Holiday happenings

A very belated HAPPY HOLIDAYS, bloggies! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, whatever you celebrate!!

I’ve been totally AWOL! First work was craaaaaaaaaaaaaazy before the holidays. Then we were in Philly for Christmas with hubs’s family and I forgot to pack my lappie’s power cord….so I had to ration my battery power to actually do work and not blog. (Sigh.) I read your posts from my phone but it’s impossible to comment that way so please forgive me for being behind in checking in with all of you! We got stuck in Philly with the crazy weekend snowstorm. (Ugh.) We ended up renting a car and driving down to DC yesterday because we couldn’t get a flight back to Chicago from Philly, all of the 12-hour trains from Philly to Chicago were full (!!) and we didn’t feel comfortable driving the 12 hours on winter highways….anyway, we finally made it home at midnight last night and I am so so so so so so happy to be here! Back to my comfie bed (no more fold-out couch!), my lovely Snoogle body pillow, my humidifier, my awesome shower with its amazing water pressure, my healthy breakfast options (no more bacon every morning!)….ahhhhhh, home, sweet home.

The babies got lot of loot this Christmas. 🙂 We got carseats and a travel crib from my parents. Hubs’s parents gave us a rocking chair for the nursery and some onesies. Hubs’s sister gave us a nursing pillow and stuffed animal and more onesies. Hubs’s brother gave us a flip video cam. And my sibs all went in together on a totally adorable night light for the nursery (above) that I would never have splurged on for myself but have been eyeing for 6 solid months.

Lucky us, lucky babies! And now for some random updates….

I am feeling good but big. I stopped jogging after the Turkey Trot with my fam over Thanksgiving and have been rotaing yoga DVDs, swimming and the elliptical a few times a week. Just getting to the gym is becoming more of an effort but it’s so worth it to get some exercise and feel like I’ve got a healthy routine in place. Hubs and I hit the gym a few times over the holidays and it not only felt good to move around, but it was also lovely to get some Zen, me time away from the house.

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Over the holiday weekend I had some discharge that freaked me out. It was more copious, yellow and a thicker consistency than the usual thin, white stuff I get. The next time I went to the bathroom there was some semi-solid discharge, about the size of a pea. Of course I used my phone to Google my findings and found scary stories about women losing their mucus plugs and going into premature labor. It was the day after Christmas and we were officially stuck with the snow so I opted not to call my doctor’s office, figuring they’d hear the fear in my voice and invite me into the office to get it checked out (which I couldn’t do). The discharge went right back to normal and I took it easy snuggling with hubs’s family’s dogs in front of the TV the rest of the weekend so I feel okay about it. But I’ll ask my OB about it when I go in for my growth scan next week. (Grow babies, groooooooow!)

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I also have my gestational diabetes test next week. Just this month my clinic eliminated the orange drink-blood test because they felt they were getting too many false positives. So they told me to scrap the orange glucose fluid they’d sent me home with in November and to come in for that 2nd test most folks only take if they fail the first one, after having fasted for 8 hours. I know twin Moms tend to develop gestational diabetes more often so we’ll see what happens…..at least I’ve had my fill of egg nog (gallons worth, seriously!) before I get the news!

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I rolled my ankle and fell again today. 😦 Hubs and I were walking some groceries into the apartment and I bit it as I crossed a small patch of snow to the sidewalk. WTF?!?!? I twisted my body and landed on the snow on my side, but it scared me again and I’ve got new bruises and my right ankle is swollen and blue again. (I felt them bumping a little bit after lunch so that made me feel better.) I guess that old saying that pregnant women lose their sense of balance/have looser joints is not a myth. I have been so careful, but I guess I need to take it up a few more notches!

*****

Between the weird discharge, the stress and fatigue of traveling and being stuck away from home due to the snowstorm, I’m starting to see why many clinics encourage preggos not to travel past 24 weeks. I have one more trip to KC for a shower with my Mom’s girlfriends the first week in January and that’s the end of airports for me. I am obviously so very very excited for this shower and to be home with my family again (three times from Oct 31 to Jan 7, that’s totally a record for us!), but the honest truth is that nothing sounds worse to me at this moment than traveling again in 9 days. I pray we don’t get stuck again and that it goes a lot more smoothly than our recent trips to NYC and Philly!!

Maybe?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!

We visited my family over the holiday weekend. My older brother and his wife couldn’t be there because of work, but it was great to see my parents and little brother and sister. Hubs and I split the holidays between our fams, alternating who we visit at Christmas and Thanksgiving every year. I know my Mom is reallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly sad we won’t be flying home for Christmas….and that manifests itself as intense guilt in me. But beyond little comments here and there bemoaning missing us already at Christmas, we had a wonderful weekend.

Early on Thanksgiving morning, I braved a 16-degree, windy morning for a 5K Turkey Trot with my Dad, sister, brother and hubs. I shuffled the entire thing! Usually I’m out in front of my family, but this year I was the caboose. 🙂 Totally fine by me, I was happy in my snail slow pace. It has been getting uncomfortable to jog/shuffle….I think I am just getting too large. So that was probably my last “run.” From now on, it’s going to be swims, yoga and maybe the ellip and light weights. All of it super EZ, of course. A tiny dose of exercise a few times a week keeps me sane!

After the Trot we began cooking the Thanksgiving meal. Fun fun fun!!! (Even though I totally ruined my dish—what should’ve been a delish sweet potato hash—by over-salting it. I would’ve been cut in a second if it was an ep of Top Chef. So JV!) Later that afternoon I relaxed for a loooong time on the couch to watch football with my sibs and hubs. A couple of times, I thought I felt a very very gentle “bump” in my lower left stomach region. Not bubbles or flutters or tickling or kicking, but a so-subtle-I-could’ve-imagined-it bump. It made me so happy! I willed it to happen again and again. Since then, I THINK I’ve felt it a couple of times….usually on my lower left but also right by my belly button.

I have no idea where the babies are located in my tum, but I sooooooo hope this is them, beginning to make themselves known. It’s not kicking or crazy movement or anything close….it’s MAYBE MAYBE MAYBE something.

I also realized that I’m never sitting for an extended amount of time or laying around unless it’s bedtime. At work, I’m “officially” at a desk-job, but the reality is that I’m on my feet walking somewhere and doing something away from my desk every few minutes. And then I come home and cook or clean or whatev….I finally relax after dinner in front of the TV…and my then I’m so tired that I usually scoot into bed and promptly fall asleep within a few minutes.

SO. The point is….it’s hard to find long spells of quiet where I can replicate my lazy Thanksgiving afternoon during which the babies MAYBE moved. Or maybe I didn’t really feel them move. It could very well be that I want this so badly that I’m imagining things. But I would really really really love to feel more of it. 🙂 It would so help soothe my anxiety!

ANYWAY! Tomorrow will be 20 weeks. And it’s T-minus seven days until our big anatomy scan. I am thankful for so so so so much this year, but mostly these babies, who hubs and I cannot wait to share our lives with. We love them so very very very much. And I pray and hope with everything in me that these babies are growing and healthy and strong and that everything is okay.

I will leave you with our first purchase for them. We saw these Dr. Seuss jammies discounted on the baby-deals site Zulily.com earlier this month and couldn’t resist. 🙂

Down go the decorations

The holiday season is officially over in the Egg household. Wah wah wah. Last night after work I took down all of our ornaments, the cheerful carolers that sit atop our mantel, our Christmas tree coffee mugs, all of the holiday cards from friends (many with pics of newborns, natch) our nutmeg-scented candles and our beautiful tree. I boxed everything up and carried it all down to our storage room in the basement of our apartment building.

I wasn’t at all sad while doing it, but I did miss seeing the pretty white tree lights when I got out of bed this morning. (Have I mentioned I looove the holidays? :)) Still, it feels good to have a fresh start! It’s a new year filled with hope and optimism. Time to move on from 2009 and embrace 2010. Yip for 2010!

So, here’s the 2ww update. I’m 11DPO. My temps are looking good, but let’s be honest folks, temps look good until they look bad. 🙂 I have sworn myself off Google so my only connection to the world of TTC is via blogs (I’ve also been re-reading Al, Courtney and Kate’s 2ww posts). I’m seeing lots of women with 2ww symptoms. I, on the other hand, seem to perpetually be almost totally symptom-less with TTC stuff, from ovulation pain to period cramps. Any time I think I might have a tingly feeling in one of my breasts, it immediately goes away. It’s wishful thinking. And I know that. Fortunately, I haven’t been tormented by many phantom symptoms. Although hope bubbles to the surface here and there, I immediately try to quell it with realistic thoughts. My lining sucked. Why would this work? I’m not trying to be an Eyeore, I’m just bracing myself for what’s ahead.

I’m actively trying to be Zen and chill and whatever! this cycle and it’s mostly working. Although pregnancy thoughts whir in the back of my head 90% of the time, I’m pretty much not engaging them or allowing them to overcome me. I’m going about my day and breathing and doing my job and hanging with my hubs and cooking and cleaning and watching LOST DVDs and reading and smiling and sleeping soundly and seeing friends. I’m living my life.

The RE’s office asked me to take an HPT on Thursday, which is 13DPO. Last time I did Clomid (weak ovulation), my period came 12DPO (tomorrow). So who knows if I’ll even make it to Thursday and get to test. Then again, I haven’t had enough cycles to know what’s normal, so maybe I’ll get strung along for a few more days. Whew, Negative Nelly much?! I don’t feel “negative,” just realistic. I can’t help it: My defense mechanism is in full force as I approach crunch time. This is my first 2ww, since it’s the first time I’ve ovulated since TTC. It has been quite the experience! It feels like I’m some sort of wacky science experiment—physically and emotionally.

But, my chin is up and all is well. 🙂 And so, I wait!

Good mood, holiday happy and working out

Update on Provera! Two down, five to go. Zero side effects so far, unless you count feeling calm and happy a side effect?!

Last night I got home from work on the early side and set to work making a butternut squash soup from scratch with a side of brussels sprouts (I’ve been eating so many brussels lately that I wouldn’t be surprised if I turn into one!!). While the soup was simmering, I headed into the living room to wrap lights around our tree and begin hanging ornaments. I also took out our caroler figurines and put them on the mantel, set out our nutmeg-scented candles and ran the holiday mugs through the dishwasher so I can sip coffee out of them every morning for the next month. Yay!!!!!

Getting geared up for Thanksgiving

Cooking has always been something my hubs and I love to do, but for years I’ve been more of a sous chef while he’s the man in charge. Well, lately, I’ve been bananas for finding recipes and cooking them all by myself. I’m finding it very therapeutic. (Hubs loves this because he comes home and plays his computer game to unwind while I dash around the kitchen!) I think this intensified penchant for cooking has something to do with the fact that I’m spending less time at the gym, but whatever the reason, I’m rolling with it.

On Tuesday night, I baked a pumpkin pie after work! It was a trial run for the one I’ll be baking on Thanksgiving at my in-laws. (I’m also making a pecan pie…and hubs is doing grilled brussels sprouts and sweet potato hash with sage.) Normally, I’d just whip up the recipe on the back of the Libby’s can. But this year I wanted to go all real-deal and so I used pumpkin puree, yams, maple syrup, fresh ginger, fresh-grated nutmeg and cinnamon stick, etc. I’m pasting the recipe below. Mmm. It’s tasty, friends. If you want to be an overachiever, you can make your own crust, too (no crust recipe here as I’m still sleuthing down a fabulous one). I’m actually debating whether or not to do that myself…

PUMPKIN PIE

(from the November 2008 issue of Cook’s Illustrated)

Filling
1	cup heavy cream
1	cup whole milk
3	large eggs plus 2 large yolks
1	teaspoon vanilla extract
1	(15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
1	cup drained candied yams from 15-ounce can (see note)
3/4	cup sugar
1/4	cup maple syrup
2	teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/2	teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4	teaspoon ground nutmeg
1	teaspoon salt

1. While pie shell is baking, whisk cream, milk, eggs, yolks, and vanilla together in medium bowl. Combine pumpkin puree, yams, sugar, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in large heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring to sputtering simmer over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue to simmer pumpkin mixture, stirring constantly and mashing yams against sides of pot, until thick and shiny, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Remove pan from heat and whisk in cream mixture until fully incorporated. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl, using back of ladle or spatula to press solids through strainer. Rewhisk mixture and transfer to warm prebaked pie shell. Return pie plate with baking sheet to oven and bake pie for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and continue baking until edges of pie are set (instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 175 degrees), 20 to 35 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack and cool to room temperature, 2 to 3 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.

The countdown to cycle #2 begins!

T-minus 18 days to Provera…

I am a deadline-oriented, to-do list–making, type-A kinda girl. I’m betting that a lot of us in this situation are. 🙂 Anyway, given my time in the penalty box this month, I wanted some concrete dates in mind to look forward to….namely, when the heck can I start that Provera!?!

So last night, in between roasting butternut squash halves and making a beet/pinenuts/arugula salad (don’t you just LOVE fall veggies?!) for dinner, I pulled up the old excel app on my laptop and got cracking on picking my ideal IUI* date in December, so I could back into all of the other important stuff (the biggie: when I might ovulate).

This was kinda hard. For starters, it’s not an exact science a lot of guesswork. I’m taking different doses of everything (seven days Provera instead of 10; 100mg Clomid instead of 50mg) so I don’t know how my body will react. Throw in weekends (my RE’s office is closed), holidays (Christmas Eve, Christmas and NYD all fall on weekdays) and you can see this is quite the puzzle. Of course, we could delay the cycle so all the appointments fall in January. But hubs and I want to get cracking ASAP.

After some sighing and loud keyboard clanking as I toyed with these dates, hubs came to my rescue (the guy knows his way around an excel spreadsheet!). He built a nifty little model that allowed me to plug in my Provera start date, which then spit out an expected ovulation date. NEAT-O! I’m pasting our little masterpiece below. It looks like beginning Provera on Saturday, December 5 is the ideal date…and hopefully the subsequent dates (CD1, ovulation, IUI, etc) fall where they should. We shall see!

Start Date 12/5/09                 Days on Provera 7

Period 12/15/09                Days after Provera to CD1 3

Ovulation 12/29/09              Days from CD1 to Ovulation 14

In other news, I have decided I’ll do OPKs from CD12–CD18ish this cycle. I will also look for, ahem, signals that my body has magically decided to ovulate. I’m not expecting a miracle, folks, but hubs and I will keep practicing just in case. And if I DO think I’m ovulating, I will obviously postpone the Provera. (Dr. C and the nurse said I can take it as early as CD21 in order to keep some semblance of a regular cycle.)

*You may remember the idea of IUI freaked me just a bit out last week. But now that I’m sitting out a cycle AND given that it comes with my fancy-pants, all-you-can-eat-and-drink package at the RE, we’re going for it. We’re aiming for the fences in cycle #2!!!