In Flight

I'm on my way! PDX to MDW to CMH. I arrive midnight local time. The last 24 hours have been crazy. Brian couldn't make the trip because of a job, so yesterday, at the last minute, I asked my mom to fly up to Columbus to be with me. She said yes because she is the best mom in the world, so I booked her a ticket and she is flying up right now and we will meet in the airport in Columbus.

I wish I had just asked her to come with me to begin with. I love the idea of her being there when we do the transfer. Plus, I get to have a surprise weekend with my mommy, who I don't see enough. Should this FET be successful, our child will love to know that his/her grandma was there for them from literally, the beginning. That's pretty awesome.

Kayla is going to bring the twins to meet us in Columbus and we will have girl time. Hugs and tears all around, I suspect.

Wow, tomorrow I will be pregnant. Speaking it into reality. <3

Squeee!

In one week from today, I will take my first hpt, post FET. Wow!

1DPO

Today I am 1 dpo. We are transferring 2 6-day blasts on Friday. Love.

Starting to pack today, which really involves a ton of laundry.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

One Week!

One week from today, we have our transfer.  The medication protocol for the next week is very confusing, but I am so excited.

This is a picture of my sisters' dog, Cotton.  She dye-tipped his ears.  He's nutty, but she loves him.  Cotton had a very hard start in love and Melissa is giving him a wonderful home and lots of love.  He is definitely giving her lots of love back.  He's a sweet boy. 

All Systems are Go!

I had my ultrasound this morning to check the thickness of my lining.  ORM wanted to see it 6.5 or greater and it was 10.4 - woot!  It was also triple stripe, which means that it is mature and top grade for accepting those embabies.

Talked to Penny at ORM and she confirmed we are good to go for the 22nd. Nothing can stop us now.

I came home today to notes of encouragement from some incredibly special women. These women have traveled the path I'm on and offered me sage advice and made me feel like I'm strong enough and that I deserve to be a mom. It's a wonderful gift to meet women - online or in real life - that are such solid examples of kindness and strength and I am lucky to have them in my corner. Their notes are going in my baby book - which hopefully, I can officially start in a couple weeks.

We Will Take Two, Please.

Brian and I signed our final form today. It was the Acknowledgment and Instructions for Thawing Embryos that gets sent to the cryolab.  Essentially, it tells the lab how many embryos to thaw - in our case, 2 and gives them authorization to keep thawing until they get two. Currently, the embryos are frozen individually, and Kayla went two for two with thawing for her FET, so I'm hoping we have the same luck. 

In signing the form, Brian and I had to go to a notary. It's free to have done at Bank of America, so being the cheap girl I am, we headed there after work. The funny thing was, the notary, who had to be all of 20 years old and a guy, read the form and as we got ready to sign, he says "do you mind if I ask what this form means?"   I explained that we are trying to get pregnant and there are frozen embryos that we want thawed and this form gives permission, so that next week we can transfer them into my body. I went on to tell him that he was helping us become parents. I think I scared the hell out of him, because there was confusion mixed with fear on his face.  Poor kid.

Two Weeks...

Our transfer is two weeks away!  TWO WEEKS!  So excited.  Next week is going to be very busy for me and I work the following weekend, so it's going to fly by.

Had another blood draw today to check my E2.  ORM wants it to be between 200 and 1000 and it was 526, so my body is cooperating - knock wood!

She's Got A Ticket To Ride

Bought our plane tickets today.  Leaving on the 21st for Columbus, coming back on the 25th. The tickets were far more spendy than I expected but it will all be worth it in the end.  I think the one common thread amongst infertile couples is that we are all broke.  Getting pregnant via science vs nature is super expensive.  Fertiles have no frigging clue.

Consent Given

Brian and I signed our FET consent form tonight. It seemed like a pretty obvious form, pretty much saying pregnancy has risks and ORM isn't responsible if you don't get pregnant or end up with any pregnancy related issues.  The Consent Form is a benchmark in ART (assisted reproductive technology), so we have passed yet another milestone in our journey. Yay!

In other news, Max tried to take out a neighbor's cat tonight. He does not like kitties. :)

Ouch!

Brian gave me my first shot of estradiol valerate this morning.  He's a good shot giver but because the E2 is in oil, it's a thick viscosity and needs a bigger gauge needle than what I used for my stim injections.   Brian has to rub the injection site for a few minutes after giving the shot, otherwise I will get a knot, so that is a bonus.

I get the E2 shot every Monday and Thursday morning.

I am home today from work because I worked this past weekend. Brian is working, so it's just me and the puppies. I'm making chicken and asparagus stir fry for dinner but between now and then, I'm just relaxing and watching Law & Order: SVU on Hulu.

T-18 days until our transfer. Buying the plane tickets this week.  Hoping the fares come down because even on Southwest, it's like $1300. Ouch!

Setting Up My Kit

Tomorrow I start the estradiol valerate shots. I will take them every Monday and Thursday. This med will help thicken the lining of my uterus. I'm still taking the Lupron, which is keeping me suppressed and preventing me from ovulating on my own.

My drug kit:

Three Weeks!

Three weeks from today, we will be in Columbus, OH for our FET.  So excited. 

HEDD 12.07.13

Blood work results are in and I am very, very suppressed - which is great.  They want to see an E2 below 80 and mine was below 5, so my body has cooperated.  I have another blood draw on the 8th to check E2 again and an u/s on the 12th to check my lining.

Transfer on 3.22.13.  Yay!  I can't believe we have a date.  Hotel booked - staying at the Sheraton Suites again because I loved their bed, and they have a living room area with a tv, so if I'm on bed rest, watching tv in the bedroom, Bri can hang out in the living room...  or at the bar downstairs.  :)

Planning to meet Kayla and Asa and the babies on the 23rd.  So freaking excited.

I can't believe we are this close.  3 weeks from tomorrow and I will be pregnant until proven otherwise. 

Gustav's for celebration dinner tonight.

22 or 29?

Today I took my last bcp.  Yay!  What does this mean?  If I start my "period" (which is really just withdrawal bleeding) by Thursday, then our transfer is on 3/22, if I start after Thursday, then our transfer is on 3/29.  I don't really have a preference, just can't wait to get it confirmed so I can buy plane tickets and make hotel reservations.

I had a dream last night about my dad.  We were cooking together.  God, I miss him.  He's been gone for 5 years and there is still a Greg Allen-sized hole in my heart.  I owe this blog a entry on where I came up with the name...  it's a tribute to him.  It's just so emotional to write, because I just cry uncontrollably whenever I think about him.  Last night's dream was nice, it really made me feel comforted.

And So It Begins...

First shot of Lupron this am.  I have to take a shot each morning for the next 4 weeks.  Lupron will supress ovarian stimulation so that I don't ovulate.  I am feeling really good about this FET.  I hope I'm not disappointed, but I have to keep reminding myself that this is just the first chance, not my only. 

I've been having breakthrough bleeding off and on for the past few days.  When it first started, it really freaked me out.  I was only cd 12, WTF?  But, I called Amy, the nurse at ORM, and she told me it was totally normal and doesn't mean I'm not supressed.  It means my body is adjusting to the hormones.  As long as it didn't turn into a bright red bleed, then I was okay. 

Lupron Shipping

So excited that Aetna Specialty Pharmacy got their act together in relatively quick time and processed my Rx from ORM.  I start Lupron on Monday, so it will be shipped today for arrival tomorrow.  A 2 week kit is only $15, which is great.  The rest of the drugs will be $165, and should get me thru to the transfer.  Once I'm pregnant (power of affirmative thinking), I will continue to take estrogen and progesterone for essentially the first trimester.

We Have a Protocol!

Everything went great today at ORM. Sounding done and calendar in hand. So excited. Depending on when my body starts withdrawal bleeding after the last bcp, we will transfer on 3/22 or 3/29. I can't believe how close we are.

Paid everything at the lab and will call ORM tomorrow to pay up there. Then all that is left is to see which date is going to work, book flights, hotel, rental car, set up sleep away camp for the puppies and get the time off work. By 3/2, we will know which date it is.

Estimated due date of 12/7 or 12/14. But if its twins, they will probably come 4 weeks early.

Headed home now. I'm somewhere between Columbus and Vegas. Going to be a long day, but I can't wait to see Max and Lucy... And the love of my life, Brian. Only 6.5 hours to go.

Second Hotel is the Charm

Originally, when booking my trip to Columbus, I booked a room on Hotels.com. I prepaid for the room and assumed it would be okay because it was a Choice Hotel. It wouldn't be fancy, but it would be safe and clean. Before I left, Brian and I were joking that it would probably turn out to be murder motel. He made me promise that if it was sketchy, I would forget about the prepaid room and go somewhere safe. I never expected to have to do that.

However, when pulling up to the hotel, there were two cop cars outside and a group of unsavory looking people hanging in the parking lot. Murder Motel. Time to leave.

Thank god for Priceline. I named by own price and am now going to rest my head in the Sheraton Suites and their magical pillow bed. I think we will stay here when we come back for the transfer. It's got a little sitting area and a fridge and microwave.  There is a bar in the lobby for Brian and lots of restaurants around us. Plus, I can rack up more Starwood points.

Somewhere Over Wyoming

I am on the flight to Columbus - brief stop in Chicago, but no change of plane. Tomorrow at 10:30am I have my consult with Dr Williams at Ohio Reproductive Medicine. I should get my protocol, and transfer date. It's so unreal.

Brian and I are giddy with excitement and the possibility of being pregnant. Everything we do now, we imagine doing with a baby(ies). It's a wonderful gift.

I land at 6:30pm local time. I am going to have a Firehouse Sub tonight. There is a location not far from my hotel. I haven't had one since I left Jacksonville. I hate to admit it, but I'm kind of excited about the sandwich

I hope I can sleep tonight.

CD 3

Took my first birth control pill this morning.  Let the supression begin. 

One Week From Now

One week from today I will be in the offices of Ohio Reproductive Medicine, meeting with Dr. Williams. 

I am keeping my fingers crossed that we don't run into any roadblocks.  I'm bringing with me the Aetna Pharmacy info so they fax over my Rx.  My insurance will hopefully cover the meds, they covered the other infertility meds, but it's set up to be mail order, no local.  Which takes some time. 

I was told from the start of AF to transfer is about 6 weeks, which seems long to me because my lining is always around a 10 by cd 18/19, but I guess they want to ensure supression.   I guess I will know more in a week.  :)

CD1

AF arrived today. Right on schedule.  For the past two years, this would have totally bummed me out but this month, it's exactly what I wanted.

We had a chemical pregnancy in December, that is to say we had a pregnancy that never had a chance. It took six weeks and ten pills of provera and I was worried that my body would be screwed up still.  It's not!  I ovulated right on schedule and AF showed up when expected.

This is my FET cycle. Birth control pills start on Tuesday (cd3). Yay!

Back in the Thick

Vacation ended earlier this week. Boo!  It was great to be relaxed but we came home to a ton of grey skies and rain. Surprisingly, the rain ended by weeks end and this weekend is beautiful and spring like.

Max and Lucy has a great time at sleep away camp but came home filthy. Lucy looked like a hobo dog. We took them for a bath today and they resemble themselves again. Fluffies.

Got some paperwork from the lab to fill out. Of course I forgot to bring it home with me but I will get Brian to sign and get it back to them this week.  I can't believe that my appt is just 9 days away.  Hopefully, we will know the transfer date at that time.

Brian and I went to dinner last night and talked baby(ies). He is convinced we will have twins. I hope so. He is really excited about being a dad. It's like night and day from how he felt when we started this journey over two years ago.  Back then, he just wanted me to be happy. Now, he's looking forward to being the primary caregiver and teaching our child.   He is going to be such a good dad.

PS. Bri is cooking dinner for me tonight. It's Saturday night date night. He got off easy though because I wanted fried bologna sandwich and chef salad. It's almost time for my period so I have odd cravings.

And Then There Were Six

Brian and I left for our vacation this morning. With an early flight scheduled and Max and Lucy heading for sleep-away camp beforehand, I got up early to finish up some last minute stuff. Real early, like 4am early. Usually, I'm a morning person, but not that early of a morning person, but for whatever reason, I woke up before my alarm clock and was wide awake and happy. Vacation! What could be better than the first day of vacation? And then I heard my phone ding - I had been tagged in Facebook.

Kayla and Asa were filling out the 40 pages of paperwork and having their blood drawn for the babysicles transfer to my name. Today, they would be ours. This is really happening!

We had to change plans in Las Vegas on our way to Albuquerque. While waiting for our next flight to board, I turned on my phone and there was a text from Kayla... "Done". These precious six miracles are now ours. We are on our way.

PS. The early flight was a little much for Brian. He's catching a cat nap while I type.

Lazy Sunday

Much Needed

Brian and I are heading to New Mexico in a couple days. Bri's birthday is on 1.26.13 - he will be 45. The 26th is also the due date for the little girl we miscarried in June. As excited as I am about the baby plans we have and the journey we are embarking on, I think the time away will do us both good.

We are staying at Sandia Casino for two nights and then heading south to see Linda. She's taking us on a tour of the SpacePort on Saturday. Brian is so excited.

I am really looking forward to the break.

On the IF side, I'm going to surge soon. That means soon, 13 dpo, I will start what I hope is my last period for awhile. Birth control pills start on cd3.

First Steps

We made the first step towards our embryo donation today.... Storage paid in full for the next year.  Those frosties are snuggled in the deep freeze.

Heading to Columbus OH for the initial consult with our transfer doctor.  We were hoping to have the babysicles shipped out to Portland but our lab felt that it was best for the embies that we come to them.

Hopefully, after the appointment on the 11th we will know my protocol and have an estimated transfer date.

So exciting.

Why Now?

So why am I starting a blog?

I guess for me, it feels like I'm starting a journal. Brian and I are embarking on an exciting chapter in our lives and life together and I want to chronicle the journey.