Growing...and growing...

It's so hard to believe that in just another two weeks Ryan will be 3 years old! Last night he was Nick's big helper. As I was headed off to a work presentation, my boys were eagerly working on our vegetable garden. Nick built a raised bed for us to put in the back yard and grow fresh veggies this spring and summer. Ryan has been right by his side through the whole project. As I came in through the garage last night I noticed both Nick and Ryan's clothes laying by the door. That only means one thing...too dirty to enter the house! Today Ryan told me all about "rolling around in the mud" and "finding a froggie"! We've had a large toad hanging out on our front porch the last day or so with all the rain. Ryan has become such a little helper around the house always wanting to do whatever his daddy is doing.

I am doing well and appreciate all the sweet messages and prayers. I am 13 1/2 weeks right now. We are excited to meet our new OB/GYN tomorrow and next Tuesday we will meet with a nutritionist for the first time and then have another ultrasound appointment with our high risk specialist. We are still praying that by some miracle a membrane will be found between Baby B & C. Without the membrane they are considered monoamniotic twins. I am already feeling some movement and definitely looking pregnant. (It's terrible but we haven't taken any pictures of my belly yet.) These three babies are miracles and we want them to be safe and healthy while they are growing inside me.

Also, congrats to Brooke and Josh on their engagement last night! We are so happy for you and excited about your future together.

Our twins are now triplets!

So, Wednesday (April 15th) was our follow up ultrasound. We were going to check Baby B's heart beat that was low at the first ultrasound. We had mentally prepared ourselves that we might have lost Baby B. Well...that wasn't the case thankfully.

As we were looking at the ultrasound we see Baby A wiggling little arms and legs with a great heart beat. I can't believe how big Baby A has gotten since our 6 week ultrasound. Then we go to look at Baby B and all I can see is a blob. There isn't any extra room like Baby A has in his/her sack. Come to find out that Baby B is sharing space with his/her identical twin, Baby C. SURPRISE to everyone...even us and the doctor! We couldn't see Baby C on the first ultrasound that's why we thought we were having twins but indeed we are having TRIPLETS! (Baby B & C are both measuring very close to Baby A and all have similar heart beats.)

Our doctor said this is only the 2nd time in his career where a two embryo transfer resulted in a triplet pregnancy. We are both a bit shocked and overwhelmed with the news. The idea of going from 1 child to 4 so quickly is a lot to absorb BUT God had a plan in this...even bigger than we ever expected. He will provide. The months and probably years ahead will be difficult but we already love these babies and can't wait to meet them.

I will start seeing a high risk fetal specialist soon. We are hoping to find a thin membrane separating Baby B & C so they don't get tangled, which could cause concern. We'll be able to see this on an ultrasound as they get a little bigger. Please keep me and all the babies in your prayers!

Exciting times!

March was a month full of waiting and anticipation. My embryo transfer was February 26th so we anxiously waited for my first blood draw. It was a looooong wait but God gave us so much peace during this time.

March 10th was my first blood draw and (hooray, hooray) it was positive and a high HCG level. Two days later it had gone up more than double. So again we awaited the ultrasound to confirm whether I was carrying one baby or more.

March 26th was the BIG DAY (AGAIN). Most of you know by this point that we have been blessed with TWINS. We will welcome two new bundles of joy towards the end of 2009. The ultrasound was awesome as we were able to hear both heart beats! It is amazing!!!! I have another ultrasound in mid-April to make sure everything is progressing well and then will be released back to my OB/GYN. Oh, it will be a sad day to say "good-bye" to Dr. Bopp and his staff at Midwest Fertility Specialists. They do not treat me through my actually pregnancy or delivery. And after Baby A & Baby B arrive our family will be complete! They have shared in every struggle and success from our initial consultations and fear of having no more children to rejoicing over each egg retrieved, inseminated and then what successfully implanted! Dr. Bopp has embraced me in several loving hugs because he genuinely is so happy for us and know this is an answered prayer. We are thankful he was in our life at the right time. I (more than Nick b/c I was the one visiting the office every other day) will miss the warm faces in his office. They were there with me through every blood draw and early ultrasound, recovering from the retrieval and celebrating when we learned it was TWINS!

We have received so many blessings and have seen God's hand in this whole process. Thank you to those who have supported us from day 1 of this decision. I think most all of you know our hearts and our only desire in life is to serve and honor our God. It was ONLY because we felt God's greatest blessing that we pursued this journey and obviously He has answered many, many prayers...not just our prayers but the ones heard from all over Indiana from friends and family and even other states where loved ones have supported us. "Thank you!"

We are so excited for the months ahead. I'm technically 7 weeks pregnant today! Still early, so let's keep praying for very healthy development for both babies. I am feeling as good a a pregnant woman can...just very tired and started to get queasy throughout the day.

We are excited for our first Cade Foundation event this Saturday, April 4th. We are hosting an Infertility Forum with a featured Reproductive Endocrinologist, Adoption Agency and a family who has struggled with infertility but now have two beautiful children. The event is from 11 am - 1 pm at the Lawrence branch of the Marion Co. Public Library. No charge. Please come if you have any interest or need to learn more about treatment options or adoption. Also, May 23rd will be our first fundraiser. (We will post more information soon.) We hope our efforts supporting this foundation could help another Indiana family be blessed with the same grant and financial help in the years to come.

Welcome March...and soon Spring!

Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers this week. My retrieval was on Monday and went extremely well, except the after effects have been uncomfortable to say the least. Mr. Ryan is all back to his normal 2 yr old self! He returned to his sitter's on Wed. and was greeted by all his adoring friends who missed him badly. I'm so thankful that surgery and recovery is behind us. My transfer was then on Thursday so I am resting. After two weeks at home...I am hoping to return to my normal routine (work schedule) this coming week.

I wanted to share my devotional from Thursday (2/26) which said , "I am leading you, step by step, through your life. Hold My hand in trusting dependence, letting Me guide you through this day." "Whenever you find yourself worrying about the future, repent and return to Me. I will show you the next step forward, and the one after that, and the one after that. Relax and enjoy the journey in My Presence, trusting Me to open up the way before you as you go."

Nick and I have felt God's wisdom and guidance through our IVF cycle. Now, without worry, we hope for the best and God's will for us and our family.

Hoping you all have a great week!
The Vetor's

Ryan's surgery and other updates

Well, it has been a long week in the Vetor home. Ryan was a very brave boy going into surgery last Friday, Feb. 13th. We arrived at 7am, he was in the OR by 8am and done about 40 mins. later. He was 'Superman' coming out of his anesthesia. (No tears or fussing.) In recovery, he only wanted mommy, which is pretty normal for our little guy when he doesn't feel well. We were released and home by 1pm.

That weekend was exhausting but we had so many visitors and helpers all weekend. Thank to those who cooked for us, washed laundry, picked up the house and loved on Ryan to give us a little break.

I took the whole week off to be with him. I dreaded Monday because Nick had to go back to work but it was actually a great day. Tuesday and Wednesday were a different story! We've called his doctor several times and I guess this is a very typical recovery (7-10 days). He hasn't ate a meal since Monday at lunch. For our boy who loves food...this is not normal but I know his throat hurts. We are now passed 1 week and surely each day will be better and better. Maybe he can get back to his normal activities soon!

As for me and our IVF procedure, I had an ultrasound Thurs., Feb. 12th and everything looked really good. They had me start Follistim (stimulation drug) on Friday the 13th twice a day. I returned on Wed. the 18th for more blood work and ultrasound to find out that my ovary is responding very well as there were numerous follicles growing at great rates. I then had ultrasounds and blood work yesterday (20th) and this morning (21st) and it looks like my retrieval will probably be MONDAY MORNING! That should be confirmed later today when they call with my results. We are so excited!!! It's been a blessing to be home with Ryan, although exhausting, it has forced me to relax with him, nap, etc.

Please keep me and our family in your prayers this next week. We hope Ryan will be back to 100% and able to return to his sitter's around Wed. of this week. If my retrieval is Monday the transfer could be as early as Thursday. This is ALL in God's hands! Please pray for guidance and wisdom for Nick and I.

We love you!

The Vetor's

No Wheat for Ryan...poor boy!

So we did the 4 day elimination diet for wheat only. On day 5, Monday, I added back wheat full force. He had Raisin Bran cereal with rice milk at breakfast and 30 mins. later had a leaking diaper (you know what I'm talking about). Poor Grandma Susan! So then we gave him a sandwich on wheat bread for lunch and he complained all afternoon of a tummy ache and then had another terrible diaper around 4:30 pm. That's when I had to change his outfit and realized his tummy was extremely hard and distended. He looked very bloated. He barely ate anything for dinner last night still complaining that his tummy hurt. So, we know for sure he cannot be on wheat or dairy. Let's pray that soy and eggs don't give us the same results! We can't test those until after he has fully recovered from his surgery (which again is this Friday). Today he has not complained about his tummy but has not had a regular Ryan appetite. He did however show Nat & Reagan a true "fit" when he started kicking, hitting and screaming while we were visiting this morning. Reagan was very concerned about why Ryan's tummy was upset. We have not experienced this behavior in well over a month (since we removed dairy). I think that was the icing on the cake that we have to say "bye bye" to all wheat products. Oh...this should be fun! We are thankful for answers though. Ryan should feel like new in another month. His tummy has probably hurt his whole life and he never knew it wasn't supposed to.

Follow up with Ryan's allergist

Today we received good and bad news regarding Ryan's allergy testing and sleep study.

1) GOOD NEWS: Ryan actually tested negative to IGE food allergies which are the ones that could potentially cause anaphylaxis (the scary stuff). He tested positive for IGG food allergies which is why we were seeing behavior issues. Although this is better news, he still has severe allergies and scored high in 4 areas (milk, egg white, soy and wheat). After a month of no dairy, we have learned this was a HUGE problem for him so we are keeping him off dairy. But we can test the other 3 so we will eliminate all wheat for 4 days and then give him a lot of wheat on day 5. We'll individually test wheat, soy and egg whites this way. We should have a good idea on the "Day 5's" what can stick in his diet and what has to go.

2) NOT SO GOOD NEWS: Ryan also recently had a sleep study and scored very high for sleep apnea. His oxygen levels got down to 92% at times. SO, he has to have his tonsils and adenoids removed on 2/13/09. The timing couldn't be worse since I have started shots and our procedure will happen around the end of the month...but we can still fit it in and pray that he is fully recovered by the time my stuff takes place. We want to be able to fully focus on his recovery first!

Ryan should feel like a new kid once all this happens. Hopefully he'll get better sleep and fewer sinus and chest infections. Say a prayer for him on the 13th, please. He's never had surgery so mom & dad are a bit nervous to watch him go through this.