Second trimester

Can't believe how fast it has gone by. Everything continues to go great I feel great and loving feeling them move all around. Had some blood pressure issues but it's maintaining now so they aren't to concerned. We did find out baby B (Ashlynn) has only a 2 vessel cord where they should have a 3 vessel. From what we are told it's very common and more so in twins and rarely has any issues. They are just going to watch her closer to make sure she is still growing as she should. We did have to do a echocardiogram on their hearts to make sure there were no issues (since the 2 vessel could sometimes cause issues). All was perfect they see no issues at all nor any future appts woohoo. We still haven't been able to get really good pics yet they are both all over the place and moving to much or facing head down and hiding.

Latest pics:

Conner with his hand on his face

Ashlynn laying sideways

And Ashlynn with her hand behind her head and Conner's foot in her face. Causing trouble already!

Latest belly shot at 27 weeks

And we have.....

We found out the sexes of the little peanuts at our 19 week appt. It was one of those I want to know, no I don't, ok I do want to know things. We were VERY excited and even though it was still a little early they were like 100% for sure with baby A and 99.9% with baby B.

So baby A is.....A BOY :). Conner James at 19 weeks. He was making it known for everyone he is a boy and not shy at all.

And baby B is.....A GIRL :). Ashlynn Marie at 19 weeks. She was a little more discreet unlike her brother and hates pictures so we haven't been able to get very good ones yet.

First trimester

I can't believe it has been so long since I have last updated my posts. There is so much since the weeks have flown by I'll try to remember everything. Everything in the first trimester went great, no morning sickness just extreme tiredness and a little nausea. We had our first u/s appt. with the high risk Dr. at about 15 weeks, which was amazing to see them again and how much they had changed from the previous appt. at 8 weeks earlier. We are seeing the HR Dr. every four weeks for growth checks so we will have lots of pics :).

Here are their 15 week shots:

Baby A:

Baby B:

And both babies together (A on top) <3:

And a belly shot at 16 weeks

Second u/s

It still amazes me to see them and their little h/b's. We were sooo excited to see them again for our second appt. they are both doing great and getting big :0). This is the latest picture of them they even got their own picture and frames!

Baby A - h/b 158

Baby B - h/b 151

Our babies together

And one of the furbaby with his new brother(s) and/or sister(s)

MiracleS do happen!!

Our first u/s went great we were so happy our RE was there and he was so pleased for us. We immediately saw a beautiful white flicker that brought instant tears to my eyes. It was so amazing I can't describe it I never thought I would see the day. The h/b was nice and strong and the little bean is adorable already.

After they did all the measurements, which are all right on track woohoo the RE said ok let's have a look at the other (insert mouth dropping here). I couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. He just looked at us and smiled!

Sure enough there was a second h/b flickering away just the same, which was brought on by more tears. I couldn't believe what we were seeing after everything we had been through I would have never guessed it would have actually worked this time and they BOTH took! Both looked great and measuring right on track. My official due date is 17 Dec. but they are expecting me to go early :).

Here is the first shot of our precious little one!

Our first u/s

Is scheduled WOOHOO!!! I'm so stinking excited because when I initially called to make the appt. I was told I probably wouldn't be able to see our RE since they rotated days. Sure enough he wasn't on the day I needed it and I don't care for the one that was. I talked to our Nurse and she contacted our RE who said he would be more than happy to do it for us. He is fitting us in on schedule which I'm so thankful for :).

We go in on April 30th at 10:45 the day can't come soon enough! We are soooo excited yet so nervous. We just want everything to be perfect with the baby or babies! Hopefully we will also get to hear a nice strong heartbeat (or two) also that would be the icing on the cake for sure!

Belly Shots

It still seems surreal to talk about a baby but I'm loving every minute. I have always wanted to be able to wear the cute maternity clothes (which I think is going to happen sooner rather than later) and have the big belly (which is happening way sooner than expected) so I couldn't wait to start with the belly shots. I thinks it's neat to watch the progress and I can't really tell a difference from week-to-week quite yet. I feel huge and hoping a lot of it is because I'm still on a lot of meds (Endometrin and Estrace 2x a day) which they say a side effect is bloating. Just at awkward stage and feel more fat than preggo :).

First picture at 5w3d



















And today at 6w6d - looking and feeling like 6 months LOL

Results are in

After three years of TTC and one hell of a roller coaster ride I am very happy to say that part is now over!!! Yesterday's BETA was POSITIVE :) :) it was so amazing it was FINALLY a BFP!!! Now we get to start a new chapter in our lives and we beyond excited God has given us our miracle.

The BETA was 832 and by this point they like to see it at least to 100 so it's a nice strong number. Repeat BETA is tomorrow to check to make sure the number doubles. Fingers and everything crossed it's doubled or tripled it will make us feel a lot better. Hopefully I'll find out soon when the first u/s will be and how often I'll have to have the numbers repeated. If my calculations are correct my EDD is 16 December. Just in time for a Christmas baby and an early bday gift for DH!

After finding out the news I knew I had to get home right away to DH. I rushed to Target to get a Father-to-be card and HPT's. After waiting so long even though I knew the results I had to see that magical word! Thankfully he was golfing so I was able to test and get his card ready for when he got home. As soon as he walked in he saw it right away and knew what it was (I do cards for everything he was expecting it). I always pictured how I'd tell him and his reaction but it was so much more than I could have ever imagined. All we could was hug and cry and thank God.

Everyone's support has been amazing we could have never made it this far without it, for that we thank you :). Now onto the BEST picture I have EVER seen (note the Skins blanket HAHA).















*UPDATE: Repeat BETA was 1,981 so it more than doubled YAY!! They are happy with the numbers and don't feel there will be a need for more. I still have to stay on the meds for probably until 10 weeks. With the high numbers there is a possibility of twins especially since we did put two back and we are perfect with that idea :). We can't wait to find out.

And then there were two!

Out of the 11 fertilized embies we had two that made it to day 5 (blast stage). Transfer was 30 March and we transferred both :). We are very excited to have gotten to this point this is the farthest we have made it. There is also another embie that is still going strong they hope it makes it to the freezing stage.



Here are two little embies so far!















BETA is scheduled for 13 April - just a day shy of Easter!

One little, eight little, 16 little.....

Embies is what they retrieved yesterday :) :). We are very pleased with this number it's the highest out of the all the previous cycles. Glad to see all the meds and the plan work out like it was supposed to. The retrieval went great, the RE was wonderful, and the pain wasn't as bad this time thankfully. Still sore and slow but I can walk normally which is more than this point last time.

Our Nurse called first thing this morning with an update she said the embies looked beautiful, out of the 16 retrieved, 13 matured, and 11 fertilized, which is five more than last time :). I'll know more tomorrow how many are still growing (fingers crossed for them all) and when transfer should be. They are hoping they will be strong enough for a five day to give us better chances for implantation and we actually have some to freeze.

Third times a charm

Hopefully anyways. Tomorrow we go in at 10AM for our third and final retrieval. We are putting a lot into this cycle since this will be the last and pray to God we have finally have success. Things are going great better results this time in regards to the follie count and size. As of my last monitoring appt. yesterday there were approx. 14 follies that were mature and ready to go with several still behind it that they think (and hope) will catch up. My estrogren levels have been very high this cycle compared to last and were in the 2,000's at the appt. yesterday.

It's very hard to let yourself get excited when all you know is disappointment so we aren't overly excited for this cycle. We want this more than the world but it's a long way down when you get your hopes up so high so we are a little reserved this time.

Here is the latest picture of the meds for this cycle. Started BCP on 2/27 last pill was 3/10 and u/s blood work appt. 3/11. All clear to start 225 Bravelle and 150 Menopur injections for six days. Increased to 225 Bravelle and Menopur and added first shot of Ganirelix 3/20 for three days. Took last (booster) shots of 150 Bravelle and Menopur and Ganirelix as well as the Novarel trigger 3/23.

Once again

Hearing the words "I'm sorry the test was negative" is something that gets harder and harder each time I'm told it. We got the news after the BETA it was a BFN :( it broke my heart. It doesn't make sense how it could not have happened we had not one but TWO grade A embies and neither one stuck? I just don't get it and I know the RE will not have the answers either.

So we are looking at the possibility of IVF #3. From what I read it usually takes couples three attempts to achieve a pregnancy. This will be the last attempt for us so we have a lot riding on it and put it all in God's hands that it will finally work.

As I always say everything happens for a reason and as hard as it is I'm trying to accept and deal so I can move on :). Sometimes I just wish we knew those reasons.

TWW torture

This is the longest TWW I have ever had to go through. You would think after three years I'd be costume to this and know how to deal. For some reason nothing is working this time. I've read everything I could online and searched for every little symptom. I wish I had more to report but so far nothing. Just a few things here and there which I'm sure are side effects of the IM shot so I'm trying not to read so much into it....easier said than done.

The big day for the BETA is 2/20 at 7AM it's either going to be the best or worst day ever! Looking back this day seemed forever away now I can't believe it's so close. I'm so scared of the results I don't want to hear it if it's not good news. Preparing yourself either way is impossible to do. Tomorrow will be 14DP3DT (14 days past three day transfer) and 17DPO (17 days past ovulation) .

Fingers crossed tight and lots of prayers God grants us the one wish we have dreamed about the last three years.

Transfer day

Wow what an amazing day! Transfer was set for 2/6 at 1:45PM and we had to be there by 1:30, time defiantly drug on that day. We were fortunate enough to meet up and have lunch with a dear friend Terri, her DH, and her DD Courtney, they are such wonderful people :). It was great finally meeting her and spending time with them since they had been at the same spot we were just a few short years ago.

After lunch we headed to the office I felt like I was going to explode. You have to have a full bladder by that time I was past the full mark. We waited a while to be called back and when we finally were we had to sit in the transfer room waiting for the RE to come in. That again took forever and by this point I was beyond comfortable it was not a good feeling. Finally she came in and went over the results there were two grade A embies at 7 cell they would be transferring back. She assured us they looked great and were definitely the best. There were also a few smaller but she didn't seem to think they would have made it much further so we knew we were getting the best.

I thought I was uncomfortable before what was next was 10x worse. That's when the poking and tools came out and the legs up in the air again. To top it off the Nurse that was there was doing the ultrasound pushing as hard as she could right on my stomach ugh! I laid there for what seemed like forever and really thought I was going to loose it. The RE made a comment I did a great job with the full bladder they had a clear shot...um thanks! After getting the catheter in place and everything else she was doing the Embryologist came in with the embies for transfer :). During the actual transfer you could see the catheter and fluid on the ultrasound which was amazing. Just thinking those are our babies bought instant tears to my eyes. No matter how uncomfortable it was it was for such a great cause I didn't mind a bit. To top it off the Embryologist said she had a picture if we were interested. Are you kidding me of course we were so she printed it off and gave it to us. We now keep it in a spot where it can be seen in the house to remind us how fortunate we are to have gotten this far.

After the transfer they had me lay there for five minutes before I could use the restroom. That seemed like the longest five minutes of my life. Nine minutes later DH says time is up he had let me lay there four extra minutes and I didn't even know it :). I took off out the door so fast and was in the restroom FOREVER!!!!! Such relief :). I was all set for the next set of instructions after that!

Another Nurse came in and went over everything the #1 thing was bed rest for 24 hours. I didn't see that coming but was more than happy to kick back and let the beans settle in. After that time frame light activities for the next 5 - 7 days so that meant DH was it for cleaning duty :). When we got home I kicked back and didn't get up for anything but to use the restroom DH did everything else for me <3.

Our first picture of our beautiful babies :)

Embie update

We found out on 2/4 that out of 11 eggs retrieved, eight matured, and we had six embies :). Much better than last time when we found out that out of 10 eggs 0 matured. We were way happy with this news and prayed hard they would continue to grow. The next days results were great there were two embies that were dividing as they should and they set my transfer for 2/6 (3 day transfer). The other embies were lagging a little and one had begun to disintegrate :(. We were on pins and needles thinking anything could happen before transfer and we wouldn't make it that far again. Thank God for answering our prayers everything was still on track.

Our RE called the night before retrieval and told us how pleased he was with the results this time and everything looked perfect. He also said he recommends transferring two since they were the best and we happily agreed. His assurance was just what we needed and meant so much that he called.

Retrieval day

Since we were first on the list for retrieval that meant we had to be there early. It's a good two hour trip on a good day throw in rush hour traffic and we had a little bad weather we had to leave three and a half hours early to make sure we were there on time. Thankfully we were and once we got there we didn't have to wait long until they called us back. The same routine undress, put the gown on, put the booties on, put the cap on, and lay on the stretcher. The Nurse came in went over all the paper work and did vitals everything was good. The Anaesthetic finally came in and started the IV line. We waited for what seemed like forever for the RE to come in and finally say we were ready. Once they we were ready I was on my into the OR and DH was escorted to the "happy room" :). I don't remember much once I got in there just giving my information and asking me to throw the legs up and lay down.

Once I came to DH wasn't there waiting like he was the first time. The Nurse was a little worried because my pulse and blood pressure were high so she waited until it went down a little to get him. Once I started to wake up a little it was immediate pain the first time it was bearable and Tylenol did the trick. Not this time it didn't touch it and the Nurse could tell. She called in a Rx to the Pharmacy in their building and said I need to get it I will need it. Of course when I pick it up it's Vicodin, I hate that stuff it makes me sick every time I take it. I had to have something though the pain was terrible. So we decided to stop at Panera and get something to eat since I hadn't had anything. That didn't go well between the pain and discomfort of sitting I didn't want anything or to be there so we headed home.

Once home I spent the rest of the day sleeping and resting with a heating pad. Felt nauseous all day thanks to Vicodin so I still hadn't had anything to eat. Finally by dinner time I found myself hovering over the toilet and I felt 10x better and finally able to eat. Ugh no more of that stuff again it was awful. I was a lot more sore this time and it took a few days to be able to move normal again. Not sure what was so different between the first and second but everything this time was more intense.

It's been a while

Wow have I've neglected from writing. A lot has happened since the meds arrived. I began 150iU Bravelle and Menopur injections on1/22 which continued for seven days then the Menopur was increased to 225iU for the remaining three days. I also began Ganirelix (which was already pre-filled woohoo) on 1/28 until 2/1 as well. After tons of monitoring everything was right on track the follies were growing perfectly so we triggered at 7PM on 2/1 (10,000 units of Novarel) and our retrieval was set for 2/3 at 7AM. 2/2 was a free day no injections just the Zithromax (antibiotic) and nothing to eat or drink after midnight.

This was the nightly routine with Ganirelix included (gray cap), which required no mixing. The other vials were all mixed with 1CC of the water (green cap) into the other syringe.

They arrived

Finally!! Menopur and Bravelle start tonight......now to remember how to mix it. It was overwhelming at first but not so bad once I got it sorted! Let the fun begin :).

Almost time

I finally took my last BCP on the 18th and had a follow-up on the 19th to make sure everything was clear. After unexpected traffic on a holiday and a Nurse tiff I finally go back for the ultrasound. The Tech. said everything looked great and was quiet just how they wanted. I met with another Nurse to get my med. schedule and go over the dosage. Looks like nothing but baby aspirin and a pre-natal until the 23rd then the Bravelle and Menopur will start. I have another follow-up on the 25th and we wait for the follies to reach at least 14mm before starting the Ganirilex.

Now I'm waiting on the goods to come (meds) so I can sort everything and get it straight in my head again. Bring on the shots!!!

New schedule

Finally!!! This time we are throwing out the Lupron and doing injections plus Ganirilex. For now it's just BCP until the 18th then another check on the 19th before getting started. Hopefully (everything crossed) our dates stay set for retrieval on Feb. 3rd and either a 3-day transfer on the 6th or a 5-day on the 8th. We pray extra hard it actually works this time and we get further than we did the first time.

Bring on the shots!!!!