Cat(s) are out of the bag

Ellen here posting.

Well, Christmas finally arrived and Kevin and I had waited to share the news with my family until we were all together. Side note to post: M & D knew but were sworn to secrecy and I had talked to my family this summer to give them a general idea of our plans for surrogacy.

We were all gathered at Scott & Karen's house to celebrate the holiday and we prepared a little surprise. Kevin brought a box into the room and said we had an announcement. He said we needed to add two new stockings to the mantel for next year. Then, he opened the box and we had two Christmas stockings, each with a bottle of champagne in it, with baby hats on the bottle (picture attached). So, obviously the biggest reaction was due to the fact that there were TWO stockings and both of the bottles were wearing BLUE hats!

We had a great Christmas and we heard many suggestions for names that we would like to note will NOT be under consideration...Calvin & Hobbs, Ogilvie & Starship (Kevin's brother) and many others.

Now, we will officially begin the panic that time is ticking away and we have lots of things we need to do to start preparing. We need to move our focus from wallpaper removal to nursery preparation very soon. As Brooke and I discussed on the phone, we are about at the halfway mark and agreed that in some ways, it has gone by fairly quickly (I know you wouldn't think that by reading our earlier posts). The various doctor appointments have kept things moving along and all of us have been a bit surprised that we already have appointments every two weeks! Brooke is about due for another belly shot picture.

Happy New Year and cheers to an exciting 2010!

Here is a picture from our last appointment. The babies are too big to shown full body together. I decided not to post the pictures that gave us a hint on the gender!

Merry Christmas!

Ellen

Wooo Whoooo

Hi there, KEVIN POSTING,

So, this was a MAJOR week for us. Huge snow storm, really, record breaking in the area. Other than that, we have some "minor" news about having twins they are...... BOYS!!!

I was able to take my reconstructed knee down to Richmond and witness the 16 week u/s (ultra sound for all the new people I have just invited to the site), and well, I am a proud father of two boys. Oooopssss. Did I give away the color scheme of the bedroom????

So, all of you reading this blog, you are "in the loop". I have already announced to my immediate family due to learning a few things.... Imagine my surprise, I am going to steal a phrase from Danny -- Apparently, my father is a "leaky bucket", and my siblings were not surprised a few weeks ago at my announcement about Ellen and I having a baby/babies. I told my brother last week about the pregnancy, and he said "oh, yes, Dad told me." So, I then called my sister, gave her the news, and she said "Congratulations, I heard from Dad about it." So.....

Well, I made sure that they all heard from me first hand that we had twin boys on the way. Of course, as I type this, I can't help but feel some apprehension about the whole twin thing and the potential complications. This is just something that Ellen and I have learned to deal with over our past experiences. We are thrilled, excited, can't believe where we are, but have gone through so much that we can't help but be cautious (well, I think we have already thrown caution to the wind, I was so excited I couldn't wait to tell my already informed siblings about what was happening, as I already mentioned). According to our current "peri", he is "bored" after we make it past week 32, so that is my goal to be literally jumping up and down.

Ellen is waiting to spill the beans to her whole family when we are all together over Christmas. We have already planned the event, hopefully it is big news, but we are competing against Ellen's brother/sister-in-law as they just adopted a puppy. I think we will win over on the adults (hopefully), but the kids will be excited about the puppy. Any good ideas on how to make a dramatic announcement? I have my plan, but I am always looking for some different angle.

As for our visit to Richmond to see the doctor and the u/s (ultra sound to my very slow friends), it was great, but the tech was so fast, I couldn't follow a thing she was showing.... well, except, for the still photos of the "proof" of boys. I scanned them in and everything, so will work on uploading them.

But, after the appointment, Brooke, Danny, Ellen, and myself had a great meal at my new favorite deli (Kenny's or Jason's, one of those two....). They make a great sandwich and excellent chili, not to mention the free corn bread and garlic bread (please note, I receive $0.000000001 each time you Google "Kenny's/Jason's Deli".

We are just totally excited about where we are right now, and as each week passes we are more excited. Brooke and Danny continue to be so positive and great. Time just seems to be crawling along, however, as Ellen and I are ready to take on the twin challenge we are facing (although, technically, we have wallpaper and rooms to decorate, so, we really are not ready yet....). Working on it, and it will be done.

Phew..... Another long post from me, but I love writing and am incredibly excited about the news.

- Kevin

Two healthy babies!

Just wanted to post that today's u/s went well. We have two healthy babies in there! Baby A measured in at 6oz. and had a heartbeat of 151 and Baby B measured in at 6oz. as well with a heartbeat of 145. Both babies look great and healthy. We had a chance to finally meet Dr. Christmas, the peri. He was very informative and I really liked him. I'm glad because I'll be seeing him about as much as my regular OB. We'll have appts. every two weeks pretty much the rest of the way through. Not a whole lot more exciting news except Ellen and Kevin did get to find out what color(s) they will be buying for these little ones, but I'll let them share that news since it's their news to share! Thanks Ellen and Kevin for a great lunch today! I always enjoy my time with you two! We're almost half way there so that still leaves us many more enjoyable times!

Not much new.....

14 weeks

Not a whole lot new here. We're officially past the 12wk. mark though! Yesterday made us 14wks! I have been feeling a little under the weather lately, cold, stuffy nose and headache but feeling better today. It's much more difficult dealing with the common cold when you're pregnant than when you're not. I am defiintely feeling more pregnant lately, but that's not a bad thing. I like it when I get past the "I'm not just fat, I'm pregnant" stage. LOL. That should be coming soon. Had an appt. last week with Dr. D. Ellen and Kevin weren't able to make that one. Poor Kevin is still trapped in the spare bedroom with his recovering knee and Ellen had training at work and a broken fridge to deal with. I think I had the easier task for the day. It was just a regular OB check-up and Dan and I got to hear the heartbeats via the doppler for the first time. I do wish Ellen and Kevin could have been there for that because it's still the most amazing sound I've ever heard! They will hopefully make it to the next appt. and get to hear the heartbeats then. Well we do have another u/s scheduled with the peri for Dec.21st. We'll be a little over 16wks then so it should be an exciting one! Hoping they'll get to find out whether they'll need to buy pink or blue or maybe both! What a Christmas present! Until next time...... I suppose it's time to bless you with the oh so dreaded "baby bump" picture. Here goes.........

Lots of Pics

Kevin here, using Ellen's account since I can't figure out my own contributor account (and, don't ask how long it took to scan these photos on to the computer... no, really, I do understand computers (somewhat)).

Due to recent ACL reconstructive surgery, I was not able to go to the last doctor's visit, which was to the "peri". I kept asking Ellen if they can record the U/S to a DVD or CD (I understand this is something they do), but apparently I had to settle for the "old fashioned" method of pictures. They were just as impressive as a video. The little "guys" are growing like, well, uh, weeds. There was some great definition of their various body parts (no, not able to tell that part, although, that would be impressive....).

It really is hard to believe that we are about to have a mega-instant-family coming our way in the next few months. One child, sure, can handle that. Two? Wow, changes the whole situation quite a bit, but we always wanted multiple children (reality hits you like a sledge hammer). Right now both Ellen and I are concerned that our garbage pickup just recently changed to once a week. Can you imagine what the diaper situation will be like with twins during the summer months? In our family we have a code word for smell (from the dogs) and it is "pongo". I think we are going to encounter quadruple pongo this summer, every week.

Brooke has been such a trooper. I was pretty much out of it last week, but we had a great conversation (well, at least I think we did), and it was a nice distraction from having my knee on fire. Also, I just have to give a shout out and congratulations to Danny, who is officially off the medication part of this trip -- I know how you feel, but some times isn't it gratifying to stab your significant other with a needle? Uh, I mean, how great is it that you don't have to do that any more....

I completely agree with one of Ellen's last posts that time just seems to be crawling along. The widget on this site is fantastic, and at times seems to completely resemble the upside down and right side up situation of our two little kickers (or, shooters if they play basketball).

It will be one crazy summer, that is all I can say. Thanks so much, Brooke and Danny, we are looking forward to our continued friendship and bonding.

- Kevin

Just Awesome!

Ellen here - still excited from our day yesterday! As Brooke said, we had a great appointment and u/s. To be this far along is fantastic and Baby A & Baby B are really looking like babies! Our tech did a great job explaining the details of what she was doing and what we are seeing. We watched everything on the TV monitor and of course both Dan and Kevin felt it should have been a large flat screen for us to view everything. The second half of the appointment was with a new doctor for Brooke. Dr. D isn't new to the practice and actually delivered (or tried to get there in time) to deliver baby #2 for Brooke, but she normally saw another physician. We really liked her and think that we are in good hands. She asked if we were going to find out the sexes and said she would if she were us...she doesn't like surprises! She speaks the truth as far as I'm concerned!
Our next step is an u/s with the perinatologist in a few weeks and we also get on a regular schedule with Dr. D. She told us we would be getting a lot of u/s with twins and we certainly like that part. I can't wait to complete the first trimester. We are starting to breathe a little easier but at this point, I imagine we will be a little bit anxious for this entire journey.

Another great appt.!

Well yesterday was our first appt. with the OB. I was officially 10wks.2days yesterday. We had an u/s scheduled first at 11 and it was very exciting to see how much the babies have grown! They are doing beautifully. Baby A was measuring in at 10wk.5d and Baby B measured in at 10wk4d so he is catching up to A! He was measuring about 4 days smaller than A, but now he seems to be right along with A! It was absolutely amazing to see them moving around and see the little flicker which was their heartbeats. I forget which was which but one was around 180bpm and the other was about 171bpm. Both very strong heartbeats. The u/s tech took a good amt. of time measuring and showing us different things. Baby B is an overachiever and already head down so they are basically laying feet to head and head to feet if you can picture that. The u/s tech switched the settings so it was almost like a thermal image and we could actually see the blood flow through the umbilical cord. That was really neat to see. It was all just so surreal. We really got to see a lot of things. Baby B decided to be very active and was moving all over the place. The have little arm buds now and we could see their spines. They have redone my OB office so the u/s room was a little different than it has been with my own pregnancies. They now have a screen in on the wall so that I can see the u/s too without having to turn my head and look at the moniter on the actual machine. It was much nicer. I was just mesmorized watching everything. It truly is amazing!

Ellen posting -
I'm not going to start my post discussing how I can't stand waiting and how there isn't much going on....silence....crickets chirping...
Okay, all kidding aside, I realize that by watching the baby ticker, there is a lot really going on inside Brooke - we just think it is slow! I was thinking that I would like to watch the baby ticker on my screen all day at work but that might not be a good idea since we haven't told anyone yet.
We have less than a week until our first o/b appointment (with u/s). It will be over 10 weeks for us and that's a big milestone. Brooke only has another week of shots and then will be on her weaning protocol and I know Danny will be very happy about that. He has been our junior nurse through this adventure and I know he will be happy to give up his night job! That's about it for me. Let's just let time march on...

Not much new......

So not a whole lot new here just wanted to post and say I'm still around. I've been feeling not too bad, the usual first trimester issues tired and sometimes a little queasy. For the most part though I'm hanging in there. Mexican cravings as usual. Not sure what it is about Mexican food but I crave it every pregnancy. Must be the combo of salt and cheese, I don't know. I've given in a few times already but I haven't gotten as bad as I was with Thomas eating a whole jar of queso dip and tortilla chips in one sitting a couple times a week. LOL. Hopefully I'm able to keep my self control on that one. I think that's what did me in for weight gain with him. I gained the most being pregnant the first time with Thomas. Benji and Jake I didn't do too badly.
I'm having a hard time being patient for the next u/s. A little less than 2wks. away but it feels like an eternity. I just love seeing the growth and that little heartbeat and it makes me feel so much better to see them and know everything is ok. It's much more stressful being pregnant for someone else than just for yourself. I pray each and every day that I'll make it to at least 37wks with two healthy babies for Ellen and Kevin. I know they will be awesome parents and I couldn't have asked for better IPs!

E & K (Joint Post)...

Well, it's a wild and crazy Saturday night and we are doing a joint post. Ellen is typing and Kevin is chiming in. We had an exciting week with our u/s and the news was good. It was so nice to have an experienced u/s technician and a doc with plenty of facts and stats to calm us. We will be 8 weeks tomorrow and each day is a new milestone for a skittish couple. We have to fight the negative thoughts on a daily basis due to our history. It is a bummer but it is a reality. We have been slowly trying to make our way from the dark side and each day it gets a little better. We are looking forward to making it out of the first trimester!!
We are certainly grateful for where we are now and don't want diminish how far we have come, one bit. We want nothing more than to start to worry about names, color of the room and other fun things!

We can't end this post without paying tribute to our great GC and her supportive husband!!

Happy (early) birthday to Brooke!

Another step closer.........

So yesterday was u/s #2. Dan and I made the 2hr. trip to Shady Grove to meet up with Ellen and Kevin and have an u/s with their RE. I'll have to admit I was nervous again. I don't know why because I've had nothing out of the ordinary, but I guess it's just a natural feeling. We didn't have to wait long for them to call us back and then not long at all for the RE to come in with the u/s tech. She did a great job showing us everything and explaining everything. She asked me if I'd had some spotting and I said yes. She could see a little spot in the uterus and it has a name, but now I forget it what it was. It is almost like a blood clot. It is seperate from either placenta so all is good and she said it will most likely get reasorbed into the uterus. I guess it's a common thing too so no worries there. We still have two beautiful little ones growing in there. Baby A had a heartbeat of 161 and measured exactly on schedule and Baby B had a heartbeat of 160 and is measuring just a few days small, but they said that is also normal for one to be a little smaller. So we made it one step closer. Next appt is not until Nov.9th and that is here with my OB. So until then.......

IP -- Dad Here

Hello, just me, the IP-Dad checking in. Can't figure out how to blog on this site, so using the IP-Mom username (Ellen -- oh, and I am Kevin). Yes, after reading the last posting, it was a bit of a crazy time. I had just finished playing an indoor soccer game (we won) and I called Ellen and she told me the concerning news. Needless to say, it was a tough night. We have been through so many troubles, this just seemed par for the course for us. But, all turned out well (so far -- notice how I am still being cautious?).

And, since it seems to be fine, maybe I can make some comments on the doctor we saw. Yes, he was just monitoring, but he had the bedside manner of, well, a bedside table. Really. This guy basically gave "yes" or "no" answers, and when we started to stress over the different sizes of the fetuses (sp), he slowly caught on and finally said "looks normal, but it is early". Great, thanks for the insight -- no statistics, no thoughts or anything.

Well, Ellen talked to our nurse and she gave some good insight and statistics about our current issues (very normal issues). Then, we talked to our RE doctor, and he shed even more light on the condition and we felt much better. I can't say enough about how lucky we are to have him as our RE. Insightful, knowledgeable, people related, and full of statistics/information (yes, yes, I know, the three types of lies are: lies, damn lies, and statistics). Still, he is the head of the practice and knows his stuff.

We are still very cautious, our path has been very difficult. I think the next ultrasound will ease our thoughts, but I really don't see us being totally at ease until we see the little ones in person.

It certainly is different to have more than just Ellen and myself having a vested interested in us having a child (children). Little did I know the stress that would fall on Brooke for all of this. It is very re-assuring to have someone as dedicated as Brooke helping us through this process.

Well, just my few cents in this whole thing. I can't thank Brooke and her family enough for what they are helping us achieve.

- Kevin

And I breathe another sigh of relief......

Yesterday was a crazy day! I was getting ready drying my hair and felt something warm, sat down to go to the bathroom and I was bleeding. It was red so immediately I paniced, started crying and then gathered myself together enough to call the clinic. I laid down on the bed just waiting for them to call back. I had left messages with both clinics, the one I've been going to here in Richmond and the clinic that Ellen and Kevin have been using, also where I had my transfer. Their clinic called me back almost immediately and told me to relax, take it easy for the rest of the day and go to the ER if I had any major pain or bleeding got really heavy. About 20mins. later the local clinic called and the on call doctor there told me to head to the ER. Not exactly what I wanted to do. I hate Emergency Rooms. So I spent a few hours there only to have a little piece of mind and really no certainty. I did quit bleeding shortly after it began and never had any cramping so I was a little positive.
I waited until all had calmed down at my house including myself before I called Ellen. While I tried to stay positive I was very nervous. I didn't want to scare her or upset her unnecessarily. So fast forward to today. I met Ellen and Kevin outside the doctor's office and we all waited impatiently for them to call us back for our first u/s which was already scheduled for today. It was definitely nerve wracking sitting in the exam room with Dan, Ellen and Kevin just waiting on the doctor to come in and tell us everything was ok. We thought at first that he was going to say something negative by the look on his face, but he announced, "There's two!" And then Dan asked if they both had heartbeats and he said yes they did. So we've got two little beans growing in there with heartbeats right now. One is measuring a little smaller, but I'm no sure how much smaller because he didn't take any measurements which I found odd. So while we went in not sure what to expect today it ended up absolutely wonderful and I breathe yet another sigh of relief. Now we wait again for the next u/s....

3 days to go...........

Not much new to report. The tiredness is starting to set in. Not many afternoons go by that I don't lay down and take a little nap. If I don't nap I usually at least rest and read for a little bit. There are those days when the boys refuse to rest so I don't though. Just counting down the days til the first u/s. Hopefully this weekend goes by fast. Thankfully it is scheduled in the morning so I don't have to wait all day for it to be time once the day is finally here. I know Ellen is as anxious as I am if not more so. I feel confident things will look great! So yet another countdown begins.......... 3days to go!

A Small Sigh...

Ellen posting



I've been lurking and not posting lately. I suppose it was generally just the pressure and anxiety of everything that has gone on since the transfer. We have been holding our breath since we got the first positive on the HPT Brooke took. There has been a small sigh of relief (hence the title of the post) since we have since gotten three strong betas but are once again holding our breath until we see a heartbeat from the little bean (or beans).



Brooke has been an amazing support to me during this time and I feel like she is my long lost sister sometimes when we agree on how long we will wait to get a call from the nurse or what our next steps should be! Now it might not be a good thing when we want the nurse to call us back within minutes, but it helps to know that I have someone on my side (and we discovered we both aren't all that patient in this area...LOL).


Now I take another deep breath and try to figure out how to wait until next Monday for our ultrasound.

Things are looking good!

Well I had my 3rd BETA done yesterday morning. For some reason it took longer than usual to get the results and I was sweating it. I don't know why because I feel pregnant and I feel positive that things are going well but I guess it's always nice to have that medical confirmation too. So yesterday's BETA was an excellent number at 3734. Sounds like we've got a strong one growing in there. So far here's our stats -
12dp5dt - 446
14dp5dt - 962
17dp5dt - 3734

Our numbers are doing exactly what they are supposed to. I'm feeling great except for a little tired and  a sore booty from all the shots. No nausea so far (knock on wood). Just a little when I smell something really strong. Took Jake to the park yesterday and the cleaner in the bathroom made me get out of there real quickly because it was potent! Also, my pants are already getting snug, but I have a feeling that's not really baby that's making them tight but the PIO shots. Of course about the time I stop them and am no longer bloated I'll be gaining weight from the pregnancy so I guess there's no winning there. The maternity clothes will just have to be brought out a little earlier this time I guess. Oh well, there's much worse things. Now it's another wait. Monday is our first u/s so we will get to find out if it's one or two little beans in there. I'm kinda on the fence with this one. Not real sure what to think. Guess we'll find out in less than a week! Boy am I anxious!

What a relief!

Well, 2nd BETA is in and it was 962! So we're doubling as we're supposed to. One more BETA on Monday and then u/s the following week. I can't wait to see our little bean in a little over a week! Not much else new to report besides the BETA. I'm so glad to see our numbers are doing what they are supposed to. It's a relief to not only have the HPT but the medical data to support it! I guess I'm a little nervous because I want this to work the first time so bad for Ellen and Kevin. I know how much that want a little one and I know what it's like to be a mom. I can't wait for Ellen to experience that. If there was a way to speed up the days for her to make it happen more quickly I would. I know the waiting between each step is difficult for me but I can't imagine what it's like for them.
On a side note the fatigue of the first trimester is setting in. I didn't want to get out of bed this am. I was definitely dragging. Thank goodness this part only lasts 12wks!

First BETA was 446!

Well after much waiting the first BETA is in and it's 446! The clinic says that is a good strong number and of course I'm doing all the google searches I can to see what it means. It's so weird how everyone's count varies so much. There's no rhyme or reason to is except that we're pregnant! I go back again on Friday and it is supposed to double in 48hrs. so I'll post again Friday. Each day gets a little closer to baby!

ouchy

Well not a whole lot new going on here except my lower back/booty area is pretty sore. I think I'm running out of places to stick now because everywhere is so tender. I feel like a pin cushion and actually kinda look like one. Lots of little bruises all on my lower back from where Dan has been giving me the shots. I try not to count down the days until the shots are finished, but instead trying to remember it's helping to sustain the little life(s) that I'm growing in there for Ellen and Kevin. Maybe I'll be lucky and my body will be doing a good enough job on its own and I'll be able to stop the shots before 12wks. Let's hope.
I do know that I am so excited to be pregnant! I got a really good positive yesterday morning and it turned right away! It was even just a regular test not an early detection one so I must be making lots of HCG. There's either one really strong Humphrey in there or maybe two! Can't wait til the BETA to see what my numbers are. Hurry up Thursday! Oh and that's Saturday morning's test!

First Post

This is Ellen here with my first post...

I'm not sure how I sum up years of infertility in a few paragraphs but I'll give it a shot. My husband, Kevin and I have been trying to have a baby. The easy part for us was getting pregnant but unfortunately we couldn't sustain the pregnancies as I kept miscarrying. How do I even put into words how devastating it was for us? That's not really possible.

We had some very preliminary testing from my ob/gyn, but soon sought help from a fertility clinic. We had a few rounds of testing and they couldn't find anything wrong with either of us and told us to try again. We got pregnant that next month and miscarried again. We had our appointment with the RE and I think there was honest surprise on his face to see us back there so soon. So, the short version of the story is that we went on to do EVERY possible test and had a few IVF attempts with more miscarriages. I have had 5 in total and 1 chemical pregnancy (where my beta started out initially good but didn't double). I kept this short but I think the details give a hint to the time frame and heartache we suffered...

Fast forward to where we are now. With the suggestion of our RE, my Mom and my best friend, we turned our thoughts to finding our gestational carrier for our 4 frozen embryos. This was both easy for us and hard at the same time. We weren't really sure how this was going to work but turned to both the Internet and a family building attorney to find a GC. I'll leave out some of the details, but when I had an email from Brooke, the first thing I said to Kevin was that she seemed "so normal". That might seem like an odd thought, but when you are looking for someone to carry your baby, normal might not be the right word, but for the first time, I thought this might work out. We exchanged a few emails and then spoke on the phone. We talked the first night for a long time and it was already late in the evening when we started the conversation (Brooke had been at a baby shower for her sister-in-law). We kept talking and just sharing information to get to know each other. Conveniently, Brooke was leaving the next morning for a week away in St. Thomas...LOL! I held my breath and kept my fingers crossed and waited for her return. She did return rested and relaxed (and ready to see her family again) and we agreed that we should give this a try! It was very exciting for all of us....

I will continue this story that will gets us up to the present the next time we post. It has been amazing to both of us how even with all details and planning going smoothly, how long we feel like we have been waiting.

Who knew disposing of a sharps container would be so difficult.........

So after dropping Benji off at preschool I had one thing I wanted to do and that was find somewhere to dispose of my full sharps container and get a new one. I called CVS around the corner first and the pharmacist there told me that the mail order pharmacy should have sent me a label to send the full container back to them and get a new one. Checked box and no label. Next call to a good friend who had done IVF about 7yrs. ago. She said she had taken hers to Westbury Pharmacy and gave them to the pharmacist and bought a new container there. So I called Westbury and after getting the runaround on the phone there I was connected to Daryl, the pharmacist. Daryl says to just wrap the container up and dispose of it in my regular trash. Isn't disposing of medical waste in regular trash illegal I say? He avoids the questions and says, "That's what I do with my needles at home." Thanks Daryl.
So last I call the fertility clinic here that I have been doing all my blood work and some of my pretesting etc. They tell me to bring it in to them and they will dispose of the needles. What they didn't tell me was not to close the top of the container because you can't get it open again. So I ended up leaving the whole container with them and going to Westbury to buy a new one. Where incidently they gave me the wrong container. They gave me the one for diabetics that you just drop the needle into so that won't work for me because I need to dispose of a whole needle and syringe. Guess I'll be going back to Westbury to exchange my "new" sharps container.

I gave into temptation!

Well yesterday was only 5 days past the transfer which means I'm not technically 4wks. yet, but I thought it was worth a try so I gave in after a sleepless night around 5am and took a HPT. The first one was so faint that I wasn't sure I was really seeing it and thought possibly it was an evaporation line. I managed to contain the urge until a little after 12 noon and took another HPT and this one was definitely positive! After thinking it over for awhile I finally decided to share the news with E. She was as excited as me if not more. The wondering was finally over. Then I took another one at 9pm that night and it was super light again. I'm assuming it was because I had been drinking water all afternoon which probably diluted my specimen. Because..........

this morning at 5am I took a digital one and there's no questioning those! This one said "pregnant"! Yeah! So now it's just another waiting game until the BETA test which isn't scheduled until next Thurs. We might have to do something about that. LOL

The wait is killing me.........

Well the transfer was Friday, Sept. 18th. Everything went great! They thawed two embryos and 100% of the cells thawed, so the doctor was very excited about that as were we! I stayed the night in MD at a hotel on bedrest that night. E and K brought dinner to Danny and I. It is so difficult staying in bed when you feel fine. We rested and watched a movie and I read some magazines. It was a long day but I survived and it will all be well worth it in the end. We headed home around 11am that day and I pretty much rested all day at home too. Now we're just waiting to see........ the first blood test is not scheduled until Oct.1 which seems so far away. Since the embies were 5 days when frozen I will technically be 4wks pregnant this Sunday if everything took so I should be able to do a home test before the 1st. It is killing me waiting until then though too! I feel pregnant but I guess that could be symptoms from the PIO. With my own I got negative results on home tests up until the day my period was due so I'm sure it will be the same with this one too. In the mean time I'm trying to stay positive and rest until Friday when I think I will do a home test! Until then.............

The end is almost hear..... or actually the beginning

I started this journey a few months ago and now the day that so many have been waiting for is almost here! Last Friday was my final day of testing..... blood work to check hormone levels and an u/s to check my lining. All went good! Estrogen was up and progestrone was low. My lining was over 11 mm and they wanted it to be at least 9mm.... as my nurse said "it's all nice and fluffy". So the end is coming near or I guess it's actually the beginning. I continue with the estrogen shots every 3 days and start my progestrone shots tonight, which will be every night for the next 10-12 wks! Wish me luck on that one, I hear they are quite painful! 5 days and counting until transfer day!