Emotional & mental journeys aside, this is where we’ve been on this journey toward parenthood.

October 2007 – We officially start “trying”.  Not that we were not-trying all that hard before.  His first kids were conceived after approximately 20 minutes of trying, so we figure I’ll be knocked up by Christmas.  Hah.

November 2007 – I turn 38.  Ack.

January 2008 – I start charting rather obsessively.  Learn that I have an enviably regular cycle, with textbook perfect temperature rises & declines.  No pregnancies though.

February 2008 – I buy one of those outrageously expensive over-the-counter fertility testing kits.  I come out ok, but the boy might have a problem.  He goes to a urologist and we learn he has somewhat sluggish swimmers, and a lot of them are misshapen.  Urologist recommends a fertility specialist.

March 2008 – I start calling reproductive endrocrinologists in town.  Find one with decent stats (as per the CDC website) that has an opening that Friday.  We’re in!

April 2008 – Testing.  Oh god, is there a lot of testing to be gotten through.  No diseases, no blocked tubes, no cysts, endometriosis.  No explanation for our trouble conceiving.  Start to blog!

May 2008 – 1st IVF.  I don’t produce as many eggs as we would have liked, but I get lucky the first time out!  Pregnant!

July 2008 – At my final RE appointment, the ultrasound shows that proto-sprog has no heartbeat.  A missed miscarriage is diagnosed and, trying to avoid the risk of scarring from a D & C, I opt to wait it out.

August 2008 – I finally miscarry.  Mostly.  Bleed for weeks.  Go see Dr. Bigshot, who diagnoses adenomyosis on the basis of a single ultrasound.  MRI is scheduled, which rules out adenomyosis, but alerts us that the embryo is still within my uterus.  D & C is scheduled after all.

September 2008 – D & C.  Relief from constant bleeding is wonderful.  Anemia clears up.  Begin taking DHEA.

November 2008 – IVF #2 begins and I turn 39.

December 2008 – It’s negative.  No, wait – it’s positive!  No, wait – it’s ectopic.  The day before I was to take the methotrexate shots, I miscarried naturally.

January 2009 – IVF #3 begins and ends.  Perfect cycle, only nothing caught.  At least we have frozen embryos from this cycle to try one last time before moving on to donor eggs.

February 2009 – FET #1 begins.  Lupron craziness ensues.

March 2009 – Craziness gets ramped up several notches when a routine hCG test at my clinic reveals that I’m pregnant.  Er, “naturally”.

April 2009 – No fetal pole, no heartbeat, no baby.  D&C #2.

May 2009 – Unmedicated FET to use up the frozen embryos from our last cycle.

June 2009 – Pregnant!

July 2009 – Still Pregnant!

August 2009 – Not pregnant anymore.  Missed miscarriage followed by D & C #3.

September 2009 – Find a donor!  She begins her testing!  Wait.  And wait.

October 2009 – And wait.

November 2009 – We start trying to coordinate our cycles.  Wait!  What’s that?  A giant cyst on my ovary!  Start over.

December 2009 – Finally.  Ms. DonorFantastica is a superstar, and produces a ton of perfect eggs.  We end up with 13, transferring 2 and freezing 11.

January 2010 – Pregnant!  Due date in September!

February 2010 – Still pregnant!