Surrogacy at 17 Weeks!!!

This past Tuesday was our official 17 week mark!!! Yayy! I can't believe we are this far along already, almost to that half way point! It is a little bitter sweet though, I feel like this journey has gone so quickly and I'm not sure I want it to end so soon. I supposed I have 23 more weeks to soak it all up and then decide how bad I do or don't want it to end (hehehe) I'm guessing labor will definitely make me want it to.

Here is our 17 week belly photo :0

There has been some slight changes since our 14 week photo. I feel the baby move everyday now just kicking and swimming away. I feel the movement at this point mostly right after I eat or right after I get home from work at night. Maybe this will be a night baby like our daughter was ;) E & A are wondering if they are having a girl or boy so every time I tell them a new change (like the baby kicking at 15 1/2 weeks) they try to guess what they think the baby will be. Apparently girls are usually a little more advanced than boys and you feel them kick sooner in the 15 and 16 weeks instead of the 20th weeks.

 

So far everything still fits, clothing wise, I am still able to button my pants although not without the love handles slowly inching their way off the sides. Soon enough I will be using the hair tie to connect the front of my pants ;)

 

I am feeling....GREAT! I have only had 1 recent headache but they are fading further and further apart. I still like the occasional nap (especially when Ava takes hers) but in no way am I exhausted like I was in our first trimester. My body is slowly making its changes meaning the bloated feeling I have most of the time is my belly getting harder and my hair and nails are growing like crazy.

 

Sleeping - I am already tossing and turning through the night. I am not uncomfortable but my mind will wander and sometimes it makes me not able to sleep. Boooooooo!

 

Emotionally- I feel like I'm doing great, I get a little agitated when I don't get enough sleep but then again, who doesn't? I do not feel emotionally attached and I don't want that to sound like a bad thing because I love this baby but I love this baby for E and A. In no way, even with feeling the baby kick, do I feel it is mine. I don't know how I separate my feelings but I feel that it just comes naturally since Ben and I went into this journey knowing the outcome. I don't expect that it is the same for every surrogate as I was told the emotional attachment would be the hardest part of our experience. I keep myself so busy with our children, working, school, and hobbies to where being a surrogate blends right in and emotions haven't quite hit me at this point. I can't say all emotions as I am still pregnant and always hormonal, hehehe. I still like to cry to television shows even if they may not be all that sad, it may be a woman thing, ha.

 

Past Few Weeks Update - I was having some mild uncomfortable cramping during work so when I got home I sat down and relaxed hoping the cramping would go away. I was a little nervous because I don't remember this stage of pregnancy with my daughter or if I had cramping. I e-mailed E & A just to inform them of what was going on and if it continued on to the next day I was going to head into see the doctor. Thankfully I woke up and felt better than ever with absolutely no cramping. Whew!!! I guess my insides are just shifting to make room for baby ;)

 

Next Post -- E & A Visit!!!! Baby's New Nickname! Soon To Come!!

 

Thanks for reading!!

 

Belly Changes (:

Belly Photo Before (:

Belly Photo 14 Weeks!!

Up 2 1/2 pounds :) xoxo,

The Beginning of our Surrogacy Journey!

We wish you a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

15 Weeks Pregnant!!!!

 

This past month has been super crammed with events and we've been keeping extremely busy. I've gotten a lot of questions about how I have been doing and I apologize for not being able to keep up with posts BUT things have been awesome! We celebrated our son's 7th birthday this past month along with Christmas and the new year. We had a few parties to go to and were able to spend time with family we don't get to see often. I always enjoy that part of the holidays. We also celebrated our daughter turning 1 on December 28th. :) We are having her 1st birthday party this Sunday to celebrate with all our friends and family so yes I still have my hands full with things to do. There hasn't been much relaxing because if Ben and I aren't working the kids always keep us very busy.

 

Ben and I are still looking for that perfect house to come along so we can snatch it up but as of right now, we are waiting border line impatiently. Right before Christmas my car decided that it was no longer going to be safe to drive so we have a new edition to our family and bought our wonderful SUV. Things have been really looking up for us lately and Ben passed his management assessment test promoting him to salary manager!!! This was the best news of all and he has been working so hard to get to where he is so we are all so very proud of him. I have been working about 5 nights a week and so far it is working our great! I'm not at the uncomfortable stage yet and I am not showing too much to where I get a lot of questioning from my guests.

 

The journey of being a surrogate has definitely had its strengths and weaknesses in these beginning stages. I have been feeling great except these piercing headaches that occur 1-4 times a week. They normally last all day and not much seems to help but I've been told they usually past after 13-16 weeks of pregnancy. Let us keep our fingers crossed! I have had no nausea since week 9 but I sure do love my sleep! I don't feel as if I'm exhausted but I could sleep forever and not mind it one bit. It's just another changing stage of pregnancy. Next week I will probably be up every day at 6am ready to get things done.

 

We had our 2nd OB appointment this past Tuesday January 8th and it went perfect. I have only gained 2 1/2 pounds and slight inches around my lower abdomen. Yes! I think that means I'm starting to show (: When I first took measurements I was at 34...26...35. Today I am at 34...27...35 with the biggest part of my belly being at 33. We didn't have another ultrasound done this time but I was able to hear the heartbeat going strong. I took Ava with me this time and as soon as the heartbeat started beating out loud she just stopped in her tracks and stared at me. I'm sure she remembers that sound quite well and it seemed to really grab her attention. Afterward I went to get more blood work done just to check and make sure any defects are eliminated from possibilities. We should hear results soon :) I feel great, I look healthy, and my skin is always so wonderful during pregnancy. That's something I wish would last all the time.

 

We are all adjusting well with the surrogacy so far. I am starting to feel all the beginning flutters and slight kicks throughout the day but it seems to be mostly at night, it is hard to tell this early. I can't believe we are 15 1/2 weeks already!! Time has flown by but keeping busy with everyday activities has helped. E & A are super stoked about finding out the sex of the baby in our next appointment and I am excited to see their expressions when they see their baby on the monitor. Already know I'm going to cry, guaranteed, hehe. I know how much they love this baby already and everyday talking to them makes this experience that much more worth it. I love being a surrogate! I love telling people our story and spreading the knowledge about surrogacy. I hope to inspire others to help and to have faith.

 

E & A! We are getting very excited because E & A will be coming to visit us next week on the 20th! Finally we will have some face to face time to talk and for them to meet David and Ava for the first time. It is going to be a neat experience seeing them interact with our children as I carry theirs. I just never thought we would get this far so quickly! Just think, I only started researching surrogacy when Ava was 3 months old, March 2012. Now here we are, 15 weeks pregnant, with a healthy baby! Our next appointment will be be in Chicago on February 21st (A's Birthday!!) We will be spending the day with E & A, finding out the anatomy of the baby, and meeting with their OB who will be delivering (: It's crazy and exciting that we are now planning for a delivery. Already? I know right!? It seems so soon but when I go down on the 21st of Feb I will be able to get familiar with the settings and with the OB that will be working with us in the end. We have discussed me going down to Chicago 2-3 weeks before our due date just to make sure I don't start contractions and have to sit through a 3 hour drive in that condition, NOT FUN! Now we are going to see how the pregnancy continues and if I'm not showing signs of labor then I may not need to go down and stay early, they would then schedule me to be induced at 39 weeks. This is surreal to me right now, to think we may actually have the exact date that E & A will hold their baby is the most beautiful thing in the world. I am still nervous though about an induction, as I was induced with Ava 9 days overdue, and it wasn't the best experience. I have faith that this time will be different and we will all have a good experience!

 

Are you attached? I've been getting this a ton! Honestly, I love this baby but I I've this baby for E & A. I have no feelings of attachment that this baby is mine but I do have feelings of attachment towards E & A. It's hard to explain but to keep it simple, I know how much a family means to them and I feel such an emotional bond to that. They take care of me and keep me sane even when I didn't feel so well. I know in the end that this baby is going to have the most amazing family to love them and that alone is worth the experience. I have been hearing a lot about me having to be a strong person to do this. It does take a special person to separate feelings and to put others before them but I have my ups and downs. I get aggravated and overwhelmed just like the next person. I have times that I want to cry and feel weak but I always push through and see the positive side of things. I am already a changed person, I am much more educated about infertility and different causes/effects, I don't take things for granted because I know how blessed I am, and I treat everyone how I expect to be treated. It is the most important thing to stay true to yourself and I have become better with accepting what I can and cannot do, using my strengths to helps the ones around me.

 

I have photos to share but the site is experiencing technical difficulties so I will have to place them in a separate post unfortunately :(

 

Love,