Egg Retrieval

This morning was my egg retrieval. My mom came with me so that Greg would not have to miss work. He had done his part back in July. When using a gestational carrier, there are a lot of things that need to be completed ahead of time and sent off for testing and his part was one of them. We arrived to the IVF center at 7:45am and I began being prepped for the procedure. This was my fourth one so I am pretty familiar with the process. I decided to take pictures this time to document all that we are going through to bring a baby into our family.

Before the retrieval-my mom wanted to get the booties in the picture.

Before the retrieval-Dr. Beltsos and me.

The retrieval went smoothly and Dr. Beltsos retrieved 14 eggs. My mom took me home and I rested the rest of the day. The nurse will call tomorrow to let us know the fertilization report and we will find out on Sunday whether it will be a Day 3 or Day 5 transfer. We continue to pray and think positive thoughts that this cycle will bring us our baby.

A Family of My Own Conference-Glenview, IL

This Saturday there will be a free Fertility and Adoption Conference in Glenview, IL. It was organized by Preya Shivdat, the director of A Family of My Own Fertility and Adoption Conference. I learned about A Family of My Own when I was looking for sponsors for our July Birdies for Babies Charity Golf Outing. I shared our journey with Preya and they became one of our hole sponsors.

Saturday's free event offers the opportunity to meet many specialists and professionals in the area of fertility and adoption. My Reproductive Endocrinologist, Dr. Angie Beltsos, of Fertility Centers of Illinois will be one of the featured speakers. She will be speaking about Third Party Reproduction. Beth Heller and Tami Quinn, founders of Pulling Down the Moon, will be sharing holistic practices to use in conjunction with fertility treatments. In addition, there will be sessions for those couples that choose to pursue adoption. My friends, Katie and Pat Davis, will also be sharing their personal fertility journey. It will be a great opportunity for couples in all phases of the fertility journey to meet professionals and share their stories with others. There will also be a chance to win a free IVF cycle. You can register for the event and purchase raffle tickets at the following link.

The Chicago Tribune just released an article sharing information about the conference.  Please visit the following link to read about Dr. Angie Beltsos, The Broken Brown Egg, Katie Davis and my own personal story: For infertile couples, help and support.

July 16th Birdies for Babies Golf Outing

Yesterday was our Birdies for Babies Golf Outing at Tamarack Golf Club in Naperville, IL. We could not have asked for a better day. We had 60 golfers and another 40 guests that joined us for the reception. It was a little cloudy with a few drizzles in the early morning hours, but that didn't keep the golfers from having fun on the course. A special thank you to my sister-in-law, Meghan Patera and her friend, Emilie, for selling 50/50 raffle tickets and for taking pictures of all of the foursomes, as well as the Hole Sponsor signs. Another thanks to my other sister-in-law, Kellie O'Brien, and family friends, Debbie Holland, Nancy Taylor,  and Cathy Wermeling for helping out at the betting hole. Greg golfed with my dad and his friend, Nick. I drove around with my mom and mother-in-law to say hi to all of the golfers and sell raffle prize tickets. When we reached a foursome that my RE, Angie Beltsos, put together, she invited me to play with them. I spent the rest of the morning golfing with her group and had a great time. By the end of the morning, the clouds had parted and it was sunny and warm.

Registration

Golfers

Greg's Group

Selling raffle prize tickets with my mom and mother-in-law

Dr. Beltsos brought a foursome to our event. I played several holes with them. 

Following the golf, there was a luncheon. During the luncheon guests continued to purchase raffle prize tickets and bid on our silent auction prizes. Todd Trader, co-founder of Birdies for Babies, spoke and thanked all of the sponsors. Then Greg and I were given the opportunity to thank everyone for their support. I gave a special thanks to Dr. Beltsos who has gone "above and beyond" in terms of support from the moment she knew we were planning this golf outing. The remainder of the luncheon was spent handing out golf awards, raffle prizes and silent auction prizes. It was the most amazing day to be surrounded by so many family members and friends that are supporting us in our surrogacy journey. We are also thankful for all of the people that are cheering for us that were unable to attend our event. We can't wait to announce our grand total of money raised for our cause.

Raffle Prizes

Silent Auction Prizes

More Raffle Prizes

Thank you speech

Me and Maggie

More Raffle Prizes

There are so many wonderful pictures to post. If you would like to see all of them, please follow the link to my facebook album.

Medical Clearance

Two weeks ago Greg and I had the opportunity to go to Chicago to meet our prospective surrogate and her husband. They were coming into town for their appointment with my RE, Angie Beltsos. We met them for lunch before their appointment. Despite being 45 minutes late due to every single traffic light being out because of the previous night's storm, we could not have asked for a better lunch. Our prospective surrogate and her husband were an absolute delight to meet. We enjoyed the opportunity to get to know each other and were hopefully that the remaining medical screening would go smoothly. Our hopes came true. Our prospective surrogate was granted medical clearance. We are so excited to be able to move forward in the gestational surrogacy process with this wonderful woman. Our next steps include getting contracts written and signed, as well as preparing for an upcoming egg retrieval for me and transfer into our surrogate. We are so excited for the journey ahead of us. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and things continue to move forward.

Eve Feinberg's North Shore Half Marathon

As I mentioned in a previous post, Dr. Eve Feinberg, a reproductive endocrinologist at Fertility Centers of Illinois, dedicated her run at the North Shore Half Marathon to us in an effort to raise money for our cause. To show our appreciation, Greg and I attended the race in Highland Park last Sunday to cheer for Eve. It was such a fun event. We were able to see Eve at several spots throughout the race. We first cheered for her around the 8 mile mark after she had come up a hill. Then we saw her in her final mile before the finish line. We also met her after the race to thank her once more and take pictures. Eve ran a great race!! Her time was 1:59:16. She also raised a grand total of $789 for our July Birdies for Babies Charity Golf Outing. We have chosen to use some of this money to sponsor a hole on her behalf and the rest has been submitted as a monetary donation. Congratulations to Eve on a great race and a big thanks for helping us raise money and get closer to our dream of having a baby!!

My Old Neighborhood-Hyde Park Ave/Elmwood Ave

I spent about 12 years of my life living in a two-story house on the corner of Hyde Park Ave and Elmwood Ave in Waukegan. It was a great house. It was 3 bedrooms and had 2 and a half baths. My sister and I shared a huge bedroom and my brother had his own room. The basement was unfinished which was great for rollerskating and pushing each other around on scooters and hot wheels bikes when we were younger. I also remember my mom drawing hopscotch squares on the basement floor for one of my birthday parties. However, the best part of the house was the huge side yard. Many sports were played with the neighbors and family in that yard. Every summer, we had a huge block party with all of the neighbors....soda from Glen Rock, a skateboard ramp, different sports being played, water balloons, etc. I could not have asked for a better neighborhood in which to spend my early childhood years. We moved to the other side of town when I was in 7th grade and fell out of touch with many of the old neighborhood friends, but whenever we would drive somewhere I would always ask if we could pass the old house. Such good memories were made there.

The years have gone by and I have not thought about that old neighborhood for awhile. I have found a few of my old neighbors on Facebook and just the other day was reminded of how special that neighborhood really was. One of the girls from my old neighborhood that I had found on Facebook sent me a message asking for clarification on how to make a donation to our July Birdies for Babies Golf Outing. I told her to email me the confirmation that she received and I would check on it to make sure things had gone through correctly. As I was scrolling down the email confirmation she had sent me, I was in shock by the amount she had donated. As I kept reading, I learned that she was donating on behalf of my old neighborhood. 

When she had read my blog for the first time, she contacted all of our old neighbors to share my journey and round up donations. Several of my old neighbors gathered money to sponsor a hole at our golf outing and make a cash donation. The sign at the hole will read: The Old Neighborhood--Hyde Park Ave/Elmwood Ave. Reading her email brought me to tears. I immediately called my parents and my husband to tell them the story about our old neighbors and their overwhelming generosity. 

I have mentioned in many past posts how in awe I am of the support that people have given us. This is yet another example of how people really do come through for you in times of need. I never would have expected this type of support and want to express my gratitude to the old neighborhood and everyone else in our life that continues to show us support. We are truly blessed!! 

School's out....for summer!!

The end of the school year for teachers is often bittersweet. The months of hard work and dedication to all that goes into running a classroom of 20-25 students comes to an end. It is amazing to see the progress that each student makes academically and socially. I know that my job is finished with them, but it is still sad to say goodbye and begin to take down all that was set up in the classroom. I just finished my tenth year of teaching and my fifth year of teaching first grade in Lake Bluff. This year has been particularly hard for me for a number of reasons. It is now the second school year that has come and gone without a baby on the way for me and Greg. While these past two school years have been difficult with having to take time off for surgeries and fertility treatments, it is seeing my students each and every day that also helps me to stay strong and reminds me of my ultimate dream of having a child. This year my class presented me with one of the sweetest, most heartfelt gifts I have ever received. It was a serving plate that they had decorated with each of their names and thumbprints.

The class also gave me a Visa gift card. I have been thinking about what I would like to use it for and have decided to dedicate the money to our July Birdies for Babies Golf Outing in honor of this group of students. I am so thankful to work in a profession in which I am able to impact the lives of children in such a big way. They brighten all of my days.