Hang on for the Ride

A couple of months ago I asked folks if they wanted me to keep posting and hear all the details of our conception process. They said keep doing it, and I did. Though, most of it has been on the No Expiration Date blog.

I am keeping my promise and I am sharing along the way. Last week the first part of our dream came true. Not only did I see two lines on a home pregnancy test, we saw the words "pregnant" on the digital test [so much better than the alternative 'not pregnant']. But, it isn't official until the doctor says so.

I went in for two blood tests. The first came back at 332, and the second came back at 716. What the doctor is looking for with the two tests is that the body is working and that the number doubles within 48-72 hours. The number represents how much HCG your body is producing.

The one thing I promised myself if I got pregnant was that I was going to enjoy it. I wasn't going to make myself crazy with worry. So, we've let ourselves savor the moment and now we want to share it with you, but we have a couple of conditions. First, you can be excited for us but don't show it too much yet [no cards until the second trimester]. Two, just keep up all the wonderful thoughts you've had for us in the last couple of months--I swear it really has helped us get this far.

In return, we are going to keep you posted as things happen. What this means is that you could end up sharing our joy, or hopefully not, our disappointment if things don't work out. Our next big step is an ultrasound on Sept. 13th. It is at that appointment they will look for the heartbeat.

However, I am cautiously optimistic. I ordered a pregnancy book and I am already rolling names through my head.

Finally, I had the opportunity earlier this month to tell my story at BlogHer with Yahoo Shine. It wasn't intentional but infertility has helped me reinvent myself. You can watch the interview here. The one thing I have to continue to hold true is that I am living the life I am supposed to be living.

No Flat Belly Here

I posted on my Conceive blog last week that it was time to hit the diet hard. You would think after publicly declaring to thousands of people my intentions, I would actually make some progress.

The first four days of the diet went well and I was strictly following the Jump Start. Then, there was the cooking class I had signed up for two months ago, "Cooking with Cabernet" and then there were the friends over for dinner and then...I just stopped making excuses. Nobody forced me to eat three white chocolate macadamia nut cookies after our hockey game.

Of course, when I stepped on the scale this morning, I was exactly the same weight when I stepped on it last Monday morning. As my friend Nancy would say, "Quel surprise" [It just sounds better in French.]

All I could do today was simply start over and forget about last week's false start. I have walked the dog, went to the gym and ate according to plan. There are no open wine bottles in the house, so I have no excuse but to stick to water tonight.

Why is dieting so hard? When I walked into Starbucks on Saturday, I had every intention of just having a plain cup of coffee, but then they had this new Dark Cherry Chocolate Mocha to try. I do believe that was the moment when my willpower failed me. I wish I hadn't tried it. It was like liquid chocolate covered cherries...now I want another.

I think moderation is hard for me. It is either abstinence or indulgence--nothing in between keeps me on the straight and arrow.

Any tips from successful dieters out there?