I made more babies!!!!

Mother to 3, surrogate to many! :) Baby guinea keets started to bless our home at 1 AM!!! I hardly slept as I was so excited! There are currently 3 hobbling around, and a couple with pipp lines and/or tiny holes. Survive lil' ones!!! Did I mention that I am excited??!!!

Dinner with fellow surrogates

Last night, I enjoyed dinner with 2 wonderful mothers and lovely women at my favorite Thai restaurant.  Both are in the beginning stages of surrogacy.  One is 5.5 weeks pregnant with 2 transferred embryos - she goes next week for an ultrasound.  The other had a failed transfer, with the parents finding a new egg donor for the 2nd transfer and now she is waiting for the egg donor to get medical cleared and start legal contracts, etc.  She will be waiting for a few more months. 

It was such a pleasure to meet up with these ladies. We were set up through a  mutual friend. We were at the restaurant for 2.5 hours!  :) 

I am still considering a second journey, but want my mind to sort out all my thoughts before making a final decision.  I would like to make a decision by the end of summer whether to move forward or not. 

I have talked with Grace's momma.  She is busy back at work and they are trying to sell their home. 

Life is good.

Beautiful baby!

I received a few pics from Grace's mom today! Grace is so beautiful...seriously. Look at her big, bright eyes, ton of dark hair, cute, little lips, and chubby cheeks! Amazing!


with her big brother, who obviously adores her. ;) PRECIOUS!

Feeling very proud to bring this baby girl into this world for her family. Feeling very blessed to have continued contact with the family. Love the new pictures! Absolutely adorable!

Thyroid results

I am to start on half of the dose that I was taking 5 weeks ago. My vitamin D levels are low, so I am to supplement. I no longer am taking pre-natal vitamins and take a Flinstone vitamin 4-5 times weekly. I hope the medication kicks in quick as I have been dragging ass the last few weeks. It is amazing the differences when my levels fluctuate. I am glad to be seeing a specialist.

As for surrogacy and the possibility of a second journey......it depends on the moment. Sometimes, I feel like I am all done being pregnant, especially with the c-section I had to have. But, then there are days/moments of strong desire to have 1 more experience with a deserving family. I am going to be 37 this coming June, so need to make a decision in the next year or 2 if I decide to move forward with a second journey. Agencies tend to not accept women over 40. I keep telling myself I will give myself till summer and see how I feel. There is so much stuff to get done around here on the farm and want to feel useful around here this year. If I decide to move forward with a second journey, I will start paperwork later this year. We will see how my mind continues to process/evolve/think about future possibilities....

I continue to read a few select surrogacy blogs and enjoy hearing about other stories along the journey of surrogacy. So many feelings about different kinds of experience - thanks for sharing!

Thyroid doctor appt.

I went for my endocrinologist appt. yesterday. He stated my thyroid in my neck was larger than normal and asked a bunch of questions. I have been feeling sluggish lately. At my 2 week post partum appt, I had lost 30 pounds in 2 weeks and maintained that weight to my 6 week followup. However, the TSH numbers were extremely low signifying that I was taking too much medication. It is often required to take more thyroid medication during pregnancy since the baby is taking some from you. I guess it is common to need medication increases during pregnancy, then decreases after. My OB physician referred me to the endocrinologist then I had to wait several weeks to see. The endo. doctor advised me to stop taking all thyroid medication until I saw him and have blood work done. I discontinued the medication and in a matter of 4 weeks, I gained back 11 pounds! I thought I had put on weight again, but was surprised to see how much in a short amount of time. What significant, drastic changes in short amounts of time! I had blood work done after the appt. and am supposed to wait for a call from the doctor office to discuss the treatment plan. I will be shocked if he does not put me on some dose of medication. We will see!

Reversible dress for baby Grace

I made this dress pattern for a couple of special little girls in my life. It is a reversible dress from Frog Legs and Ponytails Boutique. It can be found here.

I made one for my daughter -Iris, my niece - Elizabeth, and surro-baby Grace. I love this pattern and the reversible nature of it makes it so much fun to pick out coordinating fabric for. I made my daughter a brown one a couple of years ago and she STILL wears it as a long top with pants underneath it. I like that it can be worn by itself in summer as a dress or layered in the cooler months with pants and a long sleeve shirt. SUPER CUTE!

I have talked with Grace's mom a few times this past month. She is enjoying all the time staying at home with the kids, but will be returning to work mid March. I saw some recent baptism pictures of Grace and she is growing quickly and is so beautiful and has TONS of thick, black hair.

I am doing well, physically and emotionally. I have felt a little tired lately and wonder if it is the depth of winter blahs or if my thyroid is off. I hate having low energy! I am looking forward to seeing what the specialist has to say this coming week.

Endocrinologist appt scheduled

It will not happen until March 1st! Details will follow after.