First Visit-Check

We had our first visit at the Fertility Clinic yesterday afternoon and had the chance to meet Dr. C yesterday. The visit went really well, and we are now in the midst of getting all of our preliminary tests and blood work done. Andre was so funny when we were sitting in the waitingroom before our appointment yesterday. It was us and two other couples waiting for appointments. Andre turns to me and whispers "Jenna, we're not the only ones!" It made me smile.

Now begins the rollercoaster of trying to figure out what is the problem. Originally my gyno Dr. A had said after the blood work and ultrasounds that it wasn't PCOS, but Dr C isn't convinced, and has ordered more indepth bloodwork to rule that out as well as the usual hormone level work up and all the STD screening that is required. All in all over the past two days I have had 12 vials of blood taken from my arm. That breaks my record of 6 vials taken one year. I am very lucky though that both of the lab techs, one at the Fertility Clinic and the other at the lab were very good and I am hopeful that I will only have two small bruises to show for it.

Next week is the big week, with Andre's Semen Analysis on Monday, and then my second appointment on Wednesday for (yet another round of) ultrasounds and a pelvic exam, they'll probably throw another pap in there for good measure I imagine. We both have our fingers crossed for Monday. The thought of male factor infertility is almost too much to imagine right now. We've briefly discussed what we would do if that was the case, but the possibility of having to consider IVF or donor IUI is too much to think about right now. But like Andre and I tell eachother all the time, we will cross that bridge if we get to it. Right now we just have faith that he is fine and our only hurdle is figuring out what my issue is.

Well that is it for now!

What a difference a day makes

Yesterday was an abnormally mild day for February. It was a great day though. The sun was shining, the light dusting of snow that was on the ground was melting. I think almost everyone in my neighbourhood decided to get out of the house and go for a walk yesterday. I know we did! I also turned down the thermostat and opened the windows to air the house out. Andre loves the fresh air, so he was more than happy to open the windows. So was Mikey, he ran from one end of the house to another, then would jet up the stairs and do the same thing upstairs running from one bedroom to another. We decided he must have had an early case of spring fever!

Today was completely different on the other hand. I had the day off today so I decided I would make a trip downtown to renew my healthcard, and maybe do a little shopping at the only Cotton Ginny left in the city (they have fabulous organic cotton clothing). I checked the forecast and they were forecasting 5-10cm of snow. Not really a ton of snow, but I was really doubtful as we haven't really had that much snow this entire winter. For once they were right!

Thank goodness I was smart enough to wear my winter boots when I left this morning because the snow started around noon as I was waiting for my bus home. Here is what our backyard looks like now. Keep in mind when I left the house this morning all you could see was grass everywhere.

Even my tracks that I made a few hours ago are almost filled up. Mother nature makes no signs of stopping either. It's still snowing big fluffy snow flakes out there. It was so nice this afternoon to curl up under my big blanket and just relax in my warm house instead of being outside. Days like today also remind me of when we lived in the apartment. It was a basement apartment so there were no huge windows that showed what was going on outside. The biggest windows were in the front of the house, so when it snowed we would keep wandering to the bedroom checking out how much snow had fallen then wait for the plough to go down the street so we could rush outside and dig out the car that was parked on the street.

Now thankfully we're in the townhouse, and there is a company that comes to clear out the parking lot so we rarely have to shovel a flake. But just in case we always have a shovel waiting in the shed just beside our front door.

February 24th

This is the day that a new journey will begin. This is the day of our consultation with Dr. C the Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE) that we have been referred to. I was very shocked to come home from a morning out with my friend Pam on Friday to a message written in the kitchen that Andre had taken. I expected to be waiting longer than a week and a half, but it's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

We are now being sent to someone who deals solely with trying to get women knocked up. We can now relax knowing that someone is going to tell us #1 if it's possible, and #2 how to make it possible. The best part (for me) is that one of the first tests they will run is a Semen Analysis, meaning for once Andre will be examined under a microscope, not me. From here they will know if they're dealing with a problem with both of us, or just myself.

**Fingers crossed everything with Andre is fine**

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers on the 24th!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day turned out to be a fairly busy day. We had company over the night before so we both slept in and took our time getting ready for the day. Andre had decided that we were going to drive out to the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls, and have lunch to mark the special day. In the end we had lunch at a restaurant close to our house and then hopped on the highway from there for the drive to the conservatory.

We had first visited the conservatory right after we were engaged, so it's been about 5 years we last visited. We've only ever visited in the winter, but I think it would be a great place to visit in the spring/summer, so you could take advantage of the nice weather and take a walk through the Botanical Gardens that are in the same area. We've only ever seen everything covered in snow.

It's funny to see people, young and old, man and woman snapping picture after picture of the butterflies, and holding out their arms hoping one might land on them. It was especially funny to see the biker-type guy yesterday shout out to his friends that one had landed on his arm. The best part of this place is that it's nice and warm to accommodate all the butterflies. Here are some pictures:

When we got home Andre promptly banished me to the living room and told me that he had a "project" and I was not allowed to even peak into the kitchen. This immediately made me nervous, but I went along with it and went to play Super Mario for Wii in the living room.

Well after about 20 minutes of salivating from the smell of melted chocolate, and listening to Andre curse I went into the kitchen when he explained that his project was a big catastrophe. Yes, he used to word catastrophe. I went into the kitchen and found a recipe for black and white dipped chocolate covered strawberries and three bowls filled with various stages of burnt chocolate.

And a very frustrated Andre. He told me that it wasn't fair, I had made chocolate covered strawberries and they had turned out great, and nothing was working for him. So I tried to salvage as much as I could. I carefully peeled off the globs of chocolate he managed to get onto the strawberries and got him to gently pat the water off the strawberries (problem #1, the strawberries need to be dry). Then instead of melting the chocolate in the microwave, I used the stove ("Jenna, it said to use the microwave."). After constant stirring and some added water we managed to get the chocolate melted and smooth. Then I let him dip the strawberries.

He really wanted to add the melted white chocolate like the recipe said, so I melted down some white chocolate (Jenna, it's not going to work, I already tried.") and left him alone so he could finish up the last few steps on his own. In the end it ended up being more of dual project, but I think he did really well.

It's the thought that counts right?

After dinner we collapsed on the couch and ended up watching The Great Sperm Race on Discovery (which we both found very entertaining). And then we both almost fell asleep watching Olympic pairs figure skating.

One Step Closer

This morning was the follow up appointment with my gynocologist, Dr. A. My first appointment with him I was impressed. Finally someone who was concerned about what was going on, and not going on. Someone who was on my side! This feeling quickly faded with subsequent appointments with him. I felt that he was just not prepared, and didn't even take the time to review my chart before entering the room. He was always asking questions that he had already asked (and already recorded in my chart). Not very reassuring.

Today was no different. This time was a little different in that Andre came with me, and came into the treatment room with me. I think this was a little bit of an eye opener for him with all the life-sized female reproductive system pictures, and models. Also the exam table with the stirrups was right in front of us.

Dr A started by asking me when my last menstrual cycle was. I told him the date (almost 60 days ago). He then asked me if he had "assisted with this". Seriously?! This was the doctor that prescribed the 14 days of the Provera. Check your chart doc, seriously. I told him yes, he had prescribed 14 days of Provera. He asked me a few questions about how I was on it, and I told him the length of my period. He then asked what we wanted to do next. I told him we were trying to get pregnant.

He then told me that there was no reason why this couldn't happen as my hormone levels were completely normal (flipped through the chart for this information), and my ultrasounds were all normal. He then told me that I could just call him anytime for an ultrasound to confirm a pregnancy! I was a little speechless at this point. I then very calmly told Dr A that I had been charting since the day I stopped taking birth control almost 18 months prior, and that I did.not.ovulate. Again, all information that was in my chart!

So the best part of the appointment was that he told me that he would be referring me to Dr C. Dr C is a Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE) and he runs a Fertility Clinic in my city. So Andre and I are one step closer. Hopefully by the end of the month we will just be counting the days (or weeks) until our first visit with the RE. Someone who will tell us definitively what we will have to do to have a baby of our own.

Until then we will continue to chart, and pray that maybe, just maybe we'll be able to do this the old fashioned way.

A year ago today....

....Andre and I were finishing up the first week in our new home. The house was a mess of boxes, boxes, and more boxes. The living room floor was still old stained parquet wood flooring, the dining room was old stained threadbare carpeting littered with little bits of wallpaper from the walls. We still had a washer and dryer in the laundry room that was older than I am, and our "guest room" was more like a cemetery for boxes of stuff we had no home for.
Fast forward one year. We have hosted one Easter dinner, one Thanksgiving dinner, and one Christmas dinner (and to answer your question, we will not be hosting that many family dinners this year!). We've had our share of fights over who's way is the right way to paint a wall (the answer is my way). We've (okay I've) had a major breakdown over how to use the previously mentioned washing machine, then another breakdown when my brand new dryer cord doesn't reach the plug on the laundry room wall.
We've hosted countless friends, had our first (second, third...) BBQ in our own backyard, using our own BBQ! Opened our doors to family and friends who have needed a place to rest their weary head overnight. Best of all we have transformed a very outdated place that housed our belongings into our HOME. It has been an incredible ride filled with shouting and tears, and smiles and laughter. I have no clue what the next year holds but I know that together Andre and I will conquer it together.

"A house is made of walls and beams;

a home is built with love and dreams."

~Source Unknown

Randomness from Andre

Last night Andre decided that he would cuddle up with me while I was watching Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, otherwise known in our house as "so-help-me-if-you-talk-to-me-anytime-other-than-a-commercial-I-will-kill-you". Here is a snapshot of two of the random thoughts that came out of his mouth:

::Andre staring at me::
Andre: Jenna how much does it cost to get your hair dyed at the hair dressers?
ME:
::sigh:: Why? Don't you like my hair?
Andre: Well....You're too young to have all that grey.

In all fairness I have been letting my roots grow in a lot the last 6 months, and have been putting off buying a box colour until I get it cut. Sometimes it is odd to have a husband who is more concerned with your grey hair than you are.

This one is the best:

(Still watching Grey's Anatomy, this gem was saved for a commercial break)
Andre: Jenna have you ever wondered whatever happened to Richard Greico?
:: insert my patented What-the-eff face here::
Andre: You know the guy from 21 Jump Street...
ME: Umm, yeah I know who he is, my question is why are you wondering whatever happened to him?
Andre: I don't know I just wondered.

I will never, ever figure out the male brain and how it can jump from grey hair to Richard Greico.