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I'm a wife, mom, and gestational surrogate. I've been blessed to be able to have 2 beautiful daughters of my own and 2 cute little surro babes for IPs. With the support of my WONDERFUL family and friends, I'm doing it again!! Follow me on my journey...

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Beta results are back

BFN! (Big Fat Negative) :(

I'll let u know what next steps we will take. This sucks.

Sent from my iPhone

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

I thought I'd share a little Thanksgiving video with you all. :) Enjoy!!


Friday, November 19, 2010

Apparently I'm a security threat

I'm baaaaaccccccckkkk!!

Not that I was missed or anything, but I'm back from CO just in case you cared. :-) So, as previously posted, the trasfer went well. I was on bed rest for a little over 48 hours and I was pretty sure that I was gonna go completely nuts if I had to stay in the bed for much longer!! Thankfully I have the best IP's in the world and they did all they could to make me as comfortable as possible; brought me food, magazines, word finds, movies, anything I needed!
It was freezing cold there...not that I got to go outside, but at least that's what the weather people said! :-) And it SNOWED!! Only for a little while, but it was so pretty! We don't get to see "real" snow in Texas often, so it was nice to be able to experience that.
Anywho, the real reason I wanted to post today is to tell you about my lovely adventures in airport security...
FIRST....I arrived at DFW, get to the security checkpoint and OF COURSE it just so happens that I'm "randomly" selected to go through an "extra screening process"...whatever...so the guy's like "ma'am please step inside this box"...ummm, ok this "box" is a large clear, plexiglass, kennel looking thing with one door to walk in and another to walk out. So I'm standing in the box and a security lady comes in and says "hold your hands out please", of course I say "why?" and she says "I'm going to swab your hands for explosive residue"...WTF!? What is this CSI or something!?...whatever...so while she's "swabbing my hands" I hear another security guy yell out "BAG CHECK!"...I look over and he's asking people if the bag in question was theirs and then I was like "oh that's mine!" (What a coincidence...whatever) ((mind you I'm still being "swabbed" so I kinda had to talk a little louder so he could hear me through the kennel...)) Anyway, the lady "clears" me of having any explosive residue and then I'm escorted over to the table to go through my bag and all was okay; I had just forgotten to take my liquids out to be scanned separately, so he put my stuff back through the machine and everything was fine. Then I was off to Denver...FML.

Fast forward to today... we got to the A/P in Denver and get to the security point...they of course have those damn body scan machines! I don't know how much you know about those machines, but after 48 hours on bed rest I'm well versed (thanks to the news) on the "unknowns" of body scan machines and they don't sound very safe ESPECIALLY for someone that may be pregnant!
It's supposed to be, once again, a "random" selection for people to have to either go through the regular metal detector or the body scanner, but I guess that my IM and I must have had the look on our faces that we had no plans on going through that damn machine, so OF COURSE the security lady "randomly" selects BOTH of us to go through it! We both refused. Ha! :-) So they get on their little walkie talkies "we have two females refusing the body scan at terminal blah blah blah..." Then they took us separately to get a "pat down" done! I had some lady that apparently didn't find joy in having to pat people down, boy was she Ms. Personality... she informs me that this is not a "regular" pat down, this is a thorough pat down that will go over my "sensitive parts"...WTF!?!? She says when she gets to my "sensitive parts" that she will use the back of her hand...as if that makes it any better. Whatever. So she starts rubbin' me down, and I basically got molested at the airport. Great. Thanks.
Apparently I must look like some sort of terrorist b/c I sure do get "randomly" selected more often than not... I just don't understand how people are still able to get through with dangerous items when they're all but taking you're first born at security! Oh! And speaking of first born, when my IM and I were done being fondled, we passed by this woman and her little baby that were also being screened by security and they had put the poor baby in one of those little bins that you put your shoes and stuff in so that they could check the baby! (Good Lord! Really, people!?) The kid couldn't have been any older than 2 months old. Just to give you a better visual, they put the baby in one of these...
 ...get real geniuses...

Anywho, we got through that mess and I made it back to Dallas...and now we wait!!!!!! AAAAHHHHH!!!!!
I'll leave you with a few funny airport cartoons I found...so sad....but SO TRUE...what has this world come to???
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airport security cartoons, airport security cartoon, airport security picture, airport security pictures, airport security image, airport security images, airport security illustration, airport security illustrations
airport security cartoons, airport security cartoon, airport security picture, airport security pictures, airport security image, airport security images, airport security illustration, airport security illustrations

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Transfer complete!

So here I am chilaxin after the transfer! They have my bed inverted so my feet are up and my head is down  we did acupuncture before and afterward and the Dr. said that everything went as smooth as possible! So now we wait..... My pregnancy test is scheduled for the 27th, fingers crossed everyone!!  I'm off to bedrest for he next few days, lots of word finds and gossip mags 

Monday, November 15, 2010

I hate to be ugly......

.....but the guy next to me on this plane can barely fit in the seat AND he smells like onions. FML.

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Friday, November 12, 2010

Transfer is on!!

The transfer WILL BE on Tuesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG, you have no idea how painstakingly hard it was to wait all the way from 8:45 this morning until 6 o'clock this evening to know if the transfer was still on!!! I think my IM and I must have had several mini strokes during the day just from the anxiety of not knowing...can you imagine how we will be during the 2WW (2 week wait) after the transfer!? Lord help us.
Anywho, I'm so happy! The nurse is gonna call me on Sunday to let me know the time of the transfer and to schedule an acupuncture session. Tomorrow is my last dose of Lupron and on Sunday I start taking Progesterone, Tetracycline and Medrol. Monday I will go in for bloodwork to check my progesterone level and then I fly to CO Monday evening!
I'm super nervous, I really want this to work on the 1st try!!

Just wanted to give a quick update, I'll keep ya posted! I'm off to finally get some rest, I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow! 6 soccer games between both of my girls (tournament)! 1st one starts at 7:30am, last one starts at 7:30pm!! FML.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Update

Had another lining check today...and blood draw...Lord I wish they could just take all the blood they needed at one time and save it for later!!
Anyway, I wasn't very pleased with the ultrasound today; since Friday my lining has on gone up .2mm! That's right .2, not even half a millimeter...Yep, now it's a whopping 7.6...yay. Can you hear the sarcasm?
Ok, enough wallowing...
I'm gonna stay optimistic that by my next check on Friday that I will be at least an 8! The nurse said that they aren't going to up my estrogen anymore b/c my estrogen level is already over 2,000! (No wonder I'm extra sensitive!) So all I can do now is keep taking the same meds/dosages and PRAY that my lining cooperates! There is good news though, the nurse said that the triple stripe is still there, which is a really good thing b/c on some women it can go away and then it's even more of a problem than just trying to thicken your lining. Also that my lining did at least go up even if it was a little, apparently the lining can begin to breakdown and get thinner, so thank goodness that didn't happen!
Thank God for an awesome IM too! I totally felt like a lemon today and she really helped me find the optimism in our situation. :-)
Until next time...TTYL!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Bummed

Had my appointment to check my lining today...it was 7.4 :-( I was hoping that it would be thicker than that, but the Dr. at the monitoring clinic seemed to think it would be okay for a transfer on Tuesday.
Well I got the "official call" from the clinic in CO and the news was not great. The nurse said that they want my lining to be between 8-12 and they are going to push the transfer back a week! UGH!!!!!!!! I'm so disappointed and I feel really bad that my lining apparently sucks! I know there's nothing more I can do other than what the Dr's tell me, but it still SUCKS! I talked to my IM and she was (obviously) disappointed as well...sigh...........I know all things happen for a reason though, so maybe it wasn't meant for the transfer to happen this Tuesday.
Now I will have to up my Estrace to 2xday which should help with thickening the lining more and I will have another lining check on Tuesday morning. (Please keep your fingers crossed!!)
What SUPER SUCKS is that our flights have already been booked and now they will need to be changed which makes me angry b/c of course the dumb ass airlines have change/cancellation fees that are absolutely ridiculous and if you know me then you know I am, ahem, frugal (I don't like to say cheap!) :-) no matter whose money it is, and I just hate unexpected expenses!
And what SUPER DUPER SUCKS is that Kevin will not be able to go. :-( :-( There are other people in his office scheduled off for that week and he has to be there. Damn it to hell!
* BIG SIGH..........*
I'll still go to acupuncture on Saturday, but will probably change the Monday session to a later day in the week...
Anywho, that's all for now. I'm gonna go look up new flights.......

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Once Upon a Surrogate: The Stork's Helpers

A few weeks back I won a drawing that allowed me to review a new book about surrogacy that was actually written by a surrogate. I recieved the book a little over a week ago and last night I sat down with my daughters (8 & 4) to read the book to them.
SurrogacyBooks
Here's a review from 3 different perspectives:

My review on Jill Hancock Reeder's Once Upon a Surrogate book:

Once Upon a Surrogate is a good book for surrogates to read to their children or for parents to read to their children that were born via surrogacy. It explains, in terms that children can understand, the concept of surrogacy. My daughters really liked the fact that the book was illustrated by Jill's children and they were able to grasp the idea of Mommy being the "stork".
I would recommend this book to anyone going through the surrogacy process, as a means of explaining it so your children can understand.

My 4 year old's review:

2 thumbs up (literally), when I asked her how she liked it :) She also said "I liked the stickers", as she covered her arms in them. Then she added "so you were the stork to deliver us to be your children?" :-)

My 8 year old's review:

She thought the book was "okay", she said that she wasn't that interested in it, but that she did learn what an embryo is, which is something she didn't know before.

Thanks, Jill for giving us the chance to review your book!

You can learn more about the book by visiting:
http://surrogacybooks.blogspot.com/
or
http://mormonsurrogate.blogspot.com/


My 1st Acupuncture Experience

Yesterday was my very first time getting acupuncture done! I gotta say, it was, well...quite interesting, to say the least. Lol.
Why did I get acupuncture? I'm glad you asked.
Acupuncture has actually been a common practice for many years to help a woman with infertility. Although I'm not infertile it still helps the blood flow better to the uterus and will hopefully help in achieving and sustaining a pregnancy. My IM suggested it so I was like why not, anything that could possibly give a better chance at a positive outcome is worth trying, right!?
So anyway, I got to the acupuncture clinic yesterday and was greeted by a petite Asian lady, Dr. Chen. She got some information from me and then walked me into a room. It looked just like a room you'd go in when your gonna get a massage; lights dimmed, instrumental music playing, all I needed was some aroma therapy! So then she tells me to get undressed and cover up with a lovely hospital gown...that killed any daydream I might have had about spa time...she came back in the room after I was lying on the table, now mind you I've never had this done, so she comes in and says (in a thick Chinese accent) "oh, you lay on table wrong, you turn over", I was like "oh my bad", not that she knew what that meant, but nevertheless I felt like a dumb ass for laying on the table the wrong way.
Anyway, after repositioning myself, she started wiping me down with alcohol. At this point I was a little nervous, I mean she was wiping my head, my feet, my EARS! I didn't know what was about to happen! I guess she could tell I was nervous b/c she said "is no hurting you no worry". Um ok.
Then she started placing the needles. First on the top of my head, didn't feel that one, probably b/c of my thick hair, then she placed one in the middle of my forehead...that was weird, but no pain. Then she went to my ears...now that's when it started feeling weird. It didn't hurt, it was just kind of like an annoying little pinch but it was weird to know that you have 2 needles now sticking out of both your ears! She continued down my body and I ended up with 17 little needles sticking out of me! Then she says "ok now I do electricity".
Say what!? 
Awww naw lady, you crazy!
Again, she must have read my facial expression b/c she said "is no hurting". She brought out this little machine and hooked up 2 electrode thingys onto the needles that were in my pelvic area and it started pulsating. It felt weird, but didn't hurt so I suppose she was right..."is no hurting." After lying there for an hour she came back in, took out the needles and had me turn on my side so that she could do my back. She placed 6 needles alongside my spine, 3 on each side, and hooked up the electrodes again. Then I laid there for about 15 minutes and she came back and took them out and we were done!
All in all I'd say it was a good experience. It wasn't what I thought it would be, but then again I've only seen it in movies so that could explain a lot. :-) It didn't scare me off though, I'm going back on Saturday and again on Monday.
I really hope this helps!