A Christmas puppy

We got a puppy!! We have been married over 4 years and I finally talked my husband and myself into getting a dog. Meet Charlie...

IUI #1 is a bust.

enough said.

halfway there!!!

I'm so happy to be halfway through the two week wait! Only 7 more days to go! This was such a long week, and I"m hoping the next week flies by! So, once the ice melted a little, I ran to Wal-Mart and decided to buy stock in pregnancy tests. I bought 7 tests... but they were only 88 cents each. : ) I took one when I got home and the line was barely, barely there. So, I know that I've almost tested out the hcg already. I really couldn't believe it. Then, I decided to take an opk and it was still pretty dark. I'm not really sure if I'll take a test everyday or not. I may take it until it's completely faded and then give it a rest until at least 12 dpiui, which is Sunday.

Anyways, we were back at school today. I'm so thankful, because I was going nuts! I'm going to try and keep busy this week. So far the only symptoms are sore boobs and slight cramps. I've been praying so hard this will work for us.

This ice is driving me mad!

Well this is our third full day of being iced in!! We have about 2 inches of ice on the roads and haven't been able to go anywhere! I'm going crazyyyyy! There's nothing to do but read and watch t.v.

School was canceled on Friday, so I got the day off. During the two week wait, everyone tells you to stay busy to keep your mind off it. Like it's really easy to dismiss the idea that a baby could be growing in your belly?!?  I've found it's been harder  when you are stuck indoors. I'm having trouble keeping my mind busy. The good news is, we have almost made it halfway through the two week wait. We have about a week left to go. I think I'll be testing Monday night, because my husband wants me to wait until Monday. We have both seen how upset testing makes me and don't want a false positive.

I actually took an opk (ovulation test) this morning just to see. I thought that would be better than taking a pregnancy test. It was very positive, just what I thought. This is due to fertility drugs. So, I may take one of those about every other day until the line fades. Just because I'm bored!

For now, I'm trying to stay busy by reading. I've finished Endearing Love and started Gone Girl. Both books are incredible! I'm so thankful for my kindle. I really would have been going crazy without the past few days! New books in an instant!

I'm still remaining very hopeful! I did a little research (I know I shouldn't have) but I think we have about a 25% chance of the iui working. Mostly due to the fact that we had 2 follicles, I don't have fertility issues, and we are young. Makes me feel a little better, but I really don't want to get my hopes up. I will be so heartbroken! Every time I feel excited, I tell myself, "but it probably won't work. 25% isn't that high." I'm just ready for this to be done... the ice and the two week wait : )

1dpiui

Can I just say how thankful I am for you ladies!!! You are truly the best! I was so happy to read your encouraging words tonight and am grateful for each one of you.

This was the first day of our two week wait before knowing the outcome of our iui! let's just say it's going to be a longggg two weeks.

I wanted to add to my post from yesterday. The iui was around noon and then I went home to rest. I just felt mostly cramping and pressure but nothing too bad. We headed to dinner around 6 and the cramps got much worse. I just felt really uncomfortable for a while at the table. Once we finished dinner, we left to head to a Christmas light show and all of a sudden all the cramping went away! Like super fast and I felt immediately better. I started thinking that that must have been ovulation. So, I do believe the follicles were released in time! It was only about 6 or 7 hours after the procedure and the washed sperm are good for 24 hours. I'm hoping that things were timed nicely! : )

I felt strange this morning. Still a lot of cramping and pressure, it's kinda hard to describe. But as the day has gone on, I think it's gotten somewhat better.

I still haven't decided what to do about the pregnancy test thing. The doctor said to wait 14 days, but I'm worried with 2 triggers I'll still get a false positive and get my hopes up. I don't want to be questioning whether or not the test is correct. After some research, I learned that some women test everyday starting around 5dpiui and continue until day 14. This way, they can see the line fade from the fertility drugs and then if a line reappears they will know for sure that they are pregnant. I'm also not too found of seeing a bunch of positive tests. I'm worried it will trick my brain and just cause more anxiety. Any suggestions?!?

Our First IUI

Well today we did our first IUI. I woke up this morning feeling excited, nervous, anxious, scared... I was so glad my husband was in a pretty good mood. He didn't seem that anxious, thank goodness! I was worried because he was going to obtain his sample in the office this time instead of at home. I know that must be such a horrible thing... so awkward and so much pressure. We got to the appointment around 9:15 and he went back to provide his sample. After that was done, we went to chick-fila and had breakfast and then went to bed bath and beyond. We were trying to blow some time until the sample would be ready. We headed back to the doctor around 10:15 and had my sonogram around 10:30. The 2 large follicles were still there which meant I hadn't ovulated yet. They had also grown from 21 to 24. The nurse left for a while and came back and said that I would need a second hcg trigger shot to trigger ovulation. It takes 24-36 hours for these to work and it hadn't quite been 24 hours yet. I really didn't want the second injection because they're 200 dollars a piece and it's just more drugs pumped in my body. We went ahead with it though and went down to the pharmacy to pick up the shot. Then, we headed to the lab to receive our washed sperm. I was so eager to get on with the iui, I didn't even think to check the numbers on the sperm washing. When I finally looked, I was pleasantly surprised! His numbers were really pretty good with 9 million after the washing. That means 9 million really good swimmers! We took it all back to the ob and they administered the second shot and we waited for the doctor. He came in and was cracking jokes about the possibility of twins and how sad it is that it's actually fun for some women to get pregnant (the procedure hurt some.) It wasn't really too bad, but he had trouble getting my cervix to open and had to pinch me with a tenneculum (sp?) which caused a lot of cramping and discomfort but it was over pretty quickly. Once the catheter was inserted all the way to the top of the uterus, he said, "send in the soldiers!" haha! and then it was all over! I laid there for over 30 minutes. I just feel really bloated and kinda crampy. I'm having a little bleeding from the tenneculum and some nausea from the injections, but I'm feeling pretty hopeful. I'm praying so hard that this will actually work and we will have a sweet baby (or two!) on the way before Christmas!! Nothing would make me happier. I would really appreciate prayers for the next two weeks. I know it will be the longest two weeks of my life, but hopefully there will be good news at the end of all this. : )

on our way to iui!

I don't know wether to be excited or nervous. I'm also feeling like I shouldn't get my hopes up. This is all just so much to process. But, I started my 5 days of clomid last Sunday. The only symptom I really had was nausea. It kinda came and went, but feeling sick at Thanksgiving wasn't much fun. I didn't really mind though beacuse I'll do anything to get pregnant!

Today was my first sonogram to check on the results of the clomid. I was excited to see how things looked but I was also nervous that something would be wrong. The first thing the sonogram technician said was my lining looked really thick. That made me excited because I was very nervous about this. Clomid has a tendency to thin the lining making it harder for the embryo to implant. So this was really good news! She quickly started moving her wand back and forth between my two ovaries. She said that I have 2 really big follicles, one on each side. She said, "you know you have a chance of twins right?" and I said yes! She began taking pictures and measuring them. They both measured right at 21. Which she said is perfect. Then she let me know the iui would need to be tomorrow! It wasn't supposed to be until maybe thursday or friday, but it looks like we are getting it done sooner than we thought! They then sent me to the pharmacy in the hospital to pick up an hcg trigger shot. This shot triggers ovulation to help with timing. I went back to the office and waited for the nurse to administer the test and then ran to school to do some sub. plans since I won't be working tomorrow.

I would really appreciate prayers for tomorrow. Specifically, that my husbands sample is really good. This has always been the factor that has caused such a struggle for us. I'm most worried about this aspect. I just know that his numbers need to be high or we won't have much of a chance. Prayers also for perfect timing and a calm mind.

I'll let yall know how it goes. My husband's appointment is at 9:15, then he will give the sample to them for the sperm washing. This takes about half an hour and they will separate the semen from the sperm and clean it up. Then  I have an appointment at 10:30 for a second sonogram and the IUI will be right after that. They said to bring a book because I'll lay down for half an hour afterwards.

!!!!! I'm so excited, but I also don't want to get my hopes up. Prayers please!!