WE ARE ON GO!

My transfer will be next Wednesday, July 20th at 11:15am!!!!!! I'm ecstatic! Only one more hurdle to face before the transfer...whether the embryos survive the thawing process? I continue to pray that they do, but we won't know until we arrive in Charleston on Wednesday morning.

I continue to take my Estrace (estrogen) and now I get to start the lovely progesterone suppositories...not once a day, not twice, but three times a day. I'm glad we already had our beach vacation! :)

I'm going to relax, relax, relax between now and then! I've been trying to do that all summer by reading, doing yoga, and trying to stay stress free. I already have my massage booked for Tuesday so I will be completely ready for the transfer!

Waiting...

I should know in the next couple of hours if we are on go or not. My lining measures 6.7mm so Cherub says I'm on the cusp. (I feel like I'm always on the cusp...none of my fertility results seem to be black and white. They are always a shade of gray.) They like for the lining to measure between a 6.5mm and 7mm, at this point. Dr. Slowey will look at my blood work too and make a decision. The blood work will give them a better idea of how to proceed because they can look at my hormone levels...so we shall see. My phone is glued to my side!

Countdown to Thursday

Only one more day until I know whether or not our Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) will take place on the 20th.  I've been taking my estrogen like clockwork so hopefully it is assisting in making my uterine lining nice and thick! I'm currently taking two Estrace pills three times a day. I haven't really experienced any side effects so that has been nice. I found an article today titled Increase Uterine Lining with Estrogen Type Foods...too bad I hadn't read this before now.

I'm so hopeful that Thursday will bring good news. I'm not exactly sure how thick they want my uterine lining to be for the transfer to occur on time, but I'm hoping my body has made it happen. My ultrasound is scheduled at 8:15am...please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as we face this step in the FET procedure.

I found a penny this morning at the gas station...hopefully it will bring me luck on Thursday.  

Blueberry Picking

Michael and I went blueberry picking. I've picked my own strawberries before, but not blueberries. I felt like I was going to turn into a blueberry while we were picking because I kept eating them...they were so yummy! We picked five pounds and they were only $1.25 per pound...so cheap compared to the ones you buy in the store and so much tastier. (The couple that was checking out when we got there picked 16 pounds!)

Now you may ask...what are they going to do with five pounds? Well, I made some fantastic blueberry muffins, a couple of smoothies, and I'm going to freeze the rest.

Five Pounds of Blueberries

 The muffin recipe I used is called "To Die for Blueberry Muffins". 

"To Die for Blueberry Muffins"

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July!

235 years ago...on July 4th, 1776

This great nation, The United States of America,

In a struggle for what was right and free

Was proudly born...

May we celebrate that precious freedom

For which our forbears fought so bravely

The freedom that is inherent

In the Stars and Stripes, our revered flag

Celebrate Freedom

This Fourth of July!

Woohoo!

Woohoo! I started my cycle this morning...right on time!! First hurdle of our transfer...check! I have never been more excited to have cramps and my cycle begin. I took my first Estrace (estrogen) pill this morning, and I will take another one this evening. The dosage will go up every few days. Bring on the side effects of being bloated and moody! Tricia, I'm sure you are happy to hear this...since I'm coming your way. :)

The Little Couple

I've watched this show all four seasons it has been on and love it! If you aren't familiar with it it is about a "little" couple and their daily lives. Jen is a doctor (neonatologist) and Bill is a business man. They live in Houston and for the most part are an ordinary couple. They are trying to start a family and decide that it would be too complicated if Jen carried a baby so they have decided to have a baby through a surrogate.  Jenn has to go through the retrieval stage of IVF...which is basically everything I did except when they transfer the embryos it will be into another woman.

The last couple episodes have been so heart wrenching! They started this season with their third attempt to get eggs. I can't imagine having to go through so many meds, ultrasounds, and blook work only to have the cycle canceled. On this cycle, Jen had two follicles, but they did an ultrasound right before she went into the OR and she had lost one. They rushed her into the OR so they could get the second one. In the 15 minutes it took them to get her ready for the procedure, she had ovulated. Oh, my heart broke for her! I can't imagine!

Last episode, they were on the fourth attempt. She had two follicles they would be draining to extract the eggs. I forgot to mention a normal woman is put to sleep during this procedure, but she couldn't be because she has a difficult airway. I felt so bad for her as I heard her during the procedure. Every time the doctor tried to get the follicle the ovary would disappear into her abdomen. He finally got one! One...I would have been heart broken, but they were ecstatic! I guess it only takes one! Fortunately, the one egg fertilized to form an embryo which they froze until they are ready to transfer it into the surrogate.

This show has really made me appreciate the journey we have been on. No, I don't have a baby, but I could be up against greater obstacles than I currently am. I haven't had to cancel any cycles due to my body not responding to the meds, I don't have to travel thousands of miles to my fertility doctor (Houston to LA), and I'm of normal size.

Like any story I hear of a couple struggling with infertility, I wish them all the luck in the world. I hope the surrogate that Jen and Bill choose is very fertile and is able to carry their baby without any complications!

The Little Couple (Click to learn more about the show.)