tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15465230597014494762024-02-18T19:24:02.832-08:00Fertility TravelerLow cost option for IVF abroadUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-83299883815819889492013-08-20T11:48:00.001-07:002013-08-20T11:48:36.043-07:00The Warden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A warden:</div>
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"An official charged with special supervisory duties or with the enforcement of specified laws or regulations."</div>
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Ben has officially deemed me the "vitamin warden."</div>
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I'm really not sure I deserve the title. A gentle reminder every now and again when he forgets to take his vitamins doesn't really warrant a designated identity. And while I admit that every now and again the prompting has come when I am softly nudging him out of sleep with,"Hey, did you take your vitamins today? You can't forget to take them." I really don't know why he gets annoyed by this. After all, he might forget to take them if I'm not in his ear reminding him all the time, and I KNOW he wouldn't want that....</div>
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Besides, who wouldn't be happy swallowing all that liquid gold every evening. I'm sure his boys are jumping for joy with every added bit of magnesium they get. And they might even be jumping in the right direction for once. Not entirely likely as they have a mind of their own, but you never know.</div>
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To be quite honest, our vitamin intake is the one and only thing that I can actually control in the whole IVF process. If my eggs grow stronger with vitamin E and zinc, damn strait I'm going to do everything I can to pump them full of vitamin E and zinc.</div>
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Unfortunately for Ben, I took the approach of compiling a list of every vitamin with any study improving fertility and went out and bought them all. An overkill? Not if it helps us conceive Ellyette Jr. in three weeks.</div>
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In the big scheme of things, it really hasn't been too bad on Ben. Because of all his extra vitamin intake, I have made a few dinners with zero nutritional value just for him.</div>
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So Ben, when you read this. Go take your vitamins. After all, I did make you tater tot casserole, twice. And I didn't even try to hide spinach in it.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-60504293563323504712013-08-17T10:33:00.002-07:002013-08-17T10:33:54.820-07:00The countdown<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #3b3b3b; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Less than two weeks until we are baby bound for Prague.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been asked by numerous people if I am as nervous this go-around as I was the last one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My reply? Of course not! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3b3b3b; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Unless you include the nail biting that has suddenly occurred again in the last three weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the upset stomach I get whenever I think about the potential negative outcome of the procedure. Or the anxiety I feel whenever I think of traveling for a month with Ellyette.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or the panic I feel about spending that kind of money when there are no guarantees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3b3b3b; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">At least I can blame my sleepless nights on Ellyette reverting back to waking up during the night….Most of them anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My awake nightmare of Ellyette falling into a canal kept me restless for hours last night until I googled “how many people drown in Venice canal’s every year.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good news?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only seven since 1992.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And most of them were from being drunk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bad news?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess I have to worry more about Ben then Ellyette now.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3b3b3b; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">But at least this time I have the ultimate confidence in our clinic. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3b3b3b; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Not to say that I was worried the first time around.....I had <strike>complete,</strike> <strike>total</strike> a good amount of trust <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>with our research of clinics. However, there was still that little question in the back of my mind of what we were getting ourselves into. After all, the internet can make anything look good. </span><br />
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Exhibit A<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-HbfQvAmph6oszEaygxbp6ADCHBcryCD2PjNgPUhEbpP1l50MjwytI-jVbeK6_FnMkTiUwkJJHWge8h_dP3u7mchLXU_gtWwR_mPGLHNBQfFRAgjtYXGO3rNXGHerj_2Cr1AenRORlIq/s1600/White-trash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-HbfQvAmph6oszEaygxbp6ADCHBcryCD2PjNgPUhEbpP1l50MjwytI-jVbeK6_FnMkTiUwkJJHWge8h_dP3u7mchLXU_gtWwR_mPGLHNBQfFRAgjtYXGO3rNXGHerj_2Cr1AenRORlIq/s200/White-trash.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaq09U_HVWPp3vyroBbQJmQIUMjrNVm8Qcs2II83suuur0Qn7NjZwcEMpMmYaC9Wy1P0Vx7NLns44DfXk5NnIrXhCf7HTU40K7s5EF0XDp_M-ykmNBLz23baUbjKVPRyxIaf7EmWWw-00u/s1600/ma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaq09U_HVWPp3vyroBbQJmQIUMjrNVm8Qcs2II83suuur0Qn7NjZwcEMpMmYaC9Wy1P0Vx7NLns44DfXk5NnIrXhCf7HTU40K7s5EF0XDp_M-ykmNBLz23baUbjKVPRyxIaf7EmWWw-00u/s200/ma.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #3b3b3b; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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What you think you are<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfawDq0LCP0apaLVv9UzDDXP40wKxDDVl5sSeVbAelY8ZV35iR1kjDlQjhm26IDXKpoS0SEpVWNyBdBd4WjzX261OnS3pFnLH4VcK2P1PhCsK7EJeLPx5KRP-cqWxN8-oYezlUMKpQkxm/s1600/tumblr_mfq315mVCI1rpuphfo5_250_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfawDq0LCP0apaLVv9UzDDXP40wKxDDVl5sSeVbAelY8ZV35iR1kjDlQjhm26IDXKpoS0SEpVWNyBdBd4WjzX261OnS3pFnLH4VcK2P1PhCsK7EJeLPx5KRP-cqWxN8-oYezlUMKpQkxm/s200/tumblr_mfq315mVCI1rpuphfo5_250_large.jpg" width="143" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbPRfIU1hKkgzL_7Dg5BpB78-FNGsEGxY_3EGbSCz1jT07PAj9O0BnsXXFFeJsj5TwgQZ9MtaIwMWbhLoV6SJoS2jFUH3kAbOWVSYiI4qME0DlwA2cEg7bMN6oe8zmzH3C_QZ9eqVCobN/s1600/ugly-men-123-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbPRfIU1hKkgzL_7Dg5BpB78-FNGsEGxY_3EGbSCz1jT07PAj9O0BnsXXFFeJsj5TwgQZ9MtaIwMWbhLoV6SJoS2jFUH3kAbOWVSYiI4qME0DlwA2cEg7bMN6oe8zmzH3C_QZ9eqVCobN/s200/ugly-men-123-jpg.jpg" width="149" /></a>Exhibit B</div>
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The date you thought you had</div>
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At least we know going over there this time, that while the clinic is in a back ally, it is not the type of back ally that comes with a side effect of infection or death.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-13515076153677126522013-08-08T14:27:00.003-07:002013-08-09T15:39:17.661-07:00Here we go again<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Well, we are officially taking the plunge and going back to Prague. Tickets have been bought. Reservations at Gennet are made, and now it’s time to get my mind focused and the rest of my baby weight off ….eye roll.</div>
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I’m actually pretty close to getting those last pounds off. In part because after Ellyette got the stomach flu last week, I got it too. And magically 3 pounds disappeared. I call it the “stomach acid diet.” It’s not for the faint of heart, but might be worth a book at some point.</div>
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One of my other motivations is this d-bag personal trainer at Gold’s Gym who upon doing my “short term” and “long term” goals, informed me he thought my short term goals should be to lose 2 pounds a week. For a year. Yes my friends, that amounts to 96 pounds, which means I would weigh less than 30 pounds at the end of the year if he got his way.</div>
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My long term goal was to lose 10 pounds.</div>
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Where the discrepancy lies between his goals and mine, I do not know. However, I can tell you that the whole “you are your own harshest critic” was completely debunked with that assessment.</div>
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So now whenever I see him at the gym, I put my snarkiest “you are terrible at math, you idiot” face on, and run an extra 15 minutes.</div>
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Maybe that was his plan to begin with….Whatever, still totally insulting.</div>
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<a href="http://www.sherv.net/emoticons.html"><img alt="Mad No" height="74" src="http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/no/mad-no-smiley-emoticon.gif" style="cursor: move;" width="104" /></a></div>
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The other piece to getting ready for this adventure is mentally preparing for IVF. So naturally, rather than do anything ultra productive after Ellyette goes to bed, I will lurk Fertilityfriendsuk.com. and get the highs and lows of my community out there. And this time I will do it with no shame. Take that Ben Hummel. Did you here me? I WILL LURK INFERTILITY BOARDS WITH NO SHAME!!!</div>
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Oh infertility, and all the smilies that go with it, I have missed you so. <a href="http://www.sherv.net/emoticons.html"><img alt="Big Dancing Banana" height="133" src="http://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/funny/2/big-dancing-banana-smiley-emoticon.gif" style="cursor: move;" width="135" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-36684685884101370622013-08-08T14:27:00.001-07:002013-08-09T15:38:56.255-07:00For more posts on my pregnancy and baby girl Ellyette....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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For more posts on my IVF pregnancy, birth and baby girl Ellyette. Please visit <a href="http://www.petridishchronicles.com/" target="_blank">petri dish chronicles</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-20647473451884846702013-08-08T14:18:00.004-07:002013-08-09T15:38:39.758-07:00The verdict is in....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Over the last few months, Ben and I have been overwhelmed with support from all of our friends and family. Although, when we told people we were doing our cycle in Prague and we received a lot of, "I'll be praying for you," I wasn't exactly sure if it was meant to be "I'll be praying for you," for a successful cycle, or "I'll be praying for you," for your sanity and lack of good judgement. Regardless, we were happy to take all the prayers we could get. In fact, I think even God was surprised with the people who were praying for us. We had Christians, Atheists, Agnostics, Spiritualists, and even a (dare I say it?) Reformist. And I'm sure the Jehovah's Witnesses who stop by my house every three weeks to drop off <i><b>End of Times, Are you Prepared</b></i> literature, are praying for me too. But not for the same reasons as everybody else. In fact, the funniest text I received was one of my friends. It said, "I'm excited to see you. Been thinking about you guys a lot. I even prayed for you, even though I'm a little rusty."</div>
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How awesome is that?</div>
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Well, in my opinion, God must have been impressed with the diversity of people giving us shout outs, because he decided to give us a</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_fxioTf6uqy8uymKKmt9Thh4nkUKyybMpfGXhLg9Nw07iKBLS9dWBUVP9ATAvAOeEU9PA9YuTsTqgqlwgcDUKz8J4lNWg1On0U25PyeTzC9DW6cho788YLXwlG3BK4GoVxSI4X4oK111/s1600/bfp.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="20" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_fxioTf6uqy8uymKKmt9Thh4nkUKyybMpfGXhLg9Nw07iKBLS9dWBUVP9ATAvAOeEU9PA9YuTsTqgqlwgcDUKz8J4lNWg1On0U25PyeTzC9DW6cho788YLXwlG3BK4GoVxSI4X4oK111/s320/bfp.gif" style="cursor: move;" width="50" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge98R9vcDZq5pbBritN7gw4RiQjILD-n_Fu3YF5N5cZue8Of8J8ZmXTwDnk_4u0p8V3qPSKTXN2wIooYtxaK3jCwSfBYqMRlHjwFPEKBUCvp-kQt1oBklhQ3U33_WPAEJ-2Ip-gxUT2xqL/s1600/bfp.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="20" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge98R9vcDZq5pbBritN7gw4RiQjILD-n_Fu3YF5N5cZue8Of8J8ZmXTwDnk_4u0p8V3qPSKTXN2wIooYtxaK3jCwSfBYqMRlHjwFPEKBUCvp-kQt1oBklhQ3U33_WPAEJ-2Ip-gxUT2xqL/s320/bfp.gif" style="cursor: move;" width="50" /></a></div>
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<i>Hooray!!!!!!!</i></div>
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I did have to do a little triple checking just to make sure</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXm8CkCnuZrqn0G64N4Uhn1dVYN6yEEI5dT7yge3-pS5fGy5rFjQ2ETXkLl9fDUiW4HMstCmPEqknxarbzFHLrTn8pZW1zfIO9qek7JolvAkYzmJRRSRt_1q7JMCR_t2dmZCSfTzvyjAoY/s1600/pregnancy+test.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXm8CkCnuZrqn0G64N4Uhn1dVYN6yEEI5dT7yge3-pS5fGy5rFjQ2ETXkLl9fDUiW4HMstCmPEqknxarbzFHLrTn8pZW1zfIO9qek7JolvAkYzmJRRSRt_1q7JMCR_t2dmZCSfTzvyjAoY/s320/pregnancy+test.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="239" /></a></div>
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And while I'm at it, here is a money saving tip from yours truly. That little test in the middle is from the Dollar Store. While I had already had two positives when I purchased it (I was a little skeptical), I wanted to see if those things did indeed work. And, what do you know...they do. So for all of you wondering "who the heck would buy a pregnancy test at the dollar store?" (That would be me before this morning) I have now become "that person."</div>
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Rest assured, the Dollar Store ends with the pregnancy test. I promise to not buy anything else baby from there, unless I'm looking for lead paint legos or something.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-28968674664608020042013-08-08T14:17:00.001-07:002013-08-09T15:38:14.954-07:00Are we there yet?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdGZYZ4xrxmu9qORciQUWF0o0QyG8MR4f4TE6fP-0dFpuL2iYYVMVG9JzvK5AV2FgPxs6qq8jds0ucMyR4eT52IJahtuNPr6f3mSXt49QuLyupCuCAA22sZOqjG2rqZBRlY_SILw7w3Y/s1600/mjaxmi0xymrjnjzhyjawmdfizde3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdGZYZ4xrxmu9qORciQUWF0o0QyG8MR4f4TE6fP-0dFpuL2iYYVMVG9JzvK5AV2FgPxs6qq8jds0ucMyR4eT52IJahtuNPr6f3mSXt49QuLyupCuCAA22sZOqjG2rqZBRlY_SILw7w3Y/s320/mjaxmi0xymrjnjzhyjawmdfizde3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The two week wait before finding out if the IVF cycle actually worked is what one forum poster described as "feeing like the time lapse between Prince albums, or complete solar eclipses." Which, I have to say, is not too far off.</div>
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Since the transfer, this is an example of one minute inside my head:</div>
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"I really hoped this worked. If it didn't work, I have no vacation time to go back in the next 8 months, and we are going into our busy season so my boss wouldn't let me go anyway. That means I would have to wait until next June. I will be an entire year older. I wonder if that would affect the quality of my eggs. The embryologist said the embryos were high quality, so it should have worked. If it doesn't work, I'm going to be disappointed. A lot of people have unsuccessful tries the first time so I shouldn't be that disappointed, but I would be anyway because the whole thing went perfectly. Nothing went wrong so they wouldn't know what to change for next time. Ben and I aren't usually lucky enough to have the best case scenario and we already had an awesome trip so our luck must have run out on the pregnancy. Now I know for sure it didn't work. We aren't that lucky....oh shoot, I just sneezed. I hope the embryo doesn't fall out. I know, Krista, it is impossible for an embryo to fall out from sneezing. You are driving yourself crazy. Maybe I am pregnant. Pregnant people are crazy. What if it's twins? What the heck would I do with twins? I can't think that far ahead because I don't want to be disappointed if it's nothing. But I feel really tired and weird. But mainly tired. But that would make sense because I just traveled from the other side of the world less than a week ago and I'm taking that disgusting progesterone. That stuff is so gross. It makes me so bloated. I'm sure I'm not pregnant because I think I walked around too much in Europe. Why did I insist on making Ben take me to Istanbul? Oh yeah, so I would stop thinking all these thoughts. I wonder if I'm stressing out too much? Did I take that gross progesterone this morning? What about the Prednisone? I wish I knew already, that way I could move on with my life one way or another. I still have four days to go? Uggg. I hate this.</div>
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Now, take that minute and add 59 more, and then multiply it by the amount of hours I am awake (roughly 16), and there you have it; the two week wait.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-88927340418536888052013-08-08T14:14:00.003-07:002013-08-09T15:38:05.084-07:00Well, there is no going back now<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's done. The two finalists have officially been transferred from the dish to me. So now we wait two weeks to see if they felt comfortable enough with me to stick around for an extended stay.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRziN6ypskRm79NpNylSfai4mFEc1y3KeBxkykiyNnpWhrnHH5DNXU11TyNoBUC1213X8TwfOBu2OoTe1xHpzYE8zgf_1kMqHtyhtXpuQSZY-QIqSYnq9Y18ygcEbXlHFQx_F-xpWVxbvN/s1600/krista.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRziN6ypskRm79NpNylSfai4mFEc1y3KeBxkykiyNnpWhrnHH5DNXU11TyNoBUC1213X8TwfOBu2OoTe1xHpzYE8zgf_1kMqHtyhtXpuQSZY-QIqSYnq9Y18ygcEbXlHFQx_F-xpWVxbvN/s320/krista.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Look guys, it's their new home!!</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBP_mV17OjWqgFEiAXDAE3IT_QJNQ48PSeXwLwlp8tqqxKUbsU7rlalIqZtCaV9NbnYjXFDjvIQHtxlqp4H6JX4P0T7W2EmJQPIhJFzlElN3JZgOvU4bd4RvIwtwamZGTfI7IPERHyjB1/s1600/Ben+scrubs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBP_mV17OjWqgFEiAXDAE3IT_QJNQ48PSeXwLwlp8tqqxKUbsU7rlalIqZtCaV9NbnYjXFDjvIQHtxlqp4H6JX4P0T7W2EmJQPIhJFzlElN3JZgOvU4bd4RvIwtwamZGTfI7IPERHyjB1/s320/Ben+scrubs.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b>Ben also got to witness the transfer and dressed up for the occasion. What a stallion!</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqJ-VizTkCSk-GyfrKx0XnNsMAmZtSHchzvVVbNFlM9kvYSkAtK1yrbMyF9DzeK8bG9Tf93FXHVNqwqJU0_joFfYfSwH1Rtdwn6p3TUKGK_y_GbyRCY2dyWkFRet7sa6-wA6qz41c0H1x/s1600/ben+ladies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqJ-VizTkCSk-GyfrKx0XnNsMAmZtSHchzvVVbNFlM9kvYSkAtK1yrbMyF9DzeK8bG9Tf93FXHVNqwqJU0_joFfYfSwH1Rtdwn6p3TUKGK_y_GbyRCY2dyWkFRet7sa6-wA6qz41c0H1x/s320/ben+ladies.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b>He just couldn't keep the ladies away.</b></div>
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Overall, I couldn't be happier for how things turned out so far. A little bad news is that we did lose the other 6 embryos between the fourth and fifth day. They clearly had both of our genetics when it came to being cold, as once they must have realized they were going to be frozen, they said "forget that," and stopped growing.</div>
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Defiant little bastards.</div>
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We only wanted super-embryos anyway, and hopefully that is what we got. I'll continue to keep updating as things progress, but for tomorrow, I'm going to spend the final days over here resting on the black sea.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-13214340833969447822013-08-08T14:13:00.001-07:002013-08-09T15:37:53.006-07:00Funny thing about Prague<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Almost all the souvenir shops in Prague have similar nick-knacks. They all have wooden clocks, magnets of St. Charles Bridge and Vitus Church, bottles of Pilsner Urquell and Becherovka Liquor, marionettes, and of course, painted eggs.</div>
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I thought it slightly ironic that I was surrounded by eggs. White lace eggs, multi-colored eggs, wire-wrapped eggs, eggs with simple designs, crazy designs and pictures. I decided it must be fate that I was in a city full of so many eggs, when I too, was so full of eggs. I took this shot as a remembrance of Czech's egg glory.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVU2wU4KMFdBN90jqUuzXvH7bZ1mvq1BkCF1bZ07UEZx25_YPJbvhie-vZseoy1Au83PcrmpMsQHUHAT5fs1ymPBBntvxHgpHvI7otNR9_sicpDnDBaOAjpitlVPp5ItlHisDgSuu341XU/s1600/krista+with+egg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVU2wU4KMFdBN90jqUuzXvH7bZ1mvq1BkCF1bZ07UEZx25_YPJbvhie-vZseoy1Au83PcrmpMsQHUHAT5fs1ymPBBntvxHgpHvI7otNR9_sicpDnDBaOAjpitlVPp5ItlHisDgSuu341XU/s320/krista+with+egg.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PAEGj4owrvR3qYZB28BEpWU7e6Bfx98rpuLr8R5teAkx-Z9y40OweCM8NabMMS_XS2e2DpuwiDvgVHUI-5KcPcdtAcxy78IgutESNAYOQH_aYeVrEoHF9_Qd9Dox4SVxpJcG6-U9A6dy/s1600/drilled+easter+egg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PAEGj4owrvR3qYZB28BEpWU7e6Bfx98rpuLr8R5teAkx-Z9y40OweCM8NabMMS_XS2e2DpuwiDvgVHUI-5KcPcdtAcxy78IgutESNAYOQH_aYeVrEoHF9_Qd9Dox4SVxpJcG6-U9A6dy/s320/drilled+easter+egg.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="100" /></a></div>
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For $3.50, I also purchased one of these beauties:</div>
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However, in my several week obsession with eggs, and an actual purchase of one, I didn't want Ben to think he was going to face nothing but estrogen and crazy Krista in his future, so I searched high and low and finally found and purchased this gem.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7pyv8XhQ5Z3SDgNnzOH4eP0nfMRK0FWDO05yxWiDMbdxEGHCpzaQfRZtKNsZIoifm2KbpIMWF-Fwm8aJ8Qitc-_3ig_8LE6fOoqEJT5veDKtLgcFJMhyphenhyphenWiUJ0uUphUpq6EpJQtHSBsTb/s1600/sperms+a+plenty.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7pyv8XhQ5Z3SDgNnzOH4eP0nfMRK0FWDO05yxWiDMbdxEGHCpzaQfRZtKNsZIoifm2KbpIMWF-Fwm8aJ8Qitc-_3ig_8LE6fOoqEJT5veDKtLgcFJMhyphenhyphenWiUJ0uUphUpq6EpJQtHSBsTb/s320/sperms+a+plenty.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmEKpq4JCdgQ32fMa0EQ5yBK_ilVd3I2y4xucatADaJBXMitddcP-uoUDs7K-aqExNnb0dE6aqGZ5V0AjWju7H6PRWSVbcUeteol4ZT7lU_iUNM5N7wUpeNAVb9WTNxz4c7VF5Ls2eYrB/s1600/sperm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmEKpq4JCdgQ32fMa0EQ5yBK_ilVd3I2y4xucatADaJBXMitddcP-uoUDs7K-aqExNnb0dE6aqGZ5V0AjWju7H6PRWSVbcUeteol4ZT7lU_iUNM5N7wUpeNAVb9WTNxz4c7VF5Ls2eYrB/s320/sperm.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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I would say we are equal now</div>
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Whoever calls first dibs can claim the "liquor" inside when we get back.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-81992076058829207382013-08-08T14:11:00.003-07:002013-08-09T15:37:41.187-07:00Tivas and Crocs and Nylons oh my!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If Europe is as fashion forward as we all have been led to believe, and all the trends here are headed to the United States, I thought I should warn everybody of what we all have to look forward to (I fear this could be a two-part series)...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6Tg4077yiY32JRClNHc431cpY6kkPdKCsO4jKUAVYgJtyYnUzYEEGuGL1F150NGwp5lEsSQNq5bM-d4vLZvPEoJhy1PD0L858XBfEdpzK7kgFShZfxTVvh88knrm2-1tjds-9Q7vagQ7/s1600/bra%252Clace%252C+man+capris.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6Tg4077yiY32JRClNHc431cpY6kkPdKCsO4jKUAVYgJtyYnUzYEEGuGL1F150NGwp5lEsSQNq5bM-d4vLZvPEoJhy1PD0L858XBfEdpzK7kgFShZfxTVvh88knrm2-1tjds-9Q7vagQ7/s320/bra%252Clace%252C+man+capris.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="214" /></a></div>
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<b>Exhibit A: Her- See through lace tank with visible bra, shaved head with one side chunk of hair left to flow freely, Him - man Capris.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxMD3bPIPKWRTUovqu-Wicjy4_fJEeDTjFx-6qoZzZkIunhGiTTjcwY0GVMO7UwUHMyvSD3xmdWXDr22ejPBEBaMOyF0GT9PQ4iv7z2i7Z5NSybeQ_sQ0WUusJB6nPlkK_j7A6LsyhJih/s1600/orange+capris.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxMD3bPIPKWRTUovqu-Wicjy4_fJEeDTjFx-6qoZzZkIunhGiTTjcwY0GVMO7UwUHMyvSD3xmdWXDr22ejPBEBaMOyF0GT9PQ4iv7z2i7Z5NSybeQ_sQ0WUusJB6nPlkK_j7A6LsyhJih/s320/orange+capris.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="214" /></a></div>
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<b>Exhibit B: Combination of eccentrically bold man capris, high black socks, and running shoes</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9z5LCdfEdZrqD98B00Wcx6Z99vQAoQO9H2hX5nnwtsybxeJhn3d298P3B1zl8ZYFBZVyg-AMUW7ielnemPUIEtb86ImTSwYbOt7mohDqnjR8m0xnFLIstpsd4mYEMNtqUPVnpdHQDl-mS/s1600/plaid+and+stripes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9z5LCdfEdZrqD98B00Wcx6Z99vQAoQO9H2hX5nnwtsybxeJhn3d298P3B1zl8ZYFBZVyg-AMUW7ielnemPUIEtb86ImTSwYbOt7mohDqnjR8m0xnFLIstpsd4mYEMNtqUPVnpdHQDl-mS/s320/plaid+and+stripes.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="214" /></a></div>
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<b>Exhibit C: Plaid man capris paired with a striped shirt and finished with black socks and brown sandals.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KOwkaPzASFAbhhQ5uITX9lanls6jCTeTdhJCokG25Xz7ON1IVMuF3unSaj3Ws3OZTylggP-b-ejTVy9j8nVXCX_QHJ1rcx4z_TcKApl5HkJ_B2op_EotNucEwEI2CXkYfkZ4RNXoDB3M/s1600/man+extensions.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KOwkaPzASFAbhhQ5uITX9lanls6jCTeTdhJCokG25Xz7ON1IVMuF3unSaj3Ws3OZTylggP-b-ejTVy9j8nVXCX_QHJ1rcx4z_TcKApl5HkJ_B2op_EotNucEwEI2CXkYfkZ4RNXoDB3M/s320/man+extensions.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Exhibit D: Man extensions, apparently goes with everything and nothing at the same time</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMnZIeKwpOqFOuM9vr-hM2dx7sro-rSXeTJ-OPSh4ilm6xQkLR3mjI-M5Dbtb3FBCxkjHod1VAUTolsGYHQlTqEuf1QzaKi0L64rkhNDXl6qLU4myzN87Cd4U46nzkg3sAMR6nbsUUEY-/s1600/socks%252C+sandels%252C+bad+jeans.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMnZIeKwpOqFOuM9vr-hM2dx7sro-rSXeTJ-OPSh4ilm6xQkLR3mjI-M5Dbtb3FBCxkjHod1VAUTolsGYHQlTqEuf1QzaKi0L64rkhNDXl6qLU4myzN87Cd4U46nzkg3sAMR6nbsUUEY-/s320/socks%252C+sandels%252C+bad+jeans.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Exhibit E: Socks and sandals for him, and acid washed parachute jeans for her. I guess in Europe MC Hammer is making a comeback. The good news is that she decided not to wear the shirtless vest and tuxedo shoe combo to go with the pants....</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvS1mjaMTaLSsfO9SdxvurnNMVpb38AJ4tg1-bs5vuuvEiMgkSDr5cZVS2p0xrWFqdLFVRWcKgb3yfZvGWGBGMOSMkZXJd4Z2SiwIIFlnfj9MxhCmUbrULoRr9mfXuMso1vFK9g184H15/s1600/short+shorts+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvS1mjaMTaLSsfO9SdxvurnNMVpb38AJ4tg1-bs5vuuvEiMgkSDr5cZVS2p0xrWFqdLFVRWcKgb3yfZvGWGBGMOSMkZXJd4Z2SiwIIFlnfj9MxhCmUbrULoRr9mfXuMso1vFK9g184H15/s320/short+shorts+2.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b>Exhibit F: Who wears short shorts?</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfzkeymbZUBQ8SHVvUdqRmE8X37X4PQZCuh4yXDnu9wbqMoWgYdH2AYKg4eJSFkVoNGKmoqS0ha6QanAVDbWI0F45IpoDyH1jYRAzdVzbdvX0rse588v8OouxTJZCK71vWc94xxLyrmua/s1600/short+shorts.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfzkeymbZUBQ8SHVvUdqRmE8X37X4PQZCuh4yXDnu9wbqMoWgYdH2AYKg4eJSFkVoNGKmoqS0ha6QanAVDbWI0F45IpoDyH1jYRAzdVzbdvX0rse588v8OouxTJZCK71vWc94xxLyrmua/s320/short+shorts.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b>Exhibit G: "I do. I do"</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhiPC_88pG0fXQzTgVTjLLB5_fkigmUBR030w30AYoxcTAc5xkGWRWCYeXewSR5_Rjp8hc8O8heyDDkTWw4bRSsBkNRBU9NfiNLAEDLPNbYdSr8x2RtA9NhWDK52WY9jLTAjVG4MDcHZNj/s1600/short+shorts+and+adidas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhiPC_88pG0fXQzTgVTjLLB5_fkigmUBR030w30AYoxcTAc5xkGWRWCYeXewSR5_Rjp8hc8O8heyDDkTWw4bRSsBkNRBU9NfiNLAEDLPNbYdSr8x2RtA9NhWDK52WY9jLTAjVG4MDcHZNj/s320/short+shorts+and+adidas.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="214" /></a></div>
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<b>Exhibit H: "Me too. Me too"</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gZFz3zFce3mh4uVLpkozb7vVAvIBCqC9Uey5EPYE9zSFayliS2Zjw4HtTgGp5UEjezcfZ7zypViI3v3qyYRSe77wHGEqmbCJv16uM7ZPYZv1J_G42Kn45nE_nP-LloKABQab0M6A3qBS/s1600/open+shirt+man.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gZFz3zFce3mh4uVLpkozb7vVAvIBCqC9Uey5EPYE9zSFayliS2Zjw4HtTgGp5UEjezcfZ7zypViI3v3qyYRSe77wHGEqmbCJv16uM7ZPYZv1J_G42Kn45nE_nP-LloKABQab0M6A3qBS/s320/open+shirt+man.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Exhibit I: Czechs version of our "striped shirt guy," complete with full frontal shred on his jeans, unbuttoned shirt, and rockin' kicks</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQa9Qk5IxNjZKxuTZvGJq1CDHkwJXJwGMZEocMfQjNqk0HnHbgYmN5sycr8QgKBonZl3bWiwnpyNsauXu6xMmd8sCIvUNMXV5lpS_Lo4OtNdIPjzo-gOyYmHp5-p0a8UlkzPKl0XqbFZsa/s1600/another+shirtless+man.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQa9Qk5IxNjZKxuTZvGJq1CDHkwJXJwGMZEocMfQjNqk0HnHbgYmN5sycr8QgKBonZl3bWiwnpyNsauXu6xMmd8sCIvUNMXV5lpS_Lo4OtNdIPjzo-gOyYmHp5-p0a8UlkzPKl0XqbFZsa/s320/another+shirtless+man.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="214" /></a></div>
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<b>Exhibit J: Showing off abs of steel</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8VFcNIH77UpT5lYbnSpNxoi319j3Ccc7WJviGelLLb8Ws51suqZd4ZZEruKvYGGLYoCGypbbhWFThOdupG9x3U5oYETRzhwTBDYW6p2fTuGsgu3fzUaVmm9hvdmY3cYXdZOMJD2qc-4s4/s1600/open+shirt+man+poland.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8VFcNIH77UpT5lYbnSpNxoi319j3Ccc7WJviGelLLb8Ws51suqZd4ZZEruKvYGGLYoCGypbbhWFThOdupG9x3U5oYETRzhwTBDYW6p2fTuGsgu3fzUaVmm9hvdmY3cYXdZOMJD2qc-4s4/s320/open+shirt+man+poland.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="214" /></a></div>
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<b>Exhibit K: Abs of steel part 2</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGH_Gnqv6nccE9hhNZ-mT3ItJi_nPTqothO0ysaBUN1iD_sbN8oSq6VoTyUhKGVzqAuvVC5VVD8B0qnRnTBhVchhPg2JLkesXvVsM8zVPYsbQWH2ThkivUN6ZjJQZJLsOIcwOvvg0R8lEc/s1600/speedo+with+crocs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGH_Gnqv6nccE9hhNZ-mT3ItJi_nPTqothO0ysaBUN1iD_sbN8oSq6VoTyUhKGVzqAuvVC5VVD8B0qnRnTBhVchhPg2JLkesXvVsM8zVPYsbQWH2ThkivUN6ZjJQZJLsOIcwOvvg0R8lEc/s320/speedo+with+crocs.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="214" /></a></div>
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<b>Exhibit L: Speedo with Crocs, the ultimate European trend. Can't wait for that one to cross oceans!</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sIowO3oQNgd5-akeM6g2z8I8-HdTE-R__VcEYptNwR3X-h6KvohIrZuLhUA8HVh8EqU5H6y0vB4HXL41ifr2meSc1OA_RUXXYclAjlZkZFg8OTewkqWDP019RnIL0gNceUhQqHPCAh8j/s1600/ben+in+fur.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sIowO3oQNgd5-akeM6g2z8I8-HdTE-R__VcEYptNwR3X-h6KvohIrZuLhUA8HVh8EqU5H6y0vB4HXL41ifr2meSc1OA_RUXXYclAjlZkZFg8OTewkqWDP019RnIL0gNceUhQqHPCAh8j/s320/ben+in+fur.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b>Exhibit M: Last but not least, Ben making his own failed fashion statement</b></div>
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Other fashion forward trends I've noticed but have not gotten a picture of (yet)</div>
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Faux Hawks - bold and brash with equally annoying people who's heads they adorn.</div>
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Skin colored nylons with everything: Dresses, pants, shorts, skirts, shirts, mini skirts.</div>
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sandals with massive ankle cuffs</div>
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Girls with half of a shaved head (actually kind of cool)</div>
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Jeggings (yikes)</div>
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Capri jeans and rayon pants with large elastic pant cuffs and waist bands</div>
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And......I have now named Tiva the new international shoe. Worn by people in all countries without discrimination. And it must be a shoe that begs for socks, because most people wear the Tiva/sock combo without embarrassment.</div>
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Consider yourselves warned</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-75789569133192287782013-08-08T14:08:00.003-07:002013-08-09T15:37:30.852-07:00The waiting game<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I spent the first couple days after the transfer on the couch reading and feeling lousy, while Ben changed his fantasy football line-up probably 100 times, studied every team and every player, and memorized all things football. He has complete knowledge of every team in our league and who has what player and who he is going to trade for who, etc. While boredom I'm sure played a part in this, Brad changing his team name to "Pummel the Hummel's" certainly didn't help. Thanks Brad. Maybe if you actually get your iPad working and change your lineup every once and a while you would have a chance....</div>
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Since then, we have just been waiting around for our embryos to marinate in the petri dish. So far, they seem to be enjoying their accommodations. Of the 14, we had eight fertilize (good), and up to today we still have eight (great). Of the eight, six are good-very good quality. That is good awesome news.</div>
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For anyone wanting a visual, below is a picture I got off the Internet. We are at the pink line with six of them and the orange line with the other two.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FX1BSFwlxwC-MEEvPHh02o1XmrQ6xEiIjPxwBGpIs5fUPHaJeSvu8wjdu1SDtU3hhF5bqzWy0d0qb_BxLHg6oct9JPx7BhapV7pv4LR_J_UPu0-YdBSVvTcfjW9H96kTar_HzNxOSQUL/s1600/timeline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FX1BSFwlxwC-MEEvPHh02o1XmrQ6xEiIjPxwBGpIs5fUPHaJeSvu8wjdu1SDtU3hhF5bqzWy0d0qb_BxLHg6oct9JPx7BhapV7pv4LR_J_UPu0-YdBSVvTcfjW9H96kTar_HzNxOSQUL/s320/timeline.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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If all goes well, they will put two of them back tomorrow and freeze the rest.</div>
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Here's to hoping they like me as much as the petri dish.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-68426994201979230832013-08-08T14:07:00.001-07:002013-08-09T15:37:18.255-07:00Fertilize this<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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What a terrible wife, I didn't even mention Ben's clinical duties in my last post. He too was adorned with white Crocs before heading into his own private room to preform his manly duties. The room came equip with both magazines and movies for his viewing pleasure. What a nice staff. They even offered that I go in the room with him. But alas, I had my own fun stuff to get ready for, and magic red sweats and a sweatshirt don't exactly qualify as sexy, so I entrusted him to Kim Kardashian and crew to get the job done.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuyShmKW8mDrYL74BrTuPr2HRVTVdabnNHVkKxl3haGGLXCBz2ZCzqj3jkESybgu5j_s_GulPV7Cx2N7H66mt-xbGFX4368IHjeo4JcUSxKWME0_1pvc3eI1Vquxzr_4gKvBHGPfpABWB/s1600/ben+crocks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuyShmKW8mDrYL74BrTuPr2HRVTVdabnNHVkKxl3haGGLXCBz2ZCzqj3jkESybgu5j_s_GulPV7Cx2N7H66mt-xbGFX4368IHjeo4JcUSxKWME0_1pvc3eI1Vquxzr_4gKvBHGPfpABWB/s320/ben+crocks.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="214" /></a></div>
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<b>I'm beginning to change my mind about Crocs...He looks pretty good sporting them</b></div>
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He was waiting for me in my room when I was finished, so everything must have gone well on his end..... I have to say, of the two of us in this whole thing, he's gotten off pretty easy, although he will have to answer to this picture in Croc's a time or two in the future.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-83594854076769969812013-08-08T14:06:00.000-07:002013-08-09T15:37:07.207-07:00Eggs a plenty<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I scared even myself the other day when I realized that I have become so accustomed to taking injections that I don't even care where we are when I have to take one.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbq9hFaKuwV_Z9e2H51P9CnM_vuOt7WMtqrgl_AK33tKy5clSblrk3Nmxmrx7PrnzBFDL7sp9Ox02vr4AL1D0rbmFHOF79XM4UN42HaFC5pFp1NEkjeD0XYCYwGX1LOGp1Z3WXF2GdMls/s1600/final+shot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbq9hFaKuwV_Z9e2H51P9CnM_vuOt7WMtqrgl_AK33tKy5clSblrk3Nmxmrx7PrnzBFDL7sp9Ox02vr4AL1D0rbmFHOF79XM4UN42HaFC5pFp1NEkjeD0XYCYwGX1LOGp1Z3WXF2GdMls/s320/final+shot.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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That picture was taken right after my last and final trigger shot. Hooray! The scary part is, that is the exact spot where it was taken.</div>
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I blame Ben for that particular spot though, and here is why: I had strict orders that the shot needed to be taken at 9:00 p.m. We happened to be at dinner when nine rolled around, so I suggested we hole up in the bathroom and do it there. Ben thought that would look too suspicious, both of us coming out of one bathroom (snicker). So instead, he thought behind a tree right outside the restaurant would be a better option. No matter that it was a beautiful day and everyone was eating outside, right on the other side of the tree (if you look closely, you can see a chair right next to the tree). I thought he might be right about the bathroom, so, like the classy couple we are, behind the tree it was.</div>
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Fast forward 36-hours-later.</div>
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Time for the egg retrieval. I was glad to have those little buggers out of my mango sized ovaries because they were starting to become uncomfortable. And when you have 100 stairs to climb to an over-sized metronome monument expressing Prague's freedom, it's no fun having those things drag you down.</div>
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So away I went to face the bright lights of the surgery room.</div>
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I should have known it was going to be an unpleasant experience when they made me swap my shoes for a pair of white Crocs. But it only got worse from that point on.</div>
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I'll spare the exact visual, but I will say this: Like riding a horse vertically, and one huge bright florescent light shining somewhere, but not on my face.......</div>
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And this is where I sat for what seemed like eternity. They had to ask me all kinds of questions, get the equipment ready, talk amongst themselves, etc. All the while, I was hanging out in the most awkward position ever. Finally, they spared what was left of my dignity by putting me under.</div>
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So I don't remember the rest, until this point:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0HFj8SpdCptaOBnuZ2HGRW5Y3SGkbmp7SGTO79FDPacDZ0FP0lU3i3Z0VJVYtWWNcH5MXWrQwAXrTuCtzzuNkn6Lwofo1rmQR2wKoc0pYnhTx8DF2WBtaqbJA5SNytBWrAmuKuGIuITG/s1600/hospital+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0HFj8SpdCptaOBnuZ2HGRW5Y3SGkbmp7SGTO79FDPacDZ0FP0lU3i3Z0VJVYtWWNcH5MXWrQwAXrTuCtzzuNkn6Lwofo1rmQR2wKoc0pYnhTx8DF2WBtaqbJA5SNytBWrAmuKuGIuITG/s320/hospital+1.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>In one piece</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQ2UjQuoQZTAoHQN_DxNetCzupqBASCinP8n8GfTvs25uEcNuWjrrTgfDVVqhyphenhyphen4BQX5WUyJFa2WRIuPxFhHRbgBnthBUYPX0SXTKU5NTKGNa8J2Z9z6osSno7IUK7zE2YkydBfxVvRUuE/s1600/aok+hospital.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQ2UjQuoQZTAoHQN_DxNetCzupqBASCinP8n8GfTvs25uEcNuWjrrTgfDVVqhyphenhyphen4BQX5WUyJFa2WRIuPxFhHRbgBnthBUYPX0SXTKU5NTKGNa8J2Z9z6osSno7IUK7zE2YkydBfxVvRUuE/s320/aok+hospital.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>A-OK!</b></div>
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They retrieved 14 mature eggs when it was all over. Well done Krista (insert pat on back here). It must have been all the wine and beer to stimulate blood flow.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-74302050767551422602013-08-08T14:04:00.004-07:002013-08-09T15:36:57.166-07:00Riddle me this<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>"A popular bar had a new robotic bartender installed. A guy came in for a drink and the robot asked him, "What's your IQ?" The man replied, "130." So the robot proceeded to make conversation about physics, astronomy, and so on.<br /><br />The man listened intently and thought, "This is really cool." Another guy came in for a drink and the robot asked him, "What's your IQ?" The man responded, "120." So the robot started talking about the Superbowl, dirt bikes, and so on.<br /><br />The man thought to himself, "Wow, this is really cool." A third guy came in to the bar. As with the others, the robot asked him, "What's your IQ?" The man replied, "80." The robot then said, "So, how are things in Poland these days?"</i></div>
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Sorry, I couldn't resist.....</div>
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I had two days between appointments, so rather than take it easy (like I probably should have), we kept the car for a couple extra days and headed to Krakow.</div>
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Besides being one of the most amazing cities I've ever visited, it was also one of huge contrast. While one of the most obvious contrasts was the modern vs. communist buildings, another one sticks out in my mind just a little bit more.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_Zfi2NTTbxWedsqTjS3-QuLKHy_cFdflJ6fi7EpJd4hiQpw4853GQ8UNOcKrdRbNUgEp_u5fV-mB5GgT9FN4Wjm_5EFY1CqICzD4vw8w121n9MHOxLGBxekwYWePqk4FL8O4Q2NnYGLe/s1600/polish+super+model.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_Zfi2NTTbxWedsqTjS3-QuLKHy_cFdflJ6fi7EpJd4hiQpw4853GQ8UNOcKrdRbNUgEp_u5fV-mB5GgT9FN4Wjm_5EFY1CqICzD4vw8w121n9MHOxLGBxekwYWePqk4FL8O4Q2NnYGLe/s320/polish+super+model.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="201" /></a></div>
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<b>To Ben's good fortune, this is what all the women in Poland look like.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwvX9xUTUAAs6qpdrbGoxQMTl30dG9Cmo9Pq3nNqnjCMAxU4gRWXQcsfYiath9hyphenhyphenAgXtB2NwKEFmq5dSyTwL-lBqFnpU81PCF9mZMcCFL7XYrQ1x9Y1NT4WeUiG83YhX0dFZpldyanEhs/s1600/polish+man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwvX9xUTUAAs6qpdrbGoxQMTl30dG9Cmo9Pq3nNqnjCMAxU4gRWXQcsfYiath9hyphenhyphenAgXtB2NwKEFmq5dSyTwL-lBqFnpU81PCF9mZMcCFL7XYrQ1x9Y1NT4WeUiG83YhX0dFZpldyanEhs/s320/polish+man.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="250" /></a></div>
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<b>To my misfortune, this is what all the men in Poland looked like.</b></div>
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Not fair.</div>
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It doesn't even make logical sense that almost all of the women are attractive and all the guys, well, look like the guy in my picture to the right.</div>
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But aside from the genetic makeup of Krakow's finest, the city was also a stark contrast of incredible and vibrant buildings vs. communist dorms (but now is mainly awesome buildings.)</div>
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<b>One of the 235 (or something like that) amazing churches in the city...All of which had weddings the day we went to tour them.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sHahBsAttgBQFYTIp7EW-x1H1pL1hef6-Vpekwv3Yx9GbA4R-XixyO4u6Kujra7J_NIvqwLdWpLFut6XWTRNQ1OQ2W39jyVZ5ilrHHaC-UQghwAf4V6AxEJbBhda3MmEBZjcZXtFj8Dg/s1600/communist+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sHahBsAttgBQFYTIp7EW-x1H1pL1hef6-Vpekwv3Yx9GbA4R-XixyO4u6Kujra7J_NIvqwLdWpLFut6XWTRNQ1OQ2W39jyVZ5ilrHHaC-UQghwAf4V6AxEJbBhda3MmEBZjcZXtFj8Dg/s320/communist+2.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also thought it was interesting that despite all the reminders of the country's rough past, the people still seem to have a sense of humor.</div>
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<b>These guys need a one-way ticket to Comicon, and a couple of girlfriends.</b></div>
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<i>"A popular bar had a new robotic bartender installed. A guy came in for a drink and the robot asked him, "What's your IQ?" The man replied, "130." So the robot proceeded to make conversation about physics, astronomy, and so on.<br /><br />The man listened intently and thought, "This is really cool." Another guy came in for a drink and the robot asked him, "What's your IQ?" The man responded, "120." So the robot started talking about the Superbowl, dirt bikes, and so on.<br /><br />The man thought to himself, "Wow, this is really cool." A third guy came in to the bar. As with the others, the robot asked him, "What's your IQ?" The man replied, "80." The robot then said, "So, how are things in Poland these days?"</i></div>
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Sorry, I couldn't resist.....</div>
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I had two days between appointments, so rather than take it easy (like I probably should have), we kept the car for a couple extra days and headed to Krakow.</div>
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Besides being one of the most amazing cities I've ever visited, it was also one of huge contrast. While one of the most obvious contrasts was the modern vs. communist buildings, another one sticks out in my mind just a little bit more.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_Zfi2NTTbxWedsqTjS3-QuLKHy_cFdflJ6fi7EpJd4hiQpw4853GQ8UNOcKrdRbNUgEp_u5fV-mB5GgT9FN4Wjm_5EFY1CqICzD4vw8w121n9MHOxLGBxekwYWePqk4FL8O4Q2NnYGLe/s1600/polish+super+model.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_Zfi2NTTbxWedsqTjS3-QuLKHy_cFdflJ6fi7EpJd4hiQpw4853GQ8UNOcKrdRbNUgEp_u5fV-mB5GgT9FN4Wjm_5EFY1CqICzD4vw8w121n9MHOxLGBxekwYWePqk4FL8O4Q2NnYGLe/s320/polish+super+model.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="201" /></a></div>
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<b>To Ben's good fortune, this is what all the women in Poland look like.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwvX9xUTUAAs6qpdrbGoxQMTl30dG9Cmo9Pq3nNqnjCMAxU4gRWXQcsfYiath9hyphenhyphenAgXtB2NwKEFmq5dSyTwL-lBqFnpU81PCF9mZMcCFL7XYrQ1x9Y1NT4WeUiG83YhX0dFZpldyanEhs/s1600/polish+man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwvX9xUTUAAs6qpdrbGoxQMTl30dG9Cmo9Pq3nNqnjCMAxU4gRWXQcsfYiath9hyphenhyphenAgXtB2NwKEFmq5dSyTwL-lBqFnpU81PCF9mZMcCFL7XYrQ1x9Y1NT4WeUiG83YhX0dFZpldyanEhs/s320/polish+man.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="250" /></a></div>
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<b>To my misfortune, this is what all the men in Poland looked like.</b></div>
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Not fair.</div>
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It doesn't even make logical sense that almost all of the women are attractive and all the guys, well, look like the guy in my picture to the right.</div>
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But aside from the genetic makeup of Krakow's finest, the city was also a stark contrast of incredible and vibrant buildings vs. communist dorms (but now is mainly awesome buildings.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigW_Z4YkU4oPKQMzWTHsXgceMbgO5DrniqVWY8h484O587mf3dFLJnGRF-f3KbHGlxUYctLgnnbw4v7hYb3JianxTBm8HAhDxUblsi6-Pen8Sf7nr9JpF15zMkLks4MSmG6eQgRarC4Z9m/s1600/krakow+church.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigW_Z4YkU4oPKQMzWTHsXgceMbgO5DrniqVWY8h484O587mf3dFLJnGRF-f3KbHGlxUYctLgnnbw4v7hYb3JianxTBm8HAhDxUblsi6-Pen8Sf7nr9JpF15zMkLks4MSmG6eQgRarC4Z9m/s320/krakow+church.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="214" /></a></div>
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<b>One of the 235 (or something like that) amazing churches in the city...All of which had weddings the day we went to tour them.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sHahBsAttgBQFYTIp7EW-x1H1pL1hef6-Vpekwv3Yx9GbA4R-XixyO4u6Kujra7J_NIvqwLdWpLFut6XWTRNQ1OQ2W39jyVZ5ilrHHaC-UQghwAf4V6AxEJbBhda3MmEBZjcZXtFj8Dg/s1600/communist+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sHahBsAttgBQFYTIp7EW-x1H1pL1hef6-Vpekwv3Yx9GbA4R-XixyO4u6Kujra7J_NIvqwLdWpLFut6XWTRNQ1OQ2W39jyVZ5ilrHHaC-UQghwAf4V6AxEJbBhda3MmEBZjcZXtFj8Dg/s320/communist+2.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Communist's have no architectural style</b></div>
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I also thought it was interesting that despite all the reminders of the country's rough past, the people still seem to have a sense of humor.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDrC_z4LGYQAKgmmwbV1y_XywF4CuoyRILo8o29vE1ugqXc5j4J81cGxtNps7lcPwtE_8jkamAzgP2YvwPz3CGObH8Ff7eHD77WxBiurHmxq1FgXzh8mYQL3n-U0rWlKr8yTwfXyC3G-T/s1600/superheros.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDrC_z4LGYQAKgmmwbV1y_XywF4CuoyRILo8o29vE1ugqXc5j4J81cGxtNps7lcPwtE_8jkamAzgP2YvwPz3CGObH8Ff7eHD77WxBiurHmxq1FgXzh8mYQL3n-U0rWlKr8yTwfXyC3G-T/s320/superheros.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="214" /></a></div>
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<b>These guys need a one-way ticket to Comicon, and a couple of girlfriends.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrjCiQZhb6AVJYyMAk5cb0bYHd2_QZePCBsXE5ax_HCBibRD_Z5TVR330jLWeXTWLULUZN97ncVEuTcQzkNUsLglMKODQNvJvdCXErqQ5HCwH7rxI6Cd9Vn_VpS97vCr0Em-zp_iB5ceg/s1600/ashwitz2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrjCiQZhb6AVJYyMAk5cb0bYHd2_QZePCBsXE5ax_HCBibRD_Z5TVR330jLWeXTWLULUZN97ncVEuTcQzkNUsLglMKODQNvJvdCXErqQ5HCwH7rxI6Cd9Vn_VpS97vCr0Em-zp_iB5ceg/s320/ashwitz2.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>While it was necessary that I go to Auschwitz/Birkenau, it was also a mix of: Krista + massive amounts of hormones + Auschwitz = What was I thinking?</b></div>
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All in all, I was far more impressed with Krakow then I could have ever imagined. After all, who wouldn't love a city that tolerates a guy dressed as Luigi trying to look like he is urinating in a fountain off the main square?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnboMpi4SFGGQFB-4SjcMr_GNhLdyZ8lbZrrvNsO6bZ2d68mtxR07wUIcANczpbikb5Kns8D1mWXiljJ7RrV1a5sNzs5IA3-JEvosG0yW_E2VnYhobuzDRMbJXBRYuslpDB5QIGTOysi0/s1600/luigi+in+ft..JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnboMpi4SFGGQFB-4SjcMr_GNhLdyZ8lbZrrvNsO6bZ2d68mtxR07wUIcANczpbikb5Kns8D1mWXiljJ7RrV1a5sNzs5IA3-JEvosG0yW_E2VnYhobuzDRMbJXBRYuslpDB5QIGTOysi0/s320/luigi+in+ft..JPG" width="214" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-50147328603755158492013-08-08T14:01:00.002-07:002013-08-09T15:36:42.893-07:00Compare and Contrast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After four appointments here, I feel like I can accurately compare Arizona Association of Reproductive Health with Gennet for a winner takes all throw-down.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcsj_AUc2jJf2fySWHPWdNb5ozN_jacpCPygxJI1-7dXsJEH4vshhXvR68Pmdq8HvjAYT2MXJ22o9RFRn1eD7SsAgtb_9H9I7yGJiZCAgtSD9474-4r62-32Ji2j2aWTAVQ-gqHFVLeA/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcsj_AUc2jJf2fySWHPWdNb5ozN_jacpCPygxJI1-7dXsJEH4vshhXvR68Pmdq8HvjAYT2MXJ22o9RFRn1eD7SsAgtb_9H9I7yGJiZCAgtSD9474-4r62-32Ji2j2aWTAVQ-gqHFVLeA/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvCOJmS_8pPfh9L3Qo4Mr8H4xs5yCRIrF_0OhwlsBn6me4uKVsBgttsx4j-XHJ3RvVVRQ-w64lWKBo4k66700BIn3riKU6qttovgcB2JowVv02Da_f7-qP8XY69EP5jc0Vs3TbT96UOA/s1600/n_1404039033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvCOJmS_8pPfh9L3Qo4Mr8H4xs5yCRIrF_0OhwlsBn6me4uKVsBgttsx4j-XHJ3RvVVRQ-w64lWKBo4k66700BIn3riKU6qttovgcB2JowVv02Da_f7-qP8XY69EP5jc0Vs3TbT96UOA/s1600/n_1404039033.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>AARH</b></div>
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<b>Gennet</b></div>
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<b>Clinic Location</b></div>
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Gennet:Over the river and through the woods, behind several major streets, in a small courtyard, with one tiny sign to lead you there.</div>
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AARH:Right off the freeway</div>
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Winner: AARH</div>
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<b>Clinic itself</b></div>
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Gennet: Ikea could take a picture of this place and put it directly into its magazine.</div>
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AARH: Typical Dr. office furnishings, down to the floral couches and oak tables.</div>
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Winner: Gennet</div>
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<b>Nurses</b></div>
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Gennet: All under the age of 30 wearing translucent white scrubs and multiple colors of thong underwear.</div>
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AARH: One high-stress Russian woman with a sour attitude.</div>
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Winner: Gennet</div>
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<b>Wait time:</b></div>
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Gennet: We show up a half-hour late, they get us right in. We show up a half-hour early, they get us right in. We show up on time, they get us right in.</div>
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AARH: We show up on time, we wait 45 minutes.</div>
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Winner: Gennet</div>
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<b>Dr. accent</b></div>
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Gennet: Czech, with an old communist twist. Level of understanding 80 percent.</div>
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AARH: East Indian. Level of understanding. 60 percent.</div>
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Winner: Gennet</div>
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<b>Dr.'s attitude</b></div>
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Gennet: Dr. Danek - prescribed me pain killers for after the egg extraction because I might feel "some discomfort." And even if I don't, "these pain killers will help you with relaxation," followed by a laugh.</div>
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AARH: Dr. Patel - scolded us with a pointed index pointed finger for having ever consumed an alcoholic beverage.</div>
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Winner: Gennet</div>
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<b>Dolla Dolla Bills yo:</b></div>
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Gennet: Dr. Danek apologized for having to prescribe us $700 worth of extra prescriptions because my eggs were growing a little too slowly. Then he scheduled an extra ultra-sound, but made sure I knew it wasn't an extra charge.</div>
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AARH: Charges $100 for every 15 minutes you are in the office</div>
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Winner: Gennet</div>
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<b>Dolla Dolla Bills yo (part 2)Total cost of one cycle:</b></div>
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Gennet: $5,500</div>
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AARH: $16,000</div>
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Winner: Gennet</div>
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<b>In the appointment:</b></div>
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Gennet: Dr. Danek - talks for 25 minutes about all the medical stuff, and 25 minutes about things like the cost of speeding tickets in Switzerland and which trams I should avoid in order to keep from being pick-pocketed.</div>
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AARH: Dr. Patel - Spends 5 minutes looking through his charts after he forgets I'm even his patient. Then another 10 minutes talking about how low Ben's sperm count is and how IVF is our only option, even after he already told us the appointment before that IVF is our only option.</div>
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Winner: Gennet</div>
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<b>Best Dr. quote:</b></div>
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Gennet: (in a Czech communist accent) "We must change the recipe for you." Referring to my medication.</div>
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AARH: (In East Indian accent) "Ah, Ben, his sperm count is berry berry low. Yes, berry berry low." Followed by 100 more berry berry low's.</div>
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Winner: Draw</div>
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<b>Stripping down</b></div>
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Gennet: Shamless: 6 times in 4 appointments, no sheet to cover up, Dr. waits in the room.</div>
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AARH: Separate room to undress, paper gown to put on, buzzer to press when you are ready.</div>
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Winner: AARH</div>
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<b>During stripped down appointment</b></div>
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Gennet: A couple minutes of explaining the ultra-sound on the screen, then finished.</div>
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AARH: Mid-probe, asking who my doctor is, even though it's him.</div>
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Winner: Gennet</div>
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Total:</div>
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Gennet:9</div>
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AARH:2</div>
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Glad we decided to come to Prague</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-117057912379072902013-08-08T13:57:00.000-07:002013-08-09T15:36:32.386-07:00Good morning sunshine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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IVF used to be easy. Way back when I first arrived and they gave me a fancy Gonal-F pen complete with pre-loaded meds and a plethora of small needles and alcohol swabs to clean my tiny prick mark before and after the injection. Easy breezy, I thought. Minor side-effects, easy injection, cool pen. Nothing to it.</div>
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I was tricked.</div>
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Every appointment since then, I have gotten a new shot and bigger needle to add to the collection of growing syringes. My doctor "must change my recipe," - he is so nice, but does speak like a Russian communist - every time I show up because up until today, my eggs were a day behind (so typical)</div>
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My morning routine now looks like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARmirZudTd7Rq4SJvlIAD4EASmjogmvELnfhGQDvdrffTPwUwHR3vlydfbU_cnT6OlbhkZbRf3XkItDfgvWw0KHQY7MDMSgiIzvyvmVAwylv7TWqxvk5Sy38hAnQkVBVdlP_FqMPThIXT/s1600/ben+with+needle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARmirZudTd7Rq4SJvlIAD4EASmjogmvELnfhGQDvdrffTPwUwHR3vlydfbU_cnT6OlbhkZbRf3XkItDfgvWw0KHQY7MDMSgiIzvyvmVAwylv7TWqxvk5Sy38hAnQkVBVdlP_FqMPThIXT/s320/ben+with+needle.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="214" /></a></div>
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<b>Ben, right before we eagle-eyed my stomach for some real estate that hasn't been pricked or bruised</b></div>
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If you think you see coffee in the first picture, you do. And it's mine. The nurse said it was fine until a couple days before implantation. She said beer and wine are fine as well, so I'm taking her word for it. I'm actually thinking about adding both beer and wine to my morning routine before the shots in order to dull the pain of the latest and greatest addition, Menopur.</div>
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Believe it or not, even with the addition of multiple medication and needles my side effects have still been minor.</div>
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<b>Gonal-F</b> - slight headache, weird taste buds:)</div>
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<b>Cetrotide </b>- Burning, painful injections, slight bruising :/</div>
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<b>Menopur-</b> Growth of horns, tail, and pitchfork along with slight edginess and painful injection :(</div>
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The combination of the three have also made roughly 10-12 eggs grow inside my ovaries. While this is a good thing, it has also proven to be a little uncomfortable. In fact, I was going to build a ticker using fruit to show how my ovaries would start out as grapes and end up as mango(exact quote from the nurse), but I couldn't find the fruit option, so I just built one showing how much money we have been spending every appointment on more injections.</div>
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<a href="http://www.tickerfactory.com/"><br /><img border="0" src="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/0;1;10741;118/st/20110818/l/15/k/5668/ttc.png" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div>
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Now that I have wasted 10 minutes of my life creating a ticker, I am going to do something much more productive....Find out the street value of my drugs.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-87846306675302162672013-08-08T13:54:00.001-07:002013-08-09T15:36:14.963-07:00"shhh is universal in all languages..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We only had 2 days in Vienna before we had to go back for my second appointment, so we toured castles, went into a bunch of churches, saw the Mozart statue, sat through part of a symphony on day one of the Vienna film festival, and went to an opera.</div>
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Because we didn't want to spend too much money on the opera, Ben and I got standing room only while my parents splurged and sat in one of the boxes. A classic case of peasantry vs. bourgeoisie.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-Sc0UVP5kTvoegsXWIreY8ElLtb1vDS2j561-B4_mZiX1TWEGVm2dM8ddyfijHbJWmx6wsJlkRY7wRQ9hp1SXDCdU3f47fwLO9LStV5SQFeQJ98KqffoHBbrgTOa70OacabrjTQsq7L7/s1600/dad+opera.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-Sc0UVP5kTvoegsXWIreY8ElLtb1vDS2j561-B4_mZiX1TWEGVm2dM8ddyfijHbJWmx6wsJlkRY7wRQ9hp1SXDCdU3f47fwLO9LStV5SQFeQJ98KqffoHBbrgTOa70OacabrjTQsq7L7/s320/dad+opera.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg921-x7N_nlf1iVslaAfrMAiSWpnhRYwRQ9kzctCTGnNa4d0YqyExMtMnyf2hb7POe8jDkTmclTQCjTXLqYCbOg5uIkvMQkx5G0gLAGVtoSMibRfOeNxAMZKoqczEkS8WdQAJC372RigXZ/s1600/standing+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg921-x7N_nlf1iVslaAfrMAiSWpnhRYwRQ9kzctCTGnNa4d0YqyExMtMnyf2hb7POe8jDkTmclTQCjTXLqYCbOg5uIkvMQkx5G0gLAGVtoSMibRfOeNxAMZKoqczEkS8WdQAJC372RigXZ/s320/standing+room.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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It turned out that we had overall better viewing as we were right in the middle/front, while my parents sat in the back of the fourth row on the side of the fifth level box. Who would have guessed? Score one for the peasants.</div>
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The opera itself was a collection of Mozart, Strauss,Beethoven, and possibly more composers. A tall order for any orchestra with those big guns in the lineup.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUTs-DYKd1Dk9oi6cDEkVCVp-12uJF5Dox3DJkLaQhWIqtLV2bxbSrjYQr5V-2LbdATXkRSXgQDTOXDlJoaPmdyTwCmp9xXTymeXAxUKSdV74hhSDjk51XEYiWqYjyhkoJ0Jdzx1rTOF7/s1600/opera.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUTs-DYKd1Dk9oi6cDEkVCVp-12uJF5Dox3DJkLaQhWIqtLV2bxbSrjYQr5V-2LbdATXkRSXgQDTOXDlJoaPmdyTwCmp9xXTymeXAxUKSdV74hhSDjk51XEYiWqYjyhkoJ0Jdzx1rTOF7/s320/opera.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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I sort of felt like I did at the Journey concert a couple weeks ago, where if the greatest hits weren't played a riot would break out (nobody wants to miss out on Beethoven's Symphony Nine," Trust me.) Fortunately, unlike the Journey concert, Beethoven and Mozart don't have any new stuff they can throw out to disrupt all the classics. So, while everybody in the audience was waiting for Ein kline Nacht, Ben was wishing he had his iphone so he could Shazam all the other songs that we didn't know. After he whispered over me know about Shazam, I decided to go into detail about how flammable all the costumes looked. Between the two observations, an Asian woman turned around and "shhhhd" us disapprovingly. Finger to the lips and everything. She didn't even speak English, but I guess "shhh" is universal.</div>
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We didn't speak the rest of the show except for Ben telling me he could sing just as well, or even better than the guy on stage. You might not be able to hear him, but these pictures should give you an overall idea of his presence.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISlvXmACxL7wxk7XqYkvxRfxrRcg9vKuQta2flEZ_GLb0rw_MWMHpgZLwhwAUbNQnimonTatWxq73rRMpwY2PD7PosoH0IQwks5Cdr6U6S7X4rxsoNOxBOpWFXOhxz0wRQM6gF7bi6oej/s1600/opera+guy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISlvXmACxL7wxk7XqYkvxRfxrRcg9vKuQta2flEZ_GLb0rw_MWMHpgZLwhwAUbNQnimonTatWxq73rRMpwY2PD7PosoH0IQwks5Cdr6U6S7X4rxsoNOxBOpWFXOhxz0wRQM6gF7bi6oej/s320/opera+guy.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYNlDs3h98BTQU-ReR6FoVX-PZ6UCrDecMtX8mY6zstsDKuMrJ_4YVOdnvZ9Sz-Xa2hhZWoYRtniStdLuEBuTKOTB8sz7qfuwBIAbW7hoDcii11rYcdfjsjnYtiPvcFPndMVGRdeYd1n3/s1600/opera+singers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYNlDs3h98BTQU-ReR6FoVX-PZ6UCrDecMtX8mY6zstsDKuMrJ_4YVOdnvZ9Sz-Xa2hhZWoYRtniStdLuEBuTKOTB8sz7qfuwBIAbW7hoDcii11rYcdfjsjnYtiPvcFPndMVGRdeYd1n3/s320/opera+singers.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-21499540929123363052013-08-08T13:49:00.002-07:002013-08-09T15:32:33.599-07:00Eye Candy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Feast your eyes on these sassy European works of art.</div>
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I got the pleasure of viewing these pieces of eye candy for an entire afternoon at a Hungarian bath house.</div>
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For those who are not caught up on their Hungarian tourist knowledge, bath houses are a "must" for both locals and tourists alike. Apparently, Hungary has thermal springs (both hot and cold) that they have built huge palace like bath houses around. Then as the saying goes, "if you build it, they will come." And so we did, despite my huge phobia of bare feet in still water. It ills me just thinking about it. This is one of the many reasons I stay away from water slide parks and public pools. I can't stand bacteria filled cesspools of warm still water that my bare feet accidentally splash into on the way to larger bacteria infested bodies of water..aka. pools.</div>
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Anyway, I insisted on going regardless of my phobia because Rick Steves (the author of our guide book) said it is his favorite thing to do in Hungry.</div>
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So off we went to soak in crowded Speedo filled thermal pools of sulfur smelling water (which, by the way, is covered by Hungarian social security) </div>
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Of course, Ben managed to forgot his swimming suit. He could have rented one, but refused to wear a borrowed Speedo. I still don't know why....</div>
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So... Off my parents and I went to soak in the crowded Speedo filled baths smelling of rotten egg sulfur while Ben watched downloaded episodes of Jersey Shore on the ipad.</div>
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Was it fun? Hmmm. Because I was in Budapest and it was a "once in a lifetime thing.." I guess it was a-ok. And while I still haven't gotten over my phobia of my feet in still pools of water, I will go to a Speedo filled pool of Europeans any day. </div>
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Besides, who can resist this?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iCVjl9DIXeEhxNKZ6UnCiigBuJQpwKA2B6deZDD12KOnIq-hgzUc45hMgaaxQQKEoMyb8lUnlqDHRYrYI0SFTMtHF1tcJlY0w0KLq2JvNYx09h4R8NnOvJPuY-kQZM0zM2sF42-JKziT/s1600/bathhouse+wings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iCVjl9DIXeEhxNKZ6UnCiigBuJQpwKA2B6deZDD12KOnIq-hgzUc45hMgaaxQQKEoMyb8lUnlqDHRYrYI0SFTMtHF1tcJlY0w0KLq2JvNYx09h4R8NnOvJPuY-kQZM0zM2sF42-JKziT/s320/bathhouse+wings.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-37033999782730184002013-08-08T13:45:00.001-07:002013-08-09T15:32:20.151-07:00Feast your eyes on this<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Real Estate shopping in Budapest:</div>
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My house in Phoenix is ok, but over the last several days I decided I wanted to live in a palace (or similar), so I took Ben on a real estate hunt. These are the places we found.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZbseVjrrJgwfbW6CQ9o3xy005nObSXy6-IOAh4m_qKMiNZkw_VDSn8XM9EJVv2W4en9CzlPQUHiVWXMRFIkF6qGWO7Ugd91i8vUX0mVIhK84uw1jf3s9hY2FKgJVHqH49Kh8GBqF5Aac/s1600/parliment.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZbseVjrrJgwfbW6CQ9o3xy005nObSXy6-IOAh4m_qKMiNZkw_VDSn8XM9EJVv2W4en9CzlPQUHiVWXMRFIkF6qGWO7Ugd91i8vUX0mVIhK84uw1jf3s9hY2FKgJVHqH49Kh8GBqF5Aac/s320/parliment.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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Although a luxury waterfront property, it was a little big and a lot over budget</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4npNneQzh8csddl_zloTr4sopZ9oaJ8AysZx3-ZfiQIVhqkwupFZioqFAvThFZUrXJeNFfYnOOL1n4Q9vixaR1Lbq9C6uJnK5Ory8kTa9JQf-tac47pfUh_USL42BbFkYEaqQam7Y4hYK/s1600/fishermans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4npNneQzh8csddl_zloTr4sopZ9oaJ8AysZx3-ZfiQIVhqkwupFZioqFAvThFZUrXJeNFfYnOOL1n4Q9vixaR1Lbq9C6uJnK5Ory8kTa9JQf-tac47pfUh_USL42BbFkYEaqQam7Y4hYK/s320/fishermans.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="259" /></a></div>
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Over looking the water, but in a busy neighborhood and too many stairs</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1mm39BnEbPR4qChFovmAdlerFHC3fJPqwj-GKPUAvu1zKOoJ2uBLduzbtqKrvOFgL_8m6Nt8b2y0bsYOt3CGcHpsg9iNfi6ySQDLG388Fq374g5SPX2LODasWMPB1KYETAY-8JnpCVXV/s1600/budapest_z_dunaje.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1mm39BnEbPR4qChFovmAdlerFHC3fJPqwj-GKPUAvu1zKOoJ2uBLduzbtqKrvOFgL_8m6Nt8b2y0bsYOt3CGcHpsg9iNfi6ySQDLG388Fq374g5SPX2LODasWMPB1KYETAY-8JnpCVXV/s320/budapest_z_dunaje.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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Super quaint and close to the metro, but possibly a little too close...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFrnYRb4c84kERs3jf_0UBsgfLu01AD5dzK2iRYlsTyRV_C3iedVSQSPFNAZX7FtdaMQ7m7BYsi17SdFhjRFV-xK0Ib0Qp0csZtw1DWioCLiGYkrDURQyF5NOw53XR9QC0UUHlprC9dkdD/s1600/1033-tourist-attractions-budapest-hungary.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFrnYRb4c84kERs3jf_0UBsgfLu01AD5dzK2iRYlsTyRV_C3iedVSQSPFNAZX7FtdaMQ7m7BYsi17SdFhjRFV-xK0Ib0Qp0csZtw1DWioCLiGYkrDURQyF5NOw53XR9QC0UUHlprC9dkdD/s320/1033-tourist-attractions-budapest-hungary.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the heart of the city, with cafes, shopping, and several nearby city attractions. We might be able to buy a brick, if we are lucky.</div>
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I guess we will just keep looking for now.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-50850218609299755672013-08-08T13:44:00.000-07:002013-08-09T15:32:03.329-07:00Stick it where?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Within the first 24 hours of arriving in Europe, I got naked for a man I'd never met, had a needle in my arm, and had my first injection of drugs in the stomach. </div>
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I kind of felt like I glimpsed into the life of a drug addicted hooker. Except, I didn't make any money and I had to pay for my own drugs.</div>
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Here is my before picture</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bjEg698gRuGUCf34ZGoNyJtB5s72FE0A0HRYIj1sM1pW0NkWPFJRLM36u4_obA5KkRwGrOBNATjG7884TdEGBIrFlaWVgk9qIIm40dwJa7LyZIr09unKbNgRyXVYzoXuahCl3BU-XWic/s1600/gennet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bjEg698gRuGUCf34ZGoNyJtB5s72FE0A0HRYIj1sM1pW0NkWPFJRLM36u4_obA5KkRwGrOBNATjG7884TdEGBIrFlaWVgk9qIIm40dwJa7LyZIr09unKbNgRyXVYzoXuahCl3BU-XWic/s320/gennet.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div>
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And my after</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tO3vs8fjoDqZf5jBZfx9tuyTImyeg591Y1k7Tr1lwdKpIXRE4N9oQibIbImGSd0d6to8sOamfLwJ5GvdG4gNHUIYdPwIavWsQwG1uwvxV7chFvnnwRTYQOcobQPefEKR58QUzx0rc8hC/s1600/terrified1_answer_4_xlarge.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tO3vs8fjoDqZf5jBZfx9tuyTImyeg591Y1k7Tr1lwdKpIXRE4N9oQibIbImGSd0d6to8sOamfLwJ5GvdG4gNHUIYdPwIavWsQwG1uwvxV7chFvnnwRTYQOcobQPefEKR58QUzx0rc8hC/s320/terrified1_answer_4_xlarge.jpeg" style="cursor: move;" width="213" /></a></div>
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Ok, it wasn't THAT bad. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at how much the injection didn't hurt. Or maybe it was just my surprise at the fact that Ben was the one who gave it to me, after all, this was the guy who almost passed out when he had his blood taken just a couple weeks ago. If I remember correctly, our conversation after his blood draw went something like this:</div>
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<b><br /><br />Scene set: I walk through the door around 7:00 p.m., just getting home from work and Ben is sprawled out on the couch in obvious discomfort.<br /><br />Ben: “That was so horrible."<br /><br />Me: “Why?”<br /><br />B: “They took five vials of blood. Five! I thought I was going to pass out.”<br /><br />Me: “Really? They took six vials of my blood, stuck two needles in my arm, and I was fine afterward. It didn’t bother me at all. I actually went to the gym afterward."<br /><br />B: “I still don’t feel well” {insert moan here} “After they took all that blood, one of the nurses looked at me and asked how I was doing. I told here I didn’t feel well. She told me that my lips were purple and my face was white. Then she led me to a special chair where I could lay down for a while.<br /><br />Me (with incredulous tone): “Seriously?”<br /><br />B: “And then another nurse came walking in an told me I was white and that I looked like I was going to pass out….I’m still surprised I didn’t. I really thought I was going to."<br /><br />Me: pause<br /><br />B: “Can you scratch my back? I still don’t feel well.”</b></div>
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For a guy who is a big sissy with needles, he certainly has no problems jabbing them into my stomach....Maybe I'm being more hormonal and difficult than I thought. Regardless, he is definitely not getting his back scratched next time he gets his blood taken.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-35353654139291250392013-08-08T13:41:00.001-07:002013-08-09T15:31:46.229-07:00GPS Genius<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is a map of Prague</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNkdrA1kdgYkJNjEU6Nim4JhFWvI6QSf8eGV4XJpVVt_macBoetyTfwIXvY8c8Yx163vnK4PilSG0aOXKENpgzbQqnxKFbxXdeKN3l-uDjd9N5BQ8zo9C-kdup60FtK9QcMsOljMdYneT/s1600/prague-map.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNkdrA1kdgYkJNjEU6Nim4JhFWvI6QSf8eGV4XJpVVt_macBoetyTfwIXvY8c8Yx163vnK4PilSG0aOXKENpgzbQqnxKFbxXdeKN3l-uDjd9N5BQ8zo9C-kdup60FtK9QcMsOljMdYneT/s320/prague-map.gif" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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We had one hour to make it from the airport (a tiny dot on the map) to our clinic, (not even a dot on the map). Somehow, we managed to make it on time. I still don't know how. The clinic was an address not even Mapquest recognized and looked something like this:</div>
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<b>Na porici 1047/26, 110 00 Praha-Nove Mesto, Czech Republic</b></div>
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Except it also had various dots, lines, and foreign punctuation marks above most of the letters.</div>
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So how Ben glanced at a map and got us to not only the right part of the city, but a clinic that was down an ally off the main street and inside a courtyard, was amazing to me....And I know some of you might be saying to yourselves, "well, Krista, it is you saying this, and we all know that your sense of direction is soooo terrible, that even hours later, you would still be circling the airport trying to get out of terminal 3." Which is true. But then, after my appointment (which I will get to in the next post), he drives us out of the main city, and all the way to downtown Budapest on no sleep. See below map.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdk60DFpDtlqG3mzgaNgiDSiADm80yPyFzG6QaECCGiObWa08ezJa-_NQ4Y5UYvLQA1Rs86OX3fOOqgrB_RsFEMJQXSDLuDhJ_HRT-zjaAr5tKdPqhGx-bf1TKaaFDzIBf2GdmcUvphyphenhyphenZq/s1600/Budapest-1910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdk60DFpDtlqG3mzgaNgiDSiADm80yPyFzG6QaECCGiObWa08ezJa-_NQ4Y5UYvLQA1Rs86OX3fOOqgrB_RsFEMJQXSDLuDhJ_HRT-zjaAr5tKdPqhGx-bf1TKaaFDzIBf2GdmcUvphyphenhyphenZq/s320/Budapest-1910.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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He also drives like a European, possibly even more so than an actual European. He breaks all the laws, cuts people off, rides their tails in the fast lane, and still (up to this point), has avoided any accidents.</div>
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<b>The guy is a human GPS genius</b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-4024704176374633592013-08-08T13:38:00.001-07:002013-08-09T15:31:29.541-07:00IVF Extravaganza<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Look out brides and mothers-to-be. As you have monopolized the celebration circuit for the duration of eternity, it is time to move aside for a new kind of party: IVF extravaganza.</div>
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I have taken the liberty to compare the three occasions to see how they compare in a head-to-head competition with one another.</div>
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<b>The main event show piece</b></div>
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Bride: Sparkly engagement ring</div>
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MTB: Baby bump</div>
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IVF: Brand new Gonal-F injection kit complete with rubbing alcohol pads and daily needles.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0-8U8EhAs_TW_NvbkjOyEvVmKLOe4u4Ttk853F5M-WZ3aGxKt3eJ2xErZaTmTkGv2979ZqurHOL152O6oIFdSGfXsQBnOrQQdlUvly0kstOqnopwE9RbppY2YyVwn3304qZbaBELNrTo/s1600/gonal+f.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0-8U8EhAs_TW_NvbkjOyEvVmKLOe4u4Ttk853F5M-WZ3aGxKt3eJ2xErZaTmTkGv2979ZqurHOL152O6oIFdSGfXsQBnOrQQdlUvly0kstOqnopwE9RbppY2YyVwn3304qZbaBELNrTo/s320/gonal+f.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Winner: MTB</b></div>
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<b>Sweet celebration treat</b></div>
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Bride: Over-the-top, multi-tiered, overpriced cake</div>
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MTB: chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with either pink or blue frosting</div>
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IVF: Homemade coffee cake with fertility based acronyms and an equal amount of sperm and egg, elaborately decorated with frosting. (Thanks Heather! Best cake ever)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyH0XMFIqBpGXy94uDjvg6g5NdAtAgUJlWmp9PI58fk_vZwA7r21zWep_fryv2xXac254gYW8boaD7l9T3s1v6IOoAg4qKgewd7tOMQ-Vuk1AQulgt5_Wx48YlR0a84yp6vbRKWFZpFYfy/s1600/DSCN4357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyH0XMFIqBpGXy94uDjvg6g5NdAtAgUJlWmp9PI58fk_vZwA7r21zWep_fryv2xXac254gYW8boaD7l9T3s1v6IOoAg4qKgewd7tOMQ-Vuk1AQulgt5_Wx48YlR0a84yp6vbRKWFZpFYfy/s320/DSCN4357.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Winner: IVF<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Celebration Drinks</b></div>
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Bride: Champagne and punch</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheKTtq8tmfZ_p-5S2OqbIihudqKLjVjanuSc-AQx2_R5Aq-IxDdJ49aR13kRpbl9mpRBTM65UUsvUDDhx4YVhQVHzUuNMTb44QQp5b7SP3W7Ptc76C5rtdPmtW0ILKK9uyAPBWa3wh4Y/s1600/Vodka-1.5-Litre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">MTB: Punch</span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheKTtq8tmfZ_p-5S2OqbIihudqKLjVjanuSc-AQx2_R5Aq-IxDdJ49aR13kRpbl9mpRBTM65UUsvUDDhx4YVhQVHzUuNMTb44QQp5b7SP3W7Ptc76C5rtdPmtW0ILKK9uyAPBWa3wh4Y/s1600/Vodka-1.5-Litre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheKTtq8tmfZ_p-5S2OqbIihudqKLjVjanuSc-AQx2_R5Aq-IxDdJ49aR13kRpbl9mpRBTM65UUsvUDDhx4YVhQVHzUuNMTb44QQp5b7SP3W7Ptc76C5rtdPmtW0ILKK9uyAPBWa3wh4Y/s1600/Vodka-1.5-Litre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><br /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ8eTUHQ5raFPmtNQpjo6BhrUf7_tNAdfNQGzApNhqVUL2UBIEggRxRTF9j68XwMsD6_saJYlvbHMErqD7iIJfgWJPn8AracdMckne7kFZhNlhiWh-dzvvbmXqjCqtgFEP5hxRGauCYPE/s1600/Vodka-1.5-Litre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ8eTUHQ5raFPmtNQpjo6BhrUf7_tNAdfNQGzApNhqVUL2UBIEggRxRTF9j68XwMsD6_saJYlvbHMErqD7iIJfgWJPn8AracdMckne7kFZhNlhiWh-dzvvbmXqjCqtgFEP5hxRGauCYPE/s1600/Vodka-1.5-Litre.jpg" /></a></div>
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IVF: Vodka</div>
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<b>Winner IVF</b></div>
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<b>Attitude of Honored guest</b></div>
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Bride: Excited in the beginning, stressed, bitchy and hormonal at the end</div>
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MTB: Excited and scared throughout, but also bitchy and hormonal</div>
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IVF: Bitchy and hormonal</div>
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<b>Winner: Draw</b></div>
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<b>General cost involved</b></div>
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Bride:$20,000</div>
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MTB: $100,000 plus future college expenses</div>
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IVF: $16,000 plus repeating cycles</div>
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<b>Winner: MTB</b></div>
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<b>Celebratory gifts</b></div>
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Bride:Household items</div>
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MTB:Baby items</div>
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IVF: Items for ME!! Like a personal printed photo from Bali (Thanks Lisa!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFxz44mxEBIoqbudkz_vcnNVlIflqIJPTMYZjb-jBfFXCnzmiZsBULOhn3-Uw_UkFrbr-ROGhNAD5Av2Dp-ka3rUfhcIqgf19hb4n9KESRtJOrd5LzpTX8EBJa9lFWmuu3T4FUHfSQuLTG/s1600/bali.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFxz44mxEBIoqbudkz_vcnNVlIflqIJPTMYZjb-jBfFXCnzmiZsBULOhn3-Uw_UkFrbr-ROGhNAD5Av2Dp-ka3rUfhcIqgf19hb4n9KESRtJOrd5LzpTX8EBJa9lFWmuu3T4FUHfSQuLTG/s320/bali.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Winner: IVF</b></div>
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<b>Threads</b></div>
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Bride:Beautiful wedding gown</div>
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MTB:Cute dress that shows off baby bump</div>
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IVF:Magic red sweats.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrczuYBrnOJbUDwYlWOxE5LH_g6cI1MsHwvjdLKKXf62GbImTMOzS-U9Gze5yUtJxijUzD25BQpkZhm4o6DVHFZTj6ws6vMccfp4E02sTEcBRf9TQbN0xb7Fl-hmjm9TsFgdPqheA_y8Cc/s1600/magic+red+sweats.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrczuYBrnOJbUDwYlWOxE5LH_g6cI1MsHwvjdLKKXf62GbImTMOzS-U9Gze5yUtJxijUzD25BQpkZhm4o6DVHFZTj6ws6vMccfp4E02sTEcBRf9TQbN0xb7Fl-hmjm9TsFgdPqheA_y8Cc/s320/magic+red+sweats.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b>Winner: Bride (Although, magic red sweats were a close second)</b></div>
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<b>Food</b></div>
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Bride:Prime rib buffet</div>
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MTB: Finger sandwiches and quiche</div>
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IVF: Nearest happy hour</div>
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<b>Winner: IVF</b></div>
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<b>Decorations</b></div>
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Bride:Flower and floating candle centerpieces with satin overlays and matching chair covers</div>
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MTB: Pastel balloons, "It's a girl/boy!" sign, and diapers filled with melted Milky Way</div>
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IVF: Tag board sign that says, "BFP! BFP!"</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgDCrb57WpcrU-1g5yZzSN4R-b7di3poiIVzGuAMMMDgwsQGD0AYqoJvlL936Y1-LIxrunoNCUjkhdFLjCvtX0FuLxZ_0NA2cRRUD9wk5CD5fwgSsgIU9w7C1Ka0WhG6BNUEm9uBLSrg/s1600/wedding-centerpiece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgDCrb57WpcrU-1g5yZzSN4R-b7di3poiIVzGuAMMMDgwsQGD0AYqoJvlL936Y1-LIxrunoNCUjkhdFLjCvtX0FuLxZ_0NA2cRRUD9wk5CD5fwgSsgIU9w7C1Ka0WhG6BNUEm9uBLSrg/s320/wedding-centerpiece.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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<b>Winner: Bride</b></div>
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<b>Games</b></div>
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Bride: Guessing game about how well guests know couple</div>
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MTB: Guessing game uncovering the mystery baby food flavors and chocolate substance in diaper</div>
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IVF: Guessing game with egg and sperm quality/quantity</div>
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<b>Winner: Draw</b></div>
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<b>Theme song</b></div>
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Bride: Another One Bites the Dust</div>
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MTB: Rainin' Babies</div>
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IVF: Don't Stop Believing</div>
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<b>Winner: IVF</b></div>
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Selfish obsession level between 1-10</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Bride:11</div>
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MTB:11</div>
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IVF:11</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Winner: Draw</b></div>
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<b><br />Grand Tally:</b></div>
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Bride:2</div>
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MTB:1</div>
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IVF:4</div>
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<b><br />IVF Extravaganza, here we come</b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-47642831131411643772013-08-08T12:53:00.001-07:002013-08-09T15:31:14.149-07:00I quite caffeine....I don't recommend it.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghp5osTohCMDvZTR0bI0R07yvPh8tKaq9mwM-mDSsaWmS5y4MjxEe6TdeEEsXCmLlkgOYL5emzBnPCVSy0ABmEcpOkf8kkclod6sWdgaLA1TWlxZSHUflWrH8dm9NCvygHmSb2kyo88ks/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghp5osTohCMDvZTR0bI0R07yvPh8tKaq9mwM-mDSsaWmS5y4MjxEe6TdeEEsXCmLlkgOYL5emzBnPCVSy0ABmEcpOkf8kkclod6sWdgaLA1TWlxZSHUflWrH8dm9NCvygHmSb2kyo88ks/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div>
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I quit caffeine yesterday….I don’t recommend it to anybody.</div>
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My Side effects have included (but not limited to)</div>
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Monster headache</div>
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Sense of loss and displacement</div>
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Extreme tiredness and/or irritability</div>
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Lack of concentration</div>
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Confusion upon waking</div>
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Morning depression</div>
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Apathy towards life</div>
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Lethargy</div>
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Listening to Journey’s “Greatest Hits” album hasn’t even made me feel better.… Well, maybe it has lessened the “sense of loss,” but other than that, nothing.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-57503356929611274342013-08-08T11:03:00.000-07:002013-08-09T15:30:59.115-07:00My last post on forums, I swear...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
In this high-tech age where acronyms rule the internet, infertility forums are no different. Worse than the average I would say, due to the high use of medical jargon. So understanding what some people say is almost impossible without this handy guide.<br />
<br />
So try to remember all this.........<br />
<br />
<br />
A<br />
AC = Assisted Conception<br />
AF = Aunty Flo or Period<br />
AH = Assisted Hatching<br />
AMH = Anti Mullerian Hormone, used to predict ovarian reserve. <br />
ART = Assisted Reproductive Technology<br />
AFM= As for me<br />
<br />
B<br />
BBT = Basal Body Temperature<br />
BCP = Birth Control Pill<br />
BD = Baby Dancing or Make Love<br />
BF = Breastfeeding<br />
BFN = Big Fat Negative<br />
BFP = Big Fat Positive<br />
BH = Braxton Hicks <br />
BTW = By The Way<br />
<br />
C<br />
CD = Cycle Day<br />
CF = Cervical Fluid<br />
CM = Cervical Mucus<br />
COCP = combined oral contraceptive pill<br />
CTG = Cardio-Tocho-Gram (used for monitoring fetal heart rate &amp; movement)<br />
<br />
D<br />
DB = Dear or Darling Boyfriend<br />
D&amp;C = Dilation and curettage - a procedure for cleaning out the uterus.<br />
DD = Dear or Darling Daughter<br />
DE = Donor Eggs<br />
D&amp;E = Dilation and evacuation - a procedure for cleaning out the uterus by suction<br />
DF = Dear or Darling Fiancé<br />
DG = Dear or Darling Girlfriend<br />
DH = Dear or Darling Husband<br />
DI = Donor insemination<br />
DP = Dear or Darling Partner<br />
DPO = Days Past Ovulation<br />
D/R = Down-Regging , hormones taken to shut our bodies down to stop producing follicles naturally, (this is done before stimulation)<br />
DS = Dear or Darling Son<br />
DW = Dear or Darling Wife<br />
<br />
E<br />
EC = Egg Collection<br />
EDD = Estimated Date of Delivery<br />
Endo = Endometriosis<br />
EPT = Early Pregnancy Test<br />
EPU = Early Pregnancy Unit<br />
ET = Egg Transfer<br />
EWCM = Egg white cervical mucus, the kind you get when you are most fertile.<br />
<br />
F<br />
FAM = Fertility Awareness Method<br />
FAQ = Frequent Asked Question(s)<br />
FER = Frozen Embryo Replacement<br />
FET = Frozen Egg Transfer<br />
FFS = For F**** Sake<br />
Follie= Follicle<br />
FSH = Follicle Stimulating Hormone<br />
FWIW = For What Its Worth<br />
<br />
G<br />
GA = General Anesthetic<br />
GBS = Group B Streptococcus<br />
GD = Gestational Diabetes<br />
GIFT = Gamete Intra-Fallopian Transfer<br />
GTT = Glucose Tolerance Test<br />
<br />
H<br />
HCG or hCG = Human Chorionic Gonadotropin – hormone produced in pregnancy.<br />
HFEA = The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority<br />
HPT = Home Pregnancy Test<br />
HSG = Hysterosalpingogram (an x-ray, similar to a Lap)<br />
<br />
I<br />
ICSI = Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection<br />
IMHO = In My Humble Opinion<br />
IMO = On My Opinion<br />
IUGR or IGR = Intra uterine growth retardation<br />
IUI = Intra Uterine Insemination<br />
IVF = In Vitro Fertilization<br />
IVM = In Vitro Maturation<br />
IYKWIM = If You Know What I Mean<br />
<br />
J &amp; K<br />
KW = Knicker Watch<br />
<br />
L<br />
Lap = Laparoscopy<br />
LH = Luteinizing Hormone<br />
LMP = Last Menstrual Period<br />
LO = Little One<br />
LOL = Laugh Out Loud<br />
LP = Luteal Phase, the gap between ovulation and your period.<br />
LPD = Luteal Phase Defect, when the second half of your cycle is too short for implantation to be successful (many doctors consider anything less then 10 days to be too short for implantation).<br />
<br />
M<br />
Marmite Down = How you feel on blue days<br />
M/C = Miscarriage<br />
M/S = Morning sickness<br />
MW = Midwife<br />
<br />
N &amp; O<br />
NK = Natural Killer Cells<br />
OHSS = Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome<br />
OI = Ovulation Induction<br />
OPK = Ovulation Predictor Kit<br />
<br />
P &amp; Q<br />
PCB = post coital bleeding, or bleeding after sex<br />
PCOS = Polycystic Ovary Syndrome<br />
PCO = Polycystic Ovaries<br />
P/G = Pregnant<br />
PGD = Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis<br />
PGS = Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening<br />
PID = Pelvic Inflammatory Disease<br />
PM = Private Message<br />
PMA = Positive mental attitude.<br />
PMSL = Pissing Myself Laughing<br />
PND = Postnatal Depression<br />
POF = Premature Ovarian Failure<br />
POP = progesterone only pill<br />
PUPO = Pregnant Until Proven Otherwise<br />
<br />
R<br />
ROTFLMAO = Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Arse Off<br />
<br />
S<br />
SA = Sperm Analysis <br />
Stims = Stimulate follicles using injectable hormones<br />
<br />
T<br />
TBH = To Be Honest<br />
TESA = Testicular Sperm Aspiration<br />
TESE = Testicular Sperm Extraction<br />
TMI = Too Much Information<br />
TTC = Trying To Conceive<br />
TX = Treatment<br />
TY = Thank You<br />
<br />
U &amp; V<br />
UPSI = Unprotected Sexual Intercourse<br />
US = Ultrasound<br />
UTI = Urinary Tract Infection<br />
VBAC = Vaginal birth after Caesarean<br />
VE = Vaginal Examination<br />
<br />
W, X, Y &amp; Z<br />
ZIFT = Zygote Intra-Fallopian Transfer<br />
<br />
Numbers<br />
$0.02 = Two Cents - as in throwing in my two cents' worth.<br />
2WW = Two Week Wait<br />
<br />
So, for everybody who was paying attention……<br />
<br />
AFM, DH and I have been TTC a LO for a bit now using BBT and UPSI (or BD). It didn’t work so I’m currently on BCP until AF. Then, using ART we are going to do IVF with ICSI and possibly IMSI using OE. I will start using stims and DH will do SA. I will go into the clinic and do VE’s (ICK) and US…I know, TMI. Then we will have EC and ET. Afterwards, I will start my POP and assume PUPO during my 2WW. TBH, after all the TX, I hope I’m P/G with a BFP!<br />
<br />
If anybody has a QA, I can PM<br />
<br />
…..And you thought learning OMG was tough</div><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-72260911589401378962013-08-08T11:01:00.000-07:002013-08-09T15:30:21.444-07:00Forum Dissected<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Below is a typical forum post. I have taken the liberty to decipher it's contents so that the next time you are on an IVF board, you too can understand what is going on.
(click on the picture to make it larger)
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOe4aEMAo0EbDWcglx4boGzpq_YA859OHaPQWvRvaKkaRc_fg-aU2C5qNbBWl5HxidN5OeCnpF5fnr8Bug2Pces2SucG-6nIyYFKSfMWVT0ZFthrql_Z2oipTtwYLKwruWPBs6wb3tDbPD/s1600/blogtastic.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOe4aEMAo0EbDWcglx4boGzpq_YA859OHaPQWvRvaKkaRc_fg-aU2C5qNbBWl5HxidN5OeCnpF5fnr8Bug2Pces2SucG-6nIyYFKSfMWVT0ZFthrql_Z2oipTtwYLKwruWPBs6wb3tDbPD/s400/blogtastic.gif" width="261" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546523059701449476.post-45035935916773722612013-08-08T10:59:00.002-07:002013-08-09T15:30:06.509-07:00Caught!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Not much embarrasses me. I have no problems being the lone person on a wedding dance floor, tearing it up to "Living on a Prayer," my mouth filter generally reads “foot in,” and things that would normally cause a flushed reaction tend to go right over the top of my already short head.
Maybe my lack of embarrassment comes from my knack for falling down regularly in very public places (concerts, busy restaurants, etc..) or because I have undressed “from the waist down” enough times to have no shame. Regardless, I don’t get the “red face flush” very often, but I did today.
Here goes……I posted on a fertility forum and Ben caught me. It was only two posts, and they were super causal, and I wasn’t looking for anything serious. I swear.
A brief background: Over the last year, Ben and I have surfed fertility sites fairly often. And, I would make the bold assumption that most Barren Karen and Blank Franks do. One particular fertility site “fertility friends UK,” is where we have spent the most time. It’s where we found our clinic (don’t judge), have read other people’s stories, and gathered the majority of our fear breeding information about all things embryo related. This being said, I have never had the huevos grandes to make my own post. There are several reasons for this. The biggest reason is that once you have taken the bold move to post on a fertility forum, it means you have crossed over into IVF obsession. A typical post looks something like this<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7n2YCaiFGFENiuq9ftK_mqrFRc3UYlIlducYouO3BCIgvqNPyXdHsNMdnzfhZ0UPQmKnIAFE970rWZ90f8jQ0HOMve8tJ01R0VeiC5k2gt4FOwVsqigmc2PQWR8JkAiyEqQMH6p8AgHN/s1600/tigger.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7n2YCaiFGFENiuq9ftK_mqrFRc3UYlIlducYouO3BCIgvqNPyXdHsNMdnzfhZ0UPQmKnIAFE970rWZ90f8jQ0HOMve8tJ01R0VeiC5k2gt4FOwVsqigmc2PQWR8JkAiyEqQMH6p8AgHN/s320/tigger.gif" width="82" /></a></div>
<b>Tabby · Gold Member
·
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· Posts: 1352
· Bubbles 5557
· Click to Blow
· Gender:
· I love bubbles - please click them for me xx</b>
> <i> Evening everyone,
Sorry I didn't get on last night, Cropi is taking up a lot of time at the moment, I'm leaving the house at 6.30am and not getting home until 7pm so I am totally knackered!!
Debs - woohoo for you stimming from Friday </i><br />
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<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBie5LRcL-WcJHp_LCkobd6fTtDy62qHfoVN_CcbWKqJTfpaBiNqeMCb8A0gZ4-AFwcn5uZ4L50IDsJoevRsTJ7YKnTkX-WHRw4Ki3Lng8O7F5dvDFkJ_a6Asi42Vw3BrsccQX69iEl7HK/s1600/smiley.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="18" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBie5LRcL-WcJHp_LCkobd6fTtDy62qHfoVN_CcbWKqJTfpaBiNqeMCb8A0gZ4-AFwcn5uZ4L50IDsJoevRsTJ7YKnTkX-WHRw4Ki3Lng8O7F5dvDFkJ_a6Asi42Vw3BrsccQX69iEl7HK/s320/smiley.gif" width="18" /></a></i></div>
<i>
that is fantastic news. Normally you stimm for between 12-17 days, so it will be at the end of the week commencing 16th and certainly not any earlier than the Wednesday. I would of thought that egg collection would be Friday or Monday, or over the weekend if Bourne Hall do them at the weekends. Good luck hun
Snooty - Welcome to the thread hun, you'll find a lot of help and support from us lot. We have stuck together through hell and high water for the last 2 1/2 years, you've always find someone to help or just listen. Good luck
Emp - Hi hun, did you get your jobs done today?? I know what its like to lack incentive, I've got a mountain of washing to get done and i'm seriously running out of clothes The second load is on right now and there is another one to go one yet, at least I should be able to get it dry on the line tomorrow. Just got to iron the blinking stuff then How are you feeling now?? better I hope
Ricki - I'm sorry hun that you had such a hard time at the hospital, why can't these awful situations just go smoothly without all of the heartache that we already have. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEgsXdU0GbrNIusOrprl8kkQN8icpsHcMjcCyXVVGFlkA37iu-DQvae-LXe_jCD-H43TukHe33m4kc9BWY6Qo1_mx_qIOL3cV_hcHdb4Ur482JLkYo9e50XNnyl7TY2jJFhk-LE9x23pg/s1600/cry.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="18" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEgsXdU0GbrNIusOrprl8kkQN8icpsHcMjcCyXVVGFlkA37iu-DQvae-LXe_jCD-H43TukHe33m4kc9BWY6Qo1_mx_qIOL3cV_hcHdb4Ur482JLkYo9e50XNnyl7TY2jJFhk-LE9x23pg/s320/cry.gif" width="18" /></a></div>
Its good news that you don't think that the killer cells are an issue for you, at least thats something knocked off the list. Have you been to St Mary's ? If not I seriously suggest that you ask your doctor to refer you there. If not get a private appt with Mr Mones and he will refer you, like her did me. They are really good up there and 'may' be able to give you some definitive answers
I've had a text from Lisp, she was sunbathing around the pool and she said that its gorgeous and really hot, she's having a great time and sends her love xx
Take care everyone and I'll be on tomorrow
Lots of love to you all
Tabby xxx </i><br />
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<i>Me 35 DH 36
TTC for 7 years. 5 x IUI's.
3 ICSI's 06-09 at ISIS.
Moved to CARE Notts Jan 09.
4th failed ICSI (even after immune treatment as follows:
1) Moderately high Natural Killer Cells Activity (50:1 is 20.6 - should be below 15%), and:
2) High TNF alpha (is 35.7 - should be below 30) = 1 x Intralipid infusion/20mg prednisolone
3) Shared DQ Alpha with DH (0102), and
4) Negative LAD = Lymphocyte Immune Therapy with DH's blood (with Dr Armstrong, Portland Hospital).
5) Poor uterine blood flow (viagra/LDA, 20mg clexane)</i>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVg4y6cq34nzeGfwptmusNX3_j_3K7QAzn_MLTPifnj-YJabbXShWvS_JecYFtQui9rxtWWbRRrjZEvLXRuiqJChq56mDMSSzCHZMyVCaBegiluDmWIWHbzVz2BqGHn7VDPwAZcQKy72Mu/s1600/ticker.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="60" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVg4y6cq34nzeGfwptmusNX3_j_3K7QAzn_MLTPifnj-YJabbXShWvS_JecYFtQui9rxtWWbRRrjZEvLXRuiqJChq56mDMSSzCHZMyVCaBegiluDmWIWHbzVz2BqGHn7VDPwAZcQKy72Mu/s320/ticker.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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It’s me again….
My next blog post for all of you non-ivfers will be a dissection of the OE, DH, BFT, and OTD. Don’t take this dissection lightly as it’s taken me a year to google all of these acronyms…And no, I still don’t know what having 5777 bubbles means.
Anyway, the point of having the above post is to show how much of a commitment posting actually is. It isn't just asking a simple questions such as: “Anybody have side effects on Gonal-F? Those injection sure seem terrible.”
If posting were that easy, everybody would do it. With fertility forums, you post baby tickers, smiley faces, hug faces, multiple uses of OMG!! Words of encouragement, all of your personal history including afterthoughts of your last failed cycle, the fight you had with your spouse (DH) and the last time you went to the bathroom. You share all of your feelings, heartache, joy, pain, and war stories. YOU ARE IN IT TO SPREAD BABY DUST EVERYWHERE YOU POST.
But alas, my baby dust wand is probably laced with Fentanyl because of the countless nights Ben and I spent laughing at other childless couples baby tickers and injection war stories. We would mock the amount of time and energy childless couples used to start, read, and post to these these forums…and we would do it all, while we to, were on the fertility forums. Irony noted.
Big breath of confession. Soooo, when I decided to post (after lurking on the Gennet forum for ohhh, about a month), it was with slight indignation - But I do feel that being three weeks from my first cycle, I can be obsessed. For three weeks. Only three weeks. I trust that a bold friend will tell me if I overdo it (and no, staying home on a Friday night waiting for someone to reply to my post about blastocyctes and refreshing the page every three minutes for a six hour duration does not qualify as obsessed).
Because if I do think/talk/breath nothing but egg follicles/embryo transfers/injections and nobody tells me to the point where I end up friendless except for one of those fake/real babies with s stroller and full size crib, I will place blame.
Back to my post: This is copied strait from the site, honestly.
“Hi everybody,
I'm new to this thread. I go to Gennet for my first IVF treatment August 18th. I will be there for 21 days because I'm coming from the states. I was wondering what protocol they put everybody on? They are having me on a short protocol with BCP for 21 days prior to my arrival. I read that they don't normally do that for first timers and now I’m a little concerned.”
That was it. No history, no baby or weight loss tickers, nothing.
Anyway, I quick posted it before I could change my mind. Promptly after that, I changed my entire profile so Ben wouldn’t see that I had posted anything. I changed the password, the email address, everything but the screen name. I thought my secret was safe with my new forum buddies and me. But I forgot one thing. I forgot to close the screen on the iPad.
It only took about two minutes after he got home to grab the ipad and open the screen up. Then, my worst nightmare. He looked over with a smirk and said, “you posted?” He might as well have said, “you crossed over to the land of obsession. Next stop, 15 failed IVF cycles and a second mortgage later.”
I demanded the ipad back to delete my indiscretion. My face was so hot and red I thought my skin would burn up. Being embarrassed is well, embarrassing. I don’t like it one bit.
I finally got the ipad back and logged out, but the damage was done. Ben is all knowing now and won’t leave it alone.
I would go on, but now that Ben is out of the room I need to log back in and congratulate Mrs. T for her BFP and give Meeps a few words of encouragement so she can start planning for her next cycle.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com