7 More Sleeps!

In 7 more sleeps I go in for my 18-20 week ultrasound, and I get to see my tiny turkey! I am still not feeling movement :( So I am very much looking forward to seeing him/her move around, hearing the heartbeat, and having that peace of mind that everything is fine!

So to keep my mind off the ultrasound and the possibility of learning if we are adding a boy or girl to the family, I am making Grandma's Chocolate Cake mini cupcakes, with pink and purple Cream Cheese Icing on them! Why pink and purple? Because my two adorable nieces LOVE pink and purple, so when I pop by today with mini cupcakes with icing in their fav colors, it will make their day :) Plus, it is February now and they are very Valentine's Day appropriate colors :)

Cream Cheese Icing -the recipe!-

4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened (125 g.)

1/4 cup Butter, softened

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 cup Icing Sugar

• Cream together cream cheese, butter and vanilla
• beat in icing sugar, a little at a time
• Add color, if desired

Milk or cream can be added if to thick :) Delish on Grandma's Chocolate Cake!

A few tricks I have discovered for icing over the past year of making a boat load of cupcakes:

• Neon food coloring! It does awesome bright colors, with far fewer 'drops'

  

• Ziplock bag for piping, just tuck the tip you want to use through a tiny hole in one corner, fill using a wine glass to support it, and viola! You have a clean bag, with the tip in, that is cheap!

  

Grandma's Chocolate Cake - the recipe! -

1/2 cup Butter, softened
1 1/2 cup Sugar
2 Eggs

1 cup Sour Cream

2 cup Flour
2 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda

1/2 cup Cocoa
1/2 cup Hot water
1 tsp. Vanilla

• Combine Butter and Sugar, cream together. It won't actually 'cream' together, but be more of a fluffy mixture. Add Eggs, mix!
• Alternate sour cream with flour, baking soda and baking powder.
• Mix cocoa, hot water and vanilla into a paste of sorts. Add to above. Scrap sides to ensure even mixture.
• Bake at 350, 30 minutes for a cake, 18 minutes for regular cupcakes, and 12 minutes for mini cupcakes. (all times approximate, just gotta check with a toothpick, adjust time based on your own oven! )

Recipe can be doubled! :)

17 weeks!

Well, tomorrow I will be! So I thought I would at least post my 16 week belly shot. Finally am starting to feel like my belly is looking like a pregnant belly and less like chub :) SO excited! 2 weeks from today we get to see our lil turkey, and likely find out what gender we shall be expecting in July! I am just so in love with this wee one already! I can't wait to finally meet my little miracle that we have waited so long for! I am just so thankful for a faithful Father. Although His ways are not my ways, I wouldn't have changed anything about my journey to motherhood. I am so in love, so thankful, and so abundantly blessed!

Update time!

I figured that with the New Year nearly upon me, I would FINALLY update my very neglected blog!

First things first:

Holy crow! DW and I are actually preggers! WOWIE WOW WOW! I am still in shock! Our lil Turkey is due July 6, 2011

We had our first ultrasound at 9 weeks

Everything is going perfectly! My mum came with me to meet her newest grandchild. My lil Turkey wiggled all 4 limbs and squirmed around. We got to see the heart beating at approx. 172 bpm :) YAY!

Next up was the lovely prenatal exam.. BLARG! That was far from fun. I was 11 wks and 2 days. My doc semi changed my due date to July 7th haha I couldn't believe he bothered and/or cared about the day difference but schmee! (I am sticking with the 6th.) But because of the dating 'conflict' I was sent for another ultrasound at 12 weeks. DW was actually able to 'meet' our Turkey that day :)

As of yesterday, I am 13 weeks along already! The time has flown by, and honestly, the shock hasn't passed! I got a job at Walmart to get maternity leave hours in, and PTL I didn't get morning sickness, so I was able to work with no issues so far :)

Me at 13 weeks :)

2 tries later..

I decided it was time for an update. Plus I'm at my mum's making cupcakes and have nothing to kill the time while they cook...other than dishes... so the obvious choice? Blog!

So in July/August, we attempted our first IUI. I took 100mg of Serophene CD3-7 (July24-28) then came the numerous ultrasounds in Cowtown.
Ultrasound #1 - August 2 - 2 follicles, 8mm & 9 mm.
Ultrasound #2 - August 5 - 2 follicles, 14 mm & 11mm
Ultrasound #3 - August 7 - 0 follicles found, all just small 'unripe' ones. So I was sent to do blood work, LH level 16. They are saying I didn't ovulate yet so...
Ultrasound #4 - August 10 - 0 follicles still, sent for more blood work, which came back on the 11th, I ovulated! So now we wait and see what happens!

Nothing! Just the arrival of stupid AF... so now we start all over again! Hopefully they don't miss my ovulation this time!

August 23-27 I took my 100mg of Serophene yet again for CD3-7.
Ultrasound #1 - September 3 - 1 follicle, 11mm
Ultrasound #2 - September 5 - 1 follicle, 17mm
Ultrasound #3 - September 7 - 1 follicle, 23 mm (by 15 mm)
YAY follie is big enough for the injection! (10,000 iu of hCG)

So, the nurse (Jennifer I think! I have met SO many there) took us into a little room to instruct me how to give myself the injections.. that is correct, I had to inject myself! Seemed easy enough, half in one needle, half in the other, injected in different spots on my stomach or thighs. I know I could have got DW to do it, but I'm kind of a control freak, so at 11pm on September 7th, I stuck myself in the belly twice!

Next up was the IUI itself. DW had to make his 'deposit' at 7:30 am at the lab. Then we went back to my aunt's to kill the time between. My aunt and I made some apple sauce to keep my mind of the drama that was fast approaching. My appointment was at 10:30am. So off we went! The actual process is mad simple! Undress from the waist down, cover up with a sheet, put your feet in the stir ups, and wait. The worst part is the dry insertion of the speculum. They can't lubricate because if they bump the lube with the catheter it can't be used, thus wasting the sperm. So in it goes, and that is it! about ten minutes total, and you are free to go! Some women experience cramping but I didn't. Just general soreness. The nurse told me to test on September 25th if AF hadn't arrived.

So September 20th, I was SO fed up with waiting. I just wanted to know NOW. haha AF was expected the following day, so it wasn't like I was testing super early or anything. BFN! And AF did arrive on the 21st.

So today, I am already on day 3 of Serophene. My first two ultrasounds are booked for October 4th and 6th. I honestly am not looking forward to doing this again. I'm tired of the BFNs, I'm tired of drugs, I'm REALLY tired of internal ultrasounds. (TMI alert! My left ovary 'hides' behind my bowel or something, and they have to put a LOT of pressure on me with the internal wand to find it.. it is horrendous!)

So far this cycle, I've found out 2 of my friends are newly preggers. Due in May, which is when I would be due if the first IUI had been successful. I have a friend due any day now (technically on the 8th but...), one at Christmas time, and 2 in January. This would be the 3rd cycle of babies I have 'missed'... I'm emotionally exhausted. I don't know what will happen after this next try. If it doesn't work.. I'm out of drugs, and have no coverage for more. I am so thankful for all my prayer warriors! I know God has a plan for me! I KNOW this, but I'm just so deep in the chaos that I feel like it will never actually end.

Time to go finish making my peppermint icing, and ice those bad boys! Is there anything tastier than dark chocolate cupcakes with a hint of mint, and delicious mint butter cream icing? Me thinks not!

IUI

Well, the time has come for DW and myself to take the next step! Although, it really is mostly myself going through all the hoops. DW has it so much easier... but by no means am I saying it doesn't effect him!!!! But his swimmers are perfect, and thus it was me who got to take prometrium for 10 days. Praise the Lord, I am done that! Now we wait.... and although it has only been one night free of prometrium, I am impatient for AF to arrive so we can get this party started! Af is trying to make an appearance already, but hardly counts as cd1, so tomorrow maybe!!

For anyone reading this who doesn't know how an IUI procedure works, I shall break it down for ya!

First, if you do not ovulate on your own, and therefore have irregular cycles, then they will likely give you Clomid (aka Serophene) for a few cycles, see if you conceive. If not, but you ARE ovulating on it, next comes the IUI, which stands for intrauterine insemination. (sometimes called artificial insemination) If you don't have a shed on your own, the Dr. will likely give you Prometrium. At the end of the 10 days on prometrium, your body will shed the liner, and start the process again. It usually takes up to 7 days for the shed.

Second step, calling the clinic. On Cd1 (the first day of your period, not just spotting) you call in to inform the clinic, and get your ultrasound booked. Which is usually about cd10, and every 2-3 after that.

Next, Clomid! Which you take for 5 days. some doctors will advise cd3-cd7, some will advise cd5-cd10. Depends on the dr. I myself am doing cd3-cd7.

CD10 (or so) you go in for your first ultrasound to see how the follicle is doing. Then you go in every 2-3 days until the follicle grows to about 18-24mm. At which point I get to have a shot of HGC to 'force' ovulation.

DW has one job during this process.. to make a 'donation' at the lab, which will be washed and inserted!

That's it! Lots of waiting around for things to be ready, followed by lots of waiting to see if it worked or not!!!! If AF goes as predicted, I should be heading to Cowtown for my first appointment on August 3 me thinks, cuz the long weekend just happens to fall that weekend so.. EEK! It is coming up SOON!