To test or not to test. That is the question!

You know something weird? I don't want to test!!! I like pretending that I could actually be pregnant. I like Mom fussing over me carrying boxes downstairs because I might trip. I like eating health and taking extra good care of myself because it could affect the baby if there is one there. I don't want to finality of this cycle not working in the form of a negative test or worse a digital that screams NOT PREGNANT. Those are so evil.

December 8,2009~ IUI day!!!!

I had a hard time sleeping the night before. I was so excited!! We went together and had to be there at 11:00 for Brad to make his deposit. After that we did not have to be back until 1:30. Neither of us was hungry so we decided to go over to Rocky Mountain Sports and dream a little. We got back about 1:15 and they were running late. We did not get called back until about 2:20. We were so nervous and the waiting just added to that. We were finally called back and it was showtime. They had me undress from the waist down. Of course I got a little smack on the tush from the peanut gallery as I was jumping up on the table. Just like home! I tell ya dealing with infertility will bring you closer than you ever imagined.

Dr. Toledo came in pretty quick and seemed so very optimistic. We was very happy to see that the progression was 3 on a scale of 0-4. He told Brad he was one step down from Michael Phelps. Overall count was acceptable but with the progression being a 3he felt more confident. Dr. T was also very happy with my response to Clomid. We had 4 mature follicles. The more targets the better!

The insemination itself was quick and painless. No worse than an annual pap. They had me lay there for about 15 minutes with my hips elevated. Of course we giggled and joked while we waited then went on our way!

We had not eaten since lunch so we went to Olive Garden for soup and salad. It was a dreary day so perfect for gniocchi soup. Brad was so funny. He just could not decompress. He said he had never had this feeling before. It was super cute and made me fall in love with him even more, if that is possible. He was filled with excitement and optimism. It was contagious. We had a nice late lunch then headed home to relax.

And then the waiting....... 14 long days until we will know if this did the trick!!! I know we have many people praying for us. I am praying for our Christmas MIRACLE!!!

IUI #1 cycle details.

I took 150mg of clomid cycle days 5-9. The side effects were not horrible. Just a few headaches and moodiness. I still had the visual issues I usually get. It only bothers me when going from a dark room to a well lit room.

On cycle day 14 I got a positive surge on my ovulation predictor kit. This was very odd as I usually don't ovulate until day 17 or 18. Luckily I had my mid-cycle ultrasound the same day. I had 4 follicles measuring 1.8/ 1.8/ 1.6/ 1.4. They ordered blood work to check my LH (luteinizing hormone). That test showed that I was not ready to ovulate. We think it was a false positive left over from the clomid. I was sent home with instructions to continue to monitor for LH with my kits. If no positive by Monday I was to come in for another ultrasound.

Monday rolled around and there was no surge by the time my ultrasound was scheduled. Brad went with me on this visit. They said the follicles were looking more mature and things were looking good. They decided to give me 2 more days to detect my LH surge. If there was no surge by Tuesday I was going to have to have a shot to induce ovulation. Brad was taught how to give this to me. I think he was really hoping he would get to play Dr.

We left the office and went straight to CVS to buy a new pack of ovulation predictor kits. I immediately went to the bathroom there in the store and what popped up but a smiley face!!! My surge had been detected!!!! I ran out and showed Brad then called the Dr. to set up our IUI for the next day Tue December 8.

I love rainy days!!!

I love me a rainy day. We have big plans today that include a yummy breakfast (chorizo and potatoes) followed by watching football in our PJ's on the sofa all day.

We have had a fun weekend. Friday night we had dinner with Bo and Michelle then went to get our Christmas tree. I spent the rest of the night untangling lights. I plan to put them away better this year! :o) Saturday we had a few things to tend to for Brad's Peachtree Dunwoody house. We came home and spent the rest of the day decorating the tree. I am shocked by how beautiful the tree turned out. It was a horribly awful looking tree when we started. Seriously the ugliest tree I have ever seen. I love decorating the tree. My Mom started a tradition of giving us ornaments each year. I love to unwrap them and reminisce as we hang them. This is a tradition I plan to continue with our kido's. Off to enjoy my breakfast!

IUI preperations (Cycle #40)

Our first IUI cycle started out crazy! I was running around like a mad woman getting poked and prodded for 3 days in order to squeeze this cycle in. Day 1 was 11/21 and just happened to be the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I only had 3 days to get everything done.

I needed blood work and an ultrasound on day 3. So I jumped up first thing Monday and started scheduling appointments. I went through my OBGYN for the ultrasound and blood work in order to have insurance coverage. This also means I had to coordinate the sharing of information between the two offices. That is never easy! The blood work was to test for a about 15 different things. Everything from HIV to STD's to Chicken Pox immunity even cystic fibrosis genes. They took about 10 huge vials of blood. The nurse said it might take two weeks. EEK!!! I was so nervous it would not be back by time for the insemination. They won't do it without reviewing the blood work first.

Tuesday I called Toledo's office to let him know where I was in the process and get my clomid prescription. I was advised that I had to have a blood pregnancy test before they would prescribe. So I set up an appointment with OBGYN for Wed morning. They took my blood and said "OK sweetie we will have the results for you Monday". Well that just would not work. I needed them that day in order to start clomid which I had to start THAT DAY! They offered to put a rush on it for $50 but no guarantees. The nurse and I decided it would be best for me to go on over to Toledo's since it might not get back. She went ahead and gave me the blood she had drawn to take with me.

I rushed over to Toledo's office thinking they would be closed as it was Noon. There I was frantic, running around town with a vial of blood. No clue what to do with the blood if they would not accept it. It was very strange. They were so sweet and worked me in within 20 minutes. They even took the blood that had been drawn and did not charge me. The nurse went over the protocol and she gave me my prescription. I was a happy girl and IUI cycle # 1 (and only hopefully) was underway!!!

Here comes the bride....

On November 7th we celebrated the marriage of Lauren Clowney and Justin McConnell. I was honored to be the Matron of Honor. The wedding was beautiful and they could not be more happy.

It was such a great weekend. Lauren did an amazing job pulling everything together. We had great helpers like my sister an her hubby Justin as well as my folks.

Friday night we had a rehearsal at the clubhouse and a pizza dinner. After that we went back to Brad's parents. It was just Jean, Larry, Lauren, Brad and me. We ended up having a dance party to the Bee Jee's in our PJ's. It was so fun.

Saturday morning we got up and had to be at the hair salon by 10. We really should have set the appointment for earlier as we were a bit rushed. It took them TWO hours! After that we dashed over to the nail salon to have her nails touched up. We got home just in time to get our dresses on and get a few pre wedding photos.

Lauren was a stunning bride!! The wedding went off without a hitch. The food was so yummy and the reception room turned out to be perfect for the 70 guests that attended.

Many years of happiness to the Bride and Groom!

5th Wedding anniversary!!

On October 16th we celebrated 5 years of marriage. We decided to stay close to home to save money. I spent weeks researching something fun and different in GA. I found Historic Banning Mills. It was fantastic and a great deal! We were able to get a package that included the room w/jacuzzi, a candle light dinner and a zip line canopy tour. So we decided on an adventure get away. And boy, was it an adventure. It took about 3 hours. We zipped down canyons and crossed over wire bridges. It was exhausting yet exhilarating. After our tour we spent a while in the lodge playing checkers and watching others as they zipped through the woods. Our dinner was served in our room and was delicious. On the way home we stopped for lunch at Maggiano's to reminisce. It has been a wonderful 5 years and we had so much fun celebrating it. I feel like we are closer than ever. If you want to see pictures of our adventure check out: http://tinyurl.com/ybgn88f

How we got to IUI#1.

In March of 08 Brad had surgery. We gave it a go with 3 rounds of clomid that fall to no avail. The winter of 09 we did more testing and waiting. In May I called my OBGYN and begged her to let me do one last round of clomid. During that cycle at my mid cycle ultrasound they noticed something that looked like a fibroid. At this point they decided it was time for me to have surgery to check that out and to look for endometriosis. They had held off on this surgery because if IVF was going to be our only option the surgery would have been a waste.

In June we found out we were candidates for IUI after an IVF consult with Dr. Toledo. We were thrilled! Dr. Toledo, our fertility specialist suggested that my OBGYN do the surgery and he would assist so that it would be covered by insurance. We were not able to get the surgery scheduled until September so we waited and waited some more.

The surgery was September 24, 2009 and went great. They found stage III endometriosis and removed it. That alone would have caused us to have only about 1% chance of getting pregnant on our own. They also found the fibroid was on my ovary and removed it as well. A D&C was preformed as well.

Recovery was rough. I took 4 days off from work and really did not feel great for an entire month. That really surprised me. I had 3 incisions. 2 small on either side by my hips and one in my belly. The belly was the worst! I was bloated for a month or so after the surgery too.

We decided to take October off and let my body finish healing as well as to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. The plan was to have our first and hopefully only IUI in November.

Our Story

It all started back in 1995 when we were introduced by a friend. We started dating January 1996 and had our first official date at the Circus. We were finally married in 2004 at the church where my parents married 38 years before us. After 2 years of marriage we decided to build our first home. Eight months later we moved in and were balancing the new house mortgage and our condo mortgage for a year and 1/2. The condo finally sold and life was settling down. We were ready to start our family. This is right when the housing market tanked and Brad was laid off from Ryland after 8 years with them. It turned out to be a blessing as Brad started his own business, Bradley Built Signature Homes, and is loving it. The only downside was that we lost insurance for infertility. We had great coverage through Ryland and now there is NONE. We pay for everything out of pocket.

We started trying to concieve in August of 2006. After 8 months we started testing with my OBGYN and were referred to Dr. Toledo with Reproductive Biology Associates. This is where the fun begins!

Taking the plunge!

I am finally taking the plunge into the blogging world. We have so much going on in our lives right now. I don't want to forget any of the events or emotions we are currently experiencing. I hope this will also be an outlet to release some of the emotions that go along with the roller coaster we are currently on. Thank you for taking an interest in our lives and for your support!!