Post X-mas Low Down

So Happy "post x-mas" to everyone! Love the holidays, hate the stress that goes along with it!

Matt and I had a wonderful Christmas! We are so blessed to be able to share the holidays with both of our families! Matt and I both enjoy giving gifts more than receiving, so it's a really fun time of year for us.

Anyway, just wanted to drop a quick update, now that we are 11 weeks! Every week that flies by, I am just shocked! It's just going by so quickly! My tummy is starting to poke out a little. Just enough to have to use a rubber band for my jeans. LOL We'll see how much longer the rubber band holds, until I have to break down and go for real maternity jeans. Matt's belly still looks the same! LOL

Can you believe how big the baby is already?!

We are 1/4 of the way there!!

So we are now 10 weeks along! Double digits baby! Not to mention we are 25% done with our pregnancy and have crossed over into the "Fetus" stage, no longer an embryo!

That's all. Nothing more exciting to announce than that, but as far as I'm concerned, that's pretty darned exciting! LOL

And here's a little picture to give you an idea as to how big our baby is now!

9 weeks 2 days

OK, so Dr. Robins had officially cut us loose and handed us over to Dr. Hernandez, and no more ultrasounds were ordered until our 12 week scan....mom and I decided we wanted to hear the baby's heart beat, but instead we got another ultrasound! LOL

I don't know what we would do if we didn't have these at our disposal! Anyway, thought I would share the new Baby Gregory pics! OH! And we got to see the baby moving, kicking and flapping it's little chicken wing limb buds all over the place! It was the coolest thing I've ever seen! I'm glad we recorded it on DVD.

First OB Appointment & A New Name!

So yesterday was my first OB appointment. Exciting for me, but in reality no big deal. Mostly just chatting about how excited we are. LOL But still just one more little milestone for me to swoon about.

We were able to hear the heart beat with just the Doppler, instead of by ultrasound. He said it was cause I am nice and thin. Isn't that the cutest? My doctor called me skinny! LOL But still fun to hear none the less. Now I'm actually considering buying one! LOL

Today we are nine weeks on the dot. I am so happy about how great I have been feeling and how quickly things seem to be flying by! So far the only down side is that by the time I get off work, I am exhausted! So I feel like I am sleeping away my pregnancy. LOL At least I'm not puking it away. But I'm also pretty convinced that frame of mind has a lot to do with it. Then again, maybe I just really lucked out!

Oh! And, today at 1:30 pm, I have my court hearing and will then become Amanda Gregory! So I took the afternoon off to, duh, go to the court house, but also to run to the DMV and the Social Security office. Apparently in the state of Washington, they allow you 10 days from the date of the hearing to get those things changed over. So I might as well get it done right away!

I guess I better start practicing writing my new last name!

8 weeks 2 days

So today was another ultrasound. The last one until January. After today, Dr. Robins is cutting us loose and turning us over to our regular OB/GYN. With a positive pregnancy test, heart beat, and regular growth, we are officially pregnant and have a normal pregnancy now! WooHoo!

As usual, I held my breath until I saw the little heart beating. What a relief! Or maybe I am just a little paranoid. Either way, I feel better. On ultrasound today, our little baby looks just like a gummy bear. It was hilarious to think of something similar in size and shape to our baby. Especially something that is edible. LOL We saw the little arm and leg buds, and they were so cute! Then again I think I am partial.

The 3D/4D still isn't turning out fantastic, yet. Still a little too small. But next time, I'm sure we will be able to see much better.

We are so excited every step of the way! Time is flying by so quickly I can hardly believe it. We're already 2 months along! Crazy stuff. I cant wait until the end of January, when we can find out what we're having! What a long 6 weeks!

Hopefully I get some "Patience" pants for Christmas! LOL

If you notice more on the left of our little blob, there are four more prominent white dots. Those are the arm and leg buds. The head is on the right side. Think of it as if a gummy bear were laying on it's side looking at you. That's about right!

7 weeks 2 days

We had another ultrasound this morning! Our little baby is growing very well, and is right on target. And finally no more transvaginal ultrasounds! LOL

So we have one more ultrasound next week, then no more for a while. Probably not until January for our 12 weeks scan.

So far so good! YAY!

I think Matt gets more excited each time we get to see the baby. He asks lots of good questions, and it's great to see him so involved. I don't think I could possibly love him more than I do now. I guess we'll see though huh? LOL

Cause I Think it's So Funny!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know I'm a little late. LOL But I still wanted to get it out there. Happy Thanksgiving!

Matt and I are so thankful for all the love and support from our friends and family. We really don't express it enough, but we appreciate every single one of you!

We had a great Turkey Day. We spent it with my family. Which was great of course, but at the same time, we were also pretty disappointed that we didn't get to go down to Grandma and Grandpa Clark's. Matt had to work the day after Thanksgiving, so we couldn't make the long drive there and back in time. Maybe next year!

I love Thanksgiving food. It's my favorite. I love all the special family recipes we have. It really makes it all the more special for me.

Anyway! Hope all of you had a wonderful holiday and happy shopping!

We have another ultrasound on Thursday! YAY! Oh! AND, our baby is the size of a blueberry this week! Can you believe it?

6 weeks 1 day

So today was our second ultrasound, and sure enough! we got to see the heart beat! We are measuring right on with our dates/transfer. What a relief!



I was so happy to see that little heart beating! I have been stressing about it. I'm sure, just like all first time moms do. So now i get to relax for the holiday weekend, and start stressing again on Monday, for the few days until our next ultrasound! LOL

Houston, we have a baby!

So our first ultrasound was this morning, and we found out we're have a baby! Duh, you say, right?! LOL Well what I mean is that we are having ONE baby!

We are both very excited, and honestly, a little relieved. I would be more than happy to take whatever I can get, but one certainly sounds like less of a handful!

Not to mention, we still have 2 frozen embryos! So having one baby now, still leaves us open to using our frozen ones too! Of course, we'll have to wait and see how that goes...... LOL

Anyway, since we are only 5 weeks 2 days, there isn't a heart beat yet, but next week when we do our next ultrasound, we should definitely see it! We are very excited!

Thank you to everyone who has been thinking about us and keeping us in their prayers!

We're having a baby!

One or Two?!?!

Tomorrow is our first ultrasound appointment! Tomorrow we get to (hopefully) find out whether we are going to have one or two babies! I am so excited I can barely contain it.

I am so grateful I work were I do! Dr. Robins ordered weekly ultrasound through the middle of December, and I am so lucky that I work in an office that is so happy for Matt and I, and so excited to perform the ultrasounds for us.

AND! Thank you Megan and April for showing me the "Confessions of a CF Husband" blog! It is amazing and it is really great to feel like there are other people out there going through things so similar to Matt and I. It really has been an eye opener and makes me so grateful for our health and how lucky we are to be starting our family right now!

More than doubled!

So I had more hcg labs drawn yesterday, to make sure the levels were doubling as they should. And they did! More than doubled! They're still pretty low since we are so early, but definitely within the norm.

So we are on our way! Dr Robins and my nurse sent me orders for labs and ultrasounds for the next month to continue following the development. Luckily, Dr. Kates and Dr. Halvorsen said that we could definitely do the ultrasounds here at work. Awesome! I love these guys and I cant imagine anyone else doing my ultrasounds. (especially after the Kadlec ultrasound fiasco!doh!)

OH! And the sweetest thing happened! On Wednesday, the front office gal from my regular OB/GYN called my to tell me congratulations. They had received copies of my labs and knew I was pregnant and everyone was very excited. THEN, yesterday, my doctor himself called me to say congratulations and say how happy he was for us and that if I needed anything, just let him know, even if he was trying to hide, he would make himself available for me! It's not everyday your doctor calls you before you can call him! It was really cool, and it really made my day, and made me feel like I was in great hands, with both him and his office staff.

So now I've got my first OB appointment and ultrasounds scheduled! Woohoo! What a great week!

Big News!

Of course this is really really early. But the fact that its positive at all we are super excited about! I have more hcg labs tomorrow, to make sure that all my levels double as they should...Then we will really celebrate!

Thank you everyone for all your thoughts and prayers!

Nothing too exciting yet...

So nothing REAL to blog about yet, but I did get a call from my nurse this morning regarding the Progesterone labs I had drawn on Friday. And they came back normal! Normal is good. LOL That means Matt has been giving me the injections correctly, and I have been absorbing them appropriately! YAY! So next week we should be able to do a pregnancy test! WooHoo!

Hopefully we have more to blog about later!

An Amazing Message...

A blessing was delivered to my inbox this morning.

I received a message from someone I don't even know, but who had stumbled across my blog. She was wishing Matt and I well, and let me know that she was praying for us.

I was shocked! I hadn't even thought about the prospect of people I didn't know reading my blog, let alone following it and participating in our journey!

It was amazing. It made my day. And it just opened my eyes to all of the blessings the lord has to bestow upon us.

I just want to say thank you Tiffany. I truly consider your kind words a blessing!

Now We Wait...

So as some of you know, I got the call on Sunday, and they decided to push us back to a day 6 transfer. We had 1 embryo that was ready and 3 that were almost there. So we waited until Monday.

It really worked out better for us. We got a room in Spokane Sunday night and I got a decent night sleep. We didn't have to get up super early, we actually got to sleep in a little! I got the call at 730 am to be to the center at 815 am, and I started drinking my water!

They not only ask you to have a full bladder, but to have an uncomfortably full bladder! LOL

Dr Robins came in and gave us pictures of our little embryos, and showed us that 1 of them was already hatching! The other was looking good too, but not quite hatching. And we had 2 to freeze! So that extra day really did some good!

The transfer was no big deal, just lots of people in the room, while my hoo hoo was out in the open. LOL Followed by bed rest for a day, and then we could travel home on Tuesday.

So I am on light duty, lol, and now it's just a waiting game! We'll see how it goes! It's in God's hands (and my uterus') hands now.

Day 3 Embryo Report...

Well I got the call from our nurse bright and early this morning!

She said on Day 3, they are looking for a 8 cell growth stage. Our embryos are growing well.

We have: 1 at 9 cells
5 at 8 cells
3 at 6 cells
1 at 5 cells
1 at 4 cells

She said the 4 and 5 cells embryos are lagging quite a bit and probably wont make it. But the 6 cell embryos can lag a bit, but sometimes catch up! Either way, we have the 8 and 9 cell embryos that are looking great!

Of course I will be anxiously awaiting the phone call on Sunday morning, with the news on whether we do the transfer on Sunday or Monday!

I think we can officially call it crunch time! Let's all keep our fingers crossed and keep the prayers rolling!

Day 0 and Day 1...

So yesterday was our retrieval. Everything went fabulously!

Matt's procedure went smoothly. He said that the anticipation was far worse than the actual procedure itself. Thankfully! But he also said that if everyone had to go through this to have children, there would certainly be fewer children in the world! LOL Swimmers looked good too!

Then I was up for my procedure! I believe that we are really blessed to be with such a great IVF team. All the nurses are wonderful, but I happened to have one during my procedure, I didn't even get her name, who was amazing. She was very comforting and soothing, and really made the whole experience for me.

They were able to retrieve 23 eggs!

Today at 815 am I already had received my Day 1 Embryo report! Out of the 23 eggs that were retrieved, 18 were mature, and 14 were fertilized!!

I should practically start my own TLC show! LOL "Matanda plus 14!"

So in another 2 days we should get our Day 3 Embryo report.

Now with every step in the process, some of the sperm/eggs/embryos will not survive. Which is normal and understandable. Usually about 70% make it to the next stage. So far we are above that 70%!

So thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers! They're working!

"R" is for "Retrieval"!

So I found out on Sunday morning that my follicles looked so good that they wanted me to do my HCG trigger shot a day earlier than planned! So last night I set my alarm for 10 pm (precisely 36 hours before my retrieval) and Matt and I got busy! Busy mixing and injecting my meds that is! LOL

So instead of our retrieval being on Wednesday, it will be Tuesday! Tomorrow! Holy Cow!

I am getting really nervous. Excited nerves, but still nerves. :) Matt is nervous for obvious reasons about his TESA procedure. Testicular Extraction Sperm Aspiration. Yeah, you got it folks, and I think most of you just shuddered and got nauseous. LOL

I am nervous in excited anticipation, but also because I've never been under general anaesthesia. No biggee I'm sure, but still a little frightened. But still so excited about another step in our process, that I'm quickly getting over it! LOL

OK people tomorrow at 615 am and 9 am, Matt and I will be in our respective procedures. Please pray for us and our sperms and eggs!

news and boring news...

So I went in for another f/u ultrasound on Tuesday to see how my follicles are progressing and growing. The tech over at Kadlec tells me there are 18 follicles on my right ovary, and 15 on the left. WOW! great! That is more than enough, considering the doctor usually likes to have between 15 and 25 eggs! Excellent news!

This morning I drove to Spokane for a 7 am appointment. Yes that means I had to leave my house by 4:30 am. I am beat.

Firstly I was shocked to see the whole waiting room full! I mean I knew there were about 20 other women in my same cycle, but holy cow to see them all there in one room! Once I got back for u/s with Dr. Robins, I was a little surprised to hear him say that there was definitely not that many follicles, and he had no idea what the other tech had been looking at! Wha Wha What?!?!Thankfully they are super quick about getting you in and out. It was slightly reminiscent of cattle herding. LOL I was out of the office by 8:15 am and on my way back to the TC.

So my afternoon was spent in anticipation of my nurse's phone call. So finally around 3 ish, I get the call. They are increasing some of my meds. I asked her about my follicles too, especially after the contradicting information from the tech and Dr. Robins. She said she saw the previous report and images too, and wondered what the heck the other gal was talking about. Turns out I only have 4 follicles on the right and 4 on the left. She said I might have more, but that's all they saw on the quickie u/s they did today.

So I was a little heart and ovary broken. 18 and 15 sounded like a lot, but 4 and 4 sound like not many at all. I guess we'll just be hoping for quality not necessarily quantity. I bought myself a pumpkin shake and am trying to shake the small follicle blues. I'll be back on Saturday and we'll see from there.

I'm noticing the hormones affecting my mood a little more lately. Mostly just making me weepy. I feel great until a sad song or commercial comes on, then I'm done for! LOL

I'm keeping my head up though! Positive thoughts and prayers!

First and Second...

Well we made it through our first and second days of injections! I'm not a total hormonal piece of garbage, and Matt still has all his body parts in tact. LOL

Saturday started out a little rocky. OK a lot rocky! I was supposed to get labs drawn at the hospital at 730 am (as soon as they opened). Well unbeknown to me, the hospital lab is no longer open on Saturdays! So I had to go over to another branch, that doesn't open until 8, even though the labs are supposed to be STAT, and be reported to my physician by 11 am! So once I get there, I am informed that out of the 3, one of the labs I need drawn wont be processed until Monday, and another wont be processed until 4 pm.

I decided to have the blood drawn but called my nurse as soon as I got home, to find out if i needed to drive to Spokane to get them done there, since clearly, it wasn't working out well here in town. Luckily she called back within about 45 minutes, and said she was calling the lab to find out what was going on!

She called me back later, only to let me know they still hadn't received my labs, but were going to start my injections anyway. WHEW!

So we started on Saturday at 7 pm. It was great. A little anti climactic compared to the day leading up to the injections, but I'll take anti climactic over real drama any day!

Sunday, we went down to Jackson's to watch the game with our friends Mikey (who is a huge Buccaneers fan) and Kyla. Luckily it was just a few blocks from our house, so I left at half time to run home and do my injections for the night, then ran back just in time for kick off!

So we'll have to see how this evenings shots go! LOL

Tomorrow I go in for ultrasound and labs @ 7 am, and from there the Dr will probably adjust my dosage. I cant believe how fast this month is going!

We are both so excited and blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who care for us so much! We couldn't do it without your support!

So Tomorrow is the Big Day!

So my plans for this weekend consist of a few errands, a couple tasks, probably some shopping, and.... WE START INJECTIONS!!!!

YAY! Tomorrow morning, bright and early at 7 am, I have to go get some labs drawn, then play the waiting game. I figure my plan of "cleaning" all my anxiety into submission will work. I'll just keep busy around the house, doing laundry and scrubbing counters and floors to pass the time until our nurse calls and lets us know what the dosages will be.

We start 2 different kinds of medications tomorrow. Follistim, which is a super easy pen style injection, similar to an insulin pen. The other is HCG, which I have to actually use a needle/ syringe and draw the meds out of a bottle, like regular insulin. LOL Both are just injections into the abdomen, so I can do those myself. Hopefully no biggee! ;)

So heeeeere we go! Exciting times ahead of us!

Happy Monday!

How can I say such a thing, you ask? Well that's because Friday was the "Official" start day of our cycle, and today was my first ultrasound of the cycle. LOL All these little milestone! I love it. I don't want to forget a single thing.

Matt is in Seattle today for a follow up appointment at the CF clinic among other various appointments while he is up there. So far so good! A little sad for me, since this is the first appointment up there that I have missed in over 2 years! But obviously missing it for a good reason! LOL I just hope that the next appointment we go to up there, we will get to announce that we are pregnant! WOOHOO! sounds like fun huh? LOL

So even though I'm being poked by needles and poked by ultrasound probes, it's a great Monday!

Special Delivery!

Today I am supposed to be receiving all my meds in the mail! I've already been tracking it, and it is out on the FedEx truck to be delivered. WooHoo!

I wont need them for another week or so, but it is so exciting to be taking yet another step in this whole process!

I completely forgot to blog about how our appointment in Spokane went on Monday. Sorry! LOL But good news, everything is going wonderfully! Our main nurse actually used to work for Dr Kates and Halvorsen when they had a practice in Spokane! How funny, huh? She is about as amazing as a nurse can be. She is really comforting and relaxing and fun to be around , which makes the whole process easier!

We went over our calendar for the next few weeks. Whats going on when and where. I can do a couple of the labs and ultrasounds here locally, but as of the 23rd, I will have to be in Spokane for everything, at 7 am no less! We also went over how to do injections of each of the different kinds of meds. I am feeling pretty confident with that. Most of them will be in the belly to begin with, just like insulin or Lovenox, and I can do those myself. But then we start on the ones that have to be done intra muscularly (in the buttocks), and I'm gonna have to rely on Matt for those. How's that for trust?! LOL

Matt and I have pretty much decided we are going anywhere or doing anything for the next month. With all the injections I'll be on, I think we will both feel better just hanging around home. Its only a few weeks. We'll just rent lots of movies! LOL

Matt has an appointment at UW on Monday morning. So add that to our growing list of recent road trips! LOL I also have my first lab draw and ultrasound of the "cycle" on Monday at 7:30 and 8:15 am. I'm pretty excited. Ok, I'm ridiculously excited!!!!

I am -2w2d pregnant!

LOL

Of course this is based on an IVF calculator I am using and when our retrieval date is! http://www.ivf.ca/calcu.htm And the fact that pregnancy dating starts counting at the first day of your last period, not actual conception (which is usually 2 weeks after LMP).

I thought it was cute and funny to think about, so I had to share!

I need a new haircut!

So I have an appt for a haircut at 5 pm today. I know I want to chop it off and do something new, but I have no idea what to do with it!

I figure Ive been wearing my hair in a pony tail for too long. Its usually a pretty good indicator for some change.

Any suggestions?

Oh! And, we have another appt with the nurse to go over injections and that sort of stuff, on Monday! YAY! Also, Mom called and made the payment for the IVF, yesterday! AND! Today the mail order pharmacy called me to confirm my order and get payment also!!

YAY!!! It's really happening!!!!!

Our 6th Anniversary!

Well, here we are! Its been 6 years already! We've been through rough spots and soft spots. All of the great and not so good have brought us to where we are today. Getting ready to start a family of our own. I cant imagine life any other way, and I don't even want to try. All of our trials and tribulations have helped us to grow into the people we are today,and helped us to grow into the amazing relationship we're in now. And I'm really proud of that. Proud of who we are. It's been a long road, but it's also a road I would travel again and again, to end up where we are now. I love you babe!

So the Brakes are Off and We are Full Steam Ahead!

So after our appointment on friday with Dr Robins, we ran into a possible snafoo.

Matt has to have a "new patient consult" with the Urologist that will be participating in the IVF before the actual egg & sperm retrieval (TMI? too bad! quit reading if you dont like it! LOL), which is scheduled to be October 29th. (YAY!) But, the urologist's office said they didnt have any openings until October 31st, which is 2 days after the procedure! So that wont work! We may have to wait until the end of November to start our cycle!

Luckily, Dr Robins has such an amazing office staff, that our nurse coordinator call the URO's office and got Matt's appointment moved up to the 20th!! YAY!!!

So sure enough, we get to start this cycle!!! Our nurse is ordering all my injectable meds this Wednesday!

Just had to share my little piece of excitement from this morning!

Ketchup Time!

Aaah! there has been so much going on lately, I havent even had enough time to blog about it!

Well as you know the IVF appointment was on Monday. I ended up having to go by myself, since Matt was still in the hospital, but it was totally fine. The appointment was mostly informational anyway. It went really really well! The Dr talked all about it and gave me some statistics and what not and then (LOL) asked if it was truly something I was interested in! I laughed and asked "When can we start?!" To which he said, rather shocked, "Well I guess as soon as you're ready." Again (LOL) I laughed and asked "When is the next cycle?" SO! We start IVF injections on OCTOBER 10TH!!! woohoo!!

So we have another appointment tomorrow so we can cram as much in to the next 2 weeks as we can! WE START IN 2 WEEKS! yay!

So of course, Tuesday they decide they are discharging Matt from the hospital! Of course they are! I just got home! LOL So back up I went. But at 4 pm, they decide, they don't have everything figured out quite yet, and will release him on Wednesday! DOH!

Of course I had Monday and Tuesday off, but needed to be back on Wednesday. It couldn't have been while I was scheduled off. LOL So, I asked mom if she minded if I missed work yesterday. Which of course she didn't. So we finally got released around 330 or 4 pm, and headed on our way home. (But first we stopped in North Bend so we could peak at the Carters Outlet. LOL)

We didn't end up getting in to town until 930 with all our little stops here and there. Then we had to head over to Option Care to pick up all Matt's IV meds and extra medical supplies, etc.... Holy cow we didn't leave there until 1030! then headed home for good! Matt is still on IV meds for another 2 weeks, and oral meds on top of that. So we have IV poles and oxygen tanks all over the house! We look a little like a hospital room/pharmacy right now!

So now that we have been home for 1 night, we have an appt in Spokane tomorrow! YAY!!! we have 2 weeks until we start!

The important points are: 1) Matt is home and healthy! YAY!!!! and 2) We have a start date for IVF! We are actually doing it! YAY!!!!

I cant wait to see what the future holds for us in the next couple of months!

Road Trip!

So I'm officially on a countdown. i have 4 hours before I am hitting the road to head up to Seattle to be with Matt. Still too long, but what can ya do, right?

I'll be up there today, Saturday, Sunday, and leave really early Monday to drive straight over to Spokane for our appointment with Dr Robins. THEN I will drive home! Whew, its a lot of drive time, but totally worth it. The more time I get to spend with Matt the better.

I'm really going to put my note taking skills to the test on Monday at our RE appt. I want to make sure I get answers to everything Matt would want to know too. Not to mention I'll be so amped up, who knows what I'll miss or not remember. LOL

Here's hoping for a good weekend!

Struggling...

Today I'm having a really hard time being here in the TC, when Matt is in the hospital in Seattle. Although I know he is in the best place for the specialized care he needs, I hate to be so far away.

Tuesday, when I was retelling the story to everyone, I struggled to keep a strong face and got teary eyed a lot.

Wednesday, I did a good job not crying and trying to be more objective and look at the big picture and Matt's health.

Today, I am barely keeping it together. Even without telling the tale, I just THINK about the whole thing and cry. I feel like I've been having a constant panic attack all morning. I absolutely do not want to be at work anymore. I want to be with Matt. I need to be with Matt.

I cant leave until tomorrow. We'll be done with patients at noon, and I am outta here at 1230. I'll be there all weekend. Monday is supposed to be our first appt with Dr. Robins to kick off the IVF. But I dont think Matt will be out of the hospital by monday. I hope and pray, but realistically, I just dont think its going to happen. I guess I'll just go by myself and write down as much info as I can, so I can share with Matt.

I just want him to be better.

Positive thinking goes a long way....

As most of you know, we left on Saturday to head up to Seattle for the Seahawks game (Don't even get me started on losing the game!).

I'll spare you the boring details and jump to the real news.

First off, we lost the stinking game! BOO!

Second, Matt's appointment went better and worse than we expected. Better because we finally got some help from people who ACTUALLY know what they are doing, in regards to our recent issue with Matt's insurance and prescription disaster. Worse because, without his meds (due to the damn insurance catastrophe) Matt's lung function tests were really low. Really really low. So our FANTASTIC doctor Moira, decided that he absolutely had to stay and be admitted to UW hospital and she wasn't taking no for an answer.

Granted I don't like not being near Matt, especially when he is in the hospital, I am really glad he is in the best place for him, surrounded by people who are very competent and knowledgeable about his condition. Hopefully they send him back to me good as new!

Now of course it was all much messier and more traumatic than the above summary, but I have decided to leave it out and focus on the positive. Just please keep him in your prayers.

And thirdly! If you've been following, then you know that we have been waiting on baited breath about Mark's settlement hearing. The trial started on Monday the 8th and ran through Friday, with closing arguments and jury decision on Monday the 15th. Well, yesterday evening the jury came back and decided on only giving a very small portion of what he was expecting. Thus meaning, he wont be able to help us pay for IVF.

BUT! My mom must have the most maternal instinct in the world, because somehow she knew we needed a back up plan! And that plan being, if Mark's settlement wasn't enough to help us, then MY parents would "grant our baby wishes" and pay for IVF for us. Aside from being a huge monetary gift, this is about the most important, special gift than anyone could ever give. I don't have words to express how grateful I am. I don't think there are words. Only the amazing family bond that grandchildren create.

So, next Monday, when we have our initial consultation with Dr. Robins, we will also be able to forge ahead and start making appointments right away to get this baby show on the road! YAY!

So Today is the Day....

Well is 1:34 pm, and we havent heard from Mark yet, but it's still early. But today is the day we're supposed to know our answer. Our big, life changing, forever gonna be in Mark's debt, cant wait to start my family, all I've ever wanted, kinda answer.

Hopefully by the time I go have dinner with my girlfriends tonight (yum, Olive Garden!) we will have an answer about the hearing.

I think I will have some good news to share either way.... ;)

Lots going on!

Well for those who don't know, Matt got out of the hospital on Sunday the 31st. So that was a total of 16 days in the hospital! yikes! All in all, his lungs are feeling great, but one of the new meds they put him on, caused a reaction that we certainly did expect! It's called Vasculitis. luckily its only in his legs and not anywhere more life threatening. It's very painful and makes it extremely hard for Matt to walk. He pretty much looks like a toddler, teetering around the house.

Luckily, my mom had the foresight to tell me to take last week off, since I had plenty of PTO time left before our fiscal work year ends. So I got to stay home with Matt all week! And it could only have worked out better if he wasn't broken. LOL I didn't get as much done around the house as I had planned, but I was available to help Matt get around, and gather meds, etc... He cant really work, because his job is all about him being on his feet and moving around. I guess we'll just have to see how it progress' this week.

Something else going on right now is that today is the first day of Mark's (Matt's dad) settlement trial. He has to testify on Wednesday, and we should know the results of the case by Friday. I don't think my nerves could possibly be any more tightly wound!

Well good news or bad news at least we will know. Of course I am praying for good news! LOL Then we are leaving on Saturday the 13th for Seattle. We're going to the Seahawks game on the 14th, and have an appt with the CF clinic on Monday the 16th. so it will be a packed next week!

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers! So far so good, just keep em up!

Hospital Update

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Matt is much better today! Dare I say "Back to Normal." LOL

Thankfully Matt got to see his regular Dr. yesterday, who informed him he is doing fine, lungs are good as they can be, it will just take time. Went over his meds, made whatever adjustments, etc...

Thankfully his nurse last night figured out what was going on. A nurse from Sunday night had unhooked him from a pertineant med, and never hooked it back up again. She noticed and took care of it directly.

So this morning he perked right back up and started eating again. LOL

Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers!

Long, LONG Weekend...

Well, I will keep this brief. It has been a helluva weekend. Matt was feeling pretty good on friday and most of saturday. Sunday we pretty much napped and snacked all day. Today he's not doing so great.

He's already been in for over a week, and they arent planning on releasing him until this coming friday.

So far the hardest part has been all the mixed messages from the numerous different doctors passing through his room. We're pretty much relying on his regular doc for accurate info, since we have a relationship with him. Whereas we've never even met these other people, and they barely introduced themselves before changing meds and not even telling us to what or why.

It was really frusterating. But Dr Vaz will be back today and hopefully everything will be cleared up! Crossing our fingers.....

The Countdown Begins...

Ok, so there are approximately 6 days until Mark goes in for settlement negotiations and 17 days until the trial is set to begin.

Mark is really beginning to stress because he not only has his own financial needs, but he also recognizes that Matt and I are counting on him to be able to begin IVF. Not that we would ever intentionally add any extra pressure to an already stressful situation. It just kind of is what it is.

I have my moments of elation, and I think to myself "Oh my gosh, this might actually happen!" Then I get all scared and nervous excited. The thing that I feel like my life has revolved around for the last few years, might actually come to fruition.

Then I also have heartbreaking moments of despair. I hate feeling dependant. Especially monetarily. I feel like I'm not even in control of my own future, and that frightens me.

I try to keep faith. I know that though I may not know "the plan," someone else does, and it's really all in His hands.

I would really appreciate any positive thoughts and prayers anyone is willing to shoot our way. Especially in the next 6-17 days! ;) We need every one of them.

I Need a Clone!

Let me just start by saying this weekend was insane.

Thursday night Matt and I went to the ER. Matt had been sick for 3 days with a nasty fever and couldn't breathe. They gave him some meds and an rx and sent us home. Friday morning Matt was worse, so back in we went. He hadn't even taken his bracelet off from the night before! LOL Way to save time! Needless to say, they decided to admit him, and that's kinda what we were hoping for. He was really sick. They plan on keeping him inpatient for 2 whole weeks! It sounds bad, but is ultimately in his best interest to get him as healthy as we can!

All this is going on while I am supposed to be packing for a trip to Boise this weekend for family support. It was really important and my fam was really counting on me. But I was feeling severely torn between going to help or staying with Matt.

In the end, Matt said he was in the right place if he needed help, and he didn't want me to miss being with my family. So I went.

The plan was to try and get out of town by 9 or 10 am. Friday was such a wreck, we didn't end up leaving until 1 pm!

I'll leave out most of the details or it would take me a week to get in all the important stuff. Suffice it to say, every single day of my weekend was packed full of drama/excitement (both good and bad) with family stuff and Matt stuff. I am just realizing today that I am about stressed to the max. Bless Brenda's heart for taking care of my 4 monster dogs, or I would be a total basket case!

I need a weekend off after my weekend!

Because I am a Ticker Fanatic....and My Mom Told Me Too!

Chores and Errands and Tasks Oh My!

This morning when I thought about what in the world I was going to blog about this morning, I realized we had a weekend pretty full of events and running around!

Friday

Friday was the Seahawks frist Pre Season game, so of course I was glued to the TV for the evening. Poor Francesca isnt a big fan of football after all the shouting and jumping Matt and I do. LOL After the game, Matt and I went out to his mom's house to visit with Uncle Corey and Aunt Hap. The weather was nice, and we spent the evening outside.

Saturday

Saturday I took my lil sis Kayla for driving practice. Her permit expires in October so she has to get all her driving hours in to take her test before it expires. It was fun! My parents wont go driving with her as she scares the daylights out of them. They've survived 3 other kids getting their license, but it's this one that scares them! LOL Anyway, I thought she did great. I just tried to boost her confidence and stay relaxed. There were a couple tense moments, but I have patience of steel, and handled it pretty well.

After driving, I met with my good friend Jen for lunch and cocktails. I dont know what it is, but everytime I go meet with a friend for "lunch," we end up being there for 3+ hours! LOL But it's always fun to catch up and hang out. Then I did some grocery shopping (whoopie!) and went to pick up Matt after work.

After a quick clean up we picked up some KFC and ran over to Mike & Kyla's for the big UFC fight. Georges St. Pierre vs John Fitch. It was a really good fight! But in the end St. Pierre (my personal fave) won after 5 rounds and by unanimous decision. Oh my gosh, finally to bed!

Sunday

Sunday we slept in and lazed for a while. When we finally got up and around, we really got moving! Matt got to finish the covette he has been working on, and I took all the dogs for walks. Fred and Francesca together, then Big Momma, then Max twice for good measure. Everyone did great. BM was hilarious! by the time we were 50 ft from the house, she had really slowed down and you could hear her nails scraping the sidewalk as she was trying to lift her feet. Poor old girl! Everyone rested well after that!

Then Matt and I hopped in the car and ran to Home Depot to buy a new board for our fence, as the one that was there has officially been obliterated. Apparently the previous renters tried to solve the problem by nails the split board back together. DER..... Yeah so it took a couple good Max jumps and the thing practically flew off. LOL Then out to Brenda's again to fix the lawn mower and put the fence back up.

When we finally got home, we realized our house was looking a little like a war zone. So we worked together and cleaned everything up. Even working together it still took about an hour! whew! Then dinner, then bed finally!

So here we are on Monday. I'll be really thankful for an uneventful evening tonight!

TAGGED!!

Answer the following using the first word that pops into your head (and remember, use just ONE word!)

1. Where is your cell phone? pocket

2. Your significant other? hilarious

3. Your hair? curly

4. Your mother? strong

5. Your father? awesome

6. Your favorite thing? family

7. Your dream last night? none

8. Your favorite drink? water

9. Your dream/goal? BABY!

10. The room you’re in? office

11. Your hobby? dogs

12. Your fear? childless

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy

14. What you’re not? content

15. Muffins? yum

16. One of your wish list items? baby

17. Where you grew up? richland/kennewick

18. The last thing you did? work

19. What are you wearing? scrubs

20. Favorite gadget? phone

21. Your pets? dogs

22. Your computer? important

23. Your mood? sleepy

24. Missing someone? yes

25. Your car? suv

26. Something you’re not wearing? mask

27. Favorite store? maurices

28. Like someone? tons

29. Your favorite color? green

30. When is the last time you laughed? now

31. Last time you cried? unknown

I TAG : Jennie, Jenn P, Nicole

Seahawks Tickets Go On Sale Today!

OK people I am on a countdown. I have Ticketmaster's website up and I am ready for action! Last year they sold out in 11 minutes! So we ended up buying our tickets through RazorGator, which is a total rip off, but at least we got to see some games!

I am really just killing time for the next 10 minutes or I will go crazy!

Nothing to report this weekend really. Except that I lost 2 more lbs! Woo Hoo! So I am no halfway there! I have lost 22 lbs and have another 22 to go. The last 20 are always the hardest, but I'm ready for it!

I'll write more later... hopefully after I have bought some tickets!

.........

And I'm back! Turns out I had to go to RazorGator.com. But I'm okay with that. I got the tickets I wanted and pretty good seats, I just had to pay more for them. I'm putting somebody's kid through college! LOL

Crispy Fried!

So most of our weekend was pretty uneventful, but very relaxing. We did go to the boat races on Sunday, (thanks for the free bands and parking pass Jen!) and had a lot of fun. I however forgot sunblock and suffering from a minor sunburn.

Now I know I'm getting old becasue when I was younger, I either wouldnt burn hardly ever or burn slightly and wake up tan the next morning. So yeah, the skin isnt bouncing back as well aparently these days. It's not even a bad burn, I thought for sure it would be tan this morning! But no. Who knew bra straps could cause such pain!? Serves me right. Lesson learned.

But this morning, Mark (Matt's dad) called Matt and filled him in on some potentially very exciting news. The insurance company wants to set up a meeting to talk settlement on August 27th! Which is a few weeks earlier than the actual court hearing about the whole thing. WooHoo for earlier! We'll see how it goes, hopefully well though. I'm going to be perma crossing my fingers.



Oh! The other exciting news this weekend (well at least for me) is that I have officially lost 20 lbs! YAY ME! I still have a ways to go, but hitting that milestone was pretty cool. Im really starting to feel good about myself again. It sure beats the alternative! So *pat*pat*pat* on the back for me.

Wooo! What a Weekend!

So this weekend Matt's dad Mark came down with lil bro Brandon and lil sis Shannon, to see Josh and Shimarie's new baby Mckinsey and little Josh. They stayed with us, since we have 3 extra beds and plenty of room for everyone. I had a great time!

First off, the link to see Miss Mckinsey Ann Elizabeth Gregory! http://www.kadlecfoundation.org/template.php?id=4303. What a doll! She looks just like her mom.

My weekend was full and cooking and entertaining, and I loved every second of it! It's a real rarity that I get to make big "Family Sized" meals, so I had a great time.

Getting to see the kids and Mark in a different environment was great. It really gave us a chance to get to know and appreciate each other better. Building up a special relationship is important to me. I love big families and extending ours makes me happier than I can explain.

Mark has been a real answer to our prayers for starting our own family, and it felt good to show him how much we want it and how prepared we already are. If all goes as planned we will be forever in his debt.

On a lighter note! Luckily, Mark and the kids love dogs (which I hadn't thought of before hand) because we have 4 at our house right now! It was a real Animal House with 5 people, 4 dogs, and how ever many people wandered in and out throughout the weekend! Yikes!

So overall, I have a lot of dishes to do, but it's an easy price to pay for that time with family. I just hope they had as good a time as I did!

A Cleaning Kind of Weekend

I love Saturdays. Matt goes to work at 9 am until 4-5 pm ish. Which then leaves me with the majority of the day to run my personal errands, clean the house without a stinky man underfoot etc...

Well this past Saturday was no exception. Matt and I have been so busy these last few weeks, our house was definitely looking worse for the wear. Ive missed my last, at least 2 that I can think of, Saturdays of cleaning, with just "quick cleaning" during the week.

I spent from 10 am until 5 pm cleaning the house from top to bottom. That was some thorough cleaning, let me tell you! Cleaning "Mechanic Matt" hand prints off all the surfaces of the house was a big job when left for more than a week! LOL

It took me 7 hours, but at the end of the day my house practically sparkled! I do have a couple more task to get done this week before Matt's dad and youngest brother and sister come to visit. Cause no one likes to visit a dirty house and I certainly don't like having visitors when my house is thrashed.

It feels nice to be in a clean house again. Now I just have to wait for the fam!

I'm really looking forward to spending some more time with them. Hopefully the kids will have fun. Our neighbors have kids the same age, and they just got a new pool. So now Kim (our neighbor) is excited too! lol

I hope it all goes as well as I'm picturing it in my head!

4th of July in Seattle

Well we had a great time in Seattle this weekend. We were really lucky that Matt had Friday AND Saturday off, so we could have a nice long weekend.

We stayed with Matt's dad, Mark, which was new for us. There were a couple bumps in that road, but all in all, I feel like our family "relationship" is stronger.

Fireworks were great! We didnt go see any of the "BIG" firework shows, but just one at one of the high schools in Lynnwood. It was still bigger than one I've ever seen here in the TC. They played all sorts of patriotic music in the background, and silly as it sounds, it really bumped up the WOW factor. Lots of fun!

Saturday we all (Matt and I, Mark, and Mark's youngest two kids, Brandon and Shannon) went fishing in Easton. Ok, I didnt fish, they did. But I read a whole book by the ponds, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I couldnt believe we spent 6 hours there! But everyone had fun, so it was totally worth it.

Sunday we all (same gang as above) went down to Pike Street Market. It was awesome! I hadnt been there in over 10 years. We bought lots of food and yummies, and few little trinkets. Generally just a good day.

Monday we had to go to Matt's appointment at UW at 8 am. Well, they also informed us we were supposed to have another appointment at the same time, down the road. So after MapQuesting it, and then hunting all over to no avail, we gave up and went to out regular appointment at UWMC. 3/4 of the way through a overall good check up, we finally figure out the reason we couldnt find the other appt, was because the address doesnt exist! She accidentally gave us the wrong address. DOH! So next time we go up in October, we will know exactly were to go, and the REAL address!

And of course, all of our visits to Seattle are punctuated with a visit with Ryan, and lunch at The Red House. YUM! It's always nice to see old friends.

The drive home was long, but it was oh so nice to be home and see the puppies, as well as get a good night's sleep in our own bed!

It was a great 4 day weekend, and Matt and I both appreciated the break from the norm and the long holiday weekend.

So This is the Begining of the Begining...

So I have a couple friends that have a blogspot, but I have been pretty happy with my MySpace so far. That is, until we started this journey to becoming a family.

I thought this would be a fun way to keep everyone updated and in the know. ;)

This might be a little premature, but I am pretty excited for what hopefully comes our way in the next few months!