June 2008: New Year, new thread, new names, new words, new goals, but no resolutions!

[abdnhikinginawinterwonderland]

New thread since the last one's at 997 posts...

Just checking on puree (no Valentine's baby then? Still the 15th is the absolute best day to be born!), it's our 10th wedding anniversary today and we celebrated by . . . . putting an offer on a house!

Amber, good luck for egg collection .

Oh, and meant to say that this Friday I think we'll have to stick to meeting at yours and I'll have to see how I feel on the day. You can't possibly do a long trip two days after embryo transfer girl - I wouldn't let you!

Oh and spider, welcome back!

Hi, I'm home and so glad to see my boys! Four nights was a long time...

In brief, because I'm exhausted and can't wait to go to bed (I did get home last night but then was up with F at 5:30am to let DH have a break) I've been offered a 1-day a week contract doing some not-quite-as-technical-as-I'd-like-work. I don't want to be too specific though. But it's using my skills from my research in an industry setting so it's not bad, and could lead to something better in the future (and it's one day a week - I can't imagine getting another job in my field for one day a week). So we're looking for a very part time nanny....

Amber and UDC and I had a lovely meal on Friday night, I really enjoyed it and it was great that they made the effort to come and meet with me (and picked somewhere literally steps from the hotel). I was on the edge of hungover Saturday morning but still got out for a wander before heading up to Heathrow.

Amber lots of hugs for tomorrow, Puree looking forward to news!

my DH forgot valentine's day which is almost acceptable because he's been busy with the boys but I'm still a bit annoyed...

ktpie hope friday went okay on your own - I remember how intimidating it was at first but then you get in the swing of things...

poppy I hope that the tests results will be good news - when will your DH get them?

I missed a page!

sponge congrats - did I read that right and you've just put an offer in on a house?

spider and deb f is really annoyed with me, he's okay with me but definitely prefering daddy...

Fab news AH, and sorry to miss meeting you.

Yes, we have put an offer on a house - our house is just not working for us anymore!

Ooh, massive at house buying Sponge! I'm desperate to move! Need to do some work on this place first though . When will you know it's been accepted!

Nice to have all the wanderers back - it's been quiet round here this last week.

abdn your dh trumps mine on the valentines stakes . He did come home rather sheepishly from tesco with a bottle of champagne and apologised for not being v romantic! Bless him. Breakfast in bed would have done!

Sponge congrats on house! Don't get carried away with embryo transfers as it's so unlikely they'll even find an egg hun! The only reason it's not been abandoned is becuase its not likely to be any bvetter next time round. This is supposedly a fact finding mission really. Of course there is a glimmer of hope but it's very faint

I was trying to be hopeful, but I know the odds. Let's see what happens and take it from there eh?

Exciting news re house sponge. Amber whatever odds are I am still keeping my fingers crossed
for you

fingers crossed for Amber today - it will at least give you more info but I'm cheering for you!

any news from Puree?

Morning all! Sorry about the absenteeism!
Great news about the house, Sponge - it's really exciting! I know you have to be realistic but you never know!
Amber all the best today, let's hope they find a whole load of eggs tucked away round the back. (You can tell that I'm not good on the biology of all of this - I'm sending positive thoughts! )
Also of the fab night out! What's the plan for this Friday? Who's coming?? Me, Amber?, Spider, Sponge?, anyone else - Poppy did you say you were in Paris or working?? Looking forward to it anyway.

I just texted Puree but no news yet and I think she's sick of these texts asking for information... So I won't do it again! Poor her - it's been dragging on a bit.

Poppy are you on Ravelry? You told me (over mumsnet!!) how to knit in the first place!! My knitting is going quite well. I have made a hat for me, a matching one for my brother; I made Iestyn the cutest little strawberry hat (despite the fact that he won't actually wear hats but it's really cute when it's being flung ) and now I'm making a tiny little cardigan for a friend. (Obv. her baby, which isn't born yet.) It's Debbie Bliss' cardigan with moss stitch edging. I've made the back and one front side.

I think the knitting is happening now because I've got things I can actually do - I could knit as a child but a baby cardigan is an obvious little project for someone to do, but I didn't know anyone with babies then. But now - my friend is expecting her second (clearly got her first to sleep in his own bed at last...) and another friend is expecting her first. And - exciting - my next door neighbour who is lovely lovely, is also pg! She has ME and wasn't able to conceive (poss. related) but desperately wanted to, but the clomid worked for her. She's really really suffering though and I'm quite worried about her but she has lots of support. She's moving in two weeks though but is selling her house to her bf who is also a lovely person! (Maybe she'll have a baby soon too - she split up with her v. long term partner a while ago because she wanted to have a baby and he didn't; she now has someone new.)

I had some very shocking news on Thursday. A colleague who I know well and have known for years died. Totally and utterly out of the blue - he had a meeting arranged for Thursday afternoon but went in for a tiny routine procedure on the morning and died during it. He was 52. I cannot, cannot believe it. I also can't stop thinking about it.

Tedi, so sorry to hear about your colleague - how devastating .

I'm very impressed with all your knitting - once again makes me feel that I don't have the energy for it at the mo, but I'll get there!

Had a shocking night last night and was almost catatonic with tiredness this morning, but thankfully mum and dad immediately offered to stay another few hours and let me go back to bed. I feel almost human now.

Had a text from Amber - they found three eggs!! Absolutely incredible - so you weren't far wrong tedi, follies can hide from the scanner and then turn up during EC. I told Amber this morning that I had ten follies on scan, but they only found 2 eggs . One of my ovaries disappeared behind my bowel completely during EC and the consultant couldn't reach it. I remember coming round from sedation briefly to find one of the nurses pushing really hard on my left side to try and force my ovary to move but it wasn't co-operating. So all the potential eggs on that side were lost.

Anyway, for those of you who don't know, Amber's eggs will now be fertilised overnight and she'll find out tomorrow how many embryos she has to transfer. So pleased for her .

Right off to tidy the house - it looks like a bomb's hit it!

OK, expert - that was helpful! Next question - how many embryos is she likely to get? Is it confined to the number of eggs? Can it be more, and if yes, how?

See, I know nothing.

Wow what great news about Amber

Sponge - glad your parents could hold the fort a little longer, also any news on the house?

Spider - sounds like you had a chilly week but good fun(apart from being wiped out)

Ktpie - how are you doing? I keep checking FB for photos!!

Puree - hopefully you're up to the final push stage by now

Abdn - I bet those 4 days away seemed so long, such a shame we couldn't meet up

Tedi - so sorry to hear about your colleague, how awful for his family. Pleased to hear about all the babies though being born to lovely lovely people!You're sounding a little broody

Poppy - how's you dh feeling with the test results?

Nothing much to report from here, got lovely guests here who came for the 1st time last year and straight away we were like old friends, so they're here until Sat, Mum arrives on Fri for Tristan's birthday on Saturday. Also both boys have been chosen to represent the school in a big area school ski race in March.Very proud Mummy!!!

The most she could get is three, but that would be a very impressive fertilisation rate (apologies for talking about you in the third person Amber, I'm fully aware you'll be reading this at some point ). I can't remember whether they were doing IVF or ICSI - IVF they just stick sperm and eggs in a dish and hope they find each other (good scientific explanation!), ICSI they inject individual sperm straight into each egg so slightly higher fertilisation rate with the latter.

I had two eggs but one was 'immature' so we only ended up with one embryo. Two embryos for Amber would be a very good outcome.

Three eggs is brilliant!!! Amber I'm so pleased for you! (And glad to know it's done).

Tedi I was a bit worried you'd ran away from us forever... The knitting sounds great. What a horrible shock to lose a colleague though - and so young.

And sorry to everyone else that I missed you while I was in town Next time... (I can't believe this but there actually might have to be a next time but it would be a Sunday night, Mar 21st. If I can avoid it and just come down on the Monday morning, I will though.)

x-posted with you deb, estate agent round tomorrow to sign the paperwork - and fab news on the ski race!

sponge have you sold your house then?

Hello! Writing from my hospital bed. Feeling awful but do excited I got three egs. I has one small follicle which they said was too small to have anything in it. Three from three is amazing. ThNks sponge for filling everyone in. O could not have been so clear. We are having icsi as marks sperm was not so great in the sample. I find out tomorrow if anything gets fertilized. I am still on shock as I expected nothing.

Will comment on everything else later but just want to say how sorry I am about your friend tedi x

Good to hear from you Amber. Assume you will be coming home today? Sore isn't it?

Such fab news about the eggs though, and ICSI gives you a very good chance of at least one good grade embie .

AH, no, our house goes on the market tomorrow - we live in an area which is described in estate agent parlance as 'sought after' and houses come up rarely, so we're optimistic of a quick sale !

Wonderful news Amber! Praying so hard for you to get some lovely embryos. What fab news after you thought it was not going to work out

Tedi, so sorry about your friend, that is such a shock and brings home just how fragile life is

I am feeling much better today after a really tiring weekend. DH has been working really hard cos he is junior on a murder trial atm so I have been doing most of the childcare (and when he is here it's like having a third child to look after!).

I have calmed down from the rage last week re the split of childcare duties and haven't raised it with him again... I decided to give him benefit of doubt in that I thought he was trying to say that he does ALL the childcare at weekends but actually all he was saying was he needs a rest too, which of course he does. And I should be feeling blessed about having another baby, not bitter cos I am so tired. I just didn't expect the pregnancy to be this hard. But when I am not too tired I am really enjoying it and very excited.

DH didn't get me a Valentine's day card, but I knew he hadn't. He was supposed to get one on way home from footie on Sunday but forgot ('I was rushing home to see you' ). He was in doghouse tho earlier cos he goes out at 8.30am on sundays to church, so I have lie-in till then. I hadn't had me usual lie-in on Saturday cos he was working so was really needing it. Plus I'd been awake Sunday morning since 6am tossing and turning and only got back to sleep at about 7.30. At 8am he wakes me up to ask if I want breakfast . I snapped at him 'no I don't, I want to sleep - when do you ever make me breakfast on a Sunday?' (I forgot it was Val Day which is why he offered). I was really mad! And I thought no point going back to sleep as I'll have to get up at 8.30 anyway. So I lay in bed till 8.30, got up, dressed, came downstairs and he said 'I won't go to church if you don't want, you can have a lie-in'. wtf! Why couldn't he have told me that at 8am or, even better, the night before! . What a fucking idiot

I said he could make it up to me by hoovering the house, then he made my tea. That was better than getting a card.

Good luck with the house Sponge!

Thanks for the welcome back, Abdn! I was actually absent for a while, wasn't I - but can't think of a real reason for it! I've been working quite hard and home alone a lot. I read all the time but didn't have the energy to post! I'll have to post a little smile occasionally if I do it again!
Working hard...unlike today. I'm supposed to do 6 hours teaching on a Monday: 9-11, then 1-3, 3-5. And you probably notice it's 2.30... My morning class was badly attended, but the afternoon seminar had 6 people, and the room was so awfully hot; just to make things worse, the topic was feudalism (of all things - the worst!) and so I gave up after an hour. I really hope they don't complain about me - but they did leave quickly!
Also very - one of my mature students sent me an e-mail to say sorry about missing last week because her son's school had a teacher training day and sorry about missing this week because it's half term - 'it's really hard to get a babysitter on a Monday'. and She picked the wrong person to say that to - I manage pretty well!

Deb did you spot broodiness there? Me? Never! I so am, but then I can't do anything about it as I've fixed up a work situation for myself...I should get a permanent job in 18 months. I don't know what to do really. Deep down I know I should say stuff work and start trying; but then I would be devastated if I lost everything I've worked for. But there's the voice in my head that says 'what if you leave it too late'.

Sponge you really know your stuff, and I ^really* think you should write a book about it. I looked on Amazon and all the books are dull-factual, or 'my experiences' type (yuck!) whereas I think there's a gap for intelligent but fun books. Not that it's laugh a minute, but something that isn't written by a (male) doctor with a tie and glasses, but by someone who's been through it and can say things from experience but jolly. Like this book which I had; or maybe like a Mumsnet Guide (although I haven't read any).

Amber that's so great! Totally failed to respond in that other post.