U/S update..sort of.

Yesterday was our 1st u/s. Definitely a big day for all of us! Unfortunately for now I cannot give out details but that everything is looking well and we go back next week for another u/s and to see another Dr. Hopefully after those appts and we know more we can give a better (i.e. more detailed) update. In the meantime prayers & positive vibes would be greatly appreciated : )

~Stacey~

Just what Stacey said... Tomorrow is our U/S!!

We have been looking forward to our first sono since we got that beautiful positive pregnancy test! We cannot wait to see how many little ones we have growing (quite happily, I might add) in Miss Stacey's lovely and oh so inviting uterus :) We can't wait to share the news with everyone but we want to share it with our families first... I'm sure y'all understand.

Stacey-I just want to let you know that not only are you our angel for carrying such precious cargo for us but through this I have gained what I hope will be a lifelong friendship with an amazing woman!! When we started this journey, I was determined that I did not want to have too close of a relationship with whomever we chose to be our surrogate... Well, was I WRONG! I don't think that there is anyway to maintain distance between a surrogate and her IPs throughout the pregnancy and after the birth. You are helping us get the family that we have always dreamed of and that does not generate feelings that can just go away... Everyday I look forward to our conversations via text message and I hope you are enjoying them and finding the humor in them as well... We do talk about the strangest things ;)

I can't wait to see you tomorrow and see how are little embaby/ies are doing in there. I just hope that they know you will keep them healthy and happy until they are born and able to rest comfortably in our arms! We are already Mommy and Daddy and cannot wait to hold our baby/babies in our arms. Well enough of being sappy!

Love you Stacey!

Tomorrow is the u/s appt!!!

  OMG I have been SOOOOO sick the past week. At this point I'm praying the Dr will give me Zofran or something. I've tried pretty much everything people have recommended and nothing works..maybe eases up for a few minutes tops : ( Seabands are the only thing I have yet to be able to find but I'm willing to try anything at this point.
 But to compare: my oldest daughter I puked and was so sick they were ready to hospitalize me if I didn't stop and start gaining weight. After about 12wks I was fine from there. My 2nd daughter I was as nauseous as this time for 18wks..omg I dread thinking about it lasting that long again... Twin boys & my son I was just sort of nauseous but nothing serious. I was able to go to school throughout both the boy pregnancies.
  That said I'm already willing to bet there's a girl in here! Or a litter..but we won't go that route..LOL Anyhow, the u/s is tomorrow afternoon. As soon as IM tells those who need to know 1st I will update everyone else : )

Dear PIO, I hate you.

  I think my butt is seriously going to fall appart. I remember PIO shots being uncomfortable and sore but this is getting crazy! I started shots from a new batch (both say in ethyl oleate but bottles before were clear & new ones are brown..) on Wednesday night and since then my poor butt is red and hurting something awful : ( I like to think I have a pretty high pain tolerance but it's waking me up when I move at night. Think I'll email our nurse just to be on the safe side, although everything I see online says this is "normal".
 Anyways..today we are 5wks3day and nausea has beeen in full force since yesterday. I won't complain though since I see that as a good sign! One more week until our 1st sono!!

A little bit about me :)

Hey Everyone!

I've finally decided to jump on board and start blogging along with Stacey. After reading several other surrogacy blogs, I've decided that documenting the journey from both sides is a really neat idea. A lot of people have been asking Stacey questions about me, my illness, my husband and how we came to our decision.

I was diagnosed with CF at 9 months old, my parents were told that I wouldn't make it to see elementary school. I have spent my life in and out of the hospital in order to treat recurrent lung infections. If not for my AMAZING parents and support system I would not be doing as well as I am today... Despite having CF and being hospitalized several times a year I have managed to beat all odds... Today I am 25 years old with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Texas at Dallas, married to the most incredible man in the world, and now starting a family.

We did not come to the decision to use a surrogate lightly... After many visits with our high risk OB/Gyn and my pulmonologist we decided that with my lung function where it was, the best way to have our family would be to have someone else carry for us. Being able to use a gestational surrogate meant that we would be able to have of our OWN biological child... My egg, Craig's sperm and Stacey's Uterus. So OUR buns will really be in HER oven :)

. Any questions that you may have regarding CF and what it takes to maintain my health are welcome. Some of the most common questions are listed below with answers provided by myself and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation... Please feel free to visit CFF.org if you are interested in learning more about life with Cystic Fibrosis and the most current updates on therapies and treatments for CF patients.

What is cystic fibrosis?

Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening genetic disease that causes mucus to build up and clog some of the organs in the body, particularly the lungs and pancreas. When mucus clogs the lungs, it can make breathing very difficult. The thick mucus also causes bacteria (or germs) to get stuck in the airways, which causes inflammation (or swelling) and infections that lead to lung damage.

Mucus also can block the digestive tract and pancreas. The mucus stops digestive enzymes from getting to the intestines. The body needs these enzymes to break down food, which provides important nutrients to help people grow and stay healthy. People with cystic fibrosis often need to replace these enzymes with medicine they take with their meals and snacks, which helps them digest food and get proper nutrition.

How do people get cystic fibrosis?

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease. This means that people inherit it from their parents through genes (or DNA), which also determine a lot of other characteristics including height, hair color and eye color. Genes, found in the nucleus of all the body's cells, control cell function by serving as the blueprint for the production of proteins.

To have cystic fibrosis, a person must inherit two copies of the defective CF gene—one copy from each parent. If both parents are carriers of the CF gene (i.e., they each have one copy of the defective gene, but do not have the disease themselves), their child will have a 25% chance of inheriting both defective copies and having cystic fibrosis, a 50% chance of inheriting one defective copy and being a carrier, and a 25% chance of not having CF or carrying the gene.

Who gets cystic fibrosis?

Approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States have cystic fibrosis. An additional ten million more—or about one in every 31 Americans—are carriers of the defective CF gene, but do not have the disease. CF is most common in Caucasians, but it can affect all races.

The severity of cystic fibrosis symptoms is different from person to person. The most common symptoms are:

• Very salty-tasting skin
• Persistent coughing at times producing phlegm
• Frequent lung infections, like pneumonia or bronchitis
• Wheezing or shortness of breath
• Poor growth/weight gain in spite of a good appetite
• Frequent greasy, bulky stools or difficulty in bowel movements
• Small, fleshy growths in the nose called nasal polyps

New research shows that the severity of CF symptoms is partly based on the types of CF gene mutations (defects) a person with the disease has. There are more than 1,400 different mutations of the CF gene.

How is CF diagnosed?

Most people are diagnosed with CF at birth through newborn screening, or before the age of 2. A doctor who sees the symptoms of CF will order a sweat test or a genetic test to confirm the diagnosis.

A sweat test is the most common test used to diagnose cystic fibrosis and is considered the diagnostic "gold standard." A small electrode is placed on the skin (usually on the arm) to stimulate the sweat glands. Sweat is then collected and the amount of chloride, a component of salt in the sweat, is measured. A high level of chloride means that the person has cystic fibrosis.

For children who are less than six months old:

• Chloride levels at or above 60 mmol/L (a measure of concentration) means the child has CF.
• Chloride levels between 30 and 59 mmol/L are considered borderline and need to be examined on a case-by-case basis.
• Chloride levels below 30 mmol/L are considered negative for CF.

For people over the age of six months:

• Chloride levels at or above 60 mmol/L means the person has CF.
• Chloride levels between 40 and 59 mmol/L are boderline.
• Chloride levels below 40 mmol/L are considered negative for CF.

The best place to receive a reliable sweat test is at a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-accredited care center.

In a genetic test, a blood sample or cells taken from the inside of the cheek are sent to a laboratory that specializes in genetic testing. Most labs only test for the most common mutations of the CF gene. Because there are more than 1,400 mutations that cause CF, screening for all mutations is not possible. A genetic test is often used if the results from a sweat test are unclear.

How does CF affect the lungs?

Normally, the healthy CF gene makes a protein—known as CFTR (Cystic Fibrosis conductance Transmembrane Regulator)—that is found in the cells that line various organs, like the lungs and the pancreas. This protein controls the movement of electrically charged particles, like chloride and sodium (components of salt) in and out of these cells.

When the protein is defective, as in cystic fibrosis, the salt balance in the body is disturbed. Because there is too little salt and water on the outside of the cells, the thin layer of mucus that helps keep the lungs free of germs becomes very thick and difficult to move. And because it is so hard to cough out, this mucus clogs the airways and leads to infections that damage the lungs.

Is there a cure for cystic fibrosis?

Currently, there is no cure for cystic fibrosis. However, specialized medical care, aggressive drug treatments and therapies, along with proper CF nutrition, can lengthen and improve the quality of life for those with CF.

The best way for people with cystic fibrosis to fight their disease is to work with their medical caregivers at a CF Foundation-accredited care center. The care center partners with people who have CF to help keep them in the best health possible.

What is a typical day for someone with CF?

Because the severity of CF differs widely from person to person, and CF lung infections flare up from time to time, there is no “typical” day. However, each day most people with CF:

• Take pancreatic enzyme supplement capsules with every meal and most snacks (even babies who are breastfeeding may need to take enzymes).
• Take multi-vitamins.
• Do some form of airway clearance at least once and sometimes up to four or more times a day.
• Take aerosolized medicines—liquid medicines that are made into a mist or aerosol and then inhaled through a nebulizer.

2nd Beta

   Beta today more then doubled to 1100 : ) 1st u/s is scheduled for 3/29!!

                    And small bouts of nausea have begun...blah!

Drumroll please..........

  Thank God the clinic didn't torture us by making us wait all day!!
The nurse said that 50 was pregnant, 100 definitely pregnant.........

my levels were 489 (9dp5dt)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm SOOOOOOO excited!! Craig & Carrie are going to be parents!!!!

2nd beta in 2 days & our 1st u/s will be in 2 weeks : )

Granted we've been testing at home all week but wanted to wait for actual #'s before telling the world.

 Test Monday (5dp5dt) was Neg..or looks it to me!? Thursday (8dp5dt) the cheapo test was faint so I went and bought FRER's..used one later that morning and it was pretty much an instant ++ & this morning's was too : )

Are there AA type meeting for this stuff??

  I seriously need to stay away from Google and pee sticks...

 I caved and tested this morning (5dp5dt) even though I knew I shouldn't...BFN : \ So now I'm bummed and I've already been so hormonal the past few days. Pretty much anything I feel (or think I feel) could go either way and is most likely caused by the PIO and/or Estrace..
 Amazingly enough I didn't test one single time with the twins and POOF, my 2nd journey I did and our one transfer didn't work. Granted twins were top notch embies & 2nd weren't very good. So I've had mixed feeling about testing this time around. More tests are coming in the mail. I plan to wait until Wednesday to test again if I can at all help it.

                                                  Is it Friday yet?????

Cool IVF calculator & tickers

This is a pretty neat IVF calculator:

http://www.ivf.ca/duedate.php

I like the saying PUVO on there: Pregnant Until Proven Otherwise..and that's exactly the mindset I  have! We put 2 precious little embryos in and therefore it'll be twins unless/until we're told differently! According to this calendar we should be implanting today!!

and here's a site that has customizable cycle tickers rather then the standard pregnancy ones:

http://alterna-tickers.com/

The Totcicle's

    The embryologist called IM and said 3 embryos ended up being perfect to freeze today and there may be 2 more good to freeze tomorrow!

    As for me I just feel "weird"..whatever that means right!? Little bit achey from the transfer yesterday and somewhat blah feeling. I figure it's probably from the valium (I'm not a pain med kind of person..) & all that extra sleep yesterday but who knows. Everytime I have a twinge I wonder if those little embies are latching on : )

 Just 7.5 more days!!!

Transfer Update!

  We all got to the clinic early, I was feeling rather loopy pretty quickly from the Valium but managed not to fall on my face, lol. The embryologist talked to us 1st. The 2 they put in were the "best of the best" & "pretty good" with grades of 4AA & 2BB. Don't ask me what all that means though.. Unfortunately the rest of them are no longer doing quite so well but they are going to let IP's know tomorrow or Friday if any of them are freezable. Thankfully I hadn't guzzled my water yet because we had to wait until 9 for a notary to come in & finish one last form. Apparently that consent to transfer into me is rather important : )
  Got the forms done and chugged some water (for those who don't know you have to have a pretty full bladder for the transfer, makes it easier for them to see the uterus). Well go figure I drank too much and had to empty some...have you ever had to pee SOOO bad but only get to go a little tiny bit and stop?? Not the easiest thing to do...
  Back for round 2, everything looked good. Embryologist came in and confirmed we are who we're supposed to be. IM filmed the transfer (takes literally seconds to do!). We put the 2 best embryos in and then I had to stay somewhat head down feet up for 20minutes and that was it!
  Here's a pic of IM & I before transfer, I think I was rather loopy already...

     And yes, I totally rocked my yellow pants (and toe nails) for good luck!!

                        Best of all here are the 2 little embies we transferred : )

           The pregnancy test will be Friday March 11th, so now we wait!!
         We will probably test at home a time or 2 next week just to see : )

Twas the night before transfer

  It's the night before transfer and  I'm SOO excited! We've been so anxious to get to this point and now it's finally here!! I got the house cleaned today and kids packed and everything ready to go for tomorow : )
 Our appt is scheduled for 8:45. IM said we could post pics of the embryos too! I will update as soon as I can!