27 Weeks pregnant with Twins! and Celebration time!

We have reached our first goal!! 28 weeks!! At 28 weeks the twins can be born and have a 98% chance of survival. Also at this point if they are born our hospital is able to handle them so they can stay with me instead of having to be airlifted to a children's hospital. Its hard to believe that just a few months ago we were very worried about making it to this point. We had so many issues in the beginning it seemed like making it to 28 weeks was a large task. Now my Dr. told me that he sees no reason why I wont make it to 38 weeks! What a difference! However I am still thinking in baby steps, because I like to take things in strides, AND of course why not have more milestones to celebrate?! SO our next goal is 32 weeks. At 32 weeks most babies not only survive but 95% have no long term issues from being premature. Most twins are born between 34-37 weeks, with little to no NICU time, so being told at this time it looks like we can make it to 38 weeks is huge! It seems so far away, AND soooo close! 10 weeks is no time at all! Below is an update for how week 27 went...(lets just say they made us work for our first goal)





How far along: 28 Weeks, update is for 27 Weeks.
Total weight gain: gained 20 lbs total I am still pretty far under the "typical" weight gain, but it sure feels like a lot!
Maternity clothes: Okay...Buddha belly had a growth spurt this week! Quite a few of my shirts are getting to be too short all of a sudden! Luckily since I am not working I don't have to worry to much about my fashion choices! Oddly my maternity jeans are all getting bigger on me, I think all the weight is just switching to the belly.
Stretch marks: No new ones! (knock on wood!) Still no linea nigra either! (I am really hoping to not get one cause it kinda weirds me out!)
Sleep: Sleep is tough! Turning over is a production and poor Adam is slowly getting less and less room because I need my 20 pillows around me! (and no 20 is not an exaggeration!)
Happenings this week: Monday morning I woke up feeling really unwell. I had some really bad cramping for about an hour. After Adam left for work and I started to concentrate on how the cramps were feeling I realized that they were kinda coming in waves. Starting in my back then wrapping around to my lower abdomen. I also realized I had not felt Baby Alexandria move yet that morning (she is usually my more active one) As the cramping started to get worse I decided I should call the Dr. it was still really early so I had to call the on-call Dr. I left a message then got in the shower, the hot water on my back really helped relieve the pain. By the time the Dr called back I was in way less pain, just really weak feeling. The nurse told me it sounded like contractions and I needed to go into the hospital right away. Luckily Adam was at his closest office so he came home to take me in. By the time I got to the hospital I was just feeling sick no more cramps. They hooked me and babes up and said everyone looked great. The nurse said a few times that the twins were testing better than most do at 27 weeks with their stress test, so that made me feel better! They kept me to observe any contractions for a few hours, made sure that I ate and got some fluids in then sent us home. I had a Dr. apt a few days later and he told me to just get used to it. He said my uterus is now measuring the size of a 40 weeker so getting contractions from here on out will be normal. He said anytime the contractions are intense or last longer than an hour I needed to call...and every time they will send me into the hospital. They do not like to chance it with twins because they come early so often. SO we made it to 28 weeks on Thursday! But not without some drama from our little nuggets!
Best moment of this week: A BABY!! Our good friends Matt and Kate welcomed their baby girl, and we got to go visit her in the hospital! She is perfect and beautiful! Adam got to hold a newborn for the first time, and said it really hit him that it was all going to be happening for us soon!
Miss anything: Being mobile! I can no longer spend the day shopping (or even a couple hours) without really paying for it later. The longer I am on feet my back hurts and I start to cramp.
Movement: For the last 3 mornings they have been fighting each other! I can feel them in there kicking one another! The other day it go so intense I had to push on them for a while to get them to stop! Silly babes, must be fighting for leg room!
Food cravings: None this week!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Besides the day I was in the hospital this week was pretty good, I had hardly any nauseous moments!
Gender: A baby girl and a baby boy!
Labor signs: Just the cramping on Monday, braxton hicks or real contractions I hope we dont have any more for a while! They were not pleasant!
Belly button in or out: Still very in! I have about a 3 inch scar above my belly button from a prior surgery and that is popping out!
Wedding rings on or off: ON,
Happy or moody most of the time: Its been a happy week!
Looking forward to: Thanksgiving, and a nice long weekend with Adam next week!
Size of Baby: At my 25 week appointment Aiden measured 2.1 pounds and Alexandria measured 1 pound and 11oz! Aiden was in the 80th percentile and Alex in the 25th. I was worried about the difference but the doctor said its totally normal. Its normal for baby A to be smaller because the have less room and also normal for boys to be bigger! My next apt is on December 2nd, I am hoping for 3 pounds each!

 

Names: Alexandria Rosemary and Aiden Patrick. (baby girl is known as baby Alex for short)

Symptoms: Back pain, and dizziness, tired, some cramping.

Pregnancy diary 26 weeks with Twins

How far along: 26 Weeks.
Total weight gain: gained 18 lbs total (I packed them on last week :O)
Maternity clothes: Jeans, and most of my shirts. I still have some longer shirts that fit, but most of my tanks and shirts are too short and the belly tries to stick out! SO we stick with the nice long maternity shirts! I have actually gone down a size in my maternity clothing...my weight is shifting all over and just moving to my belly I think.
Stretch marks: I got stretch marks about week 8 due to all of the bloating from surgery and fertility drugs. They really have not gotten any worse. I was using Bio-oil, however the bleeding I had happen to coincide with using the bio-oil. SO I have given it up just in case! I am using aloe vera from time to time.
Sleep: Still getting up a few times a night to go pee and/or from leg cramps. My arms also are starting to cramp up. This week I have slept most of the day away, I am really tired and worn out. Thinking they must be going thru a growth spurt.
Best moment of this week: Our Shower last Saturday! It was a ton of fun, maybe more booze and babies than "baby shower" but totally what we were going for. Just a fun laid back time to celebrate with all of our friends.
Miss anything: Bending over! Being able to shave my legs without pain, and sleeping on my stomach! Baby girl hangs out so low that bending over is incredibly painful! I really have to evaluate if I need whatever I just dropped on the floor! I also miss cuddles with the husband, I am just too uncomfortable to cuddle anymore :(
Movement: Still lots of movement, they are not as crazy as they were last week, but I have really cut sugar out of my diet since eating wayyy to many sweets between our shower and Halloween! So, that could be why!?
Food cravings: Still not many. This week I suddenly wanted chili cheese Fritos (which I have not ate in years) Adam happened to be at the grocery and got them...and they really were not everything I dreamed about, so that craving quickly went away.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Any sort of activity after eating. or going from a warm car/house into cold weather. There is so little room in my stomach now days that food just kinda sits on top so the smallest change in temperature or moving too much makes it all come back up.
Have you started to show yet: Um...I am a whale!
Gender: A baby girl and a baby boy!
Labor signs: Nope! Baby girl hangs out so low sometimes I think she is trying to crawl out down there, but no real signs yet thank goodness!
Belly button in or out: Still very in! I have about a 3 inch scar above my belly button from a prior surgery and that is popping out!
Wedding rings on or off: ON, but I have noticed some swelling this week.
Happy or moody most of the time: This week I have been too tired to be moody!
Looking forward to: Just getting past this week, where I think they are in a growth spurt. I am soo tired.
Size of Baby: At my 25 week appointment Aiden measured 2.1 pounds and Alexandria measured 1 pound and 11oz! Aiden was in the 80th percentile and Alex in the 25th. I was worried about the difference but the doctor said its totally normal. Its normal for baby A to be smaller because the have less room and also normal for boys to be bigger! Hoping they are starting to put on that baby fat this week!
What You’re Doing: We had our shower this week, and it was a ton of fun. See shower pictures here... http://yougottababyinthere.blogspot.com/2014/11/twins-baby-shower.html
I am also working on filling out this AMAZING diary for tracking our fertility and pregnancy diary.. she made the entire thing from scratch and its unreal. Check it out here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVT8kadHTxY&list=UUYjEOmLGEFKL29HuPj4k-XQ

 

Names: Alexandria Rosemary and Aiden Patrick. (baby girl is known as baby Alex for short)

Symptoms: Back pain, and dizziness.


What baby is doing this week: The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about 1 2/3 pounds and measures 14 inches (about the size of a scallion) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles should soon begin to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three months.
See what your baby looks like this week.

Week 25 pregnancy update and Vasa Previa

Week 25
How far along: 25 Weeks. (Today is actually the start of week 26 but this update is for last week!)
Total weight gain: gained 14 lbs total
Maternity clothes: Jeans, and most of my shirts. I still have some longer shirts that fit, but most of my tanks and shirts are too short and the belly tries to stick out! SO we stick with the nice long maternity shirts!
Stretch marks: I got stretch marks about week 8 due to all of the bloating from surgery and fertility drugs. They really have not gotten any worse. I was using Bio-oil, however the bleeding I had happen to coincide with using the bio-oil. SO I have given it up just in case! I am using aloe vera from time to time.
Sleep: Still getting up a few times a night to go pee and/or from leg cramps. My arms also are starting to cramp up.
Best moment of this week: Well....a couple weeks ago my perintologist told me baby Alex had Vasa Previa he told me a little about it at the office, however after some more research I found out its an extremely scary condition. If undiagnosed 99 percent of the time you loose your baby :( Lucky for me they "found" mine. It is basically a condition where the cord is not attached to the placenta, it is attached to her sac. SO if you go into labor when the sac breaks she would suffocate and bleed out. (Yeah...that scary) Catching it is key! You usually go into the hospital about 30 weeks and they preform a C-section early around 35 weeks as to stop the chances of you going into labor. So we spent a couple weeks realizing this was our reality. Realizing that our babies would be born early by C-section and I would be spending weeks in the hospital. Welp on comes our appointment this past Monday and get this....NO VASA PREVIA! They spoke to soon! Its not something that goes away, its simply that I never had it to start with! Baby Alex's cord was laying on top of her head and kinda pinned down near the cervix. The cord is also attached extremely low on the placenta. (but attached!) So in an ultrasound it looked like a Vasa. Lucky for us the cord moved and they could see better this last time. We couldn't be any happier! Not only was it extremely scary for baby girl, but we also didn't want baby boy to be born so early when they were not ready! This appointment couldn't have gone better! It was actually the first appointment I have ever left since being pregnant with ZERO conditions! ALL GOOD IN THE WOMB!!
Miss anything: Bending over! Being able to shave my legs without pain, and sleeping on my stomach! Baby girl hangs out so low that bending over is incredibly painful! I really have to evaluate if I need whatever I just dropped on the floor!  
Movement: SO much movement. My little wiggle worms have been very active this week! And while I can see lots of little bumps I cant wait to see the whole weird alien thing happen!
Food cravings: Still not many, I mostly just want water or juice.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Any sort of activity after eating. or going from a warm car/house into cold weather. There is so little room in my stomach now days that food just kinda sits on top so the smallest change in temperature or moving too much makes it all come back up.
Have you started to show yet: OH YEAH
Gender: A baby girl and a baby boy!
Labor signs: Nope! Baby girl hangs out so low sometimes I think she is trying to crawl out down there, but no real signs yet thank goodness!
Belly button in or out: Still very in! I have about a 3 inch scar above my belly button from a prior surgery and that is popping out! Its also a little painful?!
Wedding rings on or off: ON, with plenty of room still.
Happy or moody most of the time: So happy! I am never moody, however I am a little more sensitive, and cry at happy things extremely easy.
Looking forward to: My co-ed shower on Saturday! Going to be more of a booze and babies party than your typical aweeee baby shower.
Size of Baby: At my 25 week appointment Aiden measured 2.1 pounds and Alexandria measured 1 pound and 11oz! Aiden was in the 80th percentile and Alex in the 25th. I was worried about the difference but the doctor said its totally normal. Its normal for baby A to be smaller because the have less room and also normal for boys to be bigger! Hoping Baby girl catches up this week!
What You’re Doing: We spent last Saturday taking baby classes! We had a Breastfeeding class, a Newborn care class, and a CPR and safety class. While there was not a ton we didn't already know...we did learn some new stuff and just got a much more comfortable feeling! But we did get a big wakeup call in the breastfeeding class when the teacher handed me a second baby for practice! I could barely hold onto 2 dolls! (let alone 2 squirmy babies!) SO that will take some getting used to!

 

Sleep: Sleep is difficult. I get up every 3 hours or so to use the bathroom. I can’t lay on my back or my right side because I have a hard time breathing. When I lay on my left baby girl goes crazy. Also, my heartburn tends to flare up at night.

Names: Alexandria Rosemary and Aiden Patrick. (baby girl is known as baby Alex for short)

Symptoms: Difficulty breathing, back pain, tiredness, heartburn, difficulty bending over.


What baby is doing this week: Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — 1 1/2 pounds — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

24 Weeks Pregnant!

I know its been quite a while since I have updated, so thought I would try to start doing weekly post that I keep getting request for! Up until now honestly I was too scared to post, like if I talked about it that it wouldn't be real/or something would happen. Its been a rocky pregnancy but our little munchkins are thriving every time we have an ultrasound! Now that we have hit 24 weeks the first sign of viability I can start to relax. 24 weeks was our 1st goal and we have passed it and on our way to our next goal of 28 weeks!

My giant 24 week twin tummy!

How Far Along: 24 weeks and 4 days
Size of Baby: At my 21 week appointment Aiden measured 1.1 pounds and Alexandria measured 1 pound. Both well above the 50th percentile for a singleton! So that's great! Thinking by now I they should both be about a pound and a half.
What You’re Doing: We had a low key weekend this past weekend which was nice. We are trying to slowly buy things we will need for the twins, diapers, clothing, etc. Our rocker came in this weekend so we now have all furniture in the nursery! Just a few more decorative things and it will be done! I am sleeping while I can because sleeping is hard these days, I just cant get comfortable, have heartburn no matter what I eat. (I never had heartburn in my life before pregnancy!) This week will be pretty laid back as we have a big weekend planned. Saturday we have an all day birth/childcare/infant CPR class. A birthday party on Sunday and lots to do between!

Cravings: I don’t have many cravings. Most food just does not sound good to me...once in a while something will get in my brain and kinda stick but its usually something like a slushie, or lemon flavor. Not like I HAVE to HAVE this right now!

 

Sleep: Sleep is difficult. I get up every 3 hours or so to use the bathroom. I can’t lay on my back or my right side because I have a hard time breathing. When I lay on my left baby girl goes crazy. Also, my heartburn tends to flare up at night.

Sex of Babies: A beautiful baby girl, and a handsome baby boy!

Weight Gain: 12 pounds, recommended weight gain for twins is minimum 24 pounds by 24 weeks, but my doctors say babes are happy and above average so they are happy!

Names: Alexandria Rosemary and Aiden Patrick. (baby girl is known as baby Alex for short)

Symptoms: Difficulty breathing, back pain, tiredness, heartburn, difficulty bending over, and new this week if I try to do ANYTHING other than sit after eating more than a couple bites of food I get sick. (Adam and I had Red Robin Saturday, I barely ate but it all came up in the parking lot! Adam joked he should go get his 14 dollars back)

Fetal Movement: The last 4 days baby girl has been crazy and baby boy has been REALLY quiet. (to the point I got out our heart monitor to check on him a couple times!) But he must have just been in a weird position because today he has been going crazy just like his sister. I pretty much do not go 10 minutes without feeling one or the other move. When both get going at the same time it almost tickles or makes me feel like I am on a roller coaster. I LOVE IT!

What you’re looking forward to: Seeing both babies at my ultrasound next Monday, and getting some answers to a few questions I have with the doctors.

What baby is doing this week: Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at about 1 1/3 pounds. Since he's almost a foot long (about the size of an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Twins at 24 weeks

I think that's all of the update! I will update again next week, after my appointment.

Still in shock...

I don't even know how to write this post..I don't know if it's the pregnancy hormones, the shock, or the fact I got up too early today but I can't even figure out what emotion I feel. Wonder maybe? Blessed? Happy...happy for sure. Mostly SHOCK! 

Let's see...last Friday they did an "early" ultrasound, I was still bleeding and they wanted to give me some piece of mind and verify things were okay. We went in hoping to see a baby, maybe a heartbeat, and hoping that even thou I had all the bleeding things were perfectly normal. Well...we did see a baby! And a perfect little heartbeat! The baby measured at 6 weeks and 1 day which is exactly right. We were so happy. I did have a small tear in my placenta, which could have caused some of the bleeding. The tear was already starting to heal and they were not to worried about it. They tried measuring the heart beats per minute but it was too faint, too early to get a good read on it. They were happy and felt extreemly reassured that the blood was not a sign of something majorly wrong. 

But that was not it....there it was...a second spot! When my doctor saw it she thought the spot was a twin I was miscarrying, it appeared smaller and didn't have a heartbeat. They assumed that was causing the bleeding. But then her assistant saw a second yoak sac! They couldn't see a heartbeat, but when they measured the second sac It measured perfectly :) 6 weeks 1 day just like twin A. She told us she was really optimistic that it was simply too early to see the second heartbeat and asked me to come back in the following week.

Today was my 7 week appointment. I read about a million cases of the same thing happening to people. Seeing twins but only 1 heartbeat. It was about a 50/50 spilt between going back to see the second and the other twin simply disappearing (disappearing twin syndrome, where it is just absorbed by the body) Adam had a work retreat so Samantha came with me to get our answers after yet another long week! And....we are officially the proud parents of two perfectly sized twins with two perfect little heartbeats! While we didn't get to hear the heartbeats yet they were able to measure them. Twin A's heart rate was 124 and twin B's 136. Both in the perfectly normal range. 

We are elated...shocked....happy...so in love with our two little nuggets! It's funny, I just had two of the most emotional unreal months of my life. I am drained, tired, still sick from all the meds. And still scared because I am still on restrictions due to the bleeding. But none of that really matters today/anymore. All I know is that we best the odds, we had a successful IVF on the FIRST try! Not only did one of our embies decided to stay with us but TWO of them did! It's almost like having two successful IVF rounds in one! 

I am writing this post in the Seattle airport at midnight getting ready to board a plane home to Indiana for a wedding. We have not told our families it's twins yet! We are thrilled we get to tell them in person, keeping it a secret for the last week has been ROUGH! I don't know how people hide it until they are further along! It's toooo exciting not to share! For now I will simply save this post and keep it a secret for a couple more days :) 6/26/2014

http://flipagram.com/f/EbK5jniYJK

The shit they don't tell you about IVF

Now that we have finished our first IVF cycle I thought I would share some of the stuff I learned along the way that was NOT in any sort of flyer! The world of infertility is a strange foreign place and it helped me so much along the way to have lots of information, and lots of women to talk to who we're going thru the same thing. So here goes the shit no one tells you....

1. I cannot stress this point enough if your thinking about IVF, look into "guarantee" programs!!! Guarantee programs or multiple cycle programs give you multiple tries at IVF for one fixed price.If unsuccessful  and you don't not bring a baby home you get your money back. You can read more about attain programs here: Our IVF Diary- you gotta baby in there?: IVF through Attain Fertility
It's so sad to me how many IVF ladies did not know programs like this existed! There is so much riding on This and I can't imagine the heartbreak of the cycle not working on top of thinking well there went 22k and when we are ready to start again it's another 22k! Right now I am pregnant and having a lot of complications it's very scary but the one thing that helps keep me grounded is we have more tries waiting for us if this does not turn out how we hope!

2. The drugs make you extremely bloated! I never really experienced bloat during a period so I had no idea what this would be like! I gained about 5 pounds during my stim meds which is normal but went up about two sizes! As soon as I had my egg retrieval the pounds disappeared and bloating went down within a couple days.

3. As soon as your feeling back to normal after the egg retrieval you start progesterone...and it sucks! Bloating bloating and more bloating. Lots of nausea, achy bones, and general feeling of ickyness!

4. If your not scared of needles you will be! I have never been even a little scared of needles but after
endless blood draws and shots you will learn to HATE needles!

5. Your veins can go "bad" after so many blood draws if your using the same vein they will get harder and harder to get blood out of. By the time they were trying to put in my IV for the egg retrieval the had to try 5 different times to get a good vein.

6. When you unpack your meds label and organize them! There are so many it's hard to keep up and being organized makes it easier on days your running behind.

7.  Naps are your new best friend...I have not taken a nap in my entire adult life...now it's a daily occurrence! Between the meds and the emotional roller coaster your sleepy all the time!

8. Most annoying side effect of the stim meds....headaches 24/7

9. Follistim is the easiest shot...Menopur BURNS! No way to stop it.

10. The trigger shot is scarier than it looks. It's just another shot.

11. Your robbed of that..."oh my gosh look at the two lines we are pregnant!!" Moment. If you get a positive pregnancy test you still have to have a second HCG test before they declare you pregnant. So you basically are in this weird limbo for a few days...are we excited or not? I am almost 6 weeks pregnant and I am still in this limbo. I have had 3 HCG test they all come out nice and high. But I bleed almost every day. So while I am pregnant there could be something wrong...we just want to relax and celebrate but it's not an option for us. Yet.

12. Your husband even as amazing as he is, as supportive, and caring as he is. It won't be right! His reactions to things, his support will piss you off...he doesn't understand. Just remember he is trying, and no no one in the world knows exactly what your going thru, but they try. Just remember this as you want to rip your husbands head off because he is answering work emails while you think he should be watching you inject yourself with the umpteenth needle.

13. You will discover you have 3 types of friends if your open about your IVF journey. 1. The ones that don't really acknowledge that your going thru any of this. The idea that something as "private" as baby making has become a weird routine of medical procedures and daily activities for you makes them uncomfortable. 2. The ones that want to know the pertinent info. Most of your friends/family fit into this category. They are genuinely interested, care, and want to know how things are going, they think of you, pray for you,but never want to overstep your boundaries. Then you have the 3rd kind the ones that want to know exactly when your period starts, watch you inject yourself and will tell you your crazy when your crying over the fact that you chipped a nail. They won't feel sorry for you they will just be there for you then help you to the next step. I imagine for each person what they need during a fertility journey. For me I needed friend number 3 while I appreciate the other types of people, I  NEED the 3rd. I need someone to go over every detail with me, to google the symptoms, and to make me laugh when I don't know what else to feel.


14. The 4th friend.. A whole new friend I didn't know I would love or need so much! The Instagram community! You would NOT believe the infertility community on Instagram! I got to go thru my cycle real time with women all over the world. There were at least 8 other girls having the exact same procedures as me within a few days of me. It was great to get on and say "how many eggs did you get?"  "Did you have this happen?"  " is this symptom normal?"  The only thing I would recommend doing that I didn't is having a second IVF/fertility account than your personal account. I didn't think to do this at first because I am very open. However there have been a few times I wanted to ask weird kinda TMI questions to my IVF sisters that I didn't want to have to expose my co-workers etc to. Like "did anyone have clotting with their implantation bleeding?"

15. IVF takes over your life!! There is no way around it. Multiple doctor appointments, sickness from the meds. Etc. your whole life is run on the cycle. Guess it's preparing us for when a baby runs our life!

16. Most importantly none of it is more than you can handle, everyone from your doctors to your friends/family are there to help you. You will get thru it!

We can't believe it!!

      We can't believe it and are still in shock....but we gotta baby in here!! I always thought it would work, but can't believe it worked on the first try! After years of blood work, tears, shots, surgeries, we are now just a "normal" couple expecting a baby! 

     We of course didn't make it thru our TWW (two week wait) without any hiccups! On Wednesday I started spotting, which quickly turned into heavy bleeding and clots :( I thought it was over. It was devastating! I assumed the bleeding was my period we had a very long night of crying and searching the internet to find any possibility of pregnancy after such a heavy bleed. Dr google and my nurse I called at my RE all said it didn't sound good and to prepare for the worse. 

     Luckily I didn't have to wait long my appointment to have the blood pregnancy test was on Thursday morning. My nurse told me we really wouldn't know either way that day because if I showed pregnant they would need to confirm I didn't miscarry the baby by checking my levels a couple days later.  Anything over a 50 on the terse is positive...on Thursday my HCG levels were 264. So we knew it worked! We just didn't know if we were still pregnant. The day before my bleed I was very busy at work getting ready of a big event and I was tossing around big heavy 50 pound boxes, my nurse told me that could have caused the bleeding and a misscarriage. 

    So,we waited two more days. Saturday morning we drove to Seattle for our 2nd beta test. Our appointment was early and quick. Just the blood work and back home to wait for,that phone call. To be honest I thought it was over...when I first had the transfer I had all these cramps, tingles, movements in my tummy. But the longer it went the less I felt any different. Adam on the other hand never gave up hope he was just sure our two little embie sap were staying for life!

    The call came quick...quicker than we expected. I answerd the phone barely being able to breath. The nurse made idel chit chat....how are you...oh fine you? The whole time I was trying to read her voice is this a happy call? Or the call she probably dreads? Then she said it...well your HCG is level is....768!!!! Congratulations your officially pregnant everything looks great! I was in shock! I let her finish telling me that the thyroid test etc they ran were also normal so we are all set. Then I realized I didn't know what to do next everything with my RE was about getting pregnant, I always knew the next step. Is this fails then we try this...if your period starts then we start stims...etc. I quickly thought back to all my paperwork...there was no info beyond 2nd beta to confirm pregnancy. So I asked the nurse...ummm what do we do now? She laughed like she had gotten this dumbfounded question a million times. And let me know I just needed to schedule a 7 week ultrasound where they could confirm how many of the embryos took. (My numbers are consistent with just the one taking...or that both took and the blood was me loosing one) and we should get to see a heartbeat too! We hung up the phone and Adam just looked at me and said I told you so! I have never been so happy to concied he was right...I was wrong. 

                            Look at me keeping my NYE resolutions! 

    We spent the next hour calling our family and friends to let them know, it was the best! Samantha had planned to be here when we got the call but it came so quick she missed it! She called when on her way and I told her we hadn't heard yetto  but to hurry over cause we wanted to go to lunch to kill time. We were getting in the car to go to lunch and I just blurted it out. She was in shock kinda hugged me, acted confused, and then got in the car. About 5 minutes into the drive she started crying and said it just hit her. We are so so lucky to have amazing friends and family to share this journey with. I know it's "taboo" to share to soon, or not proper etquitte but honestly I wouldn't have it any other way. Our family is the world to both of us having a child is not just about Adam and I. It's about our family our babies will become who they are because of our family not just because of us. Having their support and our amazing friends support has been amazing! There is also no way to get thru something as forgien as making a human in a test tube without the help of a lot of ladies who have been thru it before! I am so lucky to have some family who had IVF and then to meet an amazing group of ladies going thru it real time with me! Okay enough of my oscar speech! Just wanted all of you to know how much you mean to us! 

We gotta baby in here!! 

Things they should have told the husband going in

1) Your wife will be unavailable for the next month. She has been replaced with a pod person who will find irritation in everything she once found cute. Tread lightly.

2) She will cry for any reason under the sun. Happy, sad, angry, tired, shinny object, because she loves me, and most important...just because and it's okay! ;)

3)She will be irrationally angry at you for things that don't warrant the pure unadulterated hatred coming your way....she knows it just love her even more.

4)Despite what she says, she will need you more than ever. Be supportive.

5)She is getting hundreds of injections for your potential future child and you can't compete.  Try anyway. ;)

6)You will start to hear phrases like "it's for the baby"( it's not, it's a trap).

7) Needles are no joke. If you accidentally put the needle in on a test run while working up the courage to do it for real, don't abort and pull the needle out. You will hear something along the lines of, "Why would you do that to me?" You have poked the bear walk away slowly.....and don't make any sudden moves.

8)There will be no more cuddling of any kind. If she was the game operation....there is no safe zone! They all set off the ALARM!

9)During the transfer, there is a "drive through window" where the embryologist will hand over your future baby to the doctor. It's weird and feels a little Mr Rogers....just go with it. And order the #4 it's good luck.

10)She is the love of my life and I appreciate her suffering through all of this for our future baby. I didn't realize how much of an emotional roller coaster it would be for me. There are ups and downs all over the place. Never miss an opportunity to tell her you lover her or kiss her. You won't know how much little gestures mean. And no matter how crazy the request, do it anyway.

Transfer day!

                                         Adam tucking our babies in.

Today was our transfer day! Out of our 10 embryos we had 5 that were perfect little hatching blast! We had 3 not make it and 2 they are watching overnight to see of they will start to hatch overnight so they can be frozen tomorrow. We had 2 of or perfect embies transferred today, and they put 3 snow babies on ice. Hopefully tomorrow we will be adding the other two to the iceberg. 

The procedure was not too bad, it was just really uncomfortable. You have to fill your bladder to the brim and then they spend 45 minutes pushing on it. Apparently I have a speed bump on the way to my uterus..so that took them a little longer than usuall, but it all worked out in the end. We got pictures of the two perfect little embies we implanted which I LOVED! I feel pretty much the same, a little more crampy and extremely aware of every twinge, bubble, tickle I have in my tummy. It was a pretty emotional 45 minute appointment it was very unreal everything we have been doing for the last three years has lead up to this! Adam gets a goofy little smile everything I now refer to myself as a "we" it's pretty cute and I hope that smile sticks around for the whole 9 months! 

I was sent home with instructions to relax and take it easy for the next two days. After that they told me just to not overthink any of it. Sure easy for you to say! The next two weeks is going to be looooong! Laying here with my feet up is not helping with the overthinking! Luckily it's time for bed tonight...off to dream of sticky babies! 

Xoxoxo

Our little embie family, and a transfer date!

We are now three days past egg retrieval and all 10 of our original fertilized embryos are still thriving! Yesterday when we got our update all 10 were ranked at the hugest grade. However today we did have just one drop down to a "fair" condition. The nurse said they are changing and growing minute by minute so there is always a chance that one can catch up.  We are beyond thrilled so far! It's a little scary to think that any tiny little factor could make our prefect little embryos become fair or poor embryos. But are just hoping for the best. We are hoping to transfer 2 and then will freeze the rest. Ideally this round will be successful and then we have plenty of frozen to make brothers or sisters. We would also love to have extra to donate. It's un-imagable to me that some people don't even have the very small choice that we had. We would love to be able to help other couples. 

We will be doing a five day transfer of the embie babies on Tuesday! We are so excited, nervous, happy, scared...we actually don't know what to feel. Every update about our little embies is so exciting! I will now go the next two days withou hearing anything! We won't know how they are doing until we go in for the retrieval on Tuesday! Then the hard part comes...the dreaded two week wait. The time between implantation and the pregnancy test to see is all of this worked out! We are going to have to keep really busy durring that time!

In other news I am officially done with the needles, but have started new medication...progesterone. So far it's horrible! I take it morning and night in a suppository form and I am sick within 20 minutes. I am nauseous, crampy, and cranky...I know what your thinking dad...poor Adam ;) (don't worry I am being nice...I even used all my allotted energy today to bring him breakfast in bed and cook dinner) 

In two days in this building our dreams will come true...and we couldn't be more excited! Or scared! I will update you all after our transfer! 

Egg retrieval day!!

Yesterday was our egg retrieval, all and all things went well :) 

36 hours before my retrieval I took my final shot! The big momma of all shots! The trigger shot...it was more intimidating than painful! Adam had to give it to me because it went in my back really dint hurt too badly. But my butt is still a little bruised feeling 3 days later.

The day before egg retrivial I had to take a pregnancy test. If the trigger shot worked it would come out positive, and it did so we were all systems go for the retrieval! 

Here we I am arriving at the surgery center. My husband and my Samantha..both are the best support a girl could ask for! 

We went into the surgery center at 7:30am and by 8 I was brought back and prepped. The worse part of the whole thing was when they put in my IV for some reason they couldn't find a vein. It took her several tries and 3 different areas before they finally got it going. Pretty painful and slightly traumatic for both the hubs and I! (And I think the nurse too!) by the time she got done I looked like a pin cushion! 

The surgery went well it was very quick and I was asleep for the whole thing. Once out of surgery I woke up really quickly and felt back to normal (well IVF always in pain, nauseous, over emotional normal) within 20 minutes. 

When I woke up they let me know that they were able to collect 15 eggs! All off my right side. My left side is engulfed in a cyst and pretty much non-functional after I had a non-cancerous tumor removed years ago. They were able to drain my cyst durring the surgery, which I was very happy about! This cyst has been causing me a ton of issues for a year now so I am glad to be rid of it! (Well for a while until it fills up again)

As the day went yesterday the pain started to catch up with me. Not a ton of pain, just uncomfortable. They tried to give me oxy codeine but I don't take anything stronger than Tylenol so they just gave me prescription strength Tylenol. I only had to take it at bed time and it really helped me sleep. I woke up feeling good. I tried working but the more active I was the more pain I was in. So I made it until about 1 before coming home. I got home and passed out! Pretty par for the course for me these days...my husband joked that this is how he finds me everyday! 

Today they called with our egg report...out of the 15 fertilized we had 12 that were mature enough for incementation and of that 12 we had 10 that survived! We are pretty happy with this and just hope they all survive! 

We will get another report tomorrow on how the eggs are doing and if we will have a 3 day transfer or a 5 day transfer! Hoping for a 5 day as these are more successful because they can better see how the embies are doing. 

Needle poke count is now at 41! 41 needles stuck in me in just under 2 weeks! I really am a human pin cushion! 

Day 8 check up...and a little speed bump!

Yesterday was my 8 day checkup. I was hoping it would be my last checkup before our egg retrieval, but it was not :( 

On Wednesday my follicles were growing quickly and right on track. But yesterday at my 8 day check they were not much larger than on Wednesday. My estadiol levels were not too low but not as high as they should have been. So i will be continuing on the shots a little longer than planned. My doctor uped my dosage of follistim and also added ganirelix. So last night I started a third shot! I am now on 275iu of follistim.

My follicles not being ready Is disappointing because a day feels like a month in the middle of this! The stimulation meds are really starting to wear on me, I am in pain, nauseous, get car sick, and generally really worn down. It also throw off our schedules. My husband, best friend and I all took off work Wednesday for the egg retrieval which will not be happening now. So we will have to reschedule that. The way it worked out having my retrieval on Wednesday made it so a 3 day transfer would be on Saturday, or a 5 day transfer would be Monday. Both days we were already off work because of the Memorial Day weekend. So that was nice and convient, and now it's a little more up in the air. 

The new third shot was rough. With my other two shots the needles both slide in like butter, but when I took the ganirelix last night I only got the needle in about half way. The needle was larger and didn't just slide in, it got stuck half way in and I panicked! I was pushing pretty hard and it didn't go in Any further. I was not sure if I should pull it back out or keep pushing. I had to re-grip the needle so I could get a better grip to push it in. It was pretty painful and bruised up right away. I am hoping that it was a fluke and tonight will be easier! 

Needles needles and more needles! I have now had 23 needles stuck in me on one weeks time. I can say I am pretty ready for a break! 

My next appointment is on Tuesday and I am hoping that I can take my trigger shot that night! Until then grow my little follies grow! 

Day 5 check IVF Cycle

Today was my day 5 check up. Once starting stimulation meds they check your stats every 3 days. They are checking you estradiol levels in my blood, and then looking at my ovaries to see the growth of the follicles. My blood work came back and my estradiol level was 272 which is right on target for day 5. During my ultrasound my left ovary showed no follicles, which was not surprising as my left ovary is basically useless. It's pretty much just a tiny blob of scar tissue as they took most of it out with my first tumor.  Most people have about 5-8 follicles on each ovary at this stage. My right ovary had 20! So no worries on not having enough! At this stage they are looking for the size of your follicles to be between 6-10 mine ranged between size 8-10 so we are doing good! I never thought I could ever be so excited and proud of my ovary! I am the proud owner of 20 size 8-10 follies on my day 5! Here is to hoping that each follie grows a beautiful egg! Grow little follies grow! 

Mean time I am getting much better at shots I still shake a little but I am much faster at just getting it over with now. Fun fact in the last five days I have had 13 different needles stuck in me. Another fun fact...my follistim vials say they have 300 iu in it. I take 150 iu a day, so naturally the math wiz in me came to the conclusion that I had 2 days worth of shots in each. WRONG apparently the 300iu vial actually has 375 ius in it! So I have thrown away about 800 dollars worth of medicine!! OUCH! We are hoping I won't need them in the end. They are waiting for my 8 day blood work to determine if I need to order more of the meds I threw away! Cross your fingers I won't need them! 

Whelp me and my perfect follies are a little worn down so I am off to sleep! Night world! 

It's actually happening!

Has it really only been 4 days since my last post? It feels like a lifetime ago. My world is completely flipped upside down...I feel like a Charles Dickens novel..it was the best of times it was the worst of times. It's unreal that this moment we have waited for so long for is here, that in a month I will have a baby in my tummy?! And on the other hand my family is mourning the death of my grandmother. The last two weeks have been truly well...sad? Weird? Scary? I am not sure how to feel. Think I will try to blog daily during this time as it's impossible to go back and recount the events and feelings of the last week. 

Well today is Monday I started stimulation meds on Saturday, so far I am surviving! I can tell you the shots are wayyyy harder emotionally than they are physically! Let me say that I think it's pretty cool that we are going thru IVF I don't have this huge sadness that we can't do it the natural way. Nor do I resent the ladies that have had zero trouble getting pregnante. I am super pumped about any preggers lady I see...the way I see it that's one more baby for me to cuddle with! IVF has never been something that was a burden for us, it's simply the transportation to get us to our baby. And the science nerd in me thinks it's a pretty amazing one! (How many of you get pictures of your babies as eggs?) HOWEVER when your standing there after a party you were forced to leave early from because shot time is between 7-9pm with a needle in your hand getting ready to stab yourself with a needle, you can't help but think. Why us? What on earth are we doing here? How did we get here? And that's exactly what I said to my husband while crying with that needle pointed at my tummy. He simply said you're ok. And I was...and I jabbed that needle in. Guess what? Doesn't really hurt! 

 

I would like to say by day 3 it's less scary and I just push both shots right in...but it's not. I still shake, it's still scary. I have now given myself 6 shots over the last three days and I shake like a leaf while giving each. 

So far I have no pain in the injection sights and hardly any cramping. I have had a pretty bad headache for two days but it goes away with Tylenol. Starting today my body aches, I feel like I am coming down with the flu almost. I know it's just the side effects of the meds. I am nauseous but hungry. So so,tired but can't sleep. And while I don't feel emotional and have no mood swings...I think I could cry on command?! Like it's just hiding back there ready to come out. 

 

My husband has stepped it up amazingly he is doing a great job of giving me the extra attention I need and holding my hand during shots. 

I had my day 3 test today and they were happy with my blood results so, I will stay on the same two shots for now. I have another apt on Wednesday to check my blood again and do an ultrasound to check my follicles. Until then....Grow little follies grow! 

IVF in the twilight zone.

T 

I struggled with figuring out how to write this post, should I only write about the facts of my IVF treatment or write about everything happening during my IVF cycle?

 I assumed once we got the magical go ahead that meant we would be starting our cycle that the cycle would consume our life. I assumed the next three weeks would be amazing, stressful, painful, euphoric, and full of hope. I thought our world would stop and everything would be about the possibility of a baby. These are the days I have been waiting for since they told us 2 years ago that this would be our baby path. I thought the only thing on our minds would be this moment, this baby.

I was wrong.

Last Friday May 2nd my grandmother left her apartment in Janesville, Wisconsin to go out and pray with and help the homeless as she did many nights. 

Saturday someone found her purse, and she was reported as a missing person. 

Monday a body was found near where she was last seen...it was not her. It was a girl who was murdered by a man who claims he had killed 2 other people. 

Tuesday we found out we were finally ready to start our cycle, when my suppression check finally went well. 

It's Thursday, we have no new answers about my grandmother, we are excited about our cycle, we are confused and heartbroken and trying to live a normal life in the midst of the most baffling time in our lives. Everything is up in the air.

The man who killed the girl and claimed to have killed others has stopped talking, the police can not connect him to my grandma, however they can not rule him out. So we wait. 

You can find more info on her disappearance here.

http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/Janesville-Police-Searching-for-MIssing-Woman-257805811.html?device=tablet

I have decided that I couldn't tell my current IVF story without talking about the thing that is consuming my life right now, we love her so much and just want her home. I spend hours a day talking and texting with family trying to find anything, any clue. Clearly I am not in the ideal frame of mind to be going thru a life changing event like IVF...might not be the best time for my hormones to be thrown into overdrive. But we are hoping the IVF will work as a nice distraction. While my sister cousin and I think we are crack detectives that can rival Sherlock Holmes it won't be such a bad thing to spend a half hour a night giving myself shots and reconnecting with my husband instead of scouring the internet for clues. We are also so comforted by knowing we have the attain program. While I truly believe I will be pregnante in less than a month, it's extremely comforting knowing we have other chances if we need them. I can say that we would delay this cycle due to the stress if we didn't have the backup plan. 

So...here we go again! Below are all the important dates as they sit now (they can change based on my hormone levels they will be checking every 3 days) 

Saturday May 10th I will start taking 2 shots a day to help stimulate egg production. I will continue these until egg retrieval day.

Wednesday May 21st is egg retrieval day. They will go in surgically remove my eggs and mix them with Adams sperm.

The fertilized eggs will grow for 3-5 days in the lab

Saturday, May 24th would be a 3 day transfer (which is what we are hoping for as they usually produce better results) 

Monday, May 26th would be a 5 day transfer 

Wednesday, June 4th we will take a blood pregnancy test to see if it all works! 

Cross your fingers we could use all sorts of luck in our lives right now! 

If you don't have anything nice to say...

 

 

You know that old saying...If you don't have anything nice to say don't say it at all? Well I kinda live by the rule...If you don't have something nice to say keep it off the Internet! One of my biggest pet peeves in life is someone constantly making themselves a victim...and bragging about it on the Internet. So that's why my radio silence for the last month or so! I was a victim of February and most of March! I got knocked down a few too many times and was feeling sorry for myself. I didn't have anything positive to say...had little hope for anything good coming, and all energy I had I spent at pretending to be happy at work. Wah wah wah poor me right! So here is a quick run-down of February.

 

Feb. 4th My doctor emailed to tell me she would be canceling my upcoming IVF cycle because my hormone levels and glucose levels were both out of whack. She wanted me to see a specialist before going forward

 

Feb 5th I woke up extremely sick

 

Feb 7th I found out that the earliest I could get into the specialist was March 25th! Over a month away! Which delayed my cycle even more. I also assumed I would need some sort of treatment after pushing it back more.

 

Feb 9th I woke up with a cold sore! (which I know is silly...but so annoying on top of everything else and being sick still!)

 

Feb 10th I went to the doctor and Found out I had bronchitis and a sinus infection

 

Feb 12th I broke out with weird hives all over my body that lasted two days

 

Feb 17th I went back to the Doctor as I was not getting better...to find out that I now had Bronchitis, a sinus infection and pneumonia! My meds cost $400 dollars out of pocket even with our great insurance!

 

I officially had it with February...and on top of that I am living in Washington so it was wet, raining and crappy outside.

 

Feb. 18th I started my period. I shouldn't have gotten this period...I should have been on stimulation drugs ready for my egg retrieval. Getting my period was a huge reminder of this. A huge reminder that I wouldn't have a baby in my arms come next November like we had planned.

 

Feb. 19th I ran out of tampons....This oddly was my biggest breakdown. I called my dad in tears and tried to tell him through my sobbing I was upset I ran out of tampons!! He of course Laughed at me...like any sane person would! (let me also take this time to say that while I am overly emotional...I am NEVER affected by my period...have never had PMS or changes in my mood durring or around my period) this was simply me being overwhelmed and feeling like I lost something. I was finally going to be pregnate...I was finally going to get our baby...and now I had no date..nothing to look forward to excpet a date with a doctor that had nothing to do with babbies! Adam was working late and I called him with my tampon delema he of course didnt know how to handle me crying over tampons other than to say he would pick some up. I was a mess...I sat that night and cried...and felt sorry for myself for a good 4 hours. All the time knowing I was crazy...knowing I needed to get over it. Knowing that my life is blessed and perfect...but I didnt care I was sick, sad, and just wanted to pout. Just before they canceled my cycle I was at the fertility clinic 2 times a week...now I hadnt been back in over a month...I felt like I got kicked out of some sorta future mommy club!  Its right by Target so when Adam and I drive by we say oh...there is that place we used to go...we miss them...hope they let us back in soon! :)

 

This went on for a few more weeks....the sadness was quickly replaced with just trying to get through the work day being so sick. It took until March 12th before I left the house for anything other than work. We went out for Saint Patricks day..being out with my husband and friends, and laughing again was euphoric! Being simply happy felt like I was ontop of the world. Good ole St. Pat making me feel better!

The hubby and I on St. Paddys Day

 

 

So March 25th came...the specialist ran a bunch of test and told me everything was totally normal! Nothing to worry about, .she gave me the OK to move forward with IVF and she will just monitor when I get pregnate. So I am BACK IN THE CLUB! I actually could have moved forward with a April cycle, but we will be in Cabo durring key times of the cycle so we had to post-pone yet again until May, (sunny beautiful vacation in Cabo with the friends and family not the worse reason to have to delay...but I would much rather be preggers1)

 

I am still a little sick...and having a lot of issues with my asthma due to the pneumonia but now that I can step away from it all I can finally realise that I was no victim! I was only in a small rut I couldnt quite get out of, Clearly  I was not meant to be pregnat while being THAT sick! I also can now travel a lot more comfortably on our vacation. I wont be worried about playing, going out on 4-wheelers or anything like that. (I can also take advantage of the all inclusive bloody marys and Margaritas!) We also had a staffing problem at work where I was missing my assistant for most of Feb and all of March so it would have been really inconvient for me to have constant doctor apointments the IVF cycle calls for. Of course I would give all this up to be pregnate right now..but knowing its coming knowing there is a plan again..that I will soon be back at the sacrade baby making building is a great comfort.

 

Okay sorry for the long update...and the radio silence! Here's to surriving my first breakdown!

Delayed IVF cycle

Yesterday I went in for what should have been the first day of my IVF cycle. They did a Suppression check and found some concerns. So then they decided to check my estrogen levels. They were looking for levels well under 50. I got the call today mine was 114 :(  that means we cannot move forward with our calendar and our cycle will be delayed. I will be taking birth control for the next week and then re-doing a suppression check and blood work to check my estrogen levels hopefully they will be down by then! I am not sure if this means I will need to wait a month based on my cycle, or if it will just delay my calendar by a week. Either way it's a little disappointing...disappointing that something has gone wrong and that we will have to wait longer to meet our baby/babies! I am ready to have a baby in my arms today! Nothing to do but wait...wonder if there is a natural way to decrease your estrogen level? Off to google that!

Here we go...I think!

Pretty accurate and fun representation of the timeline

Today was the unofficial first day of my first IVF cycle. I believe they consider the actual first day the day you start stimulation meds? However today determined weather or not I can start stimulation meds on time. Oh I also AlMOST had my first emotional stress out due to IVF! The hubs and I spent the last week in Indiana with our families. We booked our flights separately and ended up on different flights home. Adam came home on Saturday with no problems, however Sunday rolled around (Superbowl Sunday...go hawks!) when it was time for me to leave my flight was canceled because the flight crew didn't show up! (I am assuming they all played hooky to watch the game) the ticket agent informed me there was no way for me to fly out of Fort Wayne until Wednesday! I had to be back to work on Monday and my doctor apt today (Tuesday) so they booked me a flight in Indy (about 2.5 hours from Ft Wayne) I drove to Indy the next day only to find out my next flight was delayed...delayed more...then finally canceled because thep plane needed a new engine. So here I am 48 hours from the first flight I tried to get on, with zero flights left to get me to Chicago where my flight to Seattle was waiting. As I stood in line for 2 hours two separate times I started to get overwhelmed with the long day...missing my husband..and realization I was probably not making it back in time it get to my doctors appointment. I know at this point appointments are set to exact times around my body's cycle so I was worried if I missed my suppression check I would have to delay the start to my whole IVF cycle. THANKFULLY an amazing united airlines worker found me the last flight out to Phoenix which could get me to Seattle at midnight Monday. She booked me a ticket on another airline and told me to run to the other side of the airport at which time I was reminded I need to work out more!

This was what they gave me as a ticket, reassuring right!?

So today was my suppression check, they do an internal ultrasound to look at the lining of the uterus and check to make sure there are not follicles or cyst on the ovary to insure there are no surprises on egg retrieval day. Well of course I already have a cyst on my left ovary so they knew that would be there. However they also found a small follicle on my right ovary. Apparently this might throw things off so they took some blood to check my estrogen levels. As long as my estrogen levels are relatively low we will be moving forward on Saturday. I will get the results tomorrow afternoon so fingers crossed! I am so excited that by the end of the month I could be pregnant I will be so disappointed if we have to push back! 

That's my sister the famous yogi!

In the meantime I started doing yoga today. My sister owns a couple yoga studios and really believes in the benefits it's of yoga on your mind body and soul. Can't hurt right!? I also figure this will be a good way to maintain a workout on the days when high impact workouts are forbidden. Hoping the yoga will help me remain calm when I get anxious as I don't like to wait for anything! (Like my blood results from today!) I will update once I know!