time to make a baby!!

so i am here ready for my first second cycle insemination.  yay!

had a bit of stress this am when i thought i had either pink or blue socks to pick from.  as i was getting ready to grab one pink and one blue i remember the gender neutral black ones.  pfew!  not sure why i feel it is so important to be gender neutral.

i have not updated my playlists but this morning was thinking i might just play the mumford and sons pandora station.  make this child a little cooler - and hopefully nice and mellow!

each time i check in here for the insemination, the process always seems to be a little different.  today it was different because i had to pick which vial i wanted to use since i have one left from the first order (ordered 3 for 2 inseminations just in case there was a problem with one) and then the two from my most recent order that was placed from my car in a viroqua, wisconsin parking lot.

having two batches has led to a lot of learning with regard to my donor sperm - which i think some of my male neighbors will be happy to hear.

(of note, they are still disappointed that i did not include them in the selection process.  their vision was that they would get a vial or more of the top contenders so they could test their agility, problem solving skills, athleticism ["what if the sperm just swims in circles?"], and who knows what else through their range of tests.  they have a name for the olympic like games planned but when asked to remind me of the name, i received the following response: "Sorry, it's a proprietary, copyrighted process.  Given the hundreds of hours we have invested in the rigorous number of tests we perform on each molecule, we can't divulge any of the details...  :)"  best neighbors ever!)

new learnings regarding the guy next door plus' sperm are:

- count: 25.0 bits per million
- motility: 70% of sample are active (and i was told more might thaw and wake up post insemination)

no this does not speak to their swimming patterns but i am optimistic that there is at least one super swimmer who is ready to help me become a mom.

for next steps, i start the progesterone today and then am allowed to do my pregnancy test on the 22nd or 23rd of april.  super excited.

had a GREAT talk with the nurse.  feel so much lighter.  she has actually worked with dr. kaplan herself to get pregnant so it was great to have her perspective on the whole process.  although of course she can't give percentages she expected me to be about 20% (and remember i am not obsessing any longer on this but it was great to hear something higher than 5-6% while within those walls).

she also confirmed that there is a lift in success because of how they time and execute the insemination versus the more traditional route.

based on our conversation, my plan is to use the clomid for my next cycle and also use the ovidrel shot to time my ovulation perfectly.  feeling really good about this.  i can use this combo for three months which i intend to do.

maybe this nurse is just more positive than most but whether she is just trying to calm my nerves or not, i am aok with all of that.  she took so much time to talk it all through with me which i so appreciate.

so now the two week wait begins.  my optimism is back and i am super excited.  no travel this week and on the road next week for some more fishing so feeling like i am on cloud nine.

again, thank you thank you thank you for all of your amazing support!  the texts, emails, calls, and hugs are so appreciated.  xoxo!!