Pride Weekend Cont'd

Pride Weekend Cont'd

Once again, Lisa and I hit the Saturday March with Pride. We were the Pride brides for Emmanuel Howard Park United Church (where we got married). It was a much bigger crowd this year and things are really starting to get co-opted by the big corporations. You know the pendulum has shifted when mortgage brokers and Roto-Rooter Plumbing are all vying for your undivided attention (and money).
*Cheri Di Novo
Unfortunately, the same can be said about Pride
in general. Lisa and I tried to get into the biggest lesbian dance party of the year -- but like all things Pride, it didn't quite work out. We've decided that the weekend is all about standing in line to get in to places. Once you're inside, you stand in line to buy food, drinks, and then stand in line to get into the bathroom. Once the party is done, you stand in line to catch a cab. We had a lousy expereince trying to get into a party -- called "Savour". Just trying to get in to the place sucked all the "pride" out of us. It was big, corporate, and ugly. We knew it would be bad when security kept coming by every couple of minutes to with a new list of rules for the dance. Alas, we didn't get in or stick around. And boy were we mad...but at midnight that night, sitting in bed reading...we both decided we were a little tired anyway. Now, isn't that just the way things go.
*Twinvestdykes

Sunday was a low-key day for us. We didn't go to the parade this year because it was expected to be outrageously busy. But we had a Pride BBQ instead. Burgers, beer, and a belly-ache the next day and voila...Pride was over. We're off in a couple of days to Ottawa to see the family and enjoy Canada Day.

Pride 2006

Pride Run 2006

Pride started off with a small bang for Lisa and I. We were full of Pride when we hit the sack Friday night at about 10:00pm. But, the next morning we were up and energized for the 11th annual Pride and Remembrance Run. Mariko and Charissa picked us up just before 9:00 so that I could strategize...what would be the best way to beat Barbara Hall(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hall)this year? We watched her and her running posse -- but they didn't to seem to have a special warm up plan. There she is, just milling about, completely relaxed.
We decided our best strategy would be to start off slowly and then work our way up. And it seemed to
work. We came in 576th out of close to 800 individual runners -- with a time of 32 minutes for five kilometres...a new personal best for us!


*Feeling good after 5km




We realized crossing the finish line that beating a 61 year old former politician isn't really what Pride's all about (we did beat her -- by a whopping 6 minutes). So with Lisa's help, we burried the hachet. And maybe next year we'll even all run together.

* Barbara Hall and I. Running with Pride 2006

Thanks to everyone who contributed. I raised over $300 for a really great cause and had a super time. So thanks again.

Sporting Life 2

Sporting Life 2

*Carb loading
Only two days before the Pride Run and I'm feeling pretty good. It's a really busy weekend here -- we've got the run, a bbq, and then a Pride party on Saturday night. It's the so called high holidays for queers, and we're getting out the flags and sensible shoes(we're not the body glitter types).


I'd also like to thank everyone for their warm wishes. It's much appreciated. Lisa is feeling great, we went for a swim today and just carried on as usual. It's a little weird knowing that in two weeks your whole world could suddenly change -- or not. On average, a healthy woman usually needs 4 tries with a frozen specimen before she becomes pregnant. So we'll just have to see. In the meantime, we've got Pride celebrations, Canada Day festivities planned in Ottawa with my mom and siblings.
*my mom

When we get back from our trip -- we'll have new hardwood floors. We're finally installing them after a year of living here. I am so excited, that sometimes I just carry a sample of the floor around with me to gaze at. Ah...it's so clean and shiny. Otherwise, we probably won't be updating the site for a couple of days or so -- so stay tuned for photos of the run (me beating Barbara Hall), my finish time, the parade (Lisa and I will be in it again this year for Rev. Cheri) and all sorts of fun things.

*Lisa's last glass of wine

Insemination Translations

Insemination Translations:

So it would appear that Lisa and I are learning this whole process along with the rest of you. Lisa, being the studious and cautious one in this relationship, looked up what drug she's being asked to take.

Progesterone.

"its used following the procedure and continues until 16 weeks of pregnancy. The reason for this is the possiblilty that the ovaries will not produce enough progesterone to support implantation and subsequent pregnancy. This is called Luteal Phase Defect and is one of the most common causes of IVF failure and recurrent miscarriage. Progesterone is a naturally occurring substance that is usually produced by the corpus luteum in the ovaries. Normally, the ovaries produce enough progesterone to maintain a pregnancy until the placenta can takeover the job. In some women, the corpus luteum does not provide adequate progesterone which results in the failure of the embryo(s) to implant
and/or miscarriage". So there you have it.

I'm off for a run (my big race is only a few days away -- and there's a great site Mariko told me about called http://www.mapmyrun.com). Lisa's been laying low this week, but plans to head back to the gym on Friday. But her days of daredevil feats will have to be put on hold. Here she is snowboarding for the first time. No more of that -- well at least for two weeks or until we know whether or not we have an embryo ....

*Black Diamond Betty

Insemination Summation

Insemination Summation

Well, here we are. Day 2 of insemination. No surprises today. Lisa and I felt like 'ol pros going into the baby factory today. Despite the long wait, and having to settle the bill, it was a really positive day. Lisa and I both felt a lot less nervous this time around. We even took a little time to have chocolate pastry and a glass of milk. Once again Lisa had to undergo an ultra-sound, but no blood work today. The specimen was thawed in about an hour and a half, so we read up on all the latest celebrity gossip. It would seem that American Idol winner, Taylor Hicks is looking for a "down to earth" girl, who doesn't wear a lot of make-up. Fascinating stuff, huh?


*looking good

We'll go back in two weeks and take a pregnacy test. They call you a few hours later with the results. In the meantime Lisa has to take a medication called progest-something-or-other. All I know is the damned things cost 8 bucks a shot, twice a day for two weeks. Figure out the math. But its all a small price to pay isn't it?...well, actually, it's probably a medium price to pay -- but who's counting. Luckily we have a busy week with Pride -- so we'll be completely distracted for the next 5 days...and then we're off to Ottawa for a family gathering and Canada Day festivities. If things don't work out the first time -- and the stats are working against us -- we'll repeat the process all over again next month.








*feeling good

Sporting Life

Pride Run 2006

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank my generous donors...its not to late for those of you who've been thinking..."man I should send Vicki some money for her run". http://www.eventsonline.ca/events/pride_pledge/
Lisa's been helping me get ready for the race, with carb-loading, and stylish work-out wear. Mariko and I have been hitting the boardwalk along the Lakeshore. Last week I ran a good 15 k. Watch out Barbara Hall (former mayor of Toronto who lapped me last year in her sporty running unitard), I'm ready to swoop right by you.

*Look at my big muscles...

Insemination Narration

Insemination Narration


Well today we had our first round of insemination. It was a really bizarre process. We had to be there for 7:00 am. When you first arrive , you have to sign up for an ultrasound, blood-work and semen thawing. There was a little confusion when I brought the paper-work for a donor-semen sperm wash. The lab guys kept asking me where my container was and where my husbnand was. Here's a snippet of what happened. Feel free to act out it out at home with a friend or loved one:

Me: I think I'm supposed to drop these papers off here.
Lab Guy: Where's your container?
Me: I don't have one.
LG: Why don't you have one. Where's your husband?
Me: I don't have one of those either. I have donor sperm.
LG: Donor sperm?
Me: Yes. Donor Sperm. Frozen.
LG: You have the wrong form.
Me: I do? What form should I have?
LG: Not blue.
Me: Oh? Should I go back.
LG: No. We'll find your sperm.
Me: Good.
They did managed to locate the "specimen" - but the real shocker was that we didn't get our first pick. Or our second. We got the third pick. That's right -- the safety-sperm. Kind of like your safety-school when you're applying to University. This guy was our Bishop's. So we got the third stringer. But we're actually pretty happy with the choice...neither of us thought we'd get the 6'4" strawberry blond. The good news is that Mr. giant, athletic, blond guy also has really potent sperm -- with a 10 million count after washing. Pretty good we've been assured. Pretty good.
The actual insemination took only about 5 minutes -- in fact there's this little window in the insemination room that opens right up to the lab so you can get the sperm directly. It's a lot like a little sperm take-out window. I even got to "plunge" the last few ccs...therby cementing my huge role in this whole process. So we head back tomorrow to repeat the process. This time I'll use the white form -- not the blue form. Keep your fingers crossed.

Insemination Fixation

Insemination Daze

We thought we'd put this up so everyone who's been asking about how our family planning is coming along - can keep up to date.



Lisa and I are nearing an actual insemination date. It's been a long process, and its hard to believe we're actually getting close to real date. We started this whole thing last December when we decided to sign up for a class called "Dykes Planning Tykes". After a fair bit of research, we decided to go with a fertility clinic downtown. Initially we weren't that happy with it. We sort of felt like no one was telling us what to expect, how long things might take, and how much we could expect to be paying in the end. Lisa also really felt like she was being treated like a patient -- as though there might be something terribly wrong with her. Of course, we know that the only medical impediment to our pregnancy is -- well -- to put it bluntly is a lack of sperm. And frankly, if either of us were producing sperm -- that would be a far more serious medical problem! So stay tuned until Sunday -- that's when we find out exactly when Lisa and I go in for the big day. Next step - Hombre the embryo!