Some pictures online

So, tonight, I taught myself how to download pictures online. We have 2 albums set up at jeremyandamber.myphotoalbum.com. I will add more later, but it takes a while to upload and then do the captions. Everything is going well here, just waiting and waiting. I was really tired today at work, but that may just be that I haven't worked this much in almost a month. Thankfully, my store is doing very well volume-wise right now, so that is one less stress on me. I am very thankful for that! Hopefully I will have more pictures up by Tuesday (I work open to closed tomorrow). Keep praying !!!! Good luck tomorrow Joy!

Small Pity Party Here

Well, today was the first Saturday that I have worked since returning from Czech. I am 99% positive that there must have been a small village of pregnant women dropped off in front of the mall today. I counted at least 15-20 walking by the store. Somewhat irritating. Then, a woman at my work (who is currently separated from her husband, living with another guy, and smokes) tells me that she is "WHOOPS" pregnant. She is somewhat scared, excited, and nervous all rolled into one. She has a 8 yo daughter from her first marriage, and needless to say, this baby was not in the plan. So, I congratulated her, and asked her when she is due. She figures around Valentines' Day...which is almost exactly when I will be due if I am pregnant. That should make for an interesting Christmas season with 2 super pregnant women in a small store. Even better will be the maternity leave situation. On the upside, I guess if she knows a great sitter, maybe we could share. Also, Joy and Cori have both got positive home pregnancy test results already. I am not ready for that yet, as it is still kind of early. We will see how this next week goes. I don't really feel bad, just kind of crampy on my left side and in the middle of my back. Keep praying!!

waiting and waiting

Well, today is one week past the transfer. So, one week down, one week to go. The thoughts and worries that go through my mind daily are very interesting. About 70% of the time I am very optimistic and "sure" that this is going to work, but then the rest of the time I am worried that I am going to be severely disappointed next week. Jeremy and I are staying positive (he keeps telling me that it is going to work). But, the reality is that it is only successful around 40-50% of the time. Another girl that was in Zlin the same time as us got a negative too. Both women from Florida were negative then! I really was hoping for the best for them, but I guess it wasn't to be this time. That's the reality that I think about 30% of the time. This may not be our time. Like I said, I am positive that is it going to work about 70% of the time, and I am trying to stay busy so I do not think about it the rest of the time. I think I am going to have my first blood test on Wednesday and second on Friday (it will probably take 24-48 hours to get the results from the doctor). Going back to work has really helped, but I am trying to take it easy there. Everyone is glad that I am back, and overall, I am glad to be back. Truthfully, I wish I could have stayed on a permanent vacation, but that is definitely not in the cards for us!! Ah, wishful thinking! Please add Jeremy's search for a job that he will like to your prayers for us. If we are pregnant, he will need a job. If we aren't, he will need a job to pay for round 2.

Home at last

Well, we left our Pension at 4:30am to get to the airport. Our driver was really great, he basically gave us a mini tour on the way to the airport, and he carried our bags inside. The plane ride was pretty non-eventful. We had hope to ride first class from Frankfurt to Charlotte, as Heath had used his non-rev for us. But, when we got there, it had filled up..oh well! The ride seemed a lot shorter/better than last time. Not much sleep again though. We also didn't sleep well in Prague, as we realized that we did not have a reliable alarm. We had one that we thought worked, but I woke up at 1am, and it was apparently losing time (it said it was 11:30pm). Smooth flights though, and when we got to Charlotte, only one of our 4 bags was missing. It was kind of funny though, because it was the one I took as a carry on on the way out there. We checked it this time because the wheel thumped as you rolled it. Hopefully we will get it back soon!! It has my medical records, some souvenirs, DVDs, and toiletries in there. My mom and dad were waiting for us at the airport, and had written on a index card "Ford, Party of 5? or 8?" It was pretty cute, but I sure do hope it's not party of 8!!! Yikes!!! Still feeling good, just some crampiness every once in a while. I don't had to work until Thursday, so I get to relax for one day. I am very cautiously hopeful that this has worked this time!!!! Thanks for all of your continued prayers and support.

PRAGUE

So, we left Zlin on Monday at 9am (1am eastern time) to have an afternoon seeing the city. Zuzka's fiance, David drove us to Prague ---if I have to go back, I am going to find stick on racing stripes for his car (he really missed his calling as a NASCAR driver)!!! The Pension we stayed at was in a good location, but it was very bland compared to the Uno. Our view was of a back alley! But, it was cheap and we didn't stay in the room. We walked from New Town (where our Pension was) to Old Town, watched the Astronomical clock go off at 2pm (the one in Olomouc is more impressive), and then caught an open air bus tour. The tour was a great idea that Jeremy had, as I am supposed to be taking it easy with not a lot of walking. We got to see just about every big sight, and they took us up to Prague Castle. They have a changing of the guard everyday at 12pm, and the two guards are stationed outside just like you see in pictures (no moving). The view from the castle is amazing over Prague---it is such a cramped city!! We loved the stained glass windows from inside St. Vitus Cathedral. They were the best we had seen the whole trip. But, the absolute best thing that we found in Prague......Dr. Pepper!! Jeremy found them at the castle concessions, and bought two. We have been here for 3 weeks, and he has been without his favorite drink until the last day! It was funny, and it made him happy. We ate dinner on the square, and watched as a band on stilts marched by...that was interesting. We also bought a cool souvenir, a marionette of Pinocchio. Now all Jeremy has to do is learn how to work it. Overall, it was a fun, but tiring day. I can say that I enjoyed the rest of the trip more. Prague is a great place to visit for a few days, but I really liked the slower pace of the rest of Czech more.

Last Meal and thoughts in Zlin

I'm a few days late, as we did not have internet access in Prague. So, this post is actually about Sunday, June 1st and some of Monday, June 2nd. It was definitely starting to wind down after Cori and Heath left. I mean, we couldn't attempt to go anywhere, as our best Czech speaker had left! We decided to go to the Husa one last time for their fabulous spinach mashed potatoes. The company was great, but the food wasn't as good as last time. Maybe it's just the fact that we are getting ready to go home to American food. Don't get me wrong, the food here has been great, but it's just not homecooked food. We also watched Hitch with Joy and Doug...I love watching movies with her...everything is funny and she has a great laugh! I'm going to miss that! Overall, I really don't want to leave. I have had so much fun on this "vacation with shots" that going back to Charlotte and to work isn't very appealing. Overall, I still don't feel any real symptoms, which I hope is a good sign. Jeremy and I pray everyday for a "happy, healthy baby." If God wants to bless us with more than one, we would be thrilled with that too. But all we are truly asking for is just ONE!! It is what everyone we have met on this trip is also asking for, and sometimes it just doesn't seem fair. I heard that one of the girls from Florida started her cycle today, so that means that IVF didn't work for her this time either. She had 3 Grade 1 blastocysts transferred on Day 5 (the best result she had ever had with IVF), but still no baby this time. It is the reality that we can only do so much to make this happen, and then have to pray and hope that it is God's will for us to get pregnant now. I hope so!!

T-12 days and counting

Well, it is June 1st, only 12 more days until we know something. Guess what day my test date should be on...Friday the 13th!!! I'm not superstitious about that, but I just think it is comical. Overall, I have had very few symptoms. Some cramping, but that is about it. My back hurts, but I think that is because Jeremy has made me lay down for the last 48 hours. Yesterday I didn't even take a shower because he didn't think I should stand that long. I know that the eggs are going to implant or not either way, but we want to know that we did everything absolutely right. I still have not tried to upload my pictures, so maybe today?! The pictures from the transfer are kind of blurry anyway...Jeremy said it all happened too fast. It didn't seem fast to me as my legs were cramping up. He was nervous, but don't tell him I told you that:) As far as meds, all I do now is take the Prednison and baby aspirin in the morning (to help the eggs to be accepted and the lining to be accepting), and then Progesterone at night. This stuff is pretty easy. Today Cori and Heath are leaving, so we went out for out "Last Supper" with them last night. The 6 of us all walked SLOOOOWLYYY! down the hill to the Baltaci to have their wonderful Tuscan soup (onions and bacon---excellente)!! I first had this soup the day before my transfer, and ever since then we have been trying to figure out if they have "to go" bowls. The verdict is probably not, and we don't know how to ask that anyways. So, I was really glad that they wanted to go there last night. We absolutely stuffed ourselves, and then went to our favorite dessert spot (Pizza u Capa) for one last fruit cocktail. The guys were sweet and called a taxi to take us girls back up the hill, but when we got to the Uno, we realized that none of us had a key. It was so nice sitting outside at the tables, that we really didn't mind. I am really going to miss all of them. It was great to have people going through the exact same things as us. Last night after dinner, we all gathered in Cori and Heath's room to watch Mission Impossible 3. All the guys were on the couch, and all of us girls were laying on the bed. Today should be interesting, as Jeremy said he is going to do all the packing. I am glad that I will have a front row seat for this, as it could be quite comical!! Tomorrow morning, ivfvacation.com is driving us to Prague, and we are spending the night before we fly home very early on Tuesday.