3 Months, 3 Weeks and 6 Days...

...since my last posting. Most of you probably know, or can guess, why...

I'm lazy.

That's the main reason, but there were some other factors as well:
1. We were pregnant and then we weren't. I didn't want to talk about it for a long while, and certainly didn't want to blog about it.
2. The NDP won the election June 9th... it's tough to find things to blog about when you're living in a Socialist utopia.
3. On June 12th I was taken down playing soccer and broke my collarbone.
4. It was summer y'all, I had things to do.

But let's talk about why the blog is back.

After taking the mandatory three months off, Red and I are now well into our second IVF cycle.

Red started the Suprefact September 4th (the same day we toiled as wait staff for our mysterious IVF benefactors), had her Down Regulation Check on September 24th (bravely all by herself while her deadbeat husband was flying back from Ottawa meetings) and started the injections the same night. The first post-injection blood test and ultrasound was Monday morning, and things are going well. The technical term, as used by Brenda at AART, is that Red has "billions and billions of follicles". (Brenda's kind of like a cute Carl Sagan.)

If things progress as they did last time, we should be going in for retrieval the end of next week. If we have a number of fertilized eggs to implant a few days later, we'll have things to be extra thankful for this year.

But that's next week. Before we get there, we have more tests. And Red has many more vajayjay ultrasounds, blood tests and nightly injections to get through before we get to the main event. I've said it before, but she's the brave one of this partnership... I'm always impressed by how she handles all of this. Even more so this time, knowing what she has coming. If my ovaries were so full they were smooshed into each other and somebody started poking a giant needle-shaped vacuum into them and digging around like they were looking for loose change... I wouldn't be in very good humour.

And I know a little bit how I would respond... I'm sure I was a bit of a wimp this summer with the broken collarbone. Only a few days after having a miscarriage, my wife had to deal with her gimpy husband asking her to wash his armpits. Nice timing on my part, eh? She's been very strong... sad for much of the summer, but strong all the same.

I'll end this post with gratitude.

I'm grateful for our mysterious benefactors. We couldn't be doing this without you. I'm hoping some day we can begin to thank you enough for your unwavering commitment to our little project.

I'm grateful for all the people who spoke up and shared their miscarriage experiences with us. It was so important to know that we weren't alone. I'm especially grateful for my two hiking partners... after sharing self-induced pain with them in the great outdoors, it was very comforting for Red and I to be able to share our painful fertility experiences with them and their partners. Whether on long rambling drives down the Eastern Shore, or over tea and Oatmeal Raisin cookies, I am grateful for those conversations.

I'm grateful for the friendships that have developed and deepened in the wake of the miscarriage. To have such joy essentially develop out of such sadness is truly a remarkable thing. I believe it to be the Spirit at work in the world; for others it is simply one of the wonders of being human. Whatever it is, I am truly grateful.

And I'm grateful for Red. Strong... let me tell you. The day of the miscarriage was Election Day. After it happened I rushed home to be with her. After a while, when she ran out of tears, she insisted I go to the victory party, because she knew how much it meant to me. Strong, that one; she's going to make a heck of a Mom.

That's it for now... I'll keep you posted on our progress. Please keep us in your thoughts/prayers; we're going to need all the good vibes we can get.