I'm Outing Myself...

I guess the depressing news we got today makes me feel like I should just throw this out there. Justin and I have been undergoing fertility treatment. We had our first Intrauterine Insemination Feb. 21st, and found out today that it did not work. I'm tired of hiding what we are going through. Infertility is something that affects so many couples, and so many of them suffer in silence. Here's our story, thus far...

I am diagnosed with hypothyroidism and Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease(commonly called PCOS). Basically, I have a really bad hormonal imbalance and a crappy thyroid. I rarely ovulate on my own. Our original plan was to go through ovulation induction, but before we could do that, we had to complete a semen analysis just to make sure we were in the clear there. We never dreamed we would also be dealing with male factor infertility, but the analysis showed agglutination. Agglutination is basically where the sperm clump together, most likely preventing them from reaching the egg. We were told the only way to correct this was to do Intrauterine Insemination(IUI). The sperm are put through a washing procedure before being inseminated, and this completely corrects the agglutination problem.

The original plan was to use the most affordable option, Clomid, to induce ovulation, but unfortunately an ultrasound showed that I had no response whatsoever to Clomid. I was crushed by that because it meant that we were an even more difficult case than I thought, and this was not going to be cheap. The fertility doctor decided the best option would be something called a hybrid cycle. I would take the pill Femara for 5 days, and on the 5th day I would start injections of a drug called Menopur. If follicles grew(when mature, follicles rupture and release an egg)I would give myself a a "trigger shot" of Ovidrel, which forces ovulation within 24-48 hours.




Here is how it went:
February 7th - Cycle Day 1.
February 9th - Cycle day 3, blood work and ultrasound to make sure we were ready to start meds. Started Femara.
February 13th - Last dose of Femara, first injection Menopur.
February 16th - Ultrasound shows two follicles growing. Things look good.
February 18th - Ultrasound shows follicles grew like crazy and are almost ready. One more day of the Menopur injection.
February 19th - Ovidrel trigger shot.
February 21st - The insemination procedure. We had two mature follicles and 45 million motile sperm, post wash. Those numbers were fantastic and we were optimistic.

Today we had a blood test done, and learned our IUI wasn't a success. It's on to round two. I am hoping that being able to speak freely about our treatment will make it a little easier to go through.

"The English language lacks the words 'to mourn an absence.' For the loss of a parent, grandparent, spouse, child or friend we have all manner of words and phrases, some helpful, some not. Still, we are conditioned to say something, even if it is only 'I am sorry for your loss.' But for an absence, for someone who was never there at all, we are wordless to capture that particular emptiness. For those who deeply want children and are denied them, those missing babies hover like silent, ephemeral shadows over their lives. Who can describe the feel of a tiny hand that is never held?" - Laura Bush

Super easy mac & cheese...and it's not too bad!

I tried the Mexican Mac & Cheese, which is another one from the same cook book as the last two recipes. I was really skeptical because it only includes three ingredients. I gave it a try, and must say that it's not bad at all! If you are looking for the baked, creamy comfort food, this probably isn't one for you to try. If you are looking for something super quick and easy, with a little Mexican kick, give it a try!



2 cups elbow macaroni
1/2 cup salsa con queso
1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain well and return to pot. Add salsa con queso and Mexican cheese, stir until combined and all cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Source: I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening

My new favorite chicken recipe!

This is another recipe I tried from the I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening book. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it is now my new favorite for chicken! The recipe called for goat cheese, which I was going to use, but when I went to use it I realized it was 3 weeks expired when I bought it!(glad you're on top of things, Walmart) I ended up using tomato basil feta by Atheno's instead, and don't think I will change a thing!




The recipe said to use an oven safe nonstick skillet, which I don't have. I ended up browning them in the skillet and then transferring to a baking dish, and it worked just fine.I did bake them for quite a bit longer than the 5-9 minutes it said it should take, but my chicken breasts were a little larger.

4(4 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil spray
1/2 cup canned, drained fire roasted tomatoes
2 ounces goat cheese(I used the tomato basil feta I mentioned earlier)
Fresh basil for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 350. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place medium oven safe nonstick skillet over high heat, mist with spray when hot, add chicken. Cook chicken just until outsides are golden brown, 1-2 minutes per side. Remove pan from heat and top each piece of chicken with 2 tablespoons of the tomatoes, followed by about 1/2 ounce of cheese. Transfer skillet to oven and bake chicken until it is no longer pink inside and cheese is melted, about 5-9 minutes. Top with basil, serve immediately.

*The nutritional info in the book says that these chicken breasts only have 171 calories each!

Source: I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening

Boneless Honey BBQ "wings"

This is from the I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening book. I don't know why it never occurred to me to cook chicken this way, but it's so simple and delicious! This will be added to list of quick work night meals.



Boneless Honey BBQ "wings"

1 lb chicken tenderloins
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil cooking spray

Combine BBQ sauce and honey in small bowl, set aside. Sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper over chick and toss to combine. Place large nonstick skillet over high heat, lightly mist skillet with spray and add chicken strips(they should sizzle). Cook about 2-3 minutes each side, until cooked through. Turn heat to low, add BBQ sauce and gently stir until coated. Remove from heat, let stand 5 minutes and then toss again.

Source: I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening

Cookbook Reviews

I recently ordered a handful of cookbooks from Amazon.com and thought I would give a mini review of them here.


#1 - I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening!: Over 150 Ridiculously Easy Recipes for the Super Busy by Devin Alexander

I really like this book and would probably rate it 4 out of 5 stars. All of the recipes in it are very easy, require few ingredients, and are on the healthier side. We are trying the honey bbq wings tomorrow for dinner! They have a recipe for zucchini that looks amazing, a super simple mac & cheese recipe, and it has also convinced me to try goat cheese(I'll report back on that one). One downside is that it doesn't contain many pictures, and I am a very visual person.

#2 - Cook This, Not That! Easy & Awesome 350-Calorie Meals by David Zinczenko

This is my favorite of my new cookbooks! I had seen the Eat This, Not That articles on Yahoo and always thought it was amazing the amount of calories that could be packed into a meal. The book gives examples of meals from popular restaurants, shocks you with just how awful they are for you(a nearly 2,000 calorie pork chop!), and then gives you a healthier alternative to try at home. The first one I have bookmarked are the Hawaiian crepes. Yum!

#3 - The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond

I think this one has good points, and annoying points. I love that she is very detailed with her recipes and gives step by step pictures to help you along. I found most of the additional commentary about her life on the ranch to be annoying filler. Frankly, I don't care. I bought the book for the recipes, not for your biography and family portraits. That aside, I am dying to try the peach crisp with maple cream sauce! Bought the peaches tonight and will be making it this week.


#4 - Baking: From My Home to Yours By Dorie Greenspan

I love this book! I had heard wonderful things about Dorie Greenspan, but was afraid her book was going to be intimidating or difficult to follow. It's not at all! Baking is one of my favorite things to do, and there are so many amazing cakes, pies, etc in this book. I think I am most excited about the layer cakes because that is something I have been wanting to improve on for awhile. Mine usually come out sloppy, and I am hoping with her careful instructions I can make a pretty layer cake for once!

Early Valentine's Day

We started our Saturday morning off with some pink pancakes, with strawberries and cool whip. Why pink pancakes? Because I have today off, and we are celebrating Valentine's Day early!



Justin brought home a pretty bouquet of flowers yesterday, so I played with the camera a little taking pictures. I have a lot to learn with manual mode!

New Camera!

So after drooling over DSLR cameras for a year, we finally purchased one! I did a lot of research and despite the hype over the Canon Rebel models, we went with a Nikon D3100. The reviews seemed more user friendly and the sample photos were a little more impressive than those by Canon users. We also got the 35mm lens, because I wanted something that would take better photos indoors since we currently have no natural sunlight(hopefully that changes this spring!).

It arrived today and I have been playing around with it a little bit. I haven't tried the kit lens yet, just the 35mm. I haven't ventured over to Manual mode yet because I have no idea what half of the settings are. These two were in Auto and I think came out pretty decent.

I was looking for random things to take photos of in the house...





For comparison sake, here are the same photos taken with our old Canon point and shoot in Auto mode:





The biggest difference I see is that the point & shoot pictures with no natural light are usually overexposed, but that doesn't seem to be a problem with the Nikon. I have heard that an acessory called a Speedlight helps to brighten up indoor/low light pictures, so that may be something we look into after figuring out all of the features on the camera. I can't wait to go play in the snow with the doggies and really put it to the test!