Let's Start at the Very Beginning...

I had a hard time getting pregnant. We began trying even before we were married (shh don't tell mom!). Then I found out that I have PCOS...Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. For those of you unfamiliar with this...the tiny cysts on the ovaries prevent regular menstrual cycles. My cycles would range from a normal 28 days to a whopping 63 days! Those little buggers also raise havoc with hormones- estrogen and testosterone (yes, girls, even you have it!), creating major mood swings, unnecessary weight gain and facial hair. There I said it...ugly...but I said it.

We tried all the tricks. Nothing. Then we tried fertility medication...for a year. Any of you who have been through this know, you have to be a very organized and structured person to pull this off. For those of you who don't, heres the DL: The doctor gave me meds to bring on my period. Every morning I had to take my temperature for a full cycle and keep track on the handy-dandy calendar given to me by my doctor's office (remember, I never knew how long my cycle would be). During this time, my doctor put me on Serophene (similar to Clomid, not to be confused with Serafem, the antidepressant...what a mix up that would have been!) to work its magic on my ovaries, therefore spitting out those precious eggs. Then I had to note when my temperature was on the rise, meaning I was ovulating (sorry for all you guys out there that are a little squeamish when it comes to women's issues!) and schedule (yes, schedule) sex with my darling hubby. The poor guy was a trooper though. Due to our working schedules, we were hardly ever in bed at the same time to sleep, let alone rock the mattress! He put up with everything. Oh did I forget to mention that the Seraphene creates mood swings too (since I was already having mood swings from the PCOS you can imagine what this did to me!)? He never knew what kind of mood I would be in when he saw me next! I remember one day scrounging in the freezer for something to thaw for heartburn...er..dinner, when he made a comment that he thought was funny....dead wrong. I slammed the freezer door so hard all the magnets fell off! He left me alone after that!

Anyway, finally, after month after month after month... in May 1998 I found out I was pregnant (yay!) We were so excited that we began telling all our friends and family, little did we know.... in June I had an ultrasound and discovered that the embryo had stopped growing....gestational failure. We were devastated. The doctor gave me the option of having a D&C or waiting for it to naturally "dispose of itself." I opted for the first and spent the summer depressed and nearly inconsolable. By September, I was healed enough that we could begin trying again. By December, my husband was pulling his hair out with frustration at the scheduling of our "sessions." We decided in January that we would take a break from the fertility treatments for a while. We were both so stressed out from all the scheduling and waiting and hoping. We would try a more natural and relaxing approach. Little did we know....

On February 8, 1999....Yes, I remember the date well! My parents were meeting us at the Weathervane to celebrate my sister's and my birthday (her's is the 4th, mine's the 12th so naturally the 8th was the obvious choice....I digress). Just before we left the house, the phone rang and it was the doctor's office. I was pregnant! We had decided that this time we would keep it all hush-hush in case we had poor results again. This was hard to do with my mother-in-law standing right there waiting to go to dinner with us! I nodded my head to Scott and he understood. At my next doctor's appointment, we listened to the heartbeat and all the other baby stuff. Since I had such a hard time getting pregnant, I was considered a high risk pregnancy and was scheduled for an ultrasound in March (the 24th to be exact) at 11 weeks gestation. Little did we know....