Non Sequitur Chica: Almost Wordless Wednesday

10.11.2011

Almost Wordless Wednesday

CP and I have been very busy this last couple of weekends. This past weekend we decided to tackle the 20 or so hemlock bushes that line the side of our yard. The previous owners clearly did nothing to the bushes except cut them back a bunch. Unfortunately there was a ton of dead wood inside the bushes- so despite the 80+ degree temps, CP and I donned long pants, long-sleeved shirts and gloves to cut and pull all of the dead wood out. The branches were killers- I ripped up my forearms and now have holes in the gloves and the shirt I wore! I ended up running three full loads of dead branches in our Ford Escape to the town recycling center.

My scratched up forearm. Ah the joys of homeownership!

I finally broke down and installed Instagram on my iPhone. Had I known that it was a FREE APP I would have done it a long time ago. It's really fun to play with!

Thankfully we didn't pull out the huge brussel sprouts you see in the back...because they have just started to sprout! And finally our leeks are growing thicker so we can start using them.

Lemongrass planted from seed. That is going to make some great lemongrass ice cream! :-)

Yummy eggplants! This plant will be pulled this weekend because eggplants need hot weather.

CP made this last night for dinner. It was a a delicious mix of beef, fresh sage from our garden, onions and spices.

With the colder weather approaching, the dogs were fighting over the one dog bed that we have, so I went out and found the biggest one available. As soon as I dropped it into our bedroom and left for two seconds, Buster peed on it to mark his territory. Arrrgh. I steam cleaned it, but Buster seems to be the one to lie down on it at night.

The dogs getting along on their new dog bed. This only lasted 10 minutes. (The crazy eyes are due to the flash- in people it causes red eyes, in dogs, yellow.)

Our town has a decent farmers market so CP and I decided to can a bunch of veggies/herbs from our garden and fruit from the farmers market.

A full weekend of canning while it rained outside! From left to right: Curried apple chutney, Cranberry Pear Jam, Apple Pie in a Jar, Green Tomato chutney and Herb Jelly. Not pictured: Apple butter.

2 comments:

terra said...: Our dogs usually share a bed and there doesn't seem to be any sense to who sleeps on the bed most often. They didn't like sharing at first, and they won't in the summer when it's too hot, but they seem okay with it now.; October 12, 2011 at 2:40 PM
Anonymous said...: I really want to get on the gardening wagon next year. I have never been very dedicated to it, but I think it would be really good for my mental health :)

Another pumpkin recipe that I freaking love: remove insides, layer cavity with cheese (this past weekend we did Edam, Cheddar and Feta) bread, and sautéed garlic and onions. Pour two cups of broth over top, bake for 2-2.5 hours until sides of pumpkin are soft when pricked with a fork :); October 13, 2011 at 4:04 PM

Infertility Timeline

Trying for Baby #1

May 2010- Stop taking birth control. Figure that it might take 6-10 months to get pregnant. Do not tell friends or family that we are going to start trying to get pregnant.

October 2010- I start charting and taking my temperature every day.

February 2011- Nine months into trying to conceive with no results, I head to my GYN and discuss our next steps.

March 2011- I have a Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) test which came up negative for any problems.

April 2011- CP has a sperm analysis which indicates a lower percentage of "good sperm" than normal.

May 2011- CP heads to the urologist where they don't find anything and has another sperm analysis which indicates an even lower percentage of "good sperm". After a year of trying we are officially infertile.

August 2011- We have our first meeting with a fertility doctor and SURPRISE I have a big fibroid in my uterus. At the end of the month I was injected with a three-month shot of Lupron to shut down my ovaries/drop my estrogen levels to shrink the fibroid before surgery. Three months of hot flashes and headaches start.

November 2011- I have surgery to remove my fibroid and SURPRISE the doctor also found endometriosis and a cyst. He removes everything and tells us that we must wait three months before trying to have kids.

February 2012- Still waiting for my period to come back- the three-month dose of Lupron in August really messed with my system. Doctor prescribes Provera (a progesterone) to jump start my cycle again. I take 10 days of Provera and then on the 11th day I get my period!

April 2012- IUI #1- Negative despite great sample from CP.

May 2012- IUI #2- Negative despite great sample from CP. This month makes it two years of TTC.

June 2012- IUI #3- Negative despite great sample from CP. Consult with doctor before move to Chicago and decide to pursue IVF using the ICSI technique. TTC put on hold as we are living in two different states for most of the summer.

October 2012- First consult with new doctor in IL. Ultrasound reveals two new fibroids in my uterus. Bloodwork comes back normal.

November 2012- Saline sonogram shows a normal uterus. Surgery to remove fibroids was cancelled.

December 2012- Find out at IVF consult that my CT clinic never told me that my FSH and AMH numbers are showing possible poor egg quality.

January 2013- One-month Lupron shot in preparation for IVF #1.

February 2013- After two weeks on birth control, I start daily Lupron shots for IVF #1.

March 2013- IVF #1 results in 11 eggs retrieved. Fertilization report shows 6 eggs were mature enough for ICSI, only 3 fertilize. Transfer 1 perfect blastocyst and freeze another. Find out on March 26th that I am actually PREGNANT!!

First Trimester Recap

Bump pictures through Week 19

Second Trimester Recap

Bump pictures from Week 20-28

Third Trimester Recap

Bump pictures from Week 28-39

November 29, 2013- Our beautiful daughter was born!

Our Quest to Complete our Family with Baby #2

December 2014- Saline sonogram shows a normal uterus. On the 31st I start daily Lupron shots prior to FET #1.

February 12, 2015- Transfer a BB frozen embryo from our first IVF cycle.

February 22, 2015- BFP! First beta the following day- 55. Next beta- 132. Third beta- 249.

March 6, 2015- First ultrasound didn't go well; gestational sac measuring four days behind. A week later it was confirmed that I had a non-viable pregnancy. That day I took Misoprostol.

Sept 2015- After waiting for an OK to resume treatment after a CMV infection, I start injections after a few months of birth control. I am slow to respond and only have two mature follicles.

Oct 9 & 10, 2015- Cycle has been transferred to an IUI and I am inseminated. BFN.

Nov 2015- I start the flare or "Schoyer" protocol with Minivelle patches and Ganerelix shots. I head into my RE's office on Day 39 to figure out why I don't have my period and the ultrasound tech says that I have either a cyst or a gestational sac! A home pregnancy test confirms that I am pregnant naturally!

First Trimester Recap

First Trimester Bump Pictures

Second Trimester Recap

Second Trimester Bump Pictures

Third Trimester Recap

Third Trimester Bump Pictures

July 15, 2016- Our handsome son was born and our family is now complete!