No go

Not pregnant, even though I really thought I was. I'm bummed.

Waiting on 2 Counts

Since I was too lazy to write a thorough post the other day, I thought I'd come back and post a new entry so you all understand what's on the minds of DH and I. You see, we're waiting to see how this cycle goes on a couple of counts:

1. Are we pregnant?
2. If pregnant, is it 1 or 2?

You see, we transferred two embryos on the advice of our RE. This has us a bit nervous because the thought of twins is a little scary and overwhelming. Don't get me wrong - we would be happy with either 1 or 2, and will take whatever God gives. But at the same time, I'd be lying if I said my head didn't spin a bit at the thought of twins!

We should know the answer to question #1 on Tuesday, and question #2 at the 6/8 week ultrasound. Otherwise, they did have 1 embryo that they were able to freeze, so if this cycle doesn't pan out then we'll have 1 more shot! Stay tuned...

Transfer Complete

The transfer didn't happen on Saturday, but occurred today instead. Other than being uncomfortable from having a full bladder, it was easy-peasy. We decided to transfer two embryos based on how they'd been graded, and now we'll just wait and see! My back is killing me, so this is going to be a short post so I can go lie down. I've also been having trouble sleeping; feels just like when I was at the end of my pregnancy and couldn't sleep - except I'm not even pregnant yet! I wonder if it's a side-effect of the progesterone and other assorted drugs (endometrum or something like that) they have me taking. Anybody know?

The Easter Egg Hunt was a Success

The egg retrieval was yesterday, and it went really well. I was most nervous about the stinkin' IV, because I had a horrible experience with seasoned nurses not catching a vein prior to my c-section. They all shook their heads in confusion and tried to reassure me by saying "this has never happened to me...I can always hit a vein..." Needless to say, this didn't help the fact that they were poking me repeatedly in both arms, doing the fish-around with the needle (I HATE that), and still not having success. My arms were bruised for weeks.

Anyway, my RE happens to use this cool pre-numbing agent and I didn't even feel the needle go in. I was so excited about that! Once I got into the OR, I passed out almost immediately. Them's was some good drugs they gave me. Next thing I knew, I was back in the recovery room and not remembering a darn thing anyone was saying to me (hubby was pretty amused with this). The anesthesiologist (not sure if I spelled that right but too lazy to look it up) came in and told me things went well, they got all 8 follicles...I nodded and asked him how things went and how many eggs did they get? :)

I got a call this morning, and 7 were fertilized! So things are looking good and we're tentatively planning for a Day 3 transfer (Saturday).

I must say I am shocked at how many people have commented on my last post - it is so nice to see all my old friends! I still need to catch up with everyone to see how you're all doing, so please give me a few days to check in with all of you.

In the meantime, happy Thursday!

TTC - Round 2

Well, we're going for baby #2, except this time we're doing IVF. I only had 1 via of donor sperm left, and of course the donor is no longer active. So to have a higher chance of conceiving a true sibling for my girl, we decided that IVF was the way to go. I've been stimming at morning and at night, and am on the schedule for the egg retrieval this Wednesday. I have 8 follicles, and we're tentatively targeting Saturday for the eggs to be transferred back.

I hope everyone is doing well!!! Would love updates on how you've all been!

Hanging Up The Keyboard

For anyone who continues to check on my blog (I know my readership has steadily declined in direct proportion to the [in]frequency in which I've been posting), I've decided to stop this blog for now. I may post updates here and there, but the desire, and mostly the time, is no longer there for me to devote to this area of my life.

I'll continue to keep it online for newly crowned azoospermiacs who may decide to venture down the DI route, and would like a success story to reference. And will check email and reply to it as I'm able as well.

I'll continue to check in on my blog friends and keep up with how you're all doing. Perhaps I'll pick this up again if and when I decide to embark down this path again if we decide to go for baby #2.

Best wishes to all of my *virtual* friends!

It's Been Awhile

Wow, can't believe the last time I posted was in February.

I find myself having a rare moment of calm...hubby's off doing some fun stuff with buddies, baby K is having her afternoon nap (the dog must be off snoozing somewhere too), and the house...is...quiet.

Things have been pretty "normal" as of late. Work continues to be really busy, and I get tons of stuff dumped on me by my boss. I really can't complain, though. I generally have a true fondness for many of the people I work with (including said boss), the stuff that gets dumped on me is intellectually stimulating, and I take home a pretty good paycheck. Ditto with hubby's situation.

K continues to grow every day, and she changes by leaps and bounds.

She's almost eight months old now, and eating solids like a champ. She's on stage 2 foods, and I have begun the weaning process. I was hoping to nurse for a year, but I have officially given myself permission to let go of the guilt! My work schedule is nuts, and I often have back-to-back meetings from 8-5. It's hard enough to get away to grab any food, let alone run to the bathroom and pump. This juggling act was making me absolutely BATTY, so this week I went down to pumping just once per day, and next week I will not pump at all. This equates to sending formula to daycare along with the solids, and I'll continue to nurse in the morning/evening as long as it feels right or when my milk supply dimishes, whichever comes first. As soon as my husband and I discussed this and decided we'd start weaning, I felt this incredible weight lift off my shoulders. I have truly loved nursing my baby, and feeling the unique emotions that come from having the ability to feed and nourish her. But along with nursing comes an incredible amount of responsibility and work. Now that she's taking in a lot of food, her milk intake is decreasing as well. Considering all of the above, it just feels right, and I'm excited to reclaim my body and indulge in an occasional glass of wine again!

K is turning out to be quite the chatty patty. She's constantly practicing new sounds, and her voice is absolutely adorable. It seems like she's enjoying this new part of herself so much that she even mumbles in her sleep, almost like she's still practicing. We've taken many, many videos of her jabbering away, and it'll be so precious to show her these videos when she gets a little older. And I'm sure mom and dad will get a kick out of it, too.

We're about to spend a ton of money...we owe several thousand dollars to Uncle S@m this year (ugh), an unexpected expense came up that will also cost several thousand dollars, and we need to buy K 2 convertible car seats. She has finally outgrown her infant carrier, and I really do consider us lucky that she's lasted in it this long. But since hubby and I both have cars and take her to daycare, we need to buy 2 car seats, which will probably run us close to 700 smackeroos. Will probably go buy them today or tomorrow. On the upside, I've been wanting to graduate to this next step for awhile now, as the baby is getting really heavy carrying her in the infant carseat. And I haven't really seen more shapely biceps develop as a result ;)

Speaking of biceps, I'm finally starting to embark on a workout routine again. I never thought it'd take me this long post-delivery to get on a regular routine, but I also never knew how much busier our lives would become, especially juggling work and a family. But alas, that is the plight of all working families...I'm excited to get active and rediscover the joys of a fit and trim bod. I'm actually 10 pounds lighter than I was before I got pregnant, but my stomach pooches so much I still look about 4 months pregnant. I can hide it pretty well by wearing the right kinds of tops, but I'm sick of having the majority of my wardrobe not look good on me. I have purchased some new clothes so I wouldn't be completely depressed (you've gotta have SOME stuff that looks good on you), but I think it'll be a lot cheaper if I just re-sculpt my baby pooch...

We'll that's a pretty good summary of how life is these days. I'm gonna go browse some of your blogs now and comment where I can - my ability to hit up all blogs and comment will be a function of how long the baby sleeps ;) Hope everyone enjoys the Spring - it's always been such a season of hope and renewal for me; perhaps it is for you as well.