Final post of 2017

What a year it has been! Every year seems to go by a little faster, despite trying to slow it down. I suppose that is all one can do - slow down and enjoy the journey! We picked back up on our surrogacy journey in January of this year, so seems fitting the transfer should occur in January of this upcoming. 27 days to go if we remain on track. Lupron is going well. My oldest 2 insisted on watching...

Here we go

Injection #1 happened today. I did not stress about it and it was a good thing because I did not feel it. As my kids would say "easy peasy" (though they were very nervous for me). I enjoyed a day out with  my family yesterday for my birthday - grabbed my favorite coffee treat from Starbucks and went to a local hibachi place for an early dinner! We spent most of today putting away Christmas...

Flowers and Calendars

I had been watching for my med delivery today and I must have missed the delivery person by a matter of minutes while changing laundry because I noticed a package outside and it was most certainly not medications! Aren't they beautiful?! They are a gift from our IPs. I might have moved them a few times now trying to find the best place to keep them - I think the dining room table wins out though...

Legally ...

CLEARED! And what an exciting feeling! As of Friday evening we were officially done with legal. We have an intended transfer date which is super exciting!! Not too much more now - I am pretty tired after a day with family and getting up at 4:30 this morning to teach .... but I will update again soon. Oh, I know I said this in the last post ... but this nausea? Oh man. My husband is already poking...

the end ... to the beginning

It feels like forever since updating ... maybe not forever but a little bit at least. I started birth control - which I have not been on in over 7 years. It is making me incredibly nauseated. Which I read can be a common side effect in the first few weeks of starting it. Nausea is not on my list of top 10 things I enjoy, to say the least. But I am trying to take it in stride and just deal. Lots of...

Some questions and answers

I thought I would put together a little question/answer page of some things I have been asked when someone finds out I am going to be a surrogate. If you have any of your own questions - let me know! I would love to update the page for others who may be wondering the same thing(s)! Why did you want to become a surrogate? Besides the initial morning sickness in the start, I have been lucky to have...

Ultrasound Results

I had my second blood draw and first ultrasound today to check my lining thickness. I have not received the results on where my Estradiol levels are at - however my lining is measuring at 16mm! It was 7mm last month at my medical work up (they want it over 8mm). Needless to say, everyone is thrilled with the results! Below is a random picture I grabbed while getting dressed again. Does it look like...

4 + 4 = ultrasound

I removed my 3 and placed 4 more patches on today. I am waiting for the usual headache to show. I think I am almost past my neeeeeeeeeed ( <-- big need) for caffeine at this point. But I have the 4 patches today, and Sunday I will remove these and place 4 more before my ultrasound and blood draw on Tuesday! My little two have been awesome this week playing together, and helping out. So I decided...

Patches and Pokes

Nothing too much to update. I am on week 2 of patches. Today I started wearing more than 1 at a time (today is 2, Wednesday will be 3, Friday will be 4 and Sunday 4). I had a blood draw today and will have an ultrasound and blood draw next Tuesday. I also scheduled an acupuncture session for tomorrow evening! I have never had acupuncture done so I am excited to see what it is all about. And really...

patch 3

This morning I placed my 3rd patch (removing the previous each time). As with the last two I have noticed a headache a few hours after placing it. I think it is just a side effect at this point I am noticing - I was hesitant to call it that with the first patch but after 3 now it seems more than a coincidence. I have also noticed a little bit of a sore throat - which has gone away by the second day...

Sunday start

I officially placed my first patch today for the mock cycle. I am hoping I will not see many side effects from this. I do have a headache but I am not associating that with the patch just yet - seems a bit early! What I can assume is my headache is from working non-stop at my sewing machine the past two days getting Christmas dresses done for 2 of my kids. We go see our favorite Santa next week (I...

meds and mocks and more

While at the fertility clinic they determined I would be doing a mock cycle during my next. I got the call from the fertility pharmacy that my meds would be arriving on FRIDAY! Now, I wont start taking them right away, but they will be here and ready to go when my next cycle shows. It is also really chilly (I wont say cold because it isn't below 0* and there is no snow). So coffee in my favorite...

workup::completed!

My husband and I flew out for my medical workup Thursday evening (workup was Friday). For the most part - everything went really well! And the only thing that did not was our flight out. I have not flown Southwest and did not know that you needed to check in 24 hours in advance to get a better zone for boarding since seating is not assigned. We were in the final zone and ended up not having seats...

medical workup

My medical workup at the fertility clinic is fast approaching - just over 2 weeks actually! Which makes my tummy flutter to think about. This has been - to repeat myself I am sure for the hundredth time - such a long process so far (thinking back that I originally starting talking with my agency in late 2014!). Seems weird to be so close to this next milestone in the journey.  I hope nothing...

disconnect and random thoughts

Repeating an earlier thought, so much of this process is hurry up and wait. And wait. And wait (and that is just my experience, I am assuming for IPs - this has been their process for so long). Last time I chatted about a group chat we had - which was our first. Our second is coming up in the beginning of October. Prior to that it was putting a tentative date on the calendar for my medical work up...

group chat and cheese sticks

Not too much new to update with. I had my first conference call last night and am very excited to be connected to some local surrogates! I am hoping at some point in the near future to get to meet them in person. In the car today on the way home from Target, my 4 year old started asking about babies. She has her own new baby doll she bought with her birthday gift card at the toy store Monday that...

Tentative date on the calendar

I received news last week that I was "paper cleared" (the doctor reviewed my medical file and has cleared me to come out for a full medical work up) with the reproductive clinic! We tried hard to fast track us out there just a few days later as I was still within the dates needed of my cycle - but it was just a little too late. We now have a tentative date of October 19th to fly out, do the work up...

It's a ...

MATCH! We met the potential match the agency set up for us and they were spot on with everything. I smiled, laughed, I teared up - and my heart grew. I wont be sharing details about who they are - where they live, ect. But just know they are amazing and while I am sad this is where their journey to growing their family has led them, I am thankful they are trusting me to be a part of it all. I look...

Dear IPs

Dear IPs, We have only just met (that one time on a web chat) - but you are on this journey to grow your family and I am honored you chose me to join you. The trust in that is such a gift.  I did not come to the decision to become a surrogate in a days time. In fact, this has been building in my mind and in my heart for over 2 years now. While changes and events within my own family had us put...

Potential Match!

I got the call I was not expecting for at least another month or more - that we have a potential match! I received the call on 7/25 mid afternoon and was shocked to say the least! In a really good way though! We have a video chat with the potential IPs next week! Anything can happen of course. And no matter what happens - that we both like each other or one/both of us decides to continue looking for...

We are officially ...

In the process of being matched! Now, that could take 2-4 months on average they warned us, but it is exciting knowing that somewhere out there - there is a couple who we will be a fit for (and they be for us)! I actually found out yesterday - we have not really told anyone so it was weird not sharing with family at our bbq! I wanted to wait until my husband was around to start sharing though...

Wrapping up the pre-matching details

We are at the tail end of wrapping everything up before we can be matched. Sounds like my insurance will work out as far as coverage, everything from our therapy session and my psych testing came back fine (I was not concerned but I suppose, you can't ever assume on things!). I also did a little digging. I will not be able to use my midwives at the birth center that I had our 3rd child at. I did however...

"I'll carry your baby!" and minor updates

No - we have not been matched yet. Just to be clear there!

But as I was showering today I had a flashback to high school. I was out of state visiting my best friend. She of course introduced me to all her friends. I met one - we will call her C (to keep her name/information private) and we were talking about everything and anything. Somehow we got on the conversation of children and she mentioned that she was told it might not be possible for her to carry/have children. I remember without hesitation saying "well I will carry them for you!".
Mind you, I was maybe 16. I did not know much about surrogacy, the process and heck, whether or not I would be able to have my OWN kids. I just always assumed that it would not be an issue and I would give birth to as many children as my heart desired.
I just found it interesting and random that that memory was triggered today. If I wanted to get into detail I could probably tell you the shirt C was wearing that day too :) I had not thought about that conversation in years ... kind of makes me wonder the other things in life I have forgotten about!

We are getting closer to the matching process. I have an appointment Monday with a 3rd party insurance review company to give my insurance company permission to talk with them to see what is and is not covered under our own insurance. This will help determine if a secondary insurance plan needs to be taken out by the IPs for me.

I suppose that is all for now!

Mental Health Exam

Well - we just completed our mental health exam. I was required to take the MMPI and the PAI (combined were just over 900 questions!). We had a great visit with the therapist after and talked about a lot of important and thought provoking things. Some that we had talked a lot about and others that we had not really touched on. It was a long 4 or so hours though that I spent in the same office! Besides...

home visit

There is no greater motivator than knowing someone is coming to your home to see how you live. Which means for the past week I have been throwing, cleaning, wiping, organizing, and well, more cleaning ... because I clean my best when I know someone might look. I also understand why my husband refuses to repaint our living room light gray. I spent 2 hours scrubbing crayon off the walls in this house...

slowly moving along

I had my physical with my OB and was cleared (pending a clean report from the lab, though I anticipate nothing coming up). I am working on finishing up my profile .. and boy am I finding it difficult. How do you write about yourself in a way that portrays every thing you want it to so someone gets a good sense of who you are? Especially when you don't want to create a novel. I think I have finished...

a great (short) read

The Surrogate's Point of View I found this to be a nice little read today!  I am headed to a Minneapolis Find Your Village gathering tomorrow and am SO excited about it.  I will have to blog a little about it after ... and next week I get one appointment checked off my list of things to do! My records were sent to my former OB's office and I see him on Tuesday.  &nbs...

home visits and appointments

We have our home visit scheduled for May 19th! That will be yet another thing to check off our list of things to do. I did find out today I need to find an OB for my yearly exam and for medical clearance. I was really hoping the birth center and midwives I used with our 3rd baby would be able to help with all that, but they need an MD after their name. So back to the drawing board. I am going to have...

picking up where we've left off

We have started the process of moving forward once again! My third little is still nursing before nap and bed, so we are getting all our other ducks in a row before the matching can begin (I need to be completely done nursing him). I set up an appointment to update my yearly physical and have some release forms signed saying I am physically cleared by my midwife to move forward. We are waiting to...