Updates on our funds and on our journey!

After a long, WONDERFUL weekend, it's back to normal today. Back to work, and back to BLOGGING!!!

Did you see the post with the latest BIG BIG NEWS?!?! No? Better look at my last post! In case you don't know how to see my last post, here's a link :)
http://babyfund2012.blogspot.com/2012/05/big-news-and-stories-from-others.html

One current fundraiser which doesn't seem to be getting any attention at all is the Thirty-One Gifts fundraiser... Every dollar we make off of this fundraiser will be matched by the Crawl for Cancer. So, GET ON IT! :)
http://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/eventhome.aspx?eventId=E1719344&from=MYEVENTS (then click on Show Now!)

The Scentsy fundraiser is still going, I will get a new link for that up shortly. AND I will be adding a link along with it, for the online (and I WILL be having an actual party locally at the end of June) party for Velata... Which is like Scentsy, only CHOCOLATE instead of scents. You CANNOT go wrong there!! And again, every dollar raised will be matched by the Crawl!!!

There will be a Christmas in July fundraiser in July, where we will be selling (and shipping) personalized ornaments! Prices and pictures coming soon!

I will be doing 4th of July cupcakes!! And notice I said "I." My wonderful friend, supporter, and cupcake baker is moving :( So, it's up to me... and whoever wants to help ;) to bake and decorate! I will start taking orders in the next couple of weeks!!

And in case you haven't clicked on the link I posted taking you to my last post, and haven't caught on by my casually mentioning the big news in the other fundraiser updates.... .... ..... Crawl for Cancer has offered to match EVERY DOLLAR WE RAISE from now through the end of July, up to $2500!!! SUCH exciting news, I still can't believe it...


Now, it's been ALMOST one week since making the big announcement, and donations have been pouring in! Here is an update as to where we are with our funds:
Before last Wednesday (after a donation and getting the dollar amount for the cookie fundraiser) we were at $2500. Which is GREAT considering I started this blog in January!!!
Wednesday we made the announcement and began accepting donations towards the $2500 goal we have set for the Crawl to match.
By Saturday afternoon (after donations from some family and friends) we had $250 towards our goal. I couldn't believe it!
By yesterday evening (after more donations from family and friends, and the funds received from the last cupcake fundraiser) we were (and are currently) at..... drum roll please...... $1181!!! We are ALMOST halfway to our goal for the Crawl! I CANNOT believe it! I just can't!! We have two ENTIRE MONTHS to raise the remaining $1319!!! WE CAN DO IT!!!

So, if we raise the last $1319, we will have $5000 total! Then the Crawl will match the last $2500, with $2500 of their own. And we will be at $7500!!! That will put us within $2500 of our BIG goal of $10k!!!



That's all the updates I have right now. So, a quick update as to where we are at right now (aside from fundraisers) in our journey to IVF!
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I don't want you all to think that once we get 10k, that we'll immediately be doing the IVF. The IVF will cost just over 14000 for one cycle, or we can get a multi-cycle rate of just over 18k (plus meds). We are going back and forth between which option we should go with. And, it will take us a bit to come up with the rest of that money! But, we will get there eventually, and having the first $10k raised with the help of so many amazing people will be BEYOND amazing!!!

Right now we have begun the first steps towards IVF.
The fertility clinic has to have updated PAP results, so that step was all me. I am a very big "do as I say, not as I do" person. And, sadly, I hadn't had a pap in over two years. Not good not good, I know this. But, since we haven't needed birth control in years, it hasn't been on my mind. So, two weeks ago I took the step and made the appointment, expecting a 1-2 month wait for the appointment as usual. Nope, they got me in the very next day. Ohh joy! I got the results in the mail a few days later and everything is all good!
What is one step that adult women take when planning to try to have a baby? They start taking pre natal vitamins. Ideally, you should have the vitamins in your system for 3 months before conception. That's no different if you're going to conceive with help. So, I started doing research on prenatals.
First, let me say, I cannot swallow pills. I just can't. Anything bigger than Tylenol and it just won't go down. I can't help it. Insane gag reflex. Big pills don't work for me.
And those gummy pre-natals stink like FISH. Ohhh it's awful. I couldn't even try to taste one, because the smell was THAT BAD. That was a waste of $10!!
Since I was at the doctor anyway, I asked her if she could recommend a chewable. She wrote me a prescription... And holy geez, THEY TASTE LIKE CHALK. They're absolutely awful. And gritty. And gross. But, they're what I'm taking. They don't have DHA in them, so once we have a positive pregnancy test, I will switch to the nasty smelling gummies I guess, since they have DHA. These chalk pills, I mean chewables, have folic acid. And that's what I'm focused on before conception. So every night I take one, and gag because of the taste. Gotta do what you gotta do though, right?! Ahhh.

The next step will be making an appointment with our fertility clinic for the FSH level tests and all that. Before I do that, we've got to decide if we want to apply for the ATTAIN program... So that's where we are. What to do what to do??

Our option are ONE try for $14000, or multiple tries (through Attain) for just over 18k, plus meds.
There's only a 50% chance of it working. And if it doesn't, or I miscarry a few weeks later, we are out that $14000 and will have to start over on raising the money for another try.
Through Attain we will get up to four tries (two fresh IVF cycles, and two frozen embryo transfers if there are eggs left to freeze after the fresh cycles). If one try doesn't work (OR if I miscarry), we get to try again. We will have to cover the meds for each cycle.
If it works on the first try after paying out the extra money for the Attain program guarantee? Then we've got one EXPENSIVE baby(ies). If it doesn't work or I miscarry, knowing I can try again (up to three times) is really priceless...
BUT that's so much more money... And we just don't have that sitting in our account. So it'll be quite a while before we can come up with that extra money. Where as if we're just going for a single try at just over 14k, we could easily get a signature loan to cover what we don't have.

There's our dilemma. That's where we are. It's stressful and worrisome and scary. But, we're here. And to even HAVE these options is amazing. We really wouldn't if it wasn't for all of you! Every dollar gets us closer and closer and we have YOU all to thank for it. So, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!