Taco Sauce, anyone?????

So, we had something weird happen to us the other night. Saturday, in the early hours (specifically at 1am, and 3am--this was the morning of my second embryo transfer...), we woke to an alarm going off. It took me quite awhile to first of all wake up, and then to figure out what alarm was going off. Rob woke up and went to the kitchen, and the stove timer was going off. He came back to bed, and told me he had set this timer to remind me to take my medicine (I had to be on 4 days of an antibiotic and a steroid to aid the embryos in attaching..). In my half-awake state, I rolled over and went back to sleep. At 3am, the timer went off again. WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON???? When we were getting ready to go to the hospital for the embryo transfer, we were talking about it, and DH said that he didn't set the timer to go off (he must have been in a half-asleep fog too, when he told me that in the middle of the night!) I joked saying maybe that means we are going to have twins. Hahaha. Fast forward three hours--we walked in the door from the hospital, and guess what??? The timer was going off again...it hasn't done it since. I am not going to think about what that might mean.....

The above picture is Bug cuddling with Mommy and keeping warm with the "lead" blanket made by Bug's Great-Great-Grandma. No joke--this blanket probably weighs 10 pounds. It rocks.

DH loves taco sauce on his tacos. He made tacos for dinner last night. He also has this habit of shaking the taco sauce bottle before applying it to his tacos. Well, last night we had a little taco sauce mishap. The only thing he can figure is that he must have loosened the lid, then set it back down. About 60 seconds later, he was ready to put some tasty taco sauce on his tacos...but what must we do first?? Yes, folks, he shook the bottle and taco sauce went EVERYWHERE!!! Picture this: he shook it sideways, so he had a big red stripe of taco sauce covering his sweatshirt, jeans, the chair, and all over the kitchen floor and on the wall. Of course, at first he was mad, but after he realized this was no one's fault but his own, he was laughing about it. I came extremely close to peeing my pants, I was laughing so hard. I actually had tears running down my face, I was laughing so hard. Needless to say, by the time he was done cleaning up the mess, Bug and I were done with dinner.

The picture on the right isn't very good, but in the corner, you can see the lid to the bottle still there amidst the random splotches of taco sauce, and of course the tacos sauce splatter on the wall by the outlet. On the table sits DH's uneaten, almost cold tacos. After I did all I could to stop laughing, I calmly told him "You know, you just gave me perfect blogging material." He gave me a look, and said "Yes Dear..."

It's 5 o'clock somewhere....

Did I already say that Valium rocks?!? I felt drunk about halfway to the Dr's office this morning. It was fun actually, I was giggling all the way into the procedure room. Then my favorite lady, Diane, did an excellent job on my IV, and had me "drinking strawberry margaritas" in a matter of minutes. Ahhhhhhh, the song "Margaritaville" was playing through my head, as I slipped into happyland.

We were hoping on getting a picture of the remaining embryos, but I assume the lab camera was not fixed/replaced yet, as we received no picture. The grades of the remaining embryos were 2"good"B's (although, one was better than the other), and the rest C's. We just had them put the two B's in. They will let the remaining C's grow another day in the lab to see if they get to the Blastocyst stage, and if they do, then they will be able to be frozen.(Blastocyst stage is the stage right before the embryo "hatches" out of it's shell, and embeds itself in the uterine lining) Generally, the chances of a grade C embryo making it to "Blast" stage is slim to none. What they will do is check them again tomorrow, and give us a call with the results. With each of the past 3 IVF cycles we have done, the grade C embryos we had left all arrested (died) on the 6th day.

So, here I lay with 5 embryo's hanging out in my plush uterus!! If any of them attach and decide to hang on, it will be tomorrow or Monday. Needless to say, I am only getting out of bed to pee. That is it. I have to give them the best chance possible. Now the real LOOOOONNNNNNGGG wait starts. We will find out a week from this Monday. That is about all for now...I have 3 movies to watch, 2 magazines to read, and two crossword puzzles to do (and a partridge in a pear tree!!!). Enough rambling...

Blogging from bed....

So, here I am blogging from our laptop on bed rest. The embryo transfer went very well today. Man, does Valium help!! The anesthesiologist was awesome too. She kept talking about my cabana boy that was bringing me double daiquiri's!! She only had to try twice to get an IV in today. Much better. The results regarding the embryos are as follows: 2-A's, 4-B's, and 3-C's. If you do the math, that is 9 embryos, not eight. One embryo decided to start growing after they called on Tuesday morning, but that embryo is one of the C's, so it probably won't grow to be viable. SO, we transferred 2 A's, and 1 B. We will go in again on Saturday and transfer more, hopefully a "B" has made to "A" status...

I was slightly disappointed though, the camera in the IVF lab was broken, and they had no way to take a picture of our "embies". I will post a picture of the previous cycle (bug's cycle) embryo's just so you can see what it looks like--probably in tomorrows blog. It is pretty neat to see.

I am in no pain today, just resting. I ran to Blockbuster last night to rent some movies, and I have a good book and some crossword puzzles to work on. Nothing more right now...I will blog some more probably tomorrow or Saturday after the next transfer. Feel free to give me a call/stop over. I have a feeling I will be bored out of my mind within a few days....Please keep the prayers coming!!

The results are in....

I feel like Ryan Seacrest from American Idol...<<>> :
17 eggs total. Of the 17 retrieved, 13 are mature enough to use (4 immature-not usable). Out of 13 mature eggs, we have 8 embryos that are growing perfectly!!! :-) (2 fertilized abnormally, and 3 refused to grow past the fertilization stage).

8 embryos!!! We are so excited!! Now, we just wait till Thursday at 8am, when we find out the quality of the embryos. The embryologist will grade them just like in school--A is the best, and so on. I will have one embryo transfer on Thursday, and another one on Saturday. Technical term is Sequential Transfer. The embryologist told me on the phone, they were thinking of putting in a minimum of 5 embryos, between the two transfers. I wasn't aware that they were going to do a ST on this cycle. We have done it in the past, and it didn't work. With Bug's cycle, we did a single transfer. I just keep going back to "they must know what they are doing..."

I feel almost completely fine today. Last night, however, was not cool. I offered to make dinner, as DH has been doing everything. Everything was fine till I decided to get up from the dinner table. I think the massive amount of narcotics they gave me while I was under finally wore off. I couldn't stand up straight. I had to walk around bent at the waist at a 90 degree angle!! I took a vicoden (which did no good), and was laid up the rest of the night. Today, I feel very close to normal though. :-)
I will be on as much bed rest as possible starting Thursday. DH will be home helping Thursday and Friday. Grandma Kris is coming to help out Monday and Tuesday of next week. I haven't planned beyond that...
Thank you for all the prayers, keep em' coming!! We need all we can get!

The 3 V's--Verset, Vicoden, and Valium

So, today went well. I am going to hurry with this blog, as my Vicoden hasn't set in yet. Maybe by the end of the blog, you will be able to tell that it has!!! :-) First--they had problems getting an IV in. They tried twice in the underside of my wrist. I will not put in words how much that hurt, as I don't want my blog to get tagged for inappropriate language!! :-) They finally got one in my other wrist. Yikes. Anyway, mercifully, they let the Verset (sp?) run, and I was one happy woman!!! I specifically remember saying..."Oh, Yeah, Baby...", and then the little Japanese nurse started to laugh. Anyway, part of the problem with the IV's is that I was nervous, and this tends to collapse the veins. When we go back on Thursday for the embryo transfer, I am going to take 2 Valium an hour before. :-) :-)

I am surprised at how well I feel right now (could this possibly be the gamut of narcotics running through me currently?!?). I feel like I could go to the shopping mall. I am still uncomfortable in my midsection due to my ovaries. Unfortunately, you don't magically feel good again once the eggs are out. Once the follicle is suctioned out, it automatically fills up with fluid. It will take a few days for my body to absorb that fluid. My hip hurts more than anything right now. This is where they gave me my IM shot while I was out. Starting tomorrow, DH will be giving me a IM shot in my hip 2x's a day. Those ones hurt, but I make sure to "ice my heiney" first, then it is usually no problem...unless of course I nagged him too much that day, and he purposely picks a place where the ice never was.

Anyway, I don't know exactly how many eggs they got today. This was the first time that they didn't tell me an exact number. What a letdown. The good news is that they said they got more than last time. :-) The real important call comes tomorrow when the embryologist calls to let us know how many embryo's we have and their quality.

Wow...I think the Vicoden is starting to work. Much harder to type now. Getting woozy....will update with the number of embryos tomorrow...Prayers for lots of good embryos, Please!!!

I know it's tough to admit....

So, I first have to de-bunk the fact that DH "hates" chick flicks. It took him quite a long time to publish the blog from yesterday. Why, you ask?!? Yes, folks, he was watching the movie "Music and Lyrics" with me!!! He was actually laughing more than I was. He actually enjoyed the movie because "well, there was a British guy doing pretty good one-liners...". Honey, I know it's tough to admit that once in awhile a "chick flick" is ok!!! :-)

I am officially done with belly shots. I took my last one last night. In a previous blog, I said that the "final maturation for the eggs" shot was IM. I was incorrect, mercifully. It was another belly shot that I did at 10pm last night--exactly 36 hours before the egg retrieval. The drug is actually HcG, the same hormone that appears when you are pregnant. To verify this shot "took", I have to take a pregnancy test this afternoon. It has to come out positive to prove the hormone made it to the ovaries. I also had to take a "booster shot" of stimulation medication yesterday around 4pm, just to boost the existing follicles to try to get the best possible egg quality. I am going to enjoy my "shot-free" Sunday. Luckily, they ok'ed me to take Advil for pain, if it gets too bad. This does no damage to the eggs...I made sure of that. I actually took advantage of this, and took some last night. I was surprised at how much it helped. I felt like normal for about 2 hours.

Tonight, starting at 5pm, I am on a liquid diet. Lovely. I have plenty of pulp-free juice, jello, and broth to get me through. I will be eating a nice dinner about 4:45!! My suggestion was omelets!! HaHa.. I can't have water or food for 8 hours before my surgery. (Yes, I will be getting up at 1:45am, and having a jello and some juice!!)

The exciting part about is tomorrow is that we will finally be able to know how many eggs we actually have. The number, in the past, has been around 12. Not all of these will be able to be used. They may be immature, or possibly over-mature. Please pray for us...the nerve-wracking period is officially beginning.

This picture is of Bug "reading" a magazine (that just happens to be called "Conceive"--yes it was a freebie at the Dr office!!) She loves looking at magazines and glossy ads! She will hold them up and stare at them like she is actually reading. It is the funniest thing...

Well, I am pretty sure that is enough rambling for today...I will update sometime tomorrow.

Guest Blogger Today

Hello--it's DH today!

Although she is suffering from "medication-induced" swelling of the ovaries, DW (dear wife) is still well enough to sit down at the computer and type an update for today; however, she is currently watching a movie starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. Since I have no overwhelming desire to watch it myself, I am going to have a go of this blogging thing.

DW has informed me that I must include "facts" about our IVF adventures in this blog, because that is what you, her legions of readers, crave. So, here is the factual update for today:

• It looks like we may have about the same number of mature eggs as during our last (Bug's) cycle-perhaps 6 or 7. This is definitely good news, since after two years you typically see some decline. But as I continually point out to DW, she's in her early 30s, not early 40s.
• Monday will be egg retrieval day. If history repeats itself, Thursday will be embryo transfer day.
• I will be taking some time off from work for the next few weeks to tend to Bug, so DW can concentrate on relaxing (is it possible to concentrate on relaxing?).

The picture above is an ultrasound of DW's ovaries (circled in red). They are swollen and are almost touching. Our IVF nurse said sometimes women who go through a stim cycle such as DW's have their ovaries swell to the point that they are actually touching, which she called "kissing ovaries." What a great name for a rock band!

Well, that's all for now!

Moldy Lean Cuisine meal...

Ok...I am SO glad the eggs are going to be out soon. I can't deal with the emotional side of this...(neither can DH!!) We were in for another ultrasound/blood draw this morning. Nurse mentioned that they upped my meds because my "E2" levels weren't as high as they should have been (blood results). ((Saleen--is E2 estrogen??)) Low E2 levels, mean maybe no eggs, or not good enough eggs in the follicles. Follicle count is the same sitting at 11-12, but the sizes are what count now. I have 6 follicles that are 20-22mm in width. Yes, that is big, and YES, I am feeling it today. The size is a tad larger than I remember from the last cycle, but the nurse says these measurements are fine. Nurse did say, though, that they are hoping to see a E2 result of at least 1000 (from my blood draw for today) to be able to do the final IM shot and be able to pull my eggs. If it isn't, it would be a huge concern that there maybe aren't eggs there...

So, when we got home and this information the nurse gave us set in, I freaked out. What if my eggs aren't mature enough, and are garbage? What if there aren't any eggs? Am I too old already? I wonder what goes through DH's head when I have these "moments". He calmly told me to just wait and see what the blood results for today were, before I freak. I cried, and Bug just stared at me and came over to cuddle and give me a kiss. It is amazing how little ones just know when you are sad. She is so receptive of my emotions--sometimes more than DH!!! :-) Maybe it is a girl thing...She has done this before. If I am crying over an episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition, she will come over to me and sit by me and suck her thumb. Us girls have to stick together, right???

So, we were getting in the van this morning to head to the Dr office, and DH mentioned he thought a "book" was in the "pocket" of the sliding door. I said, "Book?? What are you talking about??" I got in the back next to Bug (to feed her breakfast on the way to the Dr because we were running late..), and looked at the "book". The "book" turned out to be a previously frozen Lean Cuisine meal that must have fallen out of the grocery sack last time I went shopping (and took a sharp turn), and landed in this pocket on the door. When we go, we buy for the entire month (usually), so it had to be at least 3wks ago. I picked the box out, and after I realized what it was, my jaw dropped. There was mold on the outside of the box, and it was nasty. (for the record, the "pocket" on the door is rigid, and the exact same height of the box, so it hid just perfectly...) Lovely...

I just checked my voicemail box, and my levels are 1273. :-) Nurse says the Dr is very happy with the results and will harvest tomorrow, and pull the eggs on Monday. This means another ultrasound/blood tomorrow, then tomorrow night, I will have my first IM (muscular) shot. This shot does the final maturation of the eggs in preparation for retrieval. These REALLY hurt. DH does these, as they are done in my hip. IM shots will start then on Monday, and continue till I find out if I am pregnant. Sunday will be my only day, that I will be free of any shots. But, for now, I am just happy that my levels are normal for today....this makes me extremely relieved. I am going to go rest now...I will update again tomorrow after the appointment.

What's the secret, Bug?!?!

This morning I awoke, feeling normal (whatever that is on stim drugs..). Within an hour, I felt horrible pain. In a couple of hours of resting flat on my back, I was better again. I was a tad concerned this morning, as my message from my nurse yesterday (we are assigned a voice mailbox to check after every appt to get updates from the Dr/nurses) was to increase my stims to 375iu's from 300iu's for the rest of the cycle. This increase would make me grow follicles/eggs much faster, thus causing more pain. With Bug's cycle, they increased me to 275iu's from 225iu's for the last two days, and I was in SO much pain, excruciating pain. MUCH, MUCH WORSE THAN GIVING BIRTH!! Because I was in so much pain, my blood pressure hit the roof. They couldn't put me under (for the egg retrieval), until my blood pressure was in check. That is what scares me about this--but so far, I am marginal, and nowhere close to the pain I felt last time, so that is a good thing.

Bug had her 15 month check-up today. I did feel well enough to go along, which was a good thing, as both of us had to hold her down so that she could get two shots. She is in the 75% for height, and only 25% for weight. She weighs about the same as she did for her 12 month check-up. She eats like a horse!!! How can she not have gained any weight?!?! I wish I knew her secret....

Welcome, Pillow Ladies!!!

Welcome, Pillow Ladies--You know who you are! Hope you enjoy the updates!!

So, here is today's ultrasound picture. Today's follicle count is 11. I have 7 on my right ovary, and 4 on my left ovary. Sizes are 13-14mm in width, except one on the left side that is 8mm in width. The one that is 8mm probably won't yield a mature egg, as it hasn't caught up with the rest. The good news--all follicles but one is the same size, which usually means more mature eggs. Nurse says I am "textbook"--exactly the same results as last cycle. That makes me feel better. The picture is of my right ovary. In the picture you can only see 5 follicles (the big circles). Just remember, you normally have only one of these a month. This picture does not do my pain justice. Not pain yet....just VERY uncomfortable and lots of pressure.

The Doc thinks my eggs will be pulled on Monday the 24th. (Happy Birthday, SIS!!) We will know much more on Friday after another ultrasound. It was weird--at the Dr this morning, I commented on how I feel so well for being so far along on the stimulation drugs. Within a couple of hours, it bothers me to bend in the middle, and with every step I take, I can feel it in my ovaries. I know it sounds weird..it is so hard to describe. It almost feels like the ovaries are heavy and hanging down--making the pulling sensation on everything below my bellybutton. OK, that is enough description for everyone!!

DH will be staying home beginning tomorrow, till sometime next week, to help with Bug. Thank goodness, because I really just need to rest at this point. That is all for now. I will update again on Friday after the next ultrasound.

IV's, follicles, and eggs, OH MY!

Well, today I went in for my ultrasound/blood draw/IVIG infusion. Luckily, my veins were behaving, and it only took two IV's to get the infusion started. I have so much scar tissue from all the previous blood draws/infusions from the past 3 IVF cycles. The last infusion I had was when I was about 26wks pregnant with Bug--that was the worst. It took nurses an hour and a half, and 12 IV's to finally get one to stay and work. They said if that one wouldn't have worked, they would have had to go into my leg or neck! Could you imagine??

My ultrasound today showed 4 follicles on my right side, and 2 on the left side (generally, where there is a follicle, there is a egg growing inside-mature/healthy eggs will be inside a follicle between 18-20mm in width). The right side follicle sizes were between 6-8mm in width, and the left side were between 4-6mm in width. In the past, my right side always reacts better than the left, so this isn't a surprise. This is very common for different sides to react better/worse than the other.

That is the update for today. I go back on Wednesday for another ultrasound/blood draw.

On the seventh day...

I am officially uncomfortable. I have taken two shots of the egg-producing drug, and am uncomfortable already. That should make for a long week. Basically, I feel like a huge blimp/over sized balloon at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It makes you feel very bloated, and makes you have seriously bad (almost doubling over) gas pains. Don't worry, just the pains! Oh, I am also extremely tired. I don't quite remember the tiredness and gas pains from before, but DH says yes, I had all of the above. The good news is, the needles that I use for the egg-producing drug are even smaller than my morning shot. I NEVER feel those! Finally, a shot I don't feel!
Grammy took this picture I am including today...Grandpa and Bug are blowing kisses to everyone!


Today I got to enjoy a church service, ALL BY MYSELF! No crying, drooling dear daughter to deal with. I forgot what that is like to actually be able to listen to the sermon, and not have to deal with minor meltdowns in the middle of the Gospel. It was wonderful...I should leave her home with DH more often! So, because today is the Sabbath (and because my ovaries are in a bunch), I will do just what HE commands--I will REST.

McDonalds, Anyone?!?!

My seat belt is on--I am officially on the IVF roller coaster!! Everything checked out at the doc's office this morning, in fact they told me I have a "nice hamburger!". Yes, folks, a good (pre-stimulated drugs) uterus looks like a big hamburger. Hey, when you go through this stuff, you have to laugh, right??? Attached is a picture...(if you thought I was joking!) Is it me, or is anyone else craving a greasy burger from McDonald's??? :-)

I start my egg-producing drug tonight. 300iu's of Gonal F daily. This dose is 75iu's more than when I was on my last cycle (Bug's cycle). This means I will probably be on the drug about a week, which will yield approximately 15 eggs. I am just guessing based off of previous cycles. So, now I am giving myself one shot in the morning (to keep the eggs from ovulating), and one shot at night (to grow the eggs).

My next visit will be on Monday, for another ultrasound and blood draw. In addition to that, I will have an infusion of IVIG. This is a drug that prevents my immune system from attacking the embryos, after they are put back in. This takes about 3 hours, and is done by IV. The only thing that sucks about it, is it makes you feel bitterly cold, and sometimes makes you throw up. I will have to do one more IVIG before I find out if I am pregnant, and that will be while I am under anesthetic during the egg retrieval.
That is all for now...I am off to enjoy the weekend.

Lions, Jaguars , and no nap, OH MY!!!

Bug is getting better. Her cold isn't quite as bad as it was the other day. Today was gorgeous, so we had a playdate at the zoo. It was 77 and breezy. Perfect. Just warm enough for no jacket, and breezy enough to keep the stench of the penguin poop tolerable. We spent four hours at the zoo, and Bug fell asleep in the car on the way home. She woke up as I was taking her in, and never finished her nap. ?!?! A 20 minute nap is NOT ENOUGH!!!

I am so tired from today, I am including some pictures, giving Bug a bath, and going to bed. I have to be up early enough to have Bug and myself at my Dr office tomorrow morning at 8:30am. That oughta' be fun....

My "before" picture didn't turn out, but here is an "after" picture....too bad the napping thing didn't last a little longer for Bug...

God's kind reminder...

Bug update:
Two molars are through, we are just waiting on the other one. In addition to general crabbiness from cutting teeth, Bug has got a nasty cold now. She looks and sounds quite miserable. I missed blogging yesterday, as I was completely exhausted from getting up almost every hour Monday night to suction her nose, so she could breathe(she sucks her thumb!). I think that was God's way of reminding me what it is like having a newborn...It was like he was saying..."Are you sure you are ready for this??" I surprised myself by not even taking a nap yesterday. I was soooo tired, but other things had to be tended to. Most fun was spending an hour on the phone dealing with a pharmacy regarding a prescription.

I have an appointment on Friday for what is called a "baseline blood draw and ultrasound". The purpose is to verify that the hormone levels are low (blood draw), and to verify that my ovaries are "quiet" (internal ultrasound). There needs to be no activity showing on the ovaries. They will measure the ovaries, as this will be the "baseline measurements". If everything pans out, I will start the stimulation drugs very soon. Once those are started, I go in every other day for a blood draw and ultrasound to monitor the size of the ovaries and number of follicles within the ovary, and to monitor the hormone levels. They can't let hormone levels or follicle size increase to fast, as that can cause something called OHS. (Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome) I had the beginning of this with Bug's cycle, and it was the most pain I have ever been in. MUCH worse than giving birth. OHS is very serious, as your body can go into shock...and worse.

Science fact for today: Normal ovary is the size of a walnut. After being stimulated (via injectible meds), the general size of the ovary is the size of a medium orange. That will give you an idea of why, towards the end, it is so uncomfortable that I do absolutely nothing. Good thing DH will be taking some days off to be at home waiting on me!! I think I will use the "sick bell". I am sure he will be pleased with that!!

Tylenol Junkie....

It has been quite boring around here. Not much more happening on the IVF front. The real exciting stuff will start the end of this week. You will see more constant updates beginning around this Friday or Saturday, when my stimulation drugs start. These are the injections (in my belly) that I will do daily (at night), to produce multiple eggs that will eventually be removed (via needle aspiration--don't worry, I am out for this!!), and will "hook" up with the "guys" to produce embryos that will be transferred to my uterus. This all happens in a span of about 2 1/2 weeks. Then, of course you have to wait for what seems like 365 days, to find out if you are pregnant (it is really only about 10 days).

DH called today. He left around 4am today heading to MI for work. I talked to him, and he said he was on his way home already. He had gotten there, and the workers were done already. ?!?!? Ummm, slight miscommunication?! So, he is on his way home already, and should be home for dinner. Nothing like driving 12-13hrs for no reason. Hey, how tough can it be driving, listening to the radio, and getting to stop at whatever fast food restaurant you want (Wendy's-double stack with cheese, biggie sized, with a Dr Pepper--do I know my husband or what!?!), AND getting paid to drive??? Darn good thing Bug and I didn't go along. Now that would have been bad...

Speaking of Bug...she has been quite fussy recently. I figured it was because we haven't been out much as the mosquitoes and bees are horrible. No, mama was dead wrong. She has two molars coming in...AT THE SAME TIME. Folks, it is not good when teeth come in period, let along TWO...and molars at that! This morning, I noticed a huge swollen area of her gum (other than the two molars mentioned above), with what looks like blood pooling under the skin. It hurt me just looking at it. After consulting with my sister-in-law, Tracy (who, can barely stand to discuss teeth, let alone look at them, as they give her the willies), we decided it is yet another molar coming in. YEEEEEAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! 3 MOLARS AT ONCE!!!! Great times....I will be heading to Walgreens this afternoon to buy a couple more bottles of Tylenol....

Crickets Chirping....

So, to those reading this who know us well, know that we hardly ever go out to dinner. Due to one income, and the fact that If I wanted to eat dinner in my jammies I could, I would rather just stay home. Last night, DH got home from work early, and suggested going out to dinner. I agreed, and off we went to the local pizza joint. For those of you reading who are local, we went to Mia's, (formally Mama Mia's), downtown. I felt like Jerry Seinfeld at Babu's Pakistani restaurant!!! We were the only one's there! (there was actually an elderly couple getting ready to leave as we were getting there--remember the episode with Jerry's parents eating dinner at 4pm??) Anyway, I am pretty sure I could hear crickets chirping in that place! Normally, we are there on a Friday or Saturday, when the place is packed. It was the most pleasurable dining experience we have had since Bug has hit "Toddler-hood". We didn't have to worry about keeping her quiet, and when she was done, we just put her down--just like at home! No worries about her getting in the way of other patrons, waitresses, etc. It was wonderful!!!

Bug had her first real experience with kiddie TV today. The TV is hardly on at our house, but today I decided to turn on Sesame Street to see what she thought of it. It was hilarious. She loved Elmo. She would yell with excitement, when she saw the puppets jumping around. It was so cute...

We have decided not to voluntarily subject ourselves to 10-12 hours of driving to and from Michigan (depending on how traffic is in Chicago) with an energetic toddler who doesn't like car seats for an extended amount of time...DH will go by himself, and the girls will hold down the fort!

The cutest thing ever....

Well, here we are. No change on the IVF front. I am still doing the daily belly shots. As I said before, you can hardly feel these...UNLESS you hit a vein. Stings like crazy, and you watch a bruise about the size of a quarter grow on your skin. So far, I have 3 bruises. I guess my aim is not so good, huh??

Yesterday, I had a typical shopping experience with a toddler (who would prefer to be walking than in the shopping cart). Long story short, we had four stops, and the last one--the grocery store--Bug decided she needed to squeeze the bread. In an attempt to stop this from happening, I rescued the bread and in doing so, the bread got caught on the cart, and ripped a huge hole in the top of the package. At this point, she starts to scream (in part because I think I scared her grabbing the bread so fast, the other part because she didn't get her way). Lovely. Now, I just finish shopping as fast as possible and get on my way. To top this wonderful shopping morning off, once home, I finish unloading the groceries. I start to unload the 12pk of soda into the fridge, and soda is dripping from the case. (insert more harsh words than "UFF-DA") I was so frustrated that I didn't finish cleaning that up till after lunch, and after Bug was in bed, napping. Much easier to wait till she is in bed, than trying to keep her from dancing in the puddles of soda on the floor.

We are getting ready for a possible 2-3 day trip to Michigan, for DH's job. Gee I wonder how the trip will go with Bug?!? ( I am shaking my 8-ball right now--It said "Outlook not so good")

We have successfully taught Bug to pray before meals...I have to say, it is the cutest thing ever. I think she thinks if she folds her hands, and squeezes them as hard as possible, the food will come quicker! Not so, my dear.

The last picture I am including was taken today. I think this is Bug's way of telling me to stop taking so many blasted pictures of her. Don't worry Bug, the camera is packed away now (until tomorrow anyway!).

What is this thing on my face?!?!

So, our wonderful daughter has realized she has something called a nose on her face. She also has realized that noses have holes that we can stick our fingers in! We were at our friends' house last night (having a bonfire, and ummmmm eating only ONE smore!), and Bug was on my lap. Our friend, Jen starts laughing hysterically. I look at Bug, and here she is going at it, like she is digging for gold. (picture finger up her nose to the second knuckle, and twisting!!) Lucky for you all, I have chosen not to post a picture of this! (instead, enjoy this recent picture of Bug enjoying her favorite dinner--spaghetti!) Lovely. That's my girl!!! Do you ignore it--like everything else, in the hopes that she will just stop?? I just can't see myself at a store, allowing my daughter to dig for gold, while I casually cruised the isles shopping. We have ignored many things in the past (and she would stop), but this time I choose to yank her finger out of her nose. Now that she knows she can get a reaction from me, I have a feeling this will be happening numerous times every hour she is awake.

Buckle your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride!! Today was my first experience with the crazy emotions that come with the current medicine. I did some volunteer work at church late this morning, and DH (dear husband) was with Bug at the park next to church. Bug saw me and came toddling over to say HI. I later told her goodbye, as I headed into church. I got teary leaving her!!! I was gone for a whopping hour!!! UFF-DA!! (for the non-Norwegians reading this, UFF- DA can mean "oh my gosh!", "yikes!", "oh my goodness!", "good grief!"etc) It is a perfectly polite expression which may be used in place of various vulgarisms employed to evince displeasure. Enough said.

New to this....

Hello All!

This is my first official blog! Why you ask?? Upon embarking on our last and final try to have another miracle baby, we decided this would be the easiest way to keep all of our friends and family informed of our news as we get going on this journey. Also, to keep you updated on how fast our little angel is growing, and of course a few pictures every so often!

Not much to report now, just that I am on my second day of what I call "belly shots". These are done in the fatty spots around your belly button--Lord knows, I have plenty of that!! These are the ones that don't hurt. They are the same syringes that diabetics use...very tiny. All of my pre-IVF tests came out fine, so we are on our way. Let the roller coaster begin! The only difference I have seen in the two days of shots, is that it seems I have to pee more often. No big deal...

Recent discoveries for Bug--Realizing you can make pictures with your drool (lovely), and trying to move fast enough to pick-up ants (and eat them I am sure, once she actually catches one--I will keep you updated on that!) when we go on walks!

Tomorrow and Monday, we are going to try to enjoy the beautiful weather. DH is working all day today (in the office, so Bug and I won't bother him!), so it seems like a regular day. I am off to get some things done around the house, while Bug is still napping.