There's an Alien in my Womb...

These pictures are going to be very difficult to make out. Just note that they're all the same scale, so at the very least, you can appreciate that the little baby is growing at a rapid rate.

Picture #1 (above) at 5 weeks 6 days shows a tiny little bright speck (the baby's heart) between the two x's. We could see it pulsing - like a light bulb growing bright then dim then bright then dim. It was a neat experience. I thought it would make it seem real and make me less afraid that the baby wouldn't make it, but as neat as it was, it still didn't quite sink in that we were basically out of the woods.
Picture #2 didn't turn out very clearly, but note that this week (6 weeks 6 days - exactly one week after the first picture), I could make out two distinct chambers of the heart. I could also kind of see a hint of leg and arm buds (I think). The heartbeat was very strong and fast and the nurse suggested that I go ahead and schedule the exit interview with my doctor for the following week, because in her opinion the baby was out of the woods.

And finally - today - officially 8 weeks. Can you make out the little gummy bear? At least, that's what he or she looks like in this picture. A big head with some dark eyes and little tiny arms and legs. The baby is shown here from the side facing downward (if you need help figuring out this picture). Today we saw four distinct chambers of the heart which was beating strongly and clear. We had our final appointment with the ART fertility clinic and before we were released were told to breathe a big sigh of relief and know that we had less than a 5% chance of miscarriage - as good as it's going to get before we hold the baby in our arms in August.

So this was the last picture I can post of the alien in my womb until our 12 week ultrasound, so about a month from now. At that point the baby will look just like a baby should and will be 3 to 4 inches long, so I think I'll be able to show him or her to you without so many pointers in how to view the picture. For the meantime, I thought you would enjoy seeing our little gummy bear (although it's bigger than a grape so technically for a gummy bear, it's a big gummy bear)!

Seven Weeks Plus...

I had my seven week ultrasound on Monday. See, going through fertility treatments has its advantages - like getting to see my baby every week for the first little bit. It certainly reassures me after my miscarriage to be able to see that little baby grow and grow and his or her little heart ticking stronger and stronger. So it's a little bittersweet that everything's going so well, because my fertility doctor has decided the chance of miscarriage has dropped so low that he's ready to release me to the regular OB.
Geoff and I go for our last appointment and Ultrasound with the ART clinic on Tuesday, at 8 weeks. I already have an appointment the week after with my local doctor, so hopefully they will keep monitoring me closely like the fertility folks have.
I have told some of you how much work it takes every day to make sure this little baby gets everything he or she needs to survive. Each morning I take a prenatal vitamin and baby aspirin. The aspirin helps to thin my blood due to my high levels of something called anti-nuclear antibodies which attack my good blood cells. Apparently these ANAs may have kept a good bloodflow from getting to my womb during the first pregnancy. Also each morning I give myself an injection of Heparin (for the same purpose as the aspirin I think) in my stomach. My stomach looks like a war zone - it's absolutely covered in bruises. Because of this, I'm already in maternity clothes (tight clothing causes the bruising to be worse). Finally in the morning I use a gel (take a guess where this goes) that provides extra progesterone.
In the afternoon/evening, my sister-in-law (who is a labor and delivery nurse) comes over and gives me my progesterone injection (because the gel doesn't deliver as much as I need). This is an IM shot (goes in a muscle) so I get it in my hip. The needle is an inch and a half long and the progesterone comes in gel form so it's kind of difficult to inject. Luckily I've only had to give it to myself twice before. When I do it, it goes in my thigh and makes my whole leg hurt for days after. Also in the afternoon/evening I give myself another injection of the Heparin in my stomach. And with my dinner I take Metformin which does something to block my insulin and helps nourish the baby somehow.
Anyway, it took me so long to write all of that up that I've got to go finish getting ready for work in a hurry, but I thought I'd just tell you all of what is going into getting this baby through to August. I don't know how long I'm going to have to do all of this, but I do know it will all be worth it.

You + Me + Baby = Three

This morning a strong, healthy heartbeat from the little life inside me made me wish I never had to work another day - or for that matter, I'd like nothing more than to sit and watch this little one grow for the next seven and a half months! Thanks for your continued prayers and support as our baby prepares for his or her grand entrance in August.
This news is the best late Christmas gift ever!

Just for Fun - Name Game

Geoff and I have been throwing around baby names as long as we've been married, so here are our top three boy and top three girl names:
BOYS
1. William Everett
2. Linwood James
3. Robert Clyde
GIRLS
1. Jane Edith "Edie"
2. Virginia Kathleen "Kate"
3. Martha Claire
(Instead of having a Jr., we're just going to call our kids by their middle names, since their Dad goes by his middle name). They're all family names and I have the hardest time deciding between them. Maybe we'll end up with six - three girls and three boys and I can use them all! (HA!)

The Christmas Post

So this is the obligatory Christmas Post. And probably about time, seeing as my last post hit before Thanksgiving. I will definitely have to post some pictures after Christmas day. Usually I'm more on top of things than this at Christmas. I think, though, my life is a little full at the moment.
We have decorated the tree and indoors. I even put up wreaths outside and a tree on the porch. We had intended to put outdoor lights up this year, but Geoff managed to slice open one of his hands and we spent the day after thanksgiving in the ER. Then he was out of commission for a week and it just didn't happen. Here's hoping for next year!
Geoff's van is coming along, and after two years in the backyard, it's nice to say that it's really, really close to being finished. I know he's as ready as I am to have that project wrapped up.
Speaking of projects, my folks are coming for Christmas, and we always seem to have a project. Well, this Christmas's project is painting my kitchen. Over all of their visits over the past 4 and a half years, we have really done some great work on our home. For those reading this who know my mom, you know she's a project queen, so I'm not being a bad daughter asking for her help on stuff like that - she likes to do this stuff!
Anyway, I hope to post soon, showing off our pretty decorations, unwrapping the Christmas presents, and working on the kitchen among other things. Maybe my new year's resolution should be to post something once a week. I think I can manage in 2009, so stay posted...

Double Whammy

In case you're out there wondering, try #1 (out of 4 possible) with the OI/IUI procedure proved unsuccessful. This comes as a shock to anyone who had heard the details along the way because everything looked to be so promising. The news hits as a double whammy due to the fact that if the first pregnancy had not ended in a miscarriage, we would be delivering the week of Thanksgiving. I was really hoping to be able to counter that memory with the joy of a new pregnancy, but once again it's not meant to be. But as my husband says, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again...