For some reason, last night, I remembered these pictures I have of me and my brother last fall, when I was taking stim shots for our IVF cycle, and thought it would make a nice blog. B. was fascinated with the thought of giving a shot to someone. And talked all night about how he would help me with my Lupron the following morning. DH and I were at home in Iowa for my nephews' birthday party/softball game/extravaganza which is a story in and of itself (read: older sister (aka mother of the nephews) puking behind the dugout because she was so severely hungover, and we were fine and healthy only because we babysat while they went out, because we couldn't drink because of our cycle).

We woke up early, I dug out the drugs, and brought them to the kitchen. He was so nervous, and my sister (who took these pics) was not helping. I was so over shots by this time, but happy for the attention and support of the fam.

To make a long story short, he does not have a future in nursing or any other career that would involve shots. He poked me and then sort of freaked out and started twisting the needle around in my tum. But I didn't bruise or bleed, so it wasn't all bad. And I have these fabulous pictures to remember this special time - much more special than the stims I gave myself in the Houston airport bathroom stall while a woman beside me suffered Montezuma's Revenge!!!

I have a bunch of sad thoughts about our failed cycle, my poor response to those stims, and my super response since then which has caused these cysts that are preventing me from having an IUI this month. (As I write this, I sit in the airport for a work trip that most likely would have been cancelled if we were cycling.) But my family has been SO supportive - after the cycle was cancelled B's wife sent me a card and a gift card to Starbucks for all the caffeine I could enjoy not being PG. And she cried with me when she heard the news we had to cancel. LOVE her! Makes me tear up here in the airport bar.

So, do I have a point? Probably not. I'm just rambling. Thought I'd post these pics of my fabulous, wonderful brother, who will always be my brother, my family, even if I never have children of my own! It's not like I have nothing!



(Please note what a fabulous sister I have who helped me to strategically plan these pictures so that 0% of my bloated, pale, pasty belly would show!!!!)