Monday, October 10, 2016

September recap

Thought I'd join a what's new with you in September blog link up and share what's been going on with me recently.

What's New With You

  • We are living in our new house about two months now and we love it! There is still lots to do, we have quite a lot of boxes to unpack and some more furniture to buy but it's not urgent and we are getting there. Hopefully by Christmas everything will be done. Though from talking to other house owners, it sounds like the work is never truly finished, there are always new projects and improvements to be done! We had some friends over for our first dinner party in the new place a few weeks ago and it went really well. We served Irish stew with mushroom risotto and walnut and banana cake for dessert.

  • We joined car sharing last month. Basically you pay a deposit and monthly fee then you can rent a car from one of the stations near you and just pay for it by hour. The GerMann has been the one driving but I tried last weekend. It was quite difficult actually! Since we don't have a car (the public transport is so good you don't need one here), I've only ever driven when I'm back in Ireland a few times a year at most. Not to mention I'd never driven on the right hand side before, which felt strange! Also I kept reaching out my left hand to change the gears and hitting the side door as you change gears on your right hand side, not left like in Irish cars. Hopefully it will get easier with practice because I felt like a learner driver all over again!

  • We are still waiting on our telephone consultation with the immune specialist doctor to explain our blood test results and treatment plan for NK cells. We did have an appointment with our fertility clinic doctor. He said he isn't able to interpret our results though, we need to wait to talk to the other doctor but he did say he would support us doing the treatment. For instance I could get the intralipid infusions at my local clinic and not have to travel. He did mention that if you get the infusion too quickly there is a risk of a stroke! He commented that he wouldn't want to read about that happening to a patient at his clinic. Hubby said to me afterwards that it sounded like he is more worried about avoiding bad press than actually caring about my health! Hearing about the stroke risk has made me very nervous, there is certainly a limit to what risks I am prepared to take in order to have a baby. I am praying that any serious risks are minor!
    The "good" news is that since our first IVF ended in an early miscarriage, my health insurance might pay towards a fourth attempt and not just three. It's good to have that backup plan. I feel like four rounds of IVF is my limit physically and emotionally. I just really hope it works by then!

  • Our next book club book will probably be "The light between oceans" by M. L. Stedman. From what I understand the book deals with infertility with the couple going through several miscarriages, so I can imagine reading it could be very sad and feel too real. But I've heard it's very well written. And I would like to see the film adaptation afterwards with Michael Fassbender.


  • I went shopping yesterday. Normally the shops are closed Sundays in Germany but every so often they have a special Sunday shopping day. I couldn't decide on anything so in the end I bought myself some new pyjamas. I already have plenty but they looked so compfy and I bought cosy slipper boots too in matching burgundy which is my favourite colour at the moment.



  • Some friends from Ireland will be visiting in a few weeks. Now we have the house and space, more people are coming over which we are delighted about. A few weeks ago my Dad and his partner visited and we had a fun time. We took them to the wine festival in Heilbronn which they loved! Schwarzriesling Rose was our favourite. Though Muskateller is a very nice white. We got pretty tipsy trying all the wines! I love showing people around where we live and having friends and family from home is always nice.

What's new with you?

17 comments:

  1. September looks largely amazing! The wine festival sounds fun, and those pajamas are adorable. I'm glad you're settling into your house...furniture will come. :) Yikes to the stroke risk with intralipids! I hope it works, and I'm glad insurance is covering a fourth cycle but hope you don't need it. So exhausting. I hope you're having an even better October!

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    1. Thanks, yeah it was a busy month! October has been much colder so I've been hanging out at home more which has also been nice. And wearing the new pjs :)

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  2. Congratulations on your new house! I was actually just telling someone that I have been meaning to pick up- The Light Between Oceans. I want to read the book and see the movie, but have no clue which will come first. Good luck with your upcoming appointments, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

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    1. Thank you :) A friend told me The Light between Oceans is a really good read. Normally I prefer to read the book first before watching the movie.

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  3. I am happy to read that your dinner party went well!

    Also, your account of driving on the right side made me laugh... you see, my husband and I have been to Ireland, Scotland and England for our holidays, all with rental cars, so we had the same problem the other way around ;-).
    Car sharing is a wonderful thing. We use it, too.

    I hope your specialist doctor will be able to help you with all the necessary details!

    Love your pyjamas and burgundy is my favourite fall colour, too :-)!

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    1. I hope you enjoyed your holiday in Ireland! Driving on the right hand side just feels all wrong to me but hopefully I'll get used to it, haha! I'm a little obsessed with burgundy at the moment, I also bought new jeans in that colour too :)

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    2. Oh, we absolutely LOVED Ireland! I bet everybody does :-).

      Guess what - I have burgundy jeans as well. And I wear them a lot...

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  4. My book club read Light Between Oceans last month. Although it wasn't my favourite book, I am really glad we read it. In someways it was hard to read a book about infant loss and infertility, but on the other hand it was a really good chance to reflect on how ingrained that sense of needing to be a mother is for so many, and the lengths couples are willing/convince themselves go to in order to have a child (in general terms, not necessarily what they do in the book....). It was also a great conversation piece at Book Club---sadly, but not surprisingly of course-- so many of us had suffered through a miscarriage, loss of a child and/or infertility. Will be curious what you think after you read it.

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    1. I think a lot of people must be able to relate to the book since one in four women experience miscarriage which is really very high, we just don't hear about it very often. It will be interesting to hear what the other women in my book club think of it and then I'll blog about it too

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  5. driving on the opposite side of the car definitely gets easier! although, last time i went home i drove my mum's car and kept hitting the side door as well, so it's like you learn one way and you forget the other haha. i really enjoyed the light between the oceans, but it was very sad. mushroom risotto sounds amazing!

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    1. Haha, glad I'm not the only one struggling with the driving on the other side. Yea I can imagine that once I get the hang of driving here then driving back in Ireland will seem really strange! Mushroom risotto is yummy and it wasn't that difficult to make actually.

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  6. I'm glad you're liking the new house!

    I want to read that book.

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    1. Thank you, we're settling into the new place really well :)

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  7. I read "The light between oceans" when it came out and I also thought it would be a real tearjerker for me - for some reason it wasn't: either I've got really hard or it just didn't do it for me! But I saw a trailer of the new film with Fassbender the other day and it does look beautiful and maybe more moving than the book - maybe all the hype about the book was too much, but it just didn't live up to my expectations. I agree it will be a great conversation piece in book club though. FYI Around that time I read another book, The Tenderness of Wolves, which touches on themes of loss/childlessness, and adoption - I found that one brilliant...

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    1. thanks for the book recommendation. Yeah I think sometimes books can be hyped up too much and then it can be a bit of a disappointment. The light between Oceans movie looks good. The beautiful scenery and music will probably add to the story.

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  8. I love hosting dinner parties, too!! I don't have any friends at the moment to host dinner parties with. Maybe T and her hubby? But I have to wait until April to see them. That sounds like a delicious menu! Why didn't you invite me, lol? ;) I love burgundy, too! And hunter green! Hunter Green clothing/accessories is so hard to find.

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    1. haha, if you lived nearer then you'd be welcome for a dinner party! Hunter green is nice, reminds me of Ireland or Paddy's day!

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