I Has Her-Biss!

Dr. Needle gave me herbs (her-biss) today. After consulting with Dr. Go.ogle, here is a description of my new snacks:

It can replenish blood to nourish heart, and tonify qi to invigorate the spleen. Be applicable for (1) amnesia, insomnia, palpitation, severe palpitation, night sweating due to asthenic heat, tiredness, poor appetite, sallow complexion, pale tongue, and thin and slow pulse due to deficiency of qi and blood, and impairment of the heart and spleen by overstrain caused by excessive contemplation, and simultaneous insufficiency of the heart and spleen; and (2) bloody stool, women metrorrhagia, preceded menorrhea, profuse menstruation with pale menorrhea, or leukorrhagia, or dripping menstruation caused by splenic failure to control blood.

When finished, I shall have be able to remember (without too much contemplation) that my tonified spleen has been invigorated and can therefore control any dripping blood. I should be able to discuss it without the embarassment of a pale tongue and sallow complexion. Additionally, I should be able to sleep through the night without sweating all over GatorMan. Finally, it should help with depression (PLUS!) and appetite (negative....).

Joking aside, I am looking forward to taking these herbs. I start tonight, so we'll see how it goes!

Random Thoughts

(1) I hate blog.ger... or vis.ta.... I don't know which one did it. This is the second time I am writing this because I highlighted too much and my entire post disappeared. And I could not figure out how to retrieve it.

(2) GatorMan's team - Jacksonville Jaguars - is on right now for Monday Night Football. Yay! Love the NFL! (However, we are a house divided.... I'm a Cowboys fan.)

(3) I bought a sewing machine this past weekend. Not a high-end type of sewing machine, but the type of machine that says "I can sew a curtain." I got it so (sew!) I can make Ukulele's nursery bedding. I have not been able to find what I want, so I got two different patterns (each had something I wanted) and I am going to make it. Well, at least attempt to make it. I have not used a pattern since 8th grade home ec. Do they even teach home ec anymore? Anyway, here is the material I am using:


In case the colors are not coming across correctly, I am using chocolate brown, Tiffany blue, and a pattern that has both colors included. Still no nursery, but no reason not to be prepared on this side.

(4) AF showed up this afternoon. This is day 26. Last month was day 25. Does this mean Dr. Needle is effective? Not necessarily. My cycles for the last two years have fluctuated anywhere between 24 days to 27 days. I'd like to see a couple of consecutive 28 day cycles before I become a huge believer. Although, I think he may be putting me on herbs this week. (Or, as GatorMan calls them: her-biss.)

(5) We bought a Pack.n.Play! We got the Gra.co Mel.bourne (shout out to my Australia readers!). Yes, I know it's blue and brown and probably intended for the male persuasion babies - but WHO CARES??!! It matched our color scheme and Con.sumer Rep.orts likes it. It is still sitting in our bedroom, in the box. I have not unpacked it yet because there is no room for it right now. (Due to my unfinished, rather "unstarted," laundry piles. I'll get on it. Tomorrow.)

(6) While I was buying the Pack.n.Play, I also picked up this adorable onesie. Who doesn't love a penguin?


The penguin currently lives in a bag in my closet. It's bad enough that Ukulele's play yard is staring me in the face every morning.

Okay, there's my update. I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend. We are on the downslope of 2008 (yay!). If you read GatorMan's post, you'll understand why we will not miss this particular year. Here's to hoping the remainder is joyous, prosperous, but mostly tolerable.

Is that a fork in the road???

An update on Dr. Needle. GatorMan and I have been going to him now for about a month. Every week, on Wednesday, like clockwork. I'm not sure anything different is happening to my body - except the incredibly noticeable pubescent break-outs I've been experiencing. Not sure if Dr. Needle is monkey-ing with my hormones, or if I need to remember to wash my face more at night! But my last cycle was just like the 18 cycles before it.... no noticeable change. Dr. Needle says "wait anudda psycho" and then to reassure me he says: "free uvva woman get pregnant heo last yeo" and as he cups his hands together as if receiving a wafer at communion, he says "and day bwing utrasound pic tour". (For those that cannot understand my hooked-on-phonics version, here is what transpired: "Wait another cycle"; "three other women got pregnant here last year"; "and they bring their ultrasound pictures.") I'm hoping he only saw three fertility patients and three of them got knocked-up -- but not preferably IN his office, but through his acupuncture assistance! (You know what I mean....) Dr. Needle states it may take six months to see some changes with me. Who knows? Personally, I am enjoying laying there for half an hour and relaxing!

As for GatorMan, he says there has been a considerable change for him. Dr. Needle treats him with acupuncture and herbs. Although GatorMan will be mortified when he reads this - he says the amount he produces has increased. I'm just hoping those little swimmers are waking up and on the move!

For those who may be confused and wondering if we have gone from adopting to pursuing fertility treatments again, no need to check the blog heading... yes, we are still adopting. But do those who reach the fork in the road and choose the adoption path ever give up the hopes of conceiving a child as well? Mom of Tinkerbell and Chickadee put it best in her November 12 post. A big shout-out to her for discussing the dichotomy. GatorMan and I are not going to love Ukulele any less because she does not carry our DNA, nor would we love a biological child any more because they do carry our DNA. Perhaps it is human nature to wonder what your offspring would look like? And perhaps it is my human nature to know what it is like to be pregnant? I know we will be parents, I just do not know how it is going to happen. And in pursuit of that desire, GatorMan and I will try whatever we can.... even if it means splitting our car in half and driving down both sides of the fork-in-the-road simultaneously.

The Bitch is Back

And when I say "Bitch," I am not only referring to myself, but to the Bitch AF.

(1) I GET TO KEEP MY JOB! MyBoss won the re-election (very easily), so this bee-otch is back for another 4 years!!! (Spoiler alert: this is the one high-point of my post.)

(2) I am in. a. mood. And a really. bad. one. Queen-bitch level. I have this flex spending account that has a hefty balance in it that has to be spent by December 31. My acupuncturist does not take credit cards, so I have to pay by check, and then file a claim. My first claim was filed 2.5 weeks ago. I called to check on it today.... no claim on record there. So... while my personal account quickly dwindles in balance, Flex idiots get to keep the owed-to-me-money in their fat corporate accounts. I hate red tape. Oh, then there's more. Dry.Cl.ean.USA has filed bankruptcy... conveniently after ruining a suit beyond repair, accepting my claim, then ignoring my claim. I now have to file a claim in federal court.... in a Chapter 11 case... as an unsecured debt. Basically, in layman's terms, this means I'll be lucky to receive $5 for a very nice suit. I am SO pissed off. And why so angry at this crap? Read on to (3):

(3) AF showed up today. On day 26. Bitch. All the tiny little needles going in to me on a weekly basis did nothing this cycle. I was hoping she would hold off for another two days. Dr. Needle says "wait to next cycle to see if work" (in his Asian accent). Oh, but my mood is certainly like the AF cycles of yore....

(4) House crap. It was a done deal basically. Until OtherHouseWife freaked (after papers drawn and ready to be signed). She has a fear that "what-if" she loses her job? Will they have to move in to a one-bedroom home (ours that they are buying as a rental property) if she does lose her job? Welcome to my fu*#ing world - stay for a week in Casa-de-Mini. (I do have a little guilt about writing this last point... OtherHouseWife is a friend of mine.... NEVER mix business with friendship.)

I'm so over this infertility/adoption/childlessness/house/flex-spending/filing-claim shit.

I need a drink. NOW.

Dinner with *Friends* - Part 2

Tonight we had dinner at my favorite mexican restaurant (and yes, margaritas included) with one of my very best friends who is visiting from Indiana while her husband finishes his out-processing with the military. My friend, H, and I went to college together and were in the same sorority. It is so good to have her here, even if it is only for a few days. I live about 18 hours from where I grew up, so any friendly face from the past is always welcome! Anyway, the point to this story is I am debating whether to talk to her about Ukulele or not. Odd to type this while she and her husband sit across from me in the living room! She has had at least two (that I know of) miscarriages in the last year and a half - one of them with twins. So I know she would be a sympathetic ear with the IF leg of my journey.... it's just that whole jinxing thing where Ukulele is concerned.

Oh, I'm hoping to have a positive update on the Realtor front tomorrow. Realtor and I came to an understanding a couple of days ago, and now he is back on the pedal and moving forward. He called today with a really good lead on a possible home for us. Keep your fingers crossed!

As for Dr. Needle - I go to him tomorrow for my third visit. Still too soon to see if any of this works (on us) or not.... but I'll keep you posted as it goes along.

I DID IT I DID IT I DID IT!

Remember how I said I was going to try acupuncture? Well I did today! Was I nervous? Sure. But it was great! Very relaxing, despite the needles in my head, abdomen, arms, knees, ankles, feet, and calves. Sounds horrendous, and I am sure I resembled the guy from "Hellraiser" -- but I wouldn't know what I looked like because I did not look anywhere else but the ceiling. I'm not that brave. I laid there for 25 minutes while the needles did their needling thing. I even dozed off a couple of times.

Yes, GatorMan and I are still adopting Ukulele in January, but we have this extra flex-spending money to deplete before December 31... and since Dr. RE refuses to help us anymore, we decided to try Dr. Needle. Dr. Needle thinks he'll be able to help with my FSH levels, and also get my period on a more regular course of action. He also thinks he'll be able to help GatorMan with his levels, so we'll see what happens. I guess that means I will have to start tracking my AF arrival dates so I can see if it is working or not. I have not tracked that bit of monthly fun for quite some time.... she just shows up when she shows up. The other benefit of Dr. Needle? An attempt at reversing the trend of my needing to buy larger pants. Although, eating at my favorite mexican restaurant tonight probably didn't help much...... or those margaritas.....