MY GODLY AND HEALTHY OBSESSION {01.29.2015}

There are very few things that I am obsessed with, but with that being said, my favorite obsession is 19 Kids and Counting. They are so Godly, so loving, so faithful, so caring and literally all the good things in the world. They make my heart melt. Partially because of their love for their children but also because everything they do and teach and preach, is God. It amazes me that we have people in the world who cannot care for one infant but they have 19 beautiful children and can love, provide, nurture, and care for them all!!! Another reason I love them, is that when I have kids, I want my kids to be raised through Gods word and love. I want them to know how much they were prayed for and are continued to be prayed for. I want my children to feel Gods love for them as much as we love them and more. God has such a way of loving us and providing for us if we let Him. 

With that being said, I did want to do a little update. Currently I am in my TWW!!! My temps have risen for two days so far and *fingers crossed* tomorrow will make three which means I successfully ovulated on time! So for now, while we wait for Test Day to arrive, I will resume my normal daily blogging and will no longer be doing cycle updates unless something crazy happens, then I will return and update you immediately!

That's all I've got for today but I wanted to share a picture of me and some precious 6week old puppies that came into the clinic the other day...

It's ok to cry out loud and say that you need them, I did too!! Oh, and P.S., ignore the fact that I look exhausted, it was a busy day.

Have a fabulous night and I'll catch up with you tomorrow!

God Bless!!!

OPK | CYCLE DAY 15 {01.27.2015}

Today I "reconfigured" my cycle!!!

According to my Drs papers, I should ovulate around cycle days 15 through 18. That got me to thinking..."what if the OPK on CD 12 was not a true positive?" 

Then I started thinking about everything that goes into calculating and pinpointing ovulation...

1) positive OPK 

2) EWCM 

3) rise in temps for 3 days

Well, maybe, just maybe, I haven't actually ovulated yet. Let's take a look at my 7 days of OPKs as well as my Fertility Friend chart and Ovia Fertility Monitor.

OPK | CYCLE DAY 15 : CLOMID YEAR 2 • ROUND 1

Here are CDs 9 through 11, you can see on CD 9 it is very faint and negative, CDs 10 & 11 are slightly darker but still negative. 

Next, you see CDs 12 through 15. CD 12 looked as dark as the control like but after further investigation it turned out to still be slightly lighter which would make it negative. CD 13 was definitely a negative, and it was followed by CDs 14 & 15 which are both negatives. 

Park of the reason I believe that I have not quite yet ovulated is the fact that my OPKs are getting darker again, AND I have yet to see a rise in temps which means ovulation could not have occurred yet. The only thing that I find strange, is that on CD 12, when I thought I ovulated, my temp rose. However, it was not followed by three rising temps. 

As of right now, I'm not sure what this means. I was very certain that I ovulated on CD 12 but I'm starting to believe that maybe I will ovulate soon and that is why my temps are dipping.

********Cycle Update {01.26.2015}*******

Fertility Friend

My chart yesterday shows the rise on CD 12 but then two preceding days of dropped temps.

Ovia Fertility Monitor

Before I "reconfigured" my cycle, this is what Ovia was telling me. Keep in mind this was with the CD 12 OPK being saved as positive.

***********Cycle Updated Below************

Fertility Friend

Focus only on the temps and notice how they have continued to drop. Again, this lets me know that I have, in fact, not ovulated at this time.

Ovia Fertility Monitor

And you can see that after I "reconfigured" my cycle and removed the positive OPK, Ovia updated the cycle information dashboard. 

I believe that ovulation will take place within the next two to three days. I will no longer take OPKs and instead will only be relying on my temps from here on out.

Also, the SMEP will be drastically changed. For now our plan is to BD every other night until shift in temp. Once the first raised temp has been seen, we will begin following the SMEP BD days suggested for OPK day until cycle end.

Thanks for sticking around and keeping up with our crazy cycle! Baby dust and God Bless!

THE GREAT DEBATE {01.26.2015}

So, that's it! It's over. Can't you believe this cycle has ended just like that? Now, we wait. FOR TWO WEEKS!!! I'm pulling my hair out already. But seriously, this cycle has ended and now the waiting game has begun. My temps still have not budged. Looks like they are just going to drive me nuts. I don't know what's going on and maybe my doctor will have a little insight when he receives my chart, but to me, it doesn't look like much. I'm just praying, that regardless of those stupid temps, what matters is 1) timing and 2) the OPKs. I feel like we did our best to time it perfectly and I pray that this is our cycle...finally!!!

Aside from all the baby making fun that's been going down this last week, E and I have been discussing traveling. 2014 was our travel year and we had such a blast! Right now, we are in the midst of what I like to call "The Great Debate".

"What's the great debate" you ask? Well! Basically, it's the debate between which will happen first. Right now, being in the TWW, we have no idea what's going to happen when we reach HPT test day. It could be positive and all our prayers will be answers. Or, it could be negative.

If it's positive, we will be so incredibly happy and blessed and thrilled and excited, and elated, and surprised, and full of wonderment.

If it's negative, we will be so sad but we get to go on a cruise.

It's a catch twenty-two. On one hand, a cruise would be MAGNIFICENT! But having a baby and starting our family means so much more to us then any cruise or trip or vacation or money!!! A family is truly the greatest gift anyone can receive. But, I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens. Wait and see if it is in God's plans for us to conceive this month or if He feels like it's still not our time.

For some encouragement...

Oh, and I do plan on doing one last OPK update which will feature today and tomorrow's OPKs and stats, and that will be posted tomorrow. If you are in your TWW, I want to send you lots of baby dust and well wishes and PLEASE, keep me updated!

Sweet dreams and God Bless!

OPK | CYCLE DAY 13 {01.25.2015}

Today was a truly beautiful and amazing day. You know the drill with the temps in the morning so let's fast forward. Around 8:00am we got out of bed and rushed to get ready. We headed to church and stopped in the bookstore for some early morning treats and while there, I got to see an old co-worker. The service today was so inspiring and just what we needed to give us that little *humph* to get through this cycle with positivity and faith. 

Following church, we visited with E's parents and had a delicious lunch made by E's dad. We decided that since The Katy Home and Garden Festival was in town we'd stop by and take a walk. E's parents joined us and both of us ended up buying a totally adorable, affordable, and outstanding little vacuum. It's amazing! So glad we got it! We also grabbed some Scentsy bars since we've been needing some new smells. Oh, we even stopped by the dog training booth and watched them, they were so well behaved!!! 

I mean really though? He stood there for 10 minutes as the trainer explained things and showed other demonstrations with the other dog. I was impressed! 

Today, to my surprise, my OPK was GONE!!! It was literally sooo faint, but my temps are so low and I was hoping they would go up. Although I have read that it doesn't matter about temps because every person is different. I guess that means ovulation took place yesterday. 

OPK | CYCLE DAY 13 : CLOMID YEAR 2 • ROUND 1

*test one* 

CD9 - negative, extremely faint

*test two* 

CD10 - negative, strong faint

*test three* 

CD11 - negative, strong faint

*test four*

CD 12 - positive, as dark as control line

*test five*

CD 13 - negative, extremely faint 

***********Cycle Update Below***********

Fertility Chart

Ovia Fertility Monitor

Sperm Meets Egg Plan (Baby Dance Days Only)

•{Baby Dance}
OPK day, the following 2 days, skip a day & next day:
1/24, 1/25, 1/26, & 1/28

*SMEP Full Version*

OPK | CYCLE DAY 12 {01.24.2015}

Today was a {GLORIOUS} day! First thing, like every day, I awoke at 6:30am to take my temp. To my surprise, it went up! Well ok, not really a "surprise" considering yesterday I was Crampy McGee! I'm so thankful though because we've been, well you know, BDing as we were told. 

After waking up to take my temps, I spent most of the day messing around, watching tv and being bored, just waiting for E to get home. When he FINALLY got home from work, we both got dressed and headed out for a nice dinner and movie date. 

We stopped at Olive Garden and filled up on breadsticks and salad, then split the Chicken Marsala. E got Angry Orchard and I got the Strawberry Limonata...YUM! 

Once dinner was over, we headed to City Centre for a movie. We ended up choosing "Into The Woods"! I am in love! What a wonderful movie! I cannot wait to see the play. 

Don't worry, I also kept up with my OPK today. I am always a little weiry when it comes to my OPKs because with Clomid, it can be tricky. Also, I never really know what a positive should look like since every person's is different. The only way I will know 100% is by monitoring my temps. So, today marks day 1 of a raised temp. If it stays up for 2 more days, then that means ovulation took place yesterday. Here's to tomorrow, and let's take a look at my CD 12 update.

OPK | CYCLE DAY 12 : CLOMID YEAR 2 • ROUND 1

*top test* 

CD9 - negative, extremely faint

*middle#1 test* 

CD10 - negative, strong faint

*middle#2 test* 

CD11 - negative, strong faint

*bottom test*

CD12 - positive, as dark as control line 

***********Cycle Update Below***********

Fertility Chart

Ovia Fertility Monitor

Sperm Meets Egg Plan (Baby Dance Days Only)

•{Baby Dance}
Cycle days 9 through 17:
1/24, 1/26, & 1/28

*SMEP Full Version*

OPK | CYCLE DAY 11 {01.23.2015}

Symptoms, symptoms, and more symptoms! Today has been one of those days where symptoms are VERY prominent. Today, pretty much all day, I could feel twinges and cramping in my right pelvic area. To my surprise though, and as you'll see below, I still have yet to ovulate. I keep thinking its close but, it fools me again. How does the saying go? "Fool me once, shame on me, Fool me twice, shame on you"? Well, I'm shaming my LH surge and symptoms for being so cruel as to provide me with necessary ovulation symptoms and queues but not actually be ovulating. *sigh*

Well, at least I'm still remaining positive and, as a bonus, here is a picture of an awesome Bengal cat that came into the clinic today...

I NEEEDDD ITTT!!! But seriously though, how freaking awesome! 

We digress, here's today's stats...

OPK | CYCLE DAY 11 : CLOMID YEAR 2 • ROUND 1

*top test* 

CD9 - negative, extremely faint

*middle test* 

CD10 - negative, strong faint

*bottom test* 

CD11 - negative, strong faint

***********Cycle Update Below***********

Fertility Chart

Ovia Fertility Monitor

Sperm Meets Egg Plan (Baby Dance Days Only)

•{Baby Dance}
Cycle days 9 through 17:
1/24, 1/26, & 1/28

*SMEP Full Version*

OPK | CYCLE DAY 10 {01.22.2015}

Today was a pretty darn good day for me but not so much for the weather here in Katy, TX. I managed to wake up and get out of the house fairly early, which was nice because I got to "hang out" in the break room before starting work. Work was crazy busy and it didn't help that two of the girls were missing. After work, I headed to the acupuncturist. I will admit that I am so glad that I had the appointment for today because as you'll see below, my OPK was much darker today. I have a feeling I'll see a positive tomorrow. *sidenote* I did take the OPK at the same time, 11am. The only thing that always worries me is those darn temps. I went back down today. I guess the rise was just my pre-ovulation rise?at least I've read that that will happen. According to my Ovia app, I've got two days until I'm in the fertile window...we shall see. 

We are still following the SMEP to the best of our abilities. It's tricky with E's crazy work/school schedule but we're making sure that we stay focused. 

Going back, the acupuncture appointment went very well. It always does. I am praying that with everything we have factored in, that this round will be the one. My doctor seemed very confidant and both E and I feel the same!

Well, here's my cycle info for today. Let's see what the OPK, FF temps, and Ovia app look like tomorrow. 

OPK | CYCLE DAY 10 : CLOMID YEAR 2 • ROUND 1

Here is a side by side comparison of day 1 and day 2...

***********Cycle Update Below***********

Fertility Chart

Ovia Fertility Monitor

Sperm Meets Egg Plan (Baby Dance Days Only)

•{Baby Dance}
Cycle days 9 through 17:
1/22, 1/24, 1/26, 1/28, & 1/30

*sidenote* we will also be BDing on positive OPK day, the following 2 days, then skip a day and BD again: this will be the end of the cycle and will begin our TWW.

*SMEP Full Version*

OPK | CYCLE DAY 9 {01.21.2015}

This morning, I had every intention on taking an OPK but after reading multiple sites and fact checking, turns out it's best to take OPKs around 2pm. So I took mine at 11am. Looks like every day, until I get a positive, I will be taking them at 11am. Talk about AWKWARD!! Because I'm at work at 11am. That's right! I went into the bathroom, POAS, and then raced to put it back in my purse. Luckily my office knows my "deal" and was just going right along with it. 

I took the test and let it sit in my purse for 5 minutes before reading it. To my surprise, it was a pretty strong, but still negative, OPK. I thought for sure it would be super negative. which actually lead me to investigate. I read online that some women have a "fertile window" that starts around cycle day 9 and ends around cycle day 15. To be honest, I was starting to think that I might have actually ovulated already. My temps sky-rocketed this morning, yesterday I had watery CM, and a faint but strong-ish positive...I will continue to test as well as take the OPKs until a strong positve is seen. 

I did want to share a quick photo as well as a cycle update for my fellow TTC Sisters.

OPK | CYCLE DAY 9 : CLOMID YEAR 2 • ROUND 1

***********Cycle Update Below***********

Fertility Chart

Ovia Fertility Monitor

Sperm Meets Egg Plan (Baby Dance Days Only)

•{Baby Dance}
Cycle days 9 through 17:
1/21, 1/23, 1/25, 1/27, & 1/29

*SMEP Full Version*

IT'S TIME: TIMES TWO {01.20.2015}

So much is going on tomorrow my mind feels like twister, going in circles, but my heart feels full! Let's start with the great news...

First thing up on tomorrow's agenda: follow Alexa & Josh's Facebook page! Our very very very good best friends for life are having their first baby TOMORROW!!! I swear, 9 months flies by, at least for me it did! I seriously cannot believe Delivery Day is here for them. I remember Alexa texting me as early as 4 weeks along. Then again, I was one of the first to know that she was having a girl. AND, *drumroll* we were even selected to be Madison's Godparents. What a blessing! So yes, our best friends are indeed having their baby tomorrow. They checked into the hospital this evening and are patiently waiting until 4:30am *yikes* for the Pitocin. It seems so surreal and I can't even imagine how they feel. These are the days/moments when I wonder what "our" story will be like. What "our" D-Day will be like. But for now, I will focus on our best friends and the arrival of our sweet Goddaughter ~ Madison Nicholle!!!

In Other News...

Tomorrow I start daily OPKs!!! Yay! This is great because we can finally get down to the "nitty gritty", the "dirty dancing", the "boogie", the "birds and the bees"? Ah you get it! So yes, tomorrow I can finally start the daily OPKs and hopefully *fingers crossed* I will see a very very clear positive within the next 7 to 10 days. I must admit that I am very positive about this cycle. I am using the "Secret: Law of Attraction" to keep myself focused and only concerned with the good, not the bad. And, of course, good ol' prayer requests nightly to the one and only Himself: God, Our Lord and Savior!

As you can see, there is lots and lots of good going on tomorrow. I am really looking forward to seeing photos of my Goddaughter until we can see her in February, when they come to Texas from Arkansas. I'm even looking forward to everything that this cycle brings, hot flashes and all! 

******************************Cycle Update Below****************************

Fertility Chart

Ovia Fertility Monitor

Sperm Meets Egg Plan

•{Baby Dance}
Cycle days 9 through 17:
1/21, 1/23, 1/25, 1/27, & 1/29

•{OPKs}

Cycle day 9 through 15:
1/21, 1/22, 1/23, 1/24, 1/25, 1/26, 1/27 = 7 days

•{Two Week Wait}
Cycle day 18 through 29
1/30 through 2/10

•{Bloodwork}
Cycle day 29
2/10

•{HPT}
Cycle day 32
2/13

•{Acupuncture}

Cycle day 12
1/24

CLOMID YEAR 2 • ROUND 1 {01.05.2015}

Cycle Day: 1

Medication: Prenatals

Symptoms: Horrible horrible cramps! I had to use my heating-pad pretty much all night because of the cramps

OPK or HPT: Neither

Next Dr. Appt.: Not scheduled 

Milestones: Tomorrow I start Clomid

Cycle Day: 2
Medication: Prenatals and day 1 of 100mg Clomid
Symptoms: Cramps are back, but not as bad as last night
OPK or HPT: Neither
Next Dr. Appt.: Not scheduled
Milestones: No symptoms of Clomid yet-yay!

Cycle Day: 3
Medication: Prenatals and day 2 of 100mg Clomid
Symptoms: Hot flashes slowly beginning
OPK or HPT: Not yet
Next Dr. Appt.: Not scheduled
Milestones: I have been happy and positive, trying to beat those "normal" PMS/Hormones

Cycle Day: 4
Medication: Prenatals and day 3 of 100mg Clomid
Symptoms: Hot flashes getting worst
OPK or HPT: Not yet
Next Dr. Appt.: Not scheduled
Milestones: Bought the OPKs, been temping daily, and feel so so positive about this cycle

Cycle Day: 5
Medication: Prenatals and day 4 of 100mg Clomid
Symptoms: Hot flashes still bugging me but not horrible to my surprise
OPK or HPT: Not yet
Next Dr. Appt.: Not scheduled
Milestones: LAST DAY OF CLOMID!

***********************************************************
Fertility Chart

Ovia Fertility Monitor

Sperm Meets Egg Plan

•{Clomid}
Cycle days 2 through 6:
1/14, 1/15, 1/16, 1/17, & 1/18

•{Baby Dance}
Cycle days 7 through 17:
1/19, 1/21, 1/23, 1/25, 1/27, & 1/29

•{OPKs}
Cycle day 10 through 16:
1/22, 1/23, 1/24, 1/25, 1/26, 1/27, & 1/28

•{Two Week Wait}
Cycle day 18 through 32
1/30 through 2/13

•{HPT}
Cycle day 33 through 35
2/14 through 2/16

HERE WE GO AGAIN {01.13.2015}

Big "C" day is just a few hours away!!! Hard to believe that we are back on TTC duty. It's almost like an old friend that you never were that close to but still there are memories. Well, that's our relationship with Clomid at least. It's a love/hate relationship. Today officially marked day 1 of Mrs. AF making her arrival. I knew she was coming by the headaches and sore boobs. Only took her 100 days to get here!!! Can you believe that? I went 100 without a period!!! Crazy! 

I must admit, I have never been sooo excited to see her in my whole life. Her arrival means that the hubs and I can embark on another amazing journey through the whirling, twirling, quick twisting and crazy world of TTC. This cycle means so much to me. If  When we find out in a few weeks that we ARE pregnant, I'm using the secret and staying positive, it will mean that our baby will be due around E's birthday. What a blessing! He would LOVE that! I know I'm getting pregnant this round! This is OUR round, OUR year, and I couldn't be more excited for what the next few weeks hold in store for us. 

I feel very lucky to be able to get pregnant. I know that many women cannot, and although our miscarriage was absolutely devastating, I am thankful everyday that that baby was our sign from God that we CAN in fact get PREGNANT! That's huge! I am also very blessed that E is perfect! When we got his semen analysis done and the results came back 100% perfect, I was shocked. I must also be thankful for this because many men experience infertility themselves. Sure, three years of waiting sucks. It really really does. But I think the one thing that kept us going is the undeniable fact that we COULD CAN WILL get pregnant and our Rainbow baby WILL be here in 2015! I have so much faith. I believe in God. I believe He knows what is right for us and when we need things. I believe He loves E and I and wants us to have a baby or He would never have given us the first one. I believe that our angel baby, SweetPea, is in heaven sending us well wishes that His/Her brother or sister will be healthy and in our arms soon. That's all I have. Belief. Now, I know some people do not believe, or some may even give up on God. But if I give up on Him isn't that grounds for Him to give up on me too? Well, of course not, His love is unconditional. That is why I believe. It is His unconditional love that continues to inspire me. To move me forward with this journey. He is inspires to be thankful, grateful, appreciative, humble, and blessed for all the wonderful things I've been given in this journey so far. So as E and I embark on this journey, well at least for the next few weeks until test day, I will look up, I will pray, I WILL believe with all of my heart that this IS OUR YEAR for our Rainbow Baby! Here's to another round with love and faith in my heart, mind, and soul.

I wanted to remind you that I will be updating weekly, possibly daily, throughout the journey. I will be posting first update tonight. Here is what my update will look like...

Cycle Day:

Medication:

Symptoms:

OPK or HPT:

Next Dr. Appt.:

Milestones:

Fertility Chart:

God Bless and Baby Dust

PROVERA • DAYS 1-5 {01.09.2015}

Last Monday, January 5, I returned to my OBGYN's office after a whole year off TTC duty. It was refreshing to be back in the TTC world, but it definitely brought back memories...good and bad. After my appointment, I filled a prescription for Provera. Provera, in simple terms, is a medication administered by a Doctor to start a woman's menstrual cycle. I took this pill for five days: January 5 through January 9. I wanted to do a cycle update, to key you in on some of the things that took place during those five days. This will hopefully help anyone who is looking into getting on Provera or anyone that may be about to start taking Provera. Here are my five days of updates...

Provera Day 1 ~ 01/05
Cycle Day: --- (cycle has not started yet)

Medication: Provera 10mg

Symptoms: None, I really didn't expect any since I took the pill around 8pm

OPK or HPT: ---

Next Dr. Appt.: Not scheduled yet

Milestones: Feeling confident, I was so nervous taking the pill but I swallowed it and I feel like that is a pretty big milestone so far

Fertility Chart: Will upload once cycle begins, starting on day 1

Provera Day 2 ~ 01/06

Cycle Day: --- (cycle has not started yet)

Medication: Provera 10mg

Symptoms: Feeling residual from yesterdays but a little sore boobs and a few cramps throughout the day but eventually subsided

OPK or HPT: ---

Next Dr. Appt.: Not scheduled yet

Milestones: None today

Fertility Chart: Will upload once cycle begins, starting on day 1

Provera Day 3 ~ 01/07

Cycle Day: --- (cycle has not started yet)

Medication: Provera 10mg

Symptoms: Same thing, just sore boobs

OPK or HPT: ---

Next Dr. Appt.: Still not scheduled

Milestones: Nothing...boo!!!!

Fertility Chart:---

Provera Day 4 ~ 01/08

Cycle Day: --- (cycle has not started yet)

Medication: Provera 10mg

Symptoms: Boobs and horrible tight, pinching cramps right around 5:30pm, headache hit around the same time as the cramps

OPK or HPT: ---

Next Dr. Appt.: Nope, not yet hehe

Milestones: I did remember to take my temp this morning, finally!!!

Fertility Chart: ---

Provera Day 5 ~ 01/09

Cycle Day: --- (cycle has not started yet)

Medication: Provera 10mg

Symptoms: Boobs feel heavy and soreness is on and off throughout the day, cramps have only hit about three times today and it was not nearly as bad as Thursday, also I've had a headache all day but have felt no sickness and a good amount of energy so I know it's not getting sick, possibly Provera

OPK or HPT: ---

Next Dr. Appt.: Not quite yet

Milestones: Feel pretty proud to have successfully remembered to take a prenatal every morning, I also remembered to take my temp this morning YAY, and today was my last day of Provera HIP HIP HOORAY!

Fertility Chart: ---

OBGYN | RECAP {01.05.2015}

This afternoon around 3:30pm was my much awaited visit with my OBGYN, who I haven't seen since our miscarriage back in October of 2013. Nerves, butterflies, excitement, and even a little bit of questioning our decisions went down. I arrived to the office and immediately felt sick to my stomach. I could feel the butterflies swirling around reminding me of the same drive we made when we would find out our baby gained his or her wings. It was also the same drive we made when I had to go through the dreaded D&C Procedure. 

After I checked in, I sat calmly and continued to remind myself that this is our year and we will get pregnant with our healthy rainbow baby. The nurse called me back and asked me what I was wanting to speak with the Dr. about. I let her know it was to continue fertility treatment and she walked me to another waiting room, this one was the same one we sat in when we waited for the ultrasound. I waited for another 30 minutes and finally it was time to see my doctor. He was very welcoming and I told him that E and I had been gone for so long because we just needed some time to "reset." He understood and explained that miscarriages are hard for anyone and it was understandable for us to have taken a break. I told him that I wanted to begin Clomid again and he understood. We talked for a few minutes before I handed him E's semen analysis. He immediately said "wow!, he is seriously good to go." I just giggled because that's the same thing the fertility specialist said. He gave me a prescription for five 10mg of Provera and ten 50mg of Clomid to be taken twice a day, so 100mg a day for five days. The only thing he changed was the days in which I will take Clomid. Used to be, I would take Clomid on days three through seven of my cycle. Now I will be taking it on days two through six. Before I took my prescription note, he said "next time I see you, you will be pregnant." E and I wholeheartedly believe that January will be our month. 

To all my TTC Sisters, I want to wish you the best of luck and I know in my heart that this is our year to get our healthy babies. 

Baby Dust and God Bless