Next Up: FET #3 (& Reverse Nesting?)

A lot has happened this past month - too much to really go into all the details, but here are the highlights:

• On July 25 I met with Dr. H, one of the other physicians in our RE clinic. We ultimately decided that for FET #3, we will stay put at this clinic. If this one is a bust, then we'll reevaluate and possibly transfer over to Dr. B's new clinic. Dr. H is younger (probably about my age) and not as much of a warm fuzzy personality, but she knows her stuff. I was impressed with how much of my history she knew - she had clearly done hear reading! We talked about the original plan to do a less-medicated cycle involving stims and I expressed my frustration at being delayed, likely until September, as a result of AF's early arrival in July. Dr. H offered yet another option, which would be a so-called un-medicated cycle. This plan would involve daily monitoring starting on day 8 of my August period, followed by an HCG trigger to force natural ovulation, and then transfer a week later. There's a little bit of progesterone support as well, but not as much as the other times and no PIO. Since there's never been a concern with my lining, she was willing to let my body do it's own thing to get ready. So we agreed on that plan.
• July 26 - August 6 was our much anticipated family road trip. We drove to and from Colorado and stayed in 2 hotels, 1 cabin, 1 cousin's house, and 1 friend's house. It was almost 2 full weeks of hot tubs, mountains, cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents galore, hiking, ice cream, being outdoors, too much food, not enough sleep, and constant activity. And it was awesome. We hiked with N, showed him how to skip rocks on the lake, introduced him to cousins his own age, took him back to the spot where we got engaged 9 years ago, and went swimming at night under the stars in a mountain hot springs pool 2 hours past his usual bed time. I'm still kind of exhausted, but it was a great trip.
• August 9 my period arrived, right on schedule (for once) and on August 12 I went in for baseline. I began daily monitoring on August 16 so they could start tracking for an 18+ mm follicle and LH surge. I went back on August 17 and again on August 18, at which point I had 1 follicle that was around 19 mm and another that was 16.5 mm. They had me trigger that night.
• Tomorrow, August 21, I will go in for a blood draw to check my progesterone. If all goes well and it comes back in whatever range they are looking for, they'll tell me to start my meds. I'll be on vaginal crinone (2x daily), a baby aspirin, and of course a z-pack to prevent infection.
• Thursday, August 25, will be transfer day. 

So far this cycle feels very different. Obviously it's a very different protocol, so that's a big part of it. I've had more encounters with the wand and the needle (they had to poke me 6 times before they finally got blood on Thursday!), but at the same time I'm not constantly stressed out trying to remember when to take pills, when to shove things up my vagina, and when to stab myself in the butt. It sort of doesn't really feel like there's anything happening, but that's been okay. I'm mostly just trying to stay grounded and not get to wrapped up in whether or not it will work. I really want it to, obviously, but I can't get my hopes up. I just can't. Whatever will be, will be.

Meanwhile, is there such a thing as reverse nesting? Because if so, then I definitely have it. Ever since we got home from Colorado, I've been itching to clean and organize our house. Today I spent 6+ hours putting away laundry, organizing the office and N's room, picking up clutter, and deep cleaning. I swept all the floors upstairs and used the steam mop. I wiped down all the surfaces in the bathroom and washed towels and bathmats. I packed away clothes that N has outgrown and made lists of things to buy and projects to complete for the house. I'm pretty tired now, but I feel great after a productive day! Maybe this is somehow my body's way of preparing house an embryo in a few days. Who knows... but at least my floors are clean :)