Random Updates

IVF
Still taking BCP's. Took an inventory of leftover meds. I have a ton of Menopur, PIO, and antibiotics for DH. Received statement with charges for DH's genetic testing from December. Called RE's office. Have I ever mentioned what a PITA it is that RE's office statement bills? I realize this saves them postage, but I need actual codes and invoices that show insurance denied or applied to deductible before I can get the funds from my HSA or FSA, so it pretty much guarantees that I have to call S. who is I think going to tell the nurses about my calls, and that will pretty much take me out of the running for fav patient of 08. She will check into it. If they charge me interest, I will scream.

Foster Care
Am still trying to decide which agency we will take our certification classes at. I finally got ahold of several different people, none of whom seem to coordinate services with the other agencies very well, or seem to be very on the ball. One woman could barely form sentences. Oh wait, I'll just copy and paste her email here. Keep in mind, I had emailed her twice, once since she got back from vacation, and this was my first ever communication from her:

no you are fine, yes i got back from vacation what a nice time, seattle. :)
you are right the nixt info meeting is june 10th at 6pm.. here at the XX office. will you be ablt to attend this? are you able to chat tomorrow sometime over the phone?

Not my typos. Hers. She was evasive when she called and I asked for an exact street address for the office, or an entrance, parking instructions, room number, etc. Apparently, this will all be in the 'packet' and she will call me 'before' or 'after' the meeting next week. Hmmmmm.

I know this entire process (not just getting licensed, but actually being a foster parent) will be an exercise in patience for me and it will be gut wrenching and nothing worth doing is ever easy. But I worry that this is the kind of service I can expect from these agencies when I'm in need and there's a wee little person living in my home. I also would just like a little higher level of professionalism from anyone I deal with in life, always. But, no more complaining, I'm going to try to keep an open mind. I am really looking forward to getting started with this meeting next week. I am anxious to move forward with the process.

My Weekend
DH is off work, yes that's right, he is not working, today or tomorrow, which has us so giddy that we can't decide what to do. (Although, I should mention that while I slept in this morning, he did go provide roadside assistance to a stranded company vehicle, but that's just the kind of guy he is). He is currently outside, supposed to be mowing the yard, but its awfully quiet so I'm afraid he's repairing some lawn equipment, which will probably necessitate a trip to the 'poh (home depot).

I would like us to go to Barnes and Noble and buy some new books. I'm thinking Such a Pretty Fat or Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (buying books is a treat for us, since start IF treatments, one way we've cut back is by using the library more). We could maybe have a coffee there. A nice dinner date, just the two of us tonight. He suggested a movie. Now that will be a date! Of course there's church tomorrow. Maybe a few hours in the sun with my new book to perfect my tan. He wants to get a pedicure, and who am I to hold him back from his dreams? I also should roam around the house scanning for more items to sell in our garage sale. Only 2 more weeks to purge the house. Oh, and maybe a nap!

Garage Sale
I haven't mentioned the garage sale here before, but its kind of a monumental undertaking, so I thought I'd explain, so in future references, it will be more meaningful to everyone. Yes, garage sales can have meaning.

You see, for all of 2007, even though we were planning and having IF treatments and an IVF cycle, I did not live at home. I was on work assignments for in other states (back to back - 6 months in Houston, 6 months in KC), and I only came home every other weekend, unless I had an RE appointment, in which case, I flew home for that and promptly left again. And when I was away, my company had an apartment for me and a roommate or two. And when these assignments were complete and the apartments were no longer needed, there was a ton of furniture and housewares leftover. So, being the fabulous team player that I am, I volunteered to store these items in our spare bedroom until warmer weather arrived and my boss and I could sell them. We're also going to sell off some of our own possessions while we're at it.

It is at this point in the story that I would like to clarify that I work at the corporate office for a mid-sized corporation. A family-owned corporation with a tight-knit group of people who feel like we are stakeholders in the success of the enterprise, who are willing to do whatever it takes to add value to the organization. Our sales last year were over $200 million. And now, the VP of Admin and Org Dev Mgr (that's me!) are hosting a garage sale to sell off company assets. So, yes, we are a big deal. But we are also humble and cost-cutting. And willing to do ridiculously cheap-looking things to keep our net profit high.

Back to the meaningful part. I saw my husband for 4-5 days a month from February to February. It was a tremendous opportunity for my career and for my development as a leader. And it was also financially rewarding. But I'm sure if you think IF is tough, add to that, the physical distance between us, and the stress of kind of half-living at home, half-living in an apartment with a co-worker or two, and you can see why I am happy to be moving forward with my life.

So, for me, selling off this stuff, and putting our marriage back in its rightful place as priority #1, is H.U.G.E! Also, getting that crap out of our house will allow us to regain our spare bedroom so we can turn it into a bedroom for a foster child. It's like the final thing holding me back right now. One more big thing that I haven't been able to control, that I just had to let run its course. For some reason, this garage sale feels like letting go of the past and moving into the future, and it feels like a new beginning. It feels like freedom somehow.

So, when I talk about the garage sale, I'm not just talking about getting a few hundred dollars in cash, or making extra space in my basement. I'm talking about regaining my life. Finally being able to do something with my life, when I so often feel like I'm in this powerless purgatory, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Fashion Rules to Live By

1. Do not mix leathers -if you wear black leather shoes, you'd better not even THINK about that brown leather belt!


2. Do wear shoes that match your pants (makes you look taller and thinner, thank you Oprah, circa 1990)


3. Do not mix metals (i.e. silver and gold) Blech!


4. Do not wear black with blue (one exception: you can wear black with denim).


5. Do wear black whenever possible.


6. Do avoid patterns at all costs. Solids are classic. And define class.


7. Do not give it all away. If you're showing some up top, wear pants. If you're in a short skirt, put the girls away. A mystery is always in style. A floozy is not.


8. Do not ever, yes, that's right, never, leave home in sandals without a pedicure. Don't even get me started on sandals with socks! And when it comes to pedi's, french is timeless and never clashes.


9. Do not wear jeans with a high waist. Burn any jeans that have a 'yoke'. (In other words, no mom jeans... "But these are Lee's." )


10. Throw away all of the above if you are undergoing IF treatments. Then, drag out your baggiest and rattiest comfy sweatshirt and those elastic-waist-band pants. It would help if you gained 5-10 pounds in your boobs, front butt, and face to maximize the 'swollen' look. Of course, you can't forget the granny panties with the requisite light day pad for all the cervical mucus and/or progesterone suppository residue. And true IF fashion whores will even discontinue the application of makeup and wear their hair in what is commonly referred to as a "pony tail."

These are just some of MY fashion rules, what are yours?

In Other News...

Whew! What a whirlwind weekend! It's amazing that since I came out of my coma (read: took some time off from IF treatments) that I 1) actually have friends; and 2) they want to spend time with me.

We have some good friends at church who are moving later this month, and this weekend was the last time we were going to be seeing them. M. (the husband, recent seminary graduate, pastor) gave the sermon this weekend, so I went to church on Saturday night to see their fam and hear his sermon (did I mention I had a computer conversion and had to work on Sunday? Good thing we had beer!). The reading was from Jeremiah and was one he had had on his blog a few weeks back and asked friends to comment on, so I was familiar with the text. Basically, God is empowering Jeremiah, and he says back to God, I am just a boy, and God gives Jeremiah the word of God and watches over him.

M.'s sermon had to do with discerning his own call to become an ordained pastor and several times in his life when someone or God had asked him to do something and his response had been "You want me to do WHAT?" I started to space off as I am want to do during sermons, but had the most surreal experience that jerked me back to reality. I heard M. say "whether that call is to seminary or to being a foster parent or something else..." So, either M. said something random and I just heard foster parent, or he was totally talking about me in his sermon that was otherwise, for as far as I could tell, about him. (I should mention we ate dinner together the night before and discussed our intent to become foster parents, and that M. himself had been in foster care himself for 6 months as an infant before he was adopted). Either way, in light of the text and the whole God touching Jeremiah's mouth and giving him the word of God, I feel even stronger now that we are absolutely meant to be foster parents, and that God put His word in M.'s heart to encourage me and empower me to continue on this path. So, if nothing else happened all weekend, this was some pretty powerful stuff.

So, today, I called the foster care agency of choice and left a message with S. to call me back because I need to be sure we get into the class I want this summer. I'm leaning toward the 7-week class now, because I'm just more and more anxious to begin this ministry. So cool.

***

I received my protocol in the mail from RE's office. Looks like I will start stims on July 19th. Yes, thanks for asking, that does seem like FOREVER from now. But it also means I can make enjoy parade adult beverages and antics over the 4th of July with my college friends, on DH and I's annual trek to the holy land (i.e. Minnesota).

The best news about my protocol so far, is that I will NOT be taking Lupron! Hooray! Down with hot flashes! Down with hot flashes! I have a feeling that I was 'over suppressed' during my first, cancelled IVF cycle but I never said anything about it. Actually, this is a theory that I worked up in my own head over the past two weeks, not back when it happened. So, I am a medical genius, if you didn't know, and apparently I am able to predict what RE will recommend without even telling them my opinion. I love it when a plan comes together! But I digress ... I responded so much better during my two IUI's and so they have me on the same stim schedule as I had for my last IUI. It's seriously like 5 days of a low dose of gonal-f. I'm sure I will still have headaches, but seriously?!, will be such a simple stim.

And because they did not put me on Lupron, I am once again, still in the running for Best Patient of the Year, because I was totally going to have to call and question them on that. And then they would have to think I was a crazy lunatic patient who thought she was a medical genius.