brb...

I'm alive and hanging in there, just waiting to blog about another series when I have the time to prepare. It will be worth the wait though!

To give you all a quick update, we were pretty disappointed that this month did not result in us getting pregnant. It seems that each month gets harder and harder to bear, but we are pressing on, together, and continuing to trust that God has a plan for us to become parents, we just don't know how or when. Your continued prayers for us to have strength and patience to endure this chapter of waiting is much appreciated. He is always and only perfectly good.

Because this month was not successful, we have begun using the drug called Clomid. Clomid is taken on cycle days 5-9 for me and I will get a vaginal ultrasound on cycle day 12 to help us time intercourse. In addition to this, I will again test my LH levels to help us time intercourse. It's all about the timing! But we rest assured that God knows and sees all, and that if this cycle is meant to be "the one" then He will take care of the timing for us.

Clomid so far has not caused me to have any negative side effects, for which I'm very thankful. Common side effects include dizziness, blurred vision, hot flashes, and mood swings. Michael may argue that I've had mood swings, but I think things have been the same for me. :)

I also stopped taking Fertile CM (a vitamin supplement I was taking to help produce fertile quality cervical mucus) because, well, I'm cheap. And the ingredients were mostly vitamin C. I just cannot pay $20/month for vitamin C. I noticed a slight improvement the first couple cycles, but not enough to justify the cost. Instead, I've begun taking Evening Primrose oil, which is supposed to have the same benefit. The only catch is that it can be dangerous to take if pregnant, so I make sure to stop taking it after I ovulate, and instead take Flaxseed oil during the two week wait.

In other news, we have made a radical change to our diet. This probably warrants its own blog post, but I'll give you the highlights now. It's based on the documentary "Forks Over Knives" and they have a website with more information about it if you're interested. It's a whole foods, plant-based diet, which means that we are no longer eating any animal-based products (meat, dairy, including cheese, butter, etc.) or products that are highly processed. We also try to avoid any kind of oil, including olive oil. Contrary to popular belief, olive oil is not "healthy" - it's still pure fat, just a plant-based fat. So this diet recommends avoiding all oils, avocados, and eating nuts sparingly so that the overall diet is mostly nutrient vegetables, fruit, and grains that are low in fat and sugar.

For those that know us well, would you ever have guessed that Michael would voluntarily give up eating meat? I surely never did. But after we watched the documentary and did some follow-up research of our own, it's pretty compelling and we were both motivated to try it. The diet is said to help prevent and even reverse chronic health conditions like heart disease, cancer, and many more. Since we both recently had our blood tested, we thought trying it for one whole month and then testing our blood again would show if there were any improvements made. Michael for instance has high cholesterol, even as a skinny 26-year-old. Make no mistake, it's not easy to eat this way, but we are committed to trying it for at least one month.

And so far (about one week into this diet), it's really incredible how different we feel. We wake up with more energy and stay alert and mentally sharp all day. Previously, at the end of my work day, I would literally be brain-dead. It would exhaust me just to carry on a conversation with Michael. But now I'm able to focus better all day, and still have energy at the end of the day. And because vegetables are so good for you, you can eat literally as much as you want, so you don't have to stress about portion control and counting calories. Simply eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full.

Stay tuned for a 5-part series coming soon!