Good News

SO Ben and I have both heard back about our different tests and everything looks great! My levels came back normal so I'll continue on the meds I'm on. Ben's tests came back great and he'll continue on his meds. Praise!! What does this mean? Not too sure. They are saying they want to do more (expensive) blood work on Ben but since his analysis came back well, he already told them we don't want to do those additional tests (they are super expensive). We'll see what they say. I'm guessing our doctor will want to do another consult. I'm planning to call and ask about our next steps.

So if everything looks good, why aren't we pregnant? Good question...we're guessing and hoping it's because we're just now reaching the point of our different meds helping our bodies reach good levels and working properly. Now that our bodies are where they need to be and doing what they need to do, hopefully we'll get pregnant soon on our own before we even get to the IUI step! That would be amazing. :) I'll update again once we know our next steps forward. Thanks for your support and continued prayers!

HSG done!

 I was super nervous about the HSG procedure (the pain part, not really the results). Ppl keep telling me, "be sure you take some ibuprofen beforehand"...apparently it can be pretty painful during and/or afterwards. Thankfully I had my guy there for emotional support, a laugh, and as my DD to get me home! (pic from right before we went in)

It did hurt. Only when the dye was running through my tubes. which was fast, but it was very intense. I got a little dizzy afterwards and took a nap once we got home but so far not much cramping or anything else. Thanks for the prayers!

The results will be sent to our doctor at the fertility center and she (or more likely her nurse) will let me know what they find in a few days. Thankfully the doctor who did it was really nice and told me afterwards that it looked great and he saw no blockages. Yay!

Also, it was slightly cheaper than what I was quoted the other day. Woohoo! Before the HSG we went to our regular fertility clinic and I had a blood draw for some blood work to be done (just keeping up with my thyroid levels) and Ben had to get another semen analysis (because it's been so long since the last one) so total for today was $362 which was less than we were expecting to have to pay so it was a win there also!
Now we wait for our labs...

More testing

I've had a couple of phone calls with the financial consultant at our fertility clinic today. Blah! Insurance doesn't cover infertility so we pay everything out-of-pocket. We don't want this to be a source of debt so we save and do things as we can. Which makes the process even longer.
A few months back we decided that I would NOT have an HSG test (a dye test that sees if there are blockages in my fallopian tubes) because my ultrasound looked good and our doctor said it wasn't necessary even though she did recommend it. We talked through it all with her and she was fine with our decision...NOW our doctor is saying we really need to have it done before we move forward with doing an IUI (intrauterine insemination). Ugh!
Here are the price options:
Two outpatient places at $232 and $325 or we can have it done at our clinic for $475. Yikes. We're going for the cheapest but according to the nurse I talked to at our clinic this place doesn't always produce the best images so we run the risk of our doctor wanting a re-test which we will have to pay for again. Please be praying it only takes one test to get good images and also that everything looks good and is flowing freely so we can move forward with scheduling our first IUI. My appt for the HSG is Wednesday.

An update and new journey...

I know it's been a very, VERY, long time since I've updated here. I've updated our timeline and hope to do a better job of updating our blog again. A lot has happened since my last post. We closed our foster home with the private agency we were working with. They were wonderful but for varies reasons, we no longer felt that we needed to be with them. The plan was to move straight over to TN Department of Children's Services (DCS) but life happens...and sometimes not how you plan. So that hasn't happened yet, though we do plan to contact them soon.

Over the past few months we have been working with a fertility clinic and with a fertility specialist to figure out the reasons we aren't getting pregnant. We've done lots of bloodwork and tests and are both on meds now. We've had several medicated cycles but still have not gotten pregnant. We hope to move on to IUI's soon. You can check out the timeline tab and there are links to explain what an IUI is.

Next month we celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary....and all I can think is that it has been seven years and not one positive pregnancy test. We decided before we got married to let God determine when we'd have babies and chose not to use any type of birth control. So naturally being almost seven years in, a few of those years actively trying to get pregnant, we definitely thought we'd be celebrating with a few kids by now. I mean, at least one! Every single cycle I allow myself to hope and dream and every single cycle so far (7 years worth) has resulted in heartache and crushed dreams. It's been a long road...with a lot of heartache and tears. We are so lucky and blessed to be walking this road together though. It has brought us closer and made us stronger but we're really hoping to be celebrating next year with a baby! I'll be updating as we go through this new journey so feel free to stick around.

Hello, Goodbye

I've been MIA but we've had a busy two weeks. We got a call for the sweet twins we had last year and of course, said YES! Again, they were only with us for two weeks but we sure did enjoy them! They were as sweet as ever and so much fun. We miss their sweet little selves. It went too fast.

Empty Nest

If you follow me on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook you know we got a placement about two weeks ago. Twin girls, 17 months, absolutely precious! We got a call for them back in November but their mom decided not to place (we work with an agency that only accepts voluntary placements). Well, when we got a call a couple weeks ago for twin girls, we figured they were the same ones....they were. We were SO excited!...and totally nervous.

We picked them up February 1st. One twin is outgoing, loud, and sassy (we'll call her Ms. Sassy). The other is shy, laid-back, and loves to be held (we'll call her Ms. Cuddles). They are both beautiful and so much fun! Twins are a handful in the best way possible!! :)

I'm working now as a toddler teacher at a local child development center (I posted about that on my personal blog but haven't talked about it here). Thankfully there were openings for them at the same school and I was able to be in their class most days.

Here they are on their first day of school giving each other a hug.

Cuteness overload, right?

With daycare comes sickness, of course. They both had runny noses a week ago Friday but had a weekend visit with mom so I'm not sure how the weekend was. We picked them back up on Sunday and they both had fevers and runny noses so we all stayed home from school on Monday. Their fevers broke in the night and they seemed on the mend besides runny noses so we all went back to school Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday night I posted this picture and asked for prayers for Ms. Cuddles because her fever was high (103.4).

After Motrin, a lukewarm bath, and Tylenol, we headed to the ER when her fever spiked to 104.2. I checked Ms. Sassy before we left who was already sleeping but she wasn't warm so we left her home. Thankfully my brother was able to come stay with her. Our caseworker and the girls mom joined us in the ER after a couple of hours. By the time we went back her fever was up to 104.8 and she was working hard to breathe. Long story short, she was admitted with pneumonia and had a two night hospital stay. Her mom was able to stay with her...which I'm sure was comforting for them both.

In the mean time, we came home that first night and I checked Ms. Sassy who had a fever of 103.7...gave her Motrin and her fever was gone within an hour. She woke up fever-free and as playful and loud as ever around 7:30. Around 10 she started feeling warm and slowing down, I took her temp a little later and it was already up to 104.2. I called her pediatrician who said take her the ER...so off we went again. They were able to get her fever down pretty fast and we left after some tests with just an ear infection and some antibiotics.

Needless to say, we had some exhausting couple of days this week!

There was talk of another weekend visit but we weren't sure it would happen because our CW was pushing for it not to after the days we had. Friday morning I get a call from our CW who asks if I can pick them up once Ms. Cuddles is released from the hospital....and then tells me that their mom has decided to take them out of foster care so it won't just be a weekend visit, they're going home for good. So within a couple hours I have all their stuff packed and I'm picking up mom and Ms. Cuddles from the hospital and I drive them all home and say goodbye. What?!

We knew they would be going home...eventually. They have a wonderful mother who loves them very much and I am so thankful for that but the abrupt way they left has been surprisingly emotional for me. Mothering sick babies is draining by itself and I know part of it is just that I'm exhausted from the past few days, but I really wasn't ready for them to leave yet. *sigh*

Please pray for the girls and their mom...that she will do what she needs to do for all of them and that the girls will heal quickly. And pray for me as I continue to process the past few days.

30 Days=6 Weeks...and that's ok!

Welp, we ended up having Little1 for a little over six weeks. We learned quick that timelines in foster care can change from day to day. :) What was supposed to be 30 days turned into six weeks. He went home about two weeks ago (wow, time flies). We enjoyed everyday of it! And miss him terribly! The house is so quiet now but he is where he belongs and I'm thankful we know he's just as loved and cherished at home.

We enjoyed visiting parks, going on nature walks, playing outside and teaching him new words everyday (he was in a blossoming stage with words!). He was so laid-back and easy-going. He learned quickly what "no fussies" meant and how to use words to get what he wanted...and his words are oh.SO.cute. He loved Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Little Einsteins...and so did I because it allowed me to cook, clean and do my bible study time without a toddler hanging on my legs and arms. ;) He was starting to develop a little sense of humor right before he left, so funny! He loved hugs and wrestling. He talked to himself (for like 30mins!) before falling asleep at naptime and bedtime. He is a beautiful little boy and we're so thankful he got to be a part of our lives for a bit.

Now, we're in the waiting stage again for another placement. Who knows how long that will be or when it will be a child we feel fits into our lives but we're ready for another call. Next time, I will *try* to do better about posting! Kids, they're just so time consuming. ;)