Ready, Set, Go!

Ok guys! It's about to get real! We have officially started the IVF stage of our journey. We've been doing all of the necessary beginning steps (doctors appointments, blood work, tracking vitals, all that fun stuff) for the last few months but now it's really getting going and I am so excited!
We met with the IVF coordinating nurse, Kathy, about a week ago. She went over all the information we were curious about, and I mean ALL of it. She answered all of our questions, she told us basically what this is all going to cost (yikes!) and she gave us a calendar for our IVF medication regiment. Today we received my medications and will be starting the first stage....wait for it....tomorrow! Now, don't get too excited guys because this is still a long process. I'll be on these first medications for about a week and then will go in for a "baseline" ultrasound. After the ultrasound they will determine if and when we begin the second stage of meds and at some point in there I will be going in for labs. THEN, a week or two from that point, I will go in for an egg retrieval and from there they will be attempting to fertilize my eggs. The embryos will be frozen and in about six months, we will hopefully implant them into a carrier.

Look at all these meds!

I'm so nervous to start these medications. I barely ever like to take medicine when I have a head cold but that is certainly something that I will have to get over and quickly! We will see how it goes tomorrow night when Eric has to "stick" me....

Six months seems like forever but there is still so much more that needs to be done before we can get Baby Saint on their way to us. Both Eric and I, as well as our carrier, will need to go through psychological evaluations, we all will need to handle the legal issues associated with the experience. Speaking of legal, another thing we learned from Kathy is that in the state of Massachusetts, regardless of biology, the woman who gives birth to the child is legally the mother. WHAT! So yes, legal is necessary! She doesn't want another baby and we want ours! Our carrier will also have to undergo her own medication regiment in order to prepare her body for the implantation. So when all is said and done, six months isn't too bad. At least that's what I keep telling myself!

As always, I thank you guys for following our journey and offering your love and support. It has been so humbling and never ceases to warm my heart. Please continue to follow as we take our baby steps.