How I spent my Saturday...

It's doppelganger week on facebook and I think I had way to much fun with it.

TMI

I try not to get super personal on my blog. My blog isn’t private so I try to be kind of careful, but recently I have been experiencing something other women could benefit from so I want to share something very personal.
Since July Sam and I have been trying to get pregnant. I naively thought, if we started trying in July, we’d be pregnant in August. August came, and I was extremely surprised I wasn’t pregnant. And, as August turned into September and then October I began to get concerned. I have always been “regular”. I never had any pain or anything that would cause me to suspect there would be any issues. I would check internet sites that would profess that each month a woman has a 20% chance of getting pregnant. I would hear all of my friends who didn’t get pregnant until trying for a year, so it seemed like I had to keep trying and hoping until my 12 months were up even though inside I felt like something must be wrong. On paper, I should have been pregnant right away (even my doctor says so). Luckily I have an older sister who cares a lot about me and sent me several books on the subject, one specifically (Dr. Marrs Fertility Book) that goes through EVERYTHING related to fertility. Before reading the book I felt a lot of pressure to “try” for an entire year before getting checked out by a physician. My primary care doctor told me to wait and my friends told me to wait but being impatient I couldn’t put it off any longer. If there was something wrong, I was anxious to know what it was. My thought, if there is something wrong, knowing now vs. 6 months from now is a better option. And after the first few pages of Dr. Marrs’ book, I called and made an appointment with my doctor. I then read as much of the book as I could to prep for the meeting. At the appointment I told my OB I wasn’t getting pregnant. He prescribed me all kinds of medication I didn’t think I’d need without asking me anything about my cycle, my history, my family history. Luckily, I’d read Dr. Marrs’ Fertility Book and knew what information the doctor needed to know to help my specific situation. I told him what I thought needed to be looked at, and he agreed to run the test I’d requested. I received a phone call 4 days later confirming my suspicion that something is in fact wrong, and there is in fact a way to treat it, which is where we are at today. I know what is wrong! It is the best feeling in the world. I am not sure how long it will be before the issue is corrected but knowing the issue is such a huge relief. I actually cried when the nurse told me, I cried because I was happy! Happy I knew. Knowing is the best feeling in the world. Honestly, unexplained infertility was my biggest fear. Now that I know what the problem is we can work on correcting it. Really what I want to accomplish by writing this post is to tell women reading this who may be in a similar situation that your fertility is up to you. You need to do your research! Let me qualify that by saying you need to read books by credible doctors. The internet is an easy place to look, but you never know where the information is coming from. Do not rely on advice from friends and family members; learn what will work for you. Loved ones have the best of intentions with their advice (and they do have LOTS of advice), but each woman is so
different that really what works for someone else, will not necessarily work for you. My problem is not yet solved but I am so happy I went to my doctor and had the right information. You have to be your own advocate. Doctors are busy; they have a lot of patients and usually have a very busy schedule (especially OBs who are delivering babies at any minute of the day). It is up to you to find out as much as you can.

Side note, if your friend/family member tells you they are having trouble getting pregnant, under NO circumstance should you take that opportunity to tell them how easy it was for you, or how fertile you are, or how all your husband has to do is look at you and you are impregnated. It is very inappropriate and makes women feel awful. If you are reading this and you can’t believe that anyone would say something so insensitive you should know almost every single woman I talked to who didn’t have issues getting pregnant said this to me. I have no idea why this would seem like the right thing to say but apparently a lot of women think it’s acceptable. It isn’t.

Food Blog

Have I told you about the food blog? cookieandfoodie.blogspot.com.
You should check it out. My sister's and I post all of our favorite recipes. It's a great place to check if you have no idea what too make for dinner. Most of the recipes are family favorites and when done well, will impress even the toughest food critic!

New phenomenon

People call me Ashley.

My name is Heather Ashby.

When people call me Ashley I know they don’t listen well and do not pay attention to detail.

Since Ashby is a relatively new last name, this is a new phenomenon in my world.

It happens most frequently at work, which is odd because people see my name typed at work, and they have to type in my first name to email me. You cannot email someone by typing in a last name…

This is a mystery to me.

So for your reference PetSmart people, my name is Heather!

Lost but not forgotten

About every six months I lose my debit card… This has happened since I was 15 and got my very first one. Not to shock you but, I have lost it again. Usually I find it weeks later in my car, back pocket of a pair of Levis, my desk drawer, the night table, under the bathroom rug, behind the dresser, etc… No such luck this time. I did what my mom taught me, I retraced my steps. I know exactly when the last time was that I used it (at Target). I know exactly which pair of Levis I wore. I was not wearing a coat. I remember which car I drove (which I have cleaned thoroughly and it was nowhere in sight). My precious card has now been missing for exactly 3 weeks and I am losing hope that it will ever reappear. I should really cancel it and order a new one but I know the old one has to be somewhere.
Luckily, I have another checking account and a debit card that draws from it. I can freely transfer from one checking account to another with online banking, so I could use the other one until the original card resurfaces… Just one problem, I can’t remember the pin to the second account’s debit card. In short, I think I must have the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s; not really but honestly, what’s the matter with me? Poor Sam, it drives him nuts. I like to remind him that it has been a long time since I lost my wallet or my purse, I probably just jinxed myself.

2009... What a year

While it's still fresh in my mind I wanted to recap all of the many changes 2009 brought to Sam and I:
-Moved to Burlingame. I can't honestly call Burlingame my hometown because I didn't go to high school there, and my parents have never lived there. But Burlingame definitely feels like home. The weather is perfect, there are a million gorgeous trees, the people are so great, and it's so close to those I love.
-Sam got his first post-college job working for Stanford in the Cancer Research Facility.
-I was busy busy working for Levi Strauss, anxiously collecting all of the denim I could get my greedy hands on.
-I started Piano lessons.
-We celebrated our first wedding anniversary<3.
-Our first niece, Gracie Josephine Nielsen, was born, which I realize is more Ambyr than me but I am counting it.
-Sam was accepted to Medical School!!!
-Sam read Atlas Shrugged which would help to shape his political view more than one could imagine (I however am still working on it, it's a long book).
-We received not 1 but 2 free cars from Sam's very generous sisters.
-I received a job offer from PetSmart Head Quarters working in Distribution which would quickly become my favorite job.
-Went to San Diego for a belated honeymoon<3.
-Attended Michael Jackson's Memorial.
-Moved to Arizona, and bless Sam's heart he unpacked the moving truck with his friend Steve in 115' heat, July was a long month...
-Took a trip to Utah to visit Sam's parents and had such a fun trip.
-Went to Southern California for Christmas with the whole family (my side) and had the time of our lives.

Holiday Photo Favorites