How we told them

We were going to wait until the weekend after we found out to tell everyone because I wanted to find some cute ideas to tell them. But Kyle could not wait. So I hurried online and found ideas (simple but cute) for our parents, and then got ideas for siblings. Travis lives at home still so he just got the parent announcement. We went to Kyle's parents first because I had to be back by 8:30 for my shot. And at that time my dad gave them to me (now Kyle is brave enough to give them!). So this is what we gave our parents:

Yet when we gave to both sets of parents it took them FOREVER to get it! Kyle's parents looked and looked and said, "What's this? Is this for us?" Finally I just started laughing and they got it. My parents just sat there and stared at it. Mom I think was in disbelief and dad said he was analyzing the size of it because he thought it was me showing him something for him to make. He said, "I didn't read it, I just looked at it and thought, yeah I can make that easily." Bless his heart he makes so much stuff for me and I realized I ask a lot from him when he said that! But I do want him to make the baby bed. And changing table.

This is what we gave Aunt Allie and Uncle Darren:

They were both excited and kept saying, "That's awesome!" Darren said, "Now if Allie gets a job all my prayers will be answered!" We sure are praying for the right teaching job for her to come around. Jobs around here are hard to find with little openings and lots of applicants.

And this is what we, or I, gave Audrey:

She jumped up and down screaming and picked me up and was just so excited! She said, "And I even needed tampons!"

Today, I am 9 weeks and 4 days, and our due date is set for April 1!

What you've all been waiting for...

The day of July 25 came for our blood test to see what my hcg level was. The days leading up to this day I had made myself sick almost wondering if it could be. We had friends over the night before and it calmed my nerves a little bit. No one knew this was THE day except for Kyle and myself.

That morning we went in (to Conway since it was just a blood draw). They said it would take about an hour to process the results. My doctor was not in the clinic on this day, so she had another doctor's nurse fax the information on to our OKC clinic. She took my blood at 10:21. (The only reason I know this is because my husband is OCD and was ready for the results at 11:21. Exactly.) 11:21 came and went. We ate at Marketplace, went by Hobby Lobby, and even drove back to Russellville. By this time I was terrified. You know, all those things that run through your head, like it's negative and they're trying to figure out what to say to me.

I call our OKC clinic to see if they've received the fax. All I said was, "This is Alana, and...." The nurse said, "Ok, we've been waiting for you!! We haven't got anything from your clinic. Call them now and get on their butt!" Well, ok. So we did just that. The receptionist in Conway said, "Since your doctor isn't in there is no way to release your information." By this time it was around 1:30. I kindly stated to them that is incorrect and if, in fact, it was correct then they need to call my doctor immediately and have her verbally release the information and if that didn't work they will be receiving a call from our clinic in Oklahoma.

So...around 2, our nurse calls. Kyle answers. I'm scared to death. She asked if she was on speaker phone. Kyle said, no. She said, "Well who do I tell the results to, and is Alana close?" He said, "Me, and yes." She said, "Ok, put me on speaker phone." And then she says:

"Congratulations, it was worth the wait! You are pregnant!"

Oh my. After about puking on several occasions we could finally relax. I cannot explain the feeling that we had other than joy, excitement, thankfulness, humbled, ecstatic, I could go on and on.

If you are reading this and you have been praying for us, we are so grateful. We know this was all in God's timing. Looking back trying to figure out why things do/don't happen I can see a tiny glimpse of why it may not have worked the first time. That's just me trying to figure it out but who really knows. The prayers of a righteous man availeth much. And we are standing on that promise and have living proof!

If you are reading this and you are still waiting on your little miracle, keep your faith. One way or another, God wants you to have the desires of your heart. And I pray for you every day as I thank God for our miracle.

I know we have a long ways to go, but now I can update a little more since I feel like I'm far enough along to share with you all.

Here is a pic of the day we found out:

The Transfer

After the retrieval the embryologist called us every day to tell us the update on our embryos. I know I posted that we got 10 eggs last post; but looking at my notes we may have only had 8. I can't remember all the details without writing them down apparently! Now, we did ICSI which gave us a better chance for fertilization. If you remember, last try during this time was the most devastating time for us. We got the call the day after that out of our 13 eggs, only one fertilized but it never grew. So this whole time we are scared, nervous, hopeful, etc. all into one. And then we got the call on day 1:

Day 1 Embryos:
8 eggs
5 normal fertilization
2 did not fertilize
1 was immature
*she said this was great and that tomorrow we are looking for embryos that are 2-4 cells.

Day 2 Embryos:
1 embryo at 5 cells
4 embryos at 4 cell
*said everything looks great and we are looking at a Day 5 transfer! Cells need to double in size by tomorrow.

Day 3 Embryos:
1 embryo at 10 cell
3 at 8 cell
1 at 7 cell
*all are Grade 1 which is good! Transfer would be in 2 days!

Each day we were so relieved when we got the call. We had prayed so hard over these little things (literally the size of a pen tip). Day 5 came and I talked Kyle into going in there with me. He had to gown up, and told the embryologist, "I'm used to wearing all this- I'm a chicken doctor." She just thought that was so funny, bless her.

The transfer took about 15 minutes. I laid flat on my back for about an hour there, and then they released me. Bedrest for 48 hours to let the little guys find a good home. They transferred 2 embryos, and here they are:

She said they look "beautiful." I'm glad she knows because they look like perfectly round circles with a lot of dots inside to me. :) But if they are beautiful then I will take them! Kyle said they already have his nose!

So now...we wait!

The Retrieval

The day came to retrieve the eggs we had been working so hard to grow. We didn't care about number, but about quality. We prayed over these eggs like nobody's business!

Charity stayed with me the multiple appointments leading up to this day. I posted about what we did a few posts back. They had difficulty getting blood the last time I went, so I asked her to specifically pray that they would find a good vein for my IV- and they got it on the first try! It had been taking up to four tries just to get blood.

The retrieval takes about 45 minutes. Dr. K aspirated all of the follicles and was able to get 10 eggs. He said everything looked good and went well. We ate at Panera (I just had tomato soup...full stomach + anesthesia = not full stomach anymore!). Kyle wanted Taco Bell but I said heck no.

So we headed back home, leaving our little eggs in Oklahoma City to grow in a petri dish, hoping and praying for the best. One. We just. need. one...

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.