Hi everyone. Unfortunately, we do not have the best news for you. We went to the doctor today for another ultrasound, and the pregnancy is "disolving". The sac that was growing and developing has collapsed. So, we have a d&c scheduled for next Tuesday, although I may naturally miscarry on my own this weekend.

With that being said, we want to say thank you to everyone for their prayers and support. I am so thankful that we have such wonderful friends and family. Please know that Alfonso and I have accepted this, and still feel so blessed to have gotten this far. I have never been pregnant before! This gives us great hope!!!

God has been good to us, and been with us every step of the way. I was praying that God would show me a clear sign that it was ok to end the pregnancy, since I couldn't bring myself to do it when the dr's suggested it, with everything still developing. Today's ultrasound was an answer to my prayers, I no longer had to wonder. It was the closure I needed, and I'm very at peace about it now.

Also, having been pregnant now for almost two months, the pregnancy hormone has helped to resolve some of my endometriosis, which may make it possible for us to get pregnant without intervention next time. What a blessing that would be!

So, hopefully our next post will be wonderful news again regarding our journey to the Broxton Baby! One day, I will be holding my baby in my hands, and sending you pictures of that glorious event!!!! We'll keep you posted...another ivf is scheduled for around August, unless something happens before then:)

Take care, we love you all!!!

I don't even know where to begin updating you. This last week has been a whirlwind. Friday, May 15th, we had our 2nd ultrasound. The dr didn't say much, just that he didn't see anything, then turned to the ultrasound tech, and asked her to schedule a D & C to remove the baby (sac) on Tuesday. They didn't even show me the ultrasound.

When the tech left the room, I saw the small pictures, and noticed something white inside the black sac that wasn't there last week. When she came back in, I asked her what that was, she said possibly the beginning of the yolk sac, maybe fetal pole, they weren't sure, but nothing like they should be seeing at this point.

They sent us home telling me to stop all meds and injections, which would possibly lead to a miscarriage over the weekend. Even a healthy baby would die at that point, since the only hormones sustaining this pregnancy are from the shots.

Al & I prayed and talked about it, and decided against the D & C. It seems too early. If God ultimately plans for this pregnancy not to work out, HE can end it, I'm not going to make that decision. I continued all meds and injections.

So, we called the dr on Monday and told him our beliefs wouldn't allow us to take the baby, and he agreed to do another ultrasound this upcoming Friday.

Monday afternoon, the nurse called me with the bloodtest results from Friday, and my hormone levels continue to rise, just as they would in a normal pregnancy. She even said "Your gut feeling may be right!". The scary part is that if I had followed their instruction and stopped my meds Friday, it would have killed the baby, even if it was perfectly healthy.

We have also been researching their diagnosis, called a "blighted ovum", and have found that this is frequently misdiagnosed. If you are interested, take a look at the website www.misdiagnosedmiscarriage.com for HUNDREDS of stories of women in this same situation, who refused a D & C, and have a healthy baby now!!!! God is Good!

In the meantime, I went to my regular OB/GYN's office for a 2nd opinion today. He confirmed the 1st dr's findings. However, he said if my gut feeling is telling me not to end it, I shouldn't. He believes in miracles, and recommends I follow my heart.

So, we are coming to you asking for prayers again. How awesome would it be if they saw a heartbeat on Friday? That would be such a wonderful testimony on how prayer and faith works!

Please know Al & I will be ok if it doesn't work out. We've had 2 practice runs at thinking it was at the end, and we handled it fine. We TRULY believe it's in God's hands. If it doesn't work out, it's for a reason, and we trust that it's for the best. We just want to give Him the opportunity to work a miracle and show all those who know our story that faith can move mountains!!!!!

Keep praying, we'll keep you posted:)

Thank you everyone for your prayers. God is hearing our prayers, and blessing us daily!

Good news! I got my blood test results back from Friday. When they didn't see the development they were looking for, they drew blood. Basically looking to see if the numbers dropped. They expected the numbers to be less than the 2,448 they were last week, which would confirm their suspicion that the pregnancy will not continue. Well, my number was 10,475!!!!!

The nurse basically said that the dr saw that number and said "Well, we must have calculated her due date wrong." That's it???? After that emotional roller coaster this weekend, all I get is an "oops"?!?!?!?! Oh well, we'll take the good news in any form it comes in:)

So, she said this is acting like a totally healthy pregnancy based on the numbers, so I must just be one week behind where they thought I was.

Again, thank you for your prayers. Please continue praying. I have been praying and singing God's praises this entire time. I know God has His Hand in this, and continues to show me He is with us:) I'll keep you posted!

Beta #1 - 4/22 - 66
Beta #2 - 4/24 - 187
Beta #3 - 4/29 - 1,487
Beta #4 - 5/1 - 2,448
Beta #5 - 5/8 - 10,475

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness. And all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33

Had our first ultrasound today. Not the best news. The dr did not see what he wanted to see.

For details, he wanted to see a gestational sac, yolk sac, and heartbeat. He only saw a gestational sac. He said that usually means the baby didn't develop properly, and if that's the case, the pregnancy will not continue.
HOWEVER, there is some hope. He said he can't count us out 100% yet. SOMETIMES these things work out just fine, they just got a slow start. Slow start seems to be my claim to fame, so we're leaving it in God's hands and holding onto hope until we receive a definite answer.

One of our friends said that she knows of two ladies that this happened to, and they went on to have very healthy pregnancies and babies.

So, we're here again asking you for your prayers. Please think positively for us. Know that we will get through it regardless of the outcome, don't worry about how we'll deal with either outcome. God will get us through it. We need everyone's prayers, hope, and positive thinking!!! I will keep you posted after next week's ultrasound.

"Not by might, and not by Power, but by MY SPIRIT, saith the Lord"!!!!

I had my 4th bloodtest today. Numbers still look good. Doctors like to see the numbers double every 2 -3 days. Mine more than doubled on the 2nd and 3rd tests. On this most recent test, it was 66% higher in 2 days, which is perfect, as they look for 100% higher by 3 days. Here are the numbers for anyone who understands them:

Beta #1 - 4/22 - 66
Beta #2 - 4/24 - 187
Beta #3 - 4/29 - 1,487
Beta #4 - 5/1 - 2,448

I asked for a due date today. They tell me December 30th. Alfonso is hoping it's earlier, so we can get that tax deduction! We'll be able to solidify that date after the ultrasound. First one is scheduled for May 8th:) We're so excited!

That's all for the updates. We want to thank everyone for their continued prayers. We know God has been with us throughout this entire journey, and the prayers are what got us this far.

Alfonso wanted me to mention something else about prayer. Each week, at church, we fill out an envelope with our info. There is a place to put prayer requests. He says that usually, he looks at that like he thinks most men do. You know how men are, they think they don't need help doing anything, they can do it all themselves. This time, however, he decided that the extra prayers couldn't hurt, so he filled it out. Everywhere we went, he somehow got into the conversation of God and prayer with people, and these strangers offered up prayers for us. We KNOW that made the difference this time.

PLEASE CONTINUE SENDING YOUR PRAYERS UP!

Thank you so much! Talk to you soon.

As many of you know, Alfonso and I just learned that I am pregnant! We are estimating a due date of December 24th, but will leave the definites up to the drs. This has been a long, expensive, emotionally trying journey, but we're finally here. We wanted to start this blog so we can share updates and ultrasound pictures with everyone.

I'd like to update you on the pregnancy thusfar. We had our embryo transfer through in vitro fertilization (ivf) on April 8th, 2009 (Alfonso's birthday!). About five days after the transfer, I began having dreams of Sunflowers every night. In the dreams, the sunflowers would appear every where I stepped and every where I looked. I knew, somehow, from the dreams, that God was with me, and letting me know everything was ok. Like this was His special symbol to me.

One week after the transfer, Alfonso and I were heading to a camping trip, and stopped at a lovely Flying J truck stop for gas, and to, well, there's no nice way to say this - clean the sewage tank of our camper. As we pulled off the highway onto the exit, I saw a billboard with Sunflowers. I glanced to my left, and saw a semi truck with a Sunflower on the side. I immediately knew I was pregnant.
I decided to take a test at the Flying J. Before looking at the results, I put it in my purse. I told Alfonso I was going to change out of my work clothes in the camper. He asked me to wait until he turned the truck around. In our 500 foot trip to turn the truck around, I looked inside an RV that had a vase with Sunflowers sticking out of it. I knew the test would be positive. As I was changing my clothes in the camper, there it was, that beautiful double pink line on the test!!!

Alfonso walked into the camper to check something, saw me crying, so I told him. We hugged, and I managed to spit this out through my sobs..."Honey, I'm sorry I told you at the sewage dump!"

One week and 20+ additional positive pregnancy tests later, I had my blood test at the doctor's office. They called me with "good and bad" news. Good news - I was definitely pregnant. Bad news - my HCG level was only 66, and they look for 100 as the min. With a low number, they said I had a 50/50 chance of a viable pregnancy. So, we were told to come in Friday, Sunday, and Tuesday. They need the # to double every 2 - 3 days.

So, I prayed a lot, and went back in on Friday. My number was 187! Almost tripled in 2 days. The nurse told me I didn't need to come back in until the following Wednesday, she felt I was in the clear.

Today, we had our blood test #3, they wanted to see at least 800 - 900, and it was 1,487!!! I should have my first ultrasound next week:)

We will post pics of the first Ultrasound as soon as we have it!