Chili Anyone?

So last Friday I had a day full of live remote broadcasts from EVERY First Victoria Bank in Bryan/College station and Hearne...9 hours on the road to be exact. I got to meet so many neat people - that's truly the best part of this job.

Another fun part of the job...eating 27 different types of chili. That's right 27 types of chili in one day. Each branch had its own little chili cookoff and there were some amazing chili cooks out there. The only drawback was that by the end of the day I couldnt work my tongue : )

Our baby girl loves chili!

November 2, 2010 What a Day!

My two week wait crawled by...slow day after slow day. Then finally it was here! It was time to take the blood test to see if I was pregnant! This time I didn't cheat - no home pregnancy test despite Brian's non-stop encouragement. He had "a feeling" remember? That's what he kept saying anyway.

I was at the lab before 7am ready to go. By this time the lab tech knew my name and half my life story because I had been in so much in the last couple of months. She was so sweet and said a quick prayer with me for a positive result before I left. Then more waiting...and waiting...and waiting. My cell phone finally rang just after 2pm. It was Dr. Allon and it was a terrible connection. He said he'd call me right back so I grabbed my purse and walked (ran) outside ready to make a run for it if it was bad news. The minute it took for him to call back seemed even longer than the two week wait. And then the phone rang...

"Congratulations sweetheart! You're pregnant!"

Those were the most beautiful words I'd ever heard. God Bless Dr. Allon - he waited patiently while I cried tears of joy. When I was finally able to compose myself he and I talked a little longer (Well, he talked. I sniffled) about what to do next and when I'd have my next appointment. He was so kind and honestly, I think he was almost as excited as I was. I really thought it was cool that he took the time to call and tell me the news himself. Once the conversation was over I hung up the phone and sat down on the curb and cried some more.

I called Brian to share the news...I was still crying and had a little trouble getting the words out so he immediately assumed it was bad news. By the time I was able to squeak out that we were going to have a baby I'm pretty sure he was crying too - although he'll never admit to it. He just kept saying "I told you I had a feeling." Next I called my mom and dad and cried with them too and then my in-laws and some of our closest friends. Yep. I cried each time!

I know all the crying seems extreme and kind of crazy but I had been saving up those tears of joy for a very long time...there was a bunch of em. Buckets!

And so...we're going to have a baby! Thank you God! "We prayed for this child and the Lord has granted us what we asked of Him." I Samual 1:27

Thank you Dr. Allon and the Advanced Fertility Center of Houston for your positive attitude, guidance and reassurance throughout the process. You are truly a blessing to us.

Thank you family and friends for your support through the ups and downs. Your love and understanding has been amazing! We love you all!

More baby updates to come...I have pictures : )

Thank you God!

It's Show Time!

On October 18, I received a call from Dr. Allon telling me it was time! Everything was set for an October 19 embryo transfer! We made our preparations and headed to the Advanced Fertility Center of Texas in Houston bright and early that morning. Once I was checked in, I received an acupuncture treatment and then met with Dr. Allon. He informed us that we had 5 good looking embryos and he planned to use 3 for the transfer - giving us 2 to store and use at another time. I've included a picture of Brian getting ready to play doctor.

The procedure was quick and painless. My little embryos were all nice and cozy inside of me. I think the worst part was having to lay still with a full bladder for an entire hour following the procedure. Torture!

After my "recovery" period and the chance to empty my bladder, I had another round of acupuncture before we left. I received strict instructions to stay off my feet and preferably on my back for the next 48-72 hours. Oh, and NO STAIRS. I was allowed to get up to use the bathroom and shower - that was pretty much it. So, for the next three days I stayed with my in-laws in Houston. They were great! It was great! I can't remember when I've had a chance to just chill out like that. I read and watched movies and did a whole bunch of nothin'. It was truly awesome. But alas, all good things much come to an end. My three day vacation was up and had to go back home and back to work.

The good news...those three days marked the beginning of my two week wait. The bad news...only three days down, 11 more to go.

Don't worry. I'll only make you wait a day or two to find out what happened next.

The Baby Blog Continues...

Dr. Allon was absolutely wonderful! He explained the IVF process in great detail from start to finish including all the medications (what, why and how), the procedure itself, the two week wait and all the extras that went along with it. His approach was very holistic by nature. He allowed me to continue my herbal regimen and added some extra vitamins to my daily routine. He also recommended acupuncture on a regular basis including right before and after the actual procedure.

We were impressed with Dr. Allon's professionalism and knowledge but even more so by his enthusiasm and positivity - it was contagious! We left his office that day ready to take the next step and have a baby.

And so it began...I started my injections (a bunch of them) on October 3, 2010 along with medication, regular blood work and ultrasounds to monitor my reaction. I could give myself some of the shots like the ones in my stomach but others had to be in my rear end - those were a little tougher so I made Brian do 'em. He hated it so much that I finally figured out a way to do those myself too. Silly squeamish men!

Throughout the process, Dr. Allon tracked my progress and he and his nurse stayed in constant contact with me via phone or email. Finally, on October 14 it was decided that it was time to take my HCG injection and prepare for the egg retrieval. I had the next day off (so to speak) meaning no meds or injections. Ahhh...what a great day. Then, on October 16, Dr. Allon successfully retrieved 9 eggs.

So the first part of this journey was behind us. We had our eggs. The next step was to see how many would fertilize, become our little embryos and make it to maturation.

More to come...

Nesting to the EXTREME - not me, my HUSBAND!

Last week I came home to find that Brian had mopped, swept, vacuumed, and dusted the house! It was amazing!!! When I asked what had gotten into him he said he was nesting : )

Brian was off yesterday. He came back from running some errands to find that one of our doggies had thrown up on the carpet. Did he clean it up? Nope...he thought it would just be easier to tear out all the carpet! ALL OF THE CARPET!!! Guess we're putting down new flooring.

It's nesting gone wild! I better have this baby soon. No telling what's next!

Baby Blog - I love that word...BABY!

The next step in the whole process was to get Brian to go along with the idea of more infertility treatments. For anyone who has struggled with infertility and tried any of the available options like the various fertility medications, IUI's or IVF - you know how hard it can be on you not just physically but mentally. Every time we tried something new we'd get our hopes all built up just have them crushed when we'd see the Big Fat Negative sign on the pregnancy test. It was tough and not just on me but Brian too. Each time he rode the same emotional roller coaster I did BUT he also had the job of picking me up and putting me back together every time I fell apart - which was often. It could be anything from Christmas with all my little nieces and cousins to an invitation to a baby shower that might send me into a crying fit. I was pretty good at holding it together in public but at home SHEESH - I was a mess. Now don't get me wrong, I love my nieces and cousins and all my friends and their little babies but sometimes it was hard to see something that seemed to come so easy for others knowing that it may never happen for us. With that said, I thought Brian would be very reluctant to do it all over again; however, my wonderful husband seemed even more excited about this opportunity then I did. If he had any reservations, he sure didn't act like it. He just kept saying, "I have a good feeling about this."

Now that Brian was gung-ho, we scheduled another consultation with Dr. Allon so that he could explain in greater detail what our options were and most importantly WHEN WE COULD START!

More later...

My Big Bad Baby Blog

This is where the story really gets interesting...

Dr. Allon from the Advanced Fertility Center of Texas contacted John Seigler, our Sales Manager at KORA, about doing some possible advertising. Dr. Allon is a fertility specialist with several offices in the Houston area but was expanding to cover Bryan/College Station. He had just recently opened an office off Rock Prairie and wanted to get the word out. While discussing advertising options with Dr. Allon, John made mention of my situation - explaining to him that we had pretty much given up on having a child of our own and were considering adoption. Dr. Allon was intrigued and asked that I contact him so he could get additional information about our situation.

I remember standing in the studio that day...I was right in the middle of taking requests when John came sprinting through the door. He said he had a fertility specialist who was hoping to do some advertising. So, I immediately assumed he wanted me to produce the commercials which I was willing to do but I have to be honest I was still pretty sensitive about the whole baby thing and was not too excited about it. That's when he told me Dr. Allon would like to meet with me to discuss my past treatments to see if he could offer up any viable options.

I was elated but skeptical. I mean what could this doctor possibly do that the others couldn't? But then I thought - what the heck! I have nothing to lose by getting another opinion. So, I contacted Dr. Allon who scheduled some lab work and a consultation for me. He also instructed me to bring my medical records with me to the appointment.

I completed all my lab work and met with Dr. Allon at his College Station office. The first thing he did was review the lab work. He said everything looked GREAT! Then he reviewed my past infertility treatments including the IVF. He was surprised by how aggressive my treatment had been given the status of my current labs. I briefed him on my allergic reaction to the medications that caused us to cancel our first cycle and start another. I also explained to him that my lab work didn't look the same a year ago. A year ago I was stressed to the limit! Since my failed IVF, I had changed several things about my lifestyle - I was exercising more, eating better AND taking some amazing herbal supplements which had really helped with my stress level. All of this had obviously worked to my advantage.

All in all it was a good appointment. Dr. Allon discussed his treatment in situations like mine (unexplained infertility) and while he didn't promise a miracle, he did feel extremely confident that with the right treatment he would be successful in getting me pregnant.

Find out what happened next tomorrow...

The Baby Blog Continues...

I called Radiant Wonder and set up a phone consultation - they're in California. Prior to my phone consult, they emailed me an extensive questionaire. 12 pages to be exact! It asked all kinds of questions like:

What does your tongue look like when you get up in the morning?
Do you get warm when you sleep at night?
What do your fingernails look like?
How often do you get headaches?
And on and on and on...

After reviewing my answers, my consultant called me. We talked for more than hour. She explained that years ago when most people grew their own food our bodies received all the nutrients it needed to keep us healthy and in sinc; however, all the processed foods of today combined with our crazy, non-stop lifestyles made it impossible for our bodies to keep up. These herbs would allow us to re-balance our mind and body. She made several recommendations and I placed an order. It wasn't crazy expensive...about the cost of any herbal supplement. I ended up getting a bottle of Stress Relief, Calm Energy and Super Fertility 2. I admit I was skeptical as to whether or not these herbs would actually make me feel any different but guess what - THEY DID! And the change was almost immediate. After taking my herbs for a couple of days I was sleeping better and had way more energy. After a week or so, I was feeling great! So for almost a year, I continued my regimine of Radiant Wonder supplements. Granted I still hadn't acheived my ultimate goal of pregnancy but I was definitely feeling better.

It was also during this past year that Brian and I found our new church home - Parkway Baptist Church. We had been visiting other churches but it wasn't until Parkway that Brian and I felt truly connected. It restored us! It's pastor and congregation have been a Godsend.

In August of 2010, we decided to look into adoption which I didn't realize was so expensive. With so many children out there needing a home, I couldn't believe some agencies charged up to $30,000! So, we scheduled our first appointment with a pregnancy outreach center in Houston (that didn't charge $30,000). At the meeting we learned about the outreach program, the mothers that come through the center and the adoption process in general. It was a lot to take in but we decided that we'd take the next step and fill out the beginning paperwork.

That very same week at the radio station something amazing happened that took our lives in a whole different direction.

More tomorrow....

Back to the Baby Blog

In December of 2009 we tried IVF again with all new medication at a much higher dosage and a different regimine. This time NO ALLERGIC REACTION!

My doctor in Temple was able to retrieve 9 eggs - 8 of which were actually usable. 6 of them fertilized but only 2 made it all the way to maturation. On day 5 after the retrieval both were transferred into me. We were hopeful that at least 1 of them would implant. And so it began...the dreaded 14 day wait. On day 14 I was to take a blood test to verify whether or not I was pregnant but I couldn't wait that long. So, I tried a home pregnancy test on day 10 - Big Fat Negative! I called my doctor who assured me that there was still a chance that I could be pregnant I just need to wait a few more days and the blood test would let me know for sure. On day 14 I showed up super early at the lab, gave my blood and then waited...this had to be the longest wait yet. A little after noon I received an email from the doctor with the dreaded news that I was not pregnant. I had tried to prepare myself for the news (especially since I had already gotten a negative on the home pregnancy test) but I was still devastated.

I went back to Temple for a de-brief meeting a couple of weeks later. My doctor was a very kind man and went through the process with me step-by-step. He handed me tissues when I cried and even hugged me when I left but my options were limited. Basically, I was told they'd try to up my meds a little more and try the IVF again but there was no guarantee - there never is with this kind of stuff. And unfortunately, we just couldn't afford to do it again. In one year between the IUI's and IVF we had spent almost $20,000.

So we mourned - which I know for some is hard to believe since I was never actually pregnant but we did. After a month or so, I started searching the net for fertility solutions and stumbled across a website for all natural herbal remedies by Radiant Wonder.

More on this tomorrow...

A gray hair? Are you kidding me?

This morning I got up and found a gray hair!!! I can't have a gray hair! I'm having a baby!!! I thought I wasn't supposed to get these until she was a teenager!

My Baby Blog

In October of 2009 Brian and I decided it was time to take our baby journey to the next step - IVF. It was a huge financial commitment not to mention all the shot and medications it required. I started my injections while I was at conference in Lubbock. I remember my poor roommate, Lori, almost passing out when she saw the size of the needle. I was scheduled to take one injection in the morning and one injection in the evening. By my second injection, I felt terrible. I was sure I had the flu but by the morning I felt fine again. So, on day two I took my next injection and again by the evening I was running a temperature and feeling pretty miserable. When the same thing happened day three - I called my doctor and he instructed me to fly back home. Turns out I was allergic to the meds! We ended up having to cancel that IVF cycle and try again.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have very little patience. I'm constantly on the go and this set back, although only a couple of months, seemed like FOREVER!

During this time I just kept reminding myself that God has a plan. It was killing me that I couldn't figure out what that was ; ) but I took comfort in knowing that God was in control.

More tomorrow...

Crazy Dream...

Last night I kept having the same crazy dream over and over...
I was all set up to broadcast live outside at some park. I had several people standing next to me ready to talk on the radio but every time we started talking we were drowned out by loud motorcycles. After a couple of seconds the sounds would stop so we'd start talking again and here came the motorcycles. Very weird dream.

Then I woke up and heard both my husband and my dog snoring louder than freight trains. I think I found my mystery motorcycles.

It's a girl!

It finally happened! Brian and I are expecting our very first little baby. She's due July 8. That seems so far away but since it took us 3 long years to get here I think I can wait just a little longer.

After several failed IUI's, a miscarriage, a failed IVF cycle, and LOTS of money we had pretty much given up our the dream of having a child of our own. And that's when it happened. Our prayers were answered.

I know there are so many couples out there struggling with unexplained infertility just like we did. Let's be honest - it sucks! I think the worst thing is the whole "unexplained" part. There's no good reason why it shouldn't work...it just doesn't. That's why I want to share our story. It is truly a miracle.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

More on our story tomorrow...