Wednesday, November 28, 2012

20 Months Old!

Kayla:
-  Weighs 24 lbs
-  New Words:  Bwoo (Balloon)
-  Went through a phase where she liked to 'touch tongues'
-  If you pretend to be sleeping she'll hit you on the chest to wake up.
- When Matthew initiates having all the lights turned on, she follows suit and says "dis" at each lamp.
-  Loves helping me empty the dishwasher.  She even tries to do the top shelf items by standing on the door when I'm not looking.  She also loves getting to add the soap.
-  Always sleeps laying parallel to the short end of the bed, tucked into the corners (does that make sense).  The taller she gets, the more bent her knees have to be to fit.
-  Sleeps with a million stuffed animals in her bed.  I just counted and she's sleeping with seventeen right now, as well as two blankets.  Before I go to bed I move all of them to the opposite corner she's sleeping in.
-  LOVES playing with Barbies and vintage Polly Pockets.  She absolutely loves it.  I was never interested in them as a kid, but my Mom has kept all of Melissa's and Candice's so that is what she plays with.
-  Is really starting to understand the concept of cleaning up toys.  Sometimes when she sees me clean up she'll help me without even me asking her too.  She knows exactly where everything belongs.
-  Still would prefer to be barefoot than to have socks on.
-  Still LOVES fruit.  Any kind!  Between the two of them, they eat at least two mandarin oranges and a cup of frozen blueberries a day, in addition to whatever other fruit I have.
-  Started choking really bad on a half slice of orange on November 7th.  I, who am usually the calm one in these panicky situations, quickly yelled for Jon to come and help me thump her on the back while was laying across my lap.  Jon then stuck his finger in the back of her throat to make her gag-reflex go...and out came the orange.  Now I really concentrate on telling them to slow down when they're eating and to chew their food.
-  Has made GREAT progress in the eating department!  Shortly after her 19 month post I realized that nothing could convince Kayla to eat if she didn't want to.  We would even tease her by feeding Matthew candies and snacks with the promise that she could have some as soon as she ate her dinner and she acted as if she could have cared less.  So we stopped making her sit by the table and forcing her to eat.  If she didn't want to eat her dinner, we let her go play with Matthew, but told her that she would not get any snacks for the rest of the evening.  About a week into it, I'm sure she was hungry when she went to bed because I could hear her whining in her sleep.  The next day, I also made another minor adjustment to our feeding routine.  Usually I would give them their sippy cup of milk while I cut up their dinner, so that they could at least drink while they waited...and Kayla would always drink so well (about 3-4 oz or so).  Thinking that maybe she was drinking to the point that she wasn't hungry anymore, I stopped giving them their milk at the beginning of their meal.  Since then, she has been AMAZING.  She eats very well now, and we never (knock on wood) have to fight with her to eat.  Once she's halfway done eating then she gets her milk to drink as she eats.  Such a huge stress-reliever!
-  Likes to wash her own body at some point during bath time...including her ears and toes, and she even gets her butt crack really good

Matthew:
- Weighs 22lb 13.6oz
-  LOVES playing "Ring Around the Rosie".  It's so cute.  He likes it when Kayla plays too, but is just as content with just me.  If he wants to play then he'll grab both my hands and pull me to an open area.  He thinks it's funny when he doesn't fall down at the end...and so I gently tackle him down and tickle him.
-  If you pretend to be sleeping he'll hit you on the chest to wake up.
-  If you are carrying Matthew when he gets super excited about something he'll jump up and down in your arms and will thump your chest and back with his hands.
-  I started re-positioning him in his crib when I check on him at night to make sure that he is not laying on his flatter side.  It's definitely not that noticeable anymore, but every little bit helps!
-  Always makes sure the phone is in the charger.  At our house, he can't reach any of the charges so he'll stand there holding the phone, pointing and saying "ah ah ah".  If it's at my parents, he gets to pick up the phone and bring it to my mom when it's ringing, and then practically rips it out of her hands when she's done so that he can put it away.  Sometimes Kayla 'helps' him.
-  Likes to have every single lamp on in the living room.  We don't have any 'built-in' lighting, so we have 6 different lamps that can be turned on.  He'll point to each one and say "dis" and then when that one is on he'll point to the next and say "dis".
-  Enjoys playing with Barbies and vintage Polly Pockets.  He LOVES the Barbie strollers, and pushes them around like their vehicles.
-  Still would prefer to be barefoot than to have socks on.
-  Matthew will bring you the remote control and will point to the tv if he wants it on.  He'll watch it for a minute, and then will play toys again.
-  Still LOVES fruit.  Any kind!  Between the two of them, they eat at two least mandarin oranges and a cup of frozen blueberries a day, in addition to whatever other fruit I have.
-  Likes to wash his own body at some point during bath time.

No Nap = Tired Babies

After playing around in their cribs for a solid hour and fifteen minutes yesterday (throwing toys out, making spitting noises, jumping, laughing, crying), I took Matthew and Kayla out of bed.  I had finished everything I was hoping to accomplish (i.e. facebook swap group/hotmail/blog stalking), and so I figured they could just skip their nap and go to bed a little earlier.

I had just finished making dinner yesterday (carrot stumput) when Matthew brought me a book to read.  We sat on the rocking chair and Kayla joined us.  It was a Curious George 'Music Play' book...one where they give you instructions to concentrate reading it to your kids in a real melodic way.  Anyways, it's really short, so I read it twice to them....and then I noticed Matthew's eyes starting to droop.  Knowing that a five minute cat-nap would keep him happy for the rest of the evening, I kept reading and rocking, reading and rocking...and then he fell asleep.  Two minutes later, Kayla had fallen asleep as well.  When Jon came home at 5 I told him to quickly take a picture and then quietly grab dinner while I let them sleep for 10 minutes longer.  He grabbed his dinner and went to the living room to eat.  Little did I know, I fell asleep to.  When I woke up at 5:30 I quickly woke them up.  I wanted to give them a little rest...not a whole nap!  They were BEARS for the next hour...crying and crying and crying.  They didn't stop crying until I convinced them to take a bit of their dinner and I would give them a piece of sausage.  So that's how they ate...bite of dinner, bit of sausage....and they ate SO MUCH.  I swear they ate more than what I had eaten.  I was impressed.  At the rate Kayla's going she's going to be getting chubby!

Eight Days Down...

....six more to go.

I asked Jon the other night if he ever thought about the possibility of me being pregnant.  His response was, "More often than you think".  So I asked, "Every five minutes, like me?"  And he nearly died.  It's true, though!  Not a moment goes by where I don't "feel" something and think "hmm...is that a pregnancy sign, or just a side-effect of the progesterone I'm on (because the side effects of progesterone are very similar to early pregnancy signs).  And I'll never know, I guess, but this two week wait is killing me!

I don't even think of all of this as a possible pregnancy...I refer to the procedure as "it".  Let me explain that a bit better.  I ask myself, "Do I feel like 'it' was a success" as opposed to "Is there a baby growing inside of me right now?"  I think it helps me detach the emotional side of everything from the scientific side, so that I don't get too emotionally invested in something that only has a 40% chance of being successful.  40% is not very high.

When I get bored in the evenings (which should be never, because I have a lot of projects on the go right now...nothing fun...just my photo/blog album and some spending analysis spreadsheets to bring up to date), I google for forums/blogs where others who have gone through the same IVF or FET procedure share their day-to-day experiences/feelings and what their outcomes have been.  My favourite is terobertson.blogspot.com (referred to me by Pauline when we started IVF 2.5 years ago).  She's younger than me, already has two kids (one by IVF, and the other by FET), and shares a lot of the same feelings as I do.  It's nice knowing that there are people out there that "get" it.  You may think you do, but going through it is a completely different thing.

Anyways, there's my little vent session to clear my head.  I've been having trouble falling asleep at night because my head is just swirling with thoughts, so maybe this will have helped.  Falling asleep around midnight and then waking up at 5:20am to go to work is not fun.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Two days down...

...12 more to go.

Sigh.  Why is it that when you want time to go really fast it slows down?  Time is going SO SLOW.

Tuesday I spent most of the day on the couch.

Wednesday I spent most of the day on the couch (working, watching TLC, watching a movie, blog stalking etc.) while my mom watched Matthew and Kayla like she usually does on Wednesdays.

Today I spent most of the day taking it easy.  We stayed home and just played toys all day.

Tomorrow I'm getting out of the house and going to Noah's Ark, like normal.  Yay!  After that, I'll probably take it easy still.

I'm trying to do what the nurse told me last time, with Matthew and Kayla, to "not do anything I would regret" if this doesn't work out.

Matthew is definitely missing me carrying him around...he was holding on to my hands asking me to pick him up to carrying him to and from my parents', but I couldn't.  Oh well, it's only a small blip in their lives.

Jon has been really great...he's really stepped it up and takes care of whatever I need him to.  And my mom too...she's babysits me (I mean, the kids) when Jon's not around :).


Wednesday, November 21, 2012

What Happens After an Embryo Transfer?


Thought everyone might find this interesting :)

3-Day Transfer

Days Past
Transfer (DPT)
 Embryo Development
 OneThe embryo continues to grow and develop, turning from a 6-8 cell embryo into a morula
 TwoThe cells of the morula continue to divide, developing into a blastocyst
 ThreeThe blastocyst begins to hatch out of its shell 
 FourThe blastocyst continues to hatch out of its shell and begins to attach itself to the uterus
 FiveThe blastocyst attaches deeper into the uterine lining, beginning implantation 
 SixImplantation continues
 SevenImplantation is complete, cells that will eventually become the placenta and fetus have begun to develop 
 EightHuman chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) starts to enter the blood stream 
 NineFetal development continues and hCG continues to be secreted 
 TenFetal development continues and hCG continues to be secreted  
 ElevenLevels of hCG are now high enough to detect a pregnancy 


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Frozen Embryo Transfer

Today was the (potentially) big day.  I'm glad Matthew and Kayla slept until 7:45am this morning because it shortened our morning.  The entire morning I was paranoid that it was Genesis calling to say that the day 3 embryo did not survive the transfer.  I was so worried that I even waited to have my shower until my mom was here, just in case (when) they called.  Thank goodness, by 10:30am when I had to leave for my 11:30 appointment, I had not received a phone call yet.  Yes!  The embryo survived!  Step 1 - success!

Because Jon couldn't really take a day off work (for risk of administration re-starting his teaching days in this position to '0', and then losing the chance of guaranteeing himself a contract next semester), and because I had been through the entire process before, I went alone.  As much as I hate driving, I'm really comfortable with driving through Vancouver to Genesis.  (So comfortable, that one time I didn't realize I had gone through the Massey tunnel until I was out the other side!).  I drank my water as I drove...less water than last time (because last time I was in so much discomfort during the transfer I couldn't even 'enjoy' it).  I didn't have to wait at all in the waiting room, they practically brought me straight to my pre-procedure room.  I got changed into the required skirt, signed the necessary consent forms, and waited.

I had the same doctor that performed my ultrasound last week.  This transfer experience was so much more enjoyable than Matthew and Kayla's!  The doctor was already there waiting for me, so I didn't have to wait with a full bladder for him to show up.  They've added a tv screen to the procedure room so that I could see the embryo in the petri dish.  Unfortunately, I didn't notice the tv screen until they had already sucked the embryo up into the catheter.  Oh well.  The procedure is painless (to me, at least), and really quick.  After the doctor transferred little embryo #3 (who is a 7-cell grade B embryo...Matthew and Kayla were 8-cell and 9-cell grade B embryos), we watched the tv screen as the lab technicians double checked to make sure that the embryo had actually left their catheter by squirting the remaining contents back into the petri dish.  We got the "okay" and then I was allowed to pee and change and go!

Now, I'm resting and slowing getting back into my regular routine, avoiding anything strenuous, as per doctor's orders.  It's definitely difficult to sit on the couch when Matthew and Kayla want me to be picking them up and playing with them all the time, but I guess that will have to be Jon and my Mom's job for now.  Matthew and Kayla definitely seemed whinier than usual tonight, and I'm sure it's because I couldn't be "me" with them.  Luckily, this is only for a couple days and then I can return to a semi-modified routine.

I've done what I've needed to do - now it's up to God and what He wants to happen!

If I haven't gotten my period by December 4th, then I go to LifeLabs for bloodwork, and the nurses will call me on December 5th with the results.  Scary stuff!

P.S.  When I asked the doctor if this procedure would interfere with a possible existing pregnancy he informed me that the estrace I've been taking actually prevents ovulation,  so there is no way I could have been pregnant (not that I thought I was).

Friday, November 16, 2012

Days 1-19

You know life is busier and the process is less intense when I end up blogging the first 18 days of my cycle all in one entry!  Sorry potential baby #3...it's not that you're less important...it's well, it's just...well, there's no excuse.  So here we go, days 1-18:

Days 1-7 (Oct 26-Nov 1):  2mg Estrace twice a day.  No big deal.  My boss asked me if I felt more hormonal (to which I replied sarcastically, "Do I seem more hormonal?"  We have a great working relationship).  Anyways, no I didn't feel more hormonal at all.

Days 8-18 (Nov 2-12):  2mg Estrace three times a day.  Again, no big deal...It's just a little more difficult to remember to take my pills.  I might have had a couple days where had only taken two, and so the next day I would take four.

Day 19 (Nov 13):  Ultrasound at Genesis!  After fighting morning rush-hour traffic to get to my 8:30am appointment in Vancouver on time, I had to sit in the waiting room for what felt like FOREVER, because they were busy and thus behind schedule.  45 minutes later, I had the ultrasound.  The doctor said my uterine lining is looking great, so we're good to go for a transfer next week.  He said I hadn't ovulated yet (as I had suspected).  Hmm...that means we still have a chance to get pregnant naturally as well.  Not that it would happen...but wouldn't it be crazy if we were pregnant when they (hopefully) transfer one of our embryos in?  It would be like twins...but one is 1.5 years older.  Anyways, won't happen.  I don't think.

I met with the nurse after the ultrasound to discuss the transfer dates.  On Sunday, November 18, I reduce my Estrace to 2mg twice a day, and then I also start Endometrin three times a day.  On Monday, November 19, a nurse will call me to schedule my transfer appointment for the next day (usually around 11am-ish).  In the morning of Tuesday, November 20, the first thing they'll do when they get to the office is take my day 3 embryo out of the freezer (i.e. out of the liquid nitrogen) and will see if it survives being thawed.  If it does, then we go ahead with the transfer and the day 5 will stay frozen.  If it doesn't then they call me to cancel my appointment and then on Thursday, November 22, they take the day 5 out of the freezer and see if it survives being thawed.  If it does, then we go ahead with the transfer.  If it doesn't, then we're out of luck.

How am I doing?  I'm scared.  I'm really scared.  Not scared of the procedures at all, because I've been through it all before, but scared of a negative outcome.  I just want one of the embryos to thaw and to implant.  Hopefully that's not asking too much.  I try not to think about it at all, and try to focus all of my time/attention/energy into Matthew and Kayla, and work (which I'm completely swamped in right now, and have no idea how I'm going to stay on top of it if the transfer happens next week and I can't work from the office).

Friday, November 2, 2012

Little Big Boy

Matthew had his hair cut for the very first time, by Anita DeVries, my Mom's hair dresser.  Matthew did AMAZING!  He sat on my lap and was so still the entire time.  You could tell by the expression on his face that he was just concentrating on the feeling on his head.

He looks so cute now.  A little more grown up.  My little boy is turning into a big boy quickly.  (Nooooo!).

Going into the haircut I was nervous that shorter hair would bring out his funny head shape...but you know what?  It's the complete opposite!  His head looks WAY better!  I think that because his long hair circled the top of his in a clockwise direction it put more hair on his right side, which is his 'bigger' side.  Now that the hair is evenly dispersed on his head the right side doesn't seems to look as 'big'.

Anyways, it was a big day yesterday...and big days mean that Matthew doesn't want to go to bed :)

So, after initially going to bed at 8pm, jumping a bunch, crying a bunch, and crying a bunch more I took him out and let him play in the kitchen while Jon and I worked.  Half an hour later, I put him to bed and he went to sleep....not for too long though!  Around 4am he woke up again and so I got out and sat in the rocking chair with him and rocked.  After about 15 minutes I figured he was asleep, so I got up to put him back in his crib.  No such luck.  He clung to me so hard that I couldn't possibly put him in his bed (because I didn't want to).  I was exhausted, but figured how often do I get to cuddle?  We moved to the the living room so that I could sit in the recliner and maybe fall asleep while cuddling.  No such luck.  After about 15 minutes I figured he was asleep, so I got up to put him back in his crib.  No such luck.  He clung to me so hard that I couldn't possible put him in his bed (because I didn't want to).  I was exhausted, so I decided to put him in our bed.  I climbed in and put him in the middle.  Nope...he did not want that.  He climbed over to me and laid on top of me and passed out.  Definitely was a little more awkward than when he was a newborn, but it was wonderful, nonetheless.

Love that little big boy.  Kinda wish he would stop getting older.