One down, 8 to go!

Well, I definitely was NOT crazy! I took a total of 6 home pregnancy tests last week and they all came back positive, but of course the icing on the cake was the results of the official blood test. They test your blood for levels of HCG just like the urine test does but more accurately. Any level over 100 is considered positive, super high levels are sometimes an indicator of multiples. Mine was 1,116. If they had transferred more than one embryo I'd be a nervous wreck about the prospect of it being twins but I'm pretty sure it's just one really strong baby!

The intended parents were through the roof excited when I gave them the news! I surprised them with a baby themed gift bag with the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book and a card that played Brahms Lullaby when you open it. I decided to go with the picture of the pregnancy test instead of grossing them out with my actual pee stick... I think it was a good call. Lol! They called me when they got it and I could literally hear the excitement in their voices! It's such a reassuring feeling to see how happy they are. After so long and so much "process" has taken place, I sometimes forget why I'm doing this, but moments like that remind me that this is their dream coming true! I got a surprise bouquet of Edible Arrangements (which I love!!) and a few more e-mails and calls expressing their gratitude and excitement :)

I have to go back in for repeat blood tests tomorrow and Friday to make sure the HCG levels are doubling the way they're supposed to and then I am released to my own Ob/Gyn...which by the way, I haven't yet picked out. I do have a few prospects in mind though, I wanted to decide which hospital I'd like to deliver at first and then obviously pick out a doctor who was associated with the hospital. I've decided on the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. I've heard fabulous things about it and I was able to take a virtual tour on the website. They have a women's atrium where they specialize in births and it reminded me so much of Sharp Mary Birch hospital in San Diego where I delivered my own babies that I thought it would give me a sense of comfort and familiarity :)

Hopefully, everything will continue on a positive and successful path! No morning sickness YET...a little nausea but the "fun stuff" waited until the 2nd trimester to happen with my daughter, and was barely there at all with my son, so we shall see! I've been really tired and drained lately and my pants are already uncomfortable... but otherwise, good to go!!

Am I crazy, or is that a line?

I decided to take my 1st pregnancy test on Saturday instead of Friday so as not to be disappointed with a negative too soon. In fact I woke up randomly at 6am (which let me tell you is RARE), went into the bathroom and, ya know, pee'd on a stick. I didn't see the "pregnant" line so my first thought was "oh well, it's probably too soon." So I went on with my day a little bummed out but not stressed. Later that night I spotted the test still on the bathroom counter so I picked it up to throw it away and gave it a last look. 5 minutes later I came bursting out of the bathroom with the test asking my husband "now am I crazy or is that a line?" Sure, you had to squint, tilt your head and hold the test at just the right angle but we both agreed it was definitely a very faint line.

I took another test this morning and the line is definitely there. I'm not supposed to tell my intended parents until the official blood test, so I've concluded it would probably be better not to talk to them at all. It's not that I can't keep a secret, I guess I just don't feel like this is one that should be kept. I had been planning to give them the news by presenting them with a "What to expect" book and a positive test (in a ziplock)...I might just take a picture of the test and slip it in the book :P So I guess thinking of their faces when they open it versus accidentally sending them an e-mail will help me to keep my mouth shut. Well...at least to them :)

Transfer Day!

The big day! Well, the first of many big days to come... I had my embryo transfer this morning! The intended parents were there and you could just see the excitement on all 3 of us! It was a pretty quick and easy process. They escorted us all into a sterile room, where an ultrasound tech showed us my uterus and very full bladder (they instructed me to drink 20oz of water just before the procedure). The doctor used a tiny catheter to insert the embryo directly into the fluffiest part of my uterus while we all watched....on the ultrasound screen. The embryo itself is microscopic so we couldn't actually see it, but we took what we could get. They inserted one embryo, which is great because neither the intended parents nor myself were gunning for twins. Sometimes, the doctor will elect to insert 2 if they are of poorer quality.

There wasn't much pain. A little discomfort and a little pressure, similar to the feeling of a pap smear...just extended. They gave us all pictures of the uterus and the embryo under a microscope which I think are gonna be killer in a baby album. "Look sweetie, here's a picture of you as a blastocyst." Lol! They instructed me to lay still for 5 minutes and then cleared me to drive home but ordered me to bed rest for the next 24 hours. So I'm laying here, eating pretzels, hoping that the embryo finds my womb comfortable for the next 9 months :) The official blood pregnancy confirmation test is May 25th, but there's no way I'm waiting that long. Tomorrow I'm going to get a giant pack of home pregnancy tests and start taking one...or two everyday from Friday until they give me my officials numbers. Hormone level numbers that is... I'll keep you all posted! Think "sticky" thoughts for me! :)

Day of Conception!

It's been a while (which is starting to become the norm)...so let's play some catch up. Since my last post, I've done a lupron cycle which stopped my ovulation and have now been taking estrogen shots faithfully every 3 days. Last night was the first of a million (or so it seems) progesterone injections. The rumors, sad to say, hold true :( I totally tried to psyche myself out before the shot and convince myself that everyone before me was a drama queen or that is was one of those reverse psychology tactics telling you that the last shot was the worst so that the first ones wouldn't seem so bad...sadly no. The needle was a piece of cake. The injection itself however was the problem. We're talking an entire ML of crisco veggie oil going into your butt muscle...the MUSCLE! Ugh...and this would be the shot that I have to have everyday for the next 3 months :/

Anyhow, moving on to more pleasant things... TODAY is officially the date of conception! Yay! My intended mother is as having eggs extracted from her ovaries...or are they in the uterus already? Either way...they're getting them out as we speak and fertilizing them. We're doing a fresh cycle (meaning they wont freeze the embryos before implanting them into me) so that technically makes me 2 weeks pregnant today! Strange I know...I've yet to figure out why medical professionals start your pregnancy on the last day of your period instead of when you're actually ovulating and conceiving but hey... that's the way it works. So,depending on how the embryos are growing, I will have my transfer on either Sunday or Tuesday. I've got my fingers crossed for Sunday :) How seriously awesome and magical would a Mother's Day transfer be?!

Being the OCD spaz that I am, I've already plugged the conception date into a pregnancy calculator and got a due date of on or around Jan. 27th. So I'm back on the fence about holiday travel plans :/ but needless to say I'm pretty excited about the upcoming week! Keep your fingers all crossed for me! If anything happened to go wrong and the embryo didn't attach properly I'm not sure how long we'd have to wait to start another cycle, and honestly, I'd rather not know.