Woo-WHO

I'm a horrible blogger! Does anyone even still read this blog? I wouldn't be surprised if the few friends and family I had following along have now completely abandoned it due to my absence.

As a sign of good faith that I will no longer neglect BeingVonD, I would like to share some good news with you (and no, I'm not pregnant. Would I do that to you?):

Not that I'm all that impressed by or interested in the World Health Organization, but they recently did something that could eventually (hopefully) be very important in the infertile world - they defined infertility as a disease.

My favorite quote from this press release, which pretty much sums up why this news is so important to people dealing with infertility: "For too long those suffering from infertility have had their condition slighted or even ignored. Insurance companies don't pay to treat it, governments don't put adequate resources to study it and consequently patients suffer. We hope that this international recognition that infertility is, in fact, a disease will allow it to be treated like other diseases." - Dr. William Gibbons, President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Honestly I'm amazed that it took this long to classify infertility as a disease, when OF COURSE there are physical problems that can prevent women from getting pregnant (and men from impregnating women). Endometriosis, PCOS, hormonal imbalances, blocked fallopian tubes, varicocele... Contrary to popular opinion, it has nothing to do with relaxing.

Now we just need more insurance companies, and the employers who provide insurance benefits to their employees, to see the light too. I can't tell you how incredibly frustrating it is to have something wrong with you but not be able to have it treated because it's deemed "elective," not medically necessary. (But the same insurance company will pay for an abortion if one had the opposite "problem." How is that not elective?) And I'm not talking about treatments that are remotely controversial, or even very expensive. Many of the problems that cause infertility can be treated surgically or with medication. But most insurance companies refuse to cover anything related to infertility. Hopefully that will begin to change soon.

Anyway, kudos to the WHO for doing something positive and relevant to my life! It may never benefit me personally, but endometriosis is hereditary and I may have a daughter one day.

Feeling Accomplished

(APO L&T)

Well we had a very productive weekend! It's awesome to start off the new year finishing up a bunch of projects that we've been meaning to do for oh... a year and a halfish... So here's our weekend in photos:

First off, we finally got a new curtain rod and sheers, and re-hung our new curtains for our front window! It's amazing how much more finished the window looks. Plus now we can get some sunlight in during the day and still retain a little privacy. (Oh yeah, we also cleaned this window inside and out, but you obviously can't tell in this pic.)

Wow that is one bright photo! This is our kitchen, and I made these cafe curtains today. This was one of our "fishbowl" rooms, as the window on the right faces directly into one of our neighbor's windows. The walls are such a stark white that I wanted to break it up with some dark, bold curtains. There are two panels for each window so they can open up down the middle. I think they turned out pretty nice!

Here's a close-up of the fabric.

Our blinds for our bedroom and office arrived on Thursday (they match the ones in the living room), so Aaron put all four sets up today as well. I'll have to take off some of those extra slats to give them a more "custom" look, but aren't they nice? JCPenney ROCKS. We got these for 50% off!

And finally, I made this little drawstring bag for my Wii Fit Balance Board. Aaron had told me they sell covers for like $20, but I figured I could whip something up myself for a lot cheaper than that, and I did! I just bought a yard of flannel (way more than I actually needed) and knocked this sucker out in about 30 minutes.

Ahh... I feel so accomplished now! The inside of our house feels so much more complete with all the window treatments finished, and I'm sure our neighbors appreciate it too. :)

'Tis the Season

Well, Thanksgiving is over and it seems like everyone is diving headfirst into Christmas! Personally, I like a little buffer time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ya know, to let the turkey settle, finish off the leftovers, then maybe starve myself for a few days to get my weight back to normal...

I guess it never occurred to me how many people I know put up their Christmas trees and lights the day after Thanksgiving. Who knew?? I don't think I've ever in my life had a Christmas tree in the house before December, much less the day after Thanksgiving. Aaron and I both work on Black Friday every year so we never get our decorations up until well after December 1st. This year I feel like we're behind already! But I refuse to give in to peer pressure - the tree's not going up until we feel like it!

Now to figure out when I'll feel like it... I am going to admit something very shameful, try not to judge me too harshly now - for the past couple years I haven't really been looking forward to Christmas. I know!! What is wrong with me?? Sigh, I'm not a grinch or anything (no termites in my smile!), I just can't get into it. I think one reason for that is I feel like it's SUCH a busy time of year. There's something going on every weekend in December and it's stressful having to shop for everyone on the list. Especially when money is tight, as it tends to be for us at the end of the year. Another reason is that holidays are just hard in general when you're "child-free-not-by-choice." This will be Christmas number 3 for us hoping to be expecting, but not. Sometimes it's hard not to think about all the things we're missing out on by not having children.

So how do I fix my funk? Maybe Aaron and I need to start some traditions of our own. Something that will help me feel like the holiday is special and meaningful to us as a family, not just us as members of our extended family, and not as a reminder of what we 'should' have by now.

Yes, I think this will be a great year to start some traditions. And I'm taking suggestions as to what those traditions could be!

Thankful Day 3

Day three of being thankful already?? Okay then.

Today I'm thankful for doctors.

That's right!

I feel blessed that I really like all of my doctors. I haven't always, I definitely had to visit a lot of offices before I found the good ones, but it was worth it. The doctors I see now (and yes, I do visit some of them quite often!) are genuinely interested in helping me when I need it. And what a hard lesson to learn that not all doctors are that way.

If you're a fan of your doctor, don't forget to send them a card this holiday season and let them know they're appreciated.

Thankful Day 2

Today I'm thankful for... kittens and puppies!!!!

Well, okay not exactly. I'm thankful for PETS! I grew up always having dogs and I loved it. Now Aaron and I have our cat, Atticus, who is such a great addition to our lives. We picked him out together when we were dating, and although Aaron wasn't so sure he'd like living with a cat when we moved in together, he's pretty much head over heels now.

Not to get overly dramatic or anything, but I'm a firm believer that pets are members of the family, not just animals. They enrich our lives in so many ways, and I think they teach us as much as we teach them. I can't imagine our house without Atticus. :)

I might even give him a little piece of turkey on Thursday!