N is for Needles and No kids!

Well the Needles are for the IVF process that is now under way.  I am on BCPs and start Lupron on 7/07.  This wasnt the way this was supposed to go, but it looks like this is the only choice for us now.  I am so worried that this isnt going to work.  I am almost so worried that I dont want to do it.  Once I do it, if it doesnt work, then I really dont have much hope left.  I can't afford to do this more than once (at least in the next several years).  So doing it now means this is it!! BTW..that was the last of the negative comments...cause this is going to work!!!!!!  I will be pregnant soon!!

No kids = kids are away at camp until Friday.  This is the first time they have gone to an overnight camp alone.  They are about 2 hours away.  They can't call and they can't email, so I hope they are having fun.  I find myself wondering alot about what they are doing and if they are being safe and watching out for each other.  The camp is sponsored by the military for children of deployed parents and it is free for them to go.  Say a prayer for them and hope they are wearing their lifejackets, sunscreen, and bugspray.

Happy 4th of July!!

Camping was ok..

It wasnt something that I would want to do on a regular basis.  When we got there on Thursday, the campground had just had a major storm, and trees had fallen and there was no power.  I know that power isnt really a big issue when you are camping, but for me taking a hot shower is a big deal.    So I didnt get to shower until Friday night around 11pm.  I was looking and smelling like a seasoned camper for sure LOL!!  The kids had fun and got to swim alot and I even went out in a canoe (which I loved!!).  Maybe we will go again, when the kids are old enough to keep the fire going and put up the tent themselves..until then I think I will be sleeping indoors :)

We are going camping

I have never been before.  Never slept outside or in a tent.  I dont know how this will go because it is really hot outside.  I will let ya know.  Wish me luck!!

Things have been crazy round here!!

I have been busy these past few weeks!!  

Mackenzie had lots of activities for the end of the school year and then the kids got out of school.   

We got a new puppy that is taking lots of my time.

I am now in school and having to study harder than ever.

My ebay has picked up and i am selling alot right now.

Soooo...hopefully things will get back to normal soon.  We should be getting started with IVF in the next month!!!  

M is for Mufasa and Mischa

Mufasa and Mischa are our two cats.  Mufasa is the old man and Mischa is the young lady.  They dont like each other or other animals...which leads to problems quite often.  Mufasa enjoys playing in the sewer and laying on our neighbors porch.   Mischa spends her time killing birds (and trying to bring them inside) and laying on our bed sleeping.  The picture above is Mufasa..at age 15.

L is for Lisa and leisure time

Lisa - is my older sister.  She is the nicest person I have ever known (and I am not just saying that because she is my sister..she really is.)  She will do anything for anyone and be happy that she is doing it..even if she really doesnt want to.  She is a good friend to me and listens to all my sob stories and complaints.  She is beautiful, successful and an awesome mother.

leisure time - is something that I should have had alot of lately.  Being that I am unemployed, I should have extra time...but I don't.  How did everything get done when I had a job?  What will happen when I go back to work???  Needless to say that day will be coming too soon!!

The picture above is me and my brother and sister :)

K is for Kelly

Ok..I was having a hard time coming up with any K words..so I sort of worked the K in.  Kelly is a lady that I just met today.  She works at York Tech.  She informed me that I will be starting school this summer and it will all be paid for by WIA (since I got laid off from my job). They will pay for my classes, books, gas, and anything else that is necessary for school.  I am going to be taking medical lab tech classes.  This was not my first choice, but everything else had 1 1/2 - 2 year waiting lists.  I am really excited!

J is for Janine, Josh and Jonatha Brooke

Janine - means "Gift from God"..or that is what her parents say :) Only her family can call her Jan.  I try to and most of the time she gets pissed.  At work they call her J9.  Don't you think Jan is so much easier??

Josh - is Janine's brother.  He is her only full sibling (same mom and dad).  He lives in Virginia Beach.  We only see him a few times a year..but love him dearly.  Jan...I mean Janine..tries to get him to move down here all the time but it is just not gonna happen.  

Jonatha Brooke - www.jonathabrooke.com - She is an amazing musician that Janine introduced me to.  She is now one of my all time favorites.  She is not very well known ..but should be.  Check out her website :)

Fertility Statue

So in San Francisco there was a fertility statue at the Ripley's museum.  Here I am rubbing it and hoping it works :)

We Are Home!!

Vacation was lots of fun.. but it is great to be home!  I am going to catch up on all my favorite blogs and will write here as soon as I get a chance :)

VACATION!!!

We are leaving for vacation on Wednesday and will be gone until 4/19!!  We are going to visit California, Oregon and Washington.  Janine's sister lives in Washington so that is the purpose of the trip, but we are going to see a few more places while we are there.  See ya when we get back :)

I is for IVF

IVF - is where it looks like we are heading.  We had such high hopes this time..but this wasn't the one.  We will have our baby...one day :)

H is for our House and Hayden

Our House - We have lived in our house for 3 1/2 years and we really like it here.  We are in a great neighborhood and school district.  The kids have lots of friends here and sidewalks to ride their bikes.  We had to do some work when we moved in..and there is still alot more to do.  We will have it the way we want it one day.  I hope to stay here for a long, long time (unless we hit the lottery LOL).  FYI...I was excited about posting pictures of our house...but now i can't find them anywhere on this computer.  When the computer genius gets home I will have her look for them.

Hayden - he is our youngest.  He is smart and sensitive and handsome.  He is head strong and bossy.  He is loyal and loves to make new friends.  He likes movies, magic, video games and eating.  He is one of a kind :)

G is for Guilt and Gia

Guilt and Gia...

No, they don't go hand in hand.  As a matter of fact, these are totally unrelated. BTW, this is Janine blogging...the guilt is mine for not participating in Carey's adventures on here.  It's also for all that is bothering me today.  I am upset with myself for being so overweight, guilty for eating junk food and not getting nearly enough exercise.  I am guilty of not being a  friend who stays in touch, missing my best friend's wedding to go on vacation, and not answering my phone about 75% of the time.  Getting lost in the wealth of information on the internet is much like burying my nose in a book.  I'm an intellectual, a seeker of knowledge. The computer is millions of varied topics, free for my browsing, yet I feel guilty for the amount of time I am immersed in it.  I wonder if I had my nose in a book all the time 20 years ago- would people think of it in the same way?  My guess is probably not... Anyways, So the biggest thing affecting me today is my current physical state- and to be honest, I'm extremely overwhelmed by the amount of disappointment I feel in myself right now- I am on the verge of tears.

Okay, so I will end this depressing and "who wants to read this kind of crap?" posting on a happier note.   GIA...

Gia is my (hopefully) soon to be sister in law.  She successfully transformed my closest brother Josh (13 mos apart) from a hopeless alcoholic *sorry, Josh* to a real man with aspirations.  She is witty and has a pretty good sense of humor.  She is intelligent, fluent in spanish, and beautiful.  She is driven and makes conscious decisions.  Gia and I are alike in ways, but vastly different in others.  I appreciate her love for my brother, and I hope they can continue the relationship in the supportive ways they began.  I heart Gia...

PS. I am hoping we can make it til Tuesday for Carey's pregnancy test!!! Cross your fingers!

We will be back to our regularly scheduled program after the break

I am going to Daytona Beach, Florida tomorrow to visit with my mother and my brother.  My niece will be having her 2nd birthday party on Saturday.  I will write again when i get back :)

F is for Feet and being Fortunate

Feet - I have huge friggin feet!!  They are size 10...or sometimes 11!!  My dad has always called them skis..and I have hated it my whole life.  The good thing is that i can usually find shoes on sale because not many people buy them that big :)

being Fortunate - I don't have a job now and that is stressful...but I am trying to focus on what I do have.  I have Janine, who is my soulmate.  We have wonderful (and challenging) children.  I have a loving family.  I have great pets.  I have devoted and supportive friends (who I don't see often enough).  I am fortunate and thank God for giving me this wonderful life. 

Above are some pictures of usat the lake last weekend.

E is for Ellie

I am not finding much to blog about that starts with "E"... so this will be short and sweet :)

E is for Ellie our dog.  She is an awesome pet.  We have had her for about 2 years. She does lots of tricks and guards our house and yard.  She tries to mother the cats and the kids.  She is so smart and definitely one of the family.

D is for Dieting, Destiney

Dieting- is something I am always doing..or trying to do!!  I have been overweight most of my life and can never seem to get control of it.  I try to blame it on my PCOS or being big boned..but I know that I just eat too much junk.  I don't like alot of vegetables so I eat way too many carbs. Hopefully one day I will reach my goal..but until then you have to just love me the way I am:)

Destiney - is my friend's daughter.  She and her sister come over and the stay the night with us alot.  We just love her and think she will be a famous model one day (see picture above).

C is for Carey, California, and Carolina

Carey - of course is my name.  I never liked it growing up because no one ever ever spells it right.  It is spelled like a boy, so I could never really find things with my name printed on them as a kid (unless it was something for a boy).  I have several nicknames: CareyBell, CareyBerry, CareBear, and my all time favorite..NOT....ScaryCarey.

California - is where I am going in April.  Like I said before I am not looking forward to the flight, but I have never been out west, so I am super excited!  Janine and I are taking the boys and we are flying into San Francisco for 4 days, then we are driving up through Oregon and Washington to her sister's house on Whidbey Island.  It is a couple hours north of Seattle at the Navy base. We will be gone a total of 12 days and I will take tons of pictures and videos.

Carolina - is home for me :)  I have lived and worked in Carolina (North and South) my whole life.  Even though I have never lived anywhere else, I have a great appreciation for home.  I am 2 hours from the mountains and 3 hours from the beach.  The people here are friendly and really show their southern hospitality.  Come and visit ya'll :)

B is for Babies, Brusters, and The Bachelor

Babies - We have been wanting one for a long time :)  We are now on try #7.  I trigger tomorrow and IUI should be on Saturday.  I have 5 follicles this time, so my nurse called me to warn me about the chance for multiples.  I am really not worried by this because we done this 7 TIMES already and nothing!!  We would love to have a girl since we already have 2 boys, but a healthy boy will be just fine too.  I think we have decided that if the doctor uses both of the vials of IUI that we have left then we will move on to IVF next..if not we will do one more IUI cycle.  PLEASE PRAY FOR US THAT THIS TIME WORKS!!!

Brusters - has my most favorite ice cream..I love that place!!  They have a flavor called Peanut Butter Puddles that is amazing.  We have a Brusters about 10 mins from our house and we take the kids every chance we get.  If you ever get the chance to try it..you really should!!

The Bachelor - I am sure that everyone has heard what happened already, but I am still pissed about it.  I really like the show, but after Monday night I am really considering not watching again.  I personally think it was set up that way.  I hope that Melissa finds someone way hotter than Jason!!!

A is for Adam, Andrew, Avery, and airplanes

Adam, Andrew, and Avery are 3 of the people that I love most in the world..and I hate airplanes...so the good stuff first.

Adam - He is my only brother and is 3 years younger than me.  As kids we used to fight all the time, but now that we have grown up and he has moved away to Florida I miss him like crazy.  He has a great job and beautiful family and I am very proud of him.

Andrew -  He is my first and only nephew.   He is 7 years old and lives about 10 miles away from me.  He is an excellent swimmer and very smart.  I don't see him as much as I would like, but I hope he knows how much I love him and what a good boy he is.

Avery - She is my beautiful 2 year old niece.  She is my brother's daughter and she lives in Florida.  She loves babies, horses, and being outside.  She looks a lot like me when I was little.  I am going to see her in 2 weeks and I can't wait!!!

Airplanes - I hate them!!  I have only flown a handful of times, but each time I feel sick and like I am going to have a panic attack.  I am flying again in April and it will be my longest flight yet..all the way to California.  I am scared already :(

Blogging The Alphabet

So I got this idea from a blog that I read sometimes and I thought I would try it to see if I can actually finish it.  I am going to write a blog on every letter of the alphabet and give some info about me that has to do with the letter that I am blogging about.  I may not get to it every day, but I will try my best to stay consistent.  I think a lot of posts will be about people who have names that start with that letter, but I will try and put some other stuff in also.  I am still having some trouble with formatting my posts the way I want them..so bare with me and enjoy :)

Plans For Baby Update

Just an update :)  I went back to my RE in Charlotte and decided against the surgery..so we are going to try 2 more IUIs before moving to IVF.  We are on cycle day 8 right now and I am taking Lupron and GonalF injections.  I go back in on Saturday for US and bloodwork and will hopefully be having IUI sometime next week.  I am so lucky that Jan has domestic partner benefits so I can have most of my visits covered by insurance. Keep your fingers crossed that number 7 is lucky!!

I am just gonna say it....

I AM UNEMPLOYED!!

Ok..I feel much better.  I lost my job due to a layoff on Jan. 20th.  I have never been laid off or fired..and this is much harder than I thought it would be.   Just to actually say it out loud makes me feel like a failure.  I am trying to change that in my mind.  

Thank goodness for unemployment..but this leads me to another problem.  I am entitled to 26 weeks of unemployment benefits.  The amount that I am getting through unemployment is less than what I was making before..but it isnt too bad.  The problem is that when i am looking online for jobs..I am not seeing any jobs that are even paying as much as my unemployment!  I don't want to feel like a mooch and just sit home and draw unemployment, but I can't afford to take one of these lower paying jobs.  This has to be the case with alot of people looking for work..right??

Beach Trip

Janine and I took her mom and stepdad and Hayden to the beach last weekend.  It started off kind of rough because the room we had reserved was gross..but we found a nice hotel with an indoor pool..so it all worked out.  Here are some pics :)

Ok I think I fixed it!

Ok I think I finally figured out how to get the comments back...but now all the stuff on the side of my blog has moved to the bottom and I can't get it back to the side. All the articles I read say just to drag and drop it, but when i drop it, it moves right back to where I had it before. This is so frustrating!!!

We are still here :)

I know I haven't blogged in a long while and it is mostly because I can't get the blog to accept comments anymore.  I am bummed about that and I think I am going to maybe have to set up a new one :(  I have tried to fix it but I can not figure it out.  If you have any ideas of how to fix it, email me at careyandjanine@yahoo.com .   We have had a lot going on these past few months and I am going to write it all down today or tomorrow.  The picture is Hayden and his birthday cake (he had a party last month).

Doctor's Visit

We went to our doctor's appointment on Friday with a new RE that I haven't seen before. He was very nice and easy to talk to, and his first suggestion was something that my doctor has never mentioned before...SURGERY! He wants to do laprascopic surgery to check for endometriosis and fibroids and possibly ovarian drilling. I have been researching it a little bit, and the ovarian drilling seems kind of risky because of the scar tissue that can develop. So..I am once again confused about what the next step should be. Should I go back to my old RE and do IVF or should I have the surgery and try a few more IUIs?

Comments

Janine added this pretty color to our blog, but now I dont see a way for people to leave us comments. I am going to have Janine (the computer guru) try to fix this. Please keep reading :)

Back To Work!!

I havent blogged in a while, but I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. We had a great day and enjoyed spending time with family and friends, but now it is back to work. I have 3 more weeks, then i am off for 16 days straight!! My office is closing for 2 weeks over Christmas and I am so excited! I havent had that much time off since..hmm well NEVER!!!
We have our appt with the new RE on Friday! He is one that came highly recommended and he is 3 hours away, so I am hoping that he will give us some hope that I can do this on my own. We still love our doctor in Charlotte, but a second opinion never hurts. We are hoping to have a baby next Christmas!!!

I will update soon with pictures. Happy Monday!!!