Happy Birthday Giovanni!!!

The lil man celebrated his 2nd birthday recently!!  Oh my, where did the time go?  I can remember all the details from his birth like it was yesterday and still tear up when I recall the moment A&T first laid eyes on their son.

I feel so very blessed that I get to continue having a relationship with not only my FIPs and Givoanni but all of their friends and family too.  We joined everyone this past weekend for a Mardi Gras themed party (A&T travel to New Orleans frequently).  There was food, games, gifts, lots of wine (but none for me of course) and plenty of smiles and love.  It was a full day for everyone and we visited into the very late hours of the night - or was it morning?  The kids, including Giovanni, were all going strong at 1AM when we decided it was time to head home.

My heart just swells to see how A&T and everyone close to them adore this lil guy.  The journey leading up to his arrival was amazing but nothing compares to watching them grow as a family and love life together.  What a beautiful experience that I hope to continue to be a part of for years to come.

Week 15 - Belly Pic!

I promised one so here it is, a pic of my 15 week bump.  

K&S's twinkies are growing. 

I did some shopping and cleaned out the closet this weekend and most all of my "normal" clothes are now packed away.  I haven't been pregnant during the summer, my favorite season,  for nearly 8 years so I'm anxious to wear some of the cute tanks & tees I purchased.  Of course I also had to get a new swim suit for my pool lounging - an activity I plan to do a lot of this summer.  Com'n warmer weather!!!!

Showing Some Love - Liebster Award

I have been nominated to receive the Liebster Award!! I am so very late to this affair it's embarrassing! I was given the Liebster, an award recognizing bloggers with less than 200 followers, by Jessie (An International Surrogacy Story) back in January. Just a few days later we transferred and the rollercoaster of pee sticks, betas and ultrasounds began. That of course was followed by the excitement of expecting TWINS and then the lovely fatigue and queasiness of the first trimester. Well here I am - 15 weeks pregnant - and feeling like myself (kinda) and ready to show my appreciation and announce my nominees for the Liebster.

 Some back history, Liebster is a German word that means ‘dearest’ or ‘beloved’, but can also mean ‘favorite’. The Award comes with a few rules. You’re supposed to:

• Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them
• Reveal your top 5 picks for the award and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog
• Post the award on your blog
• Bask in the love from the most supportive people in the blogosphere – other bloggers
• Hope your recipients pass the award to their 5 favorite blogs to keep the love flowing

I proudly pass the Liebster Blog Award to:

 Cara (Baby Carrier) - She's completed one journey and is on her way to a second - preheating the oven and getting ready for late Spring transfer.

 Meg (No Oven for the Bun) - She and husband Tristan were anxiously getting all their ducks in a row to move forward with surrogacy only to have their journey stopped abruptly when their surro suffered a devastating miscarriage. They are picking themselves up and building up the courage for another try ....

 Bridget (Birdie's Family Journey) - There is a long back story filled with devastation and disappointment to go along with this blog but perseverance has always kept this blogger motivated and ready for the next step.  After a recent successful IUI cycle they are ready for another go at parenthood.  

Jennifer (A Surrogate's Dairy) - This blogger friend and I met in the cyber world and discovered we delivered our first surrobabes just days apart from one another.  From there we both went on to match for second journey's and transferred again just days apart (last April). She became pregnant, I did not. She was a huge cheerleader for me along the way and kept me focused and postive after not only that failed transfer but the chemical as well. Although her blog isn't currently very active, it's a great read. :)

 Elizabeth (Betty Tuesdays) - Elizabeth is a witty writer who's struggles with infertility touched many. After a successful IUI cycle she's the proud mommy to twin boys and loves to candidly share her tales of motherhood and more.

Congrats ladies!!

Week 14 - A Surrogates Point of View

We've reached Week 14 and are trucking along in the 2nd trimester now - I just can't believe it! It's flying by and I can't help but already start to think how very close we are getting to the half way point, seeing as this is twins and we'll likely deliver earlier than 40 weeks. We've received word that everything from the NT scan, bloodwork included, looks great. The biggest news of the week - I can feel flutters!! They are slight and ever so small but I can feel the "butterflies" now and then when I'm very still. I can't wait for the movements to get stronger and eventually share them with K&S. We have another OB appointment this upcoming week and I'll start my belly progression photos now that we've reached this milestone as well so stay tuned.

Since there isn't much to report right now I'll leave you with some thoughts from another surro-sisters blog.

I have had several great surrogacy blogs come to my attention over the last couple years. Many of them are written by the ladies I've met via message boards and others are ladies (and gentlemen) that find me here, comment on my blog and then I return the favor and follow their journeys. One of those fellow surrogates is Jeni and I'd like to share a recent post from her blog regarding "A Surrogates Point of View". She's taken the time to put into words the thoughts and feelings of the surro and answer many of the questions that come to the minds of inquisitive friends and family on both sides of the experience.

A Surrogates Point of View

~ Jeni Denhof ~

I've also updated my Blogs of Interest list (bottom right margin) to include some newer (to me) surrogacy journeys that you might also find fun to follow. The list includes journeys of all types and at all stages. Enjoy!

Week 12 - Perfect Plums

Yesterday K&S joined me at the hospital's Maternal Fetal Medicine Dept. (MFM) to get another look at the babies. We were there to have the first trimester Nuchal Translucency scan (NT scan). This is a test to assess the risk of either baby having Down syndrome, some other chromosomal abnormalities as well as major congenital heart problems. It's a non invasive test done by u/s and since there are very specific things they are looking for it's a pretty lengthy u/s. Both babies were very cooperative and the tech was able to get images of their NT spaces (fluid in the back of the neck) quite easily - both measured less than 2mm which is perfect (3mm or less is desirable) - Yay!!

She went on to look for the presence of a nasal bone, check heart rates, CRL (crown rump length) and umbilical insertion. Again all was great. Both heart rates were in the upper 160's and they were very active; kicking, stretching and jumping through the entire appointment.

The tech also explained to us how A&B are labeled. The baby who is lowest, closest to the "exit", is always labeled A. So in our case, Baby A is on my left and tucked down low in my pelvis and Baby B on my right slightly higher in the uterus. As the babies become bigger the uterus will expand and they will fill more of the space, and although baby's positions may change (transverse, breech, vertex) their locations will remain the same throughout the pregnancy.

After all the necessary measurements were taken we got to play around and got some 3D images. Very cool!! No gender guesses were made, it's still a little too early for that but K&S are anxious to find out so I'm sure it won't be long before we know.

We are nearing the end of the first trimester and I am doing great. I've been pleasantly surprised that the pregnancy symptoms have only been typical and not magnified by this being a twin pregnancy. I'm rarely ever queasy anymore and the other symptoms are all manageable. I will owe you all belly pic soon - the bump is undeniably there!! K&S have been cautious and slow to share the news but most of their close friends and family know now. The three of us hung out for an hour or so after the appointment and I just love listening to them as they begin to get excited and make plans for their new family.

Baby A

Baby B

2D both babies (12w3d)

3D image of both babies.
B on the left of pic and A tucked behind