Sprout must be growing!!

I went in this morning to get my HCG levels check again. They want them to double every 48 hours. Hmy labs this week have been...

Tuesday's HCG = 244
Thursday's HCG = 636

Yay!! Things are looking so awesome! The HCG more than doubled... It almost tripled!! It is such a good sign that little Sprout is growing. With the very high progesterone and the big increase in my HCG, it makes me wonder if there is more than one little Sprout in there?! Wen the nurse was reading through my chart in the phone, she read the HCG level and then said, "oh, you had a lot of little follies... Hmmm!" I love the nurse and we had a laugh. She said not to read too much into the numbers. My hubby is a little afraid we are going to have a litter... I think he would be relieved if there as only one or two in there! I just want one little one, but I would be ecstatic with twins. We scheduled our first gestational u/s on June 19. I will be 6weeks/4days. We would've been due on June 18 with the angel baby I miscarried in November. I know that it will be an emotional week, so I hope it will bring us something to celebrate!! It is absolutely crazy to think back on all of the ups and downs throughout the last 9 months... Ugh. I am so happy that we are finally getting some good news. I am doing my best to stay positive, but I am very nervous! I guess that is normal and the beginning of all the worrying I will do throughout Sprout's life.

I am still not feeling well. I am so full of gas... It just sits in a bubble under my rib cage. It feels like I gorged myself at an all you can eat buffet and now I am bloated and need to burp... But I can't. I have tried prunes, prune juice, fiber cereal, fiber bars, etc. When I walk, I can feel it bubbling. I also have very sore abdominal muscles - like I have done a bunch of sit-ups... Which I didn't! I asked the nurse on Tuesday about the abdominal muscle soreness and the bloating, gas, constipation... All normal! If it is this uncomfortable again tomorrow, I'm going to have to call and talk to someone about it to see what they suggest. I know pregnancy isn't always comfortable, but there has to be something I can take to relieve it. I am loving every minute of being pregnant, and am so absolutely thrilled. I would be in pain like this for 9months if I had to!

And so the waiting continues...next stop June 19!!

Blood test confirms!!

I'm still in shock that this blog has taken such a drastic turn!

I woke up this morning still in utter agony from the constipation and gas.  I talked with the nurse and she said to increase my intake of water and fiber.... ugh.  I need something better than that!  I went in today to have my first of two blood draws and to pick up my increased dose of progesterone suppositories (now 50mg).  I got the results of my blood test back...

HCG = 244
Progesterone = 114 (very high - anything >20 is considered good)

The nurse called and was totally sympathetic with the pain and constipation I've been experiencing.  She said that my progesterone is extremely high, which would cause extreme issues with constipation, bloating and gas.  My body is likely producing enough progesterone on its own and then we are adding in the progesterone suppositories.  I can only imagine what is going to happen now that I have a double dose of progesterone.  She said that the doctor will talk with me about it when we have the first ultrasound, but to continue taking it for now.  If the constipation and gas gets too bad, then I need to give them a call and they would consider doing an enema... YIKES!!!  

Everything looks fabulous so far.  I go in for another blood test on Thursday to check HCG again.  They would expect it to double in the next 48 hours.

This is still so surreal.... am I dreaming?!?

Two pink lines!!

I can't believe I was out of town and couldn't get this posted sooner!  I last updated on Friday, 10dpo while I was on my way to northern Minnesota for a family vacation.  So, here is the weekend in review.........

Sunday, May 27 - 11dpo.......... My hubby and I stayed in the bunk house above the garage, and the bathroom was in the main house.  My bladder was out of control and I tried my hardest to hold it.  I woke up two times in the middle of the night and had to walk out in the middle of the rain to go back to the house to go to the bathroom.  After waking up so many times in the night, I decided to cave and take a test.  I peed on the FRER test stick, but only one line appeared.  Last time, both lines appeared at the same time, so I set it aside and washed my hands.  I picked up the stick to put it in my toiletry bag (to hide it so nobody else knew that I was testing) and I noticed that there were now 2 lines!!!!!  A BFP... FINALLY!  I think I almost fainted.  I sat back down on the toilet and stared at it for about 5 minutes before I could get myself together to leave the bathroom.  I stuck the stick in the waistband of my pants so I could take it back up to the bunk house where my hubby was still sleeping.  I left the house quickly so that everyone who was already up wouldn't talk to me.  I wouldn't have been able to hide my look of surprise!  My hubby was still sleeping, so I laid it on the pillow and asked him what time he thought the stores opened in town so we could go back and buy all the cute baby stuff!  He stared at it for a long time before he said anything.  He kind of went into panic mode and started asking how positive a positive is and talking about how nervous he is to get his hopes up.  We are both so cautious about getting too excited, but I think that is only natural after all that we have been through.  We laid there for a little while and talked before we got up for the day.  He wanted me to take another test just for good measure.  After a couple hours of holding it, I retested with a FRER and an internet cheapie... both were positive!  The internet cheapie was very light, but the line was there!  It was official, and my hubby was convinced.  We decided we were going to share our news with my family right away since we were all on vacation together... we just needed to find the right time.  Everyone started asking the plans for the day, and my hubby said that he wanted to go back into town to go to a sporting goods store and so did my dad... I was thrilled!  I think my hubby was only wanting to go so that I could buy the things I wanted!  What a sweetheart!  I got to go look at all the baby stuff again and this time I actually had a reason!  We went to Reed's first and then my mom and I went to one of the cute little boutiques.  I bought one thing for decorating a nursery... I had to play it off to my mom that I didn't know if I should buy it!  Here it is...

Then we went to the next store - my favorite!!  They had such amazing stuff.  Most of which I couldn't buy because it wasn't gender neutral, but I so badly wanted a couple things to hang on the wall and a cool maternity book.  I couldn't get myself to buy them in front of my parents without giving it away.  My dad then promised that he would drive back up to the store to buy them whenever we got pregnant (that's over a 4 hour drive)!!  Hmmm... I'll take him up on that one!!  We left the store and went to buy some candy and taffy, hit up a couple more stores and then headed back to the cabin.  The guys went golfing and the women did some fishing with the kids and I painted my sister's nails.  When the guys came back, we sat out by the bonfire... it took awhile for everyone to sit down at the same time.  My hubby then announced to my dad that he was going to have to go back to town if he was going to keep his promise to me.  Everyone was in such absolute disbelief!  It was a total 180 from the IVF talk!  My mom and dad were speechless.  My mom stared at me in disbelief and my dad got teary eyed... he couldn't even talk.  My sister and her husband were so happy for us!  Out of nowhere, my nephew and my  mom brought down a brown bag.  I opened it up and there were all of the things I wanted from the store!  My dad had already gone and bought them while we were at the candy shop!  I couldn't believe how sneaky they are.  It was such an awesome gesture that they went out of there way to be sure to get those special gifts! 

 

We spent the rest of the night boating, eating and celebrating!  It is so crazy, I had dreamed of this day for so many months... it is finally happening!

Throughout the day, I started getting some weird abdominal pain... like constipation and gas. UGH!  The progesterone suppositories are known for causing both because progesterone slows down your digestive track.  I didn't get any constipation from the suppositories last month, but apparrently it had greatly increased!

We went to bed that night with a huge weight lifted off our shoulders.  I woke up three times Sunday night as well.... and so it begins!


Monday, May 28 - 12dpo..........  I woke up in the morning and took another couple tests.... not sure why, but it made me feel good!  I guess I wanted to know if the internet cheapies really worked.  I got a stron positive on the FRER.  The other test strip turned positive, but it took a little longer and wasn't as dark.  The constipation and gas pain was still there and was getting worse and more annoying.  I knew I needed to increase my fiber and fluid intak, but that wasn't giving me the relief I wanted!  We cleaned up the cabin, packed up and headed back home.  The car ride wasn't bad, we stopped often to go to the bathroo, but we made it!!

I am still in disbelief.... I still don't think it has sunk in!

10dpo.......... Cruel!

What a roller coaster of a day. It was a chilly day, so we took a drive into a quaint little lake town that had some super cute shops. The first boutique had some fabulous decorations, but the little baby section caught my eye. I think I stood there for over an hour. The had some artwork that had some of the best sayings and I just stood there and cried... Totally embarrassing! There were decorations and clothes, blankets and a picture frame that said "TWICE BLESSED".... Maybe that was a sign?!?! I couldn't control my emotions... PMS or PG??? If i am PG, it is probably a good thing that i didn't know for sure because I think I would've bought out the entire store ! I have just felt very odd today. On top of all the emotions, my boobs are still so sore, but what I have noticed the most today is the complete exhaustion and my stomach feels like I have butterflies flying around inside. I'm not nauseous, but food just doesn't sound good. Almost a constant nervous feeling. I'm dying to test, but I know that it is probably still too early. We're having a great time, but the days can't go fast enough!

We spent the rest of the day going to all the little shops and then we came back and went fishing for awhile. Now we are getting ready for dinner and then some card playing! Wish I could join everyone else and have a couple glasses of wine. Who knows... I might be abstaining for no reason at all!!

My sister is convinced that I'm pregnant, but I can't even think abut it. I keep talking about the next cycle. She asked if I will be less disappointed if I don't get my hopes up... This is so true. I just can't even see a glimmer of hope until I see the 2 pink lines. I will believe it when I see it!!

9dpo.......... Pregnancy symptoms or all in my head??

We are in the middle of our rode trip to northern Minnesota...talk about a trip with the Griswold's!! There are 4 adults, a 5 year old, a yorkie-poo and all our stuff packed tightly into our SUV. It is ridiculous how much stuff we have... We even have a hitch hauler for my nephew's bike and the overflow luggage. The guys sacrificed their stuff and strapped their bags to the back of the vehicle... We are crossing our fingers they are still there when we stop!!

The ride is going fine... We just stopped to eat lunch and nothing sounded good. My stomach has been feeling kind of queasy the whole ride and I am exhausted and emotional. I'm trying not to read into it too much because I sometimes feel like I can talk myself into thinking I'm pregnant.

This 2ww business is so cruel... There is a ton riding on this cycle. It signals the end of any hopes of conceiving without any major interventions and the beginning of our IVF journey and making babies in a petri dish! Such a weird concept!

We are almost there... only 3 days left and I am so nervous.....

7dpo.......... Halfway there!

I made it to the halfway point... Phew. This 2ww is so long, but I'm actually feeling cautiously optimistic about this cycle. Could this really be the month for our BFP??

The rest of the 2ww should go pretty fast. I've been spending the past couple days up at the lake with my parents and my nephew. I'm heading back tomorrow to pick up my hubby and then we are heading back up here tomorrow night. We leave on Friday morning to head up to my brother-in-law's dad's cabin in northern Minnesota for the weekend. By the time we get back on Monday night, I should know the fate of this month. I could start testing as early as CD10 on Saturday, but I hate to see that BFN. Monday will be CD12, which is usually the day AF decides to show up. I didn't bring any tests and I didn't bring anything for AF, so hopefully she stays away!! I am refusing to test this month until CD14... We'll see how that works!

I just wish I had a crystal ball....

5dpo..........

I haven't posted for a couple days because we've been up at the lake cabin with my family.  My sister was home from Minneapolis with her husband and my two nephews (5 and almost 2 years old).  We didn't do much, just spent some time visiting and catching up on what's going on in life!  It was nice to get away for the weekend and to get to spend some time with family.  It made the first several days of the 2ww go pretty fast. 

I started the first official week of my summer vacation and it is AWESOME!!  I'm trying to enjoy this first weeks off before I dive into the list of projects we want to get done.  Today I made some returns, stopped by the mall and picked up a Cinn-a-bon (I have no idea why), brought it home and had some orange juice, ate my cinnamon roll and watched a movie!  It was so relaxing... My hubby called and let me know he had a tee time, so we spent the afternoon on the golf course!  I loved it...  it was so much fun to spend some time together not focusing on TTC and just laughing.   

My nephew is staying with my parents for the week, so I'm heading up to the lake tomorrow afternoon to spend a couple days with my nephew and my mom while my dad goes out of town for a couple days.  I'll be heading back home on Thursday to pack some things and pick up my hubby and then we are heading back up to the lake on Thursday night so we can drive up to a lake in Minnesota to stay at a cabin with my sister and her family.... this is exactly why I don't want to get a job over the summer!  I love the flexibility and there is always something to do!!  The good thing is that all of this traveling is going to help pass this 2ww a little faster... I hope!

I've been having quite a bit of light menstrual-like cramping.... of course I fantasize that it is implantation.  I just can't help but wonder what the heck is going on in there?!?!?