Contortionist Needed

Yesterday morning I started my Progesterone in Oil via intramuscular injection (aka PIO). Since it's intramuscular, the clinic has me doing my injections for this medication in my back side. Fun, right?

For those not in the surro community already: wait til you see those needles! Oh, and not to mention the contortion needed in order to insert, slowly inject, remove the needle AND put pressure on the spot following removal.

Pictured: Friday morning's meds: Wall-itin for sinuses, tylenol for sinus headache, prenatal vitamins, and Estraidol (3x daily)), and the little tiny bottle is PIO. The needle packaging you see pictured is an 18 gauge needle (BIG) for drawing up the liquid into the syringe and a 25 gauge needle for injecting it, it's a much smaller needle thank God! (Compare to the 22 guage I had to use last cycle!) Then you can also see the alcohol swab and the ice pack. 

I set the ice pack in my waist band while I get my meds taken and my shot ready, it's very helpful. I use an alcohol swab to clean the top of the med vile, and another to swab the injection site- I also use it to swab the area afterward and put pressure on the spot area while massaging the medicine in. I haven't needed it yet, but I have a heating pad for when my bum is tired of all the shots and starts getting sore from them.

Anyway, that's my daily dosage for you! Many who read are surrogates, so I'm sorry if this was boring for you! But I love that many who read are not surrogates, so I hope this makes them (you) feel a part of the journey. I hope you are having a great weekend! 

Thank you so much God for everything you've done for us, and everything you are doing and will do. Thank you that so far taking the shots has not been an issue and that there have not been any more side effects than hunger from the lupron and/or a little bit of tears from the estrogen. Thank you God that this clinic lets me use the smaller gauge needle, too! Keep my eyes on you this week as I get ready, and fill our hearts with joy instead of anxiety as we all prepare. Bless I&J and their boys, bless IM as she prepares her heart this week. Keep her in your perfect peace. I ask, God, that you would keep me healthy this week, that I would be fresh and ready for transfer on Thursday. Keep our home safe, healthy, and protected from anything that would try to stand in the way of doing what you have called us to do. We love you, and praise you for everything you are and everything you've done. It's in your name I pray, Jesus, Amen.

Single Digit Countdown!

Today was my mid-cycle lining check and it went really great! My lining had the triple stripe and was 10mm thick on one side and 13mm thick on the other. He stuck with the 13mm number and said it looked great!

We have just 9 days til transfer and we are all getting excited!

This morning I sent my IM something in the mail that I hope makes her smile and brings her a little "luck" for the coming week. I can't wait til she gets it!

So the next week is going to be full of "get ready" errands, grocery shopping for the hubby and kids while they're at home, and somewhere in there, a pedicure for me! Green toenails, it is! (No rhyme or reason, it's just a transfer day tradition to wear green :) )

I have really been clinging to God's word and praying for His hands to go before us in this. The more I pray about it, the more confident I am in trusting Him. I know He has a plan for the embryos I & J have frozen, and can't wait to have a part to play in that plan.

That's all for today! I'll update again on Friday when I start progesterone shots! Have an awesome day :) Ending with a prayer.... please pray along with us if you haven't yet, and thank you if you have been!

Father God, I am full of gratefulness for the work you have done in my life and in my heart recently. There is much to say about the hope and light you bring to my life when I seek hard after you. I'm also very thankful for I & J and their family. I can't wait to take this journey with them. This week as we get ready, I ask that you would prepare our hearts for whatever the outcome, help us to keep our trust in you. Again I ask Lord that the medicines would do exactly what they are made to do, that my body would be ready, and that the doctors would know exactly where to put the embryos for their best chance at life. Bless the journey we are on and bless all those who are involved in the process.  I pray right now for I & J, that you would put a peace in their hearts, and help them to see that those who have gone before them are smiling down on them and interceding on their behalf now, too. Comfort them as they miss their loved ones who've gone to be with you, and give them new strength and hope each day. Thank you for your plan for our lives and the many blessings we have in our lives through your son, in Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

16 days!!!

We're counting down the days! Soon we'll be in the single digits!

Last Thursday I went to my previous clinic in Dallas for monitoring, it was great to see my old coordinator and the nurses again, and Dr. Saleh. I had blood work done and then had a quick ultrasound to check my lining. Once again, everything was perfect! Lining was nice and thin, and getting thinner ;)  I couldn't update that day though, due to Blogger outages, and then got busy this week, my apologies for the delay!

Saturday was the day to decrease Lupron and start Estraidol. Boy, I have to say... While I remembered that Lupron made me really hungry, I didn't realize how the difference in dosage would affect it. I was one starving lady! I found myself finishing my food and then helping my family finish theirs!! I'm still fairly hungry, but thankfully not as bad as I was last week. So thankful for the drop in dosage!

This week not much is going on. I had my physical with my regular doctor today and she's excited that everything is going well so far and looks forward to following my journey. Her nurse does a much better job at taking blood than the ones at SIRM though. I STILL have a bruise from last Thursday on my right arm. On my left, just a tiny little dot where she put the needle.

Tomorrow I increase my Estraidol to two pills a day and we work on building my lining back up on their terms. Next Tuesday I have another appointment to check my lining and we'll be praying for a triple stripe (thick) one!

So other than all of that, and a TON of cake balls over the weekend, there's not terribly much going on! More updates to come as the days draw closer!

I'll end my blog with a prayer, and a request that you pray for us too! It's a busy time for IM at her work, a busy time for me at home with my kids school year ending, and DH's job schedule is challenging at times. In all the things I'm doing day to day it is so easy to stop and pray sometimes, and especially right now, I need to pick up the pace in prayer and get wet in His Word and prepare for the journey ahead.

Father in Heaven, I just want to start by saying Thank You. Thank you for giving me the desire to do this. Thank you that you have given me everything I need to be able to do this. And thank you for introducing me to a wonderful couple to do this for. Thank you for your favor so far in every appointment we've been to, as well. I know that you know everything that my body needs to be doing right now, and I know you've already begun preparing my body for this journey. I also know that you have been preparing my heart for a long time now. Lord I continue to ask for your guidance, for your grace, and for a deeper passion for you as the days get closer to transfer. Keep me in the cleft of your rock and protect me from whatever may come that would try to make me doubt, that would try and get me down, that would try and get me sick or anything that would try and make this not happen. Keep me in your hand and help me to seek you each morning and stay in your presence so I can be fully prepared for all you have in store.


Father as the next two weeks are busy with the kids getting out of school, IM's busy time at work, and all the things we have to do leading up to transfer, again keep our focus on you and your will. I pray that you would show yourself a constant friend to I & J in the coming weeks, be with them, and draw them closer to you because you are the giver of life, and all things are possible through you.  Bless them and their children this week and make your face shine upon them and your glory go before them in their days. Put things in their paths that would make them smile and remember the good things you have done for them and will continue to do for them.  Again, I thank you for everything you've done this far to make this happen, and thank you for going before us all the way. Thank you for making what seems impossible possible and for shedding hope when there seems to be none. It's in you where the true hope is, and in your name, Jesus, we trust... Amen

How could I forget?

Well last night when I posted, I totally forgot that I would definitely be posting a first shot picture!!

Happy Lupron Day!

I took my first Lupron shot just a little while ago. It's really happening!

I got everything out and prepped to do my shot, did the shot, and then realized I forgot to take a pic, so what you're actually seeing is a new needle and all the stuff I used... lol

This morning I started my day out with an awesome prayer time and time to just read and be, and I think that is the best way to start my birthday! I feel so far like this is one of the best birthdays ever, and haven't done anything else but clean my house and take a shot!!

Getting Organized...

Happy May!! Today is May 1st, tomorrow I start Lupron injections and will be exactly one month from transfer.

When I last started meds, I set aside a cupboard for my meds, but it has long since been taken over by other family meds, so this time I had to get a little creative. I went to Target in search of the perfect container. There were a few options in the Rubbermaid aisle, and I had picked one, but wasn't thrilled about it. I looked in the bathroom accessories aisle at shower caddies that you would take to college, getting closer to what I want...We kept walking and I decided on a hunch to stop in the cleaning aisle. I found it. Perfect! A cleaning caddy... hahaha. It has a handle, two big sides, a place for my folder and my sharps box, and two smaller areas in the front for bottles. Perfect.

Here's a pic....

Complete with post-its as reminders for when to do what, and on each pill bottle I put the date I have to start them on a post-it as well.

The things we get excited about, right? 

Coming up this week:

Getting our side of the contracts signed/notarized and sending to the lawyers

Start Lupron (Monday)

Start new pack of BCP (Tuesday)

Planning trip for transfer!

Tomorrow also happens to be my birthday, so I'll be getting loopy on my 30th birthday! 

Happy Birthday to me!

I don't know if I'll update again this week, but if not, I hope you have an awesome week. 

And of course, I'll start off this awesome week with a prayer...

Father God you are so awesome! Thank you for bringing us to this place. Thank you for allowing me to be your servant and help I&J in this way. I thank you for all the things that have been coming into place so easily and I thank you that you will continue to lead us and guide us into this journey. Father as so many things are about to start happening, keep our eyes focused on your plans and your will. I pray that you would guard over my heart, my mind, and my body as I start meds this week. Watch over us and keep us in your perfect peace as we set about doing all the things you have prepared for us to do this week. Help us all to have a great week and keep our hope ultimately in you. 

In Jesus Name, Amen!

Perfect Day! (almost!)

Well, I'm home! Yesterday was my trip out to see "I" and go to the clinic! I left my house at 7am and got on a plane to go and everything went off without a hitch. I felt a little under-dressed at the airport though, Monday mornings are full of business men and women in suits, and there I was in jeans and tennis shoes!


IM and I met up at the airport and went to her house for a little bit before going to lunch at a Mexican food place... hehehe baaaaaaaad idea before going to the RE. BAD. Don't do it. My tummy was rumbling during the appointment so bad! (And I say this while laughing about it, so while it's funny, this is probably a tip to remember ;) )


"I" and I talked a lot and had a ton of fun. We have so much in common and I can't wait to go back for transfer!

Our appointment was at 1:30... I didn't go to the restroom after lunch because I knew my bladder needed to be somewhat full. I filled out the paperwork and met with the coordinator and then went into the ultrasound room and waited for them to get started. And waited. And waited. I fell asleep! It was more than half hour before they finally came in. (I still had to go to the bathroom!) FINALLY they did the ultrasound and everything they needed to do. I heard the word "Perfect!" at least twice in that room. Then I finally got to empty bladder and went to do the hysteroscopy and mock transfer, where I again heard the word "Perfect!" at least three times. It was VERY encouraging and I love the Dr.

After we were done IM and I were getting the calendar with the coordinator and he came in to see her (she has two prev surro babies also done at his clinic) and he used that "P" word again. Way to set the expectations!

I am to start Lupron on my birthday (May 2nd), and then we'll go from there and have a transfer on June 2nd!

This protocol calls for Lupron, Estrogen and PIO. My last transfer I did the estrogen via injection, however this one is via oral medication which increase as the calendar goes on.

I'm really looking forward to this cycle and working with my IM. She's a blast!


Unfortunately our day was cut short when I realized almost right after the appointment that I had to get back to the airport really quickly. We didn't expect the appointment to go til almost 4:30 and thought we had more time. I got to the airport about an hour before boarding time and ate dinner and played on my phone. We boarded the plane (which was pretty empty = only 30 people) and then we were set to take off... but then they made us come back to the gate for mechanical issues. After about 2.5 hours the flight was finally canceled. 


I was going to go stay at IMs house to go back to the airport this morning but was able to get a 6am flight out and would have had to have IM take me at 4:30AM to the airport. I didn't want to do that to her, so I took the hotel the airline offered because it was in walking distance of the airport. We had to arrange child drop offs this morning because it's a BIG day at my hubby's work and if he didnt get there on time he'd have been fired. I'm so thankful for helpful friends, otherwise, this morning would NOT have been good. The flight home was full of sleepy people from last night and tons of businessmen. However, right behind me was a man who was coughing non stop. I'm so glad for the antibiotic the clinic has me on!


 I'm glad to be home finally, it was very frustrating last night. I'm also glad we didn't get in the air with mechanical problems. Not to mention my phone died at the airport last night, I used someones charger to be able to arrange childcare, and it died when I got to the hotel. I used his charger again really quick before the flight this morning and was able to coordinate my pick up time right before it died again. 


Today is my little one's 5th birthday, and I'm so glad I was home in time to give him a hug when he got home from school.


Ending today's post with a short prayer:


Father God you are so awesome! Thank you for matching me up with someone so fun and who I have a lot in common with and can talk easily with. Yesterday couldn't have gone better as far as meeting her and going to the clinic went. I'm so excited to see what you have in store for us all in the coming months. I ask you to keep your hands in everything we do in the coming months, protect us, guide us, and most of all Father, ready me to be the vessel that brings this family another baby. Help keep us focused on you, no matter the outcome. Let the medicines do their job exactly as needed and guide the doctors and nurses in their part in all of this. I'm so thankful I get to work with this couple and so thankful I can serve you in this way. It's all for you, Jesus. Amen!

Just Checkin' In...

Well it's not much but it does mean we're getting somewhere! I start birth control pills on Tuesday (for timing)! We are still getting contracts together, but everything is worked out on our end, now we're just waiting on our awesome lawyers to do their part.

I'm excited that in just over a week I'll be going to their clinic and getting things going!