Geek in Heels - Page 163

Jan 29, 2010 • In Comang, Personal

Mommy, Will You Carry Me Home?

A cold front has hit NY.

This morning saw our first snow of the new year. The sky filled with fat, fluffy snowflakes that reminded me of the quote “Snowmen fall from heaven…unassembled.”

As with most dog owners, I usually do not like walking Comang in bad weather. Even snow leaves his fur wet and dirty, filling the apartment with the ever-so-delightful wet dog smell for hours afterwards.

However, a part of me loves walking him in the snow.

Because as we near the end of the walk, his excitement at being outside dissipates and his joyful trots turn into slow, hesitant steps. His little paws and stout legs become downtrodden from the wet snow as coldness seeps in.

He stops.

I tug at his leash.

He refuses to budge. He lifts up one paw and gives me the most pathetic look you can imagine.

His eyes plead with me. “Mommy, will you carry me home?”

I gladly lift him up and carry him back.

Star Wars X Adidas Originals 2010 Yoda Sneakers

I had previously written about the Star Wars X Adidas Originals 2010 line, and had expressed my desire to get the Yoda sneakers. J too, loved these shoes (I love being married to a fellow Star Wars fan) and we joked about getting matching his and hers pairs.

Unfortunately, these limited edition shoes were available only at select Adidas stores, and sold out quickly in my area.

eBay to the rescue!

With J’s birthday coming up, I set up an eBay alert for the shoes in his size. And as luck would have it, a pair became available just one week before his birthday.

I quickly hit the “Buy It Now” button and proceeded to checkout.

J’s shoes arrived today and boy are they GORGEOUS! I was a bit put-off by the packaging (I would’ve preferred a nice box) but the level of detail in the shoes is well worth the price.

It’s too bad that the smallest size is a men’s size 7 (I wear a men’s size 5) because I would love a pair of my own.

In addition to the sneakers, I also gifted my husband with a PS3, two games for the new console, and cooked him a 4-course dinner. I’m uncomfortable receiving gifts, but I love spoiling my loved ones when it comes to special occassions. And judging from his reactions, I think I did a pretty good job this year.

I also gifted him one last present — perhaps the best one of them all — but that warrants a blog post by itself which I promise will write in the near future.

Top 3 Home Pregnancy Test Tips

I have been learning so much on my TTC (trying to conceive) journey that I have an undeniable urge to share this information with my readers. Please feel free to pass along the info to friends, or save it for future reference.

Tip #1: You Can Save Money by Buying in Bulk

If you plan on POAS (peeing on a stick) numerous times, you may want to save money and buy pregnancy test strips in bulk. Strips come without the plastic packaging that many drugstore brands have, but are just as accurate. (The linked site is one of the most reliable sources for TTC-related items.)

Tip #2: Not All Pregnancy Tests are Alike

The most sensitive pregnancy test available to consumers is the First Response® Early Result pregnancy test, commonly referred to as FRER in the TTC community. FRER detects 6.3mIU of hCG (the pregnancy hormone) in the urine, while most drugstore brands detect 25-50mIU.

Your body starts producing hCG once the egg implants itself into the uterine wall. hCG levels usually double every 2-3 days, so a FRER is able to provide you with a positive just 3-5 days after implantation.

This isn’t to say that all First Response tests are this sensitive. A common mistake made by many TTC women is that they purchase the First Response Rapid Result test, which detects 50-100mIU of hCG.

You can see a list of common pregnancy tests and their sensitivity levels here.

Tip #3: Stay Away from Blue Dye Tests

Do not — I repeat — DO NOT use blue dye tests. Blue dye tests (such as EPT+ or Fact Plus) are notorious for giving false positives. There have even been documented cases of men getting positives when experimentally using blue dye tests.

Check out this link for more information, including a list of common blue dye tests.

My Minor Freak-Out Over Pregnancy Tests

As stated numerous times in my main blog, our first 2 months of TTC (trying to conceive) after my miscarriage were unsuccessful. It was only by using online resources such as Fertility Friend and the wonderful community at BabyCenter that I was able to become more in-tune with my body and become informed on practically everything there is to know about the wonderful world of TTC.

(And if you recall, I received several comments about my needing to chill out and just letting it happen. To those people, I am tempted to NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAA in their faces. It was only through charting that I discovered I was ovulating late. And it was only through research that I was able to optimize our chances of conception. SO THERE.)

One of the things I learned in my research was that while there exists a plethora of pregnancy tests on the market, some are preferred over others, as illustrated in Top 3 Home Pregnancy Test Tips posted on my main blog.

And as stated in Tip #2, there is a big difference between First Response Early Result (FRER) and First Response Rapid Result.

I got my BFP (big fat positive) yesterday using a FRER. I made a call to the OB right away, but they said that all they can do at this point is to confirm the pregnancy; I may want to wait a few more weeks until my first appointment.

So in the meantime, I decided to test myself on the FRER every few days (since hCG levels double every 2-3 days and more hCG = darker line). I bought a pack through Amazon, and lord and behold — it arrived today! (Thank you Amazon Prime!)

Then I noticed something on the box.

It said First Response Rapid Result.

I didn’t even know there was a difference!

I quickly looked up its sensitivity level on the web, and sure enough it wasn’t very sensitive.

50-100mIU, to be exact.

FRICK.

Do I wait longer to take my first test? When I take it Saturday (as I had originally planned on doing), will the line be lighter than it was yesterday, prompting me to worry that my hCG levels are dropping and thus will lead to a miscarriage?

I decided to heck with it and peed on the damn test today.

You can’t really tell from this picture, today’s test shows a darker positive line than yesterday’s. In addition, today’s test wasn’t a FMU (first morning urine) which usually contains the most amount of hCG!

Do you know what that means?

I am definitely pregnant, and my hCG levels are rising nicely!

***end crazy pregnany lady’s freak-out***

Week 4

Dear Baby,

Yesterday, when I entered my estimated due date (according to Fertility Friend, it is October 7) into BabyCenter, you were 3 weeks old.

So boy was I surprised to log in this morning to see that you are now at 4 weeks!

So far you have been good to me. Aside from some queasiness and fatigue, I have been having no symptoms at all. (You might want to ask your father to see if I’ve been extra moody, though.)

I am so excited you are here — I want to shout it from the rooftops! But I am also scared. So, so scared. I don’t know if I can handle losing another baby. Losing your older sister was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. There is still not a day that goes by that I do not think about her, how I would now be 29 weeks pregnant with her.

Please stay with me, baby. Stay with me and let me help you grow. There is nothing I want more in this world than for you to be a healthy and happy child.

The iPad

Today, Apple announced its highly-anticipated tablet device. My first thought: are there any women on Apple’s marketing/branding team?

It was worth taking 5 minutes out of my busy day to put this together:

In all seriousness now… will you be buying an iPad? I personally think it’s superfluous; I am perfectly happy with my laptop and smartphone.

I shall now resume preparing J’s birthday dinner.

A Big…Fat…POSITIVE

Dear Baby,

Today is your father’s 32nd birthday. And today, I was able to surprise him with the best present:

It’s faint, but it’s definitely there. I am pregnant with you!

This is the happiest moment I’ve had in months and months. I had tears of joy streaming down my face as soon as your father confirmed the line, and I am still tearing up thinking about it.

Thank you so much, baby, for gracing us with your existence. And thank you, God, for giving us this gift of life.

I hope I can be a good mother to you. And I hope and pray that you will be a healthy and happy baby, one that we will greet with open arms come October.

I love you already.

Love,
Your Mommy

P.S. — A lady on my pregnancy forum tweaked the picture above and made this for us. You are so loved and welcomed already!

Wishing My Husband a Marvelous Birthday…

Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be.
-Robert Browning

Family

Lately, I dread picking up the phone because it’s always bad news.

Please keep my family in your prayers.

A Beauty of a Cam

The Pentax Optio I-10 was announced today. The specs are nothing special but HELLO GORGEOUS! Isn’t the body design to die for?

The official site describes the I-10 as “classic styling, slim design.” I’m always on the lookout for good, compact point-and-shoot cameras that are not Canon so this is a nice surprise. If the image quality is nearly as nice as the body design I’ll be sure to add this to my wishlist!