And overnight, out popped a belly :-)

I went out to my company work party the other day and until then I had been wearing mainly sweats and sweatshirts.  When I put my dress on for the evening, I noticed that my "bump" had appeared, virtually overnight!

 11 weeks

11 weeks



So naturally, now that I am out of the, "is she pregnant or just gaining weight" stage, I went shopping lol.  I can now wear real clothes (even though sweats and sweatshirts are my 1st choice still) and look cute :-) 

When the bump, bumps.. that's when it becomes real!  Up until this point, I haven't "felt" pregnant.  I have no morning sickness, I lost weight from eating so healthy, I have no aches and pains, I had no gassy feelings, etc.  I have just been so tired that I could sleep for a week straight, that's about it lol.

11 weeks

A little update..

A LOT to update!!  I feel like I have been crazy busy working, kids soccer and school and the holidays.  I've neglected this poor blog :-(

So to start, currently I am 10 weeks!!  Woo hoo!!  Baby boy is growing nicely and is very strong.  Last appointment showed a heart rate of 170 which is perfect for 9 weeks (at the time of the ultrasound). 

He actually looks somewhat like a baby now!!

Love this sound!!

 

I am finally starting to get a little belly, though its just looking like I'm a little overweight right now.  I have moved into stretch waist jeans (jeggings) lol.  The lowest part of my stomach is starting to feel hard as well, which is a turning point in pregnancy for me because a preggo belly is right around the corner :-)

 

The little belly :-)

 

This little boy is behaving so nicely for me so far while I babysit him for 9 months!!  He has me eating nothing but healthy foods, feeling really great (besides being exhausted) and no morning sickness!! Already he is a sweet little boy and I cant wait until he meets his sweet father!!

 

The greatest part of the last couple weeks, I GOT TO STOP MY INJECTIONS!!!! After 3 months of hormone injections, I finally was able to wean off of them and stop!  My bum was so lumpy and tired of being poked, its thanking me now lol.  The injections never really hurt (unless I got a nerve and then I felt it for a couple days longer), they just got to be a nuisance.

 

I cannot thank my daughter enough!!  Jaden has been the best kid anyone could ask for.. she cooks for me, makes sure I don't have to clean alone and she is always there to allow me time to rest when this baby has me down right sleepy.  She will make a great wife in 40 years (she's 12) lol. 

 

 

 

My IF and his mother will be coming to CA in February and I am so excited to see them and have them meet my kids (hoping they're on their best behavior).  He's such a great guy and I am beyond happy for him!!

 

A little update..

So I went in for an ultrasound to follow up from the BETAS and I was 5 weeks and 1 day, they couldn't do the heartbeat confirmation then because I was a little too early still and the clinic I went to ended up not doing any monitoring after pregnancy confirmation.. I had to wait another week and a half (anyone who knows me knows that I am not patient, but this journey has taught me to be lol).

Fast forward to today, 6 weeks and 5 days :-) Today is my birthday, the big 30!! Today is also my heartbeat confirmation ultrasound. I went in at 9am and it was the best gift ever.. a nice, strong, healthy baby boy heartbeat of 129!!

 

To top my birthday off, my AMAZING IF got me a gift. He bought me a BEAUTIFUL, 100% cashmere sweater that is so perfect in color and size and taste, I cant even explain how thoughtful and kind that is.

 

Me wearing the sweater :-)

 

One last bonus pic of the baby boy.. I hope you all enjoy <3

 

I couldn't think of a better way to bring in my 30's!! I am truly blessed..

 

BETAS BETAS BETAS

I went for my BETAS on 11/11/2014 and 11/13/2014.  My first round of BETAS were........ **drum roll please**........ 70!!!!  My second set of BETAS were..................................... 221!!!!  More than tripled in 2 days.  My IF was ecstatic and I am so overjoyed for him!!  We have our first ultrasound on Thursday 11/20/2014 and I cannot wait to see the little bean and hear his little bean heartbeat :-)  So far this pregnancy, I am EXHAUSTED.. like, sleep 13 hours a night, falling asleep on the couch or in the car and nearly pinning my eyes open anytime after I eat.. kind of tired!!  Lol :-)  Other than being tired, I don't have much of an appetite and I've been in such a great mood lately.  No morning sickness and my bloating has gone down.  I am enjoying knowing that I am growing life for another person.. its such an incredible feeling!!

BFP!!!!

Big fat POSITIVE that is :-)

Baby boy is happy and baking away and making me tired lol!!  I don't care, as long as he is growing and healthy.

I go in for my blood test tomorrow to check my BETA (HGC) levels and make sure that everything looks good and my levels are nice and high.  My IF and I agreed to do a home test TODAY and this was our result!

 

He was OVER THE MOON happy :-)

 

We got to FaceTime this weekend and agreed that we were lucky to meet each other and that there was a connection.  I am so happy for him!!!!  I will post blood results tomorrow :-)

Transfer Complete..

Transfer is done and baby embie is baking away.. oh, its a BOY!!

 

Stephanie and I flew down to LA on Monday and settled into our hotel room.  Transfer was at 915am the next morning and I couldn't sleep if my life depended on it, I was so anxious and excited!  We woke up early Tuesday morning and walked to Starbucks right down the way from the hotel and had breakfast.  We then went back to the room and just hung out for a while since the traffic was so crazy to drive anywhere and look around.  We headed to the clinic around 9am (it was a 2 minute drive) and checked in and waited.  At around 10am they took us back and explained what was going to happen and then we waited a few mins for the Doc.  He came in and asked if we were thinking pink or blue.. this was a shocker to me since I had no idea they were doing the PGD.  I thought pink and Steph thought blue and she was right.. baby boy was the best quality embryo!!  Within 15 minutes he was all nestled into my womb and ready to start implantation.  Dr. B made us wait about 15 mins (I was dying with a full bladder lol) and then we went and grabbed some lunch.  We then headed back to the hotel to start bed rest.  I laid on the bed with pillows under my legs and binged on all the snacks I could eat and TV I could watch :-)

 

 

I flew home Wednesday and slept almost the entire night after I got home.. I have been SO exhausted!!  I am continuing my meds and injections and go for the pregnancy test on Tuesday!  Such an exciting experience and my IF couldn't be better support!!

 

 

 

PIO (Progesterone in oil)

Stopped my Lupron injections and started my Crinone Gel (Yuck) and my PIO. Thank goodness I got to stop the Lupron, the shots didn't want to go into my stomach anymore lol.  I started up my PIO (1cc) and iced the area like I do with my Delestrogen injections, prepped the meds and was thankful I get to use a 25G needle instead of the 22G (big difference lol).  When I first went in I think I hit a nerve so I gently pulled back a little and went at a different angle and everything went very smoothly.  I then massaged the area to get the oil distributed and to not leave any knots in the muscle and I sat with a rice pack for a while.  Sometime in the middle of the night my whole injection area got super sore and I couldn't even lay on it.  I really thank goodness (again), that I have a very high pain tolerance!!  I'm sure as the days and weeks go on (I need to take the PIO everyday for 10 weeks) it will get easier and better, but the thought of injecting into the same sore spot kinda makes my knees weak lol.

My IF and I talked last night and he is so encouraging and thoughtful.. I wish he could be there for the transfer, but hopefully we can Skype!!  He let me know that I can take my time and rest and not feel rushed to get back home if I'm tired, that was extremely thoughtful and kind!  We are both more and more excited as the transfer nears and so hopeful! 

The egg retrieval went great and they were able to get 27 eggs :-)  Awesome news!!  Within the next couple days we will get to see how many eggs are good quality and my IF decided to go with one embryo of the best quality.. so no twins unless this baby splits!  Stephanie (my best friend and companion for the transfer) and I will be flying into LA Monday night and my transfer is the next morning.  We don't fly home until Wednesday.. I will miss my kids, but it will be a nice little get-a-way! 

I cant wait until next week.. please send us all the love and prayers you all have :-)  Thanks for following!!

Transfer date.. SET!!!!

November 4th is my confirmed transfer date and I am SUPER excited!  I just received my new calendar and WOW, lots of things to do to prepare for the transfer but I am OH SO READY :-)

We are doing a 6 day embryo transfer.. meaning, we will be transferring 6 days after they had done the egg retrieval.  So fresh eggs it is :-)  This usually has the highest rate of "sticking" and ending up in a successful pregnancy, even more exciting!

I will be flying to my clinic with my best friend who is taking time away from her family to accompany me and I cannot say how blessed I am to have her in my life!  This experience and journey just keeps getting better and better. 

In the last few months I have really been amazed at the human body, my body to be exact.  I cant believe how much it can endure (the injections lol) and how quickly it has taken to the medicine and reacted in a positive way.

I cant wait to update on the trip to LA and my transfer.. more to come :-)

10.29mm, my lining that is :-)

Yup, that's right, 10.29mm is my endo lining!!  I am so excited.. my body is working, my meds are working and my prayers are working!  The monitoring facility says my lining is perfect and I'm ready.  Tentatively I have 2 weeks until transfer and I am so excited I want to shout from the rooftops lol. 

On a side note, while I was at the fertility clinic I realized even more why I chose to be a surrogate.  I didn't realize how many people truly have fertility problems and spend so much of their time trying to achieve something I was naturally blessed to create on my own.  If I could help and pop out babies left and right for those who cannot, I would.  I watched each person today, I prayed for them and I quietly to myself, wished them luck on whatever journey they were taking. 

I am super excited for the upcoming weeks and I know my IF will be so overjoyed with the news from today!!  I cant wait to let him know the results. 

Thinking FLUFFY thoughts..

So, its been kind of a busy couple weeks.. injections are going good (minus the light headed episode I had on Friday).  Tonight is my last night of soccer until after the baby (I'm thinking ahead and thinking positive).. I will miss it so much!!  Tomorrow is my second and last monitoring appt before our transfer in 2 WEEKS gahhhhhhh, I'm so excited!!  I'm thinking fluffy thoughts for tomorrow and need all the positive vibes I can get, that my lining is nice and thick and ready for my IF's baby!!  My IF (Intended Father) and I have been chatting a couple times a week and continuing to learn so much about each other.. such an awesome experience!  If anyone reading my blog ever chooses to do surrogacy, go with your gut on your intended parents!!  The match with my IF has just felt right since day 1.. we had all the same wishes and thoughts for this journey and just clicked.  I am so hopeful for him and this experience and his future with his baby (or babies hehe)!!  I will be taking pictures tomorrow at the monitoring appt and updating again.  Thanks for following :-)

My excited look :-)

I'm a pin cushion and a pill popper..

I take 4 pills in the morning, 2 at lunch time and 2 at dinner time.. everyday!  Everyone asks me if it's worth it, worth all the work it takes to help someone.. my answer, MOST DEFINITELY!!  Tonight is my Delestrogen shot again and then off to soccer, that should be interesting lol.  This process has been so amazing and eye opening to so many things, from showing me how strong my body is to showing me how amazing and supportive people are!  I am now speaking with my IF a few times out of the week and learning so much more about him and his background and its really such a magical experience!!  Each step gets better and better and I cant wait for the rest!

Well hello there Delestrogen..

So, Friday was my first Delestrogen injection and I had myself so worked up that I procrastinated until late in the evening.  I set myself all up in the bathroom, grabbed a long knee high sock and filled it with rice, heated the sock and stuck the Delestrogen inside the sock to heat a little.  I drew a line on my bottom to show me exactly where the shot needed to be (I want everything to go perfectly).  I filled up my needle, iced my bottom with a sausage roll lol and proceeded to inject the meds.  I thought I would continue to procrastinate at this time, but it was a 1.. 2.. 3.. and IN!!  It didn't feel like anything at all, no sting, no stick, no nothing!!  The ice was AMAZING :-)  I think I should have gone in at more of an angle because when i was close to the needle being all the way in, I felt a little pain so I retracted the needle a tiny bit and went a little higher and didn't feel a thing (I probably hit a nerve).  I pulled back a little to see if there was any blood and nothing was there, so I slowly pushed the medicine in so I wouldn't get a lump.  I found the medicine really easy to inject and then it was all over.  Easy and clean!  I used my homemade rice warmer to place on the injection site and disperse the meds.  I havent felt a lump or any ill side effects.. other than HORRID hot flashes and a minimal headache (but I think this is from the Lupron).  But I have FINALLY stopped bleeding, first time in over 2 months and I am SO happy about that.. I'm thinking fluffy thoughts for my next monitoring appt :-) 

First lining check.. CHECK!!

Today I had my first monitoring appt to check my lining and see if I've "shed" all the old endometrial lining.. I HAVE :-)  YAY!!  Never thought I would be so happy to have bled for 2 months straight (sorry for the TMI) lol.  I now get to lower my dose of Lupron starting Friday and start my Delestrogen then too!  I will be taking the Delestrogen 2 times a week and the Lupron everyday, that means 2 SHOTS IN 1 DAY SOMETIMES.. ahhhhh lol.  I also had blood work done today and everything looks great :-)  I've never been so happy to be poked, prodded and stuck with needles in my life!!  I am continually crossing my fingers for good results at my next lining check and then hoping for the first week of November for my transfer.  I've had more communication with my IF lately and it's been really nice!  He's awesome and I cant wait to share such an amazing journey with him and get to know him even better as the days go on :-)

Vitameatavegamin.. LOL

I FINALLY stopped my birth control pills.. YAY!!  I'm now onto the 1 baby aspirin a day and the prenatal and reproductive vitamins!!  This week I will be pumping myself up for the Delestrogen (intramuscular) shot on Friday.. I've been studying the place on my behind/hip that I will be injecting it at, poking myself with my nail to see how bad it will hurt lol and telling myself that I can do this.  Once the initial injection is over, the rest will come easy.. its the fist one I'm nervous about.  I have my first monitoring appt this Wednesday the 8th and will get to see what my lining currently looks like and then start crossing my fingers for the big lining build up for the 22nd appt.  I get more and more excited as the journey goes on and I'm so happy that my IF is so wonderful!!

I am the LUCKIEST mom alive... **brag moment**

I am the the LUCKIEST mom alive!!!!  My daughter is AMAZING and I really cant ever say enough good things about her.  Everyday she shows me more and more how truly blessed I am to be her mother.  She's one of my biggest supporters so far on this journey and the other night she helped me in the biggest way!!  She did my injection for me.  She didn't hesitate, she didn't second guess herself and she didn't have any fear.  It was clean, easy and painless.. no bruising after either!!  She has always wanted to be a nurse and I think she has the heart for it.  Not only is she my only daughter, but my best friend as well!  Shes the most generous, intelligent, kind, loving and talented individual I know.  I learn from her daily and I love watching her grow into a young lady with more potential than i ever could have even imagined.  I AM TRULY BLESSED <3

 

Getting to know me :-)

So I figured I would write a little bit about myself so whoever reads this can get a little bit of an idea of who I am and what I'm about. 

I am 29 and a single mother to 3 amazing children.  My daughter is 11, my son is 8 and my other son is 7.  I work full time, play soccer once a week (which will end shortly) and attend 6 days worth of soccer practices and games for my children.  I was born and raised in CA, but I lived in GA and VA for a while and LOVE the East Coast!  I'm a very strong minded woman who is also very opinionated.  I am an only child who was raised by a single mother. 

I love laughing and enjoying life.  I am goofy and a big kid at heart.  My idea of a perfect Friday/Saturday night, is laying on the couch with my kiddos watching movies and eating popcorn!  As I stated before, everything I do is for my children.. I can live when they're grown :-)

My greatest influences in my life have been my grandparents.  My grandfather was the pillar of my family and one of the greatest men to walk this earth and to be able call him my grandfather, I am grateful!!  He was giving, nurturing, loving, thoughtful and kind.  He touched more lives than he ever really knew and I strive daily to be like him.  When he left this world, he left a void and a legacy and I want nothing more than to do the same.  My nana was the strongest woman I know.. always battling some health issue and never ever complaining or asking "why her".  She taught me that there could always be something worse, to never give up and to fight for life! 

I believe in helping others, teaching my children that if we have enough of something to give.. then give it, not judging others because you never know what choices you would make being in their shoes, loving life and living every second of it! 

That's a little bit about me and I'm sure you all will learn more along this journey :-)  Stay tuned...

Let the injections/meds begin.. Lupron, you're up first!

So on Friday I received my "package" in the mail.  All my meds were finally in.. YAY!!  I had to wait until yesterday (Tuesday) to start the injections though, so i had all weekend to AMP myself up lol.  I'm not afraid of needles, thank goodness.. because this box, was NO JOKE!!  So yesterday i continued to AMP myself up for the injection that night.  I thought i was doing a pretty good job of it.. until i got home, opened the box, prepped the medication/needle and the injection site lol.  I just couldn't do it.  I couldn't stab myself with a needle.  No matter how much i talked myself into it, wasn't afraid of needles and prepared myself for days.. it wasn't happening!!  Thank goodness my mom was there and MORE than willing to stab me with the needle lol.  After she did it, i realized i had worked myself up for nothing.  No pinch.  No pain.  No stinging.  No nothing!!  1, 2, 3 and i was done. 

I started my Zpack today and will be taking 1 pill for 4 days and then i stop my birth control pills and start the prenatal vitamins, aspirin and intramuscular shots (now these i will have to REALLY talk myself into).  I have 2 appts coming up for blood work and lining monitoring.  Prepping this body for a baby.. its not easy but once they hand my IF the baby, ill know it was all worth it!!

Let's get physical, physical..

So I went for my physical and psychological on July 29th.  I was flown to LA where I first had to learn how to drive through the crazy streets to get to my appts.. That was pretty fun!  I made it to my psychological where I met with a really nice woman who had tons of questions for me and even an activity on the computer.  There were about 600 questions (not sure if this is quite accurate lol), all seemingly easy but having had only a couple hours sleep, it seemed to take forever.  Once I was done, the woman let me know that I was ready to start the journey and she had no doubts that I was perfect for it.  I left there, grabbed some food and headed the 45 mins to my next appt.. The physical.  Once i got there they took me right back and were soooo sweet!  They examined me and did a mock run with sterile solution to see if my uterus could hold a child and if there were any masses or unknown problems.  I was then told that I am a "uterine rockstar" lol.  Apparently my body is made to carry and birth babies :-). That news made my whole day!  They took some blood work and I was on my way back to the airport.  2 weeks later I was medically cleared and the journey continues....

How did I choose to become a surrogate? Always the first question im asked :-)

This is always the first thing I'm asked when I tell people of my journey.  How did you decide to do that?  Well, since I can remember, I always wanted to have my own children and knew that being a mommy was going to be my greatest accomplishment.  When I got pregnant at 17, though young, i knew she was sent to me for a reason.  A few months before I found out I was pregnant, my mother had a miscarriage and it devastated her.  At that point, I had thought about surrogacy even though it wasn't as spoken about at that time.  I never followed through with it and went on to have 2 more children.  I was lucky enough to have great pregnancies and perfect births.  My family was complete after my youngest son was born and i decided to tie my tubes.  Its now been 7 years since I was last pregnant and I am definitely excited for this journey. My choice to be a surrogate really came because I've seen families devastated by infertility or the inability to be able to have children of their own through traditional ways and if I can provide someone the gift of life with my body (since I am built to have babies), then why not?!? I also loved being pregnant (I just don't want to add anymore children to the Walker Clan LOL) and I cant wait to help my IF feel the joy of being a parent like I do.  In March of this year, I found my agency, applied, was matched, medically cleared and just started my injections yesterday!  So far this journey has been exciting, meaningful and touching.. i cant wait to see what the rest of the journey is like :-) OASN (On A Side Note):  My agency is AMAZING and so is my IF!!  I am one lucky lady!