Guessing it is one!! But one HEALTHY one!!!!

We got our second beta - it is 170!!! GREAT NEWS! I will now risk a guess and say that I have one early implanter! So far, this is one REALLY healthy start! They said my progesterone was super-high so we wait another week, I go in for p4 and e2 testing and then they will start to slowly wean me off of the medicines.

I am so unbelievably happy. I know I was nervous about this number today because I was babbling to one of my favorite nurses this moring about how I'm supposed to be positive and not be nervous, etc, and now that I know it slighly more than doubled, I feel such relief and excitement that I am almost shaky!

I also talked to the nurse at CCRM yesterday about my concerns with my thyroid. She left me a message saying they wouldn't mind if I had it checked, so I snuck it onto the order form for the HCG test this morning. Wasn't sure how ticked they'd be at me for doing it, but it turns out they weren't upset at all and the number came back around 2.7, still within normal limits, so I am doing well with that too! oh, thank you thank you thank you....!

More waiting?

I know I seem crazy to some of you. Probably those of you who haven't done multiple IVF cycles or had multiple miscarriages or other complications. To the rest of you, you know exactly how I feel. Yes, I am thrilled by my strong early beta number. However, I am more nervous about the more important number- the number I get tomorrow. Early high levels of hcg can suggest multiples or it can suggest one strong, healthy, nicely-implanted embie...however, the most important question is if that number is going up properly. Generally speaking, the number should double every 2 days. Though there is variation (see betabase.info for specifics), I will feel much better if my beta doubles or more than doubles...if it is sluggish I will truly be scared.

In December, I had an ectopic pregnancy (they think, though they couldn't find it anywhere) and to give you and idea: my first beta came back at 18 on 9dp5dt, the next day (10dp5dt) it was in the 30's and then 2 days later (12dp5dt) it went to 58, this all combined to make it so that we knew something was wrong and this was very likely not going to be a healthy baby. The numbers continued to go up and then down and then back up, until I had to have surgery to remove it before it did damage.

In contrast, this cycle is beautiful so far...so, though I have fears, I am also ecstatically happy. I was attempting to be cautious for a time but then Brett had a good point, he asked me if I try to be cautious and hold back my excitement, will I be any less disappointed and hurt if it doesn't work out? I said of course not, to which he replied: then lets enjoy it and be happy for now! Ah, words of wisdom....

So, I will post my second beta number tomorrow. Until then, I will be happy and excited and, yes, still nervous and on pins and needles.

Beta is in!!!!

I just got the call - my beta level was 81.9!!! And I am one day early, 10dp3dt. The nurse said they look for the level to be >50 on 11dp3dt, so it looks like I am well on my way!!!! It looks like it can be a singleton or twins, though there is still a chance for more...

Waiting

I had my beta moved up to today since everyone finally talked me into it:-) I went in at 8:45, got a huge hug and "congratulations" from some of the nurses here and then gave blood and left. Now I sit here and wait. I have TONS of things that I can do but I am completely useless. Of course, I convinced everyone else that my beta would be high enough, but not myself. So I dug around in a drawer until I found an old Walgreens brand digital (those puppies are not at all sensitive, supposedly) and I peed on it (what else is new?). Thankfully, it came up "pregnant" within about 8 seconds, so I think I am still pretty safe, but I want to know!

The nurse at CCRM was really supportive of me coming in a day early since I told her that my HPTs were coming in darker and darker. I can't say the same for my local RE's office - they tried to talk me out of it. So, here I sit, on pins and needles, waiting for proof that I am right and I have a nice, strong HCG level....The way this works here is that my local RE draws the blood, measures it in the lab and then faxes the results to CCRM. The results get to the nurses and doctors and then CCRM calls me....so it could be anytime...but likely later this afternoon that I get the call. I hate waiting!!! Then, if the number is good (prayers, please), I get to go in again on Friday to make sure it is going up properly. Then we wait at least 2 weeks for the first ultrasound. I'll update when I get the number...

I had to post this!

I hate these FRERs usually b/c they never come up positive for me...but check this baby out. This is 9dp3dt. Isn't it great?

POAS addict.

Most of you who know me and have been with me through prior cycles know that I buy out the local stores of all of their HPTs. I tried not to do that this time. I really really tried. Usually I start the day after transfer so that I can slowly watch the false positive from the HCG shot slowly leave my system so that I can get a blank slate and know that any positive test after that is a real positive. I didn't do that this time. Then I got what appeared to be implantation bleeding. This caused Brett to be convinced I was pregnant and to actually (for the first time ever) encourage me to POAS! So, Sunday night (7dp3dt or 10dpo) I took an EPT (my favorite brand) and it was positive within 3 minutes. Faint, but positive (within the time limit, and you DIDN'T have to hold it up to the light to read it!). I couldn't believe it. So I took another yesterday morning (+) and another yesterday evening (+). I think you get where I am going here....Um, I am pregnant!!!! I know I should be "cautiously optimistic" but I've decided to say screw it to all that worry, and just be happy for once!

My beta HCG blood test is set for Thursday so we will know for sure on Thursday but for now, I am definitely pregnant!

I will, of course, continue to take HPT's so that I can (hopefully) watch the test get darker and darker and reassure myself that this isn't a chemical pregnancy and that the baby(ies) are still growing nicely...but I am beyond happy right now.

7dp3dt - the 2ww is so hard!!!

So, I don't want to get my hopes up, but I also wanted to document this for the future. Friday was 8dpo and I started a little brown spotting, right after having a little cramp. It went away and then yesterday, 9dpo, I had a little more brown spotting. Now, for you non-IVFers I am sure this is TMI, but for the IVFers in the know, you are screaming "it's implantation bleeding!!!!", right? I am desperately trying not to get my hopes up...but I can't help but see this as a good sign. 8dpo would be the exact time that implantation would likely occur, so for all of you with questions here is the table:

this is what happens in a 3dt :
1dpt ..embryo is growing and developing
2dpt... Embryo is now a blastocyst
3dpt....Blastocyst hatches out of shell on this day
4dpt.. Blastocyst attaches to a site on the uterine lining
5dpt.. Implantation begins,as the blastocyst begins to bury in the lining
6dpt.. Implantation process continues and morula buries deeper in the lining
7dpt.. Morula is completely inmplanted in the lining and has placenta cells & fetal cells
8dpt...Placenta cells begin to secret HCG in the blood
9dpt...More HCG is produced as fetus develops
10dpt...More HCG is produced as fetus develops
11dpt...HCG levels are now high enough to be immediately detected on HPT

Now, this chart always confuses me though b/c I've been told from prior cycles that the morula is actually the stage before blastocyst (when it is compacting and cells are no longer countable but it is not yet a blast). So I am confused why this says the morula stage is later. However, this is a pretty accurate chart for what should be happening. So, I am now on 7dpt. Interesting, huh?

I am just hoping that the spotting was IB! I will absolutely refuse to post any other symptoms at all. The meds I am on mimic all the signs of pregnancy and I know for a fact that there will be hundreds of women every day researching their days post transfer and feverishly looking for symptoms who will encounter my blog and then search for symptoms. So, though I've done this every cycle for the last year, I won't go there:-) If I am pregnant, I'll post my symptoms later...

Pray for us!!!

Before we leave...

Here is some general fun stuff...

I told you all about Thrifty Rent a Car and the minivan. Well, not only did it not have air in the tires when they gave it to me, but the brakes went yesterday. I called them from the restaurant at dinner and they asked if I'd like to drive it out to the airport...I said no...anyway, they drove out a brand new beautiful Dodge Charger...

why couldn't we have this the whole time?

And, check me out on bedrest! Hot, right? Brett took great care of me,

you can distinctly see that I have a very flat pillow, a remote, and room service book. He's the best DH ever!

Finally, I don't know if you can see this one...but for those of you who haven't been to this part of Colorado - there is a massive overpopulation of prairie dogs everywhere! this was a field by the interstate that had tons of them every day. I really wanted to get a quality picture that showed the sheer numbers (and cuteness, though they make angry little noises when you are nearby), but there was nowhere to stop to take a picture and the car behind us honked!

On that note, we are leaving Colorado tomorrow - hopefully carrying the best souvenir or souvenirs EVER. I'll let you all know in about a week... Until then, I can't wait to get home. We've had a great time and we've got lots of hope, but I can't wait to see my dogs and I'm really ready for this chapter to be over. To all the girls who are going to CCRM after me, feel free to contact me to discuss anything...I know this is a hard process to do even when you are doing it in your home town. My one piece of advice- treat it as a vacation...it is a beautiful place and you are stuck here anyway:-)

2 snowbabies!!!

So, out of 10 embryos that we left in the lab, only 2 made it to "freezable" quality. One is graded a 4bb (the pic on the left) the other had another grading I didn't recognize but was about the same. Isn't it pretty? The lab technician was so sweet, she was happy that I wasn't sad that only 2 of them made it (actually laughed) b/c I'd already decided none made it to blasts of good quality. She said that there would be 2 beautiful blasts waiting for me in 2 years when we come back for a sibling!!!! I grilled her about quality and stuff, made a few jokes and got off the phone very relieved. Only 2 out of 10 isn't great but considering that we put in 4 beautiful 3 day embryos, I can't complain - and, as of last Sunday we already knew that there was a MAJOR distinction in quality between the 4 we transferred and those that were left. So, a decent result, especially if we get pregnant this time. I am refusing to think about how terrible it will be if we don't...

Oh, the picture is from the advanced fertility center website. They have alot of great information about IVF and grading, so I thought I'd use some of their info, but still give them props.

So, Pray for my 4 babies. Today they are supposed to be hatching and attaching to the uterine wall...

2dp3dt

For those of you questioning, the title means 2 days post 3 day transfer. It's a fun time. Just waiting. Right now I am waiting for a phone call from the embryologists telling us if any of the remaining 10 made it to blast. I've been trying to remain calm but things have been kind of hitting the fan. I had a negative reaction to the progesterone medicine I was taking and have again been told to do the dreaded PIO- the horrible progesterone in oil shot. A big 2 inch intermuscular (in the butt) shot that must be given daily. I hate it. But, if it helps, here we go.

I am finally off of bedrest. CCRM requires more bedrest than most, but their stats are so high, I willingly complied. So day 1 was flat on my back with a very flat pillow and only getting up to use the bathroom. Day 2 is propped up with no more than 15-30 minutes upright at a time. Today, then, I am sitting up on the couch with Brett, blogging and watching TV.

PUPO X 4

Ok, so the last time I wrote we were waiting for the transfer... ok all done. We put in 4, what our RE called 'perfect, embryos! Which is good! And to which we also found out is the new standard at this particular office. When they are looking at the state of the embryos and there are clear leaders at the 3 day check, they now go ahead and transfer those versus waiting until a 5 day. Hmmm... interesting concept, wish they had told us that before we flew out of our hotel and raced in a complete panic to the RE's office in fear we had only three embryos and the rest had stopped growing. Oh well.. we are really happy with the end result however - so all's well that ends well! As for the rest of the 10 remaining embryos you ask? Well they are still growing.. there are a few they can see right now probably will not make it to day 5 and they only freeze those that are of high quality.. so we really don't know yet. But we are pleased as punch to had 4 really great ones transferred and hopefully a least one decides to stay around for the long haul!

Last Minute Rush

Ok, well Sue isn't posting this because she is current getting stuck with tiny little needles - acupuncture (supposed to calm her down?) - because we are preparing to do our transfer today. Yep, a three day and not a five day like we had been planning! Is that good? Or is that bad? I am not really sure.
See we had planning to relax all day today and actually move hotels into a nicer more upscale place in preperation for the 2 day "lay around all day" requirement after a transfer. But today we were also supposed to get our embro update and see how they were going. See, that's where things got rushed. All I know is that there are a few still hanging around out there, but three are almost picture perfect - so they decided to have us transfer today. The bad news is that there may not be any left to freeze and you get a better idea of overall quliaty at a five day than a three day. Does this decrease our chances? I am not sure - Sue is smarter at this than I am. I just know that we got the call at around 830am and here I sit at CCRM waiting for the transfer to occur (and its around 920am).
So for all of you following this blog.. fingers crossed! Toes too please.. sounds like we may need it!

-- Brett (standing in for the better blogger, Sue)

Waiting and recovering

Now we wait. We've spent the last two days doing random Colorado things. I can't do much physically since I am still very bloated and sore from ER. Though it is killing me to be in such a beautiful place with such beautiful weather and not be able to do fun stuff outside. So, we've modified things. Yesterday we went up to Vail (lots of driving, very little walking). It was fascinataing- the town itself opens right up to the chairlift! I mean, you are walking through cute cobblestone walking-only streets with shops and restaurants and then you are right at the chair lift.




It was nuts. We took some time to shop for souvenirs for the neices and buy $5 chapstick (we were desperate) and then went to the ski museum and got dirty with a statue of William Shakespeare...fun stuff. Brett also got to got to see the statues dedicated to the Tenth Mountain Division, which he used to be a part of out of Fort Drum, that started in Colorado before WWII. Again, in these pics, ignore the pregnancy belly, it is a mirage...

Then today I felt a little better so we went for a very short, very easy hike to Castlewood Canyon State Park. We started down the nature hike but then followed a more rustic path down to the Canyon floor and along the ridge. It is a really pretty area but was a little crowded (as you get with the more easy hikes locally). We only went about a mile or so - just to get out - then called it quits since I was told not to overdo it.



That leads me to this afternoon and since University of Michigan and Michigan State are playing, you can go back to last Saturday and see that pic for our daily activity. I actually considered taking another picture of Brett on the couch with a beer, but it would be no different from last Saturday - was he even wearing the Army t-shirt last week?

Why so many eggs?

So, I've had a lot of questions from non-IVFers who wonder why us IVF girls are so intent on getting as many eggs as we can. I mean, it is not at all comfortable, it can cause a dangerous life-threatening condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and really, you only need one, right? Well, we can start by saying that each IVF costs a lot of money and you really want a good chance and the more embryos you have, the better your chances of being able to do multiple cycles with only one stimulation/retrieval cycle. However, the quest for as many eggs as possible gains more importance as women get older.

I've had it explained like this. Imagine a fishtank filled with colored golf balls. In your teens and 20's that fishtank is almost entirely filled with green golfballs, with just a few red ones in it. If you take a ladle and drop it into the tank, you will come up with almost entirely green golf balls, and these are good eggs, likely to create healthy embryos and term pregnancies. As you get older- into the late 20's and early 30's, there are more and more red balls so that maybe it is 50/50. If you drop a ladle in, now you get a few green and a few red, your chances are still good to get a healthy baby and pregnancy. Now imagine mid 30's, there are maybe more than 50/50 to almost 75/25 in the late 30's, your chances of getting green golf balls is getting slimmer and slimmer. As a result, you really want to get a bigger ladle, right? so that maybe a bigger ladle will increase your chances of getting at least a few green golf balls and having a healthy pregnancy.

These numbers are not the same for all women. For some of us, as we learn from all this IVF testing, our eggs go bad sooner (some I've seen at 32-34). Others have many good healthy eggs at 38. You really don't know this until you do A LOT of testing of FSH levels, AMH, antral follicle counts, etc. And, even with all that testing, doctors still consider age itself a factor. So, you see, it is not strange or greedy to want to get more eggs, it is simply a numbers game, and we all want to win.

Fat Tire!!!

I forgot to post all about our OTHER brewery tour. The day before ER (Wednesday) we drove up to Fort Collins and toured the New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of Fat Tire beer! For Brett's MBA last year, he did a case study on this company because they are a tremendous success of employee satisfaction, environmental stewardship, and community responsibility. After his case study, he told me this is the kind of place he could get into working at. So, we had to go (actually I think we had to go more b/c of the beer, but I didn't say anything:-)). The town of Fort Collins was really pretty and is home to many breweries b/c it is abundant in clean water, ideal for brewing beer.

At the start of the tour, you are told that you are free to have 4 samples of beer that you can sit and enjoy before the tour or when the tour is done. We were early for our tour so we sat and sipped first. They give you a long sheet with all their beers on it and you pick 4. We picked 4 different ones b/c I wasn't allowed to actually drink it, could only take a taste and we were both curious about some of the rarer ones we hadn't tried before. Like Abbey Lager, the new seasonal 2 below, the standard Sunset Wheat, Fat Tire, 1556 Black Lager, and a bunch more. The tour itself was fun and during that we got to try some of the more alcoholic beers that they keep up in the brewery - Big John's Voodoo which has about 8.5% alcohol and contains Yerba Mate for a caffeine kick too (oh great, the doc said stay away from caffeine and alcohol and this one supplies both) and a kicker version of Abbey that had about 10% alcohol. It was fun.

On a side note, out of only 8 people on the tour, including us, 5 of them had ties to Syracuse! Isn't that nuts? some were from Syracuse or nearby CNY, others had gone to school there. We were surprised. Anyway, if you ever come to Denver, you should take this tour...it is worth it!

14 embryos!

We got our fertilization report! Out of 19 eggs, 17 were mature, and 14 fertilized normally. Now we wait. We should get a call on Sunday to let us know how they are progressing and then are likely to go in on Tuesday for transfer. I'll keep you all informed! In the meantime, the weather is sunny and beautiful (72) today so I am trying to find something fun to do outside that isn't too athletic because I am still sore and achy. Tomorrow it will be almost 80!

Call me a hen

I woke up out of ER with two thoughts- one was that I desperately wanted pancakes and the other was that I only got 5 eggs after all that work, stress, money. Well, I got 19 eggs! um...19!!! So, this will be a short post b/c I'm tired. But, Brett took me out for pancakes on the way home and then I came back and went back to bed. We will know in the morning how many of them were mature and how many fertilized...can't wait.

On a side note, boy was ER different here than at my old clinic. I actually felt like I was going in to surgery here...they take things very seriously. I was kind of impressed. And, I'm really impressed with myself now- 19!!!!

More tomorrow...

Rocky Mountain National Park

Look at the sign! Don't look at me!!! Can you imagine how bloated I feel if this is how I look? Eeeeeek! Anyway, we had fun traveling through Estes Park and up to the Rockies yesterday. It happens to be Elk rutting season, which is supposed to be "something to see". Basically, what we saw was a lot of Elk cows grazing with a few lone Elk bulls wandering around the meadows. I thought it was cool.

However, you all know I have stuff to complain about - it is my nature. The rules at the park during Elk season are to stay in or near your car when you pull to the side of the road, don't go into certain meadows on foot, and stay at a distance from the Elk - not only for human safety reasons but so that us humans don't actually interfere in their reproductive trends. Let them mate, dammit! Well, boy were people out of their cars (which is fine), and into the meadows (not fine), and right on top of the Elk - I mean just a few feet away (so not fine that I almost wanted to call the rangers!). People are awful. We actually watched one guy with a big camera approach a huge male...um, during mating season. Genius. I was getting all upset about it. In any event, we didn't hike much because I am getting kind of uncomfortable and was trying to take it easy, but had a great time driving around. So wish that we could have really seen some of the beautiful trails and really gotten a good hike in, but I'll take what I can get. Anyway, here are some pics of Elk and stuff, taken from the car or right on the side of the road, next to the car. Enjoy!!!

And, here is a male deer laying on the side of the road where we stopped to take the "Rocky Mountain National Park" sign picture. Do you think these guys are used to humans or what? there was at least 4 female deer standing around about 6 feet from our car, one fawn, and a male laying around. Amazing. Bet all you New York hunters are jealous, huh?

We triggered!

Good news! First of all, my lining yesterday was at 12-13, so it looks like we might still get a fresh transfer out of this and might leave with the BEST SOUVENIR EVER!!! Also, there were 18 follicles of good size, with about 5-6 tiny ones...so I'm hoping for about 12-15 eggs, any more than that and I'll be beyond happy! In my next few posts I'll explain why it is so important for women in their 30's to get more eggs...it seems counterintuitive until it is explained really well, but overall, it just gives us a much better selection since all eggs are not going to be normal or healthy or strong.

We got the go ahead to trigger last night. Brett gave me the big ugly trigger shot in my tush. That gives us 36 hours until retrieval. So I will be going in at 7:45 tomorrow morning for the retrieval. Wish me luck.

Guess where we went!!!!

Hey, someone has placed a logo over my face!!! Okay, so I forgot about the date stamp when we took this picture. But, you get the idea:-) I can't drink alcohol but I can still enjoy its history!!! and, this made Brett very happy. We toured the Coors brewery in Golden, CO. It was great...and lots of free samples! Unfortunately (how embarrassing) my samples had to be of the unalcoholic variety. Boo Hiss.

This will be short one. Will have tons of more fun pics tomorrow since the weather has improved again and we are either going to Estes Park (rocky mtn national park) or up to the Fat Tire Brewery!!! That one is going to KILL me! I want samples dammit!

Okay, so some good news some bad news. On the good news. Still lots of follicles going. Still taking a long time to mature, which seems annoying but is good for quality reasons. However, my uterine lining is already a 14!!! What this means is that I may have to go through egg retrieval, get all the good eggs fertilized, watch them grow and then freeze them and go home b/c my lining will be too thick to put them back in! For now, they are just watching it. And, I know , most people think that it can't be too thick. Thickness just means that it is a more lush environment for the embies to snuggle into...However, it does seem that it can be too thick...and I am on my way to being there. So, I may have to leave without the embryos and come back in a month to get them defrosted and transferred. (one last thing is that frozen embryo transfers, or FETs, are usually not as successful as fresh transfers, so this was somewhat crushing and stressful today, but it seems that CCRM has a great success rate with FET's so I'll just have to deal with it if that is what happens).

For now, I am stopping gonal-f for the night, doing one more menopur shot in the A.M. and going in for another ultrasound and blood test tomorrow. I think I will be triggering either tomorrrow or Wednesday so going for retrieval either Thursday or Friday. Hopefully I will know more tomorrow.

The friends you make online

Brett and I took a trip up to Bloomfield and Lafayette, CO today to meet up with one of the women I've been talking to for the last 8 months on one of the fertility bulletin boards. It is amazing to finally meet people who have supported you and who you've supported for such a long time. We drove up to their house (which happens to be one town away from where Brett and I are considering moving to!) and we all went out to lunch. Jen is about 5 months pregnant now and looks very happy and nicely round:-) Her husband, Walt, seemed like a great guy. Brett and I had a great time and can't wait to meet up again next weekend!

Besides that I have a small update on the follicle front. As of yesterday we have 14 follicles that look likely to make it to the right size and another 3 that are lagging a little. However, the 14 good ones are all almost the same size which is amazing! Unlike every other cycle I've done, in which there was always a lead follicle that steals all the meds from the other potential eggs, they are all growing nicely and evenly (thanks to the genius docs at CCRM and the new protocol). So, everything looks great. My hormones were all so good that I was able to skip another day of monitoring and didn't have to go in today. So, I will know more tomorrow.

The weather is supposed to get great again tomorrow so Brett and I are thinking about going up to the Rockies or down to Colorado Springs again (Brett used to live there and we know the hiking areas better). I can't wait to get outside a little again! Hopefully I'll have some fun pictures!

He's arrived!!! But, without luggage!

Brett arrived last night! I did any number of turns around the airport trying to pick him up while he waited for his bags. And waited. And waited. And then found out the bag was still in Boston. So we came straight back to the room and crashed (it was 11 pm). We were supposed to get the bag at noon today. Never happened. BUT, I am happy to report it arrived at 4:45 this afternoon in good condition. So Brett is now comfortable in sweats, on the couch, TV on and beer in hand. Finally relaxing.

Today was easy. Went to CCRM for the IVF physical. Nothing too shocking there. Then dragged Brett to lunch and to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Sometimes you just want a sweet, silly movie. It was fun...a realy cute story with a cute moral. It distracted him from the fact that his white undershirt was smelly for a little while! I offered to buy new ones at Walmart but we didn't think we'd be able to fit anything additional in our bags on the way home...so we waited. The weather wans' t great so we didn't miss out on much (we had planned on a hike, but it was freezing and gray). We may have snow tomorrow though!!!

I have an u/s and b/w in the morning. Hopefully will have more news and be more entertaining tomorrow. All of the extra meds are making me very emotional, cranky, and tired. So, I'm losing whatever personality I had...have to work on that. Maybe I'll be better tomorrow.

17 Follicles!!!

Quick update- went to CCRM this morning for my follie check. So far....17!!! Well, 9-10 on the left ovary and 7 on the right. They are growing nicely and the lining is perfect. I still have a lot of time to let them grow but this is so promising. I feel so much better than I did on Tuesday! More later...

I made it!!! No thanks to thrifty rent a car!!!

I made it! yay! The flights were great but I will say this...NEVER EVER use Thrifty rent a car. I landed at 10:15 last night (way earlier than expected) and got my bag promptly. Then waited for over 30 mintues for the shuttle to the car while everyone else got picked up. I mean, I saw all the other shuttle buses go by more than 5 times each. I called Thrifty 4 times and they never answered the phone. There was no one at the counter and no direct phone to get anybody to the counter. Finally they picked me up another 15 minutes later. THEN Thrifty didn't have my car available so I got a minivan (I don't have babies YET -maybe it's a sign?), THEN the tire pressure light started blinking and an alarm went off before I even left the lot. I went to figure it out with them and they said not to worry - drop in air temperature always causes that (um, it was still 54 degrees). So I was so annoyed I just took it but I think I'm going to stop by when I pick up Brett on Thursday.

Besides that, I spoke to CCRM yesterday and they increased my meds. It seems that they are going to change the dosage every day based on my blood tests and ultrasounds. They literally gave me what different dosages to take yesterday, this morning, this evening, and then tomorrow A.M. and after tomorrow, I go in daily for monitoring. Um wow. Lets hope all this monitoring works.

Well, I am going to get out and do some grocery shopping, stop by Corepower for some mcyoga at noon, and then come back here and take a nap. I am sooooo tired.

First Follie Check

So, I hate to pick on my local RE because I love the office. The nurses are amazing there. However, my first follie check was a mess. They were confused about which part of the cycle I am in and not sure if I want a thick or thin lining at this point. Most RE's offices then go in with a dildocam (okay, you girls know what I mean by this...the ultrasound wand that goes inside) and look at the lining and each ovary to count the amount of developing follicles. Well, besides not knowing what we want lining-wise (it was thin and should be at this point), they looked at the ovaries and instead of counting them, said I had a "few" on the right ovary (my underachiever usually) and a "bunch" on the left and we were done! I was like, BUT, HOW MANY? I should be used to this, I know, but I thought because they were following the orders from CCRM that they would count and measure. She counted and measured a few, but that is it. It looked like 5-6 on the right and 10 or so on the left....but I don't know and probably won't know until Thursday at CCRM. I left feeling really deflated. I know I probably shouldn't, it is really early and I didn't get any info at all...but I feel let down.

Anyway, I have to run around and prepare to travel tonight. Hopefully I hear from Jen at CCRM early today so I am sure that I am still going and nothing is wrong with the bloodwork or u/s that they get. I guess we'll see...I'll keep y'all informed!

On the homefront, you should see this house! What 5 dogs and a polish lady can do to a house, lol. I'm kidding...its just there is a lot going on all of the time! But, the dogs are having fun and my mom is doing great...

On her way

Mama Norman is on her way to join my pups for a fun filled 2 weeks of dog sitting. Those of you who don't know, this is gonna be a RIOT. The neighborhood will soon be filled with loud polish yells, things being thrown, and laughter. Yes, my mom is an incredble, warm, not-so-quiet Polish woman with 3 dogs of her own. She has been incredibly sweet by offering to take 2 weeks off of work (unpaid, I might add) and driving her dogs 4 hours to our house to watch my babies! Just so you understand this -she has a terrier mix who is 14 years old, a papillon who is about 6, and a Chihuahua who is about 8, and how they get along with my 2 big, goofy boxers is nothing but a miracle! The best part is that my mom is usually in the middle of all the play, yelling her head off. Oh, and ALL of the dogs are scared of the Chihuahua!

So, I've already warned the neighbors...though they will still probably be in for a shock. Maybe I'll have some cute pics later just to help explain the situation. Brett is leaving for a business trip in Massachusetts today so, lucky him, he gets to avoid the craziness...but in the meantime, I have to go get a shot ready to give (the new docs want me to do menopur in the a.m. and lupron and gonal-f in the p.m. so it is a lot more to think about), and a house to clean, and maybe a couple of dogs to exercise so they are nice and tired by the time Mom gets here...

One more quick post

You guys have GOT to try this recipe. I made it last year about once a week for Brett and I because its just so easy and yummy and good for you! Here is the link: //www.recipezaar.com/55796

Cleared for take off!!!

Yay! I get to start stims tonight! I know to those of you that do not battle IF it may be shocking to be so happy about giving yourself 3 injections a day, but I was soooo looking forward to this! DH and I went to a ghost walk in Syracuse last night where the historical society gets a bunch of actors to act out ghosts of famous people and times in Syracuse history (don't laugh- you'd be surprised!!!). It was fun and chilly and about an hour after we got home, I got AF. So, I had to run in to the local fertilty center this morning for my bloodtest and ultrasounds which were then forwarded to CCRM for analysis and I got the call that we can start shots tonight! That sets me up for another ultrasound/bloodwork appt on Tuesday here, flying out Tuesday or Wednesday and start at CCRM on Thursday. NOW I have a lot of work to do!!!

On a fun note, Brett and I went to Old Navy last weekend to pick up a few things and there was this incredible sale, so we got halloween costumes for the dogs. Oh, I know, we don't have tiny little dogs that tolerate that sort of thing, but we love to torture our boxers with a little dress-up every now and then. So...I will try to post the pics here...

I'm new to this whole blogging thing so it is not the most graceful picture placement but it will do for now....Aren't they funny? Sherman is the devil (not too far off...) and Harley is the royal one (totally RIGHT ON with that constume! she is the princess). Oh, I'm going to miss them for 2 weeks!

Running Late

It looks like my cycle is already slightly postponed! As of today, if all goes according to schedule, now I should be leaving for Colorado on Tuesday, October 7th, so it is a good thing I didn't schedule a flight, though I have to call the hotel and change the dates. However, this is solely depending on the fact that AF is late- and I am NEVER late- so it could be postponed even more! No, don't get excited, I'm not pregnant...we were kind of told to either abstain or be really careful b/c I started some of the injections a week after I ovulated and this could cause problems for a baby....so we were careful. In any event, I just want to get started so I'm a little frustrated. Hopefully, I get her today...like the girls on the bulletin boards say, I should wear my favorite sexy undies, put on a pair of white pants to go to the mall (w/ no tampons in my purse), jump my husband when he gets home from work, and spend the rest of the day vaccuuming. I've even heard put on a light colored bikini and go to the beach - but it is too cold for that!

I, of course, waited until this morning to check to see if starting lupron on CD 20 or 21 causes a late period and what I've learned is now freaking me out! they say it can take up to 1 to 2 weeks to get AF after starting lupron! eeek...oh, please don't let that happen to me! My mom is coming in on Sunday after taking 2 weeks off from work to watch my dogs while I am away, this will seriously mess up EVERYTHING!

So, pray for me. Never thought I'd say this but I really really need to get AF soon!

Thanks:-)