Moving right along

I feel like a “regular” I’ve been to the doctor so much in the last two weeks. If nothing else it makes me realize how blessed I am. I have a wonderful and happy marriage, and have such great and supportive family and friends. Have you been out and about lately?! There are some miserable people in this world. It re-affirms that perspective and of course faith in Jesus can change your life. On that note, let me take the time to give praise to the Lord for being with me every step of this process. If I didn’t feel the needle stick when I give myself the shots I wouldn’t even know I was getting them. I haven’t had any side effects and I feel great. My hormone levels were good today, and the ultrasound showed 6 follicles which the doctor said was fair, but it’s better than none! So I’ll head back tomorrow for more labs and to Atlanta on Friday to meet with my doctor. Things are moving quickly, which is a wonderful change. Please continue to pray that Nate’s shingles would clear up and that he would feel better. We are praying for my levels to continue to be good and for healthy eggs. Thanks for remembering us in your prayers!!

Short and Sweet

No blood work for me (Jess)today-yay!! Thanks for your prayers the injections are going well and all my levels were up yesterday-which is a good thing. I’ll have to go back tomorrow to make sure they are staying up, but one less needle stick today makes for a good day. I am still dealing with this cold and Nate’s not feeling great either. He went to the doctor today to confirm he has shingles. Please pray for him for relief and a good night’s sleep. Stumbled upon this verse today and I thought it was appropriate.

"But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, Steadily, Surely the time will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day." Habakkuk 2:3

Things for me (Nate) are kind of hectic right now. I am usually the one that is organized and calling the shots. But, right now we are having to rely on the doctors to tell us what to do and where to be, which sometimes means plans change. I am just so proud of Jess for all that she has been through over the past 3 years. I am so grateful that I have a wonderful wife that is so strong in her Christian faith. It makes this process a little easier, knowing that we have God on our side. Having shingles doesn’t help this process any, but what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. I don’t think that’s in the bible….but I know somebody said it.

Women of Faith

I have survived my first few days of shots. It really has not been bad. The worst part is remembering which ones to take when. I am back home after a weekend away with some awesome ladies. I attended a women of faith conference in Duluth. Unfortunately I got sick on Thursday, so I didn’t go to all the sessions, but it made having a cold away from home bearable. Being with thousands of other women praising, worshiping and singing for God is such an encouraging experience. It makes me realize how blessed I am to have such wonderful ladies in my life that are full of faith in Jesus and show me his love on a daily basis. I left for the trip on Thursday night with Mama. We got there late because I was so nervous about starting my shots and traveling with everything and I wanted to make sure I didn’t forget anything. Friday night I was feeling awful and trying to hurry up and do my shots so I could get back to the conference, and I ended up giving myself a shot I didn’t need. I called the emergency line and the nurse called me back and assured me I had not destroyed my chances of getting pregnant, because of course that’s the first thing that came to mind. After speaking with the nurse I got upset and was feeling stupid more than anything, but thank goodness for Mama’s hugs and words of encouragement. It doesn’t matter how old you are a hug from Mama or Daddy will always make things better, and I got both this weekend so I am feeling much better! Nate was out of town all weekend too, so he has completely gotten out of giving me any shots, again I can see God’s hand in that as well! I have been able to do them myself with no problem, and haven’t had any side effects, so keep those prayers coming! I will have to go to the doctor pretty much every day this week to get blood work done. We could be headed to Atlanta on Friday to meet with the doctor and possible egg retrieval Sunday or Monday. Please continue to pray that my body responds to the hormones like it should. My doctor did mention my estrogen was low on my last blood work, so hopefully that will have improved tomorrow. Thanks again for keeping us in your prayers!!

Whirlwind

Wow I feel like we have made more progress with our infertility in the last month than we have in the last 3 ½ years. We now have a plan and I am a little overwhelmed. It seems like such a long time ago when we “decided” we were ready for a family, but I can definitely see how God’s hand and his timing are in this process. We went to a different fertility doctor two years ago and after about 15 minutes in the office Nate and I both knew that place was not for us. At that time we felt like we would continue to wait things out. Then in May of 2009 I was diagnosed with melanoma. Thankfully surgery was the only treatment I needed, but it was a long process. So we started out 2010 praying about what our next step should be. I guess it was around the spring time a friend told me about a clinic in Atlanta starting a satellite clinic in Albany. I searched the facility; they sounded legit and I made an appointment. We prayed prior to my appointment that God would give us direction and peace about whatever step we needed to take next. I felt such a peace after leaving the doctor’s office and so this part of our journey began. So now here we are. I start my shots tomorrow and praise the Lord I will be able to give them to myself. Nate has been worried he would have to and let’s just say he’s not a big fan of needles. I also have some friends who have volunteered to do it if I can’t, so we’ll see how that goes tomorrow. The great thing about this whole process has been being able to get all my testing and blood work done here or in Albany. We will only have to go to the facility in Atlanta for egg retrieval and implantation. The nurses and doctors in Atlanta are great and have always been available when I call them with my 20 questions! With that being said, I have some specific prayer requests and would greatly appreciate you remembering us during your prayer time. Please pray my body responds well to the hormone injections and that God would prepare my body to successfully conceive a child. I know some may think this is too much information, but just this week my quiet time was on prayer; and according to scripture persistent and specific prayers can move mountains. We know the peace we have had through this process is from God and he cherishes your prayers as do we.

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 4:16

You gotta start somewhere

If you are reading this you are most likely our friend or a family member. You may, or may not be aware of our struggle with infertility over the last few years. We are starting a new journey that we pray will make us parents in the end. Over the summer I had LOTS of tests and we finally have some answers. After praying about our options we are excited to begin the process of in vitro fertilization pretty soon. After hearing “no” for 3 ½ years I am once again hopeful that we will be parents. We know this is not a guarantee, but God has given us a peace to move forward. As we do, we ask that you pray for us and our future children every step of the way. For that reason we wanted to share our journey, the good, the bad and the ugly. We know that whatever our outcome may be, our God is with us every step of the way. Infertility can be a very scary, very lonely process. It’s an emotional roller-coaster most of the time, which makes it hard to share with others. Our prayer is that somehow our experiences may somehow help others. We also covet everyone’s prayers and will be asking for them every step of the way. I know we already have lots of prayers being lifted up for us daily, but we’ll take all we can get! Thanks for reading, but most of all thanks for your prayers!

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7