After my last transfer was unsuccessful I called my agency to find another match. They said they had the perfect couple for me and boy do I think they were right!! 2 years ago when I started really researching surrogacy I realized there are so many different types of couples and even singles that are looking for surrogates. At the beginning I talked to a lot of husband/wife couples and for some reason or another we just never matched. I did match with a single woman and it was great. This time a husband/husband couple!! Love them! I think our personalities really mesh well together. We talk on the phone, text, and email. They seem like the sweetest couple. From the way they talk on the phone to the pictures of them that I get and their pure excitement! They are very handsome too! When I found out it was a gay couple from NYC I instantly wanted to have Anderson Cooper's baby, but I am glad that I have the future dads that I have. They want me to watch their wedding video so I can see the love they share for each other. Aww! It is making me excited all over again to start a new journey! We are called matched at this stage and in the contract phase. So it's not all set in stone with the ink dry at this point but I'm thinking positive that nothing will happen in the contract phase to change anything and we will be trying to make a baby really soon. It's so time consuming and not fun at all to have to wait on all of the attorneys to do their thing. I'm ready to do mine! This time with a different result. I do find myself thinking now and again hmm I wonder if something is wrong with the contracts? I just try to stay positive! They already have a young egg donor picked and ready to go. This time already seems so different to me for some reason. I'm so excited I started a pinterest board about it. Pins about twin pregnancies, pregnancy workouts, apps that weren't around when I was pregnant the last 4 times, and fun maternity clothes! Everyone following me is probably tired of seeing all of these pregnancy pins. I even ordered a special surro shirt. I will be wearing it next month hopefully! I will be sure to post a pic. I love it!! I'm excited for the boys to see it too! I call them the boys when I talk about them to my husband :) Maybe soon I'll be able to call them the dads :)
We have been talking about an April transfer and if the gosh darn contracts are done soon we just might be able to make that happen! But maybe May if takes too much longer, it's just about getting the egg donor and me on the same cycle. I am so excited! Maybe I'll be posting belly pics soon! So right now I'm just praying that everything works out with all the paperwork and even getting a little ahead of myself and praying that I get pregnant on the first transfer and even further ahead that if I get pregnant with twins I don't need a csection :) I welcome all prayers!
Friday, March 22, 2013
I'm back! A quick recap
I originally started this blog almost 2 years ago because I wanted to document my surro journey! I think that finding out that I wasn't pregnant after the first transfer was a lot harder than I ever thought it would be. I thought for sure I would get pregnant, even though most surros do a few transfers to get pregnant. I just stopped writing about the journey. I'm sad that I stopped now because it has been almost 2 years with 9 transfers. I was in NYC for a total of 9 times. I kept saying I'll do a few more tries and then one more and one more and one more turned into 9. We were still using IM's eggs. I had hoped that she would use an egg donors eggs but that is something she just wasn't ready to do. So we parted ways.
I just quickly read my blog from the beginning again to remember what I wrote. There are only 5 total posts so it didn't take too long. Wow, I feel like I've learned a lot in the past two years! I feel like an old seasoned pro, up to the transfer part anyway because there is still no baby and I have yet to be pregnant with a surro baby. A few things I find funny from the beginning posts and might see things a little differently now two years later. My second trip to NYC I called a vacation. I thought that was funny. All of the trips to NYC were nice but I was not calling them vacations by the end. I only took one cab ride on my first trip to NYC! I was scared to ride in one because I'm such a bad passenger driver. Now when I'm there I put out my arm for one :) I completely forgot that Tim didn't like needles at the beginning of all of this! He has definitely lost his fear of needles after 9 rounds of fertility meds. I am happy to report that I still have not had to give myself a single shot. I tried really hard once but kept picturing the needle breaking off into my stomach so didn't actually do it. When I talked about medications I only listed the pills, patches and daily shots. I never mentioned the vaginal suppositories! Maybe because I had only done one round with them and hated them so much and probably didn't want to gross anyone out. But that's fertility for you, vaginal suppositories. There are 2 things that I never became a fan of in all 9 rounds, vaginal suppositories that have to be done 5 times a day and getting a full bladder before the transfer. That is the hardest thing for me to do! I either drink so much water I'm about to pee my pants in the waiting room or trying to chug water in the waiting room because I don't feel like I have to pee at all. It's just not something I'm good at! Apparently I only had one side affect of the meds in the first round and now reading it I remember the pain in my chest and I had to take gas drops. I only ever had that happen a few other times throughout the rest of the 8 rounds. I did however develop a few others. Insomnia! That is one of the worst things ever! I require sleep to function with 4 children! So I've had dark circles quite a bit over the last 2 years. The other side affect was getting up to pee at night! So when I was actually getting to sleep I wake up every 2 hours to pee. But I think that all of that is worth it to bring a little baby into the world for someone else. Something else that I remember from the beginning of all of this is modesty. I have never really been a super modest person but I would cover myself from all the of nurses and doctors in the transfer room and ultrasound visits. Make Tim stand above my shoulders for the transfer. That is long gone! My last transfer there were 5 people watching and my legs were spread for the world to see.
A new journey begins...
I just quickly read my blog from the beginning again to remember what I wrote. There are only 5 total posts so it didn't take too long. Wow, I feel like I've learned a lot in the past two years! I feel like an old seasoned pro, up to the transfer part anyway because there is still no baby and I have yet to be pregnant with a surro baby. A few things I find funny from the beginning posts and might see things a little differently now two years later. My second trip to NYC I called a vacation. I thought that was funny. All of the trips to NYC were nice but I was not calling them vacations by the end. I only took one cab ride on my first trip to NYC! I was scared to ride in one because I'm such a bad passenger driver. Now when I'm there I put out my arm for one :) I completely forgot that Tim didn't like needles at the beginning of all of this! He has definitely lost his fear of needles after 9 rounds of fertility meds. I am happy to report that I still have not had to give myself a single shot. I tried really hard once but kept picturing the needle breaking off into my stomach so didn't actually do it. When I talked about medications I only listed the pills, patches and daily shots. I never mentioned the vaginal suppositories! Maybe because I had only done one round with them and hated them so much and probably didn't want to gross anyone out. But that's fertility for you, vaginal suppositories. There are 2 things that I never became a fan of in all 9 rounds, vaginal suppositories that have to be done 5 times a day and getting a full bladder before the transfer. That is the hardest thing for me to do! I either drink so much water I'm about to pee my pants in the waiting room or trying to chug water in the waiting room because I don't feel like I have to pee at all. It's just not something I'm good at! Apparently I only had one side affect of the meds in the first round and now reading it I remember the pain in my chest and I had to take gas drops. I only ever had that happen a few other times throughout the rest of the 8 rounds. I did however develop a few others. Insomnia! That is one of the worst things ever! I require sleep to function with 4 children! So I've had dark circles quite a bit over the last 2 years. The other side affect was getting up to pee at night! So when I was actually getting to sleep I wake up every 2 hours to pee. But I think that all of that is worth it to bring a little baby into the world for someone else. Something else that I remember from the beginning of all of this is modesty. I have never really been a super modest person but I would cover myself from all the of nurses and doctors in the transfer room and ultrasound visits. Make Tim stand above my shoulders for the transfer. That is long gone! My last transfer there were 5 people watching and my legs were spread for the world to see.
A new journey begins...
Thursday, June 30, 2011
NYC 2.0
Where to start? I guess I could start at the very beginning at the airport. Tim and I started the big trip laughing hysterically on the plane to NYC, the way home there were some tears but I will get to that at the end. We were very excited and happy to leave St Louis to head to NYC again. Waiting in line to board the plane there was a family with 2 small children who needed to check the size of their carry on because it was gigantic. The husband, Chris we soon learned from his screaming wife, had to empty out some of its contents for it to fit and when he took it back out it ripped. His wife was livid. She might have had steam coming out of her ears. She screamed at him on the top of her lungs, Chris I just paid $600 for that and you are an idiot and on and on and on. Tim and I were trying very hard not to let them see us laughing so hard at them. People watching at the airport is a fun way to start a little vacation. As soon as we got onto the plane we had another fun people watching experience. A 3 year old who owned his own ipad did not want to turn it off for take off. His mom said turn it off and he starts screaming at the top of his lungs I hate that lady I want my ipad on now over and over again. Again funny to us, probably not to his mother.
We again were able to get into NYC early the day before we needed to see the doctor. This time I did need to rest so we didn't do a lot but did manage to do a little bit of touristy things again. We got checked into the hotel. Which was even nicer than the last one we stayed at for the first trip. I absolutely loved walking in and seeing this pillow across our bed that had 4 little kids on it! We then went to the top of the Empire State Building. Very romantic even with the constant listening device on the side of Tim's head :) He of course wanted to listen to all the building history and to this guy tell him what everything was that he was looking at. It was hard to get that thing away from him to get a good picture :) After that it was time for our fabulous dinner!! We ate at Pure Food and Wine. IM is super healthy and asked that I eat a Vegan dinner the night before the big transfer. Oh my gosh that was the best dinner Tim and I had ever eaten! Also probably the most expensive, but it was IM's treat :) The atmosphere was amazing! We spent hours there getting course after course and it was all candle lit. It started with hot teas and some fancy water, it was carbonated though so I couldn't drink it. I started with what looked like sushi but was seaweed with red onions and asparagus and carrots and all sorts of things. It tasted like sushi and looked just like it too. Tim had a spinach strawberry salad with all kinds of things in it. The taste of this food is crazy. So much better then what you normally eat on an everyday basis. They trick you will all natural fruits and veggies and make you think you are eating something completely different. Then I had a stuffed tomato with what seemed to be some type of rice with vegetables and Tim had a tamale that was so good! I kept eating his. He had this sour cream, that was obviously not sour cream, made from coconuts and cashews. I will be figuring out how to make this. It is to die for! Then we had ice cream sundaes. I had a banana split and Tim had mint chocolate chip with big chocolate chunks. The ice cream was so good and not even real ice cream with milk. Then I had IM's favorite shake to go. Blueberry banana, it was so good! Tim had a latte something that was good too. This restaurant also owns One Lucky Duck which is a hoity toity vegan store and juice bar that sells all vegan things. We got some juices to drink Tuesday morning before the transfer. We are seriously addicted to juicing now that we have this juicer and don't want to go a day without, its crazy! IM actually left a big bag of snacks and goodies for me at the doctor's office that was all stuff from One Lucky Duck! After dinner we were stuffed and got back to just in time for The Bachelorette. So we watched that and went to sleep early.
The big day! I tried to sleep in as late as possible so I wouldn't be watching the clock all day. I woke up at 10. I wanted to make it until 11 but didn't quite do that. I'm never allowed to sleep that late! I continued to just lay in bed until I finally took a shower and took a half hour nap before it was time to head to the doctor's office. We got there and saw familiar friendly faces and I got all changed and went to the "operating room" foot covers and all. The lab is connected to this room so you can see your embryos come directly out of your petri dish with your name all over it and come right into your room. It is so high tech! There were video monitors that went into the lab and on top of the microscope where you could see all the little embryos. Before anything started the fertility doctor and the lab doctor came in to talk to me about the status of the embryos. There were way more than we had hoped for in the beginning but by day 5 we only had 4 to choose from. One was a day behind and they said it had the best chance, #2 was 2 days behind, and the last two didn't look so good at all so they were just going to put all 4 of them in in hopes that one makes a baby. The doctor said that if anyone's body can make a baby with these embryos its mine, so let's hope he's right. He did say be hopeful but don't get your hopes up. Not really my personality but I'm trying not to get my hopes up. So we watched the lab doctor suck up the little embies into the syringe cathedar and walk it to the other doctor. The nurse had me on an ultrasound machine so we watched the little embryos go right into my uterus. It was so neat! Then my legs were up and I was close to upside down for 15 minutes. The doctor's assistant brought me in 3 large bags from IM. She said you are so lucky to have an IM like her! I know :) She had done a little shopping for the girls, some super cute clothes. Also all of my snacks and goodies for bed rest along with 2 juicer recipe books that I'm excited to start trying. Tim did find a recipe for a receeding hair line already :) Then I was on bedrest. It was a little boring for me, not going to lie. I took a lot of naps and watched some early Orange County Choppers episodes(which was awesome the next day, I'll tell you why in a second.) A few iron chef episodes and a lot of channel flipping. When your told not to leave the bed you really want to, but I didn't. I laid on my left side as much as possible. We finally decided to rent a movie. We rented Hall Pass. It was hilarious! Tim will now probably tell me that "the kid's are cock blocking him" thanks to Owen Wilson :) We again laughed a lot! I stayed in bed until noon the next day and had to leave because it was check out time. We had a few hours before we needed to get to the airport so we thought we'd try the Statue of Liberty one more time. The first weekend we were there was Memorial Day weekend so there were always these lines that would've taken all day to get through so we could never go. This was on a Wednesday so it was super fast. Rode the ferry over and got to get on the island and see her up close. It was awesome! Took lots of pictures. The Liberty bike that the Orange County choppers made was there too so that was cool to see in person after watching them make it from the beginning. Tim was really excited to see it. We then took a cab to Time Square for just a quick trip to Toys R US to get toys for the boys so they had something too when we got home and off to the aiport we went.
The tears coming home. We were in the second row of seats and the first row doesn't get a designated seat to put their things under. We had a huge bag under Tim's side full of the boys toys so the woman in front of him put her purse under and our bag came out onto Tim's feet. So I said ma'am in the two inch space between her seats to get her attention so that we could rearrange. Later we found out she was having a horrible day and she kind of went off on me big time so that half the plane could hear her and everyone was starring. All I kept thinking was omg my little embies can't be under any stress and I can't have any confrontation. Normally knowing me I would have lost it because I was being nice. Anyone who is reading this knows me well enough to know that I wasn't trying to be rude and say no you can't put your purse there I was simply trying to get her attention so we could readjust everything. So I started crying! Ha it's funny now and poor Tim was like oh crap! I said I'm pumped full of liquid hormones lady and just had a fertility treatment yesterday so turn around and leave me alone. She then was crying and we talked the rest of the flight home :) She was such a nice lady! She had ivf for the birth of her two children and is working in CT away from her children who are still in StL before the full relocation and she was just having a bad day. She appoligized and felt really bad for making the hopefully pregnant woman cry. We have each others contact information and everything. It's funny how relationships start :) Reminds me of me and my best friend Ellen!
I was very excited to get home and see the kids. Yes being away for a few days is nice but we were just away a month ago. Camden looked like he gained 10 lbs in 3 days! The first thing he said was "Why didn't you bring the baby home?" I loved that! He then had to pull my shirt up to see if he could see a baby in my belly. I did explain to the kids that there might not be a baby in my belly yet that my belly is trying really hard to make a baby but it might not this time. They were excited for all of their goodies and the girls had a fashion show with all of their goodies from IM.
I get my first pregnancy test on Wednesday! I will get another one on Friday no matter what the results. I just so do not want to I guess, disappoint?, if that's the right word, my IM. I know I have done everything I possibly can to make a baby but I just want to tell her I'm pregnant really really bad. Everyone keeps telling me no matter what you have tried to help her dream come true, blah blah I wan't to be pregnant! I don't want her to have to get her hopes up over and over again. She was so excited when I sent her the ultrasound picture I really want to send her one with a baby in it. I won't be hard on myself if I'm not pregnant this time, we will just do it again. But I would love to not have to go back for NYC 3.0! I have started progesterone now and I think surely it must be what is giving me hot flashes today! Other than a few hot flashes I feel great! I am not allowed to do a lot of things until next Tuesday. Swimming is one of them. So today was hard not to want to jump in the pool when its 105! I don't know if the pool water is going to float them out or something? But no pools or tubs. Tim would like to announce that he is also being neglected for the next week :) There can be no chance that he is the baby daddy. Even though he is clipped we aren't chancing anything! So I will have to be on extra good wife duty for a while after next Tuesday :) Sorry if this is tmi people, then stop reading my blog :) I will just continue to do close to nothing for a while and pray that those little embies are sticking, well at least one of them, not all four of them :)
We again were able to get into NYC early the day before we needed to see the doctor. This time I did need to rest so we didn't do a lot but did manage to do a little bit of touristy things again. We got checked into the hotel. Which was even nicer than the last one we stayed at for the first trip. I absolutely loved walking in and seeing this pillow across our bed that had 4 little kids on it! We then went to the top of the Empire State Building. Very romantic even with the constant listening device on the side of Tim's head :) He of course wanted to listen to all the building history and to this guy tell him what everything was that he was looking at. It was hard to get that thing away from him to get a good picture :) After that it was time for our fabulous dinner!! We ate at Pure Food and Wine. IM is super healthy and asked that I eat a Vegan dinner the night before the big transfer. Oh my gosh that was the best dinner Tim and I had ever eaten! Also probably the most expensive, but it was IM's treat :) The atmosphere was amazing! We spent hours there getting course after course and it was all candle lit. It started with hot teas and some fancy water, it was carbonated though so I couldn't drink it. I started with what looked like sushi but was seaweed with red onions and asparagus and carrots and all sorts of things. It tasted like sushi and looked just like it too. Tim had a spinach strawberry salad with all kinds of things in it. The taste of this food is crazy. So much better then what you normally eat on an everyday basis. They trick you will all natural fruits and veggies and make you think you are eating something completely different. Then I had a stuffed tomato with what seemed to be some type of rice with vegetables and Tim had a tamale that was so good! I kept eating his. He had this sour cream, that was obviously not sour cream, made from coconuts and cashews. I will be figuring out how to make this. It is to die for! Then we had ice cream sundaes. I had a banana split and Tim had mint chocolate chip with big chocolate chunks. The ice cream was so good and not even real ice cream with milk. Then I had IM's favorite shake to go. Blueberry banana, it was so good! Tim had a latte something that was good too. This restaurant also owns One Lucky Duck which is a hoity toity vegan store and juice bar that sells all vegan things. We got some juices to drink Tuesday morning before the transfer. We are seriously addicted to juicing now that we have this juicer and don't want to go a day without, its crazy! IM actually left a big bag of snacks and goodies for me at the doctor's office that was all stuff from One Lucky Duck! After dinner we were stuffed and got back to just in time for The Bachelorette. So we watched that and went to sleep early.
The big day! I tried to sleep in as late as possible so I wouldn't be watching the clock all day. I woke up at 10. I wanted to make it until 11 but didn't quite do that. I'm never allowed to sleep that late! I continued to just lay in bed until I finally took a shower and took a half hour nap before it was time to head to the doctor's office. We got there and saw familiar friendly faces and I got all changed and went to the "operating room" foot covers and all. The lab is connected to this room so you can see your embryos come directly out of your petri dish with your name all over it and come right into your room. It is so high tech! There were video monitors that went into the lab and on top of the microscope where you could see all the little embryos. Before anything started the fertility doctor and the lab doctor came in to talk to me about the status of the embryos. There were way more than we had hoped for in the beginning but by day 5 we only had 4 to choose from. One was a day behind and they said it had the best chance, #2 was 2 days behind, and the last two didn't look so good at all so they were just going to put all 4 of them in in hopes that one makes a baby. The doctor said that if anyone's body can make a baby with these embryos its mine, so let's hope he's right. He did say be hopeful but don't get your hopes up. Not really my personality but I'm trying not to get my hopes up. So we watched the lab doctor suck up the little embies into the syringe cathedar and walk it to the other doctor. The nurse had me on an ultrasound machine so we watched the little embryos go right into my uterus. It was so neat! Then my legs were up and I was close to upside down for 15 minutes. The doctor's assistant brought me in 3 large bags from IM. She said you are so lucky to have an IM like her! I know :) She had done a little shopping for the girls, some super cute clothes. Also all of my snacks and goodies for bed rest along with 2 juicer recipe books that I'm excited to start trying. Tim did find a recipe for a receeding hair line already :) Then I was on bedrest. It was a little boring for me, not going to lie. I took a lot of naps and watched some early Orange County Choppers episodes(which was awesome the next day, I'll tell you why in a second.) A few iron chef episodes and a lot of channel flipping. When your told not to leave the bed you really want to, but I didn't. I laid on my left side as much as possible. We finally decided to rent a movie. We rented Hall Pass. It was hilarious! Tim will now probably tell me that "the kid's are cock blocking him" thanks to Owen Wilson :) We again laughed a lot! I stayed in bed until noon the next day and had to leave because it was check out time. We had a few hours before we needed to get to the airport so we thought we'd try the Statue of Liberty one more time. The first weekend we were there was Memorial Day weekend so there were always these lines that would've taken all day to get through so we could never go. This was on a Wednesday so it was super fast. Rode the ferry over and got to get on the island and see her up close. It was awesome! Took lots of pictures. The Liberty bike that the Orange County choppers made was there too so that was cool to see in person after watching them make it from the beginning. Tim was really excited to see it. We then took a cab to Time Square for just a quick trip to Toys R US to get toys for the boys so they had something too when we got home and off to the aiport we went.
The tears coming home. We were in the second row of seats and the first row doesn't get a designated seat to put their things under. We had a huge bag under Tim's side full of the boys toys so the woman in front of him put her purse under and our bag came out onto Tim's feet. So I said ma'am in the two inch space between her seats to get her attention so that we could rearrange. Later we found out she was having a horrible day and she kind of went off on me big time so that half the plane could hear her and everyone was starring. All I kept thinking was omg my little embies can't be under any stress and I can't have any confrontation. Normally knowing me I would have lost it because I was being nice. Anyone who is reading this knows me well enough to know that I wasn't trying to be rude and say no you can't put your purse there I was simply trying to get her attention so we could readjust everything. So I started crying! Ha it's funny now and poor Tim was like oh crap! I said I'm pumped full of liquid hormones lady and just had a fertility treatment yesterday so turn around and leave me alone. She then was crying and we talked the rest of the flight home :) She was such a nice lady! She had ivf for the birth of her two children and is working in CT away from her children who are still in StL before the full relocation and she was just having a bad day. She appoligized and felt really bad for making the hopefully pregnant woman cry. We have each others contact information and everything. It's funny how relationships start :) Reminds me of me and my best friend Ellen!
I was very excited to get home and see the kids. Yes being away for a few days is nice but we were just away a month ago. Camden looked like he gained 10 lbs in 3 days! The first thing he said was "Why didn't you bring the baby home?" I loved that! He then had to pull my shirt up to see if he could see a baby in my belly. I did explain to the kids that there might not be a baby in my belly yet that my belly is trying really hard to make a baby but it might not this time. They were excited for all of their goodies and the girls had a fashion show with all of their goodies from IM.
I get my first pregnancy test on Wednesday! I will get another one on Friday no matter what the results. I just so do not want to I guess, disappoint?, if that's the right word, my IM. I know I have done everything I possibly can to make a baby but I just want to tell her I'm pregnant really really bad. Everyone keeps telling me no matter what you have tried to help her dream come true, blah blah I wan't to be pregnant! I don't want her to have to get her hopes up over and over again. She was so excited when I sent her the ultrasound picture I really want to send her one with a baby in it. I won't be hard on myself if I'm not pregnant this time, we will just do it again. But I would love to not have to go back for NYC 3.0! I have started progesterone now and I think surely it must be what is giving me hot flashes today! Other than a few hot flashes I feel great! I am not allowed to do a lot of things until next Tuesday. Swimming is one of them. So today was hard not to want to jump in the pool when its 105! I don't know if the pool water is going to float them out or something? But no pools or tubs. Tim would like to announce that he is also being neglected for the next week :) There can be no chance that he is the baby daddy. Even though he is clipped we aren't chancing anything! So I will have to be on extra good wife duty for a while after next Tuesday :) Sorry if this is tmi people, then stop reading my blog :) I will just continue to do close to nothing for a while and pray that those little embies are sticking, well at least one of them, not all four of them :)
Friday, June 24, 2011
Really Fun Things and Side Affects!
It is so exciting to actually be at a place where really fun things are happening. The really fun things for me is actually making the baby! Finding the perfect match between a surrogate mother and Intended Parents is a very time consuming thing. Emails and emails and even phone calls and meetings and then you find a reason why it's just not meant to be for you to work with each other. If you do get to the happy place where you find your perfect match you then begin weeks of contracts and insurance talks. We are finally past all of that paperwork stuff and doing all the fun stuff and making a baby! IM had her egg retrieval done yesterday morning and had 13 great looking eggs which was more than we had hoped for! During the process of fertilizing them and watching them grow in a petri dish until Tuesday morning not all will survive so the more the better. We found out today that we are doing the transfer of the eggs into my uterus early Tuesday morning. Tim and I will fly out early Monday morning for NYC. We will have all day to play in NYC again. We will probably just go to the Statue of Liberty on the actual island this time and get an up close look. Last time we got there way to late and the line was 17 miles long. IM wants us to eat at a special Vegan restaurant that she eats at when she is in NYC. So we will get in, statue of liberty, dinner, and then I will be cuddled up in my big hotel bed ready to watch The Bachelorette :) I am going to get a good nights sleep and be very well rested for Tuesday.
Speaking of sleep! I have not been getting a good nights sleep for about a week. I am on 8 daily medications now, this is not how many times I take them, some I take 3 times a day. This is seperate meds. My kitchen looks like I could open a pharmacy. Well all the meds are combining to give me a side affect! During the night I wake up thinking I'm having a heart attack because I can't breathe. It was lasting for hours. Finally once it would pass all my muscles in my chest and back are so tight and tensed that I couldn't even sleep after the pressure was gone. So the night before last Tim went to Walmart Pharmacy at 1:30am and got me some gas relief chewables. He also got a gross liquid that I refuse to drink. And he also was sure to get a big box that says Woman's Laxative, which I'm not taking! I guess so the cashier didn't think this arsenal of gas medication wasn't for him in the middle of the night :) So I'm just popping the little chewables in a few times a day and it gets rid of the pressure in my chest so I can breathe again. I ate two last night before bed and I slept through the night which was wonderful! I woke up feeling so rested. So they are just going to be my best friend until I stop all these meds.
So everyone working with me is very happy and there have been quite a few screaming in excitement phone calls. Lots of happy emails going between myself, IM, attorneys, and doctors. We are all very excited with how things are going! I can't wait to get to NYC to do my part!
Speaking of sleep! I have not been getting a good nights sleep for about a week. I am on 8 daily medications now, this is not how many times I take them, some I take 3 times a day. This is seperate meds. My kitchen looks like I could open a pharmacy. Well all the meds are combining to give me a side affect! During the night I wake up thinking I'm having a heart attack because I can't breathe. It was lasting for hours. Finally once it would pass all my muscles in my chest and back are so tight and tensed that I couldn't even sleep after the pressure was gone. So the night before last Tim went to Walmart Pharmacy at 1:30am and got me some gas relief chewables. He also got a gross liquid that I refuse to drink. And he also was sure to get a big box that says Woman's Laxative, which I'm not taking! I guess so the cashier didn't think this arsenal of gas medication wasn't for him in the middle of the night :) So I'm just popping the little chewables in a few times a day and it gets rid of the pressure in my chest so I can breathe again. I ate two last night before bed and I slept through the night which was wonderful! I woke up feeling so rested. So they are just going to be my best friend until I stop all these meds.
So everyone working with me is very happy and there have been quite a few screaming in excitement phone calls. Lots of happy emails going between myself, IM, attorneys, and doctors. We are all very excited with how things are going! I can't wait to get to NYC to do my part!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Sticky Thoughts and Baby Dust!
So we thought we would be packing for NYC right now to be doing the transfer on Thursday or Friday. It's being pushed just a little bit back. IM(intended mother) got into NYC on Monday and has been seen everyday and will be seen everyday until the retrieval of her eggs. We will get our plane tickets as soon as the retrieval date is a definite. We are thinking they will get them on Friday by looking at her now. So we will more than likely be transferring on Monday! We will probably fly there on Sunday. I will be getting a nice massage so that I'm completely relaxed for the big day. After the eggs are put in I will be getting acupuncture. All kinds of fun stuff going on!
The past two days have been a little scary for me because of insurance. Insurance is by far the least fun part about this. My current insurance does not cover surrogate births so I had to find another insurance. The person that I talked to about getting insurance was apparently an idiot and had no clue what she was talking about so when it came to actually getting the insurance I was denied. I tried not to stress because I'm not supposed to be under any stress right now, but it was hard. I couldn't imagine getting this far and then having to stop! But luckily I made a lot of phone calls and everything is now smooth and I have new insurance starting on July 1st that covers my surro pregnancy! Wheww!
This time of year! My dad died 9 years ago on Monday the 27th the day that we will be transferring the eggs. I believe that everything happens for a reason and I believe in signs. I believe that it was pushed a few days back so it would happen on this day. Very easily the saddest day of my life is now becoming such a happy day! A day to now try and bring new life into the world. I think this is his way of saying he would approve :) I will replay that day like I do every year on that day. It was a great day! The way he greeted me at the front door of the nursing home and walked me to my office. The way he spent the whole morning in my office reading his newspaper. We had ham and beans for lunch together. He spent the afternoon in my office reading and distracting me from working :) We took a walk. He was so excited to go pack his overnight bag to come and spend the night at my house. Driving him home and arriving home and he was so excited to see Kaylee. He wouldn't put her down the whole evening. He wanted hamburgers and fresh tomatoes for dinner. As we brushed our teeth together for the last time and I used the last squirt of the good kind and made him use the cheap stuff, that is why today I always give others the best stuff :) And then it was bed time. I tucked him in and we said our normal "I love you more than you love me" back and forth until I was in my bedroom. A few minutes later he came in and wiggled my foot, Emmy I'm going to have a heart attack. I walked him out to the living room to call 911 and he turned around and said "I love you more than you love me Emmy" and he sat down on the couch and closed his eyes. I waited for a while to call the ambulance because he was now a dnr. I held his hand and his head and said goodbye. By far the hardest thing I've ever had to do but I would not have wanted it any other way. I am so grateful that I was able to be there with him. So 9 years later and such a big happy part of my life if going to be happening on the same day :)
Happy thoughts! Please start to send your sticky thoughts my way! Prayers that this works and that the eggs stick. That is such a big part of this! Once they are in there, they stick! Baby dust! We are going with the pregnant until proven otherwise philosophy. So please spread some baby dust for me if you have any :)
The past two days have been a little scary for me because of insurance. Insurance is by far the least fun part about this. My current insurance does not cover surrogate births so I had to find another insurance. The person that I talked to about getting insurance was apparently an idiot and had no clue what she was talking about so when it came to actually getting the insurance I was denied. I tried not to stress because I'm not supposed to be under any stress right now, but it was hard. I couldn't imagine getting this far and then having to stop! But luckily I made a lot of phone calls and everything is now smooth and I have new insurance starting on July 1st that covers my surro pregnancy! Wheww!
This time of year! My dad died 9 years ago on Monday the 27th the day that we will be transferring the eggs. I believe that everything happens for a reason and I believe in signs. I believe that it was pushed a few days back so it would happen on this day. Very easily the saddest day of my life is now becoming such a happy day! A day to now try and bring new life into the world. I think this is his way of saying he would approve :) I will replay that day like I do every year on that day. It was a great day! The way he greeted me at the front door of the nursing home and walked me to my office. The way he spent the whole morning in my office reading his newspaper. We had ham and beans for lunch together. He spent the afternoon in my office reading and distracting me from working :) We took a walk. He was so excited to go pack his overnight bag to come and spend the night at my house. Driving him home and arriving home and he was so excited to see Kaylee. He wouldn't put her down the whole evening. He wanted hamburgers and fresh tomatoes for dinner. As we brushed our teeth together for the last time and I used the last squirt of the good kind and made him use the cheap stuff, that is why today I always give others the best stuff :) And then it was bed time. I tucked him in and we said our normal "I love you more than you love me" back and forth until I was in my bedroom. A few minutes later he came in and wiggled my foot, Emmy I'm going to have a heart attack. I walked him out to the living room to call 911 and he turned around and said "I love you more than you love me Emmy" and he sat down on the couch and closed his eyes. I waited for a while to call the ambulance because he was now a dnr. I held his hand and his head and said goodbye. By far the hardest thing I've ever had to do but I would not have wanted it any other way. I am so grateful that I was able to be there with him. So 9 years later and such a big happy part of my life if going to be happening on the same day :)
Happy thoughts! Please start to send your sticky thoughts my way! Prayers that this works and that the eggs stick. That is such a big part of this! Once they are in there, they stick! Baby dust! We are going with the pregnant until proven otherwise philosophy. So please spread some baby dust for me if you have any :)
Monday, June 13, 2011
Maybe these Meds are working a little too Well!
I've gained 7lbs! I don't gain that fast when really pregnant, but this half pregnancy is really doing a good job on the weight. I realize it might be all water weight, but it's still moving the scale up. I have blood work done at least twice a week now. The guy that takes my blood now knows me by first name.
For tonights shot the kids wanted front row seats. I decided they could watch because I was switching cheeks :) Tim had given me all previous shots on the one side and well it is really sore. So I didn't squirm or anything so it didn't scare them. I also started a patch today. I was expecting something a lot smaller. It's a huge circle that says estrogen all over it! It is on my lower stomach and will look absolutely fabulous in my bikini tomorrow at the pool :) I think Tim is scared of this patch for some reason. Just more hormones, what is there to be afraid of. I am excited for my ultrasound appointment again on Friday. This might be my last ultrasound before NYC. I just realized the date today. June is almost half way over and I could be pregnant by the end of June!
My Intended Mother emailed me a lot today! She is getting very excited! She is taking all kinds of meds right now as well. She has to give them all to herself. I don't think I'd want to do that. I'm glad that Tim is here to help. My intended mother is a very healthy woman and wants her baby to be healthy as well. She drinks fruit and veggie juices every day and has asked me to do the same. Today she bought me a Brivelle 800JEXL Juicer Juice Fountain Elite. This is something that I would never spend money on or something I would have to save for. I will get it the beginning of next week! I will also start shopping organic for myself. She wants me to eat as much organic as possible. She is also compensating me for this. So I will be hitting the organic grocery store to stock up on fruits and veggies for my juicer. She is sending me a package next week as well. She is sending me some of her favorite cook books and she also asked for the kids sizes! That was unexpected but very exciting! We have really became very close through all of this. We will clearly have a relationship after the baby is born and are forming a life long bond. We are very excited to meet in a few weeks! I feel like I've gotten really lucky in finding her as an intended mother.
My first blog post is missing! Clearly I am not a great blogger because I have already somehow deleted my entire first post! It's just missing! Sorry if you didn't get to read it. I will keep looking for it :)
For tonights shot the kids wanted front row seats. I decided they could watch because I was switching cheeks :) Tim had given me all previous shots on the one side and well it is really sore. So I didn't squirm or anything so it didn't scare them. I also started a patch today. I was expecting something a lot smaller. It's a huge circle that says estrogen all over it! It is on my lower stomach and will look absolutely fabulous in my bikini tomorrow at the pool :) I think Tim is scared of this patch for some reason. Just more hormones, what is there to be afraid of. I am excited for my ultrasound appointment again on Friday. This might be my last ultrasound before NYC. I just realized the date today. June is almost half way over and I could be pregnant by the end of June!
My Intended Mother emailed me a lot today! She is getting very excited! She is taking all kinds of meds right now as well. She has to give them all to herself. I don't think I'd want to do that. I'm glad that Tim is here to help. My intended mother is a very healthy woman and wants her baby to be healthy as well. She drinks fruit and veggie juices every day and has asked me to do the same. Today she bought me a Brivelle 800JEXL Juicer Juice Fountain Elite. This is something that I would never spend money on or something I would have to save for. I will get it the beginning of next week! I will also start shopping organic for myself. She wants me to eat as much organic as possible. She is also compensating me for this. So I will be hitting the organic grocery store to stock up on fruits and veggies for my juicer. She is sending me a package next week as well. She is sending me some of her favorite cook books and she also asked for the kids sizes! That was unexpected but very exciting! We have really became very close through all of this. We will clearly have a relationship after the baby is born and are forming a life long bond. We are very excited to meet in a few weeks! I feel like I've gotten really lucky in finding her as an intended mother.
My first blog post is missing! Clearly I am not a great blogger because I have already somehow deleted my entire first post! It's just missing! Sorry if you didn't get to read it. I will keep looking for it :)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
First Blog! A place to write more about my surro mommy adventure!
After many requests, I've started a blog! Hmmm...what to type now? This will be a place to find out what is happening now with my new adventure of being a Surrogate Mother! My life as a mommy of 4 little ones will make its way here too probably. I am not a writer and don't follow many blogs so please go easy on the critiques. I will learn as I go :)
How much do people want to know about my Surro Journey? Are you wanting specific details? How my hormones and emotions are holding up with the hubby? The Jenny McCarthy type of honesty?
A little background. I have wanted to be a surrogate mother for years. I absolutely love being pregnant and pregnancy loves me. I have had 4 full term healthy vaginal deliveries(if you think this is TMI stop reading, this is a big deal in the surro mom world). I have been blessed with easy fertility. My husband and I found out while in NYC a few weeks ago that it might not be his super sperm after all :) The doctor said that I am a grade A1 baby making machine. I think Tim had a little to do with it, but he isn't getting all the credit anymore. We did have an oppsiebaby first. We just tell her that she was planned by someone bigger than us. But I wouldn't have done it any other way. We learned then that we made a great baby making team. We then married and had 3 more children all 2 years and 1 month apart. Feb 02 Makaylee, March 04 Austin, April 06 Lanee, May 08 Camden. I thought I wanted 5 children and Tim thought he only wanted 3. So we compromised and had 4 and it's the perfect number for us. I honestly do not want any more children. I might have had a little baby fever the summer of 2010 because it seemed like I should surely be having a baby at that time. But it quickly passed. Camden got potty trained and I am happily enjoying all of the things we can do with out a baby in the family. Before we decided on Camden we talked about me becoming a surrogate. We quickly decided we wanted one more and a surrogacy would wait until later. Now that he is 3 I have the time to devote to being a surro mommy and I'm not to old yet either. I will be 30 this year. I hope my body treats me as good as it did being pregnant in my twenties. I think it will, or at least I am really really hoping. I simply can't imagine my life without my children so I want to share my blessings. I can't imagine a doctor telling me that I couldn't have children. I would do everything I possibly could to have them. So I am helping someone else reach her dream of children.
I have had a little bit of "surro mom heart break" along the way. There are a few websites that I am a part of. They are other surrogate moms and IP's(intended parents) that are looking for matches. They are websites devoted to answering questions and building relationships around one common theme, surrogacy. Other surrogate moms would warn me about my feelings being hurt by some intended parents. I have talked to literally over 40 couples about possibly being a good match to carry their child(ren). It's a process to find a match. You try to get all the big things that are not negotiable out of the way like I'm a gestational surrogate only. This means I will not use my own eggs. The eggs come from the intended mother or an egg donor. I also did not want to travel outside of the US for the embryo transfer. There are so many intended parents around the world looking for women from the US because the US has surrogacy laws. I originally found a couple that I was going to work with from Chicago. We met over Easter weekend and had a great lunch. We met in St Louis because we were there for the holiday weekend. I had emailed and talked to them everyday for 3 weeks before the meeting. We thought every thing was lined up and perfect. Until the actual meeting. She asked if I would use my own eggs. She decided she wanted the egg donor to also be the surrogate after getting to know me so well. I had to decline and we went our seperate ways. I believe everything happens for a reason. The very next day I contacted my attorney and she had been contacted by a single woman who loved my profile. I took a break for a few days and thought about being a surro mom for a single woman. In my head it was going to be a husband and wife who were wanting a baby. But why not a single woman? She simply created a company and had been married to her wonderful career during her prime child bearing years. She said she just missed out on prince charming because of work. She is a beautiful woman and says he might come around now after she slows down with work because she is now focusing on having a baby. She is not able to carry a child. She has a sperm donor. Probably tall, dark, handsome, and highly educated. The doctor will put her egg and his sperm together to create an embryo to place inside of my uterus. It is invitro fertilization (IVF).
The Meds! Basically I feel pregnant right now even though I don't have an actual baby in my belly yet. The goal is to get both the intended mother and my bodies on the same cycle(yes period). This is so when her egg drops my body will be wanting an egg to grab ahold of. I am taking pills daily, vitamins, and the hubby gets to give me shots in my butt and belly as well. I was really freaked out and was going to try and do it myself because Tim isn't the biggest fan of needles, but he got over it. This is very much a togetherness thing for him and I. It's not just me having a baby for someone. We are having a baby for someone. He has to deal with my hormones and longer than normal I might add. I will be pregnant for 9 full months, but I already have the hormones of a pregnant woman. Right now the medications are preparing my uterus. The lining is growing like when you are pregnant. It will be super cozy for the embryo when transferred. I had an ultrasound of my uterus on Tuesday and everything looks perfect and my body is accepting the medications as hoped. I have had blood work done 3 times this week alone. They are checking every possible thing to make sure this is a good idea for my body to do this and that it can and wants to. My thyroid level was elevated .03 higher than it was supposed to be so I did take more tests for that. Nothing to be concerned about, just double checking everything.
NYC!!! Tim and I got to have a little mini get away in NYC a few weeks ago. The intended mother's doctor is in NYC and I went for the initial exam and some testing. All of the best doctors are either in NYC or LA. I got an ultrasound with one of the huge sticks we stare at in the OBGYN's office and think please do not stick that up inside of me. Well he did, it was to enlarge my uterus with this jelly substance and check it all out. It was uncomfortable but had great results. We got to go to NYC on Thursday morning and my doctor's appointment wasn't until Friday afternoon so we had a lot of time to see the city. We went to Central Park and the Statue of Liberty. We got to see Ground Zero. I really wanted to go there. I was pregnant with Kaylee when it happened. People talked about how it was such a horrible time to bring a child into the world and it would make me cry. We went to Times Square during the day and again at night as our hotel was right off Times Square! We walked and walked and walked. I was limping for 2 days after we got back. We did take some horrible crazy cab rides as well. But we walked most every where. I love it there. It is definitely a place you should go in your life time. It is just so different and crazy. I was standing outside the doctors office and a man walked by in his underwear and a woman starts to laugh at me and says you aren't from NY are you? Nope. Because you were staring at him. Oops! I was caught. It was pretty funny. Tim was looking at him too thought :) So we got to stay in a fancy hotel and eat at fun restaurants and get away from the kids for a few days while starting this journey.
The next step. I will continue to take a lot of medicine until the intended mother's body says its time to go. I am a planner because I have to be with 4 children. That is the one down side to the beginning of all of this. You don't know anything until last minute because it is up to our bodies. I didn't know I was going to NY the last trip until about 1 week before. That is last minute! Luckily I have a great mother in law who is helping us out with the kids while we are away in NYC. As soon as her body says its time to drop the egg we go again to NYC. We will be there longer this trip. I will be on bed rest for a few days after the transfer. And I will finally get to meet her!!! We can't wait to meet. She was unable to get to NY our last trip. We talk all the time and email daily. I love her accent! I could talk to her all day! We are thinking we will be in NY around June 22. So I could find out that I'm pregnant this month! Very exciting. We are all already praying. It might not work the first time. We have high hopes that everything has went so smoothly thus far that it does take the first time, but are prepared to try again if it does not. There will be 2 embryos placed in my uterus, so there is a good chance that I will get to carry twins for her! I have always wanted twins. I never got them. I tease and say that Austin and Lanee are my twins because they are the same size. But I would love to carry twins.
The kids are very excited as well. They each understand a little bit different and will ask questions now and then about it. Kaylee has a new summer school teacher who is pregnant so she was super excited to tell her about it. She was also the one that wanted to know if it was going to be her actual sibling. So she had a little sex ed about eggs. Austin sees me standing at the kitchen sink and teases about me looking pregnant and is still curious about it coming out. Camden just knows theres a lot of baby talk around the house and mommy might have a baby in her belly but not really sure yet. He asks almost daily if there is a baby in my belly yet. Lanee wants to be in the delivery room. Both of the girls do. We are going to talk to the hospital about it. Lanee is my baby child. She plays babies all day every day and pretends they are coming out of her like they actally do and she also breast feeds her baby dolls. That is what she grew up seeing Camden do so that is normal to her. She is very fascinated with this whole process. She will definitely be holding the baby very soon after he,she, they are born.
$-Some people think this is such a taboo subject when it comes to surrogacy. Yes I will be paid. It is not a huge sum of money. I would make more working at my old job by a lot. Money is not a reason to be a surrogate. It is simply because I am changing my lifestyle and there are some risks involved. If this was for my sister or even one of my best girlfriends, I would think twice about being paid. Intended Parents want to pay their surrogates. You are doing something for them that they simply can't do without you.
Well that's what you get in 15 minutes. No revising or proof reading, sorry for any typos. Let me know what you think and what you want to know more about :)
How much do people want to know about my Surro Journey? Are you wanting specific details? How my hormones and emotions are holding up with the hubby? The Jenny McCarthy type of honesty?
A little background. I have wanted to be a surrogate mother for years. I absolutely love being pregnant and pregnancy loves me. I have had 4 full term healthy vaginal deliveries(if you think this is TMI stop reading, this is a big deal in the surro mom world). I have been blessed with easy fertility. My husband and I found out while in NYC a few weeks ago that it might not be his super sperm after all :) The doctor said that I am a grade A1 baby making machine. I think Tim had a little to do with it, but he isn't getting all the credit anymore. We did have an oppsiebaby first. We just tell her that she was planned by someone bigger than us. But I wouldn't have done it any other way. We learned then that we made a great baby making team. We then married and had 3 more children all 2 years and 1 month apart. Feb 02 Makaylee, March 04 Austin, April 06 Lanee, May 08 Camden. I thought I wanted 5 children and Tim thought he only wanted 3. So we compromised and had 4 and it's the perfect number for us. I honestly do not want any more children. I might have had a little baby fever the summer of 2010 because it seemed like I should surely be having a baby at that time. But it quickly passed. Camden got potty trained and I am happily enjoying all of the things we can do with out a baby in the family. Before we decided on Camden we talked about me becoming a surrogate. We quickly decided we wanted one more and a surrogacy would wait until later. Now that he is 3 I have the time to devote to being a surro mommy and I'm not to old yet either. I will be 30 this year. I hope my body treats me as good as it did being pregnant in my twenties. I think it will, or at least I am really really hoping. I simply can't imagine my life without my children so I want to share my blessings. I can't imagine a doctor telling me that I couldn't have children. I would do everything I possibly could to have them. So I am helping someone else reach her dream of children.
I have had a little bit of "surro mom heart break" along the way. There are a few websites that I am a part of. They are other surrogate moms and IP's(intended parents) that are looking for matches. They are websites devoted to answering questions and building relationships around one common theme, surrogacy. Other surrogate moms would warn me about my feelings being hurt by some intended parents. I have talked to literally over 40 couples about possibly being a good match to carry their child(ren). It's a process to find a match. You try to get all the big things that are not negotiable out of the way like I'm a gestational surrogate only. This means I will not use my own eggs. The eggs come from the intended mother or an egg donor. I also did not want to travel outside of the US for the embryo transfer. There are so many intended parents around the world looking for women from the US because the US has surrogacy laws. I originally found a couple that I was going to work with from Chicago. We met over Easter weekend and had a great lunch. We met in St Louis because we were there for the holiday weekend. I had emailed and talked to them everyday for 3 weeks before the meeting. We thought every thing was lined up and perfect. Until the actual meeting. She asked if I would use my own eggs. She decided she wanted the egg donor to also be the surrogate after getting to know me so well. I had to decline and we went our seperate ways. I believe everything happens for a reason. The very next day I contacted my attorney and she had been contacted by a single woman who loved my profile. I took a break for a few days and thought about being a surro mom for a single woman. In my head it was going to be a husband and wife who were wanting a baby. But why not a single woman? She simply created a company and had been married to her wonderful career during her prime child bearing years. She said she just missed out on prince charming because of work. She is a beautiful woman and says he might come around now after she slows down with work because she is now focusing on having a baby. She is not able to carry a child. She has a sperm donor. Probably tall, dark, handsome, and highly educated. The doctor will put her egg and his sperm together to create an embryo to place inside of my uterus. It is invitro fertilization (IVF).
The Meds! Basically I feel pregnant right now even though I don't have an actual baby in my belly yet. The goal is to get both the intended mother and my bodies on the same cycle(yes period). This is so when her egg drops my body will be wanting an egg to grab ahold of. I am taking pills daily, vitamins, and the hubby gets to give me shots in my butt and belly as well. I was really freaked out and was going to try and do it myself because Tim isn't the biggest fan of needles, but he got over it. This is very much a togetherness thing for him and I. It's not just me having a baby for someone. We are having a baby for someone. He has to deal with my hormones and longer than normal I might add. I will be pregnant for 9 full months, but I already have the hormones of a pregnant woman. Right now the medications are preparing my uterus. The lining is growing like when you are pregnant. It will be super cozy for the embryo when transferred. I had an ultrasound of my uterus on Tuesday and everything looks perfect and my body is accepting the medications as hoped. I have had blood work done 3 times this week alone. They are checking every possible thing to make sure this is a good idea for my body to do this and that it can and wants to. My thyroid level was elevated .03 higher than it was supposed to be so I did take more tests for that. Nothing to be concerned about, just double checking everything.
NYC!!! Tim and I got to have a little mini get away in NYC a few weeks ago. The intended mother's doctor is in NYC and I went for the initial exam and some testing. All of the best doctors are either in NYC or LA. I got an ultrasound with one of the huge sticks we stare at in the OBGYN's office and think please do not stick that up inside of me. Well he did, it was to enlarge my uterus with this jelly substance and check it all out. It was uncomfortable but had great results. We got to go to NYC on Thursday morning and my doctor's appointment wasn't until Friday afternoon so we had a lot of time to see the city. We went to Central Park and the Statue of Liberty. We got to see Ground Zero. I really wanted to go there. I was pregnant with Kaylee when it happened. People talked about how it was such a horrible time to bring a child into the world and it would make me cry. We went to Times Square during the day and again at night as our hotel was right off Times Square! We walked and walked and walked. I was limping for 2 days after we got back. We did take some horrible crazy cab rides as well. But we walked most every where. I love it there. It is definitely a place you should go in your life time. It is just so different and crazy. I was standing outside the doctors office and a man walked by in his underwear and a woman starts to laugh at me and says you aren't from NY are you? Nope. Because you were staring at him. Oops! I was caught. It was pretty funny. Tim was looking at him too thought :) So we got to stay in a fancy hotel and eat at fun restaurants and get away from the kids for a few days while starting this journey.
The next step. I will continue to take a lot of medicine until the intended mother's body says its time to go. I am a planner because I have to be with 4 children. That is the one down side to the beginning of all of this. You don't know anything until last minute because it is up to our bodies. I didn't know I was going to NY the last trip until about 1 week before. That is last minute! Luckily I have a great mother in law who is helping us out with the kids while we are away in NYC. As soon as her body says its time to drop the egg we go again to NYC. We will be there longer this trip. I will be on bed rest for a few days after the transfer. And I will finally get to meet her!!! We can't wait to meet. She was unable to get to NY our last trip. We talk all the time and email daily. I love her accent! I could talk to her all day! We are thinking we will be in NY around June 22. So I could find out that I'm pregnant this month! Very exciting. We are all already praying. It might not work the first time. We have high hopes that everything has went so smoothly thus far that it does take the first time, but are prepared to try again if it does not. There will be 2 embryos placed in my uterus, so there is a good chance that I will get to carry twins for her! I have always wanted twins. I never got them. I tease and say that Austin and Lanee are my twins because they are the same size. But I would love to carry twins.
The kids are very excited as well. They each understand a little bit different and will ask questions now and then about it. Kaylee has a new summer school teacher who is pregnant so she was super excited to tell her about it. She was also the one that wanted to know if it was going to be her actual sibling. So she had a little sex ed about eggs. Austin sees me standing at the kitchen sink and teases about me looking pregnant and is still curious about it coming out. Camden just knows theres a lot of baby talk around the house and mommy might have a baby in her belly but not really sure yet. He asks almost daily if there is a baby in my belly yet. Lanee wants to be in the delivery room. Both of the girls do. We are going to talk to the hospital about it. Lanee is my baby child. She plays babies all day every day and pretends they are coming out of her like they actally do and she also breast feeds her baby dolls. That is what she grew up seeing Camden do so that is normal to her. She is very fascinated with this whole process. She will definitely be holding the baby very soon after he,she, they are born.
$-Some people think this is such a taboo subject when it comes to surrogacy. Yes I will be paid. It is not a huge sum of money. I would make more working at my old job by a lot. Money is not a reason to be a surrogate. It is simply because I am changing my lifestyle and there are some risks involved. If this was for my sister or even one of my best girlfriends, I would think twice about being paid. Intended Parents want to pay their surrogates. You are doing something for them that they simply can't do without you.
Well that's what you get in 15 minutes. No revising or proof reading, sorry for any typos. Let me know what you think and what you want to know more about :)
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