Disneyland = Love

The Mr. and I love, love, love the happiest place on Earth! We love it so much that we had our engagement photos shot in Disneyland. You can see some of them here. I am fairly certain that Mr. B would have preferred to have our wedding there too ;) The Mr. has had a pass for almost 16 years, and we have been going together since we met nearly 12 years ago.

As pass holders, we are invited to sneak peek's of new rides. Tonight we are going to ride the new Star Tours 3D and the new Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure. And of course enjoy a delicious meal.

We can't wait to take our future kids one day.

  

"My childhood may be over, but that doesn't mean playtime is." Ron Olson

xoxo,

Mrs. B

Music Friday - The Head and the Heart

I will leave you on this lovely Friday with Lost In My Mind by The Head and the Heart. Just two hours until I leave work and hit the road to our campsite :) I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial weekend!

xoxo,

Mrs. B

Lucky Sock Exchange

I participated in a secret sock exchange on the Bump boards. I sent my socks and nail polish to my buddy last week. I loved how the exchange connected us and brightened each other's day. My sock buddy gave me two super cute pairs of socks and coconut foot rub. Now I just have to convince Mr. B to massage my feet :) I am going to wear the purple ones to my HSG on June 9th. I just know that they will help calm my nerves. Thank you Mrs. McIrish!

Random Wednesday Post

This is going to be a random list of things on my mind at the moment :)

• I had my 7dpo blood work drawn this morning. It checks your progesterone level to make sure you can sustain a pregnancy. Most doctors want to see a 10 or above on a natural cycle. It's nice to get that checked off my testing list.
• We are going camping with friends this Memorial weekend. There will be twelve of us. We are mountain biking, hiking, fishing and sitting around the campfire eating s'mores. I am really excited :)
• I love that mountain biking is keeping me so occupied. It's giving me a mental break from this trying to conceive crap. I actually find that I forget about it while I am racing. We are entering four or five races in a 12-race series during the next few months. We raced the first race last night. My Mom & Dad cheered us on and said they had a blast in the spectator area. They are going to come to every race they can. YAY! 

{my Mom took a quick cell phone picture before the race.  
excuse my goofy sideways smile ::embarassed::}

• Infertility. I have struggled using that word to describe our situation. Is that us? We have been trying for over a year and our testing has been normal - so far. I looked up the definition and it states that "infertility is the failure of a couple to conceive after one year of well-timed intercourse." That is us. Once the progesterone blood work results come back and I have my HSG, hopefully we can determine if there is something causing this trouble or if it is Unexplained Infertility.
• Infertility sucks. Our journey started with "awww, fun! Let's have a baby! I am so excited!" Now it's scheduled sex, lots of let downs, many tears and too many "why couldn't it have been easy for us?" ::sigh:: I don't know how some of you amazing women have been through all of the waiting, testing, procedures, etc. for even longer. I really don't know how you do it. My heart hurts for you. It's just so unfair.
• I love this song. So much <3

xoxo,

Mrs. B

First Mountain Bike Race

I decided to enter a cross country race yesterday after just four months of mountain biking. I probably should have waited a bit longer before racing, but I wanted to see how it was ;) We met up with a group that we ride with 2 to 3 times per week. They race in the Downhill event and Mr. B has joined their team to do 4X {four-cross}. 4X is basically a downhill BMX course. The Mr. had his first race yesterday too. 

I was the only rider for my level and age group, so I earned some points by default. Overall it was a great experience and we learned that we need lots more practice to be even remotely competitive LOL. But we had fun and that's what matters!

Here I am, being tempted with a beer at the finish line :)

xoxo,

Mrs. B

Random thoughts on mountain biking

Our weekends have been packed full of mountain bike rides and we are having a blast! We have a few regular spots we ride, but we have also been exploring some new trails. We rode Santiago Oaks Regional Park yesterday afternoon for the first time and enjoyed some beautiful views at the top...

Mountain biking is difficult, especially when you are new to the sport. There are some seriously steep {and scary} climbs and downhills on the trails we ride. On the uphills, slow and steady wins the race. It reminds me of our journey to have a baby. It takes a lot of patience and it helps to keep a level head. I am learning how to get better at all of this waiting, whether it is patiently climbing a hill on my bike or waiting through each one of my cycles. Our riding has really paid us back for our patience. We have lost a combined 54 lbs, our endurance is improving and we are stronger than ever. We can feel a difference the more we ride. I hope that our patience through this journey to get pregnant pays us back just as well.

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." Ralph Waldo Emerson

xoxo,

Mrs. B

HSG Update

I was this close to having my HSG this cycle. I was finally able to pick up the referrals without an appointment today at noon. I called the radiology scheduling, told them I am on CD10 and that I needed to come in ASAP, and then they asked me if I had unprotected sex since menses. I said yes, three days ago. They refused to do the HSG this cycle just in case I am pregnant. That cracked me up because I know I haven't even ovulated, but they won't risk it. Fine. I understand.

I am tentatively scheduled for the HSG on June 9th, assuming this cycle goes as I predict. I can change the appointment once I start my next cycle {fingers crossed that I won't need it at all, I guess ::rolling my eyes at me trying to be positive::} My Mom leaves for two weeks June 10th so I am trying to do it before she is gone. She is going with me for support :)

In the meantime, we are trying again for this cycle naturally. I can do my 7dpo blood work to check my progesterone this cycle, so that will be out of the way. That's the plan for now.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

xoxo,
Mrs. B

All about the kitties

The Mr. and I went to Petsmart last night for cat food and litter, and decided to do some cutesy updating to the cat "food & water station" :) We bought a non-slip mat, two new food bowls and a new water dish.

Their table, before. Dirty & boring. And they were battling over the single food bowl.

The new bowls. So cute.

Best $20 we ever spent. The Scratch Lounge. Baby Girl lives in this thing!

See those positions on the box? They need to add this photo as another and call it Foot In The Air.

Norman loves the cat tree. Even though it's old and missing carpet ;)

xoxo,

Mrs. B

My Mom Rocks

I don't know what I would do without my Mom. I really don't. I cannot even describe that kind of love, except that I love her as much as I possibly can love someone. This trying to conceive thing has to be one of the most difficult journeys I have been on and she is always there for me when I need her. Last week, she sat on the phone with me while I broke down. There are just no words to describe how much I appreciate her, and am thankful for our amazing relationship. We had her, my Dad and my sister over today for smoked ribs, BBQ salmon, artichokes and BBQ squash. Mmmmm. My Mom also made her famous lemon mousse over berries. It was perfect. I love you, Mom <3

"Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever." Author Unknown

xoxo,

Mrs. B

Pretty much a waste of time!

As I mentioned before, I really wanted to skip the OB altogether and head straight to a Reproductive Endocrinologist. The RE is the specialist when it comes to infertility. But to make sure my insurance coverage wasn't messed up, I went to see the OB first.

I should have known things wouldn't go as expected when he said "So, you are here for a preconception appointment?" What? No. We have been trying to conceive for almost 14 months. Did he read my referral?! It says "Infertility - 1 + years." I have a copy of it. UGH. Then he asks me all the usual questions. I am fairly boring when it comes to medical history, so nothing to note there. We discussed the Mr.'s semen analysis and my blood work. Both normal. He said he agrees with me on having an HSG done. He also suggested 7dpo blood work to check my progesterone levels. Okie dokie, fine with me. We finished up and he said "I'll see you next time." I asked if I could have the referrals, especially since it's perfect timing for me to have the HSG this cycle and he said "not until next time." He then tells me they have to submit a request for infertility coverage on my insurance to see what is covered. Then I am supposed to make another appointment to come in, see him for 5 seconds and get my referrals. Really?! He said it's all "part of the insurance routine." ::roll eyes:: But what's new, just more waiting. I better get used to it.

Hopefully I will have the HSG sometime in June, and then I can get a referral to the RE. I know this OB's first thought is Clomid {he already told me that would be next}, and I absolutely do not want to take Clomid unless I am monitored. I will do whatever I need to get the RE referral after the HSG. I am not taking any risks, and if I am paying out of pocket anyways, I want to see the doctor I choose!

I feel like our journey is heading towards Unexplained Infertility. I don't want to make assumptions, but I am expecting my HSG to be normal like our other tests. It sure is frustrating when you don't have anything to "fix" to make this happen for us.

xoxo,
Mrs. B

Master Bedroom + Bathroom: Progress Photos

I finally had a chance to get these pictures together after beginning these changes. It's not finished, but it's progress :)

Master Bedroom - Before

Master Bedroom - Now

 {we have a real bed! EEEEEE!!}

What's left in this room?

• Hang dark brown curtains on small window
• Hang new curtains on closet
• Choose and hang orange art work

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Master Bathroom - Before

Master Bathroom - Now

What's left in this room?

• Choose and hang new wall art on the wall facing the toilet
• Install the new exhaust fan

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I had a little hiccup with my original shower curtain. I bought the first one from one of my favorite stores, Cost Plus World Market. It was gorgeous, but after I had painted the baby blue on, I realized the curtain did not match the walls. The blue in the shower curtain was more of a teal, similar to our kitchen color. Then it hit me! They are cotton and we have no curtains in our kitchen. With the help of my Mom's sewing machine, we re-purposed the shower curtain into kitchen curtains.... {p.s. the kitchen counter tops aren't finished. It seems like nothing is ever 100% finished around here, ha!}

I quite like how the browns and greens tie into my kitchen towels, too.

Next up, the hallway and living room. And hopefully the dog room transitioning to a nursery, when that time comes. That will be the most exciting room project of all :)

xoxo,

Mrs. B

My Sidekick

I don't know what I would do without my animals. I am home sick today. I was feeling super yucky yesterday evening, much like I do before Aunt Flow shows up. I woke up this morning with a horrible migraine and the usual nausea & vomiting that accompanies them. Of course this happens when I am crazy busy at work. Ugh. I hate this.

My Normie Norms kept me company in bed <3

xoxo,

A pukey Mrs. B

OB Appointment

HMO insurance sucks sometimes ::sigh::

On the advice of the ladies on T-TTC and from everything I have read, I asked my PCP to refer me straight to a Reproductive Endocrinologist. First, I called my insurance company because my HMO group has no RE's. I wanted to be sure I could be referred out to a RE in another group. That call was useless. I am so sick of how vague and confusing medical insurance is. You never really know what will end up being covered or not. Then I called my PCP to change my OB referral to a RE referral. Ha! Yeah right! The nurse promptly called me back and told me that I have to see the OB first. I decided to just go through the process as they suggest. I don't want to end up with huge medical bills because I didn't.

The OB I wanted to see was booked until the end of June, so I chose another doctor in the practice. He is available, well, because he is a "he." I am scheduled for this Thursday. I am planning to ask him for the rx to have the HSG done, and then hopefully ask him to refer me to the RE. I am terrified for the HSG {mostly because I am never the norm when it comes to medical procedures}, but I also want this so bad that I don't care.

xoxo,
Mrs. B

Backyard Renovations Progress

We made lots of progress today with Tom's new home! I didn't include removing the electrical conduit, but we did that too.

But before we get to that, we finally found a gazebo! We didn't have anything to shade the patio since we removed the old cover back in November. We love it!!!!!

Okay, back to Tom's area...

An updated Task List:

• Remove the pond, fill in & level the dirt and remove current plants
• Build new walls and move Tom's enclosure over where the pond used to be 
• Plant a tortoise mix for him to eat, some cactus and shade plants/trees - I haven't received the shipment of new seed yet. Hopefully this week.
• Build or buy a bench for the Mr. and I to sit and watch Tom. He is so fun to watch and right now we don't have anything good to sit on in his enclosure.
• Build or buy Tom a new house for sleeping and shade - We built one with leftover wall bricks.
  
• Plant a garden in the old part of Tom's enclosure - I need to kill the existing tortoise food, then plant a few flowers around the hammock.

Progress photos:

Building Tom's new walls.

Tom's new walls finished. I still need to plant lots of things in his area, and along the wall where it's shaded by the Avocado tree.

Finished, from another angle.

Apollo watching Tom in his new digs.

Tom loves his new space.

The view from Tom's area.

The hammock in it's new spot.

Next up, after completing the task list above, is building the new dog fence and hanging the new Coolaroo sun shade in the dog run. Then we are 100% complete outside!

xoxo,

Mrs. B