Warning: Too much information ahead... Read at your own risk... ** Whew! My girlie doctor visit went very well. I really like this nurse practitioner I saw. She was very intelligent, explained everything well, asked the right questions, and even knew what Celiac is. The pregnancy test was negative (shocker!), so we're starting at the beginning of what might, but hopefully won't be a long process. They did blood tests, and made me bleed into 3 vials! They're running a battery of amenhorrea (lack of menstruation) tests, which should be back by Wednesday. She said we'll be talking on the phone a lot, starting next week. She gave me a prescription for something I have to take for 10 days to jump-start my cycle. When it starts, it will be the starting point for whatever's next. Most likely, my brain is either not telling my ovaries what to do, or something is interfering (could be hormonal, thyroid, anything). Whatever the case, if it's just the message getting lost, which is most common, then I will be taking Clomid. As she put it, Clomid is basically like whispering to my ovaries "Make an egg, make an egg" for 5 days each cycle. We'll do that for 3-6 months, and if nothing happens, we'll start all the fun fertility stuff. Hopefully we won't get that far. The increased chance of multiples on Clomid is 1 in 10 for twins, 1 in 100 for triplets. Physically, she doesn't think I would have any problem carrying either, and I told her that Joe and I had already discussed and accepted that possibility.

So that's where we are. I should know more when the blood work comes back. In the meantime, I have to get this prescription filled and brace myself for a doozy of a cycle. My body has had almost 4 months to save up for this one. She recommended keeping ibuprofen handy for the cramps. Joy.
Posted 12:35 PM by Kerry O.

Do it myself ** Has anyone tackled making slipcovers for sofas? I'm planning to make 2 this weekend, and I'm just starting my research on how to do it. I'm not the Queen of Sewing, so this ought to be amusing. Any tips I need to know? Am I insane for even thinking about doing this? I'm pondering the no-sew, iron-together version I found here at the moment. We'll see...
Posted 2:44 PM by Kerry O.

Ugh ** 7 a.m. is way too early to start work. Since the time change (AZ doesn't change, but everyone else does), we're now 3 hours behind the East Coast, so they have asked us to consider coming in early. I'm officially on the 7:00 - 3:30 shift now. Fortunately, there is no traffic, parking's a breeze, and I get home early. Unfortunately, I am not a morning person. Tomorrow I have a girlie doctor appointment (where I will hopefully start to get some answers!), so I have one last "late" day before going to 7:00 daily. Yuck.
Posted 10:50 AM by Kerry O.

Can you say "Scooby Snack?" ** Police Dog "Scooby" Severs Suspect's Penis
Posted 5:05 PM by Kerry O.

How I love to hate you ** That post below, and the story it referenced, led me to a website which has now won my coveted "current least favorite website" award. It is here. With such fabulous issues as covenant marriage, anti-gay and pro-life news, and more, it's simply a fabulous site to dislike. I do love this country and the variety of beliefs we are entitled to hold (despite the fact that folks like this try to destroy that). It makes life more interesting.
Posted 4:13 PM by Kerry O.

Silence ** I'd like to say my silence today was because of this, but it's really because I'm quite busy. I'll tell you what that link is about, though, since I know most people don't bother clicking on it. Nationally, students are observing a day of silence in respect for their gay and lesbian teen classmates, handing out cards explaining why. I think it's brilliant, and if I'd known, I would have tried to do something to help. All too often, gay/lesbian teens suffer discrimination and danger at the hands of ignorant others (read: teachers, adults, teens whose ignorant parents should be flogged, etc.). And Mr. Gary McCaleb, I will pray that you sleep well at night, though I doubt it highly. Your dreams are surely haunted by the demons you create in your own mind.
Posted 3:55 PM by Kerry O.

The pain of living ** OMG, I have the most painful wound right now! I think it's a cold sore (I've never had one, but that's what I've been told it is). It's right in the center of my bottom lip. It's annoying most of the time; I started getting it late Saturday evening. But it's trying to heal, and the outer part is coming off. I just put medicine on it for the first time since this morning and it hurt enough to make me cry. Holy crap, it hurts. You people who get these all the time, how do you handle it? This is awful!
Posted 11:25 AM by Kerry O.

Truly Tuesday ** The puppy is home! How attached we have become to her, how necessary her bone-gnawing noises are to our good nights' sleep! She was a little odd yesterday, seemingly confused by her changing environment and the lack of other Scotties to wrestle with and sleep on. But a little good-natured chasing around the house and tennis-ball-fetching, and she's almost back to normal. I missed her more than I'm willing to fully admit.
Posted 9:44 AM by Kerry O.

Hi, California! We love you, California! Oy! ** We are back from a wonderful Southern California visit. Allow me to publicly thank Jeniffer and Scott for their warm hospitality. We had a fabulous time, visiting, bbq'ing, game playing and seeing Disney's California Adventure. The latter was especially fun, and considering the last time I came for a visit (besides their wedding), we went to Knott's Berry Farm, I sense a theme park motif to our visits! Really, it was a fun time, and I wish our visits weren't so far apart. Hopefully they'll come to visit us soon, too, and we'll return before long. Two days were simply not enough.
Posted 3:36 PM by Kerry O.

Israel vs. Palestine ** This is almost exactly what I've been wanting to say forever, but never had the time to craft so eloquently. Have I mentioned recently how much I love and respect my brother? Probably not. I should say that more often.
Posted 2:44 PM by Kerry O.