Night 1: In the bag!

So for this cycle (and for vacation in 29 days) I have decided to eat healthier hoping it makes our chances the teensiest bit better.  Research shows the healthier a woman is the more primed her body is for pregnancy.  Worth a shot right?  Trying to eat all natural fruits, vegetables and lean protiens. So happy it's grilling weather!

So since there isn't much new to report, here are some pictures of our evening.

Fresh New Meds

Waiting...

All set

All done and SO happy about it!

:)

Mini breakdown

Went in for next round testing this morning and experienced a teeny tiny breakdown.

The nurse kept asking if I was sure it was my period and not just spotting and then if I was sure I was ok...obviously whenever that happens to you it means they expect you to not be ok and that in turn causes the tears to flow!!

At times like these, when we get bad news, I just fall into feeling sorry for myself mode and wonder if this is ever going to happen for us.

Luckily, as soon as that meltdown was out of me I felt better. I am ready to take on another round.

Round 2!

So I got my period last night (April 30).  I knew it was coming, I had felt the symptoms for a few days but I guess I was trying to believe they could be symptoms of something else...

We were at the hospital last night so my dad could get checked out after his car accident (everything is good!!) and I was talking to my sister about the symptoms.  She tried to make me feel better and keep me positive but alas when we got home last night, there it was!  The little stinker...

I think my hubby is more upset than me for the first time.  I'm usually a wreck! 

I think the difference here is I know I still have 3 more chances so I am not allowing myself to give up.  If it were any other month, you know I would be holed up in my bed under the covers watching General Hospital.  He just feels bad for me.  These meds take a toll on my body, not to mention all the needle pricks.  He was hoping I would only have to do it once this time.  Oh well...

I have an appointment tomorrow morning to get bloodwork and an ultrasound done to confirm we have no leftover cysts from this past cycle and we are ok to proceed.

Once that is confirmed, I will be starting the injections again tomorrow night.  We are going on vacation in a month so I am really really hoping we can get this round in before we go.

IUI Day!

After months and months of tests we are finally here; not quite at the finish line but getting closer! We were up nice and early this morning (Thursday, April 19, 2012) and in great spirits!

The process:

The hubby has to do his part...

My awesome husband, he's been through so much with me during this process. 
Don't think I could have done it with anyone else.

Is this picture TMI?  lol  at least there's nothing in it yet...

Then I went back a few hours later to do mine.

All went really well.  Now all we can do is wait!  The next 2 weeks are going to be TORTURE!

I had another ultrasound on Tuesday morning and they confirmed that we are ready for me to ovulate! I've got 2 very large follicles, one medium sized one and a bunch of smaller ones.

I had to get a nice big shot in the booty that night to trigger the ovulation for Thursday.

I'll spare you that visual but show you some pictures leading up to it.

My doctor asked if I wanted her to draw a circle on my butt for where the injection was supposed to go.  I declined...so this is the drawing she made to guide us...

Look at that needle!!! I can't even lie, I was scared of this one!

A Fresh Start

"Supposing you have tried and failed again and again.  You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call "failure" is not the falling down, but the staying down".

I am not sure exactly who said this first but it definitely struck a chord with me and I HAVE to believe in it.  Of that I am certain.  If we ever want to achieve our dreams we have to keep fighting and believing it will happen for us, no matter how many times we get knocked down.

At this point we have been trying to have a baby for about 5 years.  We have tried Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and also fertility drugs without medical intervention (the old fashioned way).  To date, we have had many failed attempts and one son up in Heaven.

There have been so many downs that its almost enough to push someone over the edge.  Almost.  We are not ready to give up.  We know this is going to happen for us one day and we won't stop trying until it does.

Last night was our first injection of this new cycle.  As usual, the hubs took good care of me.  He always handles all of the preparation and injections while I lay on the couch relaxing and trying not to stress. 

The first one is always the hardest.  The anticipation of it is always worse than the needle itself.  Now that we got the first one out of the way, the rest should be a piece of cake!  Here's to hoping!

He looks way too happy getting ready to stick me with that thing!

What our house currently looks like, there is medical stuff everywhere!

Mixing the right dosage

The moment of truth!  Please excuse the stretch marks from my first pergnancy and the hole left from my belly button piercing left over from my younger days!

The Meds!

So we picked up our medication today and went through a quick tutorial about the injection process.

What was interesting was even though we've done it before we were completely flustered and overwhelmed trying to absorb all the steps involved.

These are all the meds we will use this cycle!


Medication, Needles, Alcohol Pads

I am so happy the hubby was there to pick up anything I may have missed. 

Now all we do is sit and wait for our cycle to start.............waiting is so hard!