Surro Files - It's So Fluffy!!!!!!!

Well, I finally got in with the local clinic to confirm if I did or did not ovulate.  Let me tell you.  I was a ball of nerves in that waiting room.  I mean, this is a big deal!  Belle and Adam are counting on me!  They've been waiting for so long and I don't want them to wait another month because my darn body has forgotten how to get pregnant.  Well after 30 minutes of waiting I finally got called back.  And now the moment of truth...

Everything looks great!!!!!!!!  I did not ovulate, but we're very close and looking good.  I've got a nice big egg at about 16.5mm that's almost ready to pop any day now, and... My lining is 8.7mm thick!!!

IT'S SO FLUFFY!!! 

I'm so excited and relieved all at the same time!  Even though I was totally wrong about having already ovulated, this appointment was totally worth it just to calm my nerves and let me know that my lining is looking good and we will make it to the transfer day.  I will be there very soon Belle!!!!

So what do we do now?  Well I just keep doing the OPK's till I get a positive and then I'll go in for another ultrasound to confirm ovulation.  I'm thinking it'll be another day or two and then I'll update on here again.

Don't forget to check out my "Surrogacy" tab at the top of this page to catch up on any posts you might have missed.

*Some of the names in this post have been changed to protect the identities of those involved in this journey. 

Surro Files - OPK CRAZY!!!

Ok, things are moving quickly now so it's hard to say that the update I'm writing you right now is really the most up to date information.  I always write these posts the night before I post them so I'm sure I'll already have another update after I post this, but I'll try to keep you all in the loop.

So the goal this past week has been to detect when ovulation is going to occur.  In order to do that I have been doing OPK's since Wednesday.  Now OPK's and I go way back.  I used them while trying to conceive all three of my children and know how awesome they can be at predicting exactly when I will ovulate.  At the same time I also know how evil they can be.  Once you pee on sticks you will NEVER stop!  

OPK equals ...  Ovulation Pee-stick Krazy

(Yes, I know that crazy is not spelled with a K, but you get my drift)

I don't know where I went wrong!  I started out so good.  Wednesday through Friday I pee'ed on one OPK stick in the morning when I woke up and that was it!  I was calm.  I was good.  I didn't obsess.  I forwarded each photo to Belle so she could analyze them right along with me and we could cheer on together waiting for that positive OPK.  Now fast forward to Saturday.  That's when my whole sane world of OPK's and waiting for ovulation came crashing down.

My OPK's.  Still all negative

Saturday morning my OPK was negative again.  No big deal.  I also had clear stretchy cervical mucus which is a sign that ovulation is coming soon.  Fast forward to later in the day.  We headed out to the water park for my Birthday (Yes, I'm the big 34 now!!!!!)  From that point on I no longer had any clear stretchy cervical mucus.  It had turned to a dry/creamy cervical mucus.  This is usually a sign that ovulation has already occurred.  I tried not to let it worry me, but I'll admit that I checked my cervical mucus every time I went to the bathroom.  Probably even more than that.  Nothing!  Not one sliver of clear stretchy cervical mucus.  Fast forward yet again.  Today I started doing two OPK's per a day.  Negative!  Fast forward again.  When I went to sleep I was hot.  I'm talking really hot!  Now I'm not talking sexy lingerie hot.  I'm talking burning up like I'm going through menopause hot.  This is usually a sign that I've already ovulated.  I go from being very cold to very hot at the snap of a finger.  And then it began!

I was crazy!  Did I ovulate????  Did I miss the OPK surge????  I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep that whole night.  I just wished I knew what was going on.  What is my body doing?!?!?  Ahhhhhh!  OK, I let the crazies slip in.  Darn it!  To top it all off, it's the weekend, so I can't call the clinic and ask what I should do.  I'd have to wait till Monday.  I spent the whole day finding ways to keep calm and I did a pretty good job.  Belle of course helped me the most.  She's always so calm and positive.  She radiates excitement and a calm feeling at the same time.  I instantly felt better after she e-mailed me.  Even if I did ovulate we'll be fine.  It just means I'll be flying out ASAP for the transfer.  Eeeeeeek!

So here we are on Monday.  I've put in my call to the clinic and hope to hear back soon.  All OPK's are still negative (yes, I've taken a million) and my cervical mucus is still more of a dry/creamy consistency.  I wasn't burning up last night, but I do feel warmer than usual.  So now I'm just waiting.  Please call me clinic!  I'm hoping they let me go in for an ultrasound to confirm one way or the other.  Fingers crossed they call me soon.

From here on out things are going to move swiftly.  Because of that I'll be posting updates on here all week instead of weekly.  Keep your eyes open!  I'll probably have another update later today regarding where we go from here.  Thanks for sticking with me on this crazy ride!  We'll get there soon!!!!

Don't forget to check out my "Surrogacy" tab at the top of this page to catch up on any posts you might have missed.

*Some of the names in this post have been changed to protect the identities of those involved in this journey.      

Surro Files - The Uterine Lining Pep Talk

"Ok lining...  We need to have a little talk.  Last month you let Belle, Adam, and I down, but this month you can redeem yourself!  We all know you've done this before.  We all know you have the potential for a nice fluffy interior.  Sooooooo...  This month I want you to think nice fluffy thoughts.  You're like fluffy pink cotton candy.  You're like a fluffy white cloud.  You're like those fluffy white bath robes at resorts that you just want to sneak in your suitcase and take home.  You're like a fluffy down comforter.  You're like that crazy "Fluffy" comedian, Gabriel Iglesias.  Ok, I think you get the idea.  My point is that you want to be like a pancake, not a crepe.  You want to be like a fluffy Persian cat, not a hairless Sphynx.  Think fluffy thoughts and grow lining grow!!!"

Ok, enough with the pep talk.  Let's just hope it does the trick.  I'm a little nervous since our last cycle that got cancelled, but then again, we're doing something totally different this time, so hopefully my body remembers what to do and gets it right this time.  Last Monday was the first day of my cycle (CD1).  Three days later I went in for my baseline monitoring appointment.  The clinic was just looking to see that my lining, ovaries, and hormones were all where they should be for day 1 of my cycle.  Well, all looked great!  My lining was nice and thin at 2mm.  My ovaries were looking good with 13 follicles on one and 15 follicles on the other.  My hormones were just where they should be.  It looks like a good start!  Unfortunately (or fortunately) I don't have anymore monitoring appointments until after I ovulate.  That means I'm just left to wonder if all is going well.  I'm going to think good thoughts though and assume all is great.

So what's up this week?  Well on Thursday I will start my Ovulation Predictor Kit (OPK's).  Each morning and evening I will pee on a little stick (just like a home pregnancy test) and it will tell me if I'm going to ovulate soon.  The clinic actually only said to do the test in the morning, but after using OPK's while trying to get pregnant with my three kids I know I might miss the surge if I only test once.  I don't want to miss it.  When the test is positive I will call the clinic to let them know that I am going to ovulate.  A day or two after that I will have another monitoring appointment to confirm ovulation.  Then we're off to CT for the transfer!

I wish I had more to keep my mind busy till then, but I'm pretty sure that I'm just going to obsess till the day comes.  I envy Belle and all the activities she has to keep her mind busy.  She smartly planned this time so that she wouldn't be looking at the calendar every 5 minutes like I am (ok, I'm not really that bad).  She's been to Paris, London, Italy, and back to London a few times.  Now she's spending time with her brother before she heads out to Yew York City in less than a week.  I do have my birthday next weekend so that's one thing to steal my thoughts away.  I'll be the big 34.  Eeeeeeeeek!

Don't forget to check out my "Surrogacy" tab at the top of this page to catch up on any posts you might have missed.

*Some of the names in this post have been changed to protect the identities of those involved in this journey.

Surro Files - Ready, Set, Go! ... again

Photo by: hin255 on freedigitalphotos.net

It's go time... again!  Saturday I took my last birth control pill and now I'm just waiting on my period.  I'm guessing it should be here tomorrow.  After that I'll go in for monitoring to check my lining at it's thinnest and my hormone levels.  I'll probably do that on Thursday.  That's about it for this week.  Next week I'll start my ovulation predictor kit (OPK) 10 days after my period starts (CD10).  Once I get a positive OPK I will go in for monitoring to confirm ovulation.  Once it's confirmed we'll fly out to CT for the transfer ASAP!  Phew!  It's going to be a quick 3 weeks and I can't wait!!!!

Being that the next cycle is here I've suddenly become stressed.  I really want this to work.  I'll feel horrible if I let Belle and Adam down again.  Stress can't be good for getting pregnant though.  I should be happy, excited, calm.  Think calm thoughts!  Every so often I will close my eyes, breath in, and release the stress.  I'm on a beach.  I can hear the waves.  I can feel the sun.  My toes are curling then releasing the sand that is oh so soft.  Yes, I'm relaxed, happy, and ready for this exciting cycle to begin.  We will do this!

Don't forget to check out my "Surrogacy" tab at the top of this page to catch up on any posts you might have missed.

*Some of the names in this post have been changed to protect the identities of those involved in this journey.

Surro Files - My Surrogacy Pregnancy Journal

Well, we're kind of in a bit of a limbo period right now.  Not a lot going on, but a lot to look forward to.  This coming Saturday I stop taking my birth control pills and then the fun begins!  Till then, it's just wait... wait... wait...  and ... wait.  Haha!  Ok, it's really not that bad.  This week is actually going to be great!  Tomorrow I head out for Oregon with my husband and Linc and the intended mother (Belle), is heading out for Italy.  This week is going to fly by for us and our transfer cycle will be here before we know it!  I'll actually get back in town the day I take my last birth control pill so it's kind of perfect timing really.  Oh, and don't get me started on Belle's trip to Italy.  OMG!  It just sounds a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!!!! I so want to go!!!!  She's going to have a blast and I can't wait to hear all about it!

So that's my only update for the week.  What I really wanted to talk to you all about though is my surrogacy pregnancy journal.  With all my kids I was a journaling freak during pregnancy.  I love to document big moments in our lives and this surrogacy is definitely no different.  I want to document the whole thing so I will remember it forever!  It may not be documentation of a child of mine, but it is a documentation of a great time in my life.  Not only do I plan on keeping a copy for myself, but I also plan on writing out a copy for Belle and Adam, as well as their little munchkin.

So, I've pretty much been looking for a surrogacy pregnancy journal since the day I decided to become a surrogate.  I looked, and looked, and looked some more.  NOTHING!  There is nothing out there.  I even looked through some regular pregnancy journals thinking I could just use one of those, but it just didn't talk about the things that I wanted it to.  I also thought that maybe I could just do a scrapbook, but to tell you the truth, I'm just not a scrapbooking type of gal.  I try and be crafty, but I guess I'm just not paper, ribbon, and stickers crafty.

That's when I decided to just make my own surrogacy pregnancy journal.  I wanted it to look professional, elegant, and talk about all the areas that a surrogate and/or her intended parent's would want to remember.  I downloaded a program that I felt could help me do the job and got to designing.  I started with the content first and created a list of all the information that I felt was important from beginning to end.  Once that was complete I started the design phase putting it all on paper with graphics and a nice theme.  The theme I went with was "Grow Baby Grow".  There are flowers throughout the book and even the binder is green which I felt was a new growth type of color.  Last month I finished the entire book and it was perfect!  I couldn't wait to start writing in it.  Of course right as I finished creating the book I found out the transfer was cancelled.  I guess my book would have to wait to be filled in.

That doesn't mean that others have to wait though.  Despite having to wait to fill in my book, I've still decided to offer the journal to other surrogates and intended parents on my new Etsy shop, Busy Bee Designs.  Currently I have the journal for sale in three different colors and in five different versions regarding the intended parents (male/female couple, male/male couple, female/female couple, male single, & female single).  I also offer the book both with and without a binder.  I really hope the surrogacy community loves them.  So far I've gotten great feedback so I'm taking that as a good sign.

Later on I plan to offer a few more things that I'm currently working on as well.  I'm almost done with the next addition to the shop.  You might have noticed that the current journal is intended to be filled out by the surrogate.  The new version will be written so that the intended parent(s) can fill it out.  I'm pretty close to finishing them up.  Check back in about two weeks for the new version!!!  I love these little projects since I've become a stay at home mom (formerly an interior designer).  I need to keep my mind and body going going going and this has really helped.  Let me know what you think!  

***Visit Busy Bee Designs***

***E-Mail Busy Bee Designs***

Fun With The Kids - Questionnaires

I don't know about you, but summertime is my busiest time of the year.  That's when the girls are out of school and I have to find ways to entertain them.  You can only watch so many movies, play in the sprinklers so long and when the temperature kicks up to 110 degrees, going outside is out of the question all together (that's us right now).  So what do you do when you're stuck indoors?  This past Father's Day I found a new fun pastime for the girls... Questionnaires.

I came across the idea of questionnaires while cruising around Pinterest trying to find something to make Brian for Father's Day.  Your kids fill in a sheet of paper that asks questions like, "Daddy's Name Is", Daddy Is ? Years Old", Daddy Loves Me Because".  The list goes on and on.  Each questionnaire I found had it's own spin on cute questions to ask and some even incorporated an area to draw their own picture of dad (bonus for my artistic little girls).  The girls took a little while to understand the idea of making up their own answers, but once they realized it was just for fun they were spitting out answers left and right.  It was a great way to teach them creative thinking and that there is no right or wrong answer.  By the end of it they were laughing like crazy reading what each other wrote.  The best part was when they gave them to their dad though.  He was cracking up and will keep these forever.  I'm pretty sure we'll even make it a tradition from here on out.

So this sparked my interest.  I want to make my own questionnaire!!!  And... yep, I did it!  Hope you and your kids have fun with my "I LOVE SUMMER" questionnaire.

Click HERE to download this FREE printable.

Below is a list of some of the orther cute questionnaires that I found.  I plan to take them with us on our flight out to Connecticut next month.  They are sure to make the hours fly by and keep us laughing while we're at it.  Hope you have fun with them too!

"All About My Dad"

"All About My Dad"

"All About Mom" or "All About Grandma"

"My Mom or My Grandma"

"Year End Time Capsule Questionnaire"

"Birthday Questionnaires"

"All About My Teacher"

"All About Me Robot"

Surro Files - We Have A New Date & A New Plan!!!!

OK, I'm officially mean.  I know I told you all that I would let you know as soon as we got the new transfer date, but it seemed to be jumping around a bit due to the doctor being on vacation.  Boo!  Are doctors even allowed to go on vacation????  Haha!  Just kidding.  It all worked out for the best though.  We were going to do a transfer around the middle of July, but the doctor was on vacation right when I would most likely end up transferring thus this cycle was a no go.  I was bummed at first, but then I realized this meant that the intended mother, Belle, and maybe the intended father, Adam, could make it to the transfer (where they could not if it was mid-July).  That alone is worth waiting the extra month!  I wouldn't want them to miss it.  I know if it were the other way around I wouldn't want to miss this day either.  I'm leaving you in the dark though.  I still haven't told you the new plan.  So.....

• JULY 13th - I will take my last birth control pill.
• I will get my period.  Call the clinic. (I'm going to guess July 16th)
• Go in for ultrasound & blood work within 4 days of period. (Let's guess July 18th)
• Start ovulation predictor kit (OPK) on cycle day 10. (Let's guess July 26th)
• Call when I get a positive on my OPK. (Let's guess July 31st)
• Go in for ultrasound & blood work to confirm ovulation. (Let's guess August 1st)
• Fly out to Connecticut. (Let's guess August 3rd)
• Go in to clinic for ultrasound & blood work. (Let's guess August 5th)
• Transfer embryos!!! (Let's guess August 6th)

Ok, you'll probably notice that I don't really have any exact dates on here except when I take my last birth control pill.  You'll also probably notice that I'm not taking any pills or shots this time.  That's because we're doing a natural cycle this time.  Since the last cycle didn't work with the drugs, we're going to try a cycle just letting my body do what it wants to do.  Although I will be allowed to ovulate, I am still a gestational carrier.  I will only be helping this baby to grow.  The baby will not be related to me and the clinic will still be transferring a completely fertilized embryo into me.  It's really quite amazing how many ways IVF can be done!  The tricky part about a natural cycle is that the clinic cannot control anything.  All they can do is sit back, watch me, and jump when my body says go.

Belle and I are super excited!  She's already booked her plane flight and still has her bags packed from when we were supposed to have our first transfer.  I can't book my trip yet, but I wish it was tomorrow.  We're already trying to think of places to go before the transfer (Cake Boss Bakery & NYC Zoo), and things to do after the transfer (watch movies and play games) while I'm on bed rest.  So much to look forward to!!!!!  I'm sure this month will fly by and the transfer day will be here before we know it.  Yayyyyyy!

Don't forget to check out my "Surrogacy" tab at the top of this page to catch up on any posts you might have missed.

*Some of the names in this post have been changed to protect the identities of those involved in this journey.