Where has the year gone?

It is so hard to believe that 2008 is almost over. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and will have a great New Year. Jason and I are in the process of cleaning out closets in some kind of effort to get ready for baby. We have a LOT of stuff!!! We have redone Jason's bathroom. It looks much better. I will post some pics when it is totally finished. I should have taken some before pictures but I did not think about it.

I go back to the Dr on January 6th. I have been able to find the heartbeat with the Doppler daily so that makes me feel much better. The first trimester blahs are starting to let up. If I could just get rid of my cold/sinus infection/whatever it is I would be much better. Thanks again for all your continued prayers.

Please be sure to vote if you think we are having a boy or a girl. I think at this next appointment I should get the date that we will find out.

13 Weeks!!!

I am 13 weeks today!! I finally made it out of the 1st trimester! I am super excited! We also found the baby's heartbeat with the dopler on Tuesday. I have NEVER made it this far!! Please keep praying!!

11w6d

My appt went really well this morning. They did do another u/s and now the baby is hanging upside down. It was measuring 12w2d I think. I got a pretty good picture. I won't go back now until Jan 6th. I also got the u/s done on top of my tummy. I have never had one of those. Very neat. Also, the heartbeat was 159. We are getting very excited now. It is really starting to sink in. Please keep praying that everything continues as it should.

Today's Appt

The appointment went very good again today. We got to see our little bean again. He/She had flipped over and the head was at the opposite end as last week. I got some really good pics though. Everything is measuring right where it should be. We also got to hear the baby's heartbeat. They did not tell me how fast it was beating though. I will try to remember to ask next week when I go back. They are going to see me every week for a while. I am glad that they are keeping such a close watch on me. Please keep praying that everything continues to goes as it should. We are on God's plan!!!

Ultrasound Pictures

Sorry it has taken me so long to get these pictures up. I hope you can see them. If the image is too big (i.e. you can only see half or it) click on it to open it in a new window. I am not sure why these are so big.

Here is a picture at 8 weeks 5 days.


Here is one at 9 weeks 5 days. Look how much more the baby has grown in a week!


I have another u/s done next Thursday. I will be 10 weeks 6 days for that one.

Last Re Appointment

Today was my last appointment with the doctors in Birmingham. I am kinda sad to be leaving them but super excited that that means I am still progressing well. I am also excited about saving gas!

My u/s today was great! The baby is almost to big to see with the internal u/s. The tech made that baby mad and it moved all over the place. It was so cute! We got a great picture of the face, arms, and legs. I am going to try my best to figure out a way to scan them.

Tomorrow I go to the OB for the first time. I am glad to be getting back to him but I hope that he monitors me as well as the dr's in B'ham did.

Please continue to pray that everything progresses just as it should!

Also, some of you have wondered when my due date is, it is officially July 3rd!

9 Weeks!

I am 9 weeks pregnant today!! We went to the Re again on Wednesday and got to see the baby again. It also moved during the u/s! The nurse said that once we see the heartbeat and movement that my chance of miscarriage drops to 5%. We were super excited to here that. I will try to get a pic of the baby up soon. I am feeling pretty decent. Not great but ok. There are some very strange symptoms that you have that no one ever tells you about though. I am having a LOT more symptoms than I have ever had before so I am feeling pretty confident in saying that I am pregnant. We are not out of the woods though so please keep praying. We have 7 more months to go.

I also am so happy to be back home. I do not like South Texas!! It is so good to be back where people speak English as a primary language! Three weeks was such a long time to be home.

I hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!

So Far So Good...

Re appointment went really well today. Mom got to go with me since Jason had to work. We got to see the sac with the fetal pole in it. It was measuring right where it should. My numbers are also looking very good. My beta is up to 6274 and the progesterone id up to 53.2. All that is good. I also got a picture but since I have no scanner I don't have a way to show it. I am feeling better about it but I won't feel great until I get back from Texas.

My flight leaves out of Atlanta at 10:00 in the morning. I will fly back the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and I go back to the dr that next day. Please pray that I have a safe flight and trip and that this baby continues to grow like it should.

Emma's 1st Halloween

I just had to post this picture. She is so cute!!! Emma was Lil Big All for Halloween.

Another good report

I went back to the Re yesterday for more b/w to check the hcg and progesterone levels. The progesterone needs to stay above 25 and mine was 41. The hcg level should double every 48 hours. Last week it was 34 so this week it should have been around 370. My hcg level was 609!!! I go back next week on Monday for more b/w and an ultrasound!

For those of you wondering though, I am still going to Texas with work. I fly out on November 4th and fly back home the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I am really excited about going. I will be really busy which will help me keep my mind off of worrying about how things are going with the pregnancy. I am going to take it easy but I know that everything is in God's hand and he is in total control.

Please continue to pray that everything keeps progressing like it should.

Answered Prayers

We are pregnant again!! My beta hcg level was 34.8. I go back in a week to have it check again and make sure it is rising. We are praying now for a very sticky bean that will make it the nine months plus. God is so Good!!!

Nervous

Today is the day when we find out if the last round worked. I am really nervous. I am trying to stay positive and convince myself that everything worked and that I am pregnant. I am very aware that no matter what the outcome that God is still in control and that he will continue to guide us down the path that he leads.

IUI - Let's make a baby!

OMG…it was so awesome!! I got to see myself O!

Jason had to be there at 7:30 and I had my appt scheduled for 9:00. We got breakfast in between. The nurse calles us back and they tell me that they are going to do the iui, then do an u/s to check for follie collapse and fluid. So they did the u/s and the follies were still there and big.

She kept looking for fluid but could not find any. She told me that I might not have o’d yet but she wanted to get the u/s tech to take a look and see what she thought. So after about 15 mins the tech comes in and gets to looking and she is telling me what she is looking for. She focus’s in on one of the follies and starts kinda pushing on my belly to try to get a different look. Right then I ovulated!!! I saw it!!

Within like 10 to 15 seconds my follie went from 1.8 or 2.0 to nothing!! It was so cool. I feel like everything was timed just right.

The other follie had still not released but she said it probably would with in an hour or so.

I go back on the 21st for the beta. I am trying not to get myself to pumped up but I am really feeling good about this one. I might just get my twins!

CD 13

I left my house at 6:40 this morning to go to my Re's office. It usually takes me just over an hour to get there. Well, it was raining and there were several wrecks on the interstate. I did not get to the office until 9:00!!! Luckily everyone else was late too. Also, I was soaking wet!!! Aside from that everything was good. I have 2 follies on my right side, one is 1.5 and the other is 1.8. Nothing on the left side. My estrogen is 268. I can’t go back for the IUI on Saturday (due to work) or Sunday (I have to sing at church) so I am going to trigger tonight and IUI on Friday. Since I really wanted 2 eggs they would have let me go another day or two but due to my schedule I can’t. So I went home and did a little more follistim to hopefully give the 1.5 a chance to get to 1.6 so I can have 2.

Let's Get It Started......Again!!!

We had a great time in New York City and are now back and doing the fertility thing still. We have decided that we are going to do the Follistim injections with IUI October, December and January. (I will be in Texas for 3 wees in November with work) If we are not pregnant by then, in February we are planning on moving forward with IVF. I really hope that we don't have to do IFV just b/c it is so expensive.

I went this morning for my day 10 follie check. I have 10 on one side and 12 on the other. They are all pretty small at this point. I go back on Wednesday (day 13) and hopefully I will still have at least 2 good size follies.

I have enjoyed our break while we had it but I am also glad to be proactive again. I will do my best to keep you updated.

Heading to the Big Apple!

Jason and I are going to a trip to New York City! We are leaving on Friday, September 12 and will be back on Sunday the 14th. We are so excited. We are going to a Yankees game on Saturday and then going to knock around and see the sights! I will post some pictures when we get back.

On the TTC front...we have decided to go back to the Re next month. I called and have everything set up so assuming I don't get pg in the next few weeks then we are back on the fertility shots and such.

Casey

Taking a break....

Sorry I have not posted an update in a while. This last attempt was not successful. I never really felt like it would be though. I can't really explain that feeling though. We have decided to take a small break from everything fertility. August will be 3 years that we have been trying and we are emotionally, physically and financially drained. I think a short break will do us good. Besides, we did get pg twice on our on so maybe we will get lucky. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. Please continue to pray that God gives us the direction that we need to get to the point to get our greatest blessing. Continue to check back for updates.

CD 13...

Went to the RE again this morning. I have one dominant follice measuring 1.6 and a slightly smaller one measuring 1.2. There are still several much smaller ones but I am not counting those. I'm going to have one more night of Follistim and then do the Hcg trigger on Saturday night and then back to b'ham on Sunday. The nurse said that the follie needs to be 1.8 to trigger and that they usually grow .2 everyday. Please pray that my follicle continues to grow and that everything happens as it should.

CD 10 Update

I went to the RE on Tuesday for a CD 10 follie check. Everything went well. I have 2 measurable follies at just over 1 cm. I have several smaller ones that can't be measured. (they have to be at least 1 cm before they will measure) I am to keep taking the injections and go back on Friday morning to get the checked again. They need to be at least 2cm before I can do the trigger shot to make me ovulate. So I am praying for nice big follies on Friday. I am hoping at least one of the smaller ones will catch up also. You can view some additional information at the web address listed below.
www.northernfertility.com/proc_serv/diagnosis/ov_phys.htm

Emma

Here is one more pic of Emma. This is the first time I have seen her. She loves her Aunt Casey.

Let's Get it Started!!!

Finally we are back in the game. AF showed up on Sunday so I went in on CD (cycle day) 3 which was on Tuesday for b/w and an u/s. Everything looked great. I have 16 follies on one side and 11 on the other. I took my first shot of the Follistim tonight. Piece of cake! I will go back next Tuesday for more b/w and u/s and see how the meds are working. Hopefully I will have 2 or 3 mature follies at that time and can go ahead with the trigger shot to make me O (Ovulate). I am super excited and I really am praying that we only have to complete one round of this.

Update

I went to the Dr again yesterday for my post-op appointment. Everything went well. She wants to do some chromosomal testing on Jason and I to make sure everything is OK. I had it done after my last m/c but she wants to do it again anyway. We won't have the results of that for at least 2 weeks. Otherwise we are just waiting on AF (aunt flo) to show up and then I go back in for baseline blood work and then start the Follistim injections.

On another note....Emma is back in the hospital. They got to go home yesterday with instruction to come back this morning for another billirubin/jaundice test. It was elevated enough that they want to keep her for 48-72 hours. This is not uncommon in preemies (they are considering her that since she was 3 weeks early). Basically she gets to get a sun tan under the lights.

Emma Gail is Here!!!

So baby Emma made her grand entrance into the world yesterday. She arrived at 9:39 am (number sound familiar to anyone?)and weighed 6lb 7 oz and was 19 1/4 inches long. It was a hard day for me, don't get me wrong, I am so excited that she is here and that Chris is finally a daddy but it just made me miss even more what I don't have. It also really made me miss the first baby we lost. It is hard to think that I would have a 1 year old if that pg would have made it.
I have an appt with the RE on Wednesday and mom is going to meet me there and then we will probably go to Tuscaloosa to see them. I am excited that I am finally an aunt and the mom is finally a Mimi.

Still Waiting

We are doing good. Weird to say but I think we were prepared for another m/c. I am ready to get started again. I hope it does not take another 2 years to get pg again. I have an appt with the Dr. on May 21st. I assume that if I start before then that I can call and go ahead and start the shots as planned before I got pg. I am just so ready to move on.

Moving on

On Friday, April 18th I had a D&C done at Brookwood Hospital in Birmingham. I was tired of waiting on the miscarriage (m/c) to happen. I went to the dr's on Wednesday (the 16th) and had all my bloodwork done and another u/s. The sack was still intact and my HCg level was still around 1600. If I had waited to have a natural m/c it would have been at least another week or two. So I am glad it is over with and now we can move on.
We are doing pretty good. This m/c was not nearly as bad as the first one. Hopefully this one will be our last. I go back to the dr in May to move on with the program. Next step is fertility shots.
I am just very thankful that God is in control of this whole situation and he already knows the outcome. That gives me such peace!!

Does it look like me?

Check out my Avatar. Make your own at www.meez.com

Here we go again...

So as quick as it began so it will end. We had another dr. appointment yesterday. Had an ultrasound and saw the sack. We should have been able to see more since I was just over 6 weeks. I also had blood work done. It was really starting to sink in that this was going to work and we were going to have a baby. The Dr. called today and said the news was not good. My beta level which should be over 10,000 was only 1500. My progesterone level had also dropped again which should not happen since I am on extra progesterone. She said all the numbers plus the ultrasound told her that the pregnancy was not going to survive. I am now to stop all the meds and let nature take its course. I have peace knowing that God is in total control of the situation but it does not make the pain any less. Please pray for us as we continue the journey.

I'm going to be a Mommy!

Following up from my last post. We went to the Re on Wednesday and had some b/w (blood work) done and an u/s (ultrasound). Of course we could not see anything on the u/s. It is still way to early. I was only 4 weeks at that point. They said everything looked good and my beta hcg level was 95. (it was 58 the day before - it should double every 48 hours) They put me on heparin injections and progesterone. I have a mild clotting disorder that will never affect me but could cause small clots in the lining or placenta that would be very harmful to the baby. So Heparin injections 2 times a day in the belly. (My stomach is so bruised!!)

We had more blood work done on Friday (March 29th) and the beta level was 210. Everything seems good so far.

Our next appointment was on Tuesday, April 1st. We had another u/s. The tech thought we were farther along that I actually am so she was freaking out that she could not see anything. Once she realized that I was not that far yet (I was only 5 weeks and she thought I was 6 weeks) she said "oh, we are not really supposed to see anything yet." So, we had more b/w. The beta levels now were 892!!! It is really starting to sink in!!!

We pretty much told everyone after that appointment. We go back on Wednesday, April 9th. By then we should be able to see the baby and see how many there are!!

Can it be true??

So finally after over 2 1/2 years of trying to have a baby we are finally pregnant again. It still does not seem real. This was a non-medicated cycle. I was getting ready to start the follistim shots next round. I had already called the Re (reproductive specialist) and asked for the meds to make me start since I was sure that since I was not on anything that I would not start on my own. I was still checking my temp every day. I was pretty sure that I did not even ovulate this month but the chart I was puttin my temps on said I did. I was really anxious to get started on the shots but I finally decided to wait until my chart said 14 days past my Ovulation date.


Day 14 arrives (Tuesday and Mom's birthday) and my temp, instead of dropping like it always has in the past on day 14, went up!!! I was very confused since I really thought I did not even ovulate. Well, there was only one way to find out, home pregnancy test.


I take the test and as I am finishing up I notice what appears to be a faint line. I can't really believe it. I am rubbing my eyes trying to focus to see if it is really there or I am just seeing things. At this point I need a second opinion. Jason was in the shower. I go to his bathroom and shove the stick in the shower and ask if he sees anything. He see the line too.


I am not getting too excited yet since I know it could be nothing. We call a friend that is a pathologist and ask if he can do a blood test to make sure. At 9:00 I go get the blood drwan and at 11:30 he calls and confims that we are pregnant!!!!

Here are the sticks that I took over the next few days. I already had them in the house and I really like seeing it turn positive. We called both the moms and told them but made swore them to secrecy.

We put in a call to the Re to let them know we were pregnant and to start me on the medicine needed to help me stay pregnant. We met with them on Wednesday for a consult and more blood work.

A little history

So as a little background....we have been with an OB for a while and got referred to a RE (reproductive endocronologist) a few months ago after several months on clomid. I hated the new RE. We had 2 failed IUI's with him. Even his nurses got on my nerves. As a last resort and on the recommendation of a few other success stories I calles the ART fertility clinic in Birmingham. I got an appointment really quickly. I had a great first visit. They did more in the first 5 mins than the other RE did in 3 months!!!! I had such a good feeling when we left. I really felt/feel like this is an answered prayer. I just want to know that we are on the right path.
So now the game plan is to start injections in late March. I am really excited. One of the "side effects" of the injections however is multiples. I would LOVE to have twins but anything over that is really scary. I will take whatever God gives me. I know he is in control!!! Jason is scared we are going to have a litter! :) I hope that does not happen but whatever does happen will be for the Glory of God!!