Cali with the Evans!

Last week, we were able to go to California with our good friends, Nate and Amber (and Katelyn)!  It was so much fun and a much needed few days away from reality.  We left on Friday, March 11th after work.  When we got to the airport, we found out that our flight had been delayed 45 minutes.  No big deal.  We went through security and apparently I had a metallic crotch, so I had to go back into a private room while the TSA lady patted me down.  Awesome.

So finally we got on the plane and made it to LAX.  Once there, we waited for the car rental shuttle to come pick us up.  I swear, every other car rental shuttle came at least 3 times before ours came!  When we got to EZ car rental, we rented the car and went out to load the car.  Well they gave us a car that had a big dent in the hood and the bumper was coming off on one side...  The car only had 34 miles on it!

So we took pictures and made sure EZ knew of all the damage before we left and we were on our way.  After driving for about 20 minutes, all of the lights start coming on: the ABS light, the check brakes light, the check engine light, etc.  So we decided to turn around and take the car back to EZ to switch it.  After an hour at EZ, we finally switched the car for a different one (with no dents) and left again.  On the side of the road, we noticed the famous Randy's Donuts so we decided to pull over for a midnight snack.  As we pulled up to the drive-thru window, poor Katelyn (Amber and Nate's 18 month old) started throwing up.  Amber was catching it and throwing it out the window into the garbage by the window!  The poor kid at the window didn't know what to think!

We cleaned Katelyn up and were on our way again.  Katelyn threw up again in the car and Amber was very apologetic, but I thought, "Hey, it's not her fault!"  So we finally got to Nate's Grandma's house in Santa Clarita (where we were staying) at about 1am!  When the lights came on, I realized why Amber was apologizing before... Katelyn had thrown up all over me!  Haha! Ew!  Glad they had a washer and dryer waiting!

The next day was much better.  We spent the day at Zuma beach soaking up the sun and watching the waves.  We even saw a few dolphins!

On Monday (my birthday), we went to Disneyland!  It was a blast!  Little Katelyn was a trooper and loved the churros!  We got to ride everything we wanted and then stayed at a hotel only a ten minute walk away.

Such a fun birthday!

On Tuesday, we hung out in Santa Monica for most of the day.  We went to the pier, the beach, and walked down the outdoor mall.  We finished off the day eating at Coco's.
The next morning, we got up and went to the airport to come home.  So sad to go home, but so grateful that we had at least a few days to get away!

100 Bucks

I promise I won't be posting this often in the future!  I have debated with myself for a while on whether or not to share this much, but my whole purpose of sharing our experience is to possibly help someone else who is struggling with the same thing.  So this next post is just to catch you up to where we are now in this whole baby journey.  I wrote this on 2/25/16, so don't miss the update at the end!

"Yesterday was a bad day.  It had been 15 days since I stopped taking the progesterone and still no period.  Even though I was sure I wasn't pregnant, I knew I needed to take a pregnancy test before calling the doctor's office to see what's going on.  So as soon as I woke up, I peed in a cup and took the dreaded test.  I hate taking pregnancy tests! (As I'm sure I have mentioned before.)  I mentally and emotionally try to prepare myself each time before to not be surprised or sad by a negative result.  Sometimes it kind of works and other times it completely fails.  Yesterday was a "completely fail" kind of day...  So I had a good cry sesh before work, put on my big girl pants, and left for the day.  Not a great start to the day.

At lunch, I called the nurse at my doctor's office and explained my being off the progesterone for 15 days and still no period.  Sure enough, the first thing she suggested was for me to take a pregnancy test.  I told her I already had that morning and it was negative.  Then she said, "Oh."  Not the conversational, high-pitched "oh!", but the blunt, "oh, we have a problem" type of "oh."  That's never a good sign...

The nurse said she wanted to talk to my doctor (we'll call him Dr. L), and then she'd call me back.  So for the next hour I tried to calmly and patiently sit at my desk, waiting to hear back.  Finally, she called back to tell me that Dr. L wanted to prescribe me with Premarin, which is estrogen.  I'll have to take the Premarin for 21 days and then take the progesterone for 10 days.  Then my period should start within 7 days after stopping.  If not, call the nurse again.  I'm hoping I don't get to the point where I have to have the doctor's office on speed dial!  Anyway, so what was the first thing I did after hanging up with the nurse?  Googled Premarin of course!  That was probably the worst thing I could have done because the first thing it listed under what it is prescribed for is menopause symptoms and the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis!  I know that I'm not a spring chicken, but I'm not that old!  Still in my 20's thank you very much!

So as everything began to sink in, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed, impatient, and a little bummed.  Just the realization of the fact that I probably wouldn't have a period for over a month and if I do, it'll be another week or two before I have the possibility of ovulating.  Also meaning that the chances of having a baby in this calendar year are slim, which shouldn't be a big deal, but it feels like one.

Anyway, so after work, I stopped by the pharmacy to pick up the Premarin.  I found out that for 21 pills it would be about $100!  And I know this could just be the beginning of the expenses...  It just feels so unfair that I have to pay $100+ just to have a period!  Ladies, never resent your periods again!  I seriously feel like I am 50 years old or something!

Moving on... The day did get a little a better.  I went home to some beautiful, brightly-colored flowers and a husband cleaning the long over-due bathroom.  If anyone knows my husband, you know he is the sweetest, most thoughtful person who never gets mad.  I think when you marry someone, you obviously know or can see what kind of a person they are, but it's when you go through something like this, you can really see them shine.  He has been my light and my support through all of this.  Whenever I just need to vent or cry, he is there to listen.  Whenever I am feeling negative, he always points out the positive and makes me see the blessings we have.  And whenever I need to laugh, he is always there acting silly even if it only makes me smile sometimes.  So even though this has been the hardest thing I have had to go through,  I am so grateful to have the best companion by my side and love knowing that he will be there no matter what."

"A Trial is Just a Precursor to a Great Blessing." -unknown

Update: So after I was prescribed with the Premarin, I waited a few days to start taking it.  I took one pill on 2/29 and lo and behold!  The next day, my period started! (21 days after discontinuing the progesterone, might I add).  So I didn't take any more of the Premarin.  I have started the Clomid and we are crossing our fingers that it works!!!

$100 Pie

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Oreos

2 sticks butter 

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Crush the Oreos with a food processor or blender.  Stir crumbs together with 1 stick melted butter until well combined.  Press into the bottom of a tart pan (or pie pan).  Freeze crust for 10 minutes until set.

2.  Combine remaining stick butter and brown sugar in a small sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with whisk, until mixture begins to bubble.  Continue cooking and stirring for 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream until smooth.  Cool caramel about 15 minutes.  Pour the caramel into the Oreo crust and return to the freezer for 30-45 minutes until just chilled and set.  (Don't let the caramel fully freeze.)

3.  Place chocolate chips in a glass bowl.  In a saucepan, bring 1 cup heavy whipping cream to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes, then stir until completely smooth.  Pour the chocolate over the caramel and freeze for a final 30 minutes, until just chilled and set.  Before serving, sprinkle the top with sea salt. 

Nothin' in the Oven

You may have noticed that in the “About Me” section, it now says “…Hopeful-Soon-To-Be-Mama…”  Surprise!  Yes, we have been trying to expand our family for about 10 months now.  We have kept it pretty quiet until now.  There have been a few times I have wanted to tell some of you, but I'm not the greatest at communicating the serious stuff in person.  Or over the phone (I hate talking on the phone!).  But I'm telling you now!

Anyway... You never think that it is going to take awhile for yourself to get pregnant; just like they teach in high school: if you have unprotected sex, you will get pregnant.  I sometimes wish it was that easy for everyone, but in some cases, I’m glad it’s not.  Life rarely turns out exactly how you have pictured it.  Like I said in my first post, I want to be able to share my experiences so that maybe it can help someone else who reads it, going through the same thing.

Before I tell the beginning of our story, I just want to say that I know there are many, many couples who have struggled with infertility for a lot longer than we have and have gone through much, much more.  We haven’t even officially been diagnosed with infertility, but we definitely know that there is something not right.  And I want to be open about it from the start because, why not?  There is such a stigma about trying to get pregnant and infertility that it should be kept hush-hush.  But how is that helpful to anyone?  That being said, I will be getting into some girly details, so if that bothers you, stop reading now. J

Around December of 2014, Travis and I started talking about having a baby.  We weren’t quite ready.  We still had some traveling we wanted to do and I always have to let big decisions sink in for awhile.  So we decided that we would start trying in the spring.  So at the end of March 2015, I got off the pill and we started trying in May.  I had done a lot of research on tracking ovulation and I also read that it could take a few months for my cycle to regulate after getting off birth control.  My first cycle off of the pill was 24 days.  The next one was 33 days and the next one was 36.  During this time, I would take ovulation tests around when I thought I should be ovulating, but they all always came back negative.  I just figured that I was either doing it wrong or testing at the wrong time.  My next cycle was 42 days and I thought for sure that I was pregnant that time.  But I wasn’t.  After a negative pregnancy test and a period soon after, I knew I wasn’t.  Finally, I knew that something definitely wasn’t right when my next cycle lasted 140 days!  That’s about 4 ½ months!  Time after time I would take pregnancy tests and each time they came back negative.  I can’t describe how heart-breaking it is to repeatedly only see one little line instead of two.  I have cried countless times on Travis’s shoulder, wondering why I have to wait to be a mother.  Why he has to wait to be a father.  I guess I haven’t quite mastered the art of patience yet…

So after I hadn’t gotten my period for 3 months, I called my doctor.  They wanted me to go in to have some blood work done, but right about that time (November), I switched jobs and wouldn’t have health insurance until the beginning of the year.  So I had to wait…  As soon as January hit, I went and had my blood drawn.  They ran some tests and didn’t find anything abnormal.  So I went in for a check-up and everything seemed to be fine.  So my doctor prescribed me with Medroxyprogesterone (progesterone) to induce a period.  He also prescribed me with clomiphene citrate (Clomid) to then induce ovulation.  On cycle day 35, I was to take the progesterone for 10 days.  After stopping the progesterone, my period should come within 10 days and then on cycle day 5, I would take Clomid for 5 days.  That process started on January 31, 2016…

Nothin' in the Oven Cookies

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

4 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup peanut butter

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 tsp vanilla

Handful Heath Toffee bits (optional)

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa.  Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla.  Stir in toffee bits.  Drop spoonfuls onto wax paper and let cool until hardened.