First Ultrasound!

I know, I know, I am late updating this blog... sorry for anyone out there reading this! :)

Last Thursday, May 26th, I had my first ultrasound... and we have ONE baby with a heartbeat!

Everything looks good, it measured a quarter of a cm (tiny!) but measured at 5 weeks and 5 days.  So, since there was a heartbeat, I don't go back for another ultrasound until June 9th (2 weeks from my previous appt).

And let me tell you folks, I am FEELING pregnant right now!  Morning sickness is not only in the morning, but afternoon, evening and night!  Basically anytime of day... ugh.  This is SO much worse than with Elizabeth.  All Memorial Day weekend, I was feeling so bad, I barely did anything.  I'm not actually barfing, but just so nauseaus, I wish I was barfing.  I may call the Dr. to see if there is anything they can give me or I can do... otherwise it will be a very LOOOONG couple mounths for me.. and Tommy! :)

As much as it is a pain, it is pretty comforting in a way that I do feel so bad.  It's just a reminder that I have a life growing inside me, and that's all that matters.  I'll get over the sick feeling soon enough... just so thankful to God that I am able to feel these things, as I know so many women won't or cant'.  I am truley blessed! 

How's that for a silver lining! ;)

One more week...

One week from today is my ultrasound.  To be honest, I haven't thought too much about it, as I've been pretty busy with work and things at home and Elizabeth, so I guess that's good.

I've been feeling pretty good, crampy on and off, but different cramps than menstral cramps, so I think that's good!  I have been nauseaus on and off, but nothing bad yet.  I almost forget I'm pregnant most of the time.  We had Elizabeth's cousin Sammy's first birthday party last Sunday, and there was beer there... I almost grabbed one!  I normally would!  I just wish I would "feel" more pregnant now.  Just as a comfort, I guess.


Silly girl!



Elizabeth has been feeling crappy the past 2 weeks or so with allergies (at least that's what we think it is).  She's had a runny nose like no other.  Poor thing.  She was on Zyrtec for awhile, then we got a prescription anti-histamine syrup which we hope is what is working, because after 10 days of this, yesterday was the FIRST day it hasn't run!  Woo hoo!



Oscar and her are buddies!

 She's also been "pushing" a lot, like she is trying to poop, but nothing is coming out.  She either curls in a ball or crouches and just pushes.  Mabye 4 times, then she continues what she is doing... like nothing happened!  I will check her diaper after these pushing episodes, sometimes there is poop, sometimes not.  Weird. I finally called the Dr. about it last Friday, they said she may be constipated in the lower intestine, but some is going around the blockage so it let's some poop through.  So they suggested Milk of Magnesia, which is a laxative, so see if we can soften it up and let it pass.  After about 5 days on it, yesterday was the first time she didn't push.  And when she did, it was for the real thing!  Hooray!  Hopefully that's fixed too! :)



Easter 2011



She's 16 months now... can't believe it.  She's so independent too.  She wants to go up and down stairs by herself, she "helps" me by bringing me things I ask her to, she says about 20 words now, and learning new ones every day.  She knows what a cow says, monkey says, bear says, and what cookie monster says!  (in a low growley voice... "cookie!!")

So one more week until we see what we have created in there... I'm still thinking only 1 in there.  But if there is more than one, there is nothing I can do about it but freak out at first. Oh boy... I think Tommy would be the one to freak out the most.  Especially if we find out it's 2 more girls!  :) 





2nd Beta

My beta went from 73 to 213!  Great numbers!  they really just want them to double in 48 hours, instead mine trippled!  But I'm not worried about more than one... these are VERY similar numbers to when I was pregnant with Elizabeth.  But I am very excited!

Go back for first ultrasound on Thursday, May 26th.... 12 LONG days away! :)

Beta day!

I went in for my beta today... and it was POSITIVE!!!

Top is from Monday, bottom from Tuesday... getting darker! :)

Actually, I already knew that (he he) because I hate to admit it, but curiosity got to me.  I peed on a stick on Monday AND Tuesday, and got a positive result! Didn't want to spill the news just yet, as I wanted to get confirmation from the Dr. first!

My actual beta number came in at 73 (it was 84 with Elizabeth), progesterone was 38.2 (great!) and estrogen was 116.  All good numbers! 

From Dr. Doherty's office this morning... positive!!

I go back in on Saturday morning for a repeat blood test to make sure the beta number doubles in 48 hours. 

Dr. Doherty was so funny, she gave me a hug and told me "Good job!"  Ha, like I had anything to do with it... she did it all!  If it were't for her, I wouldn't have Elizabeth or this baby.  She is truly a miracle maker!  Elizabeth is proof!

I'll keep you posted!

I'm PREGNANT!!! :)

Caught early

Went in for some more bloodwork yesterday just to check my levels, and it's a good thing I did!  My estrogen levels dropped a bit!  went from 1572 to 1148.  Not a HUGE drop, but still.... that would have been bad if that weren't caught early. 

So I was prescribed the Climara patch, an estrogen patch I have to wear on my abdomen now to help boost my estrogen levels. 

I asked the nurse that called with the news why this happened, she just said it does, sometimes age has to do with it (age, again). She said not to worry, it doesn't mean I'm not pregnant, just means it was a good thing we caught it now otherwise, if I WAS pregnant, I probably wouldn't have been able to sustain the pregnancy.

So it's a good thing!

6 days until my pregnancy test!

Transfer and other fun!

Yesterday was egg transfer day.  It started with Dr. Doherty calling about 7:45am to tell me all my embies looked REALLY good... so she said she will leave it up to me how many we transfer.  She said she really oscillates between 2 and 3 for my age (ahem.. 37).  So I told her I was good with 2.  So she said ok, they will take the best 2 and see if we can freeze the rest!

Grandma came over about 8:45, then we were off to the hospital.  I took my valium right before we left, and took a big cup of water to drinnk, since I had to have a full bladder.  Got checked in, they came almost right away to get us, and off we went next door to the hospital!

I changed into my gown, party hat and slippers, and so did Tommy.  They took my vitals and asked how my bladder was.  I thought I needed more water, so they gave me another glass.  About the same time I realized that I had indeed drank too much, my valium kicked in, and I was dizzy!!  Relaxed, but dizzy!  Wheeeeeeeeee!  I was so afraid I was going to wet the bed.. I kept shaking my leg, trying to focus on the TV ion the wall, anything to take my mind off my bulging bladder!

At 10:10am, they were ready for us! Our nice nurse wheeled us down to the same OR we had the retrieval.  I walked in, and got on the table, everyone was all ready to go.  The really COOL part about this was that on the wall, there was a huge flatscreen I hadn't noticed before.  Dr. Doherty told us to watch it. In the next room was the embryologist, and the microscope she used to fertilize and watch our babies was hooked into this TV!  she showed us the dish, which had my name and info on it, so we  know it's our babies, then she positioned the dish right in the middle of the microscope.  Dr. Doherty then walked over to the screen to point out our 2 little embryos!  They were so cute! Just little bubbles on this huge screen.  Then we could see the catheter come in the picture and both little embryos got sucked up inside.  Funny thing was, as we watched them go in the catheter, which was clear, they went down side by side, not one in front of the other.  Dr. Doherty said, "Uh oh, maybe this is a sign of things to come!"... meaning maybe twins!?


The best one... on the left



Baby #2



The embryologist came out of the room with the catheter, and guided by an ultrasound, in they went in me.  Felt nothing and took maybe 2 min.  I then scooted off the OR table onto the hospital bed, and was wheeled back to our room where I had to lay for 60 min before we could leave.  it was 10:30am at that point. I fell asleep, as the valium was still in effect, and I think Tommy did too!

Finally, 11:30 rolled around, I could get up to get dressed, and then layed back down on the bed.  I was wheeled out to the Doctor's garage (underground), where Tommy brought the car.  I got in the backseat, layed down, and off we went!

I was starving, so we stopped for lunch at Dairy Queen (they have the BEST burgers!) and then we headed home to eat.  I got out of the car, went immediatly up to our room, got in bed, and have been there since!  My back is KILLING ME... been taking tylonol like candy, and trying to get comfortable.  It sucks, but will all be worth it if we get a baby out of this!

I go back this Thursday for blood work, and then the pregnancy test a week from Thursday, May 12. 

It's going to be a LOOOOOOONG week!

Fertilization Reports!

Sorry I haven't been able to update daily... I have been in quite a bit of pain since Friday!  Swollen belly, bloating, cramps, all the way up into my chest and neck.  I have been pretty miserable.  Sunday morning, I was so nauseausous that I finally called the Dr.  She said it's normal, all the bloating was probably pushing up on my stomach, causing me to feel bad.  So I've been loaded up on tylenol and pepto bismol.  Good news, I FINALLY feel somewhat normal today.  Thank GOD, because today is transfer!!

This is how our report has gone:

17 eggs recovered
15 mature
13 were ICSI (where they inject one sperm into the egg to assist in fertilization)
12 fertilized normally
10 growing normally

Yesterday's report was that all 10 made it to Code 1, which means they all made it to the milestones they should have for that day!  So that is EXCELLENT news!!

Protocol for today is gma is coming over this morning at 8:45, we have to be at the hospital at 9:15.  Transfer is at 10am.  Have to have a full bladder and take a Valium before we go.... FUN! :)  Then it's just like a pap smear, they will insert a soft flexible tube in my uterus, and guided with an ultrasound, place the embryos right where they need to be!

Oh, Dr. Doherty is supposed to call me sometime this morning with the report on how my 10 babies are doing and discuss how many to transfer.  She said earlier in the week, if they are so-so quality, then transfer 3.  If good quality, then only 2.  So we will just hope for transfering 2 :P

After the transfer is done, I have to be on my back for the next 48 hours... YAY!  Even on the ride home.  Have to lay in the back seat.  This is going to suck, but it's all worth it for a baby!

OK, better get going, the dogs want in and I hear Elizabeth talking to herself in her crib.  Time to start the day and hopefully get pregnant too!

I'll keep ya posted!

Egg retrieval

It went off without a hitch!  I'm pretty sore still, kinda surprised by how sore I am. Don't remember it being this bad last time!

Anyhoo, got there at 7am, the nurse that came to get me was the same labor and delivery nurse when I had Elizabeth!  she was so nice and we recognized each other immediatly!  She took me back to the prep area in the new women's hospital.. and let me tell you, WOW!  It is super nice!  Wood floors, nice rooms with flatscreens, it doesn't really feel like a typical hospital!  I got undressed, and into my gown, booties and hairnet.  It took them 4 times and 3 nurses to get my IV in!  I have small veins, and this has happened before... out!  After that was in, the anestesiologist came in to speak to me... after he left, I got to watch the Royal Wedding on TV... LOL! 

About 15 min. later I was wheeled down to the OR, then walked in to get on the table.  Dr. Doherty was there all dressed and ready to go!  I laid down on the table, got my arms strapped down, and off to sleep I went!  It was about 8:10am.

I woke up in recovery (the room where I started) at 8:55am.  So it was quick!  They brought Tommy back around 9:10am, and there I ate some graham crackers and water.  They wouln't let me go until I could pee, so I was gulping water down!

Around 9:40am, I could PEE!!! :)  I got dressed (slowly... ouch!) and off we went.. I was home (after a quick BK drive thru... I was STARVING!) around 10:15am.

My mom stayed awhile to help out so I could rest and lay down, bless her heart.  Now Elizabeth is climbingh all over me now so it's hard to get this typed!

Can't wait to hear tomorrow how many fertilized and how many babies we have to work with!  I'll keep ya posted!

Last ultrsound

I had my final ultrasound this morning... and I have been dubbed the "egg queen!"  They took a peek with the dildo-cam and yes, my eggs, all 26 of them, are of proper size... anywhere between 18 and 20mm.  So by Friday, they will be around 20-22mm, perfect for extraction!  And I am very pleased that I was able to control my activity and avoided OHSS, which is very painful and can be serious.  I didn't want that to happen and ruin this round of IVF!

So we are set to show up to the hospital at 7am on Friday to get things going...  my mom is coming over at 6:30am to watch Elizabeth and get her started with the day so we can go.  Gotta love grandma!

At 10pm tonight, I will take my trigger shot (HCG) and those will release all those eggies in 36 hours.. which is when I'll be at the hospital for the extraction!  Funny how that all just fits together! :)

So for now, I will go and clean a bit and finish up laundry... as bloated as I am, I really am in a bit of pain and should lay down, but I will be down for the count on Friday, so trying to get ahead of some chores!

Can't believe it, in just a couple weeks, we could find out we are pregnant. Holy cow!! :)

We have Easter Eggs! :)

Sorry I did not get to update last Friday, it was a bit crazy with getting ready for the holiday weekend.  But we have LOTS of Easter Eggs to play with this round!

Had an ultrasound last Friday to see how my eggies are growing... and man, they are!  There were 16 on the left side and 10 on the right!  They were all less than 12mm in width, and they like to be in the 18-21mm range for maturation. 

Bloodwork came back looking good too!  So she kept me at the 375iu of Gonal F all weekend, and added the Ganarelix shot on Sunday night (that's the shot that stops ovulation from happening on it's own!)  And I'm bloated as hell with all these eggs... ugh, I can barely button my work pants.

Today, Monday the 25th, I had my 2nd ultrasound.  And they are still growing quite nicely!  They are all around 14-15mm today and looking good!  Dr. Doherty actually did the u/s, so it was good to have her be the one looking at them.  She said with these results, we can proceed with the procedure this weekend!

I go back one more time on Wednesday morning for my final ultrasound and bloodwork.  She said she will have me come in this Friday the 29th for egg retrieval, and Monday, May 2 will be transfer day! :) :)

I asked her about how many she would consider transfering... she said it all depends on the quality of the eggs.  If they are good quality, probably 2, if they are so-so, then probably 3.  She said age is the biggest factor into how good quality I will have... dang.  Being old SUCKS! :)

2 more days of Gonal F and Ganarelix, then we will see what I need to do on Wednesday!  This is getting exciting!

We are clear for take off!

Had my first u/s this morning to check my lining and ovaries.  Everything looked great!  Then ran down the hall to get blood drawn to see what my levels were at for starting out.  They didn't tell me what they were, but we are all clear to begin the shots on Monday.

I will be doing 375IU of the Gonal-F Pen daily... good news is this injection goes in my thigh, not in my stomach like I thought!  And it's a pretty small needle, so this might be better than the actual needles!

I will do one dose daily, in the evenings, Monday-Thursday next week, and back on Friday morning for an u/s and bloodwork.  Then hopefully we will see some eggies in there growing and getting big! 

So it's the last weekend of "freedom" with no drugs.  We do have a pretty busy weekend planned, we have an event at our credit union Sat. morning for the kids, so we will be taking Elizabeth there.  Then Sunday afternoon, we have a birthday party for a friend of our's daughter, who will be turning 1!  So it should be good.

Only bad thing is, Elizabeth, Tommy and I all have colds!  Ugh.. Tommy took Elizabeth to the Dr. this morning to make sure it wasn't anything more severe, and it wasn't, so that's good.  Poor little thing just keeps coughing and her nose keeps running.  Hopefully she will be better this weekend. 

So I'll keep everyone posted as to what happens this week and how it all goes.  Can't believe I may be pregnant in about a month again.  Let's hope so, anyways! :)

Last Day of Pills!

Well, I took my last birth control pill today.. gulp!  That means we start our IVF cycle "officially" tomorrow.  I have an ultrasound appt. tomorrow morning to see how everything looks to start.  I then get to start the shots Monday.  OUCH!

On a funny note, it was my friend's birthday on Saturday night (the 9th) so a group of us went out to dinner, then bowling afterwards!  It was such a fun night.  Anyhoo, we were just getting in our lane and I looked at the lane next to us and guess who was there bowling with her kids and hubby?  My RE, Dr. Doherty!  Ha!  It was wierd to see her in casual clothes, hair in a ponytail, and drinking a beer!  But I guess that Dr.'s need to have fun too! :)

Sono HSG

Yesterday, the 30th, I had the Sono HSG. It was a lot less painful than the dredded HSG that I did a couple years ago with the dye... ugh! This was more like a pap. I can't totally handle that!

I got to the RE at 10:30, got in a room, the Dr. came in with the nurse at 10:40. It was so good to see Dr. Doherty! She is such a funny, nice lady. Anyhoo, she got right to work. Got the speculum inserted, then a catheter with saline solution went next. They pumped the saline solution in, then came the dildo cam! Ahhh, my friend, it's been too long! :) She took a look around with that and saw my uterus looked perfect! I guess the saline solution is supposed to help any imperfections show up better on the ultrasound. Anything that would inhibit a good implantation. Pretty standard I guess for IVF second-rounders. I was out of there by 10:50, so it was pretty darn easy! Just had some light cramping for a couple hours after that, but nothing I can't handle!

So everything looks good, we now have the official "green light" on IVF! Now, I need to order my meds... oh boy.

Here we go again!!

OK, I totally suck, by the way, for not keeping up with this blog better. Boy, my life is so different that it was a year ago! I have barely any free time at home anymore, it's all about a certain baby GIRL that keeps me on the move, and at work, well, we are down to 3 people in our department (used to be 7), so we are all super busy! So I don't get on here as often as I would like... now that this disclaimer is out of the way...

We are starting round #2 of IVF!!

Tommy and I both went in today to get blood drawn to start the process. This is day 3 of my cycle. I start birth control pills tomorrow for 3 weeks, then once my next cycle begins, the FUN begins!

I talked to the fertility pharmacy tonight, trying to get my meds ordered. I have to go back to my RE to see if I really need to order all the meds they prescribed,k or just order a few and see how much I will REALLY need. If I got everything they asked me to, the total was $4,421.49. OUCH!!!

So here we go again! The blood work, the ultrasounds, the shots, the money... all for another precious child. And I wouldn't change it for the world.

Elizabeth is now 14 months old and walking, or should I say running, around and getting into everything. She is such a sweetheart sometimes, always kissing the babies and animals she sees in her books, and stopping mid walk to stop and give mom or dad a kiss. Then there are times when she is down right onery. Temper tantrums have been popping up when you take somethign away from her she really wants, or she is tired, or hungy, or just plain mad! She has 4 teeth, and cutting 2 more uppers right now, so she is feisty!

But she is more than I ever imagined. That is the reason we go through this heartache and pain (physical and financial). Because she is the best thing that has EVER happened to us. And she needs a sibling! :)

So I will try and keep updated now that we have action going on in our lives again, another long journey ahead of us to get pregnant with number 2.

But it will work. We will have another child. And Elizabeth will have a sibling. I just know it.

1 year old!

My new goal for this blog is to keep it up monthly at least, with updates on Elizabeth... starting in March/April, we will be going for number 2 and will start the IVF process all over again... ugh. But we just want one more babe, so this will be another journey for us!

Anyways, back to Elizabeth.

On Jan. 17th, she turned 1... can't believe how quickly this year has gone. She was just a little tiny 7lb. 7oz baby that depended on us for everything. And now... well, she's just as independent as you can imagine!


She is now saying several words... dada (all the time), mama (rarely), apple (she actually only says "app"), go go go, up, hi, and banana (nana). She has been cruising the furtniture now for months, but just recently started walking on her own when we let her go! Last night expecially, she was walking longer distances between mommy and daddy sitting on the floor.


When she get's mad, she bites things... toys, floor, mommy's shoulders (ouch!). Speaking of biting, she has4 teeth, two top and two bottom. Her hair is finally getting longer and she look so cute with hairpins in her hair! At her one year appt, she was 19lbs. 13oz (19%) and 31.75" (99%)!


She is off baby food now and mo more breast milk and formula. She LOVES her whole milk, as well as many other foods: bananas, blueberries, grilled cheese sandwich, hotdogs, grean beans, mandarin oranges, pasta, chicken nuggets, cheese, toast with honey or peanut butter, and scrambled eggs!


She misses her mommy, still cries sometimes when I leave for work. Loves to watch Cat in the Hat with daddy in the mornings. Also loves Elmo, Dora, and Sponge Bob.


It's been quite the year... and totally looking forward to the year ahead!