So, to simplify our meandering journey down the road of infertility, here is where we have been, where we are now, and where we are going. Welcome to our conception chronicles…
2006 & 07
Two craniotomies for Chris, not really baby-making but great motivation to start working on a family
2007-08
Old school trying to conceive … mix 3 parts tequila, 1 part loud music, 2 parts naivety, viola!
2009
6 failed IUIs involving clomid, ultrasounds, and lots of pain meds
September, 2010
Started IVF treatments
Started IVF treatments
November 1, 2010
Retrieval was awesome – Candace claimed title “Ova-Achieva” with 31 eggs
Two days later
Super excited Chris and Candace – proud owners of 23 fertilized embies – 14 made the Varsity team
November 19, 2010
First transfer, fails, What?!
January, 2011
How about surgery? Sure, why not
February & March, 2011
Second transfer … then third fails. WTH?!
June, 2011
Add another surgery to the list of fertility related activities.
September, 2011
Fourth transfer fails … we are out of embies! WTF!?
February, 2012
Broke … But another surgery nonetheless, shouldn’t we get a buy 2 get one free deal?
March, 2012
More broke … unclear, downright scary pathology report. Irregular cells in the uterus, could be resolved, could lead to hysterectomy. Anyone care to flip a coin? So I start treatment for the next 3 months.
June, 2012
{insert cabbage patch dance} My treatment worked, cells are gone for now. Dr. S said don’t get too excited it will most like resurface BUT for now, onward fertility procedures.
{insert cabbage patch dance} My treatment worked, cells are gone for now. Dr. S said don’t get too excited it will most like resurface BUT for now, onward fertility procedures.
July, 2012
2nd fresh round. Go back to the beginning and start again. Lots and Lots of stimulation meds, and a very successful retrieval. We scored 6 blastocysts out from this round!
2nd fresh round. Go back to the beginning and start again. Lots and Lots of stimulation meds, and a very successful retrieval. We scored 6 blastocysts out from this round!
August, 2012
5th transfer- and big fat FAIL
5th transfer- and big fat FAIL
September, 2012
Surgery, our RE wanted to “see” why the ‘F’ the last transfer didn’t work. Guess what he found, more adhesions and such. A little uterus house cleaning and we are ready for our next, final, round of IVF.
Surgery, our RE wanted to “see” why the ‘F’ the last transfer didn’t work. Guess what he found, more adhesions and such. A little uterus house cleaning and we are ready for our next, final, round of IVF.
November, 2012
6th transfer- big, fat FAIL and crushing blow to our hopes for a biological child. Shattered to splinters. Cry, drink, eat, repeat.
6th transfer- big, fat FAIL and crushing blow to our hopes for a biological child. Shattered to splinters. Cry, drink, eat, repeat.
December, 2012
We picked ourselves up, decided we would not be defeated, and set our sights for starting a family in the realm of adoption. We met with a few adoption agencies and ultimately, signed up with Bethany Christian Services.
We picked ourselves up, decided we would not be defeated, and set our sights for starting a family in the realm of adoption. We met with a few adoption agencies and ultimately, signed up with Bethany Christian Services.
February, 2013
We completed mountains of paperwork, attended tons of classes and passed our first home visit with Bethany Christian Services. All that is left is to create a profile book and pass our final home visit. We hope to be on the waiting list soon.
We completed mountains of paperwork, attended tons of classes and passed our first home visit with Bethany Christian Services. All that is left is to create a profile book and pass our final home visit. We hope to be on the waiting list soon.
March, 2013
Uhmm, ready for this curveball … we had someone come forward and volunteer to be a gestational carrier for us! Really?! We never even considered this avenue due to the cost of it. We put the brakes on the adoption process and decide to forge ahead with surrogacy.
Uhmm, ready for this curveball … we had someone come forward and volunteer to be a gestational carrier for us! Really?! We never even considered this avenue due to the cost of it. We put the brakes on the adoption process and decide to forge ahead with surrogacy.
June, 2013We are waiting, waiting and waiting. We have signed a contract with our surrogate and are all set at our fertility clinic. BUT, we have to wait 6 months for insurance to cover the pregnancy. So wait we will. Although we don’t know how our surrogacy story will end, we know we will be forever grateful to our gestational carrier simply for giving us this opportunity. We are united in having our family and will pursue any path that brings us closer to realizing that dream.
July, 2013
Awesome producers from MTV’s documentary series True Life had been following us for the past year and the show aired. Click here to see it. It was hard to watch as we had to relive our last failed IVF but the producers did an amazing job capturing the hardship that is infertility.
October, 2013
We transferred our remaining two frosties to the ultimate babysitter, our wonder surro.
November, 2013
We hear the news we had been waiting for 7 years to hear. WE, I mean SHE, umm this is complicated… The beta is POSITIVE!
December, 2013
Due to the threat of cancer in the near future, we served my angry uterus an eviction notice and had a partial hysterectomy.
June, 2014
Jellybean arrived and has changed our lives forever! The wait was long, it was unbearable at moments where we wanted to give up and just live childfree. But we didn’t. Blind faith? Perhaps. We kept hoping and we kept praying. Now, we change diapers and find ways to change the world of infertility by supporting others. Sharing our story, mishaps and how to now parent after infertility. But wait… maybe our journey isn’t quite finished yet?
August, 2016
An acquaintance approached us to do a second surrogacy!
September-March, 2016
We go through the lonnnnng “hurry-up and wait” process of building a contract, testing, and Chris’s boys had to be under quarantine. FUNNNNNNNN
April,2017
I go through a 3rd fresh IVF transfer. 18 retrieved, 5 make it to blast, PGT-A testing 3 make the final cut.
July, 2017
Our Gestational carrier gets cold feet and backs out.
A large part of 2017:
We shall deem this the Great Depression. It was dark times. There was wine, tissues and therapy involved.
August, 2018:
Another gestational carrier offers to be our surrogacy. Is this really happening?
October, 2018:
Contract signed…..
2019: ….
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