Sad Day, Happy Day, Nervous Day

A lot of emotions going on today.

Sad: today is the anniversary of when my cat got hit by the car. Which, if any of you read back then and remember, was the start of a really long, bad summer which ended with my kitty not making it. Maybe I'll post pictures later to cheer me up - to remember the good times. We miss you, Riley!

Nervous: started spotting red yesterday. Wasn't a ton, but enough to freak my out, of course. My OB has a rule to call whenever you have spotting of any kind. Of course they were closed yesterday so I called today and they are having me come in today for a pelvic exam and check the heartbeat. And then based on those, if we do an u/s or anything else. I haven't spotted today, but I have been feeling some funky feelings in my uterus, cervix, etc... But, then again, they could just be normal and I'm just more tuned into them right now based on the spotting.

Happy: I officially start week 21 today, meaning I have officially completed the first half of this pregnancy. I was just thinking about this the other day and thought to myself - how in the world did that happen?! I've been very lucky and have been feeling very well so far. Here's to hoping it continues that way!

Hope everyone had a great long weekend!

I'm Sorry!

I'm so sorry for the last few posts being downers. So today, I'm chaning that. Despite the kitty situation, we really did have a wonderful last 11 days. DH is a teacher so had the time off already and I had last week and the previous Friday off for vacation. We spent a lot of time out on the boat (DH fishing and me relaxing and reading in the sun), the 2 trips to Syracuse for the Retrieval and Transfer, my Nestie GTG (DH fished), a BBQ, rented movies, spent time in the backyard just hanging out, and a fun-filled trip to Lake George for a few hours.

For those who don't know, Lake George is a village (and lake, of course!) about 45 minutes north that is quite the tourist area due to it's beauty (lake, mountains, etc...) but we decided to go up anyway for the day to get away and take our mind off things. We sometimes forget to take advantage of some of the local fun things to do - everyone else does, why not us!

So we drove up, had lunch on the water, walked around, got ice cream, browsed some shops, went to the beach, just relaxed and looked at the views, went mini-golfing, etc... It was just so nice and relaxing. A great way to close out the weekend, you know?

So I hope everyone else had a good summer and Labor Day weekend. Did you do anything fun?!

Change of Topic - Riley Pics!

I thought I'd change the topic off of my depressing IVF posts to pics of my cat. I know you probably don't want to see them, but they make me happy! Especially now that he's finally recovering from his car accident!

Let's start off on a racy one ;-) He likes to get into small spaces - apparently including the drying rack - and accidentally walking into my underwear - oops!



This was just after his first surgery - had to get part of his tail amputated and put into a cast (yes, he's used up a few of his 9 lives!). Watching him jump up onto things with that cast on was pretty funny, too!:


Ah, comfy...



Get your own remote...



Just a cute pic outside:



I caught him drinking out of the toilet one day - yuck!



My birthday a couple years ago - doesn't he look just oh so excited!



Here fishy, fishy, fishy...



Take me to the gym, I wanna go!



Is it bedtime yet?



We call this move "Jumbo Shrimp" ;-)



I like my new "bed"!



Hungry! We make graham cracker houses every Christmas and every year, he manages to nibble on it when he thinks we're not looking ;-)



I'm thirsty!



You can't see me!




Thanks for looking!

I'm back!

We are officially back from Rochester and our week of crazy driving. It's nice to be back and not have to travel anywhere for a while, do I did enjoy being away and not having to be at work!

We got a late start on Tuesday because we had to wait for DH's car to be fixed and then to hear back from the vet. By the time we heard back from everyone it was about 6:00 pm, so we didn't get into Rochester until a little after 11:00. It always takes us longer when we tow the boat, but it was worth it to be able to take it out - the weather was gorgeous for it!

We pretty much spent the week handging out on the boat, spending time with his family or at picnics. Even went to go see Sex and the City with his sister, which was good - there was no way I was going to drag DH to that one and none of my friends were interested, so I was just assuming I'd have to wait until rental. But nope - and it was good!

Having all of the activities helped take our mind off our love 2WW, but it was still hard - I'll get into that more in my next post. But, in the meantime, here are some pics from the weekend because you know I love to share pictures!

First up, pictures of Riley - he had to go with us because he's still on meds. But the good news - he has successfully eating and not vomited for the last week - how awesome is that!

I liked this picture b/c it made him look like an evil kitty lol

And he of COURSE, made himself comfortable while there!

Here's a pic from out on the water:

While out, we stopped off and had lunch overlooking the water and while there, were "entertained" by a couple of birds having some, uh, fun:

DH's parents got a new chihuahua - a cute little one named Beja - not sure what it stands for since it came with that name (she's 5 years old) - she's still a little skiddish since she came from an abusive home, but she's getting better!

And last, but not least, Rochester has a ton of dear roaming around the neighborhoods and his parents get a lot of them through their backyard - so here's a beautiful gal for your viewing pleasure!

We got back last night, unpacked a few things, and now I guess we're here to stay for a little while. I hope everyone enjoyed their long holiday weekend!

ET - The Rest of the Story

So yesterday started out exciting and nerve-wracking, and turned into sheer excitement and a different form of nervousness!

It was a very early morning - the appointment was 2 hours away at 8:45, so we had to get up early so we could leave by 6:30. But, we also had to drop of DH's car to get fixed (which didn't end up happening) and get gas. So we got a little bit of a late start. Nothing too bad.

The ride there was different thant he ride for the ER. No matter how much I told myself it would turn out fine, I was still pretty nervous that we'd get there and the embies would no longer be dividing and the third would have never amounted to anything. The trip was a lot quieter - but then again, that may also have been due to it being a much earlier trip!

For the ET you are not allowed to empty your bladder about 30 mins prior to the procedure to provide a better view of the uterus for the doctor. Let's just say, that's not really the easiest. Especially since I had to take a Valium when I got there - more water!

We got there with about 2 minutes to spare. Unlike last time, we no longer sat down than they called our name - it was our turn! They had Tom once again get into his cute little yellow outfit and then me, mine. Once we were dressed they brought us into the room - different this time - no stirrups, no anesthesia, nothing like the last procedure. They pretty much just drew some blood to check my progesterone level and in came the doctor - with the news.

He showed me a picture of our embies - THREE beautiful, perfect, 16 celled embryos! Not only did the original two keep dividing, but the third one caught right up!

Once I found out we had embies to transfer, I was good to go. The doctor even wanted in on the pics we were taking lol

He came in, walked through what was going to happen and then turned out the lights. He is very into "new-agey", holistic and easter medicine. So he spent some time with us all holding hands over my uterus (I told you! haha) talking about just relaxing, imagining positive thoughts and allowing in the good energy for the earth. It was hard not to laugh, but at least I got to relax a little before the procedure started.

Doctor goes out to grab the embies and comes back with a big needle and a nurse. Confirms just one more time who I am to make sure they're ours and then I'm off and scooting down the table! The wonderful scapula is inserted, ultrasound machine is turned on and goop is spread on my belly. The next phase happened so fast you could have blinked and missed it!

He presses the u/s wand on my belly, insert the needle, I feel a whoosh of liquid and done! That's it! I could see the 3 little embabies on the screen - it was really cool! I kind of wished he had left it on longer for us to see and take a picture of, but at least I got to see it!

That was it. Literally. There was no pain AT ALL and it was over in a flash. Such an amazing science that just seems so simple on the outside. They had us lay there in the dark for about 15-20 minutes and then we were ready to go!

There is a Healing Arts building next door so they were telling us about the acupuncture they offer for after IVF Transfers. I wasn't really all that interested despite hearing a lot of girls on the Nest talk about it, but DH urged me to give it a try. His theory was - anything we can do to help make this work, do it!

So I went in, they brought me right into the room and stuck me with the needles - you could barely feel it. By the time he took them out my two pinkies and left lower leg/foot were numb, which was weird, but the feeling eventually went away.

After that, we just drove home and took a nap (so tired!). Took the kitty in for yet another vet appointment where the vet is still stumped. They drew blook and off we went. He's actually held down food for the last couple todays and today is looking good so far as well. Hopefully it stays that way!

Pretty much just spent the rest of the night playing it low-key and met a friend for ice cream to talk about the procedure. She is so excited and supportive about it all - it's so cool, I love it!

OK, guess that's it for the ET. We are so excited that there are three potential embabies growing in my uterus right now. It's so amazing and DH is taking such great care of me - making sure I take it easy and don't lift anything too heavy. He even kissed my belly three times last night to say goodnight to each one!

Feeling Much Better

So I freaked out a little yesterday. But I just had such a hard time believing that there were only four mature eggs - I still do. If this round doesn't work, there will be a lot of questions asked at the WTF appointment. DH and I both discussed that if, for some reason, this round doesn't work, we'll definitely try a second round.

In all honesty, this really hasn't been as tough as I thought. Sure, it's kind of uncomfortable when I'm "full" of eggs, and sometimes I feel like I could just cry/scream, but really, it's all been pretty manageable. I could definitely do it again. It would be a whole lot easier if my insurance covered it all instead of paying out-of-pocket, but we'd definitely do it again.

But for now, I'm not thinking about next cycle. I'm thinking about this one. That we're still in the game. I called the RE's office this morning and the answering service had someone called me back. We discussed my concerns about only having two and that they might die between yesterday and Monday. And that we have to drive two hours just to get there. That if there was any way to find out how they're doing or to call us before we leave to save the drive if, in case, none of our little embies were still living.

She assured me (sort of!) that they should still be ok for Monday and to still come out. They don't check them again until about 8:00 Monday morning. She said that they gave us an early appointment for that reason and said that there was one girl who had an 11:15 appointment that is also driving and they told her to call first because hers didn't look that good. They didn't tell us that, so to just come on out.

I'm not sure how much I believe that if they were good yesterday, they'll still be good by Monday, but I guess I just have to put my faith in the RE's hands. And if we end up making a two hour trip for no reason, then we'll just have to deal with that when the time comes.

So, like I said, I'm trying to be positive right now. It's a lot easier than yesterday after hearing the news. That was NOT a good time. But, DH and I talked about it, we spent the afternoon out on the boat and went to see some 4th of July fireworks last night in a town where he used to live. And yup, I know it's a week early - they always do them early since we live in the capital of NYS and they always have a huge display on 4th, so they do it early so as to not compete. So much easier to go see these - not nearly as many people!

Although - there were definitely some characters there last night. I think I have seen my share of mullets, liquor/NASCAR/Harley t-shirts, women without bras that should NOT be without a bra, and feathered/hairsprayed hair to last me the rest of the year. It definitely made for some good people watching before the fireworks started! That, and I got my fried dough - yum!

Today we have some errands to do - I've finally updated my ER entry (below), I have to get new tires on my car, clean the house, make some bread, make some cookies, and pack for tomorrow.

I also made a vet appointment for Riley for tomorrow after we get back since he is STILL vomiting and has now scratched himself raw above his scapula. We were going to leave for Rochester right after the RE appointment since it's only 1-1.5 hours further, but we couldn't bring the cat with us and leave him in the car. And we wanted to get him into the vet once again. So we'll probably head out Tuesday morning to Rochester instead.

I hope whomever is reading this has a great day - and thanks for reading!

Vet Update

I know you're looking for another vet update, right? ;-) And of course by "you", I mean me, since I really don't think anyone reads this blog haha DH just called and he said the xrays went well - no blockages/obstructions, no shifting of organs or anything. Everything looks 100% ok inside. So now the vet is thinking that perhaps when the car hit his head, it messed up the motility of his food or something? I didn't fully understand everything DH said, but the vet is giving us a pill that is supposed to help get the food to absorb and move through his digestive track. We have to quarter the pill and give him a quarter 3 times a day. And if that doesn't work after a few days, he has a stronger version.

Let's hope this works because I'm not sure what else is left!

Father's Day Weekend

This weekend was great! A nice combination of relaxation and family time. We ended up heading north to my parents' house Friday afternoon since I had taken the day off and DH was done teaching early that day. So we packed up the boat, the cat, and enough extra "stuff" to last us a week. Oh well - better to be overprepared!

Friday night we dropped the cat and everything off at my parents house, said our hello's and then headed out to the lake with the boat. It was such a beautiful night out - I took about a thousand pictures. The views are just so beautiful beautiful up there, how could I not!



Even some local wildlife made the pictures!

DH did some fishing...



And I did some relaxing...



We had some snacks...



And some fun with my injections!



We stayed for the sunset that night before heading in - it was breathtaking!



It gets better...



And even better...



When we got back that night, Riley had definitely made himself at home!




Saturday, the weather was pretty crappy out - very humid and then some terrible thunderstorms. I even almost got hit by lightening when it came through the phone lines or something - it came within just inches of where I was sitting - yikes!


Dad worked most of the day so my sister and I spent it just hanging out with my mom while the boys (DH and my sister's fiance) went out to the lake to fish. Dad joined them once he was done with work - just in time to get out there and then have to come in because of the storm - oops!


And then Sunday was another gorgeous day - perhaps the best day of the three - sunny, clear skies, and practically no humidity - perfect for Father's Day! So we all hopped in the truck and headed to church. Then went home, had lunch, and then we all (except mom) went out fishing with dad. I decided not to get my fishing license this year so I played photographer for the day - yup - took another thousand pictures lol


Went to two different places - breathtaking views once again (gotta love the Adirondacks!)

Location #1:

My sister (7.5 mos pregnant - can't even tell, can you!) and my dad:

Second, and final fishing place for the day...








Fishing and spending time with dad (since we don't get to see him much) was our main gift, but we did get dad a few fun gifts. My parents don't drink, smoke, or anything. But we made a joke a while back that I was getting dad a six pack and a carton of cigarettes for Father's Day. So I poked around some stores and picked up a six-pack of root "beer" and some chocolate cigars. I really tried to find the candy cigarettes, but I guess they just don't make them anymore?

Before we headed out on the drive back home, we hung around my parents house for a bit and let Riley outside before being crated up for a couple hours - let's just say he knows how to get comfortable...

Finally, here are a couple views around my parents' property. It is just so beautiful up there - definitely nothing like the city life I live now!

Overall, it was an awesome trip back home. It is always nice to get away, relax, and spend time with family. Don't you agree?!