4wk5d

I am so sorry it has been so long between posts. My beta hcg was 329 on Friday (doubling time of 1.4 days) which is still great!! I will have it rerun this Friday when I get back from Lubbock. I went to see Mom for her birthday over the weekend and then drove to Lubbock, TX today with a co-worker for a workshop. I am EXHAUSTED!!!!!!!!!!

IUI #7 - 14 dpiui

123!!!! That was my beta HCG!!!! My nurse said it is WONDERFUL!!! Praise God!!!!

I go back Friday for a repeat beta.

Thank you all for your prayers. Here is our new list:
We are praying:
1) That we will have strength to accept whatever the results are Friday
2) That we will have courage and grace to handle the results
3) That we will get a STRONG DOUBLING 2nd beta
4) That in all of this God would be honored and glorified.

We are so excited (Leslie if you are reading this - we haven't told Mom and Dad - please don't tell them)!!!!!

IUI #7 - 13dpiui

Tomorrow at 9 am is my beta. I am ssssssoooo nervous and so scared. I got a positive yesterdy and today (although today's was a little lighter than last nights) and I also got a positive on a digital this morning. I am so scared though that my hcg isn't rising appropriately. I have also been taking those tests Dr. Connell's office gave me and they don't seem to be getting ANY darker.

I have been in this same place 5 times before - at least I am not spotting thought and I have had fairly strong hpts unlike the last 2 times. I am trying to be strong and have faith but I am so, so, so scared. Please keep us in your prayers tomorrow. I will update as soon as I can.

We are praying:
1) That we will have strength to accept whatever the results are tomorrow
2) That we will have courage and grace to handle the results
3) That we will get a STRONG beta - over 100 would be EXCELLENT and over 171 would be OUT OF THIS WORLD (the last viable pregnancy I had was 171 on 14dpiui).
4) That in all of this God would be honored and glorified.

Here was last night's test - remember it wasn't quite as dark today - and I don't have pictures today:

Susan's Shower

2 friends of mine and I hosted a baby shower for our friend Susan at my house on Saturday. Susan is the one whose wedding I decorated for and directed back in August of 2007. She is due March 31st. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of Susan, but here are pictures of some of the things we made for the shower.

Here is the cake that I made. A friend (who decorates cakes) was supposed to make it for me but she got the flu last week. So I had no other choice but to try to make it myself. It is not real GREAT but it was my first shot at decorating a cake.

Here is Susan's gift from me:
The wreath that I made for the door:

















And here is the diaper giraffe that Me, Mona, and Monica made:

IUI #7 - cd19 - 7 dpiui

I guess I've just always assumed that everyone knew what my abbreviations meant. I'm so sorry. To clarify. IUI is intrauterine insemination and dpiui is days past IUI. If anyone wants to know what any other abbreviation means, please leave me a comment and let me know.

If you read my blog regularly will you please leave me a comment and let me know. I am so curious!!! I also want to "meet" you by reading your blog!!

Today was my 7dpiui Progesterone check. My P4 was greater than 20 which the nurse said was WONDERFUL!! Over 10 is good for a regular cycle and over 15 is good for a medicated cycle. My clinic's machine stops counting at 20 so I don't know how high it really is but since it is not an indicator of anything other than ovulation and the ability to sustain a pregnancy and it just has to be greater than 20 I guess it doesn't matter. It wouldn't tell me anything different if it was 25 or 250.

I took a test today! Yes, Mom. I did. You don't have to ask. I was checking to see if my HCG trigger shot was out of my system yet so that next week I don't get a false positive if I get a positive at all. Well, it was negative so I am excited about that. Some months it gets out really quick and some months it has taken forever to get out!!

IUI #7 - cd 14 - 2 dpiui

I had the IUI on Wednesday. Everything went GREAT!!! My nurse said that if this one works then she is claiming custody of the baby every 3rd weekend!!!! :)

Now we wait....

I got to see my best friend from college and her baby and her Mom on Wednesday too. We had a nice lunch and got to eat and play with the Baby for a while. (Hey Meg, Mom, and Katie Margaret!!!! - I've missed you guys so much and I can't wait to see you again).

"But these things I plan won't happen right away.
Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place.
It will not be late by a single day."
~ Habakkuk 2:3

We have a Valentine Banquet at church tomorrow night so my sweet husband took off work early today and bought me roses and had dinner ready when I came home from work!! He also bought me a Gail Pittman Coffee Table in my pattern!!! He is the BEST!!

IUI #7 - cd 10

Trigger tonight. IUI Wednesday. Should ovulate between 2-4 eggs!!! Dr. I says everything looks TERRIFIC!!