Time to egg-splain

Hello fertility followers! It has been a while since we have checked in with you all, sorry for the delay! We are back to provide a much anticipated update to you all on our adventures, exploits, and progress on the IVF front.

In our last update, Jessica noted that I had family in town, which was a blessing. It was so nice to be able to connect with others who speak english as their first language. And what are the chances of being in the same place on the planet as family during the same time?! We explored Park Guell, two Gaudi houses, several parts of the city, as well as a flamenco show. They have all traveled home since our last update, and Jess and I have since resumed our solo escapades.

Since our last update, Jessica and I ventured out of Barcelona proper to an outlet mall and perused some high-end shopping outlets, took part in a night-time walking tour through El Born that explored the darker side of Barcelonas history (public executions, Spanish Inquisition, etc), as well as attended a local bath house (think indoor hot-springs) for a night of much welcome rest and relaxation. Apart from that, things have been relatively quiet on the adventure front. We are both feeling quite homesick and are ready to return home to be reunited with our friends, family, and our dogs. If I am honest, I think we are also both missing the routine of work as well.

Now, on to the important stuff!

In our last update, Jess outlined the results of the egg retrieval on Sunday 5/27/18. The doctor was able to retrieve 20 eggs which was phenomenal. On Monday 5/28/18 we received an update from the clinic that of those 20 eggs, 13 were mature to be fertilized. Of those 13 mature eggs, 12 were fertilized. As the week went on we got daily updates that informed us of the progress of our eggs. By the end of the week, we were informed that of our 12 fertilized eggs, we had 6 which made it to the embryo stage, at which point they were frozen while we wait for our transfer procedure. We were beyond ecstatic with these numbers, as we had agreed since we had come so far for this procedure, we would implant 2 embryo's, provided we had enough to do so. To come out with 6 was truly amazing.

At this point, and for about the last week, Jess has had to undergo estrogen supplementation. This has taken place in the form of dermal patches (like a giant hormone band-aid if you will). These have been prescribed in order to aid Jessica's body in thickening the lining of her endometrium, which will aid in the implantation of the embryo's. These patches get replaced every few days to make sure the dosage stays a level satisfactory to the doctor. We are also waiting for our next appointment on 6/8/18 where Jess will have yet another ultrasound to measure the thickness of the lining, at which point we are hopeful they will give us a date for the transfer.

The clinic has informed us that they are aware of our departure date, but it is recommended to have 36-48 hours of bed rest after the transfer in order to help implantation as much as possible. We are hopeful that it will take place either over the weekend, or early next week as we depart on the morning of 6/15/18, and if the transfer is to occur any later than Monday/Tuesday of next week, we may have to delay our return home, which is not ideal. But throughout this trip, as well as this whole baby-making journey, we have adopted the motto of the 2018 Cleveland Cavaliers "Whatever it Takes!" {Quick side-note, what is up with the Cavs!?!?! 1) Fire Tyron Lue 2) Get Lebron some dependable backup}.

Thats about all we really have at this point. We are elated at the results from our retrieval/fertilization, and cannot wait for our appointment tomorrow! We are hopeful the transfer will be within the next few days as we are ready for the next step, and ready to come home!

Spain has been a truly beautiful and amazing experience. We have enjoyed every minute of our time here and have enjoyed everything the city of Barcelona has to offer. From the delicious food, amazing wine, beautiful sights, and (mostly) friendly people, it has been a genuine once-in-a-lifetime experience. Jessica and I have also had the additional blessing of friends and family that have been so supportive, as well as employers that have been supportive and understanding of our journey. So again, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you SO MUCH to everyone for your love, support, and kind words!

We look forward to checking in with you all tomorrow after our ultrasound, hopefully with a transfer date!!

P.S. An additional shout out/thank you to Lauren for watching our house and dogs! Thanks homie!!

P.P.S If anyone wants to follow other outlets for our trip/adventure you can see more pictures on the gram.

Jessica: @plainblueyes

Cole: @gnarlyboots