We've Officially Begun!

So the big day has finally come! Laura started her shots today which means we're REALLY in cycle. No more "As soon as...", "We're waiting for...", etc. We're actually in it! Since I'm not the one who started today, I dont have much detail to give but Laura explained it well in her blog today. For those of you who don't follow her blog as well as mine, here's a sneak peek: "I couldnt sleep very well last night, between the anxiousness and making sure im up at the right time! I was up at 5 (instead of 540) and figured, 'hey I can do this by myself' so I got everything together and followed my instructions. Needless to say, I could NOT do it by myself lol I stood there, pinched 'fat' in hand, and the syringe in the other hesitating like it was my job! ohhh goodness I dont know if it was nervousness, excitement, or what but 'me doing it' wasnt happening. I think it was just the simple fact of stabbing yourself with a needle. I mean who wouldnt hesitate? Anyhow.. I got Calvin up, he pinched and poked, called me a baby, then went back to bed. :) It wasnt bad at all..just a sore spot on the tummy." When Laura received her meds yesterday, it really hit me how close we truly are to everything that we've been waiting for. In just over a month, we could be finding out that we have another baby on the way. Laura was just saying today that she read back to our old blogs and couldnt believe how far we've come. I totally agree. Although it feels like we've waited forever, now that we're finally here it all seems surreal! And I can't help but think back to where I was two years ago. If someone had told me then where I'd be today, I'd probably have been pretty shocked, angry, and scared. After all, this kind of thing only happens in movies like "Baby Mama", right?? And I'll be honest-for awhile after everything happened I WAS all of those things. I really only started looking into surrogacy to assure myself that having more children was a possibility-to gain some sort of control over the whole situation. I've come a long way since then. Now, I realize that I really dont have any control at all. We could attempt all the cycles in the world and never succeed. It's a reality we have to face. But the good part is I'm not really afraid or angry anymore. I grew up being told that God had a plan for my life, and I can't tell you how many times I heard that after everything happened with Brynlee's birth. But the whole time, without even realizing it, I still struggled over wanting to take control of that plan. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity, which has made me analyze what's important in my life and all that I have to be thankful for. It has forced me to let go of some of that need for control in my life-it's actually a very peaceful place to be! Even if we're not successful, I'm thankful to have this experience with Thom, to meet some life changing people, to share this blog with everybody, and, most amazingly, to watch my precious little Brynlee grow up. Though it's hard to think about, I know that having none of this was almost a reality for me. So, I'm grateful. Don't get me wrong-I'm still hopeful for another baby and will definitely be sad if it doesn't happen for us(I'm still human!!). But if right here is where I'm meant to be, I'll be ok with it. I'm still a very lucky lady! Alright alright, I'll stop rambling now. This whole experience has just been such a life changer in so many ways, so I thought I'd share that with you all! In the meantime, we're very excited!! My shots should start somewhere around April 10-so soon!! As always, thoughts, prayers, and support for all of us is welcome!! Thanks for reading! :)

We've got dates!!

Hey there! As hoped, this blog brings some long-awaited dates!! Laura gets to start the infamous Lupron shots on March 31 between 5-7am...poor girl! I start my Lupron shots on April 10 (I hope the timing is more forgiving!). Lupron is a synthetic hormone. From what I understand thus far, the purpose of Laura taking the Lupron is to suppress her cycle and to get her in sync with mine. The purpose of my taking the Lupron is to prevent a premature LH (leutenizing hormone) surge, which would result in ovulation (egg release) before the egg retrieval. This would not be good because then there would be no eggs left to retrieve! I've also read that it causes the release of non-synthetic hormones in my body that will start the growth of follicles (where the eggs grow) in my ovaries. Good stuff, right?? We are waiting for some more detailed information from the Brigham regarding our exact schedule, when we switch to the next injection, etc. But the exciting part is that we also have tentative dates for retrieval and transfer! Laura and I will both be having bloodwork and ultrasounds regularly throughout the cycle (injections) which will ultimately determine the exact dates. However, as it stands currently, the earliest retrieval will be April 30 and transfer 3-5 days later. We're almost a month out!! Thanks to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, and words of encouragement-please keep it up! :)

Almost Time to Cycle!

Yet another hurdle is out of the way which means more PROGRESS! I'm beginning to really love that word!! The legal contract is finally finished and both lawyers are sending copies out today to be signed. Since the Brigham cannot move forward until they have confirmation that our contract is complete, this has been the only thing holding us up since I finished my blood testing and started the pill. That probably doesnt seem too long ago to you all but, for those of us in it, every day seems like a week and every week like a month! Remember being a little kid on Christmas Eve? Well, imagine then your mom or dad tucking you in and saying "Now, go to bed, honey. Santa will be here...SOMEDAY"! Ok ok so I'm being a little dramatic-just trying to shed some light on why the little things seem so big to us. Patience wears thin very quickly! Anyways, our lawyer, Leslie, informed me today that she sent out the legal confirmation (that we're ok to go ahead) to Holly which means that Holly can start "mapping out our cycles" as early as tomorrow! This means that she will be figuring out when we will be starting injections, dosages, how long, etc. And all this leads to....(DRUM ROLL PLEASE)....a transfer date! Laura and I were talking today about how we never thought we'd be so thrilled to start poking ourselves with needles. Its funny how life works out sometimes. But thats ok, this is exciting! Please keep us in your prayers that things continue to go as smoothly as they have been and that the next blog brings a date! Until then...thanks for reading! :)