A journey (part 6) --- the HSG test.

I'm going to copy and paste another piece of our journey towards expanding our family below. If you haven't read the previous posts, you can do so HERE.

***
Today is December 4, 2013, and today is also the day that I had a HSG test/procedure (aka Hysterosalpingogram) performed. The HSG test is basically where they inject dye into your uterus and take x-rays to make sure that your fallopian tubes are opened. It is usually one of the first tests doctors recommend when a couple hasn't conceived after a year (or more in our case) of trying. HSG tests are performed in the hospital here...which makes them seem more complex/intense than they actually are.

I wanted to take a picture to document today...but wasn't quite sure what to take a picture of...awkard

I read online that the this procedure can be painful, so I took ibuprofen before (which ended up not helping at all).  The pain was excruciating!! It was almost like labor. Not to scare anyone that has to have this test done, but I was bawling my eyes out- it hurt that bad. I thought that the pain meant that my tubes were blocked....buuuut....

I received great news! I don't have any blockage, and I have good structure/shape. Yay! My OB said my chances of getting pregnant this month (and the next one) go up because of the dye clearing my pathways (whatever that means). Let's hope that this, plus the extra help of Clomid, works for us this month, because this boy wants to be a big brother!

***

(current day char here...I decided to copy and paste two entries today...your welcome for not leaving you hanging ;)

***

***
Today is December 18, 2013- I didn't get a single positive OPK this month...which obviously means I'm not going to get a positive pregnancy test next week. I'm doing my best to stay positive. I have a lot to be thankful for, despite what I think I am lacking. I know our time will come someday, until then, I will be patient....and think positive thoughts...cheesy Pinterest humor helps :D

More Clomid next month- hey...the third times a charm, right?!

***

Thoughts on the General Women's meeting

Wow. The General Women's Meeting tonight was so powerful and inspiring! It brought tears of joy to my eyes several times. I can't help but be so grateful for having the knowledge of the gospel in my life. I wrote down some notes while I was watching, and thought that I would share a few of them with you. Some of these bullet points are quotes, and others are just what was on my mind while I was listening:

• Let’s look beyond our differences and learn what we have in common. Lay aside the things of the world, and come unto Christ. Nurture others for Him through service. We can do this by bearing each other’s burdens, and comforting those that stand in need of comfort.

• We need to relax and enjoy our divine differences as women. We need support and companionship as sisters. Mary shared her feelings (responsibility of being the mother of Christ) with her cousin Elizabeth. They were able to talk and support each other -great examples of feminine nurturing. 

• Before we came into this life, we were tutored by Him. He helped us understand that we would have trials and tests and opportunities that were perfectly chosen just for us. We also learned about our Father’s plan of happiness to get us through those trials, and that we would need to help others get through theirs. The way back home isn’t easy. He knew it would be too hard for us without help, so he provided us with a Savior, the gospel, families, and friends, to help uplift and support each other. -President Eyring

• Heavenly Father smiles when He sees us help one of His children move closer towards eternal life. He smiles when we make a good choice. He sees us not only as we are, but as we can become. Our Heavenly Father sees our great potential, and whenever we move upward on that path to our potential, we can feel his approval through the spirit. 

• Let's treat every person we meet, as a child of God. We are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to forgive. Let’s try to understand and accept everyone. We are more alike as daughters of God, than we are different. Let’s get to know, admire, and love each other, as sisters.

• "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart…and he shall direct thy paths.” We can find joy through our trials, sorrows and disappointments with the knowledge we have of the gospel. He will provide us with the help that we need to return back to Him. 

I apologize for not keeping track of who said what...If you haven't already watched the General Women's meeting, you can do so HERE. It's so good- see for yourself!

original image here

It's coming...

....spring weather that is......which means summer will be here before we know it! Baaaah I can't wait for summer! Things are going good here in NC. Jared's new job is going well, and his MBA program is keeping him busy. I'm still teaching pre-K (part time) and Kyler is still loving preschool! He has been learning so much lately; kids this age are seriously like little sponges! I started teaching Kyler some Spanish this week, and he has been catching on so quickly! I wouldn't call myself perfectly fluent in Spanish, but it was my minor in college, so I know enough to get by. After Kyler was born, I had planned on starting to teach him Spanish when he turned 2 but I didn't feel like he was ready for it until now.

Because of the warm(er) weather this weekend, we went to one of our family's favorite frozen yogurt places. I took a picture of our yogurt cups to send to my mom (who is in Chile) and then later I noticed this little photobomb in the background:

I didn't even realize he was in the picture! He was a little extremely excited about the idea of candy and "ice-cream" in the same bowl.

Hurry up summer- we're ready for you!

Fairytales say it best

 Oh the words of wisdom learned from disney movies:

                                                                                                   

Right Now

I love listening to-- Sara Bareilles station on Pandora- I constantly have this playing in the house.

I love trying--- to play hide-and-seek with this kid. Sometimes Kyler surprises us with some pretty good spots!

I love drinking-- bottled water. It's a phase. I think our tap water tastes weird.

I love eating-- these green pea thingies from Trader Joes. Seriously delicious.

I love hearing-- Kyler say: "Good boy Mommy!" I don't know why, but I find it hilarious that he doesn't "get" the difference between girls and boys yet.

I love taking-- creepy sleeping pictures of Jared.

I love noticing-- that the trees are starting to bloom- hello spring!

I love remembering-- that Kyler had his first kiss this week. At the end of the preschool day (before getting in the car) Kyler kissed this cute little girl that's in his class goodbye- On. The. Lips.  Jared and I were cracking up so hard. They even said "I love you!" afterwards. So romantic.

I love trying-- new places. We've gone to three new places lately:

1) We went to the new aquarium, Sea Life, at the mall with some friends- it's pretty rad.

The aquariums were incredible! (despite the bored look on Kyler's face below) He was annoyed that I made him stand still for a picture:

2. Wan Fu in South Charlotte. Legit Chinese food.

3. Kids Play Here. It's basically like an indoor park (think discovery place kids, but smaller). They offer: kids gymnastics/dance/music classes, preschool classes, babysitting, open play, and adult fitness classes. 

Link to website and pic source

 You can kind of see the Toddle Waddle class going on in the window of this pic:

Everything is relatively cheap too! We've done the Open Play/Gym, and the babysitting for one hour. Kyler loves it! 

I'm thinking about signing him up for one of the kids fitness/tumbling classes- they look like fun!

A Journey (part 5) --- Clomid

I'm still playing catch-up on our journey towards expanding our family. If you haven't read parts 1-4 yet, you can do so by clicking here.  Today, I am going to copy and paste two entries below that I wrote back in October and November of 2013. *Note this was three months after my last "journey" post*

****

Today is October 26, 2013...  Today was my first day of my first round of the fertility drug, Clomid! I talked to my OB on the phone, and he told me it would be okay to take it now, even though I recently had surgery. I didn't think he was going to let me take it, so I am extra happy now! I've been waiting several months to begin taking this medication. I feel like we are finally going somewhere! Also, my OB said our chances of having twins increases with this medication, and the thought of twins makes me a little gitty (I would love to have twins, but of course would be just as happy with one baby :)

I'm so excited to be taking this! My doctor told us that 80% of his patients (that have had difficulty conceiving) that take this, become pregnant within the first 3 months.  I hope I fall in that 80%!


****

Today is November 21, 2013.   I received a voicemail from my doctor's office with the results of my blood work that I had done last week to test my progesterone levels. Progesterone levels after ovulation should be 10-12 or higher to have a successful chance at getting pregnant. My progesterone level was 21.5!!! So basically the medication did its job- and now we have to wait to see if it will also result in a pregnancy.

Oh and I also wanted to note my side effects from taking Clomid: severe hot flashes, dizzy spells, and the one I hate the worst- severe abdominal bloating (and when I say abdominal bloating I mean I haven't gained any weight, but my stomach is so big I can't button my pants and there is a decent sized bump poking out through my shirts that has a few people questioning me if I'm pregnant- I wish! ...and I guess we'll find out tomorrow if I am. Today is CD 29. Tomorrow, I'm going to POAS! 

****

Today is November 22, 2013 BFN (big fat negative)- that was the result of the pregnancy test that I took this morning. I'm not really surprised, but I am shocked. Does that make sense? Let me explain. Negative pregnancy test results after a year and a half of trying.... don't surprise me anymore; I'm used to it. However, I am shocked. This just became real to me- something is definitely wrong :(

Before today I thought (hoped) that maybe my hormone levels were a little off- a (relatively) easy fix for most people- nothing a little medication can't fix. So I took the fertility medication, and it worked- I had perfect hormone levels. However, I'm still not pregnant. So, this might mean that my Endometriosis is playing a bigger role in our secondary infertility than I thought.

I'm thinking that I'm going to either need surgery to fix whatever is wrong, and/or I'm going to need to see a fertility specialist to get pregnant using a method such as and IUI or even maybe *gulp* IVF.

What happens next? Another month of Clomid and the HSG test. I'm terrified of having that test done. Not only because it is going to be stressful finding out if there is something blocking my fallopian tubes, but also I've heard it is extremely painful. I would say "wish me luck" but actually by the time you are reading this it will be long done and over with. I'm getting the feeling I will be sharing this journey to expanding our family with you all soon though.

Also, I saw this the other day, and loved it. Watch it, if you have a few minutes.

I know that our Heavenly Father has perfect timing, and if he says we need to wait longer- then that is what we will do.

****

Current day Char here- Oh Clomid, Clomid, Clomid. I don't miss you. Been there, done that!
                                                                                

Some things you never outgrow

Back when I was a kid....these were my favorite movies to rent from Blockbuster Video:

I  was obsessed with all things Mary Kate and Ashley. When I was 9, I brought this movie (below) to Great Clips, and asked the stylist to cut my hair like that. Stylin!

gif sources

Don't even get me started on Full House-

 LOVED that show!

You'd think by age 25 I would have outgrown this.....but honestly.... I think that if I owned these today:

....I would probably invite my sister over (we used to fight over who got to be Mary Kate when we were little) and we would probably have an Olsen twin marathon that would look like this:

....and my "secret" board on Pinterest?  It may or may not be full of Mary Kate and Ashley fashion pictures....

Some things you never outgrow.

Olsen twins for the win!

Last week

Jared started his new job last week! He used to leave the house for work at 6:30 am (before Kyler and I wake up). Now, he doesn't need to leave until 7:30-8am, so we get to see him in the mornings!

One morning last week, Kyler decided that he was going to work WITH Jared (don't know how that idea got in his little head). He put his slippers on, grabbed his backpack and yelled up the stairs "Bye mommy! Gotta go workin with daddy. See ya later!" I ran downstairs in time to capture this moment:

He was so happy, and totally thought he was going to work too! He hates saying goodbye to daddy; they are best buds.

This past Friday was a big day for us (people have been asking me, so I will tell you it was "journey" related, so you'll read about it at later time- gotta go in sequence!). Also, last Friday was just a crazy stressful day because it was it was so busy! I literally left the house as soon as I woke up and didn't get back home until 2AM.... And it was one of those days where everything seemed to go wrong like realizing I was out of gas at a horrible time, and appointments running longer than expected, and being late for work (for the first time in my life). Then after work, we had to make a 2 hr drive to be in Columbia, SC by 8pm, but of course there was traffic.

Anyways, once we arrived in Columbia, SC, and we walked into the doors of The House of the Lord. All of my stress and worry melted away. The temple is such a holy place, and I felt so calm and comforted just being there. I wish we lived closer to a temple so that we could go more often.

The temple is (seriously) a little piece of heaven on earth.