Our first ultrasound...

So, I had mentioned that we had an u/s scheduled, and as most of you agreed, it was pretty early.  5w6d, to be exact, and I wasn't quite sure what we'd be able to see at that point.  When we got there, the doctor explained that there would be 3 things we could see that would be fine... one would be a sac, with nothing visible inside; two would be a sac with a fetal pole inside; and three was a sac with a flutter of cardiac activity starting to show (a very new heartbeat).  So, we were prepared.  And then we saw...

Some of you pros may know what you see in the above u/s pic, but some may be waiting to know what we are looking at... well, you are looking at TWINS!  That's right- those two darks areas with those little circles inside, that means two babies.  And at our early u/s, 5w6d, we saw both heart beats fluttering inside each sac.  Now, what you can't see in this pic is that I also have a small pocket of fluid/blood in my uterus (an SCH) which is not fabulous, but also not horrible.  It's relatively common, and usually the blood just reabsorbs and the SCH is gone.  We will watch it to make sure it gets smaller and fades away over the next weeks.  These things don't usually pose a threat to the pregnancy, but in rare cases they can, which is why they will watch it.  So, all in all, we are doing good!  The doctor first said, "well, I see at least two right now and maybe another..." and I just about had a panic attack for a moment.  I may have held my breath until he said there were just the two.  Whew!  I've done twins before, but 3 is a ball game I'm not sure I'm up for!  But, I am happy to be the temporary home for these two girls for the next 9 months or so.  Ah, yes, did you remember that we know the sex of these babes already, since they were PGD tested?  So, it is my second set of surro-twin girls!  Apparently my uterus has a "no boys allowed" policy.    ; )  We go back next week for another u/s, so I will update you all sometime after that!  Have a great holiday weekend!

The results are in...

I went in yesterday and had my bloodwork done.  Just the normal, routine stuff- checking all my hormone levels to make sure my meds are at the right dosages, etc.  Oh, and then one additional test, the beta HCG... that tells us if I'm pregnant or not!  So, the clinic called and let us know that we are, in fact, pregnant!  My beta # was 1365, and it was taken 14 days after the transfer.  I think it's a pretty strong number, but it's in the middle enough that there's no clue towards twins or a singleton.  Sometimes numbers are high and you think it must be twins...although it could still be wrong.  You never know until the u/s, but this number really just leaves us guessing with no real inclination either way.  We have a first, and very early, u/s next Wednesday- when I'll be be 5 weeks 6 days along, a little on the early side for a heartbeat, but it's possible we'll get to see one (or two).  Then the clinic will update me on what comes next (another u/s maybe?).

I know you've all been anxiously waiting...

It looks like I am knocked up!  We had our transfer on 5/1, and my official beta hcg blood test isn't until 5/15 (yes, they are cruel and make us wait 2...full...weeks!), but I have cheated and taken hpt after hpt.  Yep, they all look like the one above!  J&T are happy, but I think they are also waiting to hear it from the doctor directly after the blood test.  Well, really I think they are just waiting for the u/s to know if there is one baby in there or two... I'm anxiously awaiting that news for sure.  I'm thrilled that our first transfer seems to have stuck because, to be honest, I was a little nervous when I found out there were no embryos left to freeze.  It was kind of that "all your eggs in one basket" thing, only they had all their eggs in my basket.  No pressure, right?  ; )

Transfer Day!

Tuesday, May 1st was the day we had been waiting for...transfer day!  Dh and I drove the 3 hours to the hotel, right down the street from TFI, on Monday.  We got checked in and brought our things to our room, then met up with J&T.  We were all so excited that this was finally happening!  We spent the late afternoon walking around a nearby mall, then went to dinner, and finally returned to the hotel for some rest.  The next morning we all drove together to TFI and anxiously waited to be called in to the procedure room.  When they finally called my name, they had us all come back- we dropped J&T off in a conference area to discuss the embryos testing results and the doctor's recommendations for transfer; and DH and I proceeded to the room to get ready for transfer.  What seemed like an hour went by (it was probably 10 minutes) and J&T came in the room.  There were only 2 embryos left after testing... and they were 2 girls.  So, that was that, the 2 girls were going in.  They both looked fantastic, according to the doctor, so we were still doing good.  It was a little humorous to me, since I had carried twin girls my last surrogacy journey- and I was expecting to carry a boy at some point (since I also have 2 daughters, myself) but, what can I say- I am a baby girl machine.  ; )  The transfer went as planned, and I was wheeled out of the procedure room and down to the car.  Oh, with one quick pit stop to open a gift from my IPs in the lobby...a deep pink MK handbag.  How sweet are they?!  I absolutely love it.  They said it must have been meant to be that they chose the pink bag, and we ended up with only female embryos!  We all went back to the hotel and talked for a while, then J&T had to head home.  J&T had gotten our hotel room for the night after transfer as well, so DH and I were able to relax, get some take out and stay there until the next morning- which was recommended after transfer.  Taking it easy and letting those embryos settle in is my job for the next 2 days or so, then still no heavy lifting or too much activity until at least after the pregnancy test in 2 weeks. Now that the transfer has come and gone we are on to our next stage of the waiting game!  The dreaded 2 week wait to find out if we are pregnant or not.  We'll see how long I make it before I start taking home tests...