Monday, March 22, 2010

Welcome ICLW!!

This is my first month to participate in ICLW and I am so excited! Thanks to all of you stopping by, I'd love for you to decide to stay and follow along. I'm always on the lookout for new blogs to follow and support as well.

Here's a brief history of our Trying To Cconceive. I didn't start blogging about all of this until we were seeing our RE because I kept hoping the other stuff would work, but that wasn't the case We tried to conceive naturally for over a year. Then went to my OB who put mes on Clomid. That never worked so we finally after almost 2 years (Why so long you ask?  Because our insurance pays for zero part of our RE visits and we were hoping to avoid that.) scheduled an appt with an RE. After much testing, we found out I didn't ovulate and his SA showed a low sperm count and low motility.

We did four rounds of IUI, which compared to so many sweet women I've met on this journey does not sound like a lot. Since our insurance doesn't cover any of this so the further we went, the more money we were spending out of pocket. Instead of IVF we have opted to pursue adoption. The fact that my heart has always been drawn to adoption plays a key part in that decision. Another big factor is the expense of IVF and the uncertainty if it will even work. Probably one of the biggest reasons we chose adoption is that I just can't continue to go through the uncertainty. I trust God fully, but it is heartbreaking every single month. I feel like I have lost a piece of myself over the last 2.5 years. I want that back. I want to be the happy, easy going girl I've always been. I also never want to lose that faith I have in God.

So instead of putting our money into IVF and having a chance that it might work, we are choosing to adopt. We have just made that decision this month and have narrowed down our agencies. We have an informational meeting with our front runner tomorrow night. We are excited to learn more from them and hopefully come to a decision soon.


50 comments:

The Hopeful Elephant said...

I'm really excited to follow your adventure...really excited!

Fran said...

Hi sweetie, I'm so glad you have now narrowed down the agencies, what are the cost involved and will you for Domestic or Intercountry Adoption?
Love, Fran

ps: happy ICLW to you too!

Basic Girl said...

I'm so excited for you, and can totally feel your excitement when you talk about your decision to adopt. It's so wonderful, I can't wait to continue following you on this part of your journey!!

sienna said...

i can't wait to hear more about your adoption journey!! :o)

Courtney said...

Good luck with your meeting tomorrow night!!! That's exciting!

daega99 said...

All the best on this new leg of your journey!

ICLW
http://daega99-arewethereyet.blogspot.com/

RD said...

Best of luck on your adoption journey!

ICLW

Samantha said...

Very excited for you, Jennifer! And also excited to read updates in this space. :)

Becky said...

Thanks for sharing your TTC history - I think you have been through quite a lot. I am so excited for the start of your adoption journey! I am praying the Lord guides you to the right agency and type of adoption for your family. Can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for you!

Anonymous said...

I am definitely going to follow you through your adoption journey, how exciting! If you have any questions for a birthmother in an open adoption, feel free to contact me. Wishing you the best!

Wifey said...

My journey started out very similar to your journey. The biggest difference is that I was blessed with insurance coverage. And although I'm expecting baby #1, I have always heard God's gentle whisper leading me towards adoption. I think the amazing thing about adoption is that you CHOOSE to be parents and raise a child as your own. It's an amazing thing.

ICLW #21, 23

Krissi said...

Wow! Good luck with the adoption. I am looking forward to following your story. I am adopted myself. Happy ICLW! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I just added your link!

Sooz said...

Congratulations on your decision! I think adoption is wonderful choice and I can't wait to here more about the details!

Happy ICLW!

Catrisha T said...

Welcome to your first ICLW. Hopefully you're finding some blogs that you are enjoying. I want to wish you the best of luck on your decision to adopt. How exciting!

ICLW #33

Terry Elisabeth said...

That is awesome that you think of adopting. It's so great that you found yourselves a way to make it work, a way to go forward and getting what you want and need.

Anonymous said...

Happy ICLW. Good luck with your adoption plans. I hope that everything goes smoothly.

Sarah said...

So excited to hear about how your meeting goes! :) :) I need to get myself on this ICLW too. I should look into it. And thanks for the sweet comments on my blog. :)

katery said...

congratulations on a wonderful decision, i hope it brings you all the joy you are hoping for!

Liddy said...

Welcome to the blog world. I have added you to my reader. Many well wishes as you adopt.

Liddy from
No. 144: the unfair struggle (male-factor, speedskating, life)

Jess said...

Sorry that the IUIs did not work. We did 4 as well before moving onto embryo adoption. Hope that you find the perfect agency and that you ring your baby home soon!

Jess
ICLW

twondra said...

I'm very happy for you girl. :) And I'm soooo excited for you as the process keeps going forward. :)

Anonymous said...

It's miy first ICLW too, so lovely to meet you! When I read 'I feel like I have lost a piece of myself over the last X years', it felt like I was reading something I could have written. I hope to be myself again one day. And congratulations on coming to the decision to adopt! It's so hard to know which roads to take in this silly journey, so someone who have figured it out should be applauded!

Anonymous said...

Really excited for you! I'm wishing you all the best. And I can't wait to read about your journey. Happy ICLW! :)

Chelle said...

Adoption is a great way to build your family. I pray that the process is short for you and you are placed quickly. Best wishes on your journey.

Saige said...

I seriously don't know many women who got pregnant off of chlomid. My sister did, but I think she was about 1 in 10,000. I did chlomid for 6 months before we moved on from it.

I don't blame you one bit for stopping before IVF. That was a cost I could never justify either. I always said we would stop at IVF as well. It just seemed like so much more than I could handle. I have so much love and respect for women who do it once, not to mention multiple times.

I hope that your decision to adopt has brought you peace and that sense of excitement that gets lost in IF. Just remember to take time out to take care of you.

*hugs*

Justine L said...

What a gift -- to you, and to the child who is lucky enough to find you. Good luck with this new leg of the journey.

Cape Girl said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog! I'll definitely be following you, now. I am really interested in your journey. I'll be anxious to hear how the meeting goes.

ICLW#93

Suzanne said...

Happy ICLW! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Best of luck to you with your adoption journey!

K said...

Wow, its been a tough journey that IF takes many of us on but it sounds like you're handling it with courage and bravery. I wish you luck on your path to expanding your family.

ICLW

Anonymous said...

Thanks for commenting on my blog. One of the things that I had wished for was more support for waiting parents. It's nice to talk to other people who are waiting as well. There are plenty of resources among the ICLW crew to help you - I hope your journey to your child is short!

Jodi said...

We were thinking about doing gestational surrogacy, and we spoke to my RE's office about it, but I couldn't handle the uncertainty of it working or not. So we decided to adopt first, and maybe pursue surrogacy down the road...

So I totally get why you were scared to do IVF! It's so uncertain!

tomi said...

Thank you for sharing, and all the best on your adoption journey!

*iclw

Suzy said...

How exciting. I am always interested to read blogs about adoptive families because I won't lie, I'm a little jealous. Adoption was my first preference but unfortunately in our country adoption is very rare, and we wouldnt qualify for adoptive parents either.
Best of luck on your adventure!

{ICLW}

Anonymous said...

Congrats on deciding on adoption! I am excited to continue to read about your journey!

ICLW #59

Jules said...

Good Luck on your adoption journey. I'll be lurking to see how you go.

ICLW #145

Anonymous said...

congratulations on your decision to adopt! i can't wait to hear all about your baby. :)

and thanks for your comment on my blog!

Patricia said...

Congrats on this amazing decision. I'll be sticking by to read how it all goes. I wish you all the best.

..al said...

Hey there Jennifer!

*Waving back*...

You know, I understand the pinch that money is. None of my cycles have also been funded by any insurance. I have been through 1 IVF already, and it did not work for me. And any more IVFs will all come out of the pocket.

Good Luck with the adoption!

Leslie said...

Hi... thanks for your comment on my blog. I am so excited for you that you are moving forward with adoption, and looking forward to hearing about that path!

Stefanie Wolfaardt said...

All the best on this journey

~Stopping by for ICLW #78

..Soo.See.. said...

Oh so excited to follow through your journey and big HUGS for all that you've been through. IF is IF, no matter if you think it doesn't compare to what others are going through. We're all in this together! Thank you for stopping by my blog and the comments. :) Happy ICLW!

ALEH said...

So sorry about your struggle with TTC. Adoption is a wonderful thing and hope the informational meeting goes well. Good luck. You have your trust in the right place - with God. Thanks for the comment on my blog. I am following you now. ICLW!

Willow said...

Thanks for your comment on my blog! I know exactly what you mean about having lost a piece of yourself while TTC--we've been trying for 3.5 years now and I have definitely lost my innocence and some of my natural happiness. But since we adopted our baby boy 10 months ago, I have gained so much joy. Good look with your adoption process--it's a wonderful thing!

Lisa said...

It's good to hear your story and that you two have taken control of your path to parenthood. You have clearly thought it all through and made a decision that works for you. I wish you every right move all the way through the adoption process.

If you're on Twitter, follow @dawndavenport1. She's got amazing reach and knowledge about adoption. I learn something new from her every day.

All the best,
Lisa
(ICLW #15 Your Great Life)

Andie said...

That's so exciting that you have a meeting with your adoption provider. I can completely understand why you would choose to pursue adoption rather than IVF. Best of luck!

ICLW

Pug Mama said...

I can't tell you how excited I am for you!!!!

Suzy, Not a Fertile Myrtle said...

Thanks for visiting me. Good luck with your adoption!

AnxiousMummyto3 said...

Hey Jennifer!
Tracked you back when I noticed you'd chosen to follow me, thankyou :)
Hope you are able to make your decision about the adoption and get the process underway. Good luck with all the paperwork and the home study!

Jonelle said...

:) Thank you, Jennifer for commenting on my blog. We too did 4 IUIs and that was one more than Kaiser offered.

In regards to adoption, we are slowing gathering info and trying to determine if this one particular agency is right for us. However, they are in another state, so if makes things a little more difficult for us. We are set to have dinner w/friends who used that agency so hopefully hearing their input will help our decision.

All the best to you and Barry.

ICLW #110

Unknown said...

Good luck with the adoption!

Happy ICLW!
Melissa

 
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