Transfer Day and the Waiting Game

This post is delayed, as we had our embryo transfer on 9/10/15. That being said, the whole day is so incredibly vivid in my memory that it shouldn't be a problem sharing it.

I met the intended mother, Susan, at Pacific Fertility Center a bit early so we could grab something to eat and chat before heading in. It was nice to have a little time to connect before the procedure. We both wound up getting each other a necklace. I gave her a glass-blown necklace of a pregnant surrogate with intended parents holding her from behind. She gave me a necklace expressing gratitude.

The entire day just felt so different from the last transfer. Susan and I felt much more grounded and peaceful. There was an unspoken faith that this was it. They transferred one female embryo, and then left us in the room. We asked if we could hang out for a bit, and they said there was no rush to leave. We sang the Shehecheyanu, a Jewish prayer giving thanks for bringing us to this day, and watched silly videos of old SNL clips.

After the transfer, I went to acupuncture, grabbed a decaf coffee at a nearby cafe, and then ended the day laying on my back in a park meditating and just enjoying life. I don't know how to explain it except to say that this entire journey feels different now. There's more joy in me, more certainty, more peace.

In the following days, I decided I wasn't going to overanalyze symptoms; I was just going to live my life and try my hardest to have a good belly laugh every day. My son had a hard time with my lifting restrictions (nothing over 40 lbs; he weighs 43 lbs), but the wait was otherwise uneventful. I promised myself (and Susan) that I wouldn't take a test until 8dp5dt. Our beta was scheduled for 9dp5dt. I figured that would give me some time to absorb the results before the clinic called.

I woke up at 1:00 am on September 18th and told myself not to test. Regardless of the outcome, testing now would mean I'd be up for the rest of the night. I then laid in bed until 2:00 am before deciding to just pee on the stick. Well...

Followed the next day by:

My eggo is preggo! Our first beta came in at 210 at 9dp5dt and our second beta at 11dp5dt was 567. This is happening! I have an estimated due date of 5/28/15. The intended parents have been so amazingly supportive and excited. They keep telling me that every day feels like Christmas morning. :)