Double the pleasure, double the fun...

Yep, it's twins and my official due date is August 22nd! Michelle drove up today and accompanied me to my appointment with video camera in hand. We think it's funny now, b/c we can imagine that people probably think we're lesbian partners who are trying to have a baby. Every time we walk into a fertility clinic we can't help but giggle and call each other "honey"... hee, hee...
When the technician walked in and turned on the machine, we could instantly see the 2 sacs. She said it so non-chalant too, like, "there's 2 babies in there". I'm sure she sees a lot of multiples, working in a fertility clinic, but this was the first time I've ever seen them- in MY body! Each baby looked wonderfully healthy in size and we even got a glimpse of the tiny heartbeat. Michelle and I both started tearing up at that point. Like I've said before, in as many ultrasounds and heartbeats I've heard in my times of being pregnant, it never gets less fascinating. I'm only 6 1/2 weeks along and their little hearts were beating so strongly, so warrior like...
The nerves are definitely starting to kick in a little now. I'm worried how my body will handle the extra weight and how I'll handle my household once I get further along. I know that I can only take it one day at a time though and I also know that it is in God's hands now. I know he wouldn't give me more than I can handle. If I didn't have a purpose before, well, I definitely have one now! I'm going to do everything I can to make sure these babies receive the best care and ultimately arrive safely at home with their parents come summer time...

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Gosh, we had such a fun holiday. KC and I decided to host both families at our house this year (back -to-back). I know, we must be crazy! :S Between this ridiculous tiredness I've been feeling and a horrible cold that I caught on Christmas Eve, I wasn't exactly feeling cheery, but I tried my best to truck through and make it memorable for the kiddos. I think I did an okay job, because when you ask them, they'll tell you that "this was the best Christmas ever!". On the pregnancy side, I'm feeling okay. The morning sickness hasn't kicked in yet (I'm hoping it won't for at least a couple more weeks). I'm just extremely tired and my behind is still killing me. The shots just don't get any easier. Their literally isn't a "clear" spot left, so KC's been forced to shoot directly into the knots and bruises (which usually bleed quite a bit). I don't think I'll be healed for a while! On a positive note, I am scheduled for my ultrasound this Wednesday, the 31st. We'll finally get to see how many little ones have to decided to make a home in my uterus. I'm so excited and a little nervous). The "twins" thing still scares me a little, but I guess there's no going back now! :) Sooo, we'll meet again on Wednesday with the news! Take care!

Oh baby!

Just got "the call" from the clinic a couple of hours ago. My levels more than doubled like we were hoping. Wahoo! Now I'm just anxious for the ultrasound, so we can find out how many little ones are in there! You'd think I'd be used to this pregnant stuff by now. I mean I've already done it 3 times. It's a different feeling this go 'round though, because I know how much this means to Antonio and Laura. I think I might have took my other pregnancies a little for granted. Don't get me wrong...They were each so unique and special, but all in all, they were pretty darn easy. With all 3, KC and I got pregnant right away. We never had that fear or disappointment like so many other couples go through. In fact, with Sienna, it literally was like, "hey, let's have another baby... okay...", and 1 month later we're prego. We never had to deal with pregnancy complications or health problems. I've never known the feeling of loss or the emptiness of never being able to carry a child in my womb. I am inspired by all of the moms out there who have overcome so many obstacles, yet stay so strong. Cheers to you moms (okay, dads too)!!!

Happy Birthday Laura!

To preface, I went into the lab yesterday (the 15th) to have my blood drawn and to check my HcG levels. HcG is the pregnancy hormone that is given off each time the embryo's cells divide. The levels obviously tell us if the embryo is growing like it should. I took a pregnancy test and it came up positive, but it's important that we keep track of the levels so that we can make sure this is a viable pregnancy and not just a "chemical" one. I've just learned that a chemical pregnancy occurs when the embryo begins to grow in the uterus, but it has not attached to the uterus. It will eventually absorb into the body if it doesn't attach and the levels would decrease at that point. Concerning the levels, a 14 day embryo SHOULD have a count of at least the high 50s. Well... I just received a call from the clinic and my results came back with a level of 203! This is a VERY good sign. I guess they were really hoping for around 100, but 203... yay!!! I am scheduled to go back to the lab tomorrow to check my levels again. We're hoping the number doubles by then. If so, we're off to a very healthy and positive beginning! As of now, I am tentatively scheduled for an ultrasound by the end of this month or early January. At this appointment we will already be able to determine how many sacs have formed. Anyone wanna bet on twins? This is just so exciting, I can't stand it! I called Laura and Antonio today to wish her a happy birthday and to tell them the good news. We shared a very intimate and heart warming moment. I am quite emotional right now to say the least. I know they really wish that they could be near me right now. I am trying to come up with a way to videotape all of my OB appointments and send them over email. Does anyone have any ideas on how to do this? I have a video camera, but don't know the first thing on how to convert it to a web video. I'd like to make this as special for them as possible. Suggestions would be great!

Pregnant or not Pregnant, that is the Question...

Hello! I'm back from the embryo transfer! Let me just start by saying, WOW!!!! Words cannot explain the emotions that KC and I felt as we watched 2 little embryos "fall" into my uterus. Can I just make a shout out to science for a minute?! Unbelievable. I can't hold in all of my excitement, so I'm just going to start from the moment we arrived at the clinic... KC and I walk in and I'm instructed to start drinking water (having a full bladder is vital to get a clear picture of the ultrasound) I consumed about 16oz in the first 10 minutes or so (more water was to come). I am not a huge water drinker, so this alone was not an enjoyable experience for me, let alone the horrible urge to pee. I of course was instructed to hold it. Not fun. Wait, did I mention that I have a really small bladder? I just want you to feel my pain. :) All of my vitals were taken and my nurse wrapped me up in nice heated blankets and slipper socks. Mmm, so cozy. The wait took a little longer than expected because we were still waiting on some issues to clear through the FDA. Some paperwork was still being finalized. Having intended parents in a different country has proven to make things a little more complicated than usual. No biggie though. It's not like KC and I had anything else to do that day! After an hour of waiting (and catching up on Britney Spears news), I was lead into the "surgery" room. KC and I were previously given the stats on the embryos when we arrived. We learned that each fertilized embryo is graded by quality and the number of cells. The higher the quality, obviously the healthier the embryo, thus the better chance of it surviving in my womb. I had 2 embryos implanted. One was an 8-cell, "A" grade and one was an 8-cell "B" grade. SO, in laymen terms, I had one excellent embryo and one almost excellent embryo (8 cells and an A grade are the best). This is a good sign. Okay, back to the procedure... When we walked in, we were asked if we wanted to see the embryos. Are you serious! KC and I looked through the lens of a microscope at what could be Laura and Antonio's future babies. Amazing. You could actually see the tiny 8 cells inside. When we were finally finished gawking, I was led to a very scary looking table with very imtimidating stirrups (think gynecological table on steroids). They strapped my legs in and everything. Anyhow, then a catheter was placed though my cervic that led to my uterus. BTW, we were watching this whole process on an ultrasound monitor the entire time. Very cool. After the catheter was set, another doctor came in with the embryos. They were placed in a large syringe/needle. It was handed to my doctor, who then injected them through the catheter. We got to watch as the tiny little future humans "flew" down the tube and landed in my uterus. I have to admit, they were pretty cute. Okay, all done! For being such a huge procedure, it was very easy and very quick. I didn't feel a thing (except the burning from my bladder). After the transfer I was wheeled back to my other room where I was instructed to lay down for 15 minutes. And THEN, I got to go pee!!! Time for lunch! :) I really don't have very strict guidelines. I can pretty much resume normal activity (just nothing straining). I'm supposed to rest when I can and take it easy, but that's about it. Oh and of course, strict pelvic rest and no caffeine. The idea is to give those little guys/girls the best chance of attaching and surviving in there. I still inject myself with progesterone (which has probably been the worst experience so far) twice a day and I now take estrogen once a day. This will probably go on through my entire first trimester. Not real excited about that, but whatever. Who says a black and blue butt isn't cute?! :) So, in conclusion, prego or not prego? I am scheduled to take my pregnancy test at a lab on December 15th. Keep your fingers crossed and those prayers a-comin'! Ciao baby!

Back from Cali...

So... Michelle and I got back from California on Friday. We calculated that the cost of the 2 day trip had to come to at least $1000.00. So basically, my Intended Parents just paid $1,000.00 for a 20-minute ultrasound appointment. I can't help but feel guilty and I'm kind of upset that they're being taken advantage of. I know this appointment could have been done here locally. Why I HAD to fly to Cali for it, I don't know. Many people may have the impression that my IPs are wealthy since they're able to afford this. On the contrary, they have put their whole life savings (and then some), just so they can have a biological child of their own. To be honest, I wish I could afford to do this for free. I want to make it clear that I am not doing this for the money. I would be lying if I said that the money isn't a factor. The income that I will make from the surrogacy is going to help my family in many ways. We plan on saving most of it to put towards a house. But at the end of the day, there is no price tag that you can put on the child that we will be bringing into this world. I feel so blessed that I've been given this ability. And the money (or as I like to call it, "monetary gift"- that just sounds better don't you think?), well... let's just say... it's a nice little bonus. :)

As far as the trip went, like I said it was quick and painless. All they had to do was check out my uterus to make sure it's baby ready. Not surprisingly (we all know how fertile I am), it's ready! :) There is one kink left though. I guess right now we're still waiting on some blood work to come in from Rome (from the intended father). I guess California law states that the sperm from the father cannot be fertilized (and implanted) until it's clear that he is disease free. Now, maybe someone else can make more sense of this... he already had all of his blood work done when his sperm were frozen months ago. How would getting new blood from him now, have anything to do with the "old" sperm being disease free. Doesn't make sense to me, but it's "the law". Sooo... once the clinic in Cali receives his blood, then the egg donor and I can both start our next hormone cycle and get this ball rolling! I think I have to be on the Progesterone about 5 days before the transfer. So now it looks like we won't be doing it until the first week of December. More waiting! Now, the Progesterone is a while other story. I start with injecting myself once a day, then move to twice a day. I will be taking the Progesterone twice a day until my second trimester begins. These aren't just little shots , like the Lupron I've been injecting myself every night. These are the big, thick "intramuscular" shots. I can't even do these on myself. KC's going to have to administer them. Now, those of you who have seen me lately, know that I don't have a whole lot of muscle on me. I'm pretty scrawny actually. So, as you can imagine, I'm a little nervous about how this is going to work. There's only so many spots that I can be stuck! I can do this, right?! That's what I keep telling myself, anyway. To be continued...

Progress...

Happy Belated Halloween everyone! I don't know about you, but we had a blast. It's so fun watching the girls get older and really get into the holidays. I'm mucho excited about Christmas this year!

So, I started my Estrogen pill last night. Right now I'm just taking it once a day after my Lupron shot. I will be gradually increasing it to 3 times a day within the next couple of weeks. Not really sure exactly what it does (I should probably find out). So far I haven't had any real side effects from the meds. I've been getting headaches, but that could just be from anxiety. I've had to finalize a lot of legal junk this week and it can be pretty overwhelming and stressful. It's the attorney's job to make sure you think about every possible thing that could go wrong, so that you stay protected throughout the pregnancy. Not real calming, but again, necessary. I have to admit, that I'm a little nervous. There's a lot of trust involved between myself and the Intended Parents. That can be a little scary, especially when you don't really know the other person very well. I'm praying that they hold to their promises, as I'm sure they're praying I hold up to mine.

So far so good...

I'm starting this blog a little late, so let me recap the past couple of months. In August I was matched with an amazing couple that lives in Rome. They flew to Denver to meet KC and I. From the start it just seemed "right". They were it. They were the couple I was searching for. Without going into too many details, the intended mother (IM) was forced to undergo an emergency hysterectomy after a botch job from a fertility doctor in Italy. It's a tragic story and one that makes my heart cry. She wanted nothing more than to just be a mother. And she picked me to bring her child into the world. I can't explain how honored I feel. I mean, I will be carrying her child for 9 months while she's across the world. No pressure. :)
Since the meeting, I have flown out to California (where our fertility clinic is) for a slew of medical testing. KC had to be tested as well . I was given my treatment plan and was explained the whole process. Amazing what technology can do these days. Think about it. They will be putting drugs into my body that are basically faking my body into believing that I am trying to become pregnant. At just the right time, they will then inject a 3-5 day old embryo (2 in my case) directly into my uterus. I wait a couple of days for the embryo(s) to attach and just like that, I'm prego. Amazing. Now, the first trimester can be a little tricky b/c my body will still try to treat the embryo as somewhat of a foreign object (b/c this baby has no genetic link to me whatsoever). The risk of miscarriage is higher with surrogacies for obvious reasons. This is where more drugs play in. I have several hormone medications that I will be taking until the end of the 1st trimester. After the 1st trimester, it's basically like any other pregnancy.
Now, I have already started taking an injectable medication called Lupron (this stops me from ovulating). I have to give myself a shot every night at the same time. Not a lot of fun, but necessary. Once I get my next menstrual cycle, then we will calculate the day of my transfer. Right now the tentative day to go back to Cali is November 6th. I will be out there for 10 days on a strict hormone treatment cycle. During my 10 day stay, we will calculate the exact day of the transfer. I could be pregnant in a month! Another question I've been asked a lot is the "carrying multiples" factor. I am only implanting 2 embryos, so yes there is a pretty good chance of twins in my case, but any more than that would be pretty rare. We'll just have to see! :)