Singing and Celebrating

My sister Caroline reminded me of the classic song sung by Phoebe in "Friends" when she was waiting to see if she was pregnant after her embryo transfer. (Remember? With her brother's baby?):

"Are you in there little fetus?,
in 9 months will you come greet us?
I will buy you some ADIDAS..."
(For those of you who need a musical rendition to recall... click here.)

For the past 10 days we have been giving similar pep-talks to our little "tot-sicle." (Get it?? Frozen embryos + popsicles = totsicles! Gets me every time...) It's felt like a forever long wait, but today we went in for our first pregnancy test. (It's just a blood test, so it cannot indicate a heartbeat.) They called us a few hours later, and my hormone levels are indicative of a pregnancy. Yep, I. AM. PREGNANT.

Of course, I was in the shower when they called. I had taken the morning off because my friend told me they called around 10:30am usually. Well, the nurse told me "It won't be until late afternoon, so go home and relax!" (I was hoping it would be like when the 16-year-old hostess tells you it's going to be a 45 minute wait for a table at a restaurant, and then 5 minutes later they call you.) I finally decided at 11:30am to believe the nurse that it wouldn't be for another few hours, and so I'd take an extremely quick shower. (And of course I was in mid-conditioning when they called). But ya know what? You can look like a wet dog and have mascara all over your face, but when the nurse says on speaker phone "Your results show you're pregnant!", none of that ends up mattering.

Will was convinced I wasn't pregnant, so I thought he may pass out. I went back and forth every hour guessing the result. (Just so I could say "I knew it", whatever the results were.) So we both stood there in shock for a bit, not listening to the other instructions our nurse was giving us. Finally, it sunk it, and man-oh-man are we happy. (Understatement of the century.)

We know this is just one part of the journey. Unfortunately, we've been here before. On Friday, I go back to make sure my hormone levels are rising appropriately, and in 2 weeks we go back for our 6-week ultrasound. This is the "biggy" to see if a heartbeat can be detected. That's when we'll know that maybe this time could be different. For now though, we will be thankful!

I'm off to celebrate with my baby-daddy. (And will continue to sing to my embryo a promise that if she* hangs in there, she* can get all the Adidas she* wants.)

SO much love to all!

And an extra XO to all the girls that put together our two-week-wait package. Every day we've had an activity to unwrap, and an inspirational card. (From using a gift card to get Fat Cat Ice-cream, to Easter bunny ears to put on our dogs for a spring photo session, to a gift card to Zelko Bistro, to a manicure/pedicure kit, to a gift card to Barnes and Noble...like Will said, "it's Christmas every day!") You have made us laugh every. single. day. We will be forever grateful for your kindness, thoughtfulness, and for holding us up during these weeks. (Now we are going to re-wrap them and do it all again these next 2 weeks!) 

Love,
The 3 Monroes
(yes, I know it's too soon. But I couldn't resist.)

*I'm using "she" because I've heard whatever gender you call the totsicle, it'll become that. Obviously this isn't true, but I'd be an idiot if I didn't try. (Just kidding. I'll love it even if it's a boy. I'll just love it MORE if it's a girl. :)) 

Lucky.

Five St. Patrick's Days ago, Will and I were in a limo bouncing around Irish bars, and we decided we made a pretty good team and so I should stop letting other guys buy me green beer. I like to imagine that during that limo ride, God was laughing saying "oh just wait to see what you'll two be doing 5 years from now on St. Patrick's Day!"

Today we soaked in all the luck we could get. It was Embryo Transfer Day! After a month of shots and meds, my body was ready for the transfer.

It's crazy how each step we've gone through has been a hard, uphill battle, and then today, the day we've been working towards, was so easy! We did acupuncture in the morning before hand, (studies show it can help your chances), and then we went into the procedural room. Unlike the harvest, Will got to come with me. You get to walk in, (no wheel chairs or bed gurney this time!), and then a swarm of people come in. 

The embryologist team came in first and confirmed my name, social, birthday, etc. to make sure they were using the right embryos. (So I guess I won't be accidentally have George Clooney's baby, after all). Then the doctor and nurse came to prep me. When the doc said I was ready, they wheeled in the embryos in this huge incubator. (Like what a baby would be in... it's crazy!) The embryologist and doctor use all this lingo back and forth, and then you get to see on the screen the little catheter that is making a little hole in the uterus. (It didn't hurt at all, although maybe I can thank the Valium for that.) Will watched the embryologist stick her hands through the little hand-holes in the incubator, (like she was handling a rare disease) and then put it in the catheter. (Will admitted he had a "oh crap, please don't drop it" moment.)  Then the doctor said "making the transfer!" and then, just like that, it was over. I lied there for another 15 minutes, and then they said I was free to stand up.  We did acupuncture again right after, and then we were free to go!  I've rested the rest of today, and I can't do anything strenuous for awhile. 

For us, we know that even if I have a positive test in 2 weeks, it'll be getting to hear the heartbeat that means things could be different this time. So we have 2 weeks until we find out if it's a positive test, and then another 2 after that to see if there's a heartbeat. (This also assumes we don't go completely insane during this period of waiting. The ladies in my amazing Sunday School class gave me a card and an activity to do each day of the Two-Week Wait. How adorable is that? I think I'm so excited for tomorrow just for that! What amazing friends we have. If I stay sane, I'll give them the credit entirely.) 

In the meantime, they try to make you feel like this isn't a complete scientific-experiment, and they give you your "baby's" first picture to dwell over. 

See that little white dot? Aren't those cells beautiful? :)

I don't have any clue how lucky the next 2-4 weeks will be for us. But I know today, as people texted us prayers, emojis, and well wishes; and as I held hands on our dating-versary with that same dude from the limo,  I felt pretty freaking lucky. 

Love,

Kendall and Will