Looking Forward to a Monday?

Yes, from the title of this post, you'd think I was borderline insane....actually sitting on a couch watching the weekend slowly come to a close and being excited about it.

I can explain....Its because tomorrow at 9:45, I have my 7 wk ultrasound with my clinic. If all goes well & we see a heartbeat with everything being tucked neatly in place, this will be our last appointment with "Team Stork" in Cincy for this cycle. If this indeed happens, it will be a very happy moment on what will be a very long journey. They'll be in touch with my OB/GYN and will transition me to their care. That would be a wonderful thing-- as much as I really like the staff at Team Stork, this would mean that I'm on my way towards a healthy pregnancy.

No matter what happens, we'll be staying in touch with our clinic, as our plans include another IVF cycle regardless of the result of this one. Its very important to us that our child will have a sibling, so we are optimistic that they'll be playing a big role in our family's future.

Seeing a heartbeat at 6w6d is still rather early, but here's hoping it appears on the ultrasound screen manana.

Morning Sickness needs to be renamed

Because its just not an accurate name. In fact, I don't get the so-called morning sickness in the morning. Thanks to my furry, middle-o-the-night alarm clock, I always get a snack b/t 2:30-4am while the pup goes out to "get busy" (aka go to the bathroom). So, even though I tend to feel a bit queasy, a quick shower is the ideal solution. Then I wrap up my wet hair in a towel and back to sleep I go. It may sound like quite a nighttime ordeal, but hey, it works. And right now, anything that works to help me avoid the tossing of cookies is something I'm going to make part of my daily routine.

So in the mornings, when I wake up, I'm usually pretty okay. Burpy, but okay. Then, my morning staple is a toasted bagel with some steamed turkey. This is the perfect meal to help calm my belly. So the mornings...they're all good.

Its the rest of the day...the after noon and evenings that throw me (and the contents of my stomach) for a major loop. That's when this "morning sickness" has its vice-grips around me. I am finding some foods that are still my friends: pasta, perogies, macaroni, potatos, turkey sandwiches, chicken noodle soup & a very lean hamburger. This may be the eating rotation for awhile. We'll see.

I will say this though, its all this sickness is all good. Feeling this way is strangely comforting as its a good sign. And I want as many good signs as I can get.

6w0d...Really? 6 weeks?

Wow-- its kinda unbelievable that we're technically 6 weeks along today. In some ways, its flown by. In other ways, its been the slowest moving calendar ever....especially in between the benchmark tests. Case in point-- the wait until next Monday when we have our ultrasound in Cincinnati. How can 6 days feel 18 years away from now?

I can't help but be very cautious, as we have another 4-5 weeks until the time when we can actually hear a heartbeat and feel a bit out of the woods. Right now, everything is so fragile. Although I hope this isn't the case, the reality is that we're smack dab in the middle of the "danger zone"...when things can go wrong or progress stops developing. These are the exact reasons why we have kept our IVF such a secret. We want to have solid good news to share...and we're halfway there.

This is why the first couple months require a great deal of patience. Its taking baby steps....and such a play on words is totally fitting. But at least today, we're about half way through the really scary part, so that's good. Here's hoping for more positive news to keep coming.

Update on "Pricks For A Good Cause"

One thing I've been purposely omitting from this journal are the daily shots...the "pricks for a good cause." I'm still not a big fan of them...they actually hurt more now that the glutimas maximus is building up a little scar tissue. We have our ritual down pat, though...and we're getting really good at coping with these progesterone shots.

The main difference now is that we now know that this not-so-little nightly injection is preserving our pregnancy. Single-handedly keeping all that's in Hotel W free from an internal "eathquake" that would end it all. So, I felt it important to give a little shout out to the daily prick...as its responsible for what we saw yesterday on the ultrasound.

I know that I'll be on these shots for awhile, as my body no longer has the ovaries that make natural progesterone. As we progress, the placenta should kick in (once its more developed) and start producing progesterone, which rises dramatically in all pregnancies. The ovaries actually aren't in charge of producing progesterone when a woman is pregnant. This process gets handed off to the placenta, who graciously makes the hormone at the rapid pace a healthy pregnancy requires. That's something I didn't know until we entered the IVF process. Its pretty cool how the female body works.


Although the progesterone shots in oil do hurt a lot, and sometimes bring on tears, its important to remember that these tears meet a big smile that always appears on my face after we do the shot. Why? Because each day we're one day further towards our hope to become a bigger family. And yes, we still say "One Step Closer to Baby" when we hug after the shot each night. No eye rolling here b/c the above sounds cheesy. Its our little way of coping--and I'm proud of how we're coping with these needles--that aren't fun to give or get. :)

Inside Hotel W...Part 2

We had our ultrasound today at a clinic in Cleveland (not with our regular office)--- and although its very early on, we were able to see a yolk sac and an embryonic sac...meaning that there's one in there. Pretty neat. Its nice to know that one of the Little Bs took and is in the right place. Now, we just need it to grow, grow, grow.

Although today, I am technically 5wk3days, I'm measuring 5w6d. So that's good...it means this little embryo is healthy. Now we'll wait until 3/31 for our next ultrasound.

Part of me can't help but wonder what happened to the other Little B...but nature has its way of making decisions for us. I have this tiny fear that its roaming somewhere in my abdomen where it should be, although I've been assure that such a reality is unlikely. The plan is to see a little tiny makings of a heart flutter on the next ultrasound, as I'll hopefully be one day short of 7 weeks. Again, seeing all this stuff is very early, as most pregnant women don't even have their first doctors appt until 10-12 wks along--- and that's when they have their first opportunity to view Hotel W.

Before today, there were a lot of thoughts running through my head. Most of them revolved around the pros & cons of finding out we had one or finding out we had two staying at Hotel W. There are indeed advantages and disadvantages to both--- and in many ways they do somewhat equal out. From the very beginning, all we've said is that we want a healthy baby-- and thats exactly what we have in the works so far.

Pretty amazing day on the baby front. I wish I had an ultrasound photo to put up here, but one wasn't given to me (again, its very early on). I'm sure we'll have one of the next snapshot of Hotel W, when we're back in the office of Team Stork in Cincy.

Is it Friday yet???!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Tick, tick-tick...tick-tick, tick tick!!! Is it 7am tomorrow yet? That's when we get to see the resident (or possible residents) of Hotel W. We'll get to check on his/her/their status. Make sure she/he/they are snuggled where they're supposed to be and that she/he/they are growing like they should.

I'm so incredibly curious, I can't even think straight---hence why we're going in at 7am...it was their earliest appointment. Wow....tomorrow we should learn a lot. As for what I hope to see inside Hotel W on the ultrasound? I just want whatever is in there to be healthy and growing...and be in the right place. That's all I want.

There are pros to it being a single child...just as there are pros to there being two guests at Hotel W. The jury is out. But the only verdict we really care about is that he/she/they are doing well. That's really all I care about. The rest is out of or hands. We'll happily embrace whatever comes our way.

Details tomorrow....To Be Continued then! OH BABY! I can't wait!

My Furry, Cuddly, Living, Four-Legged Alarm Clock

Last summer, Boomer somehow got bit by a deer tick and had to be put on preventative meds for Lymes Disease. One of the side effects of the meds are that they made him have to pee often....including once or twice in the middle of the night. He's totally fine now, but has not been able to kick the habit. He still wakes up between 3:30-4:15 and nudges me with his paw to let him out.

I actually don't mind it. I usually don't have a problem going back to sleep quickly. Now, these middle-of-the-night trips are becoming more valuable for me. First off, the obvious...I'm seeing how this could be good "conditioning" for when we do become parents (not getting too far ahead of myself...hoping that this happens in 248 days or so, but if not I know that at some point in our lives, we'll be parents). These 3:30a wake-ups are good practice. Although, I know that there will most likely be 3 or more OTHER wake-ups during the night, this isn't a bad start.

The other reason (and the one I'm particularly thankful for right now) is the ability to help me get something in my belly (i.e. wheat thins or pretzels) to make sure I don't wake up charging to the bathroom toilet. I do feel pretty sick to my stomache when Boomer gets me out of bed at 4am, but I'm finding it helpful, so thank you. Boom! I've also found that taking showers during after I let him out and then jumping back in bed also helps me feel better...big time.

Its Not Easy Being Green

If I considered myself to be green yesterday...then, today, I'm greener. Not much to write today...mostly b/c I'm wiped out and feeling yuckier than yesterday. I talked to my Dr b/c I developed a little fever--- they want me to call whenever its over 100, and when I took it at noon, it was 100.5

They did some tests---just precautionary--- and everything looks to be completely fine. I just happened to get dehydrated from not being able to keep things down over the past few days. They got me some meds and gave me suggestions on what to eat...and how little to eat of these items. Their logic is that eating a little and keeping it down is way better than eating normally and not having it stay in my stomache. I tend to agree. I'm supposed to "carb it up." Then, as that works, I'm supposed to work towards protein. And lots of fluid. Lots and lots of fluids. And lie down--- so home early from work I went. I was wiped out, so I didn't even push back. Whats inside is way more important than whats at work right now....so feeling better takes big-time priority.

I'm happy to say that by bedtime, my fever was back down. This means it was indeed dehydatration and not some bug or virus. That's good. Problem solved. Hoping that tomorrow is less green.

Green is the Word of the Day

Um, I feel sort of like there's a revolt going inside me...like my body is ganging up on me. Food is no longer my friend. Let me clarify, there are some foods that are still my BFFS, but it seems like they are dwindling by the day. For other foods, its been a complete and utter mutiny. And I'm just approaching 5 wks. This throwing up thing isn't even supposed to be kicking in yet, is it? That's somewhat of a rhetorical question b/c the answer doesn't really matter...the reality does...and the reality is that I've been getting sick.

The past 24 hours have been markedly different than other days. As in more intense (and I thought I had a pretty good, solid stomache....wrong!). I ended up taking a shower this morning at 3:45a b/c I felt so yucky. But the reality is that everytime I get sick, I smile. (I know, totally grossly cheesy and annoying). Its true...b/c this must mean that something good is going on inside. We'll know Friday what exactly that is--- our ultrasound is scheduled for 7am. I asked for their 1st available appt....they said 7 and I said "Yay!"

So, in honor of St Patty's Day, I'm green. Not the kinda green that I've been in the past, but green all the same. And I'm okay with this. Just hoping that someone who doesn't know our secret doesn't accidentally find out when I have to do a mad dash to the restroom in a public place. I'm just gonna try not to let that happen. :)

Keeping Secrets in Social Situations

For very obvious reasons, we're keeping Operation Stork a secret. This is somthing that most expecting parents do during the first trimester, although some couples do decide to share the good news earlier. We are waiting until we hear a heartbeat-- after week 10 (fingers crossed) to tell everyone. Its a very hard secret to keep, but we're determined to do it.

Its especially amusing when you're in big social situations that involve alchohol. Case in point, our evening plans this weekend. We went out to dinner with another couple on Friday and on Sat, we celebrated one of our very close friend's 30th birthday...complete with limo bus. Both evenings were a ton of fun...as we danced our way through keeping our secret while "going out" with friends.

We planned in advance on how we'd handle the whole drinking thing and developed our strategy. We didn't want to use the whole "I'm not feeling well" line because we didn't want to be a downer. So, we found our plan: Fruit Juice Cocktails of the Non-Alcoholic Variety. Pre-preggers, my drinks of choice were wine and mixed drinks, so this wasn't too hard to pull off. There's actually a lot you can do to make a virgin drink look like the real deal.

I've created a couple fun ones..with my favorite one being Cranberry, Grapefruit Juice & Tonic, with a lime for authenticity. Good for you AND totally deceiving to those around you who think you're drinkin' it up like the rest of them. The hardest part was making sure that M & I could sneak away to the bar solo...and not let others try to buy me a drink. We were successful. It kinda became like a little game...and act. It was fun---and all for a really good cause.

Seriously, this little fruit mix is so good. And I don't miss drinking at all--- I actually love how healthy I feel.

2 for 2 on Tests

Ahh..I can breathe a little sigh of temporary relief as my 2nd blood test FINALLY got completed by the lab and sent off to Team Stork in Cincinnati. And the results were very good. I'll start by saying that right off the bat in stark contrast to the waiting I had to do to get my results. No need to leave this journal in day-long suspense like the silly lab did to me.

I went in at 7:15a to have my blood taken. My clinic noted that they wanted the results STAT, so I thought the lab up here would get right on them. I started to get a bit concerned when it was 2:30 and I still hadn't heard anything. So, I did what any courious, partially rational person waiting for test results would do: I called the lab and asked them what was going on and asked why my doctor hadn't received results yet. Turns out they were slammed, but did fax the results to my clinic who called me within 5 minutes.

I'm not much of an expert, but apparently, in early healthy pregnancies, doctors want to see your hCG count double every 48 to 72 hours. The test your blood 2 days apart to see what your doubling time is. This is very important for IVF patients b/c sometimes the embryo doesn't latch on in they way you'd hope it would-- so you wouldn't see fast-paced doubling. This can happen in any pregnancy, but from what I've read, is more prevalent in IVF pregnanceis.

My 1st hCG level on Tuesday was 150, and that was a strong #. Team Stork wanted to see my hCG count on this 2nd test at 300-320 or higher. Mine cam back at 544! Holy Crap! Its really good news, as a quickly rising hCG level is a sign of a very healthy pregnancy. The test showed that my hCG level appears to be doubling every 26 hours (as opposed to every 48-72 hours). Some people think that a fast-rising hCG level could indicate that there's more than one Little B in there making the levels so high, but doctors don't neccessarily agree with this logic...as every pregnancy is different and the "normal range" for hCG levels in pregnant woman is very wide.

We're just happy to pass this milestone.

And just like that...

We're happy. The thought of actually being preggers is beginning to sink in. For so long, I've been watching my words as I tried not to get too far ahead. Seems like every statement I've been making regarding Operation Stork either starts with or ends with "if all things work out the way we want" or "if it turns out that this does work" or "if we're lucky." I can't blame ourselves for being extremenly cautious, and even with this news, we will continue to be, as we have many more steps to go before we meet our baby. But know that it feels really good to know that to date, things have gone the way we'd hope them to....including the positive Beta Test we received yesterday.

Its very fun to get used to the concept of our Little B (or possibly Little Bs) hanging out at Hotel W for an extended stay. Even so, we are going to continue to be guarded in this 1st trimester. Heck, we're keeping this such a secret b/c we want to be very confident when we do share this news, that we have reasonable certainty that a baby is indeed on the way. So, we're waiting until we're 10-11 weeks along to share this secret with the world. I'm not going to lie, I wanted to pick up the phone and conference call everyone I knew yesterday. But we thought it through and the plan we have in place is the right one for us. We want the smiles that we see on the faces of our loved ones to last throughout the rest of the pregnancy, and not to turn to disappointment later if at all possible. All the info we've collected suggest that the most dangerous time is during the first 10 weeks. So lets just get through those before we break the news. I'll be very ready for a megaphone by then!

That's really why I've chosen to write down all of my thoughts here. This way, when we do spread the word 6-7 weeks from now, we'll be able to let them check out what's been going on each day by looking at this site. I'm hoping this will help fill in the blanks, and be a nice, high-tech momento of the journey.

Its crazy. Yesterday, I was keeping my fingers crossed to have a good blood test that would confirm our pregnancy. And just like that, today, I'm 4 weeks pregnant. Wow. Words don't describe how happy we are. We're cautious, but we're equally thrilled and look towards passing the next steps that come our way.

And...

Sometimes a picture is worth a whole lotta words. We're preggo. My Beta Blood test results came back...and came back strong. My hCG levels were a 150-160 count, which is great. They were hoping for a 40 level, so not bad for 8dp6dt (that's "8 days past 6-day embryo transfer). Now we want it to double by the next blood test on Thursday.

But for now, its YAY-TIME! We're both very happy-- we're cautious b/c there is still much more our Little B (Bs?) need to do--but we're very thrilled to get back results like this.

SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT hCG & IVF (i.e. stuff I never knew before we started this whole quest)
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone produced during pregnancy by the placenta. It starts to be produced shortly after an embryo implants, and is expected to double approximately every 48 to 72 hours in early pregnancy. The absolute level of hCG in a pregnant woman's blood is less critical than the rate of rise. A failure to double properly reflects slow placental growth, which is very frequently associated with abnormal embryonic development.
While hCG levels are expected to double in early pregnancy, the rate of rise generally slows as the level increases.
It's not possible to determine whether you're having twins or a singleton by hCG levels alone. The range of normal values for twin gestations fall squarely within the range of normal values for singletons. It has not been proven that multiple gestations have faster doubling rates than singleton pregnancies.
No matter how many stories with a positive outcome you've heard about slow-rising hCG levels — "15% of normal pregnancies have an abnormal rise!" — and no matter how many times you've heard that once you see a heartbeat you're practically in the clear — "The miscarriage rate drops to 3%!" — hCG levels that don't rise properly are a troubling sign even in pregnancies where a heartbeat is established.
IVF pregnancies generally have lower hCG levels than other pregnancies. The theory is that non-IVF pregnancies implant sooner, thereby having more time to generate hCG than a transferred embryo would. (Special thanks to "Turns Out You can be a Little Pregnant" for collecting this info)

Feeling like the The 7 Dwarfs (and then some)

So, tomorrow morning's my blood test. And then I plan on spending the rest of the day waiting for the phone to ring. Kidding. I'm keeping myself very busy at work. But I'm not gonna lie...I will be hovering over my phone making sure the ringer is turned on, that I didn't miss a call, that the Sprint network isn't malfunctioning, etc. You get the point.

A rather random thought popped in my mind regarding the endless "Am I?" mindgame I've been playing for the past 8 days: If Snow Whites Seven Darwfs were a pregnancy test, I'd have a positive result...and there might be a few new dwarfs in my world as well...

Here's how...
SLEEPY: Yep. If you're a show I used to watch at 10p, you're now in TiVo-land, so I can watch you tomorrow before 8:30
DOPEY: Forgetful? Um, yeah. All in all, I just feel a bit off
HAPPY: The thought of what could be happening in my belly makes me giddy
SNEEZY: I've surely got the sniffles, but don't feel like I have a cold.
GRUMPY: I wouldn't go as far as saying I'm grumpy, but less patient, absolutely (especially when waiting for blood test results...tick-tick-tick-tick)
BASHFUL: Well, not quite sure on this one, but I'd like to be bashful from an eventual baby-belly some day in the next 9 months)
DOC: Hoping to hear from one tomorrow! Only good news, please.

Other possible dwarfs that I feel like I'd resemble right now: Queezey, Dreamy, Achey! Ha, but it this means that we're doing good, I'm thrilled!

If I was writing a fortune for a fortune cookie I was about to break open...

The good news to report today is that my beta test (the blood test) is only 3 days away now. And so help me if the hospital lab we are using doesn't call my clinic the moment my results are completed. Knowing how excited (and fierely focused) couples are about the date of their first pregnancy blood test, they write "STAT" on the prescriptions they write for out-of-town patients who have their blood test done in places besides their clinic. So nice of them. Again, I plan on hovering over the lab tech to make sure they get it done and get it done quick. Kidding, I'm not that psycho! But eager to know? YES!

In recent developments, I'm not proud to announce that my mind has gotten the best of me. I admit it. I may be imagining a whole bunch of stuff, but I have officially convinced myself that I am preggo. Yes, you've heard of the power of positive thinking, right? Well, I'm really positive right now. Call it a hunch, but I'm not kidding, I'm pretty darn confident that SOMETHING is going on in here. I know its a completely bold statement, but the whole point of keeping this journal is to share my very honest thoughts. And this is the one that is monopolizing my braing right now. Of course, I'm no doctor, but still, for some strange reason I'm sure. Lets hope my hunch is right.

This prediction is probubly as accurate as a fortune cookie, but regardless, I like the thoughts of it.

Sleep-E

Yes, if there's one thing that I've definitatley noticed, its that I am wiped out sleepy. I usually go to bed around 11 during the week. The past 2 days, I've been tucking myself in at 9p and meeting the zzzzzzzzzzzzzzs closely thereafter. So, you'd think that that would make me wake up super revitalized. Um, no. This morning I woke up, took a shower, dried my hair and plopped right back in bed. That's how "revitalized" I was. Boomer thought it was a cruel joke b/c just as he started to snuggle up thinking "yay, it's a weekend," I got up b/c I had to get ready to go to work.

I'm a little sore and a lotta sleepy. My sniffer is also showing a heightened ability to smell odors (both pleasent & unpleasant). Still all of these things could be by-products of the high dosage of progesterone I have the pleasure of getting daily.

That's really all I've noticed this week. I won't attribute it to anything b/c these things could be caused by so many factors, so speculation will just make my mind wander. I'm gonna just stay hopeful and sleepy. That's my story and I'm stickin to it!

Rinse & Repeat

We wait. I analyze. I assess any possible symptoms (even though I know in my head it may be way too soon to be experiencing them). We wait. I go online to read everything I possibly can about what to expect during this 8-day wait. Then we wait some more. We go to work. I think about what might possibly we going on inside. We wait. I try my best to concentrate on stuff at work, and then come to the realization that my brain is not really good at focusing right now, which is sooooo not like me by the way. We wait. We do a shot at night. Right after the show, we hug. Then we say "One step closer to baby" as I smile while the pain goes away and the medicine gets absorbed. We wait.

This is followed by more waiting. Periodically , I look at my belly and have this silent conversation with it: "Hey, what's going on in there? You Guys Comfy? You still in there? Better be. Have you found a place to cuddle up and chill. Are you growing? How's 'Hotel W' (that the posh place medically referred to as the womb, or so we hope. It sounds way better when you call it Hotel W, doesn't it?). We hope. We wait. I drink tons of water to feel hydrated. We wait. We go to bed. I lie awake thinking about what might be. I finally fall asleep. Then I wake up. Rinse and Repeat...Welcome to Day 4 after the transfer.

I just wanna know how the 1,440 minutes that exist in a day can possible take this long to pass. They surely didn't used to take this long. Its just a mere 86,400 seconds that create each 24 hour day. Days usually fly by, especially when I'm busy-- and I'm busy. But right now I feel like these 8 days are taking 8 years. Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration--I'm just trying to make a point...it needs to be next Tuesday, like, right now.

Will someone please press the fast forward button?

So, now I'm Curious George

Things are going well. I've succesfully made the transition from Hen sitting on an egg waiting for it to hatch, to the lovable, storybook character, Curious George...

Why am I not able to concentrate on anything other than the Little Bs?

Why am I so sleepy? I yawned 6 times on the way home from work and I got 9 hours of sleep yesterday.

Why isn't there a way to test sooner?

Why is the sky blue? Does that mean I might be prego?

Why do I just feel a bit "off" right now?

Why am I totally obsessing about all that may or may not be going on in my belly?

And my favorite question to ponder...Why the heck isn't it next Tuesday yet?

"Good things come to those who wait, right?" I'm waiting. Bring on the good things :)

The "Might I Be?" Club

I spoke with Ann this morning, who is so wonderful. If this tale turns into a beautiful story, she would be playing the role of Fairy God Mother, as she's been so incredibly helpful both in coordinating everything with our donor and keeping my nerves in check. Both of which are no easy task.

She wanted to know how I was feeling-- and I'm feeling good. Of course its impossible not to hyper-analyze everthing. And by everything, I mean EVERYTHING: I'm not that hungry, which is totally not normal. My temperature last night is 99.2, slightly higher than where it normally registers. But these could both easily be blamed on nerves and the progesterone shots I take everynight. I'm a bit sleepy, which could be blamed on the fact that I'm absorbing a lot of meds and for the past two nights I've woken up like clockwork at 3am, going back to sleep about an hour later. Then I spend most my day trying to mask everything that I'm feeling--- and not telling people equally exhausting. I'm watching my words every moment of the day.

Oh heck, I'm just going to admit that I'm succombing to the "Might I Be" Syndrome. And I don't feel bad about it at all. I think its completely understandable.

Bottom line, I am beginning to understand what a hen feels like when she's sitting on an egg: "When am I gonna see if there's a chick?!?!?"

Moving Day for the Little Bs

We did it. Its somewhat hard to put the words into today's experience. Its especially hard to describe when you consider what we may have created today.


I definitely felt a good vibe, almost a buzz rumbling through the clinic from the moment we arrived (we were about 45 minutes early). This has never been the type of clinic where you are treated like a number and the process you with no personalization through this VERY personal medical prodecure. That's why we chose them. They have amazing success rates coupled with an incredible bedside manner, which is really rare. Today, I felt the connectedness of the entire staff even more.


When I asked Ann how the Little Bs were looking this morning, she said "You two and your embryos have created a lot of excitement around here this week. Your Embryologist was practically giddy this morning because your blastocycsts looked so healthy." Those statements make you feel really good about the prospects of a possible pregnancy, but also about the team we choose to help us get to this point.


Shortly after 9:30a, we entered the sterile IVF transfer room and we're greeted by Dr Hoffman and our Embryologist. They gave us the keys to Incubator #263B and confirmed that these were our Little Bs. They gave us a photo of them, which was really cool. Got all the equipment organized and ready. The best 2 Little Bs were transferred using ultrasound guidance. I had to lay still for about 30 minutes on a downward slope to help the Little Bs stay where they're supposed to.


Now we take super amazing care of me and wait...In the meantime, here are photos of the 2 Little Bs that were transferred today. One already hatched and the other is in the process of hatching. Both are Grade 1.0

Green Light for Day 6

At 9:45a today we talked with the embryologist, who had more good news to report...He said, in his very kind, foreign voice, that 9 of our 12 have "passed every test to show that they are ready, willing, and able to develop into a being." That's a great thing to hear come over the phone lines from an experienced embryologist.

Here is our Day 5 Update on the "Little E"s (which, by the way, I should now call "Little Bs" b/c they have not advanced from initial Embryos to advanced Blastocyst):

• 5 are now Grade "1.0" (which is like an "A" or an "A+"...its the best grade they can get).
• 4 are now Grade "1.5" (which is like an "A-" or "B+"...still very good)
• 2 are Grade "2.0" (which is the cut off for transfer at this clinic)
• 1 is a Grade 3.0 (and will not be frozen should it not improve to a Grade 2.0 or better)

What's even more amazing is that all 12 of the embryos that we cultured have split into 200 or more cells. Keep in mind that on Day 3, they were only 6-12 cells. They've been busy.

They are on schedule to hatch sometime later tomorrow-- meaning that its a most perfect time for my IVF Transfer of the 2 best "Little Bs"

From "Little Es" to "Little Bs" at "Hotel Lab"

Between Day 3 & Day 5 of their time at the luxorious, all-inclusive, highly posh Hotel Lab these Embryos (Affectionately called "Little Es") are supposed to be pretty busy. They've jumped the first hurdle by actually taking the plunge to get fertilized. That's kinda key. Then, they decided to be agreeable to their surroundings and adapted well to life in the Hotel Lab. Some "Little Es" don't like to stay at Hotel Lab demand to be upgraded into a rather delux extended-stay called Hotel Womb....at least we hope its an extended-stay for about nine months or so. We've passed 2 hurdles so far.

Once they have settled in, they need to get very busy....meaning that they need to start dividing into many little cells. From Day 3 to Day 5, they need to split into 200+ cells. Once the "Little Es" cross the 200 cell marker, they are officially called "Little B"s...because they are blastocysts. This is a really big hurdle...and if they can't jump it, they won't be able to pass the finish line. Its one that until the last couple of years, was only attempted in Hotel Womb, not in Hotel Lab.

Medicine made great strides and they can now do this outside of the body in special labs, which is amazing. Why? Well, it kind of goes along with the age-old "Survival of the Fittest" mentality. Although Hotel Womb is great, it has no windows to watch what happens during the pivotal 6-9 days after fertilization occurs. Hotel Lab has lots of windows and frequent check-ins to monitor development. An embryo can look extremely healthy on Day 2 & 3, but then not divide at the rapid rate deemed essential to develop into a fetus. Sadly, that embryo doesn't make it. By seeing how the cells split, they can make smart decisions about which ones are showing to be the healthiest. This helps them to more accurately predict which "Little Bs" have the best chance of developing into a living being.

Now that all that's explained, we're sending positive vibes to our "Little Es" who are chillin at Hotel Lab. Now that they're settled, I hope they order lots of room service and that their cells multiply like rabbits.