Life
A sweet, grumpy girl named Charleigh June has been keeping me on my toes. There is no in-between with her, she's either super happy or super grumpy. I think the only time she's content is when she's sleeping! It's a good thing she's so damn cute!
We have had a few things happen since my last real update:
Consult with Dr Williams at HFI -
We met with Dr Williams regarding doing a Frozen Embryo Transplant (FET) this spring. We have seven embryos cryopreserved at this time, and of the seven embryos, SIX of them are excellent quality. The other one is considered good/very good. We were concerned as to whether or not it would be worth our time and money to do a FET, and this reassured us. I've started suppressing my body with birth control pills in preparation for a transfer in March or April. Dr Williams wants to do a scope prior to starting estrogen to make sure my uterus is still looking good and we will then move forward with his recommendations. We also discussed doing biopsies on the remaining embryos for the main reason of finding the strongest, healthiest embryos to transfer. The added benefit to than is gender selection. After much discussion and weighing all of our options we are certain of two things:
1. We will transfer two embryos (per Dr Williams' recommendation). We are well aware that this could lead to twins, but feel that it will give us our best chances.
2. We will not do a biopsy. To me, it feels kind of greedy. I want another girl, Chad wants a boy. Does gender matter to us? No - we just want another baby. Would we like to have a perfectly healthy baby? Of course, but we wouldn't love a child with a birth defect any less. Some people may think that we are already going against nature by doing IVF, and part of us just want the process to be as "natural" and "normal" as possible.
Charleigh's appointment at Texas Children's Cardiology Clinic -
At birth, it was noted that Charleigh had a heart murmur, but it said it was resolved while in the NICU. Dr Ho mentioned it at our first appointment with him and over time it became more noticeable. When it became consistently noted, he decided it was time to refer her to Cardiology, just in case. Does she have a heart murmur? Yes. Are there any defects? No. It is merely an "innocent" murmur, just like mine. Whew! While we didn't enjoy that $1400 bill, we are thankful that Dr Ho takes things seriously and wants to make sure she's healthy.
Operation: Walt Disney World 2015 is booked -
I cannot tell a lie, this was as much about Chad & myself as it is about Charleigh. We are in dire need of a vacation, and going to Illinois just doesn't cut it. While we love going home, there's too much stress involved for us to relax. Disney is our happy place, and it's only right that we go for our anniversary. We also cannot wait to take Charleigh for her first trip. While she most likely won't remember a thing about it, we want to make sure her first trip is special. Since we have embryos on ice and I'm chomping at the bit to put them inside of me, this was the perfect opportunity. I don't want to go to Disney while pregnant, and I will be closely monitored again this next pregnancy (probably even more so after the last). This will also allow us to make Charleigh's first trip special without me being miserable. We will be staying at The Wilderness Lodge and crossing another resort off our bucket list. January cannot get here fast enough!!!
Charleigh Laughed -
It happened yesterday, after her weight check. I was ugly crying, because our nugget only gained 4 ounces in two weeks. (She should have gained between 12-16 ounces). Her growth is stagnant, and we are both terrified that there is something else wrong with her. In response to my ugly cry, she just started laughing. And it wasn't a giggle - it was a full on belly laugh. Ohmigod! It was the CUTEST thing I've ever seen. And, honestly, it just made me cry more because she's growing up SO FAST!!!!
I looked at a Minivan...and fell in love -
I think that falls under, "you know you're a mom when..." I absolutely LOVE my MDX, but Chad and I have been discussing what kind of vehicle will be best when we have another baby. I cannot tell a lie, the ease of a minivan is appealing - no doors to open, one less thing to wrestle with, and the space!!! If I need the minivan, it will be a sad day trading my car in. But, I know exactly what I want. And for some reason I find myself envying those people driving that Honda Oddessey. What has my life come to?
Charleigh & Rice Cereal, Hypoallergenic of course -
Rice cereal tends to be a no bueno with Charleigh, but we are getting there. She's no longer throwing a huge fit when we feed it to her, and last night she WILLINGLY ate it. Willingly as in, she opened her mouth wanting more of it. And there were NO TEARS!!!
Not much else has happened here, though we are enjoying post-season baseball. We realized that our first season, we won the World Series. Hopefully it's a sign that we will win again this year! :-) GO CARDINALS!!!
We have had a few things happen since my last real update:
Consult with Dr Williams at HFI -
We met with Dr Williams regarding doing a Frozen Embryo Transplant (FET) this spring. We have seven embryos cryopreserved at this time, and of the seven embryos, SIX of them are excellent quality. The other one is considered good/very good. We were concerned as to whether or not it would be worth our time and money to do a FET, and this reassured us. I've started suppressing my body with birth control pills in preparation for a transfer in March or April. Dr Williams wants to do a scope prior to starting estrogen to make sure my uterus is still looking good and we will then move forward with his recommendations. We also discussed doing biopsies on the remaining embryos for the main reason of finding the strongest, healthiest embryos to transfer. The added benefit to than is gender selection. After much discussion and weighing all of our options we are certain of two things:
1. We will transfer two embryos (per Dr Williams' recommendation). We are well aware that this could lead to twins, but feel that it will give us our best chances.
2. We will not do a biopsy. To me, it feels kind of greedy. I want another girl, Chad wants a boy. Does gender matter to us? No - we just want another baby. Would we like to have a perfectly healthy baby? Of course, but we wouldn't love a child with a birth defect any less. Some people may think that we are already going against nature by doing IVF, and part of us just want the process to be as "natural" and "normal" as possible.
Charleigh's appointment at Texas Children's Cardiology Clinic -
At birth, it was noted that Charleigh had a heart murmur, but it said it was resolved while in the NICU. Dr Ho mentioned it at our first appointment with him and over time it became more noticeable. When it became consistently noted, he decided it was time to refer her to Cardiology, just in case. Does she have a heart murmur? Yes. Are there any defects? No. It is merely an "innocent" murmur, just like mine. Whew! While we didn't enjoy that $1400 bill, we are thankful that Dr Ho takes things seriously and wants to make sure she's healthy.
Operation: Walt Disney World 2015 is booked -
I cannot tell a lie, this was as much about Chad & myself as it is about Charleigh. We are in dire need of a vacation, and going to Illinois just doesn't cut it. While we love going home, there's too much stress involved for us to relax. Disney is our happy place, and it's only right that we go for our anniversary. We also cannot wait to take Charleigh for her first trip. While she most likely won't remember a thing about it, we want to make sure her first trip is special. Since we have embryos on ice and I'm chomping at the bit to put them inside of me, this was the perfect opportunity. I don't want to go to Disney while pregnant, and I will be closely monitored again this next pregnancy (probably even more so after the last). This will also allow us to make Charleigh's first trip special without me being miserable. We will be staying at The Wilderness Lodge and crossing another resort off our bucket list. January cannot get here fast enough!!!
Charleigh Laughed -
It happened yesterday, after her weight check. I was ugly crying, because our nugget only gained 4 ounces in two weeks. (She should have gained between 12-16 ounces). Her growth is stagnant, and we are both terrified that there is something else wrong with her. In response to my ugly cry, she just started laughing. And it wasn't a giggle - it was a full on belly laugh. Ohmigod! It was the CUTEST thing I've ever seen. And, honestly, it just made me cry more because she's growing up SO FAST!!!!
I looked at a Minivan...and fell in love -
I think that falls under, "you know you're a mom when..." I absolutely LOVE my MDX, but Chad and I have been discussing what kind of vehicle will be best when we have another baby. I cannot tell a lie, the ease of a minivan is appealing - no doors to open, one less thing to wrestle with, and the space!!! If I need the minivan, it will be a sad day trading my car in. But, I know exactly what I want. And for some reason I find myself envying those people driving that Honda Oddessey. What has my life come to?
Charleigh & Rice Cereal, Hypoallergenic of course -
Rice cereal tends to be a no bueno with Charleigh, but we are getting there. She's no longer throwing a huge fit when we feed it to her, and last night she WILLINGLY ate it. Willingly as in, she opened her mouth wanting more of it. And there were NO TEARS!!!
Not much else has happened here, though we are enjoying post-season baseball. We realized that our first season, we won the World Series. Hopefully it's a sign that we will win again this year! :-) GO CARDINALS!!!
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