I already have my wedding dress in the bedroom closet. It is to big for me right now but will it fit after I deliver the baby? I have joked with people about keeping our initially planned wedding date the same despite the pregnancy. That would mean our wedding is 3 weeks after I have our baby.

The idea is awfully ambitious and may not work out anyway but the mere idea of it brings a ton of questions. Even if we marry 2 years from now will my already purchased wedding dress fit me? Will it be too big or too small after I deliver? How much weight will I gain in pregnancy and how much will be lost?

Anyone who has already had a child has their own weight gain experiences to draw from and amazingly everyone’s predictions are different. Why not turn those predictions in to a fun little game that gets 2 lucky readers some cash?

This is what prompted me to start Talina’s weight gain and loss pool. Guess my delivery weight and how much I’ll weigh 1 week after giving birth. Winner takes 80% of the cash pool, runner up takes 20% (after the paypal fee). Winners will be determined by a point system. Check the Talina’s weight gain and loss pool contest page for info on the point system.

All you have to do is pay $1.00 to get in on the pool ($1.00 per entry), each entry will 1. guess my weight at delivery and 2. guess my weight 1 week after delivery. Use this button to pay your $1.00 and enter your guesses.

You’ll see an area to “add special instructions to seller” on the paypal page. That is where you will enter your guesses. As the entries come in I’ll post them here and update you on how much is in the pool that is up for grabs. The more people that get in on the pool the more you can win so spread the word guys, it will only line your pockets!

I’ll be dropping hints in my blog posts about my weight, appetite and growth. If you subscribe to this blog you wont miss any helpful info!

Last night (17 days after conception) I weighed in at 103lbs, my waist has already grown 1/2 and inch and so have my poor sore boobies. So there is your first bit of info.

Now go forth and join the pool, you know you want to share your guesses! Oh, if you don’t want a chance to win moola but would still like to be able to share your guesses you can do so in the comments area but if you use the button you’ll have a chance to win some cash…

P.S Thanks to Maiden53 I have a spiffy little pregnancy widget there just to the right of this blog post… Do you see it? I like it because it tells how far along I am and what is going on with me. This is mostly for my own educational purposes but I figure you might care too.

P.S.S I am also thinking about buying myself a purple plate from Witchypoo‘s shop to help with the pregnancy. Do you think that would help? I am still new to the whole purple plate thing but it seems like a good idea.

The post Get in on the pool and win some cash! appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

Yesterday I got a survey request from David’s Bridal, they wanted to know how my dress shopping experience went when I visited their store. What a perfect opportunity to share my 2 cents! I took the survey and gave them a piece of my mind. I also told them about finding the same dress in my size for less.

Anyway, when I tried this same dress on at the store the beading was all white and it was very pretty but my dress that just arrived today has sparkly silver beading mixed in with the white beading. It sparkles when light hits it! It is so pretty and looks way better than the one I tried on in the store.

Plus the size 2 fits my chest area perfectly, the dress is still big in the hips but that works out great with getting pregnant. I am sure my hips will expand a few inches huh? The dress gives me just enough room to grow with pregnancy. I figure I’ll just do alterations on the dress after I have our baby and right before the wedding. See everything happens exactly when it is meant to.

In other news I am also having less nausea today, that is always a good thing! I think the giddy excitement for everything is just starting to hit me. Yay for weddings and being pregnant! It is not happening in the most preferable order but we are just darn grateful anyway!

The post The dress is here, yay! appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

The infamous 2 week wait started 6 days ago. That means I was able to confirm ovulation (with at least 3 consecutive days of higher temperatures), we tried to conceive and now all that is left to do is wait a) till the period comes or b) till it is late enough to test for pregnancy.

The two weeks after ovulation aka DPO (days past ovulation) are often the most nerve wracking for couples who are trying to conceive because testing during this time is considered too early for accurate results and well, who is good a waiting? Not me!

So yeah, we are on 6 DPO today and I noticed some achyness/ crampyness earlier today. This is significant to me because it could be a sign of implantation (like I said, I am over thinking things) but cramping is usually accompanied by slight spotting when implantation occurs and I have not noticed any spotting.

[Update– 2 days after writing this post I experienced a temperature dip of about .4 degrees, it lasted 1 day. the following day my temperature went back up. I have learned that this is referred to as an “implantation dip”. Still no spotting has been noticed but I am still cramping.]

We have 12 more days to go until my period is expected, I’ll either get my period right before the band/ guard tour or I’ll do a pregnancy test once I get back from tour. Do you think riding roller coasters on tour would be bad if I don’t get my period? Hmm..

Oh, if you have a chance will you follow this link and vote for my mother (mom you can vote for yourself too!)? I entered her in a contest, she could win a spa vacation! It is a mothers day type contest. Anyway all you need to do is give the photo a 10, it would be cool if she won.

The post Again I am experencing the infamous 2 week wait… appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

Now I am 26 year old woman who has been off the pill for over a year. Initially while I was on the pill I noticed a decline in vaginal lubrication (caused by the hormones in the birth control pills I was taking) and sex became painful and not so much fun to have. Eventually I decided to talk to a doctor about my symptoms and I was told to stay on the pill because my painful sex could be endometriosis.

I finally decided to go off the pill because I was in a committed/ long term relationship and I was responsible enough and ready to deal with any potential pregnancy, plus I wanted sex to stop hurting and I suspected the pill was casing me to dry up. Coming off the pill didn’t offer any immediate relief to my symptoms but I had a feeling it would eventually.

Over time my body has gone back to normal but it has been slow improvements. My cycle lengths are still all mixed up and I have had several anovulatorty cycles since going off the pill. I also just learned that the “average recovery time from the Pill can last up to 18 months. Ovulation can be occurring regularly, but it can still take time for the cervix to heal and produce adequate CM (cervical mucus) for sperm survival. The Pill shrivels up the parts of the cervix where good quality CM is produced, and because the cervix is so delicate – healing can take time.”

Knowing what I know now I can say that I would not go back on the pill to prevent pregnancy because it just takes way to long for my body to get back to normal after it. As a teen it was a good option but as an adult I just wouldn’t want to take it and potentially loose more fertile time. It wold have been nice if I was adequately educated about these side effect when I was a teen seeking birth control.

Did/ do you take the pill to prevent unwanted pregnancy and how did your body respond after you went off the pill? How long did it take for you to conceive? Any thoughts or opinions about the pill and how it impacts your fertility after coming off it?

The post What they don't really explain about the pill.. appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

Turns out I’ll be needing to read these books for solutions because my doctor has not offered anymore insight into what is going on with my body. I got my blood test results back, via a little generic note that came in the mail on Friday.

After being told I “am not ovulating” at my annual exam by my doc I went across the hall and the ultrasound tech said I had either ovulated or just passed a cyst. They drew blood and sent me on my way to stress out about what is wrong with me.

Weeks later the result is, nothing… Nothing looks wrong with my blood hormone levels. So did I ovulate or not last cycle?  If so was it on a different day than my chart reflected because we had intercourse on that day and I am NOT pregnant! Are they wrong about my low body weight and my estrogen levels now since my blood results are normal? What is the next step?

Allow me to pause for a moment and scream…. (again this image is not mine, I found it via google images. It belongs to: http://home.earthlink.net/~regina-r/maintain.htm

So, what is the solution? NOTHING! This is why I am not so fond of modern medicine.. they don’t know much and seldom help the situation. So I am going back to doing things MY way which is the natural way. I have no idea why I didn’t get pregnant last cycle if all is working the way it should.. Maybe I was just not the right time huh?

Well, I am still charting and am paying close attention to my cervical fluids.. We are getting closer and closer to fertile looking cervical fluid so we will just try again and see if we are successful. I am eating more foods, trying to get all the unnatural crap put of my diet and will continue to look for natural ways to do right by my body, hopefully it all works.

The post The test results are in, and THEY SUCK! appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.