On to Cycle #2

Looks like March wasn't our month. AF appeared yesterday afternoon. We would have been pretty lucky to have been successful on our first try, so while disappointing we're not letting it damper our hopes. We'll try again in a couple weeks.

10 DPO

And nothing new to report. Tested this morning and it was negative, but AF hasn't made an appearance either so I'm still in good spirits. Might have just been a tad early. If implantation occurred, we think it would have been on Tuesday because I had a temp dip below cover and a smidge of light spotting. Might just be too soon to tell.

Tentatively planning on testing again Saturday. Ugh, they don't call this the 2ww for nothin! It's brutal!

The Deed Is Done

We did insems 3 days in a row, with the last being the day after my O date. I ended up with two days of positive OPKs, which was unusual. Not sure if that means anything.

Not much more to update than that. I didn't get to spend a lot of time with V&S because I was working a lot. I actually had a work trip pop up during my predicited fertile time so they flew into the QC and the next day we headed to Des Moines separately. We did get to have dinner a couple nights and it was nice to catch up. We hadn't really been talking so much since their last visit -- not because I didn't want to of course, we've just all been very busy with work I think.

I got my BFP with Nora at 10DPO, so I think I'll start testing around that time this go around too -- not likely I'll get a positive any earlier and I don't want to make myself crazy with negatives -- so 8 days til testing! Stay tuned.

Right on Schedule

I got a positive OPK today. Ferning test is still showing negative so I'm not sure what that means, but the OPK strip was unquestionably as dark as the control line. V&S arrive this evening, and I anticipate the baby making begins tonight! Fingers crossed for an easy journey.

CD 17

Not fertile. The ferning test yesterday must have been a fluke because today was definitely negative this morning. I even tested it twice. I know I wasn't seeing things yesterday because I was so amused that it was working, I even made C take a look and he saw it too!

Given the timeframe we're shooting for, this is good news. Hopefully it holds out another day or so.

In other news, I've already run 6 miles this week and I'm planning on running again tomorrow! I wasn't a runner when I was pregnant with the Bear so I'm interested to see whether my body allows me to stick with it once it's working overtime growing a little bun. Obviously in the beginning I'll need to take it easy, but after that, pending all is going well, I should be able to continue running. What I don't know is whether I'll continue to improve or if I'll just kind of be stuck in a rut. If there's anything I remember about my last pregnancy it's that I was so.freakin.tired. and I can't imagine that motivation to run will come easily. My hope is that the running will be energizing rather than exhausting...but we'll see how that goes.

Ferning

I had my first partial ferning pattern today. According to the pamphlet that means ovulation is likely within 3 to 4 days...a little sooner than anticipated. V&S won't be here til Sunday. On the other hand it was really only a couple and the last 4 months I haven't ovulated before CD 21 so unless the B6 is causing my cycle to be on overdrive I think we'll be fine with their Sunday arrival. Hoping anyway!

My OPKs are still pretty light. Stay tuned!

It seems so surreal that it's almost time!

My New Morning Ritual

Wake up at 6 a.m. to take my BBT. Saunter to the bathroom to put a drop of saliva on the ferning test lens. Brush my teeth, pee in a cup and dip my OPK strip, go to the kitchen to take my two vitamins and my prolactin meds.

Back to to the bathroom to check my ferning patterns in the saliva and read the OPK.

Record temp and test results.

It's not terribly time consuming, but it makes me giggle at how quickly we form routines.

V&S were the ones who suggested the ferning test. I had never heard of it but after some reading, it appears it's effective and often detects ovulation a few days earlier because you have a mid-point, not just a positive or negative. I also decided to keep up with the OPK strips. I like them for the same reason. I've tried the Clear Blue tests where you get a smiley or a circle, and while easy to read, they don't give you any indication ovulation is coming. With the strips, you can watch the line gradually darken indicating ovulation is likely near.

Today is CD 12. A week from tomorrow, V&S are flying in and we'll have three days to hopefully fertilize an egg, and then it's the dreaded 2WW. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I want so badly for this to just work the first time around so the anticipation and what ifs are all out of the way.

For now, we wait.

Preparing for Pregnancy

I said in my last post that despite my lack of posts, I have still been preparing for pregnancy. So what does getting ready for pregnancy entail?

Charting. Temping every morning at 6 a.m., even when I'd rather snooze my alarm and get an extra 30 minutes of shut eye.

Vitamins. I stand by a good OTC prenatal -- no need for a prescription. During pregnancy, and going into it, you need increased folic acid, vitamins A and D, as well as calcium. I have always had to supplement and plan my diet to keep my iron up, so I also look for a prental with some added iron. Since my leutal phase was lingering on the shorter side of normal, I also started taking B6 at the beginning of my cycle this month to hopefully lengthen it a day or so.

Getting fit. I've been in a good gym routine for about 6 months now. I run 2-3 days a week (currently just about 2 miles per run and I work to increase my time in order to get in a good cardio workout), I do yoga twice a week and I lift weights or do circut training at least twice a week. I feel great and have been working hard to keep my routine so once pregnancy occurs I can continue to be active. I also notice that when I excercise, I eat better because I crave healthier foods.

Belly pics! I'm excited to document this journey, and what better way to start than with a before picture so V&S can watch their baby grow as we go? Plus, I'm pretty proud of how my hard work (see above!) has paid off so here's my last chance to show it off ;)

Today is CD 9. Ten days to insems!