September through December 2010

In order to update our friends and family on our journey over the last few months I have been sending out email updates. I figured it would just be easier to share each of these emails on here in order to update you on the last few months. (Plus lately my brain has been a little like mush so this helps me out a lot!!!) They go into pretty deep detail of what we have been going through each step of the way. So here is the last few months..........


SEPTEMBER 2010

Email that I sent out on September 12

Dear Family and Friends:
As most of you know Carl and I don't often like to discuss all that is going on with us and our infertility issues...not because we don't want anyone to know what is going on, but because it is just REALLY hard to talk about. I have a hard enough time talking to Carl about it and sharing/expressing my feelings and thoughts to him let alone sharing it with others. So I am sending you guys a link to a blog that is just incredible (to us at least). My wonderful sister-in-law Lindsey (THANK YOU) shared this link with me and it has just been such an inspiration and help to us in so many ways. The blog was started by a friend of ours, Kristen, from high school. I won't share too much cause she explains it all in her blog, but she and her husband are going through basically the same stuff Carl and I have been going through...their problems even started at the same time as ours! Its so incredible the similarities that there are...she even found out she had PCOS due to an ovarian cyst rupturing in her which is how I found out I had PCOS too (of course I also found out about Endometriosis too which is about the only difference in us). But she started this blog back in May to her unborn child that she already loves unconditionally. She shares every bit of the process that they go through inlcuding all of her feelings...and she holds nothing back which I LOVE! There are videos too which just amaze me that she can do this.
I went back to the very first blog and read from there and I hope if you have time that you can too so you get an understanding of what we go through. I had Carl go back and read from the very beginning...which I didn't know if he would really do it, but after he started reading he was just amazed and couldn't help but read it all. After he read/watched them he came to me and I could just tell that he had a change of heart...literally!!! He said to me that he now gets it (and that I need to express myself like her from now on) and understands why at times Im so sad, and why certain simple circumstances can upset me, and how he now gets the mood swings from all the fertility drugs. I didn't realize how much different this experience has been for him than me. Yes he has been there for all the appointments and everything that has gone on but he didn't understand all that the drugs and procedures have been doing to me and how incredibly emotionally draining this has all been...guess I forget guys aren't so emotional and dont always just get it...you have to tell them! And its not even just guys to be honest...unless you experience this first hand you will never fully understand it all which I am so thankful for that fact and wish this on NO ONE! 

In this blog Kristen puts it all out there...every feeling whether physical or emotional. So as my husband just said as I am writing this "If you ever want to know how Traci feels and what we are going through READ THIS BLOG and you will understand"! Truly everything that she says is a feeling I have DAILY!!! They however are at a step in their journey which we have not taken yet, but when we do I am thankful that i will have her to turn to.

Which to catch everyone up on us and where we are at...about a month and a half ago we sat down with our doctor and he said we have reached a point where basically our only option left is to do Invitro Fertilization...it was quite hard to hear and very frustrating to say the least. We also then sat down with a financial advisor who went over our cost with our insurance and up front before they will even start the process its a whopping $7500 with insurance!!! So we plan on having some fundraisers...hope y'all are ready to help out cause we are going to need all the help we can get ;) But we obviously do not have the money to do this nor are we prepared mentally, physically, and emotionally yet for this extremely tough and wearing process...however if that is what it is going to take we will absolutely do it as soon as we can...we cannot wait to be parents one day, but in the meantime are enjoying loving on our nieces, nephews, and friends little ones...and yes I may baby hog at times, but I think Im allowed at this point :)

So I hope that you guys can take the time to check this page out and that you get something out of it. I also hope you realize that some things are harder for others and that you will take the time to consider that and others feelings. I hope one day I can be as brave and bold and start our own blog and keep you guys informed! Another big reason I am sending this out tonight is because I am also requesting for lots of prayers for Kristen and her husband as they find out tomorrow if the IVF worked! It is a HUGE day for them and they truly need to be lifted up in prayers from everyone!!! And one other thing...please don't be afraid to ask us anything or to tell us anything...we can handle it!

And finally...I know a lot of people have been asking about my back procedures and stuff...well basically we are at square one again and back to being miserable. Forr the past year I was off my meds and stopped all the procedures thanks to physical/manual therapy twice a week and now my lovely insurance has decided that it is considered maintenance and no longer showing improvement which they do not pay for maintenance evidently which we are finding out the hard way (they are in fact not going to pay for any of my July or August sessions so I have a very large bill for that). So I had a couple procedures over the last couple weeks...which unfortunately have not helped at all and with the flu season work is crazy and absolutely killing me physcially so I could use some prayers for my body as well!!!

Thank you all for all your prayers and love and support throughout our journey! We appreciate it and love you all!!!!!!
Traci and Carl Huffman

The link to the blog: http://ohhappymiracle.tumblr.com
(To go back to the very beginning click on archives and scroll to the bottom and start at the very end and work your way back!!!)


So a couple weeks later Kristen and I finally found some time where we were able to get together and sit down and share everything with each other. At the time she had just found out that she was pregnant after going through IVF!!! I was thrilled for her to say the least!!! So I picked her brain and asked her a million questions about IVF. Before this day it was something Carl and I thought maybe one day we will get to that point but no time soon, but after meeting with her I was was more willing to do it asap and felt way more at ease and comfortable with it. THANK YOU Kristen for everything!!!


After we met Carl and I talked about things a lot more in detail and were becoming more and more open to the idea of seriously doing this!

OCTOBER 2010

Again it is going to be much easier for me to just share emails that we sent out to our family and friends so here is what happened in October:

This was sent on October 21, 2010:

Hello everyone! Hope that you are all doing well and enjoying the fall! Just wanted to send everyone the latest on what is going on with us. So much has happened since our last email update so I will try and fill you in as best I can. If you are receving this email it is because you are a special part of our lives and someone we love and we would truly appreciate your love and support throughout this journey. Fair warning though this email is very detailed so be prepared. After all that we have been through with this over the last few years I have become more of an open book then ever. So it is only fair to me to put it all out there and be as honest as possible. Although we are putting this all out there to each of you...This is still a VERY personal journey, but sharing it this way is just easier and will help with any questions you may have but be afraid to ask...plus it keeps us from repeating this a bunch of times. So keep reading on if you want to join us on our journey...

As you know we have been through a lot as far as fertility issues are concerned and after a couple years, two surgeries, two miscarriages, and all that has gone on in between with the ups and downs we have been considering doing In-Vitro Fertilization. 2 weeks ago we attended a class on IVF to get a little more familiar with the process...it was extremely overwhelming to say the least. However after talking with the nurses and the dr and each other we made the decision to go ahead and start part of the process for it. We were HOPING that I could do what they call an "injectable cycle" which meant I would take all the drugs and stimulants to get my body to react and they would monitor me closely and then we could do IUI (insemination)...this would save us THOUSANDS of dollars and not be such a big procedure. So we went ahead and ordered the meds...all $700 worth of meds that is, and thats not even for all of them. In the meantime we had some more tests performed and the day I started the injections we got the results back from these tests and after speaking with the dr it was determined that basically our only option for a healthy baby is to proceed with IVF and not IUI. We were extremely bummed and frustrated and fully prepared to give up because we knew that we could not afford this right now. However, because I had already got the meds and started them we took a step back to really think things through and I prayed about it quite a bit. We came to the conclusion that we felt like we were ready for this and the ONLY thing holding us back at this point was financial reasons. So we reached out to some family and have been more than blessed with the help that we need. We are so lucky to have such amazing people in our lives and we can never thank you enough for your help!!! So since we were blessed with the help that we need we truly felt like this was God's way of telling us to do it!!! So we make the decision to do it!!!

Since this big decision things have happened sooooooo fast! Last week I had one last back procedure that we are hoping gives me the most relief possible to get me through as long as possible! They went in my lower back at the Facet joints at levels 3, 4, and 5 and did a procedure called Radio-Frequency ablation...they litterally burned and ablated my nerves all on the right side of my back. As you can imagine it was a VERY painful process to say the least but I can already tell a difference...I just hope its a big one and lasts! Then Friday morning the intense IVF process started. I started my daily Dr visit for blood work and ultrasound...I go first thing in the morning and then they have this voicemail line that they leave you messages on to check that evening for results and instructions. So last Friday night I started with several medications by mouth and 2 shots (this is what the picts are of the majority of the meds and the three current shots). Carl is being an excellent nurse and has become quite the pro at injecting/stabbing me...he prob likes it s lil too much  The shots make me Very sleepy...and I have bruises all over from them and one of them feels like fire going in (the nurse says its the way it formulated why it hurts so bad), but hey if this is what it takes I can doooo it! Just excuse the hormones for a while please...they are all over the place!! So far the ultrasounds and bloodwork have been GREAT! They even took the dosage down on one of my shots...however they also had to had a 3rd shot...the shot part of the 3rd isn't so bad but the side effects on this one are not so fun...especially the headaches and bloating...not to mention the weight gain from them all! So tonight I continue the shots and go back tomorrow morning for more bloodwork and ultrasound. After tomorrow we are going to know a lot more (hopefully). If things continue to look good such as my hormone levels have to rise and be where they want and as far as the ultrasound they are watching the follicles (eggs) growth; we will move on to the next step. As of yesterday I had like 8 or 9 on my right ovary and 4 or 5 on the left with quite a few little ones as well...they have to watch them to make sure they grow at the rate and the way they want to see. I can literally feel all of them in me...its so wierd and because my ovaries are so swollen plus all the little eggs I am already using the bathroom like crazy!!!

So the next step is daily dr visits to monitor until around day 14 give or take (which is actually this next Wednesday!!!). Then they make the decision for the date of retrieval. For retrieval they will knock me out under anesthesia and then go in and take out all of the eggs that they possibly can. They will be transfering the eggs to a team standing by that will talk to them throughout the surgery letting them know how the eggs are and how many and all that good stuff. Carl will give his sample to them as well and then they will take that and do this procedure called ICSI which is an important part of this to get the best stuff possible! Then they put it together and wait to see if it grows! Then its a waiting game for a few days...anywhere from 2 to 4 days (which means we may miss out on some big upcoming events which we will be sorry about but if thats what it takes we have to do it). Within those stressful waiting days they will monitor to see if an embryo grows. They have a scale that determines how well the embryo(s) do and to determine if they will then transfer any into me. If there is a good embryo(s) they then have me come back in and will transfer them into me and then send me home to be on bedrest for four important days!!! And then..........we wait!

We are very well aware that there is so much involved in this and that is may not work, but we are trying to be as optimistic as possible and no matter what happens we know that God has a plan for us! We just ask for your love and most importantly prayers and positiveness throughout this. We need nooooooooo stress at all. The staff at the clinic doesn't even want me to do anything at all throughout this so I am going to try and keep things as stress free and laid back as possible! I am even starting a new job that is going to be less physically and mentally...so wish me luck!

We are still trying to come up with some fundraisers right now so if anyone has any ideas or suggestions please let us know!!! We are going to have a last minute yard sale at my parents house this weekend to help us out so if you have anything you want to donate or if you are in the Raleigh area and want to come by please let us know...we would appreciate it!

Again thank you all for being here for us and we will try and keep you all updated!!!
Much love, Traci and Carl Huffman

This was sent out on October 23, 2010:

First and foremost I would like to say a BIG thank you to all those that have reached out to us in response to our email!!! We cannot thank you guys enough for your love and support and have been overwhelmed with the calls, emails, and messages and they mean the world to us!!! We are sorry if we can't respond personally to each due to all that we have going on, but please know it means the world to us!!! With that said lots has happened since our last update...

I went back to the Dr on Friday and based on the way things were looking on the ultrasound we were told that our retrieval date could move up to Tuesday but based on my daily message from the results of my labwork there was no real indication as to whether that was the case or not. They did drastically reduce one of my meds which I thought was a good sign tho. Then today we woke up bright and early (after a night of no sleep thanks to the AMAZING game and win by the Rangers...WOOOHOOOO World Series Baby) to have a yard sale at my parents house to help us raise money. We went to my parents and set up and started the yard sale and then I left the troops to sell, and I headed to my dr for the daily visit. I was shocked when the nurse began the ultrasound and was like "wow...we may have you do your trigger tonight and do the retrieval Monday based on what I see". Of course it also depened on my bloodwork and what the dr thought of all the things put together. I was also shocked to find out that my dr is out of town at a conference through Tuesday...this freaked me out, but I was assured that his partner is just as wonderful and is doing several retrieval and transfers this weekend. So I left the doc and headed back to the yard sale...we did AWESOME by the way thanks to my amazing family for all their help and contributions...THANK YOU ALL!!! By the time we were on the way home from the yard sale I got a message from the nurse to call her...I knew something was up because its normally just a voicemail left on the hotline I get all my results on. So I called her back and also checked the hotline and found out that based on the results of today we will do the "trigger" tonight and then the retrieval will be Monday. The "trigger" means that I will stop two of the shots that I have been doing...I will still do one and also add two more that are going to trigger my body to be ready for the retrieval on Monday. So I will still have to go back tomorrow morning for more bloodwork and then as far as everything comes back the way they want we will be heading in Monday morning at 8:30 for the retrieval!!! This has all happened soo fast, but we know that God has a plan for us and is in control and we have to trust that. We are nervous and excited and could use your prayers and support now more than ever!!! I will try and update after we find out the results of tomorrow and know whats happening for sure!
Thank you all!!!!! Traci and Carl

This was sent out on October 24, 2010:

So I went back to the Dr this morning for more lab work and around 11 am got a call that they needed me to come back in for another shot. Evidentially one of the shots that i had to do last night and again this morning did not take the way they wanted to so they had me come back for another double dose of it. They said it happens and is nothing to be concerned with so we went back immediately and got the shot. After the shot the nurse told me that everything is a go and to be back tomorrow at 8:30 am to prep for the procedure at 9 am. So we are excited and nervous all at the same time, but trying to stay as calm and relaxed as possible...which is HARD. Thanks to a precious friend sharing this verse with me I keep trying to remember it and remind myself of Philippians 4:6-7 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ".


Tomorrow is a huge day for us...I know that the actual procedure and being under the anesthesia will be fine but we are just concerned with the next step...the BIG part!!! We need tons of prayers that the embryos will grow and form a healthy baby(ies)!!! Please pray for us and the doctors and all the staff involved. We are ready and preparing for all the possibilities that lie ahead and will let you guys know how things go! Thank you again to our incredible and supportive family and great friends for everything! We love and appreciate you all and look forward to what comes next!!!
Love, Traci and Carl

Carl sent out this email on October 25, 2010:

Hello everyone this is Carl i've hacked my rock star wife's email to update everyone. Today went very well. As you all know today was retrieval day so we went to the doc. at 8:30 they took us straight back and prepped Traci. The procedure was only suppose to take about 20 mins but it def was longer than 20 min seems like a life time to me as I waited to hear the news it really probably took 45 min. But with that said we were very successful, they retrieved 21 eggs which is great they were very pleased and so was I. Traci has been recovering all day it was more painful than we expected due to the high number of eggs that they retrieved but my wife being the trooper that she is we made it through it. We will not get any news till wed. Knowing these people it will probably be 5 o'clock on wed. but its all good we can wait. I wanted to thank everyone for all of the nice emails and text messages that we both have been receiving all day we do appreciate it. I hope all is well and everyone have a great night and a good tues. Traci is starting her new job tomorrow so add that to the prayer list that she makes it through, the day. Thanks again we love all you guys Carl

(this is a picture of me before the retrieval)

This was sent out on October 25, 2010

Hello everyone!!! Sorry it has taken me so long to write today, but I am writing with exciting news. The lab called me this afternoon while I was in a new hire training class. I walked out of the class very nervous to answer the call, but knew it was the dr office. I answered and it was the lab guy...who I could barely understand, but what i did understand was he said he has good news and that there was 13 good embryos...Praise the Lord!!! He then told me my date for transfer will be this Saturday morning...we were thinking it would be tomorrow, but hey they are the pros and have their reasons and I have been doing some internet research and am understanding more as to the reasons. I asked him all types of questions, but to be honest I was too excited and I could not understand him so I will have to call back tomorrow to get those questions answered again just to make sure I heard and understand everything. As of now we are a go for Saturday though. Anything can happen between now and then and we are well aware of that, but know that this is in God's hands and he has a plan for us! We still need all the prayers we can get and appreciate them all!!! Thank you so much for all the texts and emails today...they so help us and mean the world to us knowing you are praying and supporting us!!!
Much love to you all!!! Traci and Carl

This was sent out on October 30, 2010 by Carl:

Hi guys this is Carl I just wanted to let everyone know that today went very well. We were able to transfer two embryos today and the embryos were both very strong they scaled them between a 1 and a 4, 4 being the strongest one of ours was a 4 the other one was a 3+ witch the docs. were very happy about. The actually transfer procedure was very cool and wasn't to bad on our soon to be momma so that's a blessing it self. Traci will now be on bed rest for 3 days doing nothing at ALL so I will be taken great care of her and making sure she has no stress that is one of the biggest things. Hope everyone has a great halloween and happy bday to miss Olivia sorry your god parents couldn't make it but its for a good cause we love all you guys thanks for all the support Carl and Traci


The videos below are from the day of transfer

NOVEMBER 2010

This was the update emailed on November 2, 2010:

Hello everyone! Its Traci again. Well, my bedrest is coming to an end and I will be heading back to work tomorrow. Its been a relaxing few days and I have been very well taken care of thanks to my amazing hubby and family and friends who even made my birthday as special as can be considering not being able to go anywhere or do anything. So a huge THANK YOU to those that helped out...y'all are the best!!!

Just real quick I know everyone is wondering and asking what is the next step...well its pretty much a waiting game at this point. I do have to go and have some bloodwork tomorrow to check some levels and make sure I am where they want as far as hormone levels and the meds are at the right dose. I will have that done and will find out the results tomorrow afternoon and then we wait until the 13th of November for our pregnancy test. I will go to the doctor for bloodwork that morning and then wait for the call! Its gonna be a long couple weeks, but hey it is all in God's hands and we have done all that we can do and we trust that! I will be taking it VERY easy over the next couple weeks. I am not allowed to lift anything or do any bending or manual anything and am to have NO STRESS!!! Carl has said he is fine with me on bedrest for 9 months if thats what it takes he will take care of me   I am blessed with a wonderful husband that takes great care of me and I can't thank him enough!

Email update sent Novemeber 12, 2010:

First of all let me thank each of you for your incredible support and all of your prayers throughout this journey of ours. It has seriously meant the world to us and just been such an encouragement and inpiration and so much more!!!

Now, I know everyone is expecting for us to go have the first HCG pregnancy  blood test tomorrow, but after a few issues last weekend/this week they decided to let us come in a day early to test. So I went first thing this am to have blood drawn and then headed to work to wait............

I received a phone call on my way back from lunch today from my sweet nurse Carla (my heart litterally stopped when the number showed up and I was nervous to answer, but I was thankfully with my Big Sister Angela who told me to answer...so I did...thanks Angela for your support today and always). It was GREAT news!!!!!!!! We ARE PREGNANT!!!!! Praise the Lord!!!! We are excited and feeling so very blessed!!! For those of you who are wondering or know anything about levels my HCG was 515 and my progesterone level was 49.5 which is great. The next step is to go back in on Sunday and then Tuesday for bloodwork...they want to see the numbers double each time. So we have a very long road ahead and still need all the prayers and support from you all that we can get! Again thank you all and we will keep you posted!!!
Love and lots of hugs, Traci and Carl

Email update sent November 14, 2010:

Hey everyone! Thank you for all the sweet responses to the latest news!!!  We are so excited and full of all sorts of emotions and appreciate the continued much needed prayers and support!

Just wanted to send a quick update on the bloodwork that I had this morning...It was great they wanted my HCG (the pregnancy hormone level) to at least double. So today my HCG was 1250 and Progesterone 46.1. It more than doubled which is what they like to see! Next step is to go back on Tuesday for the same thing. We will let you guys know! Hope everyone has had a great weekend and has a good week!!!
Love, Traci and Carl

Email update sent November 16, 2010:

Hey everyone! Just wanted to send out a very quick update on my blood levels from this monring. My HCG level has gone up to 2863 so it more than doubled which is great!!! As of today I am 5 weeks and 2 days...which is a little further than what I thought but because of IVF they calculate a little differently. So that makes my due date July 18, 2011!!! Due to my history my first ultrasound will be sooner than 8 weeks...its going to be next Tuesday which is around 6 weeks!!! Please continue to keep us in your prayers...we truly appreciate and need them!!! Now I have to get back to work...busy busy busy today!
Lots of love, Traci and Carl

Email Update sent November 22, 2010:

Hello! Hope that everyone had a great weekend and is excited for Thanksgiving!

Several people have been asking when our first ultrasound is so I figured it would be easier to do it this way. Plus wanted to ask you all to keep us in your thoughts and prayers~ It is scheduled for Tuesday Novemeber 23 at 2:45 (tomorrow!). So we just ask for LOTS and LOTS of prayers for a healthy baby(s) (and momma) that is growing accordingly. We are not real sure what we will see or find out tomorrow since it is still very early, but as of today we are 6 weeks along PTL!!! We will let you guys know how things go and truly appreciate all the love and prayers and support!
Love and hugs, Traci and Carl

Email update sent November 23, 2010 Titled: Huffman Party of............

First of all let me thank each one of you for your continued thoughts and prayers and suppport throughout our journey. The power of prayer is absolutely amazing let me tell you!!!!!!!!!!!
Today went GREAT!!! The doctor began the ultrasound and pretty much immediately said......THERE IS TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes we are having TWINS!!! We got to see two little heart beats and the babies (I am so excited to say babies and know thats true) are on point as far as size as you will see in the pictures below! We are so excited and feeling so blessed! We know that we have a long way to go but are just beyond thrilled and blessed and know that with prayer and support this is going to be an incredible journey and with God all things are possible!

For now I will continue on all of my meds and 1 shot a night which I am totally ok with!!! The next step is to go back in 2 weeks for our 8 week ultrasound. So I am just gonna take extra good care of myself and be a lazy bum for the next 9 months!!! Hope you are all doing well and have a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!
Love, The Huffman's

PS The ultrasound picts didn't come through all that clear but you get to see both babies  separate and together and get the jist of it!!!

First Belly Picts 6 weeks 1 day

DECEMBER 2010

Email update sent out December 2, 2010:

Good morning everyone! Just wanted to let you guys know we actually went back to the Dr yesterday for another ultrasound...I have just been understandably nervous and every little thing has been worrying me. Plus we are going out of town this weekend and just have lots going on in the next few days and I just was having a hard time waiting till next Tuesday. So after speaking to my nurse and some prayers we decided the best thing was for me to come in early just to double check things and to put my mind at ease...the last thing they want is any stress on us...they are so good about helping keep that to a minimum!!! In fact after the ultrasound the Dr said I can come every single day and he will do the ultrasound as long as we pay for it...Carl quickly told the Dr to be quiet before I actually took full advantage of this offer and we go even more broke

Anyhow back to the ultrasound......it looked great!!! The babies are growing and their little hearts were just beating away! It is soooooooooo amazing to see and so special and calming!!! It is still too early to hear them according to the Dr so we are going back now next Friday and are hoping to hear them by then although its still quite early. The baby on the left of the ultrasound picture is now measuring 7 weeks and 0 days and the baby on the right side is now measuring 6 weeks and 6 days!!!!!!!!! As of yesterday I was 7 weeks and 2 days along (they said it is absolutely normal for them to measure a few days off and they are growing which is what they want to see)!!!!!!!!! I am so thankful I was able to see them yesterday and Praise God that things are looking good and there are two healthy babies with beating hearts!!!!!!!! Thank you all for your continued support thoughts and prayers...we have a long way to go so we appreciate everyone of them throughout this and each of you!!!

Now I need some very important help...believe it or not I do not have an OBGYN here. When we moved here back in 09 based on the advice of my Wilmington docs I went straight to NCCRM which is strictly just an infertility clinic. They are connected to Triangle OBGYN so that is an option and suggestion from Dr Toma (anyone have any experience there?). I would like to ask for all of your advice and suggestions first however. Please tell me any good or bad experiences and any suggestions and or advice you have when it comes to OBGYN and hospitals as well. I realize some of you are out of town or males, but I am sure you have a friend or family member or have heard things that could help us in this huge decision we need to make! Thank you all in advance for any and all advice good or bad...we want to hear it all so we are able to make an informed decision!!!

Hope everyone has a great day and I will send the latest ultrasound picts soon when I get a chance to scan them in...we were hoping to share video with you guys but my camera didn't record the whole thing we thought it did. We will try again though next week!
Love, The Huffman's


Email update sent out December 8, 2010:


Hey everyone. Really quickly just wanted to let you all know we go in tomorrow morning for our next ultrasound/appointment. We would appreciate your prayers!!! Also thank you to those who gave your advice on OBGYN's and hospitals...sooooo much to think about and consider. If you didn't have a chance to share your thoughts yet please feel free to do so at any point...it would really be appreciated! Hope that everyone is having a great week!!!

Love, The Huffman's

Email update sent out December 9, 2010:

Hey everyone!!! We had a great appointment today!!! We got to hear the babies heart beats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so amazing!!! We have a video the file is just so large I am going to have to figure out how to share it with everyone. Both babies are growing right on target....they are now on top of each other which the dr says is great. The baby on top is measuring 8 weeks 3 days and the one on the bottom is measuring 8 weeks 2 days! Praist the Lord!!!!
I am at work now but will try and send some picts and video out asap! Thank you all for your continued prayers and support!!!!!! Hope everyone has a great rest of the week!
Love, The Huffman's

I was able to upload the video onto here...its kind of long but towards the end of the video we got to hear the babies heart beats for the first time...it was incredible!!!

8 weeks 4 days

Email update sent out December 23, 2010:

Merry almost Christmas Eve everyone!!! Just wanted to send out a quick update. We had another ultrasound today and it was AWESOME!!! The babies are growing right as they should be (one measures 10 weeks 4 days and the other measures 10 weeks 2 days) and their little hearts were just a beating away! They actually look like babies now with little arms and legs...it was so incredible!!! The bigger little one is super active...it was so cool to see and just so amazing!!! We had to talk the Dr into letting us here the heartbeats again...he claims he does not normally do that but as you will hear in the videos to come I asked for a Christmas present...and he did it! He even called in another nurse to show him how to measure the heart rate...it was 178...very fast and healthy!!! He only measured the one but I was thankful for that and did not want to push it. We did get to hear both of them and they were strong as can be (Ill send that video a little later).


We were also officially released from the specialist and are now going to move on to a regular OBGYN!!! This is exciting because it means things are going awesome...it is also a little scary because we have become so close with this amazing staff and know we can count on them for anything at anytime. Plus I am still on my meds for another 11 days (which means I will be 12 weeks!!!!) so I will be in between Dr's while coming off my meds. We just ask for your continued prayers and support especially through this transition. We also made the big decision on the OBGYN. We will be sticking with Dr Toma's practice and going to Triangle OBGYN. We are familiar with some of the Dr's and they deal with the most twins and its Dr Toma's practice who has been an amazing Dr for us and part of our journey. I even asked him today if he ever delivers babies anymore and he said he does for friends and family and he would for US...I almost cried but felt sooooo amazing when he said that! This also means we will most likely have a C-Section, but I was already well aware of that. (I will also send a video of this conversation out later)


We are just feeling so incredibly excited and blessed!!!! Thank you all for the prayers and support and we hope you have an amazing Christmas!!!

 

Christmas 2010

We had a wonderful Christmas this year and so much to celebrate and be thankful for. We spent Christmas Eve with my mom's side of the family. We went to the early church service as a family taking up two whole rows in church and got to hear the message of the miracle of Jesus birth and be reminded of what the true meaning of Christmas is. Then we headed back to Pop-Poo's (my grandpa) and had a yummy steak dinner. After dinner we headed down to the family room for our tradition of watching A Christmas Story and opening gifts...we had a blast and lots of laughs.

Christmas morning we woke up early and went to my parents for a delicious brunch and opened gifts and celebrated with them including singing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Happy birthday Jesus!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then we headed over to Carl's parents to celebrate with his family. It was great! We stayed in our PJ's all day long and got to spend time with the family open more gifts and eat lots more food!

The Twins got their own oven mits as stockings since they are still "in the oven" :)

 

After a long fun day we headed home and had our own little Christmas. It was such a special time and we truly feel so blessed and just praise God for our many blessings!!!!!!!!!! The next day we woke up to a BEAUTIFUL winter wonderland. Carl had fun on the Go-Kart in the snow thats for sure. I just took it easy and had a nice relaxing day!

 

Recap of April 2008 to August 2010

Wow! It has been way too long since I did anything with this blog and so much has happened. I hope I can recap and remember it all as best as possible. Guess I will start where I left off..........

***FYI...fair warning. This is going to be a loooonnnngggg one!!! Please don't feel like you have to read all of this by any means. This is for our babies to one day see what a miracle they are, this is also extremely therapeutic in many ways, and also this is for anyone that can be affected by our journey in any way...I have been so touched and affected by others being so open with their blogs and putting it all out there more than I could have ever imagined. I pray someone will be helped in some way from our blog one day as well!***

Ok...lets start with April 2008 to May 2009:

In April of 2008 we had an amazing wedding (feel free to check out our wedding pictures at: http://photo1.walgreens.com/walgreens/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=37219393/a=3389777_3389777/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=walgreens/ )
and incredible  honeymoon (thanks to our wonderful family and friends) and pretty much just enjoyed being newlyweds all throughout the summer and fall.  We lived in Wilmington at the time so we spent some time at the beach, worked, and spent time with family and friends for the most part.

In the fall we got to celebrate Carl's little sister getting married, then the birth of our precious niece and Goddaugther Olivia, and a trip to Florida for our best friends engagement!!! The fall was full of celebrations!

In November Carl got a new job. He began working for a company based out of Canada that installed artificial turf and sport cork. This job was going to have him traveling all over the country, but it was a great opportunity for us.

Christmas in 2008 was when we made a big decision in our marriage...we were ready to start to try to make a family!!! This decision was definitely helped by spending time with our precious nieces and nephews over the holidays! So I stopped taking my birth control which I had been on since as long as I can remember. This was a little scary for me to stop because I had always known there was a possibility that I had Endometriosis (however the only way to know for sure was surgery) but this was what we wanted and I was excited at the same time.

A little over a month later I started to feel like something was going on in me...I was not getting my monthly cycle either. I kept thinking could this really be...could we be pregnant already?!?! I even remember one of my best friends calling me to tell me she was pregnant and I told her I think I might be too and started asking her all types of questions. I took some at home tests but none were positive. I finally got an appointment at my OBGYN to come in for a blood test and US (ultrasound) to see what was going on and if we were pregnant. The feelings started to become a little painful and all types of pressure and I was using the bathroom all the time. The Friday before I was to go to the Dr on Monday I went in to work...I did not feel well at all and complained the whole day but I made it through my shift. After work I stopped at the tanning bed (yes I know...BAD) after I tanned I went to the bathroom and while sitting there I felt like something exploded inside of me. I felt like I was dying. I made it to my car and somehow began to drive. The further down the road the worse the pain got...it felt like my insides were rupturing...I was dizzy and sick but thankfully I made it to the hospital. I thought my appendix had ruptured or something. Fast forward a few hours and a Cat Scan the Dr came in the room and looked at me and said "wow...you are a strong woman". You had a very large ovarian cyst that has been rupturing and you have a lot of blood from the cyst is in your abdomen. She wrote me some pain meds and went on her way.

Through the weekend I was in rough shape to say the least. It was the most painful thing I had dealt with and between my back procedures Ive been through a lot! I finally called my OBGYN Monday morning to let them know what happened and they immediately brought me in for an ultrasound and to check on me. After seeing the ultrasound and checking me out my Dr was angry...she could not believe that first of all they did not even call her when I was in the hospital and that they did not do surgery which I needed. At this point however it was too late and I just had to wait a few weeks for all the blood to go away and the pain to stop. Going from thinking I was pregnant to this...not fun at all. Fast forward a few weeks...I started with all the same symptoms again...I thought there is no way this is happening again but yes it most certainly was. This was just a little one so it was not nearly as painful, but I did have yet another cyst rupture. At this point they did some testing on me and determined I have PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).  According to Wikipedia: PCOS is one of the most common female endocrine disorders affecting approximately 5%-10% of women of reproductive age (12–45 years old) and is thought to be one of the leading causes of female subfertility. The principal features are obesity, anovulation (resulting in irregular menstruation) or amenorrhea, acne, and excessive amounts or effects of androgenic (masculinizing) hormones. The symptoms and severity of the syndrome vary greatly among women. While the causes are unknown, insulin resistance, diabetes, and obesity are all strongly correlated with PCOS. So based on what was going on plus the question of do I have Endometriosis (although my Dr was convinced I did not have it...although my medical history and family medical history as well would lead you to believe I did) the Dr decided it was time for the surgery. So we scheduled it for a few weeks later.

In March of 2009 I went in for a Laparoscopy...everything went fine. After the surgery the Dr went out to my parents and Carl to let them know how things went. She said that there was a mass that was removed and they were doing a biopsy on it and there were some other small cysts growing, and they got quite a lot of blood out of my abdomen that was causing a lot of pain and pressure from the cysts rupturing, but other than that things looked good and most importantly...no Endometriosis!!! The Dr was very excited to tell my parents this...a little too excited like she had almost convinced herself I didn't have endometriosis because she wanted to prove us wrong on our thoughts and suspisions, but she was the Dr and we trusted her. So I went home to recover in good spirits and my Dr wanted me to follow up with a Fertility specialist because of the PCOS. However over the next couple of weeks instead of feeling better I was feeling worse.

I finally had my first appointment with the fertility specialist and he brought Carl and I into his office to get our history and talk to us. I let him know everything from the time I was a young teen and started having issues to the latest of episodes and surgery. I had also been sent with pictures from the surgery to share with him. After I handed him the pictures his first comment to us was "well I see you have Endometriosis". Carl and I looked at each other like...what?!?! I told him oh no Dr X said I most certainly do not. He said well...I want to do an exam and get all the notes from the surgery and all your medical records but from what I see its pretty bad. So we went in the other room and he did an exam and he was convinced I have it afterwards. He wanted to just verify his suspisions though so he sent me on my way to do some further research. A couple days later I was in more and more pain so I came back in for another exam and he looked at me and said...I'm sorry but we have to go back in for another surgery immediately because it has already spread even more and its just gonna keep on getting worse until we do something about it. He also diagnosed me with Interstitial Cystitis (which is painful long term inflammation of the bladder wall) and put me on some meds for that. Needless to say we left very confused and upset to say the least. But we wanted to do what was best so we scheduled another surgery...because I had just had surgery on my abdominal area they had to give me at least six weeks in between the next one. So I waited in pain pretty much the whole time and did a couple minor procedures in the meantime to check things out and get better prepared for this one, and then finally the second laparascopy took place. This one was much different...evidently not only did I clearly have endometriosis it had taken over all my insides (well the female ones that is). The Dr said it was covering over 80% of my insides!!!!!! First of all how did the first Dr miss this and second no way were we gonna get pregnant without removing all of this!!! The doctor literally scraped my insides and removed all that he was able to. Some of it was already too far damaged or bad off to do anything but he removed what he could. I definitely felt like my insides had been scraped and ripped apart, but in the long run I knew I would feel better after the recovery process was over.

Throughout all of this Carl was still traveling all over the country in between surgeries and procedures. At times he was gone for weeks at a time...it was tough. So with everything that had been going on we made a big decision...it was time to leave Wilmington and move back to Raleigh to be closer to our family and friends...especially with Carl being gone for such long periods of times. So we began to search for homes pretty much immediately in April. While I was recovering from 2 surgeries and everything that had been going on I had lots of time to look on the internet and thanks to a great real estate agent we had lots of help. We made a couple day trips to Raleigh to look at homes and by the middle of May we had decided on a home. It was a very quick process for sure and we set to close in the end of June! We were stoked, but also sad to be leaving our home and friends/family we had in Wilmington but this was for the best!

Now back to the female stuff...so I had my post-op follow up with my Dr and he shared with me everything that he had done during surgery and showed me pictures and basically confirmed all of his suspicions. He was pretty optimistic though as far as our chances of getting pregnant and said once I healed from everything that we had the best chances of trying then. I also let him know we were moving, but we were going to be sticking with him at least throughout the summer. He was fine with that and pretty much gave me some guidelines and sent me on my way to just wait on my body to recover and get back on a normal cycle.

So I went on my way to recover and wait it out through the rest of May and finally started to get back to life and work.

June 2009 through December 2009

Well I was well on my way to recovery by the beginning of June and VERY busy! I was finally back to work...at least for a few weeks at the Wilmington Walgreens and Carl was off working all over the place. In between Carl traveling for work we were busy packing up the house and having yardsales to get rid of stuff and make some money to move. The last month in Wilmington flew by and it was finally time to head to Fuquay Varina to start our new lives as homeowners!!! Of course there was some drama getting into the new house, but hey it would not be normal for us without drama and suspense, but everything worked out and by the end of June it was official and we were in our new home!!!

We spent July getting settled in and I was working at local Walgreens picking up shifts. On the other hand the company Carl had been working for unfortunately ran into some money trouble and was unable to keep Carl or any of his crew on. So Carl got a job at Kanki until he could find something else.

Things with my back began to get a lot worse for some reason around this time. For those that do not know I have a variety of back issues that I have suffered from for over 10 years now. I have seen countless specialist and had countless procedures and done everything but major surgery.  The short list of things I have been diagnosed with are Degenerative Disc Disease at L3/L4, L4/L5, & L5/S1, arthritis, osteopenia, piched nerves on my low right side as well as nerve damage in my right leg, bursitis in my hips, herniated bulging discs, the muscle that goes up the right side of my back and then holds the hips in place is becoming detached and therefore my right hip rolls in and out of place also causing muscle weakness and pain all on the right side especially, and fibromyalgia. I was referred to a new specialist when we moved back and started to see them in August. Between August and November I had 11 different procedures including all types of injections and also nerve ablations and radiofrequency's where they literally burned/fried my nerves. I was hoping all this would help so that when we did get pregnant I would not be in so much pain. So back to the fertility stuff....

As far as me and my female issues....well I had recovered from the surgery and was just waiting for my body to get back on cycle, however my body did not want to cooperate. I went around 50 days without a cycle and no pregnancy so my Dr in Wilmington finally prescribed me some meds that actually got me to cycle and some meds to also help induce ovulation. Once I took that we thought we were back on track so we went through the month like normal. Yet again it was around 35 days and no cycle or pregnancy and I called my dr again and they said I had to wait till 40 days at least. I knew this was pointless but hey gotta listen to the Dr. So on day 40 they called in the same meds. At this point I was a little frustrated to say the least...I knew there had to be more the dr could be doing for me. So I actually asked them to refer me to someone in Raleigh since we were getting no results and asked around for people's opinions on fertility specialiast and was led to North Carolina Center for Reproductive Medicine/Dr Toma.

We got in with them by the end of August I believe and were shocked at how serious they took this and what all we had been missing out on!!! There was way much more that they could have been doing for me as far as blood work and meds and such. Oh well we were thankful to finally find somewhere that looked as if they could help us. We had a sit down with the Dr and went over our history and records. He ordered some bloodwork for Carl and I and prescribed me to Metformin for my PCOS (this was one of the big things that was overlooked at past Drs...it was mentioned but never actually prescribed). Typically this is prescribed for diabetes however it is also used to help treat Polycystic ovarian syndrome because one of the symptoms of PCOS is insulin resistance. According to infertilityspecialists.com here is a bit of an explanation as to what exactly it does for PCOS:

Metformin is currently being used to induce ovulation in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Metformin is an insulin sensitizing drug originally used in the treatment of diabetes. Metformin “reverses” insulin resistance (hyperinsulinemia) thus effectively treating many diabetics.

Up to 40- 70% of patients with PCOS have hyperinsulinemia which leads to excess androgen (male hormones) production by the ovaries and increased production of LH by the pituitary. The body tries to compensate for insulin resistance by the “over production” of insulin. Increased LH levels cause further elevations in androgens. Clinically, this results in ovulatory irregularities (or anovulation), increased body hair, numerous small ovarian cysts, and a classic “pear shaped” body appearance (obesity; although not always) and long term negative health consequences such as diabetes.

Metformin sensitizes the cells to insulin thus lowering the body’s production of insulin and consequently reducing androgen production. Once androgen production has been normalized ovulation can often resume. Metformin is dosed at 500 mg three times per day and Clomid or FSH may be added if ovulation is not established.

Numerous studies indicate that metformin as sole therapy is often effective in establishing ovulation in PCOS patients. Metformin is not without side effects and nausea is one of the most frequent.

PCOS patients usually have exaggerated responses to medications, such as FSH. Given the complexity of the disease, its potential long term consequences,and difficulty to treat, PCOS patients should seek the advice of a reproductive endocrinologist.

I know thats a lot to understand...it still to this day is for me. All I know is it helps with infertility and thats what mattered to me. When I started the Metformin I endured every single side effect possible (The most common side effects with metformin are nausea, vomiting, gas, bloating, diarrhea and loss of appetite)...it literally took me months to get over them and they were not fun but hey if it was what I needed then it was worth it! The Dr also wanted me to try a different medication to induce ovulation so when the time came the next month I was to start that as well. Not only did they prescribe me these new meds and give us a ton of information, but they also wanted me to call them when I started my cycle so that they could have me come in for blood work and ultrasounds on specific days to watch things closely to see how my body was working. The ultrasounds would show us if the meds were helping me to produce any dominant follicles (eggs) and watch their growth to see when/if they were going to ovulate and to let us know when to be trying for a baby. I was so excited when we left and shocked at how slack the Dr's were in Wilmington and what we had been missing out on. So we left the appointment with an exciting new outlook!

The next week Carl got a new job at a place called Physician's Pharmacy Alliance where he was a delivery driver for a private pharmacy that delivers meds to patients who are on Medicaid and Medicare that get 8 or more meds a month. Carl was super excited to be out of the restaurant business and so was I for him! I also became a full time senior pharmacy technician at a new Walgreens in Holly Springs. That weekend was our best friends wedding so we headed to Charlotte for a fun filled wedding weekend...we had a BLAST!!!

The following week my cycle started so I began the new meds for ovulation and started the bloodwork as well. Based on the bloodwork they had me come in around day 10 of my cycle for the ultrasound and things went from there. Things looked good and they told us when the best time for timed intercourse was. So we tried and just played the waiting game to see if it worked. Unfortunately it did not so when the next cycle came we started the same process over again and waited again to see if it worked. I woke up and took an at home pregnancy test and shockingly...it was POSITIVE! I called my nurse and she said come in for bloodwork immediately. I rushed to the Dr and then waited all day for them to call and finally talked to the nurse at like 5 and she confirmed we were pregnant! The next step was that I had to come in for two more blood tests to make sure the levels were rising like they want to see (they like to see the numbers double every two days for 3 blood tests). So I did the rest of the blood tests and each time they doubled like they wanted them to...we were so thrilled!!!!!!!! The next step was to wait for an ultrasound which they would not do until I was 8 weeks (which was 4 weeks away for the appointment to get me in).

In the meantime Thanksgiving came and we wanted to share our good news with the family...so when we circled up for prayers my dad had us go around the room and say what we were thankful for and when it got to us (we were last) Carl said we are thankful we are gonna be parents!!! Everyone screamed and cried and we were soooooo excited. We had lots to be thankful for and enjoyed our day. Over the next couple weeks we went on with our normal routine...of course extra excited that is.

Then the big day finally came...the ultrasound! We went into the Dr's and he began the ultrasound and from the first second I knew something was wrong. I'll never forget what he said...he looked at the nurse and said...how far along is she suppose to be??? The nurse responded 8 1/2 weeks. He then looked at us and tried to explain the baby just stopped growing. I did not understand or want to believe him at all. The Dr said well let me go back and look at your chart and lets sit down. We did and he confirmed his suspisions...I should really be like 8 weeks 5 days and the baby stopped growing at 5 weeks. I did not understand...I was sick as a dog with morning sickness this whole time along with every other pregnancy symptom how could this be?! Dr Toma said I am still pregnant and will still experience all of the symptoms until the baby is out of me. He gave us a million reasons this could have happened but to be honest I barely understood cause I was too upset. He then gave us two options...to do a DNC or to take this medicine that would cause me to miscarry. I was too upset and just did not want to believe him plus I wanted to make an informed decision so we left the Dr and went home to discuss things and think about it. We talked and did a little research and decided the best choice for us was to do the medicine...this way I did not have to recover from a procedure and we could start trying again quicker. The Dr was nice enough to let me come back in the next morning for one more ultrasound just to ease my mind and see if anything had changed and it had not so he gave me the medicine and we went home to wait to pass the baby (they said it could happen immediately or take up to 48 hours). This was 2 days before Christmas so I was hoping that it would happen sooner than later. Thankfully it started that evening and the worse parts were pretty much over by Christmas eve. Needless to say Christmas was a little difficult to celebrate to say the least. We however put on our happy faces and tried our best to enjoy it with our families...although we were just broken on the inside, but we did it.

January through August 2010

January came around...a new year YEA!!! We knew that there was a reason that this had happened and that God had a plan for us and we were looking forward to see what it was. We wanted to put everything behind us and move on and make the best of the situation. It at times was very difficult...epecially because EVERYONE in my life was pregnant...don't get me wrong we were very happy for them. Just we were wishing that we were in the same position and unless you go through such a loss yourself its something that you will have a hard time understanding and trust me I don't want people to understand cause its very tough.

Two weeks after our first miscarriage I began to feel a horrible pain that I knew all too well. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like something was exploding...I didn't want to wake Carl because I was pretty sure it was not my appendix but it was more female related (after everything I have been through over the years one thing I do know is my body). So I saw no reason to go the hospital plus it was a Sunday at 3 am. Because of all my back problems I had plenty of pain meds so I took those and stayed in bed allllll day long Sunday. Monday I woke up still hurting very bad so I finally called the dr and went in for an ultrasound and yep...another cyst had ruptured. And as with the first one I had a lot of blood in my abdomen causing the pain. Because I did not go to the ER and because insurance is crazy my Dr would have to book an operating room to get all of it out to relieve the pain but the OR waiting list because it was not an ER visit was a couple days which was pointless. My Dr knowing my history offered me an alternative...surgery in the office operating room with no anesthesia. Knowing how painful that blood staying there is I opted to do the surgery. I did take some sedatives and pain medicine but other than that I was awake. The Dr went in and I will spare you the horrible details cause it was rough but he got ounces and ounces of blood out of me. I was in pain from the surgery but could already feel such relief. Because of this happening it set us back a little bit as far as trying for another baby because I needed time to recover.

So February came around and we were back on track. We talked with the Dr and made a decision to try to do IUI ( intra-uterine insemination ). Basically they take the guys sperm and wash it and then insert it with a catheter so it gets straight to where it should be. The time came and we did it. It was very easy not painful or difficult at all. So now we wait and see if it worked.

It was the beginning of March by now and it was time for my sister in law's baby shower. We had so much fun getting it all together and the day went great! The shower went awesome and afterwards all the guys came back and we had a birthday party for my father in law. At this point it was still too early to take a pregnancy test, however I just knew that the IUI had worked and we were pregnant. The next day we were at my aunts for a birthday party and all the sudden my mom runs to the bathroom and gets sick. I just figured she ate something that upset her stomach or something. Then a couple hours later around 8 we were at home and I all the sudden ran to the bathroom sick as can be. At first Im like oh yea morning sickness has begun again (yes I was actually happy)!!! Then I quickly realized after spending hours in the bathroom and being sick from every end of my body that this was not morning sickness. By 1 am I told Carl to take me to the hospital...I knew I was pregnant and I was so afraid something was going to happen to the baby. They got me in at the er immediately and got an IV in me and started pumping me full of fluids and anti-nausea meds. They did some bloodwork on me and confirmed my suspisions...we were pregnant!!!!!!! As sick as I was it was hard to be too excited, but we were!!! They also pumped 2 bags of sugar water into me before they would let me out of the er but after being there all night they let me out with some meds and sent me home after being diagnosed with the norovirus. And it did not stop with me and my mother at least 20 others that were at the shower/party got sick with the virus...it was AWFUL!!!

The next day I was still so sick so I waited until the following day to go to my Dr for bloodwork to see if my numbers were going up. The numbers did go up the next day and we were thrilled! Of course they wanted to see the hormone levels double every 2 days for 3 test so we had a few more to go. I went back two days later and got a call that afternoon and the nurse told me the numbers did not really improve. We were shocked...I was still sick at this point and now had strep throat and bronchitis and all that fun stuff so I was wondering if that had anything to do with it. They had me come in again for more bloodwork and the numbers had actually decreased. At this point they told me that there was obviously something wrong with the pregnancy and at this point we should just wait to have another miscarriage. I wasn't far enough along (at this point I was about 5 weeks) to have to do any type of DNC or anything. So a week later I had another miscarriage at a little over 6 weeks along.

We were crushed and just confused and a million different emotions. We decided we needed a break from life so we planned a vacation. We went on a last minute 4 day 3 night cruise out of Port Canaveral Florida to the Bahamas...it was awesome and just what we needed!!! We talked about everything and just focused on each other and our relationship...then we headed back home to reality.

Over the next couple months my Dr and Husband decided that my body needed a break as much as I did not want a break I knew it was the best thing to do. So we just tried to move on and take it easy for a while. In May our precious niece was born so we got to love on her, we took a couple trips to the beach to see friends and other than that just lived our lives.

By June we were finally given the approval to start trying for a baby again. So now it was time to see if my body was going to work. We were also blessed with a trip to Alaska at the very end of June/beginning of July to see our family that now live there and for Carl to also do a little work on some fields. It was an absolutely incredible trip of a lifetime and we had so much fun with our family. We did and saw things I never thought I would be able to...it was amazing. We were also hoping to come home with an Alaskan bun in the oven. While we were there my body responded to the meds and was working. We had actually planned on trying the IUI again after we got home from Alaska but I responded to the meds to induce ovulation so quickly that it happened while we were away.

So now we play the waiting game again to see if we were pregnant with an Alaskan baby. In the meantime we got to meet our new precious nephew (technically my second cousin) who was born July 1 while we were in Alaska. Between all our nieces and nephews and friends precious little ones we were surrounded with little ones to love on!

The time finally came to test and unfortunately no Alaskan baby. So since we had been at NCCRM for a year we decided it was time to have a sit down with the Dr and see what he thought. We went in and he explained that because I have PCOS and endometriosis and with our history that our best chances were going to be IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). He also wanted Carl to do an in-depth Seman Analysis. He also gave us the option of a getting all of the medicaion that you take in preparation for IVF but depending on how my body responded we could then just do IUI which would save us lots of money. The risk with this is that if my body was to overstimulate from the meds and produce too many eggs that either we could not go on with the IUI because it would not be safe if there were like 8 or more eggs in case they all took or we would have to go through with IVF.

After we sat down with Dr Toma we had some bloodwork and the financial coordinator came in to go over how much IVF would cost. With our insurance our up front out of pocket expense was going to be $7500. This did not include any of the meds or the office visits and ultrasounds that are a required part of the process. We were surprised by how much it was even with insurance. So we left that day overwhelmed and a little depressed because we knew we could not afford this anytime soon.