The Journey to Oz

Oct 25, 2006 - Level II Ultrasound

2006-10-25T18:16:00.000-05:00

We finally had our 17 week Level II ultrasound today and everything was GREAT! The first thing we saw on the machine was the family jewels! The tech said there is a lefty, a righty and a weiny! It's definitly a boy - Cash Keith Osburn!

The ultrasound was 40 minutes long and was very detailed. The heartbeat was 146bpm, he was moving around all over the place, all organs measured great and the doc said Cash was a horse! He is measuring 1 week ahead! Be sure to visit our website for a few pictures from today.

We go back to the specialist again in 7 weeks and will be able to get a DVD of the whole appt. I am getting so excited to meet Cash and share him with Shawn, Cody and the rest of you!

Now it's REALLY time to shop!

Oct. 11, 2006 - 15 week OB Appt

2006-10-11T18:00:00.000-05:00

Today's appointment with Dr. McClosky was uneventful. They had me pee in a cup, took my blood pressure (120/70), we listened to the baby's heartbeat on the doppler (158bpm), she pushed on my tummy a little and asked if I had any cramping, spotting, swelling, tiredness, etc. None for me so I was realeased for another 4 weeks. My next OB appt is on November 8, 2006.

Oh - I forgot one item. I gained 8lbs. Poo!

Sept 27, 2006 - 7th u/s and NT Scan...Boy O Boy!

2006-09-28T18:58:00.000-05:00

My 13 week NT Scan was today and the results were great. The measurement was 1.6mm (should be under 2mm), the h/b was 156, baby measured 3 days ahead and since the results were good (and the doc saw the white dot above the nose, indicates no Downs), he suggested no more blood work. I do go back in 4 weeks though for another scan. I am so excited cause I thought my scan days were done.

And of course we asked to find out the sex. Shawn actually brought it to our attention while the tech was doing measurements. The doc thought it was pretty clear that we are having a BOY - Cash Keith Osburn!

I am so out numbered in the house it is not even funny! I was sad that we are not having a girl but I am thankful to have a healthy baby. God maps the plans,we just follow His directions.

Now let the shopping begin!

Sept 20, 2006 - 6th Ultrasound!

2006-09-20T18:27:00.000-05:00

Today was our 6th ultrasound and first visit with an OB. I am 12 weeks and 1 day. I sure was spoiled with Dr. Hickman because he did an u/s every visit. I got one today but will probably not get another until 16-20 weeks when we find out the sex.

Going to an OB is different though because you have things that come up like a mom goes into labor sooo - you have to wait. We met with Dr. McCloskey and she was super nice. I am sure we are gonna be very pleased with Greter Houston OB/GYN. After an exam, blood pressure check, weigh in (do they have to do that?), medical history, pee and blood samples we got an ultrasound! She was so cool about it. She said to check on things and to ease my mind. I had told her that I got a home doppler and if I worry that something is wrong, I find the heartbeat really fast and then turn it off. She said that was just fine.

She started the u/s and the heartbeat was 162bpm and we could see it pumping way on the screen. Then we checked for fingers and toes - yep, all there. The baby seemed to be sleeping so not much movement this time. I got 2 pictures but they came out really dark but you can see everything in real life much better.

The doctor then talked to us about genetic screens and we waived the Cystic Fibrosis screen because we had that checked with Dr. Hickman 3 months ago. She said we really did not need to do an Amnio because thee is such a high false positive rate but the NT Test would be something she wants us to do. That is where they check the babies neck and fluid or chromosone abnormalities. I hope I got that right. You basically have a 30 minute u/s done and with a combination of the hormones from a blood test, they can check to see if everything is okay. The thing is you have to do this test from 11 weeks to 13 weeks so they are calling to set me an appt within the next few days. I'll update you on this one when it happens. Prayers that all goes well.

Then they gave us the u/s pictures, some pamplets and a pregnancy book and we were released for 3 weeks. My next appt is October 11, 2006. Until then, grow baby grow!

Sep 5, 2006 - 5th Ultrasound

2006-09-05T22:12:00.000-05:00

My ultrasound went well today! The baby was measuring 10w1day and had a heartbeat of 163. It was moving around again. The tech could count the fingers and showed us the spine too. It looked like it was waving at us and sucking its thumb. I wanna refer to the baby as a she but I do not want to jinx anything.

I officially graduated to the OB too! My first appt is at 12w1d on 9/20. They are going to do an u/s that day too. I will be so glad to see our little bean again! Thank God everything turned out okay.

Aug 29, 2006 - 4th U/S - We have an Angel

2006-08-29T17:11:00.000-05:00

Today was my 9 week 0 day ultrasound. I have been nervous, worried, happy, sad and not been sleeping well leading up to today. I had come to terms that Baby B probably would not make it but I still held on to hope that we would get a miracle.

The tech came in all excited so that helped. She started the scan and we immediately knew that Baby B was an Angel. There was no heartbeat. Mine skipped a beat but I had sudden peace with it. I knew that the good Lord would not bring us more than we could handle. So with that, we do have a miracle - Baby A is still with us and he/she has an Angel watching from above.

Baby A was measuring at 8w6d and had a heartbeat of 170. I was amazed at how fast it was. We even saw the little bean moving around. Shawn thought that was pretty cool.

We go back for another scan in a week and then I will be released to a regular OB doctor. They gave me a referral to a group that is in the same building so we'll see them at 12 weeks. Until next week...

Aug 22, 2006 - 3rd Ultrasound!

2006-08-22T16:59:00.000-05:00

We had our 8week 0day ultrasound today and our news is good and bad. The good news is that Baby A is growing fine measuring at 8w1d and has a heart rate of 167bpm. The bad news is that Baby B probably will not make it and is measuring at 6w2d and has a heart rate of 75bpm. I had a feeling about 2 days ago that something was wrong. I could not sleep and my symptoms were just not like they used to be. Today I have some minor cramps. I have not had those for a while.

We are blessed to have one heathly baby at this point and know that if the Lord brings it to us, He will bring us through it.

I have another ultrasound next Tuesday. I will update the results as soon as I can. Until then thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Aug 15, 2006 - 2nd U/S - It's Twins!

2006-08-15T19:28:00.000-05:00

We are back and have good news! Baby B has a h/b! It's TWINS! We are just in shock right now. I was just hoping that Baby A still had a heartbeat and was totally prepared if Baby B was not there. When the tech said there's one I said "thank you Lord"! Then she said there is the other one and I said "shit" right there on the table. Then I started laughing and then crying. Then we saw and heard both heartbeats and Shawn said I think I am gonna cry now - we have double trouble!

They wanted Baby B's heartbeat to be over 100 and since it was 99, I have to go back next Tuesday for another ultrasound. Until then I am going to enjoy every minute of this and put the rest in God's hands.

Aug 8, 2006 - 1st Ultrasound!

2006-08-08T18:20:00.000-05:00

Okay - I am back from my ultrasound. A tech did it and when she came in she said that I was 6w0d and they would be looking for a sac, fetal pole or heartbeat but only 50% of the patients see anything this early. So she starts the scan and says "there is one sac". I was in tears. I have not been sleeping for the past 3 days thinking there would be nothing there. Then she says "there is another sac". Shawn squeezed my hand and I about lost it. I thanked the Lord right then and there. She measured Baby A and it was 3.4mm or as big as a grain of rice. The h/b was 115b/p/m. She called it an over acheiver. Baby B was smaller so she did not focus on it much. She said it might be were there might have been a twin or it is just behind the other one. Mind you we put back a blast and 2 morulas. So we have another appt next Tuesday at 3:30pm to see what develops. I am just so happy that there is one in there and I can enjoy being preggo! She also said my right ovary was enlarged which is why I am bloated! :-)

July 27, 2006 - We have a winner! Beta 248!

2006-07-28T20:53:00.000-05:00

Today is my 2nd beta! I am so excited yet nervous. What if my numbers do not double? Oh the ups and downs! I do the drill, get up, get dressed, race to the RE's office. This time I was the 1st one. Then I went back to work and waited....

I am watching my phone thinking ring, please ring. Staring at it, waiting for amything. This time they called early at about 11:00am. It was Sara (she drew both of my betas) and she said everything looked good! My beta was 248! Yippie we did it and have a winner! Thank you Lord - what a Blessing you have give us! She told me to come in on August 8, 2006 at 3:30pm for an ultrasound. I am so flippin' excited I can't stand it!

I called to tell Shawn and we are just over the moon! I have always believed that good things come to those who wait. And we patiently waited our turn. So many prayers for so long have finally paid off. God is good!

July 25, 2006 - Thank you Lord - Beta 126!

2006-07-28T20:47:00.000-05:00

Beta day! I am so nervous! I get up real early after not being able to sleep all night, get dressed and drive to the RE's office. I was 2nd in line. Oh - how I hope I have at least a beta of 50. After all I did get a + HPT on Friday and Sunday.

I got to work, keep checking my cell phone, waiting for the call. Shawn is text messaging me with "????". It is almost noon and they always call me by then. Is something wrong? I did not want to go to lunch without knowing so I called. The front desk told me that the results were in BUT they had not been approved by the docs so the nurses can not give me the results yet. So I wait...

Finally my nurse (Diane I LOVE you) calls at 12:45pm. She tells me that they have seen pregnancies with a 17 but they really preferred a 50. I was thinking OMG - mine is low and she is trying to break the news gently. Then she says well, yours is 126 so you are doing great! I could not believe it! I was really pregnant! Finally! I then asked her to call Shawn and tell him the same thing. What awesome news!

Our next beta is on Thursday, July 27, 2006....we need to be at 250.

July 23, 2006 - 12dpo or 7dp5dt - We Did It!

2006-07-23T18:13:00.000-05:00

Well you know me. I was up at 4:30am peeing on sticks again. I used my last Equate and First Response. The Equate had a thin + that looked funny to me and the FR had a line but so light I had to darken it on the computer. So I was not feeling good - maybe these are all evaps. So I went back to bed for a while.

I got up at 8am - stared at the tests again, and again. They all look the same as before of course. So I get on Fertility Friend and show all my buddies. They all say to wait a few days or go get a digital. You know me I do not wait when it comes to peeing on sticks! But would it be too early for a digital to pick up a + reading? I also thought I could get a brand that many people raved about - an Accuclear. I could do that one and if +, then try the digital...

So while I am getting dressed to pick up Shawn at the airport and getting dressed I am trying to hold my wee. I run up to CVS, get a 2 pack of Clear Blue Easy Digitals and a 2 pack of Answer tests. Now I wait until 1:30pm...

Okay - time to wee! Sticks in hand, pee in the cup and a camera to capture it all - I use the Accuclear first. At 1 minute I don't see anything and get dicouraged so I wait. Duh! The paper says do not read for 3 minutes. Must to my suprise after 3 minutes there is a beautiful line! Thick and pink! I am in tears! So I dip the digital and wait. It starts blinking and while I wait for it to register - I pray and held my camera just in case it said Pregnant - I was going to capture it. Then all of the sudden it stops blinking and displays PREGNANT! I am in tears thanking the good Lord for blessing us! I am in tears now while typing this.

Rut row - It is now 1:40pm and Shawn lands at 2pm! I gotta run! I take the 2 pee sticks with me and jump in the car. Then I think I have to get something for him - I just cant hand him the sticks. So I speed to CVS again and get him a card and I hid the tests in the glove box. When we got out of the airport I asked him to stop and pull over. He was not sure why. I told him I had something for him and handed him the card. He read it and said "are we" and I pulled out the 2 tests. The digital word pregnant was still there. He said awesome, awesome. We hugged, and I cried.
I am so excited! Thank you Lord!

July 22, 2006 - 11dpo - 6dp5dt - I see a line!

2006-07-22T12:14:00.000-05:00

On to day 2 of obsessing with these pee stsicks! I woke up at 6am and weed in a cup. I had 1 Target brand test left and an Answer test from our last IVF cycle. After 1 minute I could see a line forming on the Target test. I was almost in tears but held myself back knowing I could be wrong. I waited for the 10 minute mark to pass and thought to myself - there is a line but is it real? The test has blue dye and I am not to sure about those. So I dunked the Answer test. A 2nd line came up but very faint. OMG! I can't see straight now!

So off to Wal-Mart I go. I head straight to the HPT aisle and get a 2 pack of Equates and a 2 pack of First Response tests. Granted I weed at 6am and it is only 7:30am I have to wait...

Okay - It is 9:15am and I have to go. So in the cup I go! This time I have 2 new tests and 2 pamphets to go by. So I set up my experiment on the bathroom counter and dunk both sticks. And again I wait...

The Equate is showing what I think is a pink plus sign. The FR shows the same but lighter. I have no idea what to think but I so want these to be real. I have an Equate and FR left so I will see what tomorrow brings.

Come on Lord - Bless us!

July 21, 2006 - 10dpo or 5dp5dt

2006-07-22T12:10:00.000-05:00

Ugg! I told myself that I would not test but I was in Target last night and the Home Pregnancy aisle was calling my name! I swear it was! So being the pee wizz that I am - I bought a Target brand 2 pack.

I used one this morning before work and though I saw a line. I moved it, turned it, looked in 2 different lights and eventually thought I was just seeing things and went on to work.

When I got home I checked the test - I know I should have thrown it away! I saw a faint line like I thought I had seen in the morning. Well, not that 9 hours had gone by the test should be invalid. So I wait for tomorrow morning so I can do the same thing all over. BUT tomorrow is Saturday so no rushing out the door.

Can this be it for us?

July 18, 2006 - Can I Get Up Yet?

2006-07-18T15:41:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day of no more bed rest! Ahh, I feel much better! The first day I was wee'ing every 30 minutes, was mildly cramping and had some gas. The second day was not as bad but my back was hurting from laying on it so much.

Now the real wait begins. Now I pray that the good Lord will bless us with a + blood test on 7/25!

July 16, 2006 - The Real Egg Transfer!

2006-07-18T15:35:00.000-05:00

Today is day 5! The ET is finally here! We met with Dr. Hickman first and he showed us the latest fertilization report. Our of the 4 perfect 8 celled embies on day 3 - one of them was 2/3 of a blast and the other 3 were cavetating morulas. The doctor suggested putting back the blast and 2 of the morulas. We talked about the possibility of triplets but knew that the 2 morulas put back last cycle did not take so we chose to put the 3 back. Dr. Hickman had one patient with 3 morulas and had triplets but it is a 1 in 40 chance ours will take. So, off we go to the procedure room, I take my Valium and drink 2 bottles of water. Shawn got to be with me and held my hand the whole time. They put the 3 embies in and we were done! Since I was the only ET that day - I got to stay there for an hour vs. eing moved. I had to wee so bad that they did have to put a catheter in. I swear a wee'd for over 10 minutes! Now it is time to go home and rest in bed for 2 days. We pray that our little beans stick!

July 14, 2006 - The Egg Transfer?

2006-07-18T15:32:00.000-05:00

Today is day 3. We went in and met with Dr. McKenzie. I was armed with my Valium and 2 bottles of water just in case today was the ET. She showed us the fertilization report.

16 retrieved
14 were mature
9 fertilized with ICSI

Of the 9 - 4 were perfect 8 cells and there were several others right behind. With that - she suggested a day 5 transfer and told us to come back on Sunday for the ET. 2 more days...

July 11, 2006 - The Egg Retrieval

2006-07-18T15:23:00.000-05:00

Yeah! The ER is finally here! This bloating from the meds is for the birds! Shawn and I got there at 8:00am and waited to be taken back to the procedure area. I musy have been the only one cause once I was undressed - they were ready for me! Dr. McKenzie did the procedure this time and I had a different anesthesiologist. They did not tell me when it was going to start - I just woke up in recovery. They got 16 eggs this time! I was a lot more crampy this time and almost threw up. They gave me a shot and had me lay down for 30 minutes. Then we were on our way. We go back on Friday to see when the ET will be. Grow embies grow!