A New Journey in a New Life...

TOMORROW IS THE DAY!!!

2009-11-09T12:58:00.002-05:00

Soooooooooo nearly after our wonderful first meeting with N&A, tomorrow at this time they will get to see hteir precious little miracle from God. Baby Girl is coming tomorrow at 12:20...we will be at the hospital at 10am to begin to prepare for surgery. It is amazing how the time has flown!! I am sooooo anxious to meet this little sweetheart and see N's face in surgery with me when she sees her for the first time!

Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers as we embark on the final chapter of our wonderful journey together!!!

Baby girl, we will see you in 24 hours!!

ONE WEEK TO GO!!!!

2009-11-03T12:18:00.002-05:00

Already?!?! Crazy how time flies! We are nearly there now. A short week from today we will be welcoming a new princess into the world. We are all sooooooo excited! It feels real now and I am just SO anxious to see N&A welcome their little angel.

Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers as we go through the week and our surgery next Tuesday.

Baby girl we will be meeting you very very soon!

We have a DATE!!!

2009-09-16T14:21:00.001-04:00

Unless the little girl decides to arrive early...we are scheduled for a c-section on November 10th, 2009!! What a GREAT birthday for our little miracle :)

We are very excited for this date and cannot WAIT to meet this little one! She has been keeping me up a lot at night lately...I think N&A will have a night owl on their hands! She is constantly kicking around at night, its too cute, well not so much at 2am!!

Anyhow...we are looking forward to November, anxiously awaiting the arrival of this little princess!!

HUGS!

Only 13 Weeks Left!!

2009-08-11T08:20:00.001-04:00

The countdown is on! We are 26 weeks already and only have 13 weeks to go :) We had an ultrasound this past week and the little girl looks perfect! She is measuring about 1lb 13oz already and growing like crazy! Things are going really well, I am feeling good, despite all the summer heat lately...we can't wait to meet this little miracle and feel Blessed that everything is going so well!

Hugs to all....the cutie will be here in no time now!

It's a ..................

2009-07-01T14:26:00.003-04:00

*~* GIRL *~*

We found out today at exactly halfway through our pregnancy that N&A are expecting a beautiful little baby girl!!! She was perfect in every way at the ultrasound...she was moving around like a little jumping bean and weighs about 11oz. at this point. She looked adorable and we are all soooooo excited to meet her! A is going to be a awesome big sister to her new lil sister...how wonderful :-)

We couldn't be happier and I know N&A are thrilled to death!! Hugs and kisses all around and may God Bless the rest of this wonderful journey!

Lisa

What a BEAUTIFUL Lil Bean!

2009-05-05T10:16:00.003-04:00

We got to take a peek at our lil cutie on April 29th, it was WONDERFUL! The lil one was really moving around and then worn itself out and decided to take a siesta with one leg stretched out. So cute! We were so excited, the mom was there and got to see her angel wiggle around...it had a very strong heartbeat of 161. We all feel very Blessed. As I always tell N. 'Keep the Faith' I have been so far and everything looks beautiful!

We got back in on May 13th for some early screen testing and measurements to make sure everything is right on track :)

Until then!
XOXO

SURPRISE at our Ultrasound....

2009-04-02T10:05:00.001-04:00

The U/S we so anxiously awaited for was on Tuesday morning....N and I were both in shock when the tech pointed out not 1, but 2 saks!!!! Wow! Our lil embrie decided to split!

We saw a lil heartbeat on the larger of the 2...that one was progressing very nicely, above the length it should be it. The other sak was much smaller and showed no heartbeat. We are unsure whether that one will develop or not. I go back next Tuesday to see if that one is growing and going to be a viable twin. The AWESOME news is the one is very healthy and the doctor told us we have a less than 5% chance to miscarry that one! We are thrilled!! I know N&A are SO happy and we couldn't be happier for them!

Keep your fingers crossed for next Tuesday, be it God's will to give them twins or not, we are so very anxious to see!

We are due on November 17th, 2009...the countdown is on! GROW BABY (ies) GROW!!

Sooooooooo TIRED!!

2009-03-26T14:58:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I finally broke down and did some research online to figure out why I am SO exhausted. I remember being tired with both my babies, but this is extreme, I literally fall asleep sitting up on the couch watching the girls, I have no energy, its awful!!

What I learned is that the drug Progesterone is paired with drowsiness. So not only is my body producing Progesterone for the pregnancy, but I am taking 3 doses of it DAILY! I read the drug actually makes women fall asleep in high enough doses....sooooooooo now I know!!!

And I am falling asleep writing this....oh WHY can't the girls nap at the SAME time?!?! I SO need some sleep!

By for now, next Tuesday is our BIG ultrasound, we hope to see a lil heartbeat, can't WAIT!!

Hugs :)

SURPRISE Early Ultrasound!

2009-03-16T22:09:00.002-04:00

I went in today for routine bloodwork to make sure my levels were on track and I was surprised with a ultrasound! The techs kept telling me it would be too early to see anything, so not to get my hopes up....then BAM, the lil bean appeared cute as ever!!

We are sooooooooooooooo excited!! It is ALL becoming REAL now! Our official U/S is on March 31st and I am excited as N&A will be there to share the beauty with me. Until then I found out no more shots...YIPPEE...but I have to use a cream instead and have been told it is terrible, that the shots are better....bummer!

Take care and God Bless....keep us in your thoughts!

It's OFFICIAL - We're Pregnant!

2009-03-13T15:47:00.002-04:00

I went in today for blood work and within a few hours...received a phone call back.

WE ARE PREGNANT

And our BETA was 283, which is a nice high number for 12dp3dt!! We are SO happy, so happy. I am just THRILLED for N&A, I couldn't be more excited for them! I knew this little one was going to make it, I have a REALLY good feeling.

So begins the next 9 months! We go back Monday to make sure our # is increasing at the right amount....please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

WE'RE PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-10T20:36:00.002-04:00

WooooooooHoooooooooo!! Our pregnancy tests have started showing up POSITIVE! We are elated! Today I emailed N&A this photo with the caption "We're Pregnant"....N called me and sounded just ecstatic...her voice flooded me with all the reasons I am doing this journey. The excitement and hope in her voice was just AMAZING and I am on cloud 9 right now just thinking about the possibility in 9 months they will be Blessed with a beautiful child!

It has been a REALLY long weekend. Our babies were very sick last week, then this weekend I fell very ill. I just now have started to feel myself and I am thankful to have such wonderful family surrounding me who helped me care for my girls during this hard time. I am SO lucky :) I thought since I was feeling better I just HAD to test....Friday was far too long away!

Sooooo I tested and nearly FELL over when I saw the positive appear!! I cannot even convey the excitement...I practically screamed to Jason, its POSITIVE!! We are soooooooooo happy for N&A, we feel like they are part of our family now and we cannot wait to begin this 9 month journey with them...this is SO exciting!!

We love you N, A & A!!!

Snow Storm and Long Day!

2009-03-02T21:31:00.001-05:00

Well...the biggest snow storm yet this winter hit today. This is wild because this is typical Michigan weather, but its MARCH in PA...geesh. And poor Jason is stuck at the airport in Philly trying to get a flight out to Nashville for work. He's been there all day and his flight still hasn't left. Crazy. Today Kiera was sick all day, she ended up throwing up on me twice :( Poor thing...I can hear her coughing as we speak, she just doesn't feel herself for sure.

So being inside all day made me a little stir crazy...I wanted to walk the mall or something to make the day go by a little faster, I can't help but wonder about our little miracle in there and how he or she is doing!! The next 2 weeks is going to be torture!!

11 days and counting...

Grow Baby Grow!!!!

2009-03-01T16:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was amazing. A new life was put into my body and I hope and pray it find a home and snuggly home!

It started around 10am...we arrived at the clinic. Let me tell you I arrived with a OVER full bladder, everyone who knows me knows I have to use the bathroom a LOT. Well, I was told not to go on my way to the appt. So I held it...we got into the room pretty quickly and I continued to hold it. We then waited like 40 minutes for the doctor to come into the room...you guessed it STILL holding it! And for 30 minutes afterwards I still had to hold it...

But it was SO worth it! We saw a picture of the little miracle just moments before the transfer...the lil sweetie was so adorable! We got good news, what was a 6 cell embryo was a 8 cell by transfer time and was great quality, so we were very optimistic. The doctor transferred the embryo and immediately I felt this huge amount of responsibility to do everything in my power to create a perfect environment for the lil sweetheart to grow in.

We spent the rest of the day in a hotel relaxing. It was the most I have slept since Kaylee was born! So it was a very welcomed R&R...I am very grateful to N&A for making the day possible and giving us a wonderful break. I will keep this sweetheart in my thoughts and prayers...so begins the "2 week wait"...I am already counting down the days until our pregnancy test on 3-13!! It seems like an eternity away!

12 days and counting....

Sad News....

2009-02-27T16:52:00.000-05:00

We just found out the clinic did not thaw all 3 embryo's, they in fact only thawed 2 in preparation for our transfer. During the thaw one of the lil ones did not make it. I am incredibly saddened by this, as I know this is very hard on N&A and after all they have been through it only adds to the disappointment.

BUT I feel it is Gods desire only 1 embryo be used...so we will do as is His will. I will do everything in my power to perfect our lil sweetheart a perfect home to grow. I hope he or she grows big and strong!

N is an amazing person, she actually felt badly for me. She is just too sweet. My bond with her has really grown and I truly hope we can have a success tomorrow and a miracle to Bless them in November!

Tomorrow at 10AM!!

2009-02-27T12:46:00.001-05:00

In October I started this journey, before my 32nd birthday I thought about the next chapter in my life and then God called upon me to do this. Now its nearly here! I just received the phone call that our transfer is at 10:15am tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited :)

I have to drink a LOT of fluids between now and then and have a very full bladder which is crazy for me because I literally have to use the bathroom like every 20 minutes, Jason laughed when I told him I couldn't go until after the transfer...he knows ALL too well from us stopping on road trips and visiting bathrooms every time we are out :)

Keep us in your thoughts...we are hoping the lil sweeties make it through their thaw and I can give them a nice home!

Can you tell i'm EXCITED?!

2009-02-26T22:01:00.000-05:00

Well...tonight I went out and bought 6, yes that's SIX, pregnancy tests just to be 'prepared'!! HAH, geesh...the transfer isn't even for a couple days, but you better believe the bathroom is stocked with HPT's...I am just SO excited to be doing this and I can't believe it is almost here!

N A&A you are in my thoughts and prayers...can't wait to start our journey :)

SOOO Sore!!

2009-02-26T16:18:00.000-05:00

Ok...first shot was done this AM but now it feels like someone punched me in the rear?!? OUCH! It is so sore right now! Hoping it gets better soon, I am sure i'll get 'used' to them :) Now if I could just sit down a little easier....

:)

First Shot Done!

2009-02-26T08:42:00.000-05:00

This morning I started my Progesterone shots. Last night Jason swore today he wanted to give me the shot (this is the same guy who had to lay down while giving blood so he didn't pass out!!)...I chuckled because 1) I KNEW he wouldn't end up doing it once he saw the needle and 2) I wouldn't LET him do it, he'd pass out mid-shot!

So today he is ready to leave for work and sees me getting the needle ready, I asked if he wanted to give it to me and he peeped out a quiet 'no'....so I go into the bathroom and look for the spot in the mirror...I stick it in and the rest was history. Jason was standing behind me asking if it was done yet...he wouldn't look. HAH now I know WHY God Blessed woman to have children and NOT men, they could never handle it could they?! :)

But I am thrilled, it was much easier than I thought. I still don't plan on running out to be a drug user just yet though, its not the most fun thing i've done!

So shot #1 goes down in the history books as a success :) Yippee!! Only like 12 weeks to go now!

Saturday is the BIG day!!

2009-02-24T16:22:00.000-05:00

Went in for our ultrasound and bloodwork today and learned Saturday is the BIG day! Not sure what time yet, but on Saturday we are going to transfer 3 perfect little embry's, hopefully I can give them a nice comfy home :)

I also got my meds today, I think I have enough to medicate a third world country! WOW! I am not a medicine person, so seeing all the meds does make me a bit nervous. I usually like to avoid meds if possibl;e, but I know these serve a good purpose and will help all the lil ones grow. I start on Thursday giving myself shots...I actually am more nervous about how my body will react to all the meds then to actually giving myself the shots...I don't know why but its no big deal to me. Which maybe ia a good thing since I want to go back to school for nursing :)

I will post after my shots are underway...hopefully everything goes great between now and Saturday with the medicine, we can't WAIT!

God Bless!

Almost ...

2009-02-22T20:06:00.000-05:00

We are well on our way now! The past week has been wonderful. We are using Mainline Fertility Clinic in Bryn Mawr and I have been there twice now and again this Tuesday in preparation for our transfer! Everything is looking wonderful and it appears this week we will be transferring 3 perfect lil embry's in the hope we can create a miracle or even multiple miracles :)

It feels like yesterday we started this journey and now we are near the point where it all truly starts. Being in the clinic is an extremely humbling experience for me. It totally reassures me and confirms I am doing the right thing. I remember how Blessed I am each time I sit in the waiting room. I can almost feel the pain of so many and I wish I had the power to give every single person in the room a child. I have been so fortunate to have pregnancies which happened nearly the instant we wanted them.

I cannot wait to post my pregnancy news on here! Hopefully before long I will post a big fat POSITIVE and we will be on our way. Until then please keep all os us in your thoughts and prayers!!

God Bless.

Journey is underway...

2008-12-30T13:50:00.000-05:00

It is official...

We met the WONDERFUL family N, A, and A...we enjoyed a dinner together and got to know the family better. We feel the match was made by a power higher than ourselves. It was like we knew these people forever...the entire drive home Jason and I kept saying, 'Wow, this family is great, they could totally be our friends'...and with that in mind we knew this was the couple we hoped to begin this journey with...how fitting we found them during this special time of year. J and I ADORE them and their adorable daughter and we are SO happy we can help bring this miracle into the world for them!

We love you N A & A!

The Beginning...

2008-12-19T13:29:00.000-05:00

So this is the beginning. It is hard to find a starting point, so let me just begin at how I stubbled upon this journey...

I am a 32 year old mom of 2 gorgeous girls, Kaylee is 20 months and Kiera is nearly 6 months. My pregnancies were very easy and getting pregnant was...well...even easier! I enjoyed both pregnancies. I enjoy the miracles that were created each and every day.

My faith pulled me in this direction, I am not sure of the exact moment it fell into place, but it was soon after the birth of Kiera. I had watched my sister battle infertility and seeing the toll it has taken on her killed me. I thought about her constantly and wished I could trade places with her a million times. In April 2008 after years of trying, she was Blessed with a baby girl, Grace. It was a long journey for her and I know it is a long journey for so many other couples like her.

In short, God called me to do this. I believe that 100%. I could not explain why I had this overwhelming feeling to give this to another couple, the feeling just appeared. At the time I was living in Michigan and was devastated when I researched surrogacy and found MI had unfavorable surrogacy laws. It was soon after our path took us back home to Jason's hometown in Lancaster County PA. It was then I learned surrogacy in PA was favorable and the move gave me a green light to go forward.

I found SMO (surro moms online) I researched surrogacy in even more detail and every bit I learned excited me even further. I placed an ad looking for a couple who needed a surro. I also spoke with a couple agencies. After floods of emails, I found the perfect couple...N, A &A whom were looking for a sibling for their adorable little angel, A. I had a gut feeling instantly they were the couple I wanted to embark upon this journey with. My wonderful husband, Jason, knew this was a path my faith was directing me down and he supported me 100%...so we continued to email and set up a meeting for Christmas time.

I began this journey with faith in the creation of a miracle and my goal is to Bless another family in the same way i've been Blessed....I would love for you to follow along.