Butterflies & Blastocysts

Monday's to-do list bled into yesterday, which turned out to be a wonderful thing because while I expected to still be anxious I was not expecting the full on butterflies attack I experienced.

I do not get butterflies very often.  The last time I remember actually having them was in the early stages of dating J.T.  While there have been TONS of things I have been anxious about since then, that beautiful entanglement of excitement and nerves has proven elusive.

J.T. made a great attempt of talking the butterflies out without success, so I just kept busy putzing around with laundry...the dishwasher...cutting up a watermelon I bought over the weekend.  ANYTHING that would keep me moving and not watching the clock!

Finally, 11:30 rolled around and we were on our way.  We arrived a few minutes before 12, filled out our consent, and then I got to take my very first ever Valium.  We sat for less than 5 minutes, and then was led back to our little space to get ready.  We both donned our gowns, booties, and "hair" nets (J.T.'s head is practically clean shaven!).  Though only one of us got to keep our bottoms on underneath the gowns.

We prayed and joked around until our doctor stepped in for a moment to let us know that we had 2 beautiful blastocysts!  Before I move on, a brief science lesson:

A blastocyst is an embryo which has been left to develop until day 5 or 6 and presents a complex cellular structure formed by approximately 200 cells. The blastocyst phase is the development stage prior to implantation of the embryo in the mother's uterus.
After the doctor stepped back out, J.T. actually high fived me.  I have never seen him high five anyone in my life!  I now equate high fives with J.T. highest level possible of excitement:).

 At 12:30 on the nose, they took us back to the operating room.  The embryologist came in and gave us a picture of our two new little friends.

The actual procedure went relatively smoothly. They had to change out the catheter once because my cervix was being stubborn, but after that it was like butter.  When the screen showed our two new friends I couldn't stop the waterworks (no loud sobbing, just a steady stream of joyful tears).  Even now just remembering I am tearing up.

For 6 years almost to the day, we have hoped, planned and prayed for a child, and while we have done many, many (oh so many) things to make it happen this was the first time we have ever gotten to experience a glimpse of possibility that our dreams may in fact come true.  We still have a LONG way to go, but to have taken this next step was nothing short of a miracle.