Crazy Lady?

The moment has come, this will be my first cycle on clomid and I have to say I'm a little apprehensive about the side effects. Let me take a quick tangent to say that A) this particular drug was NOT covered under my insurance and B) $50 says if I was a man buying Viagra it would have been. But this particular post is not about the U.S. healthcare system it's about me :)

I will admit that there are times that I can be pretty horrible (Amy will hopefully jump in at this point and say no you aren't and my sister would jump in and say yes you are (Hi Carly!)) but I'm really worried about the moodiness side effect of the drug. I know another side effect mentioned is hot flashes but I live in Austin, TX where we are in the middle of summer so really how bad can it be.

I guess what I'm asking in a very round about way blog buddies is...Those of you that have been or are on clomid, do I have anything to worry about? I know everyone is different and reacts differently to drugs but what happened with you? Give it to me straight (no pun intended) the good, the bad and the extremely ugly.

Photo Friday: Pink

The theme this week for Photo Friday is the color pink. This one was an easy one for us to choose as Amy's favorite color is pink. Because of it being her favorite color and my favorite flower being peonies it was natural that our wedding bouquets were pink peonies.

We never get sick of looking at our wedding pictures :)

Tagged!

Alright we've been tagged by We Are Fambly

Here are the rules:
Let others know who tagged you.
Players start with 8 random facts about themselves
Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts
Players should tag 8 other people and tell them they’ve been tagged.

So we're going to break the rules slightly and list 4 facts about me and 4 about Amy.

Melissa's Facts:
1. I was an exchange student in Germany when I was in 11th grade

2. My mom (jokingly) told my sister and I that we had a 3rd sister named Bridget when we were growing up and would always compare us to her when we would be bad (Bridget was perfect you see). When I was in 3rd grade I added Bridget to my family tree for a class project and my mom never mentioned her again.

3. I was a really good softball player when I was younger (pitcher, first base and center field)

4. In keeping with the Anne Murray theme from We Are Fambly, my first concert was Anne Murray and I got to go backstage and have my picture taken with her.

Amy's Facts:
1. I can't talk on the phone and sit still at the same time. I have to always walk around when I'm talking.

2. I gag the entire time I have to clean the litter box...so I don't do it.

3. One of the most important people in my life is my Grandma

4. I have an amazing ability to retain sports statistics and anything related to 80s music...Guns N' Roses and Journey ROCK!!

Ok. I've already seen this on the majority of the blogs so I don't want to retag anyone whose done this already. If anyone want to volunteer to do one I'll update this post with a link to your blog.

The Donor

Well...Mel and I have selected a donor and a back up donor. It's very exciting and makes it more real. Our decision was first based on instinct and family history. We also wanted a donor that had blue eyes since both of us have blue eyes. We also wanted an open donor. Melissa thinks we should order enough supply for 3 months or 6 vials (our doctor does 2 insemination's a cycle). I hope that everything works out and that is enough. I know that the averages say that isn't enough but I am optimistic that 3 mths is enough.

How did everyone else decide on their donor?

Pin Cushion

Yesterday I went to my first ever acupuncture appointment. I was a little apprehensive about what was going to happen but all that worrying was for nothing. It was a great experience. I was only stuck with 10 needles and it ended up being a very relaxing experience. The acupuncturist was so nice, very knowledgeable and specialized in fertility so he gave me lots of good information.

Things I learned:

Food:
There are certain foods that are important to eat (not only if your TTC, but in general):

Blueberries:
- contain high levels of antioxidants and fiber
- fresh and frozen are the same. No nutrients are lost in the freezing process.

Apples:
- Adding an apple to your diet everyday is an easy way to increase your fiber intake

Sweet Potatoes:
- You need to eat sweet potatoes with a fat (butter, olive oil, etc.) in order for your body to absorb the most nutrients

Supplements:
I was taking a multi-vitamin and took an extra folic acid supplement. He recommended a prenatal vitamin and an additional homeopathic supplement

Prenatal Vitamin: Rainbow Light Complete Prenatal System

Supplement: Royal Jelly

- "Royal jelly is modified pollen fed only to the reproducing queen bee, whose job it is to produce more infant bees. This nutritive tonic might be considered the bee equivalent of fertility drugs. Rich in amino acids, vitamins, and enzymes, royal jelly helps the queen lay millions of eggs and live longer than the worker bee."

If it works for bees I thought why not give it a shot, it is after all only one more pill I have to take in the day.

Exercise:
One of the biggest issues surrounding fertility is blood flow. That is why exercise is so important.

Even though this doesn't seem very "exercisey" to me, he recommended 3-4 times a week laying with your back on the floor with your butt pushed against the wall with your feet and legs raised up along the wall. Then lay like that for 5min (I found putting a pillow under your lower back makes this more comfortable). This is one of the best exercises for increasing blood flow to the uterus. Just don't do this exercise when you're on your period.

My next appointment will be around my next ovulation so I won't go back for a month. I'm really looking forward to my next visit!

Learners Permit

We went to our follow up doctor's appointment yesterday, with our charts in hand. It wasn't exactly the news we were hoping for but we weren't altogether surprised either.

So it looks like next month isn't our time to start. Since I've only been ovulating every other month and late in the cycle our doctor has put me on a low dose of clomid for next cycle. She wants us to wait a cycle to see how I react to it before we try our first insemination. I'm happy that she's aware of the cost this is for us and that she doesn't want us throwing our money down the drain but we're still a little bummed.

She also wants me to go get my blood drawn next Monday to see my progesterone levels. The good news is she filled out all of our paper work for "The Bank", so we can go ahead and start picking/purchasing our donor.

Looks like it's going to be a little bit longer until we're in the drivers seat.

Our Day

Well, we finally legally got married! It was beautiful and more special than I thought it would be. The day was a blur for me. I have been told many times about people only remembering the wedding through pictures and now I understand. The love and support we received in Canada by friends, family, and strangers was amazing. From my experience, Canadians are so friendly and much more open minded then what I am used to in the States. The whole day was a special event not only for Melissa and I but also for the people that participated in our wedding and our dinner. I highly recommend getting married for those who think it is foolish because it isn't legal. It may not be legal (in the States) but it meant just as much to me (if not more) to marry Melissa.

I would love to thank everyone for their well wishes. Melissa and I really appricate all the support from everyone.

If you would like to see more pictures click here.

photo friday: red

This is our first submission into photo Friday. We've had a crazy busy weekend slowly checking items off our list in preparation for our trip on Tuesday. We decided to finish off the day with one of our favorite bottles of red wine.