July 6, 2013 - 20 Months!

Prepare yourselves for picture overload this month.  Why?  Because there are simply too many cute pictures to choose from!  As these kids get older, their features are really developing, their expressions get even cuter,  and they're out and about doing all kinds of fun things with their daddies!  The pictures always put a smile on my face.  I hope they do for you as well.  Happy July!

Amigos - Friends

Would you look at these 2?

So cute.  So playful.

I just love watching as they grow up.  

Your Questions, Answered

I'm a lucky girl.  I get to speak with prospective surrogates every day.  I truly enjoy explaining the process to them, answering their questions and hopefully settling some of their concerns and fears.  There are a few questions that I'm asked on a very regular basis, and I figured if all of these prospective surrogates are asking the same questions, surely others are wondering the same thing, and so why not address those questions here?

Q:  Is it really hard to give up the babies?

A:  Simply put, NO.

I was surprised however, to realize how much I loved the babies so early on in the pregnancy.  It hardly seems possible, but I love them even more today - with all my heart.  Although I knew from the beginning that they were not my babies, I protected them, and would continue to protect them to this day as if they were my own. I believe the reason I fell so in love with them so quickly was because of the relationship I had formed with their Daddies.  I think most of us surrogates know deep down that we will be able to "give up" the babies, long before we ever decide to become a surrogate.  But there's always the unknown - what will it truly feel like to "give up" a baby or babies that I've carried for 9 months?  The truth?  For me, neither my mind, nor my body, nor my heart had any trouble giving birth to babies and watching as a family of 2 became a family of 4.  It was one of the most amazing moments of my life and the memories of that time are all positive.  It truly is not hard to give up the babies.

Q:  Do you keep in touch with the parents?

A:  Anyone who is a regular reader of this blog knows the answer to this one.  Absolutely, we still keep in touch!  I feel like the luckiest girl on the planet to have an ongoing relationship with George and Farid, and it's a pretty incredible feeling to know that I have been given the opportunity to watch the twins grow up via pictures and videos.  Although they are SO big now and it's hard for me to remember that they were ever tiny little babies, I feel extremely blessed to have been "present" as they've grown.

Q:  Would you do it again?
*This question has been asked by more than just prospective surrogates... MANY of you have also inquired about this very thing!  Drumroll....I'm finally answering your question.

A:  Yes, I'd love to have another journey.  I'd love to add to, or complete George and Farid's family if and when they choose to do so.

My life has changed so much in the last year.  I've started my career in this field and it keeps me very busy and incredibly satisfied.  I'm a busy single mom.  So much of a surrogacy journey for me was and is about the incredible relationship that is formed between 2 families.  Farid and George know me, and my family knows them.  We trust each other.  The relationship is already there and solid. To share another journey with them would be amazing in so many ways.

That being said, it's a pretty great feeling to also know that I am 100% okay if another journey does not occur.  I'm so happy with my life - with all that I have done and all that I am doing.

Surrogacy has drastically changed my life.  I experienced it first hand, and now I experience it on a daily basis through others. I'm extremely satisfied with it all.

So I'll say here what I say to many others.  If Farid and George decide that they would like to add to their family via surrogacy, I'd be honored to carry for them again.  If not, I will proudly retire this uterus.  3 healthy pregnancies, 4 healthy babies ~ She done good.

June 6, 2013

19 months.  The time sure does fly.  

Happy 6th of the month!

May 6, 2013

OnE aNd A HaLf yEaRs oLd!

2 years ago today...

...I lay nervously on an exam table hoping to become pregnant.  A few days later we learned that we were successful and our pregnancy journey began.  To celebrate our transfer-versary, I thought that today would be a good day to take a walk down memory lane.

THE JOURNEY

February 6, 2013

Every 6th of the month is special, 

but February 6th is extra special because it's also George's birthday!  

Happy Birthday George!

The 6th Of The Month

I'm one of those people who would always refer to my kiddos as 3 months old, 6 months old, 11 months old, etc., but once they hit 12 months, they were ONE year old.  At 18 months, yes, they were a year and a half old.  I would talk with some of my mommy friends who proudly shared that their baby was 15 months old, or 22 months old, or, wait for it....43 months old.  Ugh.

When people ask me about the twins and how old they are, I often have to think for just a minute.  My reply is often, "They're over a year old now!".  And soon it will be, "They're a year and a half old!"  One thing that I have noticed with Gus and Milena that I never had with my own kids is that I'm acutely aware of the 6th of every month.  Their monthly birthday never slips my mind.  This doesn't necessarily mean that I immediately know how many months old  they are, and when they're 2(ish), I certainly won't be referring to them as being 26 months old, but I wonder if there will ever come a time when the 6th of the month arrives and I don't reminisce about "the 6th."  The 6th is a very special day of the month for me.  I think about Farid, George, Gustavo and Milena EVERY day, but I like the fact that on the 6th day of each month, I'm just a little more aware, reminded just a teeny bit more, of an unforgettable experience that will forever hold a space very near and dear to my heart.

Happy 6th of the month!  

And in case you're wondering, Milena and Gustavo will be a year and a half old in 4 months.  

Merry Ho Ho and all that good stuff

What an adorable family!

Christmas 2012

Faces

Hold on to your hearts folks, because these kids are out to steal them!

Every picture I see either makes me melt, laugh, tear up or smile.

Just take a look at these faces!  

13 months of absolute adorable-ness.  (It's a word - I promise.)

ONE YEAR OLD!

Happy Birthday Milena and Gustavo!

The world has become a better place since the two of you entered it 

just one year ago.

The year in pictures:

2 days old

1 month 

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

ONE!

Happy Birthday Kiddos.  I love you so, so much!