Day 1

Well, today is day 1 of the 30 day blog challenge:  Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts


I'm a 26 year old mommy-wannabe and part-time college student.  My husband, Geoff is 27 and a Mechanical Engineer for Corning, Inc. (specifically he's a Forming Process Engineer).  We've had some major ups and downs in our past but have worked through them all and, with a little help from a marriage counselor, our marriage is stronger than ever and we are so ready to be parents.  We've been "officially trying" (a.k.a. charting and timing intercourse around ovulation) since March 2010, but never really prevented pregnancy after we got married 3 1/2 years ago.  I talked to my OB/GYN in October about our seeming inability to get pregnant and she ordered CD 3 bloodwork and a base ultrasound where it was discovered that I have Insulin Resistant PCOS and I had a large cyst on my left fallopian tube that needed to be removed (as of the ultrasound it measured at nearly 7 inches in diameter) through laparoscopic surgery scheduled for 11/25.  


Following the surgery, I was told that I had stage III Endometriosis and that my tubes were now clear and ready to conceive.  I was told at my follow up appointment to call back at the start of the next cycle to set up a follicle check and see where to go from there.  At the follicle check I was devastated to learn that I had absolutely no activity on my ovaries (with the exception of the right one being obviously polycystic) and that I probably do not ovulate regularly despite having a seemingly regular cycle.  I was under the impression that if you do not ovulate, your charts will not show a temperature spike.  After some research I learned that it IS possible to have "normal" cycles with PCOS, they just tend to vary greatly from cycle to cycle (mine vary between 27 and 37 days so now I know that they are considered irregular).  I also learned that with PCOS a temperature chart can be misleading so I am not sure if I have ovulated at all over the last 10 months.


Now, I am on day 2 of Clomid, the first step in infertility treatment.  I have a monitoring appointment set up for next Thursday to see if there is any follicle growth and if there is, I will request either a follow-up ultrasound or a trigger shot depending on how large they are.  I was surprised that my OB/GYN offered monitoring appointments for Clomid as there are many women who are just given the drug and told "good luck".  I feel very fortunate to have found Dr. Karon and look forward to having her as my doctor for several years to come.  Geoff and I discussed what we are willing to do as far as treatment goes and we are going to give Dr. Karon until the summer to see if she can get us pregnant.  If she cannot, we will be looking into one of the local Reproductive Endocrinologists in order to get a new course of action.  We are confident that one of these first treatment cycles will be a success and Geoff is going to get a Semen Analysis as soon as our new insurance policy kicks in just to be sure that we are doing all that we can.

This is my most recent pic of myself-I've gained some weight since then and hope to get back to this weight asap!  

Now for 15 things about me:

1) I used to coach boys 18 and under soccer with my dad-it was one of the best times of my life.

2) My husband was also my first real boyfriend-I dated but never seriously before him.

3) My parents affectionately refer to my house as "the zoo" because I have 2 cats and 2 dogs (and I used to have a chinchilla!)

4) When I was a kid all I ever wanted to be was a Pediatrician but now that I'm an adult I can't see myself as anything but a SAHM (though I do go to school so I can be a nurse).

5) I'm petrified of heights, I can't even look at a picture of my mom at the Grand Canyon without getting freaked out, but my favorite rides at an amusement park are roller coasters-the higher the better.

6) I have a huge collection of Disney movies and other children's movies-and I watch them.

7) I am a research junkie-if there is something I'm curious about or wanting to do (having children for example), I research every aspect of it.

8) Science is my favorite subject, specifically any Biological science.  I took Microbiology for the fun of it.

9) I'm very shy but it manifests itself in a way that makes me seem outgoing-I talk...a LOT.

10) I love dogs but I'm afraid of the Sharpei breed.  It has something to do with working at PetSmart in the grooming department and never having a nice one to bathe-they all growled and bared their teeth and I had to refuse them for my safety.

11) I love house hunting.  I've bought my own house, helped my mom and dad find theirs, and I'm currently shopping around for a new one closer to where Geoff works. 

12) I want a minivan.  I always swore I would never drive one but as my desire to be a mommy grows so does my desire to have a minivan (I want 4 kids so something big will be necessary).

13) I have type II Bipolar Disorder that tends to manifest itself in depression (I've only had maybe 1 manic episode but no doctor is willing to re-look objectively now that a diagnosis has been made).  

14) I never thought I'd get married and have kids-I was chronically single until I turned 20 and always thought I would be that way forever.

15) I'm a Moderate who leans Republican but I look at all sides of an issue before making a decision. I never just vote along party lines and I loathe Sarah Palin.