Christmas 2010-Family Surprise

This Christmas was very special for both families. Jason and I gave recordable Christmas cards announcing to our families that we are have a little boy in June. Both families were so excited! We received so many wonderful gifts this holiday season. We are most thankful for our families and the most precious gift, the gift of being pregnant with our first child. These are pictures of Christmas with both our families. For couples that have struggled with infertility, you truly understand that when you finally become pregnant you cherish each moment of the arrival of your new baby. Every Christmas I would wonder will this New Year be the year we will become parents. Of course, I have cried most of the holidays. These are happy tears. I have cried during holiday meals with our families dreaming of the day when our new bundle of joy would be at the table with us. I have cried as friends and family have given me baby gifts for next Christmas. I cried as I thought about the family photos that had all the grandchildren with Santa except for mine. These moments are moments when trying to have a baby that can be unbearable and times that it seems no one else understands. I hope one day our little boy can read my post and realize how much he was dreamed about and loved! There are a few photos of me and Jason that show some belly shots. Believe me there want be a lot of pictures of me this year on my blog especially of my belly! God is so good!

Jason's Graduation FSU 2010

Girls Night Out-Making Christmas Candy

Jaxon sampling the goodies!
My new recipe "Haystacks."

Yummy!

Kelly and Brittany on their 200th batch of Martha Washington balls.

The rolling of the famous "peanut butter balls."

Merry Christmas :New Baby Pictures

Baby's First Picture

Our baby is growing, growing, growing! His or her heartbeat is 190 beats pm. Of course he/she is upside down with feet in the air. These pictures are amazing. I will travel to Montgomery on Thursday to meet with Dr. Alleman. We hope Dr. Alleman will release me to Dothan OBGYN. I will have more pictures on Thursday. Boy or Girl?????????

Christie

That Precious Heartbeat

For this child, I prayed and God granted my request. 1 Samuel 1:27

Today was our 2nd ultrasound. After a little drama this morning I ended up in the doctors office early this morning instead of this afternoon. Jason and I heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time today. I was so emotional! When I heard the heartbeat it was truly life changing! The heartbeat measured 132 beats. I wish I could hear that sound every second of the day. I can't wait until the next US on Monday. Thank you for all your prayers! Please continue to pray for our growing baby. Sorry, no really good pics. yet but they are coming I promise!

To my friends that have asked about belly photos. Sorry,I am not a belly pic. girl.

Christie

We Are Pregnant!

God has blessed us with the most precious gift. We found out today that we are having a baby! We would like to thank everyone who has supported us in our journey. We look forward to sharing this pregnancy with you and the birth of our little miracle in June. We hope to have our baby's first photo next week.

We love you all.

Jason and Christie

Girls Nite Out!

Kelly and Kim went with me on a "GIRLS NITE OUT" to the movies. We had a great time at a late movie. We went to see "Life As We Know It." However, they may NEVER let me pick the movie again. It was a little sad but also very funny. I had an amazing time. It was just what we all needed! (girl time) Thanks for a fun nite girls. I still regret not getting our pic. with the guy in the kilt!

More Good News!

Today was my second follow-up appt. since IVF. Dr. Alleman ordered another round of blood work. Dr. Alleman agreed that I could have the second set of labs drawn at Dothan OBGYN. I love the ladies at the ART clinic in Montgomery but it was so nice not to have to make the drive. Dr. Alleman's office called about 2:00 and let a message on my patient voicemail that he was very pleased with the results of my labs. He wanted me to continue with my progesterone shots each night and the other progesterone each morning. Dr. Alleman's nurse wanted me to call and schedule my first ultrasound for next week to hopefully confirm pregnancy. We hope to have some exciting news to share next week with our friends and family along with pictures. We have been so blessed with good news so far. Please continue to pray for us and the results of our ultrasound next week.

Sorry to leave you hanging!
Christie

God Is Good!

Today our doctors appt.went well. My blood work looked great. My doctor is very cautious and wants to check my levels again next week. Please continue to pray for us and for good news next week.

Love,
Christie

A picture of our tot's journey the day of the procedure. This picture was made during the embryo transfer. The little white speck is the Hughes tot. Oh, come on you know you see it! LOL

My wonderful husband starts on the remodel upstairs! Hardwood! Hardwood! Hardwood! Hopefully one of our two guest rooms will soon be a nursery.

My breakfast every morning. I have to eat fresh pineapple twice a day. Research shows that fresh pineapple and leafy vegetables have an enzyme that can help provide some "sticky" help for the embryo to implant in the lining of the uterus. I did like pineapple at one time!

The amazing chicken salad my husband feed me for lunch in bed my first day of bed rest. He made homemade chicken salad and dumplings. I needed to eat leafy salads and vegetables during the first week after IVF every meal. My mother-in-law made me potato soup the next day for lunch. I am so spoiled! I ate 4 bags of fresh peas out of the freezer during the week. I ate peas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I HAD lost 15 pounds before IVF. I have probably gained 20 pounds back in a week! I have loved every bite! I went from no appetite for 4weeks to eating everything in the whole house.

I really miss my sweethearts! I know they are in good hands!

I hope everyone has had an amazing week. It has been amazing for me to be stress-free all week. I went online several times this week trying to find a career where I could work from home and make the same amount of money, same benefits, and the same retirement package. I am sad to report that career does not exist. HA HA! Jason informed me if I could find that job he would be glad for me to stay home. Well, looks like I am back to work on Tuesday. All joking aside, I miss my sweethearts and can't wait to get back into my normal schedule. I truly didn't realize how much stress women are under at work balancing work and responsibilities at home. This week was an awaking for me. I learned that I put to much stress on myself. I want to say, pregnant women are my HERO and are hilarious! If they stay as HOT as I have been for the past several days I don't see how they don't burst into flames! I have found some interesting websites while on bed rest. One site compared our little tot in the oven to the size of a poppy seed.

I have to say that I am the luckiest person in the world to work with the most amazing women. The teachers I teach with,Carol and Frieda, planned the next weeks lesson plans/ tests, copied for me, emailed me any information in needed, checked on my sub. and asked nothing of me. I am so thankful everyday that I have to opportunity to teach with these fantastic women. My hero's, Liza Frazier and Brenda Skinner, need an award for somehow keeping my classroom running like a well-oiled machine. At no time did any of the children hang from the ceiling, cut anything off that would have to grow back, or swallow anything that we know of yet that was toxic. These women did the most amazing job and I can NEVER repay them for their hard work and dedication to me and my children. I couldn't truly been stress-free without my friends. You know when these ladies are willing to sacrifice their time and energy for you that you have been blessed with true friends! Of course, we have been so blessed with friends and wonderful family members calls, emails, gifts, and concern. My best friends have been amazing! (I can't put into words how much I needed your love and support.)My mom and dad have been to every appt. and have been so supportive emotionally and financially from the very beginning. My husband has been the most wonderful husband ever staying at home with me and babying me all week! He has also remodeled the entire upstairs of our house over the course of the week. He worked, waited on me, thought he might freeze to death because I ran the air even when it was 42 outside, installed hardwood, cooked, and cleaned. Of course, not to mention he also had to go to the dreaded doctor's appt. that no man ever wants to have to do! Liza sent me this picture at the top on Tuesday of this week which made my day. We found out on Tuesday that we lost the four embryos that we were hoping to freeze for another IVF cycle. I know that God has a plan for us and I am hoping that we will not need another IVF cycle. Please continue to pray for us! I am going Tuesday morning for my Beta pregnancy test. My appt. was set originally set for Wed. but I called and changed the date because my students are out of school on Tuesday. If the test is positive I will post our news on Tuesday night. If our test is negative it will take some time for Jason and I to talk about our journey. I know our family and friends will understand. We pray for a positve!

Love,

Christie

Pregnant Until Proven Otherwise

We started the morning with some awesome little pills and two bottles of water before my procedure. I had to have a full bladder before the transfer. The nurse did an ultrasound (outside my body WOW) to see if my bladder was full. She said I had drank maybe to much water and I could go to the bathroom a little before the procedure. I was allowed to count (5 Mississippi's) and go release a little fluid. I was so happy to get some relief. The whole procedure took about 10 minutes. I had to lay with my pelvis up for about 15 minutes and I could go home. The nurse at ART was with me through the transfer and embryo transfer. She was wonderful! She gave me a teddy bear to hold during the procedure to relax me. (Little did she know the Valium was working just fine!) I have never tired Valium before but it was AWESOME!

The procedure was a great success! We have a class 1 embryo implanted. A class 1 is the best embryo! We want know until tom. about the other embryos. Dr. Alleman said the other 4 embryos growth had slowed down today. However, that doesn't mean that want make it overnight. Please pray our embroyo loves his/her new home.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13&14

We love you all!

Christie

The Results Are In! 5 Tots Growing

I am sure that Jason and I officially have 5 of the most beautiful fertilized eggs growing in B'ham that they have ever seen. I would love to be caring for all 5 tots myself but I am sure they are in good hands. The egg retrieval was yesterday at 10:00 in B'ham. (which is not a minor procedure I can tell ya) I have been SO sick prior to the egg retrieval that I have neglected my blog. They only retrieved 5 eggs after having 14 follicles. I was very upset about the low number of eggs retrieved but to drugged to care. The shared risk program Jason and I qualified for allowed us to have 4 possible chances for IVF but we had to have 8 eggs at transfer. We will now only get 1 chance for IVF with a refund to use if we need another try. We are not going to need another try I'm sure! So, the GREAT news is that all 5 of my eggs are mature and fertilized as of this afternoon. God is good! My IVF is scheduled for Monday at 10:00 am in B'ham. I will be on bed rest for 5 days. Please keep us in your prayers!

The Fantastic 14

Great news! I went to my 2nd appt. in Montg.today. The NP (by now you have figured out the doctor is never at these appt.) did my u/s and blood work. My left and right ovary each have 7 growing follicles. That's right 14 possible eggs already! I hope I didn't give anyone a heart attack. No, we are not transferring 14 eggs just 1. However, we want as many eggs as possible to fertilize just in case we have to do IVF a second time.(Back-up plan)The culture results from last week show no bacteria growing in many uterus. The most exciting news is my lining is already very thick. This is just perfect for our future tot to snuggle in and grow after IVF in 2 weeks.The bad news is that the NP had the audacity to say we would need to go to B'ham on Sat.for another check-up. Doesn't she know ALABAMA is playing Sat.! Oh well, the things you do for your children. This is the first day of FALL.Happy Fall! I'm confused its 100 degrees outside. Enjoy your weekend! ROLL TIDE

The search is FINALLY over!

My mom and dad finally brought a new car. They went with me to transfer my warranty on my new car and ended up buying a Mercedes. I am so excited that the search is finally over!

Great News! Grow Follicles Grow! You can do it!

Sorry its been so long since my last blog. Well, I received great news from my doctor in Montgomery. My ultrasound (u/s) showed no cysts on my left or right ovaries. Cysts at this point in my cycle can delay IVF. In the back of my mind my main goal for this visit was to find out how many follicles I had on both ovaries and what size they were. (For my friends and family that are new to the infertility world a follicle is another word for possible egg. The follicle needs to measure 10 to 12 on the u/s to be considered an egg. I know almost enough to be dangerous!) Anyway, the u/s revealed several follicles growing but none measured 10 to 12 yet. The NP said that it was to early in my cycle to start measuring. She did say she would measure them at the next visit, Sept. 23rd. Of course, I am impatient and would love to know how many eggs I have so I know how many possible tots (I will refer to my eggs and fertilized embryo as tots for now) Jason and I will have to transfer. My blood work was great. My hormone levels are wonderful and my Beta was less than 5. (which means I am not pregnant imagine that) Ok, everyone knows that I love surprises. However, I have been very disappointed at the level of fun you can have at the doctors office when they say the word surprise. On my IVF calendar (the bible), it said so many abbreviations for things that I didn't have a clue what to expect. The abbreviation US CATH means they are going to stick a small catheter (IUI cath) in your uterus and drain fluid to culture. This was my surprise for the day! We want a baby! We want a baby! I repeated this the whole time they did the US CATH. This seemed to help because the NP said I did fine. A little cramping and a little spotting later we were off to pay for our procedure. We paid for IVF with the sweet receptionist and were headed home. In the waiting room, as we were leaving, I met a wonderful couple from Slocomb that were 8 weeks pregnant and in Montgomery for an ultrasound. Thank you Lord for this much needed push that everything we are doing is not in vain and the reminder that our time will come! On Sunday I will start my first STIM injection. This is two different medications, Gonal and Menopur, given in one injection that will stimulate my ovaries to produce numerous eggs. These medications make your ovaries swell because of the stimulation. The goal is to stimulate the ovaries just enough to produce lots of quality eggs. However, the ovaries should not be over stimulated or you can have a condition called OHSS Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. This can cause pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, and in rare circumstances hospitalization. Please pray for the doctors as they find the perfect level of stimulation during the next 2 weeks. Egg retrieval is scheduled tentatively for Sept. 29th or 30th. IVF is scheduled for possibly Oct. 4th. Jason and I want to thank you for all your sweet comments, emails, calls, and prayers!

And I'm Back! Long Awaited News!

Well, its been forever since my last post. I have some exciting news for my blog followers! (The people who I hope can find me. You know who you are!) Jason and I took the plunge into IVF. In September, we were approved for IVF by the ART clinic in Birmingham. Let me say this, there is absolutely nothing wrong with either one of us. PRAISE THE LORD! We are totally healthy and 100% capable of physically having a bun in the oven. My team of wonderful doctors can't decide why we haven't conceived yet. However, the Lord has not blessed us with a bundle of joy YET. So, for my friends and family that do not know the terms IVF means In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). There is another language called fertility language and all they use are abbreviations. (Don't worry I will coach ya through the terms.) Some people say, "you could never say exactly how much a baby cost." Well, Jason and I can safely say our baby cost $15,350 so far. Well worth every penny I'm sure! We will pay on Wed. and want our baby delivered on that day please!

This is a picture of all the medicine I am taking. I borrowed these pics from a friend who went through IVF. Where it all begins...Birth control and the calendar in the background. Lupron is the first injection I started last week and is given with a small diabetic needle in the tummy. I am giving these injections to myself after one of my best friends Jennie showed me what to do.(Thanks again Jennie for being so wonderful to me.) Later all four vials are used each day as a stim. I will add a second shot on day 4 of stim. I will do this for roughly 10 days. Also, antibiotics are taken about 4 or 5 days before egg retrieval.
HCG trigger shot used to release eggs for retrieval. Progesterone oil shot begins a few days after retrieval and will continue until pregnancy test and or until doc is comfortable with levels when pregnant. Also, progesterone supplement this is an insert. FUN! (we will just leave it at that) These are all the medications I will use. There is still a chance I might have to do another shot the entire pregnancy, but whatever I have to do to get pregnant I will do. I try to have a smile on my face most of the time, but I know I don't. Please keep praying for us throughout our journey. Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. Just read this verse and loved it, so I want to share...

Romans 5:3-5 says “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to endure”

My next doctors appt. is Wed. in Montgomery. More to come in the upcoming days so stay tuned!

Christie

Cooper's Watermelon Pool Party

Today Jason and I enjoyed a "watermelon pool party" with Cooper, Linda, and Shirley. We had so much fun swimming and playing with Cooper. Linda was surprised at how warm the water was in the swimming pool. She had to have the water hose in the pool for some cool relief. Shirley came out to the house to cheer Cooper on with his great swimming. Cooper loved wetting everyone with the water hose. After a couple of hours of swimming and playing we took a break for a "watermelon party" as Cooper called it. We enjoyed a great afternoon with our family!

Happy 4th of July

This 4th of July was the first year Jason and I could enjoy having our pool and pool parties. We spent the day relaxing in the pool. It was wonderful . Mom and dad came over to enjoy the beautiful weather. We are so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends to spend time with this summer at our new pool.

Cooper's Pier Park Fun

We all went to Pier Park as a surprise for Cooper. We rode the hot air balloons, airplanes and the carousel. We all had a blast especially Cooper.