From 200 to 947 in less than 72 hours!

I've been feeling a little bit careful about posting so far. Given my history and underlying fear I couldn't bring myself to write until now.

I have actually not been very disciplined with the cheap pregnancy tests I bought from eBay (25 for $8.50 including shipping) and started testing last Tuesday. The first two mornings were pretty disappointing. It seemed like there might be something there but it was so faint I couldn't trust it. By Friday I really thought I was seeing a second line but didn't know if I was just crazy and so hopeful that my mind was making it up. I cried in a moment of joy and then fear set in almost immediately. Maybe this is a false positive. I'll have to test again tomorrow. Saturday morning came and I pulled out my more expensive First Response test that I had been saving. This time, there was definitely a second line. My initial response was not one of joy, but one of confusion and deep rooted fear. The devastating kind of fear. I found myself praying in desperation every free mental moment, "Oh please God let this one be viable, oh please God let this one join our family". It was excruciating.

Finally Saturday night came and thank God we had a dinner to attend with many dear friends. I'm sure my agony was written all over my face but most probably passed it off as anxiety as my return to work was quickly approaching. I was intensely on edge so when Jason inquired I completely lost it. Dear Rachelle saved the day. She took me aside and told me a wonderful story of faith which I will share later. Immediate my spirit was lifted.

Sunday required a little more prayer from Adey and she gave me this prayer that I cling to when I start to slide backward, "Be still, and know that I am God". What a beautiful gift it has been to come back to that prayer and just trust God and what He's doing here.

So Monday I went for my first round of blood work. My hcg was 200 and I later found out that my progesterone is 17.5 - I don't really know what the healthy range is but apparently 17.5 is good. I'm using natural progesterone cream derived from plants as a daily supplement so I'm sure that is helping.

The general rule of thumb with hcg levels is that they are expected to double every 48-72 hours. Given that, I was expecting my repeat test on Thursday to come back with a number around 600. I was pleasantly surprised by the result I got: 947. That's a pretty big jump. What does that mean? Twins? Hmmm....