This and That...

**UPDATE**

Well, my doctor's appointment went really well this afternoon. I felt so much more knowledgeable going in this time around compared to the first or during the miscarriage. I have been researching all about what could possibly be some "complications" for us and I suspect low progesterone levels, but I'm no doctor. So, I go in today and show Dr. R my charts for the last three months (you don't even want to know all the things I have recorded there) and she agrees that my theory could possibly be right. She has NO problem referring me to a fertility specialist in Lubbock, either, but apparently I don't really even need a referral. Because most fertility appointments or procedures are not covered by insurance (don't even get me started on that nonsense), you can pretty much call a fertility doctor and make an appt yourself. Anyway, I still would have gone in to Dr. R even if I HAD known that ahead of time. She said they could do the tests here, but that they would still do all of them again once I was seen in Lubbock so she preferred to wait for that to save me the time and money...sounds fine to me. Dr. R says they will probably run the full gamut of tests.

She also give me fair warning...she says to me, "I don't want you to freak out if they say this to you, but if they find that your progesterone levels are low, they might want to have you on birth control for three months" (imagine hearing the screeching record here). WAIT...doesn't that sound backwards to you? I WANT to have a baby, so WHY again would I be on birth CONTROL? Well, apparently it helps stabilize your hormone levels before you start with progesterone injections...hum, interesting. As stated above, I'm no doctor and will gleefully comply if it comes to that.

So, she gives me the number of what is supposedly one of the best fertility specialists in this area and/or the state, and I called her office this afternoon. Her name is Dr. Dorsett in Lubbock and I've heard such great things about her...first-hand, too! Once you are in this world of infertility, it is AMAZING to realize how many others live here, as well! Anyway, my appointment is February 12th in Lubbock and I'm really looking forward to turning the corner on this path.

For those of you who haven't noticed, I'm very much an open book when it comes to our struggles with infertility. I find sharing to be not only cathartic for me, but for others, as well. Not much makes me uncomfortable and I don't mind sharing somewhat-personal stories or information about my situation, especially if I know it might connect me with someone else in a similar situation. So, if this makes you uncomfortable, feel free to not peruse my blog until further notice. I'm sure in ensuing months I will be writing about other personal issues as we make our way towards Baby Jenkins.

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-I have not posted pictures yet because I can't find the dang charger for my dang digital camera battery. I have an HP with one of those flat, rectangular batteries, so any ho-hum charger won't work...dang it! As soon as I locate the charger, I will post pics.

-School is school...TAKS is coming...that's all I have to say about that.

-My brother is in Altus, OK (only an hour from us) for the next month in AC school. Don't ask me what it is, I just call it like I hear it. He came and stayed the weekend with us and it was really nice to have him here.



-Have any of you watched the miniseries "Comanche Moon" on television? It premiered last week and we DVR'd it, but I think it is coming on again sometime this week so if you missed it, I highly recommend it. This weekend while Will was here, we watched the whole thing and then i busted out our DVD copy of Lonesome Dove and watched the WHOLE thing yesterday afternoon. We didnt' get in bed until 1:00 this morning...YAWN. Anyway, "Comanche Moon" is the prequel to LD. It is the story of Woodrow McCall and Augustus McCrae when they were younger and still Texas Rangers, before they became cattlemen. It's kind of like watching the new Star Wars Episode movies and THEN watching the trilogy. CM gives you a lot of helpful background information before you watch LD. If you have time for it (yeah right), try to watch them together. They are WORTH it!

-My parents are coming to C-town this weekend and I'm so excited to have them here. It's been a while since they've been here...I think over a year...so, I'm ready for their visit. Of course, we've been to Uvalde, so it hasn't been that long since we've seen them, but it is always fun for me to have company at our house!

-Our heater has pretty much gone kaput. At first it was the thermostat...you turned the heater on and set it for say 75 degrees and it would never turn off. So, the next thing you know, the house is 85 degrees. Now, it just won't heat or kick off unless you leave it off for several hours. Then it runs fine for a few hours and is back it it's ornery ways. FRUSTRATING and it wouldn't matter if I lived in Florida, but I don't. I live in the Panhandle where it is stinkin' cold right now and I have been freezing my tooshie off at night with temps of 63-67 degrees (in the house). Outside it is 20-30 degrees. Hopefully it will be fixed before the Rents and my Bro come back next weekend. Otherwise, my dad will be in heaven and my mom will be...well, the opposite of heaven (in Paducah, right, Jody?).

-We have moved almost all the heifers out to the farm in W. We are still waiting on four of them to calf out and then we will move them out, too. It has been really nice spending time out there with Richard. Things have been kind of lonely in C-town, but when I get out there, I feel like I wouldn't care if I saw another human being, other than Rich, for a good while. I am blessed to have that place and that time.

-In more "exciting" news, I guess...I have an appointment with my OBGYN today after school to start the "next steps" process with our fertility woes. Most reading this probably know we have been trying to get pregnant for a while now and after a miscarriage last March things just still aren't working. So, I decided to be proactive (with God's direction) and go in. I'm hoping Dr. R will go ahead and refer me to the fertility specialist in Lubbock I have heard so many great things about. So, that's where we are with that. We would love prayers for guidance, that our minds' and hearts' desire would be directed towards God's will, and that whatever "fix" we might need, it would be a simple one.

-OH...we're also trying to plan a ski trip to New Mexico for Spring Break...probably a long weekend. We are looking at the Angel Fire, Red River, or Taos areas as they are within 6-7 hours driving from us. I've been looking online at some privately owned homes that sound great, but if any of you know of something worth looking into, please let me know.

Hasta pastas!