Day 10: Doin' The Deed

The question for the June Blogging Challenge Day 10 is, "How do you help get yourself (and or SO) get in the mood to DTD (do the deed) during the fertile period?"

Honestly, Keegan and I don't have that much trouble getting in the mood during the fertile window. Keegan works super long hours every day (like 11-16 hours a day,) and is on call all the time. I typically work an 8 hour day, but with my job, we sometimes have events after hours, so there have been days that I also work 13 hours. Because of our long hours, Keegan and I only have sex once or twice a week. I know that our frequency seems low to some, but it works for us with our schedule. Since we're not humping like rabbits all week, it's not so difficult for us to shift our deed doing to my fertile window instead of on the weekends when we normally have more time.

Don't get me wrong, having timed intercourse still isn't necessarily fun for us. There have been a few times where we've both been tired, so we just get it done instead of going all out. There was also one time where we had a little bit of an argument which killed any sexing that night. We're certainly not perfect and having timed intercourse has definitely killed the surprise and excitement of making a baby. I'm sure it also helps that we've only been doing this for 5 cycles now. I'm sure as time goes on, it'll get more difficult.

I asked Keegan if there was anything that I did to make things easier, and he said that I'm typically so excited about my fertile window that it makes him excited. And that he's "always excited excitable." That's an exact quote, ladies.

I don't think there's any magic answer to making timed intercourse more enjoyable. I think that making things light and fun makes getting in the mood easier. If you're so focused on getting the timing just perfect and elevating your hips to just the right angle, it makes sex a chore, and no one likes to do chores.

June Blogging Challege Day 8: Would You Be A Stay At Home Mom?

Day 8 of the June Blogging Challenge: Given the option, would you be a stay at home mom (SAHM)?

Just like my labor post, these are just my opinions. I'm in no way shape or form looking down on anyone who doesn't share the same ideas as me.

Given the option, I probably would be a stay at home mom. When I was younger I always thought I would be. My mom was a SAHM for a long time; I don't think she went back to work until I was about 10 or so. I don't really remember a lot from that time, but there are pictures of her and I doing a lot of activities which is something I'd love to do with my children.

I'm a big supporter of supplementing a child's education at home. When I went to kindergarten, I could already read, thanks to my parents. I actually got in trouble with my kindergarten teacher because I would get my work done faster than anyone else and she wouldn't have anything for me to do. I love the idea of taking my kids to a museum, aquarium or the zoo during the week and having them learn before they start school.

I also love the idea of building memories and relationships with your child those first five or so years before they're off to school. I feel like those years would go so quickly, and once kids are in school, they're so busy with friends and extra activities that it's hard to have quality time with them. Of course I know that being a stay at home mom is difficult, I'm not expecting it to be all rainbows and unicorn farts. I read enough mommy blogs to know that some days you just want to put your child out back with the dog and grab a glass of wine (or something stronger.)

If we stay where we are, one of the biggest reasons I want to stay at home is the childcare in Mississippi is the worst I've ever seen. We're originally from Missouri, and the preschools in my hometown were excellent. Of course, some were better than others, but overall, they were amazing. My mom has worked at a few of them, and has even run one, so I know which ones are quality. If we were living back home, I wouldn't think twice about leaving my child in a preschool. However, there have been quite a few horror stories that I've heard since we've moved here.

One that really stands out to me is a woman who worked in a church run daycare gave a seven month old and a five month old the muscle relaxer Tizanidine to keep them quiet. This daycare was supposedly the best in the city (this isn't the city I live in, but once close to me.) What really annoys me is the worst that'll happen to her is that she'll get fined $1000 and/or 1 year in jail. For drugging helpless children. Overall, the education system in Mississippi is horrible compared to what Keegan and I are used to in Missouri, but that's another post.

My only worry about being a stay at home mom is my children might not get as much social interaction as they would if they were in preschool or daycare. When I was younger, I was painfully shy. My mom loves to tell the story that she would take me to playgroups just so she could have adult interaction, I would never actually play with the other kids. I know that it would be my job to take my kids to things like playgroups and story time at the library so that they could have interactions with children their age.

So, overall, I'd love to be a stay at home mom. Thankfully, barring Keegan losing his job, it looks that we'll be lucky enough to have that happen. We just need to take care of the getting pregnant part first.

June Blog Challge Day 7: Dugs vs. Natural

First of all, I'm going to apologize that this post is up a day late. After work yesterday, Keegan and I went out to dinner with some of my co-workers for a co-workers birthday. We didn't get home til about 10 and I was exhausted, so I didn't have a chance to write.

Anyhoo, today's blog challenge prompt is your preference of a medicated vs. natural child birth.

I'm going to up front say that these are my opinions, and I'm not looking down on anyone who chooses to have a different labor than what I hope to have. I mean, you're pushing a child out of your ho-ha for god's sake, do it whatever way is necessary to keep you and the baby safe.

In a perfect world, I'd love to have a water birth at home. I feel like I'd be the most comfortable and relaxed at home, and I wouldn't have to stress about making sure I packed everything in my hospital bag because I'd have everything at my finger tips. I would love to have a midwife and a doula there, as well as my husband. Very private, personal and I think, beautiful.

However, at least for my first birth, I have no idea what is going to happen during labor, so I'd like the peace of mind of a delivering in a birthing center or hospital just in case something goes wrong. If I give birth where we're currently living, it'll probably be a hospital because I'm 99% sure there isn't a birthing center within a two hour drive of our house.

That being said, I'm going to fight for as much as a natural birth as I can in a hospital. I know that many hospitals like women hooked up to monitors for most of their labor, but I will probably ask to be loosely monitored. I know that some women have made agreements with their doctors to be hooked up for 10 minutes, and then taken off the machines for 50. That way, I can move around, be in the water, walk, whatever I need to do to labor. I know that when I have horrible period cramps, laying down is one of the last things I want to do, so I'm going to assume that labor will be similar.

I would love to have a medication free childbirth, but I'm realistic and realize that I don't know what the pain will be like, so if I get halfway through and need pain medications, I won't regret it. I'm all for doing whatever needs to be done to ensure that both baby and momma are safe and healthy. I plan on taking childbirth classes and perhaps looking into hypno-birthing or other relaxation techniques when I do get pregnant. I would also love to have a doula to help both Keegan and I though the process, but like the birthing center, I'm not sure if we'll have a whole lot of choices in that area.

I think that I'm drawn to the idea of a natural childbirth because honestly, I'm not a huge fan of medication, (funny since I'm going through infertility treatments.) Before trying to conceive, I didn't take many medications. I suffered with horrible headaches for 2+ years for reasons unknown, and I would only take a pain reliever if I wasn't able to get out of bed. I also seem to have a high tolerance for mediations, so it would take 2000 mg or more to get any relief. I figured that I was doing more damage to my liver than the relief was worth, so many times I just suffered through.

I'm also extremely nervous about getting an epidural. To try and diagnose the unexplained headaches, I had to get a lumbar puncture. Well, I actually had to get 3, plus a blood patch. It's a long story, and one I'll explain if people are interested, but the LP experience was absolutely horrible. I still have pain in that area to this day, 3-4 years after the procedure. I'm so nervous about irritating that area again that I'm scared to get an epidural.

The last reason I'm interested in medication free labor is the whole, "I am woman, hear me roar," idea. I love the idea of seeing what my body can do. How strong it is, and how it knows what to do to get my baby out safely. I think that if I'm able to do a medication free labor, it might give me some more trust in my body, that my body is actually able to do something right for once. I think that as a whole, women are strong creatures and being able to push out a baby is a magical process that only we are able to experience. It's something I'd like to experience as naturally as possible, just to see how far I can go.

So what about you? I'd love to hear other women's take on this. If you could picture your dream labor, what would it be like?

Cycle Update

I tested this morning at CD25, 10 days past ovulation. It was negative.

I tested with both an internet cheapie as well as a First Response (because for some reason I still had hope even though the internet test was negative.)

My period is expected to come on Tuesday. I'll fax my chart to Dr. B and then call and set up my HSG. I guess I'll also figure out who I have to bribe ask nicely to code my HSG as diagnosing infertility so that my insurance will cover it. If they're not willing to, we'll have to scramble to come up with almost $4,000.

I haven't cried yet, mostly because I had to wait for the delivery of our new dishwasher right after taking the test. I don't know if it'll really sink in until my period starts.

I guess all that nausea that kept me up most of the night these last two nights were from something I ate or my Metformin messing with me again.

I guess the sore boobs were just another sign of my period to come.

I had a little bit more hope this cycle around. I ovulated "normally" on CD15 instead of late like I usually do. Our timing was amazing. I felt like conceiving our baby on the day that Keegan's best friend left us was a sign. I thought that being able to celebrate Keegan's first Father's Day was a sign.

Sorry for the woe-is-me post. The reality of having to get an HSG hit me hard today and it's been hard to process.

Thank you for all of your support. I love you girls.

June Blogger Challege Day 6: Baby Names

Day 6 of the June Blogging Challenge is all about naming the kids we're hopefully going to have in the near future!

I can't remember if I had names picked out when I was younger. I know I had a name picked out for a girl when I was dating the boyfriend I had before I met Keegan, Aurora. I've always loved the name Aurora, but ever since Robyn joined the TLC show, Sister Wives, with her daughter Aurora, it's lost the spark for me. I don't think the names has jumped in popularity, but I'm still wary about using it.

As for names we're seriously considering for our future kids, my goal is to name my children unique names without being ridiculous. It took me a while to love my name, mostly because I got sick and tired of spelling it out for people, but as an adult, I love it. I want to give my child a name that will set them apart without calling them La-a. (I was hoping to find a link to the story, but a woman in Louisiana named her child La-a and was getting upset that people were pronouncing it incorrectly. Apparently it's pronounced Ledasha.)

Anyways, the names we're currently loving also all have a basic "theme." Both Keegan and I have Celtic names, and we both have Celtic heritages (Irish for me, and Scottish for him.) Fun fact, my name means, "a dream." My dad used to joke that it doesn't specify if it means a good dream, or a nightmare. But I digress.

Keegan and I both seem to gravitate to names that have a Celtic background. Currently for a girl our top name is Brogan. I love that it can be a "cute" little girl's name, but can still be a strong name for a woman. To go along with Brogan, we have three possible middle names. Leigh, after Keegan's best friend's middle name, who is like a brother to him, Ann, after Keegan's mom, or Marie, which is my middle name. The only "problem" I have with Brogan, is there isn't an easy nickname. My sisters and I all have nicknames which are shortened versions of our real names. Example: Aislinn = Ais, Brianne = Bri and Caitlynn = Cait. The only shortened version of Brogan I can think of is Bro, and that just reminds me of the stupid trend of males calling their friends "bro."

Source

 I also like the names Kyla and Michaelea for a girl, but not as much as Brogan. 

As for boy's names, I like Tiernan/Kiernan, Declan and Camden. Out of those four, I think I like Declan the best. Tiernan/Kiernan and Camden are all so-so as of right now. I also love the name Kale, but for one, I'm against naming my child after a food, and two, Keegan knows a Kale and says he's an asshole. Can't name my child after an asshole, can I? 

So, how about you? Have any baby names you're currently loving? Think I'm out of my mind for loving any of these? 

P.S. Can we just make a pact that you won't steal these names from me? I know it's stupid to ask, but I'm in love with the name Brogan and we don't need a bunch of little Bros running around the infertile blogsphere do we? 

June Blog Challege Day 5: Pets

I already wrote about Mika (pronounced Mee-ka), our cat in my family post, but I'm totally fine with posting her adorable face again.

We adopted Mika though a vet here in town. Another of the vet's clients had found Mika on the highway and had originally brought her to the Humane Society who turned her away (we don't really know why.) The client brought her to the vet, paid for a few days of boarding, all of her shots, and half of the cost to get her fixed in hopes that someone would adopt her. One of the volunteers I work with at my job emailed her picture out on a Sunday. I went to meet her the next day and she was fixed and home with us by Thursday.

Due to her size, (she's weighs less than three pounds,) the vet thought she was under a year old. However, when she got fixed, Mika's reproductive organs suggest that she's over a year, so she's just an itty bitt kitty. We don't expect her to grow much more, unless she starts growing sideways.

She loves to get in the way of Keegan playing video games

And she sleeps in the strangest positions. 

She also plays fetch! We didn't teach her this, she decided to do it on her own. 

We had Keegan's cousin visit a few weeks ago and she has two little girls. Mika put up with having her tail and fur pulled, and being chased, so I'm not worried at all about how she'll react when we bring our baby home. 

We've been thinking of getting a second cat, but are worried about how Mika would react. Has anyone brought in a second cat into their single cat home? Any tips or tricks to make sure they don't murder each other while we're at work? 

My second fur-baby is my dog that lives with my parents, Brindle. We got Brindle when I was around 10, so we've grown up together. I had been begging my parents for a dog for a while, so my mom took my youngest sister "just to look" at the dogs at the Humane Society. Apparently my mom sat down in a room fully of puppies and Brindle walked over to her, sat in her lap and wouldn't get up. My mom called my dad to let him know she had adopted a puppy and the rest is history. We got Brindle when she was about 8 weeks old, and she'll be 14 this year. I hate that I live 8 hours away from her and only get to see her once or twice a year. I'm going to be devastated when she passes. 

Brindle is a mutt. She's part cocker spaniel, poodle, and terrier. In this picture, she's long due for a trim. My youngest sister also has a chinchilla/pit bull mix that has become a part of the family. Yes, she's as awkward as she sounds. 

So, there you have it! These are my pets and I have more pictures of them on my phone than anything else. 

My Very First Blog Award!

I am so excited to say that Jennifer nominated me for the Super Sweet Blogging Award! I've never been given an award before, so this brought a huge smile to my face. Thank you so much Jennifer!

Here are the rules:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you. - Done! See above 
• Answer 5 super sweet questions
• Include the Super Sweet Blogging award image in the blog post - Done! 
• Nominate 12 other bloggers

Super Sweet Questions:

1. Cookies or cake? Ummm can I say both? I love snickerdoodle cookies, but put a piece of chocolate cake in front of me, and I'm done. 

2. Chocolate or vanilla? I'm definitely more of a chocolate girl...unless I have the urge to top my ice cream with fresh fruit, then I'll get vanilla. Chocolate and kiwis don't go well in my opinion. 

3. Favorite sweet treat? The cupcakes we had at our wedding. We ordered them from Hy-Vee (a grocery store in Missouri,) and got chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting made specially for us. The best part was the frosting was whipped cream frosting so they weren't too sugary! 

4. When do you crave sweet things the most? Um, all the time? But really, I'd say mid afternoon and after dinner. 

5. Sweet nickname?  I don't think any of my nicknames are sweet. My family calls me Ais, and a middle school friend used to call me Aisy-Daisy, but that's about it. 

And now, the 12 9 Super Sweet Blogs! I'm trying to nominate ladies who haven't been nominated yet, but that's hard! 

• Dee at Child Of The Universe - She's had a rough month with the miscarriage of her Bean Sprout, but she's jumping back into things and I have so much respect for her. 
• Frozen OJ - She has the best attitude about TTC I've ever seen. I love her Pun Day posts and she's making awesome bracelets to help raise money for her embryo donation. 
• Ana at In My Garden Grow - She's a blogger from across the pond that is witty and an amazing writer. Her RE's name is Mr. T which always makes me laugh. Go congratulate her on getting 9 eggs at her egg retrieval! 
• I know Sarah at Midwest Pillowtalk has already been nominated, but I have to nominate her as well. She's become one of my best blogging friend and I'm so excited to see Baby G enter this world in just a few short weeks! He's due on my birthday which is an awesome birthday to have in my opinion. 
• Stephanie at Neubauer Haus - She's had a rough couple of weeks dealing with things not relating to infertility (are there such things?!) so go give her some love. 
• Cam at Recipes For Lemons - After losing her most recent pregnancy, her and her husband have decided to go down the adoption route. They've just started, so now is a good chance to start following their journey and give them some well wishes. 
• Mrs. E at TTCBabyE3 - She's a wonderful mom to twins and is currently 8 weeks pregnant with baby number three! I'm so happy that I get to follow this sweet mama on her pregnancy journey. 
• Aubrey at Two Hearts And One Dream - This wonderful lady is stuck in an emotional rut, something I think we can all relate to. Go give her some love and cheer her on as she continues her cycle with CCRM. 
• The Infertile Chemist - I love the way she explains the science behind infertility. I've learned a lot from her, and I appreciate that she explains things in a way that everyone can understand her. She's just getting started on her first IVF cycle, so go give her some love! 

Ok, so I didn't quite make it to 12. Many of the ladies that I follow have already been nominated, so I wanted to include other bloggers who haven't. Even if I didn't nominate you, I love all of the ladies that I follow!