Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Round two!


Here we go again....

I am ovulating, so let's try this baby making venture out yet again. I was so excited, one test wasn't enough, so here they are!

Always something, huh?

There never seems to be a dull moment... Even routine errands to the post office seem to find a way of spicing things up.

Check this photo out.

Yup, I did that all by myself. There goes my laptop fund. :-(

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Roller coaster ride, anyone?

Anyone ever hear of such a thing as a chemical pregnancy? Well, I learned the hard way.

We had a roller coaster of a weekend a few weeks back. Two Saturday's after our return from Jamaica I was planning on heading out to the Minute Clinic at CVS. I think I had picked up some sort of rash/bug bite on our trip. My legs had little pimple like bites on them and they were so itchy!!! Before I went though, I stopped and thought I better take a pregnancy test. I knew they were going to ask me if I was pregnant before they would prescribe me anything. So, the roller coaster starts, I pee in a dixie cup and stick the little strip in and sit and wait, and wait, and wait.... Finally the three minutes pass and I look down and see the faintest second line. I am too excited and hoping to see that second line so I ask Chris to look... He agreed there was a faint pink line. So, being that I still had my dixie cup I rummaged under the sink for my stash of tests and dipped the EPT stick in, looking to see if there was a plus sign. Three minutes pass and yet another faint line. I think I repeated this four or five times... All with the same results...

So, off to the Minute Clinic I go with my pregnancy sticks in hand and my itchy legs in tow. (Notice the tests are now more important). After waiting what seemed like an eternity (an hour to be precise), it was my turn to enter and have my few minutes with the nurse. Long story short, I showed the tests, showed my legs, and he sent me on my way with nothing. He couldn't do anything because according to my little tests, I was pregnant. Those annoying little bites, they were just some type of chigger bite.

So, naturally, I freak out and meet one of my best buds for lunch, who also sneaks a peak at my nasty peed on sticks. She agrees, but says she thinks I should take a digital before we get too excited. So, after lunch we head to Target. Before I even purchased the test I am in the little bathroom by the pharmacy peeing on a stick and again the waiting begins... This one confirms it and I am so excited I could scream! I show Jen the stick and all is confirmed. I can't believe this happened after only a month of trying.

We go on the rest of the day, going through all the emotions, shock, to fear, to excitement. We head out for dinner to Buca and I am actually okay with the idea of forgoing that beer. After all, our baby is in me. I figured out I was about 5 1/2 weeks pregnant and went crazy. I spent over $100 on books at Barnes & Noble that day.

Sunday morning came and I was excited and nervous. I felt something just wasn't right. I got up and decided to pee on another test stick, just to see if the lines were darker. To my shock, nothing appeared but the test line. Panic set in, could this really be happening? Maybe it is just a bad test. After all you are more likely to get a false negative than a false positive, right? Well, after a trip to K-Mart for more digital tests, I had about 7 tests all saying negative sitting on the bathroom counter. I tested every time I went to the bathroom with the same results.



Chris was awesome. He wasn't going to let this get me too down in the dumps, although I spent a good bit crying on Sunday. He kept reminding me that we need a doctor and we didn't know anything. He wouldn't let me go back to bed and mope, but instead made me shower and drug me to church. We left right after communion (I wasn't feeling really churchy) and went to lunch at Bocktown. He then spent the day with me keeping me going. We spent 8 hours cleaning and tossing crap away. Working on the house so that if the doctor did give us good news we would feel like we were a step ahead. I know it sounds weird, but on Saturday I had a little freak out after the positive test. There was so much to get done and nine months was not going to be enough time.

The next morning, I called Greater Pittsburgh OBGYN. They wouldn't seem me until I was 8 weeks along. They told me to "wait it out," and either I would get my period/miscarry or keep progressing. I couldn't just wait this out. It was taking it's tool on me and I had to know. I thought I was crazy. After a long run around with them and two hours of back and forth phone messages I decided they were not the OBGYN for me. I went back to my old practice that has new doctors and called them. I was thoroughly impressed. They told me to come right in. The doctor spent almost a full half hour with me. Going over my medication, making suggestions, and telling me how we would proceed next. I then went to Ohio Valley for blood work, which the doctor put a rush on. I would know within an hour what was going on with me.

I got home, exhausted from the highs and lows, and took a nap. I awoke to the Dr.'s office calling me. I wasn't crazy, I was pregnant and the blood work still showed me pregnant, but the baby was dying. I was having a miscarriage. My hcg levels were only at 4, they needed to be at 20 for a home test to pick up. That meant my numbers were decreasing and the pregnancy wasn't viable. I was crushed. I learned what a chemical pregnancy was the hard way.

The good news is we can start trying again as soon as we ovulate, but it is hard, sitting here waiting for the miscarriage/period process to begin. The funny thing is I may have never known about the pregnancy it I didn't have those stupid bites on legs.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Whew!! What happened to the last three weeks??

Well, first and foremost, the third time is a charm. I FINALLY passed my PA state real estate exam. Now I am just waiting for my license to come in from Harrisburg. Hopefully it will come soon. I am anxious to start selling houses and make some money. I can not do anything without it. :-(

In the meantime, I will work on getting my lists together, training, and getting my business cards in order. I got a hair cut yesterday and a fresh new look. Still adjusting... Thank God Chris likes it. I was a little concerned leaving Jeffery's for Hair yesterday. Candy did an awesome job (as always!). Also, got my Clown make-up done at Ulta. Don't recommend going there - stick to the Clinique counter at Macy's. Consider it a lesson learned!

My girlfriend, Anastasia, had her baby three & a half weeks early (on 1/7, due 1/31), but thank heavens he was a healthy 5lbs. 11 ounces and the emergency C-Section went well. Mom, dad, and the newest Leonard, Harrison Alexander, are all at home doing well.





Speaking of babies, I just found out my OB-GYN just up and left the practice I go to. They were doctor-less for over a month. So now I have to find a new one. They replaced my OB-GYN with a male. I have never been to a male OB-GYN before... Little concerned on that one. At least the female doctors have been there and done that and can sympathize with you when you have "female" issues. Anyone out there have a recommendation for a doctor that will deliver at Ohio Valley? Preferably female?

Friday, January 4, 2008

Third Time is a Charm, right???

Let's hope...

So, for the second time I have failed my PA real estate exam. The first time by three questions and this time by only one question. UGH!! So frustrated!! Hoping to get back in there next Friday to retake the exam for the third time. Please let me pass!! I hate paying $56 to take the test (I know the material) and driving all the way out to Cranberry

As far as my car goes... the shop called and said all I need is a front tire and a alignment. They are recommending that I replace both front tires (one failed) since it is better to replace them in pairs. They also noted that the back tires have 10/32" tread life on them and I need to be prepared to have them replaced in the near future. Other than that, the dealer says I pass and the total will be $233. Much better than the first place with a quote of $1600.

Well, with the new year brings the resolution to lose weight. Last year I resolved not to make a resolution, this year I have made one and have been really good at sticking to my guns about what I eat. I am on day 3 of my official diet plan and the scale has yet to budge, but those hunger pangs just won't go away. Why isn't that scale moving!!! Maybe I need to get moving? Anyone up for a challenge? I'll start with baby steps...

My next official weigh in here at home is the 9th, I WILL EXERCISE THREE TIMES TWICE BEFORE THEN.

REWARD: Steeler's Jibbits for my Crocs.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Stressed Out...

Well today was quite the eventful day... On top of stressing out about passing my PA state real estate exam (which I take tomorrow @ 9am), I found out my precious piece of crap car needs $1600 worth of repairs to keep me on the road and my stickers expired 12/2007. OOPS!!! Not entirely my fault, as my stickers should have been 1/2008, but due to a little incident last year my inspections got bumped up a month. Ughhh, guess I find out tomorrow whether we are car shopping or not. Getting another estimate tomorrow. - A new used car was in our future plans, for preferably May - after I had my real estate license and maybe a listing or two, and after that tax refund comes in. Guess God has some other plans. Wish he would have let me in the loop...


On the family tree side of things I spoke with Chris's cousin Mary tonight. It was a brief conversation as I was studying for my exam, but it was nice to put a voice with all the e-mails we had been exchanging. Hoping after things settle down with the car & my real estate license I will have time to touch base with her again and get some questions answered. I hope to tap into her knowledge of genealogy; It sounds like she has been working on this for quite some time and is using the same software I currently use. I also hope to develop a closer relationship with this new found relative.

That's all for tonight. Wish me luck on the exam!!! Or maybe I should be more worried about the car? Wish me luck with the second estimate?

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Happy New Year!

As 2007 came to a close, I stumbled upon something that I had been searching for for a long time. All this time it was right in my e-mail... A holiday greeting came from a distant Lehmier relative. Not recognizing the name I replied thinking it was an friend from when I worked for FedEx. Little did I know that this was Chris's 3rd cousin. So, with the new information I am armed and ready to begin again, adding additional Lehmier names to the already over 500 names in my family tree.

Let my journey into our past begin. And the irony of this all is that I HATE history. It bores me to tears, but there is something fascinating about learning where you came from and meeting new relatives.

Hopefully this post will serve as an information hub about our family, my steps to FINALLY getting my real estate license, and hopefully the start of extending our family.