He's here!

My little Liam Glenn was born on Friday August 10th, 2012 at 5:36 pm. I went in Thursday night for an induction, and spontaneously went into labor about 20 minutes before they even started me on the induction drugs. Almost 24 hours later, my little man was ready to come out and we are so excited to introduce him to you all!!!

Mommy, Daddy and our new little bundle!!

Sir in his going home outfit

With Grandma!

Tomorrows the big day!!

Well I was supposed to go to see Dr. R tomorrow for an ultrasound so that we could discuss induction but we made that decision a day ahead of schedule!! I went in this morning because I was constipated. Like really, really really constipated and have been for the past few days. usually 1 juicebox of apple juice does the trick for me (since I was born basically) but yesterday.. I can't tell you how much apple juice I drank and NOTHING. All it did was give me bad stomach cramps. It felt like Liams head was blocking my bodys natural path for going to the bathroom!! So I went in this morning to see the doctor because I was in such intense pain I didn't know what else to do. He of course suggested prune juice or Milk of Magnesia and I was getting even more frustrated because I was trying to explain to him that apple juice had the exact same affect on me. So he then did another internal exam and said that the baby wasn't blocking anything so I should try the Milk of Magnesia (which I did btw and it totally worked...) but then he asked if induction was something I was very serious about and if so he would call Dr. R for the go ahead, so... I'm going in this evening around 4:30 and they're gonna give me Cervidil to get my cervix ready, I'm staying overnight obviously, and tomorrow morning they are starting me on Pitocin to induce me. My mother and my husband are both nervous wrecks at the moment but I feel very calm right now. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally excited to be induced, and I'm enjoying watching my mom "nest" at my house. My entire house is clean and she can't seem to sit still lol. Tomorrow by brother and step dad are coming to keep her company while I'm in the hospital, and my husband is meeting me at the hospital tonight. Everything's ready now, all we really have to do is sit around and wait!

40 weeks!!!

Well a lot has gone on this past month, and my due date is tomorrow!!! I can't believe it's here already!!!  I've been going in for my weekly appointments and last week on Wednesday I had an internal exam and the doctor said I was 1.5 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced!! That was good news to hear since I'd been having some cramping and I'd lost my mucus plug slowly over the past few weeks. The problem was that my blood pressure was high that day. Normally, I have PERFECT blood pressure all the time so for me to have anything other than that was very very strange so they kept me in the office and took it a few more times and even though it went down a little, I went home and it went back up so, they sent me to the hospital for a few hours and their blood pressure cuff showed that everything was just fine and I was sent home. Just to be safe, they had me back in the office on Friday and my blood pressure was back to normal and nothing had changed so I was sent home yet again with an appointment for today, Tuesday, August 7th.

I was feeling restless this weekend because I've basically been sitting around the house waiting for labor to start so I called my brother on Sunday and told him I was coming for a visit, so my hubby and I packed the dog in the car and went to visit for a nice afternoon BBQ and my parents met us there for lunch as well! What an interesting day that was... first of all I was having bad cramps every 15 minutes. We were timing them and everyone thought I was going into labor but after going for a walk and laying down they seemed to dissipate so no labor there... Then my dog decided that she was going to get her period for the first time that day in my brothers kitchen!!! Now she is a giant dog being an Old English Mastiff so we had to go to Walmart and get her depends underwear for women and cut a hole in the back for her tail. This was a first for me... I've never had a pet go through this, and it definitely made the day interesting. No labor for me, but now my dog is in heat so when I DO go into labor, someone will need to come to the house and take care of her!! My little girl is growing up lol....

Anyway, so today I had an appointment this morning and my doctor said I was now 2 centimeters dilated and 70% effaced. At this rate, Liam's just gonna fall out of me!! He also asked if I had much bleeding and I said no, but when he finished his exam there was a lot of blood on his glove. Now up until today I really didn't have much bleeding at all. I mean, the most I'd had was a little bit a few hours after my internal exam last week but that's about it. Today however, looked like I'd just gotten my period and I actually had to wear a pad! But once again the doctor said it was normal at this stage. He also said that he had a feeling that this exam would speed the labor process along, but it's been about 9 hours and I don't feel anything going on.

After I was done being checked I told Dr. R about my family history with births. My mom was about 2 weeks late with both children and therefore had to have c sections for both of us because we were so big and I told him I really don't want to let things go that far, so he scheduled me for an ultrasound on Friday to check the size of Liam and then we will make a decision on whether to induce me or not. I'm hoping I go into labor before then however, but it doesn't feel that way at the moment. Keeping my fingers crossed though :) I promise to update as soon as little man makes his appearance!!!

Bumpdate 36 weeks and Nursery Pictures!!

Today marks 35 weeks and 6 days. and I can't believe how close we are to meeting our little Liam!! Everything is done in the nursery, and all of our bigger things downstairs (swing, bouncer, pack n play, stroller) are assembled and in place and ready and waiting for his arrival!! This week has been kind of hilarious though because we're babysitting my moms cat Roan and he seems to think all the baby apparel belongs to him and is just there for him to have fun with!! Roan and my cat Bob have been having SOOO much fun in the pack n play and the bassinet up in the bedroom, but it's been driving my husband and I absolutely nuts! I've also noticed my hormones has been going sorta crazy.. everything I watch on tv makes me cry, or I feel bad for everyone, or I just start crying randomly for no reason. I'm also incredibly uncomfortable all the time. My legs and back hurts, my boobs hurt a lot, I can't sleep at night because I can't find a comfortable position in bed and my gigantic belly seems to be weighing me down every time I lay down and try to get comfortable to sleep!! Aside from all this however, I can't WAIT to meet our little Liam, and I would do it a million more times!!

My moms cat Roan sleeping in the Bassinet upstairs

my 36 week bump :)

Bumpdate with pictures! Almost 33 weeks!!

I've been slacking on my blogging for the past few months, I know, and I do apologize. It's just, there hasn't been much to report! I had my shower which was wonderful and a week later I went to my cousins shower (she's due 2 days after me, also with a boy!) and my husband and I drove to Williamsburg, Virginia and went on our babymoon! We had a blast and I have a few pictures to post. I also had my prenatal massage which was my mothers day gift from my momma, and it was seriously needed, and it felt WONDERFUL! I've never had a massage before, and it really was such a relaxing experience!

My bump! I'll be 33 weeks on Wednesday, and this photo was taken at 30 weeks but I don't think I've grown that drastically from then until now. I'll post a new one next week with the nursery pictures.

Our ferry ride out of Cape May was so foggy you could barely see anything, but there were dolphins swimming alongside our boat!!

The boats at the Jamestown Settlement

My hubby in the Military barracks at Yorktown.. this tent was for an officer and compared to the other tents, it was huge!

Holding hands with Pocahontas! Jamestown was our favorite place out of the whole trip. It's an actual archaeological dig site where they are still finding new artifacts every day. It was fascinating! They said it would be about 20 years or so before they would be done excavating the whole area!

The nursery is finished and I'm starting to get a little overwhelmed when I walk into it. Everything is in it's place but for some reason I feel like I need to re-organize everything or write a list of everything that's in it and keep it on hand.. maybe It's nesting, maybe it's just anxiety but there's so much baby stuff, that I've never used before and I'm afraid I'm going to get overwhelmed when I finally have Liam and then forget where I put everything, or forget where to find things I'm going to need! And I feel crazy every time I think about it!!! I'll try to post pictures next week of the finished room...well almost finished.. my hubs needs to fix something in the closet and then it's all done. Crazy that we're so close to having Liam already!! We can't wait to meet him!

I'll post another update with pictures next week. My doctor scheduled me for an ultrasound because he says I worry too much, which is absolutely true, but miscarriages, infertility and IVF don't ease a pregnant woman's mind, no matter how far into her pregnancy she is. Every time I see him I ask him if I'm gaining enough weight, or too much, or what position the baby is in and if everything sounds fine and he can feel my belly but he can't give me definitive answers. He uses the doppler every visit and but I didn't even pay attention to it this last visit. I've had so many questions about the baby and they can't be answered unless I see him. He keeps saying that everything feels fine and everything with me is perfect and he really is a great doctor, but he can't tell me what position the baby is in because my uterus is hard and the baby's not big enough yet so... Ultrasound next week on Wednesday and more pictures after that. Talk to you all soon!

Third trimester is finally here!!

The second trimester seemed to last FOREVER, but week 28 began on Wednesday and now I'm officially in the home stretch!! My belly is getting bigger, but I'm in the in-between stage of clothes where the mediums are a wee bit too small and the larges are a wee bit too big just yet, but at the rate I'm going, I should fit into them in no time. Liam moves almost constantly. I haven't had much time to rest because the moment I sit or lay down he immediately begins to move or kick (it kinda feels like he's doing yoga in there), in fact, I have my laptop resting on my belly and he's kicking right now and making it move as I'm typing this. He certainly is a strong little guy!
My baby shower is this Saturday and I'm really looking forward to seeing all my friends there, I feel like it's been so long since I've had any fun since I became pregnant! There's not much for us preggies to do, and now that I'm getting bigger, it's getting even harder to get around or not want to take naps constantly lol.
Our babymoon plans are made as well! My husband and I are driving to colonial Williamsburg in Virginia on June 1st and we are really looking forward to it. We've been wanting to go there for months now and he finally got a 4 day weekend at work so he immediately booked it, and my mom agreed to come babysit the big baby Ruby-- our English Mastiff puppy that weekend as well as out cat Bob so all is in order for our big trip. I just have to deal with a ferry ride over the Delaware as well as a 20 mile bridge ride into Va. Might I also mention that I have a serious bridge phobia... my husband saw this bridge on TV, apparently it's the longest bridge in the world and he's been dying to drive over it because he loves bridges.. we are quite opposites he and I.. I'm not exactly looking forward to this but it might be the only chance he gets to do this so I'll try not to freak out too badly..
Aside from that I'm just trying to relax these next 2 months or so before the baby comes. The nursery is pretty much finished-- we got our final piece of furniture last night which was our very VERY comfortable rocking chair and my mom came last week to get us our stroller, and yesterday in the mail I got a very nice surprise which was the Baby Mat Play Place off of my registry from my friend Holli!! Out of all the things we've gotten to prepare for the baby, that gift made me cry when it was delivered yesterday, I wasn't expecting it at all, so I just want to say thank you sooo much to Holli, you are such a sweet person for thinking of us!

That's all for now, Hope you all have a wonderful week!!

So sweet!!

I had to post this because it was so sweet!! My pregnancy cravings for the past few months have been pretty normal with what most women want-- chocolate, pickles, ice cream, salty stuff and sweet stuff as well as citrus things but recently I've been craving cole slaw really badly, and not just any cole slaw. Theres a little mom and pop diner by us called "Shut up and eat!" that makes the BEST homemade cole slaw. All the waiters and waitresses wear pajamas and patrons are encouraged to come to breakfast in their pajamas as well (you get a 12% discount on your check if you do!) and we usually have breakfast there on Saturday or Sunday mornings. We go so often that they now know us there and everyone is so nice. Today I walked in NEEDING their cole slaw like no ones business. I was telling our waitress about how badly I was craving their specific cole slaw during this pregnancy and we ordered a side of it to take home with us because the store bought stuff wasn't doing it for me. Not even the good deli cole slaw could compare with this, and any pregnant woman knows that when you're craving something, you want that and only that. There is no settling. A few minutes later the owner walks over to our table with a side of cole slaw for me to eat with my chocolate chip waffles, which I devoured immediately and then she gave me an entire bag of cole slaw and said it was on the house because it was for the baby! So sweet!!

21 week update with pictures!!

I had another ultrasound this morning, accompanied by my husband and my mommy. If we hadn't gone to the ultrasound tech last month, we would be finding out the gender of the baby at today's appointment, so I almost laughed when the doctor asked if we wanted to know the gender, not knowing that we already knew, and we all said yes, and then he told us and no one seemed all that excited about learning that fact because we've all known for over a month now haha. Anyway, we got some great ultrasound pictures and we saw him moving and waving his arms and legs again. I'll post 2 of the good ones and then a few other pictures from this week :)

His little profile

This picture we all got such a kick out of. Sometimes babies are uncooperative during their gender scans and the doctors can't tell right away, but this little guy was ready for his close up!! Those are his 2 legs, spread eagle showing the world that he is, in fact, a boy!!

My husband came home with this last week. We've been having so much fun buying clothes for this little guy.

This is me with my other baby... my 9 month old English Mastiff Ruby, who acts like a toddler most of the time, but as we have learned already, is WONDERFUL with children. They can pull her tail or her ears and run around her and she is so gentle and just sits there and allows them to do whatever they want to her. She's gonna be a great Nana in a few months and we love her so much.

And finally, a picture of the little baby bump. Please don't mind the pasty complexion lol, It's been a long winter and even though I live in NJ, pregnant ladies can't tan, no matter what Snookie thinks. People keep saying I look great for 21 weeks pregnant and that my belly is still pretty small, and once again the doctor told me today that my weight gain was relatively low (7 pounds since the start of pregnancy) and I really find that hard to believe because, as I told Dr. C this morning, I crave the most random foods including chocolate pudding which I've been eating almost on a nightly basis (and then also for breakfast this morning lol ) and tons of Taco Bell which I have to lie to my husband about for the most part :P

We still keep up with our prayers and thank god daily for this gift. I am also thankful for ice cream, chocolate pudding, taco bell, cole slaw, chocolate chip pancakes and pickles! And I hope that I can find good excuses to eat all of these things after the baby is born lol

So much to write about!!

It's been quite a while since I've posted and part of it is because I haven't been to the doctor very much, like I was during the in-vitro process and that's when I would mostly blog, but I'm in my second trimester now and so much has happened!!

I'm now in week 20, so according to my doctor I've officially hit the halfway point in my pregnancy!! For someone who never EVER thought they would ever be pregnant, it's very surreal to me, as well as my mom, who seems amazed to see her daughter with a pregnant belly and some ridiculous food choices/cravings. We've been working on our nursery and it's actually almost finished. When we first moved into our house in November of 2010 the room across the hall upstairs was sooo creepy that we actually kept the door shut until I got pregnant. We used to refer to it as the crack den because it looked like a creepy room you would do drugs in.. no floor, no light fixtures, the walls had one coat of primer over a very dark paint color, the windows were full of dust and in the middle of the room was a small couch and an old box of tissues lol. For a while it turned into our junk room from all our other projects throughout the house, but then this past November I got pregnant and we realized we could actually start working on that room!!

We painted the walls a nice yellow color and we now have our crib, dresser, changing table, pack n play, bouncer, and a ton of new clothes for the little guy!! My mom informed me that my shower was going to be in May, but we were so excited to be having a baby that we already have diapers and clothes and socks and already a large selection of onesies and bath towels... My husband and I do like to plan ahead and make sure we have absolutely everything we need!!  The only piece of furniture we didn't buy was the rocking chair and that is on our registry along with a few other cool things at babies-r-us. Oh and this past weekend we put up dark blue curtains that goes very nicely against the yellow walls.

Onto the little guy in my belly... ok so about 3 weeks ago I was reading my pregnancy app on my iPhone (it gives me a tip every day about how to deal with various things throughout your pregnancy and how to prepare yourself as well as your partner for the arrival of your little bundle) and it was mentioning that I should be feeling him move. Now when my second trimester started I was feeling absolutely wonderful! Not even pregnant!! No nausea, just a little tiny bit of acid reflux but really barely that at all. Now anyone who knows me well knows that I worry about just about everything and being pregnant has been no easy ride for me. Every little tiny feeling has had me worrying and calling my husband up crying and freaking out and calling the doctor. That only got worse in my second trimester. I started feeling great and thinking there might not be any baby in there because I'm feeling so great!! Of course that was so far from the truth because my belly was growing so much and I wasn't even really noticing it! Finally my husband lost it on the 4th day in a row of me calling him up crying and complaining that I could swear something was wrong and he told me to go online and rent a Doppler, which I did and have only used 3 times now when I was really freaking out... anyway, last week on Thursday evening I was in NY and watching a Broadway show and right in the middle of the second act I felt 2 kicks right in my lower belly!! Of course I started texting everyone and I was so excited but that was all I really felt. It was very sporadic. I'd feel him every other day and only at night until yesterday, he was moving ALL day since the afternoon until dinner time and then this morning again around 6:30 am. I've also found that he moves when my giant English mastiff's head is on my belly snoring. Apparently that wakes him up and makes him move around!!

So I think it might be time already to return the Doppler. My next ultrasound is a week from today and both my husband and my momma will be there for it and we are all very much looking forward to it! I promise to blog again soon and not get lost in the world of "those who used to blog every now and then." Those people annoy me, I certainly don't want to become one of them!!! We are still praying, and now thankfully we can pray for a healthy delivery!!

We couldn't wait!!

I know I wrote in my last post that we were going to find out the gender of the baby on March 1st but my husband and I were fairly impatient and scheduled an appointment for Friday evening instead, lol!  Now throughout this process of becoming pregnant and being pregnant, everyone I have come in to contact with has given me their reasons and theories on why I am pregnant with a girl or a boy... for example, "Oh your really nauseous...it must be a girl", or "oh your showing early, it must be a boy", so basically by now my husband and I were completely confused and we had absolutely no idea what it was going to be, but for some reason, we were both expecting for it to be a girl...I don't know why.  Anyway. we got to the appointment last night and we got so see the baby and after about 30 seconds, she said ok are you ready.. its 100 percent...a BOY!!! Now that was the most exciting thing that ever happened to us.  And from last night to this moment we've been shopping, shopping, shopping, for all things boy.  I still have another appointment on March 1st that my mom is coming to with me so well get a nice little update by then and maybe I"ll have gained some weight this time.  So at the moment we have permanent smiles tattooed on our faces and we can't wait to meet our little man! :)

14 week update :)

I don't even know where to begin!! Well... tomorrow marks the 14th week of my pregnancy and I'm finally calm enough to blog about it. I haven't said anything in over a month because I was nervous that something was gonna happen and then I'd be blogging about no more baby, and so I didn't want to get too excited about being pregnant because I didn't want to jinx it so I waited and waited and waited and waited and FINALLY decided it was ok to blog about everything that's been going on the past month. So here goes...

My last ultrasound was a month ago and I went to my first appointment with the new ob. There are 4 doctors in the practice and the first one I met was really nice. The last time I saw the little one, it had arms and legs and looked like it was waving at me on the ultrasound screen. I had an appointment yesterday and they used the doppler to hear the heartbeat, so even though we didn't get to see it, it's nice to know it's still doing well in there. I still can't feel it though, so when I woke up yesterday I was still nervous that the doctor was gonna give me bad news (which is also why I was reluctant to blog until after that appointment), but he found a nice strong heartbeat in my belly. It's still weird to think there's a heart beating in my chest AND in my belly lol, and it's moving. Last time it was on the right side of my belly and yesterday it was all the way on the left. The only other thing was, the doctor said I'm not gaining enough weight. He said I should have gained a little weight since my last appointment and, in fact, I lost half a pound since the last time I was there so I spent all day trying to eat more yesterday, but really, I'm not that hungry. It didn't help that a total stranger that we bought some baby furniture from said "omg you're so tiny!" Nice to hear ANY other day but yesterday lol. So I had peanut butter and jelly and a piece of pizza for dinner. I wish I could eat like that all the time, but really since I became pregnant I've been craving healthy foods and really eating mostly fruit... and doritos.

My symptoms are starting to fade now that it's the 2nd trimester, which is nice. Still nauseous but only at night before bedtime and in the middle of the night, and food aversions to garlic and ground beef, and yes, I have eaten the fabled pickles and ice cream combo, and really, it's delicious. Some of the combos that i order when we go out to eat are kind of ridiculous.. Sunday morning we went to breakfast and I had a cheese quesadilla with salsa and turkey bacon on the side. And I went out with my mom and had french toast and french onion soup, so the pickles and ice cream thing doesn't sound so bad. My belly is starting to grow and I'm actually starting to look pregnant

Also, we started work on the nursery this month!! Well... when I say we, I mean Bill worked and I sat on the floor with the dogs and we all kept him company. He put a wood floor  and a ceiling fan in and painted the walls a nice pale yellow. And on Saturday, when we went to visit my mom in NYC, we bought a crib!! It's actually starting to look like a nursery now. We also found a changing table that we bought yesterday and I've walked into the nursery about 8 times today just to look lol. We still need a few more pieces of furniture but we're well on our way and it's so exciting!

In 2 weeks, I go in for bloodwork and then on March 1st we find out the sex of the little one. I can't believe it's that time already!! I apologize for not writing with an update sooner, but I was too nervous to jinx this whole situation. Talk to you all soon!!

Morning sickness and maternity pants.

Its been a crazy 2 weeks.  We had our second u/s and we were finally released from the fertility specialist.  He gave me the phone number of a new gynecologist, so I called to make an appointment.  They gave me an appointment that was 2 weeks away, so the only thing I could do was sit around and wait.

So 2 weeks ago all my symptoms kicked, which is kind of bitter sweet in a way.  Its nice to experience, but it kind of sucks experiencing it too.  There are days I am too dizzy and nauseous to get up, and the thought of eating anything is absolutely disgusting.  But then again, It's nice because it feels like I am on the right track with this pregnancy, until a week ago, 2 weeks after my last us with doctor B, when all of my symptoms mysteriously went away.  So of course I panicked for 3 days straight and then called Dr B, crying, totally freaked out.  and he was very sweet on the phone and had me come in for an u/s, even though he didn't think anything was wrong.  and of course there was nothing wrong at all...the baby was fine.  and then he spent quite a long time explaining to me how symptoms can come and go and that I should just relax for the next 8 months.  And so that's where we are at at the moment.  I still have a whole week before my appointment with the regular ob/gyn and luckily today, my symptoms are very weak. and that's good because its my husbands birthday and I can feel good enough to celebrate with him today.  In the meantime the only thing to do is to work on the nursery.  Even though it still early, the room we are going to use is completely bare, no floors, walls etc.  Hopefully when my first trimester ends in a few weeks my symptoms will leave with it.  This morning sickness and evening sickness and afternoon sickness is making me exhausted.  Oh, and also, I had to go and buy my first pair of maternity jeans because all my pants stopped fitting at the same time.  So that was exciting... We're still praying for a happy and healthy pregnancy and an even healthier baby in 7 months. I'm not sure how this appointment with the new doctor will go on Friday (I wish I could stay with doctor B. this whole time, but he doesn't deliver, AND he's moving to Maryland in 2 months!!), but I'll have an open mind for Dr. R and though I know no one can replace Dr. B, I guess I'll try... Talk to you all in a week.

Little miracles do happen :)

My husband took the day off yesterday to go to my first ultrasound with me and we were so incredibly nervous. It looked ridiculous, we sat in the room waiting for the doctor to come in, heads down, no talking... just waiting (me with my paper skirt and no pants on). I kept looking at my husband going.. go get Dr. B!! I can't sit around much longer, I'm going NUTS!! Anyway, he finally came in and we talked very little about symptoms and what not and then he said, "well you're at 6 weeks, so today we might be able to see a heartbeat, but if we can't, it doesn't mean it's not there, it just means it's too small to see right now so don't be nervous if that doesn't happen.", Then he stuck his magic wand in me and I think time stopped for a second. It's really hard for a non-doctor to read those ultrasound screens. Especially when you're as nervous as my husband and I were. We weren't seeing anything at all.. we weren't sure what we were looking for to begin with, but we were sure that we weren't seeing anything until Dr. B said.. "there it is" and everyone let out a huge sigh of relief!! We got to see it's little heart beating there on the screen and then he magnified the sound we actually got to hear the little heart beating. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen and heard and I'm still in shock at this moment.

Then we talked about symptoms. Yesterday morning was the first time I got morning sickness throughout this whole experience. I've been having dizziness, but no real sickness caused by food, however, sitting at the diner with my husband and my mom, the combination of all the different smells was completely overwhelming and I couldn't eat anything without the thought of throwing it back up. We actually had to clear most of the plates from the table and then eat saltines. So I told that to Dr. B and then I also mentioned that nothing seemed appetizing to me, which is very true. I walk around the kitchen constantly looking for something to eat and I have a million options and I don't want any of them. You know, and then I don't feel well. So Dr. B said, he doesn't mind if I'm not gaining weight right now, but he does mind a lot if I'm losing weight, so I need to force feed myself whatever I can swallow right now. I've been working on that.

Ok and the best part about this whole thing? No more PIO shots!!!!!!!!!!! Dr. B said they officially ended yesterday and all I have to do is continue with the progesterone cream from now until the end of the first trimester which is January 25th and my official due date is August 8, 2012. The crazy thing is, Dr. B said next week on Friday is our last appointment/ultrasound with him and if everything looks good then, we can start going to a regular ob/gyn. Amazing, but scary. We are switching doctors though, or last gynecologist, when we told her we were having problems conceiving, she blew it off and told us we were worrying too much. Sounded like every other person we knew, saying "oh, you need to relax." Right. That's why we had to go through the all these fertility treatments before getting pregnant through IVF. We wont be going back to her, I can tell you that. Now that I am pregnant? I'm gonna need someone who takes me seriously, especially during these next 8 months.
Anyway, that's all for now. Talk to you all soon :)

Still pregnant!

Third beta this morning came in at 721! That's a doubling time of 33 hours!! My ultrasound is scheduled for next Thursday the 15th and we are so excited for it! I don't have many symptoms and I was starting to get freaked out but after talking to my RE today, she said it was common to have few symptoms this early on. My husband however, begs to differ with that statement. He thinks I'm a freaking emotional lunatic... I don't see it :) . I've been tired mostly, and have been having some heartburn and am peeing peeing peeing alllllll the time. No spotting whatsoever though, so that's kinda nice. Were still praying right now that all goes well next week on Thursday. Wondering if it's one or two... we'll be happy with anything!! Talk to you all soon!!

Good News... Finally!!

This week has been a roller coaster of emotions! Monday and Tuesday were awful just sitting around and waiting for my blood test on Wednesday morning. My sister-in-law came over on Tuesday with my niece to keep me company because I was starting to really go crazy. Anyway, Wednesday morning came around and I went with my husband to take my blood test. They drew the blood at 7:30 in the morning and waited until after 4 pm to call with my results!! Well, the number was low, 37.1 and I hung up the phone and cried and cried and cried and then called my husband and then my mom and cried some more. Every time I look for info on other women and what their numbers were, anything above 50 seems good and anything below 50 never seems to be any good news. I was feeling no symptoms. For a while on Tuesday and Wednesday I was dizzy and having cramps and then that all pretty much just went away and I went back to feeling nothing and then crying some more. So then when the Dr. called she said I had to come in for another test on Friday. 

Well I have been a complete mess since that phone call at 4 o'clock on Wednesday. My mom cancelled all her plans to come keep me company on Thursday and today to get my mind off of everything and she really has done a great job. We went to the movies and out to eat and then today after my blood test we spent the day shopping. I was expecting a call at around 4 again because that's the time when my doctor likes to sit down and make all of her phone calls so, the last store we went into I left my phone in the car and when I came back, I had 4 missed calls and my phone was currently ringing. Thank God my doctor is persistent! She called to say that my numbers more than doubled to 88!!! She has been very cautious with this whole process and finally today she said CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I do have to go back on Tuesday for another blood test and then after we get the results back from that, they will schedule my 6 week ultrasound!!!!

I am so excited right now. I haven't allowed myself to get excited this entire week. My husband and my mom and my brother kept telling me that my numbers were good and everything was going to work out, but I couldn't get excited and I really didn't want to get my hopes up because I know how much it hurts when they tell you that it "just didn't work again this time." I'm in shock. I also argued with everyone about how impossible it was that this worked, so when the doctor called me on Wednesday and told me to refill my progesterone shots I refused to because I thought it would be a big waste of time and money. Today I called and had to pay an extra 25 dollars to put a rush on my order! 

Still praying that everything goes well with my Tuesday blood test. Talk to you all soon!

ICLW week

Happy ICLW week.  Thanks you first time readers and thank you guys that have been following my blog since the start.  Also, thank you Still Hoping from Hope Delayed and Lady Bug from My Journey to Conception for the blogging award!! You have caught me in the middle of the two week wait of my first and, god willing, only IVF cycle.  For those that haven't heard my whole story, me and my husband have been TTC since the day we got married about a year and half ago.  We were a little concerned when it didn't happen those first few months, but attributed it to the birth control pills I had been taking since I was a teen to control an unusually painful period.  When we got a BFP just after new years in 2011, it was the most exciting thing, what we weren't prepared for was an early miscarriage a few days later.  We kept trying the natural way after that with the occasional foray into over the counter fertility drugs, lotions and potions and nothing worked until we came back from a lovely vacation in the Caribbean in which we went to a special church that has been reported to be a fertility mecca.   After our return home and another positive pregnancy test, we thought we were on our way, but alas that too was short lived.  Finally we got referred to an RE from a regular ob/gyn, who really thought we were getting all freaked out for no reason by the way.  We had 2 failed Clomid cylces, got some cysts, and finally decided to go big or go home.  We are praying to get awesome news on Wednesday when I have my beta test, but have 6 embies in the freezer if things don't go so well.

The big day has finally arrived!

I went in this morning for my transfer which was scheduled for 10:30.  Its really really exciting but at the same time its a bit stressful because what if it doesn't work?  It's really hard for me to get excited.  Even as the procedure was happening and my mom was getting excited I was laying on the exam table saying, "Don't get too excited, this might not work."  I like to be logical and not get my hopes up to high but then again I mean it is kind of exciting.  It was all very interesting.  You have to go in with a full bladder, which is the worst part!  That's all I could focus on before, during and after.  So anyways, they bring me in to the same room that I was in for my egg retrieval so it automatically made me nervous but my mom got to come it so that was nice.  My husband was at work today.  Then the doctor asked me if I wanted one or two eggs transferred and of course I wanted two!  My doctors office was cool, there is a TV on the ceiling so that while I'm laying on the exam table, I can watch everything on the screen up there.  So they got my lady bits all prepped and ready, and stretched with the damn speculum, which I hate with a fiery passion, and I never want to get a pap smear ever again because I might get post traumatic stress disorder, and then I got to see my two little embryos in their petri dish on the TV screen because they were in the next room with the embryologist.  Then I got to watch the whole process of him taking the embryos and putting them in the catheter, and then Dr Scott walked into the room and it was time to put them into me!  Then he put them in and it was pretty much over, but I could see them on the ultrasound and I got to go home with two ultrasound pictures of my little eggs.  And 2 really big pictures of the embryos.  

We came home today and my bedrest started, it sounds fun, but its kind of like when someone tells you you cant do something you want to do it all the more.  I've never wanted so badly to walk around my kitchen or the the other rooms in my house, but for now I have to enjoy the view from my couch.  Later on, my husband got home from work and along with my mom, and my mom and father in law, we had a egg transfer party and everyone ate dinner with me on the couch!  There are so many things to pray for this week.  My blood pregnancy test is next Wednsday the 30th.  I don't even want to think about it right now.  I am so nervous and I need to relax.  I'm glad my mom is here helping and taking care of things while I can't.  She is being a huge help.  Thats all for now, I'll let you guys know the hopefully good news when I hear it...

Day 3 update

So I was scheduled to come in this morning at 8:45 for my transfer, but I got a call from the coordinator just as I was walking out the door.  She said they are pushing it back until Monday for a 5 day transfer, which is good because they're still growing.  Hopefully, I feel better then, because I'm still really gassy and the GasX isn't working.  So thats what were praying for today.

Fertilization Report

I just got off the phone with my ivf coordinator with a report on how my little eggies are doing.  During my retrieval yesterday, we pulled out 19 eggs and I was just told the 16 of them fertilized very nicely!  As of right now, obviously they are still growing, my tentative transfer is Saturday morning but if they are still growing at that point we will do a 5 day transfer, but as of right now they are scheduling a 3 day transfer.  I took some GasX, which coupled with the percoset is making me feel a lot better, and I finally went to the bathroom, which the coordinator was very happy to hear.  If I keep up my salty food and Gatorade diet, it looks like I'm in the clear from OHSS.  We are still praying that all goes well and hopefully my transfer will be on Saturday.  I'll post another update when I get one, probably tomorrow from the coordinator.  We are so excited right now!

Retrieval day...

My retrieval was this morning at 7:15 and all went well.  They got 19 eggs!  Before I went in my doctor sat down to talk to me about my estrogen levels which are apparently quite high. I don't have the exact number, but they were 4000 before the trigger shot.  That's why they only wanted me to take half of the trigger shot.  So basically we have a couple option and this is all pending how the next 2 or so days go.
If all goes well in the next couple days and my estrogen levels go down, we transfer 2 embryos as planned.  If my estrogen only goes down a little we will only transfer 1 embryo because if I get pregnant the levels will go back up.  If they are still too high we freeze all of them, wait till my levels drop, then do a frozen transfer.  He is concerned about ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome, so the next couple days are going to be a big battle between me and Gatorade.  Doctors orders are to eat very salty foods and drink 120-150 ounces of liquid a day, mostly Gatorade, fruit juice and vegetable juice because they are the most healthy and full of electrolytes .  I feel its the hardest thing drinking all this liquid because I'm so bloated from drinking so much but then I have to remember to eat and all the stuff that I eat has to be salty.  But my husband/nurse thinks I'm doing well.  I'm assuming they will be doing more blood work in the next few days, but I haven't heard anything about that yet.  I'll probably hear something more about that when they call with the fertilization numbers.

I was wrong about thinking I wouldn't need the Percocet.  From what our research online has told us, everyone feels different after the retrieval.  Some hurt alot, some don't hurt at all.  Me, I was hurting alot and the percocets have helped tremendously.  My husband has done a great job taking care of me.   Oh, and my first Progesterone shot is tonight.  I will be doing it at 10.  I'm definitely not looking forward to that since the doctor straight up told me it will not be pleasant, but its only for 2 weeks so I'll just have to man up and take it.  Overall it hasn't been that bad, we are just going to have to muscle through it for the next few days, that's all.  So for now, our prayers tonight and tomorrow are for my estrogen levels.  Hopefully they go down.