'Purpleish Perfect-O' 2nd Follicle Scan

Today was my second follicle scan! I had to travel to Austin today vs. just going to my OB in town. Thankfully Ashley came to the rescue and said her and her sweet little girls would make the trip with me and I am SO very glad they did. We--well I--made a wrong turn on the way there (if you know me in person, you know a) I can not stand driving b) I don't like driving far and c) I have NO sense of direction)...SO I was VERY thankful that Ashley came and helped me get from point A to point B---plus it's always a wonderful perk getting to spend time with my "Heard" girls...

Before I tell you about the appt. let me back up and tell you about the color-->PURPLE. Last weekend Zach and I along with some friends went to a local Chinese buffet. One of my favorite parts of the meal is receiving that little fortune cookie---well this one said...

"Pay close attention to the color purple--as it will bring you good luck"

I am not a 'huge' purple fan....pink-YES...purple not so much. I am not someone whom you would label superstitious, however let me just tell you that I have searched my closest and my husbands for every possible piece of clothing that has some type of purple on it...I notice anything purple in my sight and I am totally taking advantage of this little fortune and paying 'very' close attention to the color purple---maybe too much---but hey, it's fun!

Well Ashley and her sweet girls decided to hop on the purple train with me this morning, they were so sweet to wear purple with me. I am sure everyone looked at us like we were crazy, but we had fun and by them supporting me and wearing a simple color purple means more than they will ever know!

CLICK TO ENLARGE....
{This is what happens when you try to take a self portrait with 2 kidos in a car--many takes...ha!!}

OK...back to the appointment.

I have 6 potential follicles. 3 on my right and 3 on my left. All are fairly small--All are under 7mm. (for those who don't know or don't remember, they need to be 20mm+ before the IUI) I am only on CD6 so I have quite a while to go...which is ok. My Dr. sounded very optimistic as he thinks they will improve more before the next visit. He said "ok...so your playing rough-huh? I got something for you"...and with that my dosage goes from 75mi a night to 150mi...I will take 150mi tonight; 75mi tomorrow and 150mi on Sunday...

We go back Sunday morning for another scan. At first I thought I would ovulate early (if you have read my blog in the past you know I am a very early ovulater--like CD10) however I think this time I might suprise everyone and myself and be somewhat 'normal'...we'll see though!

So thats pretty much how my day went...a very "purpleish perfect-o" day! :)

Thank you all for the prayers and the sweet words, they mean more than you will ever know. Zach and I are amazed at the outpour of support you all have given and shown us! THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!!!

Here are a couple more pictures from the trip:

Me and Haidyn and Avery

I LOVE this picture, Avery wanted to take a picture of me and her, I was laughing at her because she was trying so hard while snapping MANY pictures one after the other...too cute!

Ouchy-wow-wow

OK, so my shot #2 didn't go as smoothly as shot #1....

I alternated sides of my belly, and lets just say my left side didn't like the shot too well...if we didn't have company I could have totally cried like a baby!!!

I stuck out my lip and Zach said"are you ok"....I said "that one hurt"....it wasn't the needle that hurt it was the meds going in...

Has that ever happened to any of y'all??

While I'm asking questions...what kind of side effects can I expect to have...normally with Clomid I can def. expect to have hot flashes, headache and moodiness anywhere near or around the 3rd pill---I have heard that some think there side effects aren't as bad on Gonal F RFF--what are y'alls opinions?

I "survived"....

I had my very first "injection" tonight!!! I must say I am very proud of myself, not once did I get nervous and not once did I flinch (besides me covering my eyes...). Other than my eye covering I did great...and to be 100% honest it wasn't bad at all (I know, I know...you all told me that and you all were right!!!) I could barely even feel it...Zach was a bit nervous, but he did amazing!!!! Our friend Matt is staying with us until Wednesday, he took some pics for us to remember this date forever...unfortunately he totally focused on my chubby little belly and none of my face or Zach's face, so enjoy the pics but ignore the fatty belly.... :)

MY PEN

Zach is prepping my belly...

Gettin' a good ol' grip of my fat...ha!

And it's IN!

Injecting the meds...

and...."I SURVIVED"

Our sweet friend Matt knew that I would need a little encouragement to get me through this so he stopped by and surprised me with a Sundae; let me just say that it was the perfect encouragement and so delicious! :)

I took 75mi tonight, I will take 75 tomorrow and 75 again on Wednesday. Wednesday I will go in for estridial blood work and Thursday I will be making my way to Austin as Dr. S said he needs to see me Thursday vs. me going to Waco. I have a late appt (5:15pm to be exact) so that I do not have to miss any work. I am excited to see what this journey brings us!!! THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!!!! :)

PRAYERS FOR STELLAN

Sweet baby Stellan needs our prayers right now!!! He has been in SVT for quite some time and is being airlifted to Boston. Please head over to MckMammas blog and lift her, Stellan and their family up in prayer; you can also follow her on Twitter.

Pifer Life

Count Down With The Pifers

Hours till I go to my first follicle scan

Hours till I start my injections...

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Family Updates

Zach-his knee is doing GREAT!!! His new physical therapist wears him out, she is really rough on him--but she is making sure he is 100%...which is what we want!! No pain-No gain...right?

Mom-still seems to be doing amazing!!! GOD IS SOOO GOOD!

Me-I am one sick puppy...Late Saturday night I started sneezing like crazy, then my head started to feel as though it was swelling...I was up off and on all night. Sunday morning I woke up with a horrible sinus infection, no-fun! I laid around all day, when I wasn't sleeping I was blowing my nose or sneezing...I am off work today because I am still sick, my throat is killing me and my head feels as though it could explode...I called my Austin fertility clinic this morning and begged them to let me just go to my Waco office so that I could #1 save money and #2 didn't have to drive far feeling like this....thankfully they said YES!

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News

My appt for my first follicle scan is at 1:30 today, they are just making sure there are no cyst on my ovaries...they will fax my results to my Dr in Austin, whom will turn around and call me back and let me know what dose of medicine I need to take for the next few days and when I need to go back in...

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Big events over the weekend…

Our friend Matt, from Odessa, whom we went to visit a while back, came into town to visit friends and family as well as get himself a vehicle--he has been staying with us this weekend. Friday night we went to pick him up then headed to the Slippery Minnow (a restaurant on the lake nearby) to eat dinner and so Matt could visit his brother whom works there...then we headed out to meet friends. Saturday we woke up and went to eat lunch with Matt's brother Brad and his girlfriend then we headed out to his parents so that we could take a look at his new car, it's a very old car and needs work--however it needs a little more work than everyone thought. Matt, his dad and Zach worked on his car for hours while I "supervised"--around 8 they thought is was ready to go, we all headed back in town to meet The Heards and The Sims for dinner and then off to go bowling (which I haven't done in forever). We had a blast--I was better than I thought, I think I got more spares than anyone...hardly any strikes though!! Late Saturday night I started to feel bad and Sunday was a "do nothing but curl up in a ball and sleep" type day... overall the weekend was good minus my sickness. Here are a couple pictures from our bowling night...

Kristina, Aimee, Ashley and Me

Me and Ashley

Me and my honey!

Tomorrow = "Game Time"

GOOD news is tomorrow is my day 3.....I have an appt at 3:45 in Austin (which I have a call into my nurse to see if I can go to my local OBGYN and get scanned b/c that would save time and money, but I won't know that until tomorrow morning....) but regardless I am going in tomorrow for my very first follicle scan for this cycle and I will start my injections tomorrow night--eeekk!

We are very excited, a little nervous b/c we don't know what to expect, but very very excited....if I could get rid of this sinus infection that I woke up this morning with I would be even happier :)

Thank you for all the prayers, support, sweet emails and cards...you all will never know how thankful I am!

Ready....Set....

"Go" is pending....

BUT I AM Ready.....and I am SET.....

I received my meds in the mail today!!!

3 Gonal-f RFF Pen's and 1 Ovidrel trigger...

We can't forget my gauze...alcohol swabs and my nice sharp disposal container for my used needles.

I think it's really sinking in now...I am getting very excited. It's crazy; when my package arrived I called all my co-workers over so I could show them my meds (like it's some "huge prize" or something--ha!) They could all see my excitement and they were just about as excited as me. I really don't know what we would do without the amazing support you all have shown us throughout this journey and esp. this new upcoming chapter.

So now we are just waiting for good ol' AF...then the "real" countdown will begin!!!!

Our Plan!!

My RE called! He reviewed our blood work, my HSG films, my operation report and Zach’s SA. He said that Zach’s low morph. shouldn’t be a problem—he said that he feels as though just doing the IUI/Injections will be successful, he’s 100% comfortable doing IUI/Injects this cycle; he said he has absolutely no doubt it will do the trick. I of course am not getting my hopes up on this as I have seen many women go through this step with the same confidence from there Dr’s and it didn’t work…but I pray I am the exception. I of course asked the “what ifs” and he said that although he doesn’t feel this way, if it doesn’t take we will not be doing this again…we will have to save up for IVF as that will be the next in line.

I love his confidence. I love him saying this “will” work. Although no one knows what this chapter holds except for God himself, I am extremely excited to see.

So its set…as soon as I start my cycle I will call them and I will go in on CD3 for my baseline (ultrasound and they will set my dosages for the next couple days as well as when I need to come back in.) They have called the overnight pharmacy to set up shipment for my meds…so now I just sit back and wait on that call from the pharmacy so that I can pay them and they will overnight me my goods :)

So within the next few days I should expect to start my shots…and the next couple weeks I should expect a back to back IUI---if everything goes as planned. Please keep us in your prayers, and I will keep you updated!!

Zach- Q & A Post

Tiffany didn't heard from the Doctor today. The nurse called and told her that there was quite a few unexpected IUI's and other procedures that had to happen today that would keep him busy till 6:00. She said that she will have him review all of our stuff and have him call us later tonight or tomorrow.

Now onto the Question and Answers from your one and only ME...Zachary that is! =)

Describe yourself in 5 words:
Thoughtful
Personable
Intresting
Motivated
Dependable

What's the most hurtful thing someone has said to you through this?
Theres not just one thing. There have been several times people have made comments which are hurtful to Tiffany or I. To name a couple...when people say that pregnancy and/or parenting sucks, when people tell us point blank that we don't know what it's like to be parents, when people tell us that God doesn't want us to be parents...

Whats it like from a spouses stand point to have an infertile wife/spouse?
It's hard watching her have to go through all the procedures, I wish that she alone did not have to carry all the weight; I wish that there was more I could do to help her through it vs. just being her "support"...she is a very strong women and I'm not certain that I could be this strong if I was in her shoes.

What do you think about your wife blogging about y'alls personal life?
If blogging about our own personal life and about our struggles with infertility helps others and gives them inspiration to get through there hard times...then why stop? I was unaware that Tiffany started a family blog at first, I figured it was just another "site" that she really liked at the time...her blogging about our life has helped many others as well as her, as long as people respect our lives and our opinions I am perfectly fine with her doing what she does.

What are your favorite past time activities?
BBQ'ing with family and friends and throwing horse shoes in the back yard, sitting outside on a nice night with family and friends is my idea of the perfect TX past time activity.

What are you looking forward to the most about becoming a father?
Everything! feeling the baby kick inside Tiff's belly, finding out what we are having, painting the nursery, holding them when there first born, having a daddy's girl who is wrapped around my finger or a little mini me follow me around the house, hearing the words "I love you dad", spending every moment with my child and watching him/her grow.

How do you think y'alls 4 legged children will do when you have a baby?
They will be jelous at first. I think they will be ok over time, but in the begining they will miss having all our attention...

How did you know you wanted to spend the rest of your life with Tiffany?
She is everything I've ever wanted in a women. She is the sweetest and most caring women and my eveything and I am blessed to be able to call her my wife.

What has been the hardest part about this journey?
Having all your friends have positive pregnancy test after positive while your still seeing negitive after negitive. It seems as though everyone we know has told us they are expecting, it's not we are mad or upset they are pregnant, it's just some have forgotten were still back here trying...it's easy to be left when your on this journey.

Do you ever get tired of TTC?
yes and no...
yes-it does get a little "routine" at times. I would love nothing more that to be completely done trying and be able to move forth with parenting, but we are not in control.
no-because practice makes perfect ;)

Do you have any advice that could help my husband understand infertility better; were new to this and I know it's hard for him to understand, just curious if you have any helpful tidbits?
Remember that someone aways has to be strong, pick each other up when one is down, always try to think positive, try to look at the glass half full, try to block out the negitive thoughts and know that somewhere in this mess God does have a plan for you. I know it's hard at times to be strong, but if you try then you can get through anything God hands you.

Can you tell me one pet peeve you have about your wife?
There really isn't alot that she does that aggrivates me, the only thing that I can think of is she leaves hangers everywhere when she takes her clothes off of them!

Are you as nervous about this new chapter as Tiffany is?
In a way yes, only because you don't know what will happen or what we will find out.

What are your thoughts on adoption?
I would love to, when the time is right.

Are you scared of having multiples?
No, bring it on =)

What is your favorite quality about your wife?
How strong she has been through all of this and she is the sweetest women I've ever met, she would do anything to help her family and friends in need, you can always count on Tiffany to be there for you, she is very positive and often reminds me that we can get through anything as long as we have faith-not to mention she has the coolest husband ;)

Thanks for the Questions,
Zach

Pifer Life

Count Down With The Pifers

Hours till I find out if we can still do the IUI/Inject. or if we have to do IVF…(I should find out what the plan is today…)

3 BCP’s left…

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Family Updates

Zach-his knee was hurting him quite a bit this week, however his PT worked him extremely hard on Friday and he was a little more active on it throughout the weekend as well. Starting this week he will be moving to only one day of PT; they are mostly working on his hamstring now. I am so proud of him-he hardly ever complains, he goes non stop and works so hard to provide for us—God blessed me with a good man!!

Mom-she seems to be doing amazing, I can tell some days she is still depressed—her back is hurting her a lot (which she has 8 bulging disk that they are unable to operate on) so she will be going to a pain Dr. soon, which I pray helps to relieve some of her pain!

Me-boot camp is over…I am sad. I would love to sign up for another round, but I really want to wait and see what is in store with all of the fertility treatments first. I only have 3 days of birth control pills left-I am excited to be off of them!!

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News

Injection lesson-CHECK
Tiff Blood work –CHECK
Zach Blood work- CHECK
Delivered HSG videos to RE- CHECK
Delivered Operation report and pictures to RE- CHECK
Plan for this cycle---“pending—should find out today”

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Big events over the weekend…

There really weren’t any big plans over the weekend. Friday night Zach and I went to a local pizza place to eat dinner, then back home and went to bed. Saturday, Zach woke up at 3am to go to work-I slept in and then got up and cleaned the house a little…Zach got home around 10am; we both took a nap—Zach started to change my breaks on my car (but came across a problem as he needed a tool he didn’t have) so that task was put on hold and we ran a couple errands then headed over to my dads to eat dinner and spend time with them, then we headed home--and went to bed---Sunday Zach woke up early to finish changing my breaks, then we went to church-went to eat breakfast with my grandparents…came home-took a nap—woke up and went grocery shopping and back home in time to relax and watch Big Brother (yes, I am a reality TV junkie and Big Brother is my all time favorite!!!)…do you see the pattern of this weekend??? Sleeping??? It was a very lazy “but wonderful” relaxing weekend…

1st Injection Lesson

Today Zach and I had our injection lesson...I would say it went well. Last night we watched the injection lesson video and I will admit I was extremely nervous about all of this "injection talk"...many people have sent me sweet emails and comments saying it's not that bad, and I am trying really hard to not think negative and just keep telling myself "it won't be that bad Tiffany..." (but we are talking about the person who had to have every nurse in the Dr's office hold me down so I could get a shot when I was a little girl!!! ha!!)--I've come along way, I used to hate getting blood work to ; but after 3+ years I am used to that, so I am hoping this will be a piece of cake! If we are able to-we will video tape the first round for y'all and for our future children to see--

When we arrived we went into this large room with about 4 other couples and all sat around this large table...all of the needles and pens and so forth were laid out in our spot. I found out today that this injection class is solely for IUI/Injections...so I am assuming that if IVF comes into play we will have another glass to go over those medications.

Today we went over Gonal-f RFF Pen and Ovidrel (trigger shot)...so ladies these are the medications that I will be using if we end up going down the IUI/injection path...

I also learned of how our schedule will work out...(y'all IF'ers tell me if this sounds normal or about right and for those that don't know--this is what I may be going through soon...)

*I call when I start my cycle...
*I will go in on cycle day 3 for a scan (and start meds on cycle day 3 as well)
**{before every scan I will have to get my Estradiol taken--blood work to check my estrogen level for those that don't know--makes sure I am on the track to ovulation...)
*My RE will look at my follicles, this is the same as when I was at my OB they still need to be 20+ mm and my lining needs to be 7+; depending on my follicle size and my Estradiol report he will determine what dosage of Gonal-f I need for the next couple days and tell me when I need to come back...

Everyone is different...some women will go in every day, some every other day, some every 3 days and so forth...

Once my follicle(s) meet the correct standards and my lining is the right thickness and my estradiol is where they want it I will trigger myself that night with the Ovidrel-Zach will go in the next two mornings for his "duty"and I will go in shortly after for back to back IUI's.

Thats "if" we are able to still do the IUI...

If they decide they want to do IUI there is a chance, like any other, that our cycle may get canceled. If I produce several mature follicles (5+) I will probably be asked if we would reduce if all took; our answer is NO...we will NOT reduce; if God wants us pregnant with several miracles that's his call, not ours. However, due to not being open to reduction-the Dr. may cancel the session due to the risk of all implanting. {this is worse case scenario}

Overall we learned a lot today...we are really excited and ready to get the show on the road! I have about 5 pills left (maybe 6...) and if everything is still IUI/injections we will be starting this upcoming journey very soon...However if my Dr. calls and says that we must do IVF or wait until Zach sees an urologist then our new journey will be put on hold for a little bit...it's in God's hands and we trust that he will guide us where we need to be!

Thank you all for the prayers and support...Zach and I really need and appriciate the love and support you all are given more than you know!!!

Zach's SA Results

The nurse called to tell me Zach's SA results (some have asked what SA means....it means Semen Analysis...this is "The Big Test" for guys--you can click here to read more about it.)

The results weren’t quite as good as we expected...in our minds we thought it would be just peachy; he had one when we first started trying and everything was “amazing”…so local OBGYN hasn't really needed to do another SA due to his last test results being so good.

He results…He had:

2.5 milliliters (they like to see it 2.0 or above) {so this is good- by there books}

48 million sperm count (they like to see it 40mil or above) {so this is good- by there books}

Motility is 47% (they like to see it at 50% or above) he is a little low but they said they weren't concerned. {so this is ok, but could be better- by there books}

Normal Morphology is 4% (they like to see them at 30% or higher) so he is really low on his mortality. {This is very low and they are concerned- by there books}

My RE is out of town this week; which we knew, so it was my nurse giving me this information. She said that my Dr. will want to go over the results and he will make a plan from there and let us know his plan next week (remember in my "recap 1st visit post" I stated that the IUI/Injects plan was not set in stone until we had the SA report, the blood work back and he had my videos...well this is why). My nurse told me that "normally" he does one of two things in a situation like this if not both—however he may do neither. He could send Zach to an Urologist to get checked and if he is able to be put on medicine they will put him on medicine, and/or suggest IVF as they can pick out the bad sperm. We defiantly don't have the "worst of worst" news...but defiantly not the "best of best" either. Zach feels awful...it took me a while to accept the fact that my insides were not "normal"...well know he is going through this faze. Zach nor I have anything against IVF, we would do it in a heart beat...but it's so expensive...it will take us a while to save if that's the route we have to take...I still am hoping that my Dr. will come back and say that we still have an excellent chance at IUI/inject. as we will be able to jump right into that, however if it's IVF then we will take it one day at a time and go from there.

I know that God has a plan, we are finally getting answers and that is what we want. God doesn’t give you more than you can handle…if he thinks we can handle this we trust him; after all he is trusting us with this journey. Last night I told Zach that we will get through this, some how…some way. He is ok, just feels extremely bummed since 2 bumps in the road are harder to get over vs. one bump…but I reminded him that even if there were 5 bumps, if we believe we can get over them!

I am sorry that I did not write you all yesterday with the details, however it was a hard day for my husband which made it a hard day for me. But today is a new day and we are not going to let a couple little bumps in the road stand in the way of our dream! We have Faith...We believe...and we Trust that Our Lord and Savior has an amazing plan in store for us. Please say a tiny prayer for my husband and that he remains strong!

{If any of you are familiar with a low % of normal morphology, please email me and educate me on anything you might know…I am new at this! If any of you have success stories about low % of normal morphology please send me them b/c I would love to be able to show my husband…thanks}

Pifer Life

Count Down With The Pifers

3 days until our injectibles lesson in Austin...

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Family Updates

Zach-doing fabulous. His knee hasn't bother him all week, he is still going to PT and will remain for awhile, but if I remember correctly next week he will got from 2 days a week to just one :)

Mom-she is doing so much better...I saw her Thursday and she looked amazing...sounded better too!!! WONDERFUL!!!

Me-Still going to boot camp--still taking BCP's---still loving boot camp---still disliking BCP's :) My face hasn't been this broke out since highschool, I'm ready to be done with these pills. I have a little less than 2 weeks on them; and if all goes well we will be starting the IUI/inject. process soon! I am excited, but a little nervous!!!

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News

Sometime this week Zach and I both have to get our bloodwork done...I have to call and make sure I get the videos of the HSG's and operation report, then Thursday we make our way back down to Austin...

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Big events over the weekend…

Friday night when we arrived back into town from our fertility visit we headed to my dads and hung out with them for a little while. Saturday, we took it easy all day and went over to our friends house that night for there 10th wedding Anniversary "luau" celebration. Half way through I got really sick--I'm not sure what happened--I just started feeling really bad; I didn't want to be a party pooper so I went and laid on there couch while they all went swimming outside. Today we went down to the Water Park in town with The Heards so there little girls could swim--it was fun!! Due to an "incident" in the pool they had to shut everything down; so we got our money back and came home. Here are the little pictures I took this weekend...

Me before the "Luau"

Zach and I before the "Luau"

Billy and Nikki's Wedding Table in honor of there 10th anniversary.

Recap of Our First Fertility Clinic Visit

This is about how my morning started....full of emotions; scared...nervous...didn't know what to expect--prayed prayer after prayer. Since I heard that we wouldn't have to pay for so much this visit it's been a smooth ride; that was until this morning. Zach and I woke up and hardly said a word...he was nervous for his testings and I was nervous for the outcome...

Shortly after running around the house getting ready and doing everything possible to keep our minds off of things we literally bumped into each other as we both turned the corner, we grabbed each other and my eyes filled with tears--Zach told me "Everything will be ok...somehow we will get through this" <~hey thats my line :)

We got ready and off we went; our intentions were to grab breakfast in town then head to Austin-however neither of us had an appetite. So off to Austin we went...we arrived early and found a local I-Hop; as Ashley mentioned below (which thank you sweetie for updating everyone for me) I didn't have an appetite still. I did make myself eat some, but I think my nerves took over my whole body.

After breakfast we went straight to the 1st clinic to get Zach's SA done. As strange as it sounds as soon as we pulled in the parking lot my nerves went away, Zach and I said a little prayer and I told Zach "I will keep my fingers and toes crossed for you; you can do this honey!"...

See....there crossed!

I wish I could say that Zach's nerves were gone completely, but unfortunately they were not. This was a very nerve racking thing for him...however like Ashley said below he survived--and I am so proud of him!!!!

After that we both headed over to the 2nd and main clinic...The Fertility Center. Can I just tell you, the place was beautiful, very cozy and very welcoming. They had this huge fish tank in the room and Zach and I sat across from it and watched the pretty fish...that's about the time we both let go of our fears and put every bit of this in God's hands and said we were going to go into this visit with an open mind and no nervousness... so whats next....why a picture of course to "celebrate" us taking away our nervousness...thumbs up for The Pifers :)


About an hour after waiting in the waiting room, we got called back (no they didn't make us wait forever, we were really just "that" early...) Our Dr. came in and he was just so amazing. It's hard to envision if you will truly like someone or not, but his personality was great...very blunt-tell it how it is type guy. He went through my very "thick" records--I had a whole lot--and we talked about everything we have been through in the past. He said the only thing left that he needs that he did not have was the actual videos of both of my HSG's and my LAP operation report. So I have to get that for him. After talking about all the "past" stuff, we went into a room so that I could get an exam and he could look at my uterus and ovaries. He said that everything looked amazing. He "physically" can't see any reason why I am not getting pregnant. After reviewing my records and looking at my insides he thinks that I need a stronger fertility med. vs. just clomid--so this begins the talk about injectables. He said that he feels very confident that all I need is one good IUI with injectables and I will be pregnant, he said that we would do back to back IUI's (meaning one day we would do one and then come back the next day for one more). However; he is not 100% certain that IUI will be the route we take until he gets the following:

1) videos from my HSG and LAP report
2) alot of blood work from Zach and I (which we are getting this week at my Dr's office and they are faxing over to them)
3) Zach's SA report (which will be there Monday)

Again, he said he is confident without seeing the above things, but there is no for sure plan until he gets those things.

I have two rows of BCP's left, once those are gone he is hoping we can start this process (wow! I didn't think we would go this fast, BUT if we do IUI we will be able to...if it is IVF we will have to wait and save.) They scheduled us to come back next Thursday for injectable lessons as he knows that either way we will need to know how to do this.

Overall I think our appt went wonderful. We don't have 100% answers yet, but we do love our Dr....we do believe this is the right step...and we do think this is what we need after speaking to him. I have high hopes that I will be able to get pregnant and that's what I have been wanting to feel for awhile. So there you have it folks....Appt #1 is under our belt...God carried us right on through it and we are so very grateful things went the way they did. Thank you all for all the calls, texts, emails, comments and messages...we are so thankful for each one of ya'll. I can't wait to see the path God takes us down in this new chapter...as crazy as it sounds (since I've been dreading this) it felt so natural once we were in there...I know in my heart this is where we are supposed to be.

Calls for a "Yea!! We survived! Appt 1" Photo...huh?

A small update....

Hello, Everyone~

This is Tiffany's friend Ashley and I just wanted to give everyone a small update, on how their day is going so far.

They left town this morning about 9:30 and stopped in Austin to eat some breakfast. Tiff wrote me a message and of course said, "she had NO appetite!!", and I told her she better eat a little something. After, breakfast they headed to the dr. office so that Zach could get is SA done. Zach was nervous, but he survived..haha! They are now at the Fertitlity Clinic waiting to talk to their dr. and to see what all is going to need to happen. They are in really good spirits today and please pray that they hear some good news. Tiffany, actually sent me a pic of the beautiful fish tank that is in the waiting room bc she wanted me to see how relaxing it is and so that I could feel like I was there with her!! That is all that I know for now, but she will def. give you guys the full story tonight.

She is putting little updates on her twitter, so if you want to see what's going on thru out the day.

Thank you all for all of the sweet comments and prayers that you are sending their way!! They are 2 of the sweetest and most deserving ppl. that I know and I just want for all of their dreams to come true!!!

Love,
Ashley

Tomorrow....BRING IT ON!

I am utterly in shock that “tomorrow” is our visit. I can not tell you how fast time has gone by.

Three and a half years ago when Zach and I started trying for our very first miracle, I never ever thought this would be a step we would be making; I thought this “trying to conceive” thing would be easy—I mean after all you just decide your ready and the next thing you know your pregnant...right? Didn’t happened how we planned…God had another journey in store for us…plans that we were not ready for at first. We went through the sadness, the anger, the frustration…but finally God helped us to accept the fact that this was our path in life, he helped build our strength and our relationship; not only with each other but our relationship with God. If I were to “plan out my own life” I can’t say I would have added infertility into it, however I am glad that God did. I never thought that an actual fertility clinic would come into play, I have avoided that step for a long time…but after 3 ½ years…many prayers…and tons of support I do believe we are ready for this.

Our God is an amazing God. He picked us for this journey, he saw something special in us and knew that with his guidance we can and will overcome this. I can not tell you if we will ever get “pregnant”…I do not know what God has in store for us. But I do know that we will be ok, we will be parents one day…somehow…someway. God has shown us so much throughout this and taught us not only to lean on him but to trust him to carry us through our struggles…and that’s what we are doing.

SO…BRING IT ON…Bring on tomorrow…we are ready!! And we know that “With God…ALL things are possible”.

It’s amazing how many people care; we are humbled by your love, generosity and support. I’m in disbelief that my blog has become one that many “want” to read. Thank you all for being apart of this journey with us—we are honored for you to be by our sides through this.


{I will add mini' updates to my twitter account throughout tomorrow until I am able to blog about it...if you want to follow me on there, you are more than welcomed...but I promise I will blog tomorrow night sometime :)}

Amazing Blessing

I think I got the best call ever--- it pretty much made my day--and days to come!

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Lady at Fertility Clinic: “Hi is Tiffany there…?”

Tiffany: “This is her”

Lady at FC: “I just wanted to confirm your appt. on Friday, and also tell you about Zach’s SA. We will need him to come in around 12:30 to get that done instead of waiting until after your appt…will that be ok?”

Tiffany: “That sounds amazing…will we pay there (b/c the SA place is right next door) or will we pay all together?”

Lady at FC: “You will pay there, it will be 115.00 and then when you come here you will only have your two 35.00 co-pays.”

Tiffany: (in this shreaky-breaking up with tears voice) “WHAT?....What do you mean co-pays”?

Lady at FC: “Have we not gone over your insurance benefits?”

Tiffany: “Well no...I mean I called the insurance company several times and asked and they always told me that once I go to a fertility clinic nothing is paid…”

Lady at FC: “Well that’s not exactly true, they will not pay for any of your procedures, but they will pay for your consultation and all of your testings.”

Tiffany: “SERIOUSLY?”

Lady at FC: “I promise!”

Tiffany: “OMG…”

Lady at FC: “Are you ok?”

Tiffany: “Yea, that’s the best news I have heard all day…oh my! This is wonderful… “K” do you know how happy you just made me (bursting in tears now).”

Lady at FC: “See honey, God works in wondrous ways…we will see you Friday. You just relax, everything is going to be ok.”

Tiffany: “Thank you…are you sure…like really really sure….”

Lady at FC: “Honey, I promise…you will only have a total of 185.00 charges when you come Friday….just relax, it will be ok.”

Tiffany: “Oh My, thank you so much!”

Lady at FC: “No problem…see you Friday”

Tiffany: “thank you…see you then”

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God is amazing…we were looking to spend close to 900.00 when it was all said and done for just this consultation. I’ve called the insurance company several times…but they called and knew exactly what to ask and it turns out I do have some coverage... now I can seriously relax. The appt. has always been a scary thought, we have feared the outcome of the appt., but I know that with God by our side we will get through that….however the money was something that was really hard for me…spending so much on just a consultation when I could be saving it for actual procedures was something I couldn't get passed as much as I tried…well God showed me (yet again) that all things are possible with him. Thank you for the prayers…they are working…and now I can honestly say I am 100% excited about this appointment…a little nervous, but more excited now than I have ever been.

Pifer Life

Count Down With The Pifers

4 days until we open the next chapter of our lives---4 DAYS!!!! This week!!! Around about 96 hours....I don't quite know how to describe how I feel right now...I'm a mix between....scared...nervous...excited...anxious...worried....relieved....

This picture is the closest that could possibly describe how I feel right now....
(of course...minus the whiskers...pointy ears....and fur...)

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Family Updates

Zach-he is still doing amazing....PT is still going great! He was in quite a bit of pain yesterday, but nothing a bag of ice couldn't fix :) If your new--you can read here about why my husband had knee surgery.

Mom-she's doing great...still going through a depressed phase right now; however when I talked to her this past week she sounds ten times better...so please keep the prayers coming-- they are helping in so many ways...if you are new, you can read here to see why my mom had brain surgery.

Me-Friday I went to my very first "morning" session of boot camp. For those who don't live in TX, we have been ranging from 100-106 degree weather per day...which makes a 6pm boot camp session very hot! So we thought we would try out the morning session, and as it's extremely early-I think with time I can get used to it...the temperature difference is tremendously cooler in the mornings vs. afternoons!! I survived my first week on the birth control pill; I will say those little pills kicked my rear--I was sick pretty much all week. In the past when I took BCP's I took them at lunch, and my Dr. advised me to take them at lunch because it will help me be "routine" about taking them at the same time every day, well after several days of being sick and hardly being able to hold my head up I switched to taking them at night. Although I still get a little sick it's extremely better. (YEA!)

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News

Our first fertility clinic appt. is this coming up Friday at 1:30pm...I will update you all as soon as I can; I do have TWITTER, so feel free to follow me on there for mini' updates until I can blog about our big day :)

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Big events over the weekend…

Zach and I didn't have any big plans over the weekend. Our plans consisted of swimming in our above ground pool and taking it easy....however shortly after we woke up Zach went outside to check the pool (he was filling it up a little since some of the water evaporated)---well I hear this loud gasp come from the kitchen..."Are you ok?"....."What happened....whats wrong?".....silence....I didn't hear anything. I hurried to the kitchen and looked out the window to see what had my husband so stunned, our little 4ft deep pool collapsed...there probably wasn't but only 2inches left in it. (I meant to get a picture but never had time...) So now what do we do?

Zach- "What are you doing Tiffany?"
Tiffany (while throwing her bathing suit on) "I'm going to swim!"
Zach- "In 2 inches of water?"
Tiffany- "Yup!"

So I did....and shortly after came my husband, and our doggies...we sat in that 2inches of water and had a grand ol' time. (I really wish I could have gotten pictures of that!!) Between lounging around in our awesome swimming pool--we played horseshoes, ate lunch and played with our doggies....while always running back to lounge in the 2 inches of water that was left in our "once was" pool. After swimming (if that's what you want to call it...) and staying outside forever until we were burnt to a crisp--Zach started dinner...he made delicious ribs, pork tender loin, and roasted corn....mmm!!!! After dinner we got ready to head downtown to watch the fireworks!!

Sunday morning we woke up and headed to the big "July 4th Celebration" service. They had a huge orchestra there--this is one of my favorite services of the year. Zach took me to breakfast after church and then we headed home to relax.

I hope everyone had an amazing 4th of July! To the men and women who fight/fought for our country--THANK YOU for everything you do.

Here are a few pictures from this weekend...

Me and Sasha bright and early in the morning--

Zach and I fixing to leave to go watch fireworks...

Pretty!!!

My honey and I before Church Sunday morning.

I Have a Blogicon Now!

Have you ever heard of a Blogicon? I found Cara, from RockSTARRMom, a couple weeks back and she offered to give me an amazing little blog icon. She put a little cross up there—do you see it? Most people just have a little orange box with a “B” in it for Blogger. She tries to coordinate your icon with your blog page. I love my little cross--and thank you Cara for doing this for me!!!You can go to Your Blogicon and see a list of who she has made one for and see how to get one for yourself. You will love it!!!

On Hold for the Time Being...

The day we were told that there was going to be a fundraiser on our behalf we were beyond thrilled. It was amazing how people could care so much about us to want to help us through this journey and help make it as stress free as possible. We never thought that something so wonderful could turn into something so negative.

Zach and I have been judged beyond words, we have been told that we are ungrateful people; we are fake and no longer will they feel sorry for us. Our actions are being watched; when we go to the store for any reason we are being looked down upon--we absolutely can not stop our lives due to this infertility journey, we will still purchase things…as our grocery list and personal list have minimized we still must live. There have been several things happen in the last few weeks that have left us extremely hurt and speechless---and it’s very hard for my husband to be speechless! Due to the negativity from this we have been left with little to no choice, Zach and I have decided this fundraiser must go on hold as we need to focus fully on our upcoming chapter in our life.

The Pifer Bean Blog will still exist; we have a few key chains and bracelets left that we will continue to sale until they are gone; after that the only thing that will remain is “Thinking Of You Thursday’s” (this will just be every other week vs. every week, so please feel free to continue to email your prayer request) and support pictures, Ashley has received many pictures of ya’ll supporting us and those will either be posted all at once or split up within the weeks. But due to everything that has been going on; the online raffle/giveaways and the local raffle will be on hold for the time being. Thank you all for everything you have done for my husband and myself…you all are so amazing and we are humbled by your generosity.

This breaks our heart to think about this, as this was such a wonderful blessing for us; however this has began to cause us more stress due to the current actions that have taken place. Zach and I are about to enter a huge chapter in our lives…as most know this huge chapter comes with stress of it’s own, so we do not need any additional stress. We do not need or want pity, please do not feel sorry for us. We are a strong couple and we will get through this. God has a plan, he is the only one who knows of this plan and we have faith in him and trust him to the full extent. We do not need someone to tell us we are ungrateful because that is far from true. We did not start this blog for pity, for sympathy or for you or anyone to feel sorry for us. We started this to keep family and friends updated as well as to document our journey. At the time I didn’t even realize others could “follow” our story…I was shocked when my followers started to double daily…I was stunned by the outpour of comments, emails and support!!! Zach and I are extremely grateful. So to be told that we are very ungrateful is very hurtful to us. I wish I could express my gratitude, but to be honest, there are not enough words out there for me to describe how thankful we truly are.