The big drifts of snow bring out clucky thoughts of playing around in it with berry. Alas, I have four more months of strict oral contraceptive use. Even then, I'm hoping we don't actually get pregnant until July at earliest. September would be the latest. So, that's a 3 month (cycle?) window. Is that unrealistic? Well, it might be seeing as how I have no clue about my natural cycle length. 5 years of Seasonale may have thrown me out of whack, though no studies seem to suggest this. Its just hard to know.
So I have 12 more Fridays during which I can consume alcohol. I think I've reached my limit of enjoying it though. I guess I just wasn't cut out to be a binge drinker or alcoholic. I am warming to the notion of regular exercise, but it hasn't become my new religion or anything. I'm also on a new quest to consume a fruit or vegetable before every meal.
I found the perfect calendar for work. I was bored of fairies/fantasy and not quite ready for a baby themed calendar. So, I bought the Seed Savers calendar. Seeds and planting and growing are the perfect themes for me to surround myself with at this time.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
My caffeine addiction
Even before the day's headlines regarding caffeine and miscarriage, I intended to drop it. My last caffeine will be at the end of April. Thereafter, I'm going with teeccino. I haven't even tried it yet but I'm sure I'll find a flavor or two that agrees with me. So long as I can have a hot beverage in the mornings, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine.
I once drank 1-2 cups of coffee a day at the height of my attachment. It was free, and my job at the time was totally mind-numbing. However, I found a daily coffee habit made sleeping in on Saturdays a painful experience. My brain knew it was missing a certain something long before I intended to wake up. So, I switched to tea during the week and I'm much better off. Coffee is a weekend treat.
That said, my total intake amounts to 1 black tea, 1 or 2 green teas, and 1 can of diet soda each day. While I won't have as difficult a time cutting back as someone with a major habit, I can imagine that there will still be some unpleasantness involved. Maybe I'll make the soda virgin to start out and see how that goes.
I once drank 1-2 cups of coffee a day at the height of my attachment. It was free, and my job at the time was totally mind-numbing. However, I found a daily coffee habit made sleeping in on Saturdays a painful experience. My brain knew it was missing a certain something long before I intended to wake up. So, I switched to tea during the week and I'm much better off. Coffee is a weekend treat.
That said, my total intake amounts to 1 black tea, 1 or 2 green teas, and 1 can of diet soda each day. While I won't have as difficult a time cutting back as someone with a major habit, I can imagine that there will still be some unpleasantness involved. Maybe I'll make the soda virgin to start out and see how that goes.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Dearest DH
Don't tell him I said this, but it is kinda cute how honest, open, and non-angsty he is about telling anyone and everyone about our plans to take a stab at combining our DNA. He even told his sister our name for a girl!
I am way less open about all of this than he is. I can see it now, 8 months down the road.... I get a positive pee stick and he wants to tell the world while I want to wait until my 12wk ultrasound.
I guess my time on the net haunting all manner of pregnancy blogs has made me cautious.
But, I'm getting ahead of ourselves. I won't know for several more months if its going to be as easy as all that. Some of the ladies at work (who all have a bit of a maternal bent where I'm concerned) were talking about worry and how it changes but never ends. I think I have the worrying part down pat. Right now I'm worrying if we can conceive without too much intervention. Then I'll worry about how the berry* is doing. Then I'll worry about how the berry is born. Then I'll worry about breastfeeding... Yep, a lifetime of worry awaits me and I'm signing up for it wholeheartedly!
*berry: this is the name of our unconceived child. I feel it can be gender neutral, and has a small cute sound to it. However, I don't think I'll put caps on it typically, it will just be berry.
I think I'm changing the name of this blog to preconceived notions. :)
I am way less open about all of this than he is. I can see it now, 8 months down the road.... I get a positive pee stick and he wants to tell the world while I want to wait until my 12wk ultrasound.
I guess my time on the net haunting all manner of pregnancy blogs has made me cautious.
But, I'm getting ahead of ourselves. I won't know for several more months if its going to be as easy as all that. Some of the ladies at work (who all have a bit of a maternal bent where I'm concerned) were talking about worry and how it changes but never ends. I think I have the worrying part down pat. Right now I'm worrying if we can conceive without too much intervention. Then I'll worry about how the berry* is doing. Then I'll worry about how the berry is born. Then I'll worry about breastfeeding... Yep, a lifetime of worry awaits me and I'm signing up for it wholeheartedly!
*berry: this is the name of our unconceived child. I feel it can be gender neutral, and has a small cute sound to it. However, I don't think I'll put caps on it typically, it will just be berry.
I think I'm changing the name of this blog to preconceived notions. :)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Fitness
I am taking a fitness class online. The workout logs are on the honor system, but I'm finding myself tempted to be less than honorable. My log for this past week is due today. It was a tough week last week, and several factors combined to cause me to not exactly work out as much as I planned. I don't have to turn in a workout log this week, it is every other week. So, should I....
1. Be completely honest and put more time in on the next workout log so it doesn't impact my grade
2. Be mostly honest but count workout time for some activities that aren't exactly approved even though I worked my arse off and was sore as a result. This would mean I have less time to make up on the next log.
or...
3. Fib and forget the guilt. This is the last required class I need for my AA. I'm a reasonably healthy low-bmi person with a commitment to fitness that just didn't pan out last week.
DH is firmly advocating for #3, but he's biased. The time I spend working out is time I'm not spending with him or making meals etc.
What would I want my future child to do?
1. Be completely honest and put more time in on the next workout log so it doesn't impact my grade
2. Be mostly honest but count workout time for some activities that aren't exactly approved even though I worked my arse off and was sore as a result. This would mean I have less time to make up on the next log.
or...
3. Fib and forget the guilt. This is the last required class I need for my AA. I'm a reasonably healthy low-bmi person with a commitment to fitness that just didn't pan out last week.
DH is firmly advocating for #3, but he's biased. The time I spend working out is time I'm not spending with him or making meals etc.
What would I want my future child to do?
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Resolution
To get pregnant in 2008.
If I only knew what the future holds...
I have been on hormonal birth control pills since 1997, 11 years now. For the past 4 years I have been on Seasonale (or generic equivalent). This means I only have 4 periods per year. I wouldn't have it any other way. I believe it is safe, and I am living proof of its efficacy.
The uninformed sentiment is that the longer one is on the pill, the longer it takes to resume a normal fertility cycle. Yet, a quick search on Google Scholar shows that extended use of hormonal birth control does not cause a delay in fertility. So, I will proceed with the assumption that I will get pregnant within a few short months of trying. I just hope I'm not part of the unlucky 20% that need some extra time.
With that in mind, this schedule is aiming for a maternity leave of Spring-Summer 2009 because I get one month off in July/August. If the month off can follow 6 weeks of leave that would be perfect.
End of May - stop taking the pill
June - chart and avoid getting pregnant by other means
July - try tentatively for a girl
August and Beyond - go for broke!
How can we "try" for a girl, you ask??? By timing sex to occur a couple of days prior to ovulation, and no nearer to ovulation than that. This will cause the male-producing sperm "hare sperm" to wear out before the egg is ready, leaving the female-bearing sperm "tortoise sperm" to complete the job. Google the Shettles Method for more info. It is playing the odds a bit, rest assured we will be thrilled so long as the outcome is healthy and human. :)
So, what do I do with myself for the next 5-6 months???
Work - refine my workflows so someone else could easily take over
School - Complete my AA
Fitness - Enjoy my crosstraining class and establish good activity habits
Wellness - Eliminate food, beverages, and other substances from my life that are fertility-reducing or have reproductive toxicity. Increase intake of vitamins and healthful foods.
My wellness plans deserve a whole post of their own
If I only knew what the future holds...
I have been on hormonal birth control pills since 1997, 11 years now. For the past 4 years I have been on Seasonale (or generic equivalent). This means I only have 4 periods per year. I wouldn't have it any other way. I believe it is safe, and I am living proof of its efficacy.
The uninformed sentiment is that the longer one is on the pill, the longer it takes to resume a normal fertility cycle. Yet, a quick search on Google Scholar shows that extended use of hormonal birth control does not cause a delay in fertility. So, I will proceed with the assumption that I will get pregnant within a few short months of trying. I just hope I'm not part of the unlucky 20% that need some extra time.
With that in mind, this schedule is aiming for a maternity leave of Spring-Summer 2009 because I get one month off in July/August. If the month off can follow 6 weeks of leave that would be perfect.
End of May - stop taking the pill
June - chart and avoid getting pregnant by other means
July - try tentatively for a girl
August and Beyond - go for broke!
How can we "try" for a girl, you ask??? By timing sex to occur a couple of days prior to ovulation, and no nearer to ovulation than that. This will cause the male-producing sperm "hare sperm" to wear out before the egg is ready, leaving the female-bearing sperm "tortoise sperm" to complete the job. Google the Shettles Method for more info. It is playing the odds a bit, rest assured we will be thrilled so long as the outcome is healthy and human. :)
So, what do I do with myself for the next 5-6 months???
Work - refine my workflows so someone else could easily take over
School - Complete my AA
Fitness - Enjoy my crosstraining class and establish good activity habits
Wellness - Eliminate food, beverages, and other substances from my life that are fertility-reducing or have reproductive toxicity. Increase intake of vitamins and healthful foods.
My wellness plans deserve a whole post of their own
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