23 March 2008

Short post, I am exhausted. We got most of our house unpacked. I think this until I see the spare room......ugh.

Happy Easter everyone. Hope you day is filled with fun, laughter and love, good food and lots of candy. We had a good time.

Just wanted to make a shout out to a very kind, generous and thoughtful couple for our very first donation. Because of you we are that much closer to reaching our goal. We are that much closer to becoming Mommy and Daddy. We are that much closer to giving an unwanted baby the life he/she deserves.
Tawnia and Shannon,
Your kindness means the world to us and we appreciate it more than words can say.
Thank you so incredibly much again.

*IVF medical supplies, sold! Auction closed.
Things for sale as of today:
I am offering donor profiles I will no longer need. I have 1 of donor 323, and 2 of donor 554, both NW donors. I had 1 pregnancy with donor 554 which ended in my first miscarriage. I am willing to send the profile at no cost, but asking for a small donation. As small or as large as you wish. If this is not reasonable, please let me know. I will work with you. Message me, or email me at Nicksboo824 @ yahoo.com.

I have 4 individual packs of Preseed, unopened purchased from NW. I have 6 speculums, all size small. They were in a bag of 10, 4 were used so six are left unopened. I can send pictures if requested. I am willing to sell these items for $25, shipping cost of $8.95 flat rate box included for priority mail. The rest of the proceeds, 100%, will go directly into our adoption funds. If this is not a reasonable price please let me know. The first person to respond, or email me gets the supplies. Message me here or email me.

24 Feb 2008

Gesh, Its been about 5 days since I posted. Please forgive me. I've either been too tired to type or out exploring. Nick is playing his video games on his PS3 now so I have time and a little energy to spare to update you all. So much has happened in the past 5 days. I have to much to tell you all!! And a slide show to share.

First I know you are all wondering how the bean is doing. We haven't had an ultrasound yet. We go on Tuesday to enroll me into Tricare here on base. Then we will find out what we need to do to get into the doctor on or around March 7th. I will be almost 8 weeks by then. Things are going great but I still worry and wonder if everything is progressing as it should be. Nick is very sure that everything is fine from the symptoms I been having lately. My last pregnancy I had no symptoms. Tomorrow we hit week 6. The past week I have been absolutely starving. I mean, I cant get full. I'm hungry all the time. My pants are tight in the waist. Summer shorts and pants that I wore very comfortably or loosely last summer, are tight. I desperately need to go clothes shopping. I have to pee 2-4 times a night and because of that (and the 15 hour time difference now) I cant sleep. I was constipated on the plane here. Not fun. And my bobs are huge. Yesterday we went out and Nick forced me to buy a nice bra. I didn't want to spend 25 bucks on a bra. Can you believe a freaking FULL 36 D?? WTF? Wow. Also just about every day, either part of the day, sometimes all day I feel so bloated! Like when I was on the IVF injections. Bloated- like I feel like a hot air balloon! So because of all this Nick is confident things are well. But, I always have that what if in the back of my mind.

Now, about Guam. Wow. This place is amazing. This really is paradise. I cant believe we live here now. I told Nick, I don't think I will ever want to leave. Hes going to have to pry me out of here. Yesterday we went to the beach near our hotel but only for 45 minutes. Nick burns easy and we didnt buy him any sunscreen. The water is like bath water. It was cold at first because there was a breeze going but after you got in it was so warm. It was so clean, and clear and blue. Not salty at all like the beaches in the states. Palm trees with coconuts everywhere. The local people are really nice, happy, relaxed and helpful. Its live we are living a vacation.

Tomorrow we get to pick up our cats from quarantine. We worried about them for nothing which I knew was going to happen. We get to visit with them everyday, bring their favorite treats and food and Pooh Bears favorite brush. The first day we went to visit them, they day after we flew in Roo was so ticked off and mad at us. So much so that it was just so funny and cute. As soon as he saw me he started his meowing. The meowing he does when he looking for me around the house. I went into their kennel and he rubbed on me a minute then realized he was mad and started growling and wouldn't let me pet him. Then he would rub and love on me and the get mad again. It was so funny. Today he was his normal self. Pooh Bear just seems as if nothing happened. I cant wait to have them back.

We are still living in a hotel right now. The lady at the housing office said we wont get a house until middle of March because there is no funding to fix up a house for us. The stupid thing is, is that they are paying us $229 PER DAY(!!!!) to live in this hotel. The hotel cost plus meal costs since our room does not have a kitchen. So they are out of funding but they are paying us way more to live in a hotel?? Somebody cant do math. The lady said we would get a call Monday or Tuesday to let us know. I just want a house to call home. I want my things, I want to be able to cook my own meals, I want my own bed. Hopefully some funding money will fall from the sky and we can get into a house sooner rather than later.

Well, thats all for now. I'm tired. This time change is killing me sleeping schedule. I heard it takes a god week or 2 to adjust. Its incredibly tiring. Plus I have to pee now. So until next time friends, I leave you with a slide show of our first 3 days here in a magical paradise.

7 Jan 2008

Nothing new going on here really. Today I am trying to get some of our things together. Nick and I cleared out the spare room, now we just have to put everything in there that we dont want the packers to pack. So Im working on that today and not enjoying it. What I want to do is take pictures of the house before it gets totally ransacked and tore apart. Maybe I will do that today...but you will have to bare with me because it's already sort of a mess. We will be flying out of here in 43 days. I only have 12 more days in my home here. Very weird. I love this house. I will miss this house, but not this place.

Nick got to give my daily dose of Lupron yesterday for the first time. It was my 3rd injection and already I just whiz right through it. Nick was nervous but did just fine. I have only 3 more nights of the pills left! And then before I know it, the 16th will be here and I will be at my baseline appointment. I think that is also the day I start my stim injections too.

I am guesstimating that my embabies (that is what Im calling my embryos) will be welcomed home to my womb in 27ish days!

Ok, I must get back to work around here now. I keep putting it off and making up excuses. Today I have ran out of excuses. Sigh. I just want it to be packed and shipped already.

Tacos for dinner! Yum! I know, that was totally random. hehe.

17 Dec 2007

First of all, I have to say...check out my hubby!!
http://www.langley.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123079562

**WARNING** Long post! A Friday night story and some rambling that you may not care about!

Well..what a hectic life. I dont think married life has ever been this crazy with things going on. I cant wait until its all over. I cant wait until March. By then everything will be over and we will be in our new house.
Our Friday was crazy. As you know our orders got denied. I was in the middle of grocery shopping when I got this call so I didnt even finish shopping. The store got so hot and stuffy and I was so upset I just wanted out of there.

Then I went to 3 different stores looking for a top to wear to the Christmas party. I went to the BX, then JC Penny and then to Ross before I even found the top that I had in mind. I had been trying to call Nick for hours to tell him the news with no answer. He was mandatory bowling with work and had his cell phone in his boot. I guess he couldnt hear it. Needless to say, by the time I got I home I was not happy. When Nick got home I finally told him the news and his attitude when down the drain. We thought of every single person we could think of to help us. We thought of a friend that Nick knows in his car club. We will call her T. She lives about an hour from D.C. which is better than 3 hours from here. She very quickly responded and said of course you can stay with me, you are family. So...we are covered. No need to worry about hotel expenses. THANK YOU GOD.

So we went to the Christmas party where I asked Drena if she was sure she wanted to help me out. I will need a chaperone for the 3 days Nick has to be home to pack up our household goods. ( more on the later in the post ) I felt bad asking her because it's a lot to ask for from someone with 2 little ones. But the wonderful, kind person she is...she is willing to go. She said she wanted to be part of the baby process for us. She said she wanted our baby named after her and birthrights of some kind! LOL!!! Drena, your prayers are so a part of our baby making process and I thank you more than you can know!

When we came home Friday night after the Christmas party, Nick was drunk. I mean 8 beers and 8 rum and cokes later drunk. Couldnt see or walk drunk. He does this about once a year, and that was his once this year.

I pulled up to our house and saw a black guy, dressed in all black and on cell phone walking in the grass next to our driveway, next to Nick's car. He was just pacing back and forth. I told Nick to wait, just sit here for minute but his drunken state didnt listen to me and he got out right away. I wanted to see if this kid was going to do anything.

Nick went up to him and asked can I help you. He said no Im just walking. Now you have to know that we live on the end of a row of houses and there is absolulty nothing near our house fom him to be walking there. Nick went on to ask why he walking where he was walking and this kid wouldnt answer. So Nick got up in his face demanding him to tell us why he was there. He wouldnt answer and I just saw a fight breaking out. I tried 2 times to get Nick away from this guy. He wouldnt move.

So I just went into the house to change clothes and wash off my make up. I came back out side and both guys were gone. I tried calling Nick about 30 times total, no answer. I start to panic. He is drunk. Wont find his way home. He has no ID on him. I had his military ID to get onto base ( he left mine at home in his wallet) and he dropped his driver's license in my car while he was looking for my ID. I walked our block and couldnt find him so I got into my car and still couldnt find him. All while trying to call him with no answer.

So I called Drena and Mike told me to call 911. I figured I would get to the front gate before 911 would get there. So thats where I went. When I got there I saw 6 cops come flying through the gate with their lights on and right away I think the worst. Drunk guy hurt. Then Mike calls me back and says dont worry, he is alive. He talked to him for a few seconds. Im standing in the gaurd shack for what feels like forever before I know anything. We are about 30 minutes into this whole deal. Nick calls me and says everything is fine. He comes to get me at the shack and then tells me what happened.

The guy was walking away from our house and Nick followed him. He wasnt letting him go. He was on the phone with 911 the whole time while I was trying to call him, thats why he didnt answer. The kid walked to a playground and sat down. We have about 10 playgrounds in our neighborhood so Nick didnt know where he was at. The cops didnt find him cuz the kid wouldnt tell Nick where they were at. Nick finally gets the kid to walk near a street sign. The cops find him and the kid. This kidwas not military. He was brought onto base by someone illegally. When you bring a non-military person onto base you are supposed to sign them in and get a pass for them that they have to carry around at all times and they are not to be wondering around base without the sponser. He was doing the opposite. He never did give a reason why he was near our house by Nicks car. The cops were on Nick's side even though he was drunk. Nick did do the right thing. The cops told us to start putting the car in the garage and locking our door. We never locked our door.

This kid WAS up to something. Saturday morning I worked while Nick was sobering up. When I came home Nick showed me a hand print on the back of his car. It was just washed and wasnt around anyone for a hand print to be on it. The hand print was on the back of his car on the wing and was positioned just right for someone leaning over the trunk to see the system in the back of the car.
If Mike and Drena didnt leave the party when they did, we wouldnt have left at that perfect time and we wouldnt have caught this kid planning something terrible. Thank you lord.

Now, back to what I wrote earlier, kind of. We have just come to realize that after my baseline appointment on Jan 16th, I wont be in our house ever again. We are leaving Jan 15th to D.C. since my first appointment is at 0630. I will be in D.C. for 2 weeks for IVF since I will be seen by them as much as daily. Our household goods are being packed up the last 3 days in January and Nick moves us into the hotel on base on Feb 1st. I wont be home until sometime the first week of Feb. Which means, I only have 1 month left my house here at good old Langley Air Force Base Virginia. Which means, that right after we get back from PA on Dec 27th, we have to get the house ready. Go through everything, get rid of stuff. I have to separate our unaccomanied baggage so Nick knows what to tell the packers to take. Unaccompanied baggage is the 1,000 pounds of household goods that gets packs first and we get that shortly after being in Guam. I have to separate the things that Nick has to mail to Guam and separate the things that we will be using to live out of our suitcases for 1 month.

Yikes...it's getting close.

16 Nov 07

Well, the cat situation didnt work out. We wont be flying with them. I hate Contenental Air Lines. We have to take the cats to D.C. airport the day before we fly out. The reason being is that Contenental wont allow the cats the be in their supervision for more than 18 hours straight. They have to be in the care of us for a vet at a kennel. So the cats will fly out of D.C. on the 19th, go to Texas, then Hawaii and then spend a night in Hawaii to break up the 18 hours. Then we will meet up with them in Hawaii and fly to Guam on the same flight.

I am so scared for my cats, and for myself. Im not going to be able to handle this well. It kills me to think of how scared they will be. I hope they will be able to be together. Gosh...I cant even think about it. I know they will take it easier than I expect, I know that. Thats what happened last time. After all the flying and driving when we got to our hotel they acted as if nothing happened. I hope it goes the same way.

I called IVF clinic this morning and had to leave a message. I want to make sure they got the fax of my Saline Sonogram. I have to check up on this stuff because in the military, if you arent on people's butts about stuff it wont get done. So frustrating. But worth it if a baby comes out of it.

I did my Thanksgiving shopping today. We got a small butterball turkey since it will be just the 2 of us. Im pretty sure I will be wanted at work for the weekend so no family plans for us. Turkeys name is Little Tim. Yes, I always name my turkey. Dont ask me why. I guess it just reminds me of the days when my sister was a little kid. I miss her.

*UPDATED* My Saline Sonogram results were faxed and recieved! I left a message with the Nurses and am now waiting for a call back to find out what the next step is to making our baby! ( or God if your reading this...BABIES. hint, hint )

15 Nov 2007

Of course, I gotta leave you with a picture of Guam!!


So today was my Saline Sonogram. The results are great, everything is clear...my eggie passage way is clear and my uterus is perfect. While the nurse was doing the internal ultrasound I asked her if she could see any follies, and she saw several on both the left and right sides. So everything is in tip top shape.

The results wont be in the computer at the hospital until the end of the day, and hopefully they will fax the results to the IVF clinic asap and not let it sit around. We are such a big time crunch. I will call WR tomorrow to see if they got the fax. If they dont, Im gonna be ticked off. The IVF clinic WILL have my results tomorrow or Monday no matter how much He77 I have to raise. Oh the joys of working with military doctors...

Then after they get my results the doctor will go over my chart and accept us into the program. Im guessing medications will start very soon after the approval since we are shooting for January for the retrieval and transfer.

Then we will be on our way to BFP...and maybe we can be blessed with multiples so we dont have to ever go down this infertility road again. Unless...I have many embroys that we can freeze and save for later transfers. That would be nice.

As far as moving..things are coming along. We are still trying to figure out the cat sitation. Either way its going to cost us almost $900 to ship the cats. Finances are so tight. Between the cats' costs and the IVF, Christmas is going to be not like our usual with presents everywhere. Anyway, we have a lady working on the cat situation. She is trying to get us onto the flight out of D.C. WITH the cats. If so we would have to drive up the night before since it leaves at 5:30 am. We will have to pay for hotel room out of pocket but if thats what it takes to be with our boys, we will do it. We should know more info today.

As far as packing...our house hold items are being packed on Jan. 29 and 30 then being shipped out on the 31st. We will be living in our empty house and out of suit cases until Feb. 10th until we move into the Temporary Lodging Facility on base. Then we fly out 10 days after that, and we will be in TLF once again in Guam for about 10 days until we get a house. We will be living in that empty house for about 2weeks until we get our house stuffs.

And that folks, is my grand update. Stay tuned for more as always.

24 Oct 2007

Not much action over here. Yesterday I worked 9-7 and right after lunch I started feeling soooo sick. I hadnt eaten all day, I had no appetite. My head was heavy, all my energy just disappered. I was struggling by the time closing time came around. I got home, collapsed on the couch and ate some applesause. Then I was really starting to feel sick. My body was just radiating heat but I was FREEZING. I went to bed and had 3 blankets on me and still couldnt get warm, but the heat was still comming from me. It was a terrible fever...I fell asleep as soon as Nick hit the bed about an hour later. I remember him telling me that he can feel the heat comming off of me, then I was out. I woke up, and now Im fine. Weird. How can I have a fever and then it just disapper? Anyone know what it was or could have been?

Anyways, today just a bunch of errands. Gotta get my medical clearance going so I can move to Guam, and get a new passport. And Nick has other things he wants to take care off to since we will be out. And tomorrow at 7:30 I get my car inspected. Ughh. I hate it. Oh yeah, and I gotta call to see if my PAP test results are back yet.

UPDATE- My results are back! Which means that I can fax all my paperwork to Walter Reed and hopefully it doesnt take too long for the IVF doctor to look over my chart and accept us into the IVF program. Fingers Crossed!

118 Days until we move. Here is more info on Guam that I found.
Climate

Some days are utterly beautiful, while others are a bit "damp." Guam has two seasons, dry and rainy. It rains during both, but far more during the latter. Although clear distinctions can't be drawn from dates, usually in December the rainy season will let up until sometime around May or June. All the other months are the more rainy season. The early part of the "dry" season is usually the mildest time of year, with nice breezes blowing off the water.

Tips for surviving the rainy season:

Keep a couple small hand towels in your car.
Keep umbrellas handy. In your car, in your desk, briefcase, purse, etc. You can't have too many.
Rainy season = typhoon season. Preparing your family for a major typhoon is a must. Click here to visit the Guam Office of Civil Defense and Homeland Security Website. They've provided plenty of information on preparing for a typhoon.
Be aware that typhoons can strike at any time of the year.
Tips for the "dry" season:

Plan outdoor activities for the morning or late afternoon to avoid the hottest part of the day.
Get your car windows tinted as soon as possible. Military bases require a lighter tint on the driver's & front passenger's windows. The other windows can be as dark as you want them. All reputable shops on island know the rules, but make sure to let them know your vehicle will be going on the military installations.
Windshield sunscreens are a must here.
Dehumidifiers in your home keep it comfortable and make it seem cooler.
Don't underestimate the effects of heat on your body. Drink extra water whether you think you need it or not.

9 Sept 2007

CD 6, I start my clomid today. Im going to take it at night this round so I feel less of the side effects. I picked up 100 mg but I am not taking all 100. Just 50 mg for 5 days. Last time I took 100 mg I only had 1 good egg and abotu 12 small ones that never matured. And when I took the 75 mg I had 2 eggs and with 25 I had only 1. So maybe I should take 75??? What do you all think?



We found out that we probably wont have to quarintine the cats at all. We will be in Guam in about 175 days and the blood work and shots they need take 120 days, so as long as we are all finished with it all by the 120 days we wont have to put them in Q at all. Their first appointment is this Thursday. They told Nick it should not be a problem to get them all finished within the time frame, THANK GOD.



We been discussing the move. I dont have time for a yard sale. I was asked to work the 1st Saturday of October. So I dont know how well we would do with a yard sale the 2nd weekend of October. Too cold? People not in the "yard sale mood" at that time of year? I dont know...but we think of something...I have to use up ALL my candles...we have to use up all our household liquids. ( cleaning supplies, Nicks car supplies, bathroom novelties , sp? ) They will NOT ship candles, liquids, aerosol cans, lighters, nail polish...anything that is liquid, can melt or can catch on fire or explode.

I used to be a Partylite consultant so we have a thousand candles...looks like we will be burning A LOT of candles within the next 4 months and using some as Xmas gifts as well. Mom, Jenny...your getting candles for Xmas..hehehe.



We also so thought I will have to stop working in about 4 months. I wanted to work as long as I can, for 1 because I need the money, and for 2, I told the owner when he hired me that we wont be moving for another year. Oops. BUT, we HAVE to sell my car before we move and with the hours that I work it will be impossible for Nick to take me and I cant take him cuz I cant drive a stick. So, we are gonna loose money during our last month here and not sure if we will be able to afford an IUI at the time if we dont have our BFP yet.

I sure hope this month is a BFP. Money is going to be super tight with the costs of the cats..not sure how we will be able to afford a few IUI's.

Oh well, Im just rambling. We cant believe we are actually moving, and to Guam! I cant even imagine how nice its going to be there. We are going to be on an ISLAND! Surrounded by beaches, clear water, palm trees, green grass, white sand..ALL YEAR LONG! Ahhh..cant wait. Cant wait to pick out a house too. That should be fun!

And my quilt, its comming along great. Its starting to look like a quilt now. I have 3 rows all stitched together. My goal is to be sewing the inside together by the weekend and by next weekend sewing on the back sheet to it. But I bet it will be done before then.

Oh and guess what? Our AC is NOT working again and it is sooooo humid out from Tropical Storm Gabrielle. Nice time for it to be broken again huh?

7 Sept 2007 WE'RE MOVING!

Ok, so I lied, my life is no longer uneventful. Nick and I got some news yesterday that I didnt want to post before his parents knew about it. It would have been horrible for them to find out from someone besides us, but now they know and now the whole world can know. Most of you that read my blog already know, but, WE ARE MOVING TO GUAM! We got the word yesterday. Nick called me at work and I really thought he was playing a joke on me. It took a good 5 minutes for me to actually believe him. Guam is a place we had listed on our "dream sheet" not ever thinking that would become a reality, and even more so not this soon. As of yesterday, we have been here in VA for 2 years so we really believed it would take a little time for orders to get passed down to us since many people have been here longer than us and they would have priority. But, nope, WE ARE MOVING. We will be there end of Feb. Just 5 months! We plan having a yard sale first Saturday in October to get rid of stuff. I hate moving and taking stuff that we dont use. If we havent seen it or used it in a year, it goes.
So here are some maps ( thanks Zen! ) and some information about Guam. The base we are going to Anderson Air Force Base. Ahhh, for the next 4 or + years we will be living in a tropical paradise. I cannot wait!

As far as TTC, we are still going on with this cycle. And we were considering it being our last cycle but that was before we knew we were moving. So, we are going to do IUI's until we leave here, about 4 or 5 more. If I am not pregnant ( god forbid ) by the time we move, then when we get to Guam we will decide what to do about adoption. That is our plan now.

Now, to the information about Guam:

Located approximately 3,300 miles West of Hawaii, 1,500 miles East of the Philippines and 1,550 miles South of Japan, Guam is an ideal base for travel to many attractive Pacific and Asian destinations See above map.
Here is Guam itself:

The whole entire island is about 4-10 miles wide and 41 miles long.Guam is 210 square miles total. Told ya its tiny! The military does offer us flights for little or no cost to other islands just to get out a bit. As you can tell, its not a very big place to explore!
*Guam's cultuer is mixture of Spanish, Micronesia, Asian and western influences. They call it Chamorro.
*Fresh seafood is bountiful. Fresh fish, octopus, and lobster are either grilled or baked with vegetables or fruit, sashimi. Travelers who venture further will find Chamorro, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, Chinese, Mexican, and European restaurants, each with its own distinct ambiance. Of course, American fast food chains have become standard fare for those on the go.
* Guam is just the place for the “born to shop” crowd. The island’s duty-free status means that name-brand merchandise and other items often are less expensive than in their counGuam’s duty free shopping status means that no tariffs are added to many quality name brand international products. Lower prices on such items as watches, perfumes, leather goods, spirits, and other luxury products can be found.
*For shoppers who rise with the sun, Guam’s popular flea markets are a special treat. Every Saturday and Sunday morning at 6 a.m., the Dededo Flea Market, located on Marine Drive, welcomes throngs of bargain hunters with the intent of finding the best buys among rows and rows of new and used merchandise. Buyers can find everything from lawn mowers to baby clothes, plants to pets. Hot snacks and beverages are available, and many people enjoy an island-style breakfast of fried rice, eggs and meat while shopping.
*There are 6 shopping malls on the entire island!
*As I type this, it is 2:31 am there, and 78 degrees!
*Due to wind direction and proximity, volcanic ash activity does occasionally affect Guam.
*The climate is characterized as tropical marine. The weather is generally warm and humid with little seasonal temperature variation. The mean high temperature is 86°F low is 74°F.
*An average of three tropical storms and one typhoon pass within 180 nautical miles of Guam each year.
*Guam offers wide beaches, snorkeling and scuba diving, deep sea sport fishing, world class golf courses, lush tropical jungles and a rich cultural and historical heritage.
*Guam is one of the best dive destinations in the world. Located just off the Marianas Trench, the deepest part of the ocean in the world, Guam offers divers exceptionally clear waters that maintain temperature between 82-86 (28C) degrees year round, unspoiled coral reefs and sheer walls, hundreds of varieties of coral and fish, and a number of World War II airplane and ship wrecks.
*The 2007 population estimate for Guam is 173,456.



Im sure I will have more info and pictures to come as we find out more!

Only cruddy thing about this whole ordeal is that they are VERY strict with their pet policy. Our cats need tons of blood work, shots, and possibly a quarantine period of 30 days, BUT, Nick was told today that it shouldnt be a problem so we might not have to do that as long we can get their blood work in a processed 120 days before we will arrive in Guam. ( cross your fingers for us, I cant go 30 days without them ) And its going to be very costly. We have to pay for everything, including the flight cost. Ughhh. But there is no choice, they are going with us. They are our children.