CD6 Follicle Scan

I went in to my 1st appt today, hoping and praying all goes well so we can get our 1st IUI.

I am only on day 6; which is REALLY early; however they wanted me to come in early so they can watch me through my whole cycle. So far I have 6 follicles on my left side and 3 on my right (that is awesome....now keep in mind these are all potential follicles, meaning some or all might not grow...but they are thinking since one is almost 11mm, 3 are a little over 8mm, 3 are 6mm and 2 are 4mm that I will have a great chance of having 2+ follicles by the time I recieve the trigger shot (WHICH THEY HAVE THIS TIME, I MADE SURE TO ASK, haha!!).

I know I am confusing all of those who don't understand about follicles, but my appt went very well today. I go back Thursday morning for another scan...IF my follicles AND my lining are ready, I will get the trigger and have the IUI on Friday. HOWEVER; if my follicles and lining are not ready I will come back Friday, get the trigger shot and NOT be able to have the IUI this time since they don't do IUI's on the weekends. The chances of this falling the way we have this planned are very slim, BUT VERY possible. Everything has to fall right into place, my follicles have to grow fast fast fast and my lining has to go from a 4 (Which it is now) to above an 8...it's a tight stretch and a long leap, but it's very possible. I am praying everything works as planned this cycle, please keep us in your prayers that this all goes according to planned.

Check back Thursday for hopefully some GREAT news :o)

Journal of LOVE

Well Sunday after church my Grandmother told me she had something for me, so we walked to there car and she handed me this old notebook. I said “Grandmother, what is this?”….she said “a journal from me to you”.

She wrote everything in that little book, she wrote about the first time she saw me in the nursery and how she couldn’t stop staring at me, she wrote about how me and my daddy would come over and swing and play kickball and how I always would go straight to the doll house in my room. She wrote about one time (I forget the year it said and the age I was) but I was talking to her on the phone and couldn’t figure out how she could hear me though the little holes in the phone, and wondered if I could see her through those holes too. You know on my 9th birthday after I blew out the candles and made a wish, I told them I wished I would be 25….BOY has that time flew by. This Thursday will be exactly 4 months till that day, wow…I am almost 25!!! She wrote about so many things, she wrote about the one time I broke on of my daddy’s plants and I was scared to tell him so I just stuck it in the mud (I guess hoping it would grow back, haha!!) She wrote about little boys that I told her I liked (Boys I FORGOT all about!!!) This book was so interesting, and one I will cherish for all the years to come. She started this journal on the day I was born….and ended it last Sunday. This journal brought back soooooo many good memories; there was a few sad times, like when her mother died…but mostly all wonderful memories, and alot of inspirational quotes and scriptures!!!!

I would have never thought about creating a book like this for a child or grandchild, but I think it’s a great idea. I’ve already saved all of my “journal notes" TO pregnancy because I want to give that to my child one day and let them know just how much they were wanted and loved before they were even created, but now I think I will keep a journal of there life to give them when they are older, just as my Grandmother did. "A journal of LOVE"

3rd times a charm....right???

OK, well it's that time again to start another cycle!!!! This will be our 3rd attemp to an IUI..will this IUI go as planned? Will anything get in the way or stop this IUI? Will I get pregnant with this IUI? IS the 3rd time a charm??? WE SHALL SEE SOON :o)

My 1st follicle appt for this cycle will begin earlier this time, we will start it on CD6, and that is on September 30th. Hopfully I will get BIG BIG eggies and the IUI will be able to go according to plan.

Stay tuned for updates ;o)

WOW!!!

My Dr. called with my progesterone levels from yesterday...THEY WERE 29!!!!! I am sooo excited, I haven't ever had one higher than 16.9 on CD21, so having it at 29 is AWESOME!!!!!

Reminiscing

While going through my photos to search for our "Steelers photos" and our "Halloween" photos that I added blogs about below, I found our Engagement Pictures. I sat here and reminisced about that wonderful night I was proposed to and that fun day of taking these pictures. Little did I know then just HOW lucky I was to have such an amazing husband. I mean don't get me wrong, I thought he was pretty darn amazing then...but NOW, wow...he is more amazing than ever. Every day I fall more and more in love with him...every day we grow closer...every day I grow to learn more about my very best friend and soul mate! He is my everything, and I am so glad I am the lucky one that gets to call him "mine" :o)

SO, here are some pics that I haven't ever posted of some of our engagement pics :o)

It's that time of the year again....BOO!!!!!!

I LOVE Halloween, but mostly I love to decorate!!!! Here are just a few of my FAVORITES around the house and outside!!!! :o)

My ALL time fav, Zach and I painted this ourselves in PA last year!!!

We bleed "Black and Gold"

LETS GO STEELERS LETS GO!!!!

Well, as some might know, we are BIG Steeler Fans, every Sunday or Monday (whichever day they play) we have to get all "Steeler'd up". It's so cute to watch my hubby get on ALLL his Steeler gear with his "terrible towel" and so forth! I had to take a couple pics this past Sunday after church when we got all ready to watch the game (sad enough, they did lose there 1st game of the season...but none the less, we were there to see it!!!!) :o)

Me and my honey excited to go watch the game!!!

Me and Sasha

Me all ready!!!

GO STEELERS!!!!!!

Heros

For the past 2 Sunday's we have talked about Heros, who is your hero...there are so many heros in the world, actually everyone is a hero to SOMEONE.

WELL, I never thought "I" could be a hero! ME...a hero, yea right!!!! The first Sunday after our church service and we got in the car Zach looked at me and said, "Tiffany your my hero". My response was moreless "haha...yea right!!". He said "no baby, look at everything you are going though...for US, look at all the bloodwork you are getting, but yet your scared of needles, look at all the invasive procedures and ultrasounds...and your doing all this for US". He continued to tell me that I was stronger than anyone he has ever met and I was and will always be his hero. Well, you can bet your last dollar, I was crying my eyes out when he was telling me this...I told him, look at me...I am sitting here in tears, but yet I'm your "superman"? He said yes baby, you are my superman...

AMAZING I tell you...never would I have thought of myself as a hero! And honestly I still don't consider myself a hero, because like my husband thinks "I" am his hero, I believe he is mine. See, Zach was there for me during a REALLY hard time in my life when we first met each other. He didn't have to be but he was, he kept me strong and he taught me what love really was. My whole life I prayed for a man like Zach, and well...God blessed me with him. Zach is my everything, I see myself as a weak person with all the procedures I go through, I see myself as a chicken and a weenie; but Zach "MAKES" me feel strong...he always encourages me throughout all the horrible things, when I get bad news it kills him inside, but he sucks it all in and stays strong for ME..."HE IS MY HERO". He will never let me give up hope or faith, he always keeps my head up and keeps me thinking positive...There is NO way I could go through this without him by my side. Zach grabs my hands and prays with me the same prayer I pray then kisses me goodnight, thats a hero to me!

A hero is someone that reaches high above the stars

Grabs someone's wishes and prays that they'll go far

A hero never gives up on what they believe is true

They'll be all they can be and they'll do all they can do

A hero is someone who thinks highly of others; Protects and provides for one another

A hero stands by you through thick and through thin

May not always go as planed, but together til' the end

They're someone on whom you can always depend

To stay close by through life's troubles and winds

Heros, keep your head up high and stay strong

Because everyday you know a hero is a blessing from above!

Dear God,

Thank you for my Hero!!!!!

Amen

New Puppy

Well...like I said below, we got a new puppy :o), and she is the sweetest thing ever!!!! As I type this I have all 3 doggies laying on me or beside me. They aren't quite 100% fond of each other just yet, but they are getting there...here are some pics of Sasha (our new puppy) and some of Peanut and Ginger (I can't leave them out!!).

Sasha Girl

Peanut (the nut!!!)

Ginger baby

Sasha trying to get Peanut to play with her...

Ginger thinking if she stands on my back Sasha can't get her.

When it rains…it’s POURS!

YUP…that’s exactly right!!!! You know the saying "when it rains it pours"?….well that pretty much describes our weekend in 5 words!

Friday: We went out to eat, had a nice time with just us. We went to rent some movies so we could enjoy a nice “relaxing” weekend alone…came home, I went to change to my pj’s while Zach goes outside to start putting our lawn cushions and pool floaties in the shed for the storm…he comes in and says “Tiffany get your clothes on the cops are on there way”. We have been joking around that night with each other, so I didn’t believe him…I said “no way…your lying”….he said again…”GET YOUR CLOTHES ON”… ok ok, he means business now! What in the heck happened….OUR SHED (which is about 2 feet away from our house) got broken into, and TONS of stuff got stolen out of it. Well the cops came, fingerprinted and we are praying that the couple fingerprints they got weren’t Zach’s or mine. It was VERY scary, I have now jumped at every little sound, I am so scared they will come back. :o(

Saturday, we went to Walmart to get locks for everything, they didn’t work so we had to take them back the next day. Nikki and Billy came over and this night was rather nice (AND VERY NEEDED esp. after the night before!!!)

Sunday, we went to church, went to the flea market in HOPE that they were dumb enough to take our stuff there to sell it (nope…not that dumb!!). Then we went to Lowes, bought BETTER LOCKS and came home. I droped my phone in the toilet, which THANKFULLY it still works!!! GOOD NEWS is when Zach was going door to door to try to find out what in the world happened…if anyone heard anything…if anyone knew anything (which might I add real quick, NO ONE knew anything, NO ONE heard anything, and EVERYONE said this has never happened in the whole time they have lived in our area). BUT like I was saying when he was going around the neighbor hood, the couple right behind us were talking about there “dogs”, Zach mentioned that we wanted to get a big dog for the backyard now, and they said well come look at our puppies…they are lab/pit mixes…the lady who lived there is a vet tech and she has given them all there shots and so forth. So we got the little girl, she is chocolate brown and as cute as can be. She isn’t very “guard doggy” right now, but hopefully when she gets older she will protect our house :o) I goggled names that mean “protection” and Sasha came up; meaning “protection of mankind”. So her name is Sasha b/c she is going to protect us, haha!!!

WELL…then you have TODAY. I get a call from my Dr’s office this morning telling me there out of the trigger shot (which I knew this, but we thought they would have it in by now). The manufacture who makes it has it on backorder. Well my u/s tech this morning called everyone she could possible think of that would have the shot on hand, NO LUCK. So without the shot, I CAN’T get the IUI. They still wanted me to come in today to see how my follicles were. Which CLOMID WORKS! My follicles were looking good, I had 3 simi good ones, however I have already released some (SO even if they had the trigger shot, I wouldn't have been able to get the IUI as my follicles have already released), she told me it looks at though I have released 1-2 but that is good b/c 1st off I ovulated on my own and 2nd off Clomid made me produce about 3-4 good follicles. She said they are “supposed” to have the trigger shot in October, we are going on vacation to PA next month, so hopefully if this month doesn’t work out, then next month won’t interfere with vacation and we will be able to do the IUI then.

This makes our 2nd IUI that we were “supposed” to have that something came up and we haven’t been able to have done. I think this is God’s will, maybe he is either telling me we don’t need an IUI to get pregnant OR he is helping postpone the actual IUI to a certain date…I don’t know exactly, but I know that it’s in his hands and everything happens for a reason. :o)

I GOT TAGGED

CRUD!!!! I just got tagged!!! I went to a friends paged who tagged everyone reading this, I decided I would play by the “rules” and fill it out too…what the heck :o)

HERE IT GOES:

i am: A daughter to wonderful parents, grand daughter to loving grandparents, a sister to a terd of a brother (but I love him!), and a wife to an AMAZING husband (who completes me!!!)

i think: That EVERYTHING happens for a reason!!!!

i know: that God is by our side every step of the way

i want: to tell my husband that he is a daddy SOOO very bad!!!!

i have: learned so much in the past couple years

i wish: my prayers who hurry up and get answered :o)

i hate: hate is a strong word, I dislike people who hurt there children

i miss: My Pepa so very much, I wish that Zach would have gotten to meet him.

i fear: SPIDERS, losing loved ones, failure, and not being able to have a baby

i feel: like things are looking up

i hear: Gram laughing :o)

i smell: nothing really…

i crave: nothing, my meds are making my tummy sick so nothing sounds good.

i wonder: what God’s reasoning’s are sometimes

i regret: nothing, everything has made me into the person I am today!!!!

i love: my husband more than he will EVER know, he means the world to me!!!!!

i ache: in my tummy from my meds and legs from working out

i care: about my whole family

i always: want to be positive, although sometimes it’s hard.

i am not: the type of person who takes things for granted!!!!

i believe: IN MIRACLES!

i dance: in the kitchen with my husband at nights sometimes :o) It’s sweet!!!

i sing: all the time, it’s not good though but it’s very entertaining to Zach :o)

i don't always: understand something’s, but I ALWAYS have Faith that they happened for a reason!

i fight: I am darn chicken…I don’t fight…I don’t like confrontations or anything, but I would fight for my family in a heartbeat!!!

i write: whats on my mind in this blog, it helps!!!!

i win: when it comes to the “best husband award” sorry ladies :o) hee hee!!!

i lose: when it comes to the “insides that work normal award” LOL :o)

i never: REGRET, never give up, never lose Faith, and never dwell on the past…

i confuse: myself a lot…I should have been born a blonde (no offense my to blonde friends!)

i listen: to Waco 100 ALLLL day :o)

i can usually be found: at home, I love being home!!!

i am scared: of SPIDERS, being in the dark alone and being in the car by myself without the doors locked…

i need: to get my hair trimmed!!

i am happy about: getting my IUI done soon!!!!!!

ALRIGHTY people....it's your turn....YOUR TAGGED!!!!

Side Effects=NO FUN!

WELL, here we go again! Side Effects...fun fun (NOT REALLY!!). I ended my Clomid today for this cycle, and I start my estrogen tomorrow and the side effects have already started. I am having major hot flashes, bad dizzy spells, moodiness and emotional (bad...poor Zach haha) and I feel nauseous. I am sure this is just the begining of this crazy journey since I have been down the "Clomid Road" before, I know there is more to come :o( I still have 2 other pills I have to take throughout this, u/s and the IUI procedure.

It will all be worth it in the end though, I look into my husbands eyes and know I can't give up. He keeps me strong through all this, and he is so good to me. God, I don't know what I did to deserve him, but I am so thankful he is mine!! He gets me a blanket when I am freezing, tries to calm me when I am emotional, holds me when I am moody (he is brave haha!!)...he wakes up in the middle of the night to give me icepacks when I am hot then quickly covers me back up again when I am cold. I don't know how I would get through this without him. He is so supportive. He is my ROCK! He makes everything seem so much better, even with all my side effects! Baby or no baby...I am one TRULY BLESSED GIRL, which I am so very grateful for.

As far as the IUI approaching; my appt is getting closer...I recieved a question from alot of ppl..."are you nervous"? YES and NO...Yes, b/c it's something new...it's a procedure...sometimes there uncomfortable...will I be emotional?...will it work?...I don't want to get my hopes up...so yes, it's a nerve racking experience...however no I am not nervous in a way b/c it's in God's hands...no matter how scared or how frightened I am, I know God won't put me through more than I can handle. I know that if it doesn't work 1st try, it wasn't meant to be...I know with the help of God and leaning on him to get me through this (As well as my husband!!!) I WILL be able to get through this adventure, NO MATTER the outcome!!! God is great...my husband can't be with me for the actual procedure, so it looks like it will only be me and GOD this time...but with him there beside me (not just now...but ALWAYS), I know I will be ok!!!! :o)

What exactly is an IUI???

Well, my Dr. called and I have our 1st appt this cycle for the IUI, it’s Monday, September 15th. Leading up to this IUI, I have had many friends and family ask…”Exactly what is an IUI?” Well, I have found some frequently asked questions with answers that might help you understand EXACTLY what we will be doing this month :o)

What is an IUI and how is it done?
An IUI -- intrauterine insemination -- is performed by threading a very thin flexible catheter through the cervix and injecting washed sperm directly into the uterus. The whole process doesn’t take very long— it usually only requires the insertion of a speculum and then the catheter, a process that maybe takes a couple of minutes (60-90 seconds to introduce the catheter, then sperm injection, and another 60 seconds or so to remove the catheter — going slowly helps reduce discomfort). Sometimes when the cervix is hard to reach a tenaculum is used to hold the cervix, which makes the process a bit more uncomfortable.

What is the success rate for IUI?
Searching through about a dozen medical journal articles and a number of web sites resulted in a rather wide range of statistics. Basically the odds of success are reported to be just under 6 percent and as high as 26 percent per cycle. The low statistics are with one follicle, while multiple follicles resulted in as high 26 percent success. Another influencing factor is sperm count. Higher sperm counts increase the odds of success; however, there was little difference between success with good-average counts and those with high counts. The overall success rate seems to be between 15-20 percent per cycle, judging from the articles which will be abstracted below. The rate of multiple gestation pregnancies is 23-30 percent

What does an IUI feel like?
Most women consider IUI to be fairly painless -- along the same lines as having a pap smear. There can be some cramping afterward, but often what is felt is ovulation-related rather than from the IUI. The catheter usually doesn't feel like much since the cervix is already slightly open for ovulation -- a poorly timed IUI might cause more discomfort at the cervix.

Do I need to take it easy after an IUI?
Most people don't need to, but if you had cramping or don't feel well afterward it makes sense to take it easy for awhile. Some people reduce their aerobic activity and heavy lifting during the luteal phase in hopes it will increase the chance of implantation. So you don’t have to take it easy, but it will only help.

At what size are follicles considered mature?
Many doctors monitor follicle development during IUI cycles. Most trigger when the dominant follicle is within a certain size range. While there is always some difference in doctor preference, the norms are unmedicated 20-24mm, clomiphene citrate 20-24mm, FSH-only meds 17 or 18mm minimum, and FSH+LH would be 16 or 17mm minimum. It is possible for slightly smaller follicles, 14-15mm, to contain a viable egg. Also, follicles continue to grow until they release, usually at a rate of about 1-2 mm per day. A woman may ovulate more than one follicle in a cycle, but the releases will occur within 24 hours. When hCG is not used, only follicles close in size are likely to release. The use of hCG induces ovulation in about 95 percent of women, and will get most mature follicles to rupture.

What are the risks involved in IUI?
The main risks are some discomfort such as cramping, minor injury to the cervix that leads to bleeding or spotting, or introduction of infection—There are also risks of hyperstimulation associated with the use of ovulation induction medications such as clomiphene citrate (low risk) and gonadotropin therapy (higher risk). Proper technique and adequate monitoring reduce risks.

You know you're trying to conceive when.....

((Keep in mind these are all MOSTLY TRUE haha!!!))

Women:

*You think you might wet your pants every morning because you can't go to the bathroom until your thermometer beeps.
*Your calendar at work is color coded for the days leading up to ovulation.
*You tell people you work for the FBI because they look at you funny when you use jargon like BBT, TTC, and AF.
*Anyone else would need a decoder to read your fertility chart.
*Suddenly, everyone around you is either pregnant, nursing or with a child
*You've created voodoo dolls for all of the people who've asked, "Are you pregnant yet?"

Men:

*You open your briefcase and find a sticky note from your wife that says, "Don't drink any coffee, no cocktails after work, don't stress out and keep your 'boys' cool."
*You're sleeping in front of the fireplace and showering at the gym because your wife turned down the water heater at home and took away your electric blanket.
*You look like someone out of a rap video because your new boxers keep riding up and out of the top of your pants.
*You feel like your wife has an alarm clock in her shorts because every four weeks or so, she comes running out of the bathroom saying, "Drop your pants--it's time!"
*Someone asks you what day it is and you reply, "Cycle day 20."
*You know enough about the workings of the female body to teach a health class at the high school.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I saw this poem (that doesn't rhyme haha), and thought it VERY true!!!

Anything, Yes….I said I will do anything ...

Temperature charts, Ovulation test, blood test to count progesterone…Abstinence to maxize sperm count, laying on my back with a pillow under my rear-end and my legs up like a beetle….Vitamin A…Vitamin E, Zinc, Manganese, Omega 3…I could run My own drug store….Anything I said…yes anything, that’s what I would do so I could have a baby But please….OH PLEASE…don’t ask me to “just relax”.

Labor Day Weekend Fun

HAPPY LABOR DAY!!!!!

Yesterday The Buechels' came over. I was so excited to spend the day with them!!! Zach made fajitas which were SOOO SOOO good! "A" and I were so anxious to see how Aud liked the pool. She seemed ok at first, but boy she was quick to let us know she DIDN'T like it AT ALL. It was the cutest thing ever though...she had no tears and as SOON as she got out of the pool she was fine. I think it was just tooooooo much pool for one liitttttlllleeee girl, it was more than she could handle. But by next year she will be a little fish and love it :o) Zach had to go to some stupid football draft thingy for alot of the time, but Bretty, "A" and Aud stayed to keep me company. I am sure we drove Bretty nuts haha! I really enjoyed spending the day with our bestfriends...we miss them, so yesterday was WELL needed and SOOO MUCH FUN!!!! Here are a couple pics of yesterday.

Me and my sugar-pie!

She says "come on guys...I'm all ready"

Little Miss DIVA

She had enough "swimming/screaming" :o)

Aud holding my hand (SO SWEET!!!)

Our Goddaughters Baptism

Our Goddaughter got baptized Saturday night. It was such an amazing blessing and honor to be apart of such a special day. We are so very honored to be Audree's Godparents!!! Here are some pictures of her special day!!!!

During the Baptism

Zach & I, Aud, and her parents

Me and Aud

Audrees Mom and me

Aud checking out her shoes from Aunt Tiff