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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Smooth Criminal



I don't usually test unless I have a good reason to. Being late is one reason, and a temp rise when it should have dropped, like what happened this morning, is the other good reason. So I tested. My body is playing tricks on me. I saw the Not Pregnant results pop up, and suddenly heard Michael Jackson singing, "You've been hit by, you've been struck by, a smooth criminal!" ::sigh::  I have to get to work. More to come later.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Grace as it's needed

I've been reading Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges. It's about God's grace, not only to save, but to sanctify us throughout our lives, in good times and in hard times. I like the way he words our daily dependence on the Lord, and the need to be content in the circumstances that He has placed us in- 
God always gives us what we need, perhaps sometimes more, but never less. The spiritual equivalent to food and clothing (1 Timothy 6:8) is simply the strength to endure in a way that honors God. Receiving that strength, we are to be content. We would like the "luxury" of having our particular thorn removed (2 Corinthians 12:8-10), but God often says, "Be content with the strength to endure that thorn." We can be confident that he always gives that. 
Be content with the strength to endure. wow. Mr. Bridges makes an illustration of God's distribution of grace by going to Exodus 16:16-21 and noting how God provided food for the Israelites in the wilderness. Every day the people were to gather as much as they needed for that day, and not to save a supply for later. I need to look to Him for strength daily - physical, emotional, and spiritual. I can't store up grace for next month or next year. He provides day by day, and sometimes even hour by hour. But His grace is sufficient, and I have the opportunity to give Him praise by simply resting in it. :)

Friday, June 24, 2011

::Jeopardy music::

Are you all hearing Jeopardy music or is it just me? ;) Nothing much going on folks. I'm smack in the middle of a waiting period, so I guess that means you are too. haha. :) Welcome to the club friends. Feel free to play a game of Tetris to pass the time. *teehee*



Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Blog housekeeping :)

Several of you have told me that you can't figure out how to post a comment. Well, I love getting comments, so let's remedy that problem shall we? :)

You can comment through a few different profile options, but I think the easiest way if you don't have a blog yourself, is to go the Anonymous route oooooor through a Google account. Simply select Anonymous from the drop down, type your comment in the box, and remember to put your name at the end. vua la! You can set up a Google account here (it's a quick & easy set up), and then just sign in when you want to post a comment. This will allow your name to be displayed as a header instead of having to sign your name at the end.

Also, since most of you follow via email, you may not have noticed that I added a "Trying to Get Pregnant?" tab to the website. I still have more to add, but it was updated yesterday with lots of new content. :) I hope that it will be a helpful resource to ladies who are currently trying, or will be trying in the near future.

That's all for now folks. Have a good day! :)

Friday, June 17, 2011

Daddy's Girl

My dad tells our birth stories every year on our birthday. To be honest, the three stories blend together, and after all this time, I’m actually not 100% confident on which details are mine and which belong in Brother’s or Janelle’s story. lol. The one thing that I know is distinctly my story, is that I was crying when the doctor handed me to my dad for the first time, and he said, “What’s the matter?” I looked at him intently, batted my eyes a little, and stopped crying. :) 

It’s fair to say that I still look up to my dad with the same admiration as I did on day one. He’s a wonderful father. :) Growing up, he made sure that I did not have reason to seek the attention of boys – he gave me plenty. Never holding back to tell me how pretty I look, calling me his girl, and always ready to give me a hug or put his arm around me. He also set the bar for how I saw men, and taught me to recognize a strong man as one who knows his Biblical role and strives to live it. He challenged me set high standards for myself, and not settle for anything less.

Ryan Miller met those standards. :) Something I will always vividly remember, are the few moments with my dad before I walked down the aisle to meet Ryan on my wedding day. As we stood in the lobby of the church I grew up in on December 26, 2009, he squeezed my hand and said, “Apart from your commitment to Christ, this is the most important moment in your life, Sugar. I am so happy that I get to share it with you.” I felt like we had accomplished something big together that day. We had found the one that would take the role of my loving protector and provider, and my dad was officially handing me over to his care.  I was just as honored to hold my dad's arm, as he was to escort me to the love of my life. :)

Looking at Ryan's family, I know that we're probably going to end up having boys. :) But I hope that the Lord gives us at least one girl, because I can’t wait for a precious little lady to feel about Ryan the way that I feel about my dad. :) My husband is going to be a wonderful father. <3


Love you Daddy, happy Father's Day! : )

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Odds of conceiving twins

What are the odds that I could conceive twins? (good question Rachel!) While researching a bit this morning, I found that the odds of conceiving twins naturally is 3%.  However, the number of multiples has dramatically increased with the rise of infertility treatment over the last few decades. As a result of Clomid, I'm releasing two eggs this cycle (as far as I can tell). This ups my chances from 3% to 7-12%. Actually, one of the statistics that I came across was that 1 in 5 women on Clomid may have twins. Not sure how accurate that is, but it's an interesting tid bit to consider. According to this page, I'm less likely to because I'm hispanic. Interesting huh? 

So my take away from this brief research is that, yes it is in fact possible that both of my eggs become babies. My odds are higher than that of a woman conceiving without fertility meds. But it is still not likely. I might not even be able to conceive one, let alone TWO.
...

Wouldn't it be a total riot if I did though??? I feel like just saying that it's not likely, is going to jinx me somehow. hahaha. ;) 



Tuesday, June 14, 2011

::High fives all around::

I HAVE TWO FOLLIES!! : D Both are measuring at 23mm. 18 is mature and healthy, so we're in good shape! yay! I'm so happy and relieved!


Thank you all so much for your prayers. Aside from the hot flashes, I had less side effects than I anticipated, and I can only contribute that to prayer. It is such a huge comfort to know that when I feel like I'm out of words and I'm not sure what to pray for any more, there are others that will come before the Lord on my behalf. : ) So now we wait for ovulation, and then wait some more to see if we successfully preggo-d those eggos. ; )

Monday, June 13, 2011

Wait

I have a monitoring appointment today to see how I responded to Clomid this cycle. I.can't.wait. I've been thinking about it all weekend. ::sigh:: So I will give an update on that soon. In the meantime, I came across this on another TTC blog and had to share. Enjoy! :)


"Wait”

Desperately, helplessly, longingly I cried:
Quietly, Patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
and the Master so gently said, "wait"

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply
"Lord, I need answers. I need to know why!"

My future and all to which I relate
hangs in the balance and you tell me to wait?
I’m needing a yes, a go ahead, a sign
or even a no to which I’ll resign
You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe we need but to ask and we shall receive
Lord, I've been asking and this is my cry: I’m weary of asking! I need a reply!

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate as my Master replied again, “wait.”
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut, and grumbled to God "so I’m waiting.... for what?"
He seemed then to kneel, and his eyes met with mine...
and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign."

I could give all you seek and pleased you would be,
You'd have what you want but you wouldn't know me.
You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair; you'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You would not know the joy of resting in me, when darkness and silence are all you can see.

You'd never experience the fullness of love
when peace of my spirit descends like a dove.
The glow of my comfort late into the night,
the faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
from an infinite God who makes what you have last.

You'd never know should you pain quickly flee
what it means that my grace is sufficient for thee.

So, be silent, my child and in time you will see
that the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
and though often my answers seem terribly late,
my most precious answer of all is still "WAIT".

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Another One Bites The Dust

Well folks, my first medicated cycle didn't work. Dr. Q felt comfortable prescribing Clomid when he did because I hadn't ovulated yet, but I'm not sure how much good it did since it was pretty late in my cycle when I started taking it. For those of you who don't know, ovaries grow follicles, and the dominant follicle releases an egg. My monitoring appointment a couple weeks ago showed that the dominant follicle grew and looked nice and healthy after taking Clomid. But that could just as easily be contributed to normal growth while approaching ovulation, as it could to the Clomid. So it'll be interesting to compare the results at my next monitoring appointment. I'm hoping to see more than one hefty follie this time around. More follicles = more eggs. The tricky thing is that we want more than one to grow so that it ups our odds, but not too many because we can't run the risk of having a crazy amount of multiples. If I have more than four follies...we'd have to skip trying this cycle. Obviously, that's the last thing I want to do, so we're hoping for two or three! That'd be optimal. :)

I'm actually doing pretty well right now. Yes, it's another unsuccessful cycle, and that always kinda sucks. But I'm thankful that we are getting help from a doctor, and that we have steps to take over the next couple weeks to keep me busy. I need to get bloodwork done and have my first monitoring appointment to make sure that I did not develop cysts on my ovaries. Assuming that I'm all clear, I'll fill my prescription and start another round of Clomid. On to cycle 15!


This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24