And now we wait....

We are so blessed to have everyone keeping us in their thoughts, prayers, and hearts!!  

   

A teacher can't just take time off, you have to get stuff ready!

Sunday morning started off bright and early with acupuncture!  I wasn't too sure about the whole acupuncture thing, but figured it couldn't hurt and it hasn't.  Starting off with points on my back, I always get super relaxed and sleepy.  When I have needles in my belly and legs, I'm more easily distracted (shocker).  I've found playing around on my phone keeps my brain somewhat busy.  We went at 8:00 so David (acupuncture guy) could still have brunch with his family.  Family first!  While I was relaxing at acupuncture, Joe enjoyed a nap in the car.  David commented on how calm I seemed to be about the transfer, that maybe fantasy football and the Colts game were good distractions.  While they are good distractions, I just really wasn't stressed or anxious about the transfer this time.  Prayers for peace and calm were sure heard on Sunday!  

Our check-in time at Midwest was 9:45, so we just hung out for a few and listened to some pre game.    Once we got called back, I had to take my transfer day pill and drink a lot of water.  While I was consuming fluids, Joe got dressed in his fancy outfit and booties (which just barely fit over his size 15's).  Dr. Colver came in with our day 5 update.  We had two embryos ready for transfer with none for freezing.  One of our embryos is looking really promising and the other one has potential.  We headed back to the transfer room where "Canon in D" was playing for our calming music, which was one of the songs we used for our bridal party!  I took that as a good sign.  Dr. Colver said my uterine lining looked great and my bladder was super full, so that helped him have a good view.  The embryologist is standing at the door to the lab, confirms that the embryos are ours, Dr. Colver releases them into the catheter, gives it back to embryologist who confirms the catheter is empty.  Dr. Colver said we had a YouTube worthy transfer video.  First stop after the transfer was the potty, please don't be alarmed no bodily functions can make the embryos fall out!  Back to our room to lay flat for about 15 minutes before heading home.  I had seen a couple articles about clinics having 'medical clowns' to entertain patients after their transfer, the laughter helps ease the stress.  Who needs a creepy clown when you have Pat McAfee Uncaged on your phone?  Yup, I just watched my favorite punter tell jokes to pass the time!  

Rocking the old school Dallas Clark jersey...that he got when Dallas was drafted!

How cute is he?

Lucky socks, IVF essentials

Looking pretty relaxed on my way home LOL

Say hello to our two embryos

Once we got home, I set up camp on the couch to see the sad ending to the Colts game and take a nap.  The nurse had said I needed to spend my lying down for the rest of the day as much as possible and then on Monday I could sit up more.  Joe stayed home with me yesterday, and after a little bit of whining and obvious boredom suggested a movie.  Bless that man, it was good just to get out of the house and still follow the orders of taking it easy!  We went to see Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and I give it the Jonesy approval, it was good!  Sarah and Troy got me a goody bag of things to keep busy while I'm home, so last night we broke out the puzzle.  Bubba is still quite happy with the bag.

Today, I was free to drive so guess where I went...Starbucks (for a caffeine free Vanilla Bean Frap) and Target of course.  Please don't panic, I'm allowed to resume normal activities but will be taking it easy until the test on the 12th.  Thanks to technology, I've been able to video message with my preschoolers.  I do miss my kiddos, but taking it easy and not lifting just don't go well in preschool life.  I'm so thankful for my girls holding down the fort while I'm gone.   

Here's specific prayer requests...

• Our little embryos, it just takes one to implant and grow!
• No cabin fever for this girl!  If I get bored and antsy, I might get the urge to fall down the Google rabbit hole.  I just am trusting God has a plan for us and there's nothing on Google that will show a side effect or something different.  
• Joe, he's the calm and rationale one in our house
• My allergies are not my friend!  I'm down to just taking Claritin and the occasional Benadryl and sucking it up.  I do have lemon, lavender, and peppermint going in the diffuser.  
• One of my preschoolers is supposed to have tonsils/adenoids out tomorrow, so please pray for this kiddo and the family
• My other preschool kiddos to make good choices and not worry about why Jones has been out for a long time.  I'm so thankful for my girls holding down the fort and letting the kids know, I'm fine but I just won't be at school for a bit.  I'm thankful that I love what I do and miss my kiddos and peeps.

That's all for now folks!  Sorry it's long, but my human interaction is limited and I need an outlet!

Love always,

Sarah and Joe

Transfer Tomorrow

On Tuesday morning, we headed down bright and early for our egg retrieval appointment and clearly I didn't update the blog like I meant to, I took a nice nap!  Dr. Colver was our doctor for the retrieval and our nurse let me wear just my lucky Colts socks back, so that was exciting.  It's the little things.  Fast forward to what I remember after the anesthesia, we got 26 eggs and I finally got a snack!  Goldfish and a juice box...the perfect snack for a preschooler (or a preschool teacher).  I'm very thankful that my darling husband doesn't record me coming out of anesthesia because evidently when Dr. Colver told me 26, my response was something about 23, 18, HIKE!  

Dude was kind enough to keep me company once we got home.

Wednesday morning it was back to my kiddos, with the restrictions of no lifting over 25 pounds or anything too intense.  I was anticipating our fertilization report in the afternoon, but it came around 9:00!

What was our fertilization report?!

Thanks to Scott Tolzien for helping share how many had embryos we had as of Wednesday morning!  

(If you don't know who he is, he is the backup QB for Mr. Luck.  #themoreyouknow)

Of our 26 eggs, they split them into two groups- 13 were put together to fertilize on their own and 10 eggs were fertilized using ICSI (where they put the sperm in the egg), 3 eggs were immature.  Out of those groups, 8 fertilized on their own and 8 fertilized with ICSI!  On Sunday morning, the embryologist will reevaluate them and identify the two strongest embryos to transfer.  We have only had two embryos make it to day 5 each IVF, but I've not responded this well before either.  If we do have more than two embryos, we will be able to freeze them to try again in the future.  Nurse Allison called to check in on Wednesday afternoon, but we were busy using the flashlights on our phones because there was a brief power outage.  I e-mailed her back to let her know I was fine and power had come back on, to which she reminded me to take it easy.  

Thursday was the beginning of progesterone and estrogen support, other than that it was just another normal day with my kiddos at school.  I'm so thankful for my girls at school who keep an eye on me and remind me not to pick up my little friends.  It's been a group effort getting sub plans ready for almost two full weeks, which is why I've not updated the blog.  My brain has been in preschool teacher mode because it's so hard to be out of school and away from the kiddos!  

Friday afternoon, Nurse Allison called with our transfer time...10:15 on Sunday.  Dr. Colver is the doctor who will be doing our transfer.  We have to be there at 9:45 to get ready.  Acupuncture is scheduled for 8:00 before the transfer, so we will have a little time before going over to Midwest.

Prayer request update...

• We have at least two healthy embryos to transfer tomorrow!
• I have acupuncture and medicine to calm my nerves on Transfer Day, pray that Joe has peace and calming, too.
• Safe travels back and forth tomorrow
• My allergies aren't being cooperative with the whole only taking Claritin thing!  

(in case I don't update before Monday morning)  Please pray for my preschoolers and my girls, have I mentioned how hard it is to NOT be at school?!  

Thanks for the love, prayers, and support!  We are so thankful to be surrounded with love and encouragement!

Love,

Sarah & Joe

Only one shot to go!

First day of shots

I guess I thought I had at least updated the blog after starting medicine, but evidently not!  Sorry about that friends, but thanks to social media I've been able to do quick updates.  Also, I've been a little flighty, so this blog post may be even more ADD than you folks are used to!

September 15th was my baseline appointment, starting my adventures of driving between Muncie, Marion, and Carmel.  (Pat McAfee's podcast and comedy show have been the soundtrack to these commutes from home to school to doc or acupuncture.  Laughter is the best medicine and doesn't give me headaches or bloating like the lovely Menopur, Follistim, and Ganirelex shots I have given myself.)

Last weekend, I really wanted to go see Shaun Latham again in Indy.  It's possible that my poor husband wasn't as excited as I was and that after only two days of shots...I played the IVF card to guilt him into going.  (I think it was something about being stuck in the house, full of hormones, and just wanting to get out and laugh)  I'm not proud, but we did go to Chubby's Comedy on Saturday night and got some laughs in!

Tuesday was my first monitoring appointment and thankfully they start at 7:15 so I could get back to preschool before the morning class left.  Everything looked good and I just had to wait for Nurse Alison to call me that afternoon and let me know to come back on Thursday.  Joe had to go for that monitoring appointment because we had to initial and sign our consents.  Someone was up a lot earlier than he was used to!  Thankfully, Joe got a good nap in before my lovely meltdown Thursday night.  (I made it a week on shots before having a meltdown, so that's not too bad)  Thanks to Joe's patience, girls who have been through IVF encouraging me, a hot bath, and some Jim Brickman on Pandora, I came out of the dark side.  I think I could have won a daytime Emmy for my soap opera crying, I'm just saying!

Yesterday morning, I ventured down to Carmel for monitoring.  Everything was looking good, but Nurse Sherry wanted me to hang out around Indy until she heard from Bopp about my trigger shot protocol, which thankfully will just be the HCG that I'm used to!  After my labs came back, Sherry called and said to come back for monitoring Sunday.   Cheryl was our nurse today, she's been with Dr. Bopp since we have been seeing him!  She was pretty sure that we would trigger tonight for retrieval on Tuesday, which was what I had been planning on and have Baryoh booked as my sub...it's a win-win.  Labs came back and she called to confirm that we will do our trigger shot tonight for retrieval on Tuesday at 7:30 am.  (I'm so thankful that it's early because I'm not the nicest and happiest girl when I can't eat or drink)

The alarm is set for 7:30 tonight for the trigger shot AKA the last shot, back in the morning at 7:15 for labs and pre-op instructions.  After that appointment, I will head to my kiddos.  It's hard being gone so much!

Here's our specific prayer requests for now...

• Safe travels 
• My allergies are driving me crazy, my head hasn't exploded yet, but it's been close.  Pray that it doesn't turn into a sinus infection or anything like that.
• Preschool:  My assistants Sarah and Bethany are holding down the fort and thankfully we have Baryoh as a sub for the days I'm out now.  I've got caffeine and chocolate, so that part is covered.  I'm so thankful for all of my preschool peeps and my preschool families!
• On Tuesday morning, pray for us as we travel to Carmel.  The retrieval is done under anesthetic.  Please pray that they are able to retrieve healthy follicles and that those follicles will fertilize!  

I will try and update on Tuesday after I nap or Wednesday after I get the fertilization report!

Thanks for the love and prayers!  I can't imagine going through IVF without the amazing support system that we have.

Love to all!

Sarah and Joe

Game day shots

A new podcast on Friday morning made that shot easier!

#TheMorningSnap

https://twitter.com/TheMorningSnap

It's like this post was written about dealing with infertility, but it can apply to every area of life.  Matt Overton is the Long Snapper for the Indianapolis Colts and shares The Morning Snap on social media daily, and I always love it!  This one really hit home and I had to share it on here because I am going to have to go back to it frequently.  

(I'm sure you guys know Matt, he's the other guy on the field with Adam and Pat...#45)

The next day, Matt tweeted another one that just hit home again.

I really appreciate everyone taking time to share in our story!  (now, go follow The Morning Snap)

Have a great week and Go Colts!

Sarah

Hello September!

September is here which means it's time for football...and IVF this month!  You would think having the medicine delivered and taking up room in our fridge would be a reality check for me, but no...just changing the calendar did it.  I really thought I had updated our blog at least once this summer since the ultrasound, sorry for being a slacker.  We kicked off August with some tests at Midwest Fertility which were just to make sure all of our levels were in the normal range and give Dr. Bopp up to date information to make the best game plan for our upcoming cycle.  
There really wasn't much time to stress about lab results when I wasn't able to get into my new classroom until the Wednesday before school started.  Thankfully, Joe has connections to a furniture store truck and was easily able to move all of my stuff to Justice in one load.  It took a village and a lot of caffeine, but our room was ready to rock by the time the kiddos rolled in.  

Nurse Alison let us know labs were good and we were ready to move ahead and get medicine ordered.  Bless my momma for waiting at our house all day long for the FedEx guy who came at 3:50 when I was on my way home!  With meds here and in the fridge, I kept thinking about needing to get plans and everything ready for the sub when I'm out for monitoring, retrieval, and transfer-test.  (side note, those plans are still a work in progress LOL)   

When I was in my IVF binder, I came across some flyers Joe had taken from Indiana Reproductive Acupuncture.  They are located right by Dr. Bopp and work with Midwest frequently, but I had to check in with my trusty nurse before making an appointment.  Alison replied that they had several patients do acupuncture and many had good results.  Helping withs tress and anxiety was one of the biggest pluses to trying acupuncture, so I made an appointment.  Joe went with me for my consultation and first session, and the only painful part was the terrible traffic we got stuck in.  I didn't get any pictures of the needles, but I go again on Tuesday so maybe I will take a selfie!

Here's the link if anyone is interested; http://indianareproductiveacupuncture.com/fresh-cycle/.  It really was super relaxing and I'm looking forward to another appointment!

It's just waiting for the next couple weeks for the cycle to start and then the fun begins, it should be around the 16th.  (Pray for preschool because the 12th and 13th, I'm at a professional development!!)   We start with a baseline ultrasound and then medicines on day 3. 

Here's what you can pray specifically for right now...

• Working on cutting back/almost eliminating caffeine    
• Safe travels back and forth to school and appointments
• TSH level to say between 1-2
• Allergies to be tolerable and my head not to explode (no Claritin D or nasal spray during IVF)
  

I will post another update as we get closer and/or if I get a fun picture from acupuncture.  Thanks for the love, support, and prayers as we continue along our infertility adventures. 

Sarah

Here's a few fun summer memories that kept me from updating the blog!

Here we go again!!

A week ago today, we sat down with Dr. Bopp and talked about where we are and what's been going on with our journey to baby.  In spite of what the blog shows, there have been a twist here and a turn there in the past year since I've written.    Today we're going to stick with what's going on in the present.  Because of all the unknowns and things that have happened, I've struggled with writing a blog update and exactly what to say.  I think my devotionals arriving today were what I needed to remember that we have gotten this far with the prayers and support of our family and friends, so I better get to writing!

After our failed IVF, trying again was not something I was sure about.  Joe's dad passed away and life was turned around again.  It's been two years and we are finally ready to go down the IVF road again, praying this road ends with us finally having a baby.  There was no doubt in our minds that if we tried IVF again, it would be back with Dr. Bopp at Midwest.  Meeting with him last Monday just reaffirmed that fact.  I need a doctor that has some warm and fuzzy and not solely focused on the scientific process.  Dr. Bopp greeted us with hugs and we spent some time just catching him up on life at the Jones' house.  We are ready to move forward and try another fresh cycle of IVF.  We did discuss using donor eggs or donor embryos, but together we ended up on the same page...just a fresh cycle with our goods.  I wish I could remember the exact words he used, but Dr. Bopp said God has a plan and every step along the way is leading us to our baby.  (Just another example of why we love him!)  Having been through two IVF cycles, we didn't have as many questions.  We just needed to know what to do on our end to get ready.
One of my biggest worries was needing another hysteroscopy AKA an outpatient surgery.  Have I mentioned that I'm moving to a new building for preschool next year?!  The thought of needing a surgery as I settle into my new room brings up lots of panic.  Luckily, Dr. Bopp was able to work with my schedule and craziness to get an ultrasound scheduled last Friday so if needed, we could do surgery in July.
Last Monday when I scheduled the ultrasound for Friday, 9:45 did not sound like it was too early at all!  What I didn't factor in was our date with Pat McAfee Thursday night (oh my goodness, I could do a whole entry about that!).  Friday morning, I woke up bright and early to head to Dr. Bopp.  (According to my FitBit, I had gotten about 4 hours of sleep.  I'm too old to party with a punter, but that won't stop me from seeing him again!)
I will have to say, Dr. Bopp had me scared for a minute!  When he asked where Joe was, I told him that I was hoping he got up in time for work since we had seen Pat McAfee and had a really late night.  The nurse shared my concern when Bopp said, "Who is Pat McAfee?!"  Long story short, he knows Pat the Punter but didn't know Pat has other skills.  (I was really concerned for a minute!)
The ultrasound looked "prime and ready" which means no surgery needed!  Woohoo.  Dr. Bopp had also received my records from IVF #2, so he has most of the information needed to plan for IVF #3.  We still have to get Joe's record updated, do cycle day 3 bloodwork, and get our infectious disease labs done.  Once Dr. Bopp has all of that info, he will be able to plan the best protocol for us to move forward.  Needless to say, nothing will be happening during the month of August...back to school crazy fills up the agenda!
In the mean time, just pray that our labs and everything come out normal and give Bopp the best information to plan for us.  Pray that my TSH (thyroid levels) stay below 2, when Dr. Orrell checked at the end of May my levels were .25 which is lower than the ideal range.  Please pray that we will get into our new classrooms and settled easily during August!
I will use this blog to update everyone on what we have been doing and what is to come.  Thanks for all of the love and prayers that have gotten us this far and all the prayers that will see us through another cycle.
Did I mention we got to meet Pat McAfee?!

#NIAW #YouAreNotAlone

Wow, I knew I hadn't written in a long time but it's been over a year!  My last blog test was about the results of IVF #2 which weren't what we had hoped for, we have been on an eventful break since that IVF and aren't sure what our next steps are.  However, it's National Infertility Awareness Week so I have to post something!  This year's theme is "You are not alone," and I love it!!  Since we started our infertility journey, we haven't been alone because we have shared everything with our friends and family.  While sharing results such as a negative pregnancy test or another procedure is a challenge, it has also served as a good therapeutic outlet for me.  Every step of the way, we have been blessed with friends and family providing us with encouragement, prayers, and laughs.  Without the Cade Foundation, it is hard to say where we would have gone next.  If you listen to nothing else I say this week to help with infertility awareness, remember the Cade Foundation!!!  Share our story with anyone that you know struggling with infertility and trying to figure out the financial aspect.  That's the joy of infertility, it literally is draining physically, emotionally, and financially.  Our Cade Foundation family has been with us every step of the way.

So, what's up with the Jones' journey to baby?!  Nothing much to be quite honest!  After our failed IVF and experience in a new fertility clinic, I was just done and not sure what I thought about our next steps.  It was time for a break, just time to enjoy life as Joe and Sarah without worrying about shots, appointments, and the ups and downs.  I started back at Ball State to get my Master's in Early Childhood Special Education since special needs preschool is where I need to be.  

Joe's dad passed away at the end of June, so priorities and our focus was shifted.  J2 was one of our biggest cheerleaders and supporters, we always looked forward to our dinner dates with Dad.  One of the biggest things I try and remember is to take advantage of each day that you're blessed with and let others know you love them!  Little Miss Reegan became the newest member of the Jones' feline family, another furry friend and link to J2.  (She's the queen of the castle)

August brought back to school and more classes, insert a tired and crazier than usual Sarah!  I love my classes and what I am learning, but oh my goodness...working full time and two classes per semester=a little more crazy than usual.  We decided that the whole make a baby plan was on hiatus until I'm done with school.  (The last thing this girl needs is additional hormones these days!)  

The new year brought some different loss and grief, January 23 between when I left for school and when Joe got up our fat cat Baby passed away peacefully.  One month later, Kitty passed away after suffering.  They were our first babies and were 16 so they both had good and happy kitty lives.  Losing Kitty and Baby was really more traumatic than I would have expected.  Kitty and Baby were the ones who had to hear me cry and yell about not being able to get pregnant.  Kitty would curl up and cuddle whenever I needed it, I'm not certain but I think pets take on an extra special comforting role when you're battling fertility treatments.   

In the mean time, we have enjoyed two fun trips to Las Vegas which ended up with me having four more tattoos!  The other day when I was driving home, I had the thought (or realization?) that God's plan really is what's best and He knows what we can handle.  In the past year, we have faced the loss of a parent and two pets.  We have been working full time and Joe has taken up cooking while I do homework.  Life is busy and crazy!  There are times when I have this perspective and understand why we haven't had a baby yet and then there are times I still get mad.  Infertility is up and down, it's always with you- even if you're not actively tackling it.  You are not alone in the journey and the love and support of others are what keeps you from going totally bonkers!  

If you or someone you know is dealing with infertility, please share this blog, my name, and the Cade Foundation with them!  We have been blessed and known we weren't alone, we want to be there for others!

Regular version of Sarah and Joe in Vegas

Fancy Sarah & Joe
(FYI- don't get used to this look!)