Alpha.
Bravo.
Charlie.

These are the names we’ve given our 3 embryos (embabies). They are labeled based on when they became a viable embryo. Alpha & Bravo are both Day 5 blastocyst embryos (Heisman Winner & Runner Up). Charlie is our low-level mosaic, Day 6 blastocyst embryo (D2 Transfer). There’s a bunch of fertility jargon for “grading” embryos that, honestly, I just don’t understand. What I do know is that Dr. Huber said that all 3 are good. While our embabies are named based on timing, their rank is based on this weird grading protocol. Ranking-wise, they are in this order: Bravo, Alpha, Charlie. When we met with Dr. Huber a few weeks ago, we decided that we would transfer them in rank order; Bravo being first.

Sidenote: Cabo was absolutely AMAZING. This trip came at the perfect time. It was a much needed break from the stress of our fertility journey. It was nice to completely check out from reality. The views were breath-taking! We went whale watching, rode a camel, HUGGED a camel, rode some ATVs, explored downtown Cabo, lost to music trivia, and really just enjoyed each other’s company. Plus, daily deliveries of pastries to our room will be hard to top! I absolutely love my job and know how blessed I am to work for a company who sees & celebrates the hard work I put in. Shout out to MB for such a great trip! #bestboss

Since NOTHING goes as planned when it comes to fertility treatments, we had to postpone our original transfer date. Sigh… If you remember, I was put on birth control before we left for Cabo to help manipulate my period until we returned. Unfortunately, I developed a cyst on my right ovary, which was producing estrogen. Because of all that, we pushed everything back a month. We needed my body to remove the cyst naturally (this is a totally normal occurrence. nbd.). Even though prior to Cabo, I knew there would be a possibility of postponement, I was still a bit disappointed that it was needed. Ugh. Like why can’t ANYTHING go as planned for us?! Do you know what happened the day after Dr. Huber’s office told me we had to wait?! I tested positive for freaking COVID. Postponing the transfer was apparently inevitable. ::major eye roll::

The Rona kicked my butt. Major body aches, migraines, mild congestion, fatigue, COVID Brain, and restlessness. It took me a solid 2-3 weeks to really start to feel “normal” again.

Cabo: Check!
COVID: Also check & released back into society!

Next steps: Labs & Scans. And more labs & scans. Then some more labs & scans. Ughhhh. Since we’ve been back from Cabo, I’ve been in for labs and scans at least 6x so far. Each time, my numbers aren’t where they need to be in order to get started. At first they were too high (so we postponed everything). Then they were too low. Then they weren’t high enough. It’s frustrating. This entire journey is a giant waiting game. I’m anxious. I’m nervous. I’m freaking impatient.

My 6th visit for labs & scans within a month finally show my numbers where they need to be! (These “numbers” are the thickness of my endometrial lining and the size of my follicles on both ovaries.) So what’s next? Well, pretty much a whirlwind…

First up will be my trigger shot, Pregnyl. This is the hCG shot that I mix together and up until now has been referred to as the “big shot” (HA!). 2 days later, I’ll do my one and only progesterone booty shot. #Hallelujah #ThankYouBabyJesus After the PIO shot, I’ll start on Endometrin (a vaginal suppository of progesterone) twice daily. Our transfer is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb 22nd at 11am.

It is not lost on me that the transfer is TUESday 2/22. Two has always been one of my favorite numbers. I was born on Tuesday, April 2nd. Hello TUE & TWO. Plus, April is the 4th month, which is divisible of TWO. The procedure is scheduled for 11a. One + One = 2! We’re transferring the SECOND embryo we created. Is it kismet? Maybe. Is it a stretch? Also, maybe.

A few weeks later, I’ll go in for a beta test - a pregnancy test via blood work. The clinic stresses the importance of not testing at home early. Because of all the meds I’ll be on, an at-home preggers test could read as a false negative OR a false positive. This journey is enough of a rollercoaster already. I don’t need to add to it.

So here we go! More shots, more meds, & more waiting, but at least we’re also making some forward progress! #Eeeek!

P.S. I want to sing the praises of my brothers & sis-in-law. They created a Superbowl football pool to help with our fertility treatments. #ilovethem #theyarethebest Creating the pool was a complete surprise to us. The winners of each quarter donating their winnings back totally overwhelmed us. I know we keep saying it, but seriously - “Thank you” will never be enough for the love that our ENTIRE tribe has shown us during this journey. To those who participated in the pool, those who donated back, & those who have made contributions to our GoFundMe page: please know that we feel every bit of the love & prayers y’all are sending our way. Keep it coming!