The Medicine

When you go through the IVF process, there are lots of things you have to remember to take. Medicines HAVE to be taken at a certain time. I've had a lot of people ask "why are you on birth control if you're trying to have a baby?" Well I will do my best to attempt to explain that.

The birth control is taken for 21 days to make your cycle timely. Suppression medication is then taken to "shut down" your reproductive system so that the doctors can control what happens. Stimulation medication is also taken to stimulate the ovaries, which makes you produce more eggs than usual. There is a "trigger shot" given 36 hours prior to retrieval to signal the follicles to release the eggs. Then, progesterone is taken to make sure the lining of the uterus is ready.

All the while remembering the time to take these medicines, refrigerate when needed, warming when needed, taking prenatal vitamins, etc. It all starts running together...you can't remember which side you gave the shot last time, you second guess yourself about whether or not you took your vitamins. Yikes! Lots at stake here...I've got two of these full now.

Hope

We still do not know the outcome yet for this cycle, but I wanted to share some of the things that have helped me through some of the darkest times in my life, especially in our infertility journey, in hopes that maybe it can help one of you:

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7

"But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33-34

"I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:30

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. Isaiah 40:29-31

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

When I am afraid, I will trust in you. Psalm 56:3

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Psalm 28:7a

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. John 14:13

freeee

I am spending a few days here in Oklahoma City for doctors appointments. Charity is with me and we have scoped out the free and relatively cheap things to do! We've compiled a list for anyone who is interested, and maybe when you come you will know where to go and what to do if you're on a budget!

1. Oklahoma City Bombing site- The museum costs to get in but if you just want to go look at the site and the memorial chairs and all that, it is totally free. The only thing that costs is parking (see #4).

2. Myriad Botanical Gardens- We did not do this but looked it up and it is free. Looks neat if you are into plants and things...not me.

3. Bricktown- You can walk along the canal and there are lots of neat little shops and tons to eat. We parked for free behind the theater and Toby Keith's restaurant. Eating recommendation: Texadelphia. Oh my, it is YUM! Dessert recommendation: Pinkitzel. It's just outside of Bricktown but you can walk. How delicious does this look?!

4. Trolley- The trolley we found took us around town to the baseball stadium, OKC bombing site, transit station, water sports park, Bass Pro Shops, and the botanical gardens. And it's free to ride! We parked behind Toby Keith's restaurant in bricktown and got on at Bass Pro. Sadly, we had no where to go so we were just riding to be riding! :/

5. Thursday night street band- In Bricktown, every Thursday in the summer from 7:30-9:30 is a live band. We even had dancing entertainment by a 3 year old! :)

6. Parks- Charity and I found a park by the lake (about a mile from our hotel) and ran tonight. So nice. It was hot but the wind was blowing and the trail was really nice with people on it so we felt safe.

7. "Dead People's Stuff"- of course, the "stuff" is not free- but there are hundreds of old doors, washboards, light fixtures, frames...pretty much anything old was in there. It was so neat to look around. A bit expensive but if you're into antiques, this is the place to go. This is just some of the old doors...

8. Ted's- Oh. my. stars. This place is soooo good. Your entree will not be free (Mexican restaurant); however, you get free cheese dip, salsa, and a sopapilla. I mean, really....what more could you ask for?

...Yes, I did just bullet this post.

Thank You

Dear friends and family-

We recently received a very sweet card with inspirational messages and a monetary gift, signed "all your friends." Although we don't know who specifically contributed we want to say a huge thank you to all of you. If you don't have a clue what I'm talking about- that's ok! We are so grateful to you, too, for your thoughts and prayers. Words cannot describe how incredibly blessed we are. Knowing our money would be "tight" this summer, I trusted that God would take care of us as we followed His direction in this infertility journey. And He has blessed us beyond measure with just simple little things. Here are some to mention: finding out we get a discount on our cell phone bill through Kyle's work, Kyle getting a raise, receiving an insurance check in the mail for almost the exact amount we had to pay the clinic last week, finding a hotel that gives a "medical" discount less than a mile away from our clinic. And to top these off, we get this card to help with any expenses we need. Kyle and I both are just overwhelmed at how giving people are and how God has taken care of us. We just sat in amazement the other day reading and re-reading the card. We truly do have the best friends and family anyone could ask for.

Thank you, again, from the bottom of our hearts.

Love,

Kyle and Alana