no news is good news

I have nothing to report. I haven't really experienced any symptoms though I am analyzing every feeling throughout my body these days. But we are encouraged - we've made it longer than last time and no news is good news.

Thanks everyone who is thinking and hoping for us. We're so glad to have such a wonderful BIG and supportive family worrying for us on two continents.

I'll do a home test this week-end - we can't wait all the way until the doctor on Tuesday! Let's hope this time it FINALLY works. I'm getting tired of this and Miran is so excited this time and convinced this is it. So we will both be crushed again if it isn't.

And now we wait ...

I'm home again and now we just have to wait impatiently until next week when we can test. I just called my doctor here and schedule a blood test for next Tuesday morning.

Here is an ultrasound the Czech doctor took right after the transfer. Allegedly the two parallel white spots/lines together in the middle are the embryos. They are too small to be visible, but we can see them because they are each encased in a blob of fluid. So really what we can see is the fluid.

We are trying to be super positive this time - and so far so good. I even got out all the pregnancy books that Cecilia and Margaret gave me years ago and put them by my bed for a little light reading before going to sleep.

 

And one last picture from the trip - Saturday I spent the afternoon at Miran's cousin Jasmin's house and he grilled outside on his big balcony. Here he is at the grill with his kids eating in the background. It was a really nice visit and I really like Jasmin and his wife Lucie. Even though I'd only met them once before, I felt very comfortable spending the day with them and enjoyed talking to them.

 

Random Brno Shots

I feel fine and have no symptoms to report, except a headache, but that is normal. Its also normal that I shouldn't be feeling anything yet. Implantation could happen very soon though because one of the blastocysts was already at the hatching stage meaning it would be ready to implant within 48 hours.

I spent all of yesterday resting in my hotel room but today I ventured out a bit. Here are a few random shots from the day...

A baroque church with an unusual altar. I've never seen a staircase like this before an altar. Pretty interesting.

 For Miran, a manpower office (its the company he works for) ...

 Some stumbling stones (stolpersteine) I stumbled across ...

 And a close up of the stumbling stones. The sunshine family didn't fare too well ... three died in Auschwitz, including the 11 year old Pavel. However, one son seems to have been sent from Auschwitz to Buchenwald and to have survived. I don't think I've ever seen a stumbling block for a survivor. I guess the artist wanted to do the whole family. I do think this is the most amazing holocaust memorial - both tiny and huge, individual and collective, and truly effective of suddenly reminding you that terrible things happened here in the past - without getting in your way.

 I also took a tour of the cellars under the main market square. They have connected up a number of the merchants basements and installed exhibits - like this one about wine making in the Brno area and wine storage.

 And here is me on the tour listening to my audioguide. The most interesting thing I learned was that in the cellars two stories below ground they put water in the winter to freeze and it took an entire year to melt (when they refilled it) - serving as year round freezers for meat. Cool.

Transfer Complete

Now the wait begins.

Both embryos thawed perfectly and looked good, according to the doctor. One is slightly more developed than the other, but he said there was no difference really between them. The whole procedure took 2 minutes, after which I lay there for 15 minutes and then left. Somehow it seemed so quick and simple for something so big and complicated.

I am back in my sweltering hotel room now. Its in the 90s outside and I think also in here because there is no air conditioning. I'm trying to lay still and relax but its pretty uncomfortable. 

Here are pictures of the two embryos before the transfer and me shortly afterwards ...

Off to Brno, take two!

My flight is at 5:10 tomorrow, I'm nearly done packing, and I've already printed my boarding passes! Then I decided to check the weather in Brno ....

Apparently its going to be insanely hot ... 101 degrees the day of my transfer! I hope I don't have  issues with the heat. At least Friday and Saturday will be more reasonable if I do decide to take an afternoon walk to get out of the hotel room. In any case, I think I better unpack the pants and long sleeved shirt I put in my suitcase and put in a few sun dresses instead.