Results are in...

I'm pregnant.

The office does not do the betas until 1 week after the positive qualitative test, so now I have to wait until next Monday to get my first beta. That will put me at 23DPO. I know I could call my high-risk doctor or my old pcp's office and get one before then, but I really don't have a problem waiting. I know I'm pregnant. Obsessing over numbers won't help any situation. Now, I may change my mind mid-week..lol.

The nurse told me on the phone to not get too excited yet, until we see the numbers rising. I felt like say, "I know lady, I've been around the TTC block a few times." She's really nice and means well though. She just doesn't deal with informed people too often, I guess.

The only symptoms I have had is heartburn...oh the heartburn. Every day. Almost all day. Not so much fun. I may have a few hours of relief during the day, but not much. I haven't tried Tums or anything yet, I have just been watching what I have been eating to see if that made a difference. Also, tender bbs, and some tiredness. Other than that, all is well. The line on the hpt was almost as dark as the control line today. I am glad they are getting darker still. I am not sure when I will stop testing.

Today, after our day of errands and IKEA, I went upstairs to take a nap. We have a door at the bottom of the stairs to keep the dogs out of our living space upstairs. Our kitties enjoy it upstairs because it is the only carpeted place in the house. As I was dozing, our cat, Joey jumped on my back (I was laying on my stomach). He started kneading my back (which is not unusual). He was trying to make a comfy spot to lay down, or so I suspected. He jumped down and I started to smell something bad. Poop. I turn over and he had POOPED ON THE DUVET COVER. Now our cats don't have accidents. They are very well behaved and neat. BUT HE POOPED ON ME. This wasn't just a little turd or two. It was like a big pile of dog poop on the blanket. He was locked upstairs and couldn't get to his litter box downstairs, so HE JUST POOPED ON ME. WHAT? Needless to say I was awake then. Luckily, it was fairly easy to clean-up. But still, MY CAT POOPED ON ME.

Later, when I was back downstairs, I was going to eat my leftovers from our lunch out today, and as I was walking into the den, I dropped my entire lunch on the floor. Nothing was salvageable. I was so upset!

So first, the cat poops on me, then I loose my lunch.

I guess I will never forget B's 30th birthday.

Its hard

It's hard to keep up with this baby-making journal when you are "on a break."
"We were ON A BREAK." I can't help but think of the Friends episode.
In TTC news, I have been working on a piece of artwork for our PNKD. I am about a 1/3 of the way done and if I really dedicate some time to it this weekend, I could possibly finish.
July 30th was my last medicated cycle. Our first IUI at the RE's office. That cycle lasted 29 days.
August 29th was my first unmedicated cycle. We didn't try that month and my temps were all over the map. I don't think I ovulated at all. The cycle lasted 59 days.
October 27th was last month. No meds. I didn't temp, but I bled for 9 days and then had a 29 day cycle.
This current cycle started on Nov 25th. No meds. I am still bleeding. CD9. I usually start temping once AF has hit the road, so hopefully I will get to do that soon.
I don't remember ever having a 9 day cycle. And now its two months in a row. Ugh.

In other news, our little guy Joey is doing so much better. He still has his feeding tube, but now he only needs feedings twice a day. Yesterday was his first day at home without having to go to the vet for kitty daycare. He did great. He just has to keep gaining weight now and we will be all set! In fact, I am late to feed him, so I must skidaddle!

We're still alive

Everything happens for a reason has always been my mantra throughout life.
Now, more than ever, I can see the truth in the statement.

Dealing with day-to-day life AND Joey (our sick cat) has been quite stressful. He has feedings every 4 hours and is very nauseous all of the time. We take him to kitty day care every day when we are both working. We try to go on with our regular days, but we are always thinking about how he is doing, not to mention the guilt that creeps in for not giving the other animals the attention they deserve. Needless to say, I cannot imagine having a little one right now (we would already have our baby if our first or second tries worked), or even being pregnant (subsequent tries).
God has a plan, and He knew that having a baby/pregnancy right now, would be too much to handle.
So, another break it is. For a cycle or two. We need to get Joey in a better place, as well as our finances. Eventhough last cycle was anovulatory, I began to bleed on CD59. Currently I am CD6. I will begin temping again when AF jumps ship. Hopefully our PNKD is still interested and we can get everything lined up (contract signed, etc) to be ready when we're ready.
I hate taking breaks, but I know it is the best thing for our family, both human and non.

Status on Joey

(copied from my LJ)

Joey had his check-up yesterday with the vet. She seemed to be pleased with his progress, but told me that his road to recovery is likely to be a long one. Here's a rundown of what we discussed, good and not so good:

• He's not dehydrated any more
• He lost an ounce from his discharge weight (ugh!). He's currently 7lbs, 9oz. Normally he ranges anywhere from 10-12lbs.
  
• His energy is up a little
• He's still not eating on his own yet
• They call him "polite Joey" because the other Joey cat they were watching is apparently a jerk. You know your animal spends too much time at the vet when they start giving it nicknames. Although it's very sweet that they all love him so much (it's kind of hard not to).
• His "girlfriends" all came in to see us while we were there - I told you this cat is a ladies man!
• The vet gave him an orange bandage and a pumpkin sticker for Halloween. Cute!
• The vet also told me that we can drop him off for kitty daycare to help out with his feedings during the day. This will help us immensely.
  

As for us, we are both exhausted. I might win the least amount of sleep award though, because I've been the one waking up for his midnight feedings for the past 5 nights. That has meant a total of about 4 hours of sleep per night on the days I work. I'm off today, and J took the early morning feeding (God bless her) so I could catch up a little. She's also taking over the midnight feeding tonight because I work tomorrow and she is off. She's so wonderful.

In other news, Maggie, Jake and Gracie all realize there is a shift in the house - Maggie especially. She's been so antsy without her buddy to play with, so I've been trying to go out of my way to give her a little more attention and playtime when the rest are asleep. I think she appreciates it, especially when she climbs onto my lap at the end of the night to thank me with her big warm belly spread across my legs. Jake & Grace just want to know what's up with the weird smell coming out of the spare room (Joey's still not quite bathing himself completely, but he's getting better at it).

In other news, election day in the US is just around the corner and things are getting down to the wire. I really hope that two things happen on November 4th. First, I don't think it's any secret that we are big time Obama fans in this house. We need him to win and start turning this country around. (And I'm not just saying this because Sarah Palin makes me want to stick hot pokers into my ears everytime I hear her speak.) Secondly, we need California to maintain their equality so that other states can follow suit and eventually we may all be protected. Our families deserve protection everywhere, but it has to start somewhere. So, here's my plea to you, dear interets, to please Barack The Vote on November 4th. Or I will Rick-roll your comment sections. Heh.

/soapbox.