Six Weeks

Quick note, I totally threw you guys for a loop blogging on a Monday, huh? Anyways...

Well folks, we are six weeks in.

Six weeks ago, we sat down with Dr. Jacobs to go over a general timeline of what is to be expected.
We were handed a thick packet of papers to review, and eventually, sign-off on.
(I haven't done any of it yet)

I was introduced to our IVF team in Highland Park, where we went over costs (gulp), set-up, and procedures. I then scheduled my intake phone screen with the genetics lab.

Two weeks later I had that phone screen only to find out we needed to coordinate an ungodly amount of saliva all over the country from all four of our parents.
After much begging, pleading, willing, praying, begging, negotiating...and did I mention begging? we got our parents DNA results.

Those results were sent from California to New Jersey.
Along with blood vials for Mark and I.

Oh! Funny story (I can't believe I forgot to tell you!) So, the day we went to get our blood drawn, Mark and I were ushered into a small room to sign a bunch of waivers and what not.

Mark immediately heads over to a wall filled with tchotchkes on a bunch of shelves (all the shiny things!) and grabs an hour glass. He proceeds to flip it over and tells me "how cool these things are."

I am hardly paying attention at this point because I'm trying to read disclosure statements and whatever other garbage is in front of me.

So the nurse comes in and agrees with Mark....Isn't that thing so cool!? I hate that it goes so much slower than the smaller ones though.....

I stopped in my tracks and slowly look up at this lady.

What.

Clearing my throat, I say...."like sands through an hour glass.....so are the days of our lives."

And watch the wheels start to spin.

OOOOHHHHH....it tells TIME!!! A WHOLE HOUR!! How cool, huh?
Those little ones must be, like....MINUTES or something!?

HOLY SHIT.  I'm about to let this crazy bitch stab me with a needle and SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT AN HOUR GLASS IS?

How, in a person's entire existence, did the thought or question ever come up to ASK WHAT IT IS?

Ok, whatever......I follow her out of the room to the stabbing chair...YOLO.

I proceed to tell her the chances of me passing out are high.
I can't help it. It happens with almost every needle that enters my body.

Shots at the doctor at a kid? Pass out on my mom
Blood draws at my old gyno? Slump down and out of the chair as the nurse hurries out of the room, ignoring me.
Ears pierced at Claire's? Pass out in public (that one was fun)

So I get myself ready for the inevitable.
I slump back in the chair so my head is resting along the back.

She pokes me....(I should also mention that she keeps saying small prick AFTER the needle is already in my arm) and I look down and realize she is nowhere near a vein.

I'm going to have to maneuver the needle.

UM.....I'm a lefty, why don't you just try the other side instead of MOVING the needle around in my arm, m'kay?

I feel the hot sweats starting.
Trying to will all my yoga power to focus on some speck on the ceiling....I get light headed.

The needs enters my left arm....Small prick!...she says again.

Welp....see you on the flip side....I spout, and wake up seconds later to her yelling at another nurse for back-up.

I already had my juice box ready to go, so am grabbing for it while the nurse is asking if anyone has sniffing salts.

I'm good! This happens all the time.  I'll be okay...no salts, please.

I pay the lady at the front my $3,000 deposit for the upcoming procedure, then we are out the door.

And now?

We wait.
Our PGD set-up is finally under way.
The geneticist says it'll take roughly six weeks to complete.

So we're six weeks in, with another six weeks to go before the actual IVF phase.

And in that time? I am planning to keep busy around the house.
That should get us to the end of March and I still have plenty of painting and smaller tasks to do to keep me busy before the weather finally starts to break.

I know you guys are dying for photos of the house progress, but I can't stress this enough...

It's going to be a slow process.

Because we have to volley our IVF bills with normal bills and home reno bills, which means I can't max out my credit cards all at once.

I have succumbed to the fact that I won't be debt free any single month this year, and while that reeks havoc on my chi as an accountant, it is what it is.

But! I'll have little snippets here and there on Instagram, if you're following along (@tgendooza).

Check it out and thanks for reading!!