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THANK YOU all so much for following along!

 It makes me extremely happy to be able to share our incredible journey with you! 

Much  LOVE.

Positive Energy

Many of you have probably noticed that on this blog, I refer to everything as if it already is.  For example, We WILL be pregnant in a month.  The guys WILL be having twins.  We WILL have an easy, smooth pregnancy.  This is not just me being naive.

I firmly believe in having a positive attitude about things. I expect great things to happen, and I dwell on the wonderful things in life.  These are my goals.  I think about them every day.  I try SO hard to focus on the positive and not allow the negative thoughts to take root in my brain. 

We all live in the real world...well, most of us do.  :-)  We know how the IVF process works, how pregnancy goes, etc., etc., etc.  But where does a negative attitude/energy get you?  That's right.  Nowhere.

I choose to remain positive!  And where does that get me?  EVERYWHERE!  It allows me to live my life, each and every day, feeling happy, excited and positive about the things coming my way!  It allows me to expect great things, and you know what?  When you expect it, you tend to get it!!!  Here are some interesting articles that support this theory.

http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/great-expectations-40568.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/134226-the-effects-positive-attitude/
http://www.successconsciousness.com/positive_attitude.htm

Great things are happening!  I choose to focus on those great things and the payoff that I get for that is MORE great things!!! 

SO......can you believe that we are going to be pregnant with twins in one month???? Are you excited that this pregnancy is going to be smooth sailin'?  How incredible is it going to be when I deliver those beautiful babies into their Daddy's arms???

Oh my gosh. I just got chills.

Email Notification

Some of you are going to want to kiss me right now....

I have heard from so many people who are disappointed that when you become a "follower" of the blog, you don't receive notification when I post new entries.  I agree...

So, I'm no "techie", but I've done a little research and I have now downloaded a "Subscribe" feature to the blog! I have tested it out with my own email address, and here's how it works.  Subscribe by adding your email address to the Subscribe button on the top right hand side of the blog.  Google will then send you an email to confirm your email address. FYI, my email was in my Junk folder.  Confirm your email address by following the link in that email. That's it!  You are now a member of the LoveMakesAFamily2011 Google Group, a VERY exclusive membership! :-)  When I post a new entry, you will receive an email with that post. Again, mine went to Junk the second time, but I'm hoping that if I keep telling my computer it's not junk, it will get the picture.  The email that you are sent will be my actual post, so you can read that "text" version, or visit the actual blog to read the post and see pics, etc.

I hope this makes following our journey a little easier for you...and if you want to kiss me for making your life easier...by all means, go right ahead!  ;-)

The Latest and Greatest!

I had an appointment today for bloodwork and an ultrasound.  They checked both ovaries and they looked good!  Checked my progesterone and estrogen levels and they also looked good!  So what does this mean?  This means that my body is responding to the medication just as it should be and it's gettin' ready to be pregnant! :-)  It also means that I can now reduce my Lupron to 5 cc's/day instead of 10.  I also will now start taking Estrace twice a day and a baby aspirin each day.  Here is information on the role these drugs are playing in the process:

Once suppressed by the Lupron you will commence an estrogen medication called Estrace. This medication causes the lining of the uterus to become thick to prepare for the upcoming implantation of the embryo(s). In addition you may be required to take a daily Lupron injection subcutaneously (under the skin) in the evening. After approximately 10 days on the Estrace pills you will be required to have an ultrasound done to measure the lining of your uterus to check that the Estrace has been thickening the lining appropriately. If so, then the donor will commence her ovarian stimulation and you will stay on the Estrace pills until she is ready for egg retrieval.
http://www.storksurrogacy.com/

Aspirin (Acetylsalicylic acid) is among the most commonly used drugs. Low dose (baby aspirin) is being taken more and more to reduce such things as heart attacks and strokes. There is increasing data to suggest that taking a single baby aspirin each day can improve pregnancy outcomes with fertility treatments such as In Vitro Fertilization.
Why would a baby aspirin improve pregnancy rates?
There are several theories:

• Aspirin has a positive affect on the body’s immune system and the associated antibodies which may interfere with the embryo’s ability to attach to the lining of the uterus.
• Baby aspirin may help improve blood supply to various organs. This might help to:
• improve the quality or number of eggs produced by the ovaries
• improve the lining of the uterus
• and/or help keep the blood vessels of the placenta open.

womenandinfants.org

So here's another crazy fact...I will be leaving for New York for our transfer in about 4 weeks!  Eeeeekkk!!!!  Isn't that exciting news?!  I cannot believe how quickly the time is going now and that in just over a month's time, George and Farid will have babies on the way!!!! 

Does this make anyone else grin ear to ear?

Lupron=Piece of Cake!

I am thrilled to report that Jeni and Lupron get along just fine!  The injections are going great!  I still cannot believe that you can stick a 1/2 inch needle into your belly and not be able to feel it!  I am also so excited that I am not having any of the common side effects of Lupron!

For those of you who are interested, here is some info on what Lupron is intended to do during this IVF process:

GnRH-a: Prior to Transfer GnRH-a is an acronym for gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist. The most popular brand name for this medication is Lupron. Lupron injections are nearly always used for a fresh transfer, and may or may not be used for a frozen embryo transfer.

Lupron injections are synthetic hormones designed to temporarily suppress a surrogate's cycle, and they are done primarily to get her in sync with the egg donor or intended mother.

Lupron injections are injected subcutaneously via a small needle, resembling a diabetic insulin needle. The surrogate will need to do the Lupron injections herself, at home, daily for a period of a few days to a few weeks, depending on the clinic's protocol. The injections will be made in the fatty area of her stomach, just to the right or left of her belly button. http://www.information-on-surrogacy.com/

I'm such a wimp!!

My box-o-drugs arrived yesterday and it was, of course, great fun for me to get it all organized! :-)  First, I organized everything  according to product:

Then I just had to place it all into a neat little container:

Isn't that just SO tidy???  I just love organizing things!!  :-) 



Here's the amazing part....even after organizing it all, even after seeing the needles, even after accidentally jabbing my finger with a progesterone needle (*Yow!*), I still wasn't scared!  I had Z-E-R-O nerves about giving myself my first Lupron injection.  Last night I laid out all of the things that I would need....not nervous!  I woke up this morning knowing I needed to get up and administer the Lupron...not nervous!  I opened the Lupron and syringe...not nervous!  Drew the medication into the syringe...not nervous!  Pinched the skin on my belly, held the syringe up and.....SCREEEEEECHHHH!!!!!  The not nervous bus comes to a halt!!  :-o

I totally psyched myself out!  And here's the thing....it's not the shot or the pain that scared me!  It was "giving" it to myself!  I do not have a fear of needles, or pain for that matter.  But there was something about the idea of seeing that needle break the skin, of making my hand go through that motion. 

So it's official....I'm a wimp!  :-)

I think I have permanent thumb and forefinger prints on my belly from pinching my skin for so long!  Haha!  I don't know how long it took me....probably 5 minutes.... before I just "did it".  Wow.  Very Much buildup for Very Much nothing!  The needle sinks into the skin no problem.  There is absolutely no pain.  I feel silly....

But...I did it, right????  Now I just need to do that every morning from now until the day before egg retrieval! Starting meds is a huge milestone in this journey that I am so excited to be on!  So here's to the journey...and all of it's "wimpy" moments!   Cheers! 

"THE" Email!

Today I received the email I have been waiting for!  It outlines our timeline from now until transfer!  It's very exciting and very real!

I won't bore you with all of the nitty gritty details but some of the basics look like this:

2/5-     Start Lupron Injections
2/9-     Stop Birth Control Pills
2/15-   Bloodwork and Ultrasound
2/16-   Start Estrace and Aspirin
3/1-     Bloodwork and Ultrasound
Day before egg retrieval (anticipated March 14-18)-  Stop Lupron, Start Progesterone Injections
Next Day:   Start Prometrium, Prednisone and Doxycycline
3-5 days later:  Transfer those beautiful embryos!!!

Dang, that's a lot of meds, right????  :)  I am actually feeling quite calm and positive about everything.  I thought I might freak out a little when I got all of this information, but I feel good!  Everything is progressing just as it should and we are on our way now to a beautiful, healthy pregnancy! 

I am so excited for George and Farid right now, I can hardly contain myself!  I know that for them, transfer probably still seems a ways away, but things are happening now!!  It won't be long now, boys....it won't be long!  :)

I will let you know how Lupron's treatin' me soon!!

Yes, I'm still here!

I am so, so sorry for not posting in so long!  It has been a busy, but fun couple of weeks!  I celebrated my birthday and got to spend 5 days in lovely San Diego with my sister and Mom!  This is a trip that I am fortunate enough to get to take a few times a year and I absolutely love it!

The biggest surrogacy news to report is that we were informed that it looks like our transfer will be the week of March 14th!  It was very exciting to get this news on my birthday!  It sounds like this is how things look during a transfer week:

Eggs will be retrieved and fertilized.
Day One: Embryos continue to grow.
Day Two:  Embryos continue to grow/I fly in.
Day Three: Embryos are checked: If needed, transfer this day.
Day Four:  Free Day!
Day Five:  Transfer Day!  Head back to hotel and chill for the rest of the day/night.
Day Six:  I fly back to Colorado.

In the meantime, it's just about time for me to be starting my meds.  I will post about that as I get more details...

The ball is really rolling now!!!!  I am loving every moment of this journey!!