and the seasons they go 'round and 'round...

and the painted ponies go up and down.

We returned today from our 2.5 week trip to North America to another bright, sweltering hot day here in Israel, while on the other side of the pond, slightly cooler temperatures and the first signs of fall seemed to already be upon us. It's hard to believe that it's almost Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, again. Last Rosh Hashana was the cycle that I got pregnant via our 2nd IUI.

Since we received the negative beta for our 2nd FET, I've been back on birth control. The current plan is for me to discontinue BCPs on October 14 and start the stimulation for a new IVF on October 17. I will be doing the antagonist protocol again with the same dose of Gonal-F and some Luveris (LH) added in as well to help with the final maturation of the follicles. We would really like to make it to a day 5 (blastocyst) transfer this time around, so here's hoping for healthy embryos and some good looking blasts!

Y has army reserve duty during October and November (he is the physician for a combat unit- basically, he oversees a group of combat medics) and that is definitely adding some extra anxiety to our next IVF, especially as the political climate continues to heat up here in the Middle East. He should be able to take a day off for the egg retrieval without a problem, but still, his emotional support and just having him around while I cycle means a lot to me and of course I worry about him while he is away.

I don't know what it will take to get us pregnant with a healthy, sustainable pregnancy, and as usual, I which I knew how much of this marathon we've already run to get there, but I am always hoping hoping hoping we are further to the end of this journey and closer to the beginning of the next era than we think. I am very happy with our choice to switch REs and clinics, and I am hoping the new place and new year will bring us a change in luck.