Drum Roll

On Tuesday March 27th, Lady L was feeling anxious, broke down and took a home pregnancy test.  It was negative.  She didn't tell me this until later, but she was bummed about it, and decided that she wasn't going to take a test again.  The 4 of us had actually set a date for this morning (Saturday) to take one, so we could at least be prepared about how to emotionally go into next week.  We were hoping the week would fly by.  I was off task for the majority of the week, with a knot in my belly.  There a SO many questions and scenarios that played through my mind. I spent a lot of time praying, and a lot of time accomplishing nothing:) 

So, we were all set for today, Saturday, the big day.  Then on Thursday morning, Lady L text me asking if I was home.  For some reason, I got a huge knot in my belly, fearing that something bad had happened.  I told her I was at work, but could chat (I had no students for another hour or so.)  Then I got a text, with an attached picture...  it was of a pregnancy test with a very faint positive, and a message along the lines of "Congrats, the test shows I am going to have your baby."  WOOO HOOO!

I got a little emotional, talked to Aaron, then to Lady L, and then had to go about my day. I was actually shocked, as the transfer was only one week before!  I am still surprised that it showed up so soon.  Aaron brought some flowers over to her before work, and she sent the test with him.  So, of course she took another test after he took hers away from her, which was also positive.  The next day, she sent another picture with a darker line.

Today we still went over to her house, although we missed her husband.  It was nice to see her and her kiddos, and this time we made her pee on a digital test.  We brought the test, proudly displaying the word "pregnant" over to my parents' house to share the news. 

The 3 pictures above are of the tests in succession...  you can see they get a little darker with each one.  I don't have a good image of the digital, but my mom does, so I'll have to add that later on.

We are overjoyed beyond belief, but are anxious to have next week's blood test results back.  Lady L will go in on Tuesday and Thursday to compare HCG betas.  If things look good, there will be an ultrasound on or around April 27th to take the first look:)

We are off to a great start, but still need your prayers, as we have a long, and hopefully uncomplicated journey ahead of us.

We love you Lady L and family, you are amazing and have changed our lives forever with your kind hearts!

xoxo

Waiting

I received an email from a friend wondering when I am going to update the blog... I assume she is trying as hard as I am to be patient. 

There is really nothing to announce right now, other than we are impatiently waiting:)  Lady L hasn't taken a home pregnancy test, as it would be impossible to have a positive test this early on anyway.

Lady L will actually go in for blood work on Tuesday, April 3rd, and then on Thursday April 5th.  If her HCG levels have doubled, it's considered to be a positive test.  Lady L and I, and our husbands of course, are anxious to get our test results, and the official call from the clinic won't come until April 5th.  We would all like to fast forward until that date, but we will do our best to keep ourselves occupied until then:)

I would be happy to take ideas and suggestions to keep my mind on something else in the meantime!

xoxo

The Big Day!

What a beauty of a day so far:)

We left the house at about 6:10, and made it in plenty of time for the 6:30 check in time.  Lady L and J were there when we arrived.  We went up to the designated floor, and Lady L and J went in to begin.  We were invited in a few minutes later, and got changed into scrubs.  There was some down time while Lady L waited for the Valium to kick in (and it did:)).  We had a nice chat about the process, how thing have been going to far, and life in general.  No awkwardness or anything weird.  At about 8:00, they came to wheel lady L to the pre-op area, while her bladder filled even more.  At 8:00, we got to the procedure area, and met with our team.  The lab lady came in and informed us that both embryos in Tank A survived the thaw, so we still have two to use or donate in the future.  We were happy they both survived.  All 4 us of were able to watch the transfer, and the ultrasound was very clear.  We saw the precious cargo exit the catheter and land in the correct, designated area.  I got a little emotional, unexpectedly, but it was just so amazing to see.  And it's just so amazing that we are where we are now. 
Afterward, Lady L had to hang out on the bed for an hour, and after chatting about the experience, we came home.  We have been looking forward to this day for so long now, we are in awe that everything went so well. 
Next step, the official blood tests results from the clinic will be in on April 5th, not 6th as I had thought earlier.  We are hoping that these next 2 weeks fly by, and of course you know what we are praying for ultimately.

Thanks so much for you prayers, your love, your friendship, and your support.

xoxo

One Day

I had the hardest time trying to focus at work today, knowing that our embryos are currently in the thaw process, and that in one day, the transfer will be complete.  We are praying like crazy for so many things. 
First, we hope that this works on the first time.  The success rate for our age category, and amount of embryos transferring is around 50%.   We don't want Lady L to have to endure more medications, shots, and other rules that affect her life and family more than once.  Once is enough for anybody to go through what she has already done.
Of course we are already looking out a bit father than we probably should.  We are praying for a very healthy/easy pregnancy and delivery for Lady L. 
Lastly, we pray all the time for a healthy, chubby, baby to arrive in 9 months.  We have never wanted anything so much in our lives.  I wouldn't trade ten million dollars for another chance to be a parent. 

Please say some prayers for all of us involved in this.

Xoxo,
Heidi

New Meds:)

Yesterday was Lady L's last day of Lupron, which marks the last day of her belly shots.  Today, she was to start a new medication, one that I never had to do... Progesterone oil shots.  So every day now, she will have to take a shot right into the muscle at the top of her hiney.  The oil is thick, and comes out of a thick needle, which is 1.5 inches long.  Yee-ouch!  She will have to take this until a pregnancy test on April 6th, and if it's positive, she will continue until she is 12 weeks pregnant. 

Since the location of the shot makes it impossible for Lady L to do herself, her husband has to be the one to give them.  She was going to have one her coworkers (a nurse) do them for her, but there is a lot of prep that goes into the actual shot, so it's more convenient to do them at home.  She ices the area for 15 minutes, while she warms up the medication on her skin, and gets a heating pad ready for once it's done.  It would be tough to do all of that at work, right?  Her husband is not a huge fan of needles, but I got a text at 5 this morning, which said "first shot complete."!!!  She said they were both a little nervous, but they got it done.  They are both seriously our heroes!

Today is Tuesday, and the transfer is Thursday.  I can't even believe that it's the day after tomorrow. Lady L will find out tomorrow evening what our report time is, but I was under the impression that it is in the morning sometime.  I also think that they will begin to thaw the embryos today.  Lady L has invited Aaron and I (along with her husband, J,) to join her in the room for the transfer.  It really is cool to see, and I am glad that we will be able to witness it. 

I will keep you all posted, but we are SO close to where we dreamed that we would be one day.  Please continue to keep all of us in your prayers!

xoxo

The scoop

Today was another big day, as Lady L had an appointment to measure her uterine lining, as it needs to be thick enough for an embryo to implant.  If it wasn't thick enough, they would need to see her again Monday and remeasure.  Of course there was a chance that they would cancel if it wasn't thick enough, but we were hoping for the best.  And, it worked!  Her lining is thick enough now, and she does not need to go back Monday.
She does need to go back in ONE week, for the transfer!  One week from today, 7 days, 168 hours, however you want to call it, it's coming soon!  Aaron and I will be there to cheer her and our embabies on.  We are planning to implant 2, as the success rate is higher with two, and the chances of both latching on is only about 15%. 
We are still working through the contract phase. Lady L's attorney made a few revisions, and there are a few spelling mistakes that we have to point out, but I think we are all comfortable with the terms of everything.

Please keep us in your prayers, as we all need them more than ever.  For Aaron and myself, Lady L, Mr. Lady L, and our embabes. 

ONE WEEK until the embryo transfer!!!!

Fundraiser!

Aaron and I are still working on the details, but we are excited to share our idea with you.  We are going to have a garage and craft sale on June 14, 15, and 16th (Thursday, Friday and Saturday.) 

We are going to sell a lot of gently used items priced to sell, and we are going to sell some hand-made crafty items, which will be priced higher.  It will be nice, as people can buy something for a quarter, or can buy higher priced items, there will be something for every budget:)  Aaron has been cutting wood and I have been experimenting with different paints and colors on a few projects.  We also have a few friends who are making things to donate to our project.

Anyway, we are super excited for this.  We have been a bit overwhelmed with the high costs of the things that we have needed to pay for and the costs we will have before this journey is over.  We will be using half of the proceeds to pay for the medical and legal fees, and half will be put into a savings bond for Lady L's two children.

Wish us luck, and please feel free to stop on by and check out the merchandise.

xoxo

2 Weeks

Here we are, just two short weeks before the transfer!  I know that the real wait will be the two very long weeks following the transfer until a pregnancy test, but I am hoping to keep my mind occupied by staying busy with a few tasks (unlikely by the way.)  I talked to Lady L last night, and she is doing pretty well with her medications.  She had added an estrogen pill to her daily routine, which will soften her uterine lining making it ideal for an embryo to implant.  She has bruises from the Lupron, and says she is ready for the transfer day to be here.  I am sure she is so sick of the shots, but she is a trooper!

Our attorney has sent off a copy of the contract to Lady L's attorney, and she will be meeting with him Friday morning to go over the terms.  I think that is pretty much the last thing on our list that needs to be done before the transfer.

14 Days!!!!  Woo Hoo;)

What not to say:)

I saw this and thought it might be worth posting.  Although my story is a little different, I have only been lucky enough to hear one of these, but worded differently... and over and over:  "Any time you need a kid-fix, you can take mine."  Lol, It's not easy to offend me, and it rolls of my back really quickly, but I imagine that people have thought many of these other comments about us. 

I hope you are having a great weekend. xoxo

3 Weeks

The countdown is on!  In 3 weeks from today, if all goes well in the meantime, we will be finished with the embryo transfer!  We are hoping to continue to feel confident, relaxed, and positive about everything.

We are really hoping that in 5 weeks, we have some great news, like a positive pregnancy test:) 

Positive, or negative, we will share with you.  I feel so comforted by knowing "we are all in this together."  I know everybody says it takes a village to raise a child, but in our case it has taken a village to create a child, and we hope you will continue to walk through this journey with us, and eventually, this amazing village will raise some great children together.

xoxo