It's like after you work out really hard, and your arms are heavy and sore the next day. Every time you feel the dull pain as you grab a coffee cup off the shelf, you think, "Wow, I'm getting stronger."

That's how I feel today.

My IUI, which I had this morning, has left me with a dull cramping in my uterus. It hurts a little bit, but every time I feel a twang of pain, I think, "It's working." It hurts so good! :)

We don't really know what the final count of follicles was... anywhere between 1 and 3. But we do know that Kevin had 26 million washed sperm, with 98% motility! So now we just need ONE of those eggs and ONE of those sperm to hook up... and we're on our way.

We rented a hotel room in Chicago so that we didn't have to drive 2 hours in the morning before the IUI. It also gave us a good place to collect the "specimen."

Then, we hurried to the hospital with the little cup tucked in my bra, to keep it warm. When we got there, we handed it over to the doctor who asked us if we wanted to look at it under the microscope. Of course, we said yes! It was so fun to see the little swimmers. Some were really screwed up, one had its head bent backwards and it was flailing around everywhere, helpless. Others were cute and healthy, slashing quickly and heartily through the liquid under the microscope.

We had to wait an hour for the sperm to be washed, and then we had to wait ANOTHER HOUR to get a room to do the IUI. We were really pissed off, and we sat in the waiting room, sighing impatiently to get the receptionist's attention. The nurse said that the hour wait wouldn't affect the sperm - but I say every minute counts, even if it is already washed. Those suckers die fast, you know?

The IUI part was pretty easy (in fact, I find it hard to believe it cost $650!). The nurse had trouble finding my cervix, which was interesting. She really had to fish around to find it. I wonder how that affects my fertility. Then, after just a few minutes, I had to rest and let the washed sperm swim around.

That's about it. I start progesterone treatments on Thursday.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I hope this works!