Ultrasound Pic!

This was taken at 10w3d. The head is at the left and the dot above the head is a hand. The body is on the right and the dot about that is a foot! Tell me that's not precious! (BTW, it's taken me days to figure this out...I ended up taking a digital of the scan! LoL!)

I think I remember...

...what it feels like to have energy. Praise the Lord, I am going to clean my house today.

My poor, poor brother in law (he's 15) stayed with us all last week and he's now seen a side of me that he never imagined. While he was here I was shuttling him back and forth to golf camp (from 9am - noon). Each morning I would go wake him up and the first thing he'd ask is if I'd thrown up yet. Ha! It was very sweet that he was concerned. Each night I was in bed super early (one night I fell asleep at 5:30pm!). I don't think he's ever seen me be so...boring. But he was a good sport about it and we still managed to have fun.

So that brings me to my house. Chris has attempted to clean...sometimes...but my standard of clean and his standard of clean are apparently two different things. Which brings me to today. It's a day of deep cleaning. I've got my sweatpants and my "work shirt" on (aka, my I-don't-care-if-I-get-soft-scrub-on-it shirt) and I am ready to do some serious scrubbing. I think this is the most energy I've had in....almost 6 weeks. Wow, has it been that long already?

On another note, I just spent 20 min's on the phone with my insurance company. If anyone is thinking about switching to United Healthcare - DONT. Oh, they are horrible. When we were going through IUI's (with injectables) they said everything was going to be paid - we even had it in writing, and they stuck us with the very expensive bill. All I needed to know was if the MSTS screening would be covered (it's a ultrasound test/blood test that screens for Down's and spina bifida). After talking to several people they decided that I am not a high risk so they aren't covering it. Which would be fine except they made it sound like they were just making this decision between themselves because they (once again) couldn't interpret the policy.

I may have it done anyway...I think it's about $250 and I would get another ultrasound which means more pictures (and more reasurance that everythings okay).

I still can't get my ultrasound pic to upload so I may try and take a digital picture of the actual ultrasound printout and then post that. I hope everyone's have a great Monday!

My Journey to Pregnancy

Ladies, I have spent HOURS trying to figure out how to get my ultrasound picture on here. My dad has a really great scanner so I had him scan them in for me and they are all on the same page. I tried to crop out one of the images and post it but once I copy it, it won't let me save the image on my computer. So I am at a total loss. If you're a computer genius, and want to help, please feel free!

I thought I would give some more information on my ttc journey. I didn't realize so many of you out there have been through (or are going through) similar things. If you ever need someone to talk to, or just want me to pray for you, feel free to leave me a message/send me an email.

So here's some of my story...

I've always wanted to be a mom. I'm talking since I was little, that was my career of choice. After my husband and I got married I wanted to try for a family, but he wanted some time to ourselves. So after we'd been married for awhile, I convinced him to get on the baby bandwagon. If we had done what he wanted, well, I still wouldn't be pregnant because we would have just started ttc. Anyway, a few months went by and my periods went back to how they had always been...irregular. I decided to make an appt with my then OBGYN to talk about what was going on. This was 6 months into our journey.

As I expected, I was not ovulating. He said that because I was young and healthy that the drug Clomid should do the trick. We did 6 rounds of Clomid. After the third round I asked him to monitor my ovulation progress with ultrasounds and he refused. I knew that I was getting cysts (some of which painfully burst) from doing too many consecutive rounds of the drug. After the 6 rounds of Clomid, he had me take one months worth of Femara (a similar drug) but I didn't ovulated. At this point, I decided not only to switch OB's but to find an RE (fertility doc) to assist us.

Since we live in the middle of nowhere (just kidding!!!) there are no RE's withing 2.5 hours of us We selected an RE in Tulsa, OK since Chris' mother lives there and we knew that we could visit her/stay with her if needed. While I was with the RE, I did 3 rounds of IUI, one with Femara (a much higher dose than my old OB had given me) and 2 rounds with Femara and injectables (fsh shots and a trigger shot).

After all of these had failed we had to make a decision. Were we going to pursue IVF? This was in January of 2008. I decided that I needed a break, mentally, physically and emotionally from the strain of infertility to take some fun vacations, spend time with family etc. In Feb 08 I was pregnant. We called everyone to share this miracle! I had become pregnant without any medical intervention! And then, two weeks later I was in the emergency room having a miscarriage.

After that we didn't talk about ttc very much. But after I got my first period (post miscarriage) I told Chris that I felt like God was leading us to try naturally again immediately (the doctors recommend waiting 2-3 cycles, and this was cycle 1). I don't often get such strong feelings and so he agreed to try. The rest is history. I knew I was pregnant. I tested the earliest possible day I could (I was 3w4d!). The next day I had a beta and the number was 12. Anything over 5 is pregnant and the nurses were shocked that I had caught it so early.

From there the numbers began tripling (I had 4 betas because I'm paranoid) and they thought it could be twins (though it's not). I've had two ultrasounds and gotten to hear/see the heartbeat both times. I've been SUPER sick, but that's okay. I refuse to complain about anything pregnancy related. If you've heard the song "I'd Die For That" by Kelley Coffee then you know what I mean.

I say all that, to say this. If you are going through infertility, I know where you are. Even if you are doing treatments that I didn't do, I understand your struggle. Know that I am praying for you every single day. If you want to send me a message, I would love to read it. I would also love to pray for you by name. You can email me at wife2chris@yahoo.com

Overwhelmed!

Wow! Thank you all so very much for the congratulations!!!! I am shocked at how many people have stopped by to wish me well! I was never much of a crier (well, pre-pregnancy I wasn't!) and you all brought tears to my eyes!

Kelly - Thank you so much for posting our story and for linking all these wonderful women to my blog!

I promise to write more later, and give more details!

A little news...

I don't have a lot of blogger friends to share this with, but I do have a little bit of news for those who do read my blog...

I'm Pregnant!

After 2 years of trying, one miscarriage, 1 full year of infertility treatments, surgery etc, I am pregnant (naturally, I might add!)! We are soooo thrilled. I can't properly explain the joy I feel. We are so thankful to God for this absolute miracle, and the answer to our prayers. I am so thankful for the prayers of others who have lifted us up during our struggle.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

So a little about the pregnancy....I am due Jan 18, and we've been lucky enough to have two ultrasounds already. The heartbeat at the first one was 146 (at 7w1d) and this time it was 178 (10w4d).

I have been terribly, terribly sick. The Dr gave my Zofran and it helped a little at first but now it's not working. Fun times! Nothing sounds good and nothing tastes right, which is sad. I really do like to eat and I can't wait to be hungry again!

Lots to say!

Hi everyone!

Pam asked me if I saw the early years show last night (of Jon and Kate +8). Yep, I was so excited to see it because as a new viewer, I didn't know much about their story! Thanks Pam for the headsup!

Tonight we are going to dinner with one of my most energetic friends and her family. I love being around them! Oh, and we are going to Outback. Can I say brown bread? I'm gonna carbo load! Ha!

I am sad to say that this is the first year since Chris and I have been together that we won't be going to the summer Wilmot mission trip. For those that don't know what Wilmot is: Three times a year (Christmas, Easter and Summer Vacation) a group from Eagle Family Ministries goes to a small town in the poorest county in the US called Wilmot. At Christmas, we do a whole big thing with presents for each child. My mom and I sort of head that one up - we do all the shopping for 150+ kids! It's so much fun! During the summer my wonderfully talented hubby heads up the "Extreme Makeover" project. He and the team have totally re-done the community building as well as a home. But this year we won't be able to go. It really breaks my heart.

Here is a pic of Chris and his best pal down in Wilmot, OJ:

Last but not least, I feel like a soup sandwich. I have a wedding shower to go to and I STILL haven't gotten my gift yet! I know what I want to get but it seems that I just can't find the energy to get to the store! The couple didn't register for much because they've both lived on their own for awhile so between them, they have pretty much everything they need. She did however register for some bakeware so I am going to make a cute basket filled with the things she wanted plus some. Hopefully I can get this done sometime this week!

Do you remember your favorite wedding gift? Without a doubt mine was my Kitchen Aide stand mixer. I cried when I got it. Sad, I know. But I love to bake and I wanted one sooooo badly. I will never forget opening the package and writing that thank you note. The sender probably thought I was nuts, because I went on and on about how much I loved it! So what was your favorite gift?

Ode' to Chili's ... and my new favorite show.

I love Chili's. Even more, I love their chips, salsa and queso. In the last week I've probably been there 5 times. Terrible, I know. But I'm still a bit under the weather and didn't really feel like cooking. You know how that is. Chili's was the only thing that sounded remotely appealing.


Today I met my friends Kelly and Rachel at Chili's for lunch. I had Chicken Fajita Quesadillas which are another favorite of mine. Have you ever had them? If not, you soooo need to try them next time you go. (I just paused while writing this to go heat up some leftover slices...ohhh so good!).

And now for the 'new favorite show' part...

I bet some of you watch Jon and Kate Plus Eight. I just started watching it a couple of days ago, while laying in bed feeling yucky. I really, really liked it so I DVR'ed a bunch of episodes. It's amazing to me how their family operates on a daily basis. I've learned so much from watching how they handle the situations that are thrown at them.

I tried to upload a picture but Blogger won't let me open the window. Weird! Maybe later!

Finally feeling better!

So I am finally better. Well, almost. I'm still taking the cough syrup. I mean, who wouldn't with that delightful aftertaste? Just kidding.

I was sitting here thinking about a blog entry. I felt like I should write something, but I don't really know what to talk about. So, when in doubt, I turn to my old standby, reality tv.

THE MOLE: Do you watch this show? I LOVED it when it was hosted by Anderson Cooper. The new guy is ok, but he's no Anderson. Previously, they would leave little hints (that no one short of Mensa level could pick up on) during each show about who the mole is. They have yet to say if they are doing that this time around but if they are, I think I actually spotted one. Leave it to my inner genius to spot this great take. Or my father in law...

Here's what happened. Chris and I rarely watch tv shows when they are actually on. It's much more fun to DVR them and watch them later so that you can skim through the commercials. So we were watching the show and my FIL called so I paused it. I happened to pause it right as it was going to commercial break, and they were showing the green thumb print. I had a good twenty min's to stare at the image, and I became convinced that I could see a drawing within the thumb print of one of the players, Victoria. When Chris got off the phone I asked him what he saw, and he said that he thought he was seeing 'a face.' Very descriptive. I asked him if it looked like it could possibly be a contestant...he said he wasn't sure. So he's totally against my thought process but we will see who's right in the end!

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE: Love it, love it, love it. I am such a loyal fan of this show. It is my all time favorite reality show EVER. At this stage of the game, I like Rayven (because she is a pointe dancer and they never, ever pick pointe dancers) Twitch (he's just cool!) and Jessica. If you haven't watched it before, it should be on tonight, and it is just getting good, so tune in!

THE BACHELORETTE: OK, I think I've said this before, but I was not a fan of Deanna. She has grown on my a bit and now that I see that Jenny got engaged, I understand why they choose her as the star of the show. She has a little meltdown last week, and from we all saw, I can understand why she was upset. I would be too if the guys that were supposedly there for me ignored me! I do have to say that I respect her for not leading guys on that she doesn't have an interest in. Confrontation is hard, and I commend her for doing it!

So, what's your fav reality show? Do you watch any of these?

Back home

We got back on Tuesday but I just now have the energy to post. Hawaii....was horrible!!! I was sooooo sick, I spent most of the time in the room! So here is my one picture from a night out at my favorite place to eat on Maui, Kimo's.

We stayed at the Ritz in Kapalua (which is where Chris and I staying for our honeymoon) and the service was terrible. Apparently, the just fired their whole staff when the remodeled and everyone is new. Our last day there Chris went and rented a car for us so that we could drive around ... I actually fell asleep but at least I was awake part of the time!

I got sick from all the flying. My poor sinuses can't take that recycled air! Flying home was a nightmare. We left at 1pm Maui time on June 2 and didn't get home to 11am Ar time on June 3!! When we got home I told Chris not to let me fall asleep so that I would sleep good that night and get back on track with the 5 hour time difference. I kept nodding off as we were watching "So you think you can dance" and he kept having to wake me up! It was kinda funny!