A Day in the McLife

Photo Book

2011-08-20T19:06:00.001-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Reversible Romper (Jon Jon)

2011-05-07T23:58:00.000-05:00

I got this bright idea a couple months ago that I wanted to learn to sew. I used to have a sewing machine and actually made a few things. One was a poodle skirt that didn't turn out the greatest but considering that I had never sewn before (I had a boy "help" me with my pot holder in home ec) was actually pretty decent. So I decided to give it a try again. I no longer have my sewing machine and thought that I should probably see if I could actually do it before buying one so I borrowed one from a friend. That was over a month ago! I have been taking my sweet time with this project. In my defense I DO have two toddlers running around this house. Step 1: I decided that I wanted to make a Jon Jon for the boys to wear to Disney World in September. Step 2: I searched high and low for a pattern and finally found this one . You Can Make This is a wonderful website by the way. Step 3: Picked out fabrics. I actually bought some really cute fabrics to use for the ones they will wear at Disney World but then I decided that I didn't want to mess those up on my first try so I found a really cute piece of Mickey Mouse fabric at Goodwill for $.50 and a navy blue remnant for a couple of dollars at Walmart. When I finally finish I will put some sort of applique on the navy blue side. Step 4: Printed out the pattern. Step 5: Cut the pattern out. Step 6: Taped the pattern together. Step 7: Ironed and cut out navy blue fabric. Step 8: Ironed and cut out Mickey Mouse fabric. This is as far as I have gotten. If you add a few days in between each of these steps you will see why it has taken me over a month to get this far. Hopefully I will start to sew this week (fingers crossed!) and I will have a picture of the finished product to show you. Wish me luck!

Binky Free?

2011-04-05T23:18:00.000-05:00

We really hadn't thought much about when to take pacifiers away from the boys but an opportunity presented itself last Thursday and we took advantage of it. I took Trey and Ty to visit David at work. When we got there around 1:00 pm he put their binkies in his pocket and I forgot them when we left. We had several errands to run and didn't get home until around 5:30. I realized that they had gone 4 1/2 hours without the pacifiers so I mentioned it to David. He said we should try to put them to bed without them. Trey went to bed without any problems but we gave Ty's to him when he woke up crying. I thought, oh well we can make it a rule that they can only have them at bed time. They didn't have their binkies all day Friday. They both cried at bedtime so we gave them the pacifiers but soon regretted it when we realized that they were just crying because they didn't want to go to bed. I am happy to report that they have not had pacifiers since they woke up Saturday morning! I think we are done with them for good (knock on wood) and I am pleased that it was a much easier transition than I anticipated. Hopefully potty training will be as easy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T10:55:00.000-05:00

The McNuggets are McCuties!

That's it! It's time to lose weight...

2011-03-17T10:03:00.000-05:00

I reached my breaking point yesterday. I weighed myself and I realized that I weigh about 12 lbs more than I did before I got pregnant. It might seem strange for me to say that...plenty of women weigh more than they did when they got pregnant, right? Well I lost all of my pregnancy weight within 2 weeks and another 12 lbs soon after that. That's the magic of breast feeding. It's healthy for baby AND mom! The bad part is that you still have the huge appetite once you stop breast feeding. I stopped breast feeding in July, when the boys were 8 months old. I kept eating and eating and eating. Now, 8 months later, I have gained almost 25 lbs. Gaining 25 lbs when you are already overweight is bad news. I am unhealthy and tired. Something has to give. So...I WILL lose weight. I am writing it here for all to see so it will discourage me from giving up. The first step is giving up soft drinks and sweets. This is very hard for me but the last time I gave up those things I lost 25 lbs in no time! I am also giving up fast food and I joined Spark People. This website is awesome and will help me eat healthier at home. Luckily the weather is turning warmer so I can go outside to walk with the boys. My first goal is to lose 30 lbs by the time we leave for Disney World in September. I will keep you posted!

Just a couple tidbits

2011-03-15T20:25:00.000-05:00

First, David and I have been together 15 years this month! That's quite a long time :) Secondly, Trey and Ty are going to be 17 months old tomorrow. Time sure flies. That's all for now.

Disney World....Hooray!

2011-02-20T11:19:00.000-06:00

We are going to Disney World! Since our honeymoon in 2003, D and I had gone (almost) every year until I got pregnant with Trey and Ty. Our last trip was September 2008. We are suffering from major withdrawals! We have booked our trip for September and hoping that they will announce free dining which will save us a ton of money. Keep your fingers crossed! We can't wait to take Trey and Ty. Even though they are too young to remember the trip, I know they will have fun. Everyone is always asking us why we want to take them when they won't remember....seriously people, this trip is mainly about us at this point and Trey and Ty are free until they are 3. D's sister and our nephews are coming along. It will be Hugh and Gabe's second trip. They were 4 and 14 months when we went in '08 and will be 7 and 4 this time. I can't wait to see how they react now that they are older! Seven months is so far away. I can barely stand it!

Christmas Pictures Take 2

2010-12-14T11:08:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I decided to take Trey and Ty to have their pictures made again. Much better results!

Christmas Pictures Take 1

2010-12-14T10:57:00.001-06:00

Last week we took the boys to have Christmas pictures made with their cousins. They were not in the best mood so we were lucky to get at least one half way decent picture of all 4 boys.

Guilty...

2010-12-14T10:43:00.000-06:00

I feel so guilty. I had Ty on the changing table this morning when I realized there were no diapers in the drawer. I strapped him in and turned around to get more diapers. Houdini wiggled himself out of the strap and fell backwards off the table! I saw it as it was happening, let out a scream and ran to catch him. I didn't make it. The poor guy cried for a couple minutes but luckily no damage was done. I think he was scared more than anything. I know accidents happen but I feel responsible. I know better than to walk away. Big parental fail!

Funniest commercial....ever?? Maybe!!

2010-11-28T21:47:00.000-06:00

Reminiscing

2010-11-04T12:43:00.001-05:00

David called to check on our "totsicles" today. The annual storage fee is assessed in November so we wanted to make sure everything was still in order. Those 2 little embryos have been in storage for 2 years now and it is so hard to believe. I decided to take a walk down memory lane and read this blog from the beginning. Sure there are several gaps in the posts but I had tears in my eyes as I recalled my journey from the despondent woman I once was to the happy mother that I am now. Tomorrow marks the 2 year anniversary of my first embryo transfer. It did not result in a pregnancy but thankfully we had 5 embryos that we were able to cryopreserve for future use. It amazes me to think that, once upon a time, Trey and Ty were 2 of those little frozen embryos! I thank God for them every day and I pray that someday our two remaining totsicles will result in a sibling(s) for my precious baby boys!

Baby Cereal Pancakes

2010-11-01T17:33:00.000-05:00

I have SO much baby cereal in my cabinet and I hardly ever feed it to the boys. I was so happy when I came across a recipe for baby cereal pancakes on wholesomebabyfood.com! I frequent the site a lot but I somehow missed the recipe until now. The recipe is as follows:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup baby barley cereal (or other commercial baby cereal)

1 cup formula (or another liquid such as milk)

1/2 cup mashed banana (or fruit of your choice)

1 tbsp melted margarine or butter (unsalted type)

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup baby oatmeal ( commercial baby cereal)

apple juice (about 1/2 cup) or use water if you prefer

Add cinnamon, nutmeg, dash of vanilla or other flavorings if you wish.

Mix all ingredients together and add enough juice to make pancake consistency. Cook on cook top in frying pan as with "regular" pancakes.

I can't wait to try the recipe. The only problem is that I'm not very good at making pancakes. I guess this will give me a lot of practice!

Halloween!

2010-10-28T09:39:00.002-05:00

I just took a few pictures of the boys in their Halloween costumes to submit for a photo contest. They look mighty cute if I do say so myself! What do you think?

Puppy Dog Trey

Ty the Turtle

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime.....thanks to Shutterfly

2010-10-28T08:51:00.000-05:00

I have always liked to send out Christmas cards. Mainly because I know how it makes me feel to open my mail box and see those little tidings of good cheer. In years past I have gotten your basic store bought greeting cards but since Trey and Ty made their appearance I like to show them off in photo cards. It is never too early to think about your Christmas cards so I have been perusing the internet looking for the perfect card and I found it! While on the Shutterfly website I came across a card titled With Love and I just adore it. Not only do I love the song "What a Wonderful World" but those words just describe how I feel this year! It is definitely the sentiment that I want to get across this Christmas. The card has a classic and simple design that is very eye catching and I cannot wait to see what it will look like with pictures of my little family. The best part is that Shutterfly has such great deals! Right now Shutterfly is offering 20% off all holiday cards! You need to check them out....not just for your Christmas cards but other unique offerings like gift tags and address labels. You will be glad you did!

It's Me Again!

2010-10-22T22:15:00.001-05:00

I can't believe I haven't posted since June. I keep promising to stay up to date and I keep failing. Sorry everyone. Can you believe that Trey and Ty turned 1 last week??!! It is so amazing how far they have come since their NICU days. They are both so close to walking. I can't decide if I am ready for those steps yet. We had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse birthday party last week and it was so nice. We had a great turnout and the boys got some wonderful gifts. We are so blessed to have such amazing people in our lives! As always here are a few pictures....

Car Troubles

2010-06-01T14:11:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago, the battery completely died in my car so we had to buy a new one then we had more trouble on Saturday. David and I were driving to Walmart for some groceries and all of a sudden the a/c stopped working. David looked at the dashboard and noticed the battery and check engine lights were on. We were in the left turn lane and the arrow turned green so he executed the turn but with difficulty because the power steering was out! At this point we were trying to make it to a place where we could stop but all of a sudden what appears to be smoke is coming from the hood. We pull into the parking lot at Sam's and get out. Luckily, it was just steam. The serpentine belt had broken and knocked the coolant reservoir off. David, his dad and our brother-in-law worked on the car Sunday while I was at home getting myself, Trey and Ty ready to go to Holiday World. We had been invited by our neighbors and were really looking forward to a fun trip. We never made it. After many set backs the car was finally fixed...at 2:58 pm. It took nearly 5 hours and a trip to Boonville! I'm very sad that we didn't get to go to Holiday World but I'm happy to have a running vehicle! Hopefully we won't have another incident two weeks from now! At any rate, here are some pictures from the weekend.

The last few weeks....

2010-05-29T11:41:00.000-05:00

I'm being such a slacker! I really need to keep blogging but I've been too busy playing Family Feud on Facebook (it's like an obsession)

So...let's catch up on the last few weeks. Trey and Ty are now 7 months old. Trey rolls all over the place and I can't keep him in one space for long. Mr. Ty has rolled from his stomach to his back a couple times but he hasn't done it since. Although he doesn't roll over he can sit up! Both boys have a tooth popping out on the bottom. They've been a little fussy but not too bad.

Mamaw and Papaw bought both boys a jumperoo and the love, love, LOVE them! Ty has fallen asleep in his and wakes up jumping. It's quite funny.

Last Friday, we were visited by my cousin Melissa, her husband Jason and their son Jackson. Trey and Ty were very excited to meet their second cousin. I somehow managed to let them leave without getting a picture :( Trey, Ty and Jackson are only 5 weeks apart, how fun! Yesterday, we went to the eye doctor for exams. They like to do this with preemies, especially if they were on oxygen. Thankfully, neither of the boys have any issues. I can't wait until their next check up to see how much they weigh. Trey has really taken to baby food and eats quite a bit. Ty is a little slow going but he's getting there.

I think that is all that has happened lately. I will post again soon. Until then...

Glee, musicals, The Tony Awards and other things

2010-05-05T16:29:00.003-05:00

I have loved musicals as long as I can remember. My grandmother started me on movie musicals at a very young age which resulted in a huge crush on Gene Kelly! To this day, Singin' In The Rain is my favorite movie. When I started high school, I really wanted to try out for the musical (which was Oliver that year) but I was too scared so I settled for playing in the pit orchestra instead. It was still amazing to see something live on stage for the first time. Living in southern Indiana doesn't offer many opportunities to see great Broadway musicals although some really good tours do come to The Centre. My problem is getting someone to go with me since David doesn't like musicals at all! I basically rely on the internet to watch video clips and I faithfully watch The Tony Awards each June to catch the performances of the nominated musicals. There are two shows that I have been dying to see for years. The first is Jersey Boys. I discovered Jersey Boys while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade back in 2005. I have watched every YouTube clip I can find from this show. I listen to the soundtrack like crazy and I adore John Lloyd Young who originated the role of Frankie Valli. The Jersey Boys tour is coming to Indy and Louisville this summer and (fingers crossed) I will finally get to see it!

Trey and Ty showing their Jersey Boys love!

The second show is Spring Awakening. It is no longer on tour so I most likely won't get to see it but I still enjoy the soundtrack! This is where I segway into Glee. I saw the Spring Awakening cast perform during the 2007 Tonys and I discovered Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff. Any Glee fan knows Lea as Rachel Berry and Jonathan Groff is now starring as Jesse St. James. I began to follow their careers and discovered in early 2009 that Lea was starting work on a pilot which was eventually titled Glee. I was so excited about this project because it would be like watching a little movie musical each week, not to mention that John Lloyd Young would be making a guest appearance (you might remember him as Henri St. Pierre the thumbless shop teacher in the Acafellas episode). I began to tell everyone about this show and tried to convince them to watch it when the pilot premiered after the May 2009 finale of American Idol. To my surprise, they watched it AND they loved it! Thank goodness America feels the same because I would be lost without Glee! I know there are other avid musical lovers out there, they just aren't in my circle of friends so to be able to share a little bit of that love with my friends through Glee is amazing!

A Big Day for Trey

2010-04-30T23:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a big day for Trey! He FINALLY rolled from his stomach to his back. Twenty five days ago he rolled from his back to his stomach and it as taken him all this time to figure out how to roll back over. Better late than never! He can't do it consistently yet but he is getting there. His other discovery was how to blow spit bubbles. Cute but gross :)

Our Precious Miracles

2010-04-28T15:32:00.000-05:00

I'm Back!

2010-04-27T13:55:00.002-05:00

Well, I have decided to resurrect my blog. I deleted it a while back for several reasons, the main reason being that I am too lazy to write! I see other people's blogs and the talent they have for words and I just don't feel up to par. But...I have family members (I'm talking to you Aunt Peggy!) who have asked me what happened to the blog because they don't have Facebook pages and can't see the pictures I post of Trey and Ty. I will post pictures on this blog for those people. I don't really know how to do much other than a simple post so I guess I will have to do a little research. So, hello again everyone and I hope you enjoy the pictures of the boys (once I get around to posting them lol!)

Introducing the McDonald Boys

2009-10-21T11:03:00.004-05:00

David Wayne McDonald III (Trey)
October 16, 2009
7:35 PM
4 lbs 10 oz
17 1/4 inches

Ty Randall McDonald
October 16, 2009
7:36 PM
4 lbs 1 oz
16 1/2 inches

The boys were born at exactly 32 weeks. They are both in the NICU but doing very well. Both boys are breathing on their own! They are currently being fed through tubes but taking the feedings well. They are both under bili lights but Trey's might stop today. They are both considered "intermediate" in the NICU and are in Isolets. Trey will hopefully be moving to an open crib with in the next few days! No estimation of when they will be able to come home but hopefully it will only be a few weeks. The first picture is Trey and the second is Ty. They don't look alike at all! Trey has dark hair and Ty has light hair!

Bed Rest

2009-08-20T11:48:00.002-05:00

Well the last week has been pretty eventful! Last Thursday I went to Dr. L's office for my bi-weekly appointment to measure my cervix. Unfortunately it had gotten even shorter and was cause for alarm. Dr. L came into the office and said that she wanted to admit me to the hospital and have the Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor check me out. David and I were shocked to say the least! They rolled me out in a wheel chair and took me immediately up to labor and delivery and got me a room. I changed into a gown and got back in the wheel chair to be wheeled to the Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor. During the ultrasound examination at this new office my cervix kept fluctuating between 1cm and 1.7 cm. Definitely short. The major cause for concern however, was that I had started funneling. This means that my cervix was starting to open at the top. I wasn't dilated thank goodness. The Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor, Dr. Hughes, told us our options and mentioned a cerclage. A cerclage is a stitch around the cervix that helps keep it closed. At 23 weeks it was borderline too late for the cerclage but she explained the risks to us. The risks included infection and the possibility of rupturing the bag of water. David and I had to decide if this was what we wanted to do. We decided to go ahead and go through with it. Dr. H scheduled the Cerclage procedure for the next morning and I was wheeled back up to my room for STRICT bed rest....this, unfortunately, meant the use of a bed pan! The next morning around 9:30 I was taken back for the procedure. I was given a spinal block. Once Dr. H started the procedure she found that I had dilated 1 cm overnight....while on STRICT bed rest. It is a really good thing we decided to go through with the cerclage! The procedure went well and I was taken back up to my room. I stayed overnight Friday night but I was allowed to get up for bathroom breaks. Around 2:30 on Saturday I was released with orders that I remain on bed rest at home. I am allowed to get up for bathroom breaks, a brief shower and I am allowed to sit up to eat my meals. Other than that I have to remain in a reclining position.

We went for a follow-up appointment yesterday. Both babies are looking great (we found out last week that they weigh about 1 lb 5 oz and 1 lb 4 oz). The cerclage is still in place and everything is closed up. My cervical length is holding steady at 1.4cm. I will be seeing both Dr. L and Dr. H every two weeks so I will get a little jail break from the house. Tomorrow and Saturday I will be going to L and D to get steroid shots to start strengthening the boys' lungs in case they are born prematurely. Hopefully we will make it to 36 weeks with the bed rest.

As an added note, thank goodness for my mother-in-law. She has come by every day so far to help out. She gets here around 9 and leaves around 2. She lets Chipper out, brings me my meals and bless her heart, she has been a cleaning machine! It makes me tired just to watch her! David is going out of town this weekend for a work related softball tournament (I INSISTED that he still go). My parents are going to stay with me for the weekend to help with my meals and such. Everyone is being so helpful. I couldn't ask for better family and friends. This is going to be a long road but a road that is definitely worth it! Once I have Trey and Ty healthy in my arms it will seem like a distant memory! Oh and I am getting out of jury duty!

20 Weeks

2009-07-24T20:18:00.002-05:00

17 Week Belly

2009-07-19T21:53:00.004-05:00

This is kind of a sucky picture but this is what my "baby bump" looked like 2 weeks ago. I am going to take another picture when I turn 20 weeks on Friday. I am a lot bigger already. Please ignore the fact that we needed to weed eat the backyard! LOL!

We've Chosen Names!

2009-07-19T21:40:00.005-05:00

Our baby boys will be named David Wayne III (nicknamed Trey) and Ty Randall. I cannot wait to meet them! I had a great appointment on Thursday. Everything is looking good with me. I have finally gained weight! The doctor was happy about that. I'm 19 weeks now and I have gained 8 lbs. My goal is to gain no more than 30. I hope I can do it! Trey and Ty are looking great too. I took my grandmother along with me so she could see the ultrasound. She loved it. We heard the heartbeats as usual. They were 162 and 149. The ultrasound tech finished up all the anatomy and everything is wonderful. Hearts, spines, brains, fingers and toes.....looking good! We were even treated to a 3d ultrasound which I normally find creepy but actually enjoyed since I was seeing my babies! I am already seeing the doctor every 2 weeks. She wants to monitor my cervix which makes me happy because I've seen too many maternity shows (ie: Birth Day or Deliver Me) that focus on cervical incompetance! I don't want that to happen to me.

Well that's the news for now. TTFN!

The McBabies Are.........

2009-07-02T14:08:00.002-05:00

Both boys!!! I am so happy to finally know so we can start buying stuff! I never in a million years thought we'd have two boys. I thought for sure we'd have two girls or a boy and a girl. I'm very happy that they are the same sex. I think it will make things easier. As for me, I will be 17 weeks tomorrow and in good health! I'm going to start appointments every two weeks though but that makes me happpy because I will get an ultrasound everytime and I LOVE to see my boys moving around and hear their heartbeats!

12 weeks 6 days

2009-06-10T18:08:00.004-05:00

First OBGYN Visit

2009-05-14T14:19:00.004-05:00

As I said in the last post, I was referred back to my regular OBGYN. I had my first appointment on Monday, May 11 (the same day I lost my job!) I met with the nurse practitioner who asked a lot of family history questions and gave me a lot of information. My blood pressure was good. Even though I don't have high blood pressure, I worry about it a lot. According to the NP, I should only gain 25 lbs throughout this pregnancy. Yikes. I'll try my hardest! Once I finished with the NP I was sent for blood work which was not a fun thing. I have had my blood drawn so many times through the course of fertility treatments and it is usually no big thing for me but the phlebotomist was awful. She bruised me up and could barely get blood out of either arm. That has NEVER happened to me before. Enough about that. I don't want to think about it too much because I will have to get blood drawn again eventually!

Now for the highlight of the appointment. I didn't know that I would be getting an ultrasound during this visit but I did! Little did I know that I would also be hearing the heartbeats through the ultrasound. I told David he didn't have to come to the appointment because it would just be a lot of yapping. I feel really bad that he missed out on the heartbeats. Anyway, both babies measured at 9 weeks 1 day. I was 9 weeks 3 days at the appointment so that is really close! The heartbeats were 186 and 176. Nice and strong. I'm so happy things are still looking good. The ultrasound picture is posted above. It isn't very good quality because it was my very first abdominal ultrasound.

My next appointment is June 4 and I actually get to meet with Dr. Leinenbach. I also get another ultrasound and we'll get to hear the heartbeats again! David will be coming along this time! I don't want him to miss it again!

Appointment Updates

2009-05-14T14:06:00.006-05:00

So I've been missing in action for a little while. I've just been so tired and didn't really feel like updating things but now I should have plenty of time because I lost my job on Monday. American General cut about 10% of the workforce here in Evansville and I was part of that 10%. It's okay though because we were trying to work it out so I could stay home once the babies are born. Now I'm just starting a little earlier! Anyway, on to the appointments.

We had an appointment at Dr. Gentry's office on May 5. We saw both heartbeats again and everything looked good. We were referred back to my regular OBGYN. It's going to be weird not to go to Dr. Gentry's office anymore. It is amazing what a difference two weeks can make. The ultrasound pictures actually look like babies! How exciting! The pictures above are from that visit. I will post the updates from the next appointment in a separate post.

Ultrasound Results

2009-04-21T14:48:00.006-05:00

I'm very tired from stressing out the last couple days so I'm getting ready to take a nap. I will post more details later but I really wanted to share the news......we are having TWINS!!!!!

Beta #2

2009-04-11T08:55:00.002-05:00

The result is 965! It doubled and then some! Woohoo. I don't have to go back for another beta. I am supposed to call on Monday and schedule an ultrasound for the next time Dr. G is in town which will be about a week an a half from now. I can't wait. Once I see a heartbeat (or two!) I will be able to relax a little!

No News

2009-04-11T07:39:00.003-05:00

I waited and waited for the results of my second beta yesterday but I never got a call! We decided to contact the nurse on call to find out what happened. She said that sometimes it takes quite a while to run labs when testing progesterone and the lab probably didn't finish running my blood work before they left for the day yesterday (they closed at Noon). WHAT!!! I was the second person to have my blood drawn and I was out of the lab by 8:05 yesterday morning! Oh well, hopefully I will get a call today but the negative Nancy in me keeps thinking that they lost my sample all together. Sheesh.

Well.....

2009-04-08T18:05:00.002-05:00

Yay!!!!! The nurse called today around 1:15 to say we are pregnant! My beta was 379. For those of you who don't know what a beta is, it's a test where they measure the level of the pregnancy hormone HCG in your blood stream. This number should double every 48 hours so I go for another blood draw on Friday. If it doubles and all goes well, we are looking at 2 weeks from today for an ultrasound! During the ultrasound we should be able to see the heartbeat(s) and find out how many babies we have! Woohoo! We definitely aren't out of the woods yet but I feel much more optimistic this time and I just know that all the prayers and well wishes we have received from friends and family are making a HUGE difference. An enormous THANK YOU goes out to all of you! Keep the prayers coming so that David and I may deliver a happy and healthy baby! We really appreciate each and every one of you!

Going Insane

2009-03-31T17:57:00.002-05:00

I think I am going to drive myself insane! I have 8 days to go and I can't relax my brain. The nurse told us that I wouldn't feel any pregnancy symptoms because all the hormones I took to prepare for the FET are the same hormones that your body produces during pregnancy. So why am I sitting here imagining symptoms? So far I have conjured up a little nausea, cramps and extreme fatigue. Oh man. It's going to be a long 8 days!

The Dreaded Two Week Wait

2009-03-26T10:20:00.003-05:00

The FET went really well yesterday. The embryologist thawed 3 of our 5 embryos and all 3 made it! That is wonderful news. We have 2 embryos left in storage which we difinitely did not expect. All the research I have done shows that no matter how good the embryologist is all of the embryos won't make the thaw. I guess we just proved that research wrong!

Dr. G transferred the 3 thawed embryos into my uterus but not without some difficulty. It is me after all. Anything that can go wrong will. Sad but true! The nurse hit the nail on the head when she said, as she came into the room, " Carrie are you being difficult again?" I replied "of course!" Apparently my uterus lays straight up and down and was tilted just a little bit. That's all fine and dandy according to Dr. G but the darn catheter just would not go in! So after what seemed like an eternity of being poked and prodded he switched to a different catheter and it went in on the first try. Thank goodness! It most definitely was not that uncomfortable last time. I just had to grin and bear it! So now I'm sitting at home relaxing until I go back to work tomorrow and I am slowing counting the minutes until April 8 which is when I get to take my pregnancy test. The two week wait is torture.

As you can see above, I've included a picture of our precious little embryos. You can't really make out much but the little white lump circled in red is all 3 of them laying together. I really hope that at least one of them takes! Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes and prayers!

A few more days...

2009-03-22T15:29:00.003-05:00

Only a few more days until the FET and the nerves start to show up. Not because of the procedure itself but the outcome. I have always heard that FETs don't have a very big success rate so the doubts start creeping their way in. But...I have to tell myself that there is hope. The nurse told me a couple weeks ago that our chance of pregnancy is about 45% which is MUCH higher than I thought. I also learned that a fellow PCOS sufferer (you know who you are!) became pregnant with her twin girls following an FET! That is amazing news! I hope and pray that David and I should be so lucky! Two and a half days to go!

And the lucky day is....

2009-02-28T13:58:00.002-06:00

We have a date scheduled for the FET. It is set for March 25 which is almost a week later than I anticipated. The later date is due to Dr. Gentry's schedule. He won't be in Evansville that week and we kind of need him there! I have to take 6 extra days of shots to accommodate the change but I don't mind. I just hope this cycle works! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

A little bit of good news

2009-02-22T20:52:00.002-06:00

I was a little bummed because the packaging on the antibiotic I was prescribed to treat a UTI said that it could not be taken at the same time as fertility meds. I decided to call Dr. Gentry's nurse to find out why and she said that because Lupron isn't an actual fertility medication I can take it at the same time as the antibiotic and we can go ahead with the protocol for the frozen embryo transfer (FET)! I am so excited! I will take my first Lupron shot tonight and will continue for another 25 days!

The History

2009-02-20T19:15:00.003-06:00

David and I met in 1995 at Wesselman's Supermarket. We became friends and talked to one another quite often. Fast forward to early 1996 when the words "It's you fool" changed the course of our relationship forever. We were just two crazy kids who had their whole lives ahead of us. We waited quite a while to get married but happily tied the knot, after 7 years of dating, on May 17, 2003. David and I decided to start a family immediately. So....we tried. And tried. And tried. The early "infertility" years are kind of hazy to me these days but to sum it up we ended up trying the fertility drug Clomid for several months with no luck and then in August of 2005 I diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and told by my OBGYN that I would have to go to a fertility specialist. This starts what I like to call the Dr. Gentry years.

We met Dr. Gentry for the first time in October 2005. I was given medicine to treat PCOS and was told that I had to take the medication for one month before we would start any fertility medications. In November we did yet another round of Clomid , this time under the care of Dr. Gentry. I was told the Clomid didn't work properly and that my body did not grow any eggs that were "mature" enough to release out of my ovaries. Bummer. Our next course of action is to start injectable medications but we will have to wait out a cycle to let my body rest.

Dec 21, 2005 I take a pregnancy test and believe it or not it's positive!!! Yippee.

January 1, 2006 Happy New Year, you're having a miscarriage :(

March 2006 Surgery on ovaries

Between April 2006 and December 2007 we did multiple rounds of injectable medications in conjunction with IUI (also known as artificial insemination) but all of these cycles ended in bitter disappoinment and we realized that it was time to move on to In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF). I never dreamed that we would have to go this far to have a baby and I even struggled with the decision a little bit because, as a Catholic, IVF is a sin. In the end my desire won out. Here is how it went:

February 2008 - Test done on uterus to check for polyps, lesions, cysts or anything else that might prevent implantation. I aced that one!

March 2008 - Started injections to suppress my natural hormone functions

April 2008 - Started follicle (egg) stimulating injections, 2 to be exact. That makes 3 shots a day. Then another 2 pills on top of that. Very fun!

April 15 - IVF 1 canceled because my estrogen level plummeted. Of course I'm difficult and can't be a normal case. Dr. Gentry says he has never had this happen before. We'll try again.

May/June - Long story short - read above. Same protocol same result. Cancellation. Ugh. IVF 2 down the drain.

At this point we decide that we are going to take a LONG break and try again when we get back from our family vacation to Disney World. We made this decision because contrary to popular belief, giving yourself 3 shots a day isn't very fun! During this long break, I'm determined to make the next attempt work so I stop drinking soft drinks, start drinking water only, give up sweets and lose 25 pounds in the process. This next attempt just has to work now!

October 2008 - IVF 3 Will we make it to retrieval this time???? Yes! After taking all the injections listed above we successfully grew eggs without my estrogen dropping, hooray! On Nov 1st 20 eggs were retrieved, 17 were mature, 13 fertilized! On Nov 5th two of the best quality embryos were transferred into my uterus (according to Dr. Gentry, the nurse and the embryologist those 2 embryos were EXCELLENT quality so this gave us great hope that they would implant)
Now we have to wait until Nov 19th to find out if we are pregnant.

Waiting

Waiting

In the meantime, we find out that 5 of the 11 remaining embryos continued developing and were viable enough to cryopreserve for future use.

Waiting

Waiting

November 19, 2008 Guess what......big fat negative. How disappointing.

December 2, 2008 Based on the excellent quality of the embryos he transferred, Dr. Gentry is having a difficult time believing that I'm not pregnant and feels that there MUST be something wrong with my uterus that is keeping the embryos from implanting. I am sent to St. Mary's for an MRI.

December 5, 2008 Of course the MRI comes back clear. There is nothing wrong with my uterus. It's just "one of those things" and we'll have to try again. Sheesh!

So anyway, that's the not-so-brief history of my and David's attempt to start a family. Our story is full of ups and downs and a lot of heartache. Fortunately, we aren't alone. We have great family and friends who have been with us each and every step of the way.

Now that everyone is up to date on the history, this blog will serve as way to keep readers up to speed with our current attempts! If you have any questions about a particular procedure, don't hesitate to ask. I didn't want to put too much detail into the story for the fear of TMI!

Of Course....that's just my luck!

2009-02-20T19:00:00.002-06:00

David and I have 5 embryos that were left over from the in vitro cycle we did in October. The embryos were frozen for future use and we decided to do a frozen embryo transfer as our next attempt to get pregnant. Just as I'm getting ready to start the medications that need to be taken during this process I develop a urinary tract infection and have a prescription called in. I just picked the pills up from Walgreen's and in BIG BOLD letters emphasized by a green highlighter I see the words CHECK FOR PREGNANCY AND USE OF FERTILITY MEDICATIONS. I absolutely cannot take this antibiotic with fertility meds. Of course I can't! Well I guess we'll try again next month.

A Video is Worth a Thousand Words

2009-01-23T23:40:00.003-06:00

The first time I watched this video I bawled my eyes out. It is so beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. I couldn't have explained our journey better myself. Please take a moment to watch this video and walk a while in our shoes!

http://www.tearsandhope.com/emptyarms_video.html

Just a Start

2009-01-22T17:21:00.000-06:00

People often ask me for updates on the emotional roller coaster that David and I call infertility. I thought I would start this blog to document all of the highs and lows related to this journey and to keep my friends and family informed. Hopefully, this blog will be informative and help you, the reader, gain a better understanding of what we have been through and what we will continue to go through until we meet our ultimate goal...to become parents! So please check back often and feel free to ask questions and offer opinions!