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About Me

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Caledonia, Northern Illinois, United States
I am a Thirty-Something mother of four beautiful girls. My love for them, and the joy I've experienced during this crazy ride called motherhood, has inspired me to help make the dream of a family become a reality for couples through gestational surrogacy. I've proudly helped A&T, as their lives were forever changed when they welcomed a son in April 2010 and K&S were blessed as parents in Sept 2012 when we welcomed their twin boys. I completed my final surrogacy journey Nov 2015 when I helped a wonderful local couple J&W and Big Brother add their family with the birth of twin boys. I am so very fortunate to have wonderful relationships with each one of my surro-families and continue to share in their lives.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Two Months (and a visit)

Another update for you all. I'll start first with Baby G's 2 month well baby check-up. He's doing great! IM said the appointment went well and his stats are 13lbs 3oz (90th percentile) and 25 1/8 inches (95th percentile) so he's keeping up with the curve and staying high on the charts. He had to have five vaccines which didn't make him a very happy camper so it was a bit of a rough night following the doctor visit. Poor baby.

Baby G is making little sounds, smiling and giggling, and seems to recognize his mama's voice. He can easily hold his head up and he holds onto rattles and toys for small amounts of time. He's starting to focus and follow things with his eyes and he loves to be in his bouncey chair and to kick!

We got in a visit this week which of course is a nice treat. Yesterday we went for a quick lunch at a locally owned fast food joint, Beef-a-Roo. There was one down by the hospital that we delivered at and IF commented a couple of times that he wanted to check it out ... YUM cheddar fries!! After wards we went back to the house to sit on the patio, it was a gorgeous night! We all enjoyed a little red wine while the kids played in the backyard. Our daughter Chloe (10) is taking an acting class this week and A&T helped her rehearse some lines and give her a little direction since that is their area of expertise. She was eating it up!! I was able to get in lots of snuggles and was excited to get some smiles too! I held the little guy while he took a short cat nap, so peaceful & precious!

A&T brought along a gift from Baby G's grandma & grandpa (IF's parents). It was a beautiful Llardo angel figurine from Spain (Angel Dreaming). It will be the perfect memento of our journey to display in my curio cabinet. My deepest thanks for such a special gift L&F.

After awhile we had to come in (darn mosquitoes) and visited for a little longer indoors. Baby G was getting tired after not getting much sleep the night prior thanks to the shots, so it was time for them to head home.

I feel so lucky and blessed, I never would have imagined a year ago that the relationship with my IPs would be all that it is today. As A&T were leaving we briefly discussed when we'd be getting together next. The trend has been every 10-14 days, mostly due to the EBM pick ups, but it has been great that we see each other so frequently. IM commented that we weren't gonna be able to get rid of them now ... believe me the feeling is very mutual.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Visit in the City

Spent the day with the surro family today, the weather didn't really cooperate for a day on the town (Chicago) but we made the best of it.

We met A&T at their condo and headed out for lunch. We enjoyed some burgers and drinks together on the patio and caught up on the last couple weeks. Of course as most lil ones do, Baby G decided he didn't want to be left out of the meal and began fussing just when the food came. He was much more content after getting a full tummy.

We decided to go down to Navy Pier, we had never been there with the kids. Of course the girls saw the big Ferris Wheel and had to take a ride. All the ladies went up and enjoyed a dreary yet exciting view of Chicago and Lake Michigan. The girls and I also went through a fun house, they enjoyed it despite it not taking very long to navigate through.

I got to cuddle with Baby G a bit as we walked around. A&T say he's smiling now but he didn't share any with me on this visit. I'll likely see them again in a couple weeks, hoping to see that toothless grin then. He's growing and losing that newborn look now. He's still got that full head of hair, his eyes are staying their brilliant blue and he has the most adorable baby cheeks ... he's a cutie pie for sure.

Here's a family pic (snapped by IF). I didn't get a pic of the "new" lil family, maybe next time. ;)


Lauren(5), Tiffany, Chloe (10), Brie (16), Jason & Isabelle (3)

Monday, June 7, 2010

6 Weeks Postpartum

I had my six week postpartum visit with my OB today.

Of course the nurse asked me a whole bunch of stuff to rule out PPD ... nope no issues here, couldn't be more happy that A&T have their lil man in their arms and it is NOT ME dealing with the sleepless nights and endless diaper changes. LOL No really in all seriousness I feel GREAT emotionally and am so happy that I was able to be a part of such an amazing miracle.

I'm down 28 lbs since delivery, another 15-20 to go to get to my goal. I gained way more weight than I wanted to but 15 lbs is realistic I think. Joined WW again last week and went back to the gym on Wednesday. Jason and I have planned a trip to Jamaica in September, a little honeymoon for us (10 years later). I'm using that as my motivation right now and it seems to be working.

Of course you all know what a stink the Dr. made about c-sec vs. vaginal delivery because of his size. Well you may remember it ended up not being my regular OB that delivered so this was the first time she saw me since that last 37 wk appt. First thing she said was "Wow 10 pounds huh!" Then, sorry if TMI, as she was doing her exam she commented "No episiotomy either?" and I said "Nope" which she followed with, "Guess your body was just meant to have babies". Couldn't help but think to myself ... I'll take that as a compliment thank you very much. ;)

So I got the all clear, back to life as usual I suppose. :)

The family and I are planning to head into the city to visit with the surro fam on Sunday. Looking forward to enjoying a day in Chicago with the hubby, the girls and seeing A&T and Baby G for a bit.