Thanksgiving is such an interesting time of year I think. It's a whole day that is dedicated to remembering what you are thankful for. Why do we need a day set aside to do that? Shouldn't we be thankful every day?! Well I know that this year, at this time, I have found myself particularly thankful! I'm thankful for my wonderful, awesome husband to whom I respect tremendously! I'm thankful for family. I'm thankful for our friends. I'm thankful for the opportunities and ways that I've grown this year. On these I will expand....
First, my husband. He truly is a wonderful man who loves me and loves the Lord. I cannot think of anyone else that I could have faced this past year with besides him. He has been a rock for me, a shoulder to cry on, an encourager, a best friend, and so many more things. I am currently learning, recent thanks to our Sunday School class, about what it means to respect him. There is no better way to show your husband (or the man in your life) that you love him, than to respect who he is and tell (or show) him that...often. While this is a work in progress, I am grateful for his patient heart and his grace. We are learning together.
My family... I have a great family, on both sides. My parents have been so supportive of our journey these last months. I am thankful for their patience in raising me and sending me out to the world, often far away. I have been equipped with life skills from them that I discover all the time. You don't realize what your parents pour into you until you're on your own. To my brother, Mark, I'm so thankful that he entrusts me with the secrets, the joys, and the hard times that he faces. He has given me an awesome, adorable nephew too! I only wish we were together more often. My in-laws, all of them... I have definitely been blessed with wonderful in-laws who have accepted me just as I am and loved us together as a couple. I do not think there is anyone who has more supportive in-laws than I do. This is so important, I have observed, in the health of a marriage. I had the privilege of spending time with them over this Thanksgiving holiday and was truly grateful for the company of family, particularly now! While Shon, Michelle, Sheldon and Larkin are across the country from us, they have been awesome to get to know and share life, challenges, and prayers with.
We have been overwhelmingly blessed with amazing friends! The outpouring of prayer, love and support, this year especially, has become ever increasingly evident. The encouragement provided to us brings tears to my eyes and I do not know how we would have survived without it! Everywhere we have moved, God has blessed us with longtime friends that have shared much happiness as well as hard times with us. You are our family! Having lived at least 6 or more hours from my own family for over 10 years now, my friends have kept me sane and been God's hands and feet to me. I cannot express the depths of gratitude I have for you in my heart!
As for opportunites and growth, we have certainly faced our fair share of those this year. However, I would not change any of it. I do really mean that. Would it have been nice to have children the old fashioned way? Sure. But I would not have learned the lessons, I would not enjoy the closeness with God that I now have. What a blessing God has given us to provide the finances and resources for fertility treatments! I know that Chris and I would not have grown together as a couple as much as we have this year. I have learned more about how to use and trust God's Word in the past year than I have in the past 10 years since I became a believer. I have greater appreciation for the miracle of life and blessing of children! When our little one finally arrives one day, the joy and true appreciation will be overwhelming. Children are a gift from the Lord!
So I end the day with a full belly and thankful for all we have and what is to come!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Beginning the Long Wait
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ...Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:4, 6-7
As this waiting process begins, I would definitely say the above verse is one we will be standing on! It is hard not to be anxious and nervous. It has been such a long road to where we are now and it all hangs on these next 8 days.
I got the phone call this morning from Jaime, the embryologist, about our other embies. Unfortunately, all of them stopped growing so we were unable to freeze any. I was not necessarily surprised at this news after our report yesterday, but at the same time I am sad to know none were able to be frozen. Our report yesterday was that they had significantly slowed in their growth and had fragmentation (abnormal cells growing that can delay normal growth). She said that the fragmentation had grown to the point that the abnormal cells were drowning out the normal cells so that they couldn't grow anymore. Apparently this is thought to be due to genetics or some sort of defect with the egg or the sperm. Nothing can be done on our part or the lab's part, it just happens. Nonetheless, it is disheartening.
We must shift our focus, though, to the blessing that God has given us with the 2 embryos we transferred yesterday! And they are a blessing! Constant prayer that they implant and continue to grow! Bedrest is making it easy to do a lot of thinking and praying. However, that also means constant thought about the next 8 days. I have to follow the direction of God's command--Rejoice ALWAYS! Give over my thoughts, worries, and anxieties to Him through prayer. Then His peace will take over. I definitely need His peace! Each step brings me closer to our Lord and am amazed at how alive and true His Word is!
I would ask that over the next 8 days you pray diligently with us a very specific scripture. As we left the office yesterday, we are technically pregnant! We must pray and trust that the Lord will continue to grow these babies. This is why we believe this scripture is so important and pertinent!
"Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and NONE WILL MISCARRY or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span." Exodus 23:25-26 (emphasis mine)
Prayfully, The Earharts
As this waiting process begins, I would definitely say the above verse is one we will be standing on! It is hard not to be anxious and nervous. It has been such a long road to where we are now and it all hangs on these next 8 days.
I got the phone call this morning from Jaime, the embryologist, about our other embies. Unfortunately, all of them stopped growing so we were unable to freeze any. I was not necessarily surprised at this news after our report yesterday, but at the same time I am sad to know none were able to be frozen. Our report yesterday was that they had significantly slowed in their growth and had fragmentation (abnormal cells growing that can delay normal growth). She said that the fragmentation had grown to the point that the abnormal cells were drowning out the normal cells so that they couldn't grow anymore. Apparently this is thought to be due to genetics or some sort of defect with the egg or the sperm. Nothing can be done on our part or the lab's part, it just happens. Nonetheless, it is disheartening.
We must shift our focus, though, to the blessing that God has given us with the 2 embryos we transferred yesterday! And they are a blessing! Constant prayer that they implant and continue to grow! Bedrest is making it easy to do a lot of thinking and praying. However, that also means constant thought about the next 8 days. I have to follow the direction of God's command--Rejoice ALWAYS! Give over my thoughts, worries, and anxieties to Him through prayer. Then His peace will take over. I definitely need His peace! Each step brings me closer to our Lord and am amazed at how alive and true His Word is!
I would ask that over the next 8 days you pray diligently with us a very specific scripture. As we left the office yesterday, we are technically pregnant! We must pray and trust that the Lord will continue to grow these babies. This is why we believe this scripture is so important and pertinent!
"Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and NONE WILL MISCARRY or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span." Exodus 23:25-26 (emphasis mine)
Prayfully, The Earharts
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Implant, Embies, Implant!
Well, we're back from our big day! I'm more nervous than ever and dread the long wait to find out that we're pregnant! So now, I'm hanging out on the couch with Chris today doing a whole lot of nothing, as I will do over the next couple of days.
When we got to the office this morning, the first thing was talking about how all the embryos are doing and making a final decision on how many to transfer. We had 2 early blastocysts that we transferred. The rest are a little behind schedule and tomorrow the office will let us know how many were able to be frozen.
We also got to look at pictures from the past few days of development as well as a couple of bonus pics that Chris requested. In one picture, they were getting ready to inject the sperm. If you look close you can see the little sperm in the needle, it's a little tiny white dot. The other picture is of the 2 embies that we transferred.
After the transfer I had to lay flat for an hour in the office. They wheeled me in to the "recovery room" (not really a true recovery room, more just a name to call it) and I faced the wall. I was trying to talk to Chris and one of the nurses who came back to say hi and my neck was hurting from it. So Chris moved the stretcher back so I had better scenery! Him! We prayed, listened to worship music and talked and before we knew it, it was time to go.
That brings us to where we are now, sitting on the couch! I think tonight, our friends Matt and Rhiannon are coming over to bring food and play cards! It will be a lot of fun to hang out, and to listen to Chris and Matt banter back and forth. They are both so funny! We will try and keep you up to date on our progress. Unfortunately, it's mostly waiting, the worst!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Jumping Beans
Well, today I have been doing many things to stay busy and keep my mind off the fact that I get no report today. I went shopping for Christmas decorations and bought the last few items for Thanksgiving dinner at our house! Since I will be on bedrest for a couple of days, Chris will be helping me with the cooking, but at least the shopping is done. I am also getting ready to do some cleaning. Oh the crazy things we do to keep our minds occupied!
Yesterday and today, I feel as if I have a million little jumping beans in my body. I'm so excited about tomorrow that I can hardly contain myself! My mind races and my jumping beans jump! I often wonder if the dogs know there is something going on and just how much their lives are about to change. They will no longer be the center of attention, a new little life will be!
While I know that today's post is not as exciting as the past few, I hope this can satisfy until tomorrow! Hopefully we will have pictures of our little embies and a report of how they all are, and of course, how the transfer went. So stay tuned....
Yesterday and today, I feel as if I have a million little jumping beans in my body. I'm so excited about tomorrow that I can hardly contain myself! My mind races and my jumping beans jump! I often wonder if the dogs know there is something going on and just how much their lives are about to change. They will no longer be the center of attention, a new little life will be!
While I know that today's post is not as exciting as the past few, I hope this can satisfy until tomorrow! Hopefully we will have pictures of our little embies and a report of how they all are, and of course, how the transfer went. So stay tuned....
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Grow Embies Grow
"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100
Well I must confess that I stole this scripture from church this morning, but I just found it so fitting for today! As you all know, we have been getting daily updates on our precious little embryos each day. So far it has been nothing short of exceptional news!!! We are so thankful for the way that God has blessed us in this process and stand in amazement at the work of His hand!
This morning Jaime, the embryologist, called at 8:30 am while we were getting ready for church. We were expecting that call, even though she was about 30 minutes early. The news was almost as perfect as it could be! All 9 embies are doing great and growing and look healthy! On day 3 they should be at about the 8 cell stage (see picture below). Here's the lowdown on where our little ones are:
2 - 5 cells
Well I must confess that I stole this scripture from church this morning, but I just found it so fitting for today! As you all know, we have been getting daily updates on our precious little embryos each day. So far it has been nothing short of exceptional news!!! We are so thankful for the way that God has blessed us in this process and stand in amazement at the work of His hand!
This morning Jaime, the embryologist, called at 8:30 am while we were getting ready for church. We were expecting that call, even though she was about 30 minutes early. The news was almost as perfect as it could be! All 9 embies are doing great and growing and look healthy! On day 3 they should be at about the 8 cell stage (see picture below). Here's the lowdown on where our little ones are:
2 - 5 cells1 - 6 cells
2 - 7 cells
3 - 8 cells
1 - 9 cells
How much more exciting and thankful could we be!!! Because all of them are growing well, our transfer will be Tuesday at 11:30 am. This will be on day 5 of their development and they should be at the blastocyst stage (see picture below). This is the stage where the cells start differentiating between what cells will make up the baby and what cells will make up the placenta. This is also right around the time when the embryo "hatches" and attaches to the uterus. So it's perfect timing for the transfer!
Tomorrow will be the hardest day since retrieval I think. They do not take the embies out of the incubator tomorrow, so we will not get a report until transfer day. It's all good though! We know that the Lord is growing and protecting them and can't wait to see actual pictures of them on Tuesday!
Anxiously awaiting Tuesday!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Growing
Today's call was very good, here is the run down on the embies:
The two 2 cell's both have some fragmentation. This is somewhat normal. They say that most of the time it will continue to grow, we will see on the days ahead. Here is a picture of a 2 cell with fragmentation.
3 - 4 cell
1 - 5 cell
2 - 2 cell
2 - 3 cell
That's only 8 but all 9 were growing. We think there is another 3 cell. On day two they want them to be at a cell 4 stage, the call was early in the moring so the 3 cell embies would probably be at 4 cells by the afternoon and we have the 5 cell that is ahead of schedule, YEAH! Here is a picture of a 4 cell embie (not ours though).
The two 2 cell's both have some fragmentation. This is somewhat normal. They say that most of the time it will continue to grow, we will see on the days ahead. Here is a picture of a 2 cell with fragmentation.
They are supposed to call us back at 9am and decide if they are going to do a day 3 transfer. They have us scheduled for 11am for a transfer. This is standard for them to do. We don't think they will do a day 3 transfer since we have so many embies growing so well right now. Tomorrow will give us more info!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Our First Call Back
Do you remember when you were like in the 5th grade and you got your report card from school and you were really nervous about opening it, or maybe your boss calls you and says they need to sit down and "talk". What's that feeling like?
Well, today was quite like one of those days. Yesterday went so well, I got up this morning and everything was going great too. We were expecting a call from the doctor's office around 11 to give us an update on how many eggs got fertilized. Jaime, the embryologist, called Amy, then Amy called me. We had a little issue getting us all on the phone, but we all got on and then Jaime started off VERY slowly saying "Well, here is where we are right now". Why is it that our brains go straight to the most negitive thing you can think of? My adrenaline started pumping so much it was out of control. If you already read Amy's post from this morning you already know that the news that Jaime was giving us was excellent!!!! We had 9 eggs that fertilized and are growing, and that is really good!! So my adrenaline was pumped up so much that I was having such a hard time working and I didn't calm down till about 4 in the afternoon.
I was still pretty excited after work that Amy and I went to get a pedicure. I really wanted a massage, but we couldn't afford doing that. I know my friend Matt's going to give me a hard time about that, but I didn't care. We sat in the massage chair and had our feet soaking in the hot water for about an hour; it felt so good and was so relaxing.
I called my friend Tim, who's gone through this before, to talk about the call today. He says the next few days are like this when they call and give you an update each day. He also says the last call telling you if your pregnant is the worse call to take. I'm praying the next few calls don't get me so stressed out.
Well, today was quite like one of those days. Yesterday went so well, I got up this morning and everything was going great too. We were expecting a call from the doctor's office around 11 to give us an update on how many eggs got fertilized. Jaime, the embryologist, called Amy, then Amy called me. We had a little issue getting us all on the phone, but we all got on and then Jaime started off VERY slowly saying "Well, here is where we are right now". Why is it that our brains go straight to the most negitive thing you can think of? My adrenaline started pumping so much it was out of control. If you already read Amy's post from this morning you already know that the news that Jaime was giving us was excellent!!!! We had 9 eggs that fertilized and are growing, and that is really good!! So my adrenaline was pumped up so much that I was having such a hard time working and I didn't calm down till about 4 in the afternoon.
I was still pretty excited after work that Amy and I went to get a pedicure. I really wanted a massage, but we couldn't afford doing that. I know my friend Matt's going to give me a hard time about that, but I didn't care. We sat in the massage chair and had our feet soaking in the hot water for about an hour; it felt so good and was so relaxing.
I called my friend Tim, who's gone through this before, to talk about the call today. He says the next few days are like this when they call and give you an update each day. He also says the last call telling you if your pregnant is the worse call to take. I'm praying the next few calls don't get me so stressed out.
Our Baseball Team
Well, it's official, The Earhart (in vitro) baseball team. That's right 9 out of 11 eggs fertilized!!! That's an 82% fertilization rate, which apparently is higher than what they normally see. Usually it's about a 70% fertilization rate. We wait with bated breath to hear tomorrow's news now. We're so excited!!! I don't even know what else to write!
(Happy Dance Here)
(Happy Dance Here)
Thursday, November 20, 2008
I remember.....no wait I don't!
Hello everyone! I'm back from my slumber and feeling good. I remember I put on the gown backwards. I remember laying on the table. I remember Dr.Wilshire coming in and talking to me about Dr.Fairlamb (a cardiologist who works on my floor). I remember the anaesthesiologist telling me to have sweet dreams. I remember Kim , RN telling me how many eggs they retrieved. Somewhere in the middle I don't remember anything!
This morning went very well--they retrieved 11 eggs!!! Jaime, the embryologist, will call us every day to give us an update on how things are going with the embryo(s). Tomorrow is day 1 and she will let us know how many of the eggs fertilized. From there it's day by day to decide when embryo transfer day will be. We do know that it will be either Sunday or Tuesday though.
As for today at home.... We got home at around 8 am and both of us were tired, so we took a nap until about noon. The rest of the day doesn't get much more exciting or productive for me. I think Chris is planning on doing a few things around the house. I am supposed to take it easy today and tomorrow. Apparently I'm not allowed to "operate heavy machinery" today. I guess driving and mowing the lawn are out then, LOL. Really though, I feel much better than I expected--no pain, just a little tired.
Thanks for all your prayers today, they worked! Please pray for healthy, growing little embryos and good reports each day. Looking forward to giving you guys the daily update!
This morning went very well--they retrieved 11 eggs!!! Jaime, the embryologist, will call us every day to give us an update on how things are going with the embryo(s). Tomorrow is day 1 and she will let us know how many of the eggs fertilized. From there it's day by day to decide when embryo transfer day will be. We do know that it will be either Sunday or Tuesday though.
As for today at home.... We got home at around 8 am and both of us were tired, so we took a nap until about noon. The rest of the day doesn't get much more exciting or productive for me. I think Chris is planning on doing a few things around the house. I am supposed to take it easy today and tomorrow. Apparently I'm not allowed to "operate heavy machinery" today. I guess driving and mowing the lawn are out then, LOL. Really though, I feel much better than I expected--no pain, just a little tired.
Thanks for all your prayers today, they worked! Please pray for healthy, growing little embryos and good reports each day. Looking forward to giving you guys the daily update!
Egg Retrieval
It's 4:55 am, I'm ready to go to the Dr.'s office and Amy is almost ready to go to. I didn't get but about 45 min to an hour of sleep, I was thinking way too much. Amy slept really good, but it's way too early for her. She'll probably sleep more when we get back home.
We'll update when we get back with how many eggs we had.
Enjoy the rest of your sleep this morning.
Chris
We'll update when we get back with how many eggs we had.
Enjoy the rest of your sleep this morning.
Chris
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Big Daddy Shot
Tonight I got to give Amy the Big Daddy Shot. I got home from work about 7:10 and we had to take the shot exactly at 8:00pm, we were both hungry so we ran down to Cracker Barrel to eat, we took the shot with us just in case we didn't make it back home in time. Well, we didn't get done eating till right at 8, Amy got the shot ready at the table. People around us were looking at her like what is this lady doing. I went and paid, we ran to the car and I gave the shot to her in her booty. We came on home and laughed about it. Here's a picture of the shot.
Alien Invaders
"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! ...When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" Psalm 8:1, 3-4
"I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." Psalm 9:1-2
Well for those of you who have ever wondered what eggs in your ovaries look like, the above picture is just for you! All this talk of eggs, I thought I'd post mine. These are not all of them, but these were the best pictures to post. One is of the left side and the other is of the right side. I think they're kinda funny because it looks like ET is staring at you or something!
Our appointment yesterday went great! My estogren level doubled in 2 days and my follicles just took off (meaning they got bigger)! We also had to go back this morning after my last shot of medicine (happy dance, no more daily shots). Dr.Wilshire is very pleased with how I have progressed over the past couple of days. Today he said possibly 10-12 eggs. So tonight will be my trigger shot (my real last shot), sometime between 7 and 8 pm. Then Thursday morning is the retrieval!!!
It has been amazing to be witness to how the Lord has created the body to work. It is hard for me to walk through this process and to think there are people out there who can believe there is no God. The intricate inner workings of us is beyond imagination and can only be the work of a divine and wonderful God! No sludge, crystals, big bang or any other convoluted theory can explain away that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are the work of our Maker, He knits us together, He created all that we see and even the things we cannot see and cannot understand. Praise God that we are not accidents!
How Great is Our God! (Psst, it's a link.)
Sunday, November 16, 2008
You Never Let Go
Joshua 24:15 ...then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...
As for me and my household We WILL serve the Lord.
I've grown to really like this song the last few weeks from Matt Redman called You Never Let Go. Click here to see a video with the words in it. I know it's about Him never letting go of us. I too never want to let go of him. When I sing the words "there will be an end to these troubles" I hear God saying to me that he will bless us with children one day. Because we know and have the faith that our troubles WILL come to an end one day, therefore we are filled with a peace here on this earth and can live to know God more and are able to Praise HIM!! Please take a moment to listen to the song and praise God for never letting go of us.
2 Corinthians 12:9 Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why for Christ's sake I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for when I am weak, then I am Strong!
1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
I praise the Lord for what we have gone through and give him praise. God has brought us not only closer to each other but closer to Him. We will always praise Him, we will praise Him when we are in hardships, like now, and we will praise Him when we are being blessed.
To God, all glory, honor and praise we give to you today!! Thank You!
It's amazing how God speaks to us. I was just getting ready to post this when I remembered Amy had just posted a message a few hours ago. I thought I would read hers before I posted mine. I was amazed that she and I were posting the same exact verse with out either one of us talking about this verse in months. I'm still going to post it anyway.
As for me and my household We WILL serve the Lord.
I've grown to really like this song the last few weeks from Matt Redman called You Never Let Go. Click here to see a video with the words in it. I know it's about Him never letting go of us. I too never want to let go of him. When I sing the words "there will be an end to these troubles" I hear God saying to me that he will bless us with children one day. Because we know and have the faith that our troubles WILL come to an end one day, therefore we are filled with a peace here on this earth and can live to know God more and are able to Praise HIM!! Please take a moment to listen to the song and praise God for never letting go of us.
2 Corinthians 12:9 Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why for Christ's sake I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for when I am weak, then I am Strong!
1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
I praise the Lord for what we have gone through and give him praise. God has brought us not only closer to each other but closer to Him. We will always praise Him, we will praise Him when we are in hardships, like now, and we will praise Him when we are being blessed.
To God, all glory, honor and praise we give to you today!! Thank You!
It's amazing how God speaks to us. I was just getting ready to post this when I remembered Amy had just posted a message a few hours ago. I thought I would read hers before I posted mine. I was amazed that she and I were posting the same exact verse with out either one of us talking about this verse in months. I'm still going to post it anyway.
Just around the corner
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why , for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
To follow up on my last post, I think that I have accepted that sometimes we need to let our expectations go. I need to remember and focus on the Lord in this process, rather than what I see. It's hard to always keep that in sight. Thank God for grace!
Saturday's appointment went about the same as Thursday. All is progressing as planned--the ultrasound and estrogen level were good. No changes in our medicine. It looks like there will be about 6-8 eggs that they will retrieve. Dr.Wilshire said probably a Thursday retrieval. We are getting really close now! If Thursday is retrieval, then tomorrow night will be my last day of Follistim. I think that Tuesday night will be the trigger shot (it mimics the hormone your body produces to mature the follicles and release the egg, ovulation in essence). Retrieval will be Thursday morning at an hour that no one in his right mind would be up for! We are excited!
We want to thank you all for your prayers and encouragement! So many of you have continued to ask how we are doing and remind us that you are by our side praying for us. We cannot begin to express just how much this blesses our hearts and reassures us that we are not alone! It is wonderful to see our church, our family and our friends come together in support of us! It is humbling to see the hands of God at work in each of you and through you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
To follow up on my last post, I think that I have accepted that sometimes we need to let our expectations go. I need to remember and focus on the Lord in this process, rather than what I see. It's hard to always keep that in sight. Thank God for grace!
Saturday's appointment went about the same as Thursday. All is progressing as planned--the ultrasound and estrogen level were good. No changes in our medicine. It looks like there will be about 6-8 eggs that they will retrieve. Dr.Wilshire said probably a Thursday retrieval. We are getting really close now! If Thursday is retrieval, then tomorrow night will be my last day of Follistim. I think that Tuesday night will be the trigger shot (it mimics the hormone your body produces to mature the follicles and release the egg, ovulation in essence). Retrieval will be Thursday morning at an hour that no one in his right mind would be up for! We are excited!
We want to thank you all for your prayers and encouragement! So many of you have continued to ask how we are doing and remind us that you are by our side praying for us. We cannot begin to express just how much this blesses our hearts and reassures us that we are not alone! It is wonderful to see our church, our family and our friends come together in support of us! It is humbling to see the hands of God at work in each of you and through you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Great Expections
"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:13-14
For those literary geniouses out there, no, this post is not about the book. What are my great expections for the day? Hmmm.... I'm not quite sure. I do know that they weren't met this morning though.
We went in for ultrasound and estrogen level this morning. (On a side note, I hate mornings; I'm just not a morning kinda gal.) The ultrasound showed 6 follicles. They're getting bigger and growing just as they are supposed to apparently. My estrogen level was right on track and we keep truckin' along with our same dosage schedule. All this to say, I guess I just expected more, bigger or different somehow. Dr.Wilshire encouraged me that all is exactly as it is supposed to be and where he wants us. He said that the egg quality is more important than how many. Right now he wants to grow quality eggs, not just quantity. I guess that means less is more. Which in my head I understand and am nodding in agreement. I don't know how to explain it, I just expected something different. I'm not upset, worried, disappointed or sad, just kinda shaking my head trying to reconcile what I expected with actuality. The problem is I don't really know what I expected. At any rate, he said it looks like retrieval will be pushed back to "late next week". Right now he predicts about 6-8 eggs on retrieval day. Of course each appointment can change things, so that number may change as well.
I trust that God knows what He's doing. He has brought us here. We have learned many lessons along the way. I've never been good with patience, so I'm sure I'm supposed to be patient. It will all be worth it when we see our little one!
For those literary geniouses out there, no, this post is not about the book. What are my great expections for the day? Hmmm.... I'm not quite sure. I do know that they weren't met this morning though.
We went in for ultrasound and estrogen level this morning. (On a side note, I hate mornings; I'm just not a morning kinda gal.) The ultrasound showed 6 follicles. They're getting bigger and growing just as they are supposed to apparently. My estrogen level was right on track and we keep truckin' along with our same dosage schedule. All this to say, I guess I just expected more, bigger or different somehow. Dr.Wilshire encouraged me that all is exactly as it is supposed to be and where he wants us. He said that the egg quality is more important than how many. Right now he wants to grow quality eggs, not just quantity. I guess that means less is more. Which in my head I understand and am nodding in agreement. I don't know how to explain it, I just expected something different. I'm not upset, worried, disappointed or sad, just kinda shaking my head trying to reconcile what I expected with actuality. The problem is I don't really know what I expected. At any rate, he said it looks like retrieval will be pushed back to "late next week". Right now he predicts about 6-8 eggs on retrieval day. Of course each appointment can change things, so that number may change as well.
I trust that God knows what He's doing. He has brought us here. We have learned many lessons along the way. I've never been good with patience, so I'm sure I'm supposed to be patient. It will all be worth it when we see our little one!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Patience is a virtue
We had our first doctor's appt this morning since starting Follistim. The ultrasound looked good and I have several little follicles developing. This afternoon, the doctor's office called me to tell me my labs were fine and that I could continue the same dose of Follistim I am currently on.
I guess, I was expecting that I would have more follicles and bigger ones because I'm on twice the dose that I had been in previous cycles. But all is progressing as planned according to Katie, RN. I guess I just need patience. In the words of Heinz Ketchup--"The best things come to those who wait"! Our next appt is Thursday, and hopefully I'll see whatever it is my brain wants to see.
Thursday.....I can make it till Thursday...... no really I can.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
In Full Swing (by Chris)
Well, we are in full swing and I'm so excited. Amy started taking the Follistim medication on Friday and will take this for about 10 days all together. We've done this medication 3 times before so we are pretty use to this step. The difference this time though is that she is taking twice the dose.
Tomorrow we have another appointment to see how the Follistim is doing developing the eggs. They can't actually see the eggs, but they monitor follicles which is close to how many eggs you could potentially have. So we'll exchange the term follicles or eggs as the same thing.This week Amy will be on the medicine all this week then we have a tentitive date of 18th for the egg retrival, they will fertilize them right then and monitor them for the next 5 days and then do an embryo transfer sometime between the 3rd and 5th day, that's the 23rd for now.
Tonight I cooked dinner and I can't wait for Amy to get home to spend time together.
Tomorrow we have another appointment to see how the Follistim is doing developing the eggs. They can't actually see the eggs, but they monitor follicles which is close to how many eggs you could potentially have. So we'll exchange the term follicles or eggs as the same thing.This week Amy will be on the medicine all this week then we have a tentitive date of 18th for the egg retrival, they will fertilize them right then and monitor them for the next 5 days and then do an embryo transfer sometime between the 3rd and 5th day, that's the 23rd for now.
Tonight I cooked dinner and I can't wait for Amy to get home to spend time together.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
5 miles in on a 10 mile journey
On the journey that is IVF, we are about 5 miles in on a 10 mile journey. I'm thankful that things are about to speed up! I've done a little over a month stint of birth control. Done with that, thank goodness! I started Lupron about a week ago, and now got to drop the dose down. Friday we start our Follistim injections and it's a speeding train from there!
Let's see, some of you are reading that like--"OMG what's with the birth control? And what in the heck is Lupron and Follistim?" I'm glad you asked! We were on birth control to suppress my ovaries from producing eggs. It turns out that if you suppress your ovaries the month before IVF, you have a better chance to produce more eggs. Who knew?! The Lupron is a medicine that keeps me from ovulating prior to egg retrieval. It's basically a medicine that tricks your brain into thinking it still needs time to mature those eggs. Follistim is a hormone medicine. Your body actually produces the hormone that makes up Follistim. It is a hormone that tells your ovaries to grow and mature the eggs. For me, my body doesn't produce enough of that to ovulate regularly, so I need a boost. Plus I will take more than your body would naturally produce so that I can produce more eggs. My doctor calls it "rocket fuel"!
Outside of adding Lupron to the mix, this round is no different (medicine regimen wise) than our previous cycles when we did IUI. This is the fun stage! You go in every 2-3 days and they do an ultrasound and you actually get to see all the follicles growing and developing! And this ride goes quick! It will only take about 7-9 days for the follicles to grow and have mature eggs in them to retrieve.
Today we went in and signed all of our many consents for the procedure. It is amazing how many things you have to sign to do one procedure. Each little step has it's own signature! There's one for stimulating your ovaries and the egg retrieval. There's one for fertilization of the egg with your hubby's sperm. There's one for cryopreservation of any embryos that you don't transfer. Within all those, there are all these places you have to initial for the details of the procedure and the what if's. It's amazing the many creative ways and reasons the law has come up with for you to sign things!
I can't believe we're about 2 weeks away from the big day(s)! In some ways it feels like this whole process has taken f-o-r-e-v-e-r. I guess though if you look at the whole scheme of life, what's 2 years in the rest of one's life! Here's to a bouncing baby boy or girl!
Let's see, some of you are reading that like--"OMG what's with the birth control? And what in the heck is Lupron and Follistim?" I'm glad you asked! We were on birth control to suppress my ovaries from producing eggs. It turns out that if you suppress your ovaries the month before IVF, you have a better chance to produce more eggs. Who knew?! The Lupron is a medicine that keeps me from ovulating prior to egg retrieval. It's basically a medicine that tricks your brain into thinking it still needs time to mature those eggs. Follistim is a hormone medicine. Your body actually produces the hormone that makes up Follistim. It is a hormone that tells your ovaries to grow and mature the eggs. For me, my body doesn't produce enough of that to ovulate regularly, so I need a boost. Plus I will take more than your body would naturally produce so that I can produce more eggs. My doctor calls it "rocket fuel"!
Outside of adding Lupron to the mix, this round is no different (medicine regimen wise) than our previous cycles when we did IUI. This is the fun stage! You go in every 2-3 days and they do an ultrasound and you actually get to see all the follicles growing and developing! And this ride goes quick! It will only take about 7-9 days for the follicles to grow and have mature eggs in them to retrieve.
Today we went in and signed all of our many consents for the procedure. It is amazing how many things you have to sign to do one procedure. Each little step has it's own signature! There's one for stimulating your ovaries and the egg retrieval. There's one for fertilization of the egg with your hubby's sperm. There's one for cryopreservation of any embryos that you don't transfer. Within all those, there are all these places you have to initial for the details of the procedure and the what if's. It's amazing the many creative ways and reasons the law has come up with for you to sign things!
I can't believe we're about 2 weeks away from the big day(s)! In some ways it feels like this whole process has taken f-o-r-e-v-e-r. I guess though if you look at the whole scheme of life, what's 2 years in the rest of one's life! Here's to a bouncing baby boy or girl!
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