Yes we are alive and well...
Click on the above. :)
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Home SWEET Home
We made it back to the U.S by August 25th, just in time for Blaze's 2nd birthday the very next day. All of us are exhausted, jett-legged, happy to be home and most of all finally HEALTHY. We will post more once we more alert.
Thanks again for all your wonderful words of support, love and care over the last 6 weeks...that's right our little babes are 6 WEEKS old TODAY!
Hugs,
Thanks again for all your wonderful words of support, love and care over the last 6 weeks...that's right our little babes are 6 WEEKS old TODAY!
Hugs,
Monday, August 15, 2011
Our 'App'azine.
See the latest on our story here:
http://ourjourneytosurrogacyinindia.blogspot.com/2011/08/our-appazine.html
http://ourjourneytosurrogacyinindia.blogspot.com/2011/08/our-appazine.html
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Finally, the update.
After 3 long days at the hospital I am back at the hotel and in touch with the world again. Jett was discharged from NICU on Friday morning to a regular room in the hospital. We are getting to be old hats at this juggling kids from hotel to hospital and back. Tonight Daddy is on Jett duty and Mommy is on hotel duty with the two eldest.
Jett is doing well. He remains on IV antibiotics and the good news is that all the culture reports came back inconclusive so although he definitely had neonatal sepsis, the source was undetermined and so the length of his IV antibiotics is now 10 days instead of 14. Which is exciting news for us. He is starting to eat again and still remains a 'lazy' eater, but he is taking in a good 30mls every 3 hours and sucking. Now we are just trying to get him to put some weight on. His big sister has passed him in weight when in the beginning she was the light weight of the two.
So...basically our time in India this trip, has been one bad turn after another. Both babies were released to our care from NICU on Tuesday, July 19th (remarkably less then 24 hour in NICU for 34 weekers) We had a mandatory 3 day hospital stay on the floor and then discharged to our hotel. Gerry and I did our best juggling all 3 kids and the twins were (and still are for the most part) very typical newborns.. Eat, sleep and poop. We had a 3 hour schedule and both babies wouldn't budge till the 3 hours hit. Dylan (whom we have already nicknamed, 'Our Little Diva.') would be the first to wake and if not attended to in 30 seconds she was/is going to let you know. Jett is our laid back 'chilled out' little guy and waits to be attended to. Both are just tiny and we worked (and still are working) on increasing their weights. Although small both were healthy and thriving.
After a week or so we noticed Jett was not taking the bottle as he should. We reached out to friends and family as this was all new to us. Blaze was such a textbook, perfect little baby, we were spoiled beyond belief with him. We sufficed that Jett was just going to be a lazy eater and it was going to take us some work to get him to feed. Other then that, he was a typical newborn. Finally after trying every trick in the book Jett still wasn't eating and got to the point in less then a day to not sucking at all. That's when I became concerned. It was like the bottle was an instant sedative, and when it hit his lips he would fall fast asleep. He was still alert, but starting to have more sleepy periods then awake.
We quickly called Dr. Yash and she suggested we take him into the ER for an evaluation as it sounded possibly like low blood sugar. Gerry took Jett over to Hiranandani and the resident doctor recognized Gerry from when Blaze was born did some lab work and said, ;go ahead back to your hotel and we will call you with the results in a few hours.' Jett was stable and although lethargic his blood sugar was good. Thank God for our amazing hotel accommodations that are a quick 15 min. rick shaw ride to and from the hospital. This has certainly been a blessing in disguise as we always stay at the VITS, we decided to take a leap of faith and try something new. Little did we know what a great decision this would be since we have had to make our fair share of visits to the hospital this trip.
Gerry no more made it back to the hotel with Jett when the Doctor called and said he needed to return with Jett right away his lab work was abnormal and he rattled off a bunch of numbers. After hanging up Gerry realized he should have gave the phone to me to decipher the medical jargon. (I am good for some things. :) We called Dr. Yash and she got on the phone to Dr. Bijal (the Pediatrician) and returned our call immediately. Jetts white count and platelets were abnormal and they were going to admit him to the NICU with neonatal sepsis. 'It was a good thing we got him in when we did as it could have been much worse.' Our hearts sunk and the tears flowed. Gerry headed back to Hiranandani while I stayed with the other kids. Dr. Soni and Dr. Bijal literally met them at the door of the hospital. Jetts bed was waiting for him in NICU.
They started him on IV fluids and 3 different types of heavy duty IV antibiotics. They placed an O2 hood over his head as the nurses noted he was have a few very short periods of not breathing. They placed an NG (feeding) tube and started all the testing. Labs, cultures, CT scans and lumbar punctures....
In the mean time Blaze was having diarrhea for quite a few days and we expected it was his large intake of fresh fruit. So we cut back only to have the diarrhea continue. We started him on some polyantibiotic liquid and he was still drinking and eating well, so we let it run its course. Expect for the fact that the same day that Jett was going to the ER, Blaze now started vomiting. Again we called Dr. Yash (we had her on speed dial this day) and she got some meds. ordered for the vomiting. Dylan (fingers crossed) was the healthy one. Or so we thought. Docs warned us to keep her and Blaze apart.
Jett was in good hands in the NICU. It was difficult to see him all alone with tubes and lines all over the place. I see this on a daily basis at work with my patients, but its a completely different thing when its your helpless child. We were allowed 2 visits daily and Gerry and I rotated so that we didn't have to bring the other kids to the hospital and risk getting them sick. His labs were improving slowly and all the culture results were coming up negative. The lumbar puncture was negative for meningitis (dodged that bullet!).
In the meantime we needed to bring Dylan in for a check up. We met Dr. Bijal and she had news on Jett. She did a CT of the head and to her surprise it came back positive for a grade 1 mild ventral bleed. Again our hearts sank. She stated that Jett was improving in his alertness and motor skills so she was not concerned. This is not uncommon in preterm babies. You can't imagine the terror of being told your 13 day old son has a brain bleed. Can you see why we have been somewhat tied up now???
Each day passed and Jett improved slowly. Labs were improving the IV fluids were slowly being decreased and they started him back on oral feeds. The feeding tube came out, the oxygen came off, the Jett we knew was coming around!
Unfortunately, our luck with Dylan ran out... during her 'routine' check up we found out that her weight decreased again, she now had an umbilical granuloma and oral candida not too mention the green goop we noted from her right eye that morning. Thankfully none of this serious, just more stress and worries on our part with more antibiotics and treatments.
So fast forward to today... Blaze is still with diarrhea and what a trooper, he hasn't skipped a beat with the exception of three times the normal diaper changes a day, every time he says, 'uh ohh, poopie' we groan and giggle. Poor little man. We are quickly running out of diapers and wipes. He is on an oral antibiotic and a second course of polyantibiotics.
Dylan's eye is great! Her belly button is drying up and her mouth is free of cooties. She is eating like a champ (twice the amount of her brother) and taking some vitamins and minerals to help increase her weight.
Jett remains in the hospital still receiving his IV antibiotics, and if all his blood work and repeat CT of the brain come back normal on Wednesday, we can bring him back to our home-away-from-home here at the hotel to be reunited with his big sister and brother.
Mommy and Daddy are worn out from around the clock feeds at two separate locations, sick children and the news that we now have to do DNA testing since 'it had been over 3 years since Gerry had frozen his sperm and that sample was used for the twins.' Not what we anticipated since it was the same sample as Blaze and no DNA testing was required then. When it rains it pours!!!!
Thank you all again for your love and support. They mean the world to us and we are truly touched by those who kept us apart of their prayers.
Jett is doing well. He remains on IV antibiotics and the good news is that all the culture reports came back inconclusive so although he definitely had neonatal sepsis, the source was undetermined and so the length of his IV antibiotics is now 10 days instead of 14. Which is exciting news for us. He is starting to eat again and still remains a 'lazy' eater, but he is taking in a good 30mls every 3 hours and sucking. Now we are just trying to get him to put some weight on. His big sister has passed him in weight when in the beginning she was the light weight of the two.
So...basically our time in India this trip, has been one bad turn after another. Both babies were released to our care from NICU on Tuesday, July 19th (remarkably less then 24 hour in NICU for 34 weekers) We had a mandatory 3 day hospital stay on the floor and then discharged to our hotel. Gerry and I did our best juggling all 3 kids and the twins were (and still are for the most part) very typical newborns.. Eat, sleep and poop. We had a 3 hour schedule and both babies wouldn't budge till the 3 hours hit. Dylan (whom we have already nicknamed, 'Our Little Diva.') would be the first to wake and if not attended to in 30 seconds she was/is going to let you know. Jett is our laid back 'chilled out' little guy and waits to be attended to. Both are just tiny and we worked (and still are working) on increasing their weights. Although small both were healthy and thriving.
After a week or so we noticed Jett was not taking the bottle as he should. We reached out to friends and family as this was all new to us. Blaze was such a textbook, perfect little baby, we were spoiled beyond belief with him. We sufficed that Jett was just going to be a lazy eater and it was going to take us some work to get him to feed. Other then that, he was a typical newborn. Finally after trying every trick in the book Jett still wasn't eating and got to the point in less then a day to not sucking at all. That's when I became concerned. It was like the bottle was an instant sedative, and when it hit his lips he would fall fast asleep. He was still alert, but starting to have more sleepy periods then awake.
We quickly called Dr. Yash and she suggested we take him into the ER for an evaluation as it sounded possibly like low blood sugar. Gerry took Jett over to Hiranandani and the resident doctor recognized Gerry from when Blaze was born did some lab work and said, ;go ahead back to your hotel and we will call you with the results in a few hours.' Jett was stable and although lethargic his blood sugar was good. Thank God for our amazing hotel accommodations that are a quick 15 min. rick shaw ride to and from the hospital. This has certainly been a blessing in disguise as we always stay at the VITS, we decided to take a leap of faith and try something new. Little did we know what a great decision this would be since we have had to make our fair share of visits to the hospital this trip.
Gerry no more made it back to the hotel with Jett when the Doctor called and said he needed to return with Jett right away his lab work was abnormal and he rattled off a bunch of numbers. After hanging up Gerry realized he should have gave the phone to me to decipher the medical jargon. (I am good for some things. :) We called Dr. Yash and she got on the phone to Dr. Bijal (the Pediatrician) and returned our call immediately. Jetts white count and platelets were abnormal and they were going to admit him to the NICU with neonatal sepsis. 'It was a good thing we got him in when we did as it could have been much worse.' Our hearts sunk and the tears flowed. Gerry headed back to Hiranandani while I stayed with the other kids. Dr. Soni and Dr. Bijal literally met them at the door of the hospital. Jetts bed was waiting for him in NICU.
They started him on IV fluids and 3 different types of heavy duty IV antibiotics. They placed an O2 hood over his head as the nurses noted he was have a few very short periods of not breathing. They placed an NG (feeding) tube and started all the testing. Labs, cultures, CT scans and lumbar punctures....
In the mean time Blaze was having diarrhea for quite a few days and we expected it was his large intake of fresh fruit. So we cut back only to have the diarrhea continue. We started him on some polyantibiotic liquid and he was still drinking and eating well, so we let it run its course. Expect for the fact that the same day that Jett was going to the ER, Blaze now started vomiting. Again we called Dr. Yash (we had her on speed dial this day) and she got some meds. ordered for the vomiting. Dylan (fingers crossed) was the healthy one. Or so we thought. Docs warned us to keep her and Blaze apart.
Jett was in good hands in the NICU. It was difficult to see him all alone with tubes and lines all over the place. I see this on a daily basis at work with my patients, but its a completely different thing when its your helpless child. We were allowed 2 visits daily and Gerry and I rotated so that we didn't have to bring the other kids to the hospital and risk getting them sick. His labs were improving slowly and all the culture results were coming up negative. The lumbar puncture was negative for meningitis (dodged that bullet!).
In the meantime we needed to bring Dylan in for a check up. We met Dr. Bijal and she had news on Jett. She did a CT of the head and to her surprise it came back positive for a grade 1 mild ventral bleed. Again our hearts sank. She stated that Jett was improving in his alertness and motor skills so she was not concerned. This is not uncommon in preterm babies. You can't imagine the terror of being told your 13 day old son has a brain bleed. Can you see why we have been somewhat tied up now???
Each day passed and Jett improved slowly. Labs were improving the IV fluids were slowly being decreased and they started him back on oral feeds. The feeding tube came out, the oxygen came off, the Jett we knew was coming around!
Unfortunately, our luck with Dylan ran out... during her 'routine' check up we found out that her weight decreased again, she now had an umbilical granuloma and oral candida not too mention the green goop we noted from her right eye that morning. Thankfully none of this serious, just more stress and worries on our part with more antibiotics and treatments.
So fast forward to today... Blaze is still with diarrhea and what a trooper, he hasn't skipped a beat with the exception of three times the normal diaper changes a day, every time he says, 'uh ohh, poopie' we groan and giggle. Poor little man. We are quickly running out of diapers and wipes. He is on an oral antibiotic and a second course of polyantibiotics.
Dylan's eye is great! Her belly button is drying up and her mouth is free of cooties. She is eating like a champ (twice the amount of her brother) and taking some vitamins and minerals to help increase her weight.
Jett remains in the hospital still receiving his IV antibiotics, and if all his blood work and repeat CT of the brain come back normal on Wednesday, we can bring him back to our home-away-from-home here at the hotel to be reunited with his big sister and brother.
Mommy and Daddy are worn out from around the clock feeds at two separate locations, sick children and the news that we now have to do DNA testing since 'it had been over 3 years since Gerry had frozen his sperm and that sample was used for the twins.' Not what we anticipated since it was the same sample as Blaze and no DNA testing was required then. When it rains it pours!!!!
Thank you all again for your love and support. They mean the world to us and we are truly touched by those who kept us apart of their prayers.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Prayers must be working
Jett remains in the NICU and by all accounts is beating this sepsis. We are on day 3 of heavy duty x3 IV antibiotics and he has started oral feeds again.
Blaze appears to be back on the mend as well (no further vomiting or diarrhea...fingers crossed it stays that way).
Dylan is the strongest of the three (GIRL POWER!!!) no infections and still as cute as a button.
When I catch up on sleep, I promise to give all the details. Until then, here are a few pics of our angel in his latest accommodations and his big brother and big sister (by 15mins...I am sure she will remind him of that for the rest of his life):
Blaze appears to be back on the mend as well (no further vomiting or diarrhea...fingers crossed it stays that way).
Dylan is the strongest of the three (GIRL POWER!!!) no infections and still as cute as a button.
When I catch up on sleep, I promise to give all the details. Until then, here are a few pics of our angel in his latest accommodations and his big brother and big sister (by 15mins...I am sure she will remind him of that for the rest of his life):
NICU bed 2
Before they were separated (Dylan left/Jett right)
All 3 of our beautiful children...how blessed are we!?
Oh the humidity...I can't do a thing with my hair!!!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Prayers needed...
Jett returned to NICU last evening with neonatal sepsis. We are beyond sad, but extremely hopeful and know he is receiving the very BEST care at Hiranandani hospital. Will post more soon. Until then please keep our little man in your prayers.
Hugs,
Hugs,
Friday, July 22, 2011
Finally some long awaited photos:
So here are some pics of our little Angels,
Jett (left) & Dylan (right)
God Papa and his little man.
Jett (front) & Dylan (back)
Daddy in his glory
Daddy gets to hold his new babies
Blaze would point and say, 'India?'
First family photo
At the Salon (baby style)
Dylan (left) & Jett right.
Just like Daddy
The VERY BEST God Parents in the world.
Baby boy Jett
Little Miss. Dylan
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Discharge tomorrow...
So sorry everyone, we have had our hands full between the new little ones and trying to entertain Blaze all at the same time and making frequent trips back and forth from hospital to hotel. It is definitely a challenge when bringing a toddler along. Although sleep deprived and no time to update we are managing and wouldn't change it for the world. We had my niece Micaela planned to come with us at the end of the month, but when the twins wanted out earlier, it put a little wrench in those plans and now we are alone till Sunday. Worst part is that its now with them at the hospital we need her the most. Oh, well we are making due.
Twins are not like a singleton at all. Not that I anticipated it being the same, but it is much harder (as I imagined it would be).
Blaze is turning the uber charm on for all the ladies and they are eating him up. Even the waiters at the hotel come and take him for little walks around the lobby. He is definitely the center of attention and a little star and loving every moment of it. It was so awesome to see his God Parents faces when he ran to them and smiled and gave huge hugs and kisses. Definitely a touching moment and one for the memory books.
I don't have time to post photos as internet and sleep are at a minimum. Sorry. All I can tell you is both Dylan (pronounced Dillon like a boy and not Dielon as the sisters call her...LOL) and Jett are wonderful. They are itty bitty and their preemie outfits are even big on them. But they are healthy and eating like champs. They are perfect with full heads of hair. We already are seeing their different personalities at just a few days old. It is amazing how little they are and SO healthy. They spent less then 24 hours in the NICU and will most likely be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. WOOOO HOOOO!!!
I promise once back at the hotel and settled in a little I will plug in the camera and post some pics of our furry (yes I said furry...they have lots of preemie body hair) twins. For Dylan's sake its a good thing this only lasts for a while. :)
Thank you everyone for your kind words and well wishes. We are still in shock that our little family of 3 plus dog turned into 5 plus dog at the blink of an eye. We can't believe they are ours and that we have been doubly blessed through surrogacy in India.
Till next time. Big hugs from the 5 of us here in Mumbai.
Twins are not like a singleton at all. Not that I anticipated it being the same, but it is much harder (as I imagined it would be).
Blaze is turning the uber charm on for all the ladies and they are eating him up. Even the waiters at the hotel come and take him for little walks around the lobby. He is definitely the center of attention and a little star and loving every moment of it. It was so awesome to see his God Parents faces when he ran to them and smiled and gave huge hugs and kisses. Definitely a touching moment and one for the memory books.
I don't have time to post photos as internet and sleep are at a minimum. Sorry. All I can tell you is both Dylan (pronounced Dillon like a boy and not Dielon as the sisters call her...LOL) and Jett are wonderful. They are itty bitty and their preemie outfits are even big on them. But they are healthy and eating like champs. They are perfect with full heads of hair. We already are seeing their different personalities at just a few days old. It is amazing how little they are and SO healthy. They spent less then 24 hours in the NICU and will most likely be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. WOOOO HOOOO!!!
I promise once back at the hotel and settled in a little I will plug in the camera and post some pics of our furry (yes I said furry...they have lots of preemie body hair) twins. For Dylan's sake its a good thing this only lasts for a while. :)
Thank you everyone for your kind words and well wishes. We are still in shock that our little family of 3 plus dog turned into 5 plus dog at the blink of an eye. We can't believe they are ours and that we have been doubly blessed through surrogacy in India.
Till next time. Big hugs from the 5 of us here in Mumbai.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Introducing to the World...
A new little brother and sister for Blaze. We will have all the little details with pics tomorrow. But for now we are simply over the moon with excitement about our newest additions. We made a valient effort, but the twins couldn't hold on for just 2 more hours.
First to come into this world on July 18th around 9pm, via natural birth was our little girl DYLAN TARA (4.0 lbs tall & slender one)followed by her brother 4.2 lbs (the big head) @ 925 pm, JETT AJJA (@ 15 Mins later). The Docs met us at the airport with the wonderful news , after being one of the first people our little ones saw. Dr. Yash even got to witness their birth.
We are happy to report both FB and the twins are doing well. We will get you see them tomorrow morning. We cant wait.
Thank you all for your continued support and kind well wishes.
First to come into this world on July 18th around 9pm, via natural birth was our little girl DYLAN TARA (4.0 lbs tall & slender one)followed by her brother 4.2 lbs (the big head) @ 925 pm, JETT AJJA (@ 15 Mins later). The Docs met us at the airport with the wonderful news , after being one of the first people our little ones saw. Dr. Yash even got to witness their birth.
We are happy to report both FB and the twins are doing well. We will get you see them tomorrow morning. We cant wait.
Thank you all for your continued support and kind well wishes.
While we wait...
We are currently waiting for our connecting flight to Mumbai in Paris. We got 15mins. Of Internet so I checked our email and saw an update from Dr. Sudhir:
I have mixed news for you.
The Oxygen saturation was slightly dropping for FB. The babies are doing fine.
SO Dr Yash and Dr Anita have stopped duvadilan drip and started her on pitocin (to induce labour).
This means the babies will arrive before you arrive.
This was last night, So now, we are just waiting for any further news. Our priority is FB and our babies. It would have been wonderful to be there and possibly have the chance to go in for the delivery, but not at the expense of the three of them. We know Dr.Soni will do what is best for FB and the babies so we are not at all concerned. They are in the very best of hands.
This is all so nerve racking. You'd think it would all be easier the second time around???
We are coming babies and if ours isn't the first faces you see, then you have the VERY best next thing...your amazing God Parents!
I have mixed news for you.
The Oxygen saturation was slightly dropping for FB. The babies are doing fine.
SO Dr Yash and Dr Anita have stopped duvadilan drip and started her on pitocin (to induce labour).
This means the babies will arrive before you arrive.
This was last night, So now, we are just waiting for any further news. Our priority is FB and our babies. It would have been wonderful to be there and possibly have the chance to go in for the delivery, but not at the expense of the three of them. We know Dr.Soni will do what is best for FB and the babies so we are not at all concerned. They are in the very best of hands.
This is all so nerve racking. You'd think it would all be easier the second time around???
We are coming babies and if ours isn't the first faces you see, then you have the VERY best next thing...your amazing God Parents!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Heading to India...sooner then later!
Well the latest update is FB is relaxing and hasn't further progressed, so we may have a few more days.
We booked our flights and leave bright and early this Sunday the 17th. We arrive in Mumbai on Monday the 18th late at night.
We know our little ones and surrogate are in the best of hands at Hiranandani with Dr.Soni and Team SI watching over. So that in itself is a HUGE stress reliever for us.
Packing certainly doesn't seem easier this trip and I suppose the mad dash for last minute things doesn't help much either.
Thank you all for your support and kind words. Our surrofamily, friends near and far and our immediate family have all been so incredible. You will never know how great it feels to see you stopped by our blog to check in on us and leave a little love (comments) for us. Do please keep our little angels and dearest Surro Mom in your prayers.
We will keep you posted as things progress. Until then, I gotsta get to packing!!!
We booked our flights and leave bright and early this Sunday the 17th. We arrive in Mumbai on Monday the 18th late at night.
We know our little ones and surrogate are in the best of hands at Hiranandani with Dr.Soni and Team SI watching over. So that in itself is a HUGE stress reliever for us.
Packing certainly doesn't seem easier this trip and I suppose the mad dash for last minute things doesn't help much either.
Thank you all for your support and kind words. Our surrofamily, friends near and far and our immediate family have all been so incredible. You will never know how great it feels to see you stopped by our blog to check in on us and leave a little love (comments) for us. Do please keep our little angels and dearest Surro Mom in your prayers.
We will keep you posted as things progress. Until then, I gotsta get to packing!!!
Friday, July 15, 2011
WE ARE IN LABOUR!!!!!
OMG.... We just got the call. 4cm dilated and 70% effaced. Baby will be here today or tomorrow almost a certainty. Way too early for us, we are so not prepared. Mad scramble to pick of a few remaining items, start (yes i did sat START) packing, book flights, get hotel reservation changed, book my neice's flight straight to Mumbai to meet us there.
Here we go again. We hope surro Mom and babies are okay.
Watch this spot!
Here we go again. We hope surro Mom and babies are okay.
Watch this spot!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Holy Crap...we are HAVING TWINS!!!!
Some days it just hits me like a ton of bricks. Yes, I know we have known we are having twins for 6 months now, but some days it just really sets in. Usually its when Blaze is deciding he is going to give Mommy a run for her money and start with a 'terrible two' meltdown in the freezer section of Fry's. My thoughts:
1. If its twin boys I am totally going to have to take up drinking.
2. If its twin girls...I am SO screwed, I have NO idea how to take care of a girl and besides we have NO PINK!!! Which ends up meaning big $$$$$ now and into their late teens.
3. What the heck was I thinking when we said lets have just ONE more??? Be careful what you wish for...
4. What will I do when all 3 decide to have a tantrum at the store, better yet how am I going to even take 3 to a store?
5. Takes me back to the title of this post, Holy Crap...we are HAVING TWINS!
At this point I can't really think straight because my heart has started racing and I am having palpitations and my breathing has become faster, I feel a cold sweat come over me and then I have to sit down and pinch myself to wake from my terrifying dream. After a few minutes my thoughts then change too:
1. WOW...how lucky are we to be blessed with not one but two more miracles from God. Please God continue to let FB have a completely boring and uneventful pregnancy that we have had up till now.
2. Some people would totally give their right arm to be in my shoes right now.
3. Its going to be okay. I have dreamed of being a Mom since I was a little girl and I CAN DO THIS!
4. I have so much support from my fellow twin surro buddies to my amazing neighbor and Grandma of twins, Aunt Winnie and now my 'Got Twins' Facebook crew (Thanks Todd) who calm my panic attacks pretty much daily. Who could be so lucky?
5. Everyone says if you can make it through the first year the rest is truly a breeze. Heck one year ain't nothing when we tried and waited for a family for more then 4 years. This should be a piece of cake...(Ya, right who am I kidding!?!)
6. Blaze is going to be such an amazing big brother and how wonderful for the 3 of our children to be able to share not only the exact same genes, but a common bond of how they came to be a part of our very special an unique family.
7. I better get that mini-van I swore I would never buy very, very soon, cause there is no fitting 3 car seats in the back on my H3 SUV. I can totally be a cool soccer Mom!
8. We are instantly going from a family of 3 to a family of 5! Do I even remember what I did with all of my time just 2 short years ago...Nope and I totally don't care! Wouldn't change one minute of this awesome journey!!!
And the list goes on...
Yes I am scared to death that I am not going to be the very best Mother I have always dreamed of being. Just the mere thought of trying to care for 2 newborns and a toddler at the same time continues to baffle me. I am about to get a crash course very shortly. But above all else, just the fact that I can say that I AM a Mother...WOW! There truly is nothing better in the entire universe then to hear your child call you "Mommy." I am one of the lucky few to have been drug threw the infertility trenches and come out the other side with the ultimate prize in hand. Not one single day goes by that I don't look into my son's big brown beautiful eyes and smile and say a silent prayer thanking God and all the powers that be that brought him into my life, especially our incredible Doctors at Surrogacy India, Dr.Yash and Dr.Sudhir (also known as the best God Parents in the world!). Soon there will be 2 more sets of eyes and I can't think of anyone more blessed then me.
So, here they are 26 weeks in all their glory:
1. If its twin boys I am totally going to have to take up drinking.
2. If its twin girls...I am SO screwed, I have NO idea how to take care of a girl and besides we have NO PINK!!! Which ends up meaning big $$$$$ now and into their late teens.
3. What the heck was I thinking when we said lets have just ONE more??? Be careful what you wish for...
4. What will I do when all 3 decide to have a tantrum at the store, better yet how am I going to even take 3 to a store?
5. Takes me back to the title of this post, Holy Crap...we are HAVING TWINS!
At this point I can't really think straight because my heart has started racing and I am having palpitations and my breathing has become faster, I feel a cold sweat come over me and then I have to sit down and pinch myself to wake from my terrifying dream. After a few minutes my thoughts then change too:
1. WOW...how lucky are we to be blessed with not one but two more miracles from God. Please God continue to let FB have a completely boring and uneventful pregnancy that we have had up till now.
2. Some people would totally give their right arm to be in my shoes right now.
3. Its going to be okay. I have dreamed of being a Mom since I was a little girl and I CAN DO THIS!
4. I have so much support from my fellow twin surro buddies to my amazing neighbor and Grandma of twins, Aunt Winnie and now my 'Got Twins' Facebook crew (Thanks Todd) who calm my panic attacks pretty much daily. Who could be so lucky?
5. Everyone says if you can make it through the first year the rest is truly a breeze. Heck one year ain't nothing when we tried and waited for a family for more then 4 years. This should be a piece of cake...(Ya, right who am I kidding!?!)
6. Blaze is going to be such an amazing big brother and how wonderful for the 3 of our children to be able to share not only the exact same genes, but a common bond of how they came to be a part of our very special an unique family.
7. I better get that mini-van I swore I would never buy very, very soon, cause there is no fitting 3 car seats in the back on my H3 SUV. I can totally be a cool soccer Mom!
8. We are instantly going from a family of 3 to a family of 5! Do I even remember what I did with all of my time just 2 short years ago...Nope and I totally don't care! Wouldn't change one minute of this awesome journey!!!
And the list goes on...
Yes I am scared to death that I am not going to be the very best Mother I have always dreamed of being. Just the mere thought of trying to care for 2 newborns and a toddler at the same time continues to baffle me. I am about to get a crash course very shortly. But above all else, just the fact that I can say that I AM a Mother...WOW! There truly is nothing better in the entire universe then to hear your child call you "Mommy." I am one of the lucky few to have been drug threw the infertility trenches and come out the other side with the ultimate prize in hand. Not one single day goes by that I don't look into my son's big brown beautiful eyes and smile and say a silent prayer thanking God and all the powers that be that brought him into my life, especially our incredible Doctors at Surrogacy India, Dr.Yash and Dr.Sudhir (also known as the best God Parents in the world!). Soon there will be 2 more sets of eyes and I can't think of anyone more blessed then me.
So, here they are 26 weeks in all their glory:
Twin 1 we call our tall skinny one, measuring about one week smaller than their sibling (with the exception of the femur length) and weighing in at 860 plus or minus 126 grams. Twin 2 we call our chubby one whose head and belly are bigger and is currently measuring exactly 10 grams heavier at 934 plus or minus 136 grams. So with all this info. Gerry has now changed his tune to Twin A = a girl and Twin B = a boy. Totally not fair as that was my guess from the get go.
Just a little more then 8 weeks and it won't be a surprise any more! Now we just have to come up with 4 unique baby names (boy-boy, girl-girl, boy-girl...our heads are spinning) and we better get packing as we are going to be back in India in no time!!!!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Our beautiful babies...
We are already in our 20th week. More then half way there considering most twins are considered full term at around 36 weeks. We had our 4D (3D on our end as we had no sound or movement only still images) anomaly scan in our 18th week. Our surrogate is doing great and continues to have an uneventful pregnancy thus far. So without further adieu, here are our beautiful babes:
Twin 1 left Twin 2 right
Twin 1 left Twin 2 right
Twin 1 left (legs) Twin 2 right
Twin 2 left Twin 1 right
Twin 1 left Twin 2 right
Twin 2
Twin 1 is measuring at 17.5 weeks and Twin 2 is 18.2 weeks. Twin 2's measurements are all a little bigger except for Twin 1's femur, and foot. Both have a fetal heart rate of 133 bpm. Gerry is convinced we have 2 boys, however he says he is certain Twin 2 is a boy. Grandma R. says she thinks she sees 2 boys as well. Me...well I have NO idea since all the essential body parts are cut off on purpose. So I am guessing its one of each, just to be different. Either way as long as they both continue on this healthy and uneventful path to a normal delivery I am happy for 2 beautiful babies.
Belly Pictures...long overdue!
I have been very slack on updating our blog. Time is passing by so quickly and the twins will be here before we know it. Here are our long overdue belly shots of our surrogate:
7 weeks- not yet showing.
14 weeks- just a little belly.
17 weeks- Whoa there's our babies.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
2nd Trimester...Can I get a WOOO HOOO!?!
We are uneventfully entering our 2nd trimester. WHEWWWWWW! (Insert very big sigh of relief here)
All is going well with FB and our little ones. We had our Nucal Fold Thickness scan ( just a fancy term for testing for Down Syndrome and other chromosomal defects of the fetuses by looking at the fluid around the neck) done at the delivering hospital just the other day and the results were GREAT!!! Baby A is measuring about 5 days smaller then Baby B, Fetal heart rates are 150 and 152 and both have a nasal bone and all that other good stuff they look for. Basically both look great and the scan report says all is well in utero.
Our official due date now by ultrasound is August 24, 2011. That is 2 days before Blaze's birthday ( he was 3 weeks early). Now it is unlikely that they will go to the full 40 weeks, but still Blaze's siblings will be almost 2 years apart from him. I think that is the perfect age difference.
We are trying to prepare...once again. A little part of me is REALLY hoping we have at least one boy, since I went a little crazy with clothes, shoes, hats and little boy stuff for Blaze. It would be such a shame to not be able to use it all again since it is basically all like-new.
The big question always seems to be the same..."So, do you know what you are having?" And our answer still and always remains the same..."Not until they are born." It gets some strange looks but when we explain the policy of India it usually changes to a smile and, "Wow that's a great surprise!" Truly I am just hoping and praying for 2 healthy babies no matter what sex. We are already listing our favorite names and have to come up with 2 of each...not such an easy task. After all we do have a 'Blaze' and I don't think a 'Joe' or 'Jane' sounds just quite right.
It feels all so strange to be going through this journey again. Same similar feelings when the emails and phone calls come through from India, your heart skips a little beat. We have decided to make our 3 car garage into a 2 car garage and build an enclosed play room with access to the house, for the kids. A pretty big task to take on. Blaze's rain-forest themed nursery will now be the twins (with a little work on refinishing the crib since Beaver Blaze made work of that). It is a gender neutral theme so we can't go wrong. So, Blaze will move next door into one of the spare bedrooms. We are still deciding on a theme for him, but Gerry found a cool Firetruck bed on Craigslists and we thought that might be a slightly easier chore then the months of work put into the nursery.
We are feeling slightly more comfortable with the process of India, etc. since this will be our second time around. But it will be almost 2 years since our last visit, so we are preparing for any changes as with the bureaucracy of India we are sure some have occurred.
I am a little more relaxed at this part of the journey, but much more anxious about the coming months and the fact that we will now have 2 newborns and a toddler in tow. I think I am having anxiety attacks regularly when I start to think about all of it. I now can officially say I am freaking out. Excited, but super duper scared and anxious of doing it all again times 2, plus 1. Oh my...just typing it, makes my heart race. Now Gerry on the other hand is Mr. Cool Cucumber...'We will be fine.' 'How hard can it be?' 'I am sure we will have struggles, but everything will be okay.' Yes, as always, I am the glass half empty and he is half full. We make a great team though, as we certainly meet somewhere in the middle with us both being at either ends of the spectrum of feelings. I suppose only time will tell, and in my eyes time is flying by.
So without further ado... here are our perfectly precious babes:
All is going well with FB and our little ones. We had our Nucal Fold Thickness scan ( just a fancy term for testing for Down Syndrome and other chromosomal defects of the fetuses by looking at the fluid around the neck) done at the delivering hospital just the other day and the results were GREAT!!! Baby A is measuring about 5 days smaller then Baby B, Fetal heart rates are 150 and 152 and both have a nasal bone and all that other good stuff they look for. Basically both look great and the scan report says all is well in utero.
Our official due date now by ultrasound is August 24, 2011. That is 2 days before Blaze's birthday ( he was 3 weeks early). Now it is unlikely that they will go to the full 40 weeks, but still Blaze's siblings will be almost 2 years apart from him. I think that is the perfect age difference.
We are trying to prepare...once again. A little part of me is REALLY hoping we have at least one boy, since I went a little crazy with clothes, shoes, hats and little boy stuff for Blaze. It would be such a shame to not be able to use it all again since it is basically all like-new.
The big question always seems to be the same..."So, do you know what you are having?" And our answer still and always remains the same..."Not until they are born." It gets some strange looks but when we explain the policy of India it usually changes to a smile and, "Wow that's a great surprise!" Truly I am just hoping and praying for 2 healthy babies no matter what sex. We are already listing our favorite names and have to come up with 2 of each...not such an easy task. After all we do have a 'Blaze' and I don't think a 'Joe' or 'Jane' sounds just quite right.
It feels all so strange to be going through this journey again. Same similar feelings when the emails and phone calls come through from India, your heart skips a little beat. We have decided to make our 3 car garage into a 2 car garage and build an enclosed play room with access to the house, for the kids. A pretty big task to take on. Blaze's rain-forest themed nursery will now be the twins (with a little work on refinishing the crib since Beaver Blaze made work of that). It is a gender neutral theme so we can't go wrong. So, Blaze will move next door into one of the spare bedrooms. We are still deciding on a theme for him, but Gerry found a cool Firetruck bed on Craigslists and we thought that might be a slightly easier chore then the months of work put into the nursery.
We are feeling slightly more comfortable with the process of India, etc. since this will be our second time around. But it will be almost 2 years since our last visit, so we are preparing for any changes as with the bureaucracy of India we are sure some have occurred.
I am a little more relaxed at this part of the journey, but much more anxious about the coming months and the fact that we will now have 2 newborns and a toddler in tow. I think I am having anxiety attacks regularly when I start to think about all of it. I now can officially say I am freaking out. Excited, but super duper scared and anxious of doing it all again times 2, plus 1. Oh my...just typing it, makes my heart race. Now Gerry on the other hand is Mr. Cool Cucumber...'We will be fine.' 'How hard can it be?' 'I am sure we will have struggles, but everything will be okay.' Yes, as always, I am the glass half empty and he is half full. We make a great team though, as we certainly meet somewhere in the middle with us both being at either ends of the spectrum of feelings. I suppose only time will tell, and in my eyes time is flying by.
So without further ado... here are our perfectly precious babes:
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Where to begin?
Well this is our 2nd Blog for those who don't know us. We joyfully welcomed our beautiful baby boy BLAZE XENNON into the world August 26th, 2009. After starting the journey into surrogacy in India back in early 2008. It was a very long, emotion-filled journey for us, but was hands down the very BEST day of our lives when he entered this world and we held him in our arms for the first time.
Fast forward 15 or so months later...
we talked about having a sibling for Blaze. Were we being selfish after being blessed with such a miracle in him? He has and continues to be, such an amazing child. Yes I know, EVERYONE says that about their children, but we are truly lucky. Many people comment on how they 'have never seen such a great kid' (not even their own children were as good as Blaze!') He has had NO skin issues, he was not a fussy baby and is not a cranky toddler, he eats great, he has slept through the night since he was 8 weeks old, he is very, very healthy, and he has such a great demeanor. He is SO happy, SO friendly, SO sociable, etc. etc. etc. Were we betting the odds in that we would have another child even half as good as Blaze? Could we afford to go through another cycle in India? Would Blaze's egg donor be available? Did we want to start the roller-coaster of emotions ALL over again with the possible failures, the 9 months on pins and needles having our surrogate thousands of miles away. We knew she would be in the BEST of hands with Blaze's Godparents AKA the Doctors of SurrogacyIndia, Dr. Sudhir and Dr. Yashodhara, but it is still so nerve racking...what pregnancy isn't right?
We talked and we talked, going back and forth, when would be the perfect time? Blaze was getting older, and so were we!
Fate would this time be in our favor! We were chatting with Dr. Sudhir as we have done many a night for the last 3 years. Out of the blue he asks "when are we going to give Blaze a sibling?" We hummed and hawed and gave them all of our excuses and reasoning and blah, blah, blah. Then he tells us, "We have been searching for over 6 months and we have found Blaze's egg donor"' REALLY??? It gets even better, "She has agreed to do just one last cycle for them." WHAT??!! Could this be true? It had to be fate. This was our time. So we agreed to not mess with fate and go ahead. This just has to be a sign that it is the right time to do this again. So we said, okay we are ready.
At this point, the rest seems like just a blur. We went through the process. Next thing I know, we get the phone call 'You are pregnant!' Your beta number is 561.7. I remember my mouth dropping open and thinking, 'Is this what I think it is...twins????!!!!' OH NO! What did we get ourselves into? We only wanted one more child. But as they say, be careful what you wish for. My worst fear and greatest dream was about to come true.
Here are the STATS thus far:
Nov. 30, 2010 - Our amazing egg donor produces 18 eggs. 14 are mature.
Dec. 2, 2010 - 3 embryos are transferred to FB (our chosen surrogate)
Dec. 14, 2010 - The phone call arrives....POSITIVE PREGNANCY! Beta number 561.7
Dec. 18, 2010 - 2nd beta number 2577.0
Dec. 30, 2010 - Ultra Sound Report is as follows:
CRL A 6.0 mm - 6 weeks 3 days - cardiac activity well appreciated in this fetus.
CRL B 6.7 mm - 6 weeks 4 days - cardiac activity well appreciated in this fetus.
CRL C 1.4mm - Less then 5 weeks - Cardiac activity not appreciated in this pole. :(
3 SAC's???? that's a surprise. All I could think of is...'Thank God we don't have to go through the pain of a selective reduction. Mother nature is taking over.'
And so, here we are. Not just pregnant, but pregnant with TWINS!
Our Journey is about to start ALL over again. This time x 2!
And now we wait! Wait for the scans, the lab tests, the pictures and the updates...
Fast forward 15 or so months later...
we talked about having a sibling for Blaze. Were we being selfish after being blessed with such a miracle in him? He has and continues to be, such an amazing child. Yes I know, EVERYONE says that about their children, but we are truly lucky. Many people comment on how they 'have never seen such a great kid' (not even their own children were as good as Blaze!') He has had NO skin issues, he was not a fussy baby and is not a cranky toddler, he eats great, he has slept through the night since he was 8 weeks old, he is very, very healthy, and he has such a great demeanor. He is SO happy, SO friendly, SO sociable, etc. etc. etc. Were we betting the odds in that we would have another child even half as good as Blaze? Could we afford to go through another cycle in India? Would Blaze's egg donor be available? Did we want to start the roller-coaster of emotions ALL over again with the possible failures, the 9 months on pins and needles having our surrogate thousands of miles away. We knew she would be in the BEST of hands with Blaze's Godparents AKA the Doctors of SurrogacyIndia, Dr. Sudhir and Dr. Yashodhara, but it is still so nerve racking...what pregnancy isn't right?
We talked and we talked, going back and forth, when would be the perfect time? Blaze was getting older, and so were we!
Fate would this time be in our favor! We were chatting with Dr. Sudhir as we have done many a night for the last 3 years. Out of the blue he asks "when are we going to give Blaze a sibling?" We hummed and hawed and gave them all of our excuses and reasoning and blah, blah, blah. Then he tells us, "We have been searching for over 6 months and we have found Blaze's egg donor"' REALLY??? It gets even better, "She has agreed to do just one last cycle for them." WHAT??!! Could this be true? It had to be fate. This was our time. So we agreed to not mess with fate and go ahead. This just has to be a sign that it is the right time to do this again. So we said, okay we are ready.
At this point, the rest seems like just a blur. We went through the process. Next thing I know, we get the phone call 'You are pregnant!' Your beta number is 561.7. I remember my mouth dropping open and thinking, 'Is this what I think it is...twins????!!!!' OH NO! What did we get ourselves into? We only wanted one more child. But as they say, be careful what you wish for. My worst fear and greatest dream was about to come true.
Here are the STATS thus far:
Nov. 30, 2010 - Our amazing egg donor produces 18 eggs. 14 are mature.
Dec. 2, 2010 - 3 embryos are transferred to FB (our chosen surrogate)
Dec. 14, 2010 - The phone call arrives....POSITIVE PREGNANCY! Beta number 561.7
Dec. 18, 2010 - 2nd beta number 2577.0
Dec. 30, 2010 - Ultra Sound Report is as follows:
CRL A 6.0 mm - 6 weeks 3 days - cardiac activity well appreciated in this fetus.
CRL B 6.7 mm - 6 weeks 4 days - cardiac activity well appreciated in this fetus.
CRL C 1.4mm - Less then 5 weeks - Cardiac activity not appreciated in this pole. :(
3 SAC's???? that's a surprise. All I could think of is...'Thank God we don't have to go through the pain of a selective reduction. Mother nature is taking over.'
And so, here we are. Not just pregnant, but pregnant with TWINS!
6.5 weeks
9 weeks
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Stay tuned....
We are still designing our blog dedicated to our twins who will be born Aug. 2011. So stay tuned....
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