May 23, 2009

I had a really good trip. I posted pictures on Facebook. :) Too many to post here! :D


I'm still suffering jet lag. I keep trying to stay up later, but I end up waking up at 5 am anyways!!! So I am going to try going to bed at 9pm instead of 10/11. I need my sleep. :) I was up until 945 last night.


The Dr. at the NEDC would like me to lose weight before we try again. It's really weird. Not that he wants me to lose weight, but what I'm about to say. I weigh the same as I did 1 year ago. I have proof. I have my weight logs. But I look way heavier in pictures than I did. It's just bizarre!


Anyway, we're joining a gym today. It's less than a mile from our house. I'm excited. I have a routine too. It's from "Get Stronger Feel Younger". It puts you through everything, but tells you how to use the machines. In fact, it tells you 3 different ways:

1. in the gym with those machines

2. at home with a bowflex type machine

3. at home with free weights


And then it gives you the complete routine and how to breath and use the equipment properly. And it's easy to read!!! :D So I'm excited. I have used it before, when we were members at another gym that was more expensive and a lot further away. I gave up on it last year thinking too much money. But now I'm like, I should have kept it up! I'm excited there's this gym so near to us and they have all the machines we need, and a pool! :D So hopefully I can turn this fat blob around and get back to fit.


So that's kinda what I'm up to.


In Germany we basically went around visiting the relatives. We went to an aunt and uncle. And then we also went to a cousin reunion. And went to another aunt and uncle. And we went to a lake and walked around there too.


We did a LOT of walking. Lemmie see if I can copy it over from FB:
Just how much walking do you get done if you're on vacation visiting relatives in Germany?

I took my pedometer. didn't have it on every day but here goes:
4/29-4/30 was flight.
5/1 didn't wear ped.
5/2 13,247
5/3 car trip to relatives, didn't wear.... Read More
5/4 11,384
5/5 10,360
5/6 5,451
5/7 18,859 (that's not a typo)
5/8 7,218
5/9 11,090
5/10 2,986
5/11 7,611
5/12 6,704
5/13 6,205
5/14 7,881
5/15 8,196
5/16 11,694
5/17 7,989 (just in case you wondered how many steps you'd take if you were on 2 different planes, 3 airports, crossing the ocean from Germany to Atlanta and back to MPLS).



5/7 was our 15th anniversary. We took my parents-in-law and drove to Hannover. And we parked by the train station and walked all over. My IL's are older. So we didn't walk fast, or very far with them either. Nothing more than they could handle. A few times they went to sit down and had us run through stores. We went to some stores they wanted to see. We had a nice time dining out over lunch. Then we drove back home. And when we were home, Joerg & I went across the bridge over the Weser river to the Fair and walked a couple times around. So that's why we had sooooooo many steps!!! Boy did my feet ever hurt. I had to take it easy for a bit (as you'll note the difference in the steps for a while).


This week with the jet lag and everything I haven't been getting my walking in. So I gave up on my ped for this week. Now that we're joining the gym I'll start wearing it again. Goal is of course at least 10,000 steps a day, from the time you get out of bed, until you go back into it again.


I have been productive though! Getting up early in the morning, I actually feel like working on the house, and then the jet lag hits about mid morning and it's just blah. I had Caribou Coffee one day. And then yesterday I made 2 cups at home. I have been trying to avoid the caffeine though.


Let's see . . .


* completely emptied and washed (literally pulled drawers out and hand washed et al) the fridge as I left veggies in there and they spoiled, and well, let's just say there wasn't a whole lot left as I went through condiments and tossed a lot of them too.

* shopped for basic necessities to restock fridge

* briefly went through pantry (had gone through before we left)

* shampooed spots of the carpet (pretreating)

* laundry of course! Although my MIL did all the laundry before we left. So I just had to hang it all back up. It was just laundry we had some left before we left, and then of course what we were wearing and towels. I have more to do today too . . .

* called several gyms trying to compare prices and facilities and contracts and month to month etc. I'm really excited about the one we're joining today. Well, sounds like we're joining that one. I'll have to let you know for sure later.

* vacuumed several times


I don't know. regular stuff we're supposed to do everyday like dishes. But I would get everything done before like 9am because I just felt tired after that. Last couple days I've been forcing myself to do stuff in the afternoon trying to adjust my time frame. We'll see how it goes.


Paid my bills and balanced the checkbook too. :)


I have a specific weight I'm supposed to be below before August 1. Typically in the past, like at WW, I would never lose more than 1.6 pounds a week, as my average. But I didn't work out like this. But WW never let me get very far and I'd stop losing and platau for like months bouncing around the same weight.


Anyway, I am diagnosed Insulin Resistant. I am going to use the Insulin Resistance Diet, and the gym and see what happens. But honestly, I need to lose more than 3 pounds a week to make the goal. Scary for me. But I'm determined. I know that on Biggest Loser they work out 6 to 8 hours a day. No way do I need to kill myself that much. But I figure if I can get my weights in 3 days a week, and try aerobics (bike/treadmill) for an hour and day, and join the aqua fit classes (I think they're 4 or 5 days a week) that it might really kick my body into gear. Hopefully . . . I don't want to overdo it either. So we'll see how my body responds. If it rebells too much I'll slow down back to 30 minutes of aerobics a day. But I was able to do all that walking, other than my feet hurting, without problem. And my primary Dr. told me that I would do very well with the recumbant bikes. So we'll see how it goes. :) I have some friends who want to go walking with me at least once a week too. So this will really get me out there, motivation to keep it up. And if I can get myself really going strong before August, maybe I can really make it a habit to keep up. I know they said that after they lose the weight from those 6-8 insane hours a day, they back it down to 1 to 2 hours a day for maintenance. We'll see what needs to be done as I go. I might find I like a class or something to switch things up as we go too. Gotta keep it fun and interesting right? :D


So I have a few goals this weekend.

*clean/organize/unpack garage
*clean/organize/unpack basement
*shampoo carpets
*join gym

We'll see how much I can get done!


Love,

Julie

Just call me abscent minded!

I neglected to mention that we celebrated our 15th anniversary on May 7th! :D We celebrated by taking Joerg's parents with us to Hannover, and walking around, going out to dinner over lunch, and shopping. It was a good day, and of course the reason we had over 18,000 steps that day! Mutti & Papa did not walk as much as we did. They sat down and had us run through some stores too. And when we came home, we walked across the bridge over the Weser and walked a couple times around the Fair.

Hard to believe it's 15 years already! Time just keeps slipping by. At the same time, while it seems so short of time since we married, it seems like a long time since we started trying to have kids, with assistance from Doctors or adoption people etc. We started medications for trying to conceive all the way back in December of 2000. So I guess that means well, just a long time trying to start a family, and a long time waiting on the list for adoption too.

I know God has a plan for us. Sometimes I wonder why it has to be such a long and hard one. And at the same time, I look around and see the paths others have to take, and I'm thankful we haven't had to go through some things ourselves, as well. The Lord truly knows what we are able to handle. And what we're not able to handle, He helps us to handle. I just praise Him for being in our lives and caring about us.

Love,
Julie

So what are we up to now?

Ok, so I know you're really wondering after all those posts I copied over from my posts on Hannah's Prayer, what we're up to now.

Dr. K at the NEDC would like me to lose weight before we try another transfer possibly in September. So I'm doing the Insulin Resistance Diet. Joerg & I are also looking into joining a gym this weekend.

We just got back from a trip to Germany to visit the in-laws. We had a great time! I walked a LOT! But I didn't lose any weight. I guess I balanced out all the food I'm not used to eating!

ust how much walking do you get done if you're on vacation visiting relatives in Germany?

I took my pedometer. didn't have it on every day but here goes:
4/29-4/30 was flight.
5/1 didn't wear ped.
5/2 13,247
5/3 car trip to relatives, didn't wear.... Read More
5/4 11,384
5/5 10,360
5/6 5,451
5/7 18,859 (that's not a typo)
5/8 7,218
5/9 11,090
5/10 2,986
5/11 7,611
5/12 6,704
5/13 6,205
5/14 7,881
5/15 8,196
5/16 11,694
5/17 7,989 (just in case you wondered how many steps you'd take if you were on 2 different planes, 3 airports, crossing the ocean from Germany to Atlanta and back to MPLS).

I'm still suffering some from jet-lag. Joerg seems to have recovered more than I have.

We have a dear friend who is thinking of possibly sharing her embryos (also via embryo adoption) with us. But I won't leave anything details about that here, because it's totally up to them, and I don't want to pressure them at all. Which is why I just mention it, so it's an honest update that you all (whoever reads my blog! :) ) know what's up with us right now.


We've been waiting on the domestic infant waiting list since 11/30/2007, and there really hasn't been much movement there. We'll see what God has planned as time goes on here.

In the meantime, we're going to work on cleaning out the garage and basement, and getting fit and losing weight. :)

Love,
Julie

Apr 26, 2009

Ok, . . .

So I guess I need to update my journey here huh. smile.gif

Um, this is the quick version:

The beta was negative. Dr. K did not even want me to take a 2nd beta. He asked me to stop all the meds right away.

Dr. K would like me to lose 35 pounds before August 1, and then we may do a September transfer. So I'm working on it. I'm using The Insulin Resistance Diet, and exercise. And I need to weigh in at my local Dr. or OB and have them fax results down. At latest, in one month intervals. He prefers more often.

I'm back on 1/50 birth control pills because my cycles become non-existent if I don't go on or do something.

We decided to take a trip to Germany to visit the in-laws. We figure this is a good time to do so, as we're not pregnant, etc.

Oh, we have a charge for the follow-up phone call. It was $50 something. I will have to look it up and post the right amount later.

We're also back on the domestic infant waiting list in the meantime as well.

I am thinking about possibly moving these posts over into my blog, which I haven't really updated in forever . . . . not sure if I want to do that or not. I made the blog private. And I like that it's private here to post about all this stuff too. I guess I need to think and pray about that.

I recently changed my username here from Ready2bMama to JulieSmurf. A nick-name I earned here chatting in Life Outside Fertility. So that's really the explanation there. Short form anyway. wink.gif

Thank you everyone for your support and prayers; they mean so much to me!

As always, if anyone has questions about what I've gone through with the NEDC, or with Bethany Christian Services in going through their homestudy, please don't hesitate to ask.

Love,
Julie

Mar 28, 2009

Beta's are 4/3 and 4/6 biggrin.gif


I have been sleepy and sleeping like crazy!

My thoughts:

relaxing after adrenoline (sp?) of all the excitement?
PIO & Estrace?
it was raining in TN?
long drive?

I slept about 1/2 the time on the 2 day drive. I napped a lot in the hotel room. And I am even napping today, after getting home last night!!!!

I know it's too early to be from a pregnancy, so what gives?

Mar 24, 2009

Wanted to add: The 5 embryos thawed were all from the first donor. That's all there was from the first donor, and we didn't use the 2nd donor then.

Mar 24, 2009

So they come in to check how I'm doing. They ask if my bladder is full and I say yes, I really need to pee. (it's about to become a dominant theme here . . . )

They walk me back in, and Joerg goes back into the waiting area.

I get on their table. And I see the video camera and the photographer behind where my head will be. They're videotaping through the window to the embryologist area, and the monitors watching placement etc.

The photographer gets lots of pictures. At the end, she said if I give her my email addy, she'll send me the pictures. Isn't she sweet! And she also told me I was very brave.

So the dr. again asks if my bladder is full, and they do an ultrasound. I mention I really have to pee. He mentions that if it's not full enough they can add fluid, and if they need to, they can also siphon (sp?) off. But he does a quick ultrasound and says it looks good.

So the get me set up. They ask how I'm doing, and I say I'm nervous about the alcohol swabdown. He said, how did you know about that? It's supposed to be a surprise! (he's laughing/joking about it). I say, I've heard about it from people who've been here before. smile.gif

The wipe everything down on the inside with alcohol. STINGS STINGS STINGS STINGS STING! Did I mention it stings? Ok, . . . so then they put something else that stops the stinging in there. It eventually does feel better. They put the speculum in. They put the tube in. They set up the ultrasound on the monitor, and ask how I'm doing. I'm fine, just really need to pee. That's normal. And of course the ultrasound doesn't help.

They suggest I relax. I say, I'm afraid if I relax, I'll pee. I'm told there's a bucket under the table, so don't worry about it if that would happen.

The embryologist passes the embryos in another tube to the dr. The dr. then inserts that tube into the first tube (which is placed for easy transfer). And they get them in there. Then then remove that tube, and they look through and the tube is clear, so now to look through the outer tube. The dr. says it's just precautionary, he's only had it very very seldom/rare that an embryo gets stuck in the outer tube.

Embryolist says, there's one in there!!! The Dr. said, he just jinxed himself. We all laugh.

So they get a fresh tube, and then put the embryo into another fresh tube. Meanwhile, I really have to pee . . . They ask how I'm doing, and I mention as bad as it seems it's on my brain more than the embryos, I really have to pee . . .

They look through the inner tube, then the outter tube, this time it's clean. smile.gif

So now they take the speculum out. It is literally stuck to my "walls" because of the drying out of the alchol. Dr. said, well, you were also in here twice as long as normal, and that's part of it.

So I ask if I can pee now. Yes, but I have to pee into a bedpan!!! So they wheel me into the recovery area, and set me head down, feet up, and give me a bedpan. And they let Joerg back in. I can't pee. I'm upside down, laying down, this does NOT work for me . . . They try running water for me (and I feel bad for the people on other sides of curtains waiting to go in who probably want to pee too!) About a 1/2 hour later, they try to use a cath on me. Can't get it to work. Try a 2nd cath, lubed. Doesn't work. They call for backup to help cath. I finally pee on my own. They said my bladder was spasming because I really needed to pee! LOL

I stay head down for a full hour.

They come in and go over my restrictions. Bed rest for 24 hours. This is different. Last fall, they had said, you can go to the movies, but not walk around. Andrea said she was surprised they changed this too. So bed rest for me! biggrin.gif It's worth it!!!!


When we leave, we check into our new hotel. What a difference! I can breath. It's so clean! It's just a wonderful king suite. smile.gif If we come back for a 2nd try or a 2nd attempt at more children, I think we'll stay here again. smile.gif





Oh, please ask questions, I can't remember sometimes if I forget things, and I'm willing to talk about whatever we're going through so everyone knows what to expect (or what to possibly expect).