In honor of my Japanese loved ones, tonight I'm going to tell you about our Daruma-San. First, I'll share some info I found on Wikipedia about the Daruma-san - they do a better job of explaining it than I ever could.
- The Daruma, is a hollow, round, Japanese doll modeled after the founder of the Zen sect of Buddhism. These dolls, though typically red and depicting a bearded man (Dharma), vary greatly in color and design depending on region and artist. Though considered an omocha, meaning toy, Daruma has a design that is rich in symbolism and is regarded more as a talisman of good luck to the Japanese. Daruma dolls are seen as a symbol of perseverance and good luck, making them a popular gift of encouragement. The doll has also been commercialized by many Buddhist temples to use alongside goal setting.
- Darumas are usually made of papier-mâché, have a round shape, are hollow, and weighted at the bottom in a way that it will always return to an upright position when tilted over. This characteristic has come to symbolize the ability to have success, overcome adversity, and recover from misfortune.
- The eyes of Daruma are typically blank when you buy them. Monte A. Greer, author of Daruma Eyes, described the "oversized symmetrical round blank white eyes" as a means to keep track of goals or big tasks and motivate them to work to the finish. The recipient of the doll fills in one eye upon setting the goal, then the other upon fulfilling it. In this way, every time they see the one-eyed Daruma, they recall the goal. One explanation how this custom started says that in order to motivate Daruma-san to grant your wish, you promise to give him full sight once the goal is accomplished. This practice might also have something to do with the "enlightenment", the ideal attainment of Buddhism. This custom has led to a phrase in Japanese translated as "Both Eyes Open". Referencing to ‘opening’ the second eye, it expresses the realization of a goal. Traditionally, the Daruma was purchased as a household, and that only the head of the household would paint in the eyes.
Anyway, we actually received our Daruma-San (pictured above) as a wedding gift from some of my co-worker friends from my college internship at Bushu Gas in Kawagoe, Japan. Right as we were making our transition from my normal doctor to Ohio Reproductive Medicine back in January 2010, I shared the wikipedia article about the Daruma with my husband. I told him to pay special attention to the section about the eyes. We decided to use our Daruma to symbolize our goal to bring home a baby someday. As head of the household (just like the Wikipedia article mentioned), my hubby filled in the 1st eye of our Daruma with a black Sharpie marker. Our Daruma-san is patiently sitting in a display cabinet in our dining room. I don't know that we really look at it that often, but I'm pretty sure that even without seeing it our goal weighs heavily on our minds. We look forward to the eye-filling ceremony for the 2nd eye someday. Until then, much like the Daruma and the lyrics to Chumbawumba's song "Tub-Thumping" - we may get knocked down, but we'll get up again. :)
My period showed up this afternoon (as expected - so I was okay with it). Tomorrow I will be calling Penny to set-up my baseline estrogen blood test. My first blood test of this FET cycle - how exciting! Oyasumi ("Good Night" in Japanese)!
Daily FET Regimen:
- Lupron - 10 units via subcutaneous shot at 7AM
- Prenatal vitamin - one a day