The Waiting Game

Good morning! Just thought I would quickly post to let everyone know that insemination went smoothly last week. We thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers! We had a different doctor this time than we've ever had, Dr. Burwinkel. I told him he better be our lucky charm! It was a pretty emotional experience... just thinking about all the what ifs and praying so hard that it works. So now the waiting game is on. Burwinkel said we could take a home test as early as next Thursday. Once I have positive at home test, they will bring me in for a blood test. So that's really all that's going on now, we will absolutely let everyone know what's going on once we have had the blood test and gotten our numbers back!! Thanks for all your support -

It's about Time!

Hello everyone! I'm sorry it's been awhile since we've updated, but not much as really been going on...


I had a doctor's appointment today, however, and we have at least one good egg ready for insemination this weekend! I was on Clomid this month which helps ensure good, strong eggs. We are very excited but also super nervous. Our donor sperm arrived at the doctor's office today so we are truly ready to go.


Lots of you have asked us questions about choosing a donor, so here's the story in a nutshell. We used the sperm bank recommended by our fertility doctor. It's actually located in Virginia, it's not local. The bank is very reputable, only 1% of all applicants are actually accepted as donors. You can search donors online and look at tons of different physical and psychological qualities. Our first priority was blond hair and blue eyes, for obvious reasons. Beyond that, we also read the essay questions that each donor is asked. I have listed them below, with our donor's answers.


What is your most memorable childhood experience?
My most memorable childhood experience was playing baseball. I remember being part of a baseball team from the time I could swing a bat and up through elementary school. I was able to meet many friends, learn about sports, fitness, and team work, and also become part of a loving organization. It was a way for me to bond with all my friends and family members.


What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why?I closely identify with my father the most. He was always interested in sports, education, and everyone's overall well-being. We always seem to be on the same page and have similar thought processes. Having a good father figure while growing up has allowed me to remain close and identify with my father the most.
What character traits do you admire in an individual?I admire love in an individual the most. A person with love seems to be more relaxed, calm, and accepting. A person who loves their own life and the lives of others is a person I like to be around. The presence of love alone is satisfying and relieves stress and fear. I believe that with love come patience, serenity, peace, and pure happiness. I think that love is the root of many virtuous traits.

What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? (this was an important question to us!)
One of the funniest things to happen to me would be when I was in a police station for a few hours. I was trying to sell my car and a foreign buyer sent me a check. It looked counterfeit so I took it to the bank to have them take a look at it. The bank teller thought I was the one who made the check and thought I was trying to cash it. She called the police and I spent a good time in the police station trying to make them understand that I was not part of the scam. After a while, they figured it out and let me go. Looking back now, it was a pretty funny incident!
If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why?
If I had the time and means to travel anywhere, I would like to go to all sorts of places. I would love to go to Scotland and Ireland to see the land and meet the people. I would go to England and visit museums and old artifacts. I would love to see Germany and see where so much recent history has taken place. France and Spain would be great to visit. I would also like to to visit Japan, China, and other Asian cultures to taste the food and find out why other people say it is so beautiful. It would be hard for me to pick only one place; I would like to see everything.
When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them?
If I ever have children of my own, the most important thing I want to pass on to them is the meaning and value of family. Having a solid and caring family creates a meaning for life. With a meaning for life, a person can be happy regardless of whatever else is happening. So the one thing I would pick most of all to pass down to my children and for them to pass down to theirs is the value of family. 
We were also able to view our donor's medical history and the history of siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Ours has a clean bill of health, of course :) 

We also had the option of buying pictures, but we aren't really interested in that. This is Chris' baby and we don't really care what the guy looks like. 


Many of you have asked us questions about the process, and we are happy to continue to answer them. Everyone has been so supportive, and we truly couldn't have done this without everyone's love. 




So now the scary part really begins. Another 2 week countdown. I am very scared it won't work this time. I know that it's very likely it won't - it usually takes 1-3 times. But I know deep down my heart is hoping that we will be pregnant this time. I think I will definitely need to grieve if that doesn't happen, but we will pick ourselves up and get ready for next time!