still no "real" period. Period.

On Saturday after I saw the doctor and after I took my first provera I started bleeding more heavily... red and some clotting. Then on Sunday lighter on and off. Then today very little. After calling NP she assured me that this doesn't count and to keep taking the provera. So I am on... like cd 44 or something crazy like that. But sometime in the next two weeks I will have a period (expecting heavy) and then I will be able to move forward with the clomid challenge.

I am bummed that I am somehow losing 2 weeks.. which in turn means that I have no chance at an April 2007 baby.

Not to bring back a sore subject... but today's Chic-Fil-A luncheon showed 2 table eaters (but it was dry food and not mushed up wet food which somehow seems not as bad as what we witnessed last week), 2 napkin eaters, 1 fast food paper placemat eater, and one plastic (brought from home) placemat eater. I am obsessed with watching how people feed their children in public now. I must say that the whole goopy scene last week sort of traumatized me because in my whole entire life I have never seen the whole mushed up food on the table thing... so now I am on the look out to really research this subject. My research will consist of eating at every fast food resturant I can and spying on unsuspecting feeders. Kind of like bird watching. So that is my report for the day... The food debate seems to be at about 50/50.

Mr. D and I went up to school today and he helped me re-cover 4 huge bulletin boards in my theatre... then we ran errands. It was good to get some things done because really all I feel like doing is laying in the sun by the pool. I am feeling a bit down these last couple of days so I really appreciated him helping me. I just can't seem to get motivated... I think it is a bunch of things combined... the thought of school starting... this messed up period... the provera... the heat... and a few other things that are weighing heavily on me right now.

In good news reality TV is getting really good... thank God for Project Runway, Big Brother, and Hell's Kitchen. I am loving the break from my 105 degree reality to watch all the crazies on the tube!

The best news of the week! Congratulations to Karen and Alex on their beautiful daughters!!! You two amazing ladies have been a huge strength to me the last two years and I am so happy for you both! Alex you will soon be bringing you lovely Alejandra home and Karen your referral must have been the most watched event on the internet today!!! Maya will be in your arms soon!!! Yay!!! You both deserve all the happiness in the world!

Clomid Challenge... with updates...

Ok.. after all the responses to my Chic Fil A posts I have decided I do have to get back to the business of TTC talk. I do appreciate the responses and all of you have your rights to your opinions. I however can promise you that Mr. D. and I will not be feeding any children mushed up wet bananas from a dirty fast food table top... ever. He and I have literally had hours of conversation about this post and all the responses. So thank you... to people on both sides of the coin. And by the way.. I have never had 30 responses before... well 28 if you don't count my two... so I hope that those of you reading stick around.

As for TTC.... I started spotting on cd 38 & 39... it was very light and dark brown. I called the nurse and she insisted that I do a HPT... BFN. Today... for kicks I'll call it cd 1... AF was a little bit heavier and very dark brown... almost black. Anyone ever heard of this? I read online that clomid can make your cycles both longer and lighter soI am trying to just pretend everything is normal.

So... I have an appointment on Saturday morning to see my nurse and have an u/s.. to make sure everything is ok... and to start my "Clomid Challenge." I can't believe I never have heard of the Clomid Challenge test... Here is a link to explain it... I am sort of wondering why no one has ever done this test on me since 2 other doctors have put me on clomid with bad results. I will say that I have had my FSH and estridol levels checked in the past ( 2 years ago...) and they were fine... but I have never been tested while on clomid. So.. apparenty these blood tests and u/s will help the doctor evaluate the quality of my egg reserve and give us a little but more info on whaat is going on in there. The good news is they can also code this months clomid and testing as "checking for pre-menopause" so it won't have to come out of pocket... yet.

This is a big test... and combined with the freakish period I have been having I am a little worried. I will post tomorrow after the u/s.. but I obviously won't know the results of the entire test for a couple of weeks. Another reason I am nervous is that they have to double my clomid to 100mg a day for the test. Yikes.

Has anyone out there done this test? I would be interested to hear about your experiences.

Update: So I am having a fake period. This brown sludge stuff doesn't count as a menstrual cycle since after 4 days of spotting the u/s showed my uterine lining is still nice and thick and in tact (12 mm). So... provera here I come. My nurse said to expect a full period anytime within a day to 2 weeks and I am to call her when I am on day 2 of "a good bleed" to start the clomid challenge. I won't need to have another u/s since I had lots of little cysts in both overies (which is normal) and nothing is going to grow between now and having a period but I will still need the day 3 fsh blood test once we determine that I am having a real period. So... go on... tell me you provera stories. I haven't googled it yet... so I am not sure what to expect. Do tell...

Gross.

I try not to judge people with kids... since I don't have any... but let me tell you what I saw and you can be the jury on this one.

Mr. D. and I were having a quick lunch at a very busy Chic Fil A. Across from us were two ladies with a VERY messy baby... food everywhere... cereal on the floor... etc. They clean off their table and get up to leave. About 3 minutes later another family sits down. (by the way, no employee had wiped down the table from the last family... but the top was clear and the table looked clean.)

This family consists of very pregnant mom, her about 18 month old toddler, and grandma. Here is where things go gross. They get the high chair thing and grandma proceeds to wipe it down with a clorox wipe... starting at the seat and legs and finishing with the part where the kids puts his hands... (I was already beginning to feel like maybe they were wiping the germs ON TO the part of the highchair they wanted to be clean... considering that the seat and legs probably are not going to have contact with the baby's mouth.) But... clorox is bleach right.. so I figure that it will probably disinfect the thing alright. Then.. grandma cleans the kids slimy HANDS with the same clorox wipe... the one where she had just cleaned the seat of the highchair! I am starting to stare at this family. Then they throw the clorox wipe onto the tray with the food and takes a napkin and wipe off the table in front of the kid.

Now... up until this point I think "well.. god bless them.. at least they are trying to clean it up for the kid" Except the part with putting clorox onto the little guys hands... which, incidently, go directly into his mouth about 2 seconds later.

But this is where things take a terrible turn.

The very pregnant mom then takes a banana out of her bag and begins to cut it up for the baby... DIRECTLY ON THE TABLE in front of him. The kid is now eating (with his bleach covered hands) mushed up wet banana directly from the table at a fast food restaurant!!! I mean this is the one surface that they just brushed off with a napkin!!!

My mouth hits the floor and Mr. D's eyes are about as big as saucers watching this.

So then they add some cheerio's and mushed up chicken strips to the mix (still directly off the table) and continue on with their happy little lunch.

I could not believe this! I seriously feel sick watching it.

I would never even consider taking my chicken sandwich and fries and dumping them directly on to the fast food restaurant table and eating them. I can't IMAGINE thinking this was ok for your baby!!!!

Surely you could put down a napkin, or bring a baby placemat or small plastic plate for your child to the Chic Fil A.... right? I mean I know it is hard to be a mom... but for two adults to think that this was ok... Am I crazy??? Am I over-reacting???

Anyway... I look at Mr. D. and he says "don't they make, like, plates for kids?"
I say "yeah."
He goes "That is completely disgusting."
Me - "uh huh."
Him - "You are gonna write about this on your blog aren't you?"
Me - "yep."

So... discuss amongst yourselves.

cd 33...

We have been home for 3 days and I miss vacation! It is so hot here... the day we can home it was 106!!! You simply cannot go outside between about 10 am - 5 pm or you will feel the sizzle on your skin and then burst into flames.

I am starting to think about all the stuff I have to do in the next 10 or so days to get ready for school to start and it is a lot. I can not believe we will be starting back for meetings on the 4th. It is just going to be soooooo hot... especially when they do not like to turn the air on until 2 days until the kids come back... so that means prepping my theatre with very little air!!!! I will bring a fan, but it is hard to work when you are dripping! Also, finding "non skimpy but cool" things to wear is hard for me... my boobs are so big it always looks like I am trying to show them off!

Mr. D. has been scanning the pictures we purchased at Discovery Cove and the ones that they took at the hotel photo sitting... so I will share a couple more vacation pictures. I want to frame one or two for our home and then frame several for my office at school to remind me "summer will come." So that is a fun project that I will do over the weekend.

I think today we are going to either go to the rec center pool to cool off or to see Superman in 3D at the IMAX... or maybe both! Yesterday I had I terrible headache all afternoon so we did nothing... usually a sign that AF is on her way. I am on cd 33 but with no pg symptoms... not even sore breasts which I usually get every month with the progesterone... so I figure she will be here any day now. Next month I will do the "clomid challenge" with extra u/s to try to figure out the exact dosage that my body likes.

OK... enough rambling... more updates soon.

Vacation Day 16... going home.

Last night we spent the night in Lafayette, LO. We picked up the car in Chipley and it is running like a dream (thank God!!!) and we should be home by 5 PM today.

The last 5 days were spent at Sea World ( we did 3 half days there and did just about every thing), Disney... it was very crowded so we "park hopped and did all four parks in one day just riding Expedition Everest, Pirates of the Caribbean, Soarin, Splash Mountain, and Primeval Whirl... then we watched Fantasmic that night (note... if you have never been to Disney plan your vacation for October even if you have to take the kids out of school... it is not that crowed and you will have a MUCH better time... we saw a lot of melted unhappy families waiting in very long lines). We also did a day a the Typhoon Lagoon Water Park... which was very fun!

A really cool part of our Sea World day was visiting the Anhesier-Busch Beer Garden (free glasses of beer at SeaWorld... remember that!) We saw the Clydesdales tried flavored beer (chocolate, mango, and lime) and we sat drinking our beers watchng Mr. D.'s Super Bowl commercial play on the huge TV screen in the entire area!

The other days were spend seeing movies (Pirates was very disappointing), shopping at Downtown Disney, spending time with my Grandma, and EATING! We ate A LOT on this trip... I plan to diet for a week before I even FACE the scale at home! Oh we also saw a presentation about the Disney Vacation Club time share (because the offered 3 VIP Fast Passes if we did and boy did they save us a lot of waiting) it was really cool... if we ever get rich it s one of the first things we will do for our family!

OK... Got to get on the road... We can't wait to see our precious pets and sleep in our own beds... 16 days is a long time to be away... I sort of feel like a new person... and that makes me very happy.

Vacation Day 11

Today is sort of a catch up day. We are sleeping sort of late... it is 8 am... but when we are in Orlando we usually try to be at a Park by 9. We have a photo sitting for a family photo at 9:30... compliments of our hotel (very nice)... and then we will check out of the hotel at 11. We did about 1/2 of SeaWorld yesterday until 2 and we will try to see everything else there today before about 3... if not we have several more days to go back... but I think you really can see the whole park in 1 day... 1 1/2 if you move leisurely like we do. Tonight we will move in to my Grandma's house where we will stay until Monday (or whenever the car is fixed...)

Yesterday I rode Kraken (a really big roller coaster by myself )Mr. D. doesn't do loops and this had about 7 of them! It was really fun. I also really enjoy the animals, especially the noisy Sea Lions! At dinner with our friend last night she gave us 2 day park hopper passes for the Disney Parks... she has worked there for 2o years and has accumlulated tons of passes! But we didn't expect her to give us 2 each!!!! So we will do the parks over the weekend.. it will be super crowded but we don't care... this is our 5th trip together to Disney do we are content just to see the new stuff and not wait in to many lines. It always makes me sad to see parents literally dragging their screaming kids around Disney World trying to get their money's worth... but I understand it... it is crazy expensive.

The car engine was sent on Tuesday... hopefully they will receive it today and put it in by Monday. We plan to wait here in Orlando until the car is totally fixed and then drive the 6 hours to pick it up... then the 13 hours home. The original plan was to get home on Monday... but now it might be Tuesday or Wednesday... it is ok... but we have to pay another $50 a day for the rent a car after Monday. Oh and get this.. the used engine only has 26,000 miles on it! Ours had 150,000! So dare I say this might be a blessing in disguise???? I am so glad that things are working out and that this didn't ruin our trip. In fact this may just be the best trip we have taken. It has been pretty wonderful... except for the car.

Today is cd 24... I am drinking and riding roller coasters... and not even thinking about TTC... much.

A tease... but with pictures!

I wanted to at least post a couple of pictures tonight before bed... we are absolutely exhausted.

Discovery Cove was un-frigging-believable!!!
Worth every penny.
I will write about the whole day very soon... but not tonight.
All I will say is that is it so cool.. so gorgeous... so amazing... if you ever have a chance to go there please do it!!! It is expensive but it is a once in a lifetime experience.

Our dolphin was 37 years old and named Capricorn. He was 700 pounds and 11 feel long.
We got to ride on his fin.
We bought the dvd and several pictures of us doing it.
We also snorkeled the coral reef, went through the aviary and fed birds, floated the lazy river, and swam with an entire pool of rays!
The food (which is all inclusive is out of the world and really fancy like spa type food... I will make a list of everything we ate... we ate 3 meals plus several snacks!!! Plus.. they serve alcohol... it is all included!!!!! We love that!

OK... must get to bed.


Tomorrow we go to SeaWorld for 1/2 the day and then out to dinner with friends.

I will update with all the details about our day as soon as I get enough sleep so I can spell.

Deja Vu... Vacation Day 7.5 ~ UPDATED

UPDATE... Vacation 8.5

The car is toast.

We are renting a car to get to Orlando so we can make it to Discovery Cove tomorrow... if not we would be able to reschedule everything BUT the dolphin... so we are intent on getting there.

The Texas garage place is sending an engine to the Florida garage and paying for them to install it for us. For those car fanatics out there the problem was caused by the timing belt coming loose and causing a bolt to break in the crack shaft. So the Texas garage seems to be taking responsibility for the repairs... but they are not paying for the $250 rental car or the $80 hotel for last night. What can you do? At this point we will take what we can get since a used engine is about $2500 installed... not counting the shipping.

Mr. D. is blaming himself... why??? He did the right things! He has been such a trooper through all of this. It makes me so sad to see him second guessing himself. He really is my hero.

I will update when we get into Orlando... It will probably be about 9 or 10 tonight.

Tomorrow we will swim with dolphins.

Have any of you been reading my blog long enough to remember THIS POST?

Well, first let me say this...We have good cars. We take care of our cars and do the maintenance that most people don't do. We decided to take the Honda CRV on this trip because it is bigger... but since it had about 150,000 miles on it Mr. D. took it to the shop and paid about $500 to have all the belts changed and everything checked out.

hmmm... how ironic.

We are now sitting in a Holiday Inn in Chipley, Florida because some belt wasn't installed properly and the car decided to die on us about an hour into our 6 hour trip to Orlando. Of course it is Sunday so there are no Auto Service shops open... and it wasn't an option to tow the car to a big city (Tallahassee) about 100 miles away at $4 a mile. So... here we sit. Stuck in Chipley since 11:30 this morning. Luckily we are within walking distance from a couple of fast food places, a Blockbuster Video (that God for the laptop), and the worlds scary-ist Walmart.
So far we are two movies into out triple feature... Brokeback Mountain, Shopgirl, and 16 Blocks.

As irratating as all this is, as usual, Mr. D. has totally kept his cool and has made this little roadblock pleasant. He is just such a calm person and he always knows what to do. Me? Not so much... I would probably still be sitting on the side of the road crying. I know you all know this... but I really have a wonderful husband.

We are just praying that tomorrow morning they will quickly find out the problem and fix it. We are sort of nervous that it might be something worse than just a belt... but all signs point to the belt not being tightened properly.

I know I have some attorney (or budding google type law student) friends out there... Can we demand out $$$ back from the garage that didn't properly do the work? Should they have to pay for the repairs tomorrow and the night in the hotel? What do you girls think? What is the best way to handle this situation?

Please pray that we are back on the road by tomorrow afternoon and that we can keep this really fun pit stop to less than $300.

Vacation Day 7

A couple more beach pics for you! My mermaid and us totally purely RELAXING!

Today we leave the beach. My family left yesterday with left Mr. D. and I all alone in the four bedroom condo... it felt so big and empty! We spent the evening having a wonderful dinner, walking on the beach and then listening to an R&B band play in the square. There is something free to do here in Sea Side almost every single evening. This is our favorite place in the entire world!!! If you are looking for an amazing place to sit in the sun... forget Hawaii... This is THE place to be... especially if you are looking for that "small town, family style, long days of summer" vacation.

We are all packed up and soon we will be driving the 6 hours to Orlando to check into our hotel. Tomorrow we will spend our first day at Sea World (we got 7 days with our package... but I'll bet we only use 3... I can't imagine spending 7 days in Sea World.) Tuesday is Discovery Cove!!! I can't wait to swim with those dolphins!

I am always sad to leave our favorite place... but I do feel refreshed and relaxed... and we are already talking about our plans to come back next year!

I hope all my friends in blogworld are doing well!

Vacation Day 4

My family arrived safely yesterday. We have send the days lounging in the sun or napping. My Grandmother is 85 and doesn't really go out to the beach because of the long-ish walk down many stairs to sea level... but we have been out to dinner and out for ice cream twice so I think she is having a good time too.

My mom is good.. except for worrying about my Grandma. We have about a day and a half left with them until Saturday when they head back to Orlando to drop off my Grandma and then my mom and her husband will head back to North Carolina. I am not really feeling "connected" yet with my Mom this trip... but I think that is because she is worried about my Grandmother and her husband most of the time. But I know that this is an opportunity that we three will probably not have a again... so I will take whatever I can get. Mom is just a bit of a worry wart and that is making me a little sad. But I think this is more of a mother daughter trip for her and my grandmother than she and me... and honestly I am totally ok with that. I am just thrilled to have the three generations here at once.

Ok the MOST exciting part of the last two days (ok... not the MOST... but very near the top...) I got a "darker than the control line" positive OPK!!!!!!! My very first one yesterday on cd15 and another one today on cd 16!!!! I debated taking a picture of it to show you because I am so happy that my body is working.... but it looked so much like a pg test that I decided it might be anticlimactic knowing it is just an OPK... But after 2 years of light pink lines I GOT A DARK ONE!!!!! Hooray clomid!!!! The zits might just be worth it!

We also just found out that Mr. D. will get to play one of his all time favorite roles as Sweeney Todd in the Stephen Sondheim musical in September! This is a really big deal here locally and the show will be performed with a big symphony in the famous Meyerson Symphony Hall in Dallas! My hubby the star!!!!

The bladder infection still seems to be there... but only slightly. The homeopathic meds seem to be keeping it at bay.

So.. we are having a wonderful time!
So far everything has been absolutely perfect.

Vacation Day 2

Vacation day 2...
Sitting on the bed and breakfast balcony watching the sunset... listening to the outdoor symphony 1 block away playing show tunes and patriotic standards. We are planning to walk down to the beach at dark to watch the fireworks over the ocean... eating cheese and crackers and sharing a bottle of wine. Pretty flipping perfect.

Today we got in to Sea Side at about 2 and spent the afternoon on the beach... swimming and playing silly games like "name all the songs you can that mention states in them". So wonderful I can not even describe it.

Last night we stayed at an Extendeed Stay hotel in Pensecola... we arrived at 11:30.. the lady at the desk was so drunk that she couldn't walk straight! She gave us the wrong keys and then walked us up to the room carring her huge "grape soda" We loooved her... even though we were slightly alarmed that we had never seen anyone THAT drunk at their work!!!!! ... Lucille... we will never foget you!!!!

My mom and grandma arrive tomorrow and we move into the condo. Can wait to see them!

Having a wonderful time... wish you were here.

And we're off!

We should be leaving the house in about 30 minutes for our vacation! We are just waiting on the laundry in the dryer and then we can head out. Today is an 11 hour drive from Dallas to Pensecola, Florida. We have several books on cd and I am really excited to start off with the book Marley and Me because I have heard wonderful things about it! I am always a little sad to leave behind my fur-babies and they always look so lonely right before we leave. But I know Nicole will take great care of all of them while I am gone so there is nothing to worry about.

I have stocked up on all the bladder essentials!!! Thank you so much for all of you advice.. I have AZO Standard, Urelle, Cranberry pills, probiotics, and alka seltzer (all thought I am not to sure what the alka seltzer does...) I am feeling a bit better and I hope I will be able to get this thing under control naturally.

I will have the laptop so I will be posting and checking in regularly. Mr. D. wants me to blog our whole vacation so we will have it like a travel journal.

So we're off on our wonderful fun-filled adventure... it is raining here today so that makes it ever better to zip off and head towards the sun!

Oh by the way... it is cd 14.
Wish us luck.