what to write about....

i feel like i don't have anything interesting to say right now... don't know what to really write about. i'm feeling pretty well. still some days that i wish i could just stay home and sleep. i'm eating almost regularly and am wanting water again. that's a very good thing because it's been unusally hot for seattle.

i've pushed myself a little hard a couple times this week. i went to prenatal yoga on tuesday. it's the first time i had been in 10 weeks. it was freakin' hard! i was sweating like crazy and at one point i had to sit because i felt dizzy. oops :) it's hard for me to ease up on physical activity if i'm not sick. i forgot the little munchkin is busy sapping my energy all day even if i don't feel it. i felt a bit ill on wednesday i believe because of how hard i worked.

yesterday, i had an installation job for a restaurant that's opening by my store. we did all the artwork and they hired me to put everything up. i worked for 4 hours and wiped myself out. it was exhausting. i even took a half hour break in the middle. aside from the physical work, it was mentally challenging too. i was using security hangers so the artwork won't fall or be stolen from the restaurant. those little buggers are a pain in the ass. you really can't fuck up where you drill the holes in the wall or you mess everything up. i stupidly saved the most difficult 4 for the last project. stupid, stupid. it almost made me cry because i had to make sure all 4 were straight across and it was in a prominent area. i decided right then that i'm not doing any more installations while pregnant. too much for me:)

it was no surprise to me when my acupuncturist said i'm suffering from exhaustion at yesterday's appointment. he was reading my pulse and said that my liver blood is low. this means exhaustion and pre-anemia. he recommended more red meat. not so keen on that. i'm still having a difficult time with meats. so i'm going to work on upping my dark greens and try to take an iron supplement. i've been really bad about taking any vitamins/supplements. i got out of the habit when i was sick. i've been trying to take at least folic acid at night. i know i should be more aware since i don't eat a lot of meat or eat/drink dairy. i know the munchkin is depending on me for all it's nutrients, so i need to step it up.

i'm noticing a few things changing with my body. my hips have been sore. a few nights i've had some trouble falling asleep because my hips and knees were bothering me. i felt like i had to keep moving and stretching. i'm getting a bit more of a baby pooch. i don't really think i look pregnant yet, but anna and i notice my body shape changing. she took some photos of me with her phone and i thought i just looked fat. you're all going to have to wait a bit longer for photos:)

some people might want to skip this paragraph. i'm going to talk about sex:)
we had sex this week for the first time since the day we conceived the little munchkin. i hadn't been feeling very amorous, and anna, as always, was patient, sweet. she knew things would change eventually, and she could wait. we were both a little nervous and hesitant, but it was like riding a bike:) i didn't know if i would be able to orgasm because i heard it could be difficult or different for pregnant women. worked out fine and dandy for me ;) it was nice to be so intimate with anna again. of course, we've cuddled and been lovey these past few months, but it's nothing like sex. i still haven't had that libido rush i've heard about. hope i don't miss that boat!

looks like i had more to talk about than i thought:) hope everyone has a wonderful summer weekend.

ehh

i'm not very inspired to write now, but i feel a little obligated to since it's been a week. that's not to say i'm not excited to show of our first photo of the munchkin. we had our ultrasound on monday, at eight am . it was amazing though. i had been a little nervous beforehand. i kept having this little fear that there would be twins. although i would be happy with any sort of baby, i didn't feel prepared for twins. we are not having twins:) there is just one happy, chill, very cooperative munchkin in there.

the office we went to was very nice (i like their artwork). the blood draw was quick and efficient (i hate doing that). the tech for the sonogram was very nice and seemed to enjoy her job. the lube was warm! i didn't expect that. i thought i would have this cold gel all over my belly, but they warm it up in these little compartments. we got some great photos. everything looked normal, and i found out today that everything is very normal. we were given a dvd for free that recorded virtually everything. we found out once we were doing the scan that they do 3-d along with regular. the heartbeat was 159bpm. the munchkin seemed very relaxed, just layin around in my uterus. the tech actually poked me a bit with the wand to get the munchkin to move to get some better angles. it was so cool to see it wiggle around.

anna scanned one of the prints they gave us. we are trying to figure out how to download the dvd so i can post that too. it's really neat, you can even hear the heartbeat.

i'm feeling alright now. yesterday was pretty decent. today i didn't get a chance to eat a snack in the early evening when i was at work because i had customers. that made me not feel so good. i had acupuncture yesterday morning and he did a little cranio-sacral (don't know how to spell) on me. i think of it like healing hands:) basically he put his hand on my diaphragm, belly, and then upper chest areas with his other hand on my back in the same area. i don't understand it all. another thing i changed was i'm taking ipecacuanha. it's homeopathic and recommended by the midwives. i'm still taking 100mg of b6 each day and unisom. don't know what is making me feel better, but i like it:)

now i'm chillin' on the couch while anna walks olive. i'm hoping this goodness continues. i'm exhausted by this morning sickness.

of boobs and dairy

currently not related topics:) i had to buy a new bra yesterday because i've grown too much for my regular bras. i've gone from a 36B to a 38C. it's funny seeing my new bra next to my old ones. the cups are bigger than my cat's head, yes i checked:) i wonder how much bigger they'll get. i also bought some little extender straps for bras that will hopefully make things last a little longer.

as for dairy, i was bad yesterday and had too much. i've been good for the most part. i haven't been craving cheese necessarily, but i miss it. i had a bagel with cream cheese for a morning snack, a veggie sandwich with cheese, and creamy tomato soup. oops:) i was feeling it in the evening. ugh.

i did have acupuncture yesterday, but i wasn't feeling as wonderful as i had the week before. that sucked. i was really looking forward to it. i did feel better than usual. i guess i should be thankful for that. i wasn't able to really eat dinner last night, could have been the dairy thing though. today, i woke up ill and lost my breakfast. i'm still not feeling great right now. hopefully it will improve this afternoon like it usually does. i'm getting really tired of this.

chug-a-chug-a

we heard the heart!! we had an appointment with the mw yesterday evening. just a basic "how ya doin'" kind of thing. we had been told at the first appointment that we might be able to hear the heart. i was trying to not get my hopes up because it was still a little early. wow, it was so cool to hear. there really is something in there, growing:)

i'm not feeling so great today. it seems each day away from my acup. appt. last week is a little worse. i'm anxious for thursday morning. i might start going two days a week until the morning sickness really passes. i really dislike feeling so "blah" and kind of helpless. all my good intentions to do work around the house goes out the window when i can stand for more than 15 minutes without feeling ill. and i get exhausted when i try to push through.

this little munchkin better be a beautiful athletic genius rockstar :)

3 min blog :)

acupuncture kicks ass! i had a treatment yesterday morning before work and i felt TERRIFIC all day. i even had a dinner craving, a thai soup called tom ka gai. so so so good. and my lovely wife of course made it for me when i told her i was craving it. it hit the spot. i had no trouble eating it and even had some for my before bed snack!

today i've felt just as well. i was worried when i was getting up that it would be the save old thing, but after my cereal i felt good. i had a business meeting with my boss and a client at a great pizza restaurant. i had a margherita pizza, pretty plain. ate the whole thing! it was like a 12 inch with 8 slices. i also had a little salad, and later a small scoop of gelato.

i'm very happy right now:) oh and it's sunny!!

gotta close the shop, hope everyone is doing as well as i am.

slippery pulse

ok, i'm really trying to not get too worked up about this, but a slippery pulse can be one of the earliest signs of pregnancy in chinese medicine. ok, breathe kat.

my acupuncturist had notice last thursday that my pulse had become slippery (sorry can't explain much more because i don't understand it all). it was still slippery today. he hasn't seen it do this before in me.

i had thought something was up because when i asked to buy more fertility teapills last week he said to wait. hmmmm. when i got to work i looked online to see if an acupuncturist could predict a pregnancy. indeed they can. i asked him today about it and he didn't give me a definitive answer until after he did the needles and read my pulse again. he explained that he isn't thoroughly trained in reading everything about pulses yet (he's still pretty green, just two years out of school). but he felt he could tell me that he think i might be pregnant, especially considering other symptoms i'm having.

that's all for now. i'm going to try to not freak out. :)

a much better day

i started the day with acupuncture. it was good, but i had trouble relaxing. i tried to do some yoga breathing to calm down, but to no avail. it's interesting though. the past couple times i've been trying to focus on my uterus and visualizing the egg developing and moving along my tubes. each time i've done this i'm drawn to focus on my right side. i've tried to shift my focus to the left but it doesn't feel right. i know you can tell which side you are ovulating from with ovulation pain, swollen lymph nodes, etc. i don't have any symptoms like that. anyone know of another way? i'm curious to see if i'm right.

after acupuncture and self-restriction, i called the midwife's office at 10:30 (they don't open till 10). i found out that she had called the cryolab and everything was good to go! yippee!! after a yummy lunch, i called and place our order!!! aaaaahhhh!!! i had major butterflies when i was doing it. the lady i talked to was very nice. that was a relief because the bitches i talked to yesterday made me mad.

our package is set to send out tomorrow with a delivery of friday morning. anna is going to stay home to receive it, and i'll be anxiously twiddling my thumbs at work. wow. oh and it cost us 825 bones. well worth it. babyland here we come!!

oh yeah, i forgot about that....

no, i didn't really forget about my blog. i could give a bunch of excuses (travel, work) but really i just didn't feel like writing:)

this might get a bit long, so i apologize early. i'll go back to when i last wrote- just before valentine's.

anna and i flew to boise to see my mom and sis on valentine's. we were there till wednesday morning. it was really nice to see everyone. i was a little concerned about seeing my brother-in-law and his family because our niece and nephew were sick. anna and i managed to avoid catching it though. we ate yummy food the whole time. stayed up way too late. played wii. basically, we lazed around:) it was great.

i didn't stay diligent about my fruits and veggies though. i tried, but we would go out and see people and i would forget to bring fruits along. on tuesday night i was actually craving broccoli so anna made baked broccoli for me. mmm :) i'm back on my fruit wagon now. i was happy that my body told me to give it good stuff. i do feel like i've successfully changed my eating habits. i want this to continue for the rest of my life. it's not just to prepare for pregnancy.

speaking of which, it's getting close:) i'm on cd26 right now and spotting. cd1 is right around the corner. anna and i are trying to diligently choose a donor. we've at least narrowed down our bank to cryolab.com. we've found the most potential donors through that site. what we've run up against is sperm availability. we'll really like a donors profile and photo, then realize they don't have ici/premium for us. (fyi- ici/premium is sperm that is good for intra-cervical insemination. it is unwashed- meaning the sperm isn't separated from the semen, like for iui.) the bank updates there info at the beginning of each month so maybe the ones we like will be available again.

we're waiting to hear back from our midwife's office. we can't order the sperm directly; we need a health care practitioner to order it for us. we can have it delivered to our home though, which is a bit of a relief. i can just see us ordering the sperm and then we can't get to the office at the right time to pick it up. ack! :)

acupuncture is going well. i've had a couple things arise recently completed unrelated to fertility. i have plantar fasciitis in my right foot. really hurt, especially because i have a job that requires me to stand most of the day. carleton, my acupuncturist, did some points in my left hand to help my right heel. they really really hurt each time. i don't like them, but it's helped. i also got some mint oil to rub on my foot before bed, and i ice my foot when i get home for work. the other things i'm dealing with now is the beginnings of carpal tunnel in both wrists. this is fairly common for a framer to get. ugh. my wrist are sore and don't feel very strong when i'm trying to do things (like type this blog). i'm going to try yoga wrist exercises to help them.

anna and i are going to try a free yoga class on sunday. it's at a center that i'm interest in joining since i'm stopping kickboxing this week. i need to keep doing something active or i'll go nuts. they also have prenatal yoga and baby yoga for later.

the picture at the beginning is from an awesome website called threadless.com. check it out. i think that's everything. wish us luck in finding that perfect donor :)

zzzzz....

i'm really not feeling motivated at work today. i'm sleepy... it was hard to get up for acupuncture.

acupuncture is going well though. today was my fourth visit in two weeks. i've been getting needles in pretty much the same spots each time. he'll add some if i have a complaint (back issues, etc.). today he went to put one in the side of my left hand and it hurt like hell! immediately it was on fire and felt bruised. he took the needle out right away and rubbed at it with a cotton ball. even that hurt. i knew it wasn't hurt by the needle (like a regular pin prick). it was totally different. he told me this meant that the qi was flowing well there. this is what i found out about the spot online, called hou xi (si3):

SI3: HOU XI
Location: At the end of the transverse crease proximal to the 5th metacarpo-phalangeal joint when hand is half-clenched.
Indications: Stiffness or rigidity of neck, tinnitus, deafness, occipital headache, lumbago, paralysis of upper extremities, night sweating, epilepsy, malaria

the purple writing are things i have. i'm going to ask him more about this next time. i really want to know how this works exactly. i haven't had night sweats for a few days now (since last acu. visit). could i have been helped by the acu., the supplement i'm taking, or is my body just doing it's own thing right now? the spot didn't hurt anymore by the time my session was done. there's no indication at all that i had pain there. crazy.

i started taking a chinese herbal supplement on monday, prescribed by my acupuncturist. it's called jia wei xiao yao wan, or free and easy wanderer plus :) here is what the website for the company that makes the supplement said:

Jia Wei Xiao Yao Wan has helped countless women relieve anger, irritability, stress and excess heat associated with premenstrual syndrome and monthly menstrual cycles. This special herbal formula regulates qui, nourishes the blood, clears heat/excess yang and generally harmonizes the body. ...help alleviate excessive heat/yin deficiency and sweating.

i have to take 24 of these little ball shaped pills a day (12/am, 12/pm). the are maybe 3/16" in diameter. pretty small. they are black and remind me of onyx. the reason why he prescribed these is due to my trouble with controlling my emotions sometimes, mostly with pms. i have night sweats, like i mentioned. also, he believes i have stagnant blood. i knew i "ran hot" compared to other people. i'm usually warmer than anna, and she calls me "furnace" when we cuddle. i also get annoyed very easily around my period. i've learned how to deal with it mostly but it boils over sometimes. anyways, i'm curious how these little pills with help when i'm pmsing.

i'm pretty positive i ovulated on the 10th. i'm waiting to see how high my temperature rises before i'm totally sure. i had a positive opk (ovulation predictor kit), ferns on my ovulens, low temp (with a spike the next day), fertile mucus, along with secondary conditions. this means we are less than a month from trying to get pregnant. eeeee! :)

i was looking at the calendar to see when this could be happening. if i have a luteal phase of 12-13 days again, and my follicular is about 13-14 again. i could be trying to get pregnant the weekend of my birthday!! holy crap. that would be a great birthday present.

acupuncture and menstruation

i googled "blood stagnation related to menstruation in acupuncture". i found a number of different things, but this was the most helpful.
from www.calvindate.com/treatment/menstruation.html :

The menstrual cycle is a good indicator of a woman's general health. A cycle that is regular with a flow that is adequate and without discomfort indicates that blood production and circulation are healthy.

Poor eating habits, lack of exercise, a stressful lifestyle and emotional upset may encourage blood deficiency and the obstructed circulation of blood and Qi (vital energy), leading to irregularity, pain, mood swings, headaches, or fatigue.

Acupuncture and herbal therapy, as well as changes in lifestyle and diet, can alleviate the underlying deficiencies and obstructions, as well as addressing concerns such as endometriosis, fibroids and cysts.

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Menstrual Irregularities:
If your menstrual cycle is associated with feeling cold, depressed, a low libido, and fatigue, especially after your menstrual flow, you might have an internal cold condition and/or deficient Qi and blood. Poor dietary choices, a lack of exercise, and anxiety/depression are often contributing factors. Acupuncture and moxibustion are used to warm and encourage Blood and Qi in the lower abdomen. Tonic herbal formulas are used to build adequate Blood and Qi. Three formulas in my dispensary have proven useful for this presentation: "Tang Kuei and Peony Formula", "Women's Precious", or "Astra Essence".

If your menstrual cycle is associated with irritability, breast tenderness, mild cramps, abdominal bloating, migraines and/or excessive sugar cravings that come a few days before your flow, and are generally relieved with the onset of flow, you probably have PMS. This translates to a condition of stagnant Qi and/or Blood in Chinese medicine, and a disharmony in the Liver and Spleen energetic organ systems. Contributing factors include living with consistent frustration, anger and/or anxiety, and possibly a lack of exercise and poor diet. In Western medical terms, PMS is a hormonal imbalance in the endocrine system. Acupuncture can influence the hormonal imbalance to restore harmony and smooth the flow of Qi and blood. Herbal formulas work at a deeper level to unblock the Qi and Blood, helping to foster a cycle that unfolds gracefully and moves gently. Herbal formulas in my dispensary that have proven useful, include: "Free and Easy Wanderer", "Women's Rhythm", and "Women's Balance".

If your menstrual cycle is associated with painful, difficult periods, with more severe cramping, and you have endometriosis and fibroids, you most likely have a more advanced form of Qi and Blood stagnation in the pelvic region. Again, this is often associated with a very stressful lifestyle and living with consistent frustration, anger and/or anxiety, and may affect the ability to conceive. Acupuncture is excellent therapy to help remove the blockages in the affected meridians. Herbal formulas promote blood flow in the pelvic region to disperse the blood stasis, and can eliminate pelvic masses. A number of formulas in my dispensary are useful for this type of presentation: "Women's Rhythm", "Women's Precious", "Cramp Bark Plus", "Unlocking Formula", "Bupleurum Entangled Qi Formula", "Women's Chamber".

The above are the most common menstrual irregularities. PMS alone is estimated to affect more than 50% of women in North America, with 5% suffering so severely that their lives are seriously affected.

Treatment for menstrual irregularities is generally carried out over three to four menstrual cycles. During this time, acupuncture is suggested 1-4 times per cycle. Herbal formulas are individually selected: you may be asked to use one or two of the above formulas at different times in your cycle: two tablets taken three times a day, seven days of the week, is the usual dosage.

If you do any menstrual irregularities, you might consider acupuncture and herbal therapy as a safe and effective form of treatment.

For studies on the effectiveness of Chinese medicine for menstrual irregularities:
www.acupuncture.org.uk Press "library", press "research", press "gynaecology".

needles and chard

i've had a fairly nice day. i had kickboxing this morning. it kicked my butt as usual. my arms still feel a little weak as i type. ha! after i had my second breakfast (yes i eat twice when i have kickboxing), i took olive for a nice long 45min walk. the sun was shining and we were the only people out it seemed.

the bump in the road today was i had to take malo to the vet again. his aural hematoma came back hardcore. his whole little ear was swollen. :( he need to have surgery again to drain it. fortunately the vet guarantees all surgeries, so we only needed to pay for his antibiotic. phew. he was one drugged up kitty when i brought him home. he was walking like a drunk man and when i went to pet him, he got surprised and fell over. i laughed a little but was sad for him.

i had my acupuncture appointment. the acupuncturist was much younger than i expected, but he was very nice. i explained that my original intention for acupuncture is for fertility. we also discussed by back pain and sleeping problems. he was very easy to talk with, even regarding menses. he asked questions that no doctor has asked. very enlightening. he thinks i might have blood stagnation. he came to this supposition (warning TMI to follow) because of the clots in my menses and the color. wow... i always assumed that was just a regular period thing. we're going to explore this more and see if getting my body aligned affects this. another interesting this was he checked my tongue, then checked my pulse on both wrists. he then asked if i was a very emotional person. :) ha silly question, even you reader that haven't met me might notice i'm emotional. he asked if i had trouble controlling my emotions. mmm... yeah. acupuncture can help this too.

anna and i make some pretty awesome meals, if i do say so myself:) tonight i made a recipe that anna found online called: chard and potato bake. yummy. i thought you guys might like to try it sometime. dark leafy greens are very good for you. here is the recipe and some pictures:

1/2-2/3 cups of olive oil (the original recipe called for 1 1/4 cp.- it was good but didn't need so much)

1 medium onion- chopped

5 (or so) cloves of garlic-minced (we're obsessed with garlic, so i did about mmm 7)

2 tbl. chopped fresh parsley

6-8 small potatoes (orig. recipe calls for red, i used yukon or new potatoes- can't remember)

8 cups chard- washed and chopped or shredded. also you need to pull the stems off all the way up the leaf. they aren't too flavorful. (we've been using rainbow chard- very pretty- see the pics at the end)

1/2 cup cheese- grated- whatever kind you prefer, we use cheddar

whatever meat/faux meat you prefer, not necessary- i used 4 chicken sausages cut into bit-sizes

8 whole eggs

saute onions in two tablespoons olive oil until amber-color. add garlic and parsley and saute briefly. remove pan from heat and set aside.

in a separate bowl (i use the kitchen aid so i have a big bowl and can add while mixing easily), mix chard and potatoes. add saute mixture when it has cooled.

in another bowl, whisk eight whole eggs and add to the chard. add olive oil and grated cheese. add meat/"meat" if using. mix well.

spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick baking spray or brush with olive oil. pour chard mixture into pan, spreading evenly. add salt and pepper to taste. bake at 350 degrees uncovered for about 90 minutes. if mixture gets too brown, loosely lay a piece of foil on it. we recommend adding parmesan cheese 10 mins before it's done cooking. yumm-o

this is the dish right as i put it in the oven, and after it was cooked.

serving suggestion! :)

hmm...

well, the ovulens isn't working out as well as i hoped. since that first day that i saw ferns i haven't seen anymore. major disappointment.

i actually turned into quite a poop on saturday because i was all frustrated about this whole business. i really need to work on relinquishing control or else i'm going to be a major roller coaster of emotions. anna was a doll, as usual, and pretty much let me be a snarky bitch. then when we went to bed i broke down crying and spilled it all out. man that felt good. i just needed a good cry.

it's still annoying not seeing results on the ovulens in the morning, but there are other "symptoms" i can track. i'm still recording my BBT and also my fertile mucus. according to my mucus (bleh), i'm close to ovulation.

we went to the midwife/birth center today. it was great. the woman we saw was very nice and knowledgeable. she gave us some good tips on supplements and other pre-conception ideas. the center was nice. i could see me giving birth there:) i met the other midwives too; they were all friendly. i think that is the location i would like to go to for prenatal care and birth. wow:) ok now we just need the baby! haha.

we are thinking that we will start trying in march for sure now since the ovulation tracking isn't going as easily as (i) hoped. i'm going to start drinking a fertility tea to help regulate ovulation and give me more nutrients to prepare my body. i'm also considering acupuncture. it's been mentioned on a number of blogs i've read and different pregnancy websites. i've enjoyed the acupuncture i've had done before, and it can be beneficial for conception. it goes with the philosophy of whole body health to prepare for the baby.

i think that's everything for now. i'm sure i'll have more tomorrow because i picked up a book at the birth center called "the twelve month pregnancy". we'll see what else i can stuff into my brain:)