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Our Journey to Baby Smith

Last night I posted this on Instagram. Our BIG news, that if all goes well at my next doctor's appointment, then we can begin IVF in February. Today I'm writing this with feelings of excitement, hope, and happiness. I'm in a good place mentally and emotionally. What I want to share is the fact that no couple wakes up one morning and says "hey, we should have some designer babies, let's do IVF!" We do live in a society that grasps to instant gratification, but this is not a case of impatience. This is the reality of 1 in 8 couples that deal with infertility. IVF is not an easy decision and it's not an easy road. Getting to the place I'm at now was not a bright and cheerful one. I thought after my laparoscopy for endometriosis we'd get to move on to making a baby naturally. I thought we'd travel together and one day very soon I'd get that positive pregnancy test and all would be wonderful. I didn't think the doctor would say "You have severe endometriosis, you're a strong candidate for IVF. For now we need to suppress your ovaries and make sure you DO NOT GET PREGNANT!" That news lead to a very sad, dark, and disappointed holiday season. And you know what, only two people knew what I was going through. Ryan and my sister Haley.

I'm the type of person that prefers to share my life from a joyful perspective. I greatly struggle with sharing anything negative, anything that may make me look weak, or anything that would imply that I don't have my sh*t together. I had written a really long post on December 16th, exactly one month after my laparoscopy and I didn't have the courage to share it. It was a dark piece of my soul. I had written thoughts that involved every negative emotion in the book - sadness, fear, worry, anxiety, resentment, jealousy, confusion, obsession, etc. I shared the truth that I wanted to skip Thanksgiving. This article, The Silent Hell of Infertility During the Holidays, was posted on my doctor's FB page and it pretty much sums up the way I felt at the dinner table on Thanksgiving. My sister is pregnant. She got pregnant on her first month of trying (for the second time) and she had her gender reveal in December. I woke up crying the morning of the reveal. I DID NOT WANT TO GO! I really didn't think I could get through the day. I cannot believe I'm sharing this truth, but it was my reality, and I realize that was a really crappy attitude. I was jealous and resentful. That day when I was grieving the babies we don't have yet, I was being a person I didn't want to be. I was acting in a way I knew was wrong, but I just couldn't help myself. I couldn't snap out of it. I knew I should feel happy and excited for my sister, and for some reason I just couldn't get past my own issues. Clearly, I'm only sharing this now because we've since had a heart-to-heart and I shared my "issues" with her and we cried and we opened up with one another. She understands in the best way that she can, and the simple honesty and sharing of my dilemma helped me move past all those bad feelings.

I know this journey to Baby Smith will be full of many valuable life lessons. I know that God wouldn't put such a deep desire to be a mother in my heart if I weren't destined to have babies. I know that one day Ryan and I will be parents. I don't know how long the road will be to our babies. I don't know what lessons are in store for us. All I know is that I'm going to consciously go through this process. I'm going to share our story. I'm going to be open and honest. I'm going to pray constantly. Even during my darkest days after the surgery I prayed a lot. I know that is how I got to where I'm at today. I'm feeling strong, hopeful, grateful, and full of faith.

From November 16th to Christmas Eve* I was depressed. I didn't want anyone to know what was going on with me, I put on a happy face when I had to, and I shut myself off from the world. During that time period Ryan was my rock. This was definitely not our idea of wedded bliss, but that's what was going on in our newlywed home. His support, tenderness, and compassion, during all of this has definitely brought us closer together - more than I could have ever imagined. I already knew I had one AMAZING man, but this man of mine was by my side with every tear that fell. One night he sat next to me on the bed as the tears were falling, and he told me to make sure I remember this moment. He told me to embed this memory in my soul, because when I'm finally holding our miracle the intensity of the love will only be multiplied by this struggle. The next morning after that conversation I wrote letters to our babies, whom already have names. To say I'm going to cherish this pain sounds very ironic, but in some crazy way, we are going to embrace this journey to our miracle babies and once we have them they will know everyday what a true miracle they are to us and this world.

*Something happened within myself after Christmas Eve Mass. Up until Christmas I had cried every single day. On Christmas Eve morning I remember having one really good cry. I was sad that we didn't have a baby on the way. I was dreaming of the Christmas Eve when we could bake cookies and decorate them with our little tots in their pjs. Then the grieving and fear of what wasn't took over and I had a little melt down. We went to midnight mass and came home to bed. I woke up on Christmas in very good spirits. We had a great Christmas. Then I had an amazing dream, where my Grandma came to visit me, and I do believe she sent me a message on Christmas night. I'll share it when the time is right, but something happened after the dream that helped me put the pieces of the dream together. I love my angel in Heaven and God is good!

Thank you for reading about our journey to Baby Smith. Thank you for your prayers.

With love xo
Wen and Ry

Just a little humor for the day here.

Wendy Correen Smith

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TEN Baby-BEAUTIFUL Nurseries

Posted by Wendy Correen Smith

Hello to you, my dear! Today I'm bringing you TEN baby-beautiful nurseries. I find myself dreaming up our baby's nursery often as we embark on this journey to Baby Smith. I'm really looking forward to the day that we can transform our office into a nursery for our little tot, so until then I'm going to feel inspired by all the bright and airy ones I'm bringing you today.

And about our IVF cycle and our journey to Baby Smith...we are still in the praying and "waiting" stage and hoping to have news for you soon. I read somewhere that couples going through infertility treatments have a parenting starting line that starts sooner than others. Oh boy is that the truth. The love, worry, faith, prayers, and patience starts much sooner. Honestly, I wouldn't change it for anything though. This journey has only made us stronger and more faithful. As always, we greatly appreciate all of your thoughts and every single prayer.

- images via My Domaine

- images via Style by Emily Henderson

It's hard to pick a favorite, huh? My favorite is probably the one by Emily Henderson (the last three photos). I pretty much love everything she does. She is my very favorite designer and such a creative woman. Someday I'm going to be shopping for all of this stuff and that makes my heart skip a beat.

If you love the idea of animal artwork in your nursery you have to check out The Animal Print Shop.

My mom thought this was hilarious. This woman's face after childbirth when she found out she had a boy instead of girl. I can't even imagine bringing a little boy home to a nursery I had made for a little girl!

I found this vintage children's clothing store on Etsy, it's all darling and definitely what I envision for our baby someday.

This Pinterest board has been the best thing for my soul during our journey to Baby Smith.

Wishing you and yours a very happy start to the summer!

Love to you xo

Wen

Wendy Correen Smith

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The Journey to Baby Smith

Posted by Wendy Correen Smith

Good morning loves!

I want to share a little update about our journey to baby Smith and our IVF progress. The time from egg retrieval to now tested my faith and strength in ways I've never experienced before, and quite honestly I wasn't prepared for this part of the journey. I guess I can't say I'm really prepared for any of it, but I try to do my research and understand what is coming, but for some reason this was a step I had missed. I waited by the phone every single day to hear from our embryologist so she could give us an update on our embabies. It was tough, but it taught me so much about letting go, trusting God, and realizing that I have absolutely zero control over what happens in those Petri dishes. Ryan reminded me that worrying would not change the outcome, and I'm going to admit that worry and self doubt came to my mind at least a thousand times. I spent a lot of time in prayer! I literally had to tell myself "I am strong, I am brave, I will be mother" over and over again. It was a battle. It was a battle to keep the fearful thoughts at bay. My hands would start to shake when she called with updates. Take the passion and desire to be a mother, add in a crazy amount of hormones, the fact that I'm a work in progress when it comes to letting go, and imagine the intensity of waiting! My sisters and mom were waiting for updates every day, half the time they were calling for updates before I had them and I would get excited thinking it was the embryologist calling and then the phone would say "Hay Hay" - I love that girl with my whole heart- but in those moments I wanted to see my doctor's name on the phone. It meant a lot to me knowing that they were experiencing the "wait" right along with us. I'm so very thankful for them! With Ryan's love and support, and my mom and sisters' faithful enthusiasm, I survived this week and learned some major lessons. I was telling my sister, after her sweet texts that always touched me deeply to tears, that I just fill so raw. I feel like I've been ripped open and all my emotions are just flowing out like a river. There is no doubt that God's plan includes lessons along the way to parenthood. In many of my prayers I ask that I see clearly what I am to learn. I know that I will be different person after all of this, we aren't even half way finished, and I can tell I'm already changing.

An Instagram photo from Easter: The last few weeks on ‪#‎ourjourneytobabysmith‬ as we were newbies to the world of ‪#‎ivf‬ my love for this man has grown even stronger. His tender touch each night as he gave me the injections, along with all the laughter he somehow created during such a scary time, are memories I'll cherish forever. The emotional side has been tougher than I had expected and the physical side has been easier. He cheers me up, he strengthens my faith, encourages my gratitude. My rock and my lover for eternity, this sweet sweet man!

Thank God for him.

It is true, life is full of tiny little miracles every single day.

From now until May there won't be many updates about our IVF journey. We are taking a month off to relax and travel! This wasn't the original plan, we were planning to do the frozen embryo transfer in April. At one point last week, May had came to my mind as a better month for the transfer, simply because I thought it'd be nice to let my body calm down from all the injections, emotions, etc., but I never told Ryan or my doctor that I was thinking that way. Anyway, I went in for a sonogram and blood work yesterday (which all went very well there, thankfully) and we are scheduled for our frozen embryo transfer in May now. They said I could try and change it back to April if we wanted, but Ry and decided it's meant to be this way and we are going to reconnect, relax, celebrate, and travel in the month of April. Travel is good for the soul, plus an extra month in prayer and mediation is even better for the soul! I'm going to LET GO and surrender to God's plans, all the while living in a state of gratitude for all the miracles we are given each and every day!

We are thinking a west coast beach vacation, because we love Cali!

Photos from our trip to Pacific Coast Highway in October 2014.

Your prayers mean the world to us and we can feel each and every one of them. Thank you!

With love xo

Wen

Wendy Correen Smith

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National Infertility Awareness Week

Posted by Wendy Correen Smith

Our infertility struggle is always on my mind. I've been very open about our story and journey to Baby Smith on social media and my blog. I feel very comfortable talking about it, but some people don't. The fact is that one in eight couples struggle with infertility and many of them never open up and share their story. They keep their pain to themselves. This week is National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW). RESOLVE, The National Infertility Awareness Association founded this movement in 1989 to raise awareness about the disease of infertility and encourage the public to understand reproductive health.

The theme this year is START ASKING.

#startasking

Employers for insurance coverage.
Your lawmakers and legislators to support issues important to the infertility community.
Friends and family to support you.
The media to cover infertility and the real challenges we face.
Your network to make a donation to the cause.
Your RE, clinics, OBGYN or adoption agency to support RESOLVE.
Your partner to get involved.
Those who have resolved their infertility to stay involved.
OBGYN or healthcare provider to talk about YOUR reproductive health.
For affordable care for treatment of a disease.
Legal access to all family building options nationwide.
About men's reproductive health.

There is so much more information about how you can help and get involved on the RESOLVE.org website here.

The biggest question I would ask is about health insurance coverage for infertility. I do not understand why it's treated like an elective coverage. It's a disease NOT a boob job!

We are fortunate enough to have a large portion of our first IVF cycle covered by insurance, but as of today we've still spent over $6000 in medical expenses. Our coverage has a lifetime limit, meaning we will run out very soon. The drugs alone, for just the stimulation portion of our IVF cycle, retailed for close to $5000!

If all the health insurance decision makers were told their children would not exist without reproductive interventions, i.e. surgery, medications, procedures, IUIs, lab work, sonograms, IVF, etc, I'm pretty sure the health insurance coverages would change. They'd soon realize that it's a disease and that having a family is pretty important, kind of like having a healthy heart!

RESOLVE social media links:
Twitter here
Facebook here
Instagram @resolveorg here

As always, thank you for following along on our journey to Baby Smith. It means so very much to us.

xo
Wen

Wendy Correen Smith

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Our Journey to Baby Smith | IVF Update

Posted by Wendy Correen Smith

It's Fri-YAY and it's going to be a beautiful weekend. I'm actually sitting in the office with the window cracked right now. I love this time of year when you begin to anticipate and look forward to the changing season. And spring is such a beautiful time of year.

We just got home from our Reproductive Endocrinologist doctor's appointment - we snapped the above selfie before we went in. Ry is taking a cat nap as I type this. Our original doctor's appointment was on Monday, but we had to change it because our embryologist had jury duty, so Ry had to change his flight home from Connecticut and he got home at 2 am. Our journey to parenthood is already teaching us valuable lessons about going with the flow and being flexible.

Today we had our trial embryo transfer, an injections class, and we met with our embryologist. I was a little nervous before this appointment, as I didn't know what to expect with the transfer. After I was finished I realized it was silly that I even got nervous about it. It was super easy, I actually didn't feel anything. We thankfully did that first and then we started the injection class before meeting with the embryologist. We decided that Ry is going to get the injections ready for me each night and I'm going to actually do the shots. That's our plan as of now. I think once I get the first shot over with it should be pretty easy.

Lastly we met with our sweet embryologist, whom we will be talking to daily after the retrieval. She will be the one to call and update us on the status of our embabies each day. We asked a bunch of questions about decisions we had to make, for example, what happens to our frozen embryos if we have leftovers after we are finished with our family. We decided that ours will go to research - stem cell research. The other options were to donate them or pretty much throw them away. Obviously, this is a personal decision for each couple, and fortunately Ry and I agreed right away with only a short discussion on what would be best for ours.

I also asked the embryologist a few other random health questions. Like, is it okay for me to continue taking baths and using a heating pad during IVF? She said it was okay to do both. I don't have any lifestyle or health change suggestions coming from the doctor or nurses. Of course, I can do research online about health benefits and things I can do to help with it all, and I will probably implement some of the suggestions. It can't hurt.

The next steps are:
1. Prayers daily
2. Stop my birth control
3. Blood work and ultrasounds - up until retrieval
4. Injections - starting a week from tomorrow!

The egg retrieval will be the end of March. The embryo transfer will be in April, my birthday month, and I'm turning 35!!!

Tonight Ry and I are shopping for a new coffee pot and toaster, then we are picking up a RedBox movie to watch in our new living room. And since we still don't have a refrigerator we will probably eat out for dinner!

Wishing you and yours the happiest of weekends! Thank you for your prayers and for following along on our journey to our bay-bays!

xo
Wen and Ry

Wendy Correen Smith

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The Last Day of 2015

Posted by Wendy Correen Smith

Today is the last day of 2015! Wow! What a year. I shared this on Instagram, as I was reflecting on this past year, just the other night. We had such a BIG and amazing year.

2015! What a MEMORABLE year. I'm sure Ryan and I will talk about this year to our grandchildren often. We travelled to many beautiful places, and picking a favorite is hard, but my birthday trip to Charleston and Clearwater is definitely at the top of the list. My grandma gracefully went to Heaven with all of her family by her side. One word to describe the moment she slipped away from earth and into Heaven - beautiful - that moment will always be in my heart as a beautiful one. She wouldn't have done it any other way. She's my angel and I feel her with me always. The most loving, smart, kind, handsome man asked me to be his wife. I just asked him today, 'how did I get so lucky to be your wife?' I fall in love with him more and more everyday. And some days, like today, all we've done is lay around the house and watch the snow fall. And still my love grows deeper and deeper. That man I love so, he finished his Bachelors degree from UCM! I'm so proud of him. I had laparoscopy surgery and found out I have stage IV endometriosis. That day marks the beginning of our journey to Baby Smith. And, because we thought this year needed just a little more spice to make it one to remember, we bought a pink house in a cute little suburban neighborhood. Moving in January is always smart. Last, but certainly not least, my love, faith and connection to God has only grown stronger!

This was our Christmas and New Years card we sent out to friends and family. We loved the glow of the grass in this photo from our wedding day!

This poem! It's perfect for 2016.

PROMISE YOURSELF

To be so strong that nothing

can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity

to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them

To look at the sunny side of everything

and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best,

and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others

as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past

and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times

and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself

that you have not time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for

fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the

world, not in loud words but great deeds.

To live in faith that the whole world is on your side

so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

By Christian D. Larson

Here's to wishing you and yours all the very best in 2016. A year full of love, joy, health, and success!

With love xo

Wen and Ryan

Wendy Correen Smith

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Why I'm Openly Sharing Our Story to Parenthood

Posted by Wendy Correen Smith

Injections night No. 2

Today marks day No. 4 of our IVF injections. I've been sharing bits and pieces of our journey to Baby Smith #ourjourneytobabysmith on social media and I've blogged about it several times here. I've always been passionate about taking photos and writing, but not until recently have I felt the freedom of sharing something so very personal. There are several women that I admire that have chosen to share their story of infertility and to them I'm so very grateful. They have given me hope and they've helped me fully embrace this season of struggle as one that is still full of beauty despite the pain.

Jenica | A Slice of Style | She's pregnant with twins after years of infertility and three rounds of IVF.

Eleni | Convey the Moment | The video she shared about her infertility struggles on YouTube here is simply beautiful.

Christy | Christy Tyler Photography | She just had twin baby boys this week, conceived through IVF, and they are adorable. I love following her posts on Instagram.

A shot full of baby dust.

Ryan and I were at a birthday party for one of his coworkers on Sunday afternoon. [My first round of IVF injections were the night before. My head was pounding all day Sunday, and not mention I had my first period since my laparoscopy for endometriosis in November, my Reproductive Endocrinologist that did the surgery had me suppressing my cycles since the surgery. I found out from a recent colonoscopy that I have an ulcer on my small intestines from all the NSAIDs I've taken over the years to treat the severe endometriosis pain. They had thought it was endometriosis on the colon but the GI doctor confirmed it was an ulcer - which was very good news because it will heal if I stop taking Advil and Meloxicam. Long story short, with this period, I only took Tylenol and it barely took the edge off the pain. I was feeling pretty crappy at the birthday party.] Back to the birthday party ---- sorry I'm good at going in different directions not only when I'm talking, but when I'm typing too. Ryan and I were talking to one of his friends/coworker and he asked about the IVF. I love when guys feel comfortable talking about it. His question went something like "how soon could you be pregnant or have a baby!" It was funny because I didn't answer his question as much as I tried to explain the process. Then I started to say, well, by the end of April we should know, all the while Ryan is explaining the potential due date. Then somehow we got onto the fact that since I've been openly sharing our story on social media its going to be pretty tough to follow that "12 week rule", that everyone knows! Women aren't supposed to announce they're pregnancies until they've made it to the "safe zone" at the 12 week mark. In the moment, I thought, "hmmmm, crap, I didn't even think about that." And that was pretty much all that I thought about it on Sunday, like I said my head hurt and I think hormones were pumping through my body that kind of affected my ability to think clearly.

This was before we left for the birthday party on Sunday.

The next morning the "12 week rule" popped into my head again, except this time I actually sat and pondered the conversation and the rule. Who on earth even made up this rule? I came to the realization that the entire rule is just absurd. I guess a woman is supposed to suffer in silence, like her body is something to be ashamed of, if she has a miscarriage? Wouldn't you think that a woman and man that have suffered loss need love and attention during a time of pain more than ever before? I have many friends that have suffered the tragic pain of miscarriage in silence because of this tradition of waiting to announce the pregnancy, and I think it's time for this social norm to be scratched. I've never been one to live in secrecy about anything, being an open book comes naturally to me. I understand other men and women prefer to live more private lives, and of course, aren't going to announce their pregnancy for all the world to hear, but on the contrary, if they wanted to tell their co-workers, family or closest friends, that rule of waiting should not even pop into their mind. If they were to lose the baby, then they would need time off work, they would need extra phone calls and support from their friends and family.

My sweet hubby preparing my injections on night No. 1

My sister makes fun of me because she says I live in a world of unicorns and butterflies. And she's not the first one to give me a hard time for living in "la-la land!" And you know what? I hope to always be a person that can find joy in life, even during the hardest of seasons. The fact that I can put a smile on my face, celebrate the simple joys, even when I'm struggling, will probably be who I'll always be. It's my personality. I cry and I worry. I get angry and cuss. I get frustrated and disappointed. We all do!

The day our nine pound package of medication arrived. Full story on Instagram @wendycorren

My point with all of this is that I've found sharing my struggle with endometriosis, and sharing our story to parenthood, to be freeing and uplifting. It's helping me to focus on the beauty, inspiration, faith and hope instead of being overcome by fear and worry. On the hard days I want to embrace all that I have that brings gratitude to my heart.

My stomach is so bloated from only 3 rounds of injections. I can only imagine what it'll look like before retrieval next week.

I've had people reach out to me to say they are praying for us, others that have gone through the same struggles and kept it all a secret, some who are going through their own battles with loss and health challenges. I've had a few girls ask me questions about endometriosis, in fear that they may have it too. Everyone has seasons of joy and pain. It's life. My hope is that with time, people will find more comfort in talking about their lives and their truth, instead of feeling like they must hide the struggles. Feeling connected to others, feeling like someone understands and can relate, having someone simply listen, can bring a richness to life that may just overcome some of the pain.

From the Instagram post on March 10th.

I was up bright and early this morning for my baseline ultrasound and blood work. The entire doctor's office smelled like a floral shop. A recent patient sent a floral arrangement to every single person in the office as a gift of gratitude for her pregnancy. I love the smell of lilies! And I just realized our egg retrieval is the week of Easter. Fancy that for a perfect date for #ourjourneytobabysmith Also I'll be doing injections over St. Patrick's day (also my beloved grandma's birthday), so here's to some Irish luck #ttcwithendo#ivfjourney

We think she'll be a good BIG sister someday soon.

And to end this post with the perfect poem.

Life can be the sunshine,

On peaceful days with bright blue skies,

Or life can be the raindrops,

That fall like tears squeezed from your eyes,

Life can be the heaven,

That you'll only reach through hell,

Since you won't know that you're happy,

If you've not been sad as well,

Life can teach hard lessons,

But you'll be wiser once you know,

That even roses need both sunshine,

And a touch of rain to grow.

-e.h

Love to you and yours xo

Wen

Wendy Correen Smith

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Neutral Baby Nursery

Posted by Wendy Correen Smith

As we are in the season of waiting for our baby and doing IVF, I am using my free time to do things like this. Dream up his or her nursery. We currently have two all white bedrooms upstairs that I don't want to decorate until it's time to make our baby's room. I went wild pinning last night on my BABY Pinterest board. One good thing about this time is that we are going to be very prepared once we become parents! I am pretty much in LOVE with this nursery by Sarah Sherman Samuel. She selected a light and whimsical palette for her baby boy, with a lot of natural materials in their raw state, like the bamboo mirrors, unfinished wood crib, and the natural reed baskets, and then she added color with the vintage peach rug, toys, and painted dresser. The wallpaper is custom from one of her own patterns. I have about 100 nurseries that make my heart skip a beat, so I'll surely be stealing ideas from all of them, but this one is pretty high on my favorite list. She did a wonderful job on baby Archer's room. Head on over to her blog to find more details about his room.

Design and photographs by Sarah Sherman Samuel

Shop elements of this nursery below.

Follow along for more baby inspiration on Pinterest here.

Also, did you see this post from yesterday. This song by Garth Brooks makes me tear up every time I hear it.

I'm on Instagram @wendycorreen, stay in the loop with our Journey to Baby Smith there.

I plan to stock up on simple white knit swaddle blankets like this.

Thanks for reading!
xo Wen

Wendy Correen Smith

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"Easter" Egg Retrieval is Tomorrow

Posted by Wendy Correen Smith

Tomorrow is EGG RETRIEVAL DAY!

Yesterday Ryan was able to go to my sonogram and blood work appointment. As I've shared in past posts he's been preparing and administering all of my injections. He knew after yesterday's appointment that I'd probably be ready for what they call the "trigger" shot, the one that gets all my eggs ready for retrieval, and he had his paper and pen in hand ready to ask questions and take notes. He teased me afterwards because I was busy talking to the nurse about whether or not I could use dry shampoo before the procedure, all the while he was trying to ask the important questions about the drugs! He's good about making the nurses and me laugh at every appointment. And for the record, the dry shampoo was important to discuss, because I just recently learned that the egg quality can be affected by fragrances. Tomorrow morning I will be 100% natural - NO lotion, makeup, nail polish, hair spray, etc.

Yesterday at the sonogram the nurse said my uterine lining looks fantastic and that my ovaries look GREAT. It looks like we are right on track with 12 eggs ready to be retrieved tomorrow and based on their sizes we are expecting that about 8 or 9 will be mature. The eggs have to be mature before they can be fertilized, and not all fertilized eggs make it to the blastocyst. Since we are doing a frozen embryo transfer next month it is important that we have healthy blastocysts ready for transfer. Say a prayer for healthy blastocysts!

After our appointment yesterday the IVF coordinator called with my blood work results and she said "everything looks GREAT and that I had a very good response to all the medications!" We did the trigger shot last night and I went in for more blood work this morning. I talked to the nurse this afternoon and she was very happy with the numbers she got back today that confirmed the trigger shot worked. We'll be up bright and early tomorrow morning for the egg retrieval and then we'll head home so I can rest and drink plenty of fluids.

Mrs. PB likes to be by my side all the time. A few nights I let her cuddle up with me when Ry was doing the injections. She always wanted to jump right up on my belly after the first injection and then I'd have to put her down on the ground and use the alcohol wipe again. I think she could sense my anticipation before the injections and wanted to be there to comfort me. She's a smart little doodle!

I felt like I handled the injections very well for the first 8 days. I felt sore and bloated, but my energy level was good and my emotions were in check (for the most part). I even questioned Ry if it was okay that I felt so good. I only had the terrible headache after the first night of injections and then it felt like everything evened out. By day 9 everything changed. People probably think I'm pregnant thanks to how bloated my belly is right now, but the nurses keep reminding me that it's good to be bloated! I've been emotional the last few days and Ry said I was crabby today. This afternoon I could sense that I was generally aggravated over nothing. Hormones are such an interesting chemical! Yesterday I spent most of the day sleeping. I've actually been sleeping better at night than I was before. Overall, the injections were much better than I had imagined they would be and I feel very grateful that I had Ry home to do them each night.

Yesterday and today I've been drinking coconut water all day long. I'm trying to stay hydrated. I've also been eating avocados every single day! They are supposed to help with IVF success, and I love them.

Today I did a lavender and lemon bath soak with epson salt and frankincense, lavender, and Peace & Calming Young Living Essential Oils. I had a vanilla candle burning, the windows were wide open, and I did a guided IVF meditation. It was blissful and just what I needed to get centered and relaxed again.

I had intentions of making a homemade pizza for dinner tonight, but the day got ahead of us and Ry ended up getting us take-out chinese. We said a sweet prayer before dinner and we are very happy and excited that EGG RETRIEVAL is tomorrow morning. I'm ready to get these eggs out of my ovaries and to make some frosty embabies!!!

We have a little treat for our doctor's office tomorrow and I found this card today. I don't think I could have found a more perfect card for our Easter egg retrieval than this one.

I've got these lucky Easter Egg Retrieval socks for tomorrow! Aren't they cute?

IVF is certainly a stressful journey, and we've had some ups and downs, with much more ahead of us. Prayer and faith in God's plans for us has kept my spirits up. When I've felt down or full of worry, it hasn't lasted long, because I've learned the importance of focusing on praise and gratitude during it all.

Thank you for following our journey to Baby Smith, and for all your love and support, and most importantly the prayers!

xo
Wen

Wendy Correen Smith

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Our Journey to Baby Smith | IVF Update

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