30 is the new daddy

Today is a very happy day.  A day for celebrating.  For one - it's Friday.  Secondly - I have the day off work.  It also happens to be this man's birthday, whom I love so much.

My sweet sweet hubby!

My best friend, life partner, love of my life turns 30 today.  He enters a new, more refined and sophisticated, decade (yeah, right)!  I still see drinking a little too much, tailgating a little too hard, listening to Kings of Leon and Jay-Z a little too loud in our future. It is, however, a very special and exciting decade...

30 is the year my hubby will become a daddy :)

It worked - WE ARE PREGNANT!!!

We actually found out about 2 weeks ago with the blood test.  That morning I was a ball of nerves.  Chris and I made plans to meet for lunch and take the call together unsure of what to expect.  Per usual, I was running late. I was rushing trying to leave work and checked my email on the way to my car. There it was - an email from Dr. Meyer.  "Congratulations on your positive results...".  I stopped in my tracks and started crying like a baby in the middle of the parking lot.

Crying and in shock the entire way to the restaurant, I pulled myself together when I got there.  I hugged Chris and we walked in to get a table.  I immediately went to the restroom to fix my face - for what reason I'm still not sure because waterworks were off and on the rest of the day.  When I came out, I couldn't contain the news any longer and blurted out, "they haven't called yet, but I know".  The floodgates opening again as I showed him the email from Dr. Meyer.

Once we received the call from the nurses, we started calling all of our families.  It was such a surreal, emotional day.

I went back in 2 days later for a 2nd blood test to make sure levels were rising.  They were - they were actually tripling.  We were officially pregnant!  We scheduled our first ultrasound with Dr. Meyer for 2 weeks later - the morning of July 25th, Chris's 30th birthday.

2 weeks seemed like an eternity to wait.  I had seen nothing to this point saying I was indeed pregnant.  We had the phone calls with test results and that's it. I had also never had a home pregnancy test turn positive. What's a hormonal, pregnant chick to do but pee on a stick!  And, it turned positive before I even set it on the counter :)

I actually peed on 2, but whose counting...

We are still very early in the pregnancy.  Only 6 weeks.  When we found out our fresh cycle worked we were only about 4 weeks which is why we waited until today to update here. We are very aware of how critical these first 8-12 weeks are and what can happen so we are being cautiously optimistic. Most couples don't even reveal their pregnancy until 12-16 weeks.  We are a different story.  Because we opened up our lives to so many and asked for support and prayers through this battle, we felt it only right to let everyone share in our excitement and good news.

Not every IVF cycle works - we know we are one of the lucky couples.  I can't even begin to describe the gratitude and happiness that fills my every being and runs through the tips of my fingers and toes.

What an amazing birthday present for my sweet hubby.  All the grueling appointments, ultrasounds, counting and measuring follicles, hormones, bodily torture, highs and lows, 2 week waiting periods, fears - it was all worth it for this moment, this morning when we got to see our little babe's heartbeat.  It literally took my breath away. They had done 10 OB scans this morning by the time they got to me, and they said my little one's heartbeat was the strongest so far!  Our little miracle is a fighter.

Bring on the morning sickness, swelling, aching, sleeplessness, itchiness and whatever else comes with pregnancy.  It all sounds pretty amazing to me.  With it, comes a growing belly that holds the hope Chris and I once only dreamed of.

Chris and I fought our way off the lonely, scary island of infertility. We are proof that ART works. Team Boden prevailed and we are seeing our dream turn into real-life.  For those couples out there arriving to the island, wavering to make a decision on treatment, in the 2 week waiting period, or gearing up for a procedure - hang on to your hope and each other!  Chris and I will be thinking of you!

We are due March 18th - the day after St. Patrick's Day and one of our favorite holidays!

Just add a bambino with a mustache paci and we're set!

Please continue to pray for us and that our little one hangs on for the long haul. Because we are so early I continue to be a little wary.  But, my heart has never been so full of hope and I have never felt a high quite like this.

Our Hopeful

Our transfer was a week ago today.  And, it could not have been more successful (though we are still waiting on the outcome).  A week later and I am still amazed at modern medicine and how advances in technology can help couples like us. It was one of the weirdest yet coolest experiences we've had in this leg of our journey.

We were so excited walking into CC - possibilities were endless - we couldn't wait to see the 1st picture of our future babe.

Walking into CC for our transfer

They took us back to scrub out and change for the procedure.  Chris lucked out with the largest scrubs I've ever seen.  I couldn't contain my laughter from the balloon pants and dress shoe combo he was rockin'.

Once we got changed, we met with our embryologist, Jacob, to discuss our little miracle and see our 1st pictures.

Good News #1: We had 23 little embies make it to our day 5 transfer.  23 possibilities of life.  23 reasons to hope.  We never could have imagined having this kind of success when we started down this path.

Good News #2: The One Jacob selected was a 3AA.  This doesn't mean much to most, but to us we hit the emrbyo jackpot!  They use a rating scale for blastocysts to determine quality and a 3AA is the best possible rating.  Like I said, we hit the jackpot.  Jacob, the nurse and the doctor all said our little hopeful was beautiful and had developed perfectly.  We were over the moon.

At this point, we thought for sure we had tapped out our good luck and already hit our good news quota for the day.  But, it just kept getting better...

Good news #3: We had 4 other little hopefuls that met the quality criteria for cryopreservation with a potential of a couple more being ready the following day.  We were definitely going to be able to freeze 4...and we only need 1!  Seriously, could the day get ANY better?

Of course it can...

Jacob showed us pictures of our hopeful  These could be the 1st pictures of our little babe.  I didn't really understand what I was looking at...but I knew it was modern medicine at it's best.  Simply amazing.  At this point, the joy in our hearts could not be contained and a little jig was had.  Cue the waterworks - happy tears that is. VERY happy tears!

After seeing our hopeful...never been so ready...

The actual transfer procedure is quite uneventful.  Similar to a standard OB appointment.  Except that your legs are in stirrups for longer. Your bladder is so uncomfortably full you feel like you might pop (this is to help with the abdominal ultrasound which guides the needle).  And, you and yours are watching said needle insert your little hopeful into your uterus on a monitor.  Like, seeing the needle penetrate your uterus and retract. It was crazy!  How can you not tear up watching this.  SEEING your dream turning into reality.   Hope at life. Hope at a new life.  Hope at becoming a family of 3 (maybe 4)...it was amazing!

To limit stress and distractions, I rested the remainder of the day dreaming of what might be.  I also did some hard core cuddling with my original babies...

Now we wait.  We go in Wednesday for our pregnancy blood test.  They will call with the results as they have with all the other results..  I would be lying if I said that doesn't scare the absolute shit of me.  So many "unfortunatelys" with those calls.  So much heartache.  This time, I am praying that it's a different sort of call. One full of life. One that ends with a happy dance and 9 months of sobriety!!

Thank you thank you thank you for the continued prayers, thoughts and well wishes!