PUPO with twins!

Let's start with the positive news -- Tygh and I are officially PUPO with twins! This is not necessarily unfamiliar territory because we have been PUPO with twins before (IVF). But these twins we have adopted.

Now for the news to get to that positive news.

I was initially bummed that our appointment was at 1:30 today. However, that ended up being a tremendous blessing in disguise. Last night, I was privileged to have dinner with a fellow EA mom who had her transfer on Thursday -- also PUPO with twins. She and her husband introduced us to Calhoun's -- The Best of Tennessee restaurant. Barbeque you could die for! It was an awesome evening of fellowship. They prayed for us twice, and once with Tygh putting his hand on my belly. Prayed that God had created the optimum level in my womb to receive these embryos, and that they would snuggle in and continue to grow. I feel so blessed to have connected with her -- Thank you Krisa!

When we got back to the hotel, Tygh and I were both beat. But apparently not beat enough to cause a restful sleep. I was up every 2 hours going pee (sensitive bladder, especially when I'm anxious/excited/nervous), and Tygh was just restless all night too. So we did get a chance to at least be restless together until about 10 am this morning.

Then I took some of my meds I'm supposed to take -- one of them a heavy duty antibiotic. That I took on an empty stomach. Bad. Bad. Bad idea. (TMI warning) -- I puked in the toilet. Just a few hours before the transfer.

Then we got to the clinic and, during our mock trial in June, I had overfilled my bladder and it was MISERABLE. So this time, I tried to pace myself. I have a history of UT infections, so I have an especially sensitive bladder. However, I was apparently not full enough and so they had to put a catheter in me and fill me up to the brim. They they squirted ALCOHOL inside of me. Can you talk about major major major burning? I went through 4 nurse hands because I was squeezing so hard and crying. So painful. They kept telling me to just relax. And one of the nurses, bless her heart, tried to "take me to the beach" in my mind. My beach was not warm and sandy. It was rainy and rocky. Not good at mental visuals when I'm in pain.

Then they transferred the 2 embryos. They had thawed three, but one didn't survive. The 2 are from our "first" donor, from Ohio. The embryologist graded them 3AA and 4AB, and they were expanding blasts. I don't pretend to know all of what that means, except I think the best of the best is a grade of 6AA with hatching blasts. But God is in control.

Then I rested in the recovery room and had a bedpan for the whole time. Such a relief! And I got to meet Ashley -- another blogger. What a treat. And then I connected with a girl in the "curtain" over from me. It was so neat to be able to trade stories while we're both flat on our back, curtains in between us so we can't even see each other, and bedpans under our bums. Good times.

So, just learned that our blood test is the 28th. If it is positive, we go back the 30th.

I can say I am not confident this is going to result in a pregnancy. But I have peace. I feel good, calm, rested. This has definitely been a worthwhile journey, regardless of the result.

And, if it doesn't work this month, we have 4 more embryos we have adopted from Michigan, so we will return in November to transfer those. If that doesn't work, we plan to seek God's will and listen to His leading, but expect to be back on the domestic list early next year.

Ps. 139 14-18
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
and my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.