for some distraction….
Posted: December 28, 2007 Filed under: ttc 2 Comments
moar funny pictures
Don’t get too distracted, I’m trying to get pregnant here!
CD 12, high on old Clear Blue, crazy amounts of eggwhite CM and a bare smidge of hope for this Cycle of Almost Hopeless Last Chances, because very, very, very good things are happening at the very top levels of the IVP. Things that are not yet bloggable because I don’t want to fuck with the mojo. But be joyous, my friends, good things are happening.
(shh…tiny link, so as not to fuck up the mojo)
how to be a good guest
Posted: December 26, 2007 Filed under: friends 3 Comments- show up
- bring your nice bf
- spoil cats
- chat in bathroom while brushing teeth
- clip cats’ claws
- pick up host from airport, thereby saving said host long, long nighttime drive
- make self at home
- leave delicious cookies
- love cats more than host does
- put up with rather large group of rather raucous company early xmas morning
- put on appropriate holiday themed music for aforementioned rather raucous company when host forgets that stereo exists
- talk in Cute Animal Voice™ to cats
Bonus:
- strip sheets from guest bed
- don’t leave (please)
The Boston kids are leaving. *sigh*
good tidings of great joy
Posted: December 25, 2007 Filed under: friends Leave a commentHome.
After a shitty, shitty Day O’ Travel, I am home. And, thanks to my very own Boston Girl and Boy, the cats are happy and have been well-manicured in my absence.
And there is a fire and whiskey and friends over. And tomorrow there’s folks coming for Breakfast Carbs and coffeez. Hooray and yay!
Merry, merry Everything to you, my friends.
the wagon
Posted: December 23, 2007 Filed under: friends, internet, travel, ttc 3 CommentsThere’s these folks in central va who have recently started roasting their own coffee, after years of running a coffee shop downtown. It’s delicious, and their kids are fucking cute. Long ago, back in the day, my Seattle friend, the girl one, and I used to get coffee from them. So I thought it would be nice to bring a bag of their coffee out here with me. Here being Seattle, specifically the couch in apartment 304. Anyway. I was up with the new baby from a little before 5 on, so the other adults could get some real sleep in, and round about 7 (when it was still dark – wtf?) I scrounged around and found the press-pot and made some coffee. Oh, god – so good. Especially with cookies that some kind person had brought over.
You see, I’ve “given up” coffee in the name of ttc (don’t laugh – it’s sort of true). Several years ago, I picked up the Toves and Brill book at Babeland (yes, I bought a book about getting pregnant at a s.ex toy store) and one of the things they talk about is giving up coffee. So I did. It was easy. I’d always loved it, but never really *needed* it to wake up. Morning is great – who needs coffee? Really, giving it up was no big deal at first, but then, I started to miss it. Coffee is good, y’all. So good. I think I’ll have another cup…… You, see? Fabulous. So I’ve been on and off coffee for a while now: I’ll drink it pretty regularly when if I’m taking a break, but mostly I have green tea in the mornings (helpful for CM, or so say many of the Alterna-Fertility Sources) and a weekly treat of coffee plus the occasional other cup, say, if some kind soul brings us coffee at work or cho-girl needs an afternoon coffee date. I’d like to tell you that the result of all this is that I am now knocked up. But, no. The real result of all this abstaining is that I love coffee even more. And appreciate it. Absence, even just occasional absence, makes the heart grow fonder. And I am fond of you, dear, dear coffee. So fond of your deliciousness and bitter tastiness and fragrant steam. And yes, I will become one with you the whole fucking time I am in Seattle and it will be great. Great, I tell you.
Another libation I’ve given up – sort of – is alcohol. We’ll say sort of because I only really abstain during the two week wait. Otherwise, I’ll live it up. Well, not really, as my tolerance has dropped to the level of a giggling first year sorority girl. *sigh* But, as with coffee, the lack has lead to an even greater appreciation. A more full savoring, you might say. Whiskey – good stuff.
What’s so fascinating about all this, if you’re fascinated by the less-than intricate workings of my body and psyche, is that it become abundantly clear that I am not a teetotaler. Not in the literal/historic sense, nor in the figurative sense. I’m not really into doing or not doing *anything* religiously. I fascinate myself. Ha.
Also speaking of addiction, I have a real soft spot for my computer, which I am posting on as we speak! Any other posts or electronic communication has gone out by way of my friend’s computer, which she is unendingly generous with, but I’ve missed my machine. One might say I’ve been going through withdrawal, or one might simply note the joyousness of our current reunion. As you know from previous posts, I’ve been unable to connect to the wireless network here for unknown reasons, but just now I found an unprotected one. In fact, the mainbody of this post was written 2 days ago. Thank you, oh trusting holder of the network zoom. Thank you.
Off to make some custard.
withdrawl and ratios
Posted: December 22, 2007 Filed under: friends, the girl, travel Leave a commentI’ve got a small bone to pick with Apple. Since I upgraded to the new OS, I can’t seem to use my friends’ secure wireless networks. Even after they give me the password. It’s happened here in Seattle and, looking back, I wonder if that was what was going on in Boston. Anyway, I am stealing my friend’s computer while she naps. With the baby and her husband. I am jonesing for my machine – I really, really miss the two-finger scroll. Not an Euphemism. I swear.
I’ve been IM-ing with Sophie, which is always entertaining, as it gives me a different, distanced sense of her. Not seeing her in front of me somehow lets me see her in a new light – she seems older, funnier. Minus the tweener-speak crap – “u” for “you” and that sort of shit. But really, y’all, the kid’s a riot:
Sophie: i wrapped ur present 2day!!!
me: you mean, my pony?!Sophie: uh yeah… (cough cough)i needed sooo much wrapping papr to wrap it!!!me: aw – i think i’ll name it…..ummmm…..paco!paco the ponyis he cute?say yes!Sophie: hahahayeah totally….me: thank god – i would give him back if he weren’t cuteSophie: paco the pony… real smart…
I’m always telling her I want a pony when she asks me what I want for my birthday or Christmas. I miss her a bunch. We always do run-of-the-mill holiday things once school ends, like walk downtown to look at the gingerbread houses and bake cookies and go to movies and lay around and read. But I’m not there. Oh, well – after I get home I’ll get my fix.
In other, new baby news, things are good – we took Small Fruit Baby to the doctor today and she’s gained 8 ounces since birth on Monday. Kid’s a rock star. The birth was crazy intense, but things are as smooth as they can be now. Her daddy needs to write down her birthstory, because, god damn, the man can write. Other than the doctor outing, we’re doing a lot of nothing – laying around eating, cooking and tidying (2 of my faves!), passing the baby, trying to convince her that day is day and night is night. I am more and more convinced that a ratio of 3:1 is perfect for newborns.
Oh! And? I drove! In a strange city! And did not get lost or scared!
oo! oo! me! pick me!
Posted: December 20, 2007 Filed under: meme Leave a commentI got tagged for a meme! By Gold Star! We both have “star” in our fake names! Oh, boy!
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
egg nog – from my aunt Jesse’s recipe
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
both ways, Santa goes both ways
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
white on the tree, none on the house this year because I’m slack
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
when I can get it – last year’s is still up
5. When do you put your decorations up?
whenever Sophie is willing to decorate and after the cho-boys bring me my tree
6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
Commonwealth Special
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child.
ummmm…… all of them? Except the one when I was 5 and puking.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
from my ever-truthful mama; this is a total lie, she’d still be playing along if she could – really I learned the truth about Santa from a Laura Ingalls Wilder book
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas eve?
when I was a kid, we’d do one and only one on Christmas Eve, but now I open all my teacher gifts then
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
with a lot of commentary from Sophie
11. Snow! Love it or dread it?
love, love, love
12. Can you ice skate?
nope
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
nope
14. What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
time off from work! Woo and Hoo! (And my friends, and my families.) And time off from work!
15. What is your favorite Holiday dessert?
popcorms! And hot toddies! And eggnog!
16. What is your favorite Holiday tradition?
folks coming to visit and having popcorms and hot toddies and egg nog with me, and making fun of Jesus, and looking at lights with Sophie, and having more folks over for Commonwealth Special Christmas Morning
17. What tops your tree?
a dove – peace, yo
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
what was the question?
19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree, plus anything sung at the the Annual Country Christmas by LB
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
Yum!
Yay! Memes! I tag…..ummmm….. Chicory and cho-girl, and Cali.
So, for reals, I got a virtual copy of this meme from Sophie, my pretend child, by way of email just a few days ago. It was full of “r” instead of “are” and shit like that. Ah, pre-adolescence…..
‘Kay, y’all. My computer is not playing nice with the internets here in Seattle, although all other things are good, so I’ll post as I can.
Merry Everything, y’all
gospel of the Season
Posted: December 17, 2007 Filed under: friends, ttc 10 CommentsOr, good news always outweighs bad.
So, yes, my adoring fans, you do not have to give up on this being a ttc blog – my period started last night and so I’ll be trying again shortly. You know you’re excited!
Also, everybody in blogland is getting snow, except us here in Central VA. Do you know why? Because now we are Richmond. When I was a kid, back in the day, we got snow good and proper: a few small storms of a couple inches each, and every other year or so a Big Snow – a couple feet. And, back in the day, Richmond would get ice and rain when we got snow, or so the weather reports said. And now? There are calls for snow, and we get rain and ice. We are Richmond now. I am not so much a fan of Richmond.
Anyway, the real news, the Good News, is that there is a new baby come. A tiny girl born early today in Seattle to my dear friends there.
For I have observed her star at its rising and will go to pay her homage.
oh, the days of crappiness, they go on and on
Posted: December 16, 2007 Filed under: friends, ttc 2 CommentsI have been sick. This is distressing for any number of reasons, the foremost of which is My Reputation. See, I don’t get truly sick. I mean, really, I just don’t and yesterday, I left work early, and so – adios, Reputation. Plus, being sick sucks. You forget when it doesn’t happen to you much.
Have some lists.
Crap:
- crazy Thursday afternoon/evening involving vehicle mix-ups, lots of driving, worry about people I love being in pain, frantic cooking and food delivery, scalding my hand with recently boiling water, and growing Dread about my dearly beloved car (2 rounds of crying over all this – final one prompted by the scalding)
- beginnings of feeling sick
- confirmed Dread about my dearly beloved car with bonus well-intentioned but still lame-o comments from mechanic who delivered the news
- worse and worse feeling sick
- spending money to get soon-to-be-gone but still dearly beloved car from shop – money that didn’t even get them to open the long broken trunk latch. (I should have been more demanding, but I had to get out of the office before I started to cry. Ugh. Crying.)
- shitty news from Cali, who is due for good news, not shit
- skipping 2 xmas parties that I actually wanted to leave the house for
- negative hpt
And the Less-Than-Crap:
- well-intentioned mechanic, who saved me a great deal of money by refusing to work on my dearly beloved car
- good, good folks at work who covered my ass so I could leave work early when sick
- sleeping on the couch with the cats
- Sophie’s Irish Music performance Friday night (it was good, actually really good!)
- my dad bringing firewood into the house so I wouldn’t have to
- my roommate feeding the cats and tending the fire so I could sleep late (the cats lied to me about being fed, though. Pigs)
- cho-girl and the not-so-small-cho, aka Service Boy, also bringing firewood into the house
- fabulous news by way of the IVP and FF about babies coming and correct numbers of eggs
- eating lunch and feeling better
- birthday alert from Friendster. For Jesus. His birthday is almost here.
The Less-Than Crap seems to outweigh the Crap. Whew.
I found a new blog today and she describes the post-ovulation phase as ” akin to taking a potato peeler to your skin.” Yep.
I’d been pretty good with the wait this go-round: no cloth diaper website trolling, very little angst, no planing of the joyous “it worked!” Caved post, no mentally rehearsing the even more joyous “it worked!” phone call to my mama, occasionally not even thinking about it. Nice, huh?
I just can’t shake the nagging feeling that it didn’t work – my temps were wack, I couldn’t pinpoint ovulation and somewhat randomly manually overrode FF to set it for 2 Saturdays ago. So it looks like I’m 14 dpo, but really, it could be 13. I expect to be bleeding tomorrow (all the weeping, you know). And from there I’ll move on to the monitoring cycle the RE wants to do and then the dye-test and meds and IUI’s. So much for DIY-AI. Oh, well.
Meanwhile, I only have 2 days of school left! And, did I tell you I am going to Seattle? Woo and Hoo! To see a baby be born! Or to coddle my friends through the last long days of pregnancy.
go, go, go!
Posted: December 14, 2007 Filed under: friends 1 Comment
Eggs for you, Cali.
I’m all triple crossed over here, babe.
brava
Posted: December 13, 2007 Filed under: the girl 3 CommentsSo I was late to Sophie’s orchestra concert. Luckily, the 5th graders played first and then a bunch of them left, with their families in tow, so I scooted down the aisle and sat down with Sophie’s mama and stepdad and big (as in my age big) brother. Her dad and stepmom were there, too. The kid’s got a village, man. It’s particularly entertaining when we all show up for back-to-school night. Anyway.
Did I mention she’s first chair violin? Hmmmm, why, yes, I did! Did you know that means she was the concertmaster? Do you know what the concertmaster does? She walks in after the rest of the orchestra is seated and they all stamp their feet (and we, the ever-adoring audience, clap) and she bows, to us, the ever-adoring audience, and then turns and plays her A string (I could be making this part up, as I have no idea what the hell goes on with a violin) and then the rest of the orchestra plays their A string, or whatever, and then she sits down and the concert starts. At least, that’s what a concertmaster does at her school. The bow was quick and to the point, but, oh the poise once she turned around to give that first note to the orchestra. Amazing. And she was lovely. So, so beautiful with her hair pulled back just at the top and her skirt “with a chain,” as she puts it and tiny black flats. Cute, yes, because she still little enough that doing something as adult as playing in an orchestra is cute, but also beautiful, like young girls are as you see them come into themselves.
caved 
