Seven Weeks

I am now seven weeks pregnant! Now that things are moving along, I don't want to muddy the point of this blog. I want to leave this blog as a tool for others facing infertility. I have always chosen to be open about our struggles in hopes that it would help somebody else struggling feel less alone. I hope that now this can be used as a source of encouragement to provide hope for those who believe they will never surpass the horror of infertility. I want others to be able to look at this and think, if it can happen for this girl who battled this for five years, a girl who went through multiple surgeries and so many treatments (from Clomid to IUI to multiple IVFs to ICSI and finally our *FET* that landed us here), then there is hope for me too. There is ALWAYS hope. Have faith in God, have faith that He is working out your very own plan. As you read this you will see that I have been through the valleys and the peaks and I have navigated the stages of grief. I can't say it was easy, but I can truthfully say that I have found a way to be thankful for this journey. Because of my relentless experience, I know that I will have an appreciation and love for my child that I never would have without experiencing all of these heartache and efforts. For that, I am eternally grateful for this journey.

On that note, I will leave you with my new blog link that will follow our new journey. It is: http://jasonandcourtneeplusone.blogspot.com/

5,046

My HCG yesterday was 5,046! We wanted at least 2,386! Haha! Twins? I can't wait until my ultrasound Friday!!!

More Blood Testing

Last Monday I had another blood test and we were hoping my HCG would be at least 180. It was 298!!! Things are looking good! I have one more blood draw tomorrow morning. My ultrasound is scheduled for this Friday, May 4. I can't wait to find out whether or not we are having twins! :)

...and then there was three, or four!

I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE IT STILL! How on earth did this happen? What the?! Okay, I know how it happened... if there is one thing I am highly (probably annoyingly) educated on it's how babies are made. But holy cow, MY baby or babies were stubborn little toots. Let me just share where we are.

As of today, I'm 4 weeks pregnant. We found out on Sunday and remained very cautiously optimistic. On Monday morning, I went for my first hCG beta blood test and it came back at a 6.5. (Anyone want to argue that First Response early result tests aren't sensitive as whoop?) Anyway, if anyone was ever "a little bit" pregnant, that was me on Monday. In order for a pregnancy to be considered viable, it is expected that the hCG number will double every 48 hours. Today was my second test and I was hoping for at least 13. My hCG was at a 30 today! PRAISE THE LORD!

Twins perhaps? Highly likely... I figured I wouldn't scare everybody with that news yet! HAHA!

ps- sorry for lying about my test on the 23rd, I didn't want everyone asking me all week. But anyone who knows me knows I would never wait until the date the doctor suggests to pee on a stick. Pfffft please! Like I can't take the few days of negative tests before it turns positive, I've survived at least 5,475,238 negative tests in my lifetime so far.

Frozen Embryo Transfer & Adoption Orientation

Hiatus over! I just haven't felt like constantly updating this blog after the last negative pregnancy test. However, yesterday morning we transferred our two remaining cryopreserved embryos from our IVF cycle last July. The embryos looked amazing! They both survived the thawing process and even began hatching from their zona pellucida while waiting to be transferred into my uterus. Now we just wait until my pregnancy test on April 23. Here is a photo of our beautiful babies yesterday!

We have officially decided this will be our last try at trying to conceive at this point. Maybe in the future, as technology improves, we will revisit the thought. As of right now, our goal is to bring a child into our lives to love, nurture and share all the joys that we are so blessed to experience in our lives.

This brought us to our decision of adoption. Toward the end of last year, we met with our pastor John and his wife Jessica who have adopted children themselves.  Back in January, we turned in our application to see if we qualified to adopt. We were accepted into the adoption agency and today we attended an orientation with them in Houston. As soon as we walked in the door we were greeted with huge smiles and HUGS! It was such a warm and welcoming atmosphere. These people truly care for each and every adoptive family and birth family. They have a complete passion for what they do. I immediately felt serene and very excited to be there and Jason did as well.

If you've been following my blog from the beginning, you know that never experiencing pregnancy and a biological child seemed like something I could never accept. I can't fully explain it, but I strongly believe that after a lot of prayer the Lord has laid this method of building our family on my heart. I have accepted the fact that I may never experience seeing a heartbeat on an ultrasound, feeling the kicks of a precious miracle inside of me or giving birth. God has given me the peace I have requested on this. I believe God has so many unique blessings waiting for our family if this is the route we end up going.

When I say we lay this in God's hands, I mean it. If God's plan is for us to have a biological child, I pray these precious embryos inside my womb grow to become happy, healthy children. If that is not His plan for us, we have fully accepted our next step and are very excited to embark on a new journey. Please pray for God's continued hand on our hearts through this experience. :)