The One with the Latest

So it's been a little while but I just wanted to update on what's been going on with Project Make a Baby #2.

I got my period very shortly after the last post and started Estrace that day.  It did cause some headaches, but not as bad as the tap dancing leprechauns.  I took it twice a day for 12 days.

While I was on that, my PIO meds and super stabby needles arrived.  There are two bags of needles here, one with the syringe and one with just needles.  I draw up the med from the vial using a thicker needle and inject with a thinner one (both 1 1/2 inches long though!).

Baby sharps container is back for round two!

Close up of the big ass mo-fo needles.

On the 18th, I increased the Estrace to three times a day.

On the morning of the 19th, I went in for my baseline ultrasound to check on my fabulous uterus and see how things were looking in there.  The nurse was kinda cranky that day but she did say that everything looked great and my stripe was perfect.  She told me I'd get a call from one of the nurses later that day with my instructions.

When the nurse called, she told me I was going to start PIO that night and continue taking the Estrace.  I had to call the lab on Wednesday and they would let me know how frobaby was doing and schedule my transfer for Thursday the 24th if all looked good.

I will do a separate post about the PIO, but it really hasn't been that bad.  Hubs has been amazing and even though he gets super nervous beforehand, he has been doing my shots each night like a champ.

When I called the lab on Wednesday afternoon, the embryologist told me everything looked good and that I was to come in on Thursday at 9:30 for my transfer.

So, yesterday morning, Hubs took Liam to swim class (so sad I missed seeing them in the pool together) and I sat in massive amounts of traffic to get to the center.  If you remember from Thing 1 and Thing 2's transfer, I need a full bladder for this procedure.  So that was awesome sitting in traffic having to pee.

Things went well during the actual transfer.  The embryologist showed me a picture of frobaby and said it looked great.  One of the other doctors in the practice that I hadn't met yet did the actual procedure and he was extremely calm and peaceful during the whole thing.  Frobaby got loaded up in the catheter and even though I wasn't able to see a great picture on the ultrasound screen this time (the machine was being wonky), the doctor said he put frobaby in a great spot up in there.

I came home and rested for a bit (really for about 3 minutes before L needed something) and now we just wait.  I have a beta blood test scheduled for a couple of weeks from now when I get back from vacation and hopefully it will be good news.  We know there is such a small chance of this leading to a viable pregnancy, but it is completely out of our hands now.

I leave you with one more picture that has my hospital bracelet and the top of frobaby's former home.  We saved everything from the procedures that got us L and will do the same with this little one.

Thanks for all the good thoughts and prayers.  Keep 'em coming!

The One with the Baseline

I had my baseline appointment this morning.  This appointment is to check my ovaries to make sure they are sufficiently "sleeping" and to have something to compare the rest of my appointments to in the future.  I had blood work and an ultrasound.  The blood work went surprisingly well considering my teeny tiny nonexistent veins.  The techs at my center are awesome and she got a vein on the first stick.  The blood test was to check my e2 (estrogen) levels and also make sure I'm not already pregnant (would I be doing the stabby needle thing if I was?!).

Only a small mark from the needle and I'm crossing my finger that there won't be a bruise.

The ultrasound involved the tech sticking the vag cam in my va-jay-jay and checking my ovaries for their size and to look for any cysts.

The vag cam.  Come on, you know you're jealous I had a date with this guy this morning.

When the ultrasound was over, the tech said everything looked the way it should and I should expect a phone call this afternoon.

My phone rang around 1:30 this afternoon and the nurse said the blood work and ultrasound were perfect.  She went through the next steps with me.  Tomorrow morning, I cut the dose of Lupron in half (thank you sweet Jesus!) and continue taking 5 iu for the remainder of the cycle.  Tomorrow night, I add in 175 iu of Follistim.  This is the stimulation medication that will help my ovaries to produce lots of eggs.  I go back to the doctor's office on Monday for blood work to check my hormone levels.  Hopefully everything will look fabulous and I'll be able to continue the protocol.

Updated calendar with the new meds and appointments.

I'm nervous, excited, and hoping that the leprechauns (The Leprechauns with Spikey Shoes) are gone for good.  I'll post again after the addition of the Follistim.  Crossing my fingers that my ove's start doing lots of egg producing!