Preggosaurus 2: Return of the Baby Bump

Dun, dun, DUUUUUUUUN! *ominous music and stuff*

Thankfully today's appointment wasn't until 10:45am, so Hubs and I "slept in" (read: did not get up at 4:00am) until 6:00, and were on the road by 7:00am. And by "on the road" I mean we had grabbed breakfast, gassed up the car and were nearly on the interstate by 7:00am. Apparently this was a bit too early, though, as we managed to get to the IVF Clinic an hour early. Therefore, we trundled around and found a TJ Maxx in which to putter until it was time to head back to the Clinic. We did manage to find a laptop-platform-fan-thing for the laptop for $5.00 and an umbrella for $10.00. Odd that the fan was cheaper, but oh well.

At the Clinic I was made to get nekkid from the waist down and put on the standard hospital-style bathrobe, thin, one-size-fits-all socks and a lovely blue hair net. By "lovely" I mean horrible. The doctor came out to show me and Hubs the stats on the three embryos they were going to transfer (two REALLY good ones and a "meh" one), then shuffled off to do an embryo transfer while I waited. Hubs got bored, so I sent him out into the waiting room. The nurses were very nice; they listened to all my ramblings and asked encouraging questions while they got me prepped on the table.

Nothing says "dignity" like laying on a table with your butt on a pillow and your knees as far apart as they can comfortably go. What was the term they use on Mystery Science Theater 3,000? Oh right. "Presenting like a mandrill." But it's all for the greater good and stuff.

The doctor that performed the embryo transfer for Wiggle Worm was female, and was not at all gentle with the "mean, cold duck lips." She pinched the inside of my bits with them and worked very quickly. I mean, it wasn't the worst pain I've ever experienced, but you'd think a WOMAN would be more careful with the speculum, right? Ack! Interestingly, it was the IVF doctor who oversaw Wiggle Worm's conception who did the transfer today. This doctor is male, and was a thousand times more gentle than the lady doctor.

The really strange part of the procedure was that the doctor, the nurse and the embryologist kept telling me what a "great job" I was doing. As far as I could tell, I was just laying there. The first couple times I just thanked them, but they kept on saying it over and over. Finally I told them, "You're all very complimentary, and I appreciate the encouragement, but you're the ones doing the work, here. I'm just flopped onto the table." At this point, the doctor informed me that no, I was doing exactly what they needed me to do; I stayed relaxed.

Now, I can understand that women going through IVF for themselves might be nervous about the procedure; wondering if it will take; stressing out over money and their femininity, as I understand that some women identify their ability to reproduce as their "womanhood," et cetera. But as none of that applies to me, I didn't see why I had a reason to be nervous or upset. And truth be told; my default setting is most often "relaxed." When I told the doctor I'd see him in seven weeks for the confirmation of heartbeat ultrasound, he grinned and declared my optimism "fantastic," then said he wished all of his patients were as easygoing and upbeat as I am.

I bet he says that to all the girls.

So on July 10, I will be going in (somewhere; I have to call the Clinic on Monday to see where they want me to go for blood testing) for pregnancy testing. If the executives called the embryos in my uterus decide this adventure is worth the time and effort, then "Preggosaurus 2: Return of the Baby Bump" has begun production!

Prog-stress!

Got up at 4:00 again yesterday... Well, more like 4:15-ish. It's REALLY hard to get out of bed when there's a snuggly Hubs in it. He never actively tries to keep me there; I just hate getting up when I could be snuggling him. Anyway! I got up, showered and went back upstairs to wake up my Pixie Princess, who was already awake and greeted me with a cheerful, "Morning Mom!" We popped off at McDrooble's for coffee and breakfast and proceeded on to her friend's house, where she had made plans to spend the day. Her friend's mom, who I had not yet met, is a lovely lady whose family has owned their house for seven generations. Impressive! She's very personable and very easy to chat with, so of course I wound up leaving late. EEP!

I *ahem* made up the time, despite my tendency toward what my Dad calls, "hand-on-the-doorknob syndrome" and had a SLIGHTLY gentler ultrasound and a much more proficient phlebotomist experience. That was pretty much it.

The friend with whom I was supposed to meet up for lunch was offered a job interview during the time we were supposed to meet, so we agreed to reschedule (Good luck, Ende!) and I stopped off to hang out with Xaotl and her kiddos again, instead. We went for a drive through her neck of the woods, which was lovely, and stopped off at McDrooble's for lunch; then scooted over to KMart so she could pick up a couple things for the Little Bits. I think Little Bit #1 may have been a little overstimulated, and poor Xaotl became increasingly frustrated with attempts to hop out of the cart and grab things. In my experience, I judge this to be 100% normal two-year-old behavior, but sometimes Mommies just need a break. So Little Bit #1 and I went and hung out in the car while Xaotl and Little Bit #2 finished their shopping. It only took a couple moments for the munchkin to calm down once outside in the quiet car, and we chattered and played a little while we waited. (Wound up with some REALLY cute Batman onesies for the kiddo that Hubs and I plan to have after this surro-baby; and some mosaic nail polish for Pixie Princess.) Once back at the house, I got some sit-and-snuggle time and some play time with Little Bit #1, which was fun.

Oh, and while we were waiting, the IVF Clinic called to tell me that my uterine lining was holding steady at 8.8mm and my progesterone levels were nice and low, so we're good to go for an embryo transfer on Friday! I started the Crinone gel last night (MESSY!), so huzzah for more mood swings. Heh.

Once I left there, I scooted back up homeward to pick up Pixie Princess and, much to my surprise, she asked me to stay and chat! HA! So I did, till 8:30. We had really yummy dinner (Marie Callender's penne and sausage; garden salad; three-bean salad and whole olives. Seriously, this woman is INCREDIBLE with presentation, and it took her maybe ten minutes to put it all together. She runs a bed and breakfast in Royalton. Absolutely yum. Since Pixie Princess and her friend were planning to go to a party just down the road, I agreed to let Princess spend the night, and headed home.

Once there, I administered my first dose of Crinone gel and CRASHED. I did have the presence of mind to set an alarm for 10:30 so I could go pick Hubs up from work, but apparently the restaurant closes at 9:00 on weekdays, so I was late for that. Home again; more Crinone and bed.

Just waiting, now, to hear from the IVF Clinic's surgery scheduler to find out what time the transfer is going to be, and get pre-surgery instructions.

Sunday we're meeting with our soon-to-be (new) landlord to sign the lease and give him the deposit on the apartment back in my hometown. I've sent in the enrollment paperwork for Pixie Princess to start her new school (old school district) at the end of August. We're packing. We've mudded all the holes in the walls that we made to hang pictures. I'm waiting to hear from our current landlord to find out whether he wants us to take down the "floating" shelf I built in our bedroom for the TV. The table is untouched since my last post. All I need to be able to relax a little is for the check for the embryo transfer to come by Friday so we can make sure we have the money for the deposit. Cross fingers!

Ultrasounds, Blood and Munchkins

I got up yesterday at 4:00am. Blech. Showered, grabbed my stuff and was out the door by 5:00 to get to the IVF Clinic for ultrasounds to check the thickness of the lining of my uterus, and blood work to check my progesterone levels (though I didn’t know this till I got there and was told to go see the phlebotomists.) Thank goodness for coffee and loud music, is all I can say. Trying to stay awake on an early-morning three-plus-hour drive by myself is not easy.

The ultrasound tech was NOT gentle with me. Note: While most people think ultrasounds are all done externally; they’re not. Pre-pregnancy and early pregnancy ultrasounds are done… Internally. Thus please understand my meaning when I say I am still quite sore. On top of that, the phlebotomist missed my vein. Three times. Granted, I hadn’t finished my second 32-ounce bottle of water yet, but even in a dehydrated state, I have HUGE veins, and they don’t generally roll.

Oh, and The Agency’s money guy seems to be in putz-mode. The Carrier Coordinator is furious with him. My check from the 8^th was JUST sent out on Tuesday. The Carrier Coordinator is planning to make sure my check from yesterday is sent out today, along with preemptive reimbursement for Tuesday when I go back down. Except for that one little issue, I really do love The Agency – they’re communicative, friendly, helpful – it’s great. I’m also told that they’ve hired a new money person, so that one little issue should be resolved very shortly.

As for the results of the ultrasound and blood tests, my uterine lining is already at 8.6mm, which I’m told is the thickness required for embryo transfer, so the IVF Clinic is happy about that. My progesterone levels are right where they’re supposed to be, too; so it looks like we should be a go for embryo transfer next Friday! I.F. isn’t going to be able to make it down for the transfer, but I’ll keep him posted anyway.

I also got to see my friend, to whom I will refer as Xaotl, and her kids yesterday. Holy CRAP are they cute! The older one is your standard excited toddler who, by the end of the visit, was crawling all over me and squeaking with my favorite kind of munchkin giggles (those kind of giggles are 100% contagious). The younger one is still an infant, but sociable! Holy macaroni; just totally mellow and smiley and cool. Both kids have these absolutely beautiful, stare-straight-into-your-soul big eyes and bright red pouty lips. I tell ya, they’re gonna be heart-breakers, the pair of them. All in all it was a fabulous visit; Xaotl is absolutely radiant, both as a woman and a mom, and it was so good to see her after so many years. Hopefully it won’t be another decade before we do it again!

Absolutely Overwhelmed

Wednesday I go in for my first ultrasound monitoring at the IVF clinic. A very long drive for a most-likely-less-than-half-an-hour appointment. On the upside, I may get to see an old college friend for lunch on the way home, and meet her two kiddos. On the down side, the budget is tight this week and while Hubs gets paid on the weeks that I don't, he gets paid at the END of the week. Thankfully, one of my very closest friends (I shall refer to her by her nickname: Wifey) has agreed to loan me the funds, should the reimbursement check I am expecting from The Agency fail to arrive. It probably will. They're not very good at timely reimbursement. I submitted the information on the 8th. It's now the 18th.

Next Tuesday I get to do it all again, but this time I shall be meeting with the aforementioned college friend's sister; who is also an old college friend. This should be a little easier on the old wallet, so not as big a deal. But THEN! I get to go back down AGAIN next Friday, if everything looks good on Tuesday. For that one, I will require Hubs to accompany me. I'm fine on my own with the other two. And if Hubs can't go, I'll ask my other besty (to whom I will refer as Mama) or Wifey to go.

On top of that, we're moving at the end of next month. And I need to make sure that I somehow have the funds to do this. In the meantime, I need to get the house packed and cleaned and make sure everyone else has everything they need in the order in which they need it. I'd REALLY like to rent a Ryder or U-Haul this time. We have fabulous friends who have been wonderful about helping us move, but it would make life so much easier if we didn't have to make a million trips.

I still have to finish refinishing my table so that we have something to eat on when we move to wherever we're moving. (I put in an application at a place in the same "duplex" as one of Munchkin's best friends last week. The landlord said he had a good feeling about us and that he would respond to my application soon. Granted, three days is a short period of time, but I hate waiting.) Hubs made a couple calls today, as backup just in case. We'll stay on it either way. I need to get back to my hometown, at least for the sake of Munchkin's education.

Now, while the surrogacy money is helpful, I really do want to set some of it aside this time, so hopefully Hubs will find a teaching gig soon. I need him to find a teaching gig soon.

Additionally, there's unspeakable work stress going on right now. As it is unspeakable, I will not address it here. Suffice it to say that I look forward to the end of each workday and work week with mounting expectation as time passes.

Oh! And we have no hot water. We haven't had hot water in three days, and our landlord doesn't seem terribly pressed to take care of the problem. The furnace makes noises like someone is down in the basement banging on the pipes when we try to use the hot water. So that's fun. I boiled water this evening to wash all of the dishes, then used the dishwasher as a draining board. Much fun was had by all -shakes head sadly-

On a positive note: Yesterday was Princess Wiggle-Worm's first birthday! Happy Birthday, Princess Wiggle-Worm!

Preggers Again SOON!

I finally heard back from the IVF clinic on Thursday. I had been contacted by the mail-order pharmacy that sends out the hormones for IVF cycles for the clinic, and they were told they needed to get my meds to me by Friday, so that I could start my meds Friday evening at the latest. Since I hadn’t had any instructions or updates from the IVF clinic themselves, I called and left a message explaining that I had been contacted by the pharmacy but had no instructions. Fun.

The IVF doctor’s nurse called me back Thursday afternoon and wanted me to go have blood drawn to verify that the cycle I started on Thursday was a “true cycle.” But they wanted the results right away, and my local hospital’s fastest turnaround on blood tests is two days, since they send the blood to the big hospital for the actual testing. So I had to go to the big hospital. And Hubs had a dental appointment Friday morning, so I wound up just taking Friday off.

Anyway, I got blood drawn (holy CRAP was the girl good with that needle!) and puttered around for a while; picked up a pizza stone for Hubs for $7.00 and a new CD player for Munchkin, as the one her grandmother gave her when she was two years old finally croaked. Drove home, worked on the RP game I’m building for some old college buddies and a handful of others to play via Skype. (Yes, I’m a geek. This is no secret.)

I got the call from the IVF clinic late Friday afternoon verifying that yes, I was indeed undergoing a “true cycle” and so I should start taking my meds right away. So one little blue 2mg Estrace pill three times a day, and the Vivelle patch to be changed every fourth day. I’m scheduled for ultrasound monitoring at the IVF clinic on June 20^th and 26^th, and assuming everything looks good on the 26^th; I’ll have the embryo transfer on the June 29^th. Ha. Pregnant by the end of June. Not bad, considering I was expecting it to be more like May.

I’m also going insane a little bit. Again. Not nearly as bad as I was last time, though. I’m cranky. Some of it is legitimately situational, and some of it is batshit crazy hormone lady. I’ll get a handle on it, though, not to worry. No one will lose their heads over this.