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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...

Friday, December 25, 2015

Santa, BABY...

Well it's been 9 days since our transfer and the beta should have been today, but since it's a holiday, we have to wait until tomorrow the 26th...
But because my IM and I are "crazy pee stick ladies"....I have some pics for you to analyze...

These are 3 days past our transfer (5 day embie) (aka 3dp5dt)

Now, if you're a professional pee stick reader like myself, you *may* see a 2nd line :D

"Do you see what I see?"

I told you we were crazy pee stick ladies...

Getting darker....

"Merry Christmas, baby!"







Thursday, December 24, 2015

Transfer day!!

Merry Christmas Eve!

We had our transfer on December 16th! Kevin wasn't able to go with me this time, so my BFF, Elice, accompanied me as my companion :). Although I was restricted to bed rest for the majority of our time in Colorado, it was still fun and I'm glad she was able to be a part of the experience with me. (It was her 1st plane ride!!)


Our flight was delayed about an hour due to the snow in Colorado, but thankfully it wasn't cancelled! Our Uber driver damn near killed us on the way to the hotel, but we won't speak of that :\

Anywho...the transfer went wonderfully! We all wore our "good luck green". (I suck though and didnt get a pic of all 3 of us together :( ) 
I promise Elice has on green underneath all of her "cold weather gear". Smh. 


I had acupuncture before & afterward. Oh but the afterward.....you know they want your bladder full for the transfer, right? Yea...so I had to lie there for an hour after the transfer and OMG...I had to pee soooooo bad!! (Of course I refused to use a bed pan) That just wasn't gonna happen....I probably should have though, I almost exploded. Like for real. (I might have peed a little on the absorbent pad, just sayin) 
This was before I almost peed on the floor...

After I was released from the confines of my inverted transfer bed and damn near knocked over a nurse, while running to the closest thing that looked like a bathroom, we (me, IM, & Elice) went to McDonald's for some fries. (Superstition) Not sure how greasy fries are supposed to help you get knocked up, but I won't question it. (After all, the transfer worked last time I ate fries!) 
Then we "ubered" back to our hotel (minus a near death experience this time) and I stayed put for the next day and a half. 
I started getting stir crazy after the first 12 hours and I'm sure I drove Elice batty, but she was a trooper and didn't choke me. <3 

IM and I received beautiful tulips from her friend, too. (I couldn't get a good pic from my "bed rest position" so Elice held them up for me lol)
My IM was (is) super sweet and went to the store to get us some fruit (pineapple!) and snacks and she made sure I was as comfortable as possible before she had to leave (she left the day before us). 
And, since she had to leave...guess who had to give me my PIO shot? That's right, Elice! She practiced about 357 times on an orange before she felt okay to give me my shot lol. I can't bring myself to do my own shots so I have to rely on others...if Elice wasn't going to be able to do it, I was gonna have to ask someone in housekeeping :\ (totally kidding...maybe) Anywho, she did a great job, didn't even feel it! (Thank goodness!) 

Before we left, we got the chance to take some beautiful pics of the mountains and snow. And of course a selfie. Yay!

And so the TWW (two week wait) began......to be continued :-)






Saturday, November 28, 2015

Oh, by the way...

Our transfer is scheduled for December 16th! :-)
I followed up with my OB after the whole "elevated liver enzymes" scary stuff that CCRM got me all worked up about. My OB wasn't the slightest bit worried and wrote a very nice clearance letter for me. Thank God!! I worried for nothing!

After that, my IPs and I were in a race against the clock to get our contracts done because CCRM has a "holiday shutdown", which limits the availability they have for transfers. We literally got contracts done at the last possible minute!! Whew! So, CCRM sent us our calendar on Nov. 16th and we've been on the fast track ever since. I started Lupron on the 18th and then began estrace and vivelle patches on the 27th. Thankfully I've had no side effects, as I have before. (Knock on wood!) It almost seems too good to be true! The only thing I don't really like are the vivelle patches and it's only because the damn sticky crap stays on my skin and it also starts peeling and sticking to my clothes! 
My "creepy" (according to Kailey), starting Lupron pic
Super sweet IPs sent me yummy gifts (better than the meds that came at the same time) ;)
Mmmm! Chocolate biscotti 


I'll have my 1st lining check and labs on Dec. 3rd, so I'll check back in after that. Keeping my fingers crossed that everything will continue to go smoothly!

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

"Smooth seas don't make good sailors"

After our trip to Denver, we came back home to await the results...to be honest I wasn't concerned that anything would come back "abnormal" because I've always had good lab results. 
On Tuesday, the nurse from CCRM began emailing me my lab results and all was well until she emailed me my Vitamin D results and told me it was a bit low. They look for the "number" to be over 30 and mine was 18. Bummer to hear, but it wasn't a huge concern because they said I just needed to begin taking a daily OTC vitamin D supplement, along with a once weekly Rx for vitamin D, then in a few weeks they would recheck my levels. 
Later that afternoon, I got another email that said my liver enzymes were "elevated" and that they would not move forward with scheduling a transfer until I discussed the results with my doctor, here in Texas, and got a clearance letter from him stating he's okay with me carrying another pregnancy. I have to say, this was very alarming to me...what the hell does "elevated liver enzymes" mean and what can I do about it?? 
With those questions in mind, what do you think I did? What any other paranoid, semi-informed person would do, of course! I went to trusty ol' Google Search and WebMD. Maybe not the best idea, in hindsight. Google will have you thinking you're on your last leg and should start drafting your will asap. So of course, I worried myself sick about all the possibilities of what elevated liver enzymes could mean for me, but I managed to put aside my hypochondriac moment for a few seconds so that I could call my OB's office and schedule an appointment to go over my results. Thankfully they could get me in relatively quickly. I went to the appointment yesterday and my Dr wasn't even remotely concerned! He said that my levels were only a few points over the "norm" and that could be for any number of reasons; the only time he would become concerned is if the levels were in the triple digits (mine weren't even close). After he told me that, all I wanted to say was "can I get my $40 copay back", I mean, damn. I waited there for an hour and met with him for about 2 minutes just for him to kinda chuckle at the fact that CCRM is so strict. Seriously though, I was relieved that it was nothing, and I'd pay 100 copays to have good news like that, any day. His exact words were "you are the ideal patient to carry a pregnancy"...ah, music to my ears! 😊 
So, we're still on track and all I'm waiting on is for his staff to email me the clearance letter. In the meantime, the IPs are getting our contract drafted and we're getting this show on the road!! 
What I've learned is that no matter how much I *think* I know about this process and all of the hurdles that can come your way, I don't know everything and I'm not immune to the occasional curveball either. If everything always went perfectly, you'd never know how to overcome adversity!

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

"People seldom treat me badly on purpose"


The last time I blogged I told you about the couple I matched with in CA...well, let's just say that some things fell through with that and I found myself "back on the market", so to speak. It's funny, this whole world of surrogacy, you never really know what's ahead of you, try as you might. But I'm a firm believer that all things happen for a reason, so no love loss there.

So after the "break up" with the CA couple, a few weeks later one of my surro sisters contacted me saying that she had a couple in mind that she thought I'd like (at this point I was like "yea whatever") but I gave it a shot. I reached out to the IM via Facebook ( isn't social media awesome?!) and we chatted back and forth a few times then decided that we liked each other enough to talk on the phone. Thankfully neither of us deemed each other bat shit crazy and then we did a Skype call. She was soooo sweet and extremely down to earth, easy to talk to. We decided that we both wanted to move forward and got the ball rolling with the clinic (CCRM) and attorneys.

Sunday, Kevin and I flew to Denver (as well as the IPs) so that we could have our "one day work up" done. CCRM is extremely strict and thorough and run you through a shitload of test.  I mean, seriously, I'm surprised I didnt have to give them our 1st born.
We kinda like our 1st born

Anyway, Sunday night we got to meet the IPs in person for the first time and they were just as sweet as they were on the phone!! It's always nerve wracking to meet IPs for the 1st time, it's like a 1st date. Do you tell a joke? Will they get it? Do you bring flowers? Do you just nod and smile and agree with everything? There are just so many random questions that pop into your mind, but it was actually very easy to talk to them and be ourselves, thank god!
So yesterday was our 'one day work up' and I had 6 appointments today (see, thorough!). Appointments started at 10am and the last one was at 2pm. I have to admit, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and it ran quite smoothly.
Here's what the schedule looked like:
10:00am
Baseline
Ultrasound + Doppler
10:30am
Nurse Consultation

11:30am
Standard or Extended  Workup Labs, Communicable Disease, Genetic Screening Blood Tests
12:00pm
Hysteroscopy, Annual & Regroup
1:00pm
Psychologist Consult
2:00pm
PAI

Fun. :\ 

I knew everything would be okay though because it was October 19th ("Baby L's" 4th bday!) AND on the way to the appointment we saw a double rainbow! Both those things have to be good luck, right? ☺

Everything went very smoothly and the dreaded hysteroscopy wasn't bad; the ultrasound was actually worse because the tech kept pushing my stomach in (and I wanted to kick her!). 
No issues with the labs drawn either...(if you've read any of my blogs before, you know those don't usually go well!) 
What a good hubby :)

Oh and they were nice enough to prep the stirrups for me...
Ready for baby baking?? At least they were my favorite color...

Pink paper clothing...look for it on the Spring 2016 runways
I got the preliminary "all clear" from my ultrasound and hysteroscopy and then Kevin and I met with the psychologist. I think we fooled her into thinking we are sane. (Kidding!!...maybe) 😜
After that, I took the PAI, Personality Assessment Something...it's a 300+ (ridiculous) question assessment. Seriously, if you don't pass this test then you seriously are not the sharpest tool in the shed. 
I was literally laughing out loud at most of the questions, so then I decided to take a pic of some of the ridiculousness because I knew some people wouldn't believe me. 
What?? I'm not even sure how to answer this so that they don't think I'm a lunatic.
Quite possible, but what does that mean about me, exactly?
Now, this question confused me by the way it was worded...maybe I'm a little slow.
Yes, Yes, I do. Problem?
Aren't we all though?
And WHY is this relevant?
All I can say is, the PAI was entertaining, but I was glad to get it over with. 

So after everything was complete, we headed back to the airport with the IPs (they are from Seattle), we said our "see ya laters" and flew back home. 

Now we await the official results from the clinic and then we will finalize contracts, yay!! Hoping for a transfer by December at the latest.

Keep your fingers crossed for us and I'll keep you posted!! 

And happy 4th birthday to my 1st surrobabe "Baby L", who's not such a baby anymore! ❤️





Tuesday, March 17, 2015

What's been happening?

Hey peeps!

I'm still here! I bet you've been wondering "Is Krystal going to do another surrogacy?".....well you probably really haven't had 2 thoughts about it, but in my mind you care ;)

So to answer your question.....YES! I'm crazy, you say? Yea, maybe. But surrogacy is definitely something that is near and dear to my heart and I'm not quite ready to call it quits. Perhaps after I'm done carrying babies I will look into working for an agency or even start my own! I just know that surrogacy is something that I completely believe in and I want to be a part of this community for as long as I can, in one way or another.

Long story short....who am I kidding...I'm a bit long-winded sometimes. So, here's the story of how my 3rd (kinda 4th) journey has begun: (I'll give you random, cute pics along the way to keep you interested! ☺)


Me & Ms. B. Isn't she a cutie?!
I was contacted by a dear surro friend regarding a local Dallas couple that was looking for a surrogate. They were not with an agency though and did not want to use one either. I talked with Kevin about it and we decided that we felt comfortable enough to move forward with them independently (without an agency). (Don't freak out, there are lots of arrangements done without using an agency) An agency is essentially a "middle man" to help with matching and assists with the not so easy task of talking finances, etc. Anyway, back on topic....we talked with the couple over the phone, really clicked and decided to go to dinner. We met at a fun little place, but we forgot to make reservations and the wait was over an hour! So we decided to walk and talk and we found a pizza place....it was soooo good! After we ate, we talked for a while and then the couple wanted to introduce us to a sushi place they liked (I've never had sushi, nor desired it, but I was open to trying something new). It was actually really good! We had a vegetarian roll and fried eggplant.
We weren't ready for the night to be over so we found a dive bar and had a couple of drinks and dessert; we stayed out until 2am! So fun!
IM and I began texting a few times and then went out to lunch a few weeks later. Unfortunately, things went awry. IM's family was a little less than pleased when they found out about them using a surrogate and she called to let me know that they were going to need some time to figure things out. I was sad, but not completely caught off-guard, as there were little hints here and there. It was a cultural thing, I believe. They are both great people and I wish them all the best!

Me & the fam at the Color Vibe 5k run. Lots of fun!
I let my agency know that the match fell through and they began sending me profiles. One in particular stood out, mainly because it was so well written and down to earth and also because of the peculiar line of work for the IM. It was intriguing. I really wasn't interested in carrying for a couple that wasn't local (they are in CA), but after I talked to them I couldn't say no. They were so adorable on the phone and I was really glad they could appreciate my sense of humor ☺
We all agreed that it was a match and have decided to move forward!
Mr. L talking to my daughter for her b-day
We were matched on November 20th and things have been moving quite slowly until about a week ago. I FINALLY got a draft copy of a contract and I'm pretty sure my IPs found their donor as well. I went over the contract with the attorney; there were a few changes to be made and now I'm just awaiting the final contract to sign. I think there may be a hold up because I no longer have disability coverage (my company cancelled it on 2/1/15), so that may have thrown a wrench into my IP's plans. Hopefully it's not a dealbreaker, but we shall see.

Well, that's that! I'll update when I have more "exciting" news! And I'll leave you with a couple more pics of the cutest little surro babes you've ever seen! ☺
She's starting to walk!
Cutest little elf ever!

Holla!