Our Visit

As I mentioned in my prior post, my IP's (whom have allowed me to use their names!) Elsa and Vince, came out to visit with us this past weekend. We had a GREAT time with them.
Mark and I met up with them on Friday morning at our ultrasound. We had an hour long session where we got to oohh and ahhh over this little guy bouncing about in 3D. As tiny as he is right now, we were still able to see fingers and toes, ribs and spine, and of course his beautiful heart beating away. (We all got to hear it, too). It was the first time Elsa and Vince were able to listen to their baby boy's heart beat. ♥ It is such a magnificent sound. I still get teary-eyed every time I hear it. The appointment was wonderful and  Elsa and Vince have arranged 2 more ultrasounds for later on in the pregnancy, when he's a little more plump and we can start to see more of what he will look like at birth.
After our ultrasound we had lunch together and chatted for a while. Vince had some work to do, so we parted for the afternoon, but planned dinner together.
That evening, Elsa and Vince came over for pizza. They were able to meet our four kiddos, my parents, Pat and Brant, my youngest sister, Jane and her daughter Emma. We had such a great night just hanging out and talking. Vince got suckered into a game or 2 of chess with Blake, Elsa had her ear talked off by Gracie, Shawnie was enthralled by the fact that Vince flies a plane, and Abbie was excited to say she knows people from California.
They brought a gift for the kids...I thought that was so sweet and thoughtful of them....an educational gift (their words!). They bought our children an iPad. OMG! (Abbie's words!) Needless to say, they all love it. They are having a blast and believe it or not they have been sharing it very well. They generally split their time in 30 mins. intervals and I haven't had to break up any fights over it. :-) Shawnie and Blake started to research what makes a plane fly, as they promised Vince they would. Gracie found the library and has started to explore other languages. I found her trying to learn German. LOL. Abbie is all over the place with it. She is our little techie. She'll teach us. It's such a wonderful gift...they really shouldn't have! But the kids truly are enjoying everything about it!
We had such a wonderful time. We can't wait to see them again! Here's a couple pics...

My IP's Vince & Elsa, and my parents Pat and Brant

Somehow, Blake's guitar made it out and Vince showed the little ones what he knows.

17 weeks and moving right along

It seems like this pregnancy is just flying by! I am 17 weeks already! WOW! Still feeling good. Haven't felt movements yet. I thought maybe I might have a couple weeks ago, but now I'm thinking I had bubbles in my belly because I haven't felt them since. According to What to Expect it could still be a couple weeks until I experience his flutters and kicks. 
An exciting note...E and V are coming to visit this weekend. We have talked about doing a non-medical ultrasound while they are here so they can see their little guy in action. I am so happy they are able to make it out and visit!
Here's a shot of my belly at 16 weeks.

Appointment today

I had a routine OB appointment this morning. Everything looks good. I have gained 5 pounds at this point (since the start of cycling). The little man's heartbeat sounded wonderful. We have an Ultrasound in 4 weeks with another routine appointment.
Last week the blood work portion of the NT scan came back normal. Everything is moving along so smoothly...QUICK...but smoothly! I ♥ the second trimester. Meds done, sickness gone, energy back and hopefully the pregnant glow will come along soon! ;-)

NT scan 13 weeks

Today I am 13 weeks. We had our NT scan and it looked wonderful. The measurement was 1.64, well within normal range and she said nothing looked out of the ordinary. She gave lots of pics of this little one. Believe it or not, we were able to see the sex of the baby-See below. I have also added my first belly pic (taken today) since my waistline is expanding!

CONGRATS E & V!!!! We are so thrilled for you!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend....&

V...Happy Father's Day!!!!

Feeling good again...

The wave of morning sickness has finally gone away. I have been feeling good again! I find myself getting a bit tired in the afternoons. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to catch a small nap before picking up the kids from school. Sometimes, not so lucky.
I have stopped the PIO injections per Dr. Nelson's orders. YAY! I still take Progesterone via capsules and the Estrogen shot every 3rd day. My hips are pretty happy!
Here's a pic of our last ultrasound. It was 9 weeks 5 days. Baby's hearbeat was still a nice and steady 174 bpm, and measured perfectly at 9 wks 5 days. You can really see the limbs and head starting to form ♥

Ultrasounds Galore...

Seems we've had lots of them. Actually one a week since our first one post transfer at 6 weeks 5 days gestation. Thought I would share some pics....IM has the pics from the first one. I have scanned the last 2 sets and forwarded them onto the IP's.

7 weeks 5 days
At this ultrasound, the baby measured right on target and had a heartbeat of 150 beats per minute.

8 weeks 5 days
Again, the baby was right on track as far as growth and the heartbeat was up to 174 beats per minute.

Our Ultrasound

We had our first ultrasound today at 6 weeks 5 days and we saw one little gummy bear bouncing about in there! The baby had a beautiful heartbeat at 127 bpm. We didn't get to hear it, but we could see it. Everything is right on target and looking good. I will go back for another ultrasound next Thursday to check the progress.
IM and her Mom were here and that was great! She is thrilled to say the least! And what a wonderful week to come out and find out your gonna be a Mom- right before Mother's Day and with her Mother! ♥
My IM and IF bought me a beautiful bracelet and had it personalized! How thoughtful! It sure was great to see her, even if only for a few hours...the joy and excitement  in her eyes alone will carry through until the next time I see them! I'm so happy to be a part of this miracle!

Another Beta

Had another Beta today. HcG is up to 23,056. My E2 is is 389 and Progesterone is 58. All said to be terrific according to the clinic.
Our Ultrasound is Thursday! I am very excited. IM and IG (Intended Grandma!!!) will be here for it. They fly in Wednesday and I think back out right after the appointment. I'm very excited to meet some extended family! It's gonna be very exciting for everyone!
Morning sickness is still here. Blah! Nothing that puts me out all day though. If I could only get up at noon my days would be peachy-keen!

Beta Results

I had my second beta drawn on Monday April 26th. My number was 7,038 -my hcg level is doubling every 2 days, just as it should.
• Estradiol=465 (want to see above 200-300)

• Progesterone=58 (want to see above 25)
We are still right on track so everything stays the same as far as meds.

My ultrasound is set for Thursday May 6th! I am so excited- IM and her Mom are flying in for it! IF tried to rearrange his schedule but wasn't able to get the time off. I think it will be wonderful to meet the future Grandma!

I have been a little sick-ish in the mornings. Try to keep it at bay by eating a light breakfast. Sometimes it helps, others not so much. It's not too bad though!

Morning sickness

It's started. I got super nauseous this morning right after my shower. Hopefully It will only last a couple weeks. I was able to keep under pretty good control last pregnancy by eating smaller meals more frequently during the day and keeping a very bland diet in the first trimester. Fingers crossed its the same this time. I have my second beta Monday. No dates yet for an ultrasound! It should be within the next week or so, I think!

Results are in...

My beta results are in. At 12dp3dt, the RE was looking for thehcg number to be anywhere over 50. Mine was 630.
Progesterone he wanted over 25 and mine was 72 and my E2 level should be over the 200-300 range and mine was 866. All levels are good, meds stay the same. HcG level should double every 2-3 days and I will have a repeat draw on Monday the 26th.
I'm feeling pretty good. Haven't had any symptoms since the cramping a few days after transfer.
I talked to my IP's this evening and they are just giddy as can be!I am so happy to be helping them!

Heading out now...

I am about to go have my first Beta drawn (quantitive hcg). Won't get the results for a few hours.... Hoping for a nice strong number and then I will be able to tell my IP's they will be parents by year's end!
Be back soon!

No denying it...

Congrats to my wonderful IP's! They are going to be parents. EDD according to the online pedictor...CHRISTMAS DAY!!!
I can't wait to share the pictures with them. I am going to mail them and they will hopefully recieve them on beta day!

testing, testing...1..2....

 I started testing Sunday afternoon and by Monday night I had my first faint BFP. I was 5.5dp3dt (5 and a half days post 3 day transfer). I have continued to test and with each one the test line is getting a little darker. :-) My IP's do not want to know the results -so I haven't shared the big news with them, yet. here's the pictures...

This morning was a first for me...I injected my pio, pulled back the syringe and BAM...blood. Hmph...hit a vein? Missed the muscle? Either way I had to prick myself an extra time. Oh well.

Cramping

Not much to report except I have started to have a little cramping last night, and it has continued through today. I have tested twice and both were negative. I still expect to see negatives even through tomorrow and hope to get a BFP on Wed or Thursday. I know with frozen and 3dt implantation is later...so I wait...patiently (or not so much) ...for another week, until my beta.

I'm Back!

Arrived home last night. Picked up the kids from my mom's, had dinner then got in about 10pm. I was tired!

Transfer was on Wednesday, April 7th at 10:45 in the morning. We put in 3 frozen embies. I know if you aren't familiar with IVF...hearing 3 is a bit frightening... but just by using the frozen embryos, the chance of pregnancy with one is 50%, twins 25% and trips less than 5%. That doesn't take into consideration the quality of the embryos. Lots of factors that play into the game. Anyways, my uterus looked good. So good in fact, that the nurse took a snapshot (via ultrasound) to use as a teaching tool for other nurses as to what they are looking for during transfer. I don't even know what my lining was, but Dr. Nelson said it was perfect. My E2 was 644 (want it over 300) and Progesterone was 73 (want it over 25). So those were good to go. Now we wait. The dreaded 2WW as we in surroworld call it. My blood will be drawn on the 19th to see if I am pregnant. I know for sure I will be doing HPT's before then, although my IP's do not want to know the results. Their thoughts, they have waited 3 years, 2 more weeks won't kill them! I'm way to curious....look for updates here! :-)
Believe it or not, I flaked and forgot to take pictures during transfer. Ugh. I don't know how I did that! I will post some pics in a bit of our travels and stuff though!

Packing up...

We are packing up and heading out. I canot believe it is nearly time. Tomorrow Mark and I will fly out and  Wednesday is baby baking time! I have started the progesterone both shots and suppositories. Also am taking Medrol pack and still on the estrogen, prenatals, dha and baby aspirin. Here's a quick picture of just some of the meds....

T minus 5 days...

WOW! Time is flying by!
I had another lining check yesterday. Thinking it's my last before transfer. My lining was 8.3 on Monday and went up to 10.3 yesterday! It's all coming together. I should be starting the PIO tomorrow. Hormones have not made me nuts, yet! Well at least I don't think they have. We could always ask Mark and the kids what they think...uuhh, better not. I might not like the answer they give, hahaha.

Getting thicker

I had another appointment today. My lining is measuring 8.3 with a triple layer. RE says we are right on track and are set for transfer on April 7th. I will have another lining check and more labs on Thursday. 9 Days to go!!!

2 weeks and counting...

Transfer day is coming up quick!
I had another monitoring appointment on Monday and everything is looking good. The RE upped my delestrogen dose to .2cc every 3 days. Everything else stays the same. I have another appointment Monday the 29th for a lining and E2 level check. Mark and I have our travel arrangements set and are ready to go. We are getting very excited!

Meds

Happy St. Patrick's Day!


Today I started my meds. I am taking prenatals 3x a day. DHA and baby aspirin 1x a day. And the Delestrogen .1cc every 3 days via IM shot. My next monitoring appointment will be on the 22nd to see how the estrogen is working.
I also spoke with my caseworker and travel is being arranged for the transfer! YAY!!!! I cannot believe we are getting so close!

let the fun begin...

It's starting to really move along now. I had a baseline ultrasound and some bloodwork today, here at my local monitoring clinic. They checked my estrogen and progesterone levels. They also took a look at my uterine lining. Everything was in the normal range for the RE so we are on schedule and headed towards a 4/7/10 transfer. When I got home from my appointment, I had a big ole box of meds waiting at the front door!  Last night was my last BCP and I will begin taking delestrogen on Wed, and will have to inject it 3 nights. I go back in a week to track progress and make sure the meds are doing what they should be. YAY!!! We can begin a countdown!

The Beginning

I am about to embark on an amazing journey and am thrilled to have an oppurtunity to share that experience and document it as it plays out in real life.
This is my second time being a Gestational Surrogate. I delivered a beautiful set of twin girls on July 1, 2009. It didn't take long after that for me to know I wanted to help another couple become parents. I applied with a new agency in October and was matched before Christmas.
In early January I flew out to California for the medical evaluation at the Reproductive Clinic the Intended Parents are using. I was lucky enough to meet my new couple face to face, and they are great! I really enjoyed getting to know them and appreciate all the time they set aside for me while I was there!
Once I was cleared by the clinic, we were set to start the contract phase. The legal part has just been wrapped up and we are now starting to move along with the fun stuff...cycling!
My IP's (intended parents) have frozen embryos ready to go. I am scheduled to have my first baseline ultrasound and labs done on 3/15 . We hope to start meds 3/17 and will have follow up ultrasounds and bloodwork on the 22nd and 29th. If my uterine lining cooperates with the plan, we are looking to have the transfer April 7, 2010!
I'll keep you posted....