We had the most fun day Monday. Chelsea, Jayme, and their kiddos came over that morning after they dropped off the bigs at preschool. The kids played together and the moms got to chat (the best part of any play date!) Then, the weather was so amazing, we hung out outside for most of the day.
Later that day, my friend, Brittany, and her son, Jett, came over to play! These two are little besties.
Just sharing puffs and reading books.
Britt is the sweetest. She brought over all kinds of goodies before our transfer. IVF socks, cake, a fertility candle, the cutest mug, and the sweetest card. Love you, Britt!! Thank you, sweet friend!
Coop had swim Monday night, too. He is doing so great! We are planning on doing the clothes test sometime this month, which means we’ll really get to see him put all that he has learned to the test. They’ll have him get to his float and swim while fully clothed. It will be cool to see!
Dinner Monday night was delicious. Pork chops, sticky rice, tomato salad, and wine. I also lit the fertility candle while we ate.
Coop has been wanting both me and Jake during bedtime recently. Jake will read one book and I’ll read another. I love watching how excited Coop gets to pick out his books.
Of course he picked ‘Love You Forever’ the night before our transfer. I can’t read this book without crying.
One last sleep before our transfer! It’s still surreal to both of us that we’re finished with IVF. It’s been such a long, hard, amazing journey. Without it, we wouldn’t have Cooper. Without it, we wouldn’t have this one last chance. No matter what happens, I’m thankful for my little family and this journey.
Tuesday was transfer day!! We left about 8:30 for St. Louis. We pulled into our clinic about noon, which is when I do my shot each day, so I did that real quick in the parking lot before we headed inside. IVF is being able to do injections anywhere. HA!
Last picture just the three of us!
We got checked in about 12:15, and by 12:35, I was walking into the OR!
I am awake for the transfer and the procedure itself takes maybe five minutes. It’s set-up like a Pap smear, then they insert a long guide into your uterus. That’s probably the worst part. It’s pretty uncomfortable and I immediately started cramping, but once it’s placed, all of that kind of subsides. Once everything is in place, someone from the lab comes in with a super long tube, which has the embryo in it. They double check your name and birth date, then the doctor inserts the tube into the guide and they release the embryo! You get to watch everything on these screens. It’s amazing to see. After that, the person from the lab takes the big tube back into the lab to make sure the embryo didn’t get stuck in the tube. Once they come back and say the tube is empty, the transfer is over and you are considered PUPO (pregnant until proven otherwise), and they send you on your way!
There’s Baby Bradley!
I did acupuncture after our transfer with Coop, so I did it again this time. Our clinic has someone on site on transfer day to do it for anyone who wants it. After 15 minutes of that, we were walking out the door!
The excitement of the day was too much for someone, so he passed out while I was getting acupuncture.
Our first picture as a family of four! <3
Just the most beautiful embryo in the world!
There’s an old wives tale that says you should eat fries after a transfer, so that’s what I did! We shared this burger and this fry platter. Both were delicious.
I had a meeting after my transfer, so the boys played while I did that. The timing ended up working out perfectly. And Coop got a good long break from being in the car.
After my meeting, we all played outside for a little bit, then hopped back in the car to head home.
In other news, my ankle is feeling much better! It’s still bruised, but the swelling has really gone down. And maybe the most exciting news of all, our clinic said I can run! They didn’t have me run at all with Coop’s transfer and it was hard on me, but they said there’s no reason I can’t now, so I’m going to attempt some slow, easy runs. I’m already excited!
Next steps for IVF are my blood tests. I have my first one scheduled Tuesday morning and my second one Thursday morning. We are praying over this baby every day, and we so appreciate all the prayers and kind words from everyone. We absolutely have the best people on our team! <3
Happy Wednesday, friends!