So, I took my mom on a trip to Arizona for her 60th birthday.  It was awesome.  #IdeaCredit goes to my friend/boss lady Meagan who did that with her mom.  We picked Arizona because it was warm, we have family there, and last but not least, it was one of the few non-Zika allowed destinations approve by the fertility doc. Also…Sedona…

After several months of testing and exploration, our doctor recommended IVF as our next step to our #parentgoals.  I’ll explain all that in a later post.  But we had our pre-op appointment set for March 3rd where you basically sign your life and all your past, present and future money away.  It lined up perfectly because my cycle was set to start on or about March 10th.

So we figured we’d give it one last college try before we enter the Science Phase.  In the meantime we were also doing a couple of support techniques.  I was taking twice a day progesterone supplements to support a potential pregnancy.  I was also taking baby aspirin to prevent any clots.  Both were to address potential issues from our previous attempts which could have contributed to previous losses, but were preemptive measures.

In addition I started acupuncture during that cycle, and through that also taking my temperature every morning before getting out of bed, aka basal temperature.  I thought it was cray cray, but your temperature can tell you when you ovulate and also when you’ll get your period if you track it regularly.  If you’re interested in reading more about basal body temperature you can read little here. Anywho, I’ll do a separate post about acupuncture, but I loved it and plan to go back once I am back to normal.  My only complaint is that it is a bajillion dollars, but that seems to apply to about everything I need for this whole baby making equation.

So, with all of these efforts and supports at play, and the timing of the trip, I brought a couple of tests with me to AZ.  I knew I would be in vacation mode and would want to indulge in a festive bevvie or two while there.  So, even though it was a couple of days early (which I’ve learned to avoid) I took a test Wednesday morning after we got there and it was negative.  I convinced myself I would be cool either way, but at least I would know whether I could partake or not.

Best part, when it was negative, I took a picture and sent it to the hubs with a cute note like oh well, bummer but you never know it could change in a few days (since I took the test a little early)…but WAIT.  Instead of sending it to Kenny…I somehow managed to send it to my Aunt who we were staying with by accident. #HasAnythingMoreAwkwardEverHappened? I’ve never tried so hard to un-send something.  But luckily my Aunt is great, and when I told her it was obvi an accident, she never said a word.

Then me and mum ventured to a fancy spa in Sedona, it was so beautiful and relaxing.  We had facials booked for the next day.  *Note, I booked a facial because my acupuncturist recommended I avoid a massage since pressure on various spots on the body could work against what we were doing; pushing energy out instead of keeping it in.  So, I did the facial, it was amazeballs, and the woman at the end says…ready for this…”I’ve got to be honest, you feel pregnant to me.  If not now, then soon.”  I was like SERIOUSLY?  I just took a negative test, but I’ve got to be honest, I thought she was right.

I figured the next day (day 28), if I didn’t get my period, I would test again just to see. My cycle is usually 26 days, but I usually waited until 28 to test so I could be really sure of whatever the test said.  Of course I woke up at like 4am, and was like “Here goes nothing”.  Sat on the toilet on my phone pretending I wasn’t hyper attuned to the passage of 3 minutes.  I peak over to the bathroom counter and there it is PREGNANT.

My mouth legit fell open.  From Wednesday to Saturday everything changed. Also, super earthy crunchy facial lady was RIGHT…based on my chin capillaries and the temperature of my feet. WTF?!?!

I walked back out into the bedroom and my mom was stirring and I had to tell her.  It was crazy, and exciting, and really felt different than all the times before.  We had been doing all this stuff to help, and it was our last shot at doing it the tradish way, and it worked.  It felt meant to be.

Still, I didn’t tell Kenny.  I waited, because I knew I had seen this visual a few times before, and then was crushed.  So, I decided to wait and tell him when I got back in person.  Partially because that was more fun, but more so because I was afraid things would go bad in the meantime.  I was thinking positive, but had all my previous experiences lurking in the back of my mind and decided to hold off.

But everything stayed the course, I called the doctor and set up bloodwork for when I got back and then wrapped the test up with Kenny’s souvenir because I’m hilarious, clearly. What’s a better souvenir than a bottle of hot sauce and a positive pregnancy test?

When I got back to Mass, it was Valentine’s Day by the way.  Kenny was at work, but had set up flowers and gifts and whatnot for when I got home, pretty cute.  I waited until he got home to give him his souvenir and bonus gift.  He opened it and of course…the word had disappeared from the test, but he’s wicked smahhht so he still got the idea.  It was awesome.

Next day, went in for blood work.  And for the first time in all the trying, I actually got a happy nurse calling me that afternoon.  She said and I quote, “Well, you are really pregnant!” My HCG (pregnancy hormone) was 276 which was a good number for being just under 5 weeks. Was given the test-again-in-48-hours directive I’ve heard many times before, but this time felt so promising.

It was a really awesome week.  The trip was great, the news was also great, all of it was fabulous!

I’m going to leave this one right here, because just writing it brought back all the joy and excitement I felt in the span of that week and a half.  So, let’s just leave it right here!