Merry (belated) Christmas

First, MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you all had a blessed time with your families and friends. We have enjoyed being in Tennessee with our families. We've spent the last few days visiting relatives, exchanging gifts and EATING! Remarkably, I haven't gained any weight (yet!). We got to see my sister's photos from Timbuktu as well as from the trip she took to Thailand last February. She is moving to Thailand this February and we are so excited for her! She'll be doing mission work there for a year, maybe two. Anyway, enjoy the final few days of this year. Here's to much happiness and love to all of us in 2007!

What's in the cards...

Thanks to everyone who sent us Christmas cards! We are so bad about sending out cards ourselves. I know it takes effort to get those cards written and mailed...many, many thanks! We leave tomorrow for the 13 hour trekk to see our families. More postings to come over the holidays. Stay warm!

Prayers for a friend

A friend of ours from the community theatre, Mick was in a bad car wreck this week (this photo of Mick is from the Catholic Schools website...he is their development director) . His daughter graduated this month from a university in Arizona. He was driving her car back home. The car rolled several times and left the interstate just outside of Albuquerque (not sure the cause but they've ruled out weather and alcohol). He is in ICU now. He has serious neck and head injuries. They took him off the ventilator yesterday but they suspect he'll be in ICU in New Mexico for a month. His wife and kids just arrived in New Mexico only yesterday evening (the wreck was Monday afternoon) because of airline delays. Anyway, they just need lots of prayers and his wife has sent back regular updates. She has said she believes prayer is responsible for the progress he's made so far. He is wiggling his toes and fingers so they think his spinal cord is ok. Mick just directed a show at the theatre in November and was scheduled to play Morrie in "Tuesdays with Morrie" in March. Beyond being talented as an actor and director, he's just one of the nicest guys around.

This is a reminder of how dangerous the roads are, especially this time of year. We will be driving the next two days, as will thousands of others. Please pray for safe travels for everyone.

Little Buddy's Gone Bad

Who would imagine...?

At our 9:45AM church service yesterday, we had a live nativity scene with music to go with it. Our worship team sang a song. And I sang "Who Would Imagine a King" from the Preacher's Wife soundtrack. I sang it last year in our GYM worship service but it seemed more meaningful with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus nearby. Check out the words to the song:

Mommies and daddys always believe
That their little angels are special indeed
And you could grow up to be anything
But who would imagine a king
A shepherd or teacher is what you could be
Or maybe a fisherman out on the sea
Or maybe a carpenter building things
But who would imagine a king
It was so clear when the wise men arrived
And the angels were singing your name
That the world would be different cause you were alive
That's why heaven stood still to proclaim
One day an angel said quietly
That soon he would bring something special to me
And of all of the wonderful gifts he could bring
Who would imagine, who could imagine
Who would imagine a king

Congrats to our dear friends!

Just want to say major congrats to our dear friends from church, Misty and Joel for moving forward with adoption! I know they will be awesome parents! We are so happy to share in their joy as they find the special baby God has for them! Please keep them in your prayers as they begin this exciting journey! You can learn about their adoption experiences by checking out their blog:
desireofourheart.blogspot.com

Hand update

Brad's hand is doing better. He says it doesn't hurt. He went to great lengths last night to take a digital photo. I assume he will post it on here soon. I have not been feeling well since yesterday. It may have been something I ate. Who knows?!?! I had to leave work and go home and lay down for about 3 hours yesterday afternoon. Just pray that I'll feel better this weekend. I've got a massive headache today...which is too bad because I'm going out with my girls from work for dinner and our gift exchange tonight. It should be a blast as we are going to one of my favorite restaurants...I hope I feel up to eating something good!

Franken-Hand

Last night, I was changing clothes and Brad was in the kitchen making jambalaya. I hear him shout and then calmly say, "I think I need to go to the emergency room." I was fearful he had cut off a finger or something so I just didn't ask. I said, "Ok." He took an old dish towel and wrapped his hand and applied pressure. We turned off the stove, put the food away and hopped in the car. We went to the emergency room, which was packed with people, including a woman in handcuffs. It was clear that he wasn't going to get treatment for quite some time. Then, I recommended checking out urgent care. We called and they were open for 30 more minutes and it was close to the ER. We drove over there and walked right into a room. Turns out Brad sliced into his palm with the lid from a can of beans. It was deep and long enough to warrant 9-10 stitches. But not before they stuck these needles all in his palm to numb him. I think that was the worst part for him, worse even than when the cut happened. He's all stitched up now and wrapped up. He can't use his left hand much until the stitches come out in 8 or 9 days. The doc let me look at the stitches before they bandaged him up. I told Brad it looked like Franken-hand! I just talked to him and he says he hasn't had any pain. We doped him up on 4 ibuprofen last night and he slept well. As if this weren't enough...he's also had a head cold. Poor baby! Do we need a vacation or what?!?!

The Weed Has Landed!

Got word yesterday that Weed made it back to Richmond from Timbuktu! I'm sure she'll have some wild stories to tell. But for now, she's resting up. I finished grades for one of my classes today and hope to finish the other one tomorrow at the latest. One down, one to go! BTW, Thurston and Lovey are from Gilligan's Island...remember?!?! The Howells?!?! Nick at Nite, anyone?!?!

We're getting excited about Christmas. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We leave for K-town next Friday. Yay!! Hope you all are having a great week!

Lovey and Thurston

Here's a snapshot of Brad and I playing Lovey and Thurston in the church children's pageant yesterday. It was a lot of fun! Everyone was quite enamored with Brad's makeshift ascot.

You know you're from Kingsport if...

You think the name of the city's largest employer is The Eastman, as in: "Where does he work?" "He works at The Eastman." And "the" pronounced "thuh."

You think S&M and Dope are departments at Eastman. (They were.)

You give directions based on landmarks that no longer exist, but your directions never confuse any other Kingsporter: "From Brooks Circle turn left at Big K, then go past the Garden Basket..."

You haven't pronounced the name Dobyns-Bennett in years, preferring D-B instead.

You call a tractor-trailer a Mason-Dixon truck.

You can negotiate a traffic circle without using your horn or your brakes.

You make snide comments about Johnson City, but eat out there at least once a week.

You think the rest of the world knows what a Pal's hot dog is.

You make an emergency run to Food City for bread and milk at the first forecast of snow.

And park in the fire lane.

Your last 10 vacations were to Myrtle Beach.

When people ask what school you went to, they don't mean UT, Clemson or ETSU, they mean D-B, Lynn View, Ketron or Sullivan (or if you are younger, D-B, South, North or Central.)

You have never been to a NASCAR race, but have a 3 on your truck.

You have never eaten ham that wasn't fried and country.

You refer to Stone Drive as the Golden Mile. Or the Super.

You can get anywhere in the Tri-Cities, but you don't know the Numbers of any roads.

You call them the Old Johnson City Highway, the New Johnson City Highway, the Super Highway, the John B. Dennis, the Interstate.

Your summer weekend wardrobe consists of a drawer full of Fun Fest T-shirts in assorted colors and designs.

All of them too tight. (In fall and winter it's all orange all the time.)

You still can't pronounce Weyerhaeuser, preferring to call it the old Mead plant. Likewise for Quebecor, which you refer to as the old Kingsport Press.

You know who Bobby Dodd was but don't know who John B. Dennis or Ross N. Robinson were.

Your office closes early the day of the Science Hill football game.

When introduced to another Kingsport native, you spend the first five minutes of the conversation trying to figure out how you are connected. "What year did you graduate from D-B? Don't you have a brother who used to date...? I think your uncle used to cut my hair. Do you go to First Broad Street or First Presbyterian?"

You think the whole world drinks sweet tea.

You moved away after high school and have lived in another city twice as long as you lived here, but when someone asks where you're from, you don't hesitate: "Kingsport, Tennessee!"

Ice, ice baby

I slipped and fell on some black ice yesterday morning walking into work. I had been SOOOO good about watching my step. I fell and hurt (of all things) the top of my left foot. I hobbled around a bit yesterday but it didn't hurt *that* bad. Then, I woke up in the middle of the night and could barely move my toes because of the pain. I hoped into the bathroom, popped some pain meds and went back to bed. By this morning, it was much, much better. I guess I hurt it more than I thought. At least it's not my ankle! I have it thoroughly wrapped up today and I'm wearing more sensible shoes. Don't forget to check out my previous post with an update from my sister, Weedy. Have a great weekend!

Latest from Weed

"Thank you all again for your continued prayers! Here in Timbuktu, prayers sure do go a long way! Today, Roberto took us on a boat ride down the Niger River. We were also joined by Rita (another Brazilian missionary here) as well as our new friends Lorraine and Ellie. It was a beautiful day to slowly float to the village where we would give away hundreds of cassettes. As soon as we reached shore, Roberto led the way to the Mayor's office to meet him and ask his permission to give out cassettes. He was out, so we met with the Secretary General and he warmly welcomed us. He was very kind. Also, there was a lady there who was not feeling well. Roberto asked them if we could pray for her and Terri led that prayer time.

Then, we split up in 2 groups and began to cover the area giving out these "gifts". Almost everyone is very glad to hear that you have a gift to give them. In fact, sometimes they seem a little surprised. We gave them to almost every adult that we passed. However, we accrued quite a following of children! They were precious! There were just so many! After we had given away all of our tapes, we headed back to the boat to start our journey back.

After photos and more photos, we boarded the boat and hit the water! We stopped for lunch on the bank. Telma, Roberto's wife, fixed us a lovely lunch of french bread, laughing cow cheese, and some kind of fried steak. It was very nice of her to put together and it was tastey too!

We made it back just fine with a few minutes to catch our breath before dinner. Just another day in Timbuktu!!! We are having an awesome time! The Lord continues to show us how desperately the Songhai need to know a life in Jesus Christ! God is already hearing and responding to our prayers and we continue to seek Him constantly. He continues to always amaze us with things that we'd never believe He'd do, even if we were told! (Habakkuk 1:5)

Tomorrow, is another day of prayerwalking, lunch at Rita's house, and any other door the Lord opens for us! We continue to remain very flexible! :) Pray for more divine appointments and especially that these cassettes plant seeds of the Gospel in the hearts of the Songhai.

Thank you so much for your prayers for the Songhai people, the missionaries already working here, as well as for our team. We have felt every prayer that has been lifted up on our behalf! Please continue to remember the needs here as you pray!"

What a gas!

I've long contended that God won't allow me to get pregnant because I laugh at fart jokes and mothers shouldn't laugh at fart jokes. Of course, if the standards for motherhood were that high, I suppose humans would already be extinct. Anyway, I can't pass up the chance to share this crazy fart-filled story with you. It made me laugh and I hope it makes you chuckle at least:

Flatulence forces plane to land
Tue Dec 5, 9:07 PM ET

It is considered polite to light a match after passing gas. Not while on a plane.

An American Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing Monday morning after a passenger lit a match to disguise the scent of flatulence, authorities said.

The Dallas-bound flight was diverted to Nashville after several passengers reported smelling burning sulfur from the matches, said Lynne Lowrance, spokeswoman for the Nashville International Airport Authority. All 99 passengers and five crew members were taken off and screened while the plane was searched and luggage was screened.

The FBI questioned a passenger who admitted she struck the matches in an attempt to conceal a "body odor," Lowrance said. She had an unspecified medical condition, authorities said.

"It's humorous in a way but you feel sorry for the individual, as well," she said. "It's unusual that someone would go to those measures to cover it up."

The flight took off again, but the woman was not allowed back on the plane. The woman, who was not identified, was not charged in the incident.

Timbuktu prayer requests and verses

In case you missed the latest update on the songhai blog, here's an excerpt from what was posted Monday:

They (the team, which includes Weedy) left the following prayer requests:

-Pray for continued physical health and safety.
-Pray specifically in the name of Jesus that He has already won the victory over spiritual warfare. It's intensely real here!

They will also continue to prayerwalk and distribute cassettes throughout the day tomorrow.
They also wanted to share a couple of verses with you that have become their "team verses." They pray through these verses each day and hope you will do the same!

Proverbs 21:1--The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.
Habakkuk 1:5--Look at the nations and watch--and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.

Digging Out

We're finally digging out of the snow (about 6 inches where we are). Brad is gone to Florida this week for some training (poor baby!). I wish I could say I've had time to enjoy some alone time...but I've been very busy. The kitties had about 20 minutes to sit with me on the bed last night before bedtime.

Weedy is doing great in Timbuktu. Please continue to pray for the health and safety of her and her group. They are handing out cassettes with testimony from a former Muslim who is now a Christian. They are hoping this will be a powerful message. They have had a chance to meet with the man who will become the imam of the mosque in Timbuktu. They had lunch with him today (yes, even the women!! God is clearly at work!!). They have also had some rides into the Sahara on camels. A cool front came through and it was only in the 90's!

Weedy Update

Got this news today from one of Weed's best buds, Courtney:

I received word last night that the entire team made it safely to Bamako, Mali (capital of Mali). It was about 1am, and they had just arrived to the guest house where they would be staying at for the night. I thought they would be exhausted, but they were all laughing and having a great time together! They said they were amazed at how smooth the trip has been thus far, and they had no problems at all catching their flights and nothing was delayed! They have one full day in Bamako, and on Saturday will be catching their flight to Timbuktu, Mali where they will be for the remainder of their trip.

Also, there is a blog you can continue to check for updates: http://prayforthesonghai.blogspot.com They will post directly to the blog if they are able, but more than likely they will send updates to me and I will post them. This is because they don't know for sure when and how long they will have internet capabilities and/or a cell phone signal. When they arrive in Timbuktu, communication will probably be even more limited. It is Timbuktu after all! :)

Please continue to pray for this team as they make their way to Timbuktu!

3AM Blues

There's something about 3AM. We were all snug and cozy in our bed at the Bed and Breakfast last night when I awoke just before 3AM and couldn't go back to sleep. Maybe because I knew Brad had to get up in about an hour...maybe because I was excited about the weather...maybe because I was trying to calculate whether Weedy had landed in Paris. Who knows! After Brad left, I read my book and eventually got back to sleep. I felt like someone hit me over the head with a club when my alarm went off at 6:40AM. The silver lining of the day was getting hot french toast, fresh fruit and coffee brought to my room. The B&B did lose power for about an hour...thankfully, five minutes before I left for work, it kicked back on and I blow dryed my hair. I had packed up the blow dryer to take it to work. I haven't been outside since this morning...apparently it's quite bad. I hope to sleep much better tonight while a blanket of snow falls outside. We'll see!

Brad and I found out today that we were both cast in Cinderella. He will be a townsperson. I will be playing the Queen. The guy playing the king is the owner of a local improv club and he's hilarious. So, it should be fun. But the most fun will come from being in a play with Brad!!

Something's afoot at the Circle K

Weird weather here. It's nearly 70 degrees. But there's a meteorlogical monster just to our west. Some weather peeps are calling for a foot of snow, starting tonight and going into tomorrow. Oh, and with today's warm weather, tornados are a possibility this afternoon. WOW! Brad and I are going to spend the night downtown so we can be ready to go to work Thursday. They usually don't do much in the way of scraping our streets out in the boonies where we live.

Many, many happy wishes to Weed as she heads out today. She flies to Paris tonight (now I'm totally jealous!). Then on to Mali from Paris. I just know she will have a great time and lives will be changed as a result of her work there. Thanks for all the prayers for her. I'll let you know when I hear that she has arrived safely in Mali.

Please continue to pray for Brad and I as we ponder our next move. There are so many exciting possibilities for expanding our family. We want to walk through whatever door God opens for us.

I bless the rains down in Africa...

Please pray my sister, Weed as she leaves tomorrow for a mission trip to Timbuktu. I'm so excited for her. Pray for her safety and her ministry. She will be doing prayer walks through villages. I think it's wonderful that she has this opportunity (I want to go to Africa!). So, here's a little Toto in honor of her trip:

I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She's coming in twelve-thirty flight
Her moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards
salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say: "Hurry boy, it's waiting there for
you"

[Chorus:]
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what's right
Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that
I've become

Saturday

Hope all of you are having a lovely weekend. We are going to have "date night" tonight. This will involve dinner and a movie...maybe Hugh Jackman's latest, The Fountain. We got up today and went to aerobics. It was great! And for the first time in a very long time, Brad wasn't the only guy there. An elderly couple were there. We had fun.

The cats are so funny. Since we put up the Christmas tree, they have nested under it every night. I think it's their natural instinct to hide out under a tree. Whatever it is, they're just cute sitting under there...like two of the best little gifts we could ever get!

Black Friday

It's sunny here today and I'm sure the stores are packed for Black Friday deals. Happily, I've only left the house today to work out and have a "spa day." I'm feeling thoroughly relaxed post-spa. No big plans for the weekend. Brad has to work til 3 today. We saw Christopher Guest's newest movie yesterday afternoon. Not good. Boo! Hiss! Brad's parents saw Bobby and they thought it was great.

On a more serious note...

We are asking for prayers...not just that God will show us what's next but that we'll be smart enough to recognize it when God shows it to us. And that we'll have the courage to walk the path God wants us to take.

We came, we saw, we trotted

Brad and I had a great time running the Turkey Trot this morning along with about 5,000 of our closest friends! Seriously! There were well over 5,000 people there. It was great. Not sure what our finish time was. Since there were so many people, the clock at the finish line wasn't accurate so we'll find out later today or tomorrow when they post the times online. Now, we are beginning our holiday ritual of making entirely too much food for two people. We're having pumpkin bisque, ham, Bonaduce dressing, sweet potato casserole, Skoby's corn, and pumpkin crisp. Ok, maybe that's not too bad! Hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving!! I'm so blessed that God brought each of you into my life!

MO Better Turkeys!

WHITE HOUSE (AP) - President Bush spares two turkeys from dinner
tables tomorrow, and is instead sending them to Disneyland.
In a Rose Garden ceremony this morning, the president pardoned
two southwest Missouri turkeys -- Flyer and Fryer.
In addition to the pardons, the president said that the relieved
birds will be flown today to Disneyland to serve as the honorary
grand marshals of the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Bush said his dog Barney chased one of the birds in the Rose
Garden before the pardoning ceremony.
The turkeys were raised near Monett, and chosen by National
Turkey Foundation chairman Mike Briggs. He's president of Willow
Brook Foods in Springfield, Missouri.

Editorial note from blogger: Mike Briggs was in the group with which I traveled to China in April, 2005!

Gobble, gobble

Hope all of you are planning on a groovy Thanksgiving! As I've mentioned, we'll participate in the Turkey Trot bright and early...speaking of bright and early...Brad had to work last night and I woke up at 3:30AM and could NOT go back to sleep. After tossing and turning, I finally turned on the light and read my book for about 1 and a half hours! I turned out the light and tried to go back to sleep. Not a chance. I got out of bed at 5AM, got ready and came to work. I figure I can get things done and start my long holiday weekend early. I'm armed with apple bran muffins and some decaf from Starbucks. Cheers and Happy (early) Thanksgiving!

Someone Still Loves You

We've got a live broadcast today from a local band called Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. They're a great indie rock band that did an accoustic set for us. Very groovy tunes!

I'm pumped about heading to St Louis tomorrow. Seeing Spamalot will be a blast!

For next week, no big turkey day plans. Brad and I are thinking about running Thursday morning in the Turkey Trot. It's a 5K. We haven't done one since the summer. It's also a fundraiser so it's for a good cause (besides getting your own rump in shape...ha!). Later Thursday, we'll probably make some kind of yummy foodstuffs. We'll share Thanksgiving with each other and our lovely kitties.

I got interviewed this week by the editor of a local magazine. It's for a feature called "My Favorite Things." This editor, Greg and I went to the same J-School so we've known each other for a while. He's a hoot and asked some amusing questions:

1. What was your favorite cartoon when you were a kid? Tom and Jerry
2. Favorite footwear? my flip flops from Hawaii
3. Favorite musician? Hem, Nat King Cole
4. Favorite book? The Tall Woman by Wilma Dykeman and Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund
5. Favorite pet? Well, I just bragged on Little Buddy and Pierre Clovis...Greg thinks the name Clovis is a scream

Now, on a more serious note...

Pray for my sister, Weed. She's preparing for a mission trip to Timbuktu. I'm so excited for her and her team. But I want to send them off with loads of prayers. They will be doing "prayer walks" through villages and ministering to adults and children. Pray that their efforts will be blessed and that these people will come to know Christ.

Almighty Miracles

Ok, you're allowed to roll your eyes as you read this: Last night, we watched Bruce Almighty on DVD. I'm not a huge Jim Carey fan and this movie was far from fabulous. But there were some good quotes. The premise is that Jim Carey's character, Bruce is really unhappy with how things are going in his life (Brad and I were quite amused that he plays a local TV reporter who wants to be an anchor). So, he cries out to God and blames God for his problems (sound familiar, anyone?). Well, God arranges for a meeting with Bruce and God is played by the incredible Morgan Freeman. In the end, lessons are learned and all is well. I really liked it when Morgan Freeman's God character imparts some wisdom, noting that real miracles happen all around us: "A single mom who's working two jobs, and still finds time to take her son to soccer practice, that's a miracle. A teenager who says "no" to drugs and "yes" to an education, that's a miracle. People want me to do everything for them. What they don't realize is *they* have the power. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle." The bottom line? Miracles happen in our lives. We just have to be awake enough to see them. And we have the capacity by living Christian lives to have God work miracles through us, miracles that make the lives of those around us better. I just took a lot away from those lines. Be the miracle. I like that.

Hope you are having a lovely Thursday!!

Ratherisms

For those who found Dan Rather's election night rants amusing, here are a few gems (and check out the SNL transcript at the bottom):

Dan Ratherisms
--------------
The Wit and Wisdom of Dan Rather
Election Night 2004/2002/2000

"Do you hear that knocking...President Bush's re-election is at the
door."

"This race is hotter than a Times Square Rolex."

"His lead is as thin as turnip soup."

"This race is humming along like Ray Charles."

"The presidential race is swinging like Count Basie."

"This race is hotter than the Devil's anvil."

"Ohio becomes like a sauna for the two candidates. All they can do is
wait and sweat."

"One's reminded of that old saying, 'Don't taunt the alligator until
after you've crossed the creek.'"

"This situation in Ohio would give an aspirin a headache.''

"Bush is sweeping through the South like a big wheel through a cotton
field."

Of course, my personal favorite is Darrell Hammond doing a dead on impersonation of Dan Rather on SNL...in the sketch, he's projecting that celebrity journalists have certain diseases...it's a scream:

"Alright, folks. This has been a night of surprises, and here's one more. Carl, go down to the basement. Mabel, get in here, take your clothes off, and put these shoes on. Also the hat. Now, put one leg up on that chair, arch your back and listen to this, ‘cause it’s a humdinger. [ pause ] CBS News is now projecting that Walter Cronkite has gonorrhea. Now, with anthrax, scurvy, and yellow fever, the last thing he needs is the clap. But he's got it, and he's got it good. If I was a betting man, I'd say his chances of survival are slim and none - and slim just left town."

Slow Poke

Sorry gang...I've been a terrible slow poke about posting. So what's new? Well, we went to watch UT play the University of Arkansas. What a disaster of a game that was! The best part was getting yelled at by Arkansas fans who obviously have a monopoly on classy behavior. *eye roll* Ah...seeing a sorority sister chuck a beer bottle in some bushes downtown...that's magic. We actually did have a great time. The real best part was spending the day with Brad and having a late dinner at P.F. Chang's. We had never eaten there before and it was SO FABULOUS!! We're off to St Louis this weekend to see Spamalot. I know it will be hilarious (we listened to the soundtrack on our road trip last weekend). Hope you all are having a good week...They're talking about the possibility of snow tomorrow. What fun!

Election night

Well, the polls closed hours ago. I had to stand in line 20-25 minutes to get to vote. There's record turnout around here. Now, results are coming in. It's going to be a long night for Brad and me as the senate race in Missouri still looks very close. I hope all of you voted! Have a great night!

The President came and went. It was fine. I wasn't close to the prez at all. The press is always kept at bay. I will admit it was cool to ride in the motorcade but they didn't make any unscheduled stops so there wasn't anything exciting to cover. Sounds like my student reporter who covered the protests had all the fun. They had an "Uncle Sham" doll, a coffin marked "democracy" and "Hail to the Thief" signs. They're creative, I'll give them that!

On to the fun stuff tonight...I bought a new black pantsuit to wear to the fundraiser. Should look snazzy after I get my hair done this afternoon. I've got my faux fur cheetah coat too. Meow!

It's COLD here. My toes were numb by the time Air Force One landed last night at the airport. Of course, the reporters were coralled on a flat bed truck on the tarmac and had to stand there til it was "all clear." How thrilling.

I'll be glad to get through the election. That will be a long night. Maybe then I can rest up a little. Have a super weekend, everyone!!

He's the Prez-o-dent!

President Bush is coming to town this week. That means total craziness for me because I will be covering the visit. I will get to ride in the motorcade. WHOO-HOO! Ok, it's not as impressive as it sounds. It's not like I'll get to sit in the limo with the Prez.

I can't WAIT for the election to be over...not only because that will allow me to slow down a little at work but because I'm tired of the TV airwaves being inundated with ignorant political ads: "Don't vote for Jane Doe. She hates puppies." ARGH!!

But AFTER the Prez, tomorrow evening Brad and I will get to help with the Friday Night TV Dinner. It's a fundraiser for public TV. There's a silent auction, delicious dinner, and dancing. Should be a blast.

Happy Halloweenie!!

Ok, I'm a total kid (which is perhaps one reason I'm dying to have kids of my own). I LOVE Halloween! I will don my witch attire for this evening to hand out little toys to the kiddies (we decided last year NOT to contribute to childhood obesity and handed out little plastic snakes, bugs, bats and spiders...these are actually a bigger hit with the kids than candy). I can't decide what I would've thought about toys instead of candy when I was a kid...It was such a big deal at the end of the night to lay out your sweeties and count them and eat them...ahhhh...candy bars, nerds, suckers, horehounds, chewing gum...wait a minute! How did those horehounds get in there? hehehehe If you've never had the mouth-numbing experience of eating horehounds, you don't know what you're missing! My black cat Pierre Clovis is the perfect compliment to my witch costume...he's fierce all right, cowering under the bed every time the door bell rings. Poor baby!

I got back the latest results of my blood test yesterday. In nine days, the amount of pregnancy hormone in my system went from 4000+ to 99. So, we will do another blood test next Monday to see if it's down to zero. I'm feeling better today. I'm backing off the pain pills. For those who don't know, a blood vessel in my eye popped Sunday morning. So, it was like I was literally falling apart! Now, it looks just plain spooky, a perfect compliment to my witch get-up.

We went to church music practice last night. I got roped into doing offertory. I subsequently roped some of my fellow musicians into helping me. It will actually be a rocking trio...I'll play keyboard and sing, one of our best guy singers will sing lead and another gal with a killer voice will sing harmony. I'll do a low harmony. And we've got our drummer rocking out. I wish you all could be there to hear it. It should be pretty darn good. It's the song My Savior, My God by Aaron Shust.

It's cold here today. I always hated having it cold on Halloween. Here, you had this way cool costume and then you had to cover it up with a big coat. I've gone on far too long here. Hope you all have a super spooky Halloween!!

Back to some normal...

First, thank you all so much for all the emails. If I haven't replied yet, I will. There have been so many and I've been busy (thankfully) at work. We had a wonderful celebration for Brad's birthday Friday, complete with a lovely dinner and a spa treatment for him.

We are looking forward to the holidays...Brad has already put up most of our exterior Christmas lights. He'll be ready to flip the switch November 1!

Things are getting back to normal. I had some physical set backs this weekend but I'm getting better.

We returned to church Sunday. It was great to be there and to get hugs from others on the worship team. They missed us and we missed them. We are praying about what God wants us to do. Is there a special calling for us that doesn't involve children? Or does he have other plans for how our children come into our lives? All questions we are praying over and contemplating. We want to follow whatever path God has for us. We need help discerning that. Much love and peace to all of you...

Happy occasion coming up...

Brad's birthday is Friday! WHOO-HOO!! While I had hoped that the celebration would be extra special this year with a bun in the oven, that will have to wait. Instead, I've got some fun surprises planned for him. It's nice to have his birthday to look forward to. We have a trip planned for this weekend. My best friend from college is getting married in Eureka. As long as I feel ok, we'll still go. I'm looking forward to it because I haven't seen her in years. So, lots of distractions, for which I'm thankful. Thank you for the sweet comments, emails and prayers. We are doing ok.

Bye, bye baby

At least for now. Today's blood test confirmed I am having a miscarriage. There was nothing we could've done to prevent it. I will try to let it happen naturally and only resort to a D&C if the natural process fails. So, how do I feel? I have to quote Stephen King: "It is what it is." That was his response when NPR's Susan Stamburg asked him how he felt about losing the prolific creativity he had in his younger years. It is what it is. There's nothing to be done about it. Yes, there is profound sadness and grief. Yes, there is physical pain. But I believe all things happen for a reason. God knows the plan, God knows the score (and, by the way, the score is Infertility 38, Brad and Missy 0). Thank you in advance for respecting our private grieving process. Any comments here on the blog or emails are appreciated. But don't feel like you have to say anything except that you're praying for us. There's nothing more meaningful than that.

What's next? We don't know. And we're content not knowing for a while. We'll just enjoy the holidays, let my body recover and make some decisions in the new year.

Despite all the heartaches, we must look for a bright side...you gotta smile and laugh to keep from crying your eyes out:
*No more daily progesterone shots!!
*I can take ibuprofen for pain!!
*I can go back to working out!!
*I have an excuse to indulge in some "retail therapy!!"
*We finally have some certainty after weeks of not knowing.

Thank you for your prayers. We continue to need prayer as we seek guidance from God on where the path will lead us next...

Uncertainty

A trip to the mall Saturday night turned into a trip to the ER (I'm a really fun date, aren't I?). I started bleeding. I called the nurse at the hospital and she recommended I go to the ER "just to be sure everything was ok." The ER doc ordered a blood test, which looked good and an ultrasound that did not look good. It showed a sac measuring only 5 weeks, far too small. I had a really bad night last night with pain. I spoke with my OB's nurse today. They are having me do more blood tests. Then, I have an appointment with him this afternoon. Will keep you posted on what they say.

Moment of Zen

I indulged in a peanut butter puddle, my favorite cold decaf coffee drink from Mudhouse. (Mom, don't stroke! I hadn't had one in like a year!) Sipping on it was my moment of zen. It was so nice to enjoy something so gorgeous in the midst of a crazy day. Ahhhhhh!

Ok, here's the deal. I am absolutely relying on God and God answering our prayers to give us stellar results one week from today at the next ultrasound. If we find a baby in there with a good heartbeat, it will be nothing short of miraculous (especially when you consider the ups and downs of this whole process for us). So, I'm asking that you write this prayer for us on your heart and just pray, pray, pray.

Sheer Exhaustion!

It's only Monday, right?!?! I'm so exhausted. We went out of town this weekend and had a great time. I had to get to work early today and I'll be working late tonight. This is going to be a long week. But my boss actually came over this morning and said to start my weekend early on Friday by leaving around noon since this is such a hectic week. I said I would gladly do that. And I'll take a day off next week. On top of the fatigue, I was sick as a dog (to my stomach) earlier today. I nearly hurled in a parking lot. And, yes, I ate breakfast! But I'm not complaining...I hope it means all is well with the baby!!

In the meantime, enjoy some Tennessee humor...You know you're a Tennessean if:

*It's not a shopping cart; It's a buggy.
*Fixnto is a word.
*Jeet? is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"
*You measure distance in minutes.
*You use "fix" as a verb. Example: "I'm fixing to go to the store "
*You know whether another Tennessean is from east, middle, or west Tennessee as soon as they open their mouth.
*A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola or pop...it's a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor. Example: "What kinda coke you want?"
*You understand these jokes and forward them to your friends from Tennessee (and those who just wish they were).

(These jokes were brought to you by Sister Weedy)

Brrrr!

It's cold. No doubt about it. We've gone from above average to below average temperatures. I had to whip out the sweater and cords yesterday. We are going out of town this weekend. Should be fun. This has been a busy week. Brad and I are still getting used to our new positions. Hope all of you have a super weekend!! *hugs*

Sorry to be MIA

This has been a busy week. There's a lot going on. I've really been trying not to focus on the pregnancy and keep busy instead. It's been nice. I talked to the local nurse yesterday. She said my IVF doc would have to give me my due date. Sheesh. She also said that at the next ultrasound, we definitely need to see a heartbeat. Please keep us in your prayers...The next ultrasound is 8:15AM October 25. It will be here before we know it!

The Giants

Well, Facing the Giants is a must-see. The message is so powerful and it means even more to anyone who loves football. Much to my surprise, the central couple also deals with infertility. One of the couples went to see this with has been trying to get pregnant for 3 years or so. All four of us were sniffing and wiping our eyes by the end. If you get a chance to see this movie, you'll leave the theatre inspired to serve God more. That's it for now. Hope you all are having a great weekend!!

TGIF!

I'm so ready for the weekend. This has been a super long week for me. We're going to dinner and a movie with two couples from church tomorrow night. That should be fun. I may try to leave work a little early today. I've worked some long hours...I'm ready to get the weekend off to an early start. Sounds nice, huh? No new pregnancy news...except that I nearly got sick at my desk three times today. No fun but a comforting way to know you're still pregnant and all is well...

FINALLY!!

Ok, so the nurse called and said the doc reviewed the ultrasound and everything looks fine. WHAT?!?! Evidently, every internet IVF due date calculator is TOTALLY WRONG. Anyway, my doc said no need to worry or come back in for another three weeks. We'll look for a heartbeat then. I will now allow myself to eat after being glued by the phone all day.

Still No News

No call yet from the doc...sheesh...

It's probably over...

The sac measured only 4 weeks and 4 days. That is not a good sign at all but I guess I have to wait for official word from the doctor. The measurement means it's too small for a heartbeat, too small for anything at this point.

Tomorrow, tomorrow...I love ya, tomorrow!

Our appointment is at 8:30AM. PLEASE, PLEASE keep us close to your hearts and in your prayers. I'm so excited and nervous. Of course, we will post as soon as we know something.

My News Directing Job

     First day on the job as the news director.  It went fine.  I meet everyone who was in the building.  Helped set up the lead story.  It was evident very quick who was set in their ways and who seems more open to change.  I keep reminding myself it's a marathon, not a sprint.  Democracies take time to build.  "It's hard work." 

 

     It will take discipline since the instinctual reaction is to say, "Oh yeah.  How's that working out for you?  I've seen the ratings.  That don't work."  You don't want to crap all over thier work, particularly those who've been here for a few years. 

 

     In unrelated work news, I learned today that ANOTHER co-worker is pregnant.  I shouldn't feel so bad.  We should be able to make the same announcement soon. 

 

This week and next, according to Storknet

I thought this was interesting and exciting. Keep in mind, I'm 6 weeks, 5 days today.

Week 6
Fetal Development:
My Heart Belongs to You!
The first heartbeats have begun! The baby is now an embryo and is about 1/17 of an inch long. Growth is very rapid this week. The umbilical cord develops. The eyes and ears begin to form as well as an opening for the mouth. The heart has begun to pump blood and most of the other organs are well under construction. Buds form on the body that will become the arms and legs.
Exciting week!

Maternal Changes:
This week tends to bring on the nausea. Morning sickness is a constant companion any time of the day. You may be craving certain foods while the very thought of other foods will send you to the porcelain goddess.
Because this is a critical time in your baby's organ development, avoid alcohol, substances, drugs, and treatments (perms, hair coloring, manicures, etc.) that you don't really need. If you haven't yet, make your first prenatal appointment with your care provider.

Week 7
Fetal Development:
I'm Tiny But Gaining Fast!
The baby is about 1/3 of an inch, the size of a grain of rice. Development of the arms and legs continue although the fingers and toes haven't yet formed. The brain is growing as well as the lenses of the eyes, nostrils, intestines, pancreas and bronchi.

Maternal Changes:
This week tends to be like last week with the usual symptoms of early pregnancy continuing. You're not showing yet and may have lost a few pounds or gained a few pounds. Both are normal at this stage.

Wandering through the woods...

We went for a walk at the nature center last night. It was the first time I had done any significant amount of walking since getting pregnant. We went slow and it was lovely to be outside. We watched two turtles "kiss" and bluegill gliding through the water. There were deer EVERYWHERE! We were as close as four feet from some does. We even got close to a buck. I bet we saw 13-15 deer total. It was so neat.

We had a nice weekend. We saw Superman Returns at the dollar theatre. I thought it was enjoyable but Brad says he still can't connect with it.

As Brad has described it, we are holding our breath emotionally and psychologically until Wednesday's ultrasound. Here's hoping and praying everything will be PERFECT.

Cheerio!

Well, my bestest friend in the whole world is leaving today for a two week European Extravaganza and I'm so excited for her!! They'll arrive in London (cheerio!) and travel to Amsterdam, Austria, Munich, Italy and Paris. Have a blast, KT!! Not much is new here. We had a lovely weekend. It's been like a flashback to summer. It's so warm! I think we may go for a walk this evening. Today at church, one of our associate pastors came up to congratulate us on our pregnancy. He said, "There have been so many people praying for you all and you don't even know some of those people." It was just very sweet and reassuring to know that so many people are keeping us close in prayer. This is a big week for us. Brad and I start new jobs (we both got promoted but are with the same companies) and on top of that, the BIG ULTRASOUND. I will keep you posted. Much love and hugs. Have a wonderful week!

Giraffes and Trains

One of my favorite parts of the movie, "Under the Tuscan Sun" is where Francis, a divorced writer has bought a villa in Tuscany and is having regrets about her purchase and her decision to move to Italy. She tearfully says she has bought a house for a life she doesn't have. Then her real estate agent says this: "Signora, between Austria and Italy, there is a section of the Alps called the Semmering. It is an impossibly steep, very high part of the mountains. They built a train track over these Alps to connect Vienna and Venice. They built these tracks even before there was a train in existence that could make the trip. They built it because they knew some day, the train would come." So, in this spirit of having faith, of laying the tracks, I bought a giraffe. I actually won it at a silent auction. It's about 5 feet tall, is made of wood and is painted in wild fun colors. I thought it would be so perfect for a nursery. I got it last November even though there was no baby. I have kept it in my office and I have named it Jean-Paul (JP for short). It has been a reminder to keep the faith. I hope to bring it home soon. Thank you for keeping the faith with us...

6 weeks, 2 days

That's how far along I am today. Wow! It's hard to believe! Brad thinks the time is going by fast...I'm not sure. Sometimes it goes by fast and sometimes it drags. It feels like next Wednesday and my ultrasound appointment will never get here. I'm excited about getting to see what's going on in there. I pray every day about it. I've had more nausea, my face is breaking out some and I'm still quite tired. I'm usually ready for bed at 8:30PM or 9PM. The weather is really getting cool here. It's nice. We had fun looking at some Halloween stuff last night. Love you all!! Hugs all around!!

Thought you would enjoy this as much as I did...

This is from Joel Osteen's e-votional...

Let go of the past

Today's Scripture

"Fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria

The first step in moving forward into a fresh future is forgetting the disappointments of yesterday. No matter what people have done to you, or how unfair life has been, God is able to bring you out stronger than before. God wants the rest of your life to be more blessed than the first part—greater, in fact, than anything you could ever imagine. Unfortunately, too many people quit believing for more when they face tough times. They quit expecting anything good to happen. The truth is, our hardships and trials are really opportunities for us to go higher.

Whatever struggles you're going through right now, no matter how large or small . . . they are subject to change. Nothing may look right in your life today, but it's all subject to change. God is working behind the scenes on your behalf!

A Prayer for Today

God, I feel at peace with my situation knowing You are behind the scenes, preparing a fantastic future for me. I am going to let go of the past and believe for more blessing and abundance in the days to come. In Jesus' Name – Amen.

Facing the Giants

There's a new movie coming out called Facing the Giants. It's supposed to be very inspirational. We all face giants of one kind or another (true that!). I saw the trailer for this movie...I think it will be great.

We had a nice quiet weekend. We didn't do much. It was great. Hope all of you had a fab weekend! The ultrasound is a week from Wednesday!!

Lazy Sunday

I'm going to be ready for a Lazy Sunday. This has been a LONG, BUSY week. It just so happens that this week and next week, several projects converge to create back-to-back deadlines. Oh well. It keeps life interesting. It's hard to believe that next Wednesday, I'll be halfway through the first trimester. While that sounds good, we still have to wait and see what the ultrasound will show. I pray about it everyday. That's it from here. Just planning to chill all weekend...

Quiet routine

So, life has taken on a quiet routine. I'm busy at work. But mostly, the quiet of fall is settling over us. It's really nice.

I want to put out a prayer request for my neighbor. She got pregnant a couple of years ago after trying for more than 7 years. Her little boy will be 2 in January. Her husband has been away from home, deployed with a National Guard Unit. He's been away on and off since the little boy turned 1. After his dad left the first time, the little boy stopped "talking" and making baby noises. Now, he's almost two and is barely talking. The mom is stressed over doing so much on her own and dealing with possible developmental delays with her son. Apparently, the dad who is on duty is depressed. They are such precious people and they need our prayers...

Ultrasound coming up...

We've scheduled our first ultrasound for October 4th at 8:30AM. It's so exciting!! It's also a big milestone because it will tell us if the baby/babies is/are in the uterus and if there is a heartbeat. Oh how precious to see that little heartbeat! Please pray now that all will be well when we get to look in on the little one(s). We will also find out if there is one or more than one. Thanks for all your love and support!!

THANK YOU GOD!! ANOTHER HURDLE CLEARED!!

313!! That was the beta number today. Both sets of doctors say they will now consider this to be a "normal" pregnancy. The next hurdle is a significant one. I will have an ultrasound. This will be the chance to see what really is going on down there and how many of those little embryos found a warm place to snuggle for nine months. What an incredible reminder this whole process is that we must take one day, one moment at a time. Easier said than done. I'm beginning to feel pregnant...I nearly got sick to my stomach yesterday morning at church and I'm tired a lot. I suppose I'm finally comfortable enough to buy a pregnancy book. That's it for now. Just rejoicing in this victory. Thank you all for your prayers. The need for more prayers just keeps multiplying as we move forward.

Out of my hands

I've decided to enjoy the weekend, worry free. There is nothing I can do at this point to make those little babies grow inside me. I'm feeling better today though I'm still sneezing and my nose is quite stuffy. We slept later than usual, which was nice. Brad is coming off a week of working long days. So we both needed some extra sleep. It's been a relief last night and today to turn the worrying over to God and simply enjoy the days. I hope to keep this up through Monday and beyond. Thanks for your continued prayer. Our little babies need it (we do too)!

UPDATE!! Better news!! PRAISE THE LORD!!

So, after talking to the IVF team in St Louis, I found out that the number should double every *72* hours. So, we are doing just fine!! No need to FREAK OUT...yet! Praise the Lord! But what a fairweather believer I am. I was so sad and complaining to God about bringing me along this far and then letting us get bad news?!?! When will I learn to trust God and not fret?!?! Anyway, they still want another blood test Monday. Please continue to pray as we have a LONG way to go. We want to see OUTSTANDING numbers on Monday. It's all part of the journey...

An increase but not double...

Beta=152.3
Obviously, the beta did not double. However, the nurse for my regular doc (not the one who did the IVF) said this is not unusual for an IVF patient. At least it is on the rise. Still, it's not exactly the news we had hoped to hear. Please pour on the prayers. This is still such an uncertain time and I know God is in control. God has already performed a miracle by getting us this far. I know God will complete the work. We will re-test Monday. Pray that the number shoots SKY HIGH!!

Waiting...

My doctor's usual nurse is not in today. She's the one who got my results to me super fast on Wednesday. So I'm trying to wait patiently to hear today's news. I'm vegging out at home, trying to recoup from what must be a cold, not just an allergy attack. My throat feels better today (thank you Lord!) but my nose is still super stuffy. Will let you know something as soon as I get the call!

Only 251 more days to go!

With yesterday's life-changing news, the world looks so different. Buying cough drops becomes an ordeal because you want the kind that DOESN'T say "If pregnant or breastfeeding ask a health professional before use." I got clearance from the doc to use chloraseptic throat spray and to "sparingly" take Clairitin (that's plain Clairitin, not Clairitin-D). Brad kindly went out and bought some for me early this morning after another night of a raw sore throat. But I'm trying to hold out as long as I can. I don't want to take it unless I'm dying. I hope I can get over these allergies soon!

It was so fun to read everyone's comments yesterday! Thank you for sharing in our joy. As you might expect, we are not making any "announcements" for another two months. We want to clear the first trimester before telling people beyond our "inner circle" on here. Here's a fun ticker to watch the countdown:

100!!

We just got the call that the beta is 100!!THANK YOU LORD!!  Anything over 25 is good.  We had come back home and gotten in bed when my cell phone rang.  It was the nurse for my Springfield doctor and all she said at first was CONGRATULATIONS!!!!  We are so ecstatic!  We will have another beta test Friday to make sure the number at least doubles.  Please, please, please keep us in your prayers!!!!!  Thank you for your love and support and prayers so far on this journey!!
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Perhaps a slight delay

We got to the lab about 7:15AM.  The line was out the door!  So, it may be a little later than we expected when we get the results.  Will keep you posted!
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Rise and Shine!

I woke up arounnd 4:30 with a scratchy throat (darn allergies).  It's high season for ragweed around here and it just drives my whole body bonkers.  Anyway, I tossed around in bed until 5:45 or so.  I decided to get up and fix some canned biscuits (Missy's version of homemade).  I will go to the lab here in Springfield at 7AM to have my blood drawn.  My doc's nurse said she should have the results by 10AM (that's 11AM for all you EST folks).  I'm not sure how I will feel after I get going.  I may take off part of today to sleep and let my body rest from the allergy attack.  Thankfully, the allergies haven't gotten as bad this year as they've been in the past.  I'm sure it wasn't JUST the allergies that made it impossible for me to go back to sleep this morning...
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Caterpillar with Wings

I was reading a section in my meditation book last night. It said we are often like caterpillars with wings...willing to commit to a partial transformation (thus the wings) but remaining too heavy to fly. I really liked that image because it accurately captures how I feel sometimes. Hope you all are doing well. We have a lovely cool day here. It's only supposed to reach 70 degrees. I love nice fall weather. It's hard to believe that we will know our results in less than 24 hours!!! YIKES!! Prayers, prayers, prayers...

A couple more days of bliss...

Only two days until our first beta test (for now, ignorance is bliss). This is a blood test to determine how much of the pregnancy hormone is in my system. Pray they find LOTS! Regardless of the outcome Wednesday, we have a second beta Friday. If we get good news Wednesday, we will be praying that the beta number at least DOUBLES by Friday. You guys, I just feel so lifted up by your prayers. Can I say that sometimes along this journey, I have been too drained/exhausted to pray. Sometimes my heart gets so full/heavy that I just know don't know how to pray. Have you ever felt that way? That's when it's especially comforting to know that I have each of you praying for me.

Indiana Jones

We had a blast watching Raiders of the Lost Ark this weekend. We wanted to watch it after Brad got the latest copy of the UK entertainment mag Empire. Indy's on the cover and there's a great interview with lots of the actors, Spielberg and Lucas. We also whiled away the weekend with a visit to a couple of festivals, a football game and a new Saturday evening contemporary worship service. Brad's boss goes there and we jokingly told him we were there "to spy." We also made a trip to a video/comic book store in search of Mike Tyson's Punch Out but alas, our desires were left unrequited. We had a great time with everything...So, it was nice to have so many diversions to help keep my mind off waiting. It's hard to believe that we'll get news of the outcome of all this on Wednesday! It's exciting. Please keep praying...And we'll keep you posted!

Friday!!

Good morning (it's Friday so it has to be good)! It's been cooler in Springfield this week and quite pleasant. It will warm up this weekend and cool off again next week. Anyone else ready for the fall?!?! I was in Wal-Mart this morning and they had Halloween stuff out. I just love this time of year.

No big plans for the weekend.

Thank you for your continued prayer (bring it on!!). It keeps us going...

Happy Anniversary to Us!!

Today is our 7th wedding anniversary! I can think of no better gift to give my beloved than news that we are having a little beloved...Love you, Bun!!

Back to work

It's good to be back at work this morning after laying around most of the time since Saturday. I plan to take it easy today. I do have my two classes to teach but I don't have anything stressful planned for those. It's good to be here and have things to distract me. I felt a little nauseous last night and again this morning (don't get too excited...it's way too early for that to be a sign). Anyway, I was also able to detect this morning that the trigger shot has left my system. (Email me if you really want to know how I was able to detect that). Please continue to lift us up in prayer. We are eager to find out what the blood test shows next Wednesday.

Who do they look like?

So, which embryo looks like me and which one looks like Brad? (Granny T has already claimed Sonny for herself!!!). Today is a lovely fall-like day. I wish I could be outside and enjoy it. Instead, I'm laying around and enjoying the difficult task of doing nothing. Sure, I've got my books etc. Yesterday was a lovely beach-themed day. We had seafood for dinner by tiki light, I finished re-reading a beach book called Summer Sisters. Not beach-related but we watched a really cool movie last night. We rented "Akeelah and the Bee." Super family movie if you haven't seen it. We may venture out to the theatre this evening to see Little Miss Sunshine. I figure going to the movies isn't very strenuous and I need some distraction. Hope you all have a great Labor Day!!

Their first photo

Everyone in church asked about us and sent along their thoughts and prayers to Missy who was getting "bedrest." 

2ww

I'm in the 2 week wait (2ww).  It's hard because there's nothing to do but wait.  I'm really bad at that.  And while you wait, you obsess over every little cramp or twinge in your lower abdomen.  I'm praying God will help me get over this and live in the moment.  I did have some mild cramping yesterday.  The doc and nurses say that's normal.  Still, you want everything to be calm so the embryos find a nice comfortable place to hang out for the next nine months.

Total dorky disclosure:  I think of the embryos as being little space ships.  They've left their home planet, Petri Dish and have landed on a new planet, Uterus (not to be confused with Uranus).  They land and the little guys and gals inside the space ship get out in their little space suits.  They feel out the new planet and find it's amazing...far more like a real home than the cool, clear world of Petri Dish.  They fall in love with Uterus and are so much at home that they actually lay down and grab hold of the surface and promise not to let go for nine months.  At the end of nine months, their next assignment is to visit Earth. 

Ok. I know...I'm a TOTAL cheeseball!!  I've nothing better to do during the 2ww!
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Covered in Prayer

When we decided to go forward with this, we mentioned our plans for IVF to one of our Saturday morning aerobics instructors. Her name is Charity. She's a Christian gal who has become a sweet friend. She said her sister had done IVF and gotten pregnant on the first try because "she was covered in prayer." That image really stuck with me. I have felt that all of you have covered us in prayer. That's the only explanation for the amazing success we've had so far. Despite my low/slow response to the ovarian stimulating drugs, we got to see pictures of three outstanding embryos this morning. Dr. Silber was grinning ear to ear when he came in the room and handed the picture to us. He said the statistics had flip-flopped. We now have a 65% chance of pregnancy (things looked much less rosy before egg retrieval). While that's a high percentage, especially in the fertility game, it's not 100%. So, I ask that you continue to cover us in prayer. It's been amazing to see God at work. My sister, Weed sent me an email a week or so ago that said, "God is sovereign over this whole adventure." Amen.

As for the transfer...Brad had a better view than me. In a soothing voice, Dr. Silber encouraged me to relax various muscles. I closed my eyes and imagined walking on a beach, completely removing myself from the operating room. It was over before I knew it. When he was done, Dr. Silber commented that this could've been a very difficult transfer because of my anatomy "down there" but he said I did such a good job relaxing that it was not hard at all. Another reason to Praise God!!

Time to make the donuts

The buns are in the oven.

Sometime between 7:40 and 7:55 a.m., Dr. Silber carefully placed three fertilized embryos into Missy's uterus.

Three?

In his pre-game speech, Dr. Silber once again expressed delight at the remarkable success of our efforts.  To be so unresponsive initially, Missy's eggs have shown vitality like that of a 25-year-old. 

With three good eggs, he recommended transfering all three embryos.  What have we got to lose? The obvious question would be the chances of hitting the jackpot three times.  One percent, according to the doc.

So following an accupuncture session, Dr. Silber brought us a photo of those three miraculous embryos.  We decided Wednesday to name them, although we each had our own monikers.  Missy went with three girls: Ruthie, Claire and Lilly.  Brad went masculine: Michael, Sonny and Fredo.  (That way if one of them didn't fertilize I would know who broke my heart.). (Travis chimed in with the best entry yet: Winkin, Blinkin, and Nod.)

With Missy's legs in the stirrups, Brad got a glimpse of the device the doc was using to get where he needed to go: some kind of steel double-sided shoe horn.  Ouch.  He balanced the uncomfortable device with soothing encouragements of relaxation.  Being calm and cool is key to conception this way.

Then the nurse handed him this syringe with what could best be described as a wet spaghetti noodle, carrying the three embryos.  And that's all she wrote.

Now it's up to the grace of God to continue to bless us by allowing one, two or dare I say three embryos to implant.  (We'll register for that leche lazy susan.).

The risks are still there during this incubation period and beyond. All your thoughts and prayers are so very appreciated and welcome.
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Dreams

The d-lux apartment is ready!! Bring on the embryos!!

The night before my egg retrieval (Tuesday night), I dreamt about chugging water (I couldn't eat or drink anything after midnight). Last night, I dreamt about embryo transfer. Dreams are a way for your mind to work out anxiety. So, after "working" all night, I feel so good today, peaceful and ready to head to St Louis. I'm looking forward to having three full days to "marinate" on the couch. From the brilliant mind of KT came the idea to make these three days like vacation days, complete with vacation themes: beach day, Europe day, etc. Should be fun!! I've also got good books to keep me company.

Our seventh (!) wedding anniversary is next Wednesday. Wouldn't a positive pregnancy test on September 13th be the perfect anniversary gift (much better than the wool/copper/desk set suggested by the hoity-toity crowd for a seventh anniversary).

Continuing with my earth mother theme, I will have an acupuncture therapist meet me at the hospital tomorrow morning for a treatment before and after the transfer. The treatment beforehand will help me relax. The treatment after will reduce uterine contractions, making the d-lux apartment nice and comfy for the babies. It's my understanding that we get a photo-giraffic pimento (bozo fans!) of the embryos. We'll try to scan it and post it here.

PRAISE THE LORD!!!

ALL 3 EGGS FERTILIZED!!! YES!!!! We will head to St Louis tomorrow evening for a 7:30AM transfer Saturday. SWEET!!! I nearly burst into tears when the nurse told me. This is purely the result of prayer. I will write more after my class tonight. Please keep the prayers coming. We still have more hurdles to clear...

The Four O'Clock Hour

That's when we'll find out if any of the eggs fertilized. I'm remarkably calm today. I feel good, like we're going to get great news. Of course, I'll post the latest on here. We are still so excited about yesterday and the docs retrieving three eggs. WHOO-HOO!! We started the intramuscular shots of progesterone in oil (PIO). I'm quite sore from those shots already. It's like having a sore muscle. A small pain for such great rewards. Please continue to pray and we'll keep you posted!!

Rule of Threes

In journalism school, you learn about the rule of threes. Three sources on a fact means it's likely true. Threes make for great and memorable writing (e.g. huff and puff and blow your house down). Celebrity deaths happen in 3s. And three is the sweetest number on this journey so far.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, doctors whisked Missy away Wednesday morning and just as quickly returned with her absent three eggs. Three miraculously and medically created eggs. Three eggs we hope will have the right mojo to lead to greater things.

After all, three is better than none, a real possibility given the fragility of the female system. Dr. Silber and Dr. DeRosa both talked with us before the procedure, reminding us of the real possibility that we may come up short. Dr. Silber said most clinics in the world would have shut the book on cases like ours, women whose bodies did not respond abundantly to the medication. They avoid such couples to maintain their success rate, a key marketing tool in the fertility business.

But not Dr. Silber. He believes that any shot at conception is one worth taking, even if it is only thre eggs. The one thing Missy does have going for her is age. A woman of similar circumstance at age 35 or older would have a much lower chance of yielding any fruits.

While the glow is brighter, we are still far from seeing the light. Those three eggs will now rendezvous with my DNA hoping to sow some seeds. Again no guarantees of sucess. If they don't get along, we're back where we started.

But if boy meets girl, girl likes boy, and an embryo comes out of this meeting, then the couple moves up to a d-lux apartment in Missy's uterus. That would be Saturday morning.

Which brings me back to the first three words Missy was able to articulate in her medicated state: Praise the Lord.

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Up and At 'Em!

Here we go! We're up before the sun and getting ready to head to the hospital. Brad will update via Blackberry when he knows how many eggs they retrieved. Keep the prayers coming!

The Final Countdown (and the photos to prove it)

Here it is - Brad's big moment with the needle. 10,000 units (huh huh) of Novarel right there in the kiester.

No blood, no pain, but she's sore back there as if someone stuck a needle in her butt.

On the "Labor Day" scale of indecency, I'd give this one a 6. 

Don't Worry, Be Happy

That is my motto this week. There are many things that could consumer me if I let them. We leave for St Louis this afternoon. Then we get up SUPER early tomorrow and get the show on the road. Since I'm focusing on being happy and not on worries, here are some fun 80's images from a recent email my sister Weed sent me. They sure made me smile! Enjoy!


Jelly Shoes!
Alf!

Lights, Camera, Action!

Brad asked that I amend the previous post to say he's not just the loving and supportive husband but also a dedicated director. He's developing quite a stock of film as we move through our IVF cycle. He's so dedicated to his art...when we got the call today in the car about the egg retrieval, he had the camera rolling. While I was on the phone, he turned off the air conditioner and the car so he could get good audio of my end of the phone conversation. He was thusly disappointed when I hung up the phone and my first words to the camera were, "Why did you turn off the air?!?! It's hot and I'm about to die!!!"

Brad also got to do his part to help out this evening but that didn't stop the camera. He had to give me the HCG trigger shot in the hindquarters. It is intermuscular, which means I couldn't do it myself. He went to it right after setting up the video camera. That's some footage I hope no one ever sees...me getting a shot in the patoot (ok, it's more like getting a shot in the hip area...still, I don't think anyone wants to see that)! I'm not sure what he plans to do with all this footage (can't you just see it ending up on UTube!?!). I guess he's doing a documentary...So, watch out Ken Burns!! PBS will be airing Brad's documentary entitled "Brains, a heart and courage." When you pledge your support to PBS during this program, you'll get an ink pen shaped like a syringe.

EGG RETRIEVAL IS ON!!!

Praise the LORD!! We got the good news by phone a little while ago. I'm so excited to be moving forward!! Even though it's good news, I'm still trying to take it one moment at a time (goodness knows we're not done yet). All my hormone levels look good. (estradiol=473, LH=1.7, FSH=12.8) The uterine lining is good at 13mm. So, we're a go for 7:30AM Wednesday. We will be heading back to St Louis tomorrow evening. We have to be at the hospital by 6AM Wednesday. Brad will finally get some action in all this (beyond playing the role of incredibly supportive and loving husband). He'll do his part (ahem) Wednesday morning too. After the eggs are retrieved, then comes another waiting game. We call Thursday afternoon to see if fertilization occurred. So, pray that the procedure goes well (there are risks), that they get 3 or more GREAT eggs and that they fertilize and become 8 cell embryos and that those embryos implant, become a healthy pregnancy and result in the birth of our healthy baby nine months later. So, as you can see, we're not asking for much..*wink*

We will call Thursday afternoon to find out if the eggs fertilized. Thank you all for your continued prayer and support.

Not sure what's next

It's unclear what will happen now (because clarity would be too easy). Still only three measurable follicles but they are bigger. The one on the right is a whopping 2.1cm. The two on the left are 1.5mm and 1.6mm. We will know something for sure after 4 o'clock today. They could cancel, order more meds and more monitoring or order egg retrieval for Wednesday. Tomorrow is my target date, which is the day I originally picked for retrieving the eggs. Obviously, it won't be happening tomorrow. At this stage, if we move forward, the earliest it could happen is Wednesday. Will keep you posted. I'm praying that we'll be able to continue. Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts.

Meet Me in St Louis

We're back for some "Arch Madness" here in St Louis. We'll have monitoring and bloodwork tomorrow morning. We'll get the full report again tomorrow after 4PM. We're praying that it's good news, that we get the "go" for egg retrieval. Please cover us in your prayers. I'll give you the full report on the ultrasound tomorrow morning. Let's hope there are MANY BIG follies to see and measure!!

In the meantime, here are some random things that make me smile (because you always need something to make you smile):

*Clue, the movie
*Semi-sweet chocolate chip cookies
*Embroidered jeans
*Good coffee
*Meeting a new beach
*New episodes of "Lost" and "Survivor"
*Mountains
*Beach umbrellas
*Tea rooms
*Fluffy comforters
*Ted's Band on "Scrubs" singing an a capella version of the "Charles in Charge" theme
Sand
*Brick streets
*Indiana Jones
*Pepperoni and Jalapeno Pizza
*Old School Nintendo
*Bands like Kutless and Relient K
*Times Square
*Handwritten letters
*Fresh flowers in a vase
*Taxis
*Musicals

Yesterday's devotional, as promised

So here's what mom sent me yesterday from Joel Osteen...Very appropriate:

Trust God with your dreams

Today's Scripture

"The vision is for an appointed time. Though it tarry, wait earnestly for it, for it will surely come." (Habakkuk 2:3)

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria

We know God has put dreams and desires in your heart—things you are hoping, praying, and believing for. The Bible says "if we'll pray in faith, according to God's Word, then God will hear us and He will answer those prayers."

When you have a dream from God in your heart, you don't have to struggle and try to force it to happen. You don't have to be worried or frustrated, wondering if it's ever going to come to pass. When you have the promises of God deep in your heart, the Bible says you will "enter into the rest of God." That's a place of total trust. A place where you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God is going to see you through. It's a place of faith, knowing that God is in complete control, and at the exact right time, He will bring your dream to pass!

A Prayer for Today

God, You know the dreams of my heart. I rely on You to bring them to fruition and trust in Your perfect plan and perfect timing. In Jesus' Name – Amen.

My take on where we are

In case you couldn't figure it out from the title of the previous post (Star Wars, anyone?), Brad wrote that one.  So, here are my thoughts.  I was ready to hear that the cycle was cancelled.  I didn't want to hear it of course but I felt prepared.  I trusted God that if we got cancelled, I could take comfort in knowing there's a bigger plan at work here (I still believe that as we now move forward).  I told my sister Weedy that this is teaching me to live in the moment and not fret or worry, simply to trust.  Then, Mom sends me this AWESOME devotional today from Joel Osteen about how God has a plan for making your dreams a reality.  When I get to a computer, I will post it on here.  Also today my friend Misty sent me an email about how God answers even before we ask.  Then my friend Karen sends us a sweet comment on here.  Brad's mom Terry is also sending us her love and support.  And there are so many others, on and on.  I feel the prayers from each of you.  We are surrounded by love.  Speaking of love, we love this little child we are trying to bring into this world.  And if this cycle with all its uncertainty brings that child to us, we KNOW that child will be a fighter and a survivor. 

So we're just going to enjoy this weekend (no long car trips!) without worry or concern.  God has secured our future.

Fw: Episode IV - A New Hope

Sorry...we're having technical difficulties getting this posted.  So, here it is again:

Our fading hopes for an egg retrieval next week have turned around - at least through the weekend.

Friday morning began with the requiste 6:15 a.m. alarm. Continental breakfast followed, although this morning's buffet included the realization that Missy forgot her fertility folder at home.  An already anxious appiointment took on an extra degree of tension.

Thankfully Missy was able to complete her bloodwork without great hassle.  The ultrasound tech was a different gal than our previous two occasions.  She was much more personable, particularly as she desdribed what she saw: on the right hand side 1.6 cm follicle.  On the left, two life-giving growths of 1.3 cm and 1.2 cm. Better news than our previous visits, but not enough to stem the growing sense than fertilization was simply not in the cards for us this cycle.

Lunch at the Cheesecake Factory was followed by a screening of the Al Gore movie, "An Inconvenient Truth." (Solid for what it was. I could have done without the sour grapes clips of the Florida recount.)

So the call from Dr. Silber's office finally came (It must be 4:20 somewhere).  "We're going to continue you on the same dose of meds through the weekend with more monitoring on Monday."

Whew. For the entire week, we have predicted, postulated, and prayed about what Missy's less than spectacular response would mean.  Wait another cycle?  Do they pro-rate the fees in this case?  Would the meds give us a better shot at doing it the old fashioned way?

So hope is still alive at least for the weekend.  Missy will keep shooting up at the prescribed hour.  As of this writing (4:53 p.m.), we are currently back in route to St. Louis.  Missy only filled her prescription up to the doctor's recommendation.  That means she's used it all up.  We got as far as exit 203 near Cuba when the doctor's office called.  A frantic call to the pharmacy and we're back on the road. The good folks at IVP pharmacy have agreed to stay open until we arrive.

Sorry Al.  We're having a hard time kicking our CO2 emissions this week.  We'll try to do better next week.

The Follies

I had three measurable follicles this morning. There was one at 1.6cm on the right and on the left, one at 1.3cm and one at 1.2cm. While this sounds good, I don't think it will make a difference. This is where my follies should've been Monday or Wednesday. I suspect they will cancel the cycle. We won't know for sure until we get the phone call later today. We will keep you posted.

Waiting Time

It's hard to know how to feel when you are in a waiting time like this. I feel like we've been in a waiting time for three years now. I still have a glimmer of hope that things will be good enough tomorrow that we can continue. But I'm mentally preparing myself for bad news so that if it comes, it won't be a total blow. We go back to St Louis tonight. If anything, it's been great to have time with Brad.

Not so great news...again

"Things are not looking very good this cycle."

That's what the nurse said Wednesday afternoon.  Apparently there was not a measurable follicle on the left side.  That seemed to contradict what the ultrasound tech said during our morning appointment.  I will continue with my meds, have another ultrasound and bloodwork Friday morning, and if things don't look good, they will cancel the egg retrieval scheduled for Tuesday. 

Just pray for us.

Cautiously Optimistic

At the ultrasound this morning, I lay on the bed in a different room than we had Monday. On the ceiling of this room was a picture of a landscape from out west...big reddish formations, desert-like...I believe it was called High Point (trav and mel, do you know where this is?). I just gazed at it and relaxed, thinking "serenity now." First, the tech said my uterine lining was looking better. It has thickened up. Then, there was a measurable follicle on the right side, at 1.2mm. The left side was better with one follicle measuring 9mm. We won't know the blood results until after 4PM today. We *should* get better news since there are measurable follicles. I'll let you know!! Thank you for the many prayers, positive vibes, and babydust you've sent my way...

We made it to St Louis last night around 10:30. We just had breakfast. We're back in the hotel room now. We're killing some time before my acupuncture appointment at noon. Speaking of acupuncture, let me tell you that now I'm a believer!! I was quite skeptical about acupuncture before I had my treatment Monday. But the gal was super nice and answered all my questions. I didn't feel the needles going in. She put them in my ear, arm, legs, feet and lower abdomen. When I told her there were no measurable follicles Monday (this is before we knew the blood results), she said she'd work on improving blood flow to the uterus and increasing estrogen. She also told me to take one moment at a time through this process and live for today. Very much in line with Christian meditation.

BTW, the large needle in the photo from the previous post is NOT the needle I use for the injection. It's the mixing needle. I call it the Horse Needle. I'd go wild if I ever accidentally injected myself with that thing!! The other photo shows one of the injection needles. A month ago, I had a hard time imagining myself doing daily injections. Now, it's just part of the routine.

Continue to keep us in your prayers. This is a long road. I'm glad we're not on it alone.

Back to St Louis

We'll be heading to St Louis this evening and our next round of monitoring will be in the morning. We're hoping and praying the news is good!

Hopeful Hearts...

With hopeful hearts, we continue on despite today's results. In retrospect, I should have been more suspicious that I wasn't having side effects...I wasn't bloated...heck, I felt like running on the treadmill. Other than feeling somewhat tired, I was fine. I guess if the stims are really doing their thing, you feel kinda blah. Onward and upward...Upward with the dosage of follistim. We'll see what happens. Pray that these follicles will grow between now and Wednesday morning.

Not good news...

Just got off the phone with Dr. Silber's office.  There were no measurable follicles. Worse than that was the estradiol number (tells you how much estrogen is in your blood stream). It was only 19 and it should be in the hundreds. They are increasing the dosage of the follicle stimulating drugs. We go again Wednesday for monitoring. They want to see a significant increase in the estradiol number. If it's not up, they could cancel the cycle. Please pray that things will turn around and we'll get great news on Wednesday.

Monitoring Day 1

It's barely 9AM and we are finished. It's hard to tell how things are looking based on what the ultrasound tech said. She's not allowed to tell us much. We'll call Dr. Silber after 4PM today to get the official analysis. Pray that we get good news.

Monitoring Eve

We made it to St Louis.  We had a lovely evening, complete with another nature walk.  There's a lake near the hotel and a whole network of trails.  Beautiful evening.  A wonderful way to start the week.  We'll post updates tomorrow after the monitoring.

Diversions

I guess we've started a craze with the earlier reference to the 'tender (that's Nintendo to you non-East Tennessee'ers). Weed posted that sweet JPG of Piston Honda. I want to put out a call for a pic of the Great Amazon (or is Amazin'?). And do you know which 'tender game that's from?!?!

It's great to have some diversions (though we haven't busted out the 'tender since I beat Super Mario Brothers 2 for the 50th time...of course I can only win the one game in the history of humans that doesn't keep score). We are getting ready for church then lunch then St Louis. Brad fixed some blueberry waffles today. YUM!! We are trying to make this whole process more enjoyable by incorporating diversions into the schedule. For example, we are going up to St Louis the night before our appointments (because they are early...8:15AM...but have to be at the hospital by 7:30AM for bloodwork). But we'll also do some shopping at the mall, some good eating, etc. We are staying at my favorite Marriott (gotta love the government rate!) which has a nice workout room with floor to ceiling windows overlooking a lake. It's also right next to the hospital (I never knew that until we started all this IVF stuff...we had made this our St Louis hotel mainstay several years ago...funny how those things work out, huh?).

I've been exercising, even doing aerobics yesterday and I ran on Thursday. The nurse at Dr. Silber's office said I could do anything I felt like doing. I hadn't felt anything in my lower abdomen until last night. I was in bed and the growing follicles seemed noticeable for the first time. I'll let you know what they measure tomorrow. Hope you all are having a super weekend!

Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee...

OUCH!! Those darn Repronex injections hurt. The insertion of the needle isn't bad. It's the actual injection...It stings like a bee when the meds go in. I got a small welt last night at the site of the previous injection. Brad had his tripod for the video camera so he could record while helping me with the injections (it's quite the science project). He's like a talk show host, cracking jokes and trying to get me to open up with probing questions. The cats are in the background fighting just like two rednecks on Jerry Springer. Thank goodness for Brad and his ability to make me laugh!

I had a moment of crisis last night. It was brief, right before I went to bed. I just had a sudden feeling of sadness: What if I go through all this for nothing? When you are putting your body through all this, you hope that you'll have something to show for it. It feels selfish to think that way...My meditation book says to allow these feelings to arise, linger and pass away while neither embracing nor rejecting these feelings. That is what I did. I feel great and optimistic today. This journey has ups and downs. I agree with Trav and Weed...walking in nature does bring clarity...it's a great place to contemplate the awesomeness of the Creator. I need a granola bar.

Earth Mama

I'm turning into an earth mama! I've decided to have some acupuncture treatments (like I don't have enough needles going into my body everyday!). When I asked Dr. DeRosa what I could do to improve our chances of success, the only thing he suggested was acupuncture. There's even an article in the latest Prevention magazine about studies that show acupuncture helps with IVF success. Dr. DeRosa gave me contact info for a licensed acupuncturist with whom he works. I talked to her on the phone yesterday. Her rates are very reasonable so I've got an appointment each day I'm in St Louis next week. Then (here's the cool part), she's going to come to the hospital the day of embryo transfer and do a treatment immediately before and immediately after. The idea is to help you relax and reduce uterine contractions thus improving conditions for implantation. I'm so excited! So, with my daily granola bar, long hair, meditation and acupuncture, I feel like I'm becoming a true earth mama! Pass the nuts and twigs!

The injections went fine last night, once I got everything mixed. I hope I'm doing everything right! Since I'm highly prone to suggestion, I felt kinda weird after the injections, sure I was having a blood clot, kidney failure or some other unlikely side effect. I feel fine this morning. So far, the Repronex has not caused a welt, which is fairly common. It's sore at that injection site but nothing too bothersome. I keep telling myself...It's only for a few days (I'll probably get to stop these on Sunday the 27th or thereabouts).

Brad and I went for a walk last night. We had a great talk about the whole process, where we are in our lives, how we'll handle both possible outcomes, etc. It was good to talk without any distractions. I feel like this has brought us closer together...

You can post comments now!!

Sorry it took me so long to set the blog so that anyone can post comments. (I didn't realize you had to set that up...it's not a default) You can now leave messages without having to be a blogger. Give it a try. It works. I look forward to hearing from more of you!!

I did the three injections tonight. First, I must have hit a capillary because I bled when I removed the needle for the repronex. Mixing that stuff was a mild drama/trauma. I had trouble getting the mixing solution into the big syringa using the horse needle. What a pain! Oh well. I've heard the repronex can leave welts at the injection site. I've got a band-aid over it now so I don't know what it's doing. Here's my band-aid drama...I looked EVERYWHERE for some Peanuts band-aids. I distinctly remember getting those little circular band-aids when I was a kid and had to have blood drawn. The band-aids featured Snoopy and Woodstock dancing around...like that was supposed to make a kid forget about their throbbing finger or the "gaping wound" under there. Anyway, I wanted peanuts circular band-aids. I guess they aren't cool enough...because all you can find are Spiderman, Superman and Barbie (the Barbie ones are tempting). I finally found some regular sized peanuts band-aids. I bought them, slapped one over my injection site a few nights ago. Dudes, I'm still scraping that old glue off my belly. That's what I get for buying cheap cartoon band-aids. So I'm now back to the plain old brown circular ones. Boo!!

Not kiddies yet...but kitties

Just wanted to share some "brotherly love" with you. Yes, these are our precious babies...