Traveling Time

GO SPERM, GO! It is out of our hands and there is nothing our NP can do from here. Now we just need our swimmers to work hard and make the baby!

In the mean time, we are happy to have our first weekend home with no plans since May 4th! So far we think we might go for a bikeride, kayak, go to the farmers market, play with the dog, look for a new job for me, and shop a little! OR we might not do any of that, it is totally up to us!

Have a great weekend. GO SWIMMERS!

Fevers, Follies, and Factoids

S's fever broke in the middle of the night. She seems to be doing a bit better at this point. Still has the aches and pains but on the mends.

Our ultrasound this morning went well. The follie on the left ovary is now 18 and ready to go. The NP was exstatic! Lining looks good. Temperature dipped (that is how we know the fever was gone too) to 96.18 and the CM is right on. The lab results weren't in yet but our NP said they found some HCG in the office and were saving it for us! No cost! She gave S the shot and we decided to come in at 8 the next two mornings. Then the E2 came back a bit low, 153. We were surprised. NP said it was still good just on the low side. We changed insemination appointments to 4:30 pm tomorrow and noon on Friday. Here we go!

Now....for factoids.....
If the amount of water in your body is reduced by just 1%, you'll feel thirsty.
Our eyes are always the same size from birth.
Eskimos use refrigerators to keep food from freezing.
An exocannibal eats only enemies. An indocannibal eats only friends.
80% of millionaires drive second-hand cars.

There you have it! Thank you to www.didyouknow.cd/fastfacts/

Green Light

WE GOT THE GREEN LIGHT TODAY! S's SOs decided to show their little faces and their follicles! There are two follies, one at 18mm in the left ovary and one on the right at 20mm. Her E2 came back at 460!!! This means that there is at least one follicle that is mature and producing the right amount of estrogen to be viable. Our NP looks for 300 E2 for each follicle over 18mm but we have heard some say that 200 is the number their doctors look for. Needless to say we are excited that they both might be mature and ready to go but are pleased with one!

I got a quick tutorial on how to give an intramuscular shot while at the doctor's office. We have decided to do the hCG at home this time versus at the doctor's office. This will allow us the opportunity to have a better-timed insemination than before. We go in tomorrow morning at 10 am for the first insemination so I will likely be shooting S up tonight around 9 or 10 pm (probably 10 because I have a conference call tonight that will likely go until around 10). We will also pick up one of the ICI sperm vials tomorrow at the doctor’s office around 5 pm and do an at home insemination (we have them anyway). On Wed. we will do another in office insemination at 9 am.

Here is the breakdown:

4/2: 10 pm hCG shot to force ovulation (should happen within 24 hours of the shot).
4/3: 10 am in office IUI insemination
- 12 hours after the hCG
4/3: 5 pm at home ICI insemination
- 18 hours after the hCG
4/4: 9 am in office IUI insemination
- 35 hours after the hCG

How does this regimen look to you all? We think this covers a pretty good amount of our window. Input?

On another note, Gladys woke me up at 3 am (very strange for her) needing to go outside. Since it was strange I walked out with her. She immediately did #2 with no doggy magic poop dance, then #1, then puked. I came back in as she was still wandering the backyard to find two piles of puke (food and sticks) in the dining room. I cleaned it up and G came back in. Acting a bit strange but ok. She got up a few minutes later and puked in the dining room again. This time we decided to let the clean up wait till the morning. Well, the little lady left us 6 piles of bloody puke on our brand new carpet. She is doing better now but has to be closely watched. Looks like she probably ruptured blood vessels in her stomach from puking, sounds like a long night of drinking is the same as a long day of eating sticks!

Well, we are really really excited about the coming days and then looking for the TTW to go fast. My dad will be here for the Easter weekend so that should help some of the time go by quickly.


Come on swimmers, Easter is the time for egg hunts!!!!!!!

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Edited at 3:46 by Erin

S just called me and swears she have movement on the left side. We are going to add an ICI to the schedule for tonight. Why not throw everything we have in our arsenal at this one? The rest of our protocol is staying the same.

Getting Creative in the Creation

Well, today did not go as we had hoped. Turns out we have one follicle that is 13 and a few that are much smaller. Our NP didn't seem too discouraged by the news but we were. As S says, "it just seems like more bad news every time."

NP suggested coming back on Thursday for another ultrasound. She seems to think by then the follicle will have grown to around 19 and S can get the hCG shot. However, this is where the kink is thrown into the plan. I have to leave at noon for board meetings in Chicago all weekend. If in fact S's follicle has grown to larger than 19 the insemination dates will be Friday and Saturday.

This poses two problems. One, I will not be able to be in Madison during those days as I have about 12 hours each day of meetings. Two, S will have to be in Madison alone while trying to get pregnant. Neither of these options work very well with our co-dependant neurotic desperate lesbian selves.

Soooooooooo, what is a co-dependant desperate lesbian couple to do......well, we can't let a month pass with out trying to make sperm meet ovum.....on to plan #6,000.....

1. We ordered two ICI (this is used for at home insemination) of Bernard for delivery tomorrow.
2. We scheduled the ultrasound for Thursday
3. Pack the sperm and liquid nitrogen container in the car with two of my co-workers, S, myself, and suitcases and drive to Chicago.
4. S will pack the sperm and liquid nitrogen container and take the train to Grand Rapids (GR) to see her family.
5. S will inseminate in GR by herself (stay away Betsey and Katie!)
6. S will pack the sperm and liquid nitrogen container on the train again on Sat. and return to Chicago
7. We will inseminate in Chicago on Saturday.
8. We will then drive the liquid nitrogen container back to Madison to ship it back to Virginia.
9. We will start the dreaded two week wait (tww).


Here is the approximate size of the liquid nitrogen container....not really all that easy to move around with! (This picture is from 1.5 years ago when we thought we were introducing Leah and her cousin! Time does fly.) S is on her knees in this picture but the tank is not a small item!

This is all if the Thursday ultrasound gives good answers. If not.....who knows what we will do with the Bernard's ICI sperm.....I guess we'll just have to get creative.

All this and board meetings has left me drained....but I'm still going to work till about 10 pm tonight.

Jetting Off

We head out today to Boston. Life is such a whirlwind sometimes. Just yesterday we were sitting in sterile green room waiting for information on new ways to get pregnant and tonight we will be checking out one of the most historical cities in our country. What a journey.

I am totally overwhelmed with things to do at work but the vacation will be a well timed one. We will have some time just to ourselves to figure out our course of action. As of now we have set a tentative deadline for reconsidering out approach to getting pregnant, June. If we haven't been successful with our NP by then we will most likely move on to IVF. We think 1-2 more tries with Clomid and HCG and then if that doesn't work 2-3 cycles with Injectables.

Whatever the process is we are excited that S is ovulating and the cycles are beginning to line up.

Roots

There just doesn't seem to be anything more comforting to me than thinking about spending time with S and my dad. He is due to arrive, here in gloomy looking Madison, in a few hours. I can't wait. He always brings warmth, happiness, and love with him.

A lot of people tell me about how their mothers bring this intrinsic peace to their lives and how moms mean home. Well mine comes with my dad. He is the rock that I bounce my feelings, sorrows, and joys off. I'm really looking forward to seeing him.

As for S and I, we have had many downs this week and are on the rise to more ups. Monday's disappointments, we are trying to accept and move on. We have appointments with our NP on Wednesday and one with the IVF clinic on Thrusday. We have already started the discussion about how many embryos to transfer. Yikes!!!! Watch out quadruplets!

The meeting

We got back from Michigan yesterday just after noon. We ended up going in to get S's blood drawn early for her Estradiol and come back at 3 for the ultrasound. While S was having her blood drawn they said they could do the ultrasound early if we wanted. We decided to go with it as we woke up at 6 am to drive the 5.5 hours back to Madison. Gladys (our dog) was in the car but we figured better to get it all done now and spend more time with her back at home.

Well, the ultrashound, blood work, and day went wonderful! We for the first time ever have all the ducks falling into a row. Granted we aren't getting too excited but things are looking good. Our NP consulted the triage nurse from home and told her to go ahead with the HCG shot. S had 2 (19x24 and 18x20) great follicles and one other that might be ready. Her Estradiol was up to 385!

We walked over to the pharmacy, got the hCG, had it injected and went home. I spent the evening talking to the little ladies and asking them to release soon. We scheduled inseminations with a different NP in our NP's office (ours is out for vacation)for Wed. and Thurs!

This morning S's BBT was up a little and we are hoping it will spike tomorrow morning. We went to the appointment and I had the pleasure of pushing the plunger of the syringe in. While doing so our luck seemed to have run out. the catheter end of the syringe can disconnected front the syringe and Bernard got loose!!!! We did get most of it in but some of the escaped. We'll surely get'em all in there tomorrow! Fingers crossed....for the little ones to meet up.

Rum PA pum pum

So we honor him, per rum pa pum pum, rum pa pum pum, us and his sperm! S ordered our latest donor! He is our third selection since starting this process! In the beginning we were concerned with reading every answer and detail provided by the donor. Now we look for a few key things, read the essay and make quick decisions. Our main criteria are blue eyes, tall, thinner, some Irish, and mainly willing to be contacted by the child after age 18. It is not to say we are going to push our child to contact him but that we think our child should have the option if they so want it.

Anywho, we decided to try a new on and I read this one (we have named him Bernard pronounced Bur-nerd) and we did not need to go any further. He is 75% Irish, blue eyes, brown hair, thin, tall, smart, and kind. I am nearly 100% Irish, blue eyes, brown hair, not tall or thing (traits we would like to give that I never could). Since S will be carrying the baby we decided to go for a donor that had many of my physical traits. It is a match made in heaven and probably one that will be lucky!!!! (fingers crossed)

Well, Bernard arrives at the doctor's office tomorrow (at least his vials filled the second most important ingredient in baby making)! We are set for our ultrasound on Tuesday at 3:00pm. This is causing us to cut Christmas at my dad's short but he sure doesn't mind if it means a grandchild might arrive in 9-10 months!!! Our NP is coming in on her vacation on Wed and Thurs to inseminate and then the waiting beings again. We plan to get the hCG shot this time to force the ovulation. S is on a double dose of Clomid and everything seems to be running as it should.

Here we go, decking the halls....fa la la la la, la la, la, LA!

Let if flow, Let flow, Let it flow

Nothing like the beginning of a period to get your in the holiday spirit! AF came last night setting us off on a joyous evening of laughter, smiles, and cheer not to mention hope. Like with every new year every period during a bout with infertility brings hope and disappointment. This time around we are filled with hope as we already knew we were not pregnant but were stuck as we couldn't move forward with out AF. She is here and let the next try begin!

I got out my trusty journal and counted backwards. Yup exactly 14 days ago S said she was sure that she ovulated. This was day 31 and we inseminated on the believed ovulation day which was day 9! Yup, looks like was used $800 worth of good sperm 22 days late! Shit. Anywho, we also realized that it seems like all of S's long cycles (this one 43 days) are when the left ovary is the one producing follicles. What does this mean....I'm sure we will not get a definite answer unless they give S an autopsy. So, we will just stick it in our journal and hold that knowledge closely with all the other conflict bits.

I may sound jaded but I'm actually excited. It looks like her BBT was consistent (even though she was sick with a fever during the cycle) with ovulation 14 days ago. This makes me see that if we keep tracking the BBT, doing the blood tests with the NP, and ultrasounds we may just get it right after all. I think the next step is to make an appointment with the NP to tell her about our new findings and develop a plan for the coming days.

Unfortunately it looks like if Clomid works right, and it is the right ovary we will be looking at an insemination date of 12/24/06 or 12/25/06. Even if we weren't going to be 380 miles away from the NP....do you think they charge more for IUI insemination on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? I'm glad God is being picky about finding the perfect baby for us but come on....give us one break!!!!!!