Crib Confusion

I consider myself to be kind of OCD when it comes to organization so I'm going crazy getting our house ready for the baby. It seems we won't possibly be able to get everything done in just 5 months! I was on a mission to get a crib this week while I'm off work for the Christmas and New Year's holiday. My mom and I took a trip up to Babies R' Us in Madison on Monday and pretty much left more confused than when we started. Maybe I am being a tad picky but here's the scoop. So, being the sentimental gal that I am, I have the baby dresser that my mom used for both my sister and I when we were babies that I really want to use for our baby. Because of this, I need to find a crib that closely matches the wood color which is like a honey oak. Shouldn't be too difficult, right? Well, I found lots of cribs that look to be an almost perfect match. The real problem lies with the changing tables. Some of those changing tables are like full on dressers that they just call a changing table because you can change the baby on top of it. They run like $500 and since I don't really plan on converting the crib to a toddler or full size bed, I don't see the need to buy like a whole bedroom set. I just want a changing table that matches the crib but is simple - you know, has a flat surface on top and a couple of shelves below that I can put some cute baskets to store supplies. It's just really difficut to find a set that contains the right combination of all of those things. Oh and the other thing - I bought the book Baby Bargains that is basically like a Consumer Report of everything baby. It gives tons of great information but unfortunately, the one brand that Babies R' Us had the biggest selection of was rated an 'F' in Baby Bargains. If I'm a good mother-to-be, I can't even really consider those cribs then, can I?? How can I start my child's life off in a failure of a crib? So, I guess I will just have to keep looking. Babies R' Us' website has lots of beautiful sets that they didn't have in the store so I may just have to order one - it's a little riskier since you can't see it in person but it is helpful to be able to read all of the reviews. Any advice that anyone can give me would be appreciated!!

Reflections

It’s amazing how much can change in just a year. I’m sure that statement will ring even more true to me next year. 2009 has been both the most difficult year and the happiest year of my life so far. Last year at this time, I was just going through the motions of life and never felt really present in any situation. I just had so much on my mind and felt so lost. I would wake up every morning and no matter how well I slept or whatever fun things might lie ahead for the day, within minutes of waking up, the heartache would set in. It got to the point that I avoided people because I knew they would inevitably ask me if we had kids yet and it was just such a painful subject for me. Even if people didn’t ask, I imagined that in their heads they were wondering and talking amongst themselves. Dave and I vowed that 2009 would be the year that one way or another, we were going to have a baby. We couldn’t deny any longer that we might need some help and it was time to face reality. After that first consultation in Iowa City, we had so much hope. It just felt good to know that we were really going after it and that our chances of having a baby were better than they ever had been. The IVF process was long and drawn out – lots of waiting in between each step of the process. That was the hardest part. We’d be on such a high after an appointment and then we’d have to wait six weeks or more until our next appointment and there were times when it was hard to keep our spirits up but we just had to keep trucking along. I was grateful that the majority of the downtime was during the summer because I was able to keep busy with lots of activities that helped keep my mind occupied. Once we finally started the injections at the end of the summer, things really started moving along and before we knew it, September 24th came and we got the news we had waited almost four years to hear. I still have a hard time believing that I’m actually pregnant. I haven't really felt the baby move yet - I've felt little things that I think might be the baby but I can't say for sure. Really, I'd just like a strong kick in the stomach! I know soon enough things will really start happening and before we know it the baby will be here but I guess when you’ve wanted something so desperately for so long it’s hard to believe that you no longer have to shoulder that burden. I feel so thankful for the support of my family and friends and I can't wait to see what 2010 holds for our new little family. I just feel so full of hope!! Happy New Year everyone!!

So Sweet!!!

I think one of the things women like the most about men is that, even though they may leave their dirty socks on the floor and forget to empty the dishwasher when they say they will (I’m certainly not referring to any one man in particular), they are also capable of surprising us by doing something so incredibly sweet that we forget about those little things that we were so irritated about. Dave did just that for me yesterday. I was on my way home from work and he called me to say that a package had arrived and it was something he had gotten for the baby and I. When I got home, he came into the kitchen and was holding a little onesie with “Sugar B’s” printed on the front of it and “little helper” printed on the back. Most of you probably know that Sugar B’s is a cupcake business that my sister and I do on the side for fun. Anyways, upon seeing what he did, tears immediately came to my eyes. I was just so speechless and couldn’t believe how thoughtful he was. When I looked over at Dave he mysteriously “had something in his eye” that caused them to be all watery. Sure…Wink! Wink! He said that he pictured me in the kitchen baking with the baby next to me wearing his/her Sugar B’s onesie! Isn’t that just precious? I always knew he would make an amazing daddy but seeing him do something like this before the baby is even born just melts my heart. I just can’t wait to see him hold the baby in his arms for the first time and to see how happy fatherhood makes him!

Daycare - CHECK!

I seriously never thought it would be this easy. I have officially gotten my daycare all lined up for when I go back to work from maternity leave and it is perfect!!!! I’d always known of this lady in our subdivision a couple of blocks away who did daycare and every time I would drive by her house, I would think to myself how perfect it would be if I ever got pregnant if I could take my baby there. One day when I was driving by, I happened to notice a co-worker of mine picking his kids up there and later asked who she was. Of course, since Dubuque is such a small world, it turns out that I happen to know her son-in-law. So, the Facebook junkie that I am sent him a quick note asking for her contact information and if he knew whether she might have an opening coming up at the end of August/early September. He talked to her for me, gave me her contact information and said that she would in fact have an opening! I guess my timing is pretty good for daycare openings considering kids are going back to school at that time of year. Anyways, I talked to her on the phone and then Dave and I met with her last week. She has been doing daycare for over 20 years, her accommodations are very nice, and she just seemed like a really sweet, caring person. I checked her references, of which she received glowing reviews, and called her last night to hold our place. Her prices are very reasonable, our baby will be the only infant with the next closest in age being a 2 year old, she lives so close to home, and her husband works at John Deere which means when she takes vacation in the summer, it will coincide with the same two weeks that I am off for summer shutdown. I just feel like it is meant to be! I was sort of dreading even beginning the daycare search so I can’t believe how this all fell into place so quickly. I feel so fortunate!! Next up on the TO DO list is to start getting the baby’s room cleaned out and to start working on my baby registry! At first it felt like we had so much time to get stuff ready but it has been going by so quickly…as of yesterday, I am 15 weeks pregnant. I can’t believe that in 5 more weeks I will be halfway through my pregnancy!

GyM RaT

My pregnancy fitness regimen has begun. I made it to the gym yesterday and it felt so good! A few of the regulars were pretty shocked to see me since it has been so long since I’ve been there. Once I walked in though, it felt like I hadn’t missed a day – well besides the fact that I cannot, for the life of me remember my locker combination. I thought maybe it would just come back to me when I walked into the locker room but no such luck. I tried a bunch of different combinations and I have no clue. I think I have so many number combos in my head at this point that I’m never going to come up with the right one. Seriously though, I remember the combination to my locker in high school (14-4-38) so how can I not remember the combination to a locker I just used like five months ago? Anyways, I walked on the treadmill for about 30 minutes while listening to Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance, my latest ITunes purchase. I almost accidentally started blaring out the chorus until I realized where I was…”I want your lovin’ and I want your revenge, you and me could write a bad romance. Whoooaaaaa!” Ooops, see there I go again. Sorry about that. So, my goal is to continue walking on my lunch breaks out in the factory here at work and then to hit the gym Monday through Wednesday. We’ll see how it goes! Oh, and how cruel is this? I have a doctor appointment on Monday and you know what happens at doctor appointments. Yep, you have to step on the dreaded scale. You realize this is a four day THANKSGIVING weekend and I have to weigh myself on Monday, right? Deep breath…the number doesn’t matter as long as baby is healthy…HAPPY TURKEY DAY EVERYONE!!

It's Been Awhile...

My apologies for the lack of blog updates lately. I would like to blame it on tiredness or nausea but unfortunately, it’s just been pure laziness. Well, and the fact that I’ve been really busy at work and haven’t had time during the work day to blog. I do think that I am finally snapping out of the tiredness of the first trimester and am actually able to keep my eyes open past 9:00 – not much past but past 9:00 nonetheless.

Last Wednesday I made my announcement at work. I spent countless hours working on my special cookies and I think they turned out pretty cute (see photo) but you couldn’t pay me enough money to ever do these cookies again. They were SO MUCH WORK!! My mom even brought in a cookie cake that said “Grandma Linda” to share with her co-workers. Everyone seemed so excited for me so it was a really nice day! Of course a few people said they had their suspicions, most likely because I had been raiding said people’s candy jars on numerous occasions. I’m going to tell myself it’s not because I’ve been packing on the pounds although that is probably a more likely scenario.

This past weekend we went on our annual mother/daughters shopping trip to the Mall of America. I have to say I was quite a trooper the whole day – I think I could have out-shopped Lindsay even! ;) This was also my first foray into the world of maternity clothes. I had the best luck at Gap and H&M. I got the cutest jeans at the Gap and TONS of tops. I even got a pair of leggings to wear at some point during my quest to be a stylish pregnant chick! I still have lots more things I need to build my wardrobe but I at least got the essentials and am happy to report that my pants are no longer cutting off my circulation. I’m sure baby appreciates that too!!

Again, I will try to be better at updating my blog. It makes me happy that many of you are reading it and letting me know when I’m slacking! :)

OMG

OMG

Can you say Faux Pas? So I’m practically in tears as I write this. I came in to work this morning and stopped in the cafeteria. One of the cafeteria ladies ASKED ME IF WAS PREGNANT! At first I said no but then I could tell that she felt really bad so I said, “Actually I am but I’m not telling anyone here at work til next week so please don’t say anything.” Then I asked her why she thought that. You know, I was thinking maybe she heard it from someone but NO! She says, “Well, you had just lost so much weight and you were so skinny.” Um, wrong answer lady!!! Isn’t that like a cardinal rule that EVERYONE, not just women should know?? You don’t ask ANYONE, EVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES if they are pregnant!! RIGHT??? Ugh….I thought this was the time that you’re supposed to enjoy food and not worry about your diet and all that and then someone comes up and tells you that you used to be so skinny? Her body was certainly nothing to brag about either by the way. I mean, I know that my pants are getting a little tighter. They’re being held together by a hair band for God’s sake. I don’t need to be told by someone else that I’m gaining weight though! Whew…I guess maybe it’s time to him the gym ASAP. Now all I can think about is not gaining too much weight so it isn’t too difficult to lose after I have the baby. Thanks a lot lady for ruining my pregnancy euphoria! This is not one I will forget any time soon! Please. Someone. Tell me this has happened to you. I need a support group.

11 Week Update!

One of my “followers” brought to my attention that I haven’t updated my blog lately as to how I’m feeling and stuff so I thought I better get to it! Yesterday I hit the 11 week mark and I’m feeling really, really great! I’m still going to bed pretty early but I can at least keep my eyes open through Dancing With the Stars and The Biggest Loser for the most part. Around 6 weeks or so, I was a little nauseous in the mornings but that went away pretty quickly. I’ve found that I’m a lot hungrier during the day but then after work, besides dinner, I really don’t feel like eating anything else. That’s kind of strange for me because pre-pregnancy, all I did was snack after dinner!

Next Wednesday I will be 12 weeks and I’m making my official announcement at work. While this pregnancy may be the worst kept secret in the world, I’m pretty sure most of my co-workers don’t know – I can probably attribute that to the fact that they are men, and therefore are mostly oblivious. It will be nice for it to be out in the open here though. That way people will stop thinking maybe I’ve eaten a few too many cheeseburgers! For my announcement, I’ve decided to bake sugar cut out cookies - in baby shapes of course! I found cookie cutters in the shape of a baby foot, a onesie, a rocking horse, a carriage, and a teddy bear. They are so cute! I’m just so looking forward to being a part of the “pregnant girls club”. There are two other girls in my department that are pregnant right now so it’s nice to finally be one of them!

I’ve been thinking once I’m officially through the first trimester I’m going to head back to the gym. It’s been awhile…so long in fact that I realized yesterday that I can’t remember the combination to my gym locker. Not sure what to do about that! Anyways, I’ve been walking in the factory at work on my lunch breaks which is probably about a 2 mile walk so I think I’d just like to hit the treadmill at the gym for a half an hour or so after work just to get a little more exercise in. I’d like to try to stay in shape as much as possible so I don’t have as much work to do after I have the baby! That is the plan so hopefully now that I’ve shared it with all of you that means I will be more likely to follow through with it. Make me feel guilty and ask me if I’m exercising please!! I need that!

Baking Up a Storm!

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen this weekend, mostly baking...occasionally sampling. First off was cupcakes for my friend's daughter's birthday. I think they turned out pretty cute. This was my first attempt at homemade chocolate frosting and er, I think I might be in trouble. After decorating all of the cupcakes, there was too much frosting left to throw away so I put it in the fridge and um, maybe had a spoonful or two. I swear that's all. In the past hour.

Next up, turtle cheesecake. Dave's birthday is Tuesday and his favorite dessert is cheesecake. I was planning on making it Monday night so it could refrigerate overnight and then we'd have it on his birthday but then I got to thinking, you know, it's really time consuming to bake a cheesecake, what with there being so many steps, and I'm pretty sure Dave wanted to eat it tonight. I think he was craving it. I said HE was craving it, not me! Of course, I wanted to satisfy that craving for him so I got to work. Seriously, to die for. I mean, HE thought it was to die for. Really, what's not to love? Graham cracker/Oreo cookie crust, caramel, pecans, and CHEESECAKE!! Maybe I'll have another slice, er, I mean a slice, just a small one of course...

Spooky Treats!

I made these cupcakes for a co-worker. They were a lot of work but I think they turned out pretty cute! Happy Halloween!! Whah! Whah! Whah!!!!

MelTDoWn!

I think it is safe to say that this weekend I experienced my first pregnancy hormone induced, MELTDOWN!!! So my whole family went to Door County for the weekend to attend my cousin’s wedding. As you probably know, Saturday night was also the night of the Iowa vs. Michigan State game – GO HAWKS!! So the wedding reception was going on at the same time as the Iowa game which was playing on a TV in the pub which happened to be on the other side of the wall from the ball room. As you can imagine, the guys had a hard time focusing on wedding festivities! After dinner, most of the guys, including Dave, my sister’s husband John, and my Dad, headed to the pub to watch the game. Towards the end of the game, my sister and I thought we would head down there to see how things were going. We got to the pub and right when I walked in, I noticed that it smelled kind of smoky in there. I didn’t realize they let people smoke in bars anywhere these days?? I looked around and finally spotted a guy at the bar smoking. I pointed it out to Dave and immediately, he was like, “You need to get out of here. You can’t be in here. Second hand smoke is so bad for you.” Okay, so you’re probably thinking, how sweet of him to be so concerned for me and the baby, right? And I agree, his reaction was totally sweet. But at that moment, I just felt like it was so unfair that I wasn’t allowed to watch the game with everyone else just because of one stupid person smoking. Dave again told me I had to get out of there and offered to come with me but I couldn’t say anything because my eyes just filled with tears and I marched right out of the bar. I assumed my sister would follow me, although after countless margaritas, I should have known she was still mad at me for not agreeing to dance with her earlier in the night. Stubborn as I was, I willed myself not to look behind me to see if anyone was coming after me but, as I saw my reflection in the window, I did not see the reflection of anyone else behind me. I got back to the ballroom and sat down with my mom and my aunt and uncle and the tears started flowing. I know I must have sounded ridiculous when I told my mom, “My psycho husband made me leave the bar because someone was smoking and no one even came after me!” I proceeded to cry and ignore Dave’s texts for the next five to ten minutes, even the one telling me to come back to the bar. Yes, I am stubborn. About 20 minutes later everyone came back to the reception completely ecstatic and totally freaking out because Iowa had pulled off what seemed to be an almost impossible win and of course, I MISSED IT! After pointing out to Dave that he made me cry and then having him all worried that now my mom would think he was a jerk for making me cry, I got over it. And for the record, I’m pretty sure my mom realized that he had my best interest in mind and that I was just over reacting. Most likely this particular meltdown was not an isolated incident and is just another thing Dave has to look forward to for the next seven months!

First Item on the TO DO List...Check!

Well, I now have about 7 months to check some things off of my to-do list. Number one on the list is new living room furniture!! I HATE my living room furniture with a passion and am ready for an upgrade! My Mom and I went to the Floor Show last night and she helped me pick out the most amazing sofa and love seat. If I were Rachel Zoe, I would die. It’s on another level. Hehe….seriously though, I love it! I was super picky about what I was looking for because we have a dog that sheds and pukes everywhere and of course, soon there will be a baby in the house that will be puking and slobbering everywhere as well! For some reason I don’t find that quite as gross as the dog puke though! :) I also live with Dave and, in typical male fashion, he doesn’t always think about changing his clothes when he comes in from cutting the grass or from doing any of the other things that boys do where they get all dirty. So, I needed something that won’t show all of that stuff and also something that’s going to hold it’s shape really well when Chubby decides to take a nap on top of the couch and mashes down the cushions! Luckily the couch I found has a lifetime warranty on the cushions so it should be completely Dave/baby/dog proof! Mission accomplished! Now I just have to cross my fingers that I will get my furniture before Christmas! Next up on the to-do list: build some storage shelves in the basement. No worries, I’ll only be supervising!!

First Ultrasound!

Well, today was our first ultrasound and it went really, really, really great! I was afraid I would have a Friends moment where Rachel pretended she could see the baby and finally admitted that she couldn't see anything but I actually was able to see it! Well, I mostly just saw a little blob but the doctor said that blob was our baby!! We could even see its little heart beating strongly. They counted it at 150 beats per minute which is awesome! Things couldn't be going better! Oh, and I had had slight concerns that I was having twins because my progesterone levels had been really high (which is a good thing) and everything we read said that could indicate multiples but we were assured that there is only one in there! I guess I was hoping for some excuse why my clothes are already fitting a little tighter but I am happy to know there is just one little baby for us to shower with love! I mean, can you imagine??? Lindsay thought I was completely nuts for thinking it was twins so, for once, my little sister was right(Love you B!;)). Now it's time to look forward to my day off tomorrow, sleeping in, watching the morning shows, and seeing all of my high school friends at Rachel's wedding tomorrow! Can't wait!! I feel so blessed!

I'm awake....for now anyway.

Well, it’s been over a week since my last blog update so I guess I am about due! Perhaps I can blame my lack of updates on the fact that I've basically been sleeping for the past week? I have been so unbelievably tired. Like, more tired than I have ever been in my life. Like so tired that I almost fell asleep on my 10 minute drive to work this morning. As I was pulling in the parking lot, for a moment I considered turning around and going home to go back to bed. I guess this is what I get for saying I have hardly had any symptoms at all. They’re finally hitting me. I’m afraid to say that I haven’t had any morning sickness because I’m sure that’s when it will hit! So yes, I've definitely felt a bit nauseous some mornings!

I feel like I’ve been really picky about what I eat lately. Like I’ll be hungry but I can’t figure out what I’m hungry for. I’ve been major into Jolly Ranchers and I can’t stand minty gum. I used to eat popcorn every night and now it’s not really doing anything for me. Poor Chubby…popcorn time is like her favorite time of the day. She makes me feel like I need to make it because once 7 p.m. rolls around she watches my every move like a hawk, just waiting for me to say the magic words! Ice cream isn’t really even sounding that good to me, oddly enough. And even more strange, I’ve been craving salads. I mean, I’ve always liked salads but I get home from work and I just want to make a big salad. I guess that’s a good thing! One thing that hasn’t changed? My 24/7 appetite for Happy Joe’s pizza! I’m trying not to give into that as much as I would like to!

This Thursday we have our first ultrasound so we’re pretty excited about that!! It will be our last appointment in Iowa City. I think they will be able to see the heartbeat (not hear it yet though) and they will just be making sure that things are developing the way they should be. I have my first appointment with my regular doctor here in Dubuque scheduled in a couple of weeks. It will be nice not to have to travel so far for appointments! I’m lucky my boss has been really good about letting me take off when I need it.

Well, I’ll update all of you after Thursday’s appointment!! Tomorrow I will be beginning my 8th week!!

The Latest Ramblings

Well, I am just about to the end of my 6th week and so far, I have been relatively symptom-free. Probably the biggest thing I’ve noticed is that normally I crave cookies, ice cream, candy, and anything else laced with sugar but lately if it has salt, I can’t seem to get enough. Last week I baked a pan of brownies for Dave and usually I tell myself I’m not going to eat them and then something takes over my body and my head is telling me that I need to eat them now in case there’s ever a shortage on brownies or something and the next thing I know, I’ve eaten an entire row! But this time I barely even gave them a second thought. Same with chocolate chip cookies. I baked a batch of cookies and besides the one scoop of cookie dough I ate I had no desire even for a warm cookie right out of the oven. By the way, What To Expect When You’re Expecting is going to be the death of me. After eating said scoop of cookie dough, Dave opens the book and shows me where it says raw cookie dough is completely off limits during pregnancy and it has all this bacteria and blah, blah, blah. Did you know you’re not supposed to eat deli meat either? Like seriously, do pregnant women really not eat deli meat? What am I supposed to eat for lunch? I have to imagine a ham sandwich is better than eating a slice of pizza or something equally as greasy and fattening, right?

Anyways, since I have had so few symptoms, it’s hard to really even feel like I’m pregnant. This weekend I took an at home pregnancy test, mainly because I wanted to know what it felt like to see that positive result since I have had so many negative ones over the years. I wanted to keep it but Dave said that was gross so I settled for taking a picture! I’ve started this “Belly Book” to document my pregnancy and will keep the picture in there. It’s a really neat book where you take a picture of your belly at each week, record your various food cravings and aversions, things like that. It’s kind of like a little diary to your baby before it is born. You record when you started wearing maternity clothes, your favorite maternity outfit, what was going on in the news, what music you’re listening to now, all kinds of neat little things that maybe someday our baby will like to read or I will just enjoy looking back on.

So ever since I found out I’m pregnant, I haven’t been able to go to a store without either looking at maternity clothes or checking out the baby section. I can feel my shopaholic tendencies going into overdrive as they’ve now found a whole new avenue to explore. I want to buy something for our baby but I can’t seem to decide what to buy because everything that’s cute is either totally girl or totally boy. I always thought I wouldn’t want to know the baby’s sex but I’m starting to think that I want to find out. Dave gave me a quiz the other day that he found online that, based on your personality type, tells you whether or not you should find out. My results came back that I’m basically a control freak and I definitely should find out. So yeah, I think I’m leaning in that direction. I know Dave will be happy because he really, really wants to know and I wasn’t sure how we were gonna compromise on that one besides the old, I’m the one who has to carry the baby and go through labor so I decide! :)

I hate Betty!

It’s official. I hate Betty Crocker. Why you ask? Well, a few weeks ago I posted my practice Spiderman cake. Everything went perfect and now I have to make it for a Sugar B’s customer and it’s totally stressing me out. If I’ve learned one thing from this, it is don’t buy Betty Crocker cake mix! I always use Duncan Hines and the Betty Crocker was on sale so I figured they had to be about the same. Nope! The cupcakes didn’t get as puffy and they have little bumps on the top. I don’t think they are as flavorful either. I’m sure no one will notice this stuff once they are decorated but I hate not being proud of my work! I have to hand it to Dave, he was such a big help last night. For some reason, when the cake came out of the pan, the indentations in the pan that work as a guide for frosting didn’t transfer onto the cake very well. It’s totally Betty’s fault. Anyways, I was on the verge of a tantrum and he stood over me for over an hour studying the picture and dictating where each line of frosting should go. When I was about to lose it, he even took the bag of frosting and piped on a few lines himself. Now I swore I wouldn’t tell anyone that he helped me decorate a cake but I couldn’t have done it without him last night so I think he deserves a little credit! Today I’m going to finish frosting the cake and work on the cupcakes. I’m sure they will turn out super cute but regardless, Betty is on my sh*t list.

Making plans!

Well, it’s been five days since we received our news and I still haven’t come down from my cloud yet! I’m trying not to get ahead of myself because I know we are still in a sensitive period but there are so many things that I just want to start doing and planning right now. I’m already trying to figure out where everything in the office is going to go when it gets converted to a nursery. I’ve put together a list of household projects that we need to get done before the baby comes – new living room furniture, new roof, empty all of my shoes and clothes out of the office/nursery closet and find somewhere to put it, etc. We’ve gotten a couple of baby things as gifts already – of course my parents gave us “I love Grandma” and “I love Grandpa” bibs and our friends gave us the book “Hush Little Baby” and some booties for good luck! I had to clear out a drawer in the dresser in what will be the nursery to start storing all of the baby’s stuff! Knowing my mother, it won’t take long to accumulate!!

So yesterday I had to go to Finley for a blood draw to get my HCG level checked. HCG is basically just the pregnancy hormone. I got the results back yesterday afternoon and my level had increased from 255 on Thursday to 1718 Monday so that was really good. They want them to at least double every 48 hours so mine have done even better than that! They also must be quite confident with my progress because they don’t feel the need to see me again until my ultrasound on the 15th. Very good news!!

Well, I started my maternity clothes fund this weekend! Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you can’t be fashionable, right? I was getting dressed for work this morning and put on a pair of heels and wondered to myself if I will wear heels when I’m like six months pregnant or more. I seriously think that I will. I mean, ask me again in six months and we’ll see but I want to be a stylish pregnant chick! I want to wear clothes that accentuate my bump, not hide it! I wish I could afford to get all of my maternity clothes at A Pea in the Pod where all the pregnant celebs shop. Or too bad I can’t hire Rachel Zoe to be my stylist and pick me out all kinds of fabulous bump-wear. Bananas! A girl can dream anyway. At least I am going to the Mall of America in a few months with my mom and my sister so I think it’s safe to say there will be more of a maternity selection there than there is in Dubuque. And while they may not be Rachel Zoe, they do each have a pretty great fashion sense! Hopefully I can keep squeezing into my normal clothes until then!

I'm Pregnant!!!!

OMG! Yep, I’m pregnant! The wait this afternoon was almost unbearable but after calling the patient information line in 15 minute intervals starting at 11:15 we finally received the news around 1:30. Dave and I are ecstatic!!!! To finally hear those words, “You’re pregnant!” was something I had started to think I might never hear. As we listened to the message, Dave was the first one to scream and then the tears started flowing. We just couldn’t believe it. This is the most amazing feeling ever! We had been feeling like the odds were in our favor but we’ve carried this weight on our shoulders for so long that it was hard to imagine it being lifted. I really feel like we had our angels in heaven looking over us today – Dave’s father Ron, my Grandma Hoxmeier who would have celebrated her birthday today, my Grandma McAllister, Dave’s Grandpa Kubesheski, and my Auntie Donna. We feel truly blessed by this miracle and this has been the best day of our lives so far!

In addition to that good news we received, we also learned that my hormone levels are high enough that we don’t need to do any more injections. From the beginning we were told we may have to do them for the first 8 weeks. We couldn’t have timed that better because we only had a few days worth of medicine left! In the coming weeks, the doctors will continue to monitor my hormone levels, starting this coming Monday with another blood draw. We are scheduled for our first ultrasound on October 15th and they have estimated my due date to be June 2nd, just a few days before my birthday on June 6th! Go Gemini’s!!

Some of you may be surprised that I have chosen to share our news this early on in my pregnancy. That was one of the things that I considered before I began this blog. Because I really wanted to share our IVF journey, I decided that whatever the outcome, it is therapeutic for me to write about it and to let people know what we are going through. I’ve chosen to share my blog with you because I consider you to be a good friend and one who will understand the sensitivity of our situation.

I really appreciate the prayers and support you all have given Dave and I and your own stories that some of you have shared with me. I look forward to updating you on our progress in the months to come! I’m off to bury my nose in my newly purchased copy of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting!” Night all!

Love, Abby

8 days down, 2 to go!

Ten days is starting to feel like ten years. We will have our answer on Thursday. I keep thinking towards the weekend and how different it will be depending on what the answer is. I wish everything could just stop until Thursday. I can’t concentrate on anything else right now. I had a department meeting this morning and I barely heard a word of it. I was just so lost in thought. This is, by far, the hardest thing I have ever been through. I have up and down moments but I’m trying to stay as positive as I possibly can. It’s like our whole lives are riding on this so it’s hard not to freak out a little bit. The days are the worst because I just sit at my desk not being able to concentrate on work and thinking about all of the what ifs. The nights go by pretty fast, especially this week because there is finally some good TV on. Dancing With the Stars started last night and Biggest Loser is on tonight! I'm predicting Aaron Carter will make it to the DWTS finals.

So, here’s what will happen on Thursday, pregnancy test day. I’m going to plan on being at the Finley lab by 6:30 a.m. Dave and I are both going to work half days and will leave work at 11 so we can be together to get the news. We will call the patient information line where a nurse will leave us a message with the results as soon as they are ready. I’m hoping that the earlier I go to the lab, the earlier the results will be ready. I don’t know if that’s really the case but it makes sense, right? I made about 30 phone calls (no exaggeration) to the patient information line the day we were supposed to get our fertilization report so Thursday if the message isn’t there on our first phone call attempt it’s likely I will be calling every 5 minutes or less until it is there. I get nervous just thinking about making the phone call because this could be the best news of our lives or possibly the greatest disappointment. Please keep us in your prayers!

Maggie

She's all mine and should arrive on my doorstep next week!

The waiting game

We are officially one week away from knowing if our IVF was successful. We’re trying not to think about it 24/7 but it’s really hard not to! I don’t feel any different but the doctor told me that I wouldn’t have any symptoms yet so I guess this is normal. It’s weird that all these things could be going on in my body and I don’t even know. I’m just trying to keep busy which is hard because I’m not supposed to lift over 15 pounds until pregnancy test day. Dave like won’t let me do anything which I suppose is a good thing but I’m just not the type of person that is good at sitting around. Even if I’m watching TV, I’m literally up every 10 minutes doing something. There are just a lot of things that I do on a regular basis that I have to stop and think if I should be doing now. I had Dave weigh my purse the other day to make sure it didn’t exceed the weight limit. Luckily it only weighed 8 pounds! Seriously I don’t even have that much stuff in it. But yeah, I can’t grocery shop by myself, I can’t vacuum, I can’t even pick up Chubby - I suppose that isn’t really a surprise considering her name. Dave has been a good sport about grocery shopping even though he completely despises it. Last week he discovered that Thursday’s at Hy-Vee are “Thank You Thursdays” so now he’s kind of excited about it. They run all these different deals for like 10 minutes at a time. Last week we got a couple of frozen pizzas and some really thick cut pork chops for $1 each so he thought he hit the jackpot. This morning he texted me, “It’s Thank You Thursday!” I swear, if there’s a good deal, he’s all over it!

I’m trying to plan some things for the weekend so we don’t just sit around thinking about things. I’m going to get a manicure on Saturday because I’ve decided that I deserve a little pampering. Saturday night, we’re going to try the new Los Aztecas with friends so I’m really looking forward to that. I’ve heard good things! I was also thinking of maybe taking a trip to Cziper’s Apple Orchard to get a big bushel of honey crisp apples….my absolute favorite. Don’t worry, I won’t lift them! They are like the equivalent of a big bowl of ice cream but ten times healthier. AMAZING! Speaking of apples, with all of this stress, I’ve found that I haven’t been eating as healthy as I should be and my work pants are getting a little tighter every day. Pregnant or not, it’s time to start getting back to my healthy eating habits. My biggest weakness is desserts so that’s where I need to cut back. Too many Sugar B’s cupcakes!

While it may not be the most economical way to relieve stress I’ve always been an advocate of retail therapy (blame my mother) and nothing screams retail therapy to me like a new handbag. I’ve had my eye on the Coach mustard colored Maggie bag and when my sister called to tell me she had received a 25% off coupon, I realized I was destined to own Maggie. I wanted to take one last look at her before I had Lindsay pick her up for me and I went online to look at her and she was GONE!!! Well, at least the mustard Maggie was gone. There is a patent cobalt blue Maggie that I’m not quite as fired up about but I do love the bag itself, even if the color isn’t my first choice. The coupon expires Sunday so I need to make a decision. I don’t have any doubts that a blue Maggie would make me happy though!! :)

Transfer Day

Yesterday was “transfer day” and it went amazingly well. It was really quite an experience. When we got there, the embryologist came out and showed us pictures of our embryos. We had one blastocyst which was what we were hoping for, and then, even better than that, we had one expanded blastocyst. We didn’t know that there was anything better than a blastocyst so we were really excited! This picture shows the expanded blastocyst that was transferred which will hopefully become Baby Jones! We got to watch the transfer take place on the ultrasound monitor. While we couldn’t see the actual embryo going in, we could see the tiny air bubbles around it and a flash of light when they released it into the uterus. It was pretty incredible! When the procedure was over, the doctor said we couldn’t have had a better embryo or a better transfer. By her saying that just made me feel even more confident in our chances for success!

We got home around 4:00 and I headed straight to bed. Dave was pretty good at waiting on me considering I think I was kind of a high maintenance patient. He religiously refreshed my ice water, made me Hungry Girl macaroni and cheese for dinner, brought me cookies, books, and everything else that I requested (with the exception of a taco from Taco John’s which he claimed he thought would upset my stomach).

So now we have begun the waiting game. We found out yesterday that our pregnancy test will actually be on September 24th which is two days earlier than we had previously thought so that is good! September 24th also happens to be my Grandma Hoxmeier’s birthday and our Pug Chubby’s birthday so hopefully that is a good omen! I also had Dave use one of those due date calculators on the Internet and it estimated that my due date would be my birthday, June 6th. I take these to all be good signs!! Hopefully good news to come!

Getting ready for the big day!

Ahhhhhh....what a great weekend. It was so nice to have my sister stay with us and I had such a nice time at Beth's bridal shower and Aimee's wedding. The weather was beautiful and it was just so relaxing! I guess it was a good way to spend the weekend considering tomorrow's doctor appointment and the suspense we will be under for the next 12 days. Our appointment for the embryo transfer is at 12:45 tomorrow. I'm definitely not going to work, even for a few hours in the morning. I'm just going to enjoy sleeping in and take my time getting ready and have the day be as relaxing and stress-free as possible. The procedure itself is pretty simple. Then I just have to stay there lying down for 30 minutes after. No biggie. I will have strict instructions after the procedure to come straight home and go to bed and only get up to go to the bathroom for the rest of the day. I'm going to try to enjoy just letting Dave wait on me hand and foot but I usually have a really hard time sitting still! For this I will make an exception though. We have worked too hard and waited way too long for this moment and I'm not taking any chances. I've got the DVR programmed to record some good shows so I'll be all set. Kate Gosselin is co-hosting The View tomorrow and Tuesday so that is on the list along with the Whitney Houston interview on Oprah. Should be juicy!! She's such a whack job. I'm also thinking Happy Joe's pizza may be in order. Hmm....what should I get? Taco Supreme, BLT, Old Fashioned Garden....er, or maybe some of each. Decisions, decisions!

Today I'm getting everything ready for work on Tuesday since I won't be able to do any of that tomorrow. Cookies are baked, laundry is done, mine and Dave's lunches are packed, my clothes are laid out, etc. I'm am a teensy bit OCD so if I don't have this stuff done, I won't be able to relax!

I think I'm feeling pretty calm about everything so far. The hardest part is going to be waiting for the pregnancy test on September 26th. I'm going to need things to keep my mind occupied til then. That will probably the longest 12 days of my life. Dave and I were looking at the baby name book today. I just couldn't help it. I'm trying not to get ahead of myself but it's so hard!

I definitely won't be posting tomorrow in my bed-ridden state but will be sure to update you all as soon as I can. Thanks to all of you for keeping up with our progress and keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. Hopefully we will have some good news to share soon!

Spiderman!

As promised, I attempted the Spiderman cake this week. I have to admit, I was pretty impressed by the results. As I began decorating, I realized that I picked a pretty intricate cake to begin my foray into the cake business but overall, I think it turned out pretty well. I learned a few lessons for next time though - I will definitely be sure to grease every inch of the cake pan to ensure that all of the indentations that serve as guidelines when frosting show up on the cake when I remove it from the pan. Also, the star tip I had was a little bigger than the one they recommended so I think I'll be picking up the smaller version. The whole thing took me between 3 and 4 hours, from baking, making frosting, coloring frosting, and decorating. I'm not sure what to charge or how lucrative it will be but either way, I enjoyed doing it and felt quite accomplished when I was finished. I only had a few seconds to take pictures though and then Dave swooped in and ate Spiderman's head.

Good news!

After what seemed like literally 50 phone calls checking the patient information line, we finally got our fertilization report this afternoon. We were hoping for a day 5 transfer and we got our wish!! I don't want to get too scientific but a day 5 transfer means they believe some of our eggs will reach the blastocyst phase which is stronger and more advanced than they would be at day 3 so your odds are better. We ended up with nine fertilized eggs, two which were frozen at what is called the pronuclear stage. The other seven are being cultured in hopes that they reach the blastocyst phase. Then they will implant one or two - one if we have a blastocyst and two if we do not have a blastocyst. Of the remaning five or six that have been cultured, they will freeze the rest that have made it to day five (blastocyst). I know, it's so hard to understand all of this. Trust me, we have asked a lot of questions and done lots of reading!!! So, now the transfer is our next hurdle to get over which should be pretty painless. Then our next and biggest hurdle so far is the pregnancy test on September 26th. Thank God that's a Saturday because there is no way I could be at work that day waiting for the results. There are such big things happening every day now so it's so exciting!!

I'm looking forward to enjoying the weekend with my family and friends. Lindsay is staying at my house for the weekend because other relatives are in town for cousin-to-be Beth's bridal shower who will be staying at my parents. I'm looking forward to having her! We are of course doing the cupcakes for the bridal shower so we'll be up late tomorrow night working on them. I'll be sure to post pics!! Later on Saturday Dave and I will be heading to my friend Aimee's wedding! So excited and it sounds like the weather should be nice. Cross your fingers!! So, we have lots to keep us busy before our next big day on Monday! Oh but get this...I totally could have had two tickets to the Britney Spears Circus concert in Des Moines Friday night for $100! What a deal. Seriously, Britney is definitely on my top 5 concerts to see and quite possibly number one on the list because I really can't think of another concert I'd rather go to. I wouldn't think about going to that concert with anyone other than Lindsay though and she won't be getting into town til about 9:00 tomorrow night so there's just no way it would have worked. Darn, I so wanted to get in the zone.

Retrieval Day

Today was a big day for us....retrieval day. I was really nervous about the whole procedure but it turned out the worst part about it was not being able to eat after midnight last night! The drive to Iowa City was super foggy this morning but we arrived by 8:00 a.m. for our appointment. I couldn't relax the whole way there because I was nervous about being under anesthesia and how I was going to feel when it was all over but without even trying, Dave made me forget about my nerves by getting stuck in the elevator on the way up to the fourth floor. This was all due to his impatience because the elevator was taking too long so he thought he could get into an elevator going down and make it go up. Of course it was going to go down and the doors started closing on him and down he went. The second the doors closed in the elevator he was on, the next elevator stopped right where I was to take me upstairs. I decided to wait there and see if he came back to the floor I was on. In the meantime, a hospital worker was waiting for the elevators and was telling me how they have been having problems with those elevators for the past week. We noticed one of the elevators about to stop at our floor and the doors slightly opened and then closed again and we heard someone inside let out a "Nooooooooooo!!!!!" Turns out that was Dave! Hilarious. By the time we both arrived on the fourth floor we were laughing so hard we had tears in our eyes. Apparently he somehow pried the doors open. Seriously, who knows?? But yeah, so after that debacle, I was pretty well relaxed and ready to get on with my appointment. I don't remember much of the ordeal, just that they told me to go to a happy place and I said I was going to the mall. I believe I was perusing the Coach store looking for that yellow Maggie bag that they seemed to have discontinued.....hmmm. After that, I woke up in the recovery room and it was all over. I just had minimal pain - nothing that a few Tylenol wouldn't fix. The results of the procedure - they retrieved 21 eggs, 16 of which were mature. That was a very good outcome! Immediately following the procedure, they fertilized the eggs and we will call tomorrow for a fertilization report and to find out if the embryo transfer will take place on Saturday or Monday. After we got home, I just laid on the couch for most of the day watching Room Raiders (did you know that show was still on?) and Dr. Phil and other daytime shows I don't get to enjoy very often. Still trying to take it easy but for the most part I feel pretty much back to normal. I'm just so happy that we have made it over another hurdle and are one step closer. Keep us in your prayers....we're almost there! :)

Zucchini Lasagna

Since I’m always trying to watch my diet and Dave can pretty much eat anything he wants without gaining an ounce, I’m always looking for recipes that are healthy in disguise! Last night I tried this recipe for Zucchini Lasagna and it was YUM-tastic!! I would highly recommend it. I didn’t use the optional ingredients of spinach and mushrooms because they were at the very bottom of my recipe and I didn’t see them til it was out of the oven but I think I would throw them in next time. I’ve moved them up to the main list of ingredients so you don’t forget about them like I did. Seriously, try this. You won’t even notice there aren’t any noodles in it!!

ZUCCHINI LASAGNA, serves 10
Adapted from myrecipes.com
All you need:
4 cups water
6 cups zucchini (about 3 medium), sliced lengthwise in ¼-inch slices.
1 pound ground round or ground turkey
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups spaghetti sauce (we used Classico spicy red pepper)
½ teaspoon salt
½-1 teaspoon dried basil
½-1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups fat-free cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon dried parsley or 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
½ cup dry breadcrumbs, divided
1¾ cups (3½ ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
(Optional: Use whole jar of sauce, add mushrooms and drained, frozen spinach to one layer.)

All you do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring water to a boil. Slice zucchini lengthwise. Cook in boiling water 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Don’t overcook! Dry on paper towels.
3. Place the beef and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce, salt, basil, and oregano; cook for 1 minute.
4. Combine cottage or ricotta cheese, parsley, and eggs in a medium bowl.
5. Arrange ½ of the zucchini slices in a 9x13 pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle the zucchini with half of the breadcrumbs. Spread half of cottage cheese mixture over breadcrumbs; cover with half of the meat mixture and 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat layers, except mozzarella.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella, and bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
Per serving: 210 calories, 7g fat, 15g carb, 554mg sodium, 21g protein, 2g fiber.

Now you can bake Sugar B's cookies at home!

Now you can bake your own Sugar B's cookies! Just add vanilla, butter, and eggs! Cute, right?

Big Days Coming Up!

Well, it's Labor Day weekend and it has been quite an eventful weekend as far as our IVF schedule is concerned. Yesterday morning we were up bright and early to head to our 9:30 appointment in Iowa City. Things couldn't have gone better! They estimated that I would need two ultrasounds prior to the retrieval but judging by this first one, I am just about ready to go so they have scheduled the retrieval for this coming Wednesday, with the implantation then to follow on either Saturday or Monday. That is like one week away!! Then I will have a pregnancy test on either Thursday the 24th or Saturday the 26th of September, depending on which day they do the implantation. I can't believe we have come to this point. I'm excited but also super nervous. This whole thing is just so stressful. Some days I feel so positive and then other days all I can think about is how hard it will be if it doesn't work the first time around. I know we will try it again if it doesn't work but then you ask yourself how many times you're willing to try? I'm not ready to go there yet so we'll just hope for the best during the coming weeks! :)

Things are moving along...

As I mentioned, Friday morning I had a blood draw and they called with the results in the afternoon. Things seem to be moving in the right direction because we have our first appointment for an ultrasound tomorrow morning. Can you believe on a Sunday? But, it's all about timing so it doesn't matter what day of the week it is. From what I gather, they will be able to determine the date for the egg retrieval at tomorrow's appointment. I'm thinking it will probably be some time towards the end of next week. So exciting! I'm glad the appointment is tomorrow instead of today because the hospital is right across from Kinnick Stadium where Iowa (GO HAWKS!) was playing against UNI today so it would have been chaos! Anyways, I am on four shots a day right now and besides being a little sore, I'm not really feeling too many side effects - lucky for Dave! I've been pretty much taking it easy the last couple of days per doctor's orders so Dave has been doing the vacuuming, laundry, etc. which I can't say I have any complaints about.

Right now I'm just enjoying this beautiful Labor Day weekend. I picked up the Spiderman cake pan this afternoon and plan on taking a stab at that at some point this weekend. I also have another project in the works. I am helping to plan a bridal shower for next weekend and I'm going to make up some jars of basically ready-made cookie dough, minus the wet ingredients. I found the idea on www.Bakerella.com, my favorite baking blog! Check it out. They are super cute. Hopefully mine turn out as cute as hers! No worries, I will be posting pics for sure!

Have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend!!

Baptism Cupcakes

I kind of think the baptism cupcakes turned out pretty cute. I tried a new frosting technique and was quite happy with the results! I hope my client likes them! :)

Sugar B's makes it's blog debut...

Most of you probably know that my sister Lindsay and I have a little side business called Sugar B's Bakery. We mainly do cupcakes and cookies but we've had a lot of requests for cakes recently so I’m thinking it might be time to branch out. I took a cake decorating class at Michael’s awhile back so I don’t think my decorating a cake worthy of selling is a completely hopeless situation. The other day a friend mentioned that her son is having a Spiderman themed birthday party in a couple of weeks so I guess I'll start with a Spiderman cake. I like to challenge myself and I hate to turn down business! I also am doing cupcakes this weekend for a friend's daughter's baptism. I will post pictures of all of the yummy goodness!! Anyone want to come over to my house and help devour the Spiderman cake? Or rather, help wrestle the Spiderman cake away from me? I guarantee it will taste good even if my cake decorating skills aren’t quite up to par! Oh, so I’m kind of obsessed with Cake Boss on TLC lately – if you’ve never seen it you would be blown away. I seriously think if I ever end up in Hoboken, New Jersey I am making a pit stop at Carlos Bakery. Maybe I could apply for a job and Buddy would hire me and I could be his protégé or something. I’m telling you, this guy could make a life sized Spiderman cake…no kidding. It would probably even shoot that stuff out of his hand or whatever it is that Spiderman does. You know what I’m talking about. I have a lot to learn before I get to that point...

The latest and some other ramblings...

This morning I was up bright and early to have my blood work done. Even with having an early morning appointment I still managed to be to work earlier than usual! The good news is, the drugs are working...I will stay on one of the meds, decrease my dosage on another one, and introduce a new med. The bad news is...three shots a day. It's really not that bad but I still can't believe those people on Intervention do this to themselves voluntarily! Anyways, I will go on Friday to get my blood drawn again and then we'll find out what's next. From what we were told at our last appointment and depending on how I respond to the meds, we are looking at retrieving the eggs between September 10th and 12th and then implantation three to five days later. Do the math...I could be pregnant in less than three weeks! Quite frankly, I already feel pregnant considering my diet has been out the window with all of the stress and I think the meds must increase my appetite. ;) They really should add "increased appetite" under the list of possible side effects. That and the fact that I can't drink while on the meds, I'm practically a pro at being pregnant already. Dave was in a wedding this past weekend and I'm pretty sure it was the first wedding I haven't drank at since I was like 18, er, I mean 21. I started off the night drinking a glass of Diet Pepsi out of a straw in a koozie because you know, you just kind of need a drink to sip on or something. Four glasses of DP later, I realized you can only drink so much soda. After the wedding we went to Champp's for a night cap and I ordered myself a virgin Bloody Mary! Mmmmm....not quite the same as the real thing but an acceptable substitute under the circumstances! And I must say, I was quite proud of myself for staying out that late in a non-alcohol induced state.

Family is the best!

So, this morning my Dad called me to say that with everything we have going on, if we need him to do any yard work while we are in Iowa City or whatever, that he will take care of it for us. How thoughtful was that? I'll pretty much cry at the drop of a pin these days so of course, I hung up the phone with tears in my eyes. I love my dad and I feel so lucky to have such a loving, supportive family!

Three shots tonight and bloodwork first thing tomorrow morning and based on that, my medications may be altered and an ultrasound scheduled.

Really???

Okay, I'm honestly not posting this here thinking poor little me. It's just like, really??

Background Story

Welcome to my blog and thank you for visiting! As you can probably tell by the title of my blog, I have babies on the brain and have for quite some time. My husband Dave and I have been struggling to conceive pretty much since our wedding day in December of 2005. It has been a struggle full of hope and heartache but one that I have decided to open up about because I know we are not alone. Our journey over the past few years has taken us to where we are today...in vitro fertilization or IVF. We have been involved in the IVF program at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics since May of this year. It is a long process but we are nearing the moment of truth and are feeling excited, scared, nervous, grateful, and a roller coaster of just about every emotion you can think of. So, to get you up to speed, since Wednesday the 19th of August, Dave has been giving me daily injections that ultimately will cause my body to produce multiple eggs and to prepare it for pregnancy. Injections sounded pretty scary to me at first but it has all gone very smoothly...I think Dave missed his calling actually! He's a natural! Anyways, during the coming days, we will continue the injections and based on blood tests and ultrasound results, the hospital will schedule a date for the egg retrieval procedure. On that same day, they will fertilize all of the eggs and then three to five days later they will implant one of them. And yes, ONLY ONE! Sorry, I like kids but I do not intend on being the next Octo-Mom or Kate Gosselin! So, that is where we are at today. As I said, we are very hopeful but we know it is not a sure thing so your prayers would be greatly appreciated! I have come to believe that everything truly does happen for a reason and while I don't know at this point what that reason is, I do know that Dave and I have never been closer and however we achieve our dreams of parenthood, we will never take that responsibility for granted.