November

Just because I haven't posted in a while doesn't mean nothing has been going on. It has been a pretty eventful month. November 1st we were on our way back to L.A. again for another attempt at getting pregnant. November 2 we got a call early that morning from our embryologist letting us know that 6 of our embryos weren't good enough to transfer. So at the last minute our last frozen embryo was thawed and it made it! We were so greatful we didn't drive all the way down there for nothing! So they transferred our last embryo in that day. I also had my first experience with accupuncture. Studies have shown that it can help with success rates with in vitro. I must admit I felt very relaxed and would do it again.

8 days later I had a blood HCG test. It wasn't supposed to be that early, but I felt like I had PMS and just wanted to know! My OB here let me order it early. To my surprise it came back at 107! Which meant I was pregnant! 2 days later my OB checked it again and it went up to 198 which is good. It is supposed to double every 48 hours.

My next HCG test was scheduled a week after my first one. This was when the disappointment started. It was only 257. It wasn't doubling at this point. So 2 days later we checked it again and I had an ultrasound. It didn't go up much and my Dr. couldn't really see anything on the ultrasound. He suspected an ectopic pregnancy. My dr. in L.A. called friday morning and told me to stop my estrogen and progesterone that I was on to help maintain the pregnancy. I started bleeding pretty heavy on Tuesday and started cramping really bad around noon. I passed a clot and my Dr. figured that I had passed it on my own. About 4 hours after that we checked my HCG level and it had finally started going down. I guess this was a good thing because I was supposed to get a shot of methotrexate that same day in case it was an ectopic pregnancy. So at least I didn't have to go through that as well.

It has been hard, but I guess your trials do make you stronger because I have dealt with this a lot better than I thought I would.

We went to Enterprise for thanksgiving this year. Although it has been hard for me to be greatful right now, I have realized what I am greatful for. I have the greatest family and friends anyone could ever ask for that have been there for me through all of this. Especially my husband.

Carvin Punkins and Snow!

Monday night we had some friends over (Nate and Carly Merrill, Jeff and Gina Perkins, and Wes and Ashlee Dotson) to carve pumpkins and eat cookies! Good times.


Parker and Kye had fun too (Ashlee and Gina's babies). Kye was mad because we were trying to get them to hold still for a pic.



The finished product :)



It started snowing Tuesday around noon and stopped Wednesday during the night sometime. Most of it has melted. I'm just glad we made it to the last week in October this year instead of the first week of October! Kinda fun the first time and during the holidays, but gets old by February. This is in front of our house.



Our backyard



We babysat Kye on Tuesday night. So cute!



He had fun with Shelby. She was a good sport :)

I Would Die For That

A great video for any woman really.

Touching Videos

Sorry I'm not sure how to post the actual videos! if anyone knows how do tell! Just copy and paste :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqfGqOx2iDQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8EEYQdfRZ8

A trip to the vet :(

Last week Shelby was acting funny. Shaking her head and scratching at her ear. So Luke looked inside and thought there was a stick in there. So we got the flashlight and the tweezers and played Dr. Turned out to be a Tick. Very nasty little things. She stopped acting funny other than she acted like she couldn't hear very good and Luke kinda lost her a couple of times. So I decided I better take her into the vet to see if there were more ticks in there. Sure enough. 1 in each ear. So deep he had to sedate her to get them out. At first he thought 1 was just a wax plug and that was why she couldn't hear. Come to find out it was a huge tick! Blocking her whole ear canal. Poor thing. I didn't think she would ever forgive me for taking her in and making her get poked and proded, but she did. She kinda scared me after I took her home. She was still so sleepy and could not walk very well. This is a picture of her sleeping it off on her bed. She was back to normal the next day though. Although we spent about 200 dollars for everything, it was worth it. She is such a good Dog!

Update

Last Friday, September 11, we got the news. . . . that we weren't pregnant :( It was hard and a really crappy day. Things are getting easier though and I am trying to stay positive that it will work next time when we try with our frozen embryos. It feels more like a loss this time. It didn't just feel like I didn't get pregnant. It felt more like a miscarriage or a death because they were alive for 3 days. They were only 8 cells, but still alive. So I guess that has made it a little harder than just not getting pregnant.

I have felt very comforted the past few days and know that is the only reason I am doing as well as I am. Sometimes it is hard, and you want to give up, and you start to lose hope. But, sometimes that is just how life goes and we don't know why we have to go through the trials we have, but we make it through them anyways and hopefully they make us stronger. I guess we will see.

Thanks to everyone for all of your love and concern. We are doing pretty good. The best that we can anyways, and are trying to stay positive for the future.

In Vitro in L.A.!

Last week we went to California to do In Vitro. Yes we could have gone to Vegas or Salt Lake, but this Dr. in L.A. is supposed to be better and was a little more affordable. Our little adventure started around the end of July while I was up at girls camp. I had to do ovulation tests up there so I could start my medication a week after that. It was kind of a pain, but it worked out. So I started my Lupron shots on August 6. This medicine is used to suppress my own system so I wouldn't ovulate and to get all of my eggs lined up ready to grow. Most women have many eggs every cycle, but usually only 1 or maybe 2 mature and ovulate. Pretty interesting huh.

Before all of this both Luke and I had to have labs drawn to check for infectious diseases (Aids, Hepatitis, etc.) luckily we passed :) Once I started my period, the fun began! I had to have an ultrasound and labs drawn to make sure everything looked good before I started my stimulation shots to make my eggs grow. So I started my shots on Aug. 17. At this point I was doing 2 different shots every night into my stomach. The needles weren't very big luckily, but it still wasn't very fun. I had another Ultrasound and more labs on Friday Aug. 21 here in Cedar and then Dr. Marrs in California decided I was gettting close and needed to be there monday morning for another ultrasound by him. At this point Dr. Heath (my Dr. here) could see about 13 eggs. I was a little discouraged at this point. Although it sounds like a lot, not all of them survive this process, so I was hoping for a little more.

Sunday August 23- went to the temple dedication in the morning, came home and took a nap before the long drive, packed, and off we went! It took forever! The traffic was horrible! We got there about 1 a.m. our time.

Monday August 24- Dr. appointment in L.A. at 9 a.m. labs drawn, ultrasound done by Dr. Beck and Dr. Marrs. I'm not sure how many eggs there were at this point, but he thought 8 would be mature on Thursday when they took all of them out. This was our home Sunday and Monday night. We got 3 free nights by signing up for a marriott rewards card. Helped save a little money :)

Tuesday August 25 - we decided to check out of this hotel and stay at a little bit nicer one in Beverly Hills for our 3rd free night, so to help pass some time, we decided to go and do a session at the L.A. temple. After that we checked into our hotel and just relaxed. I didn't feel up to doing much. After my ultrasound on Monday I could tell my ovaries were getting big and it was kind of painful. I had to give myself my HCG shot at exactly 8:30 that night. This is the shot that triggers ovulation. Here is a picture of the L.A. temple.

Wednesday August 25 - Had to go to Dr.'s office in am to get labs drawn and someone screwed up so I had to be poked twice! so much fun! Then we drove to Santa Monica where we were going to stay until Sunday with my Dad, his wife Sally, and my little bro Austin. We rented a condo right on the beach. It was awesome! Other than the no air conditioning part and the heat wave they were experiencing at the time. This is a pic from our balcony on the 11th floor. It was nice to just be able to walk to the beach.

Thursday August 27 - The big day! This was the day of my egg retrieval. It is kind of like minor surgery. Nothing to eat or drink after midnight the night before. We had to be there at 6:30 am so they could get me ready by 7:30. I changed into my gown and put my lovely cap on (should've taken a pic) and then she started my IV and I was pretty much set and then they kicked Luke out to go and take care of his part :). They took me back, gave me a little medicine in the IV, and I took a nap. Next thing I knew I was out in recovery. I think it took 15 min. Piece of cake. We were out of there by 9:30. This is a picture in front of the Dr. office before my procedure.

After we got back to the condo, we had some breakfast and then everyone wanted to go to the beach! Well I wasn't going to miss a day on the beach! Even though I couldn't swim or really do anything but lay around, it was still fun! A little bleeding and pain wasn't even enough to stop me!

The tall building on the right is our condo

Our little campout on the beach

Luke and Austin had way too much fun on the boogie boards. They played so hard they broke them!

Later that night we went to the Santa Monica Pier. It was really cool. Had a roller coaster, ferris wheel, resturaunts, and lots of other cool stuff. I didn't get any pictures though. We ate dinner at a place called bubba gump shrimp. It was yummy :)

Friday August 28 - The embryologist called in the morning with great news! I had 18 total eggs. 16 were mature enough to fertilize, and 12 actually fertilized. So he froze 6 of them and put the other 6 into a petri dish to culture (grow for 3 days) to see which ones would be best to put back in. I had to start more medication today. Progesterone 4 times a day (up you know where), an antibiotic twice a day, a baby aspirin, and a steroid. Luckily the steroid and antibiotic is only for 5 days!

Saturday August 29 - The embryologist called again in the morning to let me know the kids were doing good and the plan was to put them back in Sunday morning (not all of them) the two best ones. There were 2 that were doing better than the others. They can tell by how well they divide. They had divided into 6 cells at this point.

After that we decided to go to an Auquarium in Long Beach. It was pretty cool.

Sunday August 30 - embryo transfer. We had to be to the office at 7:30 that morning. I was suppossed to come with a full bladder. I tried, but the nurse made me drink more. I had to drink 32 oz to get full. I had to take a Valium on the way to the office as well to help me relax for the procedure. We had 3 Dr.'s in the room and a nurse. They brought an inquibator with the embryos inside. We got to look at them through a microscope. There were two that had both divided into 8 cells and looked really good so those were the winners! So they drew them up into some type of catheter and put them in while doing an ultrasound. This is a picture of me drugged up on valium trying to get my bladder full :)

After that we drove home. Now we just wait. I hate this part. It is really dragging! Hopefully it will work and we can finally have a family! Other than our pets of course. I get to start wearing an estrogen patch tomorrow and have more blood drawn on Friday. I'm taking some time off of work this week to relax so hopefully that will help! We won't know if it worked until the end of next week! They let the other embryos continue to grow for a couple more days to see if they would get any better and only 1 was good enough to freeze. So we have a total of 7 frozen embryos for next time which is pretty good!

I just want to say thanks to all of our family and friends for all of your love, support, and prayers on our behalf! I know they have helped us!

Summer Fun!

Yes I have been a slacker when it comes to posting! It has been a very busy, fun summer! We have been spending lots of time outdoors and with family. Here are a bunch of pictures of what we have been up to!

Swimming at my grandparents pool in St. George

Learning how to surf with Luke's uncle at Sand Hollow



Still trying to figure it out. I didn't last very long once I let go of the rope

Luke's family reuinion on Cedar Mountain. They rented a cabin up by Duck Creek. We went on a sight seeing 4-wheeling ride down where the narrows hike starts

The boys played Risk until the wee hours of the night!

Playing sand volleyball. I'm not a fan so I sat this one out :)

Making watches with my sister-in-laws

Surfing again at sand hollow on my birthday

Luke screwing around on the surf board

The newest member of our family. AKA squeakers. She is very friendly and loving (annoying), has the worst gas I have ever smelled, and still tries to nurse us occasionally :) Oh and she has thumbs on her front paws. They are actually kind of cute :) She might be going to live with my mom soon. We will see. 2 cats under 1 roof isn't the best idea :) Tora isn't a big fan.

And soon to come. . . We are going to California next week and staying on the Santa Monica Beach with my Dad, his wife, and my little brother Austin. This is the view from where we are staying! I will post more pics when I return!

6 years!

We celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary on Saturday! I'm starting to feel old! We had a little getaway down to mesquite and it was fun! We had a free room at the virgin river so we went down friday night after work. It was nice just to relax and hang out. We went over to the casablanca most of the time we were there. We went swimming over there because they had a much cooler pool! It was way hot though! About 110! It brought back memories since we stayed down there at the Eureka in a suite on our wedding night!

May

So I guess things have been a little crazy for us this past month or so and I haven't had much time to blog. Luke got a new job that has been keeping him busy. He is working for IFA now. Things got pretty slow for my grandpa in December so even though it's less money, we are greatful for a job! I have been busy with 2 church callings (primary secretary & Assistant camp director), working extra, and looking into In Vitro. Anyways life has been busy! So here is a post to sum up May.

Just a picture of my pretty flowers that bloomed in April that are gone now :(



Mothers Day: My mom, Me, Whittney (Brandon's GF), Blaire (Bryce's wife)

Austin's 13th birthday was also on mother's day

The fam (except for Elder Bladen and Luke)

Bryce's wedding May 23. It was beautiful!



Luke and I at the reception

THANK YOU!

I just wanted to say thanks to all of our friends and family for your love, support, and prayers on our behalf. We are so blessed to have all of you in our lives and we appreciate all that you do and love you all very much!

Surgery

I finally decided to have a scope done to see if I had endometriosis on Tuesday. Everything went well. I remember moving onto the operating table and asking them if they had already given me something. He said yes. The next thing I knew it I was back in my room very tired and my body felt so heavy. You would think as a nurse this whole experience wouldn't be that scary or new but it was. Other than getting my tonsils out when I was 2 and my wisdom teeth out when I was 16 or so, this was my first true experience with surgery. Kinda weird to be on the other end. The good news is that I don't have any endometriosis and everything else looked great in there. He could even tell I had just ovulated. Weird. The bad news is that we are finally facing the fact that In Vitro is going to be our last chance of having a family. I was worried that maybe I had endometriosis because we have been trying to get pregnant for over 3 years now with no luck and my mom and my grandma both had it. At least we know now. I just wish there was a better way to diagnose it other than surgery. It's kinda expensive and I don't really like my scar :( Oh well. Life goes on right?

Easter Weekend

Every year for Easter, we usually go to Snow Canyon Park with Luke's family and have a picnic on Saturday. Unfortunately the weather was bad so we went to his grandma's house instead. Our nephew Halen is a pretty good little ball player.

Just Hangin out in the backyard.

Later that evening we went to my mom's house for a cake/easter egg decorating extravaganza. It was actually a lot of fun.

Some of our festiveness

Our lovely egg cake. It didn't exactly turn out how we'd planned.

We had a contest and gave the eggs awards

I got most creative and most colorful :)

Some of the other awards

Some other exciting news. Bryce and his girlfriend got engaged that night too! Yeah! They are getting married May 23rd I believe. I snapped a pic while they were taking their engagement photos.

Spring Break

So we didn't go anywhere really exciting for my "spring break" but it was still fun to me! We just went down to St. George and Mesquite to enjoy the warm weather for a few days. My mom wanted us to come down and stay and it just so happened that she had 4 free nights down in mesquite that were going to expire this month.

I got to meet Mik'L's baby Myler for the first time. He is so cute!

We went swimming a couple times down in mesquite. It was so nice! I'm so ready for spring. We also did a little bowling, gambling (we only lost 3 bucks), and a lot of eating! The buffet kicked my butt. Needless to say I'm ready for a diet! It was fun and hard to come back home!

...More snowmobiling fun (our overnight trip)

The Cabin - quite a bit more snow this trip! Luke packed dinner (cheeseburgers) and then he spent a while getting it warm in there, then we enjoyed watching a movie on our little portable DVD player in bed (no electricity). Pretty fun date night!



All of the snow fell off the roof and made it slightly difficult to get in.

Lukey Poo in his cute goggles :)

I would have taken more pictures, but there was lots of powder and we (meaning me) got really stuck, and then stuck again. I spent my time swearing instead of taking pics :) I might go again sometime, but not anytime soon. At least I got a good workout in that day!

Luke in the outhouse (hee hee) he didn't know I was taking this at the time :)


Shelby loves my uncle Ross & his toothpicks!