We're Funded!

My MIL emailed this morning & told me that they will cover the remaining amount we will need for IVF in November! We will continue to sell the approx $500-600 worth of stuff we still have, then they will cover the needed amount. Very nice!

Which means all we do now is wait! If it weren't for my school schedule & optimizing the chance I can continue in the nursing program w/out a delay, I'd want to start earlier! I will be on the Pill a week or two longer than normal so that I won't be on Lupron too long.

Just wanted to share my excitement with my buddies! :) We have been so fortunate to go through IVF w/out debt! I am so consumed with this excitement, that I'm finding it hard to concentrate on other things I'm supposed to be doing... like studying, concentrating on school, focusing at work. I'm like in the infactuation stage of this! I know it'll be even crazier come November & December with all the hormones raging through my body.

Anyone do their own self soothing techniques? I'm trying to look ahead & have something I will fall back on to decrease stress. Trying to work acupuncture in my cycle is already stressful to me, so I'm not even going to pursue that option... although with any future potential FETs we will do acu. Our schedules are to crazy to try to manage that NEW schedule.

Since exercise may be out of the question (not complaining here...), I was wondering about afternoon walks with my hubby even just around our property. Or sitting on the front yard porch for a bit. Some kind of routine or moment just for me or us. Anybody do something like that? If so, what did you do?

I am also interested in yoga... don't want to have to pay $20+ for a DVD, so I'm planning to contact the library & see if they have anything on file.

So, basically, I wanna do something I can do at home where I can set my own schedule. Just try to avoid add'l strssors.

I'm also trying to decrease the clutter in the house & organize as much as possible to help reduce that stressor.

Umm, can anyone out there give me ideas that helped you cope with the extra stress, emotions, feelings, time constraints... all the stuff! I'd really appreciate any advice ya'll can share!

Thanks!

Just Awestruck Still

about how much money we raised with that yard sale. Wish I had pictures of the yard as we started... but we were crazy busy for about 7 hours straight! No chance to take a picture!

And, in addition to the $1515 we made, we sold another piece of furniture for $100 last night. With a potential $300ish worth of furniture to sell on craigslist, too! It's just amazing!!

I have just over 8 weeks left until we start stims. I guess about 3 weeks until I start the pill. We also heading to a Fertility Seminar in Jacksonville that our clinic will be at & they are raffling away 3 free IVF cycles. I saw raffling, but they are giving them away... & you don't have to submit an application & become approved & such like the last one we went to. We'll be going with some friends of ours that have been trying a bit longer than we have. I know it's selfish, but I do hope we win it! :) We could save the money we've already saved for the baby + starting to pay the mortgage off! That's our next financial step. But, either way, we WILL have the rest of the money needed by the end of November if nothing else sells.

That's so relieving to know.

Also, got some donated meds that I am so appreciative for from JJ + a book called "Nurting Yourself Through IVF". I have enjoyed reading it so far & it's nice to have an idea of the different emotions I'll be going through when we get further in the cycle.

Other than all that, not too much is happening here. Still plugging through work, through school, got some Christmas shopping done over the weekend. My ultimate goal would be to be DONE by the end of Black Friday. I don't want to have anything extra on my plate with the IVF cycle. I'll have enough to handle, so no parties planned, chores/shopping to do, etc etc. Just trying to get as much taken care of BEFORE we start as I can.

Hope everyone is doing well out there!

Shout out to Sarah, who just got her BFP! :)

Quick Note

Net profit for yard sale: $1500 towards Fertility Fund!

WOOHOO! It was a long weekend preparing for this & I'll write more later! :)

Am I The Only One That...

Doesn't put a Christmas tree up anymore?

I know that's kind of random, but I'm usually gung-ho about decorating for Christmas. But last year... I wasn't.

It just made me think of WHY I would decorate? We had no children to take cute pictures of with the tree or stockings? And it would just be a constant reminder that were no children in our house. At least for me.

Hubby didn't mind since he didn't really care. I told most other people it was just cuz we were both so busy (which we are... we both work full time & attend school part time) & didn't want to spend the time putting & taking down stuff.

Just hit me today, that I probably won't even be up to it. I've already asked for the week of Christmas off since that will be the week following the transfer, hopefully. If everything goes well with the cycle starting in December.

We are still continuing our MAPP (foster licensing intro class) & actually enjoying it. Got our 1st big stack of paperwork to complete. Did a page or two of it.

I also realized something in the bathroom yesterday... weird, but if I need a break from work or calls or an emotional moment... I go & sit in the bathroom. I can't be the only one, I know! When we 1st started this TTC business, I could never imagine myself pregnant. Like I could never imagine myself at my own wedding. Just a mental thing. But, yesterday, I could. I don't know if this will make it harder or easier if we can't get pregnant or if this will just push me harder to continue treatment instead of adoption.

Our final yard sale will be in 2 weeks. Already for $157 towards it. Should still make $400-$500 at the sale if all the furniture sells. Will help us better plan for IVF in December & whether or not we will have to dip into our emergency fund (which we do NOT want to do) to cover the IVF cycle. We have been blessed to be able to focus on savings & a bit of fundraising to not have to go into debt for this IVF#1.

One more note... My grandmother has been so sweet. We have become exponentially closer since I opened up to her about infertility. She is such a prayer warrior & get this... (makes me tear up JUST thinking about it), last December she told that she has a box set up for our baby. And every time she gets a $5 or $10 or $20 bill, she puts it in that box. She's already saved up $500 for our IVF cycle. She wants this baby as badly as we do & it just makes me feel so special thinking about that.

Updates

92 days until I start my stim shots for our 1st IVF. Next month we do the mock transfer, start BCPs, & get our meds, I guess? Or would that be in November?

We had our 1st MAPP class last night. Got to connect with a few of the couples & that was nice. We're still very interested in fostering. Although the home visits/studies, paperwork, references, etc seem very intimidating. I mean, how painful would it be to finally get to a point where adoption is your choice, then you are under scrutiny for everything about your house, location, church membership, family/friend relationships, etc.

I know, other people do it... you have to when you are adopting. But, it just seems to add more pain/frustration/insecurities to the mix.

Seems weird to think that people get pregnant if they "try", pop a baby out, & take them home without any outside help/ART/social workers, etc. Weird how infertility changes us.

In money news, we are over 63% at our needed funds for IVF. Kind of exciting. Our last major fund raiser (the 2nd yard sale) will be at the end of the month... assuming we don't have a hurricane come through that weekend. I've already been selling clothes, some DVDs & book, too. Got $144 already in "presales" for the yard sale. Here's to hoping we get $500+. I dare say $800-$1000. Mmm, that would be nice.

Yard Sale #2 Progress

We have received so many donations for our 2nd yard sale (scheduled for 10/25/08) that I started going through the stuff & put some ads on craigslist. I sell 'em cheap, so I wasn't sure if I'd just be doing too much work for too little money... but since Sunday, we've already made $38.70 in pre-sales. Pretty cool. And we'll probably do more. Here's a shot of our guest/craft room filled with clothes. I know it's messy, but this way if someone wants a certain size... I can pop the box in my car & meet them in "town". (Oh, yeah... we live in the country. We commute to "town" for work, so sometimes it works better for others to meet us after work!)


The goal for this yard sale was initially $500. With all the stuff we've gotten (including several pieces of furniture), I think we may get $700-$800 at least! Pretty exciting.

Also, we will be receiving a car from a family member. This will allow us to sell my car... which will help us with savings for the IVF/ICSI in December & hubby's tuition due in January for the spring semester. Paying graduate rates suck, but at least we don't have to go into debt for it. Something to be thankful for... since I still owe almost $3k for my undergrad degree. That I'm now working on an associates degree. LOL. Life is weird.

Less than 2 months until my mock transfer. And with my cycles (which was 1 day late...), it appears I will need to start the BCPs in October to match up properly for the Dec4 start date.

We also just got the application for fostering & adoption with the agency we picked out. We plan to still fill them out & attend the MAPP (I found out what it means: Model Approach to Parenting Practice... umm, I think that's right. It's something like that! LOL)

I'm Really Just Boring Now

Seriously, the waiting & saving & fundraising period makes for not much to post on the IF front.

We have right over 50% of our needed funds for IVF/ICSI. I'm still pretty much amazed at how well we've been able to save & how blessed we've been with donations. We are planning our 2nd yard sale in October. We have done the 1st wave of TupperWare sales & netted $50. Not too much, but it will be nice to do a couple more by the end of the year.

Still deciding on the date, but my heart's really leaning towards December 4. Part of me thinks it's sneaking up so fast, then the other part of me remembers we've been waiting so long already. And it's another wave of pregnancy announcements. The 1st (big) one was between 1.0 and 1.5 years of TTC. And everyone in the church was pregnant, each girlfriend, etc etc. Then it slowed down. And it was easier. Oh, well. I'm definitely dealing with it better now.

So, I guess I can update on my emotional ups & downs during this waiting time! :) I'm sure that will make for great reading! LOL

And I still have yet to post my uterus pictures! I have temporarily mislocated them & should discover them any day now as I'm working through the guest room.

HeeHee

Meet my new blogging buddy, Tchotchke...

My newest little baby. Thought this was cute.

In somewhat related news, today has been kind of exciting. I relisted some of the items on Craigslist & we've had some great hits on them. In fact, tomorrow someone is coming to see/pick-up/*hopefully*BUY the chipper which would be over $200 towards our savings. Another person is coming this evening to look at one of the child items that was donated to us at our 1st yard sale. Which we have already rounded up tons of donated items for our 2nd yard sale (set to be in Oct or Nov). Wish I was closer to Morrisa to snatch up her leftovers from THEIR last yard sale! LOL.

Our goal for the next one is $500, but I'm really hoping to go over that! We've had a tremendous response already with furniture & if we have the bigger items, the sale usually goes much better! I'm being OCD planner with it & hoping to have donuts & hot cocoa to help supplement the sales! And sodas... see... too much, right?! :P Anyhow, those little sales will help a bit & at least we'll have something to munch on during & after if they don't sell!

I'm thinking I just need to get over this discouraging hump. I'm now back in the stage of being so upset at having to save/earn/fundraise the many thousands of dollars to do IVF. I think the thing I'm most hesitant about is... if it doesn't work. Then what? Adoption, trying IVF again... how can we afford all that? We can only hope & pray it will be successful & that either way, we will have some to freeze for other cycles. Then at least we can round up the $1400 needed for the FET. *sigh* So many unknowns & unfairness.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday preparing for the holiday weekend! We'll be scalloping this weekend with thousands of others in the Gulf of Mexico. I'm sure I'll have to post some pictures from that! Oh, yes, & the pictures of my insides. All 3 of them. Pictures, that is... not insides. Hmm.

Still Pluggin' Along

Still doing some selling on Craiglist. We are definitely getting rid of stuff. By the end of this week, we'll have a couple more hundred dollars to add to the savings.

This weekend I had a rotation on the pediatric floor. A sweet baby girl on the first day. I was in heaven holding her for those hours that day & decided I WOULD be able to adopt a child. That I would be okay with it. I know money is still a huge issue, but we are just being open to wherever we are led.

Of course, I'm thinking this about this sweet girl. Somehow her mom knew I was trying to have a baby. I told her we either had to adopt or do in vitro. And then she says, get this, "Yeah, she was almost an adoption baby." Like so nonchalantly. It really broke my heart. I heard later that some of the nurses were talking about a mother that was going to give the baby up, but when she found out it was a girl she decided to keep her. She didn't seem to care to hold the baby, bathe the baby, etc... & she could have allowed a loving couple adopt her & give her all that love.

Made me sad, weepy, & slightly angered... but thankful for the opportunity to hold & snuggle her a bit. She was so tiny!

Sorry this is all so boring still!

Surgey in less than a week & I'm not *too* nervous about it yet. I guess I'm just overwhelmed that this week I'll be putting in 50 hours M-F, then another 15+ hours during clinicals this weekend. I'm drained!

Hope all is well in blogosphere! :)

Still Not Too Much to Report

Since we haven't started the treatments yet, there's not too much for me to "report", but I am still just on a high from our fund-raising. We've had some interest in our Craigslist ads, which will help.

Hmm, less than 2 weeks until my surgery. Have been in a bit of pain some days & a tremendous amount of pain some moments. I'm definitely feeling different pains than before the hormone suppression, but hopefully this means the surgery can be better since those lesions will have been "active".

Hope everyone had a great weekend! :)

Yard Sale Over!!!

Some prep pictures from yesterday! Bringing the furniture into town for the yard sale. Aren't the dogs cute? :)


We made $393.31 from the yard sale! Can you believe it?! I almost can't, but I was there & saw it all!! :) It was almost twice the amount I was praying God would bless us with! We had almost everything sell & only some books, clothes, & glad-ware type items to cart to Goodwill!

After deducting gas from the truck we borrowed from Dad & our cost of lunch (which we had planned on using some money for as a treat for all the hard work), our net amount to add to IVF savings is $346.31. I know it's an odd number, but what a beautiful number! It is the most successful (money-wise, stress-wise, & get-rid-of-stuff-wise) yard sale we've ever done! And, we have more space in the house & barn now! :)

Thanks Mom & Dad, JM & Sarah, & others for donating items & space for us! We appreciate it so much. We are hoping to do one more big(ger) one by the end of the year... but not for a couple of months at least! LOL

Fundraising (Planning): ON!

So, after the encouragement from the comments yesterday, I am in super-nerd mode & trying to brainstorm any ideas possible for fundraising! I had class last night (for my Maternal-Infant nursing class... a sim lab with a cocaine using woman at 34 wks along, but it was interesting. Got to see a real time c-section which confirmed I want to avoid that at ALL cost.) & got to speak with another classmate dealing with IF. She is the only person I know IRL that is dealing with IF. She was encouraging me to speak to my Pastor or deacons about help. The other classmates came in & were extremely supportive of helping us however possible. Fish fry, s'ghetti dinners, car wash, yard sales, etc. I've been blog-hopping like crazy today, so I can't link back to the blogger doing a 1/2&1/2 raffle. I thought that was a neat idea if we can sell enough tickets!

Also, tonight is my last day on the hormones & hopefully my own hormones will kick-in off the Zoladex implant! I'm pretty excited about having my own metabolism back (so I can lose the weight I've gained on this junk) & get out of menopause! At least with IVF on Lupron it will be a month at most (or I guess with the "average cycle"). Still hopeful about having the money needed for the December cycle.