Ultrasounds and a Tan Gent

Gentlemen, yes, that wand goes where you think it goes.

By now you all probably know that I've been hopped up on egg-making pills and stabbing my gut with blood-thinners. I was on Clomid for about 5 days at the beginning of my cycle. For those unaware, the Clomid is to try to get my ovaries to spit out more than one egg in order to increase my chances of getting pregnant.

Then at day 11 of my cycle, I went in for an ultrasound to get my follicles measured. The follicles are what actually hold an egg, and when they're called to action, they grow until it's time to launch that egg out into the world. The world being my fallopian tube and uterus. So the ultrasounds measure the follicles, which are about ready when they reach at least 20mm in diameter.

My first ultrasound on Thursday revealed that my largest follicle was only at 18mm, my two other follicles were only at about 15 and 16mm. They weren't ready and I had to come back on Saturday morning. This created a little bit of panic since Jamie and I had planned to spend Friday afternoon with our friends John and Lisl in San Diego, followed by seeing Dave Matthews that night, after which we planned to spend the night. Jamie was a little resistant to driving two cars and then leaving much earlier than was comfortable, but it was our only choice.

HEAVY PHOTO TANGENT! San Diego and DMB were fun!

Our hotel was once a bank. The rooms weren't anything special, but the common areas were cool.

We played games at one of my favorite spots in San Diego, The Tipsy Crow.

Sometimes my iPhone isn't awesome at taking photos.

It was a gorgeous day.

It was also very sunny.

Then we went to the concert, and I guess it was purple and blue.

And Dave sang songs.

We rounded out the night with late night eats at Brian's 24, which is a 24 hour restaurant with a full bar. John had beer and pancakes, Jamie had two shots with his fish sandwich, I had eggs and fried bologna and Lisl's burger had peanut butter on it (which was oddly delicious.)

THE END. (Of the tangent)

Saturday morning, after sleeping very poorly because those two shots made it impossible for Jamie to sleep anywhere other than sprawled in the center of the queen bed, I rolled out of bed and took a bath... because standing in the shower would have required too much energy. By the time I was ready to get out of the tub, Jamie had risen from his solid slumber (which left him with a stiff neck) and groggily decided that he'd ride home with me, and we were on our way.

After dropping Jamie off at home, I was on my way to my second ultrasound. I was so excited. I had been feeling my growing ovaries all day Friday (which is such a weird sensation) and was certain that my follicles were huge and ready. They weren't.

I went back in for my third ultrasound today and whoa! 24mm, ready to go! So today, since everything was looking good, they gave me my HCG trigger shot, which pretty much induces ovulation. I was given my homework for Tuesday and Wednesday, then on Thursday I'll go in so they can check everything out and confirm that I ovulated.

When I got in my car to head home, I had a quick pang of anxiety. It wasn't really a bad anxiety, I suppose, if that makes any sense, but it was maybe more of a reality check. Today was the first day that it felt really real that I could be a parent in 2013 and that freaked me out for a minute. Okay, well, it still freaks me out, but I'm managing the idea. Even though we've been trying for three years, this was the day that it felt the most real and the most possible.

So, I'm feeling weird and excited and scared and frightened and oh my God but mostly excited. And scared. Did I mention scared?