It's in the mail!

I filled out the grant application this weekend.  I also had to write a one page paper on our fertility story.  I hope we actually have a chance for being chosen.  Especially since Shawn already has two daughters and we were in the study and didnt have to pay for the IUIs.  The grant application said they preferred childless couples and we are childless as a couple.  I guess it's a waiting game now.  I wonder when they will choose the recipient(s).

Insurance and Grants/Scholarships

Today I was told of some girls who had the same insurance company as me who had one IVF cycle covered up to $10,000.  At lunch I decided to do some investigating only to find out no infertility treatments are covered on our plan.  I also call the the prescription people but I had to have medication names and dosages to find out if they would be covered. 

My work also has adoption assistance (which I completely forgot about) up to $10,000 but nothing for infertility assisstance.  I hate how infertility treatments are rarely covered.  It's a real medical issue and not everyone can afford it!  I know there are some people out there trying to get some legislation to get all that changed.  I'm sure there are many couples out there who are forced into Child-Free Living because they can't afford any infertility treatments because it's not covered by their insurance.  That completely sucks and is not right!

I also decided to check out the Resolve website (www.resolve.org) again and check out the Grants/Scholarships section.  I found one grant/scholarship that is currently accepting applications that I would be willing to apply to.  The others either had no info for the 2012 program or needed a letter from the doctor (I am outgoing enough of a person to ask for this letter).  I think I will work on filling out this application over the weekend and get it sent in ASAP.  You never know...we may get it but I'm a glass half empty girl now when it comes to our fertility stuff, so I doubt it.

Week one of overtime

I hope week one is not what my overtime will be like.  Tuesday morning (my OT day), just a little after 5am I got the dreaded call.  I was being cancelled.  How am I supposed to make any money if I can't work?  Shawn has mentioned selling my "arts and crafts things", i.e. hair accessories and wreaths.  I could do that but I wouldn't make very much from these items, maybe $10-15 per wreath and only a few dollars on each hair accessory.  That won't even pay for the time I spent making the thing!  For now it will be my own hobby so I can have pretty things in my house that didn't cost an arm or leg or baby to buy.

The next day my director stopped me in the hall and mentioned she saw that I had signed up for more OT on the next schedule.  I took that time to mention that it would be nice to not get cancelled because technically I can work eight hours before I'm OT but show up as OT on the schedule because I signed up for a 12 hour shift.  She and the manager were going to see what they could do about that.

Tomorrow is another OT day, so let's hope I don't get a call at 5am.  I'm doing laundry and cleaning today in hopes that I will not be home tomorrow! 

I also wouldn't mind getting called in on Thursday on my OC day because it would be awesome to OC pay + OT pay all in one day!  The only down side to that is that would be my fourth day in a row!  Eek!

There's absolutely nothing going on in the world of baby.  I found out many people at work are including me in their prayers and I am beyond grateful for that!  One even told me she thinks I will end up getting pregnant naturally, which is what I would love to happen!  The whole IVF process is still a little scary to me, and I dont want to waste any money on IUIs because the first four didnt take and the success rates only decrease with the more IUIs you have.

Happy New Year!

I am hoping for big things to come this year!  We now know what we need to do to get pregnant, so we're going to start saving for IVF.  Next week starts my first week of 44 hours!  And hopefully by the end of the year we'll be pregnant!

Shawn should be finishing school this summer.  Then he'll need to look for a job.  We found out he needs to find a police job within six months to keep his CLEET certification.  Eek!!

We still want to move but it looks like it will be put off again for a while longer.  We already have so many big things happening this year!  But we will be getting one step closer with putting new carpet in this house.  We should be getting it this month, then we just need to find someone to install it.

Just call me crazy

Our next schedule at work was finalized today.  I have decided to sign up an extra 12 hour shift a week at work.  I will put the majority of the extra money towards saving for IVF.  I have one more thing I want payed off so a little will go towards that too.  I'm hoping I will be able to work this extra day without a problem.  I normally work 32 hours/week and this will put me at 44 hours/week, so it's nothing crazy.  I have scheduled three days in a row every week and I usually dont like doing that!  I hope this goes well because this is my plan from now on.  I'm sure we'll have to take out a loan but I would like to make it as small as possible!

Along with the extra money I will be getting "points" for overtime shifts that can go towards different things in an online "shop".  I've never logged on to it, so I need to check it out sometime.  I need to find something to work towards...other than a baby. 

Late

So far I'm two days late.  I was supposed to start on Tuesday and I haven't even started spotting yet.  This is really odd because I usually start spotting a day or so early.  I don't have my hopes up because the B6 is supposed to make my cycle longer, so I guess it's finally doing it's job.  Last cycle I spotted for a week before AF and this cycle I am late.  I'll try to wait patiently for AF to show up but I don't know how much more of this teasing I can take!

It's the most depressing time of the year....

Don't get me wrong but I do LOVE the holiday season but it's a very depressing time of year for anyone who has been trying to get pregnant but have not had any success.  I think this year will be the worse year because of our unsuccessful treatments. 

This past summer I was so excited to get started and be pregnant by Thanksgiving.  I had even imagined telling my extended family at Thanksgiving since I had the day off and would be at Thanksgiving dinner at my grandparents.  I was even hopeful that last month was THE month but it wasnt.  Any time I start to think of it I start to tear up, it's just so hard not to.

I have also had our ornament for this year picked out.  I found it while looking at ornaments last year.  One day I just hope I will be able to purchase that ornament.  I was looking at ornaments Sunday night and decided I dont want to do a personalized ornament this year.  I have gotten a new personalized ornament every year since we have gotten married.  I think I will just go to Hobby Lobby and find an ornament I can personalize myself.  It wont be the same but oh well.  I'm not in the mood this year.

Shawn got his call from the urologist and the appointment is set for the end of January.  I'm so glad it's so far out because that will give us time to cancel it.  I know I had been so gung-ho about seeing a different urologist but they want charge us $390 for the initial appointment.  And then the following appointments are $290 a pop!  Insurance will reimburse us if it's covered but still we're wanting to save some money for IVF.  I have decided I dont want to pay almost $400 for someone to tell us there is nothing we can do to help Shawn's sperm.  I just need to remind Shawn to cancel it when the time comes.

I think once we get through Christmas we'll be able to start stashing money away for IVF.  I think the best plan will be to open a new savings account where we wont have easy access to the money.  I'm not sure how much I will get saved but some is better than none!