Big news day!

Today was a big news day! This morning’s doctor appointment went GREAT! We saw lots of little black blobs on the sonogram monitor….around 22! We have to have at least 8 healthy eggs retrieved to continue on in our 2 cycle shared risk program….so 22 is more than we could ask for (of course those follicles still have to grown INTO eggs, but we are on the right track!). They wanted us to come back Sunday morning for another sonogram to see how the follicles were continuing to grow in order to schedule the retrieval day. Well, got the call back from the bloodwork results and the doctor’s review of the sonogram….and they want us back Saturday morning bright and early for the next check. While everything looks great, they just want to check me sooner, rather than later incase I start to "over stimulate". The bloodwork results looked great. My Estradiol level was at 685! Last week it was at 37…so clearly the STIM’s medication is doing it’s job.

*Side note – a lesson on Estradiol levels…
Estradiol is actually a type of estrogen, which is the major female reproductive hormone. Estradiol is the primary type of estrogen, and it is produced in your ovaries. As they grow and develop, your egg follicles secrete Estradiol, helping to trigger the rest of the reproductive cycle.

My levels should be between 200 and 600 right now….so again, overachieving over here at 685! But we don't want the level too high...like I mentioned above, we don't want me to "over stimulate". That's a whole other set of problems. But overall they are very happy with the results and they said I'm progressing just as I should be! Next up on the medication schedule....antibiotics. I start the antibiotic tomorrow and Jason will start it on Sunday. We both take it to decrease the risk of any infection. The slightest infection could hinder results from both mine and Jason's "contributions" so we have to be in tip top shape! And for those of you wondering...the shots are still going fine. Of course I am starting a good collection of bruises on my thighs and stomach from the shots, but so far, no major mishaps.

My coordinator told me she thinks that retrievel would be Thursday...but when we go in on Saturday they will tell us for sure. It could be moved up sooner. Cue the nervous, excited and scared emotions! I’m a ball of nerves…but in the best possible way. This is what we’ve been waiting for….praying for….and hoping for. I can’t even explain my emotions. It’s hard to concentrate on anything unrelated to IVF right now.

In an attempt to distract my mind from the topic at hand I’m going to share a couple “waiting room” stories with you.

1st story…I got called back this morning for bloodwork and I left Jason sitting in the waiting room. When I returned there was a girl sitting across from us. Cute, cute blonde…looked to be a bit younger than me. Well, I looked down and saw the CUTEST shoes ever on her feet. (for those of you that don’t know….I’m a shoe-aholic. The higher the heal the better….the more funky, the better. I HEART SHOES!) Anyway, she must have thought I was crazy because I just kept staring at her feet as she worked away on her iPhone. Then, she got called back for her bloodwork. As she walked out Jason looked at me and said, “You two would get along. When she walked in I immediately looked at her shoes, because I’m married to you, I notice these things…and I thought, man, Kara would LOVE those shoes.” I seriously wanted to steal them off her feet. Anyway, it was a comical moment and couldn’t help but love Jason a bit more after saying that. He knows me well….and my shoe addiction.

2nd waiting room story… a couple walked in as we were sitting there waiting to be called back. They were a cute young couple about our age and I could tell they were “first timers”. They had that scared/emotional look on their faces…unsure of where to sign in, what to do. It wasn’t long ago that Jason and I were in their shoes. I’ll never forget that day….as I’m sure Jason never will either. We had that same scared/emotional looks on our faces I am sure. It made me want to just go up to them, give them big hugs and tell them everything was going to work out. “you’re in great hands” I wanted to shout out! Then I scanned the room…that waiting room is always filled with people from all walks of life….all different types of women and men. But we all have one thing in common. We all want to be parents and we aren’t able to without their help. It’s so hard for people to understand what we are going through if you’ve never experienced it before. You seriously go through all types of emotions. It was right then and there that I realized I feel the most comfortable sitting in that waiting room…surrounded by all those people. Because everyone understands…everyone knows what those emotions feel like. We might not even speak to each other…but we just know….and can empathize.

I’ve been saying it a lot lately – It’s easy to stay positive and upbeat when we continue to get good news. God has a hand in this, I just know it. His will…WILL be done… no matter the outcome. I have to continue to believe in that…and trust in that. We have and army of prayer warriors and so many people on our side who are rooting for us. It just truly makes my heart warm.