In-Vitro Schedule

We started the in-vitro process again at the beginning of January and I kept this "journal" from day 1. Unfortunately, this cycle ended in cancellation for lack of strong embryos. I'm sharing this "journal" with you now even though we didn't have the outcome we were hoping for. We've been sharing this journey with you all along so why stop now? WARNING: very long post!!

Friday, January 11th:
Doc appt today - got the thumbs up to start my stimulation meds on Monday, January 14th. I will be taking 2 shots per day, a steroid pill, 4 folic acid pills, prenatal vitamins and a B complex vitamin. There are some other meds / shots I have to take along with this DAILY!! Puts a new spin on popping pills! :) So excited to start this again...

Friday, January 18th:
So far, so good...looks like we're currently "growing" 13 eggs!! Will know more on the 22nd but doctor will definitely be plucking the eggs the week of January 21st. Martin Luther King day has been a good luck holiday for us - that is when Cameron confessed his undying love for me 9 years ago! And now, we'll be making petri dish babies that week! :)

Tuesday, January 22nd:
Looks like we "grew" a couple more eggs this weekend - 15 are showing up on the ultrasound! YIPPEE!! They will be retrieving the eggs on friday, January 25th. They fertilize them right away and on Saturday, January 26th we'll find out how many baby Hatten embryos we have incubating.

Friday, January 25th:
16 EGGS!!! They got 16 eggs today and tomorrow we'll find out how many fertilized!

Saturday, January 26th:
We have 6 baby Hatten embryos as of this morning...we'll be transferring them back into their "home" on Wednesday, January 30th. Well, not all of them - we'll decide with our doctor how many we should put back. Usually 2, however since we've done this 2 times before she may decide 3 is a better number.

Tuesday, January 29th:
I spoke with the embryologist today and she's saying that we have "low quality" embies. The first 2 times we went through IVF, we had almost perfect quality embies so I'm devastated at this surprising news. We're not 100% sure we'll even be doing a transfer tomorrow, they may cancel our cycle.

Wednesday, January 30th:
So, we're literally putting all of our eggs in one basket as of this morning...we have one little embryo that is a possibility for transfer. They are cultivating that little one for one more day and planned transfer is now tomorrow. They still might cancel depending on how this little one does overnight. We're hoping this ONE is our little miracle. We're getting more answers as to why this is happening by working with this new specialist so, hopefully there is still a possibility in the future if this doesn't work.

Thursday, January 31st:
We're officially cancelled as of today, no transfer will be taking place.

It's amazing to me how a journey I never thought I would be on has had such an impact on my life. I never knew that I had endometriosis until we tried to have a baby. I never knew the extent of the damage to my ovaries until we had worked with 3 different doctors. I never knew what yearning was until we faced this challenge. I never looked around and judged parents as I do now, wondering how they can be so blessed and not appreciate it.

Congratulations Chad & Monica!

This weekend Cameron & I attended Chad & Monica's wedding in Chicago. Cameron and Chad have worked together for years. Chad & Monica have a 1 year old son, Braden, who was their ring bearer (pictured below). They will all be moving to Vancouver at the end of February. Best wishes to the Ramsey family!

Weekend Visitors

This past weekend, our dear friends from NYC came into Chi-town for a visit. We were able to spend 2 nights downtown at Cara & Andrews (thank you guys for the hospitality) and then one night at our place. They brought their little Jacee who dubbed puppy Buck (Cara & Andrew's) and puppy Roscoe "baby dog". Thank you McGinnis family for making the trip with a 2 year old!

Julee, Cara & Jen:Cameron, Andrew & JB:Jacee & "Baby Dog" Roscoe:Cameron & "Baby Dog" Buck:

Autism Awareness

Just got this video emailed to me and wanted to share. Please click here to view.

Our First 40th Birthday Party!

On Saturday evening, Cameron and I attended our first 40th birthday party. I think that means we're officially adults. Happy 40th to Janet!! As you can see in the picture, Janet was lucky enough to get a stripper pole and a long bra for her birthday...hope she can put them to good use!

Congratulations Alm Family!

Congratulations to Krista, Mike & big sis Ava on the new addition to their family: Emily Grace. Emily was born last Thursday evening and had a rough few days. She wasn't able to keep anything down and was admitted to the NICU. Thankfully, last night she started eating and has been doing well. Emily should be released to head home on Tuesday.

It Did It Again!!

Andon's MRI results were even better than we had hoped!! The main tumor decreased in size by 50% and the other nodule was completely gone! How awesome is that?!?! Thank you for the continued prayers and support of the Zehrings...we fully believe that Andon is going to be a miracle of this horrible disease!

Go see JUNO!

Cameron & I went to see JUNO on Saturday afternoon. Go see it - it was great. Cameron obliged my wish to go see it even though he thought it would be a chick flick...absolutely not the case. It's really funny and Cameron liked it too. It will have you laughing & crying! I was in meltdown mode at the end... it hit a bit close to home for us. If you're up for a movie, I would definitely recommend this one!

Also - one quick request...Andon gets his next scan on Wednesday, January 9th. Please continue to keep him in your prayers for a good scan - we want that tumor to shrink & disappear! Thanks!

New Year's Wish

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish for you is that this life
becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you,
and wants the same things too,
Yeah this is my wish.

I hope you never look back but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh you find God's grace in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.

This was courtesy of Rascal Flatts,
but it is truly the wish I have for all of you!
May you have a wonderfully blessed 2008!