Mortimer's Mom

Dr Old School

After I finished my 3rd cycle of IVF, now a distant 2 years ago, I dealt with my grief, talked about it with a therapist and moved on. Dumpling came and I absolutely knew this was my path to motherhood. I would never again revisit fertility issues.

This morning, I find myself going back to Google-university looking for anything I can find on Poly-cystic Ovary Syndrome. Because you see, 2 years after the last shot, 4 years after beginning our attempts at parenthood, I finally know what is wrong with me.

After my last IVF cycle, I never got a period again.  At first, it was great, I mean, who wants to deal with that every month anyways. But then, I got concerned. So off I went to the GP, who sent me to the menopause clinic. Early menopause they said. I started HRT patches. At 34 years of age. It was a bit scary, but I was so busy being a new mom (I think I got my first patch the week I left for China), that I didn't really care. Except after about 3 months, my periods were now so long and strong, I found myself bedridden for days at a time.  Back to the menopause clinic, new HRT regimen, this time to stop my periods on purpose. But the cramps and other side effects were worst than anything else, so the doctor mentioned a hysterectomy. Sure, whatever, I mean, I'm not using my uterus anyways. But when I actually thought about it, I decided I wanted to find out more, so I stopped everything and let me body take over for a while, to see what would happen.  Back to weird, very irregular, infrequent periods.

So  my GP made an interesting suggestion: go old school. She sent me to see a semi-retired OB-GYN who no longer did surgeries. So if a hysterectomy was warranted, he would help me figure it out but then refer me to someone else to do it. Presumable, his judgment wouldn't be clouded by his desire to operate, as I suspect the other doctor might have been.

2 weeks to the day after I first met Dr. Old School, after every test imaginable, including our favorite: the cooch-cam, and enough blood test to qualify for vampire status, he put it very simply to me: PCOS, poly-cystic ovaries syndrome. He was baffled as to why no one else had every thought of it, suspected it or investigated the possibilities. Because of my severe weight loss a few years back, I guess some of the usual symptoms were masked. But he really felt it was quite obvious. He also felt that we should never have done our third IVF cycle. That under the circumstances, it had no chance what-so-ever of succeeding and that I put my body through hell for nothing.

Now I am pissed. Because it seems, at least according to him, that I should have know about this a long time ago. That the IVF clinic got so interested in the genetic testing side of our fertility issues that they completely ignored me and my body. It's not like I can do anything about it now, and I for sure wouldn't change anything that's happened because Dumpling is the bomb, and if Sprout ever finds her way to us, I'm sure she'll be equally as fabulous, but right now, I'm bitter and angry. What a way to start a weekend of festivities!!!

justifying the jeans

remember the jeans from a few weeks ago. If I ever needed any justification, my buddy Swoops has given me plenty of ammunition!!! check it out, it's hilarious!!!

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Starting tomorrow, my husband's family will be getting together for EVERY meal for 4 days in honor of a Bar Mitzvah. If I survive, I will let you know how it went and most importantly, what I wore!!!

Twee!

It's now official. She is three. As of today. But the turning-three extravaganza started on Satruday night, when all 10 of her cousins, plus all her aunts and uncle, grand-parents, and my own god-father and aunt came over to the Kibbutz of the North to honor the princess in all her glory. And when I say princess, I mean princess. My mother, bless her heart, has been sewing official princess costumes for weeks. I present, Dumpling as Sleeping Beauty, Dumpling as the Witch, Dumpling as Cinderalla, and my personal favorite, Dumpling as Snow White:

Beign Super mommy, I made a Dora cake, all by myself:

And then, we watched, as Dora exploded all over our house. There is the Dora chair (the round one), the Dora Doll, which is actually so big, Dumpling can hardly carry her. The Dora Bingo, Dora Candlyland (which she both loves and manages to win without her parents cheating to let her ), the new Dora Pirate DVD, Dora fingerpaint, the Dora easter basket head, which sort of freaks me out, the Dora suitcase on wheels, Dora bubble bath and of course, we can't forget the Dora undies!

I actually like Dora. She's unlike any other girl-tv show out there, she's full of moxy and finds her way out of all the binds, but if they liscence Dora toilet paper, I surrender!!!! With all this stuff, so far, there as been only one double, the Dora Candyland, but since we have 2 houses, we're keeping them!!!  Tonight, her actual birthday, we had dinner with my parents. I spend the day setting up her computer, which she won't see til tomorrow morning. Yes, I bought my 3 year-old an actual computer. Don't get me started!

Tomorrow afternoon, it's the kids party, we invited 8 kids. and got a Dora Pinata, Dora plates, a mold to make Dora-head rice-crispy treats.... you get the picture. And then, the birthday extravaganza will be over and we will attempt to make the world stop revolving around her..... Attempt I said!!!!

Dots 101

Geez, If I had known that my dots were going to garner such responses, I would have started giving DYI tips a long time ago!

Of course, I take no credit for coming up with this, I'm sure I saw it done on some TV show (one of the several hundreds that I watch....).  I bought some sticky shelf paper. Goos quality so that the cheap glue doesn't stick to the newly painted walls (I did mine on the day after I painted the main color, so still fresh)

First, I cut the shelf paper in squares. Then I grabbed every circle from my kitchen: pot lids, trays, saucers, you get the idea. The biggest circle went first. The trick is to make sure you still have plenty of edges around your circle, that's what's going to protect your wall and give you the crisp edges.

Just draw your circle and cut it out ( I use and exacto blade, but scissors work too, just watch where you start so you don't damage your edges).  Then I used the round piece of paper I had just cut out and made a smaller one in it, no need to waste any paper! I just cut out a bunch of different sizes, always with a good 2 inches of paper around each to give me a good painting edge.

Then just stick your dot stencils on the wall and use a roller or a foam brush. You want to get thick coverage the first coat, so that you can remove the stencils ASAP. if you have only a regular paint brush, lighter coats will be required, so you will have to leave the stencil on the wall while it dries.

Voila! Dots 101.....

Speaking of television reno shows, does anyone else watch Australia's best darn export: The Block ? I am totally in love with this show. I first saw it's poor US imitation last year, but now the nice folks at HGTV canada are bringing us the original. If life in Australia is really anything like this show, then everyone there is buff and stunning! But the whole concept of living in a reno while you are doing it and doing your regular job is just so intersting. I really love this show. And I love to hate Kristin!!!!

Finally, on a Dumpling related now, we spent the weekend in Quebec city with our travel group. She had a ball playing with her chinese *cousins* and it was very interesting to see how she fares among her peers. Some speak more than her, some are already toilet trained, but she's way taller and more energetic, waaaaayyyyyy more outgoing and definately more bossy. I try not to compare her to other kids in her pre-school because she is so different from them, but among this group, it's very intersting. They all had the same beginnings and have so many physical commonalities, it's very cool to see her with them and see how they are all coming along.