Thursday, December 26, 2013

LONG OVERDUE UPDATE

It seems like the weeks are flying by and I've been bad about keeping the blog updated.  I always try to continue to do a better job, so one of my goals this new year, with three months left of the pregnancy, will be to do a weekly update for you all!

We did a lot of paperwork over the last month.  Our wills were officially signed and turned into the agency, and the latest documents that needed my John Hancock were to sign over mine and Ben's "rights" at the hospital.  Those papers gave my IP's "temporary" custody, so the baby will be banded at the hospital with their names and will go home with them, THANK GOD! (wink wink)  We'll have a court hearing ASAP after the birth of the baby for everything to be legal, blah blah blah...and my IPs are working on getting all the documents for the adoption ready to go.  I've hear that that's a lot of work.

OUR NEIGHBORS WITH OUR SIGNED HOSPITAL PAPERS
  Our totally rad neighbors were willing to be our witnesses signing the papers for the hospital.  They've been so supportive of our journey and it's super fun that they get to now have an actual part that they've played in it.  Yay for awesome neighbors! 

SUCKING HIS THUMB
Two weeks ago (at 25 weeks gestation) we had a checkup ultrasound to confirm that the little man looked good.  They didn't get a clear view of his heart at the first ultrasound and he had two little cysts on the back of his head.  They were pretty sure the cysts would go away but they wanted to make sure on a follow-up ultrasound.  The tech looked at his head to start and we were all relieved to learn that the cysts were gone! She also confirmed that the little guy was a dude, and he still looked like a boy five weeks later. 

This ultrasound was more fun than the first.  We were able to watch the whole thing instead of closing our eyes every time she was near his genitals.  The little guy was sucking his thumb each time we saw his profile, it was so neat to see his little jaw moving up and down.  He also had the hiccups during the ultrasound which was pretty awesome.  We could see his little diaphragm spasm and I could see what I was feeling on the inside.  During the ultrasound she was trying to get a good photo of his right foot which was up under my rib cage.

RIGHT FOOT UNDER MY RIBS


I'm still feeling really great!  I'm at the point where I'm not huge but I look and feel pregnant, finally.  Most people are still thinking I'm smaller than they expect at this point.  I think that this is how I've always been with all my pregnancies.  I seem to get pregnant in my back before I do in my belly, oh for the love of muffin tops!  It helps that I think pregnancy is the most beautiful time of a woman's life, maybe that's why I love being pregnant.  I do feel extra beautiful right now!!! It's quite possible that's why our Lydia is overly obsessed with pregnancy, or because EVERY single womb around us is full of baby!

Lydia and Mom with our bellies
I love when people feel the baby moving.  Both my IPs were able to feel their little dude moving at the ultrasound a couple weeks ago.  I also find any open hand that is available to feel my belly when he's moving.  I have a co-worker at an office that I temp at that can't have kids and has never felt a human (she's felt dogs) moving in the womb, until this little guy!  She's been able to feel him several times and gets so excited each time.  It makes me so happy when people get as excited as I do.  Even my in-laws, who only talk about the pregnancy if I bring it up, felt him move over Christmas.  We're making strides in the right direction, yay!  I always make it a point to ask if people are interested in feeling him because it makes me so happy to have others enjoy this wonderful experience.

Speaking of wonderful experience, I feel like the farther along in this journey we get the more I'm surprised at how perfect everything is.  Our match couldn't be more perfect, we're so lucky that I got pregnant the first try, he looks healthy, we've had a tremendous support system, I'm fascinated by the impact it's had on the people around us, we've been loved beyond words by our IPs and their families, our agency has been so wonderful, and it's been overall simply AMAZING!  I had a telephone conversation with IP-A not long ago...I said, "I'm kind of sad that this will be over in 15 weeks.  I feel like I'm on a trip that I've saved for my whole life and it's been everything I hoped it would be, and more, but I'm not ready for it to be over."  (I realize most of you will never understand this feeling and probably think I'm sick, but I'm enjoying every second of this journey!)  What IP-A said to me will stick with me forever, "You can think of this as a lifelong journey that is just beginning!"  It confirms that we'll have an awesome friendship forever.  Two families brought together for one little life, a little life that will do BIG things!  He's one lucky little man!

There couldn't be an update without talking about food, right?!  I've discovered that I can eat soft served vanilla frozen yogurt.  It tastes okay, so I've only eaten a couple bites of the kids.  I was just excited that it didn't taste horrible!  Our youngest, George, is sugar free so I usually enjoy the sugarless foods that I make for him.  I wonder if this will change after delivery?  I did have a pretty strong craving for homemade baked beans that my IPs brought to a BBQ this summer.  I thought it was a secret recipe, but when the surrogate needs those beans it's not hard to crack it.  My sister was craving the same beans so she came over after I made them.  They didn't taste as good as my IPs so I might request them at one of the baby showers that I'll be attending.  I've heard that IP-B's aunt makes the best  :)
  
PREGNANT SISTERS ENJOYING OUR FIRST TASTE OF BAKED BEANS 

 
I have my gestational diabetes test next week Friday, I've never had it before so the only concern I have is that it might be terribly sweet.  After that appointment we're actually on every two week OB appointments already.  It's hard to believe that we're that far along.  My IPs will come up on the 17th for our appointment and then they're going to come and watch Ben and the kids in their Wizard of Oz play.

Believe it our not, Ben and I haven't watched Baby Mama!  We finally rented it and are just sitting down to watch it together.  The cover says, "Would you put your eggs...in this basket?"  It's too late for my IPs.  The deed has been done!  I'll let you know what we think in next weeks blog.  Merry Christmas!