Day 3 Fertilization Report & Tenley update

CCRM called this afternoon with our day 3 embryo update. Out of our 16 embryos, we have 13 that are within "normal" range. They say "normal" if the embryo has between 6-10 cells and less than 20% fragmentation. So overall, we're happy with that. Now the big test comes as they develop over the weekend and we find out Monday how many were able to be biopsied, frozen and sent for testing. Some will be biopsied on Sunday and others on Monday. Our 2 frozen embryos arrived there safe and sound as well. One of them will be biopsied with the others on Monday and the other will remain frozen since it's already gone through PGD testing and was determined "normal." Our goal is to have 8 embryos make it to blastocyst stage and get biopsied for testing. Please say prayers and keep your fingers crossed! :)

I want to say thank you to my best friend Kristi and Jeff and of course their precious little Addie for the letter and homemade cookies they sent us to welcome us home! They figured that after eating healthy for so long, we needed some junk food. They were definitely yummy. Thanks Mansfields!

I also want to thank everyone again for all of the VERY sweet and encouraging e-mails we've received over the last few weeks. I know I've said it a million times before, but we are so lucky to feel so loved by our friends and family. I have made several friends online through my research and fertility forums who are battling infertility as well and it feels so great to exchange stories and words of encouragement with each other. It makes all of this a lot less lonely. :) THANK YOU to everyone who remains by our sides through all of this!

So, the veterinary surgeon called about an hour ago and I was able to ask a million questions so I will just touch on the main points. He sounded wonderful and was so great about answering all of them. He said that out of all the dogs that have the surgery, 75% of them regain their vision. The surgey is about 2 hours / eye. They can get her in next Tuesday or Wednesday if we decide to go ahead. She would have a 3-4 week recovery where she would have to be kept as quiet as possible. No jumping on furniture or even going up and down the stairs etc.....she doesn't really do any of those things right now anyway since she can't see so she would be okay. No playing with other dogs either. He was fine that we have Cooper, but said that they would need to be seperated if play time erupted. They could snuggle at night still etc.....but as soon as any play started, we would have to seperate them. So sad. :( It would be worth it though if Tenley can eventually see again. Within 3-6 weeks she should be able to see again.....but if her vision doesn't come back within 6 weeks....it most likely never will. She would get to come home with us the same day after surgery though which is nice. He said it's not a real "painful" recovery either. She would be on eye drops and other meds, but for the most part the meds would keep her pretty comfortable. She will have to wear an e-collar for 1-2 weeks, which should be interesting...since she hates wearing ANYTHING. The other thing he mentioned, without knowing her history at all, was that a common denominator with dogs who have detached retinas is that they are "toy shakers"...not just shakers, but violently shake their toys as if they're trying to kill the toy.............um, that sums Tenley up in a nutshell. She has ALWAYS done that since she was 8 weeks old. Wish we would've known. He said not to beat ourselves up about it though, because it's not like we could take every one of her toys away from her or something. Anyway, Adam and I are discussing everything again tonight. The Dr. gave us his cell phone number directly if we have any more questions, which I thought was so nice. I'm sure Adam the auditor will have more questions for him. :) We have to call him as soon as we decide and she will be scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday since time is of the essence. :)

Please say some more prayers for Tens and our little embabies!

Thanks for being here!

Love,
T & A