Sunshine State

Whoa… I need a weekend to recuperate from my weekend. I'm exhausted. But the good news is, I think it was worth it. Let me back up:

If you've been following along on the blog for the last six months or so, you've probably discovered a few things about me like: A- we're doing IVF, B- we don't know where, and C- I'm indecisive. It's been a pretty happening place for the Greavus on the TTC front lately… there's been a lot of deep thinking, creating pro-con lists, crunching numbers, and planning. All of which has gotten us exactly no where. In the midst of my confusion and frustration on where to go for IVF, I created a list of all the better than average clinics in the country. Initially, I was incredibly overwhelmed and frustrated. The good clinics seemed to be so far away. I was stuck with mediocrity at a high price. I threw a pity party for a few days and whined about my inability to live in Massachusetts to get IVF for free or travel to Colorado for the best chances of success. Eventually, I got over myself and decided to visit a few more clinics based on my IVF wish list (and my husband's distance limit and price cap). I decided to visit FIRM in Jacksonville, Florida; PREG in Greenville, South Carolina; and Emory in Atlanta, Georgia. I decided that these three clinics, along with the other three I've already been to in the last year (RBA, ACRM and SMFI), would give me the best glimpse at what the southeast has to offer.

Friday, I had my consultation with FIRM in Jacksonville, Florida. Sam couldn't get off work, so my mom was kind enough to take the day and travel the six hours down with me. My weekend essentially started on Thursday night after the college girls in the community group I lead left about 10 o'clock. I then stuffed a bunch of items in a bag and headed to my mom's house. My appointment was at 1:15 on Friday, so we planned to leave with plenty of time, which equated to the crack of dawn. It made the most sense to drive home that night. I got in bed about midnight, or approximately two hours after my bed time (yep, I'm old before my time). Friday morning I was up at 5:30 and ready to hit the road. It was a very good thing we left when we did because, holy moly, the day was filled with "whoops".

Whoops in order:

1. Mom left her phone… go back home
2. Tractor trailer accident on I-75... go around
3. Missed the turn on the alternate route to avoid traffic... go further around
4. We thought IHOP would be quick... thought wrong
5. Missed the exit for I-10... 7.1 miles before the next exit to turn around
6. Got lost in the parking deck... waste time circling, trying to find the up ramp
7. Got lost in the hospital... race around getting on and off elevators
8. Mom lost her car keys... return to hotel room
9. Mom lost the room key... return to front desk

So yea, needless to say, the day was longggggg. In addition to the above fun, we also ran into a legitimate swarm of some kind of bug. I've been down to Tifton, Georgia before, so I get that there are lots of bugs, but this was kind of unreal. This was in infestation of bugs (mating) in the middle of the day. A bug apocalypse. It was unreal.

Windshield after about ten minutes into the plague of mating insects

The front bumper of mom's car upon arriving in Florida. She was pleased.

Luckily, despite ALL of the insanity, we managed to make it to the appointment sort of on time. I say sort of because we were most definitely late, but the doctor was later, so I say we get a pass. The appointment went pretty well. I liked the doctor: he seemed very knowledgeable and very up to date on research. I would see a doctor for every monitoring appointment and could potentially see him for every appointment if I was willing to go to a different office in Jacksonville each day (they have three offices in Jacksonville). Overall, I was fairly pleased with the visit... not in love, but satisfied.

After the appointment we went back to the parking deck, got lost again, and eventually made it the eight miles or so to our hotel: Hotel Indigo. I've never stayed in a Hotel Indigo before, but from what I've heard, they are very modern in design. Add in that Floridians apparently like appalling color combinations (orange and blue?!?!?) and well, I should have been expecting this. The lobby was tastefully done if you could look past seventeen bright, bold colors in one room. Thank goodness, the room was a more mellow. Overall it was a great little hotel. I would definitely stay here again. It was in a little eat/live/play type of village with a large pond outside... very safe, very peaceful, very convenient.

Standard double room: beds were AMAZING... or I was so tired I could
have slept on a rock. Either way, best night of sleep in a while!

After settling into the room, we grabbed a cup of frozen yogurt from a little place down the street, checked out the pool, and decided to wander over to a "small shopping area" just down the street. Holy freak out. I have NEVER seen a shopping mall like the St. John's Town Center. We have outdoor malls in Georgia, but I've never seen anything this massive. Name a store... it was there. Cole Haan, Dillards, Pottery Barn, Louis Vuitton, West Elm, Tiffany, Lucky, Lush, Antropologie, Michael Kors... oh and there is another phase opening soon. What is missing?!?!? Anyway, we walked what felt like ten miles and only saw about a quarter of the place. By this time we were starving so we grabbed dinner at P.F. Changs, a slice of cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory, and fudge to take home from Kilwin's... they were all within ten feet of eachother. It was too hard to decide.

All in all it was a great trip. I had fun with my momma, which is always great, but ultimately it was a really good decision to go down and visit. I'll be the first to admit that I am incredibly scared to travel alone. Before the trip, if we'd chosen FIRM, I planned to stay in the hotel room except for appointments unless absolutely necessary. My one and only other visit to Jacksonville was during a Georgia/Florida game, and well, I was afraid for my life, so I wasn't looking at FIRM as a real fun option. After going down, navigating the roads, seeing the different hotel options, I could TOTALLY do this. I would not be afraid to go out by myself, take a walk, grab dinner, etc. The only real issue would be giving myself injections... but I'm not worrying about that yet. My mom has graciously offered to come stay with me if I choose FIRM for a few days, and Sam might be able to come down towards the end for a day or so... in the middle, I'd just make it work.

So yea, good trip. Long trip as we drove back home Saturday morning, and then I drove back to Athens, but good. I'm glad I didn't opt of the phone consultation. Seeing Jacksonville, where I'd stay, where I'd buy groceries, where the doctor's office is definitely made me feel a lot more comfortable. FIRM is a legitimate option right now, and I couldn't be more surprised.

I have another consultation today in Greenville, South Carolina. I'm driving myself, so that's awful, but it will be good practice. If we choose this clinic, the plan would be to stay in Athens and drive in each day for monitoring. This clinic is a little more expensive, but has a little better success rates too. I'll let you all know how it goes tomorrow. Wish me luck!