Long Time, No Update!

Well, Today is Feb 27th. I am 15weeks and 3 days along. Just shy of 24 weeks left to go. I can't believe it either! I have stayed on track with the average 5 lb weight gain so far. I've gained 4.5/5 lbs, depending on the morning! This Friday, March 2nd, I have an appointment with my OB for blood work and I am hoping I can hear the heartbeat as well. I havent seen the baby since I was 8w5d, which is sad, but I did get to hear *her* at 12 weeks, and the heart beat was in the 160's. My next ultrasound is March 19th at 1 pm at Vol State. It's free bc students in the sonography Major need practice on live patients, so why not?!?! My 1st and possibly only Ultrasound with my OB is around the 20 week mark, more than likely to find out the sex, which we want to be a surprise, but I'll let them know that before hand! Latest update on baby goodness: We got the nursery painted as well as the crib bedding set ordered and delivered (I'll post pictures soon), and all the furniture has been ordered. It wont be in for a few more weeks. Yes I know I'm not even halfway done and have already done this much, but I'd rather do it now while I am not as large and have more energy to actually want to enjoy the projects! I have purchased my first pair of maternity pants a few weeks back and love them. I may NEVER go back lol. Other than this, not much is going on. I feel occasional flutters at night when I lay down for bed, but I am super excited to actually feel some kicks, as is Daddy! He is starting to get more excited about things, he rubs my belly and kisses it at times, as well as talk to the baby too. Love him.

Until the next update XOXO

And we are released!!

Here is our sweet little baby. 8w5d. Today it was 21.1mm long. On December 27, it was about 5mm. So it is growing very well. We have decided to call it our little HamHock. Also, some other great news. We are officially released from the Fertility Clinic, meaning we are a "normal" pregnancy now!! My final progesterone level was 43.3, so Kelli told me to finish my last 9 days of Crinone and I am COMPLETELY finished with all medicine!!! So very excited. Our first OB appointment is a week from today (I am 9 weeks today!), Jan 20. I am very excited and nervous for this at the same time. We've been at the Clinic for so long, it seems weird to be going somewhere else. But we are beyond blessed and couldn't be more thankful for amazing family, friends, Doctors, technology, and of course God. We have everything because of him!

6 weeks and 2 days

Today we had our first ultrasound at NFC at 10:30. Nervous and Excited doesn't even begin to describe how we were feeling yesterday! I didn't sleep very well, that's for sure!!

Our new due date is Aug 20. So so so excited! Our little baby's heart beat was at 129 bpm. It was so amazing hearing it too! This made it all real! I go back in 2 weeks for my 2nd ultrasound. After this, I am done with the Fertility Clinic!! yay :) Then the week after that is my first appointment with my OB. So very blessed and excited!

Beta, Beta, Bo-beta!

Well all 3 of my beta tests are complete.
12-12: 894
12-14: 2348
12-16: 5353

We are definitely pregnant and couldn't be more blessed!!! And more excited!! I am having typical symptoms right, including tender breast, tiredness, light cramping and always being hungry. No morning sickness yet, but there have been a few times I felt like I could puke a bit. Hopefully I never have to deal with that. Ben said he could tell the same week of the transfer that I was pregnant. I wasn't sure, bc you can make yourself feel pregnant if you want it bad enough lol
Today I am 5w1d. August 17th is going to come so fast, I already can tell. Now all the fun begins, continuing to work on our names list, registries and all that jazz. I want it to be a surprise at birth on the sex, but I want to have the nursery all decorated before hand so I think we more than likely will find out lol. I'm impatient at times!
Our first ultrasound is scheduled on Tuesday December 27th!!! We can't wait to see our sweet little squishy!!! I think that will be its name until we find out!

We're Pregnant!!!

Well, yesterday, 12-12-11, I went for my blood work to see if little Hocker was on it's way. Sure enough....it is!!! My beta came back at 894! Kelli said wow it's high, but that it was a good thing. I go bacin tomorrow, 12-14 for another beta just to make sure all is well.

I can't believe it though! We are finally having a baby. Wow! My due date is around August 17th, 2012. Of course it will change a bit once I start going to the ob-gyn. I just don't know what to say.

I took this 12-12-11 while waiting for my results from the clinic. I waited to test the entire 2 weeks!

Last Update until 12/12

I got the last of my blood work done today, until the actual pregnancy test on 12/12. My E2 level was 523 and my Progesterone level is 31. Kelli, my nurse, said both levels are great and I should continue with my 1cc progesterone shot every night. Now we wait for 11 days. Soooo nervous! But sooo excited :)

Now we wait!

So, Tuesday Nov 29th was the BIG day. Transfer day!!!! I was sooo nervous I had a hard time sleeping the night before. And of course we still had the big choice to make of 1 or 2 embryos (praying that we had any to even use!). So here is how the day went!

We got to the Nashville Fertility Clinic (I don't think I've said where we have gone the entire time!) and checked in about 10:30, for an 11am check-in. I like to be early. They called us back and I had to undress waist down in the beautiful gown again. This time Ben got to wear some beautiful purple scrubs, booties, a hair net, and the mask. He looked super sexy!

So once my vitals were taken (158/89....very high for me, but I was sooooo nervous!), our nurse sent the Embryologist in to tell us the results from PGD. Out of 17 eggs they retrieved, 13 of them were mature enough for ICSI. Of the 13, only 9 fertilized. One of those stopped growing, so we were left with 8 before they tested for PDG. In the end, we only had 3 embabies that were balanced. They say 25% is the normal so we were right above that, which is great. But I was disappointed we didn't have more to be honest. Of the 3, we had 1 Grade A, 1 Grade B and 1 Grade C. The Grade C was left in the culture because it wasn't ready, and they were sure it would get to that point. (I got the call today, 11/30, that it didn't make it :(...) Grade A is above average and Grade b is average, so we had 2 amazing little embabies to use. Here is the first photo of them both :)

Grade B (left) and grade A (right)

After the Embryologist left, Dr Elben came in to help us decide to transfer 1 or both. She said with me being 23 and very healthy, she would suggest 1, only because the Grade A was so great looking. She was also afraid that by having 2 good embabies and transferring them both, one of them would split and leave us with triplets. She made a big point that we didn't want that, For health of myself and the babies. So in the end, we decided to transfer only 1. As far as I know, we transferred grade A (when I call tomorrow I will ask to verify) and we froze the other for another chance down the road.

So I took my Vicodin once all Dr's left my room, and then we just waited. We went into the OR maybe 11:50am and they got me set up and wrapped up in blankets. It was freeeeezing in there-I couldn't feel my toes! Ben was setting on a stool right next to me holding my hand the entire time! So sweet. They nurses used the Ultrasound machine to see if they could find my cervix and decided I needed to drink ever more (mind you, i had a big diet soda for breakfast around 10 and hadn't gone pee after 9:30am, plus drank a small bottle of water with my Vicodin. I really had to pee. And to drink water when you aren't thirsty? Well...it's hard). So 10 minutes later, Dr Elben came and we were ready to go. Ben got to look at the embabie in the incubator before they did the procedure. He said it was really cool. It was twitching constantly. I wish I could have seen it. The cervical stitch they put in last week helped out a lot for the transfer, although when they started tugging on it, I was thinking otherwise. I really squeezed Ben's hand for that one. But as soon as my cervix was straight and the catheter went in, the embabie was squirted in there and we were done. I'll be completely honest, it was emotional as I set there knowing that a baby was in me, it just had to latch now. We, at that moment were a family of 4, counting our fur baby :) Once cleaned up, I was wheeled back in my room and my bed was tilted back. I had to lay that way for an hour-until 1:13pm. It was a super quick process. I tried to lay there and sleep, but I was just so excited and hopeful. My mind was running wild. God willing, this was the first day I was with child. How amazing. I am so thankful science has come so far! 

I was on bed rest the rest of the day and today 11/30. It's been hard to just relax because I have things I need to do around the house, but they can wait. Ben has been very helpful, fixing food, helping with chores, and just snuggling with me. He will be a fantastic father!

I go back tomorrow morning at 10 for blood work to check my E2 and Progesterone levels. Then December 12th at 10am is the BIG DAY!!! It will be my first Beta test!!!! I am going to stick to my word and not take a HPT until after the appointment (of course I will only take the test at home if I don't get a negative at the Dr). This wait is going to kill me!!! But until then I will keep on looking at nursery ideas and making a list of baby names :)

Pre-Transfer <3