The Official TTC Thread!

[mia1181]

Hey ladies, just a little update on my crazy life.

We went to Japan and had a terrific time! Loved it! I seriously want to live there. I think I was fertile there, but I forgot my thermometer and OPKs at home so I can''t be sure,but I did have EWCM for two days which is shorter than usual for me. The bad news is that we only managed "BD" 2 times on the trip. We were just so tired from all the touring. I put BD in quotes because I don''t think my husband is fully onboard and it is leaving me a little confused with how to proceed. Both times he pulled out midway through. Both times he said it was out of habit but some got in. So I''m trying to proceed with caution because if he''s not completely ready the last thing I want to do is pressure him. I kind of get the habit thing because when we were younger he was so paranoid about getting me pregnant he would pull out with a condom on too. He''s weird like that, but twice? Then thinking about him maybe not being ready is making me have doubts too. I have seriously overwhelmed with work and school lately. I come home from work and do school work and haven''t had any time to talk to friends or family or even PS and I''m wondering how a baby might fit in... I am working towards a certfication that requires 1500 hours of experience in my field so a maternity leave would mean it will take me longer to get certified... I''m just freaking out a little. I don''t know... I''d love to just wing it and see but that''s hard to do when he pulls out. So thats my update... I think I am in the 2ww but it would probably have to be a miracle. Besides about half of the man juice, I got a UTI while in Japan so that may have delayed ovulation or my body wasn''t healthy enough, also I don''t have my usual sore nipples after ovulation.

So no fun for me! I will be cheering you ladies on though and maybe popping in from time to time when I have news.

 

[Po10472]

Morning ladies

Awww Mia, don''t get too downhearted, if your dh is a little reluctant at this stage maybe its because you do have too much on your plate and adding pregnancy, mat leave and a wee one to your already busy lives is a step too far just now. Our oh''s are there to balance us out should we tip the scales a bit and that is what it looks like he''s doing from here. Babies take up 95% of your time and if you''ve got school and work too, then you''ve got to squeeze them into the remaining 5%.

Like you I was studying my masters part-time whilst working full-time and I hardly had time to think and although my heart was saying baby, my head and dh were saying, stop, think about this and looking back I had to do it that way because otherwise something would have had to give. Now I know there are thousands of women that do it all these things and still have a baby, but I''m sure if they had to choose, they would have taken it a step at a time.

It will click into place all of a sudden when you''re dh is ready and the time is right and when you''re life isn''t as ''crazy'' as you state.

Ice - where in Spain are you going to? I love Spain.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Mia, I''m sorry that things are confusing right now. Sometimes DHs also get a little freaked at prospect, and sometimes (at least for me) my DH balances me out when I get too overboard/over scheduled.

For us, we realized our lives will change drastically when a baby comes, but there are still a lot of responsibilities we''ll have to juggle in the non-baby part of our lives (work, school, a long commute for him...) we''ve come up with a plan to make it all work (now we know what can happen to the best laid plans and that all babies are different with their own set of challenges

) but it makes us both a little more confident knowing that as much as we can control things, it can work.

Would it be easier if I could just withdraw from school and not work for a year so i could take care of a baby? YES! But, that''s not an option for us right now.

Dh was a lot less freaked (and me too) when we figured out how it can work logistically and financially. it may take me 1-2 semesters longer to finish my MBA< but I can live with that!

Big hugs and I hope that you and your DH work through this habit/fear/doubts...whatever it is.

 

[mia1181]

Po10472- Aw thanks, you''re so sweet. I guess you hit on what I am most worried about, which is that something would have to give. I was a nanny for years and now I work 1:1 teaching children with special needs. I love kids and I know how much they will change your life. My heart is soooo ready for that change, but my life may not be. I need to get my Masters in order to have the future I want and I need to do it as soon as possible. I''m taking 3 classes this semester which I would never do with a baby so I know it''s worse than it will be. I also only have a year left of school, so if I got pregnant soon I would likely be finished with school very shortly after the baby would be born. But still it''s not really how I pictured pregnancy to be either. I just feel like I am getting old (I''m 28 but DH and I have been together almost 11 years!) and I haven''t had a great fertility track record since I''ve been off of BC, so I know it''s not going to happen quickly.

Sometimes I get jealous of people who get to come home from work at 5 and then do whatever they want, including my husband. He''s been great though, he''s made it clear that my only jobs are school and work, so he does everything else around the house (cooking, cleaning, taking care of our disabled dog). I never thought about it before but just typing that out, maybe he is feeling the strain too?

Bella- I guess I just thought we would work it out too. Lots of people do, especially with unplanned pregnancies. I mean, I know people TTC when they are in med school! My classes are tough but not in comparison to med school... Surely we could handle it. But that''s only if he''s on board and I''m just not sure any more. I guess overall I am worried that he would TTC for me, to make me happy, even if he wasn''t feeling completely ready and I don''t want that to happen. That''s why I have to be careful about talking about it with him. I want it to be his decision.


Anyway... gotta run.... time to study for a midterm!

 

[icekid]

Date: 2/27/2010 5:15:44 PM
Author: mia1181

Sometimes I get jealous of people who get to come home from work at 5 and then do whatever they want, including my husband.

Mia- I absolutely know this feeling. Even my "free time" is rarely my own, having another hour and a half of work AFTER I get home. Too many nights in the hospital. It''s not an ideal world to bring a baby into, to be sure. Sometimes it feels crazy to even think about it. But it will never be perfect. We feel ready and know we will find a way to make it work when the baby is here. However, that is obviously with the prerequisite that we both feel ready. So glad that Japan was amazing, though. We''re trying to get as much travel in as possible before bringing a tiny less portable person into our lives. How is the nephew situation?

Po- We''re going to Madrid for a week (plus day trips to Segovia and Toledo.) Neither of us have been to Spain before and we cannot wait! Have you been to Madrid? Any recs?

LV- I totally forgot to respond to your question before! The ring in my avatar is a sapphire that has nice big chunky OEC-like facets. It was cut by Barry Bridgestock (acstones.com.)

Bella- Thanks for the OPK info. I am debating trying them. The problem is I think my body "geared up" to O last cycle and never did, so I would probably still get positives and then not O. Hmm.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Oh Ice, that trip to Spain sounds awesome!!!

MIA, I just have to say your DH sounds so sweet doing all the other "jobs" so your only job is school and work.

My DH is helping a lot, but sometimes it still feels like a whole lot more of those household jobs fall on my shoulders. I''m trying to get him to take on more so that things are a little more even when we have a bebe

So I got a clear OPK positive last night and we BD

This morning it was starting to fade again, but I had EWCM this afternoon (and yes I am sure it''s not man juice so we''re going to BD again tonight.

If my cycle is 27 days long, it is weird that I ovulated on CD 15-16 this month?

I am totally getting ahead of where we are right now

since I''m not KTFU. But as part of this plan we devised to figure out how we can have a baby with both of us working, I found several childcare centers that seem like they''ll be a great fit for us!

If I get this new job I''ve been interviewing for (they are checking my references Monday and then I think they''ll make an offer and we can start the negotiation dance

) the one daycare center is right across the street. It''s expensive, but I think it would feel so much better to be a working mom if I can go over during the day to breastfeed (and I am certain that I''ll be able to negotiate that into my day at my current job and/or the new one).

Since the waiting list is almost a year long, whenever we get pregnant, I''ll have to get our name on the waiting list ASAP--definitely once we are done with the 1st tri, but maybe even earlier...

 

[mia1181]

Ice- I know, my schedule is not nearly as demanding as yours. Maybe taking three classes this semester was a mistake and is overwhelming me. Last semester I had one really challenging course and one that was manageable. This semester I am taking three very demanding classes. My program is online which makes it even more demanding. We have to check in to class every day and of the teacher posts an assigment you are on the clock to get it done as soon as possible. It''s not like my undergrad where we had 1-3 classes a week and had a day or a week between when an assignment was given and when it was due. It''s been crazy!

I only work 35ish hours per week but I travel from home to home for work, so I am often out of the house from 9-7:30 and it can be draining. Then I get home and have time to eat and do some school work and sleep. It''s rough but, I know it won''t be forever!

Spain sounds like it will be amazing! I''ve never been... Haha the reason we booked Japan was to get some travel in before baby. We want to take a babymoon too but DH wanted to get at least one trip in before that.

As for the nephew. He''s afraid to fly on a plane! So I don''t think he''ll come! I had no idea. I think he might still change his mind before summer though. I''ll be in Buffalo soon and will talk to him. I mean we can fly with him! So strange...

Bella- Yes one thing that did come of my DH''s controlling mother who needs to be the center of the universe is he is great at taking care of others!

I like my MIL but you don''t have to be over there for long before realizing she is the center of the family. Her husband and 3 sons know that if she is not happy, no one is. So my DH always treats me like that too. He freaks out if I''m not happy which is sweet, but sometimes I''m like "relax! it''s cool, I''m a big girl..." That and we''ve always shared household responsibilities. Whoever gets home first cooks dinner, and mostly everything in the house gets split equally, except for taking out the trash or anything that requires muscle! Ha! He is a good DH and will make a great father because I know he''ll be as helpful with a baby. I just need him to hurry up and realize it''s as good at time as any!

 

[Po10472]

Mia - you''ve got a year left of school and you''re only 28, so you''re definately not old, blimey I''m 38 in 6 weeks and ttc no. 1 baba!!! Just think, if you make the decision to actively ttc in 6 months time, then if you do fall pg right away, you''ll be finished your course in plenty of time before baby is born. That''s August.......not far away at all. Good luck with your studies, it will be worth it in the end.

Bella - ooooh, so you''re in your 2ww!! yay, fingers, toes, eyes, everything crossed for you hon and lots of sticky bean dust.

Ice - Its a long time since I''ve been to Madrid but I recommend you go for ''real'' tapas in the Plaza Mayor there''s a tapas bar there that''s been open for decades and when its opened the floor gets covered in small coloured paper napkins and cocktail sticks cos people just drop them right on the floor (it''s tradition) and there''s cured meats hanging from the bar and its people are having loud debates, its just so.... Spanish. Also there are lots of tapas restaurants in the Santa Ana Plaza area too.

If you have the time you should go to the Museo del Prado and see the Velasquez paintings and take a turn in the Parque del Retiro or go see the Palacio Real (Royal Palace). If shopping is more your thing, then you''ll be in heaven, Il Corte Ingles is a Spanish department store so that''s a must and Spanish shoes are amazing, I always buy shoes when I''m in Spain, the Spanish and Italians know how to make them. There''s also a really good subway system and bus service so you can get round the city really easily.

I''ve also been to Toledo and Segovia. Toledo is a city set up on a hill and has the most gorgeous views. The cathedral is spectacular and I love the way the streets all wind into one another. Segovia has a huge Roman aqueduct and a beautiful cathedral too and allegedly the Alcazar Castle was the inspiration for Disney''''s Cinderella''s Castle.

I recommend that you eat lots of tapas, a proper paella and drink fanta limon, liquor quarenta y tres (43) and a cold glass of jerez. I''m soooo jealous, you''ll have an amazing time and please take lots of pics to share with us all when you come home.

Po
x

 

[noelwr]

Happy Sunday! hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Po - fellow Aries! when's your birthday? mine is 7 Apr.

TopoDazzle - thanks for the explanations on "w00t". the computer geek thing completely explains it.

 

[Po10472]

Hey Noel, I''m the 10th. Both DH and I are aries so it can get pretty interesting in our house sometimes.

I''d love a spring baby too, although I''ll settle for anytime of year at this moment.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Yep, so now the 2ww begins

Ice-I second all the recs you got for Madrid--mmmm....Fanta limon, Magnum ice cream bars, paella, tapas, the Prado, and the Pacio Real

 

[Bliss]

Mia, sorry to hear things are confusing right now. Having a baby can be a scary thing! Maybe just talking through it all will make your DH feel much more relaxed about everything? Sounds like your DH is very supportive and that is wonderful! Hugs to you.
Icekid, YAY FOR MADRID!!!!! Oh, that is going to be so amazing.

Take lots of pics! Hurry back!

Hey Po and noelwr! Thinking of you!

BELLA! Good luck in your 2WW!!!! Sticky sticky bean! *dust*

On my end, I innocently logged on to Amazon to investigate the CBFM... and went on a mini-shopping spree!

I'm going to be out of town when DH gets the huge box containing:

1 Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor
1 box of CBFM test sticks
1 Preseed
1 box of 50 early preggo tests (which were super cheap, only $11!)

I really wish I could be there to see his face when he opens the box. Priceless.

Bwahahahahahaa!!!

Mainly, I'm thrilled to take charge of my cycles and figure out what is going on. After the m/c I felt so out of control and baffled as to all the changes going on in my body. It feels really great to have the tools to understand the science behind it; and I feel like it's healing to be empowered with the knowledge.

On another note, I really hope AF doesn't come before I get back home because I read you have to start the CBFM within the first 5 days of your cycle or you have to wait a whole month!

 

[geri]

Hi everyone. Just tipping my toe back in the water after a bit of a break. We are hoping to try again this month. I know it's wishful thinking but it would be nice to have a bub by the end of the year. If we are lucky we could still sneak it in.

Po - I turn 38 on 11 April and TTC no1 baby too. SO is an Aries too. It certainly keeps things interesting. Good luck with the TTC.

 

[ksluice]

Date: 2/28/2010 3:43:59 PM
Author: geri

Po - I turn 38 on 11 April and TTC no1 baby too. SO is an Aries too. It certainly keeps things interesting. Good luck with the TTC.

Now I have to give ANOTHER w00t...3-38year olds!! I thought I was the senior on this list! Yea ladies. Thank you for helping me feel less hopelessly elderly.

((Hugs)) to you Mia with hopes that you and your DH are on the same page soon.

As to me...poas''ed again yesterday and still a BFN. Not the month for us, but if i think about the logistics of stuff...well, this month would have been good, but next month is even better, and april better still...so I''m forcing the chin up and looking forward to a nice glass of vino this eve.

Oh, and since the DH is canadian and their leading in hockey at the moment...I have to throw a GO CANADA in there

Hope everyone is having a good Sunday.

 

[icekid]

Bella- Your TWW is totally on! Hoping for fabulous news shortly after I return from my trip

Po- Thanks for the tips. Fanta limon sounds tasty! We are definitely excited to try the Spanish specialties. Yum. I promise photos when we return!

mia- When are you going home? I am going to be back for a week or so after Spain and I plan to get some quality vegging time in. Interestingly, now that this baby thing is becoming more real, we are seriously contemplating moving home. I want our babies to grow up with our families, hockey, and good chicken wings

Bliss- I love that you send your hubby the official TTC kit. He will be soooo confused. Maybe you can convince him that HE needs to POAS?!?! Let us know what you think of the CBFM!

geri- welcome back to the TTC crew. I hope you really do get your little bub by the end of the year. It always sounds so amazing to me that it is even a possibility to have a baby this year.

This is probably VERY silly, but the Olympics makes me even more excited about having a baby. I cannot wait to raise us a little figure skater or hockey player. Truly, some of my baby-making motivation does come from wanting to teach him/her to skate

(I am the oldest of four, a figure skater with two hockey playing little brothers and a figure skating little sis- it is in our blood!)

Aries crew!! I am an April 16 baby

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Ice-you crack me up!!!! I grew up skating for fun (not competitively) and both of my brothers played hockey and I think it will be so fun to teach my kids to skate, and sled, and tobbogan, and all the other winter things I love to do

OMG-Bliss, I will give you $20 if you can convince your DH that the OPKs are for him to POAS

ha-ha-ha-ha-ha insert maniacal laughing here

Geri-best wishes for a fast and happy TTC cycle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[geri]

Thanks for the welcome back ladies. Yay, and fingers crossed, for all us oldies!! And everyone else too, of course! Looking forward to lots of birthday celebrations for the Arians among us - maybe a few of us will get an extra special birthday present.

Based on my current cycle, a March conception would mean due date of around 1 December and an April conception would be 31 December, so we still have two chances for a 2010 baby. I know the odds aren't great in any given cycle but we are getting married in a couple of weeks and keeping my fingers crossed for a honeymoon baby - it would be a lovely wedding present!!

TopoDazzle - is AF late for you this cycle? If so, keeping my fingers crossed for you despite the BFN. Not to get your hopes up, but you never know.

Bella- good luck with the 2 week wait.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Hmmm...so I may not quite be in the 2ww...?

I took another OPK tonight just for fun, I have seven more in the box so I figure I''ll use them up since they expire.

It was a blazing positive.

So I had blazing positives yesterday and today (CD 15 and CD16).

we BD this morning, and are planning to BD again tomorrow night.

How long can the surge last and do you ovulate 24-36 hours after the first positive (I think for me that was on Thursday)...? I lent my TCOYF to a friend so I used my friend google

it seems the answer tests can give 3-4 days of positives for a large number of women, and the consensus is that the first day is the one that matters...I guess we''re just going to keep BDing at least every other day until the OPKs are negative

But...my cycles have ranged from 26-30 days in the past few months, so now I''m hoping that the OPKs will turn negative soon...I''m hoping my luteal phase isn''t too short...

this TTC thing is so crazy!

 

[noelwr]

Date: 2/28/2010 10:23:42 AM
Author: Po10472
Hey Noel, I'm the 10th. Both DH and I are aries so it can get pretty interesting in our house sometimes.


I'd love a spring baby too, although I'll settle for anytime of year at this moment.

yah, I sometimes think how it can't be that great having a baby in the winter and keep having to bundle it up to take it outside in the cold... but I will also settle for any time of the year.

Po10472 & geri - DH and I are also BOTH Aries! gosh, we seem to find each other. his is on the 13th and he's turning 37. I'm still a baby (turning 31) trying to have a baby.

Bella - I read on the POAS website that it is possible that you can have long OPK positives or multiples. it said something about the egg not popping out so the body tries again... you're right. TTC is super crazy and all we can do is use all this stuff to make a best guess and then keep our fingers crossed!

Bliss - I'm glad you are getting the monitor! you are so well-read up on things that we will all benefit from your knowledge. also, don't forget that you set the monitor the day after you get your period, if you usually get it in the afternoon/evening. so you could still set it on CD6. alternatively, just ask your DH to set it, and then he's already played with it and you prevent any curious hands from tampering in the future...

I also got the monitor to track what's going on with my body, and not so much to time BDing because we're pretty much taken care of in that department regardless what a test tells us.

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 2/24/2010 3:08:54 PM
Author: charbie
hey sunny- any news from the doctor???

Hey Charbie, sorry to leave you hanging! Of course Flo showed up the day before my appointment.

It seems like January''s period was just plain skipped, because it came pretty much right on schedule for Feb. It''s a mystery!

So now I go back to lurking until we''re actually ready to TTC in about 2 years.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Noelwr-I love your new avatar!!!!!

I got negative OPKS today (I took two of them) so I think my body is doing what it''s supposed to do...

It''s really pretty amazing how all of this works.

Sunnyd-Glad to know that everything is ok and hope you have a fast TTC when you are ready to in a few years

 

[Dandi]

Hi ladies!

I''m an avid lurker of this thread and have enjoyed cheering you all on from afar! DH and I have been talking babies for a long time (he is ready NOW, but I''m not just yet!!) but I have started taking prenatals and upped our health insurance with the intention of starting TTC in the next six months or so... or if I get the ''urge''... maybe earlier!

I''m only 27 so I''m happy to chug along for now and just take things as they come, but I''m really rapt to have a network of support and information such as this to come to! So please bear with me and the multitude of questions that are bound to accompany me

And a huge good luck to all!!!

 

[noelwr]

DandiAndi - welcome! the ladies on here know what they're talking about, so you've come to the right place. and I think you get more "support" than you would on a TTC/pregnancy forum.

Bella - so now it's the real 2ww for you! can I sneak in a totally unrelated to TTC question? I was thinking about my Caribbean cruise and was wondering if you have to go through a passport check and clear customs at every port you get off the boat to do the shore excursions? was just imagining that it would take a lot of time if 2000 people collectively get off the boat plus all the other cruises that arrive at about the same time. how is that handled? thanks.

Lanie - Happy CD13. how's it going for you? my CBFM gave me my first High today (sounds like it's a drug). was thinking I'd just have Lows all cycle (because I am ever the pessimist), so that is a nice surprise.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 3/2/2010 2:06:03 AM
Author: noelwr
DandiAndi - welcome! the ladies on here know what they''re talking about, so you''ve come to the right place. and I think you get more ''support'' than you would on a TTC/pregnancy forum.


Bella - so now it''s the real 2ww for you! can I sneak in a totally unrelated to TTC question? I was thinking about my Caribbean cruise and was wondering if you have to go through a passport check and clear customs at every port you get off the boat to do the shore excursions? was just imagining that it would take a lot of time if 2000 people collectively get off the boat plus all the other cruises that arrive at about the same time. how is that handled? thanks.


Lanie - Happy CD13. how''s it going for you? my CBFM gave me my first High today (sounds like it''s a drug). was thinking I''d just have Lows all cycle (because I am ever the pessimist), so that is a nice surprise.

Noel, sorry to butt in as I''m not Bella, but to answer your cruising question, in my experience no you don''t have to clear customs every time you go into or leave port. There is security that you go through when debarking the ship and when you return. They scan your passport through a machine and when you get back you have to put your bag through a metal detector. It''s all run out of your ship and it goes quite quickly. Oh and US rules and regs don''t apply when you''re on a cruise ship (except drinking under 21). You can bring cuban cigars and such back on board. Each ship has their own set of regulations and rules with regards to what you can bring aboard from ports of call.

 

[noelwr]

thanks HH! hope all is going well with you and your baby bump (though I''m sure with your atheletic figure you probably can''t even see it yet).

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Hahaha thanks noel!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Hi Noelwr, Holland America is a lot like what HH described, your room key is basically an electronic ID with a photo embedded in the strip and you have to take that and your passport everywhere you go as you go through security on and off the ship, but it is really fast. Just make sure to allow like 15 minutes so you don''t miss an excursion.

Have a great time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When do you leave?

 

[noelwr]

4th of April from Fort Lauderdale! and both of our birthdays will be during the cruise. maybe they'll give us something for free.

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 3/2/2010 11:42:16 AM
Author: noelwr
4th of April from Fort Lauderdale! and both of our birthdays will be during the cruise. maybe they''ll give us something for free.

They will! Well, Princess did for our honeymoon. Just let them know! We got a cake, they sang to us, we got balloons outside of our door and spa discounts.

Like HH said, getting on and off the boat was easy. You scan your card to get off, scan it to get back on, walk through a metal detector and put your bag through the scanner.

 

[meresal]

Date: 3/2/2010 11:42:16 AM
Author: noelwr
4th of April from Fort Lauderdale! and both of our birthdays will be during the cruise. maybe they'll give us something for free.

You should be able to add this to your reservation. Either log in online or call their customer service line and let them know that you would like to add that you are celebrating your birthday's to your reservation.

They will notify your room steward before you board the ship and the steward will set everything up for you thruout the week. Just be sure to do it before you leave for your trip (the earlier the better)! Have a great time!