The rat smacketeers are brooking no argument!! All for one BFP and one BFP for all!

[Imps7]

Smacket on, ladies...

bean what your dp said about sex life after dc2 is very sweet. Sounds like he is more enthusiastic about the idea there will be a dc2 now?

far, Imps, I think the issue with my dp is that he wants our sex life to be 'normal', despite ttc. I think it's pretty much impossible though. When you want a baby, and know it's sex that'll get you one, how can you possibly separate the two?

Sorry to hear of the period pains from olives, RSI from stasi & sweetie's root canal. Hope your all better soon x

Did someone say normal sex life? Ha ha what's that?

I didn't get to say congratulations properly yesterday far, but I'm brooking like mad for you that this little bean stays put for 9 months :)

I'm enjoying a day off today, i have a couple of days holiday to use before April and I've been earning loads of flexitime with all the travelling, so I'm going shopping and getting my haircut this morning, then lazy afternoon with DP (who always finishes early on a Friday)

Little, I think everyone would love a normal sex life again! But you're right - you can't really separate the two. That said, given that the fertile period is only 5 days, there's no reason why the other 25 days of the month can't be "normal". Maybe you could say to your DH that you agree that it would be brilliant to have a normal sex life, but that the reality is if you both want to have a baby, there's a limited time to achieve that so part (and a very small part at that) of the month is inevitably going to have to be about that.

I've already done a load of washing, filled the dishwasher and made lunch this morning . Don't mind if I grab a on the way to the shower...

Oh little yes its like a big white baby elephant in the room isn't it? I know DH found it quite freaky for a bit. I was on the pill but friends who used condoms before TTC said it was even weirder as obviously it was suddenly very very different. Can you pretend and just say look lets just not try not prevent for a while and just enjoy eachother's bodies (barf) and as imps says, do some fun stuff together I am sorry you are feeling so down, I can emphathise totally and it sucks.

imps that cottage pie sounds amazing, we should do a brookers cookery book!

Thanks again for all the congrats, Sweetie beedle ninja biscuits and everyone else I have missed.

duke I was either 9, 10 or 11 dpo, not sure as I don't temp but I think it was 10dpo and it was a first response 6 days early one. FX for you :)

Did another FR this am and much darker and came up quickly and then I shoved it in DH's face and it was 4am because I needed a wee and did not want to waste FMU . First self injected heparin passed without incident and was painless, in fact less so than when the nurse did it, hooray. It has certainly taken the edge of what would have been a grim day.

Passes round some blueberry muffins

Yeah to the bigger fatter positive far though you forgot to mention how pleased DH was to see it at 4am

Imps you made me feel very lazy, so now I have showered, dressed, and hung the washing on the line (the snow has almost all gone now and it looks like a lovely day for drying washing - can someone help? I seem to have turned into my mother)

Am just about to send of the form for our fertility tests, which will hopefully ensure my BFP in 10 days time

Time to go shopping

Far I haven't forgotten the significance of today and I am really pleased that you had a dark line this morning and that the injections are going well. I have a good feeling about this one too - it's meant to be.

Beedle enjoy your day off (not jealous at all, oh no).

Imps how was your cottage pie?

Hello to everyone else - must dash.

Great re: the dark line Far. I'm so pleased that you have one to focus on today. for you, methinks.

The cottage pie was really nice actually. It wasn't as rich as a normal cottage pie which I always add ten gallons of red wine too and OH wasn't completely blown away with it (as he always is with my cooking...) but I would make it again. I recommend the Anjum Anand books, just in case anyone was on the lookout for a new recipe books - the curries are great, and once you've invested in all the spices (esp from an Indian food shop, rather than a supermarket where they are bloody expensive) and a spice grinder they are generally v. cheap to make and good store cupboard recipes.

Beedle, I have been prematurely middle-aged for the last 5 years! I love doing chores, and was uber excited yesterday when I put 2012's first load of washing out to dry on the line!

Morning all, TFI Friday
Mammoth catch up post alert?

First though am so pleased to hear about a B?er F?er Pfar - and imps you excelled yourself with the dressage this time. I?m slightly concerned it?s going to fall to one of us to perform when you get your BFP

cakes am very chuffed you got your little heartbeat & big hugs to all the other preggers loitering round this TTC thread giving the rest of us hope

olives am sorry to hear you didn?t have a good appt, my private consultant was lovely [and not particularly polished] and I?ve had a few private treatments and they?ve all been really nice and accommodating, I think it?s more about the person than the system they work in iykwim.

duke fx for this weekend!

Re early scans, I?d definitely have one, but I?d prob get one through NHS because of what happened last time, if not I?d still pay for one regardless.

bean am a bit at your HV implying Polish men beat their wives more than others ? some of the Polish men I've met are loads nicer than the English ones!

imps re SA, GP referred my OH at the same time as she referred me, but he wasn?t present, she asked me to get him to ring her later that day so she could confirm he was happy to go ahead and talk him through the procedure. He was told the sample had to be there within 30 minutes so decided to go to the hospital to do it - did I tell you guys, he went to do it on Monday, and was so proud of himself that he was in & out within half an hour so he didn?t have to pay parking

little I was really conscious of not actively TTC with OH when we started [but of course I was] ? in fact when I told him I was going to GP in January cos it had been a year he didn?t believe me it had been that long I think OH notices he gets more sometimes but we don?t discuss times etc so it?s not ?clinical?. We just go for it most days cos OH is a greedy sex pest lol after AF for a couple of weeks and he doesn?t really know about the daily detail, although he knows I keep track of periods on my iPod and use OPK's. This is deliberate on my part so that only I know when it is FF and when it is WI, men are funny about the distinction, us not so much . In fairness though, we have always had a healthy sex life so maybe this tactic would be less successful if not?

stasi the only time I ever get what I think could be ov pain it is on the wrong side

I made Cowboy Pie this week, which turned out to be basically a cross between a Chilli & a Cottage Pie [we use sweet potato instead of normal on CP btw and its bloody lovely] ? as OH said, what?s not to like, 2 of our favourite dinners put together . Thanks for the book recommendation imps we keep threatening to start making proper curries but can never find the right recipes.

Right, off to take the cats to the vet, if I have to keep having needles stuck in me then so can they [evillaugh]

Who let Beedle's Mum join in the conversation?! Chuck her out the room. And tell Beedle that an ironic BFP is in the post, on your way out!

Well done Far - that's the attitude. But stay in bed at 4am please and get some nice zzzzs.

Here's to 'normal' sex lives for us all. In about a year's time when we have just about recovered from giving birth and the last thing on our minds is shagathons....

Like the idea of a Brookers-cook it up book! Imps you are such an impressive cook and lady of the house.

Of course me and DP managed some v nice SWI last night (a day late). Thank you v much. It's always the way. Day10 still gives us a chance, though. I'm still thinking early summer is more likely to be our time. Far did you say this latest BFP was due to high day rather than a peak CBFM day?

x-post Scarlett - yes, it was shocking and the HV was black so ought to be more aware! at evil cat torturing and sharing the pain.

Yay for SWI bean, I have only ever conceived on high days as we have run out of steam for the peaks so I think you are still in with an excellent chance what with day 10 and day 12 bonking, hooray!

Yippee for a darker line and good work with your first injection Far

Good morning to all the lovely brookers. Hope you have a nice day off Beedle

Imps and Scarlett I love cottage pie and have tried a chilli version and used sweet potato but never together! I would be intrigued to give the Indian one a try.

I had a much better evening at work last night. I only had to deal with reasonable people which made a nice change
Thanks for all the supportive messages. Olives My new job starts on Sunday and I know it will be tough at first but I'm hopeful it will be better in the long run. Roll on summer, I'm totally sick of the winter pressures!

I will finally see DH tonight, am very excited! I last saw him on Monday, we have slept in the same bed every night but have not actually spoken except for texts. Thank god it's not rat smacking week

Right tmi alert

Am 8 or 9 dpo. At 5 in the morning I woke up with really strong cramps. I ran to the loo thinking AF was on her way only to have terrible diahrrea I had it twice and felt really sick. I thought I was getting a bug. Managed to get back to sleep, now this morning I've had no more and have eaten breakfast. I still feel a bit sick. What do you think? A symptom? According to DrGoogle it is most definitely a sign of pregnancy as is everything Sorry if that was too much sharing

Scarlett - just a tip - you can freeze fresh ginger and chillies - just cut the ginger into 5-10g chunks and freeze (peel and use straight from the freezer - it goes mushy if you defrost it first) and freeze the chillies whole - again, use from frozen and just cut off what you need.

I love freezing stuff.

Hooray for SWI Bean! Always typical that it doesn't happen the day that you want it to, but don't forget that the fertile period is 5 days, not just one! You are well in the running this month!

Cupcakes - that is of course a symptom of your impending BFP!! How exciting!! (if not entirely pleasant for you)

Just nipping in to say a MAHOOSIVE congrats to Far. Such great news.

Likely to be busy over weekend as home alone without my husband who has gone off to attend to his elderly mother and aunts various affairs. Falling down houses, guttering, old people's homes and the like. It's a glamorous life and i'm happy to have nothing to do with it.

There's cold chicken biryani all round though, as the recipe 'for 4' was more likely 'for 6, but the children won't touch it'.

Poor Cups - though hurray. Implantation squits!

Thanks Far - cd10 might be a winner after all.

I think our five-day window is more like two, I'm afraid Imps - it's to do with oestrogen levels dropping as you get older and less fertile CM so spermies can't survive in such hostile conditions, let along lazy wrigglers! Sorry it this next bit is boring/me-me-me - but CBFM only gave me one high and two peaks (which fits with my view about oestrogen), and I know the second peak is automatic too in case the egg was a slow-popper. We dtd on cd 5, 8, 10, 12 so still in with a chance. I think I ov'd cd11 or cd12 morning (temp is on the rise today, cd13). The first peak is probably best so will aim for that next month, except of course I am already diffed.

I love freezers too. Except in our house it's an expensive way to store stuff and forget about it.

Hi Whims - you're well out of that lot!

What you need Bean is my patented* Freezer List - a Word document template list split into various categories (main meals, lunch items, bread products, potato products, fruit, vegetable, meat, fish, cakes and other treats, ingredients) so that I can list exactly what I have in my freezer and in which drawer said item can be found. It's updated by hand during the month, then a fresh revised copy is prepared on the computer at the end of each month.

Okay, I've totally just outed myself. According to my friends I am the only person in the world who does such a thing...although I have a feeling that Maybe would too...

*I'm lying - it's not patented

Oh and Bean I didn't mean to be insensitive re: fertile window - I didn't realise that it got shorter as time went along . You are still deffo in the game though - and this month IS your month.

Nothing wrong with a little organisation Scarlett

Afternoon smacketeers

I am sorry for my lack of posting and down right grumpinessof late. Things at work have been very up in the air, but I think things are settling now. I will try and do a mass post, sorry if I forget anyone.

Far I am so pleased that line is darker. This one's a sticky one, I just know it.

Imps I love your freezer plan. I must admit that I don't really use my freezer, other than for peas, but I am going to take a leaf out of your book and have mass cook/bake sessions and use the freezer!

Whim sounds luike home is the best place to be!

Cup this is sounding most promising, have a ginger nut.

Bean hurrah for that last chapter. Tea and cake is in order.

Scarlett that pie sounds immense. I also like Anjam's books. Though the best curry recipe ever (in mine and DH's opinion) is from this book, a lamb and spinach korai though this book is full of amazing curry recipes too. Can you tell I love the Rickster?

Beedle an ironic BFP is coming your way

Little so sorry to hear about the upset last night. I would say we do all have normal sex lives, just normal with respect to TTC

Duke stay strong, wait a few more days unless you have a cheapie lying around tht may just happen to fall into a wee-filled ramekin

Stasi how are you?

And Generic my love?

Maybeeeee! Nice to see you! Glad you feel a bit better re work stuff.

And Imps I need your freezer list in my life! Although I have started meal planning (not the same, I know).

I've decided I am pregnant. So there. Can confirm in a week or so, I reckon.

Generic I am so pleased you have decided this. I dare a pee stick to disagree with you

bean thanks for throwing my mum out, she really doesn't need to be here! And wouldn't have needed to be here whilst ttc me and my bro many years ago. She is one of those annoying people who got pregnant exactly when she wanted to. They even timed mine and my brother's arrivals to come at the end of the tax year so that they'd get a whole years tax rebate for us even though we'd only just been born , but she is lovely so I'll forgive her for being so fertile

Oh and bean I'd say you managed good timing this month if your temp has only just risen - don't forget the egg lasts up to 24 hours too, that is if the sperm from day 10 weren't ready and waiting to pounce

imps I'm slightly scared by your freezer list , and am also worried about who is going to do the gymnastics routine when you get your BFP, perhaps we could all do 1 cartwheel each
And even if I act middle aged about washing, I did still get asked for ID buying alcohol with DP last weekend - even though he was paying . I can accept that I look younger than I am whisper 36 , and maybe on a good day I could look 25 a very good day with dim lighting . Do they really honestly think I look like I'm under the age of 20? DP thinks its great - he says he's going to trade me in for a younger model when they stopp asking, like a 20 yr old would want him

cupcakes sounds like a symptom to me, when will you be confimring the obvious?

generic glad your pregnant, I am too , cos I've just bought new clothes that won't fit round a pregnant tummy

whims think I'd rather be home alone than deal with all that :)