Challenge #3

Day 03- A picture of you and your friends

This blog was started on the thought of keeping it as open as possible. The tricky part is only a few of our friends know we are ttc (one offered her husband as a donor-and I think they were serious) but none know about the blog. So we don't feel right putting their pictures up without their permission. Most are very private when it comes to online posting for good reasons. We will however put a few pictures up.

Hopefully we'll have a real post tomorrow!



We're Alive!

It's been a busy two weeks, even though it doesn't look like it. Currently we are battling gas... natural gas. It all started with a slight smell of gas. Now after 3 shut offs, 2 turn ons, 1 full new set of pipes, and countless visits from a handy friend; we are hoping it will be finally resolved tomorrow. This nightmare just goes on and on.  We are actually trying to be positive about it. We have hunkered down in the living room with sheets blocking drafts and the rest of the house. We dragged the bed in and rearranged all of the furniture. Surprisingly our two little heaters are keeping us nice and toasty.


Tie-dye throw back from high school

Now for some news that actually relates to the creation of this blog. We are back in the planning stages of ttc.  Why planning?  Well, our sperm bank (and subsequently our donor) is in the middle of a giant disaster. We have no clue what it is, why it is, or if/when it will reopen. What we do know is we don't have time to wait around.  We really felt comfortable with our donor, costs, and the bank itself.  That just wasn't enough to keep us hanging around. Granted if they opened tomorrow and had their act together, we might consider going back. But for now we're looking at using Northwest Cryobank. There are a lot more options with this bank but they come with a price. We're both excited to get back on the path to building our family. Hopefully this change of direction will keep me more attached to this blog.
~Aiden

Maybe looking up???

So, we have the start of some ttc news. At least we're hoping so. A while ago on Facebook a very nice woman sent me a message asking if the private Catholic college I was attending was gay friendly. Well, over time topics changed a little bit when they started their ttc journey. She and her partner were so nice to help us and share their hard researched recommendations. One was for the sperm bank we ended up using. Another was the name of a obgyn who also specializes in reproductive endocrinology. She did say he was a great doctor and his nurses tried to find every way possible to reduce the cost. The cost was the main reason we wanted to try at home insemination first. Now we might be able to go to a doctor, and have insurance cover some of the cost.


Turns out, my tinkering on the Internet did some good. Not only does our insurance from a private Catholic hospital network cover me, (my wife works for them) they more than likely cover some reproductive services. The icing on the cake? The RE suggested by our friend is the only one approved by our insurance for his specialty. There is also an RE-infertility doctor so I'm not sure of the difference. Quite frankly just seeing his name under covered providers made us do a happy dance. Tomorrow I'll be calling and getting the specifics of what all is covered. Even if it's just a consultation and blood work, it's better than nothing. In the mean-time, I have an appointment Friday with my primary doctor and am asking her to run a few extra tests.


It's nice to have an optimistic outlook. Also I'm hoping the threat of pulling out the big guns may scare my system into behaving. In non-ttc news: Liz is still sick, I'm working more the next few days, and we might be moving my mom into a 3 bedroom condo soon.

8 days past insemination (8dpi) and slowly losing our minds

This post is going to be a short one. I was hoping to explain why we have chosen the nicknames of the seahorse and the sperm fairy but I just don't have the energy. I started feeling really weak after work and it just hasn't gotten better. Liz was also feeling a little under the weather so it's early to bed for the both of us.
In baby making news, there really is none. Although we know they will not be correct until 14dpi, we started doing pregnancy tests two days ago. Yes this is silly, and adding to our mounting insanity. In a way it is also reassuring. We are trying to emotionally prepare ourselves for a negative test so having several of them is slowly breaking us in. I'm hoping that this weak and crappy feeling is a sign of something working.

Here's a pic of our little man Frankenstein in lieu of a well thought out entry.