It’s been ages since I’ve done a show and tell but I’ll give it a go today. School is going well for me. It’s definitely an adjustment from being a stay at home mom. I’m enjoying learning again as well as the social aspect of it.

This week, however, when I showed up to school on Tuesday they were closed due to the death of the founder of the school. Today we are all home for a snow day. We will see what tomorrow brings. I have a feeling we are all going to be home again.

Rivky and I enjoyed the downtime. She went out and made a snowman and we stayed home and baked cookies. I didn’t have the opportunity to take pictures of her snowman yet but here is the view of all the snow from our back porch.

To see what others are showing click here.

In the news, I came across this interesting article on a new development regarding embryos during IVF treatment. Apparently shaking the developing embryos helps them to grow more cells than leaving them still in a petri dish. The method they developed more closely mimics what would happen to an embryo in a woman’s body. It has so far only been tested in mice but looks very promising.

Doctor Sher gave her Viagra suppositories to increase the blood flow in her uterus which would then thicken her lining. In conjunction with IVF, she was able to conceive this way and went on to have a successful pregnancy. She also had a second child 2 years later using this same method.

I am trying acupuncture not just for fertility, although I hope it will help with that as well. I want to see if she can help me to lose weight and to feel more relaxed overall. So far for emotional well being I’ll give her a 10 out of 1-10. As far as losing weight, I hope it helps. I heard acupuncture can help with sugar cravings although oddly enough I was craving sugar the minute I left, hmm. Maybe just talking about sugar made me crave some. I can’t expect everything to be cured from one visit, although wouldn’t that have been nice .

The needles really didn’t hurt, aside from the ones in my ears (as my friend Malya warned me). Even those only hurt going in. My ears still feel a little funny now but nothing terrible. I did start crying a little while I was lying there and prayed a little too. When the session was over she said that that was very good. She quoted “Ying” and “Yang” a little too much, but she wasn’t too out there with new age stuff so that was fine.

The one thing that did bother me was all the baby pictures hanging on the walls – people thanking her for her help getting them pregnant. That always bothers me about fertility offices as well. It’s as if they are trying to sell you the candy. Look what I did for people. Of course you feel like a total failure if you don’t get the baby. Yeah.. Also, she had a painting of a mother nursing her baby in the room she put me in. I don’t know if that’s supposed to send you positive thoughts in that direction but I could have lived without it.

So have you tried acupuncture and what has your experience been like?

It’s been a while since I’ve done a show and tell (or a post altogether for that matter). I just needed a little inspiration.

I made challah for the holidays today. Along with the usual round ones for Rosh Hashanah, this year I decided to get a little creative with a few of them. This cookbook has an interesting recipe called “Challah Napkin Rings”. Essentially the Challah serves as a napkin ring.

A relative of mine made them years ago and I decided to give it a go. It’s quite an arts and crafts project in itself but the results are beautiful.

See what others are showing here.

Update: According to Momlogic this women might just be a fraud who isn’t even pregnant at all. Hmm.

I’m a little skeptical that this device will be such a cure all. Sure timing of intercourse is important, but if a woman doesn’t ovulate or eggs don’t reach maturity without the aid of drugs, she’s kind of out of luck. Of course this can also do nothing for male factor infertility.

Tonight a little after midnight would have been my first child’s 11th birthday. She was a full term stillborn. You would think the mourning would get easier over the years but it doesn’t.

This year Aaron and I are doing a very good job in communicated our feelings about the baby. We started a little ceremony tonight that I hope we will continue each year to remember our daughter on this night. We read several verses of Psalms and lit a candle as well. We spent some time just sharing our feelings and thoughts about her. It was very healing for both of us.

Happy 11th birthday my dear daughter Nechama. I know that you are in a very happy place and can’t wait to meet you again after 120…

Aaron wrote a beautiful post on his new website. Thanks for sharing your feelings honey.

Now, Houston scientists are testing a better method of freezing eggs.

Rivky is really enjoying day camp this year and she’s making some really nice projects there as well. This past week she made a ceramic jewelry box shaped like a mini dresser and a pretty stool too. The mini dresser fits very nicely on her real dresser next to a baby (sniff) picture of her.

To see what the rest of the class is showing click here.

It’s been a while since I’ve done show and tell. I was shopping in Boro Park – a neighborhood close to where I live in Brooklyn, when I came across this gorgeous fish tank inside an optical store of all places.

It was so pretty I was brave enough to go into the store just to take a few pictures.

To see what others are showing this week click here.

I came across this article from The Times In India. It goes into detail how men are now seeking to become single dads through the use of donor eggs and surrogates. It’s not just women who are no longer willing to wait for the right partner to become a parent.

Show and tell has moved to midweek so here comes another one for this week. Rivky had her first official school project. She had to pick something from history to display and write a short essay about. She chose “The Titanic”. Quite a mature pick if you ask me. I don’t think I even knew what the titanic was until high school.

The whole family got involved with the project. Aaron helped her with the construction. I helped with the painting and suggested she make the sign so people would know what boat it is. Children from other classrooms came in to observe what everyone made. Rivky reported back that hers and one other girl – who did the White House, were the best 2 projects shown. We are very proud of her.

See what the rest of the class is showing…

We were all devastated by this. She also had a pretty bad scab across her face although not bad enough to require stitches. Vitamin E worked very well to heal her face. This week I took her to the dentist to repair her teeth since he wanted to wait a while for her to recover from the shock. He took before and after photos and asked if I’d sign a permission form to use her smile as an ad on his website. I agreed – Rivky’s teeth will be famous. Here are the before and after photos:

The marvouls of modern dentistry.

I know a few people who went through this and might appreciate this info:

What is the cause of Vanishing Twin Syndrome?
Vanishing twin syndrome was first recognized in 1945. Vanishing twin syndrome is when one of a set of twin/multiple fetuses disappears in the uterus during pregnancy. This is the result of a miscarriage of one twin/multiple. The fetal tissue is absorbed by the other twin/multiple, placenta or the mother. This gives the appearance of a “vanishing twin”.

How is Vanishing Twin Syndrome identified?
Before the use of ultrasound, the diagnosis of the death of a member of a multiple pregnancy was made through an examination of the placenta after delivery. Today, with the availability of early ultrasounds, the presence of twins or multiple fetuses can be detected during the first trimester. A follow-up ultrasound may reveal the “disappearance” of a twin.

For example, a woman may have an ultrasound at 6 or 7 weeks gestation. The doctor identifies two fetuses and the woman is told she is having twins. When the woman returns for her next visit, only one heartbeat can be heard with Doppler. A second ultrasound is conducted and only one fetus is observed.

Sometimes a woman may have symptoms that would indicate a miscarriage, yet, with an ultrasound, a single baby is found in her uterus.

Vanishing twin syndrome has been diagnosed more frequently since the use of ultrasonography in early pregnancy. A conservative estimate of frequency is that vanishing twin syndrome occurs in 21-30% of multi fetal pregnancies. Research from a European series of pregnancies associated with assisted reproductive technology (ART) show that 10-15% of singleton births were initially twin gestations.

First trimester: Morbidity when vanishing twin syndrome occurs during the first trimester is limited. The mother is most likely to develop mild vaginal bleeding and cramping. If the event occurs later in the first trimester, morbidity may be similar to that of the second and third trimesters.
Second and third trimesters: Maternal complications include premature labor, infection from a retained fetus, severe puerperal hemorrhage, consumptive coagulopathy, and obstruction of labor by a low-lying fetus papyraceus causing dystocia and leading to a cesarean delivery.
The diagnosis of vanishing twin in a pregnancy significantly increases both preterm (<37 gestational weeks) and very preterm (<32 gestational weeks) births.

It was previously beleived that the procedure that facilitates the embryo hatching process through the thinning or breaching of the zona pellucida (ZP), has been reported to increase the success rates of IVF for women of all ages.

Rivky and I are enjoying using the afghan very much. She loves to curl up with it on the sofa. I enjoy using it while sitting out on the patio – it keeps me warm and toasty. It was completed just on time for Passover so we’ve had a few days to really enjoy using it. Here it is completed.

It’s a Valentina if anyone’s ever heard of it – made in Italy. I don’t usually spend a lot on handbags – $20 – $30. This one has the softest leather and you can tell it’s made to last. So I splurged.

I am saving it to start using on Passover – one less thing to have to clean out – my old handbag.

Has anyone ever heard of this brand – Valentina and do you like their products?

What type of handbag do you usually buy – lower end or higher end?

How hard it is to save or not save baby clothing and gear. How our advanced age is working against us and how people don’t understand why we can’t just be satisfied with the one child we have. Also, how we struggle to come to terms that one child might be all we are destined to have. I can so well relate to all of the points mentioned in this news item.

The technology evolves metabolic testing reveals trace molecules remaining after an array of cellular processes. Previous studies have shown that metabolic profiling can be used to identify unique bio markers left behind by embryos in culture, which foretell the embryos with the highest reproductive potential in IVF. “Think of it as a sort of smog test for the embryo,” said Behr. “It tells you how clean the engine is burning, and whether there are any problems.”

There’s only been a small study done so far using this technique. Further studies would have to be done in order to see how effective this method of testing would be.

Sounds promising though.

This week I finally got a new pair of glasses. Very cool ones if I may say so myself. Half rimmed copper frame with this cool geographic designs on the sides. Rivky approves so I think I’m with it (already a tween with her own fashion opinions).

Here is the old pair:

And here is the new pair:

Hard to get a clear shot of the side design, this is the best I could get:

I’m still getting used to the smaller lenses and the fit on my nose. It’s quite annoying until I break them in.

If you wear glasses how often do you buy a new pair?

How long does it take you to get used to a new frame?

Update: I just saw Bill Gates being interviewed and he was wearing almost the exact same glasses (plain sides though). How cool is that!

Update #2: Wouldn’t you know it, yesterday I lost a contact lens. So now I really get to break in the new glasses while waiting for a new set of contact lenses. At least I have stylish glasses now as I wait.

I think this makes so much more sense. Why have a woman wait until she’s 34 to start allowing IVF coverage. The younger she tries the better.

The NHS still has a long way to go to provide adequate coverage for IVF, but this is a step in the right direction.

I chose to start with the bathroom since it’s a relatively easy room – no furniture to move, no carpet to ruin. I like to do things right, so I turned to the handy internet and found this great site for tips.

A trip to Lowes took care of supplies and a good stepladder and 2 hours of elbow grease later we have one pretty peach wall done. I’m very impressed with my work if I may say so myself.

The needlepoint in the picture was done by my mom. The peach wall brings out the colors of the peach fruit very nicely.

I’m starting to understand why painters charge so much – it’s alot of work. One wall at a time I say. We’ll see how much more I can get done.

I have such torn feelings about this whole situation. On the one hand I don’t think people have a right to judge her and call her all kinds of insulting names. On the other hand how responsible is she being bringing all these children into this world with no immediate means to financially support them.

Was it so wise that her doctor transferred 6 embryos, probably not. She did however transfer the same amount of embyros in her previous pregnancies and the highest outcome from those pregnancies where twins.

As far as why she didn’t have a selective reduction: that’s something no one can judge unless they’ve been there. I personally would probably have reduced but I couldn’t say 100% unless I was in her shoes.

I do feel that everyone should be allowed to have as many children as they want. No one can stop someone who can conceive naturally from having 14 children if that is their desire. Why should Nadya be any different?

She does seem sincere in trying to get her degree and start providing an income for her family. She herself didn’t plan to have 8 more children in one shot. This was truly a medical miracle although a bit of a nightmare as well. I do wish her and her children the best of luck and hope she does get a lot of financial and hands on support through this huge life challenge she’s been presented with.

When we go through infertility, we sometimes get so wrapped up in it and depressed by it, that we forget to take care of each other. It’s such an important lesson to remember. So honey this gift is for you “Just Because”.

Aaron wore them this weekend and got lots of compliments from our neighbors.

Rivky had a few days off for mid-winter vacation. Rivky and I both went to a new dentist – always fun but good to take care of while she had off. She had her first cavity and filling and did very well. The dentist specials in pediatrics and was very calm and patient with her. (Thanks Stephanie for the referral.) I’m glad we switched dentists. She really didn’t like the old one. She would probably have been screaming had she had to have a cavity filled with him.

Today she spent the day with her best friend and had fun. Mommy also got a much needed break.

The snow has stopped so hopefully there will be school tomorrow.

The year was 1989. The place was Central Park, NYC. I was 19 years old, my sister in the picture was 16. I had recently broken up with my first real boyfriend and was sad since we had gone row boating a few times at that exact location. It was a beautiful day however and it was nice to spend time with my sisters. My older sister went with us as well. In case you can’t figure it out I’m the one on the left. Notice the 1980s Farah hairstyles. It actually suited me very well, since my hair was so thick, it was good to be able to layer it in the front.

In 2006, Prof. Nava Dekel of the Institute’s Biological Regulation Department, together with doctors in the in vitro fertilization (IVF) unit of the Kaplan Medical Center, made the surprising discovery that performing a uterine biopsy – causing a slight injury to the lining of the uterus – just before a woman undergoes IVF doubles the chances of a successful pregnancy. Although the mechanism was not completely clear, Dekel and her team assumed that the injury provokes a response in the uterus that makes it more receptive to the embryo’s implantation.

The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, has also been evolved in this research. I find it amusing since I worked in the American Committee of the Weizmann Institute many moons ago. Back then the main research I remember them working on was stem cell to try to cure paraplegics. Christopher Reeve was one of their big backers.

All the babies seem to be doing relatively well. They made it till 30.5 weeks gestation. The mother gave birth to six boys and two girls weighing between 1 pound, 8 ounces, and 3 pounds, 4 ounces.

All I can say is wow.