Adventures in Baby-sitting... uh... Showers

The primary reason for our trip our to the east coast was for Seth and Johnny's baby shower.   We had been together since Thursday afternoon, and were having a great time catching up and just being together.  When Saturday morning rolled around, it was time to pack up and drive to NJ. 

We all piled into the new VW wagon and headed north.  Everyone was concerned that we were going to be in the car for so long on Saturday getting there.  It takes us 7 hours to get to Chris's family and 6 hours to get to mine by car; we were anticipating about a 3 hour car ride to get to Seth's family.  So really, it was a drop in the bucket for us, but we were appreciative of the concern. 

I won't lie.  I was a little nervous to get there and meet everyone.  Crowds of people I don't know make me anxious.  I was hoping there would only be a few people there and that we could trickle into it slowly.  Don't get me wrong- I was very excited for the party, and wanted to meet everyone, but I knew there would be a crowd.

The car ride, just like everything else on our vacay, went very fast- before I knew it, we were driving into a beautiful neighborhood and pulling up to a beautiful house.  With people out front.  Seth's brother and his family were already there along with his parents and I think one of his aunts (it has all run together a little for me by now...). Meeting the family there was pretty great.  There was such a feeling of warmth, love, and excitement in the house.  Chris and I were welcomed with open arms and made to feel right at home with great big hugs and lots of smiles.  It wasn't as overwhelming as I was afraid it was going to be.
 
When we got there, everyone was finishing up with last minute details before the party.  I wandered around to get a look at things.  There was so much time, effort, and thought that went into planning S&J's shower....  I could tell that Seth's mom- and his family- were SO excited for them.  Seth's mom even made ME a sash to wear during the shower!!!  Lol.  I'm pretty sure my face was red when she draped it around me.  I really cringe at being the center of anyone's attention- but everyone wanted me and Chris to feel special for the day too. 

Before too long, people started showing up.  There were more introductions, more hugs, smiles, and talking.   There was fantastic food, and we got to meet some amazing people.  Jason, his parents, and Mia were able to be there as well- but that's another story.  :)  Needless to say I cried when I saw them, and it was all I could do not to hover around Mia the whole time. 

After an enormous, tasty ice cream cake (yes, I ate TWO pieces), we finally managed to get S&J to break into their very large pile of gifts.  The day was winding down, and it seemed that it was mostly close family and friends who were still at the house.  It was so much fun for me to watch them open their gifts, and to see their faces light up imagining their little boy who was going to be using all the new, tiny (or not so tiny) things.  Their family and friends were so amazingly generous and thoughtful. 

Chris and I left later that evening; Seth's parent's had very thoughtfully provided us our own hotel room to stay in overnight.  I left the house that night marveling at the family and friends we met through the course of the day.  Chris and I both come from loving and supportive families, so it's not that I was expecting Seth & Johnny's family to be any different.  And we've known for a long time that S&J are going to be amazing parents.  But it was heartwarming and peaceful to know that this Baby Boy is coming into such a large loving, supportive environment.   He will be cherished by so many people, as every baby deserves to be.

Our trip in a snapshot

Chris and I just got home from our trip to Washington DC and New Jersey.  We had such an incredible time, and I want to share it all!!!  But I don't even really know where to start.  :)

We had been looking forward to this trip for quite some time.  I spent the last week at home with a weird work schedule and a crazy time trying to get everything in the house ready for our trip.  I am a master procrastinator, so there were things left over that could have been done in the weeks prior.  In any event, it was time for us to leave before we knew it. 

We lamented just a little that the federal government was shut down- after all, we were going to be in Washington DC, and had planned on trying to get in some of that touristy stuff.  This is what our trip looked like:  Fly into DC on Thursday, mid-afternoon arrival.  Hang out on Friday.  Drive to NJ Saturday morning for the shower on Saturday afternoon.  Brunch in NJ on Sunday morning, then drive back to DC.  Leave Monday afternoon for home.  To be fair, that is a LOT of things to do already.  Maybe the shutdown was a blessing in disguise for us.....  We would have crammed in some sightseeing, but I think we all would have been over- exhausted if we had done that. 

Chris and I are positive that there is some weird time warp in DC, though.  We arrived in the afternoon, before rush hour and were greeted at the airport by Johnny.  Then on to home where Seth and his brother Jared were waiting.  Then we blinked and it was after 11!!!  Jared went home, and we ate dinner in that time, but still....  Friday was the same.  We were up by 9 in the morning, but it was one in the afternoon and time for lunch before we knew what happened!  Seth took us on a walking tour of their neighborhood, and to a really yummy pizza place for lunch. (City living vs out west  living is very different.  I could write a whole post just on that!)  The plan that night was for dinner and a movie in.  Well, we had a fantastic lasagna, but somehow we missed starting the movie and it was after midnight....  I'm pretty sure we didn't even stop in NJ.  I feel like we got in the car, got out, got in, and ended up in DC again! 

Now, all the sneaky boys in my life conspired to surprise me on Sunday night when we got back to DC.  As far as I knew, we were going to go to this fabulous Mexican restaurant for dinner.  And then try again for that darn movie.  Well, little did I know that they were all texting back and forth to each other (in the car right around me!!!) and to my friend who lives in the DC area.  We hadn't seen each other in about 9 years, and the boys were coordinating our time so she could meet us at the Mexican place for dinner too!  I was already sad that I hadn't had a chance to contact her to see if she was free for a meal or coffee.  Seriously, how often am I on that side of the country???  And Chris played right along with it when I said something to him.  All, "yeah, I don't think we're going to be able to fit it in this trip...".  When Chris walked in the door with my friend, it was dim and I didn't have my glasses on.  All I could think was "Who is that woman with Chris???  Someone just stopped by to see Seth & Johnny???  Damn it, I'm hungry!!!".  It took me about 5 full seconds to realize that it was my friend....  Off to dinner we went.  The Mexican place was fantastic, with some of the best salsa I've ever had.  But the highlight (of course) was getting to catch up with my friend.  In person.  :)

Monday morning, Johnny had to head back to work.  Boo.  Chris, Seth, and I finally got that movie in, but before we were ready or prepared for it, it was time to get our stuff packed and ready for the flight home.  It's amazing how slowly the time goes when you are waiting for something- but how quickly it goes when you want it to drag on.  Goodbyes suck.  The only thing that made it even partly okay to be saying goodbye after such a short time was knowing that we would see each other again in a matter of just weeks.  Wow.  Just a few weeks and Baby Boy will be here.......

It was so fantastic to see Johnny and Seth again, finally, after almost a year.  I am amazed every day at the relationship we have formed with these two wonderful men.  After more than a year and all our experiences together, they are more than just our "intended fathers".  They are our family. 

I'm turning into a slacker...

Wow.  Long time, no post.  Really long time....

It's not just school starting, and being busy, and all that. Everything is going along just as it should right now.  Thankfully, there isn't anything "exciting" happening, and I don't think that anyone wants to read about the mundane day- to- day things. 

Let's see if I can play catch up a little.  I'm 29 and a half weeks now, and it boggles my mind that I only have about 10 weeks left with this little person inside me.  It is going to be over before I know it.  He is moving all the time now, and seems to be in a good position.  He really likes music, and deep voices.  His movements always pick up when we've been quiet for awhile, then Chris starts talking.  He also moves a lot when Finn is around, but he's just loud.  I'm starting to get super hot at night now, but not quite all the time yet.  It's perfect that the weather is starting to cool down a little.  My shoes are starting to get tight at work, so it looks like I'm starting to swell a little.  I finally caved and bought those compression hose.  But you know what?  They work!  I wore them on a recent road trip, and they made a huge difference.  I'm planning to wear them on our DC adventure.  Well, the flight, anyway. 

Speaking of which....  That's coming up in just a week and a half!!!  I won't lie.  I'm not looking forward to the flight, but I'm SO excited for the rest of the trip!  We get to see S&J again after almost a year, we get to go to DC, we get to meet more of the family, and we are going to have an awesome baby shower- that's a lot of great things to look forward to.  And Jason, his mom, and Mia will likely be at the baby shower- talk about a bonus!  After the trip and the shower, the "end" (for me anyway) is going to be in sight.  It's such a bittersweet thing.  I'm so excited for Baby Boy to finally meet and go home with S&J, but at the same time that means our time with him is over.  It is something that is inevitable, and heartwarming, and a smidge sad all wrapped into one. 

Our new "baby" came home 2 weeks ago, though.  Our road trip was to travel to Oregon to pick up our puppy, Astrid.  Whew, puppies are HARD!!!  The first week she was home, I would have been happy to trade her for another human newborn.  But every day gets better and better, and we are learning to be a "pack" for her. 

Here's hoping I do a better job with the updates!!!

25 week update

The time just keeps flying by!

All is well and moving right along.  I saw the doc last week, and Baby is growing just like he needs to be.  His heartbeat was perfect, I got a prescription for heartburn meds (whew!), and another script for some really HOT compression hose.  I notice that my feet are starting to swell slightly at the end of my shifts at work and I'm going to need the hose when we fly back east in October.  Might as well make use of them now....

I also had to do my one hour glucose test.  I have a history of gestational diabetes with my first pregnancy (I'll get to THAT in a minute), so my doc does the test about 4 weeks earlier than "normal".  I was lucky enough to pass the 1 hour my second, third, and fourth pregnancies; this time not so much.  :( I "failed" it by 15 points- either because I was sick with a stomach virus when I took it, because I didn't have any protein before the test (thank you stomach virus), or because I was destined to have GDM.  Again.  Ugh.  So that meant I had to come back for the three hour test.

Fast forward to this week.  The syrupy, gross glucose drink they give you for the one hour is bad enough.  For the three hour test, you have to drink three times as much of the stuff! You have 5 minutes to get it all in, but really  it's just best to chug it all down.  You have three flavor choices: orange, lemon lime, and fruit punch.  Pretty sure the stuff could pass for sno-cone syrup....  I chose the fruit punch for my one hour (maybe THAT was the problem, I always choose orange) and I "failed", so I went with the orange for the three hour.  Gag.  Oh!  And you have to be fasting for 10-12 hours before hand.  All that sugar hitting an empty stomach.  So, I went in, had my fasting blood draw- not a finger poke, but an actual blood draw, drank my syrup and then waited. 

By the one hour draw, I had a bit of a queasy unsettled feeling in my stomach.  By two hours I was nauseous, headachy, and a little light headed.  By three hours I felt super gross and was ready to bolt out of there and get something to eat.  Luckily I had plans to meet a friend for lunch at a local Mexican place.  With a nice, carb filled tortilla wrapped burrito.  Best. Burrito. Ever.

But I passed!!!  No gestational diabetes for me. 

I did have one value that was high- my second hour, which strikes me as odd.  But one elevated value out of the four draws is allowed.  You are diagnosed with two or more abnormals.  So, back to my first pregnancy....  I am positive that I only had one abnormal with those 4 draws, too.  I was at a different clinic at the time though, and they diagnosed me and made me do all the gestational diabetes things.  I have a friend who recently delivered who sees a doc in my old clinic- she had to do her three hour test as well and had one abnormal, and her doc tried to diagnose her too!!!  She checked her (perfectly normal) blood sugars for 4 days though, and talked her doc out of the diagnosis.  Smart lady. 

In other news, the baby is big enough now that we can see him move.  And Chris and the kids have all felt him move too.  They think it's pretty cool.  And so do I.  :)

23 and counting

23 weeks today!  The time just seems to be sliding by.  I was talking to a friend earlier this week and was a little surprised to say that I only have 4 months left before Baby comes....  It's going to go by SO fast!  The kids will go back to school in a couple weeks, we'll be getting the house ready for our puppy then going to pick her up, then our trip out to DC.  After that it's holidays, and birthdays, and then the baby. I'll blink and it will be here!

Everything has been going well the last couple of weeks.  I'm feeling good, and the baby is growing.  One of my patients at work was horrified when I told her I wasn't due until December- she asked if there were "two in there".... Lol.  Lucky for me, I think those comments are pretty funny and I don't get offended.  I've always said I'd rather be obviously, roundly pregnant than one of those you have to guess about. 

We're at the very outer edges of viability, so I'm hoping these next few weeks go by rather quickly.  I generally try to NOT wish away any time during my pregnancy, but these weeks can be the scariest.  I'd pretty much be happy if I could stay home in a bubble for the next 2-3 weeks.  I don't have a history of preterm labor or delivery at all, but I think every labor nurse (or ex labor nurse) worth her salt is a little nervous around this time.  Little Mister in there needs to stay put.  Until the end of November at the earliest. 

Next up:  My one hour glucose test next week.  Fingers crossed against gestational diabetes, folks!

And it's a........

BOY!!!

We had our anatomy scan, well a couple weeks ago now.  Between work and vacation, I haven't been the greatest at updating what's going on.  The scan went better than expected, as my appointment was just a smidge early at 18.4 weeks.  The tech was able to see all the parts she needed to, and everything was in perfect working order.  We looked at Baby's heart, brain, spine, internal organs, blood flow, cord, placenta, and a few others I'm sure I'm forgetting.  Then we had the "fun shots" where we got to see hands and feet, and a little face.  And of, course, that all important "It's a Boy!" shot. 

I'm still not feeling this kiddo move as much as I like.  He is moving for me, and it's getting stronger by the day.  But that dang anterior placenta is really hampering my ability to feel him.  I've had anterior placentas before, but this one must be in just the "right" spot. 

I'm done with all the first trimester symptoms, though some days I still find that I'm really tired.  Those days, I just tell myself that he is growing.  My heartburn is pretty well under control- as long as I remember to take my meds, and my appetite is back to normal.  My itching is getting bad again, similar to when I was pregnant with Mia.  I don't really like a lot of fabrics- or anything- close to my skin.  So I've really appreciated being able to wear a lot of loose dresses and skirts this summer.  There have been many times in the last few weeks where I have wished I could wear them to work, too!  I've been enjoying Eggo waffles for breakfast almost every morning- a food I never eat when I'm not pregnant, and I'm starting to crave red meat again.  In past pregnancies, this has been a sign of anemia in me, so I'll have to have that checked out at my next appointment. 

I can't believe we're halfway through this pregnancy!!! 

Here is the profile pic the tech got at the anatomy scan.  It's a little blurry, but kiddo was very active too.

We're "expecting" too!!!

Wait!  What???  How can our family be expecting too?  Well, we finally decided that it is time to add a puppy to our family.  We have decided on a Siberian Husky, and are waiting on a littler that is due on the 17th of this month.  So hopefully sometime in the next week!  Then we will have to wait until September to bring our puppy home. 

What does this have to do with surrogacy, you ask?

Well, when you're pregnant and adding a baby to your own family there is definitely an air of excited expectation.  Your family has to get ready- choosing a name, buying supplies, getting a room ready... all those kinds of things.  Carrying a surro baby, our family really doesn't have those things to look forward to.  Instead, we get to see Seth and Johnny making these preparations.  I'm having so much fun hearing about how they are going to decorate the nursery, and speculating about whether they are having a boy or a girl.  And it's driving me crazy that they won't tell me the names they have chosen!  I mean, I'd even take the top three!!!  ;)  Chris and I have even been invited to attend their baby shower in October- so we're making plans to be there. 

Now we have this puppy coming home to our family, and the puppy isn't even born yet.  So (in a very small way, I'm sure) I feel a bit like I imagine intended parents feel.  I'm anticipating the delivery, checking the breeder website multiple times a day for updates.  Chris and I have been talking about what changes will have to happen in our house for the puppy to come home.  We've been looking at crates, and toys, and dog runs.  And it took us almost two weeks to decide on a name that we are both happy with.  Very reminiscent of when we had our children....

Wishing that my breeder would update her website more often reminds me to keep the guys in the loop with what is happening here.  We're definitely in that calmer part of the pregnancy where something new doesn't happen every day.  And while this is my fifth pregnancy, it is still their first.

Here's to happy waiting all around!!!

This is our puppy's mom, Kady.

And this is our puppy's dad, Matar (like the "Mater" in Cars.)

If you are interested in peeking at our breeder site, the address is:
www.phichas-siberians.com