"The finish is a masterpiece!"

Yay!  I made it through three weeks of bc pills.  The weeks went by quickly which was nice.  Now we must wait for me to start a new cycle.  Hopefully a cycle that gives us another child and gives Stella a sibling!

Josh and I had all the papers signed, notarized and sent in last week.  We made the big payment this morning.  Ugh!  So let's just hope all goes as planned.  It does make me sick to my stomach to think about that amount of money going down the drain if we do not get pregnant.  But like Josh reminded me, "Yes, it sucks but this is way the have to do it.  The finish is a masterpiece!"

Josh and I celebrated our five year anniversary last Friday night.  It was special.  We went out to dinner at Carrabbas.  We ended our night with a walk on the beach.  I love Josh so very much!  I couldn't have a better husband and best friend.  We've been through a lot together and it's only made us stronger and more in love with each other.  We are blessed.

Baby in a Box, Again!

My box of meds arrived for baby number two yesterday!  When Josh walked in with the package, I thought, what's in that box?  I haven't ordered anything.  So we opened it up to find all this fun stuff:

It's amazing how different this journey has been compared to our first IVF experience.  Two years ago I would have known exactly when that package was supposed to arrive and what it supposed to look like.  It's nice having a more relaxing experience this time around.  My life with Stella keeps me so busy that I do not have time to worry, plan everything just perfectly, etc.

So in the box, I found a million of these needles:

Scary but whatever, I can handle it.  They are for the progesterone in oil shots.  I didn't have to take those with Stella.  I just took the suppositories.  But the suppositories are in there too.  So I guess I'm taking both this time? 

Hysteroscopy News

My hysteroscopy was last Wednesday.  It was a breeze!  I was terrified of the procedure after reading horror stories online.  The night before my hysteroscopy I woke up at 2 and couldn't go back to sleep.  I was shaking on the table before the doctor came in.  But once again, my RE was right...no pain. Seriously!  I just had a few very mild cramps.  The procedure took less than a minute.  So if you have to get a hysteroscopy with no pain meds or numbing meds, don't worry!  Especially if Dr. Sc.nor.r at South.easte.rn Fer.tilit.y Cent.er in Charleston, SC does your procedure.  I did feel a little faint afterwards but I'm sure it was from being so worked up.  It's also not a good idea to look at the instruments they use.  Scary!

Oh and the most important part, my uterus looked perfect.  He said it was in A+ condition.  It was neat to see pictures.  It's tiny!  I saw the little openings to my fallopian tubes.  So if it's so perfect, why can't we get pregnant on our own?

I've got one week of BC pills left.  Josh and I have to sign a few forms and have them notarized.  Yay!  We're EXCITED!

Let's Get It Started!

My third month of Clomid ended with several BFNs.  Boo!  I know, it sucks.  Why did I get my hopes up?  A little bit of Clomid just doesn't seem to do the trick for us.  It didn't work before Stella and it didn't work after Stella!

The consult with our RE was a couple weeks ago.  We walked in and instantly felt at home.  I thought we would feel sad or upset when we walked through those doors.  We felt comfortable and almost giddy!  We were once again taking the steps to have another baby.  How could we not be super excited?  The room was filled with so many cute young couples.  I wanted to give them hope by telling them about Stella and how she was conceived there.  It was sooo good to see familiar faces when we met with our RE.  He did an ultrasound to check my ovaries and uterus.  Everything looked good except for a tiny spot on my uterus. It's most likely a result of the retained placenta and D&C from last summer.  He wants to do a "quick" hysteroscopy to take a better look at that spot.  If he needs to remove any scar tissue he can do it during the procedure.  He acted like it wasn't a big deal.  I'm still nervous.  I'll be completely awake during the procedure.  If it's too painful then I can come back to have it done until anaesthesia. 

So, omg, has any one had a hysteroscopy while they were awake?  If so, please share!

After the ultrasound we talked numbers.  We have 5 frozen embryos (2 are frozen together, and 3 are frozen together).  All are very good quality -- the same quality as Stella when she was put inside of me.  I want to say 4AA or something?  I can't remember exactly.  Our RE recommended thawing 2 and putting in both if they both survive the process, or if just 1 survives, then put in 1.  He recommended saving the other 3 for another cycle, if needed.  We've got a 40% chance of having 1 baby if we put 2 embryos inside me.  We've got a 25% chance of having 1 baby if we put 1 embryo inside of me.  We are not sure what we are going do yet.  I'll keep you posted!

Any advice on frozen IVF cycles?

I started BC pills today.  I'll be taking them for 3 weeks.  My hysteroscopy is scheduled for next Wednesday.  Say a prayer!  I think I start estrogen and progesterone after I finish the pills and start my period.  And then I'm thinking the transfer will be around my birthday, June 21st.

I've debated on whether or not I want to document our journey to baby # 2 but I think I've decided that I'm going to do it because I did it with Stella.  I love being able to look back at our journey to her.  I'm still reading blogs so if I used to comment on your blog often and I've stopped, that doesn't mean that I'm not still following you.  I am still following your stories.

Now the best part of this post, pictures of Miss Stella Grace:

Frosty News

Our second try with Clomid failed.  I was very disappointed because I was very hopeful.  I thought if it worked the first time, it would work the second.  We are going to give it one last try this cycle but that's probably it.  I called our fertility center in Charleston to schedule a consultation appointment.  That's the first step to starting a frozen cycle.  We've got an appointment for Thursday, April 28th.  Our nurse told me that they have to do one test before we can do a frozen cycle.  I think it's the trial transfer/saline test.  Right?  Unfortunately we do not have insurance coverage so these appointments, tests and procedures are going to be expensive.  We realize they are worth the end result so we are willing to pay the price.  We are just hoping it only takes ONE frozen cycle.

I'll keep everyone posted.  I'm curious to know what emotions will hit me when I enter those doors on the 28th.  So many memories will come back, I'm sure!

Kelly's Kids "Mystery Hostess" Online Party

I am new rep for Kelly's Kids.  If you aren't familiar with Kelly's Kids, you must check them out: 

http://www.kellyskids.com/ 

You're invited to an Kelly's Kids "Mystery Hostess" Online Party!

The hostess is a MYSTERY and it could be YOU!

Here's how it works:

1. Browse the web site: www.kellyskids.com

2. Email ME to place your order.

kellyskidswithchelsea@gmail.com

The party will end on Saturday, March 19th. If you place an order, your name will be placed in a box. I'm drawing one name out of the box. If it's you, then your the HOSTESS of the party! You would win the following: 10% of the party sales in FREE clothes and an invitation to the exclusive end of season clearance sale for hostesses ONLY!

Message me with questions or more information!

Good Luck!

Chelsea Scruggs
Kelly's Kids Rep # 115206

I'm Alive and Well

"I'm alive and well..." - DMB

So it's been awhile.  My life is too busy for blogging.  I really wish I had the time and energy at the end of each day.  I just don't know how all those Moms out there do it!  It's impressive to blog and be a Mommy at the same time.

I'm going to be posting lots of pictures of our miracle baby.  They can update you without words!  Stella will be one on March 20th!  Times flies with a baby.  I can't believe she's almost ONE! 

We are hoping for another miracle baby sooner than later.  We have plans to go back to our fertility center this summer if we do not conceive naturally.  We will be doing a frozen cycle because we have five frosties!  I'll probably blog about the experience this summer because I will not be as busy.

My OB/GYN gave me a presciption for 50 mg of Clomid in December.  I debated on whether or not I wanted to go down that road again.  But we thought "Why not give it a try?"  It's a lot cheaper than a frozen cycle.  So we tried it and BAM, four positive pregnancy tests on cycle days 38, 39, 40!  We were shocked, excited and most of all THANKFUL.  Sadly it wasn't a healthy pregnancy because I started bleeding at 6 weeks.  I went in for blood work the day I started bleeding.  My numbers were very low which indicated miscarriage.  The positive lines on the pregnancy tests were barely there.  It was a dream come true because it happened naturally.  I wasn't down the dumps about the situation.  I had my moment of heartache in the hospital while getting my blood taken.  It just reminded me of all the blood work I had done with treatments.  I didn't want to go back to that craziness.  And because the thought of a baby due in September made me giddy and now that wasn't in our plan any more. 

We are going to try Clomid again.  I'll keep you posted. 

Happy Spring!

Oh and I forgot to add these at the beginning!

I found a fun blog for everyone to check out:

http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/

I'm going to update my blog soon.  My Thanksgiving break actually starts this afternoon so maybe I'll find some time this week.  Until then, Happy Thanksgiving!

And if you're wondering, I'll be sharing: Stella's First Trip to the Zoo, Stella Turns Seven Months, Stella's First Halloween, Why Are We Still Not Pregnant?  (Oh yeah!  I almost forgot that we had "Unexplained Infertility"), Stella's First Christmas Tree, Thanksgiving in North Carolina, and the list goes on... 

I miss having the time to blog but I still have a few moments before bed to read your blogs.  So thank you!

IVF in the News

Yay!!!

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-10-04-nobel-medicine_N.htm

Six Months Old

Hey Everyone! 

My Mommy took these pictures of me today.

She kept telling me that she couldn't believe I was...

SIX MONTHS OLD!

I'm not a big fan of bows.

My Mommy laughed at me. 

I smiled back at her with a bow in my mouth.

Thank you for following my story.

I'm one special baby!