Let's Do This.

Hey guys!  I'm contributing some fun, patriotic mason jar vases over at Sweet Haute today!  Click here to check them out!

Confession:  I've been holding out on you guys a little bit.   There's been some pretty exciting stuff going on around here.

Stuff that is getting in the way of getting projects and posts done...but exciting nonetheless!

You see, Mr. M. and I are finally, finally, finally trying in-vitro fertilization.
Ahh!!! So excited. So much anxiety.

 Chandler sums it up pretty well...

It's been such a journey of planning, saving, considering other options, hoping the problem would work itself out on its own (aka denial) to get here.  But here we are.

So, for those of you who are interested in the process, here's what's been going on!  For the past 12 days, I've been taking meds to stimulate my ovaries and  grow follicles (which contain eggs).  During this time, I've been monitored through blood work and ultrasound at my doctor's office almost everyday.   Tonight, I'll be giving myself a trigger shot that will induce ovulation, and on Friday we'll travel to Maryland for the eggs to be retrieved from my body and kept in the lab to (hopefully) develop into embryos.  After a few days of being monitored and cared for in the lab, the viable embryos will be transferred back to me, where hopefully they will develop into a healthy pregnancy, or frozen for us to use later.

I know that some of you probably think that I'm crazy for sharing our IVF journey in a such a public way.  Why would I talk so publicly about such a private matter?  Why would I risk sharing this with all of you, knowing that this process may very well end in disappointment and heartache?

For me, the simplest answer is that I feel compelled to help others who have, are, or will experience infertility.  If I can enlighten others to the struggle or provide knowledge or support to someone else who is struggling, then this will have meant something.

 I guess the way I've coped with this situation is by searching for the meaning of it and choosing to focus on the potential for positive.

Not that I'm always successful in that pursuit.  I'll be honest--some days, my thoughts sound a little more like this...

Just keeping it real.    

Why is all of this getting in the way of projects and posting, you ask??  Well-- it's partly because I spend a chunk of each day traveling to and from the doctor's office and jabbing multiple needles into my thighs, but mostly it's because the drugs make me so. freaking. tired.  At this point, staying awake until 9 o'clock is a major victory. 

But--with any luck, I'll need to start getting used to the idea of being tired and sleep-deprived.  That is the goal, right?!