Gender Determination at 17 weeks - Thursday Oct 20th, 2010

We had our appointment yesterday to see what the babies are! And... Baby B is for sure a BOY and is a VERY active boy - he is what i have been feeling for a few weeks now. And Baby A didn't cooperate very well and had its umbilical cord between its legs. Baby A is for sure the laid back baby ha ha. So we will go to Nashville (only b/c I cant wait 4 more weeks to find out at my next appointment what Baby A is) to a place that all they do is 4D ultrasounds and gender determination on Oct. 30th. SO hopefully Baby A will cooperate then and we will know what both babies are! Thank the good Lord everything at our appointment looked great and that's all that matters!

Yay for 13 weeks!!! - Thursday Sept. 23, 2010

I have not been good at keeping up with our blog or adding pics, but I will try to do better :) God you are so good!!!! We got to see the babies today! They both looked great and were moving like crazy. They said if they will cooperate that we might get to find out what they are at our next apt Oct. 20th! See their pics below from this proud Mama! :)

Still Trusting God with them - September 10, 2010

Wow! It has been so long since I have posted on here and so much has happened since our last post that there's no way I could do justice in trying to catch up on it all. Thanks Leslie for reminding me to update the blog! I am currently 11 weeks and 1 day and so far everything looks good. Since our last post we have seen the babies several times on ultrasounds and got to see and hear their hearts beating and also got to see them moving around in there. It is amazing to be able to see tiny little hands and feet even though their bodies are so tiny. I have been sick everyday - not just morning, but noon, afternoon, and all night. But I've never been happier to feel so bad ha ha. Thankfully I get to take zofran and phenergan everyday! I go back to the doctor (the fertility doctor has released me to a regular OB) on Sept. 20th and I am hoping and praying that they are both still doing just perfect. I'm just trusting God with them. I will try to get their pictures on here asap!

And they came TWO by TWO! Wednesday - August 4, 2010

Today was our first ultrasound and I am 5 weeks 6 days, and we saw TWO babies. Jason and the nurse said they saw both of their heartbeats but I couldnt see it. She said it was pretty early to be seeing it anyway. So we are going back to the doctor Friday to have another look and see if there are two strong heartbeats then. But both babies are measuring exactly what they should and look great! To God be the glory!!!! A friend of mine posted this on our facebook page "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it." Our faith rests in God alone to wrap his Holy hands around these tiny babies and protect them and help them to grow and develop perfectly. Thank you Jesus!

PRAISE GOD! IT'S POSITIVE - Thursday, July 22, 2010

Our first beta today (bloodwork that tells if it is a positive pregnancy test) was POSITIVE! Thank You Lord!!! I have been really nauseated for the last 4 days which I was thankful for ha ha. I go back in one week to do the same blood test to make sure that my numbers are doubling like they should and if they are then we will go back in two weeks for an ultrasound. God is SO GOOD! Thank each and every one of you for lifting us up to God in prayer - please continue to do so b/c we still have many hurdles ahead. As we know we have been here before and things can turn bad in a hurry, but we are trusting God that this pregnancy will be a success :) PRAISE GOD PRAISE GOD!!!!

A word from God - Sunday, July 18th 2010

We had a guest preacher at church for the morning and evening worship b/c Bro. Tim is in South Africa. I truly look forward to seeing and hearing God work through Bro. Bill Stafford each time he visits. If you ever get a chance to hear him you wont be disappointed. And if you have seen the movie Fireproof, then you have already seen him in the movie. Anyway, in the evening service the children sang and told of what they learned at camp the week before. And the entire time I was watching these children I was getting afraid/sad/worrying b/c I kept asking myself if I find out Thursday that it was a success and I am pregnant then "when can I get excited?". I dont want to miss out on times that I should be enjoying due to worrying. So I just kept asking meself if I'm pregnant when can I get excited. Then it came time for Bro. Bill to take the pulpit, and he said "As I was sitting in my chair God led me in a totally different direction than what I had intended on preaching on. And the title of the message is When can you trust God?". I thought oh wow this one is for me! And it was exactly what I needed to hear! Thank you God for a fresh word from heaven! I highly recommend going to clementsbaptist.org and listening to his sermon online. Big picture is I can and will trust Him now and if I get a positive result Thursday I will be excited and trust Him. :)

Tranfsfer Day - Lucky 13th! = Tuesday July 13th, 2010

Praise God - great is Thy faithfullness! We were able to transfer 2 beautiful embryos!!!! There were no other survivors to be able to freeze. Now it is time to rest and pray these little embies stick in their new environment!

Come on little embies! - Friday July 9, 2010

Well the nurse called with our fertilization report. Of the 10 eggs retrieved, 6 were mature, and of those 6 only 4 fertilized. So now we just hope and pray for those little 4 embies to grow and mature and make it until the transfer next Tuesday. They will call us Sunday morning to give us a report of how many made it until Sunday and what their quality are. Then they wont look at them again unil the morning of the transfer. I have peace knowing it is in God's hands.

Egg Retrieval Complete - Thursday, July 8, 2010

After a bright and early drive to B'ham this morning, the egg retrieval is done. They collected 10 EGGS!!!! Praise God - Yay!!! That's not alot for the average bear, but that is good for me. Tomorrow they will call and tell us how many of the 10 are mature and of those how many fertilized. For now, its time to lay very still and take pain pills. When we arrived home from the surgery, our home was 89 degrees (the heat index outside is 111). The motor in our AC unit burned up. Good thing Mom and Dad are close - we will enjoy their AC until ours is fixed. :) Please continue to keep us in your prayers. One hurdle down, several to go between now and the transfer next Tuesday.

We finally made it to egg retrieval!!! - Thursday July 7, 2010

Praise God! We have finally made it back to the point that I responded well enough to the shots/meds to qualify for IVF again. The retrieval will be tomorrow (7/8/10) at 0830 in B'ham. We are excited to make it to this point again, but at the same time very nervous/anxious about getting past the several hurdles we will face in the next week to make it to the point to transfer the embryos back in me. I have less follicles this time than I did the very first time we did IVF, but we are still full of faith and hope that this will be a success. Please continue to keep us in your prayers - the next couple of weeks will be very critical.

Update - Thursday, July 1st, 2010

I started the shots this past Sunday and today (Thursday) I went for bloodwork and an ultrasound to see if I am responding to the meds. I did have some follicles that are growing which is a good sign. So now we go to the doctor in B'ham Sunday morning for them to look again and see how many follicles are maturing which will allow them to decide if I responded well enough to do invitro this time or not. Praying all those follies keep growing so we can harvest some eggs next week!

Green Light - Friday June 25th, 2010

Well we have definately been enjoying summer and I am loving it! I think I am about to wear Jason out though so he is probably grateful that I will be restricted to what I can do while taking the shots ha ha. We got the green light after our doctor's appt today to be able to start the shots again Sunday. YAY!!! We are hoping and praying that I will respond well to the meds this time! I go back to the doctor next Thursday to see if and how well I am responding to the shots. Please continue to keep us in your prayers - we are very hopeful that this will be a success this time.

Change of Plans - Wednesday May 13, 2010

Today was an emotional roller coaster. I ended up talking with the doctor 4 times today and finally around 4pm they called with a "change of plans". They got my results back from my blood work from earlier in the day, and my fsh level was too high to do ivf. Mine is normally high (high isnt a good thing), but it was the highest it has ever been today. So Dr. Honea said she didn't have a good feeling about trying to do invitro this cycle with that high of an fsh level. Fsh measures how well your ovaries are functioning and is also indicative of your egg reserve, and a high number means you have a lower reserve than you should have and that your ovaries arent functioning as they should. So the new plan is to sit this cycle out, wait a month, and they will check me in a month to see if my fsh level dropped, if my cysts went away, and hopefully by then we will have a bunch of follicles on the ultrasound (there was only three today, which also isnt enough to do ivf). So like I said yesterday, "When God has another plan, walk on and just say yes and know that He knows best." :) Prayer warriors please be praying for a low fsh level, no cysts, and lots of follicles next month. Thank you all so much for your love, prayers, and support!

Every Down Is a New Beginning - Tuesday May 11, 2010

Well we found out yesterday that the iui was unsuccessful. I talked to the doctor today and she said that I will start the bcp tomorrow (you have to take bcp for 2-3 weeks before starting the shots for ivf to suppress your system)to get ready for the next ivf cycle. I should get my calendar of what shots I will take when this week. But it looks like they are swapping me back to the protocol that I used the first time and just increasing the dosage. I love this song and just wanted to share its beautiful words:

"When GOD Has Another Plan"

Forsaken by his brothers, Didn't fit the scene
Being made a slave, Was not what Joseph dreamed
The coat of many colors was stained, with blood and lies
But from this divine appointment, a ruler would arise.

When GOD has another plan, walk on and just say yes
When GOD has another plan Be assured that HE knows best.
When all your dreams are shattered rest in HIS sufficient grace
We don't have to understand when GOD has another plan

Alone and brokenhearted, Questions fill your mind
Changes can be hard, That comes by GOD's design
But if you could see tomorrow, with a view from heaven's throne
Every unexpected struggle has led you closer home.

IUI - Wednesday April 28th, 2010

We did an IUI (artificial insemination) this morning, and we will find out if it worked or not Monday May 9th. Calling all prayer warriors!

I got to be a part of a VERY special day today and I was so grateful to get to share in their joy! Leslie, Paul, and Rena had their first ultrasound today and we got to see TWO heartbeats!!! Praise God!

Cancelled IVF but still have hope for IUI - Monday, April 26, 2010

We traveled to B'ham early Saturday morning and the doctors still said that the chance of me being able to do invitro this cycle didnt look good. But that they wanted me to keep taking the stimulation shots to try and get those follicles to grow. Only one was big enough to be classified as mature. They wont let you do ivf unless you have at least 4, and in my case due to poor egg quality they said they would be really hesitant even if I ended up with 4 to proceed. But there is a risky fine line that you walk b/c you cant keep trying to make the smaller ones grow to the point that the one large one ruptures. So the plan was to continue with the stim shots until Monday and come back to the doctor and see what happened.
Monday morning we went back to the doctor and it is a definite no go with invitro - I just didnt produce enough follicles. So to keep from wasting the meds and shots we will be doing an iui (artificial insemination) this Wednesday. Maybe this will be our blessing in disguise and the iui will be a success! Either way God is still in control and we are trusting Him. So please be praying for us for this Wednesday - hopefully it will yield a positive result.

Well..... Thursday, April 22, 2010

Well I had my checkup appointment today to see how well I am responding to the stimulation shots. For some reason even though this was a higher dose of meds than last time, I didnt respond near as well this time as last time. I will go back to the doctor in B'ham Saturday and they will look again. But there is a chance that they will cancel my ivf cycle since I responded poorly. If they do cancel it, then we will do an iui (artificial insemination) again just to keep from wasting the meds. Even though an iui only has a less than 10% chance of success, we would give it a try. But we really wont know for sure which route we will have to take until Saturday. So please keep us in your prayers. We are being still God and knowing you are in control. Our hope rests in you alone.

On a brighter note - our friends Matt and Tasha had a beautiful baby girl this morning - Lillie Kate! I got to see her after my doctor's appointment and she is just beautiful!

Here we go again! Thursday, April 15, 2010

First of all let me say CONGRATULATIONS to Leslie and Paul!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Christmas baby(ies) on the way!!!!!!!!!! Praise God!!!!!

Well today starts the shot process! I am so eager to get started again! I will probably take them for about 10-12 days and between now and then they will be monitoring me to make sure that I am responding to the meds like I should. So please keep us in your prayers that I will respond well to the medicine this time. Our next doctor’s apt is next Thursday 4/22.

We have a plan! Monday April 5th, 2010

We found out today that the results of the “killer cell” test was normal, which was great news. They also did a SIS test today to make sure that there wasn’t any scarring from the D&C and it looked “textbook perfect” – Yay! And we got our calendar for the next ivf cycle and I will get to start taking the shots again next Thursday, 4/15!!!!! I am so excited to get started again. Although this time they are trying a much higher dose of meds to see if I will respond any better. So I am very eager to see if there is any difference. From most of what I have seen no matter if you have 30 eggs or 9 eggs retrieved most everyone had similar results in the end as to how many they have to transfer and freeze. So I don’t know if it will make any difference or not, but it is worth a try. This time the protocol will be 4 shots a day plus some pills. So please keep us in your prayers!

Yesterday we celebrated the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior and what a glorious day it was in the house of our Lord! I just wanted to stop and thank God for the cross because everything goes back to the cross. Thank you Lord for loving me!

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

"He's still on time" - Tuesday March 30, 2010

We’ve been busy lately so time has flown by really fast. But just as an update I had a test done last week to see if my body has overactive “killer cells”. The body has “killer cells” to fight off infection and cancer, but if mine are overactive then the killer cells would see a baby as a tumor and attack and kill it. We will know the results from this test next week and either way we are still continuing with the plan because it is treatable.

I had my baseline bloodwork and ultrasound done Monday for my next ivf cycle, and it was almost the exact same as it was at this point in my previous ivf cycle. The doctors are taking my file to the board Thursday to see if there is a stronger protocol of meds that they can put me on so that hopefully I will respond better to the stimulation meds this cycle. I started the bcp Monday and will have another test next Monday to make sure that there isn’t any scarring left over from the D&C surgery. And I will get my calendar/schedule of when to start all of the shots and meds next Monday. SO I cant wait to have the plan in front of me! Please keep us in your prayers because we are holding strong to our hope in God.

Also the next week is going to be a HUGE time in our very special friends lives and I am so excited for her retrieval and transfer! Praying for ya’ll!!!!

I told someone the other day that 9 of my close friends are all pregnant now so it’s going to be an exciting year!!!

Easter is this Sunday and I look forward to celebrating that the tomb is EMPTY - He is no longer there – he AROSE and LIVES forevermore!!!! It’s also a reminder that we are on God’s time and God’s timing is perfect. Just when Mary and Martha were disappointed in our Lord because they thought he had come too late to save their brother. But isn't it great when He's four days late- He's still on time! I love this song by Karen Peck – It is such an amazing reminder that God’s timing is perfect.

The news came to Jesus please come fast.
Lazarus is sick and without Your help he will not last.
Mary and Martha watched their brother die
They waited for Jesus- He didn't come.
They wondered why.

The death watch was over; buried four days.
Somebody said He'll soon be here
The Lord's on His way.
Martha ran to Him and then she cried
"Lord if You had been here- You could have healed him. He'd still be alive.

But You're four days late; and all hope is gone.
Lord we don't understand why You've waited so long."
But His way is God's way.
It's not yours or mine
But isn't it great when He's four days late- He's still on time!

Jesus said, "Martha, show Me the grave."
But she said, "Lord You don't understand- he's been there four days!""
The grave stone was rolled back.
Then Jesus cried, "Lazarus! Come forth!"
Then somebody said, "He's ALIVE! He's ALIVE!"

Right know you may be fighting a battle of fear
You've cried to the Lord "I need You now!" But He has not appeared.
My friend don't be discouraged
Cause He's still the same.
He'll be right here and He'll roll back your stone and He'll call out your name!

When He's four days late and all hope is gone
Lord we don't understand why You've waited so long.
But His way is God's way it's not yours or mine
But isn't it great when He's four days late- He's still on time!
Oh my God it's great when he's four days late....He's still on Time!!