9w2d - Wiggle Worm Ultrasound

So, I guess my dates are off? I don't really know how to calculate how far along I really am since we did IVF. I've been going off this website - http://www.ivf.ca/duedate.php and entering our egg retrieval date (2/9/12). By doing this, I get 9w4d and a due date of November 1st. Today at my ultrasound, the RE is saying I'm 9w2d, and that the baby is measuring right on track. It's bothering my that my calculations are off by 2 days from what the doc has calculated. 2 days. Yea.

Recalculated Due Date: November 3rd.

I can't even tell you how excited I am to paint my belly for Halloween! I have always wanted to do this. I need to think of something with lightening bolts so my stretchmarks will blend in better.

We had an ultrasound today. I love these days! I never had the chance to see my own kids on u/s this early in my pregnancies. It is SO NEAT to watch this baby grow from a little "dot" to now - A peanut. I think that is what I will nickname this baby - Lil Peanut. Today was an awesome day. Today was the first time I saw Lil Peanut move on the ultrasound. I saw it's arms moving all around and it's whole body squirming. It seemed to react when I laughed (see video below). I fell in love. It was a beautiful sight. Every time I see this baby on the u/s I can't help but get excited about the future and the moment when A & M hold their for the first time. Brings tears to my eyes at the thought.

Doctor's orders: Decrease meds - Yay!! I would have liked to hear "you may stop meds completely", but it looks like I have a few more weeks yet. Oh, and sorry Eric (hubby), doctor's orders....i'm still on "pelvic rest".

My new insurance cards should arrive this week. Doesn't seem like a big deal to most, but this means that I finally get to see my new OB--I'm so excited!! I've heard nothing but great things about this OB and the medical group. I look forward to a great experience with them.

And now i'll leave you with the best part....a video of the baby! I dare you not to smile while watching this awesomeness.

If you listen closely, you can hear my 3 year old daughter in the background telling the doctor,

"That baby has two daddies."

I love it.

And I'm like whoa.

Ok, i'll admit. I've gained about 10lbs. since starting the meds. But today...today I look pregnant (pictured right side)!!

Houston....we have a baby!!!

According to www.IVF.ca, today I am 7w5d PREGNANT!!

A & M are expecting ONE healthy baby....YAY!!

3/14/2012 - 6w6d
Ultrasound confirms ONE baby!
Baby measures 5.51mm
Heart rate is 125bpm

3/20/2012 - 7w5d
Baby measures 1.28cm
Heart rate is 154bpm

The baby is doing great! Measuring well and has a strong heart beat.

Couldn't ask for anything better. I'm so excited for A & M!

How am I feeling? Super tired. I wake up tired. I go to sleep at night exhausted. I am constantly tired. I get waves of nausea every day, all day, but nothing too extreme. Yesterday I picked up some Preggie Pops and a couple acupressure wrist bands that are supposed to help alleviate the nausea. If this will be anything like my last pregnancy, I should expect the nausea to last another 9 weeks or so. 

I'm still doing intramuscular injections (in my rear) of both progesterone (daily) and estrogen (every 3 days), progesterone vaginal suppositories (4x.day), progesterone sublingual lozenges (under the tongue 2x/day), Estrace (estrogen) tablets (3x/day), and of course daily prenatal vitamins. All of the hormone medications will continue for another 4-5 weeks. At that point, I will be released to my OB. 

Speaking of OB, i'm on the hunt for the perfect OB in my area. He/She has to have worked with surrogates before. He has to be comfortable with same sex couples cause well, that's who this baby's parent are and they will be attending doctor appointments throughout this pregnancy. And lastly, he has to be VBAC friendly. This is extremely important to me. If there is no reason for another c-section, I'd like to preserve my body for another pregnancy. Maybe even a sibling project for this baby! ;)

Pssst. Got a few minutes?

...and the moment we've all been waiting for...

What is the BETA (hCG) result you ask? 

This just in TODAY at 13dp5dt...

(13 days past a 5 day transfer)

If you have a few more minutes to spare...

here is the live video of my first POSITIVE digital pregnancy test taken at 8dp5dt.

CONGRATULATIONS A & M!!!
I am thrilled to be on this amazing journey with you both. Much love and lots of hugs being sent your way.
WE DID IT!!!xoxo

6dp5dt

Six days past a five day transfer...

Hi. My name is Andrea, and I'm addicted to peeing on a stick.

Seven more days till BETA!!

WE did it!!

We had the embryo transfer this past Tuesday...Valentine's Day. It was a perfect day.

I was able to spend a few days with the A & M while they were in town, and we had a great time together. I will miss M giving me shots--they were pretty much pain free!

How am I feeling?
I feel good. Resting a lot. I've been cramping since the afternoon of the transfer. I heard this is common with IVF so i'm trying not to think too much in to it. Easier said than done though. I worry about EVERY little thing that I feel.  Last night I had an overwhelming feeling of tightness in my lower abdomen. I kept moving around to get comfortable, but nothing was working so I just went to bed. The medication that I'm taking causes pregnancy like symptoms as well, so its hard to judge what's going on down there.

And now the dreaded two week wait. I will have blood drawn (BETA) on Monday, 2/27. This will tell us if the transfer was successful. Of course, I will be peeing on a stick before then...but I will keep those results to myself. ;)

Round TWO in 5..4..3..2.....

Just days away from the transfer now!! My guys flew in last night and will be staying until the transfer. The egg retrieval and sperm deposit is happening.....probably as I type this!! The egg donor has produced great follicles, so that's super duper exciting.

I had my final monitoring appointment this morning and everything looks amazing--GO ME!! My uterine lining is 16.27mm and I've got that precious triple stripe that us surrogates all strive for (when the two uterine walls are so thick that they touch in the middle, creating an image on the ultrasound that looks like three stripes. See photo below.). Some say my oven is over heating with my uterine lining measurement, LOL.....I just say that I'm an over achiever. ;) Everything will be fine with that cushy lining and baby will be nice and snuggled in for a good 9 months.

I got this off the internet, but you can see the triple stripes in the very middle

I'm no longer cautiously excited.....I'm full blown ecstatic about our upcoming transfer!!!!! It's really, really going to happen this time!!! I shared a few good/happy/proud tears with myself this morning while driving home from the clinic. I've come so far with my journey, and now my IPs and my path is merging together perfectly to make this wonderful miracle happen. Such a beautiful thing!!

This time next week i'll probably be peeing on a stick and looking for that POSITIVE!!!

I'll leave you with a bit of cuteness......
I caught my daughter giving herself a "shot" with a left over sucker stick. She started with the belly shot and worked her way to the butt shot. "Look Mom, it doesn't hurt!"
That's what I tell her when she watches me do my shots.
Future surrogate, maybe?? We shall see....

A Surro-Sister Weekend

Last weekend was pretty amazing. I'm am thankful for the memories that were made, but kinda sad that it came and went so quickly though.

Amy flew in from Minnesota Thursday afternoon. This was a BIG deal because although we've chatted almost every single day for the past year and a half, we hadn't actually met in person yet. We first "met" through this lovely blog world--I came across her blog when I was first getting into surrogacy back in 2010. Her blog post was about a letter she sent to her family and friends basically announcing that she is becoming a surrogate. You can check it out HERE if you are interested. I had asked to "steal" this idea so that I could create a letter of my own, and from that connection on, we've been inseparable (well...as much as you can be with living 2000 miles away from each other, lol--*Thankful for the internet and Facebook!*).  Ok, were was I?.... Amy recently gave birth (vaginally--go Amy!!) to her boy/girl surro-twins in November. They are the most adorable Norwegian babies, and their daddies are pretty darn adorable too. Just weeks after delivering, She didn't hesitate to buy her plane ticket to Cali to come see ME. Ahhhhh, she does love me!! ;) So anyways--yea, this trip was a BIG deal.

Amy and Me - Santa Monica Pier

But wait..it gets better...

So we have this secret surro-sister Facebook group, and we've been "together" for over a year now. Amy is also in this group--its how we've stayed connected so long. There are 35 of us, and we all are as close as can be. When I say "secret", that means no one else can join or even search for the group--we are ultra secret. ;) We support each other through all the ups and downs of surrogacy, and life in general. We've shared SO much together, and most of us haven't even "met" face to face. It's such a blessing to have one another. Not all of us live in California. Many of the ladies live out of state, and we even have a few lovely ladies living up in Canada. Some surros (like me) are just starting out, others are on their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd surrogacy, and a few are retired surrogates. We are a pretty amazing group of gals, and one that I am so thankful to be a part of. Anyhow *back to what I was getting at*, when Amy announced that she was flying to CA to see me, a few Nor Cal girls wanted to come and play too!! Stacie and Katie made an 8hr road trip down to spend the weekend with us. So, so FUN!! Oh, and I can't forget about Laura--She lives just a few minutes from me and was able to spend the night with us for one night. Talk about a "girls night in". It was awesome.

AMY * STACIE * ME * KATIE

STACIE and ME

But wait...it gets better..

I STARTED MEDS LAST THURSDAY!!!! My surro-sisters were by my side for the first Lupron shot of this cycle. Talk about "Support".

Yes, I'm a wimp and my eyes are closed for a split second...lol

But wait...IT GETS BETTER!!

My IFs sent me the most beautiful and sweet smelling flowers. They also ordered 2 cakes from my local Cheesecake Factory Restaurant for us girls to feast on all weekend. They are just too sweet (the guys that is) and made THIS surrogate feel ultra special.

I had an AMAZING weekend filled with good friends, good food, and lots of laughter. These memories will forever be engraved into my heart.

And now i'm counting down the days until the transfer.....T minus 17 days people!!

Gettin' ready to preheat the oven!!

Short and super sweet update here!! My guys have finally found a new egg donor. They were able to go through the medical eval and contracts at lightening speed (hallelujah!). We start meds THIS THURSDAY, 1/19!! with a tentative transfer date of 2/13 (3day) or 2/15 (5day).

This is it people. I can feel it in my bones. This is it!!

Oh, and guess what? Not only am I starting meds this week, but I am also hosting a surrogate sleepover at my house THIS WEEKEND!! I am having 5 of my close surro-sisters spend the weekend with me and I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about this. One of my girls is flying in from MN, others are driving down from Nor Cal, and a few live local. I have known these wonderful girls for about a year and a half now. We've grown to love each other like true sisters. This is going to make for a fun-filled weekend, and I can't wait to start this next cycle with my most biggest supporters, literally, right by my side.

I am one lucky surrogate.

Liebster Award!!

I’m sending a warm and heartfelt “Thank You” to my sweet, sweet friend Kasie from On Clever Mode for awarding 'My Body. Their Baby.' the Liebster Blog Award.

The Liebster Blog Award is an award for bloggers with less than 200 followers who deserve more recognition. 

Liebster is a German word that means ‘dearest’ or ‘beloved’, but can also mean ‘favorite’. The idea of the award is to bring attention to blogs with less than 200 followers.

The Award comes with a few rules. You’re supposed to:

• Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them
• Reveal your top 5 picks for the award and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog
• Post the award on your blog
• Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the blogshere – other bloggers
• Hope your recipients pass the award to their 5 favorite blogs to keep the love flowing

It’s my pleasure to present the Liebster Award to the following blogs, in no particular order ~ because they’re all so wonderful! Please visit them:

A Cup Of Jo
Jeff and Kevin DC
Love Makes A Family
Surrogacy For Us
Their Bun...My Oven...

I wish I could nominate more, because there are SO MANY other great bloggers out there!!