January 27, 2010 at 4:28 PM (Uncategorized)
Tags: FET Transfer, IVF, Surrogacy, Surrogate Transfer
We had a transfer today, we had a transfer today! I wish I could give you all the details but we can only get an internet connection by the patio of the hotel room and I am on strict bed rest. I love my BlackBerry but it is not intended for blogging..
Two of the four embryos survived the thaw and they were transferred today at around 12:45.
Hoping to get a connection and post more later.
Keep praying!
January 26, 2010 at 12:28 PM (Our Journey)
Tags: FET, GESTATIONAL SURROGATE, IVF, TRANSFER
Ready to break it down one time? Will Smith rapped it best when he said, “I’M GOING TO MIAMI.” Sing along, it makes you feel good.
THE DISH:
Progesterone injections are going awesome so far. I keep alternating cheeks and live on the heating pad. I have no bruising or lumps so far- knock on wood, throw some salt, and send up arrow prayers to the big guy. The Husband has been beyond stellar and as the mother-in-law mentioned in a comment, he HATES needles. I am so proud of him!
Tonight my mom and I fly to Miami and the transfer is tomorrow afternoon. I’m so excited! I’ve got the new camera charged and ready to go for the big day. We even have matching t-shirts to wear to the transfer! I believe that I have acupuncture before and after the transfer and the transfer is around 12:30.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Thanks for all the support! I (hopefully) will catch you up once the transfer is done and I’m on bed rest. Adios Amigos!
© Pocketbebe, 2010
January 23, 2010 at 2:35 PM (Our Journey)
Tags: Gestational Surrogacy, IVF Drugs, PIO, PIO Hints, PIO Lumps, Progesterone in oil injection
I am a member of the Lumpy Butt Club now! I had my first shot of Progesterone yesterday!
When I went to the clinic on Thursday for my ultrasound and blood work, I was told the lining of my uterus was at 14 mm and that anything over 8 mm was good. My estrogen level had a significant drop from somewhere in the 400’s to mid 100’s which made Miami nurse nervous. I had been told to reduce from two Vivelle (estrogen) patches to one last week but she wondered if I had missed any of my oral estrogen, which I hadn’t. Apparently the reproductive endocrinologist wasn’t as concerned because she didn’t end up changing any dosages of estrogen and we are still trucking along.
Yesterday, Friday, was my last shot of Lupron and the beginning of the Progesterone shots. I am still keeping the time of my injections in the evening because mornings at our house are way too hectic for that kind of business to be going on. My surrogate friend, who is also a nurse, came over to help instruct The Husband on how to give me the shot. An hour beforehand I applied some Lidocaine/Prilocaine cream to the target area and let that begin to work while I sat on the heating pad trying not to freak out.
Ten minutes prior to the injection I placed the vial of Progesterone in Oil under the heating pad to warm it up and make it less thick. Drawing the dosage up into the vial took some real muscle power, holy cow! Surro Friend had already drawn a target on my buttock with a sharpie so I rested on the bed and covered up my head as The Husband was instructed on what to do. I began to get really scared. I remembered that he hadn’t practiced on the oranges and the more questions he asked her in order to do it right, the more I began to freak out that he was totally going to screw up and hurt me. The anxiety was killing me! KILL-ING ME! I finally just asked The Husband to wait until tomorrow and just observe the first shot for which I think he was secretly relieved about. Surro Friend swiftly inserted the needle, showed The Husband how to draw back a little to see if we happened to hit a blood vessel, and then slowly administered the Progesterone over the course of a minute in order to minimize the “lumps” that can happen from the thickness of the oil.
Once that drama was over and done with, I rubbed my wound for awhile to help spread the medicine out a little bit and resumed my seat on the heating pad. Our family and Surro Friend’s family played some Sing Star on the PS2 (Surro Friend and I totally rocked Poison’s, Every Rose Has Its Thorn) and then I headed to bed with heating pad in tow.
This morning the injection site is tender but I don’t have a lump. Later today The Husband will practice “darting” the 1 ½” long, needle into an orange to get the feel of things for tonight when the left side of my butt will then get a turn.
Lord please, PLEASE, help guide thy husband’s hands. Amen.
© Pocketbebe, 2010
January 19, 2010 at 11:08 PM (Our Journey)
Tags: Gestational Surrogacy, IVF Injections, Surrogate blogs
Hey all! Today my little pumpkin pie, Michelle, puked the entire time it took to drive the big girls to school and get back home. It has been a day full of puke laundry, baths, continuous rocking in the rocking chair and liberal bleach cleaning. During the times the poor girl finally would quit heaving and fall asleep in my arms, I was able to use my free hand to jump links all over the internet catching up on blogs and exploring new ones.
One blog that caught my attention today was Surrogate Mother – Growing a Family. Two of the surrogate’s posts talked about how hard it gets over time to give yourself an injection. She is not kidding the psychology of it all is crazy. I went into giving myself the injections as a fearless warrior and now I don’t want anything to do with being the needle jabber. I’d be sitting on the edge of my toilet counting to three, then ten, then backward from twenty before bringing myself to push the needle in. Many times, like the other blogger, the needle would go in by accident when I got too close to the thigh in my rhythmic counting. I started bruising or itching after every injection and decided it was time to pass the torch.
Daily Introspection: needle jabbing is not an area where I feel the need to exercise my inner control freak.
The night after I decided I would no longer give myself the injections I found myself at my friend’s birthday party at the martini bar. My friend AK willingly bore witness to the dimpled cottage cheese factory that resides on the side of my thigh and gave me my injection. The same scenario repeated itself with a different friend at Applebee’s this past weekend. I’m not sure if anyone came into either restroom while we took hostage the handicap stall but can you imagine what you might think was going on if you went into a restroom at a bar and through the crack of the door you saw one person with their pants down and the other one jabbing a needle in their thigh? I can tell you the last thing I’d think was, “Oh, just some fertility drugs.” I’d beeline it for my girlfriends like I was running for Olympic gold just so I could point out to them the lady who’d been in the bathroom and declare that I saw her and her friend in there shooting up smack.
No, I really wouldn’t say that but I might think it.
The Husband has gotten good at the Lupron injections and sometimes he goes so fast they are done before I even know it. It has been good for him to get in some practice as the PIO injections will be coming around the 22nd.
Only eight more days until the transfer! It has come so fast now, I can’t believe it!
Good Surrogate Blogs:
Surrogate Mother – Growing a Family ***Transfer on Jan. 27
Not Mine, This Time! ***Transfer on Jan. 26 or 27
Bump Fairy ***Transfer on Jan.28
Blog recommendation from Lucy:
January 15, 2010 at 2:36 PM (Our Journey, Surrogate Education)
Tags: Gestational Surrogacy, Red Cross Haiti, The Kangaroo Pouch, Vivelle Patch
My middle child loves attention, so you should have seen her at school dismissal on Wednesday afternoon when with a grin similar to the Cheshire cat, she announced that her mom was, “having a baby and giving it to someone else.” Her group of six and seven-year-old girlfriends stood huddled together waiting for me to deny this outrageous claim while my daughter reveled in the shock value of it all. I instantly had a flashback of when our oldest daughter, at that very same age, told a girl in her first grade class that babies did NOT come out of bellybuttons, they…wait for it…come out of your private parts! PRIVATE PARTS! I’ve heard the mother’s reaction to her daughter’s new knowledge base didn’t please her very much and all I could do was think “at least she didn’t clue her in about life in the Sudan, Hitler, or heaven forbid- that the tooth fairy wasn’t real.” THAT is the kind of information that can leave some real permanent damage on a young and unsuspecting soul.
At any rate, the book we ordered- The Kangaroo Pouch by Sarah Phillips Pellet, finally arrived the other day. The book is good but not all that I had wanted it to be. I think I’d like to create my own book. Any Children’s Lit agents out there want to guide me right into a major publishing house? Is that asking too much? Yeah probably, I will just go ahead and add that to the prayer list. Anyway, the book is a good tool and the Kangaroo story is helpful. Our biggest goal with the girls is to stress that the embryos were created by Lucy and Ricky. Lucy is the egg mommy, Ricky is the seed daddy and that makes the bebe belong to them. Lucy’s tummy can’t keep the bebe egg safe for the right amount of time so she is using my tummy to grow the little pocket bebe and when the bebe is done growing and ready to live outside my tummy, the little bebe will go home to live with the Ricardo family. We won’t even approach the possibility of two babies in my “tummy oven” unless that possibility becomes reality.
My appointment at the clinic on Thursday was quick and painless. I left at 5:30 am, arrived at 7:15 for the appointment, was seen at 7:40 and out of there at 7:55. The ultrasound showed that the lining of the diamond encrusted uterus was indeed thickening. Miami clinic emailed at the end of the day to say that everything was looking good and to actually cut down from two estrogen patches to one. I was back in town by the time my weekly small group met at 9:30. I actually noticed most of my girlfriends’ cars still at Dunkin Donuts where they were consuming the massive amounts of coffee that fuels our two plus hours of nonstop talking as I passed by and beat them to the church. That comment actually makes me laugh because as a kid we sometimes got donuts from the donut shop in the morning and I remember all the farmers and their wives in there having coffee and swapping talk. Makes me feel like an old fart.
Lucy has been super busy being wife, mommy, doctor, and student. A self-professed schoolaholic she is currently studying for her latest conquest, comprehensive exams for her Ph.D. Hopefully when things calm down a bit for her she will be able to contribute a few posts.
I read a funny blog post the other day about my cousin’s birthing class and all that she learned in preparation to have her first baby. Apparently there was a guy there that kept everyone shaking their heads in disbelief; they named him Vodka Sex and his antics had me laughing out loud. Click here to read it! Just for the record, I personally LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the mesh underwear you get from the hospital after having a baby.
Many prayers going out to Haiti, the Husband and I texted a $10 donation to the Red Cross yesterday and it was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. By the way, the cell phone companies are lifting any texting fees if you donate to Haiti over texting. To donate to the Red Cross you text the word “Haiti” to the number 90999. They then send you a text telling you to confirm that you really want to donate $10 by replying back with the word “YES.” The $10 is then added to your cell phone bill. Pretty cool!
© Pocketbebe, 2010
January 9, 2010 at 3:34 PM (Our Journey)
Tags: Gestational Surrogacy, Lupron Injections, Oral Estrace, Surrogacy Hormones, Vivelle Patches
Thursday ushered in the rush of hormones that I had been expecting this whole time but was starting to wonder if I might possibly avoid. Many times on Thursday I wanted to unleash snarky criticism at many different and random people. I also almost cried three different times in public and then finally did at home to a husband that was really quite sweet. He listened, sympathized, and did not minimize my feelings or try to tell me how I SHOULD be feeling. It was such a blessing and that alone would have made me cry if I were not already blubbering all over the place.
Like it continues to be, it was freezing cold on Thursday morning. Yes, northern folk who may be reading, I actually had a layer of ice on my windshield that needed to be removed prior to driving. It was miserable at 7:30 in the morning trying to get moving and out the door with a crusty, sleepy preschooler. I ended up being fifteen minutes late to the Tampa clinic and realized after getting signed in and getting Michelle dressed that we had arrived in Tampa with no shoes for her. Yes, I became THAT mom who on the day that Florida had record breaking, freezing temps, did not have a pair of shoes for her four year old daughter. Any and all mommy self worth deteriorated in that split second and I began to wonder what kind of judgment Lucy was lacking trusting me to carry her baby. Yes, I know…VERY dramatic and over the top. I’m not saying that any of this makes any sense. This is hormones at their best; this was almost crying in public episode #1.
To make a long and still tender story short, the morning at the clinic was full of chaos, way too much waiting, lost charts, and confusion on lab and ultrasound orders. I was frustrated by everything the entire time and I couldn’t get out of there soon enough which finally happened around 11:45 am. This was almost crying in public episode #2. At any rate, the ultrasound was good. My lining was nice and thin where it was supposed to be and now comes the task of getting it built up right where they want it to be able to accept the little pocket bebe.
Episode #3 happened while in Wal-Mart when the clinic in Miami called me and reported that there was estrogen in my system and wanted to know what was going on. I had to explain that my meds schedule said for me to start taking the Estrace that morning and to take it 3x a day and also to put on the first set of Vivelle patches. Apparently, the meds schedule was SUPPOSED to say to not take anything until after my appointment when Miami would give me the “all clear” and that the Estrace is only to be taken twice a day. By the time this call happened I had all ready taken the middle of the day dose releasing a second dose of estrogen into my system more quickly than necessary. I was told that Miami needed to talk to the doctor and that they would call me back. So, phone call ended with me feeling like I had majorly screwed up and was to blame even though the directions on my schedule were wrong! A few minutes later my Blackberry went off with an email containing smiley faces saying that everything was fine but to only take the Estrace twice a day. The smiley faces didn’t make me feel as good as the appropriate acceptance of responsibility would have but then again, I have to wonder if it would have ruffled my feathers as much if I weren’t so damn hormonal.
I know, I’m whining and it is grossly pathetic. I semi, sort-of apologize for that.
© Pocketbebe, 2010
December 28, 2009 at 6:57 PM (Our Journey, Surrogate Education)
Tags: Gestational Surrogacy, IVF Acupuncture, Lupron, Photos Lupron Injection, Surrogate Acupuncture
Yesterday was Happy Lupron day and I was able to do my first 10 unit Lupron injection in my thigh. Even though Lucy and her family traveled up north for some real Christmas weather we were still able to connect for the momentous occasion via Skype. We had one audio glitch in that I couldn’t hear Lucy through the laptop so I got on the house phone while The Husband used my Blackberry to capture us some pictures. Lucy had to go into one of the public areas where they were staying to get a connection on her computer and ended up sitting on a patio that had snow drifts piled up in the corner, in the freezing temps for at least fifteen minutes. What a sport!
I’d been told by Lucy and other surrogates on the support group site that the Lupron injections are not much to worry about and for me it truly wasn’t. Lucy’s clinic instructed me to do it in the thigh (some women do it in their tummy rolls) so I was a little nervous about that as I have less fat on the top of my thigh than I do on my tummy, but now I can’t imagine trying to do it anywhere but the thigh. Lucy giggled a little that I used such force for such a short little needle but I didn’t want to not thrust it hard enough and get a ”bounce back” on my first try, that would have been traumatizing and surely would have mentally screwed with me for all the other injections to come.
This morning I had my second acupuncture appointment; the first appointment was a consultation back in October. The reason I am receiving acupuncture treatment is because there have been some clinical trials that show receiving acupuncture prior to IVF shows improvement in the outcome, there are also studies that show that it doesn’t make a difference. Lucy has been through five IVF cycles and the fifth cycle that worked, she received acupuncture. It may mean something or it may mean nothing at all, but we are not taking any chances.
Anyway, the doctor informed me that from the Middle Eastern perspective I am very healthy and he doesn’t see much at this point that needs treating. If he had to find something to nitpick, he said there were very small indicators that a few treatments for my liver would be what would be beneficial. The liver has many functions and some of the functions are: to produce substances that break down fats, convert glucose to glycogen, produce urea (the main substance of urine), make certain amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), filter harmful substances from the blood (such as alcohol), storage of vitamins and minerals (vitamins A, D, K and B12) and maintain a proper level or glucose in the blood. The liver is also responsible for producing cholesterol. The filtering of the blood, the storage of vitamins, and maintaining the proper amount of glucose are all important aspects when attempting and maintaining a healthy pregnancy so it made sense to me even though he didn’t go into detail what it was that added up in my oral history that led him to want to focus on the liver.
The treatment itself was honestly kind-of boring and my nose itched terribly the entire time. I couldn’t scratch it because the lone needle in my left arm had made the entire arm fall asleep and my right arm had two needles in it that prohibited me from the possibility of resuming a comfortable position should I even move it in the first place. I will have one more appointment locally before the transfer and a session just prior to implantation on Jan. 27th. Something interesting I just thought I might mention (especially since I’m not even sure where my own thoughts lie concerning acupuncture) is that when I got the mail today I received a copy of my blood chemistry/immunology and everything was normal except I have low glucose levels, 60 mg/dl in a reference range of 70 mg/dl – 125 mg/dl. One of the very things that gets handled by the liver, things that make you go hmmm….
© Pocketbebe, 2009
December 23, 2009 at 11:51 PM (Our Journey)
Tags: Birth Control Pills IVF, Fertility Clinic, Frozen Embryo Transfer, Gestational Surrogacy, Lupron Injections, Side Effects Lurpon
I haven’t meant for so much time to pass between writing an update but not a single thing has happened other than lots and lots of waiting. I have been taking the birth control pill, the low dose aspirin, and the prenatal vitamin daily since December 6th. Today I went to Tampa and had a baseline ultrasound done; the diamond encrusted uterus is still pristine and without any cysts so everything is still a go for the Lupron injections to begin.
This is what was emailed to me from the clinic in Miami after they received the ultrasound results from Tampa, “Your ultrasound report is totally normal. You are ready to proceed with the Lupron injections beginning on 12/27/09. Make sure that you overlap with your birth control pill for 5 days. Your last pill should be taken on 1/01/10. While you are on Lupton you may experience irritability, mood swings, hot flashes or headaches. Those are the most common side effects, however due to the small dosage you are on you may not experience them at all.” I’m obviously rooting for the latter.
On the way home I stopped at the pharmacy and got the H1N1 injection. I could write an entire blog post on all the whining, agonizing, and pestering of multiple healthcare workers that went into that decision and who knows, maybe I will after the holidays, but for right now I’m just glad it is done and over with. I plan on not speaking or thinking about Thiomersal, adjuvants, and Guillain-Barré syndrome for many days in a row. My brain is fried! The swine flu and the resulting pandemic were not on the world screen as I began the surrogacy process and it has been something that we’ve had to make adjustments for especially because of its effects on pregnant women.
Monday the 28th I have an acupuncture appointment and I am looking forward to relaxing and having my Chi maintained.
The next appointment in Tampa will be on Jan. 7th and that date will also be the date I start taking the different forms of estrogen.
The Husband, kids, and I are spending a nice Christmas at home and will attend church tomorrow evening. Lucy, Ricky, and Little Ricky will be traveling north to much lower temperatures to celebrate the holiday. Many prayers from Florida are being sent your way for a blessed Christmas.
COMING UP NEXT: LUPRON INJECTIONS (PHOTOS & POSSIBLY VIDEO)
© Pocketbebe, 2009
December 3, 2009 at 10:55 PM (Our Journey)
Tags: Birth Control Pills IVF, Fertility Clinic, Lupron Injections instructions, Progesterone in oil injection instructions
I was in Tampa today to visit the fertility clinic where my uterus will be monitored while taking the IVF medications pre and post embryo transfer. I first met with the Special Services Coordinator who created my patient profile for the clinic and quickly went over with me some of the basics of the Lupron injections and the Progesterone in Oil (PIO) injections. I’ve seen videos on You Tube or on Ascend showing how to do the injections but seeing, in person, the longer than life needle used for the PIO is going to take A LOT of getting used to. Thankfully, I start small with the little, itty, bitty Lupron injections before having to stab myself deep into my muscle tissue to inject the thick PIO.
So, quick break down:
Lupron (small & easy injection) approx. 27 injections
Progesterone in Oil (thick, long, intramuscular injection) approx. 18 injections AND if the transfer is successful, I will get to receive 42 more of these lovely ladies.
I had a chance to quickly meet with the Dr. to review what had been filled out on my chart and then scheduled my weekly January appointments.
Tomorrow morning I will pick up my birth control pills and some medicine for the sinus infection I have. My Lupron Rx is in the process of being ordered. I should start the pill sometime around the 6th and the Lupron injections right after Christmas.
Each day is bringing us a little bit closer! All I want for Christmas is some hypodermic needles and a Sharps biohazard container…
© Pocketbebe, 2009
November 30, 2009 at 1:13 PM (Our Journey, Surrogate Education)
Tags: ART Lawyers, Gestational Surrogacy, Independent Surrogacy, Surrogate Matching, Surrogatge Agencies
I decided to become a surrogate and then was like, “Um…how exactly do I do that?” I sent an email to two ladies in my family and told them if they ever needed me to be a surrogate for them I would. They laughed, probably rolled their eyes while still questioning what numbers I’d potentially blow on a breathalyzer, and went about their business. It was clear that I most likely would end up carrying for someone I had yet to meet. So, how would I meet that someone?
There are three venues for searching for a surrogacy match. There are agencies that provide potential parents, surrogates, and egg donors with matching services. There are also Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) lawyers who essentially do the same thing; both Lucy and I have lawyers who specialize in ART, but they didn’t assist us in matching. And, lastly there is independent surrogacy in which both parties search for each other privately and effect any necessary legal and medical matters themselves.
I began my search by looking into agencies. I thought this would be safer and thought I would be better protected by the expertise of an agency (this is not always true though, so one must do research and be informed when making their decisions). I began searching for large agencies that had been in business for a long time and which seemed to have a good reputation. I filled out approximately seven applications with various agencies and lawyers. The applications are really, really, really long and filling them out is time consuming and tedious. The only good thing about filling out the same questions over and over again was that it provided me with clarity on exactly how I felt about every part of the process.
Once completing all the applications and submitting them, I thought I was well on my way to finding a match. One agency never responded to my application. A second agency said they would contact me after I passed my background check but they never called me back and ignored my follow-up emails. I’m not sure what happened there as I have passed federal background checks and finger printing for the kids’ school and state checks for a ward of the state to be able to stay in our home. Unless my ticket for going seven miles over the speed limit in a school zone ten years ago disqualified me from carrying someone else’s baby, I don’t know what to say. Anyway, I was cleared with the rest of the agencies and they added me to their database where I was left to wait. One nice lady from an agency was bold enough to tell me that I should consider going independent because of my pro-life stance. She informed me that most intended parents wanted a surrogate that would concede to abortion and selective reduction per their instruction and that I would have a difficult time being matched. I was temporarily shocked and devastated.
I then started navigating my way around independent surrogate sites to determine how I could meet the couple of my dreams. Going independent, not unlike working with an agency, has its ups and downs. On the plus side, you have substantially more control over how much presence you have and you can converse directly with surrogate searching couples. The downside is that it puts time consuming work in your own lap, especially work on the computer. Finding a surrogacy match is probably similar to online dating except conversation topics discussed at length are:
1. Proximity to each other
2. What kind of health insurance you carry and if it has surrogate exclusions
3. Willingness to abort a baby
4. Whom you are willing to carry for (traditional couples, same sex couples, single people, etc.)
5. Reproductive histories and medical histories
6. What kind of surrogate you are and what kind of surrogacy you are doing (GS, TS, altruistic, reimbursed)
7. Timing
There are several ways independent surrogate websites generally work. One site had me create a profile similar to one that would be found on a dating service, although I didn’t feel comfortable at this stage using my real name or giving identifying information. The other surrogate sites that I used allowed both intended parents and surrogates to search and place ads similar to an ad you would place in a local newspaper. Once the ads were in place, emails would start to trickle in and then I began the job of sorting through them all. It was overwhelming talking to so many people at once and again having to repeat answers to the same questions over and over again – time consuming and tedious.
I decided to build a website to which I could direct potential parents. The creation of my own website allowed intended parents to get an in depth view of who I was, what my family was like, and what I stood for. On the site I expressed my desire to be a gestational surrogate, the hopes for a Christian couple, and the unwillingness to terminate or reduce a pregnancy. If they liked what they saw, they could then contact me and we could go from there having already covered most the ground with which I was concerned. Having the website allowed me to clearly express what I was looking for and it protected me from the rejection emails that I was beginning to experience from couples either because I don’t eat totally organic, that I’m white, that I believe in Jesus, that I was a first time surrogate, that I didn’t have maternity coverage on my insurance policy, etc. During the surrogate dating process a person must not allow the seeking IP’s to diminish any self-worth just because their opinions may be different than yours. Hold out for the right match and don’t settle!
Not long after my site was up and running and the ads were directing potential parents to it, I got an email from Lucy:
Nov. 13, 2008. It read, “Wow- your website was great! So organized and well thought out. What are your timing plans? When are you looking to become a surrogate?”
The emails that followed that response were almost daily and sometimes contained so much information, they rivaled a novel. The information Lucy and I shared was very personal and I think we both sensed almost right away that both our hearts and intentions were genuine. I appreciated that we were both self aware, organized, authentic about life’s experiences, in possession of a sense of humor (this is too hard a process to do without one), loyal, and God loving women. One thing that attracted me to Lucy was the fact that she had carried a baby herself. Even though the gestation had been cut short, she herself had experienced pregnancy and had walked in the shoes I would walk throughout the IVF procedure. Lucy wasn’t stuck in an emotional place of desperation or bitterness like some IP’s longing for their first child; she had fully come to terms with what it would be like for another person to carry her baby.
By the end of November I wrote, “I would love to be your surrogate, but I’m sure that is easier to say on my part than it is on yours. I don’t know what all this is like from your position or situation, so whatever you need from me just ask.”
The first days of December Lucy wrote, “I am feeling great about the surrogate plans- I think we would be a great match. Since emailing with you I have a sense of peace.”
I also shared in Lucy’s sense of peace and it felt similar to the peace I had when I knew The Husband was meant to be my other half in marriage. I felt that Lucy and Ricky were indeed my perfect surrogacy match. During this whole time I had been praying and asking for guidance and blessing from God on this journey; I had hoped God would make my match clear to me. I always joked to my surrogate friend that my perfect match wouldn’t be as obvious as her and her IM’s had been – they both shared the exact same name and exact same occupation. My occupation, well, is unique and my first name isn’t very common either, in fact is it so uncommon that people often question whether or not I make a mistake when spelling it. Imagine my surprise, after we’d already committed to each other, when Lucy told me:
“When I lived in TN the neighbors behind us had five teenage kids and they kind-of adopted us. The girls used to babysit me and the parents, JW and Granny (MY REAL NAME) used to take me everywhere. That’s why when I found out your name, it was kind of special.”
I collected my jaw off the ground, passed go, and never looked back. Neither Lucy nor I believe in coincidence. Surrogacy dating had come to an end.
© Pocketbebe, 2009.
