Spoiled

I was lucky enough to win the lovely assortment of orange from ElleC.  I will say I'm not often drawn to orange, it's one of those warm colours I like on others but not often myself.  I figured the orange mix of zippers, bias tape and lace would be good for me because I would never reach out and buy it myself.  That doesn't mean it wouldn't match a print or as a contrast to what did catch my eye, or that I shouldn't stretch myself to other colours from time to time.

Mr. Lina is the mail checker in my house, he's the one that is more likely to be ordering from eBay and the like.  He put that envelope on the stairs so the minute I got home from bowling, it would be the first thing I saw.  I started giggling because I *knew* it was my orange winnings, but ElleC, she put a little bonus in there for me.  An additional vintage pattern.  Now if I was smart, I would have taken a picture myself, but you can see it on sale on eBay.  It has lovely optional collar, looks like enough ease and few pieces that grading up from a 32 bust isn't impossible, just a lot of math.  I LOVE it.  Thanks!  (Side note, the eBay seller says it has princess seams... um... no... not so much.  Side bust darts and it needs a belt to cinch in the waist, that's not a princess seam).
As mentioned, work has been busy.  Monday has become the perfect storm where everyone seems to want everything.  We offered to present an ad hoc project that I worked on, my manager would be tagging along and I'd be presenting.  I like presenting, never been to this client before (although a past manager works there now so there may be a familiar face), but... they need this prior to the 8th, so it was booked for the 7th.  Two other ad hoc projects kind of need to be done for Monday too.  It's insane.  Still, I was thinking I could work on it this weekend, wrap stuff up Monday morning... but no, the clinic has also decided they want me on Monday too.  Day 1 arrived, I'll be in tomorrow for my standard Day 3 baseline and Monday will be the endometrial scratch (think pap test with an additional scratch) and intralipid IV.  Roughly two hours of an IV line limiting my movement, they recommend napping through it, relaxing - not working.  Add a little wait time and the other procedure, I'll be there for about 3 hours starting at 7:45am.  So there goes Monday morning.  And after working until my brain felt wrung out Mon-Wed, I really can't care about this client and I feel overwhelmed.  Also, Day 1 is only exciting until the cramps arrive.  This may have something to do with yesterday not being a good work day (even if I was happy).  You know, just writing that out feels good.  I just have to start somewhere, it all has to be done or I'll be standing at the front of a room with nothing to present at 3pm Monday.

Mentally, things are... mixed.  Mr. Lina is sending me lots of pictures and videos of lambies and sometimes goats.  The FET feels a bit surreal.  Like I know that odds are we will trigger me to ovulate on day 14, transfer the embryos on day 19 (May 21) or so, but... I saw a "how to adopt" seminar for May 22nd and my first thought was that it would be good to go to.  Even though:

•  I will not be walking farther than the couch/bathroom/bedroom.  I am physically able to walk after the transfer, there is nothing painful about a transfer, but the clinic doesn't want me going farther than I have to.  I take them quite literally because by that point, 3 days of doing very little are just good for me.  You all better blog a lot on those days, I'll be looking for something to read. 
• I will believe myself to be pregnant that day and absolutely basking in it.  It is my favourite part of this whole process.  There is a multicelled blastocyst in my uterus at that point, it's maybe not attached to my uterus lining, but it's dividing as I sit there.  So in my mind, I'm pregnant until told otherwise. 

It doesn't really seem like the best time to listen to someone talk about adoption.  We aren't going to go, but I'll keep an eye on the schedule for other dates.  It has me firmly believing that I have made the right choice in only educating myself about adoption up until now.  When people ask me about adoption, they ask if the wait for a newborn is so long, why not get on the list now?  The thing is it doesn't really work that way, it's not a matter of taking a number at the deli counter.  Birth moms generally pick where their babies get placed, so there is a lot of work going through the Home Study and PRIDE training and then marketing yourself out on top of that.  I know in my heart, I'm done after this.  Talking about adoption, getting more specific contacts and information, it feels right, but it's still surreal while booking my Day 3 appointment.

Last weekend, I got to see the lambies that Mr. Lina drives past.  They are associated with a garden centre next door and they encourage you to see the animals (two birds, one stone, I bought my perennials and a hanging basket for my Mom for Mother's Day AND I got to pet the donkey).  Donkeys and llamas are often kept with sheep as protectors from coyotes etc, that is my something new for the week.  We did take pictures, I should see if Mr. Lina took them off the good camera yet or not.

Anyhoo, time to start one of the projects, I'll be good once the panic of being overwhelmed eases.  Here is my favourite from the lamb-sheep-goat-donkey-llama video extravaganza that Mr. Lina sent me yesterday.  Two day old kids and a very patient llama.

And this just in... Mr. Lina's movie The Post-Lifers has been accepted into The Other Venice Film Festival in October, his film is even listed on the main page.  Also, there was a very positive review from the London Shock Stock viewing.  I have a very happy husband today.