time to go home. :)
Friday, April 29, 2011
another not funny
Feeling all cute today cause although not fitting into pants still, wearing a cute dress that got lots of compliments on from kids and adults (as well as a student repeatedly biting it-long story)...
But then I have this wonderful exchange with a student-
Me: "What Mili? What do you mean?"
Student: "You have white hair! I thought you were in your 20s or something."
hee hee hee....time to dye the hair.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
not funny
not funny is pulling on your pants in the morning (or trying to) and then hearing a ripping sound.
apparently i have not lost my water weight yet.
hee hee..(i did laugh though-after cursing-cause it was straight out of the movies! you pull them up, try to button and bend over and....)
yup. not quite ready for pants yet.
apparently i have not lost my water weight yet.
hee hee..(i did laugh though-after cursing-cause it was straight out of the movies! you pull them up, try to button and bend over and....)
yup. not quite ready for pants yet.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter
Happy Happy Easter Everyone!
I received my first Easter Basket in probably over 20 years, which made me really smile...especially since it was so personalized. :) Big thank you, Aunty Pat & Uncle Al.
hee hee...the note says, 'Stace...(on her eggs)' and the cute chickee is sitting on 7 eggs. :)
I received my first Easter Basket in probably over 20 years, which made me really smile...especially since it was so personalized. :) Big thank you, Aunty Pat & Uncle Al.
hee hee...the note says, 'Stace...(on her eggs)' and the cute chickee is sitting on 7 eggs. :)
Saturday, April 23, 2011
twilight
For any of you Twilight people out there (but mostly Cec, Mer & E)...hee hee...this takes it a little to the extreme
Rye nudged me while walking through the parking lot of Ala Moana this weekend, I would have totally missed it, and couldn't believe he caught on so fast. :)
There were quotes everywhere, pictures in the windows and even seat covers...(but I stopped taking pictures after 3) ;)
Rye nudged me while walking through the parking lot of Ala Moana this weekend, I would have totally missed it, and couldn't believe he caught on so fast. :)
There were quotes everywhere, pictures in the windows and even seat covers...(but I stopped taking pictures after 3) ;)
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
scary
Scary is when you put your hand on your hip (to express displeasure at a student) and realize you no longer have a dent to rest your hand on. In fact it's now a converse round pillowy feeling beneath your hand.
The bloating continues. I'm up about 8 lbs now over the past 2 weeks...and seriously look about 4 months pregnant. Haven't worn pants in days. Crossing our fingers that this is just a sneak peak a little bit early. ;)
The Dr's say I should slowly go back down within another couple of weeks. Let's hope so or it's time to shop! ;)
roley poley like humpty dumpty, (oh no wait, he fell down and cracked)
love,
stace
The bloating continues. I'm up about 8 lbs now over the past 2 weeks...and seriously look about 4 months pregnant. Haven't worn pants in days. Crossing our fingers that this is just a sneak peak a little bit early. ;)
The Dr's say I should slowly go back down within another couple of weeks. Let's hope so or it's time to shop! ;)
roley poley like humpty dumpty, (oh no wait, he fell down and cracked)
love,
stace
Monday, April 18, 2011
eggs for easter
Here's our egg update!!!
Dr. Morton called on Sunday at 11am to let us know EIGHT of the 13 were unaffected!!! YYAAAYYYY!!!!! Considering we had 1 our of 2 odds that's REALLY good!!!! They had forewarned us when we decided to do PGD (the genetic testing that it's not usually really a 1 out of 2 ratio, and usually it doesn't work in your favor)
Erin the nurse at Pacific InVitro called today at 2pm to see how I was doing, and let us know we had 7 good eggs. (she didn't realize Dr. Morton had already called us) Apparently something might have happened during the frezzing process or over night to one of them, that was a little disappointing, but that's okay, 7 is still good. :)
Dr. Kosasa called at 2:30pm to give us our egg update (hee hee...apparently everyone wants to talk eggs!), which we already knew, and unfortunately to let me know I need to schedule a hysteroscopy (ouch, scrape scrape blech), but that my uterus and lining will be all pretty and ready to go for the transfer around July....AND as we were talking he helped explain that our little eggs aren't even embryos anymore! They're blastocytes which means they aren't little 8 cell thingies, they're 100 cell 'thingies' (my words not his, obviously) which makes them MUCH stronger and REALLY increase your chance of your success rate!!!! (not gonna say here, cause don't want to jinx us) Let's just say we're up from 50% and I'm really really REALLY hoping this is a good sign!!! :) :) :D
SOooo....long story short. 7 good eggies in the freezer right now. Taken a little chill till we're ready in July!!! Cross your fingers!!!!
love, stace
Dr. Morton called on Sunday at 11am to let us know EIGHT of the 13 were unaffected!!! YYAAAYYYY!!!!! Considering we had 1 our of 2 odds that's REALLY good!!!! They had forewarned us when we decided to do PGD (the genetic testing that it's not usually really a 1 out of 2 ratio, and usually it doesn't work in your favor)
Erin the nurse at Pacific InVitro called today at 2pm to see how I was doing, and let us know we had 7 good eggs. (she didn't realize Dr. Morton had already called us) Apparently something might have happened during the frezzing process or over night to one of them, that was a little disappointing, but that's okay, 7 is still good. :)
Dr. Kosasa called at 2:30pm to give us our egg update (hee hee...apparently everyone wants to talk eggs!), which we already knew, and unfortunately to let me know I need to schedule a hysteroscopy (ouch, scrape scrape blech), but that my uterus and lining will be all pretty and ready to go for the transfer around July....AND as we were talking he helped explain that our little eggs aren't even embryos anymore! They're blastocytes which means they aren't little 8 cell thingies, they're 100 cell 'thingies' (my words not his, obviously) which makes them MUCH stronger and REALLY increase your chance of your success rate!!!! (not gonna say here, cause don't want to jinx us) Let's just say we're up from 50% and I'm really really REALLY hoping this is a good sign!!! :) :) :D
SOooo....long story short. 7 good eggies in the freezer right now. Taken a little chill till we're ready in July!!! Cross your fingers!!!!
love, stace
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
complicated but YAY!
So as the complications continue, Ryan has had to take 3 days off now to take care of his invalid wife. ;) Hee hee...okay, not THAT bad, but here are the bullet points
I had my time frame off a little tho. Every day the cells divide, so it's not overnight that it turns to an 8 cell embryo. Today they are 2 cells, tomorrow 4 and FRIDAY 8 cells. At which point they will miraculously biopsy 1 cell, ship it off to NJ in this fancy schmancy kit, and then we'll find out how many and which embryos are cancer free. Around this time they'll also be cooling off our little embryos (which I believe are then scientifically called blastocytes?) and freezing them until my uterus is in better shape in July.
Yay for the Easter Bunny and Fertility Fairy!!
Hopefully we'll be like little chickens sitting on a nest full of eggs!
- egg retrieval went well - YAY!!
- SIXTEEN eggs were 'sucked out' (for lack of a better term)- double YAY!!!
- Stacy's IV infiltrated and was PAINFUL, and she felt like she was run over by a truck coming out of anesthesia - BOO
- Stacy is experiencing hyperstimulation, unable to sit, stand or lay down without being uncomfortable or sore - double BOO
- Stacy talked to nurse at Pacific IVF who informed her symptoms (bloating, discomfort, weight gain, hot flashes) will continue for next 2 weeks - BOO-BLECH-BOO
- Call from the lab this morning all 16 retrieved eggs are Mature!! - YAY!!!
- Call from the lab this morning 13 eggs were fertilized successfully!!! - double triple quadruple YAY!!!
I had my time frame off a little tho. Every day the cells divide, so it's not overnight that it turns to an 8 cell embryo. Today they are 2 cells, tomorrow 4 and FRIDAY 8 cells. At which point they will miraculously biopsy 1 cell, ship it off to NJ in this fancy schmancy kit, and then we'll find out how many and which embryos are cancer free. Around this time they'll also be cooling off our little embryos (which I believe are then scientifically called blastocytes?) and freezing them until my uterus is in better shape in July.
Yay for the Easter Bunny and Fertility Fairy!!
Hopefully we'll be like little chickens sitting on a nest full of eggs!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Happy Anniversary
4 years ago we were celebrating with family and friends one of the happiest days of our lives...
and in what seems like a lifetime, so much has changed in those four short years...
and i'm sure there will be more change to come.
Happy Anniversary Ryan. :)
and in what seems like a lifetime, so much has changed in those four short years...
and i'm sure there will be more change to come.Happy Anniversary Ryan. :)
complicated
So as the history of Ryan and Stacy and their fertility saga continues...one thing always remains consistent. It's complicated. ;) And although we've been grateful that things have never gone badly it is indeed very rare that things go smoothly! :)
Hence - our new development - we won't actually be implanting or continuing with the transfer of embryos until July. :(
(sigh)... though it was a set back, and a disappointing one, we're taking it as another blessing in disguise that will let us unpack the 50 boxes that are shoved into closets, paint our doors, finish the kitchen cabinets and finally have some DOWN time to relax and breathe a little. (which according to cecily isn't always for sissies)
So now the why - from our very first blood test and ultrasound the docs were a little concerned with my estrogen (E2) levels. Eggs were great. E2 levels too high. I was supposed to be around 300 on our first day, and I was at 1020...and though I don't know what they want me at now. I know that I'm over 4700, which is very very high.
On the plus note we still have 15 eggs on one side, and 6 on the other now all over 19 mm. (some were measuring at 21 mm x 16mm on Sunday, holey bursting ovary!) They're hoping to get a good solid 10 out of them collectively. (often they don't mature, extract nicely, have a good grade, etc.,)
On the down side because my E2 levels are so high, they're worried about my current symptoms (discomfort, water retention, shortness of breath) and apparently they can get worst after retrieval to the point of hospitalization. (which i don't understand b/c the pressure should be SO much less!) They'll push it and transfer the embryos if that's what Ryan and I want right now, but with the caveat that the rate of success is much lower and my symptoms will be worst. If we wait, b/c it's a medical necessity freezing the embryos and the future transfer ($4k) will be covered completely, and our chance of success will be much higher.
Needless to say although we were disappointed at another set back it wasn't a very hard decision if the success rate is higher. :)
Our future implant date is yet unscheduled, but since we'll have to start with oral contraceptives all over again, the soonest it can be will be July.
Egg retrieval is still tomorrow, and Rye and I have to go down to Kapiolani Women & Children's bright and early at 5am. :) Procedure is at 7am, and I should be out of recovery by 10.
Please send good vibes! We want good eggs and lots of them! We'll have an 'egg report' by Wed on how many were successfully retrieved and in good shape.
Hoping the Fertility Fairy and Easter Bunny come together on this one... ;) eggs, eggs, eggs!!!
love,
stace
Hence - our new development - we won't actually be implanting or continuing with the transfer of embryos until July. :(
(sigh)... though it was a set back, and a disappointing one, we're taking it as another blessing in disguise that will let us unpack the 50 boxes that are shoved into closets, paint our doors, finish the kitchen cabinets and finally have some DOWN time to relax and breathe a little. (which according to cecily isn't always for sissies)
So now the why - from our very first blood test and ultrasound the docs were a little concerned with my estrogen (E2) levels. Eggs were great. E2 levels too high. I was supposed to be around 300 on our first day, and I was at 1020...and though I don't know what they want me at now. I know that I'm over 4700, which is very very high.
On the plus note we still have 15 eggs on one side, and 6 on the other now all over 19 mm. (some were measuring at 21 mm x 16mm on Sunday, holey bursting ovary!) They're hoping to get a good solid 10 out of them collectively. (often they don't mature, extract nicely, have a good grade, etc.,)
On the down side because my E2 levels are so high, they're worried about my current symptoms (discomfort, water retention, shortness of breath) and apparently they can get worst after retrieval to the point of hospitalization. (which i don't understand b/c the pressure should be SO much less!) They'll push it and transfer the embryos if that's what Ryan and I want right now, but with the caveat that the rate of success is much lower and my symptoms will be worst. If we wait, b/c it's a medical necessity freezing the embryos and the future transfer ($4k) will be covered completely, and our chance of success will be much higher.
Needless to say although we were disappointed at another set back it wasn't a very hard decision if the success rate is higher. :)
Our future implant date is yet unscheduled, but since we'll have to start with oral contraceptives all over again, the soonest it can be will be July.
Egg retrieval is still tomorrow, and Rye and I have to go down to Kapiolani Women & Children's bright and early at 5am. :) Procedure is at 7am, and I should be out of recovery by 10.
Please send good vibes! We want good eggs and lots of them! We'll have an 'egg report' by Wed on how many were successfully retrieved and in good shape.
Hoping the Fertility Fairy and Easter Bunny come together on this one... ;) eggs, eggs, eggs!!!
love,
stace
crazy busy sale
so although, a lot of work, the garage sale was CRAZY busy and went so well. :)
unfortunately it was SO busy that we didn't get any pictures. it didn't help that Ryan and I had to leave for an ultrasound appt at 7. got there a little after 5am to set up, followed shortly after by Dad and then the Miyas...we had SOO much to sell!
dad texted while we were at our appt, apparently at 8:25 over 25% of everything was already gone and it was CRAZY there!! (it wasn't supposed to start until 8:30, according to Dad's classified ad, and 9:00 according to our signs and craigslist ads)
when Rye and I got back at 9, (long appt, will post why next) the cars were parked 3 houses back, and round the corner double parked everywhere, Ryan didn't even realize they were there for our sale cause they were so far from the house!
highlights were:
- fight breaking out over mom's jewelry
- cops having to come by twice because of the volume of people parked
- Song (Dad's girlfriend) being the savvy business women hiking up prices
- getting rid of about 90% of our stock!!!
and here are some pics...
this is at about 9 when rye and i got back...
before 11 when it started to slow, but my guess is around 10 judging from that back round table which had been filled before, see the people in line in the garage?
wish we had taken a picture when the tables were FULL, this is at about noon
close to closing time! :) look how empty!
and at the end of the day this is all we had left!
unfortunately it was SO busy that we didn't get any pictures. it didn't help that Ryan and I had to leave for an ultrasound appt at 7. got there a little after 5am to set up, followed shortly after by Dad and then the Miyas...we had SOO much to sell!
dad texted while we were at our appt, apparently at 8:25 over 25% of everything was already gone and it was CRAZY there!! (it wasn't supposed to start until 8:30, according to Dad's classified ad, and 9:00 according to our signs and craigslist ads)
when Rye and I got back at 9, (long appt, will post why next) the cars were parked 3 houses back, and round the corner double parked everywhere, Ryan didn't even realize they were there for our sale cause they were so far from the house!
highlights were:
- fight breaking out over mom's jewelry
- cops having to come by twice because of the volume of people parked
- Song (Dad's girlfriend) being the savvy business women hiking up prices
- getting rid of about 90% of our stock!!!
and here are some pics...
this is at about 9 when rye and i got back...
before 11 when it started to slow, but my guess is around 10 judging from that back round table which had been filled before, see the people in line in the garage?
wish we had taken a picture when the tables were FULL, this is at about noon
close to closing time! :) look how empty!
and at the end of the day this is all we had left!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
hard to let go...
While a very lucrative and successful garage sale, as Cec said it was also hard to see all of our familiar items for sale...and like putting a price on our childhood.
Cookie Monster Agrees...
Cookie Monster Agrees...
Thursday, April 7, 2011
down time is for sissies
Have I mentioned that Ryan and I don't know how to relax anymore?
Here's a hint on what we've been up to everyday this week...
(in other news i'm walking okay again, just a little uncomfortable, the double protein and lowered med dosage has eased the pressure on my ovaries)
Here's a hint on what we've been up to everyday this week...
(in other news i'm walking okay again, just a little uncomfortable, the double protein and lowered med dosage has eased the pressure on my ovaries)
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
jiggly
Holey Schmoley SORE tonight!! OUCH!
But I digress, just had to get that out cause my tummy is burning up here....
I have a jiggly-bubble but! :) (hee hee...was that TMI? you must admit you just started your day with a smile though, right? maybe a gasp?)
I have now gained 6 lbs in 4 days.
Thankfully I actually lost 10 lbs over the last few months from our healthy eating-Traditional Chinese Medicine diet, or my clothes wouldn't fit at all. But even with that, I'm wearing loose clothing for the sake of comfort and...hee hee..TMI again, some areas of my body feel like a water balloon cause it's all water weight.
Hmm...water balloons and pin cushions don't quite mix too well...
poke-poke-poke-SPLOOSH! :)
love,
stace
But I digress, just had to get that out cause my tummy is burning up here....
I have a jiggly-bubble but! :) (hee hee...was that TMI? you must admit you just started your day with a smile though, right? maybe a gasp?)
I have now gained 6 lbs in 4 days.
Thankfully I actually lost 10 lbs over the last few months from our healthy eating-Traditional Chinese Medicine diet, or my clothes wouldn't fit at all. But even with that, I'm wearing loose clothing for the sake of comfort and...hee hee..TMI again, some areas of my body feel like a water balloon cause it's all water weight.
Hmm...water balloons and pin cushions don't quite mix too well...
poke-poke-poke-SPLOOSH! :)
love,
stace
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
bloating = waddling
i'm bloated to the point where i'm already walking funny and we're not even PREGNANT yet?!
according to my daily blood test my E2 levels are too high. Good is around 300. Bad is Stacy who is over 1000. They call this hyperstimulation, which means my ovaries are SUPER tender (walking is sore, sitting is sore, standing is sore), I'm VERY bottom heavy right now (my tree trunk figure is now a pear), and will experience big time bloating (cause the 4 lbs I've gained in 3 days wasn't enough).
On the other hand we have FIFTEEN eggs on one side and eight on the other! Woo Hoo!! The Dr's words (before we talked about the hyperstimulation) were, "Well, everyone wants to be YOU today!" (hee hee...everyone meaning all the IVF people) Good sign! YAY!!!
Unfortunately they need them to DOUBLE in size by about Monday. Hence a little more discomfort coming this way.
My black and blue veins make me look like a druggy, and I've got polk a dot red and black and blue marks all around my tummy, but yay for the eggs eggs eggs!!! :)
hee hee....and as Aunty Pat said, just in time for Easter!
"here comes peter cotton tail..."
love,
stace
according to my daily blood test my E2 levels are too high. Good is around 300. Bad is Stacy who is over 1000. They call this hyperstimulation, which means my ovaries are SUPER tender (walking is sore, sitting is sore, standing is sore), I'm VERY bottom heavy right now (my tree trunk figure is now a pear), and will experience big time bloating (cause the 4 lbs I've gained in 3 days wasn't enough).
On the other hand we have FIFTEEN eggs on one side and eight on the other! Woo Hoo!! The Dr's words (before we talked about the hyperstimulation) were, "Well, everyone wants to be YOU today!" (hee hee...everyone meaning all the IVF people) Good sign! YAY!!!
Unfortunately they need them to DOUBLE in size by about Monday. Hence a little more discomfort coming this way.
My black and blue veins make me look like a druggy, and I've got polk a dot red and black and blue marks all around my tummy, but yay for the eggs eggs eggs!!! :)
hee hee....and as Aunty Pat said, just in time for Easter!
"here comes peter cotton tail..."
love,
stace
Saturday, April 2, 2011
burn burn burn!
burn baby burn! that's how it feels after getting injections around your belly button. tummy is all aflame.
But no tears, no gasping, just a wince here and there...
and just NINE days to go!!
But no tears, no gasping, just a wince here and there...
and just NINE days to go!!
progress!!!
I didn't cry today! (i only gasped a little)
Huge improvement and only 10 days to go! (i can't count shots anymore cause i've lost count) ;) Woo Hoo! Tomorrow we'll be in the single digits!
Ultra sounds and blood tests start on Monday. Lets go ovaries! Lets go! (clap clap) Get it? Like a football cheer! ;)
love, your toughening up pin cushion, stace
Huge improvement and only 10 days to go! (i can't count shots anymore cause i've lost count) ;) Woo Hoo! Tomorrow we'll be in the single digits!
Ultra sounds and blood tests start on Monday. Lets go ovaries! Lets go! (clap clap) Get it? Like a football cheer! ;)
love, your toughening up pin cushion, stace
