Today Is Thursday...

And it's a big day!

Today was the day we had our first beta!  I received a call from the clinic and our beta numbers are:

199!

Let me explain a little bit about what those numbers mean.  It doesn't take much hCG, to confirm a positive pregnancy.  Typically a singleton pregnancy produces beta numbers around 100.  A twin pregnancy is usually around 200.  Visit this site for charts on Betas.   BetaBase.info   When you look at these charts, we are currently 14 Days Past Ovulation. I will go back to the clinic on Monday for a second beta, and again on Thursday for a 3rd and final beta.  We are looking for our numbers to at least double each time. 

The clinic's thoughts were that our numbers definitely support a twin pregnancy at this point, but obviously, there are no guarantees until you see those 2 beautiful hearts beating on the first ultrasound.  Our first ultrasound is scheduled for April 21st!  I am feeling so excited....so grateful....

Also, today marks the day that we are officially 4 weeks pregnant!  What?! How can that be you ask?  Let me run it down for you.  Pregnancy lasts approximately 40 weeks.  However, those weeks commence from the date of a woman's last period.  For most women this is about 2 weeks before conception.  Conception for us occurred on Thursday, March 17th.  We transferred 5 days later on the 22nd.  So 2 days after transfer, we were technically 3 weeks pregnant!  Crazy, right???  Well here are some additional crazy facts for you on this fine Thursday...

• The sex of the babies has already been determined.
• The embryos have now burrowed into my lining.
• The placenta is continuing to form.
• The first nerve cells are beginning to develop.
• The basic structure of what will become the digestive system, blood vessels and lungs are outlined.
• The spine, muscles and bones are already starting to form.
• The evolving neural tube will eventually become the central nervous system.

All I have to say is:  NO WONDER I AM SO TIRED!!!  :-)

The Signs of Pregnancy

When I say that I feel pregnant, do you wonder what that feels like??

Sure, I have the emotions.  Sad commercials are a real problem for me these days...someone does or says something particularly nice, or meaningful and I'm a mess....

Fatigue.  Good grief.  I have a question for you.  Why is it that normally I jog up the stairs in my house, and now I slowly climb the stairs only to reach the top and have to catch my breath??  I'm beginning to dislike that I live in a 4 level home!  Naps are common and about 2.7 seconds after I put the kids to bed...I'm a goner.

The coolest feeling that I have is that in my very low abdomen (think just above the pubic bone) it feels like I have a tangerine/ping pong ball just under the skin.  I love that feeling.  It's just a nice reminder that there are things going on!

Our first beta is tomorrow...

I have all sorts of emotions going on about tomorrow's appointment.  I'm excited...to get those numbers and possibly have an idea of whether we've got 1 little one, or 2.  I'm nervous...I soooo want to have nice, solid numbers.  I'm grateful...that we have been blessed with a pregnancy on our first try.

I will definitely keep you posted with the news tomorrow!  Thanks again for all of the love and support.  It means more than you could ever know.

Spring has Sprung!

We've had quite a few changes happening in our yard this week!  I absolutely love it when my flowers start to bloom!  I'm a little bit of a flower-aholic so I know this isn't quite as exciting to others!

I am "that lady" in the neighborhood who tempts fate and starts planting in my yard when others say it's too early!  I just can't help myself!  For six months, Colorado has been various shades of brown!  It's time for some color people!  It is my personal goal to keep Home Depot in business during the months of April and May. (and maybe June...)

What's my favorite kind of flower you ask?  I'm really picky!

  I like flowers that bloom.  Yep. That's it!  :)

I just can't help but see the parallel between all of the life and blooming that is going on in the yard,

 and the life and blooming that is going on in my uterus!

Life is so beautiful.

Did Someone Say It's Time For A Nap??

Just checking in with my oh so faithful followers!!  :)  I'm still feeling fabulously pregnant!!  Yesterday was SUCH a busy day!  You know how it goes....watch some TV, take a nap, enjoy some lunch, nap time, try to watch a little more TV but nope....turns out it's nap time again! I mean, come on people! It's a little ridiculous!!  Nap count on Sunday: 4! 

I guess I should cut my body a little slack...after all, it is growing human beings, right?  Not an easy job!

Today was a little busier with work, pool time with the girls, and grocery shopping,  Nap count: 1

So...in other news...I had 2 pregnancy tests left and tonight, just to make sure all was still advancing in the womb, I decided to take a test.  Now keep in mind that usually it is recommended to use first morning pee, so it is concentrated.  Well, I didn't want to wait til morning so I just went for it.  Get this...of the 2 lines, the pregnancy line developed instantly! BEFORE the control line!!   I must be producing hCG (pregnancy hormone) like nobody's business!!  Now I know I don't have to remind you...but folks, we are only 6 days post transfer!!!  You wanna know what  I think that means??????

I think we've got two in there!!!!!   Eeeeekkkk!!!!  How great would that be????

It's A Great Day!

That's right folks!!! We're pregnant!!!  I gotta say (and I know it sounds crazy), but I could actually FEEL the magic goin' on in the 'ol uterus since the night of transfer!  By Friday I was peein' up a storm (TMI, I know...), and when I noticed yesterday that I felt tired...not sleepy tired...but wiped out tired...I knew it had to be!  Late last night I took a pregnancy test and sho nuff---a light line.  Decided to go the digital route this morning and there's no denying that one!!!  I am absolutely over the moon!  It is so awesome to think that right now, we've got at least one, and hopefully two babies snuggled into my uterus! 

Like I said, I'm feelin' pretty tired, so I've just been taking it easy, allowing my body to do it's thing!! 

We are very much looking forward to our beta on Thursday...those numbers may give us an idea of how many babies we've got brewin' in there!  Positive thoughts and energy for high numbers would be greatly appreciated!!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the Ladies Room again!!  Loooove Itttt!!!!   :-)

My New Favorite Word....Yes!

Let's just keep it short and sweet, shall we?

Congratulations George and Farid!  You're Daddies!!!



Transfer Week Details (Part Deux)

I wish I could transport you inside my heart so that you could feel what I feel

as I look through pictures from last week. 

 Thought I'd share some more of the good times with you!

Had to throw this shot in so you could see our rental car!
Pretty sweet, yeah?
We called it the clown car!



Dinner with Chelsea and Sarah...two of the coolest girls on the planet!



The Gang!  Our final lunch.   : (







Farid and Mom



George and the girls!



Farid and the girls!







George and Mom in Times Square!



We were able to see George's volleyball  team win their match to put them into the Semi-Finals!

The whole team sporting the green and yellow
good luck bracelets that my daughter made for us!

Seriously...how cute is my mom?????

Final intense moments before heading into the clinic. 

I heart this city!



Wonder Twin Powers, Activate!!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!!    -Jeni

Long Time No Post! :)

Did ya miss me? Huh, huh, did ya?? :-)

The last week of my life can only be described with one word:

WOW.

The 3 Amigos....or as Farid says: Girls Gone Wild!  :)
My sister Jill, my mom Donna, and me

Our week in NY was filled with so many great things.  We were surprised to learn that instead of staying at the hotel in CT, George and Farid had gotten us a room in Manhattan!  We had the most gorgeous corner room overlooking the Hudson River.  We felt just a leetle spoiled!  :)  We shared many great meals at some pretty wonderful places! No shocker that we always eat well with the guys!!  I was especially excited to get to go back to George and Farid's restaurant, Bogota Latin Bistro  in Park Slope, Brooklyn.  I have been craving their incredible food since I was there for my medical screening.  Seriously people...if you are in NY, their restaurant should be put on the "must dine at"  list.  Happenin' atmosphere, incredible service and the food....oh, the food.... (excuse me while I drool...)  I really enjoyed getting to meet so many of their staff members and their friends!  We had an awesome time!!

The view from our room

One of many great meals...

So as you know...the babes looked great on Sunday, so we let 'em mature 2 more days and were set for a Tuesday 10:45 transfer!  We took the opportunity to celebrate on Monday night!  While Jill and I went to the Janet Jackson concert (Woo-Hoo!!), Farid and George took my Mom to see Priscilla, Queen of the Desert!  There was some debate over who had the better show, because we all enjoyed our evenings so much!!  We met up for dinner after the shows and exchanged all the juicy details about our respective shows!

Janet...Janet...Janet!!!

Holy Spidey!  I couldn't resist this photo op with Jill!

The next morning, we got up and prepared to head to CT for the transfer. I wanted to take a moment here to note that I did shed a few (no...not a whole lot...but a few) tears that morning.  I was trying to think back to all of the blogs that I have read and could not think of any where the surrogate cried on the morning of transfer.  I wanted to document that I did indeed cry that morning, and I think that is ok!!  That morning, the feeling that I was having was this:  Everyone else has done their job.  Well.  Now it's all on me....I need to make sure I don't disappoint.  So, if you're a surrogate and you cry on the morning of the transfer...you cry girl!!  Get those tears out!!  It's ok!  (I think these may be nearly the exact words that my mom and Jill spoke to me that morning.)


My cheerleaders....and "keep me calm-ers"



We got to the clinic and checked in.  Before I knew it, they were taking me back to get ready. George and Farid were shown into the room and the procedure had begun!  We were able to see the fertilized eggs (referred to as Blastocysts at this point) up on a large screen.  It was amazing to watch as the catheter was able to retrieve each Blastocyst, one at a time. The Endocrynologist brought that catheter into our room, and handed it to  Dr. Doyle who proceeded to transfer those beautiful Blastocysts into my uterus!  It was an amazing moment.  A very emotional moment. A moment I will absolutely NEVER forget!!  I lay on the table for about 30 minutes following the transfer and then we were free to leave!  It was a little surreal...I walked into that clinic as "Just Jeni" and left there as "Just Jeni carrying precious cargo".

All set!!

Proud Papa's....Farid and George

Aren't these just the cutest Blastocysts you've ever seen?  :)

I couldn't feel any more proud that I have been given this opportunity.

So now the wait begins!  We have our first beta (bloodwork to confirm pregnancy) next Thursday.  Will I be able to wait until then, or will I test at home??? 

 Only time will tell.....  Stay tuned my friends! 

 It's gonna be a great week!!!



Just Checking In!

I wanted to quickly post before heading out for the day! Farid's and George's babies are looking good so we did not need to transfer yesterday! Good news! Our transfer will definitely be tomorrow and we expect to find out today exactly what time.

Our stay here has been absolutely amazing! The guys booked us a fantastic room at a hotel in Manhattan! We have 180° views of the city and overlook the Hudson River. We have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the guys and have had some great meals and great conversations!

I will post more tomorrow after transfer...just wanted to let you know that all is well in our world. Hoping all is well in yours!

Now I'm off to see more of this beautiful city!

P.S. Did I mention that the guys are sending Jill and I to the Janet Jackson concert tonight?!?!  O...M...G!!!!!!!!  :-)

Good Luck Charms

There are a few things that are considered to be good luck when it comes to IVF:

• Eating pineapple
• Eating french fries
• The colors green and yellow

Green for fertility, Yellow for luck.

I've got the green and yellow covered.  My daughter Skyler has made us all green and yellow friendship bracelets to wear!  So sweet, right????

And you can bet your bippy we're gonna be eatin' some pineapple and french fries!  I'm not sure how much I truly believe in good luck charms, but I am certainly NOT going to choose this particular occasion to doubt them!  I'll do whatever it takes!!  :-)

Feel free to sport your green and yellow, and enjoy a couple a fries and some pineapple on our behalf on transfer day! (Tuesday)

And dare I say....fingers crossed........

I Just Couldn't Resist!

Ok...how about this one?  Funny, yes???



Laughter and IVF Success

As we look forward to our IVF procedure, I will be keeping in mind that studies have shown that laughter following a transfer can increase pregnancy success rates!  Read this article for more information on that:

http://www.babyzone.com/preconception/infertility/article/laughter-is-the-best-medicine/

Achieving laughter shouldn't be too hard with me!  I laugh pretty darn easily! 

So if you've got somethin' funny---send it my way!! 

In the meantime, if this doesn't make you laugh, nothing will:

Sounds Like An Adventure!!

Happy St. Paddy's Day Everyone!

Surrogacy news for the day:

I received my travel plans and due to a lack of reasonable flights out of Denver (maybe because of Spring Break?), we needed to be flexible.  So...I will be leaving Denver at 1:15 AM on Saturday, laying over in Atlanta for an hour and a half and then landing in NY at 9:30 AM Saturday morning!  Sounds like fun, right?!   The good news is that we will get to have a full day in NY on Saturday, instead of arriving Saturday night.  :-)

Right after I got off the phone with the travel agent, I called my sister Jill, who is going to be one of my trusty companions for this transfer trip.  Although a little surprised at the flight time (as was I), she was up for the adventure!  I then called my mom who will be the third amigo for this trip.  She decided she didn't want to miss out on any of the fun, and BOOKED (on purpose!) a red-eye flight from San Diego to NY  and will arrive at the same time as Jill and I!  Crazy, right?!  God bless my family!  They rock at rolling with the punches!

Speaking of punches, I had my first PIO injection last night, and my second one this morning!  Rick did a great job and definitely didn't have the stage fright problem I had with the Lupron!  The actual injection is no big deal...the medication going into the muscle just feels a little achy.  After the injection, I give myself a major butt-rub for about 5 minutes while trying to "work out" that muscle by moving around.  Then it's heating pad time...for as long as I can afford to sit on one!  What I am trying to avoid is bruising (no biggie), aching (I can handle that), and lumping (ewwwww......GROSS!!!!)  I have heard of the golf  ball sized "lumps in the rumps" that gals get while on Progesterone.  I don't know why, but that is the only thing that freaks me out! :-)

Anyhoo....In WAY more important news, egg retrieval was this morning and the donor is a ROCK STAR!  They were able to retrieve 20 eggs, which the guys dutifully fertilized!  Way to go team!  :-)  Little George and Farid babies are being made as I write this post! 

I'm off to get a mani/pedi today!  Gotta look good for my guys! Get a few more things done around the house, start packing, and before I know it, I will be NY bound!

Every time I Say Goodbye, I Say Hello

Goodbye Lupron.  You will be missed. 

What's that???? You're surprised that I will miss sticking a 1/2" needle into my belly each morning??  Yes...yes I will.

 But only because now I have this to look forward to:

The good news?? 

This one goes in my arse. 

I am not going to have to do the injecting. 

Dr. Rick (better known as sweet hubby with Jelly Beans) will be administering my daily Progesterone injections from now until about 8 weeks  from now.  I am only slightly concerned that he seems to be looking forward to the task!  :-)

Say a prayer.......or five.



Today Was Our Lucky Day!

Yay!!  We got word from CFA today that egg retrieval will be Thursday!  Fingers crossed for lots of healthy eggs!  George and Farid are now charged with the task of turning those eggs into embryos!!  :-)  I will be flying out on Saturday and we are to be prepared for a Sunday transfer but will more than likely transfer on Tuesday.  I am so excited that this time has finally arrived!

I was told that this morning's Lupron injection was my last!   I will also need to add 3 medications to my current medication "cocktail".  Beginning Thursday I will now be taking 2 Prenatal Vitamins, 2 Estrace, 1 Baby Aspirin, 1 Doxycycline and 1 Prednisone in the morning, followed by 2 more Estrace, 1 more Doxycycline and 2 Prometrium (which are not swallowed, use your imagination) at night. 

Brief description of the purposes of the new meds:

Prometrium is prescribed to mimic the natural hormones that a woman's body would make during a regular, natural monthly cycle.
Doxycycline is an antibiotic used to prevent an infectious reaction against the embryos which might hamper implantation.
Prednisone is used to theoretically prevent an immune reaction from the carrier against the embryos which might also hamper implantation.

Also, tomorrow night begins my Progesterone In Oil (PIO) injections.  Joy.  I will post more on that later.

Thank you all for the nice comments, texts, phone calls and emails!  Your encouragement made the wait so much more bearable!  I am so lucky to have such a huge support system!

Bad News, Good News!

The Bad News:
Short and Sweet.
No word today.

Allow me to groan.

*groan*

The Good News:

I actually had a really good day!  I decided to "overbook" myself!  Keep myself so busy that I wouldn't be sitting, waiting for the news.  You know what they say about a "watched pot"!

Woke up feeling great!  Got my first full night of sleep in over a week!  Woo-hoo!  I had a great feeling that today would be the day!  Did a load of laundry, cleaned up around the house, and left for work!  Decorated 30 cakes in 2 hours (yeah...I'm that good.  LOL!!!)  Dropped Savannah off at school and got to go out to lunch with Rick! Went shopping and tried to find a new pair (or 4) of flats for me.  No luck.  Bummer.  Picked up the girls from school and now I sit here chatting with you all!  Not a bad day, right? 

I think I will try the same strategy for tomorrow.  Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually my REALLY slow days, so I will have to be creative.

Anyone need a pantry cleaned?  A closet organized?

I think it's safe to say...

that our egg retrieval will not be Tuesday either.  No word from CFA today.  The last 2 days have been such a great lesson in patience for me. 

Did you forget?  I like control.  :-)

I am trying to stay busy to keep my mind off the fact that my email Inbox is EMPTY and my phone is silent! Lol! 

Should we not hear tomorrow, please send Search and Rescue as I am sure I will be a casualty of the waiting process.  I kid.  I am very aware of the fact that the timing will be perfect.  And I am repeating this to myself about once every 2.8 minutes!  :-)

I hope that tomorrow, I will be checking in to this blog with the fantastic news that we ARE a GO!!!!

The timing will be perfect.  The timing will be PERFECT!  THE TIMING WILL BE PERFECT! 

No word today.......

We did not get word today that the donor's egg retrieval would be Monday.  Darn it.  That's ok, though, because we know that those eggs will be retrieved  when they are perfectly ready, right?  Now we wait to see if we hear tomorrow for a Tuesday egg retrieval, fly out Thursday, and transfer Friday, or more than likely Sunday!  Will keep you posted of course!  Have a fantastic evening!

Ever "Hear" Of These?

Bellybuds are a product that I would really like to use during this pregnancy!  Basically, Farid and George are able to record their voices and I can then play their voices, via Bellybuds, to the babies in utero!!  Since George and Farid live so far away, I feel like this is a perfect way to assist the bonding process, allowing the babies to hear their voices every day!

I know that it can be hard to talk to an unborn baby, but what about reading a book?  It's the VOICE that counts!  We want those babies to recognize their Daddy's voices when they are born! The guys can also download music that they want the babies to hear!    Not too much Robyn and Gaga guys....I may not like all of the dancing that will produce!!!  :-)

I need your help...

Our donor's egg retrieval is scheduled for sometime next week.  The exact day will depend on how her body is responding to the medication she is being given.

I have a special request:

Can you all join me in putting out the positive vibes for a Monday egg retrieval?  :-) 

That means that I would get word this Saturday, fly out next Wednesday, transfer either Thursday, or more than likely Saturday, and fly home on Sunday.  Rick's birthday is on Monday the 21st and although  I won't be doing any back flips on that day, I WOULD like to be here. 

*Rick is probably going to be so upset that I even posted this, as he "stopped" celebrating birthdays years ago and insists every year that he just wants it to be a "regular day".*

Sooooo......repeat after me....

MON-DAY, MON-DAY, MON-DAY, MON-DAY, MON-DAY, MON-DAY, MON-DAY!!!

...and continue to repeat until I tell you to stop!  :-)

Promises

First, let me just say thank you to so many of you who offered up words of encouragement after my last post!  Although it was short lived-I did NOT enjoy that stressful moment!  I woke up Tuesday morning feeling right back to normal...and even wondering, "What in the world was I so freaked out about???".  It happens, right?  I blame it on the hormones. :-)  Actually, I blame everything on hormones these days!  LOL!

I had a great talk with Farid last night!  Our chat made me even more excited for all that is to come!  One of the things that we talked about, (and something that I feel very strongly about) is trust.

I am getting ready to carry THEIR children!  Everyone tends to always think of the surrogate and how "difficult" that would be!  I invite you to step into George and Farid's shoes and imagine how "difficult" it would be to put so much trust in someone who is carrying your children for 9 months!!!  Their eggs are literally in MY basket! (Although, let's be real...this basket is proving to be a 5-star basket!)  ;-)

I take my role in this journey very seriously!  My hope is that Farid and George will be able to relax (as much as possible) and enjoy this pregnancy, knowing that their kids are being well cared for.  On that note, here are a few promises that I make to them:

• I promise to receive proper medical care.  This includes all Dr. appointments, all medications and any recommendations made by those in charge of my medical care.
• I promise to eat nourishing foods, and avoid foods that are not nourishing.
• I promise to rest.  I will take the time needed each and every day to rest, and recognize the importance of rest for my body, and the health of your babies.
• I promise to take care of myself physically, mentally and emotionally, knowing that my health plays an important role in the babies' health.
• I promise I will take no unnecessary risks.
• I promise to maintain a positive attitude throughout this pregnancy.  I will never take for granted the opportunity that I have been given to give you this gift.
• I promise to represent us and our situation with grace and dignity, knowing that others are watching and learning from this experience.
• And finally, I promise to deliver healthy, happy babies into your waiting, loving arms and feel an overwhelming sense of pride at being able to do so.

Pregnancy is such a beautiful time, and I am so looking forward to sharing it with George and Farid!  My hope is that they are able to feel a deep sense of trust so that they are better able to enjoy all of the amazing moments in their kids' first 9 months of life!

The countdown is on, my friends!  We're almost pregnant!!  :-)

A Rough Day

Ok, so I really want for this blog to be a very positive place.  However, I also want it to be a very real place.  There are a lot of people reading this blog and I want to be sure that they get a true sense of what surrogacy is all about!

So I have a confession to make:  I had a weak moment.  A very weak moment. 

I got stressed.
I cried.
And I cried some more.

In my defense:  I have a lot on my mind!  :-)  I am getting ready to travel for 5 days, yet I will only receive 4 days notice on my departure date.  4 days to arrange everything for the kids, the hubby, and myself. I am about to be pregnant.  I REALLY want to be successful on our first try.  I REALLY want to carry twins for George and Farid. Yet I have little control in all of this.  Control is something I enjoy very much. :)  Throw all of this into a blender with a little bit of pressure and a boatload of hormones which I am swallowing and injecting on a daily basis, and you've got yourself a BIG 'OL BALL OF STRESS!

The secret's out. I am human. I'm not sure how proud I am of this.  LOL!

That being said, I am over it!  I took that stress and drop kicked it over the beautiful Rocky Mountains.  I will not allow stress to rob me of this special time!  The next 2 weeks are going to be amazing!  They are the beginning of one of the most important, special times of my life!  I can't even begin to describe how much I am looking forward to seeing that sparkle in the guys' eyes, to hearing the excitement in their voices, to being able to witness their hearts expanding with joy, as we all work together to bring their babies into this wonderful world!

I mean really...It doesn't get much better than that, right?

Happy Mardi Gras!

Look what Farid and George sent us!!

It's a King Cake!

We have never had one of these before! It is a cinnamon swirled cake

(tastes like a layered cinnamon roll) with icing and sugar on top! 

Sounds horrible huh?  It was DE-LISH!! 

The fun part is that somewhere inside the cake is a small plastic baby! 

Whoever gets the slice with the baby,

 is supposed to bring the King Cake to the next party!

So who was the lucky winner at our house?????

Skyler!!

...AND Savannah!!

How appropriate that our King Cake had TWO babies!!!

Just like George and Farid will in just 2 short weeks!

Thanks guys for a fun night at the Denhof house!!!

Who's got a nice thick lining?

I do! I do! I do!!

Had my 2nd (and final) ultrasound and bloodwork today!  At this point, they want my lining to be measuring at least a 7.  Well guess what?  Mine is measuring 9.2!

That's right--my uterus is currently creating a nice, fluffy mattress pad that those little embryos are going to sink down into and snuggle up for 9 months or so!  :) 

We should know our exact transfer date here in about 1.5-2 weeks!  I'm really ready...and starting to have dreams about the transfer AND being pregnant!  I know...scary.

And speaking of being pregnant....call me crazy, but I had a craving last  night, and I'm telling you, it's because I am mentally preparing for pregnancy!  Haha!!!  While watching TV last night, ok...I will admit it, while watching The Bachelor last night, I noticed that they were eating Jelly Beans.  Well, I don't really like Jelly Beans, but they looked SOOOO good!  Weird, huh?  I even said to Rick,  "mmmm.....Jelly Beans sound good!"  Prepare yourself for an "awwwwww" moment:  Today, when I got home from my appointment, there was a bag of Jelly Beans on my nightstand with a note that simply said, "Love You". 

Best. Hubby. Ever.

Well, that's all the news for now!  Over and out.