Bite Size Snickers

Today was our first sonogram and we got to see the heart flicker and hear the heartbeat! It was breathtaking and summed up is a miracle! Everything went great today and is right on track. Dustin, as you can imagine, was quite the emotional one this afternoon. We're still not sure how to refer to it (meaning the baby) since it is gender neutral at this point....but Dustin is running with the "bite size snickers" nickname for he/she. Those of you that know his snickers story and how he obtained his nickname knows this may just be the perfect fit.

This picture leaves me speechless. It is so real! I feel like bite size snickers is crawling here and you can see the growth of his/her arms and legs. If you look close at it's head I swear it already has a boof of hair. I've read in numerous publications that the baby won't grow hair until week 10 but I'm sure there will be a 5 o'clock shadow by then. HA! The more hair your baby has the more heartburn you are to expect........boooooo this isn't going to be good for me!
We feel so blessed and much more at ease since we've seen the baby!

Things I have learned so far:
**It really scares Dustin when I get up in the middle of the night for cereal and chocolate milk. Historically I don't wake up for anything so this middle of the night raiding of the pantry is a change in our sleep patterns. And uh, when did I start drinking milk? DISGUSTING...but it is sooooo good right now!
**Don't take pregnancy tests when your hcg levels are skyrocketing! Yes....I broke 2 tests simply because my hcg levels were so high that it pulled dye from the "not pregnant" line to enhance the brightness of the "pregnant" line. You all know me....I'm a thinker, planner and a worrier....as if I wouldn't pee on a family pack of pregnancy tests from SAMS.
**Don't go perfume shopping. Over the last several months I have been using the last of many perfume bottles and am in the search for a new signature scent....except shopping for perfume at this stage is impossible. Not only am I indecisive, naturally, but my minutely change of likes makes a purchase practically impossible.
**Overall I feel great...which caused me to worry and take a boatload of pregnancy tests. I have occasional headaches, my clothes are a little snugger, I nap daily {love this!} and I eat like a horse.

Dustin's progress:
**He's been THE MOST helpful husband. He prepares and cleans up most meals while I snooze on the couch. He takes care of Polo, makes the bed in the mornings, is proactive in his baby daddy readings & tells me how pretty I am....even though I feel like my face is retaining all of the animal crackers I am consuming. How did I get so lucky!!??

Bite Size Snickers is expected to arrive May 16, 2012!

P.S. We have started daycare shopping. Yes -- one of the places we are touring is booked through June....ummmmm so basically you have to be on the waiting list before you're pregnant....I'll remember this for next time. Thankfully Bite Size won't be checking in to day care until mid-August of next year. : )

An Answered Prayer...

We found out early Monday morning that we are PREGNANT! There were lots of tears shed and my family was in town to share in the joy. I did cheat....at 5 am on Monday morning we got the positive result....we knocked on the door where my parent's were staying to share the good news and phoned Dustin's parents.

Yes, it's for real!

Elaina, one of our favorite nurses, called around noon time that not only was I pregnant but my hormone and hcg levels were beyond perfect. A blessing! We are both so happy an answer to so many of our friends, our family's friends and family's prayers. We have such a great support group that have been there for us through thick and thin. Thank you all!

September 26th is our first ultrasound when we will find out if it is 1 baby or more than 1. We don't care either way -- a healthy baby is enough for us! I did additional blood work this morning and my hcg levels are progressing at a great rate.

Thank you all for reading, praying, texting and calling. The amount of support and outreach on Monday was beyond comprehension for us and we know how much we are loved and how much this baby will be loved by you all.

Dustin got his first "dad" gift on Monday afternoon and I received my first "mom" gift.

Pregnancy Symptoms: Well I had some early signs but as I said in my previous post I didn't want to get worked up or carried away. I have been having headaches and I just feel different -- slightly off balance, but they say it is normal and in my opinion all good signs of a healthy pregnancy! I don't care if I am sick or how difficult the first trimester is -- happy to have the opportunity. (Someone will probably need to remind me of this post in the weeks to come!) : )

3 more days...

Monday is our blood-pregnancy test....and this time I am going to cheat! They told me it was "pretty," accurate to do the home pregnancy tests the morning of.....so yes my anxiety got the best of me last time and I am cheating!!!!
Thankfully, my parents are coming to SA this weekend through Tuesday to be with us. I'm taking off from work on Monday; it's really in my students' best interest more than mine, haha. We're positive and optimistic.....but your head does play with your emotions. At the end of the day it is practically impossible to "feel," pregnant so I am trying to stop analyzing everything.
Dustin is loving Burleson! It seems like a perfect fit for him and it's amazing how much more pleasant he is the evenings to be working in such a positive and upbeat work environment. The move was a good move and we're very thankful for the opportunity.
So from our blog readers: please pray that this round is a success!!!

All went well!

Yesterday went very smooth. It was a relaxing morning, we did the transfer at noon and then I went to the acupuncturist for my my post-transfer treatment, followed by lots and lots (too much) bed rest. I am literally sick of my bed and TV.
Dr. Dustin did let me out of the bed today at 4 pm and took me to get a pedicure : ) and then we had dinner. Tomorrow I return to work while Dustin gets to enjoy one more day off before starting at Burleson.
The sonogram picture is pointing to the two embryos post transfer and the big embryo picture is of one of the embryos under the microscope prior to the transfer. The lab docs came in and we did the whole verification thing and they told us how perfect everything went in the thawing process. The two embryos that were thawed, survived and continued to grow....so this time we actually inserted blastocysts. We are blessed to not have lost any of the embryos in the thawing process and still have 5 remaining Brookses in the lab in the medical center. : )
We're praying this works....we feel good about it and as my acupuncturist (and sometimes even acts as my life coach) told me on Sunday....I have the best doctors, have followed all of the rules, been faithful with my drugs and have prayed about it...now I must turn it over to God.

The Big Day!

The In Vitro transfer is set for tomorrow morning! Dustin and I are both off for the next two days so that I am on full bed rest. We are really excited, but I am very cautious again with this. All of the Dr. appointments leading up to this have been perfect and so we're ready to rock and roll! We will know two weeks from Monday if I'm pregnant or not. We're of course praying for success but for peace over these next two weeks. I have had so much support from friends and co-workers here. It was impossible not to tell people at work on this round....because two planned days off the second week of school with no explanation is just weird. I've been added to my friend Michelle's prayer box at their church where they will send out cards with their prayer warriors to be prayed for at noon tomorrow and another co-worker has worn the pin for St. Anne for me this week in hopes of conception. (I hope I have that right....I'm not the best at remembering the Saints and their roles).
Dustin starts his new job at Burleson LLP on September 1st. He will be in the Weston Centre downtown (the building on the left).

Friday was his last day at his old firm. The timing couldn't have been more perfect for this all. (Needless to say I'm sure he will be able to keep himself busy over the next two weeks). http://www.burlesonllp.com/ This is a good move for him, career wise. It's a national firm with offices in San Antonio, Houston, Pittsburgh and Denver. They value publishing, sitting for additional licenses in other states as well as encourage you to bring in business all with incentives. Dustin works well under an incentive based business model. Dustin was given a partner track along with 4 weeks of paid vacation / leave time!!!! For me, that is huge....it really does no good to work and make money if you are not able to enjoy it. Life is just too short!
Yesterday afternoon a house in our neighborhood caught fire. It was a house that we had looked at when we were buying and that I had wanted since it was a foreclosure and with so much potential. Of course we decided against it, but still pulling up on the fire trucks, ambulances, police cars when going home makes your heart sink. Everyone was able to get out except for their dog. : ( I can't help to think...what if that had been us? Hopefully, we have already paid our dues in the home destruction category. : )
Wish us luck tomorrow! This afternoon we're taking it easy and getting the house in order for us to truly relax over the next two days. Thank you for all of your support and prayers.

Grateful

Oprah's facebook post read this this morning, "It's not easy being grateful all the time. But it's when you feel least thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you." - Oprah.
Levelland & Lubbock lost THE most faithful person I have known this week. Though we were semi-prepared the thought of the truth, the days ahead for her young family and the reality of how life can change on a dime has had Dustin and I shaken a bit this week. Christie Devitt, only 33, passed away this week after a battle with breast cancer and then the cancer returning in her bones. I am so truly sad for this family, but she was such a special person and I was so connected with this story as many Levellanders were/are since many followed her care page for the past 4 years. You know you are special when your story is aired for your faith and your ob/gyn makes the last post on your care page ending the battle with cancer. You can watch a piece of the story that aired on the Lubbock news: http://www.kcbd.com/story/15272718/christie-has-won-her-battle-with-cancer.
This has put life in perspective for us and helped us redefine all of the wonderful things in our life we have to be thankful for and may have not been fully grateful for. Bless the Truelock and Devitt families.

Round 2

Tuesday officially started Round 2 of In Vitro. I guess technically it started a month ago, but I count from when the injections start. For the next two weeks I have 1 injection in the morning in my stomach. Not too bad....the smallest needle to date I've had, but sometimes I think the smaller the more painful? After these two weeks I have a round of hormone patches...which are just goofy so I've been getting my pool time in this week. : ) Doing a round of in vitro with frozen embryos is a much more structured process (and you all know me...I LOVE STRUCTURE). I pretty much know everything that will happen and the date it will happen. Blood levels can change things by a day or two but this isn't near as volatile of a process as the first trial in May/June. So with that I'm pretty much guaranteed to have the transfer August 29th or 30th. I will be missing two days of school the second week of classes and Dustin will likely conclude his quarter from home. We're both so determined and focused on this that neither is really a big deal to us -- we have learned a lot in this process and priorities has been a crucial lesson for us. We're positive, optimistic but of course nervous because the unthinkable does linger in our thoughts. But with the start of school I anticipate this round to go more quickly as I will be preoccupied with all that a new school year brings. Not to mention this round has less meds too. :)
Saturday I am having Leslie and Baby Emery's baby shower at my house. I can't say before these last two weeks that I had got much done around the house, but I've certainly made a dent in my list lately. Sadly, our yard is just blagh this year. I water every day but just can't keep anything alive. I'm sooooo over this heat. I know you all are too....every morning on the Today show Al has lots of sunshines on the southern states and few rain pictures. : (
In September, Baby Beck (well not really a baby he's officially 13 months) will have an eye surgery. I don't know enough of the details to post it on my blog, but they have tried other measures to avoid surgery but received the news this week that so far none of them have worked. Pray for them and Beck---I can't imagine how they feel, but they certainly are strong and can make it through this!
Next Monday is my official first day back to school. I have two additional weeks on my contract now that effect my start and end date. Dustin is SUPER ready to get me back in school. A) I spend too much money and B) I never sleep at night because I nap in the day, stay up late at night and sleep in in the morning. Poor guy....I've exhausted him. This summer has just been weird....we couldn't put our finger around what's so different this year....of course in vitro but also Dustin has had to work. We've not been able to escape to the lake for more than 3 days or have a long retreat back to Levelland/Lubbock to see family and friends and he's found very little time for golf. Kinda stinks being all grown up now.
I finally decorated our downstairs guest room. Yes, eventually it will be a nursery, but for now it won't be such an eye sore. Oh and I bought a new car (reason number 2,386 why Dustin is ready for school to start). I am so proud of this purchase just because I did it all by myself. I negotiated, told them what my bottom dollar was for my trade and got a super low interest rate...ALL BY MYSELF. Obviously I communicated with Dustin before signing on the dotted line but just going and doing it by myself was such an accomplishment for me.
Well summer is officially concluding....will I miss the time off? Sure, but I'm so much more organized and truly get more done during the school year. I wish I could work year-round 8-2...how nice would that be??!!

Our guest bedroom....come visit!

Check out that newly organized garage. ; )

Not too bad, huh?