Transfer Plans

We were slated for an approximate Memorial Day (2001) transfer, give or take a few days in either direction, based on how my IM responded to her meds. Since she had done well with the mock cycle, we figured things would go well this time also, and we began making tentative (are you clueing in here that “tentative” is a recurring theme?) travel plans. The clinic was not only long-distance for me, requiring flight arrangements, but it was long distance for my couple as well, meaning we all needed hotel reservations once we got there. The advantage this time is that we were aiming for a three-day transfer, so none of the waiting and wondering if the embryos would make it to day five.

{side note: I just realized I made an error in my previous journal entry when I told you some clinics transfer at day two and some at day five. It’s actually day THREE and day five. I am a moron, and perhaps too clueless to carry other people’s babies. I mean, if I forget basic details about IVF, what else will I forget? Will I just forget that I’m pregnant, and chug a bunch of Jack Daniels, or go skydiving before suddenly remembering oh, wait, hey, there’s a baby in there???}

The fact that the clinic was long-distance wound up being more of a hassle for my IM than for me, because the last week to ten days-ish of the cycle before the egg retrieval, she had to be monitored every single day. So she drove to Maryland by herself and stayed in a hotel that entire time, going to the clinic each day for her shots and her blood draws and her ultrasounds.

We were scheduled for a Monday morning transfer, so Saturday night I flew to Maryland, rented a car and drove to the hotel, and her husband and son also drove in and joined us at the hotel. This was the first time I had met their son, although I had heard lots about him. He had just celebrated his tenth birthday, and his mom told me he had recently become obsessed with learning to blow the biggest bubbles in the free world, so for a birthday gift, I took him an entire case of Bubble Yum, and some Bionicles. My IM told me later that the bubble gum pretty much cinched the deal and he thought I was great. (Hey, I’m not above bribery to get a kid to like me.)

Sunday morning, the guys got up and went to an Orioles game, and my IM and I decided to drive down to Washington DC and do a little sight-seeing. What we didn’t realize was that holiday weekend was the annual “Rolling Thunder” event --- 200,000 Harley Davidson Biker/Vietnam Vets celebrating on the mall, as well. That was some party, to say the least, and certainly made for an interesting sight-seeing day for us. It also rained a few times that afternoon, and if having my IM give me my progesterone shots in the rear wasn’t enough to cement our new friendship, I think huddling together under an umbrella at the Lincoln Memorial certainly did the trick.

We all went out together for dinner that night, and I spent so much time laughing and talking and realizing how very much I liked this family, the more time I spent with them, that I almost forgot to be nervous for what was taking place the next morning.