Poppy Seeds

Yesterday was a surreal day.

I drove up to Portland bright and early with my mom who kept me company on the drive. The blood draw was really quick, but the drive was not, so it was nice to have conversation to take my mind off of the wait.

At 1:03pm, "Northwest Fertility" flashed on my caller I.D. Danny was standing close by as I answered with a shaking hand.

"Hello, Emily, it's Dr. Stoelk"...within these first 5 words, I could tell by his tone it was good news. I still nearly hyperventilated. Danny whispered something to the effect of, "calm down and breathe"...(I'm pretty sure I had my "ugly cry" face on at this moment)...He continued, "Congratulations, your pregnancy test was positive with nice and strong, high numbers!" Oh, thank God!!!!!! For those of you that understand the importance of these numbers: my hCG level was 176 and my progesterone was 37! To put it in perspective, last time my hCG was 16 and progesterone was a 4, and we all know how that ended. Anyway, Dr. Stoelk is a realist (which I really appreciate) and reminded me that it's still early and although these are solid, positive numbers, there's always a small chance of miscarriage as with any typical pregnancy.

As of today, I am 4 weeks pregnant! My baby(ies) are the size of a poppy seed! Speaking of poppy seeds, after my last blog in which a ranted about cake, my dear friend Lea showed up yesterday at the shoppe with a delicious piece of poppy seed cake from the Konditerei to celebrate! Bless her. It was just what I needed! Yes, NEEDED. Ok?! Haha. Anyway - here's a little chart that calculates a 5-day transfer...


Danny and I decided that Ty was old enough to decide how much he wanted to be included. Back in January when we miscarried, Ty was devastated. We talked about not telling him this time, but the kid is just too perceptive and nothing gets by those little ears. We asked him how much he wants to know this time...wait and be surprised when it was good news (like 2nd trimester safe) or did he want to know about our appointments and be included in the process - simplified to an 11 year old version, of course. He really thought about it and declared that he wanted to know...everything. Dates, tests, and results. Last night, we gave him this...

He was so excited he slipped it on right over his jammies. I washed it last night per his request and he proudly wore it to school today! He put in his "order" for twins - one of each, and I quote, "so I can have both a little brother and a little sister. That would be perfect." He is so sweet. I die. Danny on the other hand, is not hoping for twins, but at least we have a few more weeks until we need to worry about that :)

My progesterone levels were solid this time, but it is pretty standard to supplement additionally with fertility patients, so I will be on progesterone oil by intramuscular injection, daily, for about 6 more weeks. That needle goes ALL the way in, folks. This is not my favorite, but I'm happy to do it. Milly, the awesome nurse at our fertility clinic, drew targets on both sides of my hips yesterday with a Sharpie, so Danny can't miss. We went a little low the first time on our own and I am currently sporting a softball-sized bruise. The progesterone oil is a little brutal. My hips and the sides of my bum are very sore. If you see me hobbling around, this is why :) Nothing I can't handle though!


We have one more blood test tomorrow, just to make sure my hCG level doubles. After that, if things looks good there, it sounds like we wait a few weeks until our first fetal ultrasound in which we will be looking and listening for a heartbeat...or TWO!

Thank you for every prayer, every text, every word of encouragement. We feel blessed to already have such a huge support system - and our journey is really just beginning!

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23