What is up with my chart?

Ok, seeing as I have a few minutes to kill before we leave, I figured I'd blog about my bizarre chart. Usually, when I get a temp shift, it is very sudden and obvious. Not this month. My temp has been gradually increasing. Also, I got my first CBEFM peak the day before I got my first positive OPK. And, I've gotten FIVE positive OPKs in a row! (And they are definitely positive.) The only explanation I have is my body had trouble Oing this month & I had two overlapping surges. I think I finally have O'd because I am starving like I always am after O, but I'm not quite sure what day it happened. I'm guessing CD 17.

This would not be a big deal except that I want to visit my parents in Maine before they sell their house on July 14th (the house I grew up in ::sniff sniff::). But, now I don't think I will be able to go because my next IUI could be anytime between the 2nd and the 11th - thanks to an unknown O date and a varying luteal phase. Boo.

(Oh, and if anyone wants to see it, my chart is here.)

Vacation Starts Today!

We are flying to Jackson Hole today. Whoohooo! I'll post pictures when we get back!

One Year

I just realized that yesterday marked our one-year anniversary of our first TTC cycle. So, I guess we officially conform to the standard definition of infertility.

Hitting this one-year mark doesn’t really bother me, but it does cause me to reflect on where I was last year (and giggle a bit at my naiveté). I thought someone who had been TTC for 8 months had been trying for a long time. Now I look at people who have been TTC for 2+ years as being in that category. I was terrified about the idea of undergoing fertility treatments. Now I am thankful for them. Even though I knew I’d likely have CM issues, I thought we’d be PG in four cycles. Now I am hoping to be PG in four IUI cycles.

I have learned sooooo much about infertility and getting pregnant, and I have learned about how much misinformation and ignorance there is out there. Yet, I am still new to this world and have so much more to learn.

I had no idea what a wonderful community of women I would meet along this journey. The original intent of my blog was to share information about CF. It was supposed to be a CF blog. I had no idea it would turn into an infertility blog. But, that change in course has led me to “meet” so many great people. I love that my blog has allowed me to connect with others struggling with IF, both CFers and non-CFers.

I can honestly say that, once we finally are pregnant (for more than a few weeks) I will be so thankful for this experience because of everything I have learned and the wonderful people I’ve met.

And, I don’t think I will ever again randomly ask a couple “so, when are you having kids?” because now I know how painful that question can be.

Yay for O!

It looks like I am about to ovulate. I got some EWCM last night, and a peak on my CBEFM this morning. Whooohooo. I think I should be ovulating today, which would mostly likely put IUI #4 right around the 4th of July.

Well, That Sucked

Greg and I went to a party last night. There were about 20 couples there: three were sporting pregnant bellies, another three had newborns, and about ten had children under the age of three. This did not put me in a good mood, and, as I didn't really know anyone, I became very anti-social and sat in the corner with the one couple I knew. They are in their 40s and do not have children. However, the guy would not stop commenting, "Everyone has kids!" "Look at all the pregnant bellies!" "That girl looks like she is about to pop!" "That baby is so cute!"

I thought my head was going to explode, so after about an hour of this torture, I had to grab Greg and ask if we could please leave. He was super sweet and obliged. I cried a bit in the car - the first time I have in about two weeks, although I have come close several times.

I hate crying because it jacks up my sinuses. The crying, combined with high mold counts and me slacking on my sinus rinses, caused me to wake up with horrendous night sweats last night. I had to change all of my clothes and move to a different spot in the bed because everything was so soaked (thank goodness we have a king-size bed). Fun times.

Luckily, I am in a much better mood today.

Zit

I have a zit on my chin. It is a gianormous zit. And it is taking forever to fade away.

I never get zits, thanks to good genes and religious use of salicylic acid and retinol. However, the day I got my BFP, I had to cease my zit-preventing regimen (because both products aren’t recommended during pregnancy). That, combined with the rush of pregnancy hormones, brought on what my friends decided to call “Mini Kristen."

When I look in the mirror, I just want to yell at my face “Come on! It’s been four weeks! Don’t you think enough is enough? My heart is already hurting, must you hurt my vanity as well?” Under normal circumstances, this zit would annoy me. But, given this zit’s history, I am downright ticked off.

I mean, WTF. Who has a zit for a month? It is starting to fade, but I feel like I am being mocked every time I look in the mirror.

I Wonder When I Will Ovulate?

This is my current TTC question. Since going off birth control, I have O'd 13 times, each time between CDs 13 and 18. I'm think I'm pretty lucky to have such regular cycles. I am curious to see if the chemical pregnancy will throw-off my luck. Hopfully it won't. The sooner I O, the sooner our next IUI cycle will arrive. But, no sign of O so far. It's CD12, and I've had no EWCM, no fertile cervix, and no high or peak readings on the CBEFM. Usually I've at least had some EWCM by now.

Nothing to do but wait. What else is new in the TTC world?