Woohoo!!!!!!!! Oh Happy Day!

We. Are. PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness it all feels so surreal!!

I'm so happy for Doug and Charles!! They are going to be Daddies before the year is out!!!!

Ok, so I have to come clean. I knew this yesterday. Or. Thought I knew. I took a test, Monday at 3dp5dt and it was CLEARLY negative.

So I waited and took another one yesterday as soon as I got up. The positive line was so faint, I wasn't sure it was really there.

So I took my last one this morning. It was a different brand. It was darker. The result matched the info packet's example perfectly. So I was pretty sure that it was positive.

Buuuuut.....I still wasn't SURE and didn't want to tell Doug and Charles and then find out it was false. So I had a friend of mine bring me a digital. I took it as soon as I got it and BAM......!



Heck yeah that's a BIG FAT POSITIVE!!!!



I squealed.

Yes.

Squealed.

What of it. :)
And jumped up and down. Then realized I'm pregnant. I should calm down. :)

This is how I told them......





It is Doug's birthday (obviously). What wonderful news to get on your birthday!

I'm SO HAPPY for them!!!
They have been through a lot to get here. They deserve to be here. Expecting their first child!!!

I know we still have a few weeks until we are "out of the clear" we all have that understanding. But I am staying very confident that this baby will stick around. :) I'm going to do my very best to make a cozy home that it won't want to leave....well..yet anyway. :)

CONGRATULATIONS GUYS!!!!! YOU DESERVE THIS!!!!

And finally, thank you for choosing me to carry your little bundle of joy. I feel very honored.

I'm

One step closer! Transfer done!

Well, here we are, 6dp5dt! (6 days post 5 day transfer)

It went really well! I have heard many people say it's so quick. It really is.


Here is my hubby trying to put on the booties. He has big feet. Even bigger boots. It almost didn't fit! lol


My hubby George (left) and Doug (right) waiting for the embryo to be ready!


This is all of us with Colleen, the "Embryonic Woman"!!! (Google her!) She was the one in charge of taking care of their little embryo!!! Such an awesome part she played in our journey!


Waiting for a transfer? Take a bunch of pics!! That's what we do!! We were all so anxious and very excited!

They finally came to bring me into the procedure room. George, Doug, and Charles all got to be in there!!!! They normally only let two in, and that was going to be George and Doug, but Colleen had the say so, and she let Charles in too! She really was awesome! I'm so glad they both got to be there.

The entire team was amazing. They were all so very kind and made sure I was comfortable. They explained everything to me so carefully and made sure I understood everything that was going to happen.
They give you a Valium to take for nerves. I guess a lot of surrogates need it...? They kept asking me if I wanted to take it. I said no. I don't like narcotics. Besides, I wasn't nervous at ALL! I was just very excited! They team was very surprised I did so well without the pill. Like, seriously! They kept saying, "Wow, she did great, and without the Valium!" I had no reason to need it. NO reason to be nervous. :)


We got to see the tiny 5 day old embryo!!! Magnified 400 times!!!!!!!
Amazing isn't it?


We got to watch them put the embryo in my uterus! It was sooooooo cooool!

That's it! That quick. Just a couple of minutes. They instantly had me stand up and sent me on my way!

I spent the next two days as a couch potato. Except for the little time we went with Doug and Charles to Barnes and Noble and dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.

We have been so anxiously waiting until March 4th when I have my blood test done to tell if I'm pregnant and what my levels are.
Every morning I have a dream that I take a HPT and it's positive!!!! We can only hope!

I can take HPTs but with the enormous snow we got....I can't get out of my garage! :-/

How do I feel? I have been getting this question a LOT! It's way too early for full pregnancy symptoms yet. But I do feel...different. My uterine area feels..."full" in a way. I have been having round ligament pains. Which is just like what i have had with my other pregnancies. I feel like "something" is going on in there. But on the other hand, it could just be my mind messing with me. Wanting something so much, your mind plays tricks on you.....we shall find out soon!!!

Embryo Transfer Time!!!!!

9 hours left until the embryo transfer!!

We had a great day today, and are so close to transfer time.

I can't believe it is finally here. I remember, just a few months short of a year ago, I was searching for IPs, thinking I would never find the right match for me.
Here I am less than a year later, just a few short hours away from transfer.
It's an amazing feeling. Sort of surreal.

I'm so excited!!!!!!!!

I will update when we return home Sunday.

Wish us lots of luck, and have sticky thoughts for us!!!

A Day in Chicago

We made it!!!

The hubby and I flew into Chicago last night (just before the terrible snow storm back home!)
All day today, we spent with Doug and Charles! They picked us up at our hotel this morning, and took us all over Chicago! Oh it was so great! Not just seeing Chicago (which was incredibly amazing) but spending time with the guys. They are so awesome!

The first place we went was "The Bean" which is actually called, "Clouds Gate." If you ever go to Chicago, you should check it out....completely awesome!!!! It's a GIANT, 110 ton, chrome BEAN. So cool!
We walked all over downtown Chicago; walked the entire (almost) Magnificent Mile. It was incredible.
We went to the Hershey store...AWESOME! We got our kiddos gifts from there. Don't worry, we didn't buy tons of candy. haha We got our two oldest brown hoodies that said "Hershey" and Chicago on them, and will have their names embroidered, and got our youngest a Hershey football.

Checked out a few stores, walked forever, froze (it was worth it), walked some more, took lots of pictures. Went to dinner, and experience Chicago style pizza...Oh. my. goodness. Yum!!!! I may never look at pizza the same again. :)

Those are just the highlights. It was really a great day. We got to talk about so many things, and get to know our IPs even more. We even had a little tender moment...I tried not to get teary...it was so sweet. I really can feel their appreciation.

I loved today. Can't wait for tomorrow. Can't wait for Saturday. We will see them each of those days for a while. I love spending time with them. I love the bond, the friendship we have created.

Sunday will be a sad day. But of course, this will not be our last time of hanging out and visiting. :)

Less than 24 hours!!!!!

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!! I remember several months ago, thinking I would never get to this point...In 23 hours, my hubby and I will be sitting on a plane, heading down the runway to go to Chicago!!!!!! Transfer is in less than 3 days!!!!!!!!!!!

Woo hoo!!!!!!!!!

Now, if Mother Nature will play nice...my area is due to get the HUGEST storm we have had for a while...go figure when I'm supposed to be leaving. :-/
Right now they are saying it is not going to start until late, late Wednesday night, so HOPEFULLY *fingers crossed* it will hold off until we leave.

Oh!!! I can't believe I didn't post for you all about my progesterone injections!
Ok, so here is an update on meds:

Sunday, Feb 17, I stopped Lupron and started progesterone intramuscular injections. I also had to start progesterone vaginal suppositories, 3 x day...yes, it is a horrible as it sounds. haha

The injection...I totally wimped out!!! For about 15 minutes, I tried...just couldn't do it. I was too afraid of the needle breaking, me contracting my muscle...just all the things that *could* go wrong. *sigh*
A friend of mine did it for me. I jumped a little at the initial stick, but it was not bad.

Then last night (Monday) I tried again...for like....45 minutes. Couldn't do it. I really did try. My friend was out of town!!! So her boyfriend did it (also my husband's cousin, we were at their house, my hubby was too nervous to do it for me).
I didn't even feel it at all!!! I don't know what he did, but I didn't even know the needle was in until I saw him draw the plunger back to check for blood. It was awesome.

Then tonight...my hubby did it. My poor hubby. My poor hip/butt. Pretty sure he hit a vein. My hip/butt hurts. It bled...bad for a couple minutes. Hubby freaked a little; the blood was RUNNING down my skin. I'm ok though, it's just very sore and bruised.

Ah, the joys of surrogacy. ;)

It's ok, it's just part of it. I could have done the same thing to myself. Hubby did feel bad...poor hubby.

Well, here's hoping we leave as scheduled tomorrow!!!!

7 days vs. 1 week

Seven days until our flight to Chicago for the transfer!!! One week!!!!

I tell ya, counting down is rough stuff. I mean, 7 days/1 week. 1 week sounds so much quicker doesn't it??? The days are going by fast (thank goodness!) and transfer is coming quick! I can't imagine what I'm going to be like next week. :)

Some call me crazy...so incredibly excited for something that is going to cause sickness, possibly vomiting, my internal space to be taken up, kicked, made to feel physically uncomfortable, sleepless nights, peeing constantly, always hungry, always full, ungodly amounts of pain...it's all part of an amazing experience I love!!!! If that constitutes me as crazy, then people, stick me in a padded room, because I'm batty nuts!!!! :)

Ok, enough of the silly.
I had my second ultrasound on Monday to check my hormone levels and uterine lining. My estrogen level is rising just as it should from the patches. For the uterine lining my clinic wants to see a minimum of 7; mine is a 12!!!! That's AWESOME!!! They also want to see "3 lines" they really didn't explain it all, just that they are the levels of the lining. I remember it from my physiology class, but it's kind of complicated and very in depth, so I won't bore you; but all 3 were present, so that's great! That all means my uterine lining is VERY thick which is a must for an embryo to attach. My body is prepping perfectly for transfer next week!

NEXT week...whoa. :)

I have my last lining/hormone check tomorrow morning. I will know then how much progesterone I need to be taking. I will stop Lupron and start the IM progesterone injections on Sunday. 4 days. Still a little nervous about those injections....but I have faith in myself I will get them done. Or maybe I will wait till my hubby gets home and sweet talk (or beg) him to do it for me....who knows, we shall see.

Every hour is an hour closer to Chicago!!!

Update/First Med Change

Well it has been 10 days that I have been on Lupron. I have had very few and mild side effects. Thank goodness!!
A few hot flashes for a couple hours after 3 of the injections. I was VERY sleepy after the injection the first 4 or 5 days. Which I didn't realize could be a side effect until I read more about it. But really, that's about it. :)
I'm super happy I didn't get the headaches I have read so much about!

I was however feeling EXTREMELY emotionally sensitive when my pituitary gland was in high gear.
(For those that don't know and/or haven't read previous posts, Lupron suppresses your pituitary gland; stops all hormone production; by ways of first over stimulating it. Over stimulation of the gland, shuts it down.)
That was a HUGE "side effect" if you will. I was irritated SO easily! I would just snap off...at times made me feel very upset with myself.
Now, I didn't go all crazy or anything, but there were a few times that my little Q would get into something he shouldn't and instead of going to him in the gentle way I normally do, I would immediately get irritated and raise my voice at him...I am ashamed.

That meant lots of extra cuddles for him, and mommy explaining to him she is sorry, and it's not his fault. Not that he understood anything I was saying, but I like to think it helped. But anyway, yeah I did get set off easily and would cry over the silliest things. At nothing sometimes! Oh man that was worse than the pregnancy hormones. I felt ridiculous. haha.

But I kept remembering it was just the meds. As long as I kept that in the front of my mind, I was able to keep a much better grasp on my outward emotions.

My hormones are now completely suppressed. I had my baseline blood work and ultrasound done on Wednesday to verify. Everything is perfect, right where it should be. :)
I can tell a difference with them suppresses as well....it's kind of hard to explain. I'm just kind of..."whatev" about everything.
It is very interesting.

Tomorrow is Saturday. I have my first med change tomorrow!!
Instead of injecting 20 units of Lupron tomorrow evening, I will be injecting 5 units. As well as beginning one form of Estrogen in patch form. I will wear 2 patches and change them every other day. Gradually moving up to four according to my schedule. But for two weeks it will be 2.

I won't have any other med changes in those two weeks, unless my labs and ultrasound show I need to change something. I will have two more of those appointments before I begin the progesterone injections so they know how much I will need. That's the most important med of this journey. So it has to be JUST right.

So things will be quiet around here for a while. Updates will be given after each ultrasound and lab work. :)

See you soon!