Remember that ultrasound?

I can't believe it's taken me so long to write this post.  Between Christmas and a long stretch of night shifts, I haven't had time to do anything Blogger-related.  I've got a lot of catching up to do!

We went to Houston last Tuesday for my 6w2d scan, and the ultrasound looked a little like this:

Actually, it looked a lot like that, since it's a crappy iPhone picture of the actual ultrasound picture.  We're having twins.  Baby A was measuring 6w2d with a heartrate of 110 and Baby B measured 6w1d with a heartrate of 112.  Everything looks perfect for this stage.  Hearing our babies' hearts beating was such an overwhelmingly emotional experience.  We've never had a normal heartrate on ultrasound, so while other pregnancies may have technically lasted longer, this one is already more successful than any of them.  We've got a lot of hurdles to cross before we get to the finish line, but I just have a feeling that this is IT!  Thanks again for all of your prayers-  we need them now more than ever!

All is Calm, All is Bright

 Merry Christmas from Porkchop and Lukas!

Today is a Good Day for many reasons, chief among them being that it's Christmas.  Other reasons that it's a fabulous day:

* Today, I am assured that I have a place in heaven because Jesus was born, died and was resurrected for my sins.
* Today, I am still pregnant (6 weeks exactly!).
* Today, I get to spend time with family and friends who love me unconditionally (and will buy me presents!).

What's not to love about this day?   I hope that you are in good company, surrounded by love and laughter, with many reasons to celebrate.

Merry Christmas!

5 Weeks

I am 5 weeks pregnant today.  It's a bit surreal to even say that!  I'm just trying to keep busy until my ultrasound on the 27th, and praying that everything is progressing as it is supposed to.  Other than random fits of nausea,  I don't really feel pregnant- so a visual confirmation that I am indeed with child will be welcomed!

Don't Jinx It!

The #1 rule of being a pregnant infertile:  You don't talk about being a pregnant infertile.

Beta #2 today: 925!  Still a great number and everything looks great.  However, I still can't quite wrap my head around the fact that I am pregnant.  I feel like if I talk about it or think about it too much, I'll jinx it.  Then I remind myself that I don't believe in curses, or superstitions and silly nonsense like that.  And then I remind myself that I wore the same "lucky" socks to Every.Single.Appointment this cycle.  There's no winning here.  

I am concerned about my progesterone levels, though.  My P4 today was 18.1.  The nurse initially said that anything over 10 was great since I'm using Crinone.  When I reminded her that I switched to PIO injections, she said "Oh, that's still fine".  However, Dr. Google tends to marginally disagree, so I've sent her an email urging her to check with the BabyMaker in the morning.  We shall see.

I'm cautiously optimistic that I may just get to meet this baby (or these babies?!).  Now, I just have to wait two weeks for my first ultrasound at 6 weeks,  2 days without driving myself completely insane. 

Beta Day #1

Ok...  I haven't exactly been an angel during my 9 day wait for my beta test.  I will admit to caving and taking a pregnancy test at 3dp5dt that was completely and overwhelmingly negative.  Of course it was- that was insanely early, and it was stupid.  However, beginning on Wednesday  (5 days after transfer), I started noticing a strange phenomenon.  There was an odd faint pink line where before there was only white space.  The faintest of faints at first, every day it became ever-so-slightly darker. 

I had blood drawn Sunday to check my hcg levels to confirm that I am indeed pregnant.  The nurse called back with my beta level- 411.  It's official!  Right this very second, I am growing a fetus or two.  Who knows what Tuesday's test will bring (the level needs to double every 48 hours), but I'm enjoying the heck out being pregnant in this moment!

**Note to people that I know in real life:  I know that I said I wouldn't know anything until Wednesday.  I'm just not ready yet for so many people to know- it's incredibly hard to un-tell this kind of thing if things don't work out.  Feel free to let me know that you know, but please don't tell anyone else!

A Fertile Infertile

I wish Sunday (and subsequently Tuesday) would hurry up.  This whole waiting thing is for the birds.  I'm scared to death and need to know something, anything.

It's not that I'm afraid of a negative test.  I can deal with that.  I'm terrified of being pregnant, and then not being pregnant.  During all of our fertility cycles, we've never had trouble getting pregnant- it's staying that way that's hard for me.   So many things are different now- I've added drugs, changed meds and tested our babies so that we have the best possible chance for the only positive outcome that counts... a healthy baby in the Pierce house.  So why am I so completely and utterly worried and why the heck does this have to be so hard? 

Tea Time

Paul hates tea.  Not just a little bit- he loathes it.  If tea was the only choice of beverage available, he swears that he would thirst to a slow and painful death.  I think that he just hasn't found the right tea yet.  His disdain for the most perfect beverage known to man made him the obvious lunch-date choice when my Groupon to a local tea room was about to expire. 

The Glenwood Village Tea Room is exactly what springs to mind when I think of hot tea.  It's warm and cozy and comfortable.  I adore the fact that none of the china matches and the chairs are rogue misfits collected over decades.     Paul, on the other hand, feels like he is trapped in some alternate Granny dimension where chintz teacups and musty antiques reign.  While we have clearly differing views on the decor and atmosphere, we are unanimous in our love of the amazing Cheese and Onion Pie and dessert scones.  Amazing.  Next time, he's trying the tea.  He just doesn't know it yet.

Passing Time

I'm 3dp5dt.  For those blessed enough not to know what the heck I'm talking about, it means that I am 3 days post a 5 day transfer.  Not much is going on in my uterus, as far as I can tell.  I'm feeling little crampy-pulling-twitches intermittently, but not much else.  Paul (and if you know him, this is even funnier) says that the embryos are suckling on uterus teats.  I'm pretty sure I don't have uterus teats, but it's a funny visual anyway.  I hope that our babies have his warped sense of humor.  That's one of the things I love most about him.

Since I don't have a huge, exciting baby update for you, I thought I'd show you a little tree skirt project I finished last night. 

Without further ado:

It came from Pinterest originally, but I followed the directions here.  I cheated and used 3 inch strips of fabric, because I have a 3-inch wide ruler.   The whole process took about 4 hours (and lots of burned fingers), but it was so worth it.  I love it! 

If you choose to attempt this, please use a painter's drop-cloth as your base.  Do NOT buy two yards of canvas at Hobby Lobby for $8.99/yard.  Also, I've read that flat bed sheets from Wal-Mart make excellent fabric strips as opposed to cotton batiste purchased for $6.99/yard.  Learn from my mistakes- don't turn a $20 project into a $50 one, I beg you.    :)

I Would Do Anything

When we started the IVF process, my biggest fear was the PIO shots because I know firsthand how much they hurt.  I was so relieved when my nurse told we that we'd be using Crinone instead.  Yesterday, after the transfer, I practically begged her to let me switch to the injections because I wanted to ensure my levels were high enough to support a possible pregnancy. Funny how your priorities shift, isn't it?

The nurse covering the weekend called this morning- not a call I expected, and seeing the number scared the bejeezus out of me!  Thankfully, the news wasn't bad.  My progesterone levels aren't low, but my doctor decided this morning that he'd rather err on the side caution.  Because of our past history with miscarriages, he wants to switch me to PIO shot.  So, from here until a positive blood test, and from there until I'm 12 weeks pregnant, I'll be the recipient of a lovely IM injection daily.  Yay!  Anything for a baby (or two).

Bob and Martha (and Elmer)

Yesterday, we transferred two perfect little embryos, Bob and Martha (don't worry, these will not be our children's real names...).  I wasn't quite sure what to expect out of the process, but it went really smoothly!

Our perfect, amazing little embryos!

We woke up early so we wouldn't feel rushed.  During a quick breakfast, the BabyMaker called to let us know that the embryos were about to be thawed and he had a few quick questions.  Did we still want to transfer 2?  Yes, please.  Did the sex matter, or did we want the two best quality?  Well, we'd like to transfer one of each, but the quality is most important.  Let me check- the two best are one boy and one girl, so that settles that.  Sounds perfect, it was meant to be!  Then, my nurse gets on the phone and reminds me to Come with a full bladder.  Yes ma'am. We ran into the grocery store to grab a few bottles of water and some pineapple juice (which is supposed to aid in implantation?  Whatever.)  This little santa piggy jumped into my cart, and had to come home with us.  We named him Elmer.  I'm getting off topic, but I'm kind of in love with him.  Anyway...

Elmer, and the survival kit- cupcakes and juice!

After breakfast and the grocery store, we headed to the acupuncture clinic for my pre-transfer appointment.  Once we left the clinic, we realized that the horrible Houston traffic that we'd accounted for was nowhere to be found, and we were about 2 hours early for the transfer.  No beuno.  So, we did what anyone else would do- we stopped in at Sprinkles and bought a dozen cupcakes to be consumed during my bedrest stint.  ($40 for 12 cupcakes is insane, but these things are AM.A.ZING).  We were still 45 minutes early to our transfer appointment, but I'd certainly rather be early than late.  Who wants to grant custody to a mother who can't even show up on time?

All morning, I'd been chugging water to ensure that my uterus would show up on the abdominal ultrasound.  A quick scan proved that my drinking had been successful, and we were ready to get started.  I swear my full bladder was the worst part of the whole day.  It was the good-part-of-the-movie-and-I-really-need-to-pee feeling on steroids.  For 2 hours.  Ouch!  Once we were settled in the transfer suite, the embryologist brought in a warmer carrying Bob and Martha.  They both started the day as 4AA embryos, but one had fully hatched and become a 5AA.  They were absolutely perfect.  Paul even got to see them under the microscope- his first look at our potential children!  It was such a cool experience. 

 The transfer itself was great- no hiccups at all.  Once we were done, and I'd fulfilled my 45 minutes of laying down in the clinic, we headed back to the hotel, where I promptly passed out.  The Valium they'd given me kicked in very late, and just made me feel hungover- nauseous and headache-y.  Oh well. Totally worth it. 

I am officially Pregnant Until Proven Otherwise.  My beta is on December 11, so keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer that these little ones want to hang around for 8 more months or so!

T-1 Day

We are less than a day from transfer time.  How strange is it to think that I will be sort-of pregnant in about 19 hours?  We're just praying that these guys stick.