Quick update

Well there's not too much going on over here. I'm doing good, just healing and sleeping...all that good stuff! Several people have asked me how I'm doing emotionally, and honestly I am doing just fine. It is a little weird now that we had this buildup to this huge moment, and now everything is calm and quiet. The last year was all about bringing a baby or two into this world for M&B and that mission was accomplished. So its just kind of strange that its all over!

I have been pumping breastmilk for the girls. Since they were born a little bit early, I know that breastmilk is very beneficial for them and I am determined to make it work! The last few days I was doing pretty well with the colostrum and then last night my milk came in. I woke up this morning in PAIN. I pumped this morning and got a decent amount, then tried again in the early afternoon and hardly got anything. I wasnt very happy with that, especially considering that M&B brought me some more containers for the milk and told me that the girls were gulping it down. So I was determined to keep this going for as long as the girls are here. I found my old Medela pump (I had been using the Medela Symphony that I rented from the hospital) and tried that and WOW it worked so much better than the double pump from the hospital! So I have gotten plenty of milk for them today. I am so glad we're back on track with the milk.

The girls are doing very well. They are eating well and will possibly get to have their IV's taken out within a couple days. They will have to pass the carseat test before they can leave though. But thats just to make sure they can fit properly and safely into a carseat. Very important! There's no real timeline of when they can leave though, so everyone's just taking it one day at a time.

I havent been up there to see them since the morning I left the hospital (Thursday). I've been trying to make sure I keep my distance, just because I've obviously never done this before and dont want to freak M&B out if I appear too eager to go see them. I'm pretty sure they know they dont have to worry about me though. I do miss those wiggly little girls, but its just like any other pregnancy where you birth a child and miss feeling him/her kick and squirm in your belly. M&B have been wonderful...with all the updates and the pictures and inviting me up to see the girls before I left the hospital. I think we might go up there tomorrow afternoon sometime so I can return the rental pump, drop off some milk for the girls, and of course visit with all of them. I'll have to check with them tomorrow and see if that would be ok. All 4 of us would be going and I dont even know if they'd allow Ian & Quinn into the special care nursery. We'll see!

I want to take a second to thank each and every one of you who has followed this journey, commented on my blog, and just overall supported all of us throughout the past year. I have never felt so much love from so many people all over the world. It is a truly amazing feeling to know that so many people are praying for you & thinking of you. My friends have been angels to me and my church has been amazing as well. They're even having people bring us meals for a few days! And Chris, my darling husband, has been awesome from day 1. I know he will be happy to no longer be on grocery/dinner/cleaning duty though! I am actually looking forward to getting back to normal and doing the things around here I used to do. And then my Mom, who has texted me every single day to check on me and make sure I was doing ok. Yes mom, I'm fine, I promise! :)

Well, time for sleep. I love sleep. :)

Another growth spurt?

I think we've got another growth spurt going on here...my groin is killing me! In a couple days it will be better, but goodness this is uncomfortable. I cant even fathom how my belly will get any bigger. It seems like its so huge already! When I sit down to use the restroom, I have to lean all the way back against the tank...LOL.

I think I read somewhere that once you start measuring 41+ weeks (which I am!) you start expanding to the sides moreso than out front. Either way, the human body is a wonderous thing with its ability to stretch way beyond its normal size! I mean, have you even seen the pictures of the Octomom when she was pregnant? Whenever I feel stretched to the limit and sore, I just think of how SHE must have felt being 30 weeks pregnant with 8 babies.

I am still doing great. I'm taking the Nifedipine around the clock, which makes me nervous because its primarily for chest pains, and it seems to be keeping the contractions away. Either that, or just the fact that I am relaxing more. I am looking forward to my appointment on Friday. I love the ultrasound part! The NST is kind of a pain just because Baby B likes to turn away from the monitor and the nurse has to keep coming back in to reposition it on my belly, and then we have to track movements and heartrate for a certain amount of time. Baby A stays in the same position but I think its just because she is head down and has nowhere else to go! And then there's the good old cervix check....hopefully there has been no more progress! I would be VERY surprised if there has been, considering I sit on my butt all day. I think we'll be just fine though.

Our PBO stuff is almost done. Chris and I had our copy signed and notarized, and the attorney's office will be picking it up tomorrow morning. It feels good to have this done so that once the babies are born, M&B's names will go straight on the birth certificate and all the other good stuff that goes along with it. Its another thing to check off the list!

Well I will update again on Friday after my appointment. I've stopped hoping for ultrasound pictures but if they surprise me with some, I will happily post them! :)

19 weeks!

Every week that goes by is another celebration! Less than a week until the ultrasound and then we'll know for sure that both babies are healthy and their genders. I will make sure to update everyone as soon as I get the 'all clear' from M&B. After the ultrasound I will just kind of be on autopilot for a while. I will have a gestational diabetes test somewhere towards the end of the second trimester, and besides that, I'm pretty sure we'll just be crusing towards the finish line. Pretty soon I will be receiving more frequent ultrasounds and 'non stress tests' where they check the babies' movements and heart rates.

So here's what's going on at 19 weeks:

• Your baby has the same awake and sleep patterns of a newborn. He has a favorite position for sleep and recognizable active and rest periods.
• Throughout baby's body, nerves are being coated with a fatty substance called myelin, which insulates the nerves so that impulses can flow smoothly.
• Scalp hair becomes apparent this week. It has sprouted and continues to grow.
• The milk teeth buds have already developed and over the next few days the buds for the permanent teeth will begin to form behind the milk teeth.
• If baby is female the uterus starts to develop. If you're having a girl, the vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes are in place.
• If it's a boy, the genitals are distinct and recognizable.
• Your baby is swallowing amniotic fluid and his or her kidneys are making urine.
• Your little one's size is around 6.02 inches (15.3cm) and 8.47 ounces (240gm).

I'm sill feeling good overall. The back pain is getting worse though. I went grocery shopping the other night and within 20 minutes my back was killing me. It's sciatic pain, so it was my lower back, down through the back of my thighs. Last night I made some cookies, and then had to make dinner, so standing in the kitchen for a couple hours killed my back too. I couldnt even clean all the dishes...I had to go sit down. I'm not sure what I can do about this back pain, so I just try to stay off my feet as much as possible.

Well the next time I update it will be after the ultrasound. If you want to vote in the gender poll to the right, you only have until Monday! :)

17 weeks!

Here we are at 17 weeks! Well I am technically closer to 18 weeks now since I didn't get to update on Friday. But thats ok. :)

We visited some relatives that we haven't seen in years and that was very nice. I got to tell everyone about the surrogacy and they were all very very supportive and asked lots of questions. I am so lucky that nobody has said anything negative to me about being a surrogate.

I'm feeling good these days besides the back pain I've mentioned previously. It only bothers me when I've been on my feet for any extended amount of time though. Other than that, I feel wonderful!

Here's what's going on with the twinkies at 17 weeks:

• By week 17, baby weighs about 4.97 ounces (140gm) and is 5.12 inches (13cm) long.
• He or she has a much more normal "human" appearance now.
• She holds her head more erect and her body and limbs are longer in proportion to her head.
• Pads are forming on his tiny fingertips and toes. Soon those individual swirls and whorls will be apparent.
• Her eyes are looking forward now, but they are still firmly closed.
• Meconium (composed of products of cell loss, digestive secretion and swallowed amniotic fluid), is accumulating in the bowel. This black gooey substance will become baby's first poop!
• The umbilical cord is growing thicker and stronger and continues to rush blood and nutrients to your growing baby.
• If your child is male the prostate begins to develop.
• Her skeleton is transforming from cartilage to bone. The bones remain flexible to make the journey through the birth canal easier.

So I am just about halfway through now, considering most twins are born around 36 weeks. It seems like it has gone by pretty quickly so far, but I know it will be crawling by towards the end. I bet it feels like an eternity for M&B already! At least the second half will be full of shopping and preparing, for them though.

Well, I will update again on Friday. It's only a few days away, and then I'll be 18 weeks!!

16 weeks!

Here's whats going on with the babies at 16 weeks! Look, twins!

• Fat begins to form underneath skin, providing baby with insulation for the coming months.
• Did you know that both baby and placenta are now about the same size?
• Your little one has reached 4.57 inches (11.6cm) and approximately 3.53 ounces (100gm).
• His head and neck are held straighter now.
• This is a week of "mights!" You might hear the tiny thumps of his heartbeat with an external monitor now.
• The genitals are developed sufficiently that an experienced sonographer might be able to determine if your baby is a boy or a girl.
• Her heart is pumping as much as 6 gallons of blood a day and beats at a rate about double your heart rate.
• If you could take a peek inside, you would witness your child's reflexes in action! (Sucking, swallowing and blinking are now evident.) She is probably even hiccuping even though you don't feel it yet!
• Your baby has learned to breathe! This is apparent from the regular movements of his chest. Isn't it amazing that he is able to breathe "underwater," inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid? These actions help the lungs to develop and grow.

For some reason 16 weeks feels like such a milestone to me. Maybe because it signals "4 months" or maybe because its just a few weeks away from the halfway point. I'm not sure...it just feels so neat to be 16 weeks along right now. I guess technically I am almost at the halfway point anyways since I know I wont go to 40 weeks!

I am feeling great. I mean it...really really great. I'm just barely still able to sleep on my stomach, but with one leg hiked up to roll me a little bit to the side. Pretty soon it wont be possible at all! I will definitely have to buy a pregnancy pillow to curl up around so I can sleep comfortably. I've also heard about something called the Belly Bra which is a tanktop/support garment that has an elastic band built in to help lift your belly. It takes the pressure off of your lower back. I wanted one when I was pregnant with Quinn, but I think this time it will be a necessity.

I already have pregnant posture, too. I dont think I am waddling yet though. Whenever I get up from the couch I have to brace myself and get up carefully, otherwise it feels like I'm pulling a muscle in my abdomen. Chris thinks its funny that I'm having to do it already.

Here's my new belly picture. I think I look smaller than I did 2 weeks ago, but I think its all in the posture. I even wore the same shirt for comparison.

So everything is going great! I did have a little bit of a freakout due to some bleeding, but it ended up being Chris' fault, and very common...so I'll leave it at that. ;) The bleeding didnt last long at all, and my doctor told me what signs to watch out for that would mean I would need to come in and be seen...such as clots, cramping, or contractions. But I've had none of that, and I feel great so there's nothing to worry about.

Can you believe it's getting so close to Thanksgiving already? I know I've got a lot to be thankful about this year and I cant wait to spend the day with my family. :)

15 weeks!

Well here we are at 15 weeks already...and getting closer and closer to the 20 week mark! The heartburn is still going strong and I'm still getting up 2-3 times per night to use the bathroom. But in general, I feel good! I have more energy and rarely get nauseated. I really love the second trimester!

So here's what's going on with the babies at 15 weeks:

• You may begin to feel some fluttering movements as baby kicks, flails, twists and turns (but don't panic if you don't yet). She can also grasp, squint, frown, grimace and maybe suck her thumb!
• Baby's legs have grown longer than the arms and the body is now longer than the head.
  And you'll be happy to note that he is moving those arms and legs often!
• His skin is very thin -- so thin blood vessel are visible. It's covered by a fine, soft layer of hair called lanugo. Lanugo comes from a Latin word meaning "down." This hair is thought to help insulate your little boy.
• The three tiny bones in his middle ear have begun to harden. The auditory centers in baby's brain haven't developed yet, so she might not really understand what you say but her hearing capacity is in the process of developing.
• Fingernails and toenails are growing.
• Eyebrows are beginning to grow and even the hair his head is sprouting. It will probably change color and texture after birth.
• All this and your little one is an amazing 3.98 inches (10.1cm) long and may weigh 2.47 ounces (70gm).

This morning when I woke up, I rolled onto my back and just laid there for a few minutes. I laid really still and I could feel the babies. Baby B is at the top of my uterus, near my bellybutton and Baby A is down lower. I could feel movement in both places. I'm sure its only a matter of time before they are karate chopping me!

Yesterday we got the first snow of the season. It was beautiful but it melted by the time the afternoon rolled around. It's lightly snowing right now but its not going to stick. I love this time of year. I really dont mind the snow as long as I dont have to drive in it! And I'm just hoping that the weather is nice when M&B are here on Dec 7th and 8th. But even if it is snowy, its pretty to look at. :)

Next week I will have a new belly picture. I havent weighed myself...I've been too afraid to. I've been eating a lot these days! I will get my official weight from my doctor next week. I have an appointment on Wednesday afternoon.

14 weeks!

Well here we are at 14 weeks already! The second trimester has been all I'd hoped it would be. I still cant eat certain things, but the nausea is mostly gone and I've learned a little trick for dealing with the tiredness: If I let myself lay on the couch and be lazy in the morning, I'm ruined for the whole day. If I get up and do things and keep myself awake, then by afternoon I am good to go. So no more being lazy on the couch in the mornings!

I keep saying how I will need maternity clothes soon, but its kind of sad to think I need them already. But I am carrying TWO babies, not one, so its to be expected. I want to go to Gap Maternity but the only Gap around here with maternity clothes is in Mall of America. And I try to avoid that place like the plague! I'm gonna have to give in soon though.

Well here's what's going on with the babies' development at 14 weeks:

• Thyroid gland has matured and baby begins producing hormones which will be used throughout his or her life.
• In boys, the prostate gland develops
• In girls, the ovaries move from the abdomen to the pelvis
• Little one may have learned to suck his thumb by this point!
• The bones are getting harder and stronger by the day!
• Baby's skin is very transparent still
• Lanugo (very fine hair) covers the baby's body and will continue to grow until 26 weeks gestational age - Generally this will be shed prior to birth. Its purpose is to help protect baby's skin while in all that water!
• Baby is 3.42 inches (8.7cm) long (the size of a lemon) and weighs about 1.52 ounces (43 grams) - approximately the weight of a letter!

And, as promised, here is my big belly. I decided to spare you all from having to see my pale, fleshy skin this time. ;) My pants are as low as I can get them so that they will still fit, so its making my behind look enormous. Its big but its not THAT big. haha

I will have another doctor appointment in a couple weeks. I am going to beg and plead to get an ultrasound just so we can check in on both babies and see how they're doing. I dont know if they will allow it or not, but it cant hurt to try!

Nothing else is really going on. Today is Halloween and Chris will be taking the boys around from house to house while I stay home and hand out candy to whoever stops by our house. Ian is going to be Venom (the black Spider man) again this year, and Quinn is going to be Batman. Chris and I wont be dressing up like we did last year since we wont be going anywhere due to lack of babysitter. Maybe next year!

Dont forget to vote on Tuesday! :)

13 weeks!

Week 13 update!!

• Your infant is about 2.91 inches (7.4cm) and weighs around 0.81 ounce (23gm) - This is about the same weight as 4 quarters.
• If you could peek in again you may spot baby as he begins to practice inhaling and exhaling movements
• Eyes and ears continue to move and develop
• Baby's neck is getting longer, and the chin no longer is resting on his chest
• Her hands are becoming more functional - Baby may find it comforting to start playing with her fist.
• At this point all nourishment is received from the placenta
• On your next doctor visit you should be able to hear heartbeat with a Doppler by now - (Don't worry though if you can't, the heartbeat can be confirmed through U/S). Baby's heartbeat is much rapider than your own and may remind you of the race towards birth that he is running!

The babies are the size of peaches now! I feel like I am growing bigger every single week. I am waking up 2-3 times each night just to go pee. The nausea seems to be going away but I'm still pretty tired all the time. Hopefully that will change soon too.

Nothing else is really going on. Things are pretty uneventful, which is good thing right now. :)

12 weeks!

Well, depending on what website you look at, I am either entering the 2nd trimester or still a week away from it. The 2nd trimester is supposed to be the magical, uneventful trimester and I am looking forward to it! Here's what's going on in this uterus of mine this week:

• Vocal cords begin to form
• Those precious eyes begin to move closer together
• Ears shift to their normal place on the side of the head
• Intestines move farther in to your child's body
• His or her liver begins to function - Responsible for cleansing the blood, storing nutrients, and providing needed chemicals, this is an important event!
• The pancreas begins to produce insulin
• Guess what? Baby's average size is now at a whopping length: 2.13 inches (5.4cm) and weight: 0.49 ounce (14gm)

So there are two plums in there this week that have made my belly look like this: (keep in mind I have only gained 2 pounds...the jeans I'm wearing are getting snug and they used to fall off of me)

Tomorrow I will put up a gender poll. I'm so anxious for the ultrasound on December 8th! But I know that nobody is more anxious than M&B are! Ian has decided that the babies are a boy and a girl. Whenever he refers to them, he now says "the little boy and girl" in my belly. So...is he right? We shall see!

8 weeks pregnant!

8 weeks 8 weeks 8 weeks! I'm 2/3 of the way through the first trimester! haha

Well I have actually been feeling better the last few days. I still have some nausea, but I have a little more energy and I've been able to eat a bit better too. It really helps that Chris has been absolutely wonderful and has been helping me out some. He has made dinner a few times, he has let me sleep in more in the last few weeks then he has in the last few years...LOL...and he isnt nagging me about the house being a disaster. I do need to finally do some laundry today before Chris runs out of clothes to wear to work!

Here is what's going on in my belly this week: (but x's 2!)

• Cartilage and bones begin to form - At the end of this week baby will have already completed 1/5th of the journey 'til his birthday!
• The basic structure of the eye is well underway - The position is more "newborn" like already!
• The tongue begins to develop
• Intestines move out of the umbilical cord into the abdomen.
• Body grows and makes room - Two months along and this little one is growing inside and out by leaps and bounds!
• The fingers and toes have appeared but are webbed and short
• Baby's length (crown to rump) is 0.61 inch (1.6cm) and weight is 0.04 ounce (1gm)

I have finally put on a couple pounds now that I am able to eat better. I am definitely bigger than I was in my 6 week belly picture! Here's my new belly pic:

Its time to start buying bigger clothes. I'm able to mostly live in my jammies right now since I dont really go anywhere, but soon I will need something for going to church, grocery shopping, dr appointments, etc. I think the people at the gym are probably thinking "Wow, even though she exercises 3 times a week she's getting bigger!" HAHA if they only knew! At some point I may have to stop exercising. I dont do anything high intensity...just some walking on the treadmill and some elliptical machine. But carrying twins is a totally different ballgame from carrying one baby, so I know I will have to make some lifestyle modifications. Which is perfectly fine. Anything I can do to keep the babies healthy and strong, I will do it!

I am excited for my next ultrasound on the 26th. Any opportunity to check on the babies and make sure everything is ok is fine by me! Plus I will get some more pictures to send to M&B. I bet they've been showing their pictures to everyone ever since they got back home!

I will be putting up a gender poll once I reach the second trimester. I know M&B are curious to see what you all think we've got in there. Since 80% of you were correct about me carrying twins, I cant wait to see what the majority votes for with the genders! October 18th is the day I will set up that poll. So watch for it! :)

Beta #2! And an update

So I am finally home from the fair...with a full belly and a sunburn. I couldn't ride any rides (for two reasons...#1 I am pregnant and #2 someone had to sit with Quinnie!) but I still had a great time. My father-in-law took us and paid for everything. It was a really long, fun day. You dont want to know what all I ate, but I will say that although we ordered all the horribly bad fair food you can imagine, we split it all so I only ended up having a couple bites of each thing. So, not too bad. I finally got my rootbeer float, too.

Ok onto the beta news. My beta came back at 3303!! A nice solid number! I needed my previous number to at least double within 48 hours, and it did more than double so we're good! According to betabase.info my doubling time is 32.27 hours! I have to go back in for one more beta on Tuesday, and then 10 days from that will be the ultrasound (Friday 9/12).

Today I am officially 5 weeks pregnant with 'Baby C' (or the C Babies). Here's whats going on at 5 weeks: (All instances of "your baby" are of course aimed at M&B!)

• First heartbeats begin - If you have an early ultrasound you may not be able to recognize this tiny being as a baby, but there is no mistaking what it feels like seeing your child's heartbeat on that screen. That rhythmic beat is echoed in your own heart.


• Umbilical cord develops - This is your baby's lifeline in utero. It bears the responsibility of pumping in oxygen, removing waste, and supplying the necessary nutrients for the remainder of your pregnancy.


• Blood is now pumping - All four heart chambers are now functioning, insuring your baby's body will receive all it needs over not only the remainder of your pregnancy but throughout life.


• Most other organs begin to develop - Your infant's lungs start to appear, along with her brain. Already your little one is preparing for a quest for lifelong learning!


• Arm and leg buds appear - While they may not appear to be much at this stage it is ok to dream of the future. Just imagine your ballerina twirling and jumping around your kitchen floor. Or perhaps you will have the precocious boy that throws the perfect pitch -- right through the neighbor's window.

I am feeling great. Some fatigue everyday around 3pm, but thats to be expected when you're growing another human being and trying to take care of your own kiddos and husband. I've heard that morning sickness usually starts around 6 weeks or so, so we'll see if I can escape it like I did with my boys. Here's hoping!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is beta #2! My appointment is at 9am, and then we are all going to the MN state fair. So I wont be home until late tomorrow to update about my beta results. I will, however, call M&B once I get the call from my doctor. I can leave everyone but them hanging for a few hours. ;)

Most people who hear my first beta number think I'm carrying twins. It is entirely possible since we transferred two embryos! So we shall see in a couple weeks at the ultrasound! I wonder how high my beta will be tomorrow? It needs to be at least double my previous number. I can feel the additional hormones pumping through my body. My temper has been extremely short today. I yelled at Ian and felt so bad about it. He just wouldn't stop bugging me about his internet not working and I told him that I cant fix it and he has to ask Daddy about it. I feel so bad. =( I think going to the fair tomorrow will make up for it!

Currently craving: a rootbeer float. Alas, I have no rootbeer. :(

My beta is forever away!

Today is 7dp5dt or 12DPO. I am feeling good. Sore breasts, tired, bloated...but overall feeling good. I woke up sweating around 2am this morning and felt a little nauseated but quickly went back to sleep.

My beta isnt until Aug 27th which seems very far away. I wonder why they are making us wait a longer amount of time this time? I still have a full week until beta day! And by then hopefully I will have some big huge beta numbers.

Well thats it for my update. I feel pregnant, but I also felt pregnant last time and we all know what happened with that.

So, we wait.

Gettin the itch!

I must say that I am proud of myself for not obsessing this time about whether or not I am pregnant. Today at church I started getting the itch to test since I have two pregnant friends there. My friend Molly was due a couple days ago and is rather large and uncomfortable, and my friend Noelle is 8 weeks pregnant and having terrible terrible morning sickness. She has already been hospitalized once from dehydration! So after being around preggies, I've been analyzing how I'm feeling. I cried through each prayer this morning. Not sobbing or anything, but teary eyes and sniffly nose. I never cry through prayers! We were praying for all kinds of things...for Molly and Noelle, our pastor when he goes on his ministry retreat, for our message today, for us to give God control over certain aspects of our life that we are struggling with, etc. So maybe some hormones are kicking in! Or maybe it was just a really good spiritual day for me. We will see!

I also devoured a burrito at Chipotle. But that's really nothing new. That burrito was totally awesome.

In other news, my backside is pretty bruised up from all the injections! Putting a needle through an area that's already bruised and swollen is no fun. But of course its all SO worth it. I used to actually be afraid of shots and needles, so I was very proud of myself when the time came for my very first injection and I stuck it in without fear or panicking. I've come a long way. Sticking a needle in my rear is like second nature now! ;)

No, I'm still not going to take a test unless M asks me to. :)

Excitement!

So we all just found out that M will trigger tonight, which means we will transfer on Monday or Wednesday! I just changed my flight to leave Sunday afternoon and return on Thursday. Wow that's just a few days away!!

August transfer, here we come!

Shady Grove called me with some dates yesterday for our next cycle! I will start Lupron on July 17th (the day after I turn 27!) and stop the pill on July 19th. I should start my period around the 23rd, have my baseline ultrasound and bloodwork on the 24th, then a lining check on Aug 7th, M's retrieval should be on the 11th, and then our transfer will be somewhere between Aug 13 and 15. It seems SO far away, but at least we have some sense of direction now!

So in the meantime I am just hanging out on birth control pills and waiting patiently.

I know I've been quiet lately, but after the chemical there just hasnt been anything to talk about. I went to Memphis by myself on Thursday and stayed through Sunday night. I had such a great time with my friends while I was down there. A vacation was exactly what I needed. But it was good to get home and see my boys. They all missed me very much.

Ian is in sports camp this week...Mon - Fri from 9am to 12pm each day. He is learning soccer, basketball, and baseball. He gets a t-shirt, a basketball, and a trophy after the tournament on Friday. His coach told me that Ian hasn't been listening very well and he seems to have a short attention span. A father standing nearby said "Yeah, well he's a boy!" I thought that was funny but its so true. Ian is so interested in everything around him that he cant pay full attention when he needs to. I hope this isnt a precursor to him having ADD or something. While he's at camp Quinn and I get to spend some good time together so that has been nice.

We've all been spending a lot of time outdoors which has been good for all of us. It keeps me off the internet all day and the boys get some exercise. I just wish the mosquitoes wouldn't have come out...they must like the way I taste. =(

Well thats all for now. Just wanted to update since it has been a while and I finally have an update to tell.

Hello from Annapolis!

We arrived, safe and sound, in Annapolis on Wednesday evening. The drive wasn't too bad. The boys were surprisingly very good throughout the whole trip. We rented a van with a DVD system so Ian watched a Tom & Jerry DVD over and over and over (not for lack of trying to get him to watch something else!), and Quinn just slept and sang and played with some toys.

We didn't transfer today. It got bumped to Saturday. So we're officially doing a 5 day transfer. M's egg retrieval yielded 22 eggs, of which 16 were mature and 10 fertilized. As of this morning all 10 were still going strong. Hopefully tomorrow's fert report will be great as well, so that even after we transfer 2 (and in 9 months deliver 1 or 2 healthy babies) there will be plenty left to freeze for the future. I'd hate for M to have to go through the stim & retrieval process again. It doesn't sound too pleasant!

We all went over to one of M&B's friends' house earlier today for a cookout and to socialize a bit. The boys had a great time with K's children (and hopefully weren't too destructive!) and we had a great time talking and getting to know M&B better. It was such a nice day today...it was perfect for spending time outside. The boys crashed when we got back to the hotel, and Chris & I stayed up to watch our Thursday night line up. I cant believe Lost is on at 10pm on the East coast. I could barely keep my eyes open and Chris fell asleep halfway through it. :)

Tomorrow we shall tackle Chuck E Cheese in the morning, and then in the afternoon/evening sometime we will probably go to dinner with M&B and M's parents who are coming into town. I'm sure we'll do some sight seeing around lunchtime as well. I am dying for some GOOD seafood. You can't go to Maryland and not eat crab!

My next update will come after the transfer on Saturday! It's the moment we've all been waiting for!

Tickets are booked!

Well I booked our tickets today. All we need now is a hotel room and a rental car and we're good to go!

I had my appointments this morning; my ultrasound and bloodwork. The ultrasound tech said my lining was a 2 (which is good since my cycle just started) and there are just a few small follicles on my ovaries (which is good because we dont WANT follicles on my ovaries!). My bloodwork didnt come back today like it was supposed to because my doctor's office didn't see the 'STAT' on the order form, so they didnt rush the results. They were testing my E2 (Estradiol), P4 (Progesterone), and of course a pregnancy test. There's no possible way I could be pregnant so I'm not worried about that, and I'm sure my other levels are right where they need to be. Since the results werent back today, I couldnt start my Delestrogen injections tonight. I will do one last night of Lupron, though. My nurse at Shady Grove said a one day delay wont hurt anything. I finished up my Doxycycline (antibiotics) yesterday, so my morning regimine is back down to a prenatal vitamin and a baby aspirin. The prenatals are coated in vanilla, but if I burp later in the day I taste them and they're awful. I may have to go back to eating 2 Flintstones chewable vitamins when I'm pregnant, like I did with my own kids. I cant stand vitamin after-taste.

The closer we get to transfer, the more nervous and excited I get! And I'm only nervous because I want everything to go as perfect as possible. It may be naivete' on my part, but I feel that if I keep thinking positively that it will all go as planned and that my body wont let us all down. It will work, it will stick, and it will be wonderful!!

As of now we're still aiming for May 17th or 19th. That's less than 3 weeks away! In less than 3 weeks our families will officially start this amazing 40 week journey together!! It's going to be wonderful!