Confirmed TWINS!

We had our first ultrasound last Monday. Considering the outrageous beta counts I wasn't surprised to see two sacs.

 It's twins again!

Baby A:
128bpm and 6.1mm

Baby B:
126bpm and 7.1mm

We have a due date of May 9. We already know the genders of these little beans, but I'm not telling... yet anyway.

Special delivery!

Mr. Fed Ex stopped by today with my goodie box.


I'm gonna need a larger medicine cabinet!

The goodie box included:

14 day supply of Leuprolide (Lupron)
32 Vivelle patches
5 different oral medications
2 vials of Delestrogen
4 vials of Progesterone Oil (I think I needed more last time)
Bag and bags of alcohol wipes and needles... oh lord, so many many needles! Large pointy, sticky needles.


First monitoring appointment is scheduled for July 22.

Let the good times roll!

Just drifting....

Summer is slowly sliding by and we are waiting oh so patiently to hear news of an estimated transfer date. A new egg donor was found quickly, but the paperwork and bloodwork take time. We are aiming for an August transfer, but I'm not sure we'll make it. I haven't received word to start birth control pills and baby aspirin. I'll take those meds for a few weeks before starting Lupron and then a few weeks after starting Lupron, the hardcore meds start. I estimate a good 5 or 6 weeks of meds before transfer even happens.

Moving transfer back another month or more makes me nervous for a couple of reasons:

A) school starts in September and I don't want to miss my kids' first few days of school. Also, with school starting, childcare will get a little tricky while Jeremy and I go to CA for transfer. No doubt we'll have help, but it will be a little different than we hoped.

B) this reason is huge... literally. I do not want to be pregnant during the summer. Being just-pregnant during the summer months is one thing, but being 8/9 months pregnant (with twins, fingers crossed) is something completely different. No thank you! Call me a poor sport, a wimp or whatever. Summer is busy for us. Kids need to be on the go or they lose their minds and start crashing through walls and dancing on the ceiling. Chasing my kids and daycare kids outside in 90F temps while being the size of a beluga whale isn't my idea of a good time. And let's not even get into the swelling of ankles topic.

C) lastly, I'm just ready already! I am excited to get this show on the road. I like schedules and structure. Just to know an estimated transfer date will calm me.

I talked to Guy and Dror this morning. They are thinking we will hear more from IVF by Wednesday. I'm hoping so! We have a Skype date tomorrow, very much looking forward to that.


In other news, Ella and Ely are doing amazing! They have this ability of making their daddies fall in love with them over and over again. They get cuter and cuter everyday. I get pictures through iCloud quite often and every single picture brings a smile to my face and causes my heart to skip a beat or two. Out of respect I am no longer sharing their pictures here on my blog (insert big sad face). Honestly, I was lucky to have shared the pictures I did. Neither Roy or Avner have shared the kids' pictures on a social media/public site. Ever. They share only in private albums. They are doing what they can to protect their kids and I understand that.

Snags

Unless you are snagging an awesome deal at a department store or snagging a dream job, snags are not especially great. Snags in a sweater, snags in a plan... not great. They are often times frustrating, unexpected and unwelcomed little doings. 

Our snag: the egg donor has decided she can not commit. The news came late last week. I was on schedule to start my meds yesterday. We had a plan already in place. We were all hopeful for a mid-July transfer.

Transfer will likely be pushed back now. I'm okay with a short delay, but I do feel bad for Dror and Guy. They, much like all IP's, are ecstatic about being parents. The sooner the better. I imagine the IVF process can feel a bit like chasing a runaway balloon. If you lose your grip on even a small part of it, the dream could float away forever. Dror and Guy have already had a few bumps in the IVF road. It's emotionally hard to go through these disappointments. It makes the process stressful and leaves IPs questioning if and when they'll be holding a child of their own.

Luckily this snag can be resolved by find another egg donor. It's not something so drastic that it will put an end to their dreams of becoming parents. But it is a big deal. I mean, it is the other half of their future children.

I will know more throughout the next few weeks, but in the meantime, (yes, I'm asking again) please send positive vibes!

May 17!

May 17 is quickly approaching. Can anyone guess why this date is exciting? Yes, it's a Friday and we all LOVE Fridays, but it's also a big(ish) day for my second journey. Not "transfer" big though. We aren't transferring that day, but I am headed to the IVF office. Dr S. needs to take a gander at my baby oven and make sure all is good to go. I have no reason to believe the "oven" is not in tip top condition, but unfortunately there is always room for those dreaded what-ifs. However, I push those what-ifs out of my head just as quickly as they come in. Only positive thoughts are welcome to hang around.

So off I go to CA for a day trip. I fly out just as the sun is rising and I return after the sun has gone to bed. It's going to be a long day. I enjoy flying, but 4 different flights in one day is a little much. No chance I can sleep on the plane. (I couldn't even sleep during the long flight home from Tel Aviv last November. Talk about a glassy eyed, delirious woman by the time I landed in Minneapolis.) The quiet will be nice though. I'll definitely soak that up. It's exciting to think this trip brings us that much closer to transfer day.

Now... does anyone know what happens after the May 17th screening? Bingo... the start of meds. I can't say I'm looking forward to it. Have you seen the size of the needles? You just wait, I'll be sure to share a picture for those who haven't experienced it yet. All joking aside, the shots are totally worth the annoyance they cause. If the end result is a healthy baby (in our case 2 healthy babies), I'm all for the temporary pain.

As for the IPs, Guy and Dror - they are doing well. Excitement, happiness and anticipation are just a few of the emotions they are experiencing. I think we would all like to fast forward to the end of the 2ww (2 week wait), which will be sometime in July. Actually, I take that back... I love the anticipation of each new phase... the transfer, the 2ww and finally delivery. I'm good not having a fast forward button. It's all so exciting!

P.S.  Imagine this coincidence... May 17, 2011 was the transfer date of my first surrogacy. Craziness or what?!?! Speaking of which, I know a few loyal readers/friends are wanting some updated pictures. I'll work on that!

I'm matched!

Late last year I decided to kick start the process of getting matched for my second journey. The agency I work with was quick to find a match they thought would be great for me. Soon after sending in my updated information, my family and I had some personal stuff come up. Putting the journey on hold bummed me. I really thought I was ready and these IPs (intended parents) did sound like a great match for me.

As time went by, our personal stuff was mending, but I found myself with a new(ish) dilemma. You can read about it here.

Today I'm very happy to say... I am ready.

Shortly after my last post and taking time to really sort through my thoughts, I received news from IARC. The news was regarding the IPs I would have potentially been matched with late last year. They were unmatched! I'm a person who believes in signs and "everything happens for a reason". For me to be ready and for them to be in need screamed positive vibes.

On a Monday, I spoke to IARC about Dror and Guy's visit to Minnesota, had a phone conversation with them the following day and the day after that Jeremy and I had dinner with them. On top of that, we had Elliott's 3rd birthday and we closed on our new house. It was a whirlwind of an awesome week.


I am bubbling with excitement! Being with them was completely comfortable. We spent 2 1/2 hours together and the time went by much too fast. They are going to make great dads and I can not wait to help make that happen for them.

Jeremy, Me, Guy & Dror

How thoughtful... Dror and Guy brought along a birthday gift for Elliott :)

Please stick around. I feel another great journey is about to be had!