Results

We have received the results from my surgery and everything came back good. It turns out it was a fluke thing and we can try again in January. However, since the soccer season begins on the 12th, we've decided to wait until later in the year when I can lay low, relax, and not have the stress of defending our two year undefeated winning streak!

I will visit HFI in March, and we'll go from there. Stay tuned...

Post-Op Dr's Appt 10/15

I visited Dr. Schmidt again today for my post surgery check up. She says everything looks good and that the results of my D and C should be available in another 2 weeks. She will call me with those results and let me know when/if we can try again. Please continue to pray for us as we wait for answers...

Surgery

Everything went well this morning...aside from the fact that I'm still hard to prick. During the time of the egg retrievals, it took six times to get the IV threaded into my vein...today, it took nine. I think I hold the world record.

Aside from that, I am doing well. Thank you all for your prayers/emails/comments/love/concern. We are doing better today. The emotions seem to come in waves. I think this will be the case for many months to come...we are trying to look ahead and not spend too much time thinking about what is now behind us, as we know it will help with the healing process. I will keep you all posted on any results that come from today's D and C in 4-6 weeks as they grow the chromosomes.

This IS NOT the end of my pregnancy story. We'll just say it was a bump in the road...this too will pass.

Rough Day...

I went to what was to be a final visit to HFI this morning before they officially released me to my OB for the remaining part of my pregnancy...however, it turns out that today won't be the last day after all. Unfortunately, two doctors searched for the heartbeat and were unable to locate it. Sometime between last Monday when I went in and heard a strong heartbeat to today, it just stopped beating. There are many reasons why this could have happened but there is little anyone knows about miscarriages in all honesty.

After calling my husband, we met at home and made an appt. with my OB to "verify" that there was no heartbeat. We just returned home. Three doctors can't be wrong right? Sometime in the middle of last week (according to the size of the fetus) the baby stopped developing. Tomorrow morning at 5:30am, Rob will take me to the hospital for surgery, where they will remove the fetus and send him off for testing. We hope they will discover through this D and C, the cause of this so we can decide if we will try again in December. Luckily we have several embryos frozen at HFI, and they will be able to transfer them in a matter of months.

We are in need of prayers. Prayers for understanding and acceptance. We know that for whatever reason, God didn't feel this was the right one for us. If it was indeed unhealthy, he didn't want us to bear such a burden and will give us another chance...

Makin' Room for Baby! Vroom! Vroom!

Robert and I went to GMC this weekend to look at SUV's in preparation for baby. With us owning a 2 door Honda Civic and a single cab Chevy Silverado, we knew a car seat wouldn't fit or be a safe ride...so...we traded in our cars!!! With GM employee pricing, we both got awesome deals and are only paying a little bit more than we were paying on our "single hood" cars. I drove away in a 2008 Black GMC Envoy, and Rob got a 2008 White Texas Edition Sierra (extended cab)!! We love our new vehicles and can't wait to look into the back seat and see baby Carlyle!

We joked about who would now get to park in the garage! (Of course I won that argument hands down!) I don't think we'll let each other drive the others vehicle until many months down the road. Rob even considered spending the night in his new truck! ;)

Sticker Mania!

So in all of the excitement of the day, I just HAD to go to Hobby Lobby to check out the pregnancy and baby selection in the sticker aisle for my scrap booking habit! I bought the Cricket Cutter cartridge for "New Arrival" (it makes die-cuts of baby themed items)! Though I don't know the gender yet, I went crazy on buying stickers to start my pregnancy scrapbook. I bought a neutral color album, paper, and stickers. Most of the sticker sheets are pregnancy related only and don't reveal a gender at all...I will print out each of my blogs and make copies of all of my ultrasounds for this album. I will also do some additional journal writing and add pictures of my expanding belly. I am very excited about this album and plan to start this weekend! Some habits are hard to break!

First OB visit with Dr. Kristin Schmidt

9/19

How exciting! I finally got a check up today to make sure things are okay after the storm! I was relieved to discover that our little one looks healthy, is developing at the appropriate rate, and continues to have a strong heartbeat!

I'm somewhere between the 9th and 10th week! This means that our little one is developing all of its major organs and muscles. It is officially referred to as a fetus! :)

Also, if it is a boy (which Rob is hoping for), this is the week it develops its scrotum!

A week of no school/work...

We decided to head back to Katy late Sunday afternoon to find that we had both power and running water. We are very grateful.

Most school districts decided to take the whole week off to assess and fix the damage done by hurricane Ike. Most schools lost power, and some had damage to their buildings. This week will be spent watching the news and fighting to get gas at the pumps and food at the grocery stores...

IKE!

Well pregnancy does have its perks! I slept like a rock during the worst part of the storm. While everyone else was wide awake and trying to hold down the fort, I slept like a baby. Rob actually had to shake me a few times to wake me up and check on me...He also kept me updated on what was going on. Trees were falling over, the door to the barn was barely hanging' on, and the power was off. The house was also making some noises as the wind whipped around it, and though I heard a few of the loud bangs and metal scraping against metal sounds, I slept. And then I slept some more. I don't think I went downstairs until 9am to find everyone else watching the rain.

The rest of the day was spent watching the several bands of hard rain come and go and taking naps. Brian and Rob got the generator going late in the afternoon after we all felt that the worst of it was long gone so that we could tune into the news. The damage of Ike is devastating. It will take weeks to get things semi-normal again. 2.1 million people are without power. Most of the coast are without homes...

The calm before the storm...Ike is in the Gulf...

9/12

Schools and businesses have been closed for the day in an effort to give people time to prepare/evacuate for Hurricane Ike who is fast approaching in the Gulf of Mexico. I was supposed to have another visit with Dr. Haddad at HFI this morning, but arrived to find that the building was closed. I called the office phone number and spoke to a nurse who had the calls transferred to her home that said they weren't meeting with any patients and to please call next week to reschedule my appointment.

Now I'd have to spend the whole weekend afraid of what the change in pressure and the effects of the hurricane would have on my pregnancy. I read somewhere online a while back that said several women in their third trimester went into early delivery during natural disasters, especially hurricanes due to the changes in air pressure. Great. What did this mean for those of us in our first trimester? Could it lead to a miscarriage? Only time would tell...

When I returned home from an empty HFI building, Robert, Myrna, and I packed up the truck and headed to Brian and Kellie's for the weekend. Robert's brother and his family live in Magnolia, Texas and we felt that moving North sounded like a good idea. The fact that they live in a home built to withstand 125 mile/hour winds made us feel pretty safe too.

We spent the evening watching TV, getting all of their animals in, and preparing for the storm. Peyton(7) and Avery(4) also took the opportunity to give me a princess make-over! I got glitter lip gloss, pink eye shadow, and purple nail polish to go with my crown!

We had fun but knew the storm was just around the corner...

Mom goes crazy on Maternity Clothes!

I love you mom!!! (and dad who is supporting her spending habits!) :)

Mom started searching the racks for maternity clothes the minute we confirmed that I am pregnant! She has practically filled my closet with cute dresses, pants, and tops! I'm all set for several months from now when I can no longer fit into my size two jeans! Rob says this is a sign that I should clean out my closet of old clothes I don't wear anymore to make room for the new ones I'll be living in for the next 7 to 8 months!...

I've already filled one black trash bag...shhh...don't remind him of my shoes!

Thump, Thump...Thump, Thump...Thump, Thump...

9/5

I HAVE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING SO AMAZING IN MY WHOLE LIFE! Rob and I got to hear our little one's heartbeat today! It was beating at 113 beats per minutes, which we're told is normal and healthy at this stage in the game! ;) Whoohoo!

We got another ultrasound picture of what the Imaging Doctor calls "A Diamond Ring." It shows the pregnancy sac (the ring) and the heart (the diamond). Rob and I agree that this is the most expensive and most precious diamond ring we'll ever need to own! We laughed at the doctor's analogy. :)

The Tell All Ultrasound!

8/25 (First Day of School)

Rob and I went into HFI at 7:30 in the morning so that I'd get to school in plenty of time to greet my kiddos! This would be the day we'd find out if there are one or two babies developing! Rob was so excited that he was literally bouncing all over the place in the waiting room! It made me feel so good to see him acting so silly and giddy about our pregnancy. It was about to be made real to both of us!

We were finally called into the exam room were we'd get the news! We are so excited to share with you that there is ONE beautifully developing baby on the way!! We are due the third week of April! We will return next week to hear the heartbeat!!! Sooo exciting! We are so blessed!

8/18 and anxious

I went into HFI this morning and got pricked yet again. Finally Marylu would check my HCG hormone level to check for pregnancy. This is what home pregnancy tests look for in your urine to tell you if you are pregnant or not. It determines if it is one pink line or two...I didn't have to pee on a stick, but the blood work said it was official...I'M PREGNANT! Now the real question is, "Are there one or two babies in there?" We'll have to wait and see...

First visit after transfer...

8/6 and back at HFI again...I began my estrogen patches today and got blood drawn. Marylu says that within a few weeks we'll know something. Here I thought the hardest part was over...I was so wrong. The waiting to find out if I'm pregnant is by far on the top of the list!

I got a call in the afternoon stating that my "levels" look good and that I would begin taking estrogen pills three times a day (at 9am, 2pm, and 7pm) until further notice. They are gross. This kind that dissolve in your mouth under your tongue into a powdery substance...ewe.

I was also told to come in every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until pregnancy was verified. It's a good thing I don't mind driving and getting pricked with needles! :) This has all become so routine for me now.

The Big Day!

Robert and I arrived at HFI to meet with Dr. Gill this morning for the embryo transfer. He was pleased to tell us that he was able to fertilize all 20 eggs! We all agreed that inserting two would be a safe bet. I know my body could handle two if necessary, but 3+?! I don't think so...

This was by far the easiest of all of the procedures so far! I was given a muscle relaxer but thankfully, no IV. Rob got to go into the O.R. with me (his outfit was very amusing!) and I was awake the whole time watching on the ultrasound monitor as Dr. Gill transferred the embryos into the upper part of my uterus. We even got our ultrasound picture of the two embryos. I will now be on strict bed rest for the next 4 days which is when I'll return to HFI for blood work. It's a good thing mom is off for the summer too, as she volunteered to come over and keep me company with movies and gossip magazines! Robert will return to work tomorrow, a little sore, but willing to give it a go. I think he is just bored of laying around all day and to be honest, I don't blame him!

7/31

I had to start giving myself a different shot today. I will be giving myself this shot of progesterone everyday for the entire first trimester! That's right, 3 months of shooting myself in the butt! It's a good think I'm not afraid of needles like my husband! Thank goodness mom has volunteered to give me shots as often as possible so that I don't have to pretend to be a contortionist twisting around to see where I'm inserting the needle each afternoon...I'm sure I'll have all sorts of bruises from it. :)

Retrievals...7/29

Today Myrna, Robert's mom, took us to HFI to have our sperm and eggs retrieved. Robert went first. He was amazingly calm and Dr. Ho made us feel good about the whole procedure. The entire biopsy took only about 25 minutes. Myrna and I got to go see Rob in the recovery room to find him entertaining the nurse. He was quite funny while drugged! He had us all laughing. He doesn't remember any of it...
Dr. Ho came in and said Rob has beautiful swimmers. :) He told us that he has no doubt that we will soon be proud parents.

I was up next! There were a few small bumps in the road for me...It took three nurses two tries each to get the IV in my arm. The first nurse tried on my left hand and couldn't get it to thread into my vein. After she gave up, a second nurse gave it a go...she got it in on the first try to watch the blood vessel balloon very quickly, she says she hit a valve. Finally she got it in to my left forearm and things seemed good to go...I say seemed...because evidently, the anesthesiologist, didn't agree with where it was put or how it looked...So after they wheeled me into the O.R. she tried herself...Well, she and the O.R. nurse...I was being pricked in both arms at the same time! The anesthesiologist finally struck gold and got the IV threaded into my right arm. I was out within a few seconds of receiving whatever wonderful drug they gave me and woke up in the recovery room with Rob and Myrna sitting next to me. Dr. Haddad was proud to announce to us that he retrieved an amazing 20 eggs!!!

The hard parts were over! Now we'd have to wait a few days for Dr. Gill to fertilize my eggs with Robert's sperm so that we could come back for the embryo transfer.

Oh, and the bruising on my arms...awful! I think it looks like I got beat up. It's a good thing that I don't plan to go anywhere anytime soon, as people might think my husband beats me or something!

Givin' the Go-Ahead!

I went into HFI at the Willowbrook location (Saturday 7/26) to discover that my ovaries looked like pomegranates on the ultrasound screen! They all measured a good size which meant I was ready to go! I couldn't wait to get home and tell Rob that we would be parents soon! I will have to start taking my Doxycycline antibiotics tomorrow and mom will have to "Shoot me in the butt" with an HCG Booster shot in the evening at exactly 10pm so I'd be ready for the egg retrieval process on Tuesday 7/29.

I must tell you, that this is when Robert became nervous for the first time. Not because we were going to become parents, but because this meant that he would have to have Dr. Ho extract his sperm on Tuesday via a testicular biopsy...Rob began taking his antibiotics too!

I guess now he feels how a dog must feel when they "take away their manhood." OUCH!

Shoot 'em up Cowgirl! :)

I know, just a little play on words, as today (July 15th), I began giving my self daily shots to stimulate my eggs in preparation for the egg retrieval. I also found out that I'd be visiting Marylu every few days for the next two-three weeks so that they could closely monitor the progress (to make sure we weren't over stimulating the eggs and that they weren't getting too big too fast). I would be giving myself two shots per day for the next two weeks...(Follistim and Menopur).

I also met Dr. Haddad, who will retrieve my eggs when the time comes. I am getting anxious and I know I am in great hands.

*I ended up at HFI for bloodwork and ultrasounds on the following dates: 7/15, 7/18, 7/21, 7/24, 7/25, and 7/26. I also had to go to Quest Diagnostics on 7/25 for more bloodwork (5th time that week) to make sure I didn't have any infectious diseases...don't worry, I'm clean! ;)*

**Marylu and Dr. Haddad discovered that my eggs were doing extremely well and I actually got to cut back on the amounts of Follistim and Menopur I was giving my self each day.**

6 months later...

It's now July and we're ready to begin treatment at The Houston Fertility Institute. I went into HFI on the 3rd of July to find that Dr. DeSplinter would no longer be our Doctor, as she has decided to focus on Labor and Delivery. I met Dr. Gill, who would take over and be the one to transfer the embryos when the time came. Marylu would be my nurse and primary source of information for the next couple of months. After meeting with each of them, I got my first of MANY shots. I received a shot that would cause ovulation within the next few days. Marylu also ordered all of the medications I would need for the next few weeks to stimulate my eggs, increase my hormone levels, and prepare my body for pregnancy. The fertility medications were ordered from The Apothecary Pharmacy and would be delivered within a few days.

A few hours after leaving HFI, Robert and I loaded up the car to head to Knoxville, Tennessee to visit Susan and Joe Kirt. We informed them that they would soon be referred to as Aunt Susan and Uncle Joe, as we'd started the IVF process and would be expecting in a matter of a few weeks!

While in Tennessee, Susan informed us that if we have a girl, she expects us to name her "Hope" as it is her middle name. When asked "What if it is a boy?" She simply replied, "Then I guess you'll have a Hopert." We laughed about it the whole weekend!

From the Beginning...

Robert and I started to research our options in January, just two days before our wedding. We knew we would need the help of Invitro-fertilization to get pregnant and wanted to "get the ball rolling." We met with Dr. Tracy DeSplinter of The Houston Fertility Institute on January 11, 2008. She informed us that Dr. Ho could extract sperm from Robert (due to his vasectomy several years ago), that she'd use fertility drugs to stimulate my eggs, and that pregnancy shouldn't be a problem for us because we are both in good health. We left excited with the potential of starting a family together and knew it would just be a matter of time and some extra finances to make it work! Two days later, we happily wed in Richmond, TX.