~10 Weeks~

WooHoo! We are now 10 weeks! We had our Dr.'s appt with my OB today and everything looked great! We actually were able to see this little bun squirming all over the place! It was so neat to see his/her little hands and feet moving like crazy. B & C made the trip down and were able to go to our Dr.'s appt. I am so grateful that I have the support from both of them! This time C was able to share her story with some of the nurses as well as with my Dr., she even wrote them a letter so they could get to know her and B better and understand their fertility troubles. I love how interested and supportive the staff is here. I think we are going to have an amazing experience!

C is so sweet and is always thinking of me! She brought me this adorable bag full of some yummy goodies! She also gave me a very cute card with such sweet words and a gift card to Old Navy or Gap for some maternity clothes! Which honestly... I now have a noticeable bump! I love you C! Thanks for being so thoughtful! :)

I've actually been feeling so much better then I was last week! As long as I'm eating non-stop this little baby is happy! I have my bouts of exhaustion from time to time, maybe only 5 days a week now! LOL And guess what??!!! Last PIO Shot!!! DONE! WOOHOO! I cannot even tell you how excited ecstatic I am to be finished with those nasty needles!

• 5 months of Birth Control! √
• 77 Estrace Pills √
• 28 Lupron shots √
• 57 Progesterone shots √
• And I'd do it all over again in a heart beat! :) √√√

I just have to post this pic to show what a ridiculous amount of needles that have inserted my body in just a couple months! I am actually pretty proud of myself! It probably looks worse then it was. :)

Weight Gain: 0

Cravings: Water!, Pickles, Chips & Salsa, Apples, Grapes, Watermelon, Dried Fruit, Smoothies, Oatmeal, Salad, Snickers

Symptoms: Headaches, Hungry all the time, Lots of Potty breaks, Baby bump!

I have been contemplating whether or not to post a pic of the little bump... I think 10 weeks is a great start to the beginning of showing off the pregnancy, seeing as neighbors have been asking around.. :) Be nice... haha, kinda scary to think I'm showing already.... :\

It may not be crazy noticeable but it feels way noticeable to me! :)

There little bun is the size of a Prune! (Kinda weird looking pic of a Prune)

Their baby's growing rapidly!

Now, he's/she's about 1.2 inches long and weighs about .14 ounces. His/Her body length will almost double in the next three weeks.

 

Their baby at 10 weeks

• Baby has working arm joints, and his/her cartilage and bones are forming.
• His/Her vital organs are fully developed and they're starting to function.
• His/Her fingernails and hair are starting to appear, too.
• Plus, he's/she's swallowing and kicking in there.

I couldn't do this without him!

So, I thought that I may write a post on my husband, Nick, or any other Surrogates husband in that case.  I just want him and everyone who reads my blog to know that I appreciate him so much!  I also want everyone out there to understand the roles that husbands have in the surrogacy journey.  It's not only going to change the life of me (the surrogate) but for everyone around us!  Our kids, our families, friends, church members, etc. At first I believed that as long as Nick & I felt comfortable about this decision, that was honestly all that mattered but unfortunately that is not the case. This will affect so many individuals around you. So many questions will need to be answered. Your kids friends and nieces/nephews will be curious your neighbors kids will wonder and have questions for their parents. And believe me, with kids as young but mature as ours they will wonder..."hmmm, I thought moms & dads got married and then Heavenly Father puts a baby in the mommies tummy? Why would Heavenly Father put "their" baby in your tummy?" Agh, the nosey (but smart) little buggers!! It's a pretty difficult choice to make and it takes a lot of pretty amazing people to support and understand the whole surrogacy journey. 

Even your husband... I can only imagine what was going through Nick's mind when I said, "I want to be a surrogate mother for the ____'s!" Say WHAT?! :) J/K, actually he acted as if he already knew.. He knows me way too well! But seriously, I'm sure the thought of me (his wife) carrying another mans child weirded him out, but because he knows the reasoning behind it all and he knows the family, he is very supportive! It just doesn't stop at agreeing with his wife getting pregnant though. First, there's the support of going to the doctors appointments to make sure that his wife (the surrogate) can even carry another baby. Then he finds out that HE needs to be psychologically tested, as well as yourself. And then there's the legal agreements  So, many contracts need to be signed and approved, things you wouldn't even think about. Like life insurance on his wife?? Just the thought of something going wrong during the pregnancy or delivery in general puts a scare into anyone. And then there's the meds.. Oh boy, all those meds! The multitude of so many shots that are loaded with so many hormones that won't make his sweet wife any sweeter, but will most likely turn his sweet wife into a moody and crabby person that he now has to live with! :) Oh, and that he can't have "any" loving for how long! LOL

And that's not it.. He also has to miss work and take care of your children while you're on bed rest after the embryo transfer. Be there during the stressful two week wait to see if their beautiful baby/babies stuck. Nick has been so very supportive to go to every one of my appointments, be there to hold my hair as I throw up from morning sickness, cook dinner on those days when I am so exhausted I can't climb out of bed. He will then have to listen to me complain about all this extra weight, run out at all hours of the night so I could satisfy my craving, rub my feet when they are sore, rub my back when this little bun is laying on my sciatic nerve. And most of all to be there holding my hand when I deliver B & C's sweet Baby. When I'm just moody, scared and emotional about every little thing, he is the one person who is there!

All because "SHE/I/ALVINA" has it in her heart to be a surrogate! He is truly an amazing man, an amazing support group and he's my Hero!

~9 Weeks~

I'm so excited to finally be 9 weeks! This now means that B & C's embryo is now a fetus! :) It amazes me how much the baby grows during these first few weeks. I just posted a couple of days ago saying how great I've been feeling, which I have, but still tend to get waves of dry heaving from time to time. I could instantly get a queezy stomach and gag out of no where! Pretty disgusting for whomever is close by! LOL Today my oldest daughter played in a softball State game and so we were on the field for awhile, I was able to grab, just a snack and some water but nothing to actually fill me up. I literally ate within 30 mins of getting to the field but come 2 hrs past... There I was dry heaving again and gagging. By the time we left the field I was so hungry I snapped at anyone who was within a 1 mile radius! Watch out!! But I had waited too long that I was so indecisive about what sounded good for dinner?? I settled for a salad from Wendy's (which hit the spot) and scarfed it as if someone was going to steal it from me! Immediately after having a full stomach I was right back to my old self! :) It was almost like those Snickers commercials, "You're not you, when you're hungry!"

So note to self... Always, always carry something easy in my purse that I could snack on at any minute that could satisfy me and hold me over! LOL Lesson learned!


Weight Gain: 0

Cravings: Salads, Watermelon, Grapes, Apples, Pickles (depends on the day), Peanut butter & Honey sandwiches, Granola Cereal, Oatmeal, Toast, still set on spicy foods (not as much), Chicken (no beef!)

Symptoms: Hungry (all the time), Extreme potty breaks, Thirsty, Dry Heaving, Gagging (no throwing up though! :), Sleepy.

Their Little Bun is the size of a Green Olive!

Their baby's the size of a green olive!

He's/She's gaining steam! At 9 weeks, their fetus measures around .9 inches and weighs about .07 ounces.

Their baby at 9 weeks

• This is a milestone. He's/She's no longer an embryo -- now he's/she's a fetus!
• He's/She's developing more distinct facial features.
• And he/she might now have a strong enough heartbeat to be picked up by a fetal doppler.

I feel like a new woman!

I just had to update and share how amazing I've been feeling this week! Wow, I have finally found a schedule that helps me with morning sickness nausea. I wake up every morning at 2:30 am & 6:30 am to potty and as long as I have something in my stomach by 7 am, 9 am, 11am, etc. I am a happy camper and so is this little bun in my oven! :) Lots of fruits is pretty much what I want morning, noon and night! I haven't even napped once this week but come 10 pm I am out! I have even come to the conclusion that I am showing a tiny bit, mostly just me, no baby as of yet but I am going to enjoy every minute of this! I should be proud to be a size 7 (now size 9) and am now on pregnancy #7, right?? At least that is what I am telling myself!! I have absolutely no reason to be embarrassed about my weight gain.. No one knows what our bodies go through to get to this point.. Everyone has different side effects, mine just made me a little more plump and healthy! :)

Agh.. I love that I am feeling so good, so positive, so happy! Oh, and guess what??!! We are now in single digits until the last day of PIO Shots!! WooHoo! only 9 more days!

~8 Weeks~

I've been looking forward to this day all week! We are 8 weeks today! Every week we get closer and closer to the 12th week mark! These last couple weeks have gone by pretty quickly! End of the year stuff for all my kids, field trips, programs, end of season ball games. Crazy times!

I have to share that last week I went on a Field trip with my 2nd grader to a farm.. Okay I love 2nd graders! But some of them stink, some are just sweaty, have b.o, etc! LOL So we ride the big yellow school bus, with 100+, stinky 2nd graders.. I start feeling the bus shake, my stomach is uneasy as it is, I'm shoving the crust from my daughters home lunch sandwich in my mouth and try to settle my stomach, drink some water, hold it and actually start feeling better! Then.... I can feel it creeping back up... I look around, and nothing!! There's nothing to throw up in! I reach down and grab the baggy that my poor daughters (de-crusted) sandwich is in... and.... there she blows! Yep... Me.... Lost it.. In the big yellow school bus.. With a bunch of stinky 2nd graders... :( Luckily, we were only minutes from the farm so I only had to hold this warm, zip-locked baggy of my own puke for a little. Then the smell of those stinky cows.. Ugh... It was rough I couldn't even enjoy the field trip. I played it off and took some cute pics with my daughter. This was the longest field trip of man kind! From 9am-2pm.. At a stinky farm, in 92 degree weather, 7 wks pregnant, the week morning sickness hits.. On the big yellow stinky school bus! Come 2:30 pm I was past out! Those kids wore me out!

So, what do I do yesterday??  :) Decide to go on my 1st grade daughters field trip, from 9am -2pm!!! I love to help out in their classes and on the field trips, but honestly.. I need to learn to say "No" sometimes.. especially now that my morning sickness is so rough.. But I'm too nice.. I can't say No.. :) Honestly, I made sure I had a really full tummy before we returned to that big yellow bus! Brought my own ice cold water and a bag full of apples! The bus ride went smoothly! Hence the 1st grader in my group that couldn't keep his little fingers out of his nose! *Sanitize*Sanitize*Sanitize! We enjoyed sometime at the Animal Museum awesome!! Air conditioned and no smells! Headed to teach them Tennis Lessons. *HOT*, starving again, headed over to a Nature Museum, air conditioned! Then back over to another park to eat lunch! *Hallelujah* Today went a lot smoother! But what did I do the second I walked in the house?? Took a nap! :)

So, as of Wednesday I took the plunge. :( I am so embarrassed to even blog this.. I went to Target and bought me some bigger shorts. Not because it's baby but because I've gained so much weight none of my summer shorts or capris fit me.. It makes me sad but can I tell you how much more comfortable I am! Wow, I can breathe! A little of me wants to blame the pregnancy. I mean come on.. this is my 7th pregnancy!! I feel like my body just knows and preps me! LOL Every pregnancy seems to show sooner and sooner, I must have an enormous uterus! Ha Ha!

Weight Gain: 0

Cravings: Pickles (still #1), oranges, apples, grapes (I actually have a container hidden so my kids can't find them!), cucumbers, peanut butter & honey on multi-grain bread, string cheese, Mexican Food! I would eat it everyday if I could! :)

Symptoms: So sleepy, so hungry, sensitive, heartburn, lots of potty breaks, weird dreams, thirsty, morning sickness
(but none of this amounts up to the joy B & C will receive in December!)

The Little Bun is the size of a Raspberry!

Their baby's the size of a raspberry!

Now he/she weighs in at about .04 ounces and measures about .63 inches. This week, he's/she's growing about a millimeter each day.

Their baby at 8 weeks

• I can't feel it yet, but he's/she's moving those arms and legs like crazy!
• His/Her fingers and toes are now only slightly webbed, and his/her tail (yes, he/she had one) is gone.
• Fun fact: their baby's taste buds are now forming.

~7 Weeks~

So, I've decided I would update weekly on my symptoms, cravings, belly pics, etc. Every Friday we hit another milestone, 1 week further along! :)

Weight Gain: 0 so far being pregnant
(I've actually gained 12 lbs from birth control, Lupron, Estrace and Progesterone.) :(

Cravings: Pickles, Lemon, Hot wings (actually anything spicy in general), Chili's Chips & Salsa, Oat Meal, Multi-grain Bread, Cheese, Pears, Grapes, Plums, Oranges, Apples, Mango, Pineapple, Cucumbers, Water & Ice!

Symptoms: Emotional, Exhausted, Frequent Potty Breaks, Nausea, Sensitive to Smells, Tender, Bigger & Heavier Breasts, Weird Dreams, & Uterus Cramping

Not sure when I will start posting pregnancy pics of my oven... Right now it just feels like enormous bloat! :)

Their baby's the size of a Blueberry!

Their .51-inch embryo doesn't exactly tip the scales just yet but he's/she's developing like crazy. He's/She's already doubled in size since last week.

Their baby's at 7 weeks!

• He's/She's generating about one hundred new brain cells each minute!
• Not only is his/her brain becoming more complex, but his/her heart is too.
• Also important: He's/She's developing a permanent set of kidneys
• His/Her arm and leg joints are now forming.

Very First Ultrasound!

Let me start off by saying the last 24 hrs have been very overwhelming and scary... Yesterday morning I had bright red bleeding. It started off a little heavy but within a couple hrs it finally subsided! Thank Goodness! The nurses recommended I stayed down for the remainder of the day. All I could do was ponder on why and what if's?? I was pretty scared going into our appointment today! Luckily I was able to get some good sleep and was so excited that B & C were able to make the drive down to be here today for our appointment.

I was told to drink 24 oz of water within 30 mins right before my appt. Gag! I was so nauseous this morning I about threw up all of it! I had to hurry up and grab some gum just so I could keep the water down. Once I saw B & C I was much more calm! C & I went back to the room to get prepped for the ultrasound, once we were in the room we noticed that the table & stirrups faced the entrance of the door. We decided just us two would stay for the U/S! The boys would have great conversation in the waiting room! :)

Immediately I noticed two sacs, but to my dismay only saw 1 with a baby... The other sac unfortunately was empty...I immediately looked over at C and could see the sadness in her face, it just crushed me... This immediately saddened me. I guess I was either expecting just one sac with one healthy baby or two sacs with two healthy babies. Not once did I anticipate that one baby would stop growing. :( The Tech assured both of us that most likely the embryo had problems from the very beginning and just wasn't healthy, this kinda comforted me. I know that at the transfer only 1 looked great and the other only had a 15-20% chance of survival so chances of twins was low. Sadness overwhelmed me, but the minute the tech showed us the heartbeat of this beautiful little bun.. I was immediately grinning from ear to ear! My heart raced with excitement! I looked over at C as she was smiling too! This little one had a strong heartbeat of 127!! I am so happy and excited that this little one looks healthy! The little bun is measuring a few days behind but they are still keeping the due date as December 20th! Our next appt will be at 10 weeks, in just 3 more weeks! Actually I just realized that our next appt is the same day as our last Estrace pills & PIO shot!! Hooray! Thank goodness! I cannot wait until Nick can stop stabbing me with these painful needles! Last night my bottom actually fought back and squirted blood right at him! Yuck!! Only 22 more shots!!

Here is a chart that shows the progression of the Fetal Heartbeat: (This little one is right on!)

Age:                Normal Fetal Heart Rate:
4 weeks          80-85 bpm
5 weeks          80-103 bpm
6 weeks          103-126 bpm
7 weeks          126-149 bpm
8 weeks          149-172 bpm
9 weeks          155-195 bpm (avg. 175)

For most of you, you probably cannot read the ultrasound pic but I will post it anyways!

Both sacs. Bottom one is empty but the top one shows the little bun!!

Such a Special Day!

Today is a very special Day! It's C's Birthday! I really hope you have a wonderful day!! Enjoy every moment of it lady! You are such an amazing person inside and out and I feel so honored to be a part of your life! You are one of a kind and you will "always" have this special place in my heart! I love you very much! I cannot wait to see you tomorrow! :)

I also have to post that C has been working on a blog for our Journey as well! I feel honored to share her link to her blog! I am so excited that all of you readers will be able to now read both of our feelings and both of stories!

B & C's Blog: http://ourbuninheroven.blogspot.com/