Chloe's Prediction?

So today my package was sent to IVF clinic! Yay! One step closer :) So now I just wait to hear from the clinic so we can set up an appointment for my medical screening. I got the e-mail after work today and my husband and I were just talking about how much quicker things were moving than we had expected (not complaining of course!). Then my daughter chips in and says, "We can talk to her. Can't we?" She looked at us like it was a matter of fact and we weren't entirely sure who she was talking about, so Rocky asked her, "Talk to who?" She answers, "The baby!" Well of course you can talk to her all you want while I carry her...funny how she assumes it's a girl :) Wonder what she knows that I dont? Haha :)

I think it's time I updated my blog!

Work last week actually passed pretty quickly which was great :) It was also pretty uneventful so I won't bore you with that. So, in more exciting news: Sunday I was able to Skype with Mark! This conversation lasted much longer than the initial meet and it felt great! I look forward to future communications. They are so down to earth it is awesome! And I didn't realize that the schools their require that students learn to swim around the age 7 and they are required to learn a foreign language (English is the most common). America should do that! If America did that....I would know how to do more than just float! I thought it was cute that they are already worried about getting the baby into a good Primary school, lol. I think it's safe to say this baby will be WELL prepared for!

Something else I learned was that if everything goes smoothly I could be pregnant by the end of May. That was a little bit of a suprise to me, I was estimating longer than that but I have absolutely no problems with it being sooner. :) As far as the actual process goes, right now I get to wait for the IVF clinic to contact me and set up a medical appointment. I'm estimating somewhere between 2 and 3 weeks from now.

In other activities the only other thing we did this weekend was attend our monthly American Legion Riders meeting. They have a bike show coming up next month and they are preparing for that. Rocky and I will help with set up, I will help with registration (where they register their bikes to be judged for the chance of a shirt and a trophy) and I was asked to help hand out trophies. I think that will be the fun part :)

So I thought I'd post some pics of my siblings and mom. These are pictures taken after my little brother Matthew graduated Marine boot camp in January this year (well except for the last one):

 

My Mom with the newly graduated Marine :)

 

My little sister Maryann with her fiance and two kids (and Matt of course). She is one year younger than me. Her kids oldest to youngest are Lexi and Morgan.

 

Close up of Maryann's youngest :) Say HI Morgan!

Both of my little brothers together. You already know Matt, the one in red is Thomas. Thomas is 7 and a half years younger than me, Matt is 5 and a half years younger than me :)

 

The REALLY short girl with the orange shirt (sorry Liz haha! :P) is my older sister, Liz. With her is Matt of course and her husband and their three kids. Her kids from oldest to youngest are named: Dillon, Colton and Leighton.

 

Here she is again! She tried long and hard for a little girl before Leighton finally came :)

 

Leighton by herself with her Adorable Binky!

 

Matt at his graduation, Mom flew all the way to California for this!

 

This is just one of my favorites showing my husband (Rocky) and my daughter (Chloe) :)

Meeting Time!

Well we have officially 'met' Mark and Yvon via Skype!  They are truly an adorable couple. You just know they belong together. I know I was nervous about the meeting today but I think they were actually more nervous than I was and I actually appreciated that fact. My husband didn't seem to be nervous at all! So it was nice to feel like I wasn't the only one, lol. The conversation didn't last real long but it was enough to know that we can feel comfortable around each other. I felt like this was something they really wanted to work and so do we, so I look forward to taking the next step :) It'll be so fun to be able to send them big pregnant belly pics!


What I especially love about this couple is the fact that they are open minded. But more than that is the willingness to move on and live the way they want to without allowing the opinions/judgments of others change the way they feel about each other and their desire to have a baby to love and care for together. Everybody would be happier with their lives if they could do the same.

We actually tried to explain to my daughter what our plans were, but in an explanation that a five year old would accept. I'm not worried about her having any issues with it. She's always adapted to new things quickly...just like her mama! So I told her that we were going to meet a nice coupe who wanted to have a baby. But they aren't able to carry their own baby so I might be carrying it for them until it is big enough to come out. Then they will take it home. Rocky asked her if that was okay and without pausing she says, "YEP!" Of course only time will really tell. I'm sure she will ask questions later on but right now she doesn't seem to have any, lol.

Cardiologist!

I can't believe I forgot to tell you! I seen my Cardiologist Thursday and...he okayed me to be pregnant, no concerns whatsoever :) He will go ahead and write up a letter to fax in just in case the IVF doctor wants it. So I was finally be able to drop off that OB/GYN form for my doctor to sign :)

Tomorrow...

Tomorrow at 10 am my husband and I will be meeting our potential match! We were able to review their profile Wednesday night after which we talked about it and then sent an email letting them know we accepted. I was contacted Thursday to see if Sunday would be a good day for us to meet. Well, of course!

They seem like a very nice couple from the Netherlands. They have been looking into having a baby since 1998! But didn't start researching surrogacy until about a year and half ago or so. They are an older couple in which case age can play a big role in the decision of carrying a baby for them. So let me tell you what I got from their profile:

• A couple that has been together for approximately 15 years
• Pictures that show a loving couple
• Support and excitement from their family for them
• Experience with children
• I feel that not only do they seem to care deeply for one another, but there seems to be a solid and supportive friendship as well (which reminds me of my own husband)
• I feel there is no reason to believe that this child won't have the care and attention he/she deserves and will be well cared for

I was surprised to see that the female had quite a few years on her partner, but it was a good surprise :) You see, my own husband is 32 years older than me. We met at work when I was working security in Kansas City. We started off as friends which quickly grew to be really, really good friends. I could talk to this man about anything, ask him anything, etc. He was completely honest with me, even if it was something I didn't want to hear. Two years later we started hanging out. Even at that point I never thought we would end up getting together and marrying. But one day it just hit me: Here is this man in my life who accepts me the way that I am, views the world the way I do, supports my decisions, is honest with me to a fault, loves my daughter and treats her well, is always there when I need him, and never once disrespected my boundaries... so I thought some more... and realized that there was nobody else in this world that I would rather spend time with than him. And in the end I decided that no matter how much time he has left in this world, I want it all. We got engaged and six months later we were married :)

Was he perfect? Nobody is! Lol. He tends to have a short temper and has this thing with time...he has to be early (by like 30 minutes!) or in his mind he is late...not good for somebody who treasures her sleeping hours, lol. But he was and still is, perfect for me :) (Because for every idiosyncracy he has, I have one to! But I won't be going into mine right now, lol!) But we have since stripped my ex of his parental rights to my daughter and my husband is now her 'legal' father! She carries his name and everything!

For some reason, even as a youth, I have always gotten along better with those older than me anyway. I just didn't seem to see eye to eye with those my age. I had one teacher write at the bottom of an essay I had turned in that I had knowledge beyond my years...it made me feel good :)

But back to the Intended Parents: I feel that age should never be looked upon as a handicap. Get to know the people behind the number before passing judgment. Nowadays there are grandparents raising their grandchildren because the parents are too immature to take on their responsibilities. My husband has two grandchildren that are more than twice the age of our daughter and he is a GREAT father :) I didn't read anything in that profile to make me think we wouldn't get along just fine, I hope it goes well tomorrow and I look forward to 'meeting' them via Skype and maybe this journey will move forward :)

Something I want to add before I go: just about everybody at work knows about my plans to be a surrogate mother now...and I have received absolutely ZERO negative feedback! I love it! Both my husband's supervisor and my own are 100% supportive and willing to work around any time we will need to take off for this. My supervisor actually looked me straight in the eyes and told me: "I really like what you are doing. I think it is commendable and not something many people talk about." And this is a guy talking! It's just nice to know that I had absolutely no reason to be nervous about informing him of my plans.

It's Been A Good Week :)

Well, I would consider it to be a pretty good week :)  Yesterday we received our first file of intended parents to review, and review we did. It was a gay couple from France. I was a little surprised to see that they lived in France. I don't know why when I already knew that international couples were a possibility but I wasn't expecting it, lol. Anyway they seem like really nice people who have wanted this for far too long. I truly believe they know what they want and are prepared to make the changes necessary to obtain it. We sent in our reply approving the file and then it was our turn to wait to hear back from them. I thought about it all day today...will they like me? What will think of my profile? etc.

Well I had an email in my inbox today letting me know that they did in fact pass on my profile. So...now we wait for another file to review. I wondered what it would feel like to be turned away, and I am surprised to be able to say that I didn't feel bad about it. It didn't hurt my feelings at all. They know what they want and they knew that I would not fulfill what they needed. I hope they do find the right person to carry a child for them, at least you know they aren't rushing into anything.

Tomorrow I get to do my mental evaluation and then they day after that is my Cardiologist Appointment! Can't wait to get that done and out of the way! So this will be a very good week. I feel like the whole process is moving along at a pretty good clip and though I would love to find the right couple to carry for, I know their file will find their way to me.

I kind of took a step back and tried to imagine what I would be looking for if I was looking for somebody to carry my child. I think it would be hard not to be super picky because you want everything to be perfect. I wonder if I would focus too much on small details that ultimately would play no roll in the carrying of the child or if I would be realistic about it. I would constantly worry about whether or not she was eating right, overdoing it, etc. I think it would be a very hard decision to make. Would definately have to feel a connection between us before anything was a go, that's for sure.

Hmm, well tonight is workout night. Every Tuesday and Thursday we get a small class together and my husband teaches Martial Arts. We used to go over a lot of cage-related work, but just recently we started the Traditional Arts. You know where you learn stances and kata? It's killer on your legs! The art he teaches (and created himself) is Shin-Gahn-Do. He developed it using all the strengths of several other systems to create a more rounded art that can be used both on the ground and standing up, as well as in close quarters. It's fun and I actually enjoy it...except for those days I feel like being lazy, lol. But even then after a few minutes it's all good and I can get into it :)

Chloe had her first little school project this last week. In Kindergarten! Starting them young I tell ya. Haha. It was nothing big she just had to get a collection of 100 items (all the same item) and organize them into rows of ten for easier counting. So I bought a big posterboard and a big bag of sparkly foam stars and let her have at it. She was so proud when she finished it! I hope her excitement for schoolwork sticks! She took it school yesterday, I'll have to take a picture of it when she brings it back :)

Whoo-hoo!! It's Friday :) I am SOOO looking forward to sleeping in. I'm pretty stoked right now...not only because it is Friday...but because I've taken a few more steps on my journey to becoming a gestational carrier. My phone screening is done, my husband's phone screening is done, medical records approved,  backgrounds approved and commitment letter sent in! Still have to wait on my Cardiologist appointment :( ...But it is less than a week away! Thursday morning :) The wait, well this waiting period, will come to an end soon.

So anyway, funny story, or at least I thought it was funny. :P Yesterday after my husbands dental appointment we picked up the girls (our one and my sister's two) on the way back home. Lexi (my sister's oldest who is same age as Chloe) ends up getting my husband's attention:

Lexi: "Rocky...Rocky....Rocky.."

Rocky: "What?"

Lexi: "I eat my burger."

Rocky: "Good, that's good..."frowns, pulls a questioning look and then asks, "Where did you get a burger from?"

Lexi: "Out my nose!"

Rocky: Look of horror on his face. "EWWWW!!!!"

I was laughing so hard! I couldn't believe he didn't catch on to what she really meant, but it was hilarious to see truth hit him! ...But seriously, that is pretty gross.

Well today I was able to commit to a time for the Social Worker Screening Telephone Interview! :) It's tomorrow at 2:00 my time, 3:00 her time due to the time zone difference. Then the following day my husband will be doing the Support Screening over his lunch break! :) Also, they have my medical records from when I was pregnant with my daughter and they are being reviewed by the IVF Doctor. Speaking of doctors, my cardiologist will see me 9 days from now! I'm keeping everything in perspective though. I am excited to feel like i am progressing but I also understand that there are no guaranteeds. But one will never know if they don't try.

So on another topic, my husband's grandson stayed over on Saturday. I also ended up watching my sister's two little ones. So we had an 11 year old, a 5 year old (two if you count mine) and a nearly 9 month old. The 11 year old is Ramsay. My sister's are Lexi and Morgan. Ramsay has ADHD and is on medication for it. Now I don't think I would call Lexi ADHD, but she is very similar to Ramsay in their personalities and just their overall being. Well...they clashed. They would get along, clash, get along, clash, (continue pattern). My husband told me it would happen that way, he saw it coming before I did, lol. But Chloe got along great with both of them and Morgan (9 month old) was a very happy baby. We had a movie night with popcorn which helped. Despite his differences (or similarities) with my niece he had a good time and wants to come back soon. My husband is going to put World of Tanks on my computer so he can play it some next time he is here.

Video games...pc games...it's hard for me to really get into those. I might try one here and there, play for a few days and then lose interest in it. It just seems...what's the word....so unproductive. It's purely entertainment (though short lived) or a time filler to me, it could never be a hobby of mine. Movies? Netflix? Now that's another story! LOL. I can get drawn into a movie or a good book easy :) I don't know that it is really considered more productive (the movie part) than a video game, but it does hold my interest more than one.

I haven't talked to my older sister in a bit, I will call her tonight :) She is 7 1/2 years older than me, has been married to her husband for 8 or 9 years and has three kids with him. Two boys and one girl: Dillon, Colton and Leighton. She is a wonderful mother, unfortunately she lives in Omaha which is quite a drive from me so we only see them two to three times a year at family get togethers. She is a stay at home mother right now. She says she isn't ready for Colton to start Kindergarten but that's where he will go next year. She had a hard time when Dillon started school to. At least for now she will have Leighton home for a few more years.

Well, i'll do more typing some other time.

See ya!

Yesterday I received a surprise email, it was from Circle Surrogacy pre-accepting my insurance carrier. I actually had a wave of excitement wash through me at which I promptly had to remind myself not to get so excited. Afterall there is a lot more to go through than just the check on my insurance carrier, lol. But I am another week closer to my Cardiologist appointment! :)

So my husband had all his teeth pulled out for dentures yesterday! He  handled it really well, no complaining, no griping...just a two hour nap later in the afternoon :) He is blending all of his food because it hurts too much to try and chew with his new teeth right now. He tried to though, after which he promptly decided he wouldn't try again until after his sutures are removed next Thursday, lol. Can't say I blame him! But I must say that with his teeth in, he looks a few years younger ;)

I also had my first dental appointment in a few years...i was both scared and anxious to hear what the 'damage' would be. I thought for sure I was going to need some work, especially after my sister had gone to Topeka to have two cavities filled and found out she needed 8! But...I am happy to report that I had absolutely NO cavities! They just gave me a good cleaning and recommended switching my toothpaste to Sensodyne or Crest Sensitive. Thank Goodness! My daughter was adorable, she had her first dentist appointment, she is 5 years old. She was super excited about getting her teeth cleaned and enjoyed every minute of it. Silly little girl. Now she is going around telling people that her teeth sparkle in the sun. LOL! It's adorable :) I am also now making it a priority that at the beginning of every year we all make a trip to the dentist. I want to make sure Chloe takes care of her teeth and is monitored by a professional. I didn't have my first dental appointment until I was in high school so I didn't immediately see the importance of it but I have learned that there is a lot more to the upkeep of your mouth than a lot of people realize and i would like to keep mine for the rest of my life. Preventative care will save you a lot in the long run :)

I am looking forward to the arrival of spring here. This is when I will learn how to ride a motorcycle solo! I have my learner's permit already, I have until the end of June to go back for the actual test. The president of the Tail Draggers motocycle group is lending me his bike so I can learn on something smaller than the 1100 we own. Can't wait! I will expound a bit here: my husband and I are both members of the Tail Draggers motorcycle group. He is the Vice-President and I am the Secretary/Treasurer. It is a very very young group and is not very big yet, but the idea is to try and pull people together and do things for the community like help out at fundraisers or helping people in need. We hope it catches and grows but only time will tell. The bigger it gets the more we can do :)

Tomorrow we will be driving to Kansas City to go and pick up my husband's grandson. There won't be any downtime I am sure. This boy will keep you running! :) Chloe gets along with him fine so I am hoping she has fun with him this weekend to. Anyway we pick him up tomorrow and will take him back home on Sunday so he can get back to school Monday. Will let you know how it goes!