It's official... We're PREGNANT!!!

Really the title pretty much sums it up. We are over the moon excited right now and totally in shock (well I am, George says he already knew). We'll go next week to see if there are one or two babies in there. Either way we are thrilled and so happy that we'll finally be parents. I want to say at this time a HUGE heartfelt thank you from George and I both to all of you, our amazing family and friends. We have had nothing but love an support from everyone and you have really been a big part of this process. We love you! Keep praying though, we need to get through this first trimester!!

Not a very good picture but you can see the word!

Pregnant until proven otherwise!

So today was the big day, the day when they put those little embies into their new home for hopefully the next 9 months or so. The transfer was actually really easy. The hardest part was that I had to have a full bladder and for me that is HARD! I decided that I wouldn't start drinking anything until we were almost to St. Louis, well even with only having a sip of water an hour into the trip I had to make a pit stop. About 15 minutes before we got there I had a couple of good swigs of water and thought I would be good... WRONG! We got to the clinic and sat for about 10 minutes before I had to "let a little out". It was miserable. By the time we got into the transfer room I was in pain, they put the ultra sound wand on my tummy and I thought I was gonna lose it! But he said it looked good and if I could hold it for 10 more minutes that would be great... UGH! The transfer itself took no time. A lady came in with this catheter type thing and said "two blastocysts for Heather Allen, is that you?" I felt like I was being given my dinner order! LOL! Anyway they ran the tube into my uterus and injected them and that's where they are! hey transferred 2 perfect grade embryos. They were literally the best they could be, exciting!! Afterwards the Dr. went ahead and did a catheter for me so I didn't pee all over the floor... oh sweet relief! Anyway I've posted hopefully the first of many pics below. The first one is of the actual embryos and the second is them in my uterus!

Friday I'm getting knocked up!

So quick update: The nurse called this morning and said that we'll be going in for a day 5 transfer on Friday! That is so ideal because I've done a lot of research and it seems that the best results come from 5 day transfers! All 13 embies (embryos)are still growing although 2 are lagging behind she said they were 5 cell and should be 7 or 8 by now, but they still have a chance to catch up. We're really excited and anxious for Friday, can't wait to get those little embies in their new "womb" LOL!

A Bakers Dozen!

Okay, so we got the call from our RE (reproductive endocrinologist) this morning and 13 of the 19 fertilized! That means at this moment we have 13 little babies growing, crazy! Now we just hope and pray that a good number of those will make it to transfer. We're hoping to put 2 in this week on either Wednesday or Friday and then we'll freeze the remainders for future snowbabies!

First POI Down!

Okay, so POI stands for progesterone oil injection. Progesterone is the hormone that makes the uterus all nice and squishy so that the little embryos want to stick around and get comfy, it's something the body produces immediately after conception. Since conception took place this morning in a lab I'm injecting it instead of producing it LOL, hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll be producing it too! Anyway back to the shot. It's ugly and big and thick and the hormone is actually in Castor oil so that's what is injected, ouch! However, a good family friend who is a nurse came over to do it for us. I was afraid if George hurt me (intentionally or not) I would get upset and be ugly to him, if someone else did it not so much. So the nurse this morning said to put the vial of oil in my pocket about an hour before injection time to warm it to body temp, it goes in more smoothly that way, then ice the area for about 10 minutes and after it's over apply heat. Tami came over and told me me to lay down so I wouldn't be putting pressure on the leg, she then proceeded to talk about how huge the needle was... not scaring me at all! But she came in, injected it before I knew it and I didn't feel a thing!!! I was so pumped, I even had to ask her if she had put it in, painless!! So one down and many, many more to go. Below is a picture of the needle, not going in, but at least you get to see how big it is:)

19 is the magic number!

So here I am in bed resting after my egg retrieval this morning. Everything went really well. We got up at 5 (after not going to bed until 12 because we watched some stupid UFC fight at our neighbors, that turned out to be actually kind of entertaining... anyway) got to the doctors about 8:30 and they took me straight back and started an IV. I just want to say that everyone there is SOOOO nice, they are just the sweetest. They brought George back and showed him how to give me my inter muscular injection since we start that tonight, although he's passing the job off to a friend of ours who is a nurse (thank God!) and then we sat and waited... after about 20 minutes of George acting like a total toddler in the room, messing with my bed, trying to look under my gown, pushing buttons, you get the idea, they finally came in and gave him his cup and took me away. I went into the OR and they got me situated and I was out like a light. Then about 20 minutes later they were wheeling me back into my room. It was over in a flash. The nurse told me they got 19 eggs and I just started crying. George was like "what's wrong, are you in pain?" and the sweet nurse said "no more like relief, it's pretty typical" LOL! She was exactly right. So now we start the game of waiting. The office will call us tomorrow to tell us how many eggs fertilized and then they'll watch them grow and decide if we will transfer them back on Wednesday or Friday. Hopefully we'll have enough fertilize and grow properly that we'll be able to freeze them for some future snowbabies! I'm off to rest for now, I'm having some light cramping which is totally normal but still uncomfortable. Nothing like staying in bed on a rainy day anyway! Thanks for all of your prayers, keep em' coming cause we're not done yet!

sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!!!

So it looks like Sunday will be the day that they go in and retrieve my eggs! I went to the Dr. again this morning, 3rd time this week. I had more blood work and another ultra sound. The Dr. said my eggs look good and have progressed nicely. I'll do another shot tonight that will tell my body it's time to ovulate and then I go in on Sunday and they'll take the eggs out and fertilize them. Thanks to a little hint from Autumn (study showing better preg. rates with massage) George has agreed to buy me a massage package (I think he's just to lazy to massage me himself) so I'm going in for a massage tomorrow at 10:30 and then again the day before the transfer. Thanks Auti! Please more than every keep us in your prayers!

Egg Update;)

So I had a monitoring appointment today, basically the doctor does an ultra sound to check to see how my follicles are growing. He counted between 12 and 14 and they were all good sizes. He sent me home to do 2 more days of medications and then I go back on Thursday for another ultra sound. He said everything is progressing nicely and it looks like we'll do the retrieval either Saturday or Sunday! This means that they'll go in and take the eggs out and fertilize them with George's guys and then we'll wait 3-5 days to see how they're doing, which ones fertilized, and which ones are ready to make a home in my cozy uterus! LOL! Very excited and cautiously optimistic. Please keep praying for us!!!

And here are some pictures of me getting the shots for those of you creepers who just had to see it:) LOL!

Another first...

Well I started the medication tonight that is going to make many, many eggs grow so we'll have a better chance of getting that baby we so hope for. I was kinda nervous about taking it, not because it's a shot but because it's something new and seemed somewhat complicated. I was told that I need to take it at the same time each day between 7 and 9 pm. I decided 7 would be best so that's what I was going to do. By the time I actually got everything ready it was 7:30 so I guess I'll be doing it at 7:30 each day. Here's how it works. I get 5 little vials, one is a liquid and the other 4 are powder form. I take a syringe with a GIANT needle and draw out 1cc of the liquid and reconstitute it into the first powder, then I swish it around a little bit (as Ashley helped remind me) then make sure to get ALL of the liquid back out of that vial to stick into the next one, repeat 3 more times. Once I've gotten everything out of the vials I get to take that huge needle off and put on a tiny one so I don't puncture an organ when I inject it into my stomach. The first vial I wasn't that great at and Ashley took over for me to make sure I got everything out. The next couple I did okay and I got everything where it needed to be... my tummy! I had an audience, Ashley, Autie, and Alison were my cheerleaders, actually come to think of it Al and Auti were pretty dead silent until it was all over:) LOL. I loved them being there though, knowing how it all works and being part of this crazy process. I know Ash really wanted to give me that shot but I felt more comfortable doing it myself the first time. I know I'll let her before I leave, she even said she'd wait until I was too sore in the tummy then she'd be happy to do it in my arm, what an awesome sister, can't wait to inflict the pain! Just kidding, it's her nursing instincts taking over! I guess that's all for now, hopefully I'll get a picture of that big needle soon and all the meds that go into it.