This morning we had a follow-up ultrasound to Monday's.On Monday, my largest (dominant) follicle was at 10 mm; today, after three days of increased dosages of my Follistim injections, that same follicle was at 12 mm (and the other ones that were seen were small enough for the nurse to speculate that there isn't much of a chance for any of them to fully develop). I have to admit, I was a little disappointed with the dominant follicle's growth since Monday. A follicle is considered "mature" once it's reached a minimum of 15-16 mm, so this one little egg has a bit to go before we'll be ready for our Ovidrel "trigger" shot to help it release. The nurse who performed the ultrasound told me not to be too discouraged, however, because, oftentimes, slow-growing eggs are of higher quality. So, I'm putting a lot of hope into this one little egg (trying to remember that it only takes one!) and hoping that slow and steady wins the race!

The nurse and doctor know we'll be on vacation next week, so they're going to call me this afternoon with our plan of attack for the next several days. Obviously, since we'll be out of town, we won't be able to go in for another ultrasound to monitor our progress (in some ways, though, that is a relief, as we've already spent $500 on ultrasounds ALONE this week...that's not including the cost of meds). So, the doctor is going to recommend the dosage of Follistim for the next few days and when (his guesstimate) we need to inject the Ovidrel trigger shot. We have all of the shots packed up in a cooler, with alcohol wipes and our sharps container for needle disposal, along with us for the trip "out west." You really have to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, us traveling with all these needles, otherwise you'll just cry at how pathetic it seems!

Again, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We're still hoping that we have a chance for this cycle, but I'm trying to remember that if this one doesn't work out, we'll be better prepared for dosages, etc. next time around. It'll all be okay one way or another, right?

Now, we're just a few hours away from getting on the road to head out to Kansas. Tomorrow, we meet my parents, Blaise/Nicole/Alex/Conor, and Phil and Abbi in Kansas City for a KC Royals vs. Chicago White Sox baseball game that night. It's been years since I've been to Kauffman Stadium, so that should be fun. I'm mostly just really excited to see my family, since a year (or more) can easily go by without seeing one another (one of the drawbacks of all of us being spread out around the country). Saturday, the 4th, we drive up through Kansas to visit my Grandma and Grandpa, then continue on to Grand Island, NE for a family reunion with my Mom's side on Sunday. Monday is Drew's 30th birthday, and (gasp!) we haven't quite decided what we're doing with the rest of our week from there. I am a planner by nature, so I have to admit, the uncertainty is driving me nuts! We had originally planned to go on to Colorado to visit Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park, at least, but we'll have to see. With the recent medical expenses, our vacation fund as dwindled a little. Still, I'm hoping to convince Drew to go for at least a couple of days. I'm dying to make good use of the 70-300mm lens for my Nikon D50 that Becky sold to me a few weeks ago!

Hope everyone has a great 4th of July and fun holiday weekend,

-Em