Two days after Thanksgiving (this year), my son and I helped my parents decorate their house for Christmas. In doing so, I got out the creche scene (lots of figures - Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men, animals, and the barn) that has been in our family for over thirty years. It has been a long time since I was the one to take it out of the packaging. My parents still keep it the rest of the year in the same box my grandparents mailed it in the Christmas when I was four. When I was little, I was fascinated with this set up. I put a lot of thought of into it each year - where each figure should be. This year, I let my 3 and three quarters year old help me, and somewhere he found an angel figure (doesn't belong with the set) - and suddenly it was just baby Jesus and the angel in the barn. No one else. I don't consider myself particularly religious, so that's not why I felt like crying. It reminded me more of my older son, the one who was newborn and alive six years ago now (even though Christmas he was on ECMO, and things were looking iffy.) Six years ago my older son was alive. By the Christmas five years ago, he was was not. So, I guess what I am trying to say, is that sometimes, it IS hard to try to create memories for my living son . . . but we've also put up our own tree, we've made cookies, and we've visited Santa (even though most of my own memories of sitting on Santa's lap include sheer terror). He's helped me wrap gifts for other people, and is valiantly trying not to share secrets! I loved wrapping gifts with wrapping paper since I was little (my mom let me wrap anything that wasn't for me for years. It was so SO much fun!) So yes, I am trying to create great memories for my son.

Back to normal?

So, I had my first period exactly 30 days after my actual miscarriage, despite the slowly decreasing hcg levels, which was pretty darn normal. 

And then this last cycle was textbook "normal".  28 days long, with ovulation around around CD 14.

I'd still like to be pregnant again.

Finally . . . sigh.

My doctor called Tuesday, and then my phone died completely. I had that phone for over four years. It was the one I got mere days before I found out I pregnant with N in July 2009.

I got a new phone last night night.  (It is not "smart" as we don't want to pay for data and want to keep the same plan we've had for years. It is just a slightly improved version of the phone I had.  And it is navy - the only color available - so not a fun color.  My old one was orange!)  I listened to my messages.  I wish I had heard my phone ring as it was my OB calling.

After almost two months, my HCG levels were "negative"/"normal."  The doctor said this, and this said, "so, yay?!" He then said he hoped I was okay.

That was really nice, actually.  I have been going in there faithfully for testing, even though we'll owe a lot of money.  We have excellent insurance, but each one of the blood draws requires a co-pay for the lab, and a co-pay for the test itself.  It adds up to a lot of money overall.

The thing is, with miscarriage, you don't want any of the "material" left in there.  If the HCG doesn't come down to "normal" (which is <5), then one has to do something else to expel all of the material.  It took a long time (let's see, I found out two months ago now that I was pregnant, started spotting a bit four days later, actually miscarried on Sept 15, and so on.)  I was surprised.  My body maybe didn't want to let it go.
 
The hcg went from 589 to 291 to 118 to 89 to 21 and finally to 0-5(normal) over the course of seven weeks!   It took a long time to come all the way down.  At 89, my breasts still acted like they were pregnant.  At the higher amounts I still felt woozy and nauseous.  (This was completely unlike my previous miscarriage in late 2008.) 

It is kind of relief now that it is totally over.  I still wonder why it happened, why I am not still pregnant, starting my second trimester and everything, but it is not as intense as it was at first. ( Here is my list of possible reasons: http://samyarsheart.blogspot.com/2013/09/26-reasons-i-just-had-miscarriage.html)

However, I know of people due in April, May (yes, May, when I should have been due) and June.  It might be a difficult time for me next spring.

Capture Your Grief Project - Day 15 - Wave of Light

Capture Your Grief - Day 8 - Color

Day 8: Color
I don't know what color it is exactly - the color that reminds me of Sam the most is the yellowy-brown color on his little Bambi (the deer) doll.

Capture Your Grief - Day 7 - You Now

Me, Now:

Today, I appreciated every moment with my living son.   I tried to see the world through his eyes.  I even appreciated when he took a nap this afternoon!  He was very tired, so I insisted, even though he insisted he didn't need one.  (He went to sleep almost immediately.)

That said, I know for a fact that I am less patient that I used to be, before Sam was in our lives.   I could tell right away when I went back to work after he died.  I was still nice to people, but inside got very impatient with helping people who just seemed to not get what I would be telling them.  With my second son, sometimes I get that way, but I remind myself of his age, and am able to calm down.

Capture Your Grief - Day 5 - Memory