The time has finally come

The time has finally come! I have repeated this scripture a million times in my head the last few weeks and it was the first thought in my mind when I got the call on Monday:

I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
—Psalm 40:1


We started our IVF journey on Monday! I’m excited and I’m glad that it is finally here, but I am surprisingly calm about the whole process this time around. I talked to my nurse yesterday and I actually have a protocol for dates. I will start my first injections on September 10th and continue for about 12 days until we start the FSH which will be follistim this time. We are slated for an egg retrieval date of October 8th and a transfer date of October 13th. These dates can change +/- a few days depending on how well I respond to the Follistim.

We also had the pleasure of talking to the doctor (MD/PhD) that created PGD 19 years ago. PGD stands for Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis. This procedure is the reason B and I are even able to try for a third biological child. PGD is a very complex process that I won’t even try to explain and to us it is a second chance at fulfilling our dreams. Our conference call was on Tuesday with Dr. H and it was an amazing conversation. I expected this genius mind to be all science and not much personality/compassion…I was TOTALLY wrong! He was uplifting, informative and most of all he was hopeful. He reminded me that this process has many tiny details…and fortunately, we have had the pleasure of going through them once already. He reminded me to just relax. I would have cursed the person that told me to “just relax” during our first IVF round. This time I just know that I have to do that. I have been pretty relaxed through the decision making process this time and I feel confident in our choices. I love that Dr. H told me to just close my eyes and picture me holding our baby next spring whenever I start to feel overwhelmed…what an amazing picture that is! We know we are fighting against the odds this time, but honestly when haven’t we in the last three years? We have faith and love and we have each other. This journey is a blessing to us no matter what the outcome may be. We will not be weakened in the end… and that is ultimately what keeps me going. We appreciate you lifting our family up in prayer as we begin this journey. It will not be smooth sailing I am sure, but knowing that we have our faithful friends and family praying for us renews our strength.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
—Romans 12:12


So, my friends…HERE WE GO!!!

Our lives have pretty much stayed on the “go, go, go” dial that they have been on for the last few weeks. We’re busy, but I am beginning to think we always will be! B’s sister Aunt Courtney is coming in from Arizona today ~ YAY!!! We are so excited to spend the weekend with her and have some fun times together. B is also having his Man Fest…I mean fantasy football draft at our house Saturday. UGH! I am sure it will be a great time for them. B looks forward to this day all year and a lot of planning has gone into making this “one for the books!”

Ellie is doing great…minus the whining that she does for about 6 hours every day. I have truly loved every single milestone and age until this one the last few weeks! She gets so frustrated and just whines about every little thing that doesn’t go her way. We have seen a lot of the timeout carpet lately! She is still my most precious little gift and at the end of the day she still wraps her arms around me and says, “You’re my best friend, Mommy!” Who can be mad at her after that??? We are about 2 ½ weeks away from her second CF clinic, so I am looking forward to seeing what news that will bring.

Last week brought a scare for us regarding our crazy dog, Bo. Bo is our boxer and he is a constant source for entertainment in our house. Last week, B brought him in to have a spot on his little nose checked out. A few hours later they called to say they had Bo in surgery to remove the spot and they were sending it for a biopsy. I was heartbroken. Bo is B’s dog, but he has become Ellie’s true love and I just couldn’t imagine him not growing up with her. We were overjoyed to get the call this week that Boskers (as we call him) spot was benign! Hallelujah!

Blessings,
Angie