9 weeks!

Gosh,  it is amazing how fast time is flying!   I have a feeling I'll be saying that for the next 20 years.

So far everything is going well.  We graduated from Dr Rockstar last week.  Sad day!  They were so awesome!  They will make great babysitters for our embisicles that are chillin away.

I decided which hospital i'll deliver at and so met with my OB & midwife offices this past week.  The hospital I chose has a really neat delivery center but the catch is I have to be seen by their midwives to use it.  Meh, that's o.k. They seem to know what they are doing ;)

Morning sickness is starting to let up a little bit.  Thank god!  As long as I eat like an animal all day and first thing in the a.m., I'm good.  I'm betting this is partially due to the fact that I stopped my estrogen & progesterone supplements.   WOOOOHOOOO!  I was/am super nervous about letting them go. ..kind of like my security blanket.  But I still had a party.

I think I spotted the first little sign of a bump last night!  Up until now I wasn't sure what was flab or baby buddah.  Haha. 

J and I are leaving Friday for our babymoon extravaganza to europe.  Woot woot! 

And so it begins :)

I hit 6 weeks last Thursday and am feeling the effects. I kinda started feeling pooey a few days before that, but I digress. I've decided early pregnancy feels like a nasty hangover. Ha. A little sick & nauseous, maybe a headache, starving though food sounds repulsive, and tired even though you've slept all night. Sore & huge boobs, and cramps/angry guts to include a mild case of the 'backups.' Its pure joy! ;) Oh no, this is *not* me complaining. I'm loving every minute :)

Our first ultrasound

Tuesday the 4th was our first ultrasound. I was freaking out and way nervous cuz I had some pink spotting on Monday followed by brown. All. Day. Long. I had cramps, I've had cramps from the get go but this was also all day long.... J happened to have CDO that day on the ship (which was super busy& a huge deal because they were doing Change of Command for the fleet) and spent 13 hours in his choker whites, longer than at our wedding! I was alone all day & night fretting! It was terrible.

So Tuesday, I was a nervous wreck. We got to the office like 30 minutes early. I refilled my progesterone and then thought 'well that was dumb I should've waited until after the appt.... Just in case.' Ugh. As we're waiting, I heard at least 3 other people get congratulated. I was hoping & praying I'd be in their club today, oh please oh please!! I'm in a dress (this detail comes important later on) and hanging out. I went pee before we got to the WR but my bladder was full so Dr Rockstar had me go again so he could see well. At this point it's been like 45 mins since we've arrived. I just want to know already! Gah! I was 5 weeks 5 days and so it's iffy whether we will see a heart beat or not. Dr is checking everything out.... It looks good & healthy, ute & yolk sac are measuring good, and he makes sure nothing out of the ordinary is in there causing trouble or that would cause bleeding. Then shit got real in our household, we saw the little flicker of a heart beat in there! It was so cool!! I totally cried. Hahaha. I go back in 2 weeks, when I 'graduate,' and can't wait to see it for real going crazy. I was so excited and distracted walking out of there, we got to the car and I realized I forgot to put my unders back on. (see below, forgetful.)

They chalked up the spotting to ute stretching or a tender cervix exacerbated by aspirin. I stopped for 3 days and haven't had trouble or spotting but started back last night so we'll know soon if aspirin is the culprit. I know I know, everyone TOLD me spotting was no big deal and not to worry but of course I was worried! After everything we went through to get this far, I worry about everything!

Today I'm at 6 weeks.... The dreaded week when all the fun symptoms come out to play. So far I'm hanging tough. My boobies are officially outrageous (thanks in part to progesterone & estrogen supplementation). I have been SUPER forgetful. Like ridiculous. Of course I'm more tired than usual. So far no nausea or barfing although I do admit I feel a little strange. Not sick, just not quite right. You know how when you are feeling like you're gonna puke and you get lots of saliva? Yeah, I get that. It's gross. I'm hoping my guts of steel can hang tough for awhile :)

We took our first "bump" picture. It is so cute! Though its more like a starting point pic cuz there is no bump. ;).

I've been taking it easy from work. Literally, I'm working 3 days this whole month. I've had lots of time to research our Europe trip, Oktoberfest trip, and figure out where I want to give birth. Yes for real. I need to find an OB and to do that I have to figure out what hospital I want to be at. Talk about a CHORE. Ugh. It feels like a million years away!

its a Big Fat ....

POSITIVE!!!!!

I am freaking out!  We agreed that Thursday would be a nice compromise because I was 9dp5dt or =14DPO.  Both J and I were up all night Wednesday night thinking about it.   I almost tested at 1am just to get it over with.  I had the slightest pink/orange tinge to CM Wednesday and cramps all night.  Both of these symptoms had me worried to death we had another BFN coming.  With such bad cramps I thought for SURE I was going to wake up to AF.  Surprise!  :D

I did a blue dye & internet cheapie at the same time...I let them marinate for the required 3 minutes plus 1 more for luck.  I was too nervous to go look so i made J get out of bed to peek with me.  When those 2 were showing lines I did the digi for good measure.  OMGGGGG, we finally got our  BFP!  We're finally pregnant!!!!!!

Test day I was 9dp5dt (or =14dpo).   I think I'm still in shock!!!

So the beta was yesterday, Saturday.  My RE was looking for a number over 100.  For my own sanity, I was hoping for over 200.  It was a whopping 446!   WOOOO HOOOOO~!!~!!  Our first u/s is scheduled for 4 June.  I'm still nervous but a little more relieved today. :)

Wanna hear something really frkn cool?  Based on transfer day, our estimated due date is February 4, which is also my grandma's 90th birthday.  Way rad!!!

6dp5dt

Transfer went super duper fab!!!  We thawed 1 (yes, just one) AA rated hatching blast.  Dr Rockstar has so much faith in this lil embie that he wouldn't let us transfer two.  God please let him be right.  Ugh!! 

I was able to sneak into my yoga class before transfer which was nice.  Ya know, to help blood flow n shit.  I ended up being SUPER early and even though I brought a snack I was too nervous to eat.   I chatted with Dr R's PA, who is always super nice, and one of the nurses.  I've never been to a doc office where the staff is so personable & friendly!! Love them <3.  I was still sad J couldn't be there but was feeling good about everything.  So first they had me meet with the embryologist to confirm what we were transferring and what else was left in the deep freeze.  They brought me back about 15 minutes late but I shit you not, as soon as I sat down with Dr Lisa GUESS WHO CALLED!!!  J from the ship out at sea :). He got to be on speaker phone to hear the whole thing.  (We joke about having ESP but this was purely ridic. Haha).    So the lil guy (or gal) thawed at 0930 and was already nice & plump by 1150.  (They shrivel the embryos a little before freezing to help the cells survive.)  I actually had to change into a gown with booties & hat, they didn't have me do that up at SRM....  Acupuncture lady did her thing and I did my meditation.  40 mins later, thankfully my bladder was full enough before I felt like peeing on myself.  Since the lab is down a few doors, they wheeled our lil guy in in a for real incubator!  It was so cute.  Not only were we worried about scents (like perfume) but we weren't allowed to talk but in a whisper and they had it completely dark except for a tiny spot light you know where. Dr R did his business, they loaded it up right there in the incubator under the microscope and that was that!  They used embryo glue and also some kind of special cleansing stuff to help with implantation. 

I survived bed rest with flying colors :). Been taking it easy since then so as not to push my luck. Plus my bum is a damn pin cushion.  It feels like a for real sore muscle that's partially numb & bruised.  Last night I rolled over and hit it just right so that I yelped cuz it felt like I had just laid on a tack. Ouch.

Today I am 6dp5dt. Beta is scheduled for Saturday. Eeeep!  I haven't peed on any hpt's..... yet.  The problem is I work Friday thru Monday and need a refill of PIO by Friday night and patches by Sunday.... I'm thinking of testing on Thursday so as to give me time to refill prescriptions *OR* a day of crying my eyes out before I have to function in public. I'll be 9dp5dt on Thursday (equivalent to 14dpo).  Saturday they are looking for a beta over 100. Technically speaking, if hcg doubles every 48 hours it would theoretically be at 50 on Thursday.  Most hpt's pick up 25 of hcg.  My point is, Thursday is like Goldilocks....
Not too early, not too late but juuuuust right enough to be accurate. So far I have no symptoms that can't be blamed on either the estrogen patches, progesterone, or indigestion. Trying not to read in to stuff & stay focused + relaxed. 

Say your prayers for us......

Photo caption: our embisicle!  You can see the ICM (inner cell mass) at the bottom, the gray outline is what becomes placenta, and the "drip" is where its hatching!! :)

P.s.

Game of the day: count how many times I used parenthesis in this post!! 

25.25 hours and counting!

I worked this weekend and hit the store a few times to make sure I'm set for 48 hours of bed rest following transfer.  Signed up for a free week of Hulu+  (which I am now hooked on), downloaded some ukulele tabs to learn, and found my spot in the Game of Thrones book.  Somehow I woke up this morning and flipped.  The house is a disaster, I should do laundry, omg what about this + that + the other.  Shit that hasn't bugged me in 2 weeks is suddenly a problem. If this is what nesting is like, I'm screwed!  I called in to work hoping like hell they won't need me today. 

I caved and did my injection on the left last night. My right hip was much too lumpy & sore.  I had a weird tingly/ burning sensation afterward making me think I frost bit or burned my behind.  Great.  I also noticed that as I'm pushing in the thick oil I tend to yoink the syringe so that its not straight anymore.... I'm sure my tush appreciated a needle being drug around inside the muscle.  I'll focus better tonite lil (er, big) butt, i promise!  Someday I'll get the hang of this stupid IM crap.

PIO aftermath

Ohhhh my god my ass hurts!!!  Worse right now than when there was a 1.5" needle in me.  I had to sleep on my left side because there is a huge knot on the right from last nights PIO.  I must not have massaged & heated it enough.  I also think my target (my nurse drew circles for me to aim at) is too low..  Wowwie.  I'm trying not to limp and hit the hottub this morning hoping it'll help. 

I'm DEF sticking to the same side tonight.  Otherwise I won't be able to sit or lay At All!