Blueberries

"Baby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about 100 new cells every minute. Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place. "

More bloodwork results from yesterday: Estradiol=2150 (so even though I dropped a patch, my E2 still increased!). I get to decrease 1 more patch beginning on Sunday (1-4-09). That'll leave me with 2 patches and 1 Estrace tablet. Maybe I'll be off estrogen entirely in 3 weeks? Hope so. Progesterone=38.47, which while is still great, they wouldn't decrease PIO. So, that leaves me with 1cc PIO every other day and Prometrium supps three times a day. Maybe next Tuesday's b/w will look better and I can decrease some Progesterone again. I can't wait to be DONE with PIO. What a PITA (I know, stupid joke).

Hope everyone has a swingin' New Year's Eve!

Hormone updates...

I didn't post these the other day as I didn't want to take away my big news, but we had other good news as well on Friday. My E2 came back pretty high at 2026. Big improvement from the last measurement (199). They let me decrease down 1 Vivelle patch. Therefore, on Saturday I only had to put on 3 patches-yippee! Also, my P4 came back pretty high as well at 55.7, so I was able to choose either to decrease PIO to every other day or take 1 Prometrium out of the mix. Umm...my butt could really use a break so that was an easy choice! I skipped my first dose on Saturday night. It felt so good! Both levels getting re-checked tomorrow morning, so hoping all has gone well with my decreases.

To answer a couple of your questions, up until just a few days ago, I really haven't had many symptoms other than extreme fatigue. Lately, I've had some lovely heartburn and indigestion issues to deal with along with an increased appetite. I can eat and then be hungry again in an hour. Hope that one is really short lived, otherwise I'm gonna gain a lot of weight.

A quick due date explanation: my singleton gestational due date is Aug. 16, 2009. My twin due date by average gestation is July 26, 2009. Hope that clears up any confusion.

"Here's looking at you, kids"

"Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore. We must be over the rainbow." My favorite line from The Wizard of Oz and I thought it was quite fitting for today. Steve and I are just thrilled! We can't believe that this really worked! Their heartbeats were both strong and both are measuring right on schedule. Twin A is measuring 6w4d and Twin B is measuring 6w6d. Yippee!! Our new twin due date will be July 26th.

I'll finish off with some more Wizard of Oz...as our favorite wizard (Dr. Schoolcraft) gets all of the credit...

"Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high,

There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.

Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue,

And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true."

Sweet Peas

"Growing like crazy, baby is starting to sprout eyes, ears, nose, cheeks and chin. Those little hands and feet- still webbed like paddles- might wiggle by week's end, the heart is beating (almost twice as fast as yours!), and blood is starting to circulate."

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Picture tag...

This was our engagement announcement pic. We went to a local arboretum to shoot some photos on a very hot July evening. I remember feeling so bad for poor Steve in a button down shirt on a 90 plus degree day. But, he looks good no matter what the temp outside. :-) This one was taken next to a pond, hence the cattails in the lower right-hand corner. Also, I told him to wear a nice blue dress shirt. He wore a shirt that's got his initials on the pocket-"SEW". So, every time I look at our engagement photos, I chuckle.

The object of the picture tag is to:

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer

2) Select the 4th picture in the folder

3) Explain the picture

4) Tag 4 people to do the same. NO CHEATING! (cropping, editing, etc!)

Except, I'm not tagging any particular blogs this time. If you're interested in participating and follow my blog, consider yourself tagged!

P.S. In other bizarre pregnacy behavior, Steve encouraged me to POAS tonight just to be sure I was still pregnant. Being that I'm equally crazy and quite impatient waiting for this u/s to get here, I obliged. Good news, it turned up very dark immediately. Bad news, we are insane. Oh well, still pregnant.

Appleseeds

"Your embryo (looking kind of like a tadpole) is starting to form major organs (heart, kidney, liver, stomach) and systems (nervous, circulatory, digestive). Baby's presence in your uterus triggers production of hCG (the hormone detected by pregnancy tests)... which triggers production of other hormones like estrogen and progesterone... which trigger all those great symptoms you've probably been noticing!"

100th post!

Wow, there were a lot of times I didn't think this blog would make it to 100 posts, but we did it! I'm pretty sure that if it weren't for my supportive blogger friends, I would've let it go a long time ago. But, as I've said many times, you all are the best!

One thing I've been thinking a lot about for a while: changing the title of my blog. I really like it, but apparently so do other people! There is actually a message board with the same title! So, I'm mulling over some new title names. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them! I may even put up a poll in a few days with some ideas.

The current poll is pretty much over: landslide opinion-72% of you think we are having twins. There is a tie for triplets and singletons at 12% (triplets were winning until my post below when I mentioned thinking we were only having one). Then the funny one was for the quads and only 6 (2%) of you selected that as your guess. Thanks for participating in the poll!

Counting the days down until next Friday's ultrasound. Steve and I need some patience, but we really have none. Hopefully, the holidays will make our wait fly by...

Estrogen and Progesterone updates

I had hormone bloodwork on Monday. Estrogen had dropped to 199. They want it to be > 300. So, I've added Estrace to my arsenal of meds. I have to take one pill at bedtime. And, I get to remain on my 4 patches of estrogen as well. I was hoping it would be >1000 so I could start weaning, but that doesn't look likely for a while now.

Progesterone looked good at 40.5 and they just want it to be >20. So, at least that was good news. It was 51 at my first beta, but my nurse said it wasn't unusual to have some hormone fluctuations. But, no med decreases, so I'm still on 1cc PIO and 3 Prometrium/day.

I'd be very surprised if we are having more than one baby. Between my lower E2 and P4 levels and the fact that I'm having almost no symptoms other than fatigue, it just seems like we are having one. We are very blessed regardless of the baby quantity in my uterus!

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged! My friend, Emily, tagged me a few days ago and I thought I would participate with her. So, below are 7 random facts you have been wanting to learn about me (lol).

Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about you.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end, and include links to their blogs.

1. I have one younger brother. He has the same name as my husband (Stephen) and they both spell it the same way. Difference: bro is a staunch "Stephen" and hates being called "Steve" whereas hubby has always gone by nickname "Steve." Thank goodness for their differences!!

2. Since I graduated from college in May 1998 (yikes-10 years ago), I have lived at 8 different addresses. 4 of them were here in Lexington and the other 4 were in Naples/Ft. Myers, Florida. If things go as we hope and our property value improves with the new hospital being built across the street, then we will be moving once again if our home sells.

3. Steve and I share a love for football. We are just finishing up our playoffs this week for fantasty football. I made it to the final playoff championship game before losing to the guy with the best team in our league. No shame in seconds for me, even though I'm a very competitive person. Steve and I enjoy spending Sunday afternoons at Buffalo Wild Wings so that we can watch all games in action simultaneously. We could get the NFL Sunday ticket, but prefer our "Sunday date" at BW3s....

4. My best friend, Stephanie, and I have known each other since elementary school. We have many similarities, but also some differences, yet we always seem to agree on the things that matter most. She was the first person to cry when I told her I was pregnant! I'll never forget that! Love you Steph!

5. I love ice cream. I remember growing up and not wanting to eat my birthday cake at all; I only wanted the ice cream. Pretty much don't care what flavor and I really like it when I'm at a nice restaurant and the chef whips up some unique flavors. Yummy!!

6. Steve and I watch "Days of Our Lives" every night, which has to be the worst soap opera out there. But we still watch it. It's one of only 3 shows we watch together. The others are "The Office" and "Dirty Sexy Money."

7. For the final random/weird fact: I auditioned for the ABC show, "The Bachelor" several years ago. I didn't actually want to be on that show, I wanted to be on "The Bachelorette." I figured there would be no way that I would be interested in just one guy as I am very picky, so that's why I thought the Bachelorette would be better suited for me as I could probably find a great guy among 25 bachelors. I never went on the show.

Ok, I know you were intrigued! Prepare to be intrigued 7 more times, by visiting the blogs below! Now, I tag:

1. Christi @ Our Journey
2. Meg @ Lawyers Do Not Eat Their Young
3. Brenda @ No Regrets
4. Jen @ Maybe If You Just Relax
5. Annie @ onemoreweek
6. Stephanie @ A Product of Feminism and The Gilford Family
7. Karen @ A Day in the Life of Karen

Poppyseeds

I got this image and description from the Bump (aka, the Nest). They have these all throughout the pregnancy. I'm going to try to include them in my blog for interested readers.

"In week 3, sperm meets egg, and voila: conception! Your little zygote sets off on a six-day trek through your fallopian tubes, dividing and redividing into identical cells as it travels to your uterus.

In week 4, now safe in your womb, the ball of cells (blastocyst) splits in two, becoming the embryo and the placenta. The amniotic sac and fluid are forming around baby, and will act as a cushion for the next eight months."

However, tomorrow will already be week 5, so I'll get to post a new picture soon!

IVF # 3 Play-by-Play

I've been looking at ways to try to organize my blog and make things look a little nicer. So, I've decided to get rid of the IVF#3 tracker on the side. But, the information is very important to me, so I'm gonna keep it all in a blog post format. Here is our information:

7/26 - BCPs start
7/30 - CD3 b/w: E2=46, FSH=14.3, LH=6.4, AMH=4.2
8/1 - Diagnosed with PCOS; Began Metformin XR 1000mg
8/5 - TSH=3.87; Diagnosed with Mild Hypothroidism; Began Synthroid 50mcg
8/11 - Began Lupron + Dexamethasone
8/15 - BCPs finished
8/20 - Suppression check - E2=16, TSH=1.012; Synthroid decreased to 25mcg
8/21 - Stims begin 75IU Gonal-F and 75IU Menopur
8/23 - Travel to Denver
8/24 - Stim check #1 - E2=121
8/26 - Stim check #2 - E2=295
8/28 - Stim check #3 - E2=611
8/29 - Stim check #4 - E2=1092
8/30 - Stim check #5 - E2=2042
8/31 - Stim check #6 - E2=1884; Extra Menopur 75IU in pm
9/1 - Stim check #7 - E2=2298; Extra Menopur 75IU in pm
9/2 - Stim check #8 - E2=3276; Trigger shot
9/4 - 14 Eggs Retrieved
9/5 - 10 mature eggs and 10 fertilized embryos
9/7 - 8/10 embryos within normal ranges (6-10 cells) at Day 3; 1 at 5 cells and 1 at 12 cells
9/9 - 4 blastocysts frozen and biopsied and sent off for Microarray testing
9/10 - 2 more blastocysts frozen and biopsied and sent off for Microarray testing
10/20 - Start BCPs for FET
10/24 - Microarray test results in: 3 embryos available for transfer (2 normals and 1 no result)
10/27 - Lupron begins for FET
10/31 - BCPs finished
11/5 - Begin Vivelle patches every other day
11/11 - Estrogen b/w = 60
11/21 - Lining check=14.2mm and E2 level=516
11/23 - Begin Endometrin; also taking Erythromycin and Medrol for 4 nights; Stop Lupron
11/25 - Progesterone b/w = 12.8; TSH = 1.227
11/28 - FET-2 boys transferred; E2 = 697 and P4 = 3.7 (switched to PIO)
12/3 - First ever BFP on HPTs!!!!
12/7 - Beta #1 = 393!!!!; P4 = 51
12/9 - Beta #2 = 1187!!!!

Beta #2: 1187

We are thrilled it doubled! Actually, it tripled! My nurse counseled me on twins when she gave me the second beta number. She also asked if Steve and I were ready to be twin parents. I guess the best answer was "yes." I asked her if it could still be one. Reply was "yes." I then asked the question that's been on my mind since Sunday-what about splitting blasts? She replied "yep, we've seen it happen." So, there's no real way we'll know until our u/s and that will be on 12/26. I want to know your thoughts, so I'm putting up a little poll for you all to guess how many we're gonna see at our u/s! We will be blessed with whatever God grants us.

And while I really like my cartoon, I'm deleting it as I've officially given up the POAS obsession. I was 9/9 and it was fun, but now I'm on to the beta obsession!!!

393!!!!!!!!!

Beta #1 is back at 393!!! Woohoo! It really worked! I'm really pregnant! I'm so freakin' excited! My progesterone level isn't back yet, but they've put me on 3 Prometrium a day along with the 1cc PIO every night. I'm so freakin' excited!

Thank you so much for all of your kind words. I'm in awe of you girls. You never fail to amaze me with all of your support. I love you all!!!

I think our moment has finally arrived: BFP!!!!!

That's right-I'm testing pregnant! Steve and I are just beside ourselves with joy. I can't stop POAS. I love doing it. I bought 8 tests thinking I'd have to test a few times before one came up positive, but after five tests, I'm 5/5!!!

I actually did the first test on Wednesday night which was 5dp5dt. I decided to test that evening because: 1) I had decided it would be the only day I could see a negative and not be upset at all as it would probably be too soon to see a positive and 2) I had an encounter earlier in the day with some kalamata olives. I don't particularly like them, however, they were in a pasta salad I ate on Wed. I couldn't get enough of them! I probably had 20! So, knowing my previous indifference towards them, it prompted me to test. At first when I saw the test I thought, hmm...two lines must be a negative on this brand (lol). I grabbed the instructions and sure enough-positive. Faint, but positive.

Tested 3 more times yesterday and all were positive!! I had some heavy cramping to help convince myself that it was real. Also, I'm very tired. I closed my eyes sitting in an office yesterday and am pretty sure I nodded off. First time in 9 years! I went to bed early last night and slept for a long time! Feeling better this morning. Tested yet again this morning and this time the digital popped up "Pregnant." I vowed to never test on a digital until I was for sure it would say "pregnant", mainly because I just couldn't bear to see "not pregnant" show up. One line is much easier to handle than those mean words.

Oh, and I had more kalamata olives for dinner last night. Can't get enough of that salty flavor. Yummy. :-) So, yep, I think I'm pregnant. CCRM and Dr. Schoolcraft get all of the credit. They are the best. They lived up to every expectation (and more) that we had. Their lab is the reason we had blasts make it for genetic testing and I'm just so thankful that we chose them. No regrets!

I can't wait for Sunday morning to roll around for my beta!!! Thanks for all of your prayers and support. I'll never be able to express enough just how much they were all appreciated!

Pregnant or Not Pregnant: That is the Question

Forget Shakespeare and his "to be or not to be"; am I pregnant or not? The answer of course is I have no idea. I have symptoms, but I've had symptoms before. Some of it could be real, some of it is probably in my head. Ah, the roller coaster of infertility emotions never go away. The good news is that I don't have to wait as long this time to find out if it worked. The bad news is I don't know what the verdict will be yet.

So what do I have?
1. tender breasts - the fertiles out there are jumping up and down screaming: "pregnant"; the rest of us know that ugly progesterone gives me this side effect regardless of a pregnancy or not
2. looking tired - I don't feel any more tired than usual, however one of my customers told me yesterday that I didn't look like myself and that I appeared fatigued. Not sure that counts, but I'm documenting anyway...
3. twinges/flutters/cramping - I've felt these since the transfer. Could be real or could be in my head. Who knows.
4. nausea - now this one is strange. As we were flying back from Denver, I felt really sick. I've never thrown up on a flight, however, I looked to be sure the barf bag was in the seat pocket in front of me. It was, didn't use it, but weird. Could also be my mind playing tricks on me...
5. food issues - I can usually stop eating and try to appear somewhat sophisticated when having dinner with customers. However, I couldn't stop eating last night. I think it was the best food I've ever eaten. I ate everything. Including the creme brulee (which I'm very picky about as most restaurants can't ever get right). I ate every bite of it and the waiter noticed laughing and said he could bring me another. That made me feel piggish, but I wonder if I would've said yes if I were dining alone...(No, Definitely No)
6. constipation - this has been the worst. I struggle anyway with it since I'm an over the top Type A freak. However, this was really bad yesterday. Thank goodness relief finally came, but this prompted me to start googling the ole early pregnancy symptoms.
7. ass aches - lol. Just throwing that in so that everyone know my PIO injections are truly a pain in my ass (ouch)...but, I hope I get to continue them for several more weeks to come. :-)
8. frequent urination - not fair really here since I've still got my bladder infection. Although the infection is getting much better since I started on the Keflex.
9. bloated - I feel this a lot though...
10. the "glow" - I'll end with this one as it's all Steve. He checks my face daily for the pregnancy glow. He says it's there. I say it's the estrogen. Random people have been telling me this for a few weeks now, so that's all I can think that's different about me. But, he still likes to check for "his sign."

That's all I can think of right now. So to sum it all up, I have no answers nor will I until this weekend. I've just got to muster up some patience until then.