Monday, February 27, 2006

TELLING MOM

One more thing I forgot to mention --

I still haven't told my Mom we're planning to conceive. But I did mention the recent adoption offer incident (which, by the way, fell through) and how Rachel was disappointed. She even spoke to Rachel on the phone about it and according to Rachel, seemed sympathetic. I'm not sure I got that same vibe, but at any rate, the fact that I was able to talk to her about that without her flipping out or saying anything really negative is good.

Just thought I'd share.

OUR MOST RECENT APPOINTMENT

I went with R to our latest OB appointment, which was with a new doctor referred by another. We were warned that he might be a little "dry", but we didn't find that to be the case at all. He was very warm, kind, and funny to boot! In fact, everyone in the office was super-nice.

R had an annual exam/pap smear/etc. Dr. L said everything looked a-okay and that her cervix "looks very inseminatable". LOL. R checked out in good health and Dr. L doesn't anticipate any sort of problems. He did suggest, however, that she lose 10 pounds using the South Beach Diet. He said it's not necessity, but might be a good idea. So, South Beach Diet, here we come!

The only thing that tripped us up was how little Dr. L knew about the actual sperm retreival process. He said "we work with a company", but couldn't remember the name of the company. When we mentioned the one we'd been planning to use, he said, "Oh, yeah, that's the same one!" We asked several questions about the purchase of the sperm and getting it to the office. He finally said we needed to talk to Misty, some woman in the office whose job it is to handle all sperm stuff. (that sounds funny.)

Dr. L definitely knows what to do as far as procedure is concerned. We feel confident about that. I think it's just that most of the IUI's he does are with fresh sperm from a husband/wife team in the office. So, naturally, he doesn't know much about getting it from a company.

BUT...

I got a call this morning from Misty, the "sperm lady". I didn't recognize the number when it appeared on the caller ID, so I didn't answer and just waited to check my messages. Misty didn't do much to give us any real information. Basically, she have us the 1-800 number to this company and referred us to their website to check pricing and such. Well, we already have that info because we've been looking at donors for months and months, trying to decide what/who we want. So, I felt a little disappointed to not get more info from her. I thought the purpose of her call was to let us know what we needed to do to order through the office so they could get it all for us, blah, blah, blah.

Dr. L was able to tell us that if we conceive in March, we'd be due around December 10th. April = January. May = February.

R wants to start in March because she thinks it won't take right away. However, I think there's a good chance it will. I mean, we've gotten great results at our appointments and we have no reason to believe that it won't work early on. We won't know that until we try, so I don't want to go into this with a negative attitude that it won't work. And as silly as it sounds, I do not want our baby to arrive in December, just before Christmas.

Our original desired due-date is for February, which means we'd preferably like to conceive in May. That way, R would deliver in February, have 12 weeks (three months) off from work, which would essentially turn into 24 weeks (six months) because she'd have the summer off after the 12 weeks ended. That would be perfect!

Anyhow, we're excited about our appointment. I guess the next time we return will be to inseminate. !!!

Saturday, February 18, 2006

MOVING RIGHT ALONG

Someone recently came to us about a baby that needs a home. A young couple are expecting a baby in about eight weeks and they're looking for a preferably Vegan family to adopt their child. We threw our names into the ring, even though we're not even vegetarian. While we're not overly hopeful that this will happen, it just seemed a little odd that this fell at our feet at this time.

In other baby news, we have our first real baby doctor appointment on our anniversary, which is this coming Friday, the 24th. I am so excited to finally get this moving along a little bit. I realized the other day that it was past my target due date for next year and possibly this time next year we will have our own little wiggly bundle of joy. Of course, one can only hope! We plan to start insemination in April and with all of my tracking and calculating, it looks like I have settled into a perfect 28-day cycle -- who knew?! I'm trying not to get my hopes up because this doesn't happen the first time for anybody, but hey, I'm not just anybody. It's possible.

We're starting to get to know another couple who are trying to have a baby, which is nice. They're more on the adoption track than the fertility track, but it's nice to have someone to talk to.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

REBELLING AND RANDOM INFO

R and I, even though we're totally thrilled about all that is happening, are rebelling somewhat against it. She's busy searching for a great deal on a trip to Europe somewhere. And I, all of a sudden, am wanting to run out and have my nipples pierced or something like that. What is up with that?!

I mentioned in a previous post that we'd seen a local OB-GYN that we really like. As it turns out, I've managed to score an appointment with him for myself for next week. I'm really excited about it because I know he will be sensitive to my needs/concerns, even if he can't help me. You see, I have an adrenal dysfunction that has caused me to be quite ill for some time now. And now, I'm having some gynecological issues, which may/may not be related. I'm hoping he can help, but if not, then at least I know he'll try to get me to someone who can. Wish me luck!

Thursday, February 02, 2006

BREAKING THE NEWS

R's Mom is thrilled about the prospect of us having a baby together. She's been very encouraging and is very excited at the prospect of having a grandchild. Keeping Ma Becky (that's what I call R's Mom) informed as we progress is a joy because she is so supportive and happy for us, just as she has always been.

My Mom, on the other hand, hasn't always been so supportive. Just before she was to meet R for the first time, way back when, she informed me that my "girlfriends" weren't welcome in her home. She finally gave in and when she met R, she really began to have a change of heart. Now, she adores R and has us to visit frequently. While I'm certain she still has her own issues with my lesbianism, she's come a long, long way.

Because my Mom has done so well, I'm afraid to risk upsetting her by telling her we plan to have a baby. I've dropped hints here and there and R has made a remark or two (or three or four... ha) about having a family. But, I've never come right out and said it. And honestly, I don't know when/where/how to do it. I'm so scared she'll have a poor reaction. She's indicated in previous conversations concerning other gay parents that she doesn't approve. You know, that whole "a child needs/deserves a mother and a father."

So, my friends, what do you think? How did you tell your parents/families? How did they react? What advice can you give? So many questions... I need answers!