Hello FedEx!!! ~~~ and other thoughts

Well here it is!!! FedEx delivered the last of my meds last week! Mind you I've consolidated what I had left from last time with my new batch so this picture shows about a month and a half worth of meds and shots. I'll be taking doxycycline ( along with DH ) for 2 weeks before FET. I also have 5 valium. I'll take one or two the day of transfer to relax my uterus. My protocol is estrogen twice a week and progesterone daily. I don't know what the amounts are yet.

I remember being so concerned about all the shots last time and now it's like no big deal. A few people have asked me what I've learned from last time to this time and what I'm most afraid of. Well I've learned that no matter what it's all in God's hands and nothing can change that. Not the best quality embryos, not the best doctor, not acupuncture, not anything. However I do think that there are things that I'll do a little different this time. I'll be more careful about picking up laundry and those sorts of things, I'll make sure I take every single vitamin and metformin I should take, and I will pray harder than I've prayed in my whole life. One thing I won't change is I will enjoy every second of my pregnancy if God blesses me with another one. :~)

As for what I'm afraid of....nothing really. I do dread the long trip back to CA. I'm not a fan of flying and so to be making another trip from Memphis to CA is what I dread more than anything.

I've also been asked will I tell more or less people this time. Last time I told very few about the transfer and then once pregnant only told a few more. The majority of my family and friends don't even know I was ever pregnant. I haven't decided who I'll tell and when. Really I don't know that I'll hide it like I did before. I think if it comes out fine and if not fine. However I may change my mind once we are really ready to go.

Decisions, Decisions

After some back and forth I decided (DH says it's up to me when we go for another FET) to wait until March to do my 2nd FET. Mainly because my son will be on spring break right around the time that we should be doing the FET in March and that would make things easier on my parents seeings that they will be keeping him while we are gone. It would also make it easier on my son as he's never had both his parents gone for more than a day or two and that was only on one occasion. My son doesn't do well with changes so I think that being gone while he's on spring break would be better than while he's in school.

Secondly it gives us more time to save some money and be having to pinch every penny while we are in CA. I'd like to rent a town car again and just have some extra in case we get a chance to go anywhere or do anything that first day we are there.

Lastly there are some odds and ends we need to tie up on the house and this will give us a little more time to do that.

It was a hard thing to accept that I'd be waiting yet another month, but I think that's what's best for my family and really what is one more month in the grand scheme of things.

So if AF comes as expected this month, we will be in CA around March 17 or 18th. Hopefully with March 17th being St. Patrick's day, it will bring us good luck. ;~) That's a little more than 6 weeks away!!!!

Hurry up and wait! LOL

So after my good news of a much lower cost than I expected, I email the coordinator to say we are ready to move forward ASAP. She said as soon as I start AF to call her. Well wouldn't you know AF is already 1.5 weeks late and still not showing any sign of coming soon.

In a way that's good because as AF already come I'd had to wait another month. However now that I want it to come it's not. LOL I just have to laugh. Been regular like clock work for several years and NOW my body decides to hold out on me. Oh well I'll get there sooner or later. ;~)

Today DH and I have been finishing up the home repairs we've been working on for months. (I'll add pics when we're done) I was tasked with cleaning out the spare room so we can put our dogs in there while we are gone to CA. We don't want them to stay in kennels all day, but also don't want them to have run of the house. My parents will come take care of them. So I was cleaning out that room to prepare and while doing so it dawned on me that by the end of this year we may have a baby (or babies) in that room. WOW! Just the thought made me smile. :~)

I'm going to schedule a massage this week and for the next several weeks before transfer. I have heard great things about acupuncture, but I can't afford the several times a week treatments. I'm hoping massage will help with blood flow and relaxation.

Praising God and Insurance

I am SO amazed at the power of prayer sometimes. I JUST sent my insurance card to the clinic yesterday afternoon and today I get a call from their insurance coordinator and she says that I will only need to pay $520 for my transfer!!!! Insurance is covering the rest!!!!! Praise God!!!

So with our tax refund and the money I've saved will be able to go any time we get ready!!!! I would LOVE to go in February, but my son will be out of school on spring break mid March so I think we'll go then. That way he's not in school and can spend the time having fun with my parents. :~)

I am just SO thrilled to not have to stress over the money and not have to worry if we'll have enough by the time we want to go. This past week has been a very stressful and upsetting week because of some family and work issues, but this is such a GREAT way to end the week!

Thanks for all the prayers from my blog friends.

Back to zero and ready to go!!!

I finally went and had that last HCG level check and found out last week it was a 4. That's considered negative. So I emailed my clinic tonight and the coordinator said we are good to go!!! She said as soon as I have AF we can start again so for me to call or email when we are ready!!!! I had this flood of emotions reading those words. Until now I've been quite reserved about it all. After the email it's like reality hit. I am anxious, scared, and excited all at the same time.

Right before the email I had prayed that God would give me peace and help me not fear for another miscarriage, but to enjoy every second of this NEW journey like it is my very first. I have faith that God will help me do that. :~)

Researching Travel Plans

This weekend I spent some time looking up places to say in CA (the clinic is in Thousand Oaks). We are hoping to do a transfer either end of March or first of April so I've got about 2 months to figure out where to stay before I need to make travel plans.

Last time Mom and I stayed in Thousand Oaks and took a taxi every where we needed to go. We had a town car pick us up at the airport and drop us back off there which was pretty nice. This time Greg is going with me. Dr. K would prefer me not to drive the day of transfer and I personally would prefer not to drive at all to keep my stress level as low as possible. (I've driven in several large cities, but nothing like LA) Greg is a nervous driver and so it's best he not drive either.

So the dilema is that I am planning that this will be our last trip to CA for a long while and I'd like us to see some of the sights in the area while we are there the first day. I've got to figure out what the most cost effective way to do some sightseeing without renting a car. HA! Yes, I know cost effective and flying half way across the country don't really go together, but I'm trying. :~)

I also need to go have one more HCG test to make sure my numbers are back down to zero. They should be by now. I think they were 100 something over a month ago. I'm hoping that I won't have to have another saline ultrasound done. Can't remember the official name of that thing. Funny how much you forget when you're not in the thick of things. Anyway, I'll get my memory back and remember what all this process entails very soon I'm sure. ;~)

Happy New Year!!!

It's hard to believe 2011 is here. I am thrilled to have so many plans for this new year. I'm not a fan of resolutions, but I do like to plan a few things to finish each year and this year it will be to pay off several bills and most importantly to go back to CA for another transfer.

Greg and I had a long talk about where we are now and where we are going in terms of our family. We have been praying for answers and feel we've gotten a few signs as to God's will.

I always like to record the signs so I can some day tell my children. I did that with my first child and will do that with this child as well.

So first off we went to the store to look for a couple of ornaments for the tree. They were half price so I wanted to get a few to add to the tree for next year. My tree is decorated in green and red so that's all I was looking at. Greg pointed out this cute ornament (not in the red and free section) that was 3 snow people. (a Dad, Mom, and child) We were laughing about how that was our ornament. I picked up another one just below that one and it had a banner that said "Parents To Be". I couldn't even tell you what else was on it because I was so shocked that I put it back down and had to leave that isle.

I've had several signs through the years for different things when I've prayed for guidance. However, the sign I got a couple days ago has to be the most direct I have EVER had.

Greg and I were tiling our dining area. I had a bunch of spacers that I took out of the bag and threw on top of one of the tiles. I kept on tiling and then when I went to pick up one of the spacers I noticed the ones I'd thrown down formed a shape. I called Greg over to look and we laughed about it and he asked me to take a picture so we could figure out what it was. Just as I went to take a picture it dawned on me what it was....from where Greg stood it was a "C" and from where I was standing it looked like an "A". (I swear I didn't line these up and no one else was around who could have lined them up.) So I guess back to CA it is. :)

~edited to add picture of the CA~