26 Things About Me

So in order to keep you all entertained while we wait for my period to finish (and hopefully moving past the "am I pregnant?" posts) I thought I'd write a post that shares 26 things about me.

1. I have short hair. I recently chopped my hair off to a point that I can proudly say I have short hair. I enjoy that my appearance is different than most females. I love that I have the confidence to do what most females wouldn't even consider.

2. I am debt free. We are debt free. My husband and I paid of $80000 of debt in three years. Yah, we pretty much rule!

3. I finally am at a job where I feel like I could be building a career. I'm working at a mortgage brokerage.

4. I am sewing again. For my birthday this year my husband got me a sewing machine. I have really loved making crib quilts.

5. I recently completed a chakra course. It was something I did entirely for me and it has been life changing.

6. I love Matt & Nat bags and Miz Mooz Shoes.

7. I absolutely love raspberry bubble tea and sushi. Oh, and red velvet cupcakes. And nonfat green tea lattes.

8. I have stopped weighing myself daily. I'd been doing it for years, and one day I just stopped.

9. I recently got a Library card and I am loving it!

10. I seem to have recently acquired a love for owl themed decor. Especially baby decor.

11. For my birthday this year I got a tarot card reading done - very cool, will do again.

13. Last weekend I treated myself to two new pairs glasses. Yeah for finally having prescription sunglasses!

14. Yesterday my husband and I found a REALTOR that we love and trust... hopefully house shopping soon!

15. I love finding random information on the internet - especially things to clarify my random thoughts.

16. I don't wash my face before going to bed - it's something I really need to work on changing.

17. I love my family. I have a Dad, a Mom, and a younger brother who is getting married about two months! 

18. I really love food, cooking, and new recipes - but really hate cleaning the kitchen.

19. I'm a spreadsheet nut - any information that I can organize into tables to calculate results thrills me... ya I know...

20. I love little details - little things mean so much to me - sometimes I loose grasp on the bigger picture.

21. I really, really love my husband. I am IN LOVE with him more and more each day.

22. I hope to travel more one day. 

23. I only own one vehicle - we've done without two for at least 5 years - we'll see what baby brings (and maybe new house).

24. In university I took a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Linguistics and a minor in Psychology.

25. My best friends don't live in the same province as me (yah... I'm Canadian... eh).

26. I really want to have a healthy child with my husband.

Hope you've learned a little more about me.

Today I kinda hate my life... but I love sushi...

So I wasn't sure if I was experiencing implantation bleeding or if my period was coming...


It was my period.


Today I kinda hate my life. I feel so defeated. I feel like a failure. I wonder when it's ever going to be my turn. 


How do women and couples do this for months or years on end? I'm exhausted. Every month we baby dance and baby dance. Every month I experience something in my body that I've never experienced before. Every month my cycles seem to be doing something different. Every month I hope and pray that this will be the month that we conceive. Every month I truly feel that I'm pregnant.


Just defeated...


So today I had a huge cup of coffee and a huge plate of sushi. If I drank, I'm pretty sure that I'd be drunk.


How do women and couples deal with this?

Magic, memories, and moments...

So the wedding was everything every Bride could ever dreams of.


It seems crazy to think it has been a week since my last post. Last week I enjoyed getting my hair done and having a massage... but my spa night got cancelled - so I rescheduled it before my brother's wedding later this summer.


On Friday the family spent the day setting up the reception hall - it was beautiful! We braved the cold on Saturday for the outdoor farm wedding. I was amazed at the turn out! So much support for the couple!


With so many memories made this weekend... it's hard to pick one that really stands out for me. For me one of the biggest highlights was getting to hold a two week old baby (my husband's cousin's son). He was just so small, so content, so perfect. You should see those lips! It felt so right - especially sitting there on the couch with my husband's arm around me - I wanted to take the little guy home!


After spending this weekend with so many family members, I'm more anxious than ever to see if this is THE month that we got pregnant. Against better knowledge, last night I took a pregnancy test - I'm still 6 days or so until my period could show up - it was negative. I honestly had a bit of a cry, but I also know it was early. I need to keep my chin up.


I guess I'll just have to continue to wait until Saturday (or possibly later depending on what my cycle decides to do this month).


Send magical baby dust my way!

All about me...

So this week... well a few days this week... I guess actually just a few evenings this week are ALL ABOUT ME!


I thought I'd update you on my week to come, in case you wonder why I might be missing in action during this very sensitive time.


Tomorrow night I get my hair done... it's been a while and definitely needed. Looking forward to freshening up for a clean, spring look. Getting my hair done always makes me feel better. Definitely looking forward to it.


Wednesday night I will be receiving a beautiful, stress relieving, relaxing full body massage. Yes... I know I'm kinda rubbing it in... but I've got to take advantage of my fantastic employer benefits!


Thursday evening I will be treated to a 4-hour spa. This will include a manicure, pedicure, 60 minute body scrub, followed by a chocolate facial. Yah... I love Kijiji Deals! Did I mention that this is only $60.


Now, I know this seems a little excessive and maybe I did book one too many things for this week, but I know I deserve it and it will be an incredible way to relax and pass the time of the two week wait.


So, before you get too jealous know that I will be very busy this weekend. My sister-in-law is getting married on Saturday. Festivities will begin on Friday and last well into Sunday! It's always nice to share in the love of two people beginning a new time in their lives together. That, and I get to see my handsome husband in a new suit and I get to rock a new outfit too. 


It will be a great week! Talk to you soon enough!


P.S. Maybe it's just me... but I feel like I have super smelling ability...

Positive LH Test! Surge, Baby! Surge!

Yeah Baby! LH Surge!

So last night I talked about the gradual increase in colour of the test line on my OPK - LH test.

Now I really don't know if it still means something, but there is no doubt that the test I just took is positive.

So to explain this to those of you who have never seen an ovulation predictor kit here's a few things to know (I'll explain from the right of the picture to the left):

• So the green part is the handle. As you can see - for my own purpose I've been labelling the handle - Today is day 5. In case you're wondering, the reason I have two number 4s is because I started testing twice a day - A and B. Because I was noticing an increase in colour of the test line I thought that maybe I was getting closer to the surge. And because I didn't want to miss it I started testing twice a day. BINGO!
• From the green handle you will notice that there is a light purple line - that's the control line. This line is used as an experimental comparison.
• Moving left, is the test region. This is where the results may appear. You will notice that the top test (labelled "5") is undeniably darker than the line to the right of it (the control line). This means a positive result. You will notice that as the numbers on the green handle increase, there is a gradual increase of colour of the test line. Yep, definitely happy!
• Left from there is the urine mark line - basically the maximum level marked for the urine dip test.

I guess there are a few reasons why I'm so excited:

1. I just had my first positive LH test! This is pretty exciting because I previously assumed I was ovulating much earlier than I thought - okay not much, but a few days out of the optimal window. Good to know.
2. Hubby and I did the baby dance this morning! (Reason in itself to be happy!) It's my understanding that this is ideal - plus it's much more fun for it to be spontaneous then, well, not.
3. The test works for me! I've read online that the test doesn't really seem to show anything for some ladies or they miss the surge all together. Not me!
4. Last but not least: More baby dancing for me!

I'll keep you posted! As you can see, I'm pretty excited!

Getting a little (a lot) excited...

So maybe it's the new look of my blog or the fact that ovulation is probably right around the corner, but I'm pretty excited.


Soon I will post pictures of my ovulation predictor test strips and the test line's gradual increase in colour.


So I've found contradictory results on what this gradual increase in colour means (or doesn't mean, for that matter).


I understand that according to my OPK's instructions that I DO NOT have a positive result until the test line is as dark or darker than the control line, but there is no indication whether or not any colour on the test line means anything.


Some people online have said that it means nothing because there are always varying amounts of LH in our bodies and others have said that the gradual increase in colour peaked when they had a big fat positive LH result.


Here's hoping that I can speak from experience soon.

A little hint of colour!

So I took my third LH test... and there was a little hint of colour in the test region!

Ovulation is getting closer! 

I know that in order for the test to be consider positive the test region needs to be as dark or darker than the control region.

Here's to tomorrow!

Trying an OPK

So... trying to conceive hasn't been as easy as I thought it would be... (but probably more fun!)

My period came May 12... 35 day cycle... very odd. Again, until last month I'd never been "late" before. It seems that getting off of my birth control is definitely taking my cycle for a lengthy loop. I understand that I am not "late," rather my cycles are just longer than average.

But how long are they?

Since my cycles seem to be getting longer and longer... and the anticipation of the wait kills me... I ordered a bunch of pregnancy tests, as well as ovulation tests online. It was a combo deal so it was super cheap - less than 50 cents a test... much cheaper than 7 bucks a pop at my local drugstore. Now I can have peace of mind.

Yesterday I started using the ovulation predictor kit (OPK). Basically what this kit involves is testing for the Luteinizing Hormone (LH) that becomes present in blood and urine. My OPK is a urine stick test. As I understand it, LH is at its highest concentration 24-48 hours before the release of a fertile egg.

So basically I'm testing my urine everyday to see if I've had an LH surge so I can more accurately time baby dance time... not that I'm not enjoying the extra effort.

I'll keep you posted on my LH surge...

Shopping for Two

So today I got a little excited (about the idea of baby... still not pregnant) and my recently acquired love for owls kinda got the best of me.

I think I've decided to decorate the nursery in an Owl theme and my Dear Husband has agreed. This way it works for either genders (As I still don't think I'm going to find out the sex... again once I'm pregnant).

I bought a few things... 

Check them out here! And here! (Two different links... just didn't want you missing out!)

I'm truly excited!

What do you think?

Waiting Game... Take Two

So it's just a matter of waiting again...

I'll keep you posted!

Sorry for leaving you hanging...

So my period came...

Three days late. First time I've ever been late.

Good news is that I have more info.  

After being late, and obviously anxious I went to a walk-in clinic to get a hCG blood test requisition. The doctor explained to be that urine tests are very accurate nowadays, especially when taken after the day of your expected period. Nonetheless, he was very kind, and gave me a requisition. So now I have the test when the urine test turns positive next time.

This was a nice opportunity to cool my jets and think about the baby situation again.

My husband and I decided that we do still want to try to get pregnant, but that we don't need to obsess about it - okay I don't need to obsess about it.

It also allowed me more time to think about when we plan on telling others that we're expecting (when we actually are). The more I think about it, the more I feel comfortable with the idea of waiting to tell people, but I know that I'll struggle with that as the excitement builds.

Also I like the idea of having a baby in a month other than December - simply just to make it more special outside of the holiday season. 

So on to Month #2...

Sunday morning... No period... Could I be... PREGNANT?!?

So today is the day I am supposed to expect my period.


As of this morning, my period has not come. Could this be it? 


I am so excited, but I'm trying to stay calm. 


There are a few things I've noticed about the internet and pregnancy:

• Everyone's experience seems so different
• Everyone seems to think their experience is "the rule"
• There can be so, so many differentiating factors (I didn't realize it could be so complicated)
• I need to take everything I read with a grain of salt because everyone comes from different backgrounds, different levels of education, and everyone has a different body.

I am glad I started this blog because it is simply about my experience.

I hope you enjoy.

I'm not sure when I'll take a pregnancy test - I'll keep you posted!

April Fool...

So I'm getting to be pretty confident that I did not get pregnant this month.

It seems that my body is feeling more "normal" again, which really makes me wonder what has been going on with me and by body this month. (See previous posts.)

I still have a couple of days to wait before my period is expected, so I guess I shouldn't "count my eggs before they hatch." 

I guess the joke is on me... boy do I feel like an April Fool.

Final Countdown

So I'm tired of driving myself nuts over this. It is what it is.

Tonight I went to the bathroom and found a light brown discharge. 

Either this is implantation bleeding or the start to my period. As I said in my previous post, my cycle has been starting a few days before it's expected my last few cycles.

I've been looking online and nothing seem consistent. I guess I just have to wait and see.

Sunday is the day!

Playing the Waiting Game

So... now I wait.

Since I've been off my birth control, my menstrual cycle has been very regular, with one exception; I have been having about 3 days of spotting before my period seems to "arrive". This never happened when I was on the pill. I'm anxiously waiting to see if things are the same or different this month. For me, this could be my early clue.

One thing that has been different this month is the cramping I'm feeling in my lower abdomen. Cramps are a normal occurrence for me during my monthly cycle. They never occur before my period comes though, always on day two or three of my period. I can't remember a time that I experienced cramps prior to getting my period. Is this a sign? Am I just driving myself crazy thinking everything is a sign? Is this what women do?

This was the first month that my husband and I actively tried to get pregnant. Since then I feel like everything is about baby. What I eat and drink, how much sleep I get, how much exercise I get, thinking positive thoughts when it comes to baby. I know that this is generally a good thing, but how do couples who have been trying for months or even years keep this up?

I'm happy to be at a place in my life where I am actively trying to prepare my entire self for this pregnancy, but this waiting month to month could be rather crazy.

I don't want to be that woman that says she just "knows" she was pregnant - but I do know that I just "feel" different. Maybe this "different" isn't associated with baby, but something is different.

To Tell or Not To Tell...

So I've been thinking a lot about when I will tell people that I am pregnant and who those people will be.

I realize that the only time that it is right to tell people you are pregnant is when it is the right time for you and your partner.

I love my husband, but I have been thinking when I will even tell him. Please don't get me wrong! I can't even imagine not having him there holding my hand as we wait for that pregnancy test to change colours (or whatever those things do). My only concern is really him telling a bunch of people, but really what is the problem with that?

I guess that's the big question. 

Do you share this momentous, life-changing celebration with everyone you love? Do you cherish this moment with your partner until later weeks and share it with everyone else in a fun way? Do you tell only a select group of people (I'm thinking parents and siblings)? Is it fair to expect those people close to you keep your special secret? Oh my!

I'm still completely undecided what I'll do when the time comes. 

What would you do?

Possible Pregnancy Symptoms or Faux?

So I don't know if I'm just experiencing symptoms from the aforementioned quasi-UTI or if this is all in my head or if these could be very early signs of pregnancy, but I just want to put it out there...

I have lower back pain. I also have a dull throb in my abdomen/ pelvic area.

In my mind, I feel that it's much too early to be experiencing any pregnancy symptoms, being that I would barely be but a few days pregnant, but I have heard and read that a few women feel the "change" immediately.

I guess I just wanted to put this out there to see, regardless of how I dumb I might come across. I could be one of those women who experience the "change" immediately or I could just be weird. Time will tell.

One thing that I am curious about is whether my breasts will get sensitive when I'm pregnant. I never have experienced that... not before puberty, not during that time of the month, never really. Women that I've talked to say this was their sure sign before the pregnancy test turned positive. Again, only time will tell!

Getting a Little Personal

So, let me catch you up to speed...

The start of my last menstrual period (LMP) was Sunday, March 6th. 
I've been off an oral contraceptive for 4 cycles now.
My cycles have been approximately 28 days long since being off any contraceptive.

With the literature I've read*, it's my understanding that the average woman ovulates approximately 14 days before the first day of her next menstrual period. So if my next period is expected (although I really don't want it to come for obvious reasons) April 3rd, then I should have ovulated yesterday.

So did I do the baby dance (aka - have sex) yesterday?

Nope!

Why?!?

Last night, after we got back from Jasper, and after I decided to start this blog, I went to the bathroom. After I wiped I noticed there were a few drops of bright pink blood. This was a little confusing to me, as I'm not one to regularly spot, and when I do it's more of a light brown colour. 

So I searched around online.

Honestly, I thought that maybe this was the famous "Implantation Spotting", but apparently that doesn't happen until 5-10 days after conception - so I quickly ruled that out. Sigh!

Before I could even look into other causes for this bleeding, I was heading back to the bathroom. This time when I went pee it was really uncomfortable and it felt like I was forcefully (but uncontrollably) bearing down. Again a little more blood.

Back to the internet.

My searching didn't last long... Five minutes later I was back in the bathroom again. Again, I had an uncomfortable urination experience.

Back to the internet.

In my searches I found that many of my symptoms were matching up with a urinary tract infection (UTI). Frequent need to urinate, pain during urination, and blood in urine. Oh my! I've never had a UTI before so I was a little freaked out and because we've been trying to conceive, my first thought was Is this safe for me and the baby? 

Through my searches I found that women are much more prone to UTIs, even pregnant women can get UTIs, and that they can become dangerous if not treated. 

Back to the bathroom. Ouch! This wasn't getting any better.

At this point in the evening, no walk-in Medicentre would be opened, so again I returned back to the internet to see if there was anything I could do.

Fluids, fluids, and more fluids. Specifically cranberry juice. Not the cocktail. Not sweetened. 100% cranberry juice. I checked to make sure that cranberry juice was considered "safe" for pregnant or women who are trying to conceive. Passed! Of course we didn't have any in the apartment so my Dear Husband (DH) went to the corner store. 

I also found a home remedy of 1 tsp of baking soda in a glass of water. Gross, right? I figured that there would be no harm in try. So I did. It wasn't as bad as I expected. Then I continued to drink about 1 L of water before DH got home (combined with many, many bathroom breaks).

There was also discussions about antibiotics online. This made me nervous. I really want my body to be in the most natural, healthy state during conception and pregnancy. I'm not necessarily saying that I think antibiotics are unnecessary or unhealthy, again, I'm just really thinking about the effects of things on my body. Again, make your own choices. Apparently there are antibiotics available to pregnant women who have a UTI.

I put on a movie, trying to distract myself and focus on something else in the mean time. But the DH delivered! Within 15 minutes I had drank 1 L of cranberry juice. Whew!

The movie did help distract me a little, but I knew that it was only a matter of time before the water would filter it's way through my body and I'd be back in the bathroom. I also soothed my tight abdomen by placing a hot water bottle on it. 

I probably drank another 2 cups of water before I went to bed that night. 

Now I did notice some relief before I went to bed. Each time that I used the bathroom seemed a little easier than the last. I don't know if it actually was easier, or if I was just getting used to the pain.

I only woke up once in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and when I did, I didn't feel like I was bearing down as hard (keep in mind this was an uncontrollable urge) at this point, but my abdomen remained quite tight.

The next morning I woke up and drank another litre of the cranberry juice. My symptoms had almost completely disappeared besides the dull pain in my lower abdomen.

At this point, I was relieved that I wasn't as uncomfortable as I had been the night before (and that I was able to get a decent sleep), but I was also nervous because I read online last night that cranberry juice can just mask the symptoms of a UTI, but not cure it. I also read about the damaging effects of an untreated UTI.

I was unsure what to do. My symptoms this morning seemed to almost have entirely passed, but I worried that maybe I had only masked the symptoms and that I could have greater problems.

I called by doctor's office. Luckily, they were able to get me in. 

I went in, provided a urine sample, and tested negative.

Yay!

So what was it?

Who knows? The doctor said that I may have caught it early enough that the infection didn't progress into a full blown infection. He also said that I had done a good thing drinking all those fluids, especially the cranberry juice. I didn't tell him about the baking soda and water (I felt a little silly about it).

He did warn me to watch my symptoms and as long as I didn't get a fever, wasn't getting worse, or didn't have back pain then I should be fine as long as I continue with fluids.

He also mentioned that my symptoms could have been from trauma of intercourse. He explained that UTIs often develop in overly, sexually active women - especially women on their honeymoon or women trying to conceive.

... 

Blush.

Anyhow, I thought this was a good way to introduce myself to you. To share with you my experience. Who knows? This could be you right now.


*I am not an expert. Please do your own research or consult someone who is a qualified expert.

Twenty Six and Pregnant*

* This is an asterisk.

An asterisk is commonly used to direct to a footnote - but I feel this is something that needs to be cleared up right away and deserves a little more attention than it usually receives.

The point:

Note that there is an asterisk at the end this blog post title. 
It's there for a reason.
It's not there because I don't know if I am Twenty-Six. I am most definitely 26.
It's there because, right now, I don't know if I am Pregnant (more on this later). 

I felt that it was important to tell you this right away, as not to mislead you with the title of my blog. 

Although I do not know if I am currently Pregnant, I do hope to become pregnant this year.

A little about me...

Tomorrow will be my second wedding anniversary with my husband. This past weekend we celebrated our anniversary in Jasper, Alberta, Canada. We indulged in delicious foods, enjoyed the crisp, spring air, and spoiled ourselves with a relaxing spa massage. Now, I know this sounds luxurious, and it truly was, but this was truly a special treat for us, something we rarely do. Something I'm really glad we did.

The reason why this trip was so rare for us is that for the past three years we've been extremely focused on getting ourselves out of debt. Debt that included university degrees and living expenses, a new car, and a few non-necessities too. And now we're debt-free... at least for the time being. Right now we're in the process of saving for all those grown-up things that we've been dreaming of. We're really hoping to become homeowners in the next year-something I've really been looking forward to especially.

But the big change that we're most looking forward to is to start our own little family. We've decided that we're going to try to get pregnant!

I'm really anxious, nervous, and so completely excited!

I've decided to start this blog to share my experiences with other "To-Be" Moms and also use this as a reflection journal of my own experiences-something that someday my Family and child might enjoy.


* As a side note, an asterisk was used as a symbol to indicate a date of birth... interesting!