Walking Down the Street Naked

I have quoted Cec Murphy's blog a few times in my posts. When I read his November 2nd post, I knew what I had to do. When he was new in the publishing business, a professional writer told him, "If you're going to be a writer, you must be willing to walk down the street naked."

I want to be a writer, so I guess I'm going to have to let you see all of me. I have to see this through. I have to keep going, do whatever needs to be done, to make sure Gabriel's story reaches as many people as possible. My book is finished--and it's beautiful. My magnum opus. It doesn't matter, though, not unless I can find someone to believe in me and my babies enough to try to sell it for me. From what I've read, having a successful blog is a great way to get someone to believe in you. I now have 106 followers. I have seen quite a few published authors' blogs with far fewer registered followers than that. Gabriel, Tater Tot, Skyler, and I thank all of you, my faithful followers, for believing in us.

Because of our passion--and my obsession--for keeping our sweet babies alive through my writing, we have decided to let you all in on the most intimate and private part of our lives--something that will hopefully leave you on the edge of your seats and coming back for more. It wasn't an easy decision, and I'm still not sure I want to let you in on this. I'll do anything for my angels, though. Even if it means letting you see me naked . . .

We started making our new baby today. That sounds romantic, doesn't it? Well, it wasn't. Actually, Skyler was at work. The doctor and I got started without him. Ha! I had an HSG (hysterosalpingogram). It's a dye test to make sure there are no blockages in the fallopian tubes. This being my third HSG, however, we already know they aren't blocked. Shooting the dye through the tubes clears any debris that may be a distraction to those little one-celled swimmers. The chances of conception are increased in the three months following an HSG. Can you get pregnant without an HSG? Obviously, people do it every day. This is high-stakes for me, though. It has to work. I need it to work. It's going to work.

We had a failed attempt at an IUI (intrauterine insemination) in September 2008 before we had Gabriel. It was the only time I didn't have an HSG first. If you have been trying to get pregnant for a while and haven't had any luck, ask for an HSG. Unless there's something else wrong, I bet it'll work.

I was nervous going in today. I was nervous for the monster speculum. It hurt, but I got through it, yacking to the nurses about my babies as a distraction. Then I became very anxious watching the monitor, waiting for the dye to shoot out of me. Suddenly, a new fear shot through me--something I hadn't thought of before. What if this test shows that I'm scarred, damaged from the D&C?

After an eternity of seconds, the screen began to show a perfect black pear (my uterus) and two squirts of dye--one on the left and one on the right--shooting cleanly out of each fallopian tube.

The doctor commented that my uterus and tubes look perfect. Whew! The ultrasound tech stood by my side and watched, holding my hand. She was one of Gabriel's techs and remembers the beautiful pictures she took of me while he was inside of me. She winked and said she expects me to show up in the office in a couple of months pregnant with multiples!

Now, to enjoy our last bit of being emptynesters before we get the baby (or babies?).

Author's note: pic #1--I'm not blonde and we're not skinny, but I thought that pic was pretty funny. Pic #2--That's not my uterus. That's an HSG image I found on the internet.

Author's second note--My husband loves me so much that he is willing to let you see him naked, too (Isn't that nice of him?!). I love him enough that I won't let you see him naked on this blog. You'll have to read the book for that.

Author's third note--I have one request if you are going to read these baby-making blogs: Please pray that God makes me to become pregnant with a perfect, healthy baby that I get to bring home. I know most of you are already doing that. Thank you!