All Wrapped into One (PB Reveal, Christmas, & Happy Birthday AG)

Hello!  I hope you had a Merry Christmas.

First of all - just in case some don't want to read through a baby post, I has the privilege of praying for Anne at The Bazin Chronicles.  Although she didn't post much recently, her previous posts are hilarious!  She is a great writer and a teacher.  So cool.  I don't think she is "out" on her blog, so it was special to know that their intention to conceive was being raised up in the blogosphere.  

We had a quiet Christmas... just the three of us.  It was kind of reminiscent of last Christmas' relaxing celebration (minus my water breaking of course).  Here are a few pics of us celebrating:

Somehow she new her favorite toy was in that package.  

This is such a rare picture (Addie smiling and me without a too much of a double-chin, bags, etc) - I just had to share.  

Melt my heart...

Trying to figure the blocks out

She loves her toys!

I would be remiss to mention that today is AG's first birthday!  I will do a separate post with pics afterward (more for my sake than anything).  I have been ridiculously tearful when I think about the last year.  In particular, I get choked up thinking about labor.  

I am so thankful for our little munchkin.  Happy Birthday to my daughter.  

Menu Monday

I am sure that I am not alone in trying to find some sort of "easy" way to plan healthy meals for my family.  (I hear a lot of "Amen"'s out there).  I am trying to create a new system that involves a spreadsheet and links to recipes - see sidebar.  Right now I have the following worksheets in the file:

- Meal Ideas: suggestion of combinations of main dish and sides

- Adult Foods: foods that Snicks and I eat, and some that AG can also eat

- Child Foods: foods that are for AG

- Week 1 Menu: main dish and two sides; spaces for adult and child breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner; drop down lists draw from Adult Foods and Child Foods

- Week 1 Grocery List: list of groceries to get by store based upon menu for week (does not include what we already have in the pantry) - colors indicate sales and coupons

Although I like the idea of what I have created, it really doesn't fully do what I want it to which should make it super user friendly.  Here's what I want it to do:

- Links will be active even in dropdown lists (now I have to refer to the foods lists for the links to recipes)

- Somehow easily be transposed into a more attractive format (word?  mail merge?)

- Some sort of database with type of food, main ingredients, etc which would be searchable

- Shopping list is automatically created from necessary ingredients

Here are my thoughts on resolving the last two on that list:

- Create a new blog that is only recipes, then I can categorize each blog entry which would thereby be searchable

- Create a new worksheet for every.single.recipe that includes a column for number/volume of each ingredient; the grocery list would then sum all of the information in the selected sheets (although I don't know how this would work)

It is functional and useful the way it is right now but I am open to any and all suggestions for those who are more tech savvy than me. :)

I am thankful that we have enough food in our cupboards to eat.  

Just for Kicks

The (not-right-for-us) doctor whom Snicks and I met with had ordered a day 21 test (which, the informed would know it should have been P+7) which I thought I would do, just for kicks.  I knew I hadn't ov'd but thought it would be really interesting to see what my progesterone level was at in the middle of a non-ovulatory stage. 

0.25 

Yep - that is low.  Gotta love that there is certainly nothin' happening in my girly parts. 

I am thankful that the nurse was very sweet and prepared for me to break down and cry over the phone.  P'shaw. 

Back in the Game - with additional quip

Snicks and I are officially back in the TTC game as of today.  We have certainly not been avoiding but I am on CD16 of my first cycle since conceiving AG.  Fertility Friend kindly kept track of the length of my last cycle for me - a whopping 594 days!

Why today?  Well, we met with a doctor here who had been recommended to us by a friend.  Turns out she's just into the basics (clomid, salpingograms, etc) and won't be able to do any follistim or hcg triggers. We weren't sure that she would be a good fit before our appointment and now we know for sure that she won't be.  She was nice enough to order P+7 blood draws, though, so I'll do that in five days (even though it won't be peak, it will be day 21).  

I know it shouldn't bother me because she was just trying to get to know us (and my charts haven't arrived at her office yet), but she kept questioning what I said.  I said that I have verified PCOS and that clomid didn't work (we had four 50 mg cycles and one 100 mg cycle).  She wanted to know how it was verified and was dubious because I am not overweight.  I wanted to scream that average-sized people can have PCOS, too, but I know (now) that this is not her area of specialization.  She also said that I need to wean AG before really trying anything in case nursing is causing my ammenorhea.  AG is only nursing two times a day - sorry, but I highly doubt that has much, if anything to do with it.  I am smart enough to know that not having a cycle until now isn't surprising and that the next few could be irregular even without PCOS.  

The kicker was that when we aren't trying to get pregnant (when would that ever be?) I should be "regulating" because not menstruating at least every three months can lead to uterine cancer.  So, basically I should be scared into using BC so that I don't get cancer.  I almost got up and left but instead I gave Snicks the "is this lady for real?" look.  Needless to say, I am writing her off for any substantive services but will happily let her collect my bloodwork from CD21.  She also fed me the "pregnancy can improve fertility" line which I equate to the pregnancy after adoption theory.  Yes, it happens, but don't live by that motto.  

Next steps - start cutting out simple carbs and start charting.  Here we go...

I am thankful that years of TTC and reading blogs has made me a little bit of a fertility expert - at least in regards to my own care.

Added quip:  OH OH OH... I forgot to add the part where she says, "you're still young, you have plenty of time."  Seriously????????

Not a Baby Anymore...

Our best friends/AG's Godparents had a baby girl yesterday.  It made me stop and think about all of the emotions and newness of having an infant in our home.  AG turned 11 months last week and it truly is amazing to see all that she is doing.  Although it breaks my heart each day, I do think that the exposure to other kids her age at daycare is encouraging her to develop (for better or worse).

She and I were home today because she had a stomach bug yesterday.  We were able to spend some time out in the freshly fallen snow.



Then, she really gave us a treat... Snicks came home from his last (teaching) class of the semester and she took her first steps!  She had taken one step on two separate occasions in the past two days, but this was the first time that she took consecutive steps.  Seriously, where is my baby?  She is hiding in the body of an almost toddler!


I am thankful for our new blog.gie camera.  It is so easy to use and I am so glad we got it in time for her first steps!