Ugh- the rain!

I know we need rain in our neck of the woods, but does it really have to come with a cold front that dropped our temperatures from a lovely range of 70-85 to this crap where it's currently 41?!? I mean, seriously-- it's the week before spring break, and my mind wants (needs) SUN!

One of the great things about being a teacher is having Spring Break off with the students. While I don't have anything major planned, I will certainly enjoy the rest. Plans include: judging a speech contest tomorrow and Sunday, finish painting the nursery (Mark's job) and taxes on Monday and taking momma to the casino nearby on Tuesday. I've got a friend coming to visit the Sunday towards the end of Spring Break, and she's going to help me hang pictures and decorate around the house-- I'm tired of living out of boxes. Other than that, I plan to clean, rest and take care of me.

In the name department, we're still looking for names. I never thought it would be so difficult to name a child, but when you start thinking of all the possible nicknames, teasing, etc., it can be a bit daunting. We've got it narrowed down to a few, so I'm hoping we can make a decision soon.

lol- it's a ....

I'm sorry it's taken so long to post the great news, but (drum roll, please) it's a GIRL! We're super excited and now get to start the fantastic challenge of choosing a name for our precious Peanut.

I was really nervous going into the appointment. For some reason, I can't get past the fear of something being wrong. I'm 19 weeks and STILL check for spotting each time I use the restroom. Fortunately, all of my fears were squashed with the sonographer found the heartbeat quickly and then showed us the 4 chambers of the heart, 3 blood vessels in the umbilical cord, 2 kidneys and a bladder. We were also able to see the eye sockets, brain formation, spine, and size of other bones. Absolutely everything was perfect! I had a LEEP procedure a few years ago to remove some suspicious cells from my cervix. The doctor was happy to see my cervix is nice and long, so any fears we had about the LEEP causing complications are pretty much gone. The only thing that was mentioned (but the doctor wasn't concerned) was that my placenta is in the rear. Uh, okay....I'm still on target for an August 4 due date and go back to the doctor April 6th.

We've got the nursery planned. We're painting the walls a pretty green called "grassy meadow" and will do the bead board around the bottom portion of the room. Here's the bedding we've chosen for the nursery. We went ahead and bought it since it was on clearance:

Cankles, Cankles! Where are my ankles?!?

After attending a 3 day conference with a group of my students, I noticed I had the most delightful cankles yesterday. I know they're the first of many, but my oh my- how it changed my perception of things.

We go to the OB this afternoon to find out if Peanut is a boy or girl. I'm super excited and hope that Peanut isn't the shy type!!!

One more week!

It's just one more week until we find out if Peanut is a boy or girl. I seem to be carrying the child all over, so many are guessing "boy." The first time we met with our OB, he said "boy." We'll see. What do you think?

In other news, not too much to report. I'm staying terribly busy now that I'm feeling better, and I'm starting to look more pregnant instead of fat. You know, interesting thing about being knocked up-- when you're thin, you look pregnant but when you start out chunky, you just look heavier.

I'm practically normal!

Over the past 2 years, Mark and I have been on an emotional roller coaster. Right after we got married, I stopped taking birth control (August 07). When my period didn't show, we started on the progesterone (October 07). A few months later, we added Clomid (December 07). A few months after that, we added Metformin (March 08) while continuing to increase the dosage of Clomid. Another few months, we switched from the Metformin to Fortamet (May 08) after our first visit with the fertility specialist, which didn't have a large impact considering everything else I'd been through.

We moved back to Texas (August 08) and got new jobs. Met with the new fertility specialist (October 09) and began IUI immediately. All of the shots and other medications were a real doozy. IUI was on November 7, 2008 and we found out it took a few weeks later. So, after all the medications, doctor's visits, etc., we were THRILLED to be pregnant...but, I was a hormonal wreck still. We moved into our new house in early January and I started a new semester at school. Mind you, I struggled with bronchitis from November-January, so that was another stresser.

Long story short-- (too late)-- I'm finally feeling better physically. "Just say 'yes' to drugs!" And now that we're in the second trimester, the hormones have really settled down. For the first time in a year and a half, I feel like ME- Molly. The gal who enjoys life, likes to laugh and actually looks forward to things. I didn't realize how far away from my normal I was until I started coming back. I feel terrible for putting Mark through all this crap, but I'm very thankful that he's willing to stick by me when I'm not at my best. I guess, in some odd way, it makes me love him more simply because he put up with me.

Just how far along am I?

I have lots I want to write about, but I don't want this entry to get too lengthy. I guess I'll post multiple times this week to get caught up on the rest.

I had an OB visit last Monday. We got to hear little Peanut's heartbeat, which was fantastic. I was sad we didn't get to see the precious child though. I thought I was right at 15 weeks, but the doctor said I'm closer to 16. That makes me pretty darn close to 17 now, which is totally amazing!

We did the Quad test (I think that's what it's called)-- the blood test where they check for a number of things including Cystic Fibrosis. Dr. Howell was really careful to explain that the chance of a false positive is certainly real, and even if I'm a carrier for CF, it doesn't mean Peanut will have it. It's just one of those things where we have to wait and see. If the tests come back positive, it's not like we're going to choose to not keep Peanut-- we'll just have to educate ourselves on how to be better parents for him/her.

Our next appointment is March 9 (just 2 weeks) where we hope to find out the sex of the baby. Our doctor has said "boy" since day 1-- even before examining me. What are your thoughts?!?

Friends, friends

After announcing the pregnancy, I've gotten in contact with a bunch of folks who I've not talked to in way too long. Many of these folks are sorority sisters from college. While we talk occasionally (weddings, birthdays, showers, etc.) the close personal relationships with many of these gals has been lost over the years.

One response I received to my announcement (from a non-sorority sister) was "Wow! I'm so jealous- we've been trying over a year." Uh, yeah- I read that you were diagnosed with PCOS and offered some insight and support....but didn't feel it necessary to share the intimate details of my business. After I explained our story, she told me she thought she was knocked up (got TWO positive pregnancy tests but was concerned they were false positives). My "nesting days" came out, and I schooled her....nicely, of course.

I know that Mark and I didn't try as long as MANY people, and we didn't have to endure what MANY go through. I know we got lucky with our first IUI, and I know we're blessed. I often forget, however, that lots of folks trying to conceive don't have an understanding of the journey it takes many. I guess, to some extent, that I'm fortunate to have stumbled upon the Nest's "Trouble Trying to Conceive" board before finding my home at Getting Pregnant. While it scared the crap out of me, it made me realize that I'm not as bad off as many of the women out there. In essence, reading about the struggles of others provided me a bit of sensitivity and understanding. A year after first reading the T-TTC board, I re-visited it to learn about IUI. While I never thought *I* would be posting on that board, I knew I wasn't struggling as much as some.

I'm rambling now, but all of this to say- I realize I'm blessed.

Many other friends have reached out to me with their stories of infertility. Five of my college friends- girls in my sorority- are struggling with infertility. Each of them has a different story, and our mutual experiences and struggles have brought us closer together. While infertility stinks, getting close to friends again is something to appreciate.