Testing...

So I broke down and tested "early" this morning. Yea. Shame on me! I am a horrible person? :) LOL

So anyway...I wake up at 4:30 this morning feeling like my bladder was going to explode... I took a dollar tree test and a first response. They BOTH came out super super faint... I totally freaked. I took the dollar tree test apart and examined it. I was so nervous. I waited a little while and it didn't go away haha... I was pacing the bathroom and was freaking out a bit. I cried. I text O right away letting him know! I was sooooo excited for them! :) The only thing was that they were so light that they didn't show in any kind of pic. I was a little upset about that...I really wanted them to see what I was seeing. I went back to bed ... mostly just laid there because there was no way I could go back to sleep knowing that I was finally pregnant! :) So I "woke back up" at about 8 when I was able to pee again and re-tested. This time only with a first response. It came out darker then the first! Which was amazing because you could see it on a pic! :) So I sent that to O too. I brought both tests down stairs and made sure that everyone who passed it examined it. Everyone else saw it and said congrats! :)

SOOOOO...I am going to retest in the morning and hoping for a darker line! :)

Transfer Oct 4th!

Ok so... I will update from the top! Because trust me, what's coming deserves it's OWN post!

So anyway...I flew out for the transfer. O and J met me at the airport and were wonderful. They helped me with my luggage and we got settled in at their house. The next morning we all got ready and had breakfast! O and I went to Dr. Zouves' office and later on J met us there. Our appointment was 10am and they didn't end up seeing us until about 11. We had a little "meeting" and they sent me in to do vitals and get dressed :) They gave me valium. OH MY! I am not used to taking muscle relaxers, or even any kind of pain med for that matter! So it totally knocked me out and made me feel almost drunk. Which was weird. I was so worried I would say something stupid about the procedure. LOL. BUT I ended up sounding pretty intelligent from what I remember...considering the state I was in. LOL. So anyway... we go to do the procedure....I'm all in the stir ups and everything...Dr Z proceeds to tell us that 1 in 50 transfers the embryo gets stuck in the cathater. Imagine that. WE were that ONE. So they reloaded and we were done! They were BEAUTIFUL embryos and we got pics :) It was wonderful.

We were in the recovery room and J had to get back to work! POOR THING! I felt so bad that he was running around all day! O stayed with me and we got our post-procedure instructions. Some new meds and new needles. :) O JOY! So then O and I left and headed to In-N-Out. They kept asking me what I wanted for lunch and that's all I could think of! It was the best decision of my life at that point. LOL I was so out of it and ended up napping right after. Later we ordered dinner and everyone camped out in my room, picnic style and we watched "Dancing with the stars".

It was a really great experience and I couldn't imagine having it with anyone else! Everything was almost perfect (besides being 1 in 50)! O drove me to the airport the next day! It was great.....

Final Appointment Before Transfer...

Ok, so I flew out yesterday morning to San Fransisco for my lining check and blood test. They also gave us our date Oct 3rd! A day before my Grandpa's birthday! I am soooo excited! I woke up at like 3:30 am to get ready and my dad and brother drove me to the airport. I was SOOOOO nervous... I haven't been on a plane in 8 years! I was having a panic attack in the security line... I finally made it onto the plane and it was horrible. I am so afraid of heights! The whole plane was full except for one seat! The seat next to me! I made it through and was so excited to get to the airport. "O" picked me up, it was great timing too! He thought he was late, but I think it worked out perfect.

 So we go to the appointment and I went in by myself...we knew the ED was going to be there and didn't want anything to be awkward. The appointment went well and they went over the meds with me again. :) The nurses are great and Dr Z was so proud of me for losing so much weight! 11lbs so far! :) I left the appointment and we were heading to San Jose to grab some lunch.

 We parked in front of Panera and O tells me he got me a present :) So I was so excited! :) Then he starts to tell me that he doesn't want me to think he is weird, but he wasn't sure of what to get a surrogate. He gave my 2 orchid seeds that are to represent the 2 embryos we are transferring. He said they are mine, but he will keep them and grow them. When I give birth we will trade. When they start to flower I can always remember the family I helped start....and how beautiful it is. :) I tried to not cry. I think it is an amazing idea... We had a wonderful lunch and I got to know so much more about him...where he came from, his family. I can't think of anyone more deserving of becoming a parent.

We left to the airport and said our good-bye's. He was worried I would be waiting too long, but I said it was more important for him to get back to work! Which it is...he will need more time off later! :) So I waited in the airport...finally boarded...started listening to my iPod and was bawling the whole way home! I just think it is so awesome! :)

How amazing is it that I have such a good relationship with them? I fly back out on Sunday to transfer on Monday! Then I will come home Tuesday afternoon. :)

Dear Baby(ies)....

Dear baby(ies),
    If you ever read this, I would like you to know that I am working my booty off...literally. I have lost 3lbs in the past week! Dr's orders. I don't think I'm terribly fat, maybe just out of shape. But either way, I just want to let you know I am doing this for your parents. They deserve to have you more then anyone else I know right now... We are all working as a team to get you here. Just know that you are super special because there are MANY people working and doing everything for you and nobody has even met you yet! :)

Love always,
 Surro-mom-manda

Thursday...

Yes, today is thur. I think it is time for an update! So I had my appointment a while ago. It was fun. The drive was crazy and we were super tired, but the appointment went well! And I met with O and J!! We ended up going to their house to meet them. They were even more awesome in person! Just great people, I love them! Their house is just perfect and ready for some little ones!

The RE said they would be getting our calendar soon, and O gave me news today on the egg donor. We are waiting on her stuff now, I am cleared! YAY! Their egg donor is beautiful and they are so handsome...I am sure their baby(ies) will be gorgeous! It will be nice to pop out MORE cute critters! :) I'm not even pregnant yet and I want to meet their kids! haha... I think it will be fun. I will be kind of like an aunt. I hope they don't mind me shopping for the baby(ies)...especially at the end when you start to feel that "nesting". Plus it would be fun to explain to people "o, they aren't mine!" HAHAHAHA and see their faces! Anyway...

I was doing some research and might want a doula during the pregnancy. The one I have been speaking to was also a surrogate. So that support would be nice. Also, she does placenta encapsulating. Might be interesting, and hopefully will help my milk production!


In unrelated news, Alayna started back in school. She is a big 1st grader now. :) I am sooooo proud of my baby!

That's enough of an update for now, folks! Happy Thursday!

Amanda :)

RE appointment tomorrow...

Ok so, today hubby and I signed contracts and got them over to our good friend "C" at our agency. So that is done and out of the way. Also today I got the rental car that will take my sisster and I out to Foster City tomorrow to visit with our RE. I am getting a hysteroultrasonogram and hopefully our calendar! This is so exciting and I can't believe it is all happening.

I get to meet "O" tomorrow and hopefully "J" if he is able to miss work :) Either way I think it is awesome and I am so excited. It is going to be a long drive, but I have most of my things ready. We have to leave the house by like 5am to make it there on time. I have a 1:30pm appointment. I am able to eat a light breakfast and no lunch! Of course I will abide by their rules, but hopefully it doesn't make me a cranky girl! :)

Anyway, off to bed, I will update when I get back. I need to get some zzzz's for my long journey tomorrow! :)

Needed an update! ;)

SOOOOO! I haven't really updated much. I have been waiting on my appointment to hopefully give some good news with dates and stuff! I have really been keeping in touch with O&J. Mostly O and I write each other emails and text messages. We get along great and I feel like I can talk to him about anything. I feel comfortable. Which is a good feeling. I have been really anxious about the appointment, so I have been writing long emails and trying to occupy my time. I've been keeping busy with the kids, but still need to do other things to keep myself from going crazy! Thankfully the appointment is exactly 1 week from now. My sister is going with me, we will have to wake up super early to get there on time. It is 6hours away from my house. The appointment is at 1pm, so to get there on time (my "on time" is early!) we will have to leave possibly around 5am. We have to account for restroom breaks, traffic, getting lost! Haha, that's my biggest issue...sometimes I get a bit lost. Sine my GPS on my phone has been acting up, we need to rely on some fabulous mapquest directions!

Anyway, the RE's office gave me some meds to take the day before the procedure. I just can't wait! Then once we have actual dates, we will have another date to obsess on! I am hoping to be pregnant by the end of Sept.! That would make the baby(ies) due date in the month of my bday! :) Who doesn't like a Gemini?? And what better to share with my little surro-angels? My birth month! That would be great. It would be just as great for their birthday to fall on any other month. I just feel blessed to be a part of them. This seems to be getting terribly long, and my kids need to get in the bath! :) Until next time.... :) :) :)