T-minus 36 hours.

After the world's longest follicle-stimulation cycle*, at 7:30 Sunday I took the shot that will induce ovulation. The ovulation, and the retrieval of the eggs, happens Tuesday morning.

I don't remember my 2004 retrieval, probably due to the anesthesia. This is what I thought about it at the time. This time we have the added complication of an existing child, and getting to the doctor by 7 AM means doing something more loving with Ada than stashing her in our trunk with some cheese crackers and a Madeline book. Luckily we also have the world's nicest child care provider, who agreed to show up at 6:25 AM on a day she doesn't normally work for us, get Ada fed and dressed and over to Monkey Boy's house so they can both be cared by a different care provider. Juni's response to my request was essentially, "No problem, I am happy to do my part to help you have another child, so I can love it up." Did I mention what an amazement she is? I really don't know what we'll do this fall, when she'll be done with school and ready to move on to full time employment.

We also have the added complication of a lovely but intense friend coming to town tomorrow for his father's cancer work-up. I am sure he'll understand that I need to work around certain unavoidable appointments, as well as around work, family, sleep, etc.

The timing is actually pretty good as such things go. I don't usually work on Tuesdays and Fridays, and those are also days Ellen is around to help me out. Tuesday should be fine - Ada will be with Monkey Boy and a child care person in the morning and Ellen will feed and make sure Ada gets a nap. The trick is going to be Friday. I need to get over the guilt feeling associated with letting someone else take care of my child for most of the day. I am supposed to lay low post-embryo transfer. After the transfer a few months ago, I felt fidgety and could not really stand the idea of lazing about. A day off (especially one with no child) left me dying to clean up, start a load of wash, and generally engage in activities not conducive to quiet relaxation. This time I am feeling a little more superstitious about following the doctors' orders. I'll work on that this week, and just in case I will do laundry on Thursday.

As long as I am thinking about this, here is a shot of why Ada loves my fertility doc's offices:


Plus, the view includes several bridges and this ship-building dock, complete with huge blue crane:

(Not pictured, the "tram hut" at the bottom of the OHSU tram. She loves all things tram.)



*For those of you who know or care about such things, usually the stimulation is 8 to 12 days, 14 at the outside. Since my ovaries didn't cooperate until day 7, the docs pretended that was my day 4, and went from there. I have been on the meds for 16 days, and it is just in the last two days that my ovaries have started to feel incredibly huge and heavy. I feel like I'm carrying two bowling balls in there, instead of ovaries. Ok, maybe not full-sized ones, but at least the duckpin kind.