06.29.08: Not Pregnant

Dear Friends and Family,

Still not pregnant. Guess we'll see what next month and the next round of test results bring.


Cheers!
mouse

06.27.08: Another Day Another Test

Dear Friends and Family,

Mr. mouse went in yesterday for his semen analysis. They took a sample to analyze for:

• density,
• movement,
• correct shape,
• and signs of infection.

I need to wait until Day 1 of my next cycle to schedule my HSG. I guess the next step it to wait for the results of Mr. mouse's tests. Slowly, but surely chipping away at the list of to dos from our appointment last Friday.


Cheers!
mouse

April Baby Posts

Dear Friends and Family,

Where did June go?!?!

Somehow, it's Friday June 27th. And, Monday, June 30th is reserved for the weekend update. Which means today is the last day I have in June to post my April baby posts.


Cheers!
mouse

06.26.08: Not Covered by Insurance

Dear Friends and Family,

Mr. mouse called yesterday to schedule his semen analysis and heard the magic words everyone working through infertility issues must get immune to - this procedure is not covered by insurance. Please bring cash, check or a credit card to pay for the expenses. Granted, the analysis is $150, so we will do it. But, I wonder, is it a gradually escalating scale, each step? Say, $200? $500? $800? $1200? $1500? Until, somehow, some when, you're shelling over $15K for a procedure that's not covered?

Well, I'm not sure where the line in the sand for us is. For me, it's at the diagnostic point, or not far beyond the diagnostic point. I'm not sure where it is for Mr. mouse. More fun and games.

Live and learn.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse Finds Closure

Dear Friends and Family,

Mr. mouse and I used to have a Wednesday night ritual. We would carpool on Wednesdays. One of us would pick the other up after work and we'd head out to dinner. Then, we'd pick up the mail. And, then, we'd head home. It was a nice mid-week break.

Last Wednesday, we drove out together. But, due to a crazy confluence of events involving an impossible to schedule dinner and a crop share pick up, we both took mass trans home and skipped our dinner and drive. Then, on the walk home, Mr. mouse told me his Wednesday meetings had been moved - no more Wednesday carpooling. I was left with an odd sense of feeling like I had missed the opportunity to savor our "last shared commute" dinner, so to speak.

Fast forward to this week. And, I had a mini calendar meltdown yesterday afternoon. And, Mr. mouse offered to drive out to meet me for dinner giving me extra work time. Well, on the way to dinner, I realized it also gave us a chance to have our "missed" dinner, so to speak.

Ah, the little things that give me a sense of closure. Sad, but true.


Cheers!
mouse

Busted!

Dear Friends and Family,

We had a team lunch yesterday with our EVP, which we never do. And, we were down in the cafeteria, where we never are. And, we were in a partitioned room that's never used. And, just by coincidence, out of the corner of my eye, I saw two consultants I knew.

We had worked closely with them before on another project. And, clearly they were looking to sell more work. And, clearly they didn't want to be seen. And, clearly they were busted.

It's like taking your affair to the hole in the wall Chinese restaurant clear across town and running into your spouse there. Funny.


Cheers!
mouse

06.24.08: Weekly Weigh In

Dear Friends and Family,

weigh in: 121

Whoopee! Well, I never thought I'd be so excited about being three pounds over goal. But, after the last couple of months, I have to say I'm absolutely ecstatic.

The doctor called yesterday with good news. The thyroid numbers are all within range. I may have been working out too hard. Or, dealing with a normal, old fashioned plateau. Or, just not working the Weight Watchers program. Or, waiting for the micro flora and micro fauna in my gut to reset after switching to real foods. Or, my Friday walk. Or, my Saturday nap. Or, a million and one other possibilities.

Hey, I'll take it! This brings me back to my mid March weight which would be when we went to Florida for Spring Training.

It will be a tough week coming up. My ankle is still pretty tender so I won't be able to work out as much as I want. And, I've got dinner out tonight, tomorrow night and the weekend with friends. But, I've got faith that I can get through it. At least, as long as my intra-week weigh-ins go decently. I'll take each occasion as it comes. My plan for Thai tonight? 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup curried chicken, 1/3 cup pad thai. And, lots of dinner conversation.


Cheers!
mouse

06.24.08: Tests Results All Normal

Dear Friends and Family,

The doctor called yesterday to say that the thyroid, progesterone and prolactin were all within the normal ranges. All good news. Next is the HSG and the semen analysis, I guess.


Cheers!
mouse

06.23.08: Doctor Visit

Dear Friends and Family,

Mr. mouse met me at the doctor's office for our six month check-in.

She drew a vial of blood from me - for progesterone levels and thyroid levels and one other test. And, I need to call once I start my next cycle to schedule a hysterosalpingogram (HSG) to ensure that the tubes are open and functioning. At the same time, the HSG will flush out the tubes, kind of like getting your teeth cleaned, I guess. And, Mr. mouse is scheduled for a semen analysis.

It is what it is, I guess. So far, it doesn't seem to be getting into any of the craziness that some couples ultimately go through. I'm not sure how far down the infertility treatment path I'm willing to go. One step at a time, I guess.


Cheers!
mouse

06.23.08: Happy Summer Solstice

Dear Friends and Family,

It's officially summer! Whoopee!

The weekend started Friday evening when we met up with one of my friends from old work for dinner at Frontera Grill. The food there is so good! Now, if there was only something to be done for the 2 hour wait for a table. Sigh. And, while I picked up the drink tab for all of us, I was a little surprised when Mr. mouse picked up the dinner tab for all three of us and then insisted on picking up the cab ride as well. It's not a big deal, but makes to think he had one too many margaritas while we were waiting for our table.

Saturday, I woke up, and my ankle was the size of a grapefruit. I must have sprained it on Friday. So, while Mr. mouse was up and about, I spent the day with it elevated and iced and bandaged. At some point, I finally fell asleep for an afternoon nap. For dinner, B and Chef M and Chef M's daughter joined us for a barbecue on the roof. We made a ton of foods featuring local, fresh greens - rosemary baguette rubbed with green garlic, mixed greens with roasted corn and char grilled London Broil, Italian sausage with grilled baby fennel, Copper River salmon with fennel greens, rice pilaf with Spanish saffron and dessert (lime ice cream, caramel ice cream, lemon cake). The sun set at 8:20 by our best guess, and I made a wish on the first star of the evening.

Sunday, we headed over to our mah jong partners' place for a summer barbecue. It was his 39th birthday and her graduation. We met a lot of friends and family. The weather was a mix of perfect sunny weather and brief summer showers. We came home and watched the French Grand Prix, the F1 race at Magny-Cours on Fox. And, then turned in for the night.


Cheers!
mouse

Public Transportation Mouse

Dear Friends and Family,

Mr. mouse told me he won't be carpooling with me on Wednesdays going forward. His recurring Wednesday meeting got moved to a new location. So, it looks like I'm on my own for the entire week. Which means, I'll be 100% public transportation mouse. I won't be driving without a carpool buddy, it's suicidal, the amount of time I'd be sitting in the car in traffic.

It's a good thing I prefer public transportation. It saves me time. It saves me money. And, it's good for the environment.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: I'm going to miss Wednesday night dinner in the burbs. We'd go out to eat to avoid the traffic on the way home.

06.20.09: Doctor Check Up

Dear Friends and Family,

Our doctor told us to "try" for six months. And, if we didn't see any results to set up a follow-up appointment with her. Well, it's been six months, and today is our follow-up appointment. No idea what to expect. I guess she'll have a look at our tracking chart and take some blood (from me) and maybe some other floods (from Mr. mouse) and we'll go from there. I think...


Cheers!
mouse

Food and Food Allergies

Dear Friends and Family,

I had another allergic reaction last night. They've been happening on and off, starting infrequently and becoming more frequent. And, it's gotten to a point where I may be willing (actually, am willing) to modify my behavior not to deal with the thudding, thumping heart afterwards. I have a sneaking suspicion, in the long run, putting my heart in overdrive on a regular basis is not good for it.

So what am I allergic to? I'm not sure what exactly it is, but it's one of the cheaper fat substitutes and/or artificial flavors, preservatives, emulsifiers, etc. found in processed foods. I've had the reaction to commercial baked cookies at work and last night to commercial ice cream toppings. At least, I think that's what caused my incident last night.

Honestly, it's not the worst thing to be allergic to. There are people who can't eat wheat or eggs or nuts or other real foods. My allergies should, theoretically, give me the will power to pass on a lot of suspicious foods out there. It is what it is.

On the food front, I have salad, washed and torn, from our crop share for lunch today. And, I have a couple of super cute strawberries for dessert after my salad. And, last night, we discovered, a tiny, three inch zucchini growing upstairs. I know it wasn't there the day before! I'm going to be watching daily for it to grow. Four to six inches is what more people recommend. I'll probably wait until six or seven, four seems like a waste to eat.



Cheers!
mouse

CSA Box Contents

Dear Friends and Family,

We signed up for the summer crop share this year. And, our first box is tonight. I'm so excited - fresh, organic, local produce. Life is good.

According to the newsletter, we can expect:

• rhubarb
• mint
• lettuce
• radish
• spinach
• hardy green
• asparagus
• strawberries
• green garlic
• sunflower sprouts or pea tendrils

And, we get an egg share (a dozen eggs).

My plan of attack (in order of preference):

Strawberries, five ounces a day until they're consumed. Sadly, I think they'll be consumed too quickly. Mint, ice cream, oh, it's so good. Asparagus, grilled with a little olive oil and kosher salt. Lettuce and spinach, washed and made ahead into salad mix for lunches throughout the two weeks. Sunflower sprouts or pea tendrils, probably stir fried for dinner one night. We eat pea tendrils that way, so my assumption going in is that the sunflower sprouts work the same way. Which leaves the rhubarb, radish, hardy green (e.g. kale, collard green), and green garlic for us to figure out during the two weeks.

Fun, fun, fun. And, lots of blossoms now on the zucchini, cantaloupe and tomato plants. I can't believe I'm so excited about something I so took for granted - my food. It's going to be an amazing summer.


Cheers!
mouse

06.17.08: Weekly Weigh In

Dear Friends and Family,

weigh in: 124

Well, I accomplished my goal for the week of not gaining any weight. And, I've got an appointment with the doctor this Friday to check on the thyroid. Frankly, I just want to know. Is it a medication thing? Or is it a laziness thing? Or a plateau thing? Or a not counting bites, licks and tastes thing?

I guess I'll continue the work out routine and try not to gain anything for another week. Sigh.


Cheers!
mouse

06.16.08: Working Out

Dear Friends and Family,

In the spirit of trying to lose these excess pounds and get back to goal weight, the weekend activities were centered around working out.

Friday, I got home from work and went for a run. Then, after dinner, while Mr. mouse was sleeping, I get to the gym to lift and to do a little extra stair climber. Saturday, we went for a long bike ride. My legs were killing me. And, the wind gusts and "hills" were tough on already sore legs. Sunday, more weights, and this time I could feel it in the quads, abs, glutes and triceps. To be honest, I'm not sure how many more weeks I can keep this up. The challenge goes until the end of July - seven more weeks. We'll see.

In other news, our vegetable garden is providing a ton of entertainment. We have flowers on the zucchini, the cantaloupe and the tomatoes. We also bought three new pepper plants on Saturday, jalapeño, cayenne and banana peppers for a total of four planters. It's so much fun watching them grow. And, I can't wait to see it fruit and, hopefully, eat it. We bought tomato stakes Saturday and tied down the tomato plants. It's a good thing we did, because, Sunday morning, a helluva storm blew in. The winds were so strong they knocked over our grill. But, our plants were standing strong, thanks to the stakes.

Sunday, we went to a baseball game to cheer on our Minnesota Twins. Unfortunately, they lost 4-2. But, the sausage race was fun to watch. And, Miller Park has great beer. And, since we brought our own food and bought tickets for $30, it wasn't as big a expenditure as going to watch the Cubs play. It's definitely worth the drive.

And, last but not least, Mr. mouse bought a cake this weekend for our anniversary. It's from the bakery where we got our wedding cake. Delicious.


Cheers!
mouse

Electricity Tracking: June 2008

Dear Friends and Family,

With my new found heat tolerance (another reason I suspect the thyroid ain't what she used to be), we were able to make it through May without turning on the A/C. And, I'm happy to report we hit a new low in our electrical usage: 336 kWh for the month. Yeah!

If you're wondering what drove the latest drop, my guess is it's the last of the benefit from unplugging the second fridge on Earth Day. Since we unplugged it in the middle of the billing cycle, the last bill had three weeks benefit and this was our first full month.

Seven more kWh to my next goal of 329 kWh, but I don't think we'll be playing that game until August or September. We've already had a couple of days now where I've caved and turned on the A/C. Still, we're getting to the point where wind power is becoming a real possibility.


Cheers!
mouse

06.12.08: Grand Prix du Canada

Dear Friends and Family,

Friday night, we went to the REM concert which brought back memories. It was at an REM concert in early June in 1995 that we starting dating. We had been seeing each other for a couple of months before that, but that's when I knew Mr. mouse was "the one." Fast forward to the wedding, and it's when we got married (not coincidental). So, the concert was a can't miss concert bringing us full circle to today and the here and now.

And, like I was saying, clearly Michael Stipe and Sting have figured out the aging gracefully thing. Michael is a vegan (I think) and Sting is a vegetarian (I think) yoga guy (I think). And, I think they may be onto something. I can only hope to age as well as they have.

Saturday morning, we left bright and early for Montreal. Landed, provisioned, and headed out to the park for qualifying. The weather was perfect and our seats were excellent. Unfortunately, we headed back to the city after qualifying because Mr. mouse got an email during qualifying that translated into work and the computer was in the car. I usually nap during the afternoon races, so it wasn't a huge deal. But, still, I like sleeping in the sun.

Saturday night, we went out for Chinese with Fred and his parents. We had the barbecued duck, salt and pepper pork, stir fried lobster, Singapore rice noodles, mapo tofu, stir fried pea shoots and rice. Stuffed to the gills, everyone turned in early.

Sunday morning, we headed out for the race. Again, perfect weather and big time party in the park. We watched the earlier races from a grassy knoll by our seats and made a little picnic of it. Then, we went up to our seats for the race. My favorite driver was rear ended in pit row and didn't finish the race. I was so upset I almost shed a tear. But, in the end, Kubica got his first victory and that is always fun to see. And, Coultard, one of my favorites got third place which is excellent. We ran over to the podium after the race ended to see the ceremony. Way cool! Afterwards, we climbed into the gold grandstands and watched pit row while munching on our sandwiches. Life really is good.

Sunday evening, we cooked up a storm at home with Fred and Gen. Gen had just gotten back from a triathlon. She looks amazing! And, bless her heart, she got all fish because she knows I try to eat healthy. We had Atlantic char, Chilean sea bass, jumbo shrimp, grilled sweet potatoes, zucchini and salad before heading up to their deck for strawberries, blueberries and chocolate.

Mr. mouse decided he wanted to drive to Ottawa for the night instead of waiting until morning. So, around 10, we loaded everything into the car and headed out. Unfortunately, the first flight was canceled and we ended up going through Toronto to get home. It all worked out in the end.


Cheers!
mouse

Eating Vegetarian

Dear Friends and Family,

There will be a weekend update post. I promise. But, I want to write about this since it's top of mind.

I decided to try to eat vegan yesterday. I packed six apricots for breakfast and mixed greens with sauteed mushrooms for lunch. By the time lunch time rolled around, I was starving. And, I knew I'd be snacking all afternoon if I didn't supplement my lunch. So, I bought a turkey and swiss sandwich with lettuce and tomato.

By the time I walked back to my desk and opened the sandwich, the turkey was a lot less appealing, so I took it out and had a swiss cheese sandwich - which meant my new goal was to eat vegetarian for the day since clearly swiss cheese isn't vegan. For dinner, I has whole wheat pasta with tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basil and a super cute chunk of Parmesan cheese.

I felt satisfied. And, doing a protein assessment, while light for the day (40 grams), it wasn't bad for an unplanned day. And, I discovered something important in the whole eating vegetarian thing: texture and eating process matter. The cheese sandwich felt not different from the turkey sandwich. I still had two slices of bread and the bite-into-a-sandwich sensation. And, the pasta had the twirl-noodles-on-a-fork sensation. I may be onto something here.

Warning: It may be a lot of writing about food between now and next Tuesday.


Cheers!
mouse

06.10.08: Weekly Weigh In

Dear Friends and Family,

weekly weigh in: 124.5

I've got an appointment for next Friday to get some blood work done. I've been gaining weight. And, feeling tired. And, dealing remarkably well with the summer heat. And... and... and... am beginning to wonder if ye olde thyroid needs a little prodding. A quick draw of some blood will give us a pretty definitive yes|no answer pretty quickly. The bigger question will be treatment options if the tests say hypothyroidism and WTF if the tests say nothing.

Either way, I'm at a loss of what to try between now and then to stem the weight gain. (Notice the switch in modus operandi from trying to lose to trying not to gain.) I guess it's back to the basics - food, not fake food, portion control and after seeing REM (more on that later) maybe a couple of days of eating vegan.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse Confidence

Dear Friends and Family,

We all know consumer confidence is in the toilet. And, it's beginning to impact my psyche. On the one hand, I know that our mortgage payment is low, we have money in the bank for an emergency, we own both of our cars, we both work and we aren't carrying any credit card debt.

On the flip side, gas prices are up, food prices are up, I could lose my job at the drop of a hat, Mr. mouse could lose his job just as easily. And, either of those two events would have a major impact on our day-to-day stuff (at least until the person is gainfully employed again) and have a major impact on our retirement savings (again, at least until the person is gainfully employed again).

And, as such, I've put myself back on a budget. And, we've made a conscious effort to eat out less and buy less entertainment (e.g. baseball tickets, concert tickets, hotel nights, rental car days, etc.) to assuage the monster roaring within.

If our plans continue to hold, we'll be in good shape in, call it, five to eight years. And, if we hit a bump in the road, we'll need to readjust. I just need to realize I'm not alone in feeling the confidence thing. In fact, statistics would argue I'm in very good company.

One day at a time. One day at a time.


Cheers!
mouse

Happy Anniversary

Dear Mr. mouse,

Happy Anniversary!

The past year has gone quickly and I can only assume the upcoming year will go just as fast if not faster. I want to take a moment to say I'm really glad we met and that we're still together through all the little bumps life has thrown us.

Here's to us.


Cheers!
mouse

Noticing Quicker Commutes

Dear Friends and Family,

They've been working on the train system here and I'm beginning to notice my commute time going down. They just released a new train map showing another section of work complete. I'll be checking my commute to see if I can break the one hour barrier. Exciting!


Cheers!
mouse

06.03.08: Weekly Weigh In

Dear Friends and Family,

weigh in: 124

I had high hopes of losing another pound this week and dropping down to 122. But, alas, it wasn't meant to be. Or, rather, I didn't want it badly enough. I'd love to blame it on some salt and water, but I think I need to do a better job managing the end game (i.e. Sunday and Monday eating) to have happy weigh ins.

Time to go for another run tonight. Perhaps I need to sign up for another 5K to motivate me?


Cheers!
mouse

06.02.08: Summer of 2008

Dear Friends and Family,

It finally felt like summer. And, we did all of our traditional summer activities.

Saturday morning, we went out to the farmer's market to see what was in for the season. We picked up some baby greens, mushrooms, fingerling potatoes, asparagus, and a pasture raised chicken.

Then, we picked up the mail, did some grocery shopping and GRILLED DINNER ON THE ROOF. Finally! The weather was perfect for it. We had bison steak, the asparagus from the market, roast corn and a wonderfully chewy baguette while enjoying the sights and more importantly the sounds of our neighborhood.

Sunday morning, we got up early for our 5K. The weather was perfect, the energy level was high, and in redemption of last summer when I couldn't finish, this time, I did. I finished ahead of the median female runner for my age bracket, and for my first "real" 5K, and ten days of training, I'm proud of that. Go, mouse!

We biked home from the race, gorged on pizza, and climbed up to the deck to collapse on the hammock and the couch. It was so good to just bake in the sun and while away the hours in blissful slumber. We got up in time to put the chicken on the grill and mix up some apple and blue cheese salad for dinner with B and Chef M. When you have a deck, you have a moral obligation to share with friends. It got a little chilly after the sun went down, so we came in for the last hour or so. And, by 10 o'clock, I was in bed, looking forward to more weeks of summer.


Cheers!
mouse