We prayed and we prayed and we prayed that one day we would get to graduate from the fertility clinic. TODAY was that day!!!
I had my last ultrasound today at Dr. Griffith’s office. I have been going to ultrasounds and bloodwork every week since we got back from California. For the last 6 weeks!
Everything has been going perfectly. We are just so thankful and grateful.
Today, i’m 10 weeks 3 days and baby is measuring 10 weeks 4 days! Heart rate was 163 and baby was just dancing all around with excitement. It was so cool to see so much movement today.
I walked out of the office and was just sobbing. I think I cried the whole way home lol We are just so so sooooo happy!
We are due May 23rd 2022! My first OB appointment is next week and this is with a new doctor. I really hope I like her! I’m also hoping we get to do the NIPT testing bloodwork to check for chromosomal abnormalities and GENDER!
Updates coming soon, but for now we are just HAPPY and celebrating this awesome day!
Eric and I came home from California with an unexpected souvenir.
WE ARE PREGNANT!
Even now, staring at my cursor blink on the screen, I can’t even believe it. This is truly a miracle. We are so excited and grateful.
You’re probably wondering….how?
We were supposed to start our next IVF retrieval cycle when we got back from California. Every IVF egg retrieval cycle usually starts out with a couple weeks of birth control to suppress the ovaries before the major hormone meds. Well, I wanted to start the birth control part of it while we were in Cali so when we got back we could start the stimulation meds.
My new fertility doctor suggested I come in the day before our trip to do an ultrasound and check for ovulation.
I want to make this soooooo clear…. I DO NOT OVULATE ON MY OWN. I have pcos and unexplained infertility, so I was going into this appointment fully knowing I wasn’t going to be near ovulation.
He said if everything looked good at my ultrasound then I could start birth control while on my trip.
So I went in for the bloodwork and ultrasound and it turns out that my body was about to ovulate on it’s own. I wasn’t taking any medications to do this so I was shocked and honestly in a little bit of disbelief when my doctor suggested that I was going to ovulate. He told me to go on my trip without birth control, try naturally and we could check everything when I got back.
I was very skeptical but we decided to try it anyway. We tried not to think about it too much. We left for our trip on Saturday August 28th and I’m pretty sure I ovulated the 28th or the 29th because I was feeling very crampy those days.
Fast forward to September 7th, we had just arrived in Oceanside. I looked at the calendar and realized that it had been about 10 days since ovulation so we picked up some pregnancy tests when we went grocery shopping.
We got back to the camper and I decided to take a test. Eric had gone on a scooter ride with Brynn. I have ALOT of experience with negative pregnancy tests so I didn’t think this one was going to be any different or else I would have had Eric with me.
I took the test and it was POSITIVE. I was in shock. I took a couple more tests and literally started sobbing. They were all positive. I called Eric immediately and all I remember was saying “COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW”. It was the best moment ever. I can’t believe we got to experience that excitement again. I honestly feel so grateful.
Since we got back from the trip, I have gone back to my fertility doctor a handful of times to check on bloodwork and ultrasounds. They changed up my medications a bit. Different thyroid pill, put me on a folic acid pill, started me on baby aspirin. I’m so thankful for my doctor because he’s really pulling out all the stops to make this a successful pregnancy.
Today was a special day because I went in for another ultrasound and confirmed that baby has a heartbeat!!!!! I’m measuring about 6 weeks 1 day which is right on time. He said everything is looking perfect.
I have been thanking God every single day since we found out. I know we are just at the beginning of all this but I feel calm in knowing that this is a miracle and I have so many people that have my back.
Until next update!
Jess <3
The day after we found out was our Disneyland day, so we bought a little souvenir 🙂An hour after we found out, so so so gratefulHappiness doesn’t even explain it
We have lots to catch up on! It’s been a while since I have had the courage to write a post. So much has happened since our transfer failed in January.
January 2021
After our transfer failed, Eric and I decided to take the next few months off. We didn’t know why (at the time) but something was just telling us to breathe and back off for a little while.
February 2021
I decided to start working out again. I signed up for Villasport in mid-February and to be honest, that has been the best decision I’ve made so far! It has been so nice to have Brynn at the kids club while I get a workout in or even just sit in the sauna or whirlpool.
March 2021
Everything was going great and I was finally starting to feel like myself again. We went to Galveston for Spring Break. Brynn and I went to Pleasure Pier and to the beach. She’s definitely a beach baby! It was nice to get out of the house.
Fishing off the dock at the BayhouseBeach baby!
My brother, Mason, closed on his first home on Friday March 19th. We drove back home from Galveston on Saturday March 20th to celebrate with him!
We celebrated at Vic and Anthony’s!
On Saturday and Sunday, I started getting asthma symptoms. My mom said that I had asthma my whole childhood so I didn’t really think anything more of it. I made a virtual appointment with doctor on Monday March 22. He said that what I was describing sounded like allergies, so he prescribed me Singulair and I was on my way.
Later that day, I had a feeling that I should go get covid tested. There was an available same-day rapid test appointment (which was hard to find at that time). I booked it and drove straight over.
Long story short, I got the call that night that I tested positive for COVID-19.
Eric, Brynn and I went into quarantine immediately. It was awful. I kept telling everyone that it was like I was breathing through a straw. I couldn’t get enough air. My only other symptom was a headache. No fever, no cough, no sore throat. Just could NOT breathe.
Wore a mask around Brynn and Eric during quarantine
I had another virtual appointment with my doctor on Tuesday. He told me I was eligible for the Antibody IV Infusion treatment. You had to be high risk and not have been to the hospital for covid symptoms. They had me at a Memorial Hermann Infusion Center the following morning.
The IV infusion went great! I went home and rested the following 2 days, waiting for the antibodies to start working. I still had difficulty breathing so I continued to monitor my oxygen levels and pulse at home.
Finally on Friday March 26th, my oxygen reading came back at 90. I really needed help breathing so Eric drove me straight to the ER around 10am. They had me back in a room and doing breathing treatments within 30 minutes. It was a huge relief to be able to breathe again. It felt like this rock was being lifted from my chest allowing me to get a full breath in.
They sent me home with a ventilator, steroids, and a steroid inhaler to keep me comfortable. I was doing breathing treatments at home every 4 hours.
Everything started to turn around finally and I strongly believe it was because of the IV infusion treatment. I am very grateful that I was eligible for the treatment because I don’t think I would have gotten better without it.
I tested negative on Tuesday, March 30th. Eric and I decided to do some yard work on the following Thursday and then Friday I was back at the ER due to asthma.
They said that my lungs had not fully healed yet from Covid so I needed to continue my breathing treatments and STAY INDOORS!
Also, it was a HUGE RELIEF because every few days while we were in quarantine, Eric and Brynn were going for covid tests and every time they tested negative (thank you GOD). Brynn had to stay out of school for a whole month. 2 weeks while we were in quarantine and 2 weeks after I tested negative.
April 2021
The next few weeks I was in and out of my allergy doctors office. He prescribed me a different steroid inhaler and more steroid pills. That new combination seemed to do the trick and I’ve been out of the hospital since!
Eric and I were so thankful to have waited on the next IVF cycle because I would have had Covid during the cycle and we would have needed to cancel it anyway and lose money from all the meds.
Vacations
We went on 2 vacations after all this was over with. In April, we went to Camp Gulf in Destin with Eric’s family.
In May, we went to Hawaii with my family. At this point, my body really needed the break so I’m glad we took this time off and made memories with our families.
IVF Transfer Cycle Starts
Eric and I were finally ready to continue our IVF journey.
I’ve seen my fertility doctor a few times to get ready for our next cycle. Today was my last appointment for ultrasound and bloodwork. Eric was FINALLY allowed to come back to the ultrasound room with me (first time since the pandemic).
Everything looks good so we are scheduled for IVF Transfer #3 on Wednesday June 23 2021. We are feeling so much more hopeful this time around. It’s like stuff keeps trying to bring us down and it just can’t! We are strong and resilient. We are so excited for transfer day and are going into it in a really good headspace.
Thank you guys so much for following along. We appreciate everyone’s prayers and well wishes as we go into this next transfer.
This time next week, we will have our sweet embaby on board.
I keep staring at the cursor blinking on my screen trying to find the words to type.
We knew this was going to a be a long journey when we started it. Whenever I envisioned our IVF process I just thought that “it would just work”. Honestly, I never thought I would have to prepare myself for this. But, here we are.
Our ultrasound this morning didn’t go as we had planned it. The ultrasound still showed an empty sac that is measuring only 5.5 weeks along, even though we are at 8 weeks 5 days.
Doctor instructed me to stop taking all meds and to expect a miscarriage in the next week and a half. If I don’t have a period by then, we talk about a D&C.
To say that we are devastated is an understatement. I find comfort in knowing that our baby boy will get the chance to meet my Gma, Papa, Eric’s Aunt Sandy and Papaw up there in Heaven.
Thank you to everyone that has prayed for us and has been with us throughout this journey. We will take some time to grieve but we will get back up stronger than ever before.
For now, we will hug and kiss our beautiful girl and thank God everyday for blessing us with her.
To our baby boy, Mommy and Daddy love you so much and can’t wait to meet you one day. Until then, we know you are in good hands.
It’s taking a lot of positivity and optimism to write this post. I had my ultrasound today, at 7 weeks 5 days pregnant.
Baby boy only grew 3mm when he was supposed to grow 8mm. BUT he did GROW!
I knew from the start he was slow growing and my opinion on that is not going to change.
My doctor gave me the miscarriage talk. Told me to start preparing and look for any of the signs. He said we have a 1% chance that this will work (not sure where he even came up with that percentage).
I feel like I blacked out when he was talking because I was so angry that he was even telling me these words. I cut him off while he was mid sentence and shared my experience with Brynn and how she didn’t show up on the 7week5day ultrasound either.
SO, we are going to continue on my meds and I have another ultrasound scheduled for next Thursday.
I want so badly to see our baby boy on the ultrasound next week. I want so badly to see a flicker of hope. We have been praying so hard but it looks like we may need some more help! If you can find the time, please pray for us.
Thank you all so much.
7 weeks 5 days
“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)
Let me start off by saying I would reallllllllllllly appreciate prayers this week.
We had our ultrasound last Wednesday. My doctor told me that we were 6 weeks 4 days pregnant but baby was showing to be measuring around 5 weeks.
SO this typically means 1 of 2 things. Miscarriage is around the corner OR baby is just getting a slow start.
Many of you don’t know that this is the exact same thing that happened with our beautiful Brynn. We went in for ultrasound at 7 weeks 5 days, they could see the gestational sac but no baby. My OB told me to prepare for miscarriage and a week and a half later I went back for an ultrasound and there she was, beautiful as ever!
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’ve been clinging onto the hope that baby boy is following in his sister’s footsteps.
My dr sent me for bloodwork right after the ultrasound to check for my hcg levels yet again. Results came back that they rose to 5000! So this also gives us hope that baby boy is just growing slowly!
Our next ultrasound is on Thursday. Any and ALL prayers we would humbly appreciate!
Eric and I are overwhelmed with the amount of love and support we have received since we shared the news. Thank you so much to everyone that has reached out. We feel so blessed.
I have been to the doctor 4 times this past week and a half just for bloodwork to make sure my hcg levels have been rising.
At my first appointment, my hcg was 53! It was a relief to find out via blood test that we were pregnant!
Now you would think that I would be ecstatic about that number but what I have found dealing with infertility, is that it sometimes takes the joy away from happy moments because I am constantly WORRYING over things that I CANNOT CONTROL!
I have been learning to live in the now and be excited for any small victory. I have a long way to go but I am working on it 🙂
SO back to the HCG 😏 our doctor said that it doesn’t matter what your starting number is so long as it’s doubling every 48 hours. So I went back every 48 hours for more bloodwork!
My numbers have been as follows: 1st appt: 53, 2nd appt: 340, 3rd appt: 784, 4th appt: 1997 🥰
We are scheduled for an ultrasound on Wednesday to make sure baby boy implanted in my Uterus and then I think I will be able to breathe a little lol
Prayers and positive thoughts are appreciated!!
I hope everyone is staying safe during this time!
Love, Jess
Thank you so so soooo much to Phoebe for sending this sweet gift. Brynn was especially excited for the balloon! They are her fav 🥰
Somebody pinch me because I must be dreaming. We are scheduled for our transfer this Thursday June 4th.
Our ultrasound and bloodwork from Friday came back great! My lining is supposed to be between 6-8mm and mine was 15! The doctor said I don’t get extra credit but I’m going to pretend that’s a good sign!
We started the Progesterone in Oil shots yesterday and some other meds as well. The PIO shots have to be done in my, how do I word this….Gluteal Region? Lol
The shots really weren’t that bad. I had an ice pack ready to prep for the shot and a heating pad for after. It was definitely what I was most nervous about because the needle is 1.5 inches long. I’m getting the hang of it though, thanks to Eric. I will have to do the progesterone shots for the upcoming weeks.
Other than that, I’m taking it day by day. Praying and hoping for a successful transfer.
I’ll do another post after the transfer to let you guys know how it went. We will have to endure the infamous 2 WEEK WAIT after the transfer to find out if we are pregnant. Although, I will probably try and test early 😅🤣
Thanks for following along with us. The more prayers, the better!
Love, Jess
Eric took me out for some sushi last night since it may be a while before I can have some again! #fingerscrossed
Happy Mother’s Day to all my mama friends and family out there. I truly hope you enjoy your day and spend it with your loved ones, big and small!
I started off my day with a product new to me!
This is actually my first time trying anything from Honest Beauty. This brand was founded by Jessica Alba and is known for more ethical and natural ingredients. This particular mask has manyyyyy good reviews so I figured this would be a good place to start!
The left pic is my before pic, and the right is my after! This mask was so easy to apply, the texture of the mud was very smooth and it smelled SO GOOD. It had a faint lemon scent so it wasn’t too overpowering.
It DRASTICALLY reduced my redness and left my skin feeling so smooth. This is rare in detox mud masks because they normally leave skin feeling very dry. NOT THIS ONE. My skin feels so clean and soft.
I highly recommend this mask for use 2-3 times a week.
You can get it here for $15 on Amazon. You can also buy it at Target for $18!
Let me know in the comments what you’re interested in seeing next! I HAVE to give you guys my review on Honest Company Diapers for my little one.
I know this is totally not the post you were expecting but let’s be real for a second, this blog is about whatever makes you sparkle!!!!!!! And what I’m about to talk about next is O M G.
Especially with the weather recently, it is so easy to crave a warm comfort food/soup.
I love a good Vietnamese Pho (pronounced Fuh).
It’s a delicious soup that is known for its flavorful broth and noodles. In Houston, there are hundreds of places you can go to get this delicious soup, and let me tell you, I can count on two hands the number of places I have been to try it.
Flying Pho is hands down the best place I have gone to get Pho so far.
They do a Northern Style Pho which means that they use a very wide noodle and minimal veggies.
I have gone here twice now in the past two weeks for lunch and I can’t get enough. Their Pho is so simple. Their whole menu is simple and straight to the point to be honest. You have 2 choices in soup, the pork broth or the filet mignon pho. They even make their own Chili Paste if you like your soup spicy (#ido lets be real!!!!!!)
Another amazing part of this Pho is that the Grilled Chicken is super thick! With a traditional Houston style Pho, you get a very thinly sliced boiled chicken. This stuff is grilled and they cut it thick sliced and flavor it to the GODS! It is to DIE FOR!
Flying Pho also has a super cool hipster feel to it.
They have coffee/tea and the absolute best buns.
They call them BUTTER BUNS. Allow me to repeat, BUTTER BUNS.
Think of it like a roll, stuffed with melted better, that has a super delicate coffee shell.
I would drive an hour to get a dozen of these butter buns. They need to trademark them and figure out how to sell them online/in grocery stores. SO GOOD.
Do yourself a favor and make the drive to Flying Pho. I promise you that you won’t be disappointed.
Their address is 3434 Ella Blvd, Houston, TX 77018. They are located at 610 and Ella. It’s a small shop in the middle of a strip center.
See you guys on the next one (I promise it will be makeup related next time)!
