O-Watch 2007

So I've never been part of the TTC camp who thinks that it is torture actually waiting to O. I prescribe to the hater's of the two week wait after you ovulate group. I hate the waiting afterwards when you create make believe symptoms in your head. I am a master of this. Your head hurts? Pregnant. You feel a little sick after eating a massive lunch at Chevy's? Pregnant. You're a little tired after staying up until 1:00 watching Gilmore Girls reruns? Pregnant. Your right toe feels funny? Pregnant. Should I pee on a stick? Should I wait it out? ARGH!

However, this time around with the Clomid I I find myself counting the seconds until I ovulate. I'm usually a clockwork O on cycle day 15 kind of gal but since it came early last month (CD 11) I have forced myself seduce my husband every night since the Clomid ended (CD 9). Don't get me wrong, not that it isn't enjoyable... it is just different when you feel like everything is riding on these, er, sessions. Since his SA came back clear my doctor said there was no reason to "do it" every other day. I feel like we're on our second honeymoon and let me tell you, it is exhausting!

Here we are on CD 17 on no O yet... I think. Let me tell you why. I decided to double up using my CBEFM AND cheapy Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs) this month. CBEFMs are notorious for not working properly with Clomid, and even though my doctor said it would be fine just to use it I'm just not risking it! OPKs are ridiculous. They look JUST like pregnancy tests, two windows... one window always has a line the other only sometimes has a line. And a line is NOT a line when it comes to OPKs. A line could be nothing or a line could be O. The line has to be a particular shade of pink to indicate that you are actually Oing. So after the second line comes up you have to squint at it and turn it this way and that. Is it dark pink? Kind of dark pink? Half of it is dark pink? Peeonastick.com says that it the dark color must be at least 50% of the line.. is it

"Honey, are these lines exactly the same shade? Would you call that magenta? Fuchsia? Cerise? Would you say the second line is 50% dark? 75% dark?"

This is when he just stares at me like I've suddenly grown two heads.

On my Sunday OPK I got a pretty dark line... but I've had nothing since then. Was it 50% dark.. maybe, kind of... ok no... probably more of a 25% dark, which means WHAT? I don't know where I stand!! I broke down and bought the obscenely expensive digital OPKs, that instead of having the scrutinize the lines it simply gives you a happy face if you are Oing. So much easier... I now know not to be cheap when it comes to baby making!

So far... still no O, even with the happy face OPKs. I've either O'ed or I'm going to O later than usual. So now it is just a waiting game and I TOTALLY understand where the two-week-wait-until-O girls stand. Although I'm sure the 2ww after I O will be torture as well. Will it never end!!? Here's hoping!

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One is roots; the other, wings."

-Hodding Carter