Ready to Rock the Next Cycle

We went to see the doc today and they did an ultrasound on S and everything looks good.  Uterian lining was right on and there were cute little folicials on each side just waiting to grow and be our future baby.  They pulled her thyroid levels and we will hear back on that in a few days.  S is also going to not take her DHA pills for the next few days to see if that is what is causing the nasua.  If so we will have to find another DHA to use, can't have the little lady be sick all the time if we can help it!

I also went ahead and ordered our next round of sperm and got a sweet random 10% discount for ordering two vials (Fairfax if you are shopping around).  The nurse at the doctor was telling us that they had a patient this week whose vials didn't get there in time for her ovulation because of weather delays with the shipping, even after they put in it was a medical emergency and what not.  And the poor thing has been doing all of the monitoring and drugs and what not and it was all for nothing.  So they were like order your sperm now just in case.  Should be there Monday so I think we are covered.

-Liz 

BFN

It's not official till tomorrow if you count the blood draw as the final no, but S's Aunt Flo came to visit today, so I'd say that's a pretty big BFN for our first try.  It did seem like we'd be breaking some sort of record to have S be a double one hit wonder.  Tomorrow we are still going into see the doc and one of the things we are having him check is S's thyroid levels as they were adjusted prior to insemination and that might be what caused/is causing S to have so much nausea.  So the plan is to try again in March, same donor, same all natural (aka fertility drug free) approach.  Fingers crossed March is our lucky month because after that the doc wants to talk drugs and S really doesn't want to go down that road, mostly due to terror of having multiples!  Thanks for all your hopeful thoughts!

-Liz 

No News Yet

So Friday has come and gone and so have five pregnancy tests, all negative.  But, we still have hope.  Our blood draw isnt scheduled till this Thursday, so it's early still.  With Jude we didn't get a positive until day 13, which we haven't hit yet.  So fingers crossed that in the next three days we get a BFP!  I'm not really worried about it though, S continues to have nasua and feel out of sorts.  Good signs I think.  I know she is frustrated at the negative tests, but it's coming, I know it!

In other news Jude was sick throwing up all day Friday, and of course it started at a play date at a new friends house.  A new friend that we had never played with before, a new friends whose house we had walked to.  He threw up all over himself and me and then we got to walk home, fun.  Luckily it was only down the street so not too big of a deal and as was working at home so she helped a ton with the clean up of his continued throwing up.  Poor guy,mate seeing him feel so bad.  At least it was only one day and no fever, he was feeling fine Saturday but wouldn't eat anything and by Sunday was just about his normal self.

-Liz 

Waiting till Friday

We are waiting till Friday to do our first pregnancy test.  This waiting game, the TWW, sucks.  I feel more and more like S is pregnant.  She has had tons of nasua and seems pretty darn tired most of the time, she has been cramping on and off and just feels different.  So it's really hard to wait, I want to know for sure!  I bought two different home pregnancy tests yesterday at the store for her to test with.  Now it's just a matter of waiting....

Happiness

Even though I feel like to say it could jenks it, I am so happy right now.  Everything is as good as it possibly could be right now, and even though it can all change in the blink of an eye, I think it's important to recognize and celebrate the happiness, the gratitude.  In the last few years there were times when I thought I might be bed riden for the rest of my life, times when I couldn't even sit up or walk, times when money was tight and I didn't know if we'd ever be able to try to have another baby, times when I thought I might die, times when I thought I might lose everything, times when I thought I'd never be pain free again. And now all of that is behind me.  

🌀 I'm the healthiest I've been in ages- I'm not stuck in a bed, I can walk and play with Jude and I'm pain free.  

🌀 I've been Cancer free over a year now.  

🌀 I have a wonderful, beautiful wife who takes such good care of me and our family, who always puts us first, work works her butt off so we can have everything we need and want.  

🌀 And that wonderful wife of mine might just be pregnant with our second baby.  

🌀I have an amazing three year old who makes me laugh everyday and everyday melts my heart with his sweetness.  

🌀I live in a great house in a great city with so many lovely friends, friends who are family to me.  

🌀It's starting to look like spring here and that makes me so happy.

🌀 I'm sure I could list a lot more things and that is a blessing, to have so many things to be happy for that you can't possibly list them all.

What are you all grateful for right now?

-Liz  

IUI #2

We did IUI#2 this morning.  It was less ideal than yesterday's with the nurse.  Our doctor always always always runs late.  It's annoying, but I get that what he does is time sensitive and hard to schedule.  Today was no exception.  We got to the office around 10:15 for our 10:30 appointment.  For the insemination they want your bladder to be full, it helps with alignment.  So S is already pretty full of liquids and is finishing a bottle of water in the waiting room.  By 10:30 she needs to pee but knows she can't.  It isn't till 11:00 that they bring us back and by then she is so uncomfortable that she goes and pees just a little.  The nurse does an ultrasound on her bladder to make sure it's full enough and is like whoa, you are full, are you going to be ok?  S says she will be ok as long as the doctor doesn't take another twenty minutes to come back.  Well, nurse is like go ahead a pee a bit more.  Doctor finally comes by at 11:15, does his thing, which this time really really hurts poor S, has no bedside manner, basically says we will discuss drugs next month, and leaves.  So she has another 15 minutes of waiting after the insemination before she can go pee, which is torture.  For the first few minutes we try to relax to the soothing music and hold hands but then S is so needing to pee that we watch Bad Lip Reading NFL 2015 on YouTube on my iPad to pass the time along with another Bad Lip Reading video (which are really funny if you haven't seen them btw).  Oh and our sperm counts were even higher today, 36 million if I remember correctly.  

Even if today's IUI wasn't perfect, we are convinced it was just for fun anyway and that S got pregnant yesterday.  All yesterday she felt a tiny baby bloat and lots of little cramps and does today as well.  This afternoon she has been feeling queasy and even thew up, which could be unrealated but you never know.  After all, with Jude S felt differences in her body pretty much right away.  She is very sensitive and can always tell when she ovulates too.  So we begin our two week wait, we come in for the blood test on 2/26.  Fingers crossed, good juju sent, positive thinking, all that good stuff please send!  Pregnant til proven otherwise PUPO!!

-Liz 

IUI #1

Like I expected, S ovulated yesterday afternoon (I made her do a random afternoon test) and so we went into do the IUI this morning.  First they did an ultrasound to make sure the follicle was the right size and on its way.  The  nurse showed us how on S's left side there was a perfect follicle waiting to go and that her lining was also exactly what it needed to be.  So we went grocery shopping for 30 minutes (randomly) while they defrosted the sperm and did the count.  When we came back we had a whopping 25 million sperm ready to get to work.  So the IUI was pretty perfectly timed and we go back in tomorrow at 10:30 for IUI #2!

Oh and a random thing they did was do a quick ultrasound after the insemination to show the sperm placement.  If you look the picture it is the white spot above the green cross.  Weird, right?  Baby's first picture.

Think sticky baby thoughts!  We are optimistically referring to S as two weeks and one day pregnant (bc you start counting from the start day of your last period).

-Liz 

3 Year Check Up

This morning Jude had his 3 year check up, which went great.  He is 36.5 inches tall and 29 lbs, which put him in the 26% for his age.  So still small but growing at a perfect rate and defiantly not too small.  Doctor says everything is pretty perfect about him, he is right on track for physical and mental stuff and didn't have any concerns.  I expected as much, but it is always nice to hear.  He did have to get a flu shot, which of course he hated, but nothing to do about that.

On the TTC front, we are on pins and needles waiting for S to ovulate.  It should be tomorrow, could have been today but no luck there.  If she doesn't ovulate tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure she will, then her cycle is off a little, probably due to the stress she is under at work along with having her thyroid meds adjusted.  Fingers crossed that she will ovulate the most perfect, sticky little egg tomorrow and that our IUIs will be perfectly timed for us to have the baby that is meant to be ours!

-Liz 

Van Goo Goo Art

Just wanted to let you all know I'm cleaning out my etsy store to make way for new paintings.  Everything is more than half off for the rest of the month, nothing over $15!  Check it out at www.vangoogoo.etsy.com

Happy Birthday Jude!

Three years ago today the most life changing, scary, wonderful thing happened- my sweet baby boy Jude was born.  Time goes by so fast and he is growing up even faster.  Before I had kids, despite having younger brothers, I had no idea what a three year old would be like.  I figured they could walk and talk some, but for the most part they would be babies, toddlers at best, not kids.  I was so wrong, Jude is in no way a baby anymore and he isn't a toddler either.  He is a kid, a little kid sure, but a kid all the same.  And he is delightful.  The way he laughs and squeals when he is happy or thinks something is funny, well there is nothing like it.  He is so funny!  And so very very sweet.  Also stubborn, obnoxious, and a terrible sleeper.  He is so very loveable, I can't hardly imagine my life without him.  Happy birthday Jude!

Our first family picture, right after Jude was born.

One week old

1st birthday

2nd birthday 

3rd birthday

On Saturday we had his birthday party.  He has been asking for Lightning McQueen cupcakes so we had Cars themed party.  It was so much fun and he had such a blast.  This morning on his actual birthday we suprised him with a radio flyer bike and are going to Chuckie Cheese for dinner.  He is so spoiled!  Party pics:

Requested cupcakes.  So good!

Three candles

Opening way too many presents

Proud, happy Mommas

-Liz