Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Still here
Just thought I'd post and say I'm still here! It's been busy--trying to get the adoption paperwork done in record time, keep up with work, finish the home renovations, rehearse for the opera, and get some serious exercise (I figure I need to be in good shape to be able to carry two babies, let alone deliver one!). But things are good!
Monday, January 19, 2009
A Tentative Decision
I left our social worker a message today to say we'd like to continue the adoption process now. Thank you so much for your prayers and support! We're still seeking advice and praying about it, but we're leaning toward adopting now. So, we decided we should work on getting our paperwork in order and see where things go from here!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Fish oil again
I just have to say that Sew Infertile and Finding Joy in Every Journey were so right about the N.ord.ic Nat.ur.als! After being a big slacker with my fish oil, I went and bought some yesterday. I got the kind that's mostly DHA (since that's what pregnant women need most, according to what I've read), and all I taste is strawberry! Yay! Also, the recommendations I found were for about half the dosage recommended on the bottle, so this one bottle will last me three months.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Thank you!
Thank you so much for the advice and support! I really appreciate it. We're giving it a lot of thought, we've got some good contacts with people who've been through the same situation so that we can find out what their experience has been like. And, of course, we're doing a lot of praying about it.
In the meantime, I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, and things are still looking good. I've gained about seven pounds, but I still fit into my looser clothes. My dress clothes are finished, though. I had to go with the b.e.l.l.a band-type-thing to hold up my dress pants for church last Sunday. We'll have to start taking belly pictures, too. The most exciting thing about the appointment was that the doctor was able to hear the baby's heartbeat immediately, and it was 155 (normal at this point is 120-160)!
The other exciting thing is that we got the rest of the stuff we need to finish our bathroom! The end of the renovations is in sight! Mr. X brought home the vanity, vanity top, faucet, mirror, cabinet, lights, and fan while I was at opera rehearsal (we went shopping together and then realized in the time warp of H.o.m.e D.e.p.o.t that I had 20 minutes till rehearsal started, and I needed to drive there, park, and get food).
But, wow, it's late. I'm going to sleep! I will keep you posted on our decision--we don't want to be hasty, and we want to make sure we're following God's will and going into whatever decision we make with our eyes open. The advice and prayers are much appreciated!
In the meantime, I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, and things are still looking good. I've gained about seven pounds, but I still fit into my looser clothes. My dress clothes are finished, though. I had to go with the b.e.l.l.a band-type-thing to hold up my dress pants for church last Sunday. We'll have to start taking belly pictures, too. The most exciting thing about the appointment was that the doctor was able to hear the baby's heartbeat immediately, and it was 155 (normal at this point is 120-160)!
The other exciting thing is that we got the rest of the stuff we need to finish our bathroom! The end of the renovations is in sight! Mr. X brought home the vanity, vanity top, faucet, mirror, cabinet, lights, and fan while I was at opera rehearsal (we went shopping together and then realized in the time warp of H.o.m.e D.e.p.o.t that I had 20 minutes till rehearsal started, and I needed to drive there, park, and get food).
But, wow, it's late. I'm going to sleep! I will keep you posted on our decision--we don't want to be hasty, and we want to make sure we're following God's will and going into whatever decision we make with our eyes open. The advice and prayers are much appreciated!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Major Dilemma--Advice, Please!
Oh my goodness. We have a major dilemma on our hands! And I feel a bit odd posting about this, because we are really experiencing an embarrassment of riches. But I would love to have some advice, especially if you know anyone who has been in our situation!
We began the adoption process, and I don't want to post too many specifics, but it's an international program, and so there is some predictability to the process. My understanding was that, if we conceived, we would have to wait at least a year after the baby is born to complete an adoption. However, some of the information I had heard was contradictory, and we wanted to get everything completely figured out, so Mr. X and I went in to the agency for a meeting.
It turns out that, in the brief four months since we began the process, things have moved very fast. And, since we do not yet have a baby (in utero doesn't count) living in our house, we could complete an adoption in very close proximity to the birth of our biological child. Wow. The timing of the adoption isn't a sure thing, but somewhere between May and August. My due date is July 11.
The thing is, this program has strict parental age requirements. If we don't adopt now, we will pretty much have one shot after the baby's born. We would have to wait until the baby is almost two years old to bring home a child through adoption, and at that point, we'd be at the very end of the age limit. If we end up having another biological child within 18 months after the baby we're expecting now, we would not be able to adopt through this program.
So. Thus the embarrassment of riches. After 3 1/2 years of infertility and miscarriage, we may have an opportunity to adopt a baby (1 year or younger) and give birth to a baby at practically the same time. I'm very torn. I know that there are lots of practical reasons to postpone the adoption (make sure each child gets lots of attention, adjust to parenthood with one child before having a second child, the unknown about what each of these children will need--though we'll have good medical info through the adoption program, we don't know if our biological child might have some special needs). But I know people have brought two children home at the same (or close to the same) time before. And I kind of feel like we'd be saying no to a child (I know that's way oversimplifying, but you know how emotions are) if we postpone the adoption.
Anyone have advice? If you know anyone who's been in our situation, would you please ask them for their insights (or pass on my blog or e-mail)?
We began the adoption process, and I don't want to post too many specifics, but it's an international program, and so there is some predictability to the process. My understanding was that, if we conceived, we would have to wait at least a year after the baby is born to complete an adoption. However, some of the information I had heard was contradictory, and we wanted to get everything completely figured out, so Mr. X and I went in to the agency for a meeting.
It turns out that, in the brief four months since we began the process, things have moved very fast. And, since we do not yet have a baby (in utero doesn't count) living in our house, we could complete an adoption in very close proximity to the birth of our biological child. Wow. The timing of the adoption isn't a sure thing, but somewhere between May and August. My due date is July 11.
The thing is, this program has strict parental age requirements. If we don't adopt now, we will pretty much have one shot after the baby's born. We would have to wait until the baby is almost two years old to bring home a child through adoption, and at that point, we'd be at the very end of the age limit. If we end up having another biological child within 18 months after the baby we're expecting now, we would not be able to adopt through this program.
So. Thus the embarrassment of riches. After 3 1/2 years of infertility and miscarriage, we may have an opportunity to adopt a baby (1 year or younger) and give birth to a baby at practically the same time. I'm very torn. I know that there are lots of practical reasons to postpone the adoption (make sure each child gets lots of attention, adjust to parenthood with one child before having a second child, the unknown about what each of these children will need--though we'll have good medical info through the adoption program, we don't know if our biological child might have some special needs). But I know people have brought two children home at the same (or close to the same) time before. And I kind of feel like we'd be saying no to a child (I know that's way oversimplifying, but you know how emotions are) if we postpone the adoption.
Anyone have advice? If you know anyone who's been in our situation, would you please ask them for their insights (or pass on my blog or e-mail)?
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Is it just me?
Thanks so much for the advice and prayers--you guys are great!
I ended up procrastinating too much, and in order to get in my 2-mile walk with the dog before it was too late at night (I don't like walking late at night when Mr. X is out of town) and eat something before my 8:30 deadline for my thyroid medication, I decided to just run out and get a sandwich on my way to the grocery store. I tried to call R.ed R.obi.n to order the bruschetta chicken burger (yum) to go. Their phone system didn't work terribly well--if I pressed the button to place a to go order, my call would get dropped. While I was waiting, I looked at the menu online and saw that the bruschetta chicken burger (which I haven't had in more than a year) costs $10.50. Are you kidding me?
As I was driving to the store, I remembered the B.o.st.on Ma.rk.e.t on the way. Perfect! Reasonably healthy chicken sandwich, right? It was almost closing time, and the store was pretty empty. As I walked up to the counter, the poor girl standing behind the open food case with all the side dishes started hacking. And she didn't even bother to cover her mouth, so she was coughing pretty much on the food. OK . . . she proceeded to walk all over the kitchen, coughing on everything, then came up to the counter and asked to take my order. Um . . . some typhoid to go, please? I quickly glanced around . . . none of the plague-infected side dishes . . . maybe something packaged? . . . no, only coleslaw and cranberry sauce in the cooler . . . so, I settled on just the sandwich, since they'd have to make that in the back. But they were out of white meat. I took that as my excuse and got the heck out of there. I got a grilled chicken sandwich (OK, OK, with fries) at W.endy's.
Is it just me? Is basic hygiene too much to ask? The worst case I personally experienced recently was at an E.in.stein B.age.ls a couple of years ago. I went in and placed my order. The guy who had been coughing (into the corner at least, not directly on the food) proceeded to lick his fingers in order to get a better grip on the gloves, which he then put on. Nothing gets my appetite going like saliva on the plastic gloves. Then he proceeded to make my sandwich, pausing halfway through to rub his eye with his fingers! And when he went back to making the sandwich, there was gunk from his eye left behind on his cheek! Then I looked at his name tag and realized that he was the shift manager. I was so stunned I actually paid for the food and left, but I couldn't bring myself to eat that sandwich.
I ended up procrastinating too much, and in order to get in my 2-mile walk with the dog before it was too late at night (I don't like walking late at night when Mr. X is out of town) and eat something before my 8:30 deadline for my thyroid medication, I decided to just run out and get a sandwich on my way to the grocery store. I tried to call R.ed R.obi.n to order the bruschetta chicken burger (yum) to go. Their phone system didn't work terribly well--if I pressed the button to place a to go order, my call would get dropped. While I was waiting, I looked at the menu online and saw that the bruschetta chicken burger (which I haven't had in more than a year) costs $10.50. Are you kidding me?
As I was driving to the store, I remembered the B.o.st.on Ma.rk.e.t on the way. Perfect! Reasonably healthy chicken sandwich, right? It was almost closing time, and the store was pretty empty. As I walked up to the counter, the poor girl standing behind the open food case with all the side dishes started hacking. And she didn't even bother to cover her mouth, so she was coughing pretty much on the food. OK . . . she proceeded to walk all over the kitchen, coughing on everything, then came up to the counter and asked to take my order. Um . . . some typhoid to go, please? I quickly glanced around . . . none of the plague-infected side dishes . . . maybe something packaged? . . . no, only coleslaw and cranberry sauce in the cooler . . . so, I settled on just the sandwich, since they'd have to make that in the back. But they were out of white meat. I took that as my excuse and got the heck out of there. I got a grilled chicken sandwich (OK, OK, with fries) at W.endy's.
Is it just me? Is basic hygiene too much to ask? The worst case I personally experienced recently was at an E.in.stein B.age.ls a couple of years ago. I went in and placed my order. The guy who had been coughing (into the corner at least, not directly on the food) proceeded to lick his fingers in order to get a better grip on the gloves, which he then put on. Nothing gets my appetite going like saliva on the plastic gloves. Then he proceeded to make my sandwich, pausing halfway through to rub his eye with his fingers! And when he went back to making the sandwich, there was gunk from his eye left behind on his cheek! Then I looked at his name tag and realized that he was the shift manager. I was so stunned I actually paid for the food and left, but I couldn't bring myself to eat that sandwich.
Trying not to Freak Out
I had to go in to the doctor's office today--Mr. X is out of town and I needed a progesterone injection. While I was there, I found out that my progesterone level drawn last week was 30. Two weeks earlier, it had been 37.2. At 12 weeks, 30 is considered to be "high zone 2" on the PPVI charts, so it's below average, but not way below average. The injection protocol stays the same, so that's OK. I'm just a little concerned that it dropped. I'm telling myself that it's still an OK number, we saw a great ultrasound the day after the blood draw, and that maybe all the supplementation might cause more fluctuation in the levels than usual. Anyway, if any of you know anything about this, please let me know! I'm going to disconnect myself from Dr. G.o.o.g.l.e now to save my sanity and so that I can walk the dog and use my grocery coupons while the sales are still on!
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