Polyp

I figured I would give a quick update since I had time today. My first ultrasound last week, showed a polyp (a growth) in my uterus.  They have to verify that it is in fact a polyp and not a blood clot or something else, so I have an appointment next week to check it out. They are fairly certain it is a polyp, and if it is, I will need an outpatient procedure to remove it. I’m praying that they are able to get me in right away to remove it so it doesn’t mess with our in vitro schedule. If we can’t get in right away, then it means pushing in vitro off until June. I’m extremely bummed about the potential for this, but I’m crossing my fingers.

In Vitro

I haven't written on here in quite a while, but I want to document our next big journey, so lets hope I can keep up with the updates!

 

Our story starts with ups and downs, as any marriage does. We were undecided on so many important things but we had each other, and that was enough to take the leap into the unknown. We started our marriage living in a rental house that was owned by a family member. We knew that we wanted to buy a home one day, upgrade our cars, start our careers, and become parents. So, we bought a house, upgraded our cars, and started careers. One decision, however, changed for us. We felt that kids were not going to be part of our future. I, in particular, wasn’t sure having children was what I wanted. I battled this for a long time before deciding that I was leaning towards having a life with just Dave and me. This felt right to us, for many reasons, at the time. We never truly discussed this with our families or friends; it was just something we would say we wanted, and that was that. No explanation needed because we both believe decisions like this should not be influenced by other opinions. It was a decision we came to on our own and if we changed it, it again would be one we came to ourselves. I feel that this type of decision making has been a blessing in our marriage.

 About two and a half years into our marriage, we, yet again, had a change of heart, but this time, we kept it very private. We tried to become pregnant and after many frustrating months, I spoke with my doctor about some hormone imbalances I had. She had several suggestions for me and after several blood test, a small procedure; we finally got everything in balance and determined that I was physically able to have children. This was almost the most frustrating part. If nothing was wrong, then why couldn’t we become pregnant? After another visit to my doctor and still no success with pregnancy, she suggested some testing for Dave. His testing was much simpler than mine. Two tests later, we had our answer.

 

There are three main factors in determining the fertility of sperm in men. The count, the motility and something called morphology. Basically, morphology is when the sperm are “misshaped.” The experts say that a man’s morphology needs to be at least 15% normal shaped (what the means exactly is beyond me). Our results came back with above average in count and motility, buy well below this ideal percentage in morphology. Issues with morphology are not something anyone can control. It is passed down in the gene pool and will likely be passed to our own offspring. It was a relief to have answers and be able to look at our next step. After many sleepless nights of research and forum reading, we decided IVF (aka in vitro) was our best chance at growing our family. We spoke with my OB who also recommended IVF, and she offered us a few great specialists’ names. We came to a decision on a doctor in a very ironic way. I won’t go into detail but I will say that God is good and I know he is guiding us in every step during this journey.

 

We were required to attend a seminar with our Doctor, that was very informative, and gave us some real hope! I felt extremely confident after the seminar because I knew all of our options and almost everything we needed to know to get started. Luckily, my OB had already put me through most of the necessary testing (minus one small blood test...YAY), so we were ahead of the game! Our doctor was very impressed at how informed and prepared we were for what was to come. Because we had most of the testing done, we could skip strait to scheduling and paying for IVF. We had several comments about how prepared we were, which made me feel good about the long nights of research! lol

 

Here's what we've done so far:

 

-We've filled out the 60+ pages of consent forms, disclosures and past medical history.

-We've set the tentative date of May 8ths for the first procedure and May 13th for the second!!!! YAY!!!

-We've also paid in full for the procedures, and let me tell you; it is such a relief to not have to worry about the financial part of things!  

-We've both started on several vitamins, and pills, to get our bodies in "tip-top" shape

-Tomorrow, I go in for an ultrasound (I had no clue they did these before you were pregnant lol) and a full physical

 

It may not seem like much but it's a start and I'm so extremely excited!!!

 

The basic steps in IVF are:

 

1. Start on prenatals and birth control (this is to give the doctors control of ovulation dated)

2. Get blood work done to check the number of eggs viable

3. Twelve days before the retrieval date, start on hormone injections (the amount of these will vary based on my hormone levels, which will be tested every other day)

4. 33 hours before the retrieval date and time, a hormone is injected into me to prepare my eggs and to prevent my body from discarding my eggs (aka a period)

5. Retrieve as many eggs at possible while under anesthesia and then home to rest

6. Blood tests every morning for the next five days

7. Implant eggs back into me (aka transfer day) and home for bed rest for three days

8. Wait 12 days to take pregnancy test (this will be the worst part!!!!)

 

Thats the process and I will try to update as things happen. This is definitely a new experience for us but one I am happy to go through!

 

 

 

Old friends, new lives

 

Yesterday, a few of my old friends got together, with their families, and had a picnic. It's amazing how things change so quickly! We snapped a few pictures and I wish I could find pictures of us from 8 years ago and compare but they lost in my storage room somewhere!

 

We are missing a couple husbands but we managed to get all the kids and moms to pose!

 

All of us girls

 

Chelsea and Riley

 

Leah and Lily

 

Greg, Tamara and Corbin

 

Riley and Corbin who are future husband and wife!

 

I just realized that I didn't manage to get a picture of Sarah and Zander! :( Oops, I thought I had gotten all the mom/child pictures. They are in the group picture at least!

 

Anyway, it was really nice to catch up and see how life has changed for everyone! I hope it's not so long next time I see them all!

Beautiful Baby Riley's Blessing

Last weekend, Dave and I had the pleasure of seeing one of my best friends daughters blessing. One of her grandmothers made her dress and it was so beautiful! I've stolen most of these pictures from Chelsea's blog but I wanted to share with people who read my blog, and know Chelseas family so they can see her beautiful daughter on this special day!

 

 



That dress was definitely made with love! 

 

 

Her is Riley with her parents, Chelsea and Albert, and one set of grandparents, Kelly and Terry!

 

 

And the Guse family all together! 

 

 

Mom and Daughter :)

 

 

Grandma, Mom, and daughter/granddaughter!

 

 

My Mom and brother met us there for the specail day.

 

 

I love holding this little girl so much! 

 

It was a wonderful day and we were grateful to be there!

four years isn't the long...

Four years truly isn't that long when you look at the big picture but in those four years, a lot has happened. We've bought our first home, bought and paid off our first car (and purchased a second), grown from hammy-down couches and tv's to new modern coziness and electronics. We've formed a budget we can handle, changed careers and the goals within them, and decided that it's ok if we don't have kids and it's ok if we do. The day will come when we feel swayed one way or the other and until then, the pressure doesn't have to be there.

September 13th was our four year anniversary and I'll admit, this isn't exactly where I thought I would be today. Speaking from a 17 year old, senior in high school's mind set, I would have thought that I would be just getting engaged, and not sure where I want to be in a career since I preferred to be a stay at home mom. As for today, I'm grateful that I've had David by my side through these last few years. We've done some major learning and growing together and I'm so glad things didn't turn out the way I had planned while in high school. Instead, I've married my best friend, who laughs and loves with me. He works hard for our family and has a passion for so many things. He doesn't mind watching my Hallmark movies with me and doesn't make fun of me when I cry during them. :)  I've been lucky to find him and for him to choose me to spend his life with. I am truly blessed!

We weren't exactly sure what was wanted to do to celebrate but we had a few extra dollars to spend this year so we decided to get a nice hotel in Denver and enjoy a day at Waterworld. This was a couple weekends before our actual anniversary but it was so worth it! We went to Waterworld on the last weekend it was opened, hoping to not have too many lines. I think we lucked out though because first I found half priced tickets on Craigslist. Then when we got there, the parking lot wasn't half full. We road about every ride before lunch and even left early due to some rain. When we got to the hotel, we found this awesome little suite with a full kitchen, living room and bedroom waiting for us. We really lucked out and got a great deal. Dinner that night and some relaxing together completed our weekend.

Our actual anniversary day was still fun in itself. I worked that morning, and got off early to have a date night with Dave. He planned a dinner out and glowgolf at the mall. We were like little kids at golf since there was no one else there, and we had so much fun.

All in all, this was a great anniversary and I think we are going to plan something big for number five!

Races

I'm extremely behind on the things I've wanted to blog about this summer! Oops!

 

A few months ago, Dave and I signed up for back to back weekend races. The first was a 5k mud run that a few of my co-workers completed with Dave and I. We didn't keep track of our time and just had fun! We were 100% covered in mud by the end, but this is the one picture I have of J'Mae, myself and Dave after one of the first obstacles. The paint on our faces made for some really funny sunburns later on, but I'd say it was worth it! We will be signing up for at least one of these next year!

 

 This was Dave after he had been sprayed off! lol

 

We also did a Color Run. Those of you who have never heard of these, you must try it before you knock it! Basically, it's a 5k race where you must wear a white shirt, and there a 4 or 5 "color stations" where they throw colored chalk at you. It sounds a bit cheesy but these are extremely popular all over the country and being the first year they had one in Colorado Springs, there were at last a thousand racers that day.

 

I was extremely proud of myself, completing the race in just under 36 minutes. Now, this isn't truly that great of a pace (just under a 12 min mile) but this was the first race I  had ever truly competed in and timed myself. We will be doing this one again next year!

 

Dave is an ultra-marathoner, and a measly 5k isn't a challenge but he stood (ran) by my side the whole time, cheering me on and I'm grateful for him.

Omaha

A couple weekends ago, Dave and I ventured out to Omaha with three kids stuffed in the back of our little car. Considering how packed we were, it was a great drive out there. We were meeting with my oldest sister, Danielle, half way to Detroit, to drop off her kiddos. Lucky for us, my other sister, Becky, only lives 4 hours away from Omaha so we decided to turn this little trip into a mini famiily reunion. It honestly was one of the highlights of my summer.

Becky had the great idea to pack everyone (minus Bryce, since he hid during this picture) on one hotel bed and take a picture. I'm actually extremely glad she made us take this picture since it turned out to be my favorite! haha  

We decided to go to a safari park. We weren't exactly sure what to expect but it turned out to be really fun! The only downfall was the heat.

Aubrey and Bryce, hanging out in the a/c'd car after playing with some animals and walking around the trails.

Of course, the picture with my handsome hubby! :)

We made sure the hotel had a pool so that we could cool off and have some free fun! I'm pretty sure the kids got in the pool three times in the one full day we were all there.

I have decided the Mariah is going to find a career involving animals. She loves them so much and is extremely good with all kinds.

This isn't my favorite picture but I'm happy to have a fun picture with my older, funloving, silly sister!

I'm grateful to have a family that I can have fun with and enjoy spending time with.