And I'm Back!!

First off, My IP's are absolutely amazing!!!

My flight to LA was a breeze and it was nice that the flight was less than half full! I was able to lay down and take a nap since no one was next to me! My IP's picked me up from the airport and we immediately hugged and it was like we were old friends. We went to my hotel The Crescent in Beverly Hills and I got all checked in... Then it was off to dinner!! They took me to a Curry place called Curry House CoCo Ichibanya. I have never had curry before so I was a little nervous. We looked at the menu and they picked out some pretty tasty plates.. After everything was brought over, my IM dished me up and omg it was pretty amazing! She kept giving me more and I told her that if I ate anymore, they would have to roll me out of the restaurant haha.. I gave my IM her Origami Owl Locket at dinner and they brought me a lot of treats from their country and a few things that she personally made. It was so heartwarming :) After dinner, they took me to my hotel and I went to bed since we had a BIG DAY on Sunday!!

Sunday morning I ordered room service and got some yummy fruit and oj :) I got ready, took my meds and had my caseworker give me my 2 shots and then it was off to our TRANSFER!!!!

When we got to CFP, I had to go back and give blood. I swear they use the same spot over and over again. After that, they were ready for me! They take me back to the room and I have to get undressed from the waist down. By that time, my IP's have arrived! Everyone crowds into the tiny transfer room and then they wheel in the precious cargo in an incubator :) My IP's got to look at them and I got to take a picture of these precious embies!!

My Dr decided to put all 4 embryos in considering my IM's age and the quality of the embryos. I was a little nervous but I knew that I was in good hands. 1 Embryo was a 9 cell, 2 were 7 cells and one was 5 cells. After the transfer, my IM sat down and prayed and I had to lay with pillows under my knees/thighs for about 30 minutes. After that, I was able to get up and get dressed. I was wheeled out since my valium had kicked in and couldn't really walk straight. I got back to my hotel and took a nap :) My IP's brought me lunch and dinner and I was completely stuffed! I also ordered dessert and got a massive brownie and vanilla ice cream :) It was scrumptious!! After that I passed out!

I was so excited to finally be heading home and give my babies big hugs!! All in all this trip was such an amazing one! This will forever be etched in my heart!!! I probably missed a lot, but I got most of it :)


this is what happens in a 3dt : 

1dpt ..embryo is growing and developing 
2dpt... Embryo is now a blastocyst 
3dpt....Blastocyst hatches out of shell on this day 
4dpt.. Blastocyst attaches to a site on the uterine lining 
5dpt.. Implantation begins as the blastocyst begins to bury in the lining 
6dpt.. Implantation process continues and morula buries deeper in the lining 
7dpt.. Morula is completely implanted in the lining and has placenta cells & 
fetal cells 
8dpt...Placenta cells begin to secret HCG in the blood 
9dpt...More HCG is produced as fetus develops 
10dpt...More HCG is produced as fetus develops 
11dpt...HCG levels are now high enough to be immediately detected on 
HPT

Moving Along...

Our laptop is still not fixed.. Grrr!

We finally got our Contract on thursday!! Dave and I read it a few times and do not see anything that needs to be changed. It's a great feeling when you know that both you and your IP's are basically on the same page and want the same thing. So hopefully the contract signing will go smoothly and fast!

I have my Consultation with the Lawyer on Wednesday to go over everything. I'm so glad things are moving along nicely. I am just sad that we won't be able to do a June transfer like they wanted. We are shooting for a early July transfer now.

I have about 10 days left of my first BCP pack and need to call my nurse to get a refill along with some more prenatals :) Hopefully my meds & calendar will arrive soon after contracts!!

Hope everyone is having a blessed monday & rest of your week!!

Prenatals = Blech!

I now remember why I dislike Prenatal Vitamins. When I was pregnant with my kids, I would get so sick to my stomach from my vitamins. I wouldn't throw up, I would just get nauseous.

Well I have been taking prenatals for a week and I am so sick to my stomach. I started taking them in the evening after dinner and I would still get an upset tummy. So I emailed my amazing nurse and she ordered me CitraNatal Harmony Vitamins.. I am ready to try these out. I am also getting my BCP's in this package, which should be here some time tomorrow. I can't believe how fast everything is moving along!

I had emailed my IP's and let them know where we were at on our side and that everything is moving smoothly and that all of the Consents should have been delivered to the clinic today and we signed and emailed back our Retainer to our Lawyers. I got an email back this morning and they let me know that IM has started her weekly blood draws and she should be starting her BCP's next week also!

I had asked them if they would like me to schedule a "Stork Tour" at the hospital. It's a tour of the hospital/L&D, Nursery and everything else. That way when it is time, they will know where to go!

So that is whats happening in my neck of the woods... Hopefully we will sign contracts within the next week!

Moving Forward!!!

Yesterday, I flew to LA for my Re-Evaluation :)

I got to the airport around 6:45a and my flight didn't leave until 8:10a. So I walked around and tried to calm my nerves :) I got a sweet email from my IP's the night before saying to relax and have a nice time. It made me feel better!

Once I got to LAX, my Caseworker picked me up and we headed to CFP. We got there around 10:45 and my appt wasn't until 11:30, so we were able to check in early and I went back for blood work and urine test. I have a pretty little bruise now... At around 11:15 I was called back to the room and was told to get undressed from my waist down. About 5 minutes later, the nurse came in and told me that I needed to get weighed. I wrapped a blanket around me and I went to get weighed. I'm not back into the room 5 minutes and she comes back in and says "You're gonna hate me. We have to go and get your height now.." I just laughed..

{In Surro Land, this is known as the Weenie Wand}

After all of that, my Dr came in and we chatted. He was very happy with my weight loss {YAY!!!}. We talked a little and then he started the Sonohysterogram. This time I didn't really cramp! He said that my lining is absolutely perfect and that I need to start taking Prenatals. So I have finally finished all of the screening and can now move to CONTRACTS!!!! We just have to wait for all of the blood work from dave/myself to come back. That should only take about 5-7 days.

It was now off to see the nurse for my Meds!!! I got a bag full of Prenatal Samples. The one that everyone likes was gone, so she is going to order me some! I was told that I will be taking Birth Control Pills {BCP's}, Lupron, Estradiol {Delestrogen} & Progesterone. So once I start my cycle/period {CD1}, I need to call her and I will start BCP's on CD2. After that I will begin the Lupron Shots for 7 days. Then its the Estradiol Shots every 3 days. Then I do Labs & u/s of my lining. Then its on to Progesterone. I am so confused but my nurse is amazing and is going to send me detailed instructions for everything along with my calendar!!

I am so excited that things are moving!!!!!

Scheduled!

I scheduled my Re-Evaluation/Medical Appointment with Dr. this morning!!!

I will be heading back down to LA on Thursday the 16th! I was able to schedule it on Dave's day off that way we don't have to have anyone watch the kids.

I will be flying out in the morning, go to my appointment, grab some lunch and then fly back home. During the appointment, I will be doing the following:

- Sonohysterogram - Ultrasound of my Uterus.
- Blood Work.
- Find out what medicines I will be on.
- Learn how to give myself my Injections.
- Ask Questions, Get Answers!

I am a little torn since the 16th is also D's Open House at school {first one since he is in Kindergarten} but Daddy will be there :) Since I work in the classroom 2x a month, I get to see everything they are doing for open house, so that makes me feel a little better.


Next week can't come soon enough!!

I am Sane!

Yesterday Dave and I hauled ass drove safely to San Francisco to meet with our Psychologist and take my PAI Test! Traffic was a complete mess but thank god for the carpool lanes! I may have use the carpool lane in the bay area when it was 3+, but time was of the essence and we needed to get to our appt on time! We were supposed to be at our appt by 10:15. We pulled up to the Valet at 10:00.. Bam!

We got up to the office and let them know that we were there for a 10:30 appt. First off, some of those questions were really weird! I had to go into a little room where the receptionist put a laptop in front of me so I could take the test... Some of the questions were:

- I contemplate Suicide on a daily basis... 

Umm No!

- I don't like getting ads in the mail... 

Umm Yes! I freaking hate ads cluttering up my mail box!

- I often feel like a Loner... 

Uh Nope! I'm a social butterfly and love all of my friends! 

- My favorite Poet is Leonard Whatsoever.. 

Umm Who?!

After my testing, I went back out into the waiting room with Dave. A few minutes later we were called back to talk to our Psychiatrist. She was really nice and made us feel comfortable. Se asked both Dave and I questions about our decision to proceed with our Surrogacy Journey and some more private questions.

After all of that, she let me know that I had PASSED the PAI Test and that I am Not Crazy! hahaha

So the Psych Eval is checked off our To Do List!!!

Still To Do:

- LA for my Re-Evaluation with Dr. R
- Contracts!
- Schedule Transfer!!!!!


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Love These!!!

So, I love All Things Surrogacy. They have a lot of great information, a forum for Surrogates & IP's and they have some seriously cute clothes!

I was going through them last night and told Dave that I wanted to get some! Here is what I would get:

My Lovely Surro Bump

On My Way To Get Knocked Up!

All Things Surrogacy Tank

Keep Calm They're Not Mine

Ice Ice Baby Sweat Pants

***Exciting News for tomorrow's post!!!!

Just a little setback...

So we have ran into a tiny set back.. 

I was supposed to fly to LA one day this week to do my Re-Evaluation with Dr., but it looks like he is completely booked for the week. So what does that mean?! I have to wait for my next cycle, which should be around May 8th.

I had only done half of what was needed because of the whole weight thing. But I get to do all of this all over again with my new Dr.

My Medical Evaluation will include: 

Medical History
Pregnancy History
Blood work
Sonohysterogram - Ultrasound of the uterus.
Explain all of the meds and process
Give me a lab slip for D to do his blood work..


Psych Evaluation will include:

MMPI-2 (or PAI) Test - roughly 340 T/F questions. None of them are right or wrong because it is a personality test.
Talk about why I chose Surrogacy.
Misc Questions.
3-4 hours for everything


So here is hoping these next few weeks fly by! I don't think I have ever wanted my period to start so fast.. Like.EVER! #SurroProbs! 

The only thing that sucks is that my Anniversary is right in the middle of this crazy cycle.. May 12th is our 6 year wedding anniversary :)

Hope everyone has a great day!!!

Just a few meds...

I have been looking at majority of the meds that are used for Infertility & IVF. I am trying to get a feel of what meds I will be taking and how they will react. I have been reading all of the side effects and am not really that scared anymore, just nervous!

Here is a list of IVF Medications and what they do. I know I will be taking at least 4 of these...

Prenatal Vitamins - Prepares the body for conception and balances out nutrition deficiencies.

Baby Aspirin - Minimizes the chance of miscarriage.

Birth Control Pills - Regulates menstruation prior to an IVF cycle.

Zithromax - Helps prevent infection and harmful bacteria.

Clomid or Femara (generic Letrozele) - Inhibits estrogen to increase the release of follicle stimulating hormone, resulting in higher rates of ovulation and pregnancy.

Repronex - Provides follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone that help stimulate healthy ovaries*

Bravelle, Follistim, Gonal-F or Menopur - Controls the timing of egg maturation, allowing more follicles to be produced*

Ganirelix - Controls ovulation by rapidly suppressing the production and action of the luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) - induces ovulation or the release of eggs in the ovaries and is the hormone produced by an embryo shortly after conception.

Novarel (hCG) - Stimulates the release of eggs in the ovaries.

Estrogen - Stimulates growth of the lining of the uterus.

Progesterone - Prepares the lining of the uterus for implantation and fosters gestation, helping to achieve and maintain pregnancy.

Lupron - Controls ovulation by briefly increasing and then suppressing the production and action of the luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone.

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Since I have been getting a lot of feedback on my Facebook, I have decided to start a Facebook Page. I was flooding my facebook with all of the blog entries. So now they will just go to the facebook page :) If you would like to follow, just click here!

One step closer...

So it looks like I will have to go back down to L.A. for a Re-Evaluation & Blood Work at the IVF Clinic and then do my Psychological Evaluation. I wish I didn't have to fly down there, but the new dr wants to see me.

I should be flying down some time next week... Eeek! I should be getting a call from the clinic on monday to schedule the appt.. This is just one step closer to getting a set date on our transfer!

So as of right now, I am just trying to tie up loose ends and figure out a plan for the kids next week. I am hoping that I can fly down on Thursday since its Dave's day off and I wont need to have anyone watch the kids or pick them up from school.

The IP's and I have started emailing back and forth! It was a sweet surprise when I checked my email yesterday and saw the first email from them... I was finally able to email back this afternoon. It has been a busy few days..

XOXO,

Conference Call!!

This morning I had our Conference Call with my new IP's!!

First off, let me say that they are amazing! I absolutely adore them already! They seem so genuine and can not wait to have a family! Once we all started talking, the nerves went away and everything went really well. I was so nervous before the call, I barely slept. Our call was at 6:30am pst and 9:30pm their time...

We were all on the phone together for about 30-45 minutes. {Me, My Caseworker, IF, IM & Their Translator} I asked questions, they asked questions. They want to try for a June Transfer, which would mean that I would start my meds in May. Once I get my Psych Eval done and both mine and Dave's blood work done, I believe we will be starting contracts!!

When we were talking and asking questions, I told them that I have a Surrogacy blog and that I will be updating it as things move along. I also told them that I will not display their names or put pictures of them up on here. They were pretty excited about this. They said that it will help them connect with me and the pregnancy more. This made me so happy! When I logged in to write this post, I checked the audience and there were some hits from where they are! This made my heart swell :)

We talked about multiples and if they would like to be in the room when I deliver. They were very grateful when I told them that it was up to them if they wanted to be in the room. It will be their baby/babies and they deserve to be in that room!

So for now our check list consists of this :

- Complete my Psychological Evaluation.
- Complete Mine and Dave's Blood Work.

Thank you for all of your sweet comments and prayers!!