23 Weeks and Counting...

I didn't realize that I hadn't posted anything since receiving the phone call that would forever change our lives!  As many of you reading this already know, we are expecting twins this spring!  I've spent the last 4 and 1/2 months trying to wrap my head around the fact that our biggest wish and greatest desire is coming true.

I've had what I can only imagine is a very "easy" pregnancy so far.  I didn't experience the dreaded morning sickness and I haven't had outrageous cravings (other than the occasional maple bar).  I think this has lead me to, at times, not fully allow myself to believe that this is really happening!  After wanting something SO badly and for SO long, and then finally hearing it was coming true, I've had a very hard time believing it was really happening.  I had gotten to a place where I stopped believing in the power of prayer and positive thinking, began to question my faith and quite honestly, had all but given up on this dream.  For the first trimester, I continued to convince myself that something was wrong between each and every doctors appointment.  Now, as my belly is getting bigger (every day I swear), not sleeping at night from the pain in my hips and experiencing both of these little miracles kick, I think I've finally realized that this is not a dream.  Nobody is going to pinch me to wake me up from this dream!

Our twins (Peyton Margaret and Lukas Wendell), are due in May and I've already started counting down the weeks until we get to hold them, cuddle them and frankly, spoil the heck out of them!  My Pinterest pins have been taken over with cute baby shower ideas, items I think I need (which I'm sure most of them I won't) and my closet is already starting to fill up with items that I just couldn't pass up on!  Usually by this time of year, I'm counting down the weeks or days to our annual trip to Mexico. But that has been placed on the back burner for much bigger and exciting things this year!!  I've been sitting here for days trying to figure out how to transition this blog from a blog that was full of so much sadness and let down, to a happier place and what in the world would I write about now!  So, I hope you will all follow me on this journey from a broken and lost woman that couldn't conceive to a woman that is about to have her biggest wish granted.  I know this next chapter is going to be far from easy, but I'm ready for it!

Dreams Do Come True!

I can't believe it! After several years of crying at birth announcements, bailing out of baby showers and feeling like I was broken, we finally got the phone call we've been waiting years for!

My day started off bright and early. I had an 8:00am doctors appointment in Portland so I had to leave the house at 6:00.  After the two hour drive (dang traffic), I got my blood taken and turned around for the drive home. I thought the 9 days after our transfer took forever, somehow, the 8 hour wait seemed even longer. My dear hubby was still insisting on me staying home and taking it easy, so there I was, on the couch all day surfing through daytime tv (ugh!).  I tried to distract myself with talking to my mom via instant messenger, playing games on the iPad and watching the second season of Private Practice. The later it got, the more the anxiety built up.  By 3:30, I was convinced that they hadn't called yet because they were calling everyone with the good news first. Then my phone rang, at 3:38! Being as I get horrible service in my house (one of the very few drawbacks of living where we do), I jumped up and headed out to our deck.  When Stephanie, the great patient coordinator at Oregon Reproductive Medicine, told me she had "very good news" for me I couldn't believe it! Tears instantly started to flow from my eyes.  My hcg levels were at 178.5 which she said was very good and nice and high. I go back on Monday for a confirmation test and to schedule our first ultra sound!

Whe she told me my hcg level, it really meant nothing to me, all I knew was she said it was positive and I was pregnant!  After researching hcg levels, I found that "high" for a singleton birth is 119!  Could it be true? Are we really going to be blessed with twins?!?! We will have to wait and see. But as of right now, all I know is we are ecstatic! It's been a long road that has strengthened the bond between us and we can't wait to bring our little bundle(s) of joy to the world!

In Less Than 24 Hours.....

Here we are, 8 days after the transfer of our beautiful little embryos.  After being on bed rest for three days after the transfer (1 doctor enforced and 2 hubby enforced), I planned to venture out to get my nails done on Saturday.  (Warning, this is when this may get a little too graphic for some people).  Early Saturday morning I was awakened with a terrible burning/cramping feeling like nothing I had ever imagined. Luckily it only lasted about 5 minutes and was gone. So, I ventured out and got my nails done. I was a good girl and came home and went back to taking it easy.  Sunday morning rolled around and the same burning/cramping happened.  I was really starting to freak out at this point wondering what in the world was going on. Sunday afternoon was date day with my hubby! We had a great day and I was starting to feel really good and very positive. Late that afternoon I started cramping again. This time though it was similar to period cramping. NOT what I was expecting or wanting to experience that's for sure. But again, the cramps only lasted a few minutes. When I got home I instantly started searching the web for cramping related to IVF cycles.  From what I could tell, it seemed to be normal.

Monday night was a rough one, as I was getting ready for bed that night, much to my horror I was spotting. I thought for sure our journey was over (well this round at least). I woke up exhausted Tuesday morning, but luckily with no more spotting. The cramping on the other hand continued off and on. My dear husband begged me to please just take it easy and rest for the next two days before our blood test. I agreed to do so. I figured it's better to be safe than sorry. Fingers (and toes & eyes lol) are crossed for a positive outcome tomorrow. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

The wait....

The dreaded wait between implantation and our first blood test after our IVF cycle could quite possibly turn me into a crazy person!  Tuesday when we arrived for our embryo transfer, I jokingly said to my husband, "I wonder if we'll get to see what our embryos look like?". Imagine my surprise when I was wheeled into the procedure room and up on the monitor above me, there they were! Two beautiful embryos!  When my doctor walked in he exclaimed how beautiful they were as well!  We had started with 27 eggs, 18 were mature enough to move forward with, 11 fertilized after day 1 and by day 5 we had five that had continued to grow.  And there they were, two of the five!  It was so overwhelming to realize after all the years of sadness, longing and tears, that we were one step closer to having our greatest wish and biggest desire come true.

Here I am, three days later, still a couch potato (per the request of my incredible husband), trying to not make myself completely crazy.  I simply cannot wait for the next six days to be over. At the same time, it terrifies me to get that phone call next Thursday. One phone call will either fill my heart or crush it.  However, if there's any truth in the power of prayer, positive thinking and visualizing something to come true, this child (or children) is going to happen. The support I have received from family and friends has been amazing!  My husband has been incredible, we lay on the couch and he rubs my belly at night. We wake up in the morning and he rubs my belly and talks to it!  He's going to be such an amazing father.

So how do I keep myself occupied for the next six days??? Last week I had written about Pinterest and my addiction to it. After that post I did manage to try a few more recipes from it. Both were ridiculously easy and a huge hit with my hubby. The first was honey beer bread and the second was a creamy chicken stuffed in croissant dough!  If you haven't tried any of the things you've pinned yet, don't wait any longer! I am personally looking forward to my husband letting me get up and cook again!

Love, Life & Pinterest

As my hubby and I have been going through our fertility treatments, I've been trying to find other things to distract my mind with.  Usually, distracting me isn't too hard of a task to accomplish.  Pinterest has become the most addicting form of distraction.  For a few weeks, I challenged myself to not just "pin" but to start doing the things I had pinned.  A few recipes later, I dropped the ball and didn't continue with the follow through.  Until now!  Yup, that's right, I'm publicly putting it out there and now I'll try to log my adventures in Pinterest on here in addition to writing about life and fertility.

Before diving into what's for dinner tonight, what I used to shave my legs this morning and what craft I'm going to try to tackle first, how about a fertility roller coaster update!  We are less than a week away from our egg retrieval, which in turn means we are about 10 days away from embryo transfer!  Three weeks into my injections, I think I'm handling the meds better than I had expected to.  I thought I was going to turn into this crazed lunatic that cried at the drop of a hat.  With the exception of waking up before 5:00am daily, it really hasn't been that bad ::knock on wood::.  The first week or so was a little rough when I started experiencing every possible side effect, but I think I've adapted well.  I found myself incredibly giddy and ridiculously hopeful yesterday as I drove home from Portland after one of my appointments.  I truly and honestly believe that our time has come and this dream is about to become a reality.  Sure my stomach looks like a pin cushion, but each poke gets us one step closer to holding our little angel that I know is coming to us.

Back to the subject of shaving my legs. Random, yes I know! A few nights ago while skimming through Pinterest, I saw a post about shaving with hair conditioner instead of soap or shaving cream.  I've always been too cheap for shaving cream anyways, but figured I'd do a side by side comparison with soap on one leg and conditioner on the other.  I have to admit, I was skeptical with the conditioner because it doesn't lather up like soap does.  Well, I have to tell you, I might be running to Costco to buy a large bottle of conditioner to use from here on out! Even with my dull razor (yes, it's time for a new one), the conditioner side is a closer shave and left zero razor burn. 

It has been months since I've had even a sip of an alcoholic beverage and with all the gorgeous weather we've been having I've been dying for an ice cold Hefeweizen.  But after all we have gone through with fertility medications, I'm not about to risk anything for one beer.  Enter the recipe that will be hitting my oven when I'm done with this post.  Honey Beer Bread!  The last recipe I got off of Pinterest for oven baked fried chicken, was an epic fail (unless you like soggy coating on your chicken). So keep your fingers crossed that this one turns out a little better!

Hope everyone is enjoying the last week of August.  I know I am definitely looking forward to what September is going to bring us!  Cheers!

Moving Forward

I've never been one to just give up on the things I want most in life.  When I didn't make the softball team my junior year of high school, I still played city league.  When I was the shortest middle blocker on the volleyball court in our league, I pushed myself harder.  So it was no surprise that I wasn't going to give up on my dream to become a mom.

A few days after my last post, I got another call from our doctors office.  He had come to the conclusion that it was time to move forward with IVF.  He said we could continue trying IUI, but at this point (five failed IUI cycles) he strongly recommended we move forward.  There wasn't much for my hubby and I to discuss, we both know this is something we long for and want more than anything. 

Fast forward two and a half months to today.  At this point we have paid our deposit, filled out all the paperwork, done the first of two mandatory orientations and picked up a ridiculous amount of inject-able and oral medications.  We are moving forward!

As I look to the people in my life, I'm reminded on a daily basis of how incredibly lucky I am.  Without the financial help of my family and the love and support of family and friends, this would be a long and terrifying journey that no couple should ever have to face alone.  As with many other things in our lives, this has only brought Jake and I that much closer.  It seems every time we are faced with adversity that could tear us apart, it does the exact opposite and strengthens our love, our bond and our friendship.  We do not cast blame on one another, we talk about how exciting our future will be and remain positive.

I'd be lying if I said I'm not terrified as I sit here and look at the massive pile of prescriptions on our counter.  I cannot let that fear consume me though.  I remain realistically hopeful and focus in the mean time on improving myself and my relationship.  Over the next month and a half, I will give myself multiple injections on a daily basis, have a rigid calendar of oral medications to take and in a month, will have to step away from the gym (doctors orders).  I'm not naive and know this will not be easy what-so-ever.  I'm ready for this next chapter and ready to tackle anything thrown my way!

Two Weeks or An Eternity...

Waiting two weeks for a single phone call can seem like an eternity.  Over analyzing every little twinge, every little symptom (Or lack there of), can start to consume a person.  In the past, I'd told all my friends that we were about to embark on another round of IUI (aka Artificial Insemination).  This time around, only a small number of people knew that we were getting back on the fertility roller coaster.

My amazing husband and I had decided after our last go round that we were going to step back and take a few months away from that roller coaster.  Three weeks ago we got in line again and a week later it was our turn.  We went in so optimistic and so full of hope and desire.  After all, I had been able to "let go" of so many negative things in my life and the numbers were starting to look like they were turning to our favor.  How could we be anything but optimistic?

For the two weeks following, I laid low, remained positive and just knew it was time.  Everything seemed to be in place and it was time for us to have that one little thing we so desperately want to complete our happy little home.  When my phone rang this morning and I saw our doctors number on the screen, I just knew they were going to finally have that great news we've been waiting for after all these years of tears and let downs.  Then came the words I have grown much too accustomed to hearing, "Unfortunately, the test came back negative."

So here we are again, back on the roller coaster that is full of twists, turns, ups and downs.  Where do we go from here? That, I do not know.  We can either get back in line for this ride.  Or we up the ante and get in line for the bigger one, the scarier one, full of a lot more appointments, hormone injections and not to mention, money.

I'm not certain about many things in life, but the one thing I am certain of is that my husband and I are meant to be parents.  I long to be woken up in the middle of the night, to be thrown up on and to cradle that precious little soul in my arms, rocking him or her to sleep day in and day out...