Gladiator of Loin Juice

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I present to you, the one and only...

THE GLADIATOR OF LOIN JUICE

Also known as my husband. Also known as my hero.

When we first started with our fertility doctor, Peter submitted a semen sample for assay analysis. This was just to get an idea of the overall health of his sperm. He got the call from the nurse with his results and immediately contacted me to share (more like brag) his results, which indicated that he was above average for all of the parameters.

Me: You're like the superstar of semen.

Peter: Spooge master? Gladiator of Loin juice? I think I like "Gladiator of Loin Juice." I'll have to make a t-shirt.

Pete has a great sense of humor that he has continued to bring to the IVF process. From whispering in my ear to tell me that my "chocolate chip scones look delicious"(referring to my ovaries with follicles) during the scan at the doctor's office to singing a theme song for injection time, he has gently kept my spirits up and positive. I am sure this was a scary prospect to him. Not only was he tasked with doing something way outside of his comfort zone, giving my the twice daily hormone injections, he was also not sure what kind of hormonal wife he was going to have on his hands. Regardless of his fears, he has been present, holding an incredibly vast and safe space for this experience. On top of that, he has taken on more of the household chores, allowing and encouraging me to rest and take care of myself. 

To say I love Peter does not begin to express my feelings. I am deeply grateful that he is my husband and that we are creating a family together. I am eager to see him as a father. I get to witness the gentle, compassionate, playfulness that he will bring to our children. He is amazing and he inspires me to be the best person that I can be. I dream of the great family memories we will create together and the amazing people our children will be.

We were originally scheduled for retrieval on Wednesday, May 22nd and are very excited that it has been bumped up to tomorrow. My body responded very well to the stimulation hormones, growing 18 giant follicles. During our scan on Saturday we got the green light for an early retrieval and did the "trigger shot" of HCG last night. Tomorrow morning we go in and our Agnew baby(s) begin and we'll have two embryos transferred on Saturday, May 25th. After months (and years) of waiting and wanting we are both excited and a little bit in disbelief that this is happening now and so quickly. 

Tonight we're prepping ourselves by picturing plump and happy eggs that are ready to be partnered with the top ranking sperm. We went to a nice dinner, added some touches to the nursery room, and have been talking about what is next in the process. We'll know by Tuesday how many fertilized and will be shifting our focus on the growth of healthy embryos that are ready for transfer. Incredible to think that the transfer is just one week away. And if all goes well, will be the first date of my pregnancy and the welcoming of our baby(s) into my womb. 

We continue to be touched and honored by the love and support coming from our community of friends and family. Your positive thoughts, words, and prayers are very much felt and appreciated. You raise us up and are a big part of the nurturing that we are doing. Together, we nurture to hope and to receive.