My lining is still thin for the meds that I've been on. It's at 7.8mm and ideal is over 8mm. Also, my follicles are still a little on the smaller side. I had three, one at 7.82mm, one at 9.9mm, and one at 8.21mm. At trigger time, we want them to be around 18 to 20mm. So I was put on additional medication and have to do a daily injection for four days. Then on Monday morning I will go back in for another ultrasound to see how I'm responding. They did take blood for a progesterone test just to make sure that I didn't ovulate super early for some reason. I'm sure hoping that's not the case!!! I'll know the results on that tomorrow.
Today the ultrasound went….well, it went. It wasn't good news but not really bad news either.
My lining is still thin for the meds that I've been on. It's at 7.8mm and ideal is over 8mm. Also, my follicles are still a little on the smaller side. I had three, one at 7.82mm, one at 9.9mm, and one at 8.21mm. At trigger time, we want them to be around 18 to 20mm. So I was put on additional medication and have to do a daily injection for four days. Then on Monday morning I will go back in for another ultrasound to see how I'm responding. They did take blood for a progesterone test just to make sure that I didn't ovulate super early for some reason. I'm sure hoping that's not the case!!! I'll know the results on that tomorrow.
1 Comment
I've been here in Fort Worth for a full day now. I got in Tuesday evening after having to change my flights around since my Houston to Dallas leg had been cancelled from the ice storm. I ended up flying into Denver and then down from there a little later in the day.
When I got in to the hotel, I crashed in my room watching some Breaking Bad and ordering room service. The hotel that I'm staying in is really nice and their food is delicious! The lady even brought me 5 chocolate dipped strawberries (my favorite!). She said that since it was so late and they would have to toss them in the morning she figured she would include them with my order! Nom, nom, nom! This morning I woke up and had breakfast downstairs, watched a little more BrBa (I'm in the middle of a Netflix marathon binge) while my food settled and then I went to the gym to run. After I got back, I heard that there was a potential surrogate at Dr. K's looking to kill some time before her flight left this evening so after showering, myself and another current surrogate met up with her for lunch. Sadly, they found polyps on her uterus that she'd have to have removed before proceeding as a surrogate so she won't be contracting this time around. It made me realize how lucky I am to be so fertile and reproductively healthy! (Knock on proverbial wood.) This evening, I went downstairs to order dinner and while I was waiting, I met Trevor Romain and his associate, Woody Englander, from Austin, TX. They own a company that travels around the world to military bases speaking with military children and helping them cope with deployed, injured, and passed parents. They work with the USO to give military kids "kits" to help them through the process. It's really amazing what they do! We discussed their company, Sorrell's and my time in the military, and surrogacy. They were both ver interested in my being a surrogate and said that I should write a book about my experience! Lol Anyway, it was a great day and I'm gonna wrap it up with a couple of more episodes of BrBa. Then tomorrow at 1pm we get to see how things are coming along and hopefully know D-Day! I went for my baseline ultrasound yesterday morning. Everything looked good. My lining was thin, I had 10 follicles on the left and 15 on the right and I didn't have any cysts on either. So last night I started my estrogen and Clomid.
This weekend I'll be in Phoenix for a board meeting for my sorority. I'm leaving this evening and get back on Sunday evening. Fortunately the only meds that I have to worry about taking while I'm away are the Clomid and estrogen, both of which are just pills. The estrogen does make me a little nauseous so flying might suck more than normal but I'll survive! I'll be home Monday and then I turn around and leave Tuesday morning for Fort Worth. Looks like I am just staying out there the entire time because the rental car and hotel are booked through February 5th for now and we'll just adjust accordingly if the IUI is sooner. I am getting sooo excited and I'm feeling very positive about this journey. Jonathan is glad that I'm thinking positively since sometimes that's all that it takes for success. I told him that I think my body just knows that we're trying to get pregnant because I had gained a few pounds, just like I did last time right before the procedure. Sorrell says that it's my body's way of gearing up for creating life….fattening up, so to speak! Whatever, as long as it works! Well it took forever but I finally started my cycle yesterday. I called to let Michelle know and her and Kristen got things rolling. I will be scheduling my baseline ultrasound today at a clinic right up the road from me. The specialty pharmacy will be mailing out my meds today as soon as Jonathan gives them a call to arrange payment. I'll be getting my Clomid and estrogen pills (to help thicken my uterus lining) and possibly also my Ovidrel (trigger shot) like last time. I start the Clomid and estrogen tomorrow. Clomid is taken for five days and I'll stay on the estrogen until around week 12 of pregnancy or a negative blood test.
Kristen is booking my flight out the DFW for the 28th and I have an appointment with Dr. K to check my lining and follicles and determine triggering time, which will in turn determine IUI timing. Michelle said that the IUI would probably be between the 1-3 of February. I'm still waiting to see if I'm going to go out to Fort Worth for two days, come back, and then go back out there a few days later for the IUI or if they're just going to keep me out there for a week. Either way is fine with me though. We did it!! We managed to get our contract completed and finalized yesterday and today Sorrell and I had our copy signed and notarized and Jonathan had his copy signed and notarized!
Funny thing is, there wasn't as much of a rush as we thought. Since she knew that we would be done by Monday or Tuesday at the latest, she actually went ahead and cleared me for meds with the clinic yesterday morning before I had even reviewed the contract with my lawyer. Not to mention, that I'm still waiting for Aunt Flo to visit anyway! Apparently, I miscalculated my cycle. When I hadn't started by this afternoon I was wondering what was going on. I'm technically not due until today. Not to mention that with the stress of moving to high altitude location, I'll likely be a little late anyway. Regardless, the hard part is over with and so now it's just a matter of chance. Once my cycle starts I will notify Michelle at Fort Worth Fertility. She'll order my ultrasound and Clomid and then we will start monitoring my lining and follicles and scheduling the IUI! Eeek! I'm so excited. Today I started meditating, visualizing clean oxygen being breathed into my ovaries and uterus to keep them healthy and vital and primed and my body being prepared to create new life. Hey, positive thinking, imagery and relaxation can't hurt, right? Anything is still possible but it's going to be one hell of a close call if we actually make the deadline! Contracts have to final approved by tomorrow in order for them to be signed and I still haven't seen it.
Jonathan texted me 11:35am my time saying that the review was finished and his lawyer was making the changes now. Since then, I haven't heard anything. I don't know if she is sending the contract to my lawyer or to me or if someone else at Simple will get it first, like Kristen, and then forward it to me or what. The thing is that my lawyer and I still have to review is (a good couple hour procedure) and should there be any changes needed on my end, my lawyer changes it, sends it back to Jonathan's lawyer, they review it and either approve or make more changes. Because there is so much "middle man" that happens, and I still haven't even laid eyes on it, I'm wary of our deadline. If not, we have next month, of course, but we don't even know if the first IUI will work! I'm hoping that I'll get an email and/or a call any minute from my lawyer, we'll review the contract, make any necessary changes, and it'll get final approval by tomorrow afternoon so that Jonathan and Sorrell and I can print out our copies and sign and notarize them! Oh how these next couple of days are going to go so slowly!! Waiting to hear about something is the worst! I am hoping and praying and keeping my fingers crossed that I get a ding on my phone today for a text from Jonathan saying that he received the contract. I really think that it has to be done today or tomorrow at the absolute latest for us to make the January IUI. I still have to do my review with my lawyer and have it re-reviewed by Jonathan if anything changes in it. Also, I have to get my ultrasound set up and start Clomid on day 4 of my cycle. Not to mention that when I last spoke with Jonathan, he informed me that apparently the contracts have to be signed at least two weeks prior to the actual IUI. That gives us a very short window. To keep me occupied in the meantime, I've been working on projects that I'm overseeing in my position as VP of Programs for my sorority. My team and I are developing a leadership development program so I'm working on that. Also, I'm getting geared up to start my midwifery internship hopefully. I'm going to meet with my potential preceptor after Feb 9th when she gets back from vacation. I'm ready to start now but I have to make sure that I can with me going to Texas once a month for prenatal appointments and for two months in the fall if I get pregnant. Obviously I can't be on call during those times. As long as she's okay with me suspending my training while I'm in Texas, then I'm going to start. I have 4 years to complete my apprenticeship so I don't want to apply for my student license until I know I can actually start. So I'm just waiting not-so-patiently and hoping for good news! Agh!! I'm so excited...can you tell? ;) ******AFTERNOON EDIT*******
Johnathan just texted me: contract is in his email and he will be reviewing it tonight!!!! Wooohooo! This shit just got real, yo! Just heard two great things today!! First, Kristen finally got back to me and confirmed that the 90 day residency requirement is not a hard fast rule. So we don't have to stress about when we get to Texas (as long as it's before baby! lol). Whew! That was really stressing me out!
Second, Jonathan texted me today and said that it looks like contracts might be done by tomorrow. Tomorrow!! That means that we just might make the IUI at the end of the month!! I feel so relieved and excited again about how everything is working out. I'm no longer secretly hoping that we have to switch to NM because there isn't this pressure to be in Texas by 6 months pregnant. In fact, we're back to our original plan of being out there for only a couple of months. And if baby wants to be difficult and I go into labor super early before I'm out there, it only takes three hours to get within Texas state lines! Lol. But let's hope that doesn't happen. So, Jonathan will hopefully get the contract tomorrow to review and then get it sent over to me. I'll call Michelle at FWF when my period starts again (its due around Friday) and she'll get me set up for my ultrasound and hopefully start Clomid next week. Then it'll be a waiting game with monitoring to get ready for the IUI! It's all (potentially) happening so fast. I just really hope that I am some crazy fertile person that defies all odds and gets pregnant again on the first try so that Jonathan doesn't have to go through the disappointment and extended time needed of another try. Fingers crossed and HERE WE GO! Yes, I feel like a boob. Lol. I just spoke with Jonathan and I feel this way for two reasons. First, there was a miscommunication from me when I first mentioned Texas. I said something along the lines of us being okay with picking up and going out there to deliver because we wanted to move there anyway. He thought I meant that when we went out there before the baby was born we were MOVING there, like, permanently. I clarified today that while we are buying a house there, it isn't and wasn't going to be for a good couple of years still so that we can save up on a house. Boob.
Second, I assumed from his last set of texts that there was little chance of contracts being ready in time for the Feb IUI so switching to New Mexico wouldn't really make a difference time wise. Well today I found out that supposedly, the lawyer and Kristen ARE working to get him the contract this coming week and he's already paid her money so switching would involve paying more. Boob. So for now, the plan is to continue on the Texas path. Jonathan is going to call the lawyer on Monday to see if she will in fact have the contract in time and also ask some pertinent questions. What happens if the baby comes before it's been 90 days? Will I have to prove I've been a resident for 90 days because I won't have utility bills or anything other than a vacation rental to show such? Etc. Sorrell and I discussed the plan and what Jonathan and I had talked about on the phone and we decided that should we end up switching to NM for whatever reason, we're going to give back $4000 toward the additional lawyer fees since we'd be spending at least that much on a rental for four months in Texas. And let's face facts, ultimately it would be WAY easier for us to stay here in ABQ. Currently, the plan is to see if Jonathan will have the contract this week and we can get everything reviewed in time for the Feb 1ish IUI. If that isn't going to happen or it turns out there WILL be an issue with the 90 day residency thing, then we will reassess later this week I guess... I feel really bad though. Like I'm running Jonathan around and making him think I'm some crazy unstable person! Especially since while I'm still okay with Texas, now I'm secretly kind of hoping we end up switching to NM just for the ease of everything. I did assure him that surrogacy or not, we will be living here in ABQ for at least a couple of years until we are 100% ready to purchase our house. LOL I just hope that it all works out for the best in the long run for everyone! So Jonathan mentioned to me yesterday that the lawyer told him I'd have to be in Texas at least 90 days prior to the birth of the baby in order to establish residency. He said that would mean me going out there at 6 months pregnant just to be safe. Hmm. We had planned on only going out there for the last two months or so…not four! Not to mention that I will only be renting a vacation rental while we're there and weren't planning on switching anything like car insurance over to Texas so technically, even if I was there 90 days prior, I wouldn't be able to prove residency.
Regardless, I told Jonathan that was fine, we'd figure it out. Then I got to thinking and realized that, duh, now that we're in New Mexico and not Florida, I don't care if we deliver here or in Texas. So I sent him another text bringing up the fact that before we get to deep into contracts (and since he said he didn't think we'd make the January IUI after all) maybe we should go ahead and consider switching to a New Mexico contract and delivery. That way, I could just stay here and we wouldn't have to worry that I wouldn't be in Texas long enough. I said we could discuss it later when we talk on the phone and he said good idea. So I emailed Kristen at Simple and she said that would just mean getting him a new lawyer here in New Mexico and drafting a NM contract. She did also say that since we won't be validating the contact in Texas, there may be a way around the 90 residency aspect and was going to check with their law team. In the meantime, I started looking into birthing here, just so that I'd be prepared when Jonathan and I spoke. Turns out there is a FABULOUS birth center right here in Albuquerque with Certified Nurse Midwives. Also, my MIL is a nurse (not L&D, but a nurse none the less) so she'd be here should we need anything and for support. Today, I've been thinking about the logistics of both options. And I'll be honest, while it will be more of a pain initially because we'd have to switch things and more definitely would be looking at a March 1 IUI, it makes more sense to me to switch over to NM. Just thinking about the idea getting out to Texas in time gives me some anxiety. And should baby decide to come early, I'd have to make sure and get inside the Texas state line for the contract to be in effect. The reason we initially wanted to deliver in Texas was because where we were in Florida is not VBAC friendly and I refuse to have another cesarean for no reason. But now that we are in another VBAC friendly state, there really isn't any reason to go there. Ugh…I hate being such a pain and making things difficult, especially when we're trying to get things rolling sooner than later but I'm really starting to feel overwhelmed now knowing that I'd have to be in Texas for so long. Not to mention that if we have to be there that long, I'll go by myself at first and Sorrell and the kids would come out later since the kids will be in school and while 2 months away is manageable in Kindergarten if planned ahead…4 months is not. Now I just have to discuss with Jonathan and hope that he doesn't hate me for wanting to maybe change things up just when we were starting contracts. :-/ Hopefully he'll be relieved that I don't want to make things difficult by trying to relocate in the middle of it all? Lol. |
Author:
|