Friday, June 29, 2018

DEFET Details



If you're like, wtf is DEFET?, let me explain... Donor Egg Frozen Embryo Transfer, also known as DEFET.  As most of you are all aware, we are currently on track to be transferring our next embryo for baby #2!  As of Monday evening my period had started so I emailed my clinic & was given instructions on Tuesday to start Estradiol (2x day) and baby aspirin (1x day) we also started Delestrogen on the 28th which is taken every 3 days and it's only 4 doses.  Delestrogen is administered just like progesterone in oil, which is intramuscularly in the butt cheek.  I've had a lot of questions about the baby aspirin and I will tell you that not all clinics add this to their protocol.  It's used to improve blood flow and is also considered to be an anti-inflammatory.  If I get pregnant I take it until 18 weeks.  Do I believe it will make a cycle successful, no, but I don't it can hurt at all either. 

I had my baseline ultrasound on 6/27 and all was clear.  I go back on 7/9 for a follow up and lining measurement to make sure my Estradiol & Delestrogen have been doing their jobs, but I've never had an issue with my lining so I'm not too concerned with that.  I also start PIO and Prometrium (2 forms of progesterone, one IM injection & one vaginal suppository) on the 10th with our transfer to follow on the 16th!

Originally I had booked our flights for 7/11 returning the 16th, I thought I would be able to transfer a little sooner than what I am actually scheduled for so I panicked when I had to reschedule my flights, however due to medical reasons I was able to do so without the $200 x ticket penalty they were originally quoting me.  We fly to Georgia on Saturday the 14th, transfer on Monday the 16th, and return on Wednesday the 18th.  Our donor is off all the days that we are there which is awesome!  We are hoping for a parents night out on Saturday night and then maybe the zoo and Melting Pot on Sunday with the kiddos.  They've been kind enough to open their house up to us as well.  I can't wait for all the kids to meet, Georgia is going to be obsessed with all of them.  She just loves kids.  So I am really looking forward to having a fun few days while we are there.

I'm guessing that my beta will be the following week, around the 26th or so.  As excited as I am, I'm trying to remember there is always a chance it won't work.  Even with our 5 highly-graded embryos, there is never a 100% guarantee that comes along with this.  The logistics of this process alone are complicated and expensive enough so I am being as hopeful as I can that this WILL WORK first time around.  I do believe the odds are in our favor, however our record is still a losing one at 6-1, so I'm hoping we can bring it to 6-2 this round!  I'll try to keep updates here on the blog  of everything that is going on. 

PS. for some reason I have not been receiving blog comments via email so I am sorry I have not been responding if you've left a comment.  I have tried to come on here and reply to them on the post, but I'm hoping I fixed the email feature for good.  I try to respond to all comments via email as long as you aren't a no-reply blogger. 

Friday, June 22, 2018

Georgia June - 16 Months


my beautiful babe, blue eyes, red hair, and cheese all over her outfit... 

Sixteen months already!?  Where has the time gone?  Georgia had a wellness checkup 2 weeks ago and she weighed in at 23lbs, 31" tall, with a head circumference of 19".  Her proportions are finally starting to equal out a bit.  At 23 pounds she is in the 70th percentile, and at 31" she is also in the 70th percentile--this is up from the 35th percentile at her 12 month check so she definitely had a growth spurt.  Georgia's head size still hovers above average at the 99th percentile which it's been at for her entire life. 

Georgia has certainly turned into a toddler.  She has a fierce personality and attitude to match, but she is also so fun, sweet, and loving.  She is very independent, but also likes to cling to mama for dear life most of the time when we are home.  When we are out, it's a different story.  At the local carnival she was more than happy to be dancing around in front of the band all by herself.  She made friends, kissed strangers, and took in ALLLL the sights she could.  She played pick-a-duck a few times and won herself a few fun prizes. 


Georgia still only has a few teeth, 5 to be exact, which we just started brushing.  She loves to do it herself without any help.  She almost has more hair than I do and it's starting to lighten up, but still has such a pretty reddish tint to it.  She has an amazing appetite and we really haven't found anything she won't eat except maybe celery and spinach, if it's in a pureed form she is fine, she absolutely loves food pouches so we go through about a dozen of those a week which are a great way for her to get her fruits and veggies in.  Her other favorites are blueberries, string cheese, goldfish crackers, yogurt melts, watermelon, banana, and sweet potato.  She is still wearing 12-18 month clothing most of the time but we've got her in some 18 month stuff too.  It's nice that their growth slows down eventually and you can actually put them in an outfit more than one time!


attempt at 16 month picture gone wrong, but look at all that hair

Talking has easily become G's favorite pastime.  Seriously, this girl has SO MUCH to say, (just like mama), now if only we could understand her!  She can say about a dozen words including mama, dada, woof woof, open, shut, bath, pouch, hi, bye, hot, sit, vroom vroom, and duck.  She loves books but rarely ever sits still long enough to read through one in its entirety.  She very rarely ever plays with the iPad like she had been a couple months ago which is nice.  I really didn't want her head buried in a screen too much but she really isn't whining for my phone like she had been before.  


We've been spending a ton of time outside and really are just loving all things summer.  We got our giant 7' unicorn sprinkler and a baby pool along with a water table and sandbox outside, all of which she loves.  We also have my aunts pool where we spend most of our weekends.  It's been in the high 90's the last week or so so we definitely have been taking advantage and swimming as much as we can.  This weekend is Joe's birthday (fun fact, Joe and Georgia share the same birthday date, the 22nd) and we are going to Wisconsin Dells with our camper for the weekend.  It's supposed to cool down to the mid-70's which will be perfect for camping! 

Over the next few weeks we will be getting ready for our frozen embryo transfer as well.  My period should be coming any day now & as soon as it starts we can schedule our baseline & get a transfer date set!  As long as AF comes in time then we will be looking at a transfer date of like 7/12-ish. 

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Our Current Season

Sometimes I end up in an unintentional blogging hiatus, I think all bloggers do this sometimes.  Life happens and having the time to post regular updates can be a challenge for those who don't do this full time.  We've been busy lately and it's going to get crazier over the coming weeks!  

This past weekend was my 32nd birthday.  I took the day off and treated myself to a facial and got my hair done.  I got coffee and a cake pop from my bestie and flowers from Joe along with some other fun gifts from family.  Although it rained for most of the morning, by the afternoon we were in the pool.  One of Joe's other gifts to me was a night out while he stayed home with G so I went to the winery with some friends for some much needed girl time.  I stayed out too late and drank too much but it was well worth it.  Very thankful for a husband who is willing to do this for me every once in awhile! 
I think is so important for mamas to take time for themselves.  One of my favorite quotes is "you can't pour from an empty cup" and Friday was a day I overflowed my own cup with selfcare.  Even for working mamas like myself who are away from their babes most of the day, we still need time to oursleves to recharge, not just for us but for everyone's sake.  Between work, being a mama, a wife, a friend, a homemaker, & whatever other side hustles you might have, we ALL deserve a break sometimes.  I can't speak for SAHM's but I assume they probably really need adult interaction or alone time if not more than working mamas.  No matter what your situation is, I hope you are taking time for YOU.  I hope you have a spouse or partner who is supportive and understanding of how important that time is.  

So back to life lately...we've been having a ton of fun with our favorite warm weather toys, the 7' unicorn sprinkler and the water table have been the biggest hit with G.  One toy that Georgia really loves and I get the most messages about is this Frozen 4-wheeler that Georiga has been seen so fearlessly riding around our yard.  This one isn't the exact one we have but it's close.  She actually got it at Christmas when she was just 10 months.  She rode it in the basement but didn't know how to use it at all.  Now she has almost mastered the button herself and loves to push it around and terrorize the dog with it.  
We have been spending most every afternoon in the backyard, Georgia with her toys and mama with a White Claw.  We live in a magical place--in the country but on a wooded lot on a small river.  With that brings kayaking, 4-wheeling, and exploring right in our own backyard.  It also brings things like 4' snakes and 4" spiders, but we love it nonetheless and we can't wait to take Georgia on more adventures this summer.  I got her a lifejacket and I'm hoping we can get her out in a kayak to mess about in the river once the water goes down from all the rain we had.  

Georgia's really starting to resemble less and less of a baby and more of a toddler every day, along with her attitude which is also resembling that of a toddler vs. a baby.  She's got this screeching shrill "cry" she does when she wants something, we can't help but laugh at it, she (like all toddlers people) wants that instant gratification and she has definitely found the emotion of anger, and has the grimmace to go along with it.  She has her dads temper and angry face and it's hilarious.  She also has a contagious laugh and a gap in her two front teeth and when you put those two things together, it's nothing short of adorable.  She's been an absolute riot and watching her play and interact with other kids, toys, and experiences has been awesome.  
In another month we will be heading down to Georgia for our transfer for baby #2!  We don't have exact dates yet but I'm guessing somewhere between the 12-16th.  It really will depend on if my period decides to come on time which it has been every month since I began tracking it again.  We are taking Georgia with us and I cannot wait for her to meet Amy and her family.  We are staying with Amy and we have some fun things planned like the zoo, and hopefully will get a parents-only night out.  There is a Melting Pot in the neighboring town and I definitely have that on my list of to-dos.  I'll be sure to do an update when I have a better idea of our schedule.

This week our local carnival comes to town and it's one of my very favorite ones to go to--best rides, best food, and best entertainment of any of our local carnivals, so we will be spending most of our weekend there & also will be celebrating Father's Day.  Joe's 35th birthday, a possible bike trip, and the 4th of July are all things that are approaching quickly.  The time is flying and we are trying to soak up every fun moment we can this summer!

Friday, June 01, 2018

Walking with Plae



Georgia has been walking her little heart out since Easter of this year and watching her get better and faster has been an absolute riot.  In her first days of walking she walked with her arms up at her sides to help her balance.  I remember we were at my grandmas having our Easter lunch and her basement is completely carpeted, that was all Georgia needed and she just took off.  Now, two months into it she's practically running!


One thing I didn't really take into consideration was having a few good pairs of shoes for her, especially being a first-time walker, I really wanted to make sure she was in a good quality shoe, but also in cute shoes too.  We have tried a few different pairs, but our current favorites are our Plae shoes!  We have the Chloe's in Passion Flower and they are soo cute.  They're super colorful, vibrant, and durable.  Although they're a little big for G's little feet right now, they're definitely something she will grow into as and will be able to wear through the summer and fall. 



We do a lot of outdoor play.  We live in the country but in more of a wooded area right on a small river called the Vermillion.  There's lot of fishing, kayaking, and playing in the river in the summer as it dries up and you can walk across it.  These shoes will be perfect for all the exploring and adventuring that she will be doing this summer.  Joe really wants to get her in the kayaks and on the four-wheeler too so a sturdy pair of shoes will be must for those types of activities. 


What do I love about Plae shoes?  The options--lots of colors and styles to choose from.  Sizing starts at a size 5 which is a little big for Georgia but I think she has exceptionally small feet for a child her age.  They come in adult sizes--yep, there are adult options too!  There are even combo adult + kid options.  Their reason--here is the link to their mission statement in full which I absolutely love, but in short, Plae aims to make play for everyone, regardless of age!  I think it's brilliant and I love how they describe play as something that is reinvented regularly by kids. 


So far we are loving our Plae shoes and we can't wait to create memories with our girl this summer and watch her little imagination work as she plays.  You can save 15%  when you buy 2 or more pairs, use code ECOBUNDLE at checkout.
 
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