Hey guys and gals!  I wanted to touch base this week and give you all an update on the IVF happenings since I last blogged. My parents were here over the weekend, which was super awesome! We had a lot of fun and their presence was a welcome distraction that helped keep me from dwelling on everything that is taking place.  It was perfect timing on their part.  We made some really good memories!

I have been getting my 3 shots a night and it is going surprisingly well.  It is much better when Corey gives them to me than when I give them to myself... I can tell you that much for sure! He is getting really good at it and we have a good system down.  We do 2 in my leg (lupron and follistim) and 1 in my stomach (menopur)....rotating sides each night.  The 2 in my thigh are no big deal, but the 1 in my stomach hurts!!  It is a larger amount of medication and I think that area is just more sensitive in general.  But I only have 5 more days at most, so I can do it!!  I'm very grateful though, because I really haven't had any side effects thus far.  It is pretty amazing to me that I am getting very high amounts of these powerful drugs full of hormones and don't really feel any different.  I'm not complaining, though.  

He looks like he is the one in pain!  Ha ha!  I'm thankful he does this for me.

Labs and ultrasounds are the name of the game this week.  So far I've had my blood drawn Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and ultrasounds Wednesday and Thursday.  Here is what they showed:

Tuesday--       Estrogen 638
Wednesday-- Estrogen 1,026
                         Ultrasound 8 growing follicles
Thursday--     Estrogen 1,804  and Progesterone 1.20
                         Ultrasound 8 follicles that were larger than the day before, 1 that is almost mature
Friday--          TBD

I have been doing the labs and ultrasounds in the morning and then each afternoon the infertility office in Little Rock calls me with the results and lets me know whether or not to adjust my medications.  So far we haven't done any adjusting.  I do seem to be moving quicker than expected as far as my estrogen levels and follicle growth.  I am not getting overstimulated because I only have 8 follicles (some women have 20-30 when they are in my shoes) but the ones I do have are growing fast.  And the fact that my progesterone level is going up tells us that if we are not super careful, I could end up ovulating on my own. That would be really bad, because then we would have no eggs to work with and with no eggs, there can be no embryos.  Basically, we would have to start the whole process over!  AHHHH.  The lupron is supposed to help keep that from happening, but it is not 100%. So, with the advice of the doctor and nurse in Little Rock, I am going to make a trip down there tomorrow to have the specialist do my daily ultrasound and bloodwork.  That way he can see for himself where I am at and make a decision on when we need to do the egg retrieval.  It just seems like the safest bet!

So thats that for now.  Tomorrow will probably be a very telling day.  There is a chance he could say I'm ready to go, give me the trigger shot and the retrieval could be as early as Sunday. It was originally supposed to be Wednesday. Everything is moving so fast and I am thankful.  I think that is much better than it being a long, drawn out, nerve-wracking process.  At least it is a short, to the point, nerve-wracking process!  ;) Overall I really do feel like Corey and I have both handled it pretty well.  It is not shocking that he is doing well, but I surprise myself sometimes!   The absolute only explanation is that the good Lord is covering me in a blanket of peace.  I know myself, so I know that this kind of strength and calmness can only come from Him.  He has shown us throughout the process that His hands are on this.  For example, we decided we were not comfortable using any more than 10 eggs and He gave us 8.  And the cyst I had on my ovary a few weeks back could have complicated things, but He made it disappear.  He is totally in control!  Thank heaven for that.

Last night, Corey and I had a fun date night!  We went to the Broadway musical, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."  It was really an enjoyable and entertaining show.  There were fun costumes and of course amazing singing and dancing, but apart from all that, I was reminded of the true heart of the story.  Joseph is a great model for us of what it looks like to trust God's loving sovereignty no matter what. From the beginning of time there is story after story of people who have gone through terribly difficult things....people who love and serve God.  But there is always a reason and its always a good one!  At one point in the musical there is a song that goes like this, "Poor poor Joseph, whatcha gonna do? Things look bad for you, hey, whatcha gonna do?"  You know what he did? Joseph chose to remain faithful and humble before God.  Life is really hard, but God continues to prove that when we trust Him and cling to Him... we'll overcome. If not in this life, then in the next.  Maybe in both.  How comforting is that?  

This upcoming week will be an eventful one for us, and hopefully a major turning point in our lives. As much as I have learned and grown because of this thing called infertility, I am ready for it to be a part of my past and no longer my present.  Maybe, just maybe, all we have been through has been preparing us for where we are right now.  And maybe this is when God wills to make our dreams come true. I'm thinking positive thoughts, praying powerful prayers and believing that this is our time.  Bless your heart if you are, too!

Love you guys.... and gals :)