Tuesday, May 26, 2015

A busy birthday and Memorial Day week

We have been busy busy busy these last few days.  My birthday was last Wednesday and I am the ripe old age of 32!  My son was sure to point it out to everyone he came in contact with that day 'My mom is 32 now'  I had some gift cards and a nice card waiting on my bathroom counter from my husband.  I went out to lunch with some friends and some even brought me gifts -- totally unexpected but appreciated.  I just wanted to spend some time with my favorites before we move. 

I also received a really great gift from my IPs.  I cannot get past the fact that they know me so well and that their gifts are so thoughtful.  They gave me this beautiful trinket dish which is perfect considering I keep my 'everyday' jewelry in a mason jar on the counter.  I packed it back up and put it away so I can display it in a beautiful place once we move, but I was still floored at such a beautiful sentiment.



My husband also surprised me with a babysitter and we went out to a nice dinner at a seafood place on the water.  I unfortunately could not enjoy my meal because I was feeling under the weather.  That under the weather continued through the rest of the week and Saturday I suffered from a really bad headache all day.  If I continued feeling like this, there is no way that I could go to the Coca-Cola 600 race the next night with our kids in Charlotte, NC.  Friday we played 18 holes of golf for the Marine Corps Ball benefit.  It was the first time I have ever played 18 holes at once and it was quite a day.  It was long and I was so tired by the end -- but you know, I am not a bad golfer!



I have been coughing and having a sore throat compounded with the headache and I was miserable.  I woke up Sunday morning and vowed to make the best of it even though I was feeling fatigued and just down right yucky.  We dropped Piper off at a friends and made the 4.5 hour drive to Charlotte.  We took Leah and Weston and we weren't sure how this was going to pan out, but it actually worked really well.  The kids enjoyed the race immensely especially since they each picked their own favorite drivers with no help or urging of my own *cough Kasey Kahne cough*  Weston chose Kyle Busch because he likes the M&M car (Busch drove the Skittles car this weekend) and Leah chose Carl Edwards because she likes how he does the back flip off of the car when he wins. 

Yesterday was Memorial Day here in the States (I know I have some international readers).  Memorial Day has been a somber affair.  Essentially is is remembering those who have given all when fighting for our country.  Each of the drivers chose a fallen service member that they put the name on the top of their windshield and that Angel was riding with the driver for the race.  As a military spouse, things like this shake me to the core.  Knowing that there are wives out there who will never put their arms around their husbands or kids who will never be tucked in by their mom or dad again just gets me in the feels.  When these men and women are honored, it chokes me up.  We are not immortal. Life is never guaranteed.  It was special to be at the race and to see these heroes stories told over the jumbotron at the race.  They all have a story.  They all left behind loved ones far too early.  The American Sniper's (Chris Kyle) wife (Taya) received a patriotism award and spoke at the race. Also the spouse of one of the fallen Marines in the helicopter crash in Florida was the Grand Marshal of the race.  Charlotte sure knows how to show the importance of our military families!


Just some photos from various points in the race




Leah Made a Coke for her best friend Izzie!
Weston made a Coke for his Uncle Kraig in Wisconsin (That's his best buddy!)

Parachuters before the race started


Gigantic flag for the National Anthem

Weston excited to see his driver go by.  He watched the no 18 car like a hawk.







As a total side note, I have never liked the Busch brothers. I have always thought they were cocky and had terrible attitudes.  Then I read an article about Kyle Busch and the struggle he had with his wife with infertility.  After conceiving their son with IVF, they set up a benefit to help others suffering infertility.  So check it out!  It is through the REACH clinic in Charlotte NC.

Kyle Busch & Wife Face Infertility Woes

Monday, May 18, 2015

Another song to tie in this week's post! Shot shot shot shot

This song has been the mantra of my life since March 20.  Why you ask?  Not because I have been drinking like a fish.  As I bend over the couch nightly (get your mind over the gutter!), I hear this song, specifically the "Shot, Shot, Shot, Shot!" So the normal for shots is that there are no normals.  Some people get incredible lumps, bruises, numbness, pain, allergic reactions or the lucky ones have no problems at all with shots.  At this point, tonight I have had 61 shots administered in my bum in 2 months.  My estrogen is still every third night and my progesterone is every night.

Once we had a healthy ultrasound, I got my taper schedule. I was not excited to see vaginal suppositories on there -- lets just say that they are unsavory and chalky when they disintegrate.  But my bum has had it.  I have had a reasonably easy time, but my body has decided it should have a mild allergic reaction to the progesterone now.  The oil is so thick (think olive oil coming out of a syringe because that is what kind they sometimes use -- Ours is Sesame Seed Oil)  that it can cause knots.  Fortunately for me, I have only had one knot so that hasn't been my problem.  But itchy cheeks have been an issue -- as in my butt cheeks are terribly itchy from the oil breaking up and moving down.   So not only do I have itchy cheeks, but they feel sunburned too.  So I scratch sunburn Youch.   I also have big numb spots (which I suppose are better than big painful lumps!) 

With that being said, I counted down and only had 11 shots left until I was weaned and free!  However I have had spotting problems off and on for a week and a half now.  Doesn't seem to matter how active I am or if I lay on the couch, I am still spotting once a day.  There is nothing to be alarmed about and its barely worth mentioning except if it is my cervix irritated, then vaginal suppositories can make it worse.  So I have to remain on both shots until further notice.  This might continue until our next Ultrasound as well.  And I am on strict pelvic rest until further notice as well!

Thursday I went to the lab for the prenatal blood work -- I think they tested me for everything under the sun between now and the FDA testing -- plus I had to give two different urine samples! 



 This weekend we went to an airshow at the Air Force Base about an hour and a half away.  We had fun until the kids got hot and tired! 









Finally some photos and information about was is going on in this uterus with the little teacup. I can tell you that some days are great with sickness and some days are horrific.  Today being the latter.  I have felt so ill all day and evening.  Hungry I think, until I eat then I feel awful for eating.  Potatoes don't even sound good!!

Today we are 7w4d or 7w5d pregnant depends on the app/calendar so some of the information is from 7 weeks on the apps and some on 8 weeks!  But the baby is now between the size of a blueberry or raspberry but apparently my uterus is now the size of an orange so maternity clothes might be pulled out before long.  Right now I am doing just fine but as that uterus expands, I will not hold out on maternity clothes!  I need comfort!! I imagine the weight gain and tummy fluff is from the meds but I also know that I needs 300 more calories a day so bring on the ice cream and pickles (But not together!)

Starting to look more like a baby and less like a shrimpy tadpole!


Still in my regular clothes and have room to spare!
Wild how fast that baby is growing!  Just a few short weeks ago, this baby was a ball of cells and now it is moving and a heart is beating!  It is amazing! 




See Justification for Maternity Clothes! 
Oh thanks for noticing about my melons!  Bras kind of suck right now especially with sun burn.  Free the girls! 

So that is that!  Info about the baby and a little about my week!  And 3 weeks from today is the day that we move to Northern Virginia!  This weekend we are heading for Charlotte to go to the Nascar Race with 2 of our 3 kids so the little teacup will get to experience the rumble of those cars from the inside just as teacup got to experience Air Force jets from the inside!  Baby gets to be well traveled before it is even born but mom and dad like to travel to so its time for teacup to get used to being well traveled! 

PS Shot shot shot shot -- time for that now too! 

Thursday, May 14, 2015

You say potatoes, I say potatoes.

Okay that loses a little bit in translation when it is written and not said.  The point of this post is to explain why I have gained 16 lbs since the start of meds!

During my super ill stage, all I wanted was potatoes.  Potatoes in any form. I felt like I was rattling off types of potatoes the same way that Forrest Gump did in the movie.  Potato soup, hash browns, french fries, baked potatoes, oven roasted potatoes, peeled raw potatoes, scalloped potatoes.  I wanted them all!  It was the only thing that made my stomach feel settled so all day I ate potatoes for a few weeks.  I told my IM about this who told the IF.  Apparently, IF's dad is a good Irish man who likes potatoes-- like he once had a meat and 3 potatoes with that meal.  So I will blame this strong desire for potatoes on genetics-- it must be the Paternal Grandfather bringing on these cravings!  Now I just need to limit the potatoes to 1-2 servings a day. I might be pregnant but I can't use that excuse to let my weight get out of hand.  When the pregnancy is over, I have to lose every pound so I am aiming for that 25-30 lbs recommended.  Starting this many pounds up is hard, but it is very common in IVF because the extra hormones involved!

Also I had a quick appointment today with my OB.  She just went over the ultrasound results and basically it said -- one healthy baby with a heartbeat and there was no talk about the SCH or any reason for bleeding.  Just seems to be the 'norm' for IVF and I just need to relax about it! 

Finally, since I had a great ultrasound, it means I can start weaning from meds next week.  I change from progesterone shots to vaginal suppositories (these things are a real treat!).  I use 2 a day for 2 weeks then I am done with progesterone. I continue the estrogen every third day until June 4 as well.  I am glad that the shots are coming to an end because my bum is quite sore lately.  My husband says that the needle gives resistance when he tries to administer the shot. I don't have lumps but I do have a lot of bruising so seeing the end of the injections will be a huge highlight!

Next up is the ultrasound on June 1 and the weekend after that we will be moving up to the DC area.  A lot happening in the next couple of weeks -- this week is an airshow, next week is my birthday and next weekend we are taking an overnight trip to Charlotte Motor Speedway because we got free tickets to the Nascar race so now my kids get to experience that (minus Piper -- she will be with a babysitter!)

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Livin' on a prayer!

If you want to see the connection with the title of this blog-- you are going to have to read it all the way through.  And with history repeating itself, I am long winded and you should expect this one to be long too!  I write a lot not only to explain things, but also for those who only know me through the blog, they can get to know who I am because I am carrying their grandchild, niece or nephew, future godchild, best friend's baby-- whatever the case may be, at least you will get to know the person from afar that is carrying this precious cargo for a few months.

I wanted to post something over the weekend but I started having some bleeding scares....So I opted not to post anything because I was just uncertain and didn't want to jinx anything or misinform.  (My IPs were aware of this as was my agency coordinator).We went out for dinner on Friday and came home and I just felt like I needed to go check and sure enough, I was spotting. I took it easy and remained on the couch for the rest of the weekend.  What else did we have to do other than take it easy?  We had tropical storm Ana hitting the shores so all we had was a lot of rain!


But I was nervous-- who wouldn't be?  Something about carrying a child for another couple brings out the worry wort in me!  I never worried during my own pregnancies.  But like watching someone elses child, you are much more aware of what is going on!  So with the bleeding, it brought worry.




This is something I posted in the past on my other surrogacy blog-- but the same sentiments hold true-- I will feel better when...
  • I will feel better when we find out the quality of the embryos after the thaw.
  • I will feel better when I get my first positive pregnancy test.
  • I will feel better when the lines get darker.
  • I will feel better when the test line gets as dark as the control line.
  • I will feel better when I have a positive normal beta.
  • I will feel better when I have a beta with a doubling time of 48 hours.
  • I will feel better when I see the baby on ultrasound.
  • I will feel better when I see the baby's heartbeat on ultrasound.
  • I will feel better when I make it out of the first trimester.
  • I will feel better when everything looks normal on the anatomy scan.
  • I will feel better when I make it to viability.
  • I will feel better when I make it to 32 weeks because the baby has an excellent chance of being healthy.
  • I will feel better when baby reaches full term.
  • I will feel better when the baby is born safely and into his or her mother & father's arms.
  • I will feel better when the baby is released from the hospital to go home.
  • I will feel better when I have enough milk that the family has a nice stash.
Sunday was Mother's Day and we didn't do a lot but I had planned to take my oldest daughter Leah to a painting class that night so I thought it would be okay to go do that since I would be sitting most of the night even in class.  We had the whole studio to ourselves and this was a fun time just to spend with me and Leah.  Here are the paintings we did-




These are all of the duty stations we have been to since we have been married.


This is where Leah's grandparents all live.  G-dog is my dad (he thinks he is too young to be called a grandpa!), Grandma and Grandpa are Kurt's parents and Pappy Cary and Nonnie are my godparents and we are actually moving close to them next month!

 I had called the clinic and they told me to take it easy, pelvic rest and no picking anything up more than 10 lbs until my ultrasound which was today.  My Clinic coordinator called me yesterday and said that 60% of her IVF patients actually have bleeding around this gestation and it does not affect the outcome of the cycle-- just one of those things that are the norm of IVF.  I knew this, I knew that SCH (blood pockets between the placenta and the uterine wall) are common, but you always hope that it won't happen to you!

Today I went for the scan and the tech wouldn't tell me much of anything.  She did not tell me if I have a SCH.  She also would not do the transvaginal ultrasound and only did the abdominal ultrasound.  The transvaginal usually give better views and more accurate measurements especially this early in the pregnancy when the baby is somewhere between a grain of rice and blueberry.


This is what the 6week ultrasound looks like on the app that I follow -- basically a little blob. 

So the tech did say that the baby has a heart rate of 124 and that it is measuring 6w1d on one view and 6w2d on the other view.  Which we are about 6w5d so that is perfect.  Measurements are probably slightly off due to the abdominal ultrasound and having a bit more fat/skin/muscles to view this through.  Aside from that, I have to wait for more information at my OB appointment on Thursday.

SO here are some photos but some of my friends have asked -- 'Is that two yolk sacs?' 'Why is the baby on the left of the gestational sac, then on the right of the gestational sac?'  I don't know but the lady only said one baby so I am sticking with that!  These are all abdominal views.  The nurse coordinator from the clinic called and she said that she was pleased that they were able to get good views and actually measure the heartbeat abdominally since we are so early and that its a good sign that all of the measurements could be obtained like this! and she also remarked how lucky I am to have my IPs.  I definitely feel very blessed!!

  So here are the pictures-- I labeled the best I could for what stuff is!


This is where the tech measured the heart rate.

This is a close up of the image in the heart rate scan.  If you look to the left of the line, there looks like a black circle, a bit to the left of that, by the edge of the gestational sac, there is another black circle -- some have suggested that it looks like two yolk sacs?!  I don't really know. I am still sticking with ONE baby :)

Due Date is New Years Eve -- With any luck, I will make it through Christmas at home!  Heart Rate is 124 beats per minute

So now that you have hung with me this long-- what does this song have to do with this blog or this situation?



Well apparently this little teacup has channeled their inner Bon Jovi-- That song also has 124 bpm!  How do I know this?  My amazing IPs are sending me youtube videos that channel their baby so they know the speed their little baby's heart is beating!   I told a friend their response and she dug up her inner 80's goddess (aquanet, leg warmers, blue eye shadow and all) and dubbed this baby Tommy Gina-- I surround myself with the most wonderful and hilarious people! 

Also it helps that through all of this-- we are all living on a prayer!  Many people are praying for us all over the world-- keep them coming, they really seem to be working!

More information on Thursday after my appointment-- though I think my OB will just say 'Everything looks great!' because well... everything looks great! 

Friday, May 1, 2015

Eeeeekkkkk!!

Third beta results are in and they are GREAT


Our doubling time went from 46 hours to double to 39 hours to double!  (That is good!)

Numbers are just below average but anywhere between yellow and blue is normal!
Explanation of beta doubling times and how they change as the numbers get larger.  Right now, our level should be doubling between 72 and 96 hours but ours took half of that time!
  Basically the point of this post is that everything is perfectly perfect right now.  Now onto a 1.5 week wait until ultrasound!!!  It is going to take FOREVER!!!