Legal is DONE!

Well, just a quick update - we had our court date this morning and received the official APPROVAL and authorization for the PBO from the state of Texas. So M&A are officially and legally responsible for this little bean I am carrying :) Phew....I was really worried there for a second...hahahahaha!!!!!

9 weeks

Excuse the funky pants - these are my comfy don't leave the house pants that I had on for most yesterday :) BUT, it is me or am I already looking HUGE?!?

I was just noticing...

....how much the little baby ticker is beginning to look like a baby :) Less lizard-like and more baby-like. I love watching this animated baby change & grow....

Merry Christmas!!!

8w2d

Today was our 2nd ultrasound and the baby looked perfect! He/she measured right on target & the heart rate was 179 - exactly where it needed to be :)

I am feeling very, VERY blessed this Christmas season!!

May God richly bless each & every one of you this holiday season, and throughout the coming new year.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

8 week belly

Yes, I am already wearing maternity clothes!

*Some of you may recognize this shirt - its the one I wore when heading to the hospital to deliver Emma!

We have...

...1 healthy little baby & a heartbeat :)

Praise the Lord!!!

Checking In!

Hey everyone! Just thought I'd check-in to say that I am feeling fabulous, not sick at all now, and was even a little worried about still being pregnant. But I have peed on tests and confirmed that I am still cooking at least 1 little bean in there :) And we are counting down the day until ultrasound when we will finally get to see the baby/babies, and hopefully hear their little heartbeat(s)! We are beyond excited - I personally think I am going to go crazy before Monday gets here!!!!

Only 4 day left....

2nd Beta Is....

457 :)

Ultrasound in 2 weeks on 12/6 to find out if we have 1 little baby or 2!!!

Its the little things....

....like beta numbers that can send a person over the edge and into a state of panic :)

Today was our beta day....and when the nurse called me she said, "Well Jenn, you're super-duper pregnant"...and then she paused....so I asked, "I know! What is our number?"...."226"...."what?"...."226"...."um, I think I'm going to go throw up my breakfast now"....giggles "well, you know nothing is for-sure until ultrasound, but there is a good chance there are 2 little babies in there right now"...."um, thanks?!"....more giggles.

And that, my friends, is how I got the beta news!

Philipians 4:13 "I can do all things, through Christ, who gives me strength"

*my new mantra for the next 2 weeks

This is my favorite!

I am feeling very blessed :)

Don't Stop Believing!

I won't, as long as keep seeing that little pink line getting darker!

(and lest you think I am obsessed - and you would probably be correct in that assumption - these are the "positive" tests. I didn't keep the negatives!)

On tomorrow's agenda? Digitals :) Then beta on Sunday morning!!!

The results are in!!

Our first positives!!! The line is so light that you can hardly see it - but a positive is a positive!!!!

My birthday wishes came true! God is so very good and his mercies are new EVERY morning :)

In Other News....

....thought I would point out that I have several friends with surrogacy blogs that I'd like to share with you. You know, while we sit around here waiting, and waiting, AND WAITING!!! Check out my side bar and click on the links I've provided :) Love my surro & IP friends!!!

Almost 3dp

I'm about 6 1/2 hours shy of 3dp transfer and I am nauseous! Have been since yesterday, tho last nights Smashburger seemed to help somewhat :) I am really anxious to test, but am going to try to hold out until tomorrow afternoon when we are officially 4dp, which is still pretty early to see a positive on an HPT!

I spent the weekend holed-up in my bedroom, in my bed, where I was supposed to be. Got out of the house briefly yesterday for breakfast with Jenni and her kiddos (and my family of course), then came home and literally passed out in bed for 2 hours - I decided to lay down for a bit because the nausea was so bad, and ended up falling asleep and not moving for 2 full hours! Guess I needed the sleep! Altho when I woke up I felt exactly the same way so the nap didn't really help much.

But with all of that said, I wouldn't trade a single minute of nausea or feeling tired for anything! I just hope that all of these "symptoms" are real and not psychologically or hormonally induced! Can't wait to pee on a stick tomorrow to see the 2 beautiful pink lines I am praying for!!!

All Knocked Up!

Well, here I lay, in my bed, surrounded by my kiddos who have invaded my space :) But I love it! My oldest asked if he could pray for me when I got home, so I said "sure". He then proceeded to pray that the little baby eggs "stick" and "live" - his words! I almost cried it was so heart-felt and sweet! I love his little heart!!

Altho I do have a funny (now) story to share, but a little background first: For the IVF transfer, my instructions were to empty my bladder at 12:30, then immediately drink 24+ ounces of water to re-fill it. I am a nervous nelly tho, and when I get nervous, my stomach gets sort of upset. Generally that sends me to bathroom - if you get my drift.

So anyway, now to my story.

After my lab work, I headed to the bathroom to empty my bladder as instructed, and right on cue, my stomach got upset. So, I was in there for a few minutes, but thought all was well.

So after about 20 minutes of waiting, we were taken to the other section of the IVF clinic and I got changed into my gown for the transfer. While sitting in the transfer room, I finished my 2nd 16.9 oz bottle of water and figured I'd be good. The nurse came in and did a quick U/S and sure enough, my bladder wasn't nearly full enough so she told me to keep drinking. Thankfully I had brought a 3rd bottle of water with me. Michael returned a few minutes later with it and I drank it down within a few minutes. It was then that my stomach started churning. Uh-oh! I sat there trying to do the mind-over-matter thing, but it wasn't working, and the longer I sat there, the worse the cramping and churning was getting! I looked at M and was like "I think I'm going to have to go to the bathroom". She just giggled and was like, well if you do, you do! I really was trying to just see if it would pass so that I wouldn't have to drink so much more water, but it wasn't going to happen. I had to go NOW!!!

So, she went out and got the nurse and they said that the doctor could just fill my bladder for me before the procedure. So off I speed-walked to the restroom. Embarassing? Yep! But there was nothing I could do about it either!! Even had to ask for some air freshener - yeah, it was THAT BAD!! But thankfully I felt much better afterward :) Can't say that I wasn't absolutely mortified tho!!! Oh, and apparently word spreads quickly in that place because the other nurses and the doctor came in a few minutes later laughing and telling me "its no big deal". I wanted to hide!!

Ok, so anyway, back to the transfer. Our regular nurse came into the room and informed M&A that both of the embies they thawed reacted exactly like they needed to and were perfect! She handed them a picture of their to 2 little embabies and then said we were ready to go! I took my valium, and the rest is history!

Here are a few pics of our big day :)

M & I wearing our "Thinking Positive" shirts :)

In the transfer room waiting for the doctor, me drinking my water!

Green toes for fertility & luck

They are right there!

This Is It!!!

In approximately 12 hours, I will be having my labs done for the last time, prior to transfer.

THEN ITS TRANSFER TIME!!!

And then we wait - the horribly long, doesn't seem like it will ever end 9 days of sheer agony! But, because I have no patience and could not possibly wait 9 full days to get the 1st of the blood tests back confirming pregnancy.....

.....I have these :)

I will plan to do my first HPT at 4dp (4 days past transfer), which will be Tuesday the 16th - the day before my birthday! I can think of nothing else that I want more than to see 2 beautiful pink lines :) That would be definitely be a very happy birthday to me!!!

Would appreciate your prayers and I will update WITH PICTURES this weekend while I am on bed rest.

In case you were wondering....

...we got the green light to transfer this coming Friday! My estrogen was 623, my lining measurement was 14.9. I am beyond excited, to say the least :) Hubby just gave me my 1st PIO shot and it wasn't as bad as I remembered - granted it was the 1st (of many!), but my dosage is 1/2 what it was with Emma (1/2cc rather than 1cc), and the needles she gave me are less than 1/2 the size we had before (1" instead of 2 1/2"), so here's hoping they continue to be "no big deal"!

We will be thankful for the prayers over the course of the week! I will update after transfer - while I am enjoying my 2 days off...um, I mean, while I am on 2 days of bed rest :)

A Change of Plans

So, it looks as though we will not be transferring on the 19th, as we originally planned. Nope, plans have changed, and as we all know, when it comes to IVF, the key is flexibility!

I had my first lab check today and my estrogen level was at 103, exactly where they needed it to be. I will be increasing my estrogen patches by 1 every other day until I reach 4, and there I will stay. I will go in again on Sunday the 7th for another estrogen level and an ultrasound to check my lining. And if all looks good, we will be transferring on NOVEMBER 12th!!! A week earlier than we originally thought!

Stay tuned, its gonna be a fun ride :) God is SO GOOD!!!

A Meeting of the IP's

Yesterday I was finally able to arrange meeting between D&A (former IP's) and A&M (new IP's). Lunch was yummy and new friendships were formed! Oh, and here is a bonus - a few pics of the surro princess :)

It was really windy yesterday! This is Allison, me, Morgann (my daughter) and M :)

The little princess and me - she's such a ham for the camera!

Allison & I with our girls :)

She has the cutest little smile - and just look at the dimples on those legs - LOVE it!

Morgann doing what she loves to do - hold Emma!

Aunt Flo

Meds have been good so far :) I'm not suffering with major, long-term Lupron headaches this time around, so I'm a happy girl! If I get a headache, it shows up around 3ish and is just a dull ache - that I can live with for a few weeks!

Anyway, I stopped my BCP's on Wednesday and was scheduled to meet Aunt Flo around day 3 - today is day 3 and she arrived right on schedule :) So I have contacted the IVF clinic and will begin the next step in the med cycle on Mon - continuing the Lupron but cutting the dosage in 1/2, adding 1 Vivelle dot (estrogen patch) every other day, and taking 1 tiny baby aspirin.

November 19th is coming up fast!!

Here We Go!

I received my meds via FedEx this morning and am now waiting for the OK from the nurse at the IVF clinic to begin my injections this morning :) Woohoo!!!

And so it begins...

Michael & I went in for our communicables testing today (to be sure we are disease-free, which we are, but FDA mandates them to be done before every transfer) and my "teaching" visit. The teaching visit is a quick review of the meds I will take, the protocols for dosing them, the calendar of when I will start them, and a question & answer session for clarity.

Our contract has been finalized and we are all set :)

Monday is THE day! I will begin taking the Lupron injections and moving forward with various & sundry meds over the course of the next 4ish weeks. We are hoping that my body responds as it should (and as it did the last go-around) and that we will be set for a November 19th transfer! HOLY SCHNIKIES BATMAN!!! It's gonna be here before we all know it and I CAN'T WAIT!!!

All I can say is Praise the Lord, for He is so very good!!!

More updates :)

Fun times are being had and we are all so very ready! I am LOVING my new IP's - they are so awesome and I feel so very grateful to God that He blessed me with another wonderful friend!

First, Friday's appointments went well. I was told that my uterus is beautiful and that my ovaries were "perfect", so I was given the official "all clear" by the doctor! Praise the Lord!! Then Michael & I and M&A were told that the 4 of us were definitely compatible and the psychologist saw no reason to keep us from moving forward - Praise the Lord - AGAIN!!!

So now we are finalizing contracts and looking forward to the start of meds, thinking it could happen within just this next week! Wow!!! I won't be able to begin taking anything until the attorney sends a notice to the IVF clinic stating we are official, but I am really excited about starting those shots :) Yep, I think the psychologist missed something in my interview, don't you?!? Ha!!!

So, let me introduce you to M. She is my new IM and from the very beginning, we felt an instant connection. We met for lunch today (and took the picture after we ate which is why I have no lips!) and were laughing and talking about how we probably would have met, one way or another! Its along story, but suffice it to say that we initially met after they contacted the surrogacy attorney we all used for our last journeys (mine with D&A, them with another surrogate). But, when I was initially contacted by K (the attorney) and was telling my surro friend Jenni about them (even tho I knew almost nothing!), she started wondering if she knew them - turns out she works with their previous surrogate and had met them briefly before. Anyway, M was saying today that she had thought about asking Jenni if she knew of any surrogates looking to begin a journey, and Jenni would have referred them to me! So regardless of how it happened, it was obviously meant to be - we were destined to meet sooner or later!! I mean, what are the odds that I know a surrogate that knows their previous surrogate? God is so awesome!!!

So, we are in that hurry up & wait mode, but let me officially say "Let the Baby Makin' Begin"!!

Oh, and I've invited M to post so you may get the chance to officially meet her :)

First Appointments :)

So, thought I would quickly update - tomorrow (Fri) I will go in for my psych eval (required by the state of Texas) and the hysteroscopy. The first 30-45 mins of the appointment will be just me by myself, then the psychologist will call Michael for a phone interview, after which M&A will join us for a "group" eval to be sure we are all compatible & OK'd to work together :) Really, a formality since we've all been through this before, but still a requirement. Then I get to have a hysteroscopy to check my uterus for scar tissue or anything that would deem me an unsuitable candidate for IVF - don't expect to see anything since my delivery of Emma was vaginal and I shouldn't have any scars :)

So, same song, different dance, and yet I am nervous as all-get-out! Uugghh...I hate tests :( Always have.... sigh....

It's Official!

Just letting everyone know that I have officially "matched" with a local couple. This will be a sibling project for them, as they already have 1 little girl via surrogate. So, we are slowly moving forward with the IVF clinic to begin the uterine checks, blood work, etc. And our contract will be in place sooner than later since they used the attorney I previously used with Doug & Allison to put everything together. They have "several" frozen embryos, so we can plot & plan the time we want to transfer, which is really cool. Right now we are looking at January :)

God is so good!!

Stay tuned....its gonna be a fun ride!!!

I'm back!

Just wanted to update to say that the ball is rolling and I am on my way to being officially "matched" with a wonderful local couple :) I can't wait to share their information and to begin this new journey!!!

Guilt

Ok, so knowing what I know about the emotional roller coaster we all call surrogacy, why do I feel so guilty? Why is it that when you meet someone that has a sad story (because let's face it people, everyone looking for a surrogate has one!), but they either don't fit the "mold" of who you would like to help, or you just don't feel a connection, you feel guilty for saying no? I know it feels personal, but it truly isn't supposed to be personal! Simply agreeing to meet a couple to see if you have a connection shouldn't mean that you are saying YES, right? It means that you are meeting to see if you have a connection. And if you don't, then you should have the freedom to say "I'm sorry, but we don't have a connection".

So why the guilt???

A new beginning, perhaps?

I'm not sure that we still have any followers, but I thought I would quickly post to say that I am in the process of beginning yet another journey! I am not currently matched with anyone right now, but am slowly beginning the process of finding another couple/family to work with.

My last journey with D&A was such a remarkable experience that I am excited about the prospect of doing it all over again :)

I will post something a bit later, when I have some news to report. But for now, keep me in your thoughts & prayers as I am prayerfully stepping into a new beginning!

Emma's birth as I recall it.......

This is Allison~

This is a long overdue post. I've been meaning to do it for weeks, but am just now getting around to doing it. Time as I previously knew it is no more, lol. But I wouldn't change a single thing.

Ok, I'm going to try to recall as much about the birth as I can, seeing as how it's been almost 10 weeks, bear with me. :) (10 WEEKS? Holy crap!)

The night before the scheduled induction I slept pretty light. I just kept thinking, what if the alarm doesn't go off or something. The plan was for Jenn to call the hospital around 4am to see if they still had a room for us. She texted me around 4am and said we were still on track to be at the hospital at 5:30. So, Doug and I got up around 6 and got to the hospital at 8am. When we walked in, there was someone in the room that I didn't recognize. Jenn said, surprise! She had arranged for one of her friends, Kelley, to photograph pictures for us of the birth. What a wonderful surprise. I never even thought to do something like that. Thankfully Jenn thinks for the both of us sometimes, lol.

I can't remember exactly when Jenn started on the pitocin. It may have been before we got there, I'm thinking she was hooked up by the time we got there, but not positive. I'm thinking she got her epidural around 9:45 and then they broke her water right after that. She was still at a 1 or 2 at this point. Jenn started getting nauseous at one point, so they gave her one of the anti-nausea drugs (cannot think of the name). I think this is what made her sleepy. She was in and out for hours. We all just hung out, walked around, went to the cafeteria, etc. Kelley was having a party at her house that evening and we were starting to get worried that she may have to leave and miss the birth.

I think around 4pm things started progressing and quickly. Things started happening so fast. I guess sometime after 5 or so, several people came in and were getting things set up. So Doug and I took our places. Doug was on one side of the bed behind Jenn and I was right in front of him. Karole (our nurse) was on the other side of the bed getting things prepared. Then Dr R came in and sat down on the bed. It all seemed so relaxed and surreal. Then, Karole said, grab that leg and just follow what I do. I was like, what? I had no idea I was going to be doing that, but was glad to help out any way I could. Before we got started Jenn looked up and me and we were holding hands tightly and she started crying and closed her eyes. Of course that made me cry as well. Then she started pushing. She did such a wonderful job. I think she may have pushed a total of 3 times and little Emma came out. It brings tears to my eyes right now thinking of it. Our little tiny dream was finally born. I couldn't hardly believe it even though I was there witnessing it. It's just such an odd feeling that we had gone through this whole process for about 2 yrs and now we were seeing the final prize, our precious little baby girl. They laid Emma on Jenn's tummy and what came next shocked me to pieces. Let me give a little background on what I'm fixing to go into. Jenn had been telling Doug and I that Dr R makes the daddy cut the cord. Well, Doug was having nothing to do with that. He felt he was doing all of his part by just being in the room. Well, as we got closer to the birth, Jenn mentioned it again and he said no, I'm not doing it. Doug left the room a little later and Jenn and I talked about it and she said she would suggest he and I both cut it together, just for pictures. He came back in and she asked and he said, ok, I can do that. Ok, so back to the birth........while Emma was on Jenn's tummy, Dr R was handing me the scissors and Doug almost pushed me out of the way and said, here, let me do it. I couldn't believe it. I burst into tears right there and hugged him when he finished. It touched me so much that he would do it since he had been so very adament earlier that he didn't want to.

After that, they took Emma to clean her up while Doug and I moved over to the other side of the room next to her to watch everything. I was in total awe and crying. It was just unbelievable that our little girl was finally here after two years of waiting. Then all of a sudden, Dr R turned around and said, are you ready? I had no idea what he was talking about. Then he started singing and everyone else chimed in, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Emma, Happy Birthday to you! I was in tears I couldn't even sing. It was just an amazing moment. Once they finished cleaning Emma up, they swaddled her and handed her to me. Then I gave her to Doug. I loved seeing him hold her, it just melted my heart.

Our plan was for me to stay in the hospital with Emma and Jenn until Emma was released. I loved that time with both Jenn and Emma. I went out and got late meals for Jenn and I when we were hungry late in the evening. Fun times. :)

I cannot begin to thank Jenn enough for what she has done for my family. It's an amazing miracle and I will always be in awe.

What started out as a dream, became a reality. Thank you Jenn from the bottom of my heart. You are so very dear to me.

k|d loftis photography

I wanted to give a shout-out to Kelley Loftis for creating a beautiful photo montage for us! Kelley is a local photographer that attended Emma's birth a few weeks ago - and this is the result :)

Kelley, thank you for this beautiful gift!!!

Click the link above to view the montage, and enjoy!!

2 weeks 2 days...already!

I was just commenting to Allison that when I was pregnant, 2 weeks seemed like an eternity (think 37 week appt with the OB and he says, NO to inducing you, even tho you are suffering with major heartburn, sleeplessness, constant contractions, and incontinence when you sneeze or cough or have just walked out of the bathroom!). But now that she is here, time is flying! Wonder why that is?!?

Anyway, here are some new pics of the little princess :) I got to visit (and snuggle) today, so of course, I took a few pictures!

Yes, she is smiling! No, its not gas!!

This one is a little odd because its a self-portrait, taken with my iPhone. But it is decent enough to post.

She was awake more than asleep today, even tho the next 2 pics are of her sleeping :)

Allison, you have a beautiful little girl! Good thing she looks like you ;-)

More Emma....

This is Jenn, and words cannot express the love I have for this family! I am truly blessed beyond words to have been a part of this wonderful miracle, and am in awe of this beautiful little girl :)

Allison, I cannot tell you enough how much I appreciate you & Doug! Thank you for allowing me the honor & privilege of carrying this little girl on your behalf, and for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of your family. I am humbled beyond words. I will never forget the moment right before her birth, and the moments right afterward - seeing you & Doug become parents in a matter of seconds - wow!!! I love you all so very much!!

6 days old :)

Getting a good stretch

She's such a little snuggle bug!

I think she was a little irritated at me - I took several

pics before this one, with the flash :)

She's Here!!!

April 26, 2010 @ 5:15AM

(39 weeks 2 days)

Emma Madison Obert

Born 5:30PM

7 pounds 6 ounces

19 1/2 inches long

The 1st family photo!!

Meet the Obert Family

The Little Princess & Me :)

Baby Shower #3

Sorry guys, I'm so behind. I've been meaning to post for weeks, literally. Wow, all I can keep thinking and saying is that we are so truly blessed. When you think about how much this type of road to parenthood costs, we are already in the negative when our baby is born pretty much. Most go into the negative afterwards, lol. But in saying that, we are so blessed by so many people that have given to us and the amount of showers we've had. Which brings me to telling you about my 3rd baby shower. Two ladies at work put together such a wonderful shower for Doug and I. As some of you may not know, Doug and I work at the same company and in the same division, Accounting. So the shower was for both of us. One of my good friends Carole and my immediate supervisor, Gwen, put the shower together. It was so great. We received a group gift for those that just wanted to contribute a dollar amount and then we also received several gifts from individuals. The group gift ended up being a gift card and the starter bottle set I had registered for. I was able to purchase our lovely Chicco stroller/carseat combo with the gift card. It was a wonderful blessing. I am so thankful that so many people love us and love our little Emma before she is even here. She is going to know she is so loved!

Thank you Carole and Gwen. You're both the sweetest and I am so appreciative for your support and for throwing the shower for us. :)

Allison

We have a date!

Today was our 38wk appt and there was no change from last week as far as dilation. But the dr scheduled us for an induction next Monday morning. YAY! I have so many mixed emotions right now. Excited, nervous, anxious, overwhelmed, scared, etc. All rolled into one. But I can't wait to meet little Emma. She is such a miracle from God.

Thank you Jenn for making our dream come true!

Allison

She'll be here soon!!!

This is Jenn ~ today's 37 week appt (37w2d) had me effaced to 70% and dilated to a 1! Woohoo for progress!!!

36 weeks 5 days....and counting!

This is Jenn:

This has been a busy 24 hours....lots & lots of contractions, keeping me awake all night, and keeping Allison & Doug on-edge. But, I ran to the OB this morning to be checked and all he could says was "you're thinned a little more and I can feel her head". Still not dilated at all and I'm sitting at home pouting, but I truly am trying to not have a bad attitude...but for those of you that have been pregnant and in my shoes, you understand how easy it is to want to be done :)

Meanwhile, I'm hoping for a good 37 week appointment on Monday, and maybe an U/S to check to see if little Emma is ready to make her entrance.... AND, if before then I go into labor, then we'll know that God's in control - well in more control than ME anyway :)

Nursery

My two good friends Monique and Nathan came in a few weeks ago to paint Emma's room. I'm so glad they came in, I never could have done this on my own and I hardly even helped. They were great. It was a really fun weekend. They were also able to come to the shower that Jenn gave me as well. Fun times! Thanks Monique and Nathan, ya'll are awesome friends.

I will post more pics when I have more things off of the floor, lol. Things are coming together. I'm getting so excited and cannot wait until Emma can enjoy her room.

Allison

Baby Shower #2

This is Allison ~

Jenn and Jenni threw me a shower at Tea for Two tearoom. It was so great. But........Jenn surprised the heck outta me. I had two friends in town painting the nursery and Jenn kept asking if we could all get together Friday night for dinner. So, the plan was to meet at Salt Grass Steakhouse at 7pm. The people that were going to be there were Jenn, her husband Michael, me, Doug, Monique (friend from Baton Rouge), Nathan (friend from Chicago) and Emily (Doug's sister). Jenn had told me that she also invited Jenni and Justin, but that Jenni had to work. So, as I was walking toward the table, someone had their back turned to me talking to Jenn. As I got closer, I was thinking, Jenni? I thought she had to work? Then as I got close enough to actually see, I was like.............MOMA?????? Oh my gosh, I was so shocked and surprised. It's almost making me cry right now thinking about it. I had just talked to her a few hours earlier and she said she was at the grocery store shopping. Little did I know she was 45 minutes away from me getting a manicure and pedicure with Jenn. Jenn is the sweetest, most thoughtful person. For her to give me that kind of gift was truly amazing. It was so special for my moma to get to come to the shower and spend a little time with me over the weekend. I never thought it was possible for her to be there. I later found out that Jenn and her had been planning it since January. Very sneaky of them, lol. I had no clue whatsoever. As you can see in the pictures that Jenn posted, I was shocked. I kept looking at her and saying over and over, "what are you doing here?" I was so happy.

The shower was absolutely wonderful. First of all, the place that Jenn had it was great. Laura had thrown Jenni a shower there back in November I think. That was my first time there and the food and atmosphere is awesome. Such a cute place. I can't wait to take Emma there when she gets old enough. A few of my surrogate friends were able to come. It was so nice being able to get to see Heather and Dawn, Jenni's mom, Jenn's mother in law and Emily. I received so many wonderful gifts. I'm truly blessed. That's something I have really been saying a lot of lately. I'm just blessed and I have such special friends. Thank you all!

Thank you Jenn and Jenni for making it such a wonderful day! I was so happy that my moma got to share in the joy.

Allison

35 weeks!

Feeling huge all of the sudden

(Michael smugly pointed out that my belly has surpassed the door jam now!)...

And this is my special shirt for my special baby girl :)

Just layin' around!

This is Jenn ~ and I'm following doctor's orders, unfortunately! Bed rest sounds so wonderful when you're tired and just want to lay around and be lazy, but not so much fun when you are told you have to lay around :( I suddenly have the urge to do laundry and, I don't know, grocery shop!

But since I am 50% effaced and contracting ALLOT, I'm going to follow the doctor's instructions, and do my very best to keep little Emma baking for as long as I can...well, no longer than the 40 week mark, but you know what I meant, right?!?

34 weeks!

33 weeks down...7 to go!!!

A Weekend Surprise!

This is Jenn ~

And this is Cindy, Allison's mom...

This is Allison figuring out her mom was sitting at the table, instead of at home in NC...

And this was SO MUCH FUN :)

Baby Shower #1

This is Jenn ~

So, its been a little more than a week, but Allison & I made a trip to Baton Rouge, LA for her first baby shower :) Talk about FUN!!! I really enjoyed getting to hang out non-stop with her, and finally meeting some of her friends was just a bonus!! She got some super-cute stuff too :) Can't wait to see Emma's room once its painted and the furniture is in place....

Been too long

Note: I wrote this Sunday night, but apparently it didn't post.

Wow, can't believe neither of us has blogged in a while. Time just seems to get away from

you sometimes. But if I think I'm busy now, I don't know what I'll think when Emma comes, lol. Anyways, had been meaning to hop on and let you know that Jenn and I went to Dallas a few weeks ago. We had such a great time. We met up with several of our TOSS (Texas Oklahoma Surrogacy Support) friends. We had dinner on Saturday evening at On the Border and it was great. It was so nice seeing some of the ladies I had met before and meeting the new ones. One of my friends, Nikki, gave me tons of baby stuff. Lots of clothes, a moby wrap, bouncy seat and lots of cans of formula. I'm so blessed.

Last weekend, Jenn and I headed to Baton Rouge for my first baby shower. It was so awesome. I have some great friends. It was so nice getting to see some of the girls I used to hang out with and work with. I miss them all tremendously! It almost makes me sad. But at least I'm only 4 hrs away, which is not bad. I've recently realized that I just need to go visit more often than I used to. The shower was great and I got tons of nice things and the food was great. I'm so thankful for my friends that helped put all of that together. I've attached two pics from the shower.

This past weekend I had two friends from Baton Rouge come in to help prime the walls in the nursery. I probably shouldn't say "help", they basically did all the work. They are both awesome. I am not good at painting at all, so it was such a big help. I was so thankful they did that for me. I've attached a pic of them, lol. :) Jackie is on the left and Shelli is on the right. Great gals!

I have two other friends coming in this Thursday evening to help paint the nursery. Nathan from Chicago and Monique from Baton Rouge. We're painting the bottom part of the room in lavendar and the top part in cream/yellow. We're putting the border that matches the bedding at waist height. I'm so excited to see what the finished room will look like. It's really happening! :)

Jenn is throwing me a baby shower this coming Saturday. She is the sweetest thing. I hope to see many of our surrogate friends there. It's going to be so exciting. I can't wait. We'll post pics from the shower as soon as we can.

Another shower was in Lincolnton (North Carolina, where I'm from) this past weekend. My mom thought she was going to a jewelry party and when she walked in there was a room full of her friends there. They were giving me a shower through her or however you want to say it. She opened all of the gifts and told me I got lots of cute stuff. She shipped it today and I can't wait to see it all. I can't believe how sweet that was of all of her friends to do that for me.

I just want to state that I am truly blessed. There are so many people in the world that are not as fortunate as I am to have such wonderful friends and family. I am so thankful that everyone has thought of me and my family during this happy and great time in our life.

Well, that's all I have for now.............

Allison