Successful Transfer!

We had a very successful transfer this morning, and now I'm comfortably cuddled up back in my bed for some "embryo implantation" time! =)

We arrived at the hospital at 7:30 this morning, and by around 8, the embryologist came in to let us know the status of our embryos. She explained to us how the embryos were frozen and how they thaw them. It is SO incredibly amazing to me that this is all even possible! Before freezing the embryos, they remove all the liquid out of the cells (so it doesn't become ice crystals with sharp edges that could damage the cells) and they kind of collapse into themselves. When they thaw them, the fluid kind of reconstitutes, and then they let them grow to see if they continue on with the cell dividing/growing process. Remarkable, isn't it??!! The transfer went off without a hitch, and by 10am, we were on our way back home!

We had three embryos frozen after our IVF last year, and the plan was to only implant two. The first two of the three that they thawed seemed to come through well, and so there was no need to thaw the third one. The top one in the picture actually went down in quality, from a C before freezing to a D (with A the highest rating). The dark cells you see in it are actually dead cells, but she explained to us that there were a lot of remaining live cells , and so they determined that we could proceed with it. She said that sometimes they are surprised and that embryos like this do go on to become a healthy baby! So we are believing that it will!

The second embryo was definitely our All-Star! It went from a C rating to a B+ rating!! She said she actually wanted to call it an A, but since it was only a C at freezing, she thought that might be too much of a jump in rating. As you can see below, it looks completely different from the other embryo. It is already hatching out of it's shell, which is an AWESOME thing! In order for an embryo to implant in the uterine lining, it must first hatch out of the outer shell. She said that this was one of the best embryos she has seen after freezing and thawing! It ended up being better than the two fresh ones we put in last October! What a miracle!!! I'd heard that most embryos after freezing either stay the same quality or go down, but we had one that just about became the best quality embryo you can have!! Thank you Jesus!!

Our "embabies" as I like to call them =)

As you can see in the B+ embryo, there are a few dead cells near the top of the hatching site, but she said it was very few. I attached the picture of the two C quality embryos that we implanted last year. Notice they were sort of egg-shaped, which means they were on their way to hatching, but not to the actual hatching process like the one today.

So overall, Justin and I are just thrilled! Everything went so smoothly today, and we are so at peace with this process, knowing that God is in control! I'm believing for our miracle this cycle, and have hope that this will be the time we become pregnant, stay pregnant, and have our baby/babies!!

I'm all set for my bedrest, thanks to my sweet friends at work. They secretly put together a bedrest kit for me this past week and presented it to me yesterday! It was full of chocolate, chips and queso, apples, yarn (I love to crochet!), magazines, a word search book, candles, a movie, my favorite Almond Joy candy bars, and so many more little goodies. Thank you ladies for such a sweet and thoughtful gift!! It is going to make the next week and a half fly by!! My sweet Daddy is bringing us meals, starting with a yummy lunch today! Thanks Papa!

I'm so grateful for all the people supporting us, praying for us, and loving on us through this whole process. I am truly blessed!!

"For I know the plans I have for you... plans to prosper you and not to harm you... plans for a future and a HOPE!!" Jeremiah 29:11