Successful Egg Retrieval

Here's a quick post about today's procedure. I had my egg retrieval done this morning and it went well. They use "conscious sedation" for this one, so I don't remember much at all. Jer watched the whole thing. As they aspirate each follicle, they take the tube to the embryologist, and they look to see if there is an egg there. We had 12 eggs, but a few of them were from smaller follicles and are likely immature. Anyway, it was a great result! I feel relieved that those eggs are out of me--I was worrying about them all the time! We won't know anything more until the embryologist calls us Saturday to let us know how the fertilization went. The waiting game begins. Tonight my shot-free streak (okay it was one day) is over. I have to start the one I've been dreading from the beginning. It's called progesterone in oil and it goes into the buns (really more like hip) through a gigantoid needle--every night!! I'm not sure I'll ever be able to give this one to myself. If I get pregnant I continue it the whole first trimester. Each time you need an intramuscular injection, the nurses draw a bullseye with a sharpie where the shot should go. I've now got one marked on each hip so Jer will know what to aim for. I find that part kind of funny. One of the nurses called them my infertility tatts. All of my docs and nurses have been great, and I am truly grateful for the miracles of modern medicine that make this a possibility!

New Post Below!

Because I uploaded the pics a few days ago, my newest post is actually underneath this one. That's annoying. Anyone know how to switch the order of posts in Blogger? Anyway, for new news see the "Family Fun" post dated Sunday below.

More Than a Dozen Eggs

Last night I uploaded a bunch of cute pics to blog about but haven't quite gotten around to it. That will have to be next post. For now, here's a quick update on our IVF cycle. Today I had an ultrasound and everything is looking great. I have 14 follicles that may get big enough. Right now only three of them are large enough, so I'm continuing with the shots and I have to go back tomorrow for another ultrasound and bloodwork. I'm just glad it worked. I had this horrible fear of going in and them seeing nothing. The doc who will do our egg retrieval is great. She's a woman and one of the few docs there that I've never had, but I've heard really good things about her. So depending on how tomorrow goes our egg retrieval will be Thurs. or Fri. Aside from a really sore stomach, feeling swollen these last few days, and a short-lived emotional breakdown today I've been feeling okay. I haven't had any nasty side effects like some people do. Why is it typing in italics??? I cannot make it stop. Thanks for all the good lucks!

Family Fun

Hi! I put these pics on a few days ago but never got around to writing anything. So it's actually Tuesday 7/29 and this is my newest post!

Before I get to the "family fun" here's a quick IVF update. I went in for another ultrasound and blood work today. Now 8 of my follicles are large enough that they will probably get mature eggs from them. I was a little worried that it was too few, but my doc reassured me that 8-12 is ideal. She says more is not always better because you can hyperstimulate. I had a blood estrogen done to verify that I'm ready. The girl taking my blood apologized that it was going to leave a bruise, and I told her no big deal it would match my stomach. I've actually felt really positive and had a sense of humor about most of this so that's been a plus. My blood work came back at the right levels, so our ER is now scheduled for Thursday morning. Jer just gave me my hCG injection to get my follicles ready to roll. He went home teaching, came home promptly at 8:45, and then had to go to his other home teaching appointment. We kind of laughed about him injecting and running, but there's really nothing to wait around for. I'm not sure I can do these intramuscular ones I'm starting. It's a big old needle that goes directly into the buttocks! Tomorrow is an injection free day--yea--my only one for weeks! I'm stoked. I'll update on Thursday after the retrieval and post a few pics I've taken of all my injection paraphernalia.

Now for the fun my kids have been having, especially with grandparents, the last week or so:

Last week Luke spent the night at Boyd and Cid's house. He had such a fun time. He helped grandma around the house, visited his great-grandparents, rode bikes with K'Lee, and fished! He and K'Lee fished in the pond (Jer's parents have a pond at their house--very fun), and then they got the boat out and went to Glendale to catch some bass. TJ and Amy went along on that little adventure, and they caught quite a few. Luke wanted to keep the ones he caught--not to eat though. They caught and released instead. Luke also went for a swim in the reservoir with grandpa and TJ. He had so much fun!!!


Jer, Seth, and I rode up Saturday afternoon to retrieve Luke. He didn't even care we'd been gone. Seth and Addison chilled at grandma's house for a while. They are cute together until they want the same thing!


Jer is really desperate to get in the water I guess, so he took his kayak out in his parent's pond to play around. Luke ran right over and hopped on when he got back from fishing.


A few days later I was visiting my parents, and my dad even took time off work to go to the Dinosaur Park with us for a while. Luke and my dad are feeding the ducks there.




Luke absolutely loved it. He ran from dino to dino saying "look at this one." Each one was just as exciting as the last. He also cheesed and posed for every pic I asked him too. Amazing.


We are riding a dino if you can't tell.


Seth liked the swings best.

Jer has been slaving away in the yard to finish the sprinklers. I am married to a hard-working man! It has been so hot and miserable for all of his outside work. We will have a lawn soon. The boys love being outside and Luke especially loves "working" with his dad. He thinks his dad is the best thing ever. The other night Jer helped a lady by jumping her battery while we waited in the car and Luke told me that "daddies can do everything." I thought that was so cute. He's right though, his daddy pretty much can do everything. I'll keep him.


Seth is growing up so fast. He is such a big, husky kid and so cute! He has become quite the handful. We took the kids to see Wall-e on Friday and that was crazy. He loved it for a while and then not so much. He loves to throw his binky as hard as he can and then throw a huge fit because he wants it back. That thing is both a blessing and a curse--I really need to get rid of it soon. Jer and I both had to climb over the row several times to retrieve it. How many adults does it take to keep track of Seth's binky?? I'm not sure but more than two.


Luke working with his dad. He is so proud of his new shovel that Jer got him. He actually put sprinkler heads together and followed Jer around digging for quite a while. He loves those camo boots. If it rains, they are rain boots. If he's working, they are work boots. If he's playing with his friend Max (whose grandpa is a dairy farmer) then they are his "milk" boots or "cow" boots. I would think his feet were really sweaty inside those rubber boots in 100 degree weather!

Just like dad.

Well, that's it for us. I'll give another update once we know the status of our egg retrieval/fertilization. Thanks for all the good lucks and prayers, we really appreciate it.

IVF Update and Memory Tag

Here's a quick update on our IVF cycle. The Lupron shots have been no big deal and at my ultrasound last Thursday everything was suppressed as it should be. Today I started my "stims" which are injections to stimulate my ovaries to make lots of eggs. I now do Lupron, Follistim, and Repronex each day. They are all subcutaneous (that means under the skin--with a small needle) so it's not too bad. The Repronex is a pretty large volume, so it left quite a sting but I was expecting that. The nurses adequately scared me about the discomfort to come with these "stims" this next week or so. Apparently my grape-sized ovaries are about to become grapefruits. (I made that up.) She did say they would get to be about 10X their normal size and that it would be quite unpleasant. Yea for me. I'm actually just excited to be moving along with this process--it's quite nerve wracking and tedious. My tentative schedule for the ER (egg retrieval) will be sometime the middle of next week. Until then it's giant ovaries and no exercise for me. At least I have an excuse. On to something else:

I've seen this on a few blogs and it seems fun. Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together, or one of the first memories you have of me. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

I think this could be fun. Go easy on me though. Some of you could really dish the dirt!

Digi Scrapping

Hi! I know this will come as a shock to most, but I took a class last week about digital scrapbooking with Photoshop Elements. I've been using Photoshop Elements to catalog my pics for a long time and I knew it could do cool stuff, so I decided to figure it out. It was actually really fun. As you know, I do not scrapbook. I have never had one ounce of desire to do it. I do love to take pictures though. I take tons and then just print out some and put them in books. Anyway, I'm going to give this a shot with pics taken this year because I haven't made any prints since Christmas pictures. I'm posting a few of my pages. They're nothing to write home about. I've actually done quite a few--if you're ok with simple you can do them quite fast. The nice thing is that all of the paper, embellishments...can be downloaded for free so it's way cheaper than actual scrapbooking. Well, that's it. I never thought I'd see the day I was making a post about scrapbooking. The thought of actually getting out paper and scissors and all that stuff makes me crazy...I'm so not crafty. I love fiddling on the computer though. I could see how this could become addicting. It's fun and there's tons of cute stuff out there for free! This may be most boring post in history. Sorry!

Mischief Makers

A man on a mission.

My kids have been keeping me busy so far this summer. I love that they can play outside so much. We still don't have a yard, so they are both filthy at the end of each day. These boys can make a mess with the best of them, but they're lots of fun!


Seth loves being on the couch right now. He can't get up there by himself or stay up there without bailing off, but he whines until you help him. Notice Luke's glasses. That's one of the last times they were seen in one piece. We make about a weekly trip to the store where he got his glasses (luckily Jer's friend is an optometrist there) and get his glasses adjusted. They are the best! I think they just shake their heads when they see me coming. It's the same drill everytime: they take Luke's glasses, my kids play with the Monster's Inc. toys, the glasses are tweaked back into shape, and Luke needs to stay for "one more minute" to play. Well, this last time the glasses were destroyed, and we had to take them in pieces. Luke has yet to fess up about what happened to them. He was playing outside with his two neighborhood buddies at the time: enough said. Now he is wearing the glasses he got at age one until his new ones can be completely repaired/replaced. Four-year-olds and glasses--not a good combo.


Seth the destroyer.

This is why I don't normally shower when Seth is awake. I made this critical error the other day and Seth really had a heyday in the bathroom. He really went to town with the feminine products then moved on to the toilet paper which he had lots of fun unwinding. Luke came in right before I got out and acted so shocked that Seth would make a mess. He was quick to point it out to me and add that he had no part in it! Seth will open any cabinet, drawer, you name it...he is into everything right now.


Good times and Otter Pops.

Between Luke and his little friends we have gone through the Otter Pops this year. Seth now loves them too, but he can't push it up for the next bite. As seen in the picture, he holds it out for assistance between each bite.

Earlier this same day Luke had on quite the getup. He was wearing his undies, pj top, camo rain galoshes, his eye patch, and he was holding a sword. He saw Peter Pan recently and is really into pirates and Captain Hook. I took a pic but didn't dare post it for fear some weirdo would check out my blog. Luke and Seth both went around all morning with these little cannonball toys in their mouths (it's basically like a plastic lollipop). I pointed out that maybe that wasn't the best idea and this was Luke's response: "Me and Seth are "drifferent" kind of robots and we use these to breathe under the water." Oh, why didn't I think of that.

Luke has also found a new love for peeing outside. I try to discourage it but boys will be boys. The other day I went out and Luke said, "guess where I just peed?" I was scared to guess, but he informed me that it was "in the hole." I thought that was the big dug out area in the backyard, but it was actually in the window well. Nice.

Last but not least, this is the exchange Luke and I had in the bathroom tonight:
(I had to use the bathroom while the kids were in the tub. I was very quick, and I thought it might go uncommented on, but no...)
Luke: "Why does your bum cover the whole hole?" (referring to the toilet seat)
Me: "Because I'm big."
Luke: "You're not that big. Daddy's bum is fatter."

Hah! So not true. Jer and I got a good laugh out of it. Sorry that most of this post (and several others) revolves around bodily functions, but that seems to be a big part of raising little kids. Here's to funny kids!

4th of July Fun

This kid loves the water! We had a great time at Bear Lake. I have spent this holiday at the lake almost every year of my life thanks to my aunt and uncle's hospitality. My cousins were my surrogate sisters growing up, and we are still close. It is fun now to see our kids become friends. Thanks for the memories!


Luke had fun at the beach. He spent a lot of time eating snacks and socializing. He also loved swimming in the pool--thanks to mom and Tonia for taking him!


This floaty thing was a big hit. Seth has no fear and kept going under, so Jer eventually put him in the side pouch which you are supposed to use for a cooler to play in. He loved it!


Luke and Jordan going for a boat ride. Luke also went behind the boat in the tube. Lance took Jer and I on a ride that had my teeth rattling. No waterskiing this year--too choppy.


Luke and Samantha. Luke would not look at the camera.

We also enjoyed the fireworks they do from the beach. Seth pointed at them and was totally amazed. Luke gave detailed descriptions of the colors in each one. Seth did give me a scare earlier that day. Jer went golfing with a group before the fireworks, so I was on my own for this one. Seth choked on some trail mix and was not breathing. It scared the crap out of me, but I guess instincts kicked in and I flipped him over with his head down and gave him major back pounds. It did the trick. It was probably only 10 or 15 seconds, but he was pale for a good 15 minutes after (so was I). I could really do without that kind of stuff as a mom!

All in all it was a great weekend. The kids rode bikes, swam in the pool, played at the beach, rode in the boat, ate ice cream, watched fireworks...a kid's paradise! My cousin Jodi also took the kids, including Luke, mini golfing and they had a blast. I asked Luke after what he did and he looked at me like I was really slow and said, "hit the ball in the hole." Of course! What else would you do mini golfing? After our day at the beach Seth had so much sand in his diaper that it weighed about 5 pounds. He was getting grouchy and I guess it was those seashells he was sitting on! Good times.

No Turning Back Now--IVF Here We Come

We had a very fun, busy weekend. I headed with the kids to Bear Lake on Wednesday, but then I had to head down to SLC for a doctor's appointment on Thursday. I left my kids at the lake with my mom and cousins, and they had a blast. Jer and I ran in the Freedom Run Friday morning. I was sweating bullets about this one because it was a 15K and my running has been sporadic at best. Fortunately about 7 of those 9.3 miles were mostly downhill. At mile 7 there was a good uphill and then mostly flat to the finish. I wanted to stay around 9-minute-miles and I did, so it turned out fine. I really need to get out and train and then enter a race so I can actually do my best. We decided to do this last minute, so I went out on two 5.5 mile runs this past week--just enough to make me stiff for the race! Oh well, it was fun. There were a lot of people we knew there. Jer finished in 1:17 and me in 1:25. We both decided we've got to bite the bullet and just get out and put in some pounding road miles. That's not either of our favorite things to do. People talk about that runner's high. I think I have yet to feel that. I feel mostly runner's misery. One other highlight of the race was when I desperately needed to pee about mile 4.5. I finally had to head off into the bushes and even peed my pants some. Awesome! My bladder and running are not good partners. That was a good minute of my time taking care of that little fiasco and then running back out onto the road to surprise the runners that were passing at the time! I actually needed to go before but the line for the port-a-potties was huge and then the race started. We headed back up to Bear Lake right after that and had a great time until Saturday. I'll post the pics soon.

The real point of this post is about IVF. Jer and I have started our in vitro fertilization cycle--if you have no idea what I'm talking about--this is the big one as far as fertility treatments go. We have put a lot of thought into what our next move should be to grow our family. We would really love for Luke and Seth to have at least one more sibling. I feel like there is supposed to be another addition (or two) to our family. We have considered the adoption option a lot. Adopting Seth was an amazing experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. I am thankful everyday that he is a part of our family. I guess I just want to give one last try to getting pregnant. I know it may sound weird, but I want to have the experience of being pregnant and giving birth one more time if it's possible. I'm not getting any younger here, so we are going for it. If it doesn't work, Jer and I are both very open to the idea of putting our adoption papers in again.

This process takes forever. We won't be done until the second week in August, and we won't know if we're pregnant for another two weeks. I'll keep you updated. In a nutshell, IVF involves getting your body to produce lots of eggs and then retrieving them, fertilizing them in the lab, and then transferring embryos (we will do two) back to the womb. Our docs give us about a 60% chance of success. If we do get pregnant, our clinic has about a 50% twin rate. It is quite the rigorous and expensive process, so I am so hopeful that it will work. I'm just trying to take it one step at a time and not get too ahead of myself.

When I went down Thursday I learned how to give myself the first set of injections. It's called Lupron and it keeps me from ovulating, so that they can control my ovulation with other injections instead. I've done two so far and it's not bad. The needle is small and it goes into your belly. Luckily I am not squeamish about stuff like that. We've paid the money and started so this is it. When I think about it too much I feel incredibly nervous and sick to my stomach so I try not to. What we won't do to get some more little munchkins in our life! They are worth it though.

Potty Talk

I remember before I had kids seeing this commercial about a lady who must have been a former English teacher or something. After a day spent at home with her baby she says something to her husband about "iambic pentameter-wameter." The point is that she uses baby talk even when trying to have an adult conversation. I have found myself doing this lately, and now I realize Jer has fallen victim as well. Our word is "potty." Today I told Luke and his little friend that I would get them a popsicle after I went "potty." As I was sitting on the "potty" (with the door locked so they didn't join me), I was thinking about how I never use the word bathroom anymore. Apparently Jer doesn't either. The other day he told me and another adult that he would be back after he "used the potty." He was not referring to a port-a-potty but an actual bathroom--I think we have both just forgotten the term. Anyway, it kind of made me chuckle. Maybe we need to get out more????