Meeting

On Saturday, my hubby and I drove 3.5 hours to Chicago to meet S&G before they headed back home.  Wow!  Driving in Chicago is something else!  We live in a very rural town where you only have to worry about getting stuck behind a tractor or Amish buggy.  I'm so glad Brad drove.  I don't think I could have done it without having a panic attack!  Traffic, traffic and more traffic...and they just cut you off and don't use their blinkers.  We have to go back on the 12th (tentatively) for our psych and medical evaluations at the clinic.  It is an early morning appointment, so we will be heading down the night before and staying in a hotel.  

We had a very nice lunch and chatted for a couple hours.  I think all went well.  They seem to be such wonderful, down to earth people.  I hope they liked us as well!  They are having to use an egg donor, as they found out they are unable to retrieve any eggs from S.  :(   S did say that the one they really like is currently in a cycle for someone else.  She will be available again in May.  That would put us in a June or July transfer range.  That seems like a long time to wait, but then I think of how long THEY have waited for this.  I know I can handle the wait just fine.  This will just give us more time to get to know each other and feel more comfortable with each other and the entire process.  :)

New Beginnings

It's almost a new year.  How crazy is that?  2014 has flown by.  We were hoping to have a better outcome with our last transfer with G&M.  Unfortunately, things didn't work out as hoped.  They are blessed to have D, I know.  I just wished we could have helped bring a sibling into the world for them.  They are like family to us.  They are hoping to come to WI sometime next year to visit us all.  I'm already looking forward to it!!

We went back to the agency to see if there were any potential matches for us to try to help another couple.  Within a week, the agency sent us several profiles.  There was a couple from the Netherlands that stood out to us.  They are S&G.  They have no children.  They are Dutch-English translators.  I told the agency I wouldn't work with an international couple if they didn't speak fluent English.  This is too important of a thing to have a language barrier.  

We had a Skype meeting on Sunday.  They are just great!  Their accent isn't too thick at all.  We can understand them perfectly!  A couple days later, we learned they like us, too.  We are officially matched!  :)  They will be coming to Chicago at the end of the month so S can go through the egg retrieval process.  They will be staying until the end of January.  Brad and I will hopefully get to meet them in person next month while we go through the medical and psychological evaluation there in Chicago.  If all goes well, our coordinator said we could be looking at a spring transfer.  This is all so exciting.  We are looking forward to moving ahead with S&G.  I will update once we start really moving along!  

Bummed beyond belief

I'll just make this short.  Our beta was negative.  I knew it would be.  I never got a positive home test at all.  I didn't feel pregnant.  I didn't get the sore boobs and nausea I was hoping to get.  Yeah, hoping to get those....only someone who loves being prego would say that.  I'm so sad, upset, mad....I know I did all I could, but I still feel like crap.  I'm mostly heartbroken for G&M.  I wanted this for them so badly.  G&M have no more embryos.  This was their final chance and it didn't work out.  :( Please pray for peace for them.

Smooth Transfer

The hubs and I returned home last night from our transfer in PA.  We left Sunday afternoon.  Flights were on time both directions.  They were even early both legs on the way home.

It was great to see G&M again.  They seemed quite nervous...who could blame them?  The clinic had thawed the 3 embryos on Thursday.  All 3 survived the thaw.  Yay!!  Then it was on to the dividing and growing part.  Two stalled at the cellular stage and wouldn't progress.  The clinic thawed their very last blast that was refrozen from last time.  It was progressing nicely, along with the remaining one that was thawed first.  We had decided at the beginning of this cycle to put 2 back if 2 survived.  That is exactly what we did.

The ambiance was completely different this time.  I find it hard to describe.  Everyone seemed so calm, almost surreal.  I don't know.  We all said we feel good about it this time.  It definitely felt different.  I'm praying one sticks!!  This is their final chance at having a sibling for D.  They say they know they are truly blessed to have D, of course, but would LOVE to have another one.  I'm hoping I can help them with that!  :)

I should know by Sunday or Monday via home tests if one of these little guys stuck.  Please send sticky thoughts, prayers, happy thoughts, whatever you do.  ALL of us would greatly appreciate it.  Please also send prayers for G&M.  I can't imagine all the emotions going on in their hearts right now.  They need comfort to ease the stress of all this, as it can't be easy for them.  Thank you all for your support again!

Good to go!

I went last Friday for labs and ultrasound to check my hormone levels and lining.  The results showed I was about to ovulate....not sure why they thought I wouldn't since I was only on estrogen.  I had to run to the pharmacy after work Friday to get some ganirelix injections.  This medicine puts your body in a holding pattern so you don't ovulate.

I had a checkup for labs and ultrasound yesterday to make sure I didn't ovulate.  I am always so nervous with these things.  You just never know what's going on in your body until you see it on that monitor and get the lab results.  I'm happy to say that all is good and we are still on track for transfer MONDAY!!  Woot!!  I'm so thankful the medicine did what it needed to do.

My hubby gave me my first (of many, hopefully!!) progesterone in oil injection in my butt this morning.  He mumbled, "I don't know why you make me do this to you." after it was all done.  LOL! He usually does a great job and I barely feel the giant 1.5 inch needle going in.  I did feel it this morning though.  Eeek!

We are praying for at least one embryo to survive the thaw.  They are starting the thaw tomorrow, in order to get them to be 5 day blasts for the day of the transfer.  Please pray and send happy, sticky thoughts for the entire process.  Also, please keep G&M in your hearts.  This is likely their last chance at bringing home a sibling for their little D!!  No pressure, right!?