God is Amazing

Had a really great Thanksgiving with family/friends. My nephew, Janson (he is 23), stayed the weekend with us. We did our yearly midnight shopping at the Outlet Mall and then hit Kohls. I was so worn out. But I had Russ and Janson carrying all the bags. It took me all weekend and then some to get caught up on my sleep.

My friend Dee Dee, her husband Adam and daughter Eden just came back from Czech. The cycle did not work for them. She was on a high dosage of fertility injections and responded very slow. They were able to retrieve 2 eggs. 1 egg didn't mature and the other egg grew too slow. I felt so bad for them. She called me several times while they were there. I prayed with her and told her that God is in control. He didn't say Never, just not right now. The doctors have given her hope and they plan to go back next year. They are home now and resting up, she said that it's starting to hit her. She needs to be able to be still and be silent and to listen to God. They are taking their time and praising God.

God seizes to amaze me!!
We met some new friends that are interested in going over to the Czech Republic in January. An Elder's wife sent them our way. They go to our church, but his parent's go to my inlaws church. They actually prayed for us last year. God has brought us together! Had dinner with them and was able to share our testimony and journey. God is really good and We've met really great people during this journey.

I've been tasked to come up with names and addresses for my shower. How fun!! It's a tough job, but I will get it done. We bought baby furniture for her room this past weekend. Russ has such great taste! It will be delivered this Friday :) I would like to paint her room green, steam the carpet and then put the furniture together. This is starting to become real!
I have 4 more months!! Can you believe it??

My next perinatal appointment is Thursday. We get to see our baby girl, it's been 6 wks since the last ultra sound. She should be about a pound and the size of a large Mango :) How sweet!
She love's to kick and dance. She tells me when she is hungry, already starting to be bossy! haa.. Watch out Russ :)

More to come...

20 wks

I had my normal OBGYN app Friday. Blood pressure was great, 122/72. She wouldn't stop kicking, so it took Schilling a little bit to get her heart beat. She is a very active girl!! That's a good thing and I enjoy feeling her move. I was supposed to do a 5k walk Saturday for a friend who has cancer, but was told NO because of the Placenta Previa. Smart move!

We registered yesterday. Russ enjoyed holding the gun and scanning. I'm sure there are some things on there that he "had" to have. Haaa ;) So much to look at and it got a little over whelming. We registered for the important things and then finished on line. It was really fun, but wore me out. Babies R Us offers some classes, so we will take advantage for sure.
We will register at Target in a week or so, that way people have more options.

My friend Dee Dee left Friday to the Czech Republic. They arrived safe and sound yesterday and are starting their journey! She has a 10 yr old daughter and has had problems getting pregnant. I lift her up to God! I know this is her time as things have fallen in the right place. She is on stronger fertility meds and ran out. I knew I saved mine for a reason! I was able to bless her just like we were blessed! She has enough to get through her treatment and will not have to buy anymore. God is so Good!! Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

More to come...

The meaning of Lillyan

Lilly - Meaning of the Name and Flower:
Lilies have divine flower meaning of purity and motherhood. It gives Hope of everlasting life!
Lily is the flower of Hope!

How awesome is that? Lillyan Hope. What a meaning

Lilly started kicking a lot last weekend. I actually can feel her! It's an amazing feeling to know there is actually a growing baby in my belly ;) I never thought I would get a chance to feel something like that. God really is amazing and we are so blessed to be walking down an exciting journey together! We are ready to become parents to this precious little girl of ours.
I could never understand why parents would want to rush their kids to grow up and move out of the house, you can't take that for granted. It should be something you treasure for ever and you would think you want your kids at home as long as you can. We are treasuring ever moment we have and are praising God during this journey.
I day dream all the time wondering what she will look like. Will she have dark hair or blonde hair, bald or peach fuzz, will she be long or short, chunky or skinny, long fingers or short fingers. I know she will be beautiful and I can not wait to see her!

I go back to the OBGYN on 11/20 to hear her heart tone! I love to listen to her heart beat, it sounds so sweet!

More to come...

Our 10 Yr Anniversary Trip / Baby Moon

We celebrated our 10 yr 11/6. We decided to make a little trip out of it and go to our favorite place, Orlando :) We relaxed the couple days we were there. The resort had a lot of things to do there to keep us occupied. No parks this time around, had to keep it safe. Russ surprised me with a prenatal massage (Was an amazing experience). We went out to dinner that night and then went back to our room and he had chocolate covered strawberries and champagne (non alcoholic of course). He is such a romantic :)

We did a little shopping for our baby girl. Bought her first minnie ornament. Says "Baby's First Christmas" and had them put 2010 on it. Bought her a little Pooh outfit. We could really do a lot of damage at that place, but we did really good. Lilly was doing a lot of kicking while we were there. I found out she likes cold milk. Every time I drink Milk she would kick. It felt amazing to feel her kicking. I love those moments!

Here are Lilly's photo's from the 17 wk appointment.

(Lilly's profile) (It's a GIRL)

(Her Foot) (Clapping hands)
More to come...

17 week ultrasound

I had my perinatal appointment today. Got there at 3:15, waited & waited until 4:45 to go back there. I was told they had a pregnant woman with twins who had a lot of complications. It was well worth it. The u/s tech asked me if we wanted to know what we were having and we said "yes" We got to see the brain, heart, kidneys, bones, etc.. Then she showed us the butt, thighs and then said.. you see here.. there are 3 lines.. so IT LOOKS LIKE A GIRL!! Wow.. a little girl. Amazing. She kept saying "She" and it just sounded so funny. I'm use to baby this and baby that. But we are having a baby girl.. our baby girl. God is really amazing! We saw her fist, then she waived, gave us a thumbs up, saw her foot and then we saw where it looked like she was clapping. Haa.. it was so sweet. Dr Yeagley is wonderful. She told me that we have a very healthy baby girl. We past the glucose testing and the downs syndrome test :) Dr Yeagley told me that my placenta was too low, which is a sign of Placenta Previa. She said I had a slight case of it and told me not to worry at all. I didn't want to hear those words. Yeagley said please do not look it up or read any books. It will heal itself and will keep a close watch on you. If I was in my 3rd trimester then it would be something to really worry about. God has brought us this far and I know He is in control. Please pray that the Placenta Previa will heal on it's own.

So.. we are having a GIRL!! and her name will be Lillyan Hope. Hope means so much to us, as we have never given up "Hope" God had a plan for us this whole time. I will put u/s pictures on here soon!!

More to come...

Glucose Testing

I must say it wasn't that bad. I've heard such horror stories. The one I had tasted just like Hawaiian Fruit Punch. The lady made me drink it in 1 minute! I will never drink Fruit Punch again though. I felt so sick the rest of the day. Drained and headaches, I could barely eat.
But it's over. I didn't hear anything and I thought, Well they must have sent the results to the perinatal dr because they were so bad. My sister in law asked me today if I heard anything, so I just called the dr.
She told me that I passed!! Thank you Lord. Levels were 125 and anything over 155 is bad. I was so excited and happy that I didn't have to do the 3 hr. I really thought I would fail, considering I am insulin resistant and been taking metformin for 6 yrs. I guess I got it back to normal. Whew!! I was so happy to hear those words.

Tomorrow is the BIG day!! 17 week ultrasound and the perinatologist! I hope to hear the words "It's a boy or It's a girl" Please baby cooperate this time and don't be stubborn. You will have a small crowd of people just watching :)

More to come...

OBGYN App

We heard our baby's heart tone today. What a beautiful sound. It was just a ticking away. We heard the baby kicking and heard the placenta (whatever that means) But it was very sweet.
Blood pressure is 122/70.. woo hoo!! The bottom number keeps dropping.
I have to go Monday to do the Gestational Diabetes blood test. So not looking forward to that.

I'm getting bigger every day, 16 wks. I looked down one morning and thought when in the world did that happen. I'm now in maternity pants. Can't wear the shirts yet, which is okay.
I feel really good, headaches are slowing down.

Our 10 yr anniversary is 11/6. We want to do a "Babymoon" vacation, just a long weekend. Have no idea where to go. Some place warm. I found a maternity bathing suit at Target for $19. It's really cute. So where ever we go I will put it to use :)

Waiting on the perinatal app 10/30. Can not wait! Hoping to find out what we are having :) :)

More to come....

15 wks

Sorry it's been awhile since my last post. I'm enjoying this pregnancy and making it to the 2nd trimester. My energy is increasing.. woo hoo, but the headaches are still here.. boo hoo. But that is ok. I've felt little twitches and butterflies. What an amazing feeling. It took my stomach the first time I felt them. I feel more twitches, it says that the twitches are tiny kicks, but it's not that strong. If you aren't laying still you can miss it. I guess I'm real in tune with my body :)

15 wks, I still can't believe it. I've stopped taking the prednisone Saturday. I was nervous about that. I'm only doing the blood thinner injections (through out the pregnancy) baby aspirin and prenatals. That's it! I go to my obgyn on 10/22 to listen to the baby's heart tone. I go to the perinatal on 10/30, hoping this baby won't be stubborn so they can tell us "your having a boy, or your having a girl" I can't wait to hear those words. We invited Nana & Papa (Mom T and Dad T) to the ultrasound. I think it will be an awesome moment for them to share this special time with us. They've been waiting so patiently to become grandparent's so they can spoil them. Faith will have a cousin soon to play with :)

I wrote my testimony for Mag at myivf to post on her website. I was honored to be able to share our journey. Here is the link: http://www.myivfalternative.com/ivf-testimonials
I've had several couples contact me about going overseas, God sure works in mysterious ways. It's a passion of mine to be able to share our journey and the ways God has worked in our life.

More to come....

12 Wks!!

What an amazing appointment(s) we had. I left work at 12:30 just to make sure I would get from Peachtree City to Morrow by 2:00 for my perinatal appointment. This pregnancy brain has taken over. For some reason I could not remember how to get to Morrow from Peachtree City. Thanks to Tom Tom I remembered :) We both arrived 30 minutes early and did not realize it was in the heart of the ghetto. Past the mall going towards Forest Park and you turn down this back road. I wasn't sure if I was at the right place. I thought we were going just for a consultation to meet my new doctor, Dr Yeagley. But nope, they went ahead and did my 12 wk check up. Had to pee in a cup, then wait. Weighed me (I gained only 2 pounds) then took my blood pressure, which was 126/78. Pretty good I might add! Then we headed straight to the ultrasound room. There our baby was... so big! I could not believe how much our baby has grown. From 9 wks to 12 wks, big difference. We got to watch the show for about 15 minutes. Let me tell you.. we have a VERY stubborn baby. Would not cooperate for nothing. The tech needed to measure the back of the neck where it meets the spinal cord. Standard testing, it tests for Down's. After 15 or so minutes trying to get our stubborn baby to turn (she had me turn from one side to the other and even shook my belly) the baby finally turned a bit. The measurements were 1 1/4 which was great. She said.. man you sure have a stubborn baby and then laughed because the baby was standing up in my uterus. Russ thought it was funny and said "baby takes after momma, so it must be a girl" Haa.. ;) The tech asked a lot of questions as why we went to Czech to get pregnant. She was amazed at our Faith and willingness not to give up. I didn't want to test for the Down's/Spina Bifida, but we went ahead anyway. We decided on the two step process. Prick the finger now and come back in 4 wks to get blood drawn.

We met with Dr Yeagley, she was amazing. She cheered us on and gave me a high five for making it to 12 wks. We talked about the medications I was on and told me to go ahead and stop taking progesterone, estrogen and metformin. Woo hoo!! I was so glad to hear that. Then she said I need you to start weaning yourself off the prednisone. A little nervous, but God is in control. I take 2 pills daily, that is changed to 1 pill for 5 days, then I'm done. The only medication left are my prenatals, baby aspirin and blood thinner injections. I will take that through out the pregnancy. Russ and I really liked her! Thank goodness, I didn't want to hunt down another practice.

We left there and headed to my OBGYN, Dr Schilling. He was so excited to see us and said he was proud of us and said.. "see, all it took was Faith" He did my pap and a quick ultrasound. Told me that I needed to come back in 4 wks (I'll be 16 wks) and then I'll go back to the perinatal in 5 wks. I really love my OBGYN, he is such a motivator. ;)

They wanted me to get my blood work done. To see what my blood type is, check my iron and run all those disease tests. I went ahead and got that out of the way since I was over in that area. Finally done and on my way home by 5:15. Was a long day, but well worth it.

We have 4 awesome profile pictures... trying to figure out who this baby looks like! Any idea?


More to come later...

Another Doctor Appointment

After doing more digging on my auto immune disease, I decided to try another doctor. Same practice, but different doctor. I was not as ease at all this weekend. Worried about if I get off my medication too soon will I have another miscarriage? I can not take another miscarriage. I know God is in control and He's brought us this far, but it's so hard to not worry. I don't like feeling this way. Is it wrong? I just want my questions answered and I want a doctor to sit me down and tell me everything will be okay and that I'm doing everything the way I should. I'm scared to death to get off the medications. I know God has a hand in this pregnancy, we've come such a long way. Being able to hear the heart beat and seeing our wiggly baby. It brings tears to my eyes. We were told that Dr Yeagley was amazing, so we will give her a try. She was booked up in Fayetteville, so Morrow here we come. 9/24, consultation to discuss what they will be looking at when they do all the ultrasounds, to help me understand the ups and downs of the auto immune disease, is it safe to come off the medications, etc... I want her to understand my concerns and to see how scared I am. I'm starting to actually enjoy this pregnancy, I don't want to have a doctor that steers me in another direction.
I sure hope people don't think I'm acting silly, but we've waited for so long for this. I don't want anything to go wrong.

Mag, my coordinator from myivfalternative is able to get all my blood thinner injections in Czech. She is actually over there until October. She said she will bring the injections back with her. Woo hoo!! $565 per month here vs $150 per month there. Time to save.. save.. save ;)

Please pray we can find the answers we are looking for and that Dr Yeagley will be patient with us. Lord, please give us peace

More to come...

9 wks!

Women of Faith was amazing! To hear Steven Curtis Chapman's story and how they are overcoming the death of their baby girl. They are such an inspiration. Mandisa was awesome as well, she sang her heart out. It was a great time and so many women were there worshiping God together. I ran into an old friend too, I haven't seen her in 5 yrs. It did wear me out, I could have slept for 2 days :)

9/02/09 was our perinatologist appointment. We are 9 wks! I was so nervous and had no idea what to expect. Russ was waiting for me in the parking lot and told me I came close to hitting two vehicles while pulling into the parking lot. HAA! He said.. "Woman! Did you not realize you almost got hit" I laughed and said "Yes, I knew" My mind was just on the appointment. That's pretty bad. I had to fill out my life history and then they asked me to give a urine sample so they can check to see if I have sugar in my urine. After that they weighed me (hate that part) but I lost 20 pounds :) then took my blood pressure... which was good.

We went back to the room to get ready for the ultrasound. No need to get undressed!! This was done on my stomach. I handed her the USB Key.. and she said "Oh.. we don't do that, we are trying to take it off the web" How rude.. I was looking forward to getting the pictures on the USB Key. Instead we get the normal pictures, just like everyone else.. but that is okay :)

She was a little rough doing the ultrasound, I had to ask her to not press so hard.

Then after we saw our baby.. the pain didn't bother me. There the baby was.. just a moving around, arms and legs going to town. Such a little wiggly worm. I cried when I saw that and we also heard the heart beat. Sounded like a galloping horse. Russ just watched in amazement. We've never seen anything like this. Our baby!! Is right there. Growing so fast!

She was trying to count the heart beats, but laughed because the baby wouldn't stop wiggling. Finally.. Heart beat was 183 beats per minute. Very strong. A lot of people think it's a girl, but we will take whatever God gives us :)

I was in love! I didn't want to leave the room and I wanted to keep watching the screen... Russ said it looked just like a cartoon... it was wild.

Here are a few pictures of our ultrasound:

(1st ultrasound: 6 wks)

(2nd ultrasound: 9wks)

Amazing the difference :)

Now.. on to our doctor.. Dr Ho (Really, that is her name) She was so not friendly. Had the coldest hand shake. She sat down and barely reviewed my information... and then she said "Why are you here"? I looked at her strangely and said well.. because my OBGYN recommended that we come to AMFM (Atlanta Maternal Fetal Medicine) because of my auto immune disease. Then she said "Is it certain that's what you have? I mean who tested you"? I was in shock! I told her Yes.. it's certain, I was tested because of the miscarriages I had and the specialist needed to know. How in the world could she ask me those questions. She obviously didn't read my information. She went over all the medications I'm taking and told me that I can get off the medications week 12. The only thing I will keep taking will be the prenatals, folic acid, baby aspirin and my blood thinner injections. She questioned why I was on prednisone and I told her because of my auto immune disease.. then snapped back and said that's just for you.. not the baby, so there is no need to be on that. Lady.. it's working! Russ was so mad, but I tried to not let it ruin my day. Satan sure was working hard. I go back for my 20 wk check up, and believe me.. I will be seeing another doctor. No more Dr Ho, please.

God is amazing! We are overcoming this long journey. Praising God! :)

More to come...

Feeling Good

I'm feeling good today. Had a bad headache yesterday, finally went away when I woke up this morning. Thank goodness, I do not do well with headaches. I get migraines a lot and it's been awhile since my last episode.
I'm going to Women of Faith this weekend. Can not wait, Steven Curtis Chapman and Mandisa will be there. This will be an AWESOME weekend.

We finally received the call from the perinatologist. My appointment will be 9/2/09 at 1:15. Thank goodness it’s in Fayetteville, a short drive from work. I was told to expect an ultra sound, which will be done every time I go. About once a month to start and then twice a month, etc…
They will also check my urine each time to make sure I do not have sugar in my urine. It’s amazing what I’ll be able to see on the ultra sound. They do Level 2 ultra sounds; we get to see the chambers of the heart, the brain, the bones, etc… They will also discuss when to stop taking the medications. Yay! Can not wait to hear those words! It’s tiring to have to remember if I took a certain pill. I think after this appointment we might start feeling a little bit more at ease.

One of my co-workers went through IVF in February, discovered they were having triplets (2 boys and 1 girl) She was due in November. The babies were born 2 wks ago. So small, they weighed about 2 pounds each. All 3 are doing great. They are eating and growing. They probably won’t be able to come home for another 5 weeks or so. I can not imagine how hard it is to leave your babies.

More to come…

Another Mile Stone

We are 7 wks today! Can you believe that? WOW... what a mile stone!

The sickness is progressing more and more each day. It was only in the evenings and at night, now it’s through out the day. I don’t have an appetite so I keep losing weight. I guess that’s ok, 18 pounds now. Peanut butter and jelly has become my new friend, it really helps with the nauseousness

I still can’t believe we are pregnant, pinch me please. Our first ultrasound was amazing, being able to see that little flickering heart beat. Never made it this far and we are in awe. My 6 yr old niece keeps calling the baby “peanut” she got a kick out of looking at the pictures of the embryos. She said “what is that… a peanut?” So that name stuck. Haaa… made me laugh. Russ has football practice 3 times a week, so I don’t feel bad taking a nap while he is gone. I can’t keep my eyes open, once I hit the pillow I am out. It’s the best sleep ever.

We are waiting on the perinatologist to call for our first doctor’s appointment. I was told that it might take 3 wks to get in. I don’t get it, what is the point? Patience… patience! It will be so well worth seeing the more extensive ultrasound pictures. They said no cameras please, but we can bring in a USB Key and they will copy the images for us. Great idea!
USB Key shopping this weekend and I also want to get a book so I can jot down what I’m feeling and what is going on each day. I will one day be able to share that with our precious little one : )

More to come…

1 Heart Beat!

What an amazing trip to the doctor. My blood pressure was the best ever (127/78) Holy cow! It's never been that low. I guess losing 17 pounds and having peace works wonders.

So on to the dr appointment. Everyone knew who we were, Schilling's been awesome during our years of trying. Of course me baking them cookies & brownies helped. The Ultrasound was great, we saw (1) one flickering heart beat. What a beautiful sight, I was in heaven. Tuned the Dr out, which was bad. Glad Russ was there to fill me in on what else he said. Haa :) He said as of right now, I see (1) one.. but you know they hide. I'm measuring to be 6 wks along and the due date will be Aprl 9. Because of my blood disorder we have to do the AMFM Dr as well (Atlanta Maternal Fetal Medicine- aka: perinatologist) Double up on all the appointments. It's okay, I will get to watch our baby grow. It's a more extensive level 2 ultra sound. I should hear in the next couple of days when my appointment will be.

Giving God all the PRAISE!!
Thank you for your prayers

More to come...

God is working

Okay... so I have some awesome news to share. It just tells you that God has a hand in this pregnancy… Other than the fact that I will be 6 wks on Thursday and that I will get to see our baby or babies : ) I was contacted by Mag at myivfalternative.com to let me know that there have been several people who mentioned my name to her. How they found my blog on line and how I gave them Hope. I was in awe to hear that. She asked me to share my testimony/story and she will put it on the website for others to see. She said people keep asking for more stories about using their own eggs and not using donor eggs. I told her I would be honored to do it. So, I will be working on my testimony and she will put it on the website.
Wow… I’m still in awe right now. I actually see God working and it’s an amazing feeling to see God work in our family. Our family; it’s been just the 2 of us and our 2 baby girl pugs for 10 yrs. We are about to be a family of 3, 4 or more ; ) (plus our pugs)

I’m starting to get excited about the ultrasound, I’m nervous and anxious and ready to see those beating hearts on the screen. I know this is still the “crucial” time, but we still have peace. We actually played around in the Baby Store over the weekend. It was so fun… will be fun until we have to make a decision on what we need and want. But we enjoyed ourselves, we felt like little kids in a candy store. ; )

More to come….

5 weeks :)

We made it to 5 weeks... Thank you Lord, You are Amazing!

I feel good today, my back hurts a little, but that’s ok. Thank goodness I’ve been getting nauseous at night. I hope it stays that way, it would be hard to get up early in the morning and get ready if it was all day.

We are getting anxious about our first ultrasound Thursday. I have no idea what to expect. It will be 6 weeks on the dot that day. I’m hoping and praying to see 2 babies and their heartbeat (or more if it is God’s plan)
What an amazing moment that will be. We have never made it this far.
I haven’t been spotting; Lord knows I keep checking just to make sure. I need to just let go, but that is something that scares me to death.

Russ is starting to get active in Little League Football. When our kids get ready to play, Russ will have his time in : ) He has practice 3 times a week and a game on Saturday. He loves it. Thanks to his boss, Dan Salvador, for getting Russ involved. I am so proud of him ; )

We have a “Free” night at the movies, that expires tomorrow. So I guess we will do date night. Better do as much as we can now, because when those babies come it will be hard. ; )

More to come…

God's Blessings

It’s 11:30 am… and can you believe it?? My doctor called. Wow… sure beats getting the call on my way home from work. Ha-Ha ; )

AWESOME news… after my last blood work (4 days ago) my HCG levels went from 565 to 2200. 2200… how amazing is that? I am so over the moon right now. I cried when I got off the phone and poor Russ called while I was in the middle of my boo-hooing and said... “What is wrong” he heard 22 and was freaking. I said no… 2200. I didn’t mean to scare him; he just called at the wrong time. Haa. It was great news after Russ told me that some guy backed in to the truck in the parking lot this morning. Russ is okay, not hurt, Thank you Lord :) What a way to end the day. : )
My first ultra sound appointment is scheduled for Thursday, August 13 at 4:00.

I can not stop saying “God is Amazing” Russ and I have hoped for a family and we prayed for a family and it’s actually happening.
After having 4 failed pregnancies, we almost gave up and went straight to a surrogate. I was crushed because I wanted to feel what other mother's feel, their baby grow inside of them and to nourish them. I had a hard time and was set on surrogacy. But God had other plans for us that’s for sure.

Overwhelmed by God’s Blessings
More to come…

Testimony

My dr called this morning and said that he wanted me to do one more blood work. Wanted to see how much it’s increased in 4 days. After that, an early ultra sound will be scheduled.
I will go today and will not know anything until tomorrow.. here we go.. more waiting.. haa :) I think it will be interesting to see how much its increased. It’s pretty amazing! God is amazing!

I was told today that I’ve been a testimony for several people. Me.. ? A testimony?? I never thought I would be able to touch as many people as I have. God sure is truly amazing. It gives me chills to see how God uses other people through their testimony. If God told me 6 yrs ago that I had a testimony and I can share my journey with others I would have laughed. Looking back, I see the big picture. He sure knows what He is doing. I'm in awe right now.

More to come…

HCG Levels looking good :)

I received my call today.. Felt like it took forever. I was told that everything is good and that my HCG levels went from 322 to 565. Your HCG levels should rise by 60% every 48 hrs, which means my levels rose 75%. Pretty amazing!
I'm not sure what the next steps will be, I should find out Monday. Hopefully no more blood work and then we can do an ultrasound.

God is amazing, I feel Him answering our prayers every day. Can I say "This is really happening?" I still hold my breath and still feel every ache and cramp wondering if this is bad or what does that mean. I'm hoping I can let go and let God do His work.

Please pray that I can let go and let God, pray that these babies will grow and that my body will accept them.
More to come...

The waiting game

Why is it so hard to wait and why am I not blessed with patience? I hate this part. I want to receive the call from my doctor now letting me know that my HCG levels have doubled :)
Patience.. patience. I will not ask for it, God does have a sense of humor. Haaa!
He has blessed us both with Peace, so I will take that.

I've been craving spicy foods.. like salsa. Russ stopped by Publix and bought me some Yummy salsa and chips. MMMM. What an awesome husband to think of his wife like that. Sure hope I don't get heartburn tonight.
I've also been getting really tired, not good when it's during the day at work. I work in front of a computer, so today I rigged it where it looked like I was looking at a spread sheet and shut my eyes for a minute. I guess as long as I don't hit my head on my desk it will be ok :)

I will post tomorrow once I hear something from my doctor.
Please keep praying that these babies will keep growing and that my body will accept them

More to come...

God Is So Good!

I will start off by saying "God is so Good". He really has blessed us and gave us peace during this process. We stepped out in Faith and had no idea what we were doing, but God was there the whole time.

July 28 - I couldn't sleep and was feeling very anxious and ready to get this test over. I was told it was okay to take an at home test on the 28th! I woke up at 5:30 am, had to use the bathroom (it was the 3rd time that night.. haa) I waited patiently to see the results and then I started freaking. The test the doctors gave me was not a fast results test. I thought it was negative!! I cried and cried and asked God to wake me up from this nightmare. There was no way! God you brought us this far.. please tell me this isn't true. I felt a little nudge to take another test, so I did.. and WHAM.. bright pink and double lines. I felt so silly and I was upset with myself for second guessing God. I woke Russ up crying and well.. needless to say we couldn't go back to sleep. We laid there laughing about what happened and how silly I was :)
I went to the doctor that afternoon to get blood work done to confirm the pregnancy and to see what my HCG levels are. I wouldn't know the results until the next day. I've been waking up every morning at 4:30 am starved to death. It's not a good feeling. I'm excited to start feeling the pregnancy symptoms. I will probably get sick of it later :) haaa

July 29 - Waiting.. waiting.. waiting.. Please call me doctor, I can't stand the wait. Received the call on the way home confirming that we are pregnant and that my HCG levels are at 322!! I repeated that back and said.. really? She asked me how far along I was, I told her I will be 4 wks tomorrow. She said the results are excellent, but I still want you to go back tomorrow to do more blood work. The past pregnancies have never been this high. It's alway been around 50! I was praising God all the way home. So, tomorrow I will do this again and the HCG levels should double. I will not know anything until Friday. I hate the waiting game, but this is so well worth it.

We are still taking it one day at a time. I will keep taking all my medication/injections up until 12 wks of the pregnancy. Dr Mac (In Czech) wants us to have an ultra sound 12 days after our first blood work. He is still keeping in touch with us and wants to know everything. The ultra sound will confirm that the baby or babies are implanted in the right area and they will also tell me if we are having more than one.

Please keep praying that my body will accept these babies.
More to come....

We are Home - Part II

Going back to work has been hard after having 13 days off work. Everyone has been so very supportive at work, helping me get caught up and making sure I’m not doing too much. I’m still not able to get back in the swing of things. Russ and I are tired and I’m hoping we will adjust back to our time.

I’m still taking my medications as prescribed. I look like I’ve been beaten on my legs; I am so bruised from the injections. My body has gotten use to the 2 a day prednisone; well at least I think it has : ) No complaints here, I will need to get use to it because I will have to keep taking all the medications for 12 wks. You do what you have to do.

God has given us both peace and faith during this journey. It has been a long & tiring journey these past 6 yrs. “If He brings me to it, He will bring me through it.” I have to repeat this several times a day, it helps.
I have an amazing husband. He will not let me lift or do anything. He’s done all the cleaning and not once complained. He also asks me every day if I've taken all my medications. I am so thankful for such an awesome and Godly man.

We are still waiting to find out if everything worked. We should know by the end of this month. Please keep praying that my body will accept these babies and they will keep growing.

More to come…

We are home!

We had an amazing journey and a lot of support these past couple of weeks.

The train ride to Prague was great and the driver who met up with us was awesome. Russ nor the driver would let me lift anything heavy :)

Train ride back to Prague

The driver took us to Prague Castle for a bit and let us do a little sight seeing. It was beautiful! The Czech Government lives in the castle. The castle was over 1,000 yrs old. Here are a few pictures

We flew stand-by, first class(thank you Lord) That is the only way to fly overseas.. haa :)

Russ' parents met us at the airport and took us home where my parents and nephew were waiting at our house. Thank you to our neighbors, Burch & Janice Wright for thinking of us and our family and brought us over a lot of BBQ.. YUM! :) It felt good to come home and see family and our girls. I'm not really sure Annie and Lucy missed us too much. They didn't greet us, I guess we were replaced. My parents left to go back home today :(

I have to take it easy for awhile, Russ has been amazing. He unpacked everything last night.

We both go back to work on Tuesday.

Will keep everyone posted on the "waiting" process.

More to come....

2 Healthy Babies.. God is so good!

Our transfer is done and it was very painless. We even got to see our 2 babies, how amazing is that? Not everyone gets to see their babies at 6 days old :) Here are pictures of Baby A & Baby B

Our 2 healthy babies :)

Dr Mac did the transfer, he was amazing and had a lot of kind words to say about our babies. He thought they wouldn't keep growing after the PGD testing, but he said he was amazed that they are both excellent. I wanted to say, that's all God, but I didn't :) He gave us a 60% chance that everything will be good. Here is a picture of Dr Mac and Dr Marek (Marek was with another patient, so I didn't get a real picture of him

Me & Dr Mac (did the transfer)

Dr Marek (did the retrieval)

I can not do anything today. Russ is picking up all my medications needed and doing a little shopping of his own. He is such a wonderful husband :) He's been a trooper through this whole process. Dr Mac upped the prednisone (to shut my immune system down) I will take 1 pill in the am and 1 pill in the evening.

Eva booked our seats on the train for tomorrow. We leave for Prague tomorrow (Friday) and will fly back home Saturday. We are both ready to come home.

This has been an amazing experience and one we will never forget :)

more to come...

Thank you Lord

We received a call this morning at 8:30 am (2:30 am your time - ha) I thought I did it again and was running late. Ha-Ha. It was Eva, our coordinator & nurse at the Reprofit. She said she had great news about our 2 babies. They are both very healthy and passed the PGD testing. Thank you Lord!! You are amazing - "You are Lord, God of all mankind, NOTHING is too hard for you" Thank you everyone for your prayers. We are so overwhelmed right now and feel God working big time. It's started to become real. God has given Russ and I faith and peace during this process and it's amazing. :)

My appointment is still scheduled for 12:00 pm to transfer both babies in their incubator for 9 months. I am no longer nervous, I know God has his hand on this.

I will update later on today after the transfer. :)

More to come...

Day 5 Embryo Status

We are still scheduled tomorrow for our embryo transfer. We will transfer all 2 and thankful that we have those 2 to transfer. They are still being tested for the PGD and we do not know the status on them. Please keep praying that they pass the PGD testing and they keep growing.

The medications that I'm taking makes me feel so bloated and irritable (poor Russ) Progesterone (6 pill a day), Estrogen (3 pills a day), Fragmin (1 injection a day), prednisone (1 pill a day), metformin (2 pills a day), and the ususal pre-natal and baby aspirin daily. It's hard keeping up with all these meds, but we will do what we need to do. :)

Our Day in Vienna, Austria... to help bypass the anxious waiting period.

We decided to do a tour of the Schoenbrunn Palace yesterday. It took about an 1.5 hours by train to get there. It was beautiful! Marie Anntoinette was born there and Mozart played there when he was 6 yrs old. 13 century old palace, pictures do not do it justice. We did a package where we can tour the castle (40 rooms), gardens, do the maze/labryrinth, and Panorama Terrace. A lot of walking and it was hot, no shade. I'm glad we went there, we rested on the train there and back. Here are a few pictures.

We started the dreadful packing. Plan to fly back Saturday on stand-by and the seats are looking great. Thank you Lord. We will take the train to Prague on Friday where we will have a driver waiting for us to take us to our hotel near the airport. Saturday our flight will leave around 11:00 am. I don't want to leave, but am getting anxious to get back to the real word. Ready to see our family, friends and our baby pug girls. My mom and dad are watching them now and my mom said Annie Sue is doing a lot of pacing and whining. She's a smart pug for sure. :)

More to come...

Day 4 Embryo Status

The 3rd embryo did not make it. Dr Marek said there are 2 very good embryos that they sent off for PGD testing today. I will not get any updates until Thursday, which is the actual day of our transfer. We have to be there at 12:00 pm (6:00 am your time) I think they scheduled us later in the day because they knew we had a hard time getting there early in the morning the other day :) Haaa.. Please pray that our 2 babies will make it through the testing and everything will be okay for Thursday. I'm getting nervous, but God has also given us both Faith during this procedure.. what an adventure for sure.

We went to Vienna, Austria today... ran out of batteries(our charger does not work here.. argh), so I can not upload any pictures until tomorrow (hopefully)

I am so sleepy, just got in about 11:00 pm and it's storming here. I will write more about our trip to Vienna tomorrow.

More to come :)

Day 3 Embryo Testing

Happy couple at Spilberk Castle, what a way to celebrate 10 yrs and our baby making time :)
Russ and I want to Thank you for all your prayers and support our family/friends have given us. It means a lot to open up the blog and see so many comments. It helps us get through the day. Everyone in Brno has been very nice to us and makes us feel at home.

I spoke with Dr Marek today. He said that 2 embryos are doing great and growing like they should and the 3rd embryo is growing slowly. They post-poned the PGD testing until tomorrow (Tuesday), he wanted to give the 3rd embryo a chance. I have to call tomorrow after noon to get status on how many will be tested. Hoping for all 3, but we know God has a plan for us.

I'm still having a hard time getting around, still sore and ache, but we aren't letting that stop us. We try to get our day started after lunch. Today we wanted to get a massage, but the massage therapist was not there. We met another American couple(from Jersey), they are staying in the apartment next to us. This is their second time here. She told me they did the PGD testing on their 3 embryos and discovered that they are both carriers of Cystic Fibrosis. It broke my heart to hear that. But yet, they were here again and not giving up hoping. They want to atleast get 1 good egg. She gave me a card this morning for a massage specialist, who specializes in IVF massages. I will be contacting them to get an appointment. :)

We searched for the Tex Mex place and found it! Woo Hoo. It's called Rodeo Drive (American Grill) I guess steaks, ribs, fried fish, etc.. is Tex Mex to them :) It reminded me of a Texas Roadhouse. It was perfect.
Rodeo Drive (American Grill/Tex Mex)
Russ ready to eat. He ordered the Colorado Chicken, Corn on the cobb and mashed potatoes. I ordered Fish & Chips with coleslaw. They even had Tartar Sauce (Tar-Tar)

Ordered "still" water.. so not good.. Yuck :( By the way Holly, No Music Trivia here.. what a bummer.. BUT they do have swings as your seat :)

Did a lot of walking and looking at different stores. We haven't been able to find many stores with souvernirs that say Brno on them. To my Dixie Chix (at work) not able to find magnets either. Hoping when we get to Prague or to Vienna we might find something. I'm still trying :)

The weather is different here. One day its in the 60's and the next high 80's. You have to stick your head out the window to see how the weather is and what to wear :) Haa, but it's been beautiful and very peaceful. Things shut down so early here, I guess they get a head start when the sun comes up at 4:30 am :)

Thanks again for reading our blog and I will keep you posted...

More to come...

Day 2 Embryo Status

Today we talked to Dr Marek on the phone. He said that we have 3 fertilized eggs (out of 5)! We are praising God right now! 1 egg didn't mature and 1 egg didn't fertilize. We are looking at it as God will allow what we need, nothing more and nothing less. They start the PGD testing tomorrow and we should know more information tomorrow afternoon. Here is the website just incase you wanted to know more about the testing. www.pgdtesting.com
We are taking it one day at a time :)

Today we went to the mall and to IKEA. The Czech people love their IKEA store. You even get a free bus ride over there.. haa :) Pretty neat. On the way back we stopped at KFC and got a couple sandwiches for dinner. You do a lot of walking and are so tired the next morning. We still aren't use to the time difference, but we should come back in better shape.

Tomorrow we may go get a couples massage to relax (after we hear from Dr Marek about our 3 little embryo's) and may go to a movie. There is a Tex Mex restaurant that we can't seem to find and Russ is determined to find it. :)

More to Come....

Egg Retrieval process - Done!

The Painful process is over, but first let me tell you how my morning went.

I had the alarm set for 6:00 am, that way I can take a shower and relax before my 7:45 am appointment. We were provided with a cell phone and the phone started ringing. Trying to wake up to figure out what that noise was, I looked at the clock and noticed the time was 7:35 am.

Eva was calling to let me know she was down stairs waiting on us. Oh no!! I was still in my pj's and still half a sleep. I had to get Russ up, we got dressed, washed our face, I ran a razor over my legs and we grabbed our stuff and ran out the door. No time to think and no time to get nervous. We were laughing all the way to the car :) God sure has a sense of humor. He knows that I stress over the silliest things. Ha-Ha.

Anyway, back to the Egg Retrieval process. We arrived and Reprofit at 7:50 am (remember, we were supposed to be there at 7:45 am.. not too bad) They took us both to the recovery room and I changed into my gown and socks.

Me in my gown :)

The nurse took Russ back to get blood drawn and to get a sample of his army men :)

and I was taken to the surgery room. Anesthesia here I come. Dr Marek Koudelka was the one doing the procedure, I saw him giving me 2 thumbs up and I was out. The process took 15 minutes. I was taken back to the recovery room where I had some juice and a chocolate candy bar.

me out of it

Russ was in there waiting for me. Dr Marek came in there several times to check on me and make sure I was ok. He told me out of the 10 follicles, there were 5 eggs retrieved. The other 5 follicles were empty. He said that was very good, considering my history and that I was a PCOS patient. He said that sometimes PCOS patients will produce a small amount or a large amount and the eggs could be bad. He said they looked healthy. I will be given status on our little embryos daily. I have to keep telling myself that nothing is 100% and that God is in control. We are praying that all 5 embryos grow and remain healthy. We were told that some could die off, not fertilize or all could be just fine. * Fingers crossed *

We will be meeting with the PGD specialist soon to go over what we want tested and looked at.

Dr Marek said the Egg Transfer (if everything goes well) should be Wednesday, July 15.

I'm sore and very tired. I start my progesterone pills (2 pills - 3 times daily), Estrogen pills

(1 pill - 3 times daily), Fragmin (1 shot daily) today. I will keep taking the prednisone and my other medications. Very hard to remember. :)

Our day yesterday:

Salt Caves

We went to the Salt Caves. It's said that it is suppose to relax and heal your body (good for the auto immune diseases). It was an awesome experience. 45 minute session for only $10.00. Not too bad. We ate Czech style pizza, which was ok(Russ said it was good) and had Gelato ice cream.

Cookie flavored Gelato Ice cream

I'm going back to bed and try to get feeling better.

More to come...

Doctor Visit #2

Outside the Reprofit Fertility Clinic
The Waiting Room

Ultra Sound Room

Just got done with doctor visit #2. Ultra sound nurse said everything looks great. There are about 10 follicles on my right side that look good. Egg retrival is scheduled for 7:45 am (1:45 am your time) Saturday, July 11. Today, I will take 150 units of Gonal F and also cetrotide (to slow the ovulation down) and at 9:00 pm I will take the ovidrel (which makes your eggs ready for retrival) Tomorrow, July 10, I am medication FREE!! Woo hoo.. a day to relax and not have to worry about did I take that injection or did I take that pill :) I can not eat or drink anything after mid night before the egg retrival. We have to fill out forms for the anesthesia doctor. So not looking forward to the anesthesia, I get sick when I wake up. I'm hoping they will give me something to calm my stomach down. They gave me 2 prescriptions to fill here, it's so much cheaper here than in the states.

Pills/shots to take after egg retrival:
*Fragmin (same as Lovenox or Heparin:blood thinner injections) I will take 1 injection daily up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. In the states:$560.oo Czech: $150.00

*Progesterone - I will take 2 pills 3 times a day up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

In the states: $250.00 Czech: $64.00

Thank you Lord, you are so good and I praise you! I was so happy to hear that I can get the medication cheaper here and can get it mailed to me monthly :)

On our way home last night: "Old Brno Monastery and Cathedral of the Assumption of our Lady" Very beautiful at night

Russ.. he is so handsome :)

The movie Theater

Me, Walking to the Movie Theater

Brno's Brewery (Starobrno beer) They say it's the best beer in Europe. But we wouldn't know that :) ha-ha

We are still getting us to the time difference. Yesterday was the hardest. We slept until 1:00pm. Relaxed around the apartment and then went to Mendel Square, about 10 minutes walking from our apartment. We ate at McDonald's. There were a lot of different items on the menu. Of course we ordered what we were use to. Big Mac and Qtr Pounder w/cheese. It was the best hamburger ever.. :) haa. You do a lot of walking, so you are so hungry. I think we will lose weight here. :) We went to a movie, saw The Hangover (In English w/ Czech sub titles)

Today, we plan on going to the Spilberk Castle. It's an amazing place and has a lot of history.
Royal castle built in the 13th century and was converted to a "jail of nations" and was the most feard prison in Habsburg monarchy.

http://www.spilberk.cz/ (click on the English Flag)

Going sight seeing..More to come...

Our Day In Brno

Brno is such an amazing town, it is old and un-touched. Castles, Cathedrals, Statues, etc.. you name it.

We met up with our coordinator, Eva. She showed us how to use the tram, bus and the train station. We went to St Peter & Paul Church and it was amazing! I wanted to take pictures in the church, but it said (NO CAMERA's) hmmm.. I think we might go back and "sneak" a few.

Here is our coordinator and her husband

(Eva & Palva)

Her husband, Palva (Paul in English) met up with us for dinner. They took us to an authentic restaurant. What to choose.. what to choose. Lamb, Duck, Duck liver, Pork, Chicken.. (ah Chicken) I chose the Chicken with cream sauce and walnuts, roasted potatos with sour cream, ham and chives, small salad and corn. Drank Coca-Cola and water (with out 'Gas' - meaning not bubbly) Russ chose the lamb, roasted potatos with sour cream, ham and chives, small salad and corn. Drank a Czech beer, which was pretty good. For dessert we shared a crepe. That was the best part of the meal. This is what we ate

(My meal: Chicken w/ Cream sauce)

(Russ' meal: Lamb w/ spicy red beans)

(Crepes.. mmmm)

After dinner Eva pointed us in the direction to our apartment (about a 5 min walk). We are listening to it rain and it is very peaceful.

Tomorrow I think we might try the Brno Zoo and walk around the gardens. The zoo cost $4.oo per adult.. cheap :)

Thursday, July 9 is my next ultra sound appointment. Our coordinator will pick us up at the apartment at 8:45 am for our 9:00 am appointment.

More to come....

First Ultrasound Done

We woke up this morning with day light coming through our window at... 4:00 in the morning.. Yes.. 4:00 am. I thought I missed my appointment and we slept through the alarm clock. Very strange to see the sunrise this early.

My first ultrasound was done at 9:00 am (3:00 am your time..why aren't you awake? ha-ha) 15 minutes in and out! The fertility clinics in the USA took for ever.. they like to keep you there making you anxious. The Ultrasound nurse said everything was looking good. My lining of my uterus looked very good and she said that I had 5 follicles on my left and 11 on my right!!! No wonder I've been crampy :) Thats a good thing. I take 150 units of Gonal F today and tomorrow and my next ultrasound appointment is Thursday, July 9 at 9:00 am. I wanted to take a picture of the clinic, but they are doing a lot of remodling. The buildings here are so old and beautiful. The details are amazing.

We are back in our apartment relaxing and will wait on our coordinator (Eva, who is also a nurse at the clinic) to pick us up around 4:00. She will take us around and take us to our first authentic Czech dinner.. wish us luck :)

Here is a picture of our apartment and the view from our back window.

Our Apartment

There is an Indian Restaurant = Indicke Restaurace (Czech) right down stairs, they speak great english, we might try the food

View from back window

We may walk to the Mendel Square, not too far from us, maybe 5 minutes and do a little sight seeing.
More to come...

We made it!!

We are finally here after a long night of flying

The flight was great, we flew First Class... and it was awesome. I felt like royalty :) We had a full coarse meal, watched as many movies as we wanted, and the seats lounged back in to a bed. We still couldn't sleep, but was able to get a little shut eye. We arrived in Prague at 9:20 am and we had a driver waiting for us (holding a sign up with our names) haaa.. I use to laugh at people when I saw that, but not anymore. It was helpful. He took us to the airport, quiet fast I might add. I was holding on for dear life. They do drive on the same side of the road as we do, but way faster :) Arrived at the train station just in time for the 11:15 train to Brno.
(Russ on the train)

We were not the only American's traveling, we met this nice older couple from California who helped us out a little. I knew they were a God send. The train was 2.5 hours long and arrived in Brno at 2:14. (remember, Czech is 6 hours ahead) Our coordinator picked us up at the train station and took us grocery shopping. I wish I had my camera, it was very strange. I did find some food that we knew, like Pringles, Coke, Mayo.. and by the way, Coke tastes the same as it does in the US. The water is a bit different, but we bought several big bottles and will do Crystal Light, hoping it will change the taste a little.

We will be un packing and settling in to our apartment. My first appointment is tomorrow @ 9:00 am (3:00 am your time) then our coordinator (Eva) will take us around the town showing us different places to go and eat and take us sight seeing to different castles. Will also show us how to use the trams and buses. It's a little strange to look up and see wires everywhere, just for the trams.

We've been up almost 24 hrs.. so trying to get some shut eye

More to come...