Sunday, April 22, 2012

It's a Boy!!

Bring on the blue! We are so thrilled to announce we are having a baby boy! It never mattered to Boe and I if we had a boy or girl we were just so excited for a baby! I had been feeling though it was a boy all along. In my first trimester I was starving all the time, I felt like I was feeding a growing teenage boy. Also all my baby dreams were of baby boys. So I was not surprised one bit! Boe knew it was a boy as well and could tell right away at our Ultrasound. He was not shy he showed us the goods! lol Since my family lives far away we sent them a picture (I got the idea off Pintrest) and for Boes family we baked a blue cake. And they found out once we cut into it! We had so much fun telling our families! We of course went shopping right after our appointment and bought him a couple outfits. This boy is spoiled already! Can't wait for him to get here so we can put him in all the cute things we got. And my sweet sisters have sent me there baby clothes from their boys. Boe is so thrilled to be getting his boy! I know he is going to be handsome just like his dad! We cannot wait to meet him! We love you baby boy!

Journey to Baby

It's no secret that Boe and I have been trying to have a baby for the past 3 years or so. And it did not come easily. These past 3 years or so have been very hard with many ups and downs. We have learned so much, are faith has been tested, we have grown stronger as a couple, and our love for one another has been strengthed. Infertility is not easy and it took a long time for us to come to terms with. We have been blessed with wonderful caring Doctors and nurses along the way, been blessed financially, and with great Insurance. We have had such a great support system full of family and friends. We strated to investigate our infertility in the fall of 2010. We tried clomide (unsuccessful), 4 IUI's (Intrauterine Insemination) and lastly IVF ( Invitro Fertilization). We started IVF in the spring of 2011. It was the first time we felt we had a chance at getting pregnant. We started our fresh cycle in April which included many Dr.'s visits, lots and lots of shots, and a handful of ultrasounds. Once my ovaries were nice and stimulated we retrieved 12 eggs. We implanted 2 embryos. Those 14 days waiting to see if they took were the longest of our lives! To our surprise we found out we were pregnant! We were thrilled! The Dr. wanted to continue to check my HCG levels to make sure my numbers were going up like they should. But unfortunately they weren't doubling. There was concern over an eptoic pregnancy or the baby had stopped growing. I had to come down for an early ultrasound right away. Boe had to work so I had to make the 3 hour trip to Utah alone (worst idea ever). The ultrasound confirmed our worst fears. The Dr. said the gestational sac looked like it had collapsed within itself. My Dr. tried to reassure me that it was most likely natures way of protecting me from an unhealthy baby. But just to be sure they wanted to do a follow-up Ultrasound the next week. I was crushed and heartbroken. I needed Boe there with me. Luckily I have 2 sisters that live in Utah so I was able to go see them and find the comfort I needed until I drove back to Idaho. The next weeks Ultrasound showed an empty uterus and I "offically" miscarried 2 days later. Worst pain I have ever experienced. We took the required 3 month break and than in Sept 2011 we tried again. This time we did a frozen cycle which still requires shots but no stimulation. So it's alot easier on the body. Due to our embryos not being in as great of shape after being frozen we decided to implant 3 this time. Again another long wait but unfortunately none of them took. After 2 heartbreaking cycles we debated whether or not to try again. I was physically and emotionally drained. I had put my body through so much that past year and I was ready for a break. After many talks, fasting, and prayers we decided to try just one last time before the year was up. This time we decided to try a new Infertility Clinic.We are so glad we did. Not that the first clinic was bad but the second one was so much more personal and our results were better. We had one nurse and one Dr.this time who watched us closely and checked on us often. It was a new set of medications/shots with a slightly different regimine. We retrieved 24 eggs (this is fabulous results), 23 were mature (which is awesome and very rare to have that many), and 7 were excellent or top quality (they said that almost never happens) and 6 were great quality. We implanted 2 embyros two days after my birthday and found out Dec 29th we were expecting.Greatest birthday/Christmas present ever! This time my HCG level was high so no concern! I peed on 5 sticks just to be sure. We had our first Ultrasound in Jan. at 5 weeks and were able to see our baby's heartbeating. We were a little surprised we weren't having 2 but we didnt mind we just felt so blessed. We are so thankful and grateful for the wonderful Dr.'s, Embryologists, Nurses that took such good care of us and our embryos. I am again so thankful for wonderful family members and friends who prayed and fasted for us. I am very grateful for my mother who let me call her constantly and vent/talk/cry her ear off. She is such a strength to me. And to Boe who is my rock I could not have made it through with anyone but him. Our bond and love have grown so much and am thankful he was always there for me with his healing hugs. And we are especially thankful for a loving Heavnely Father who gave us the strength and faith to get through. This baby is going to be so loved. Im starting out 25lbs heavier than I would like due to all the hormones I have been on this past year and half but I dont even care this baby is totally worth it. IVF is obviously not the first choice of way of getting pregnant but honestly it is such a neat process its amazing how far science has come and I am grateful for it because without we wouldnt have this precious baby of ours and 7 more embryos waiting for a chance! : )
My box of all my medications/shots
This is me waking up from our retrival in Dec. I look high as a kite
Baby's first picture! This is a picture of the 2 embryos we implanted in Dec. Not sure which one became our baby.

1 + 1 =3

We are so thrilled to announce we are having a baby!!! We are due Sept. 3 2012!We found out Dec. 29th so it was the best late Christmas Present ever! Even though we found out through a blood test I still peed on 5 sticks just for fun! I am now 21 weeks and feeling great! This pregnancy hasn't been to bad so far. Was only really sick between weeks 6-9. I feel huge already but im loving the bump! Boe is so thrilled about becoming a dad! He loves to touch the belly and can't wait for when he can feel the baby kick! I haven't felt any real distinct movements yet, there have been a few times that I think I felt movement. At our last ultrasound I asked about the location of the placenta and it's in the front so she said I probably wouldnt feel movement until I was farther along. That happened to my sister as well so I'm thinking probably in the next couple weeks I will know the movement for sure. We are in love with this baby already and can't wait to for Sept! We feel so blessed and honored to get the chance to raise one of Heavenly Fathers special spirits! Only 19 more weeks to go!!
Baby G at 11 wks
The bump at about 18 weeks
Baby G waving at us! 18 wks