It's time!!!

I could not have asked for a better appointment today. So many things went well, I don't know where to begin.

My mom and nieces arrived to New Market right on time so there was no stress in trying to make it to our 11:15 appointment on time. I was nervous about what we would do with the girls once we got there since Shady Grove prefers not to have children in the waiting room (understandable). I told the receptionist the situation and she was more than helpful. She told me it was not a problem and gave us a private waiting room. James, my mom, the girls, and I waited in there for about 30 minutes before a male nurse came to draw my blood. Because the girl was so good yesterday, I was able to give him the same arm to draw from (my other arm is STILL sore from Wednesday). He actually used a different vein (not the sideways one) and also did an excellent job. He also earned an A+ for his efforts! I gave him my full sharps container to dispose of and he gave me a new one for my next round of injections! He led me back to the waiting room where we waited for about 15 minutes until a different nurse took James, my mom, and I back to the ultrasound room. (Prior to going back I had asked if this was o.k. and no one seemed to have even the slightest problem with it!) I probably was the most nervous and placed James and my mom where I thought they'd be out of the way. I also warned, for the second time, not to ask questions. Being that my mother has already named my potential child, Alienanna, I did not want to risk public embarrassment!

The ultrasound technician came in and greeted us all. I had never met her before because this was my first time being examined in Rockville. She was extremely nice and super informative. I couldn't have been happier! She first measured my endometrium, which is 12.6 (mm, I think) and as the other technician and doctor both had, praised me for it! She next measured my left ovary's follicles. I was pleased by her reaction and by the fact that she was able to measure 7 follicles from that side. On the right side, she measured 4. She told me that in her opinion, I would definitely be triggering tonight and that my numbers were excellent. When I asked her what the sizes were, she pushed a button and gave me a little print out! Here are the measurements: Right: 18.7, 22, 13.2, 14.3 Left: 21.4, 17.3, 18.5, 19.8, 14.3, 23.2, 22.5
I was so happy and thanked her so much. When I began to count the number of follicles represented on the sheet, she told me that I had many more than she measured but they wouldn't even need all of those, let alone the others! I immediately fell in love!

Next I met with the nurse who was just as thorough as the technician. James had a hard time understanding her at first because she was speaking a mile a minute (which he should be used to by now) and she had an accent (British, I think). The nurse ran through all of my trigger instructions and told me that I would receive a call between 3 and 6 p.m. James and my mom asked lots of questions (many of which I already knew the answer to), and she was more than happy to answer all of them. She even included things that we didn't ask which helped ease our minds even more. The best part of meeting with her was how complimentary she was of my cycle. She said my numbers were brilliant and I have a lot to look forward to. She told us that we should feel very optimistic. The most profound thing she said to us was that, "It will happen." She couldn't promise this for any particular time, but her message was that James and I will have a family of our own. It felt really good to hear this. She had IVF twice herself and was successful the second time. She explained that she was in her forties when she had it, so my odds were much better! I love her!

After the appointment we all went to Chipotle for some lunch. I always seem to love the idea of eating there, but never leave feeling the same way. Their food is much too spicy for me (especially when you are only allowing yourself to drink water!) James then took us on a tour of Rockville. The girls got to see his office and then he drove us around so that we could see the mansions of Potomac. The girls weren't as interested in this part of the day! We made a quick stop at the grocery store to grab some stuff for dinner and for some Icy Hot Patches for my mom's back. We were relieved when we finally got home just before 4.

At 4:58 I received the call from my new favorite nurse, Tina. She once again praised my numbers and said that I was right where I should be. My estrogen level rose to 1,621 overnight! She verified that we would be triggering tonight and apologized when she told me the time. Because my eggs will be retrieved at 12:45 p.m. on Monday, December 12, we have to trigger me at 12:45 a.m. "tonight". I am not bothered by the time, I am just so freakin' excited that it is time. Tina further explained that the embryo transfer will occur either on Thursday, January 15 (MLK's true birthday), or Saturday, January 17. I am fine with either. My OCD shined through once again when I told Tina that I love both of those odd numbers. I explained my obsession with numbers and she told me that during her successful cycle, the number 3 kept coming up. At that moment I realized something I find amazing: My egg retrieval is on January 12th, one month since the passing of my grandmother. At my first appointment of the cycle, 12 follicles were counted. My appointment is at 12:45 p.m. The sum of the digits of this time equals... you guessed it, 12. When I mentioned all of this to Tina... she added on that my lining measured 12.6. I'm sure if I reached, I could find more correlations... but I don't feel the need to. Those several coincidences were very apparent to me and just further verifies what I've felt all along. Gram is watching out for us! I cannot believe everything I heard today and that we are already at this stage of the cycle! While I feel a little nervous for the 22 gague, 1.5- inch needle, my excitement and hope far outweighs any apprehension!

I am going to go set my alarm for 12:15 and try to get some rest, however, I have a strange feeling that I won't be getting much sleep! I once again, want to thank you all for your prayers! The texts, emails, phone calls, etc mean so very much! Thank you for being so special in my life! I will certainly keep you posted!

Until next time...