My temp jumped above my coverline this morning so it appears as if yesterday was the day.  The big day.  I ovulated.  So now... the wait begins.








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Today I am 1 day past ovulation (DPO) and according to the list I posted of things to do during the two week wait (TWW) I am planting a seed. Planting something in 28 degree weather is a little strange but.. why not, right? There is something really cool about the anticipation of growth when there is ice on the pond and a brisk chill in the air.

I have a pretty large collection of random seed packets left over from this spring when we planted our garden. I had a hard time deciding between something that would grow into an herb or a simple flower. A flower would be a beautiful symbol of life and fertility but an herb would enter into this world with a purpose. Decisions... decisions...

After much internal debate... why not one of each?! A fraternal planting of seeds. I know that there is a decent chance that neither little seed will sprout at all, so much like the situation of my infertility, why not double the chances of success?

This spring and summer I tried planting peppermint several times. Never even the teeniest of sprouts came through the ground. Maybe this will be the attempt that will work! ...Again with the parallels!

These are actually about 2or 3 times the size of a human egg!

I chose to plant a poppy because not only are the pretty, they did really well this summer!

It would be really nice to have something to show from my 1DPO activity!  Believe it or not, the germination period for both of these plants is 1-2 weeks.  I couldn't have planned it any better!  I mean... God couldn't have planned it any better.     

So now... I wait... Grow babies grow!


Did you plant something? Link up your post below or comment and tell me how your 1 DPO activity went!

I think I am a passive control freak.  I know that I just made that term up but it is the only way I can describe it.  I don't care to control things.  I just want to know that I could control things if I wanted to.  Does that make sense?  Kind of like choosing a restaurant for dinner.  I don't care where we go, but if I did care, I want to know that I could make that decision. 

That is why the two week wait (the two weeks between ovulation and when the highly undesired period starts) is just awful.  I don't get to choose anything.  I can say that I am going to ignore any cramp, twinge, headache, and possible symptom of pregnancy, but who am I kidding?  I can't ignore this stuff.  I may want to, but I have no control over those thoughts, however fleeting.  I am powerless to avoid them.

In an effort to crowd out these prominent and sometimes obsessive thoughts, I have come up with a plan.  I have made a list of 14 things to do while I wait.  If you want to join in the fun, please do!  At the end of each post I will have an opportunity to link up your blog post. I'll leave the linkies open for as long as they will let me (probably a year).  I will make a tab at the top of the page for these posts so others can easily find them and play along!  If you do not blog and you want to participate, share what you did in the comments of each post.





<a href="http://lifelossandotherthings.blogspot.com/2011/12/while-i-wait.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZ76ooSi-ja7OezdPG_d3IzLa_mswnVF0_5WnO1bpV7-z2MsIoqKbzRSdZCh9Nt2S3-Lhxs-C5jFJw1_1yzwTy4iEce2me9Udjv1_REn4Uw7Li5M7iXsV0oCswySWAe2nenzroYXEiEn8/s320/sunrise%252520006.JPG" width="320" /></a>

1. Plant a seed. Have a left over packet of seeds from planting a garden or flower bed?  What about a beans you can sprout?  Find anything that is little that can grow into something big and beautiful!  Plant it and wait to see if that little miracle will grow. 
2. Play with pictures- Ever see those shows where they show a picture of two celebs and show what their baby would look like "if they made it?" Do this but with you and your husband's face.  Have kids?  Maybe you can use their face as a template. If you don't have photo software to do this, use this site.  Easy and fun! www.makemebabies.com/
3. Write your birth plan. No better time than the present!  Whether you are hoping for your first or your last, writing out how you envision your delivery going can be a wonderful way to get into the best state of mind for the arrival of your sweet little one. 
4. Write a letter to your womb- Maybe a pep talk is in order.  Bribery isn't out of line either.  Okay Womb, time to put on your listening ears. 
5. Make some music.  Change the lyrics to a familiar tune to a song about fertility. Feeling festive?  Christmas songs about fertility could be a really fun time! 
6. Do something nice for a pregnant friend or relative.  It doesn't have to be anything big or expensive.  Just something that makes your heart feel warm.
7. Say a prayer. After all, it isn't up to us.  Ask Him for what we need and what He needs from us!
8. Bake something. Maybe something yummy that can be saved for PMS cravings... or pregnancy cravings!
9. Create something beautiful. A craft? A photograph?  A painting or drawing?  The options are endless. 
10. A guest post from your husband. Ask your husband to guest post and write his thoughts on family, trying to conceive, infertility, and/or loss.  He might say no.  LOL  If so, tell him you are going to write a completely fabricated story about him doing the Macarena in his skivvies on your second date or something equally as fun!
11. Time to test? Write a post about testing early and why it is good, bad, or just an addiction you don't care to seek treatment for.
12. Share the love! Write a shout out post where you link to a few of your favorite TTCers, IFers, or other blogs that you love!
13. Show time! Watch a show or movie about pregnancy, childbirth, or family and cry your eyes out.
14. Write a letter to Aunt Flo. No need to be nice.  Maybe you can convince her that she needs to give you about a year long break from her.  "It's not me.  It's you." 

I am still waiting to ovulate.   I had a 19mm follicle and a 21 mm follicle that was triggered yesterday morning!  Once I confirm that I ovulated I will start with my posts!  This is going to be a busy couple of blogging weeks!  I hope you'll join in the fun when you are waiting to pee on things whenever that is!  You don't need to do all of the posts to participate.  After all, it only takes one, right?  Just copy the code under the While I Wait button and put it somewhere on your post.  Then, link up your post!   

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I promise that I am not going to try to revive the outrage over Facebook changes.  The dust has finally settled and I am finally coming to grips with the new look.  One of the changes that I am still bothered by is that anytime I comment, like, or otherwise interact with a facebook page it announces it on the mini feed thing.  Most of the time it isn't a huge deal but what if I want to comment on someone's infertility page about the consistency of their cervical mucus?  What if I want to know if someone has taken a pregnancy test and don't want to blow their facebook cover?  What if I need opinions on a pregnancy test, ovulation test, or other TTC or IF related issue?  The last thing I need is all of my relatives all over the US to be privy to my pee sticks. 

My solution?  I will still be posting things on my Life, Loss, and Other Things facebook page but recognize that most of you want to keep things hush hush.  So, I have decided that I will be starting a secret group on Facebook.  It will not really be a LLAOTWM group although I am going to be an admin.  But I will be me.  The real me.  The "I have a real first name, maiden name, and last name" and so do you.  I invite you to be a part of this group to make statuses that say what you are really thinking.  Instead of talking about errands, complaining about work, or a crappy night of sleep we can talk about our excitement over a squinter, the possibility of an early ovulation, tingly boobies, and the abundant CM that we aren't interested in sharing with everyone we went to high school with!  Because, if you are anything like me, these are our real statuses when trying to conceive! 

The only tricky part of being in a secret group is that you won't be able to find it or join it without an invitation.  The plus side is that all pictures, posts, comments, and activity is never on your public profile or wall or feed.   If you are trying to conceive, managing infertility, or even needing support while trying after a loss, this group is for you!  Let's team up and see some bumps produced!  Email me from the email account associated with your facebook page and I will invite you. 

I think this is going to be fun!  

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Many months ago I talked about how little we know about the various chemicals that we breath, eat, wear, and otherwise consume in our daily lives might impact our lives and health.  Then, this article pointed out something even more troublesome to me.  There are a number of companies that have chemicals in their cleaning products that have known health concerns.  When I say health concerns I mean serious health concerns including cancer!  Then, lets talk about the rates of miscarriages and infertility and how they only seem to grow.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that many of the cleansers contain ingredients that cause hormone disruption, pregnancy complications, and reproductive harm.

Think you are safe if you buy only "green" or "natural" cleansers?  Nope.  Several of the products that tote themselves as being green and natural products have these concern causing chemicals too!  Now, do you want another kick in your healthy green pants?  These cleansers do not list these chemicals as part of the ingredients!  They are in there but not listed!  How is this possible?  Most likely companies are only listing active ingredients and these offenders aren't active, I suppose.

Please see this fact sheet about reproductive harm and household cleaners.  This is a great page in that it points out the product types that are the most problematic. There is also a list of specific products so you can check your cabinets! 

Since we are going to go chemical free soon, I have been looking for a good recipe for a homemade laundry detergent.  It seems that most recipes that I find call for ivory soap or something similar.  While it doesn't contain any real known troublemakers, I want to minimize all chemicals as much as possible.  Anyone make their own laundry detergent?  Do you mind sharing your recipe?  Is the Ivory Soap (or Fels Naptha, or ZOTE) my only options or is there a more "pure" soap?

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Things are looking up!  2012 is going to be a wonderful year!

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I have been on a cleaning and organizing rampage.  I wish I could say it was nesting but seeing as how I am not pregnant well just say that is is directly related to how many episodes of Hoarders I have watched in the last month.  But this weekend, the chore has been my kitchen drawers.  While most of us will admit to having one junk drawer, sadly I had two.  While cleaning, throwing out and organizing I came across several items that I have no clue what they are.  I figure they must have a purpose otherwise I wouldn't have put them in my very important junk drawer, right?  But, I need your help!  What ARE they?!


Item #1

Item #2

Item #3




I'd love all of your thoughts!  Serious, funny, completely random guesses... anything!