Welcome to the World Little One

Carlos and Maria's son was born October 7th at 12:14am weighing 8lbs 6oz.

Now to tell you how he came into this world.

I was scheduled to be induced on October 6th at 9am due to some high blood pressure spikes here and there (which always turned out to be fine once I relaxed a bit). So we go into Labor and Delivery at 9:15, oops a tad late (we had a valid reason though, I promise). The OB doctor checks to see if I have dilated (I was a 3) and other things and then he decides it would not be beneficial for us to induce. He was willing to but as soon as I heard the word possible c-section I asked to speak with Carlos and Maria about waiting till the baby decided it was time. They both agreed that we should do what was best for the baby and I and avoid a c-section if at all possible. After letting the doctor know we were going to wait he offered to scrape my cervix (sounds bad and yes it feels horrible as well) in the meantime to see if that would bring labor on.

As soon as he scraped my cervix I knew something was changing in my body. I had to sit down for a bit in the waiting room just to relax a bit before we headed out. I told Maria and Carlos that my body already felt different and maybe we could stay close to the hospital instead of going home 'just in case'. We decided to walk around Balboa Park for a bit and see if I could get the contractions going. As we were walking around I kept feeling extreme pain down the back of my legs (sciatica) which I would get only occasionally, but now I was feeling it every few minutes. To me this meant the little guy was moving down the birth canal and putting even more pressure on my sciatic nerve. So I knew we were getting somewhere with this labor. I was also feeling more contractions and they were strong but not strong enough to stop me in my tracks. So we kept walking and walking aaaaaannnddd walking. Till Maria suggested maybe we go back to the hospital and walk there just to be closer ( I guess she could see the pain was getting worse).

We got to the hospital and we sat for a few minutes and I swear my contractions eased up as well as the pain down the back of my legs. Hmmm now what?! Am I in labor or not?! So we eat lunch and walk more and more (even did some stairs). Finally after walking and looking down to see how swollen my feet were we come up with a plan. I will go back in to Labor and Delivery to get checked and if they say I have not dilated anymore we will go home but if they say things are progressing I would stay and walk more or be admitted.

My entourage (Carlos, Maria, Maria's sister, my friends Val, and Cora and my oldest daughter all go back up to Labor and Delivery. The OB smiles as we come back because he knew there was a good chance he would see me back that day. He checked me again and said I was at a 5!! He turns to us and says "So do you want to have a baby today?"

One of my first questions was " at what point can I have an epidural?" The wonderful doctor said "whenever you would like".. well all right lets get this party started!

The birth was wonderful, the pain was a distant thought almost the whole time except for an hour when the epidural wore off (I won't even go into how that felt). Carlos and Maria were there the whole time, it was a happy atmosphere the whole time (okay except for that hour), we were laughing and waiting and my daughter was taking this all in with pictures ( I want to get permission before I post any). The labor was about 8 hours long, not too bad when you really don't feel a thing ;) When it was time to push Carlos and Maria were by my head, Val on my left and my daughter on my right. 4 pushes and he was just about here, a couple little ones more and he entered this world and placed on my chest.

He was perfect, an apgar of 8-9. His parents were so happy and thrilled, I wish I could show you the pictures of their reaction upon first seeing him. He is such a cute, easy going baby. He did wonderfully in the hospital and was released 24 hours later when I was released.

The parents are still here  and we see each other often, which I am so happy about. This journey for me is not all about having someones baby but also about the relationship that grows during the process. I think the hardest part is having to say goodbye to these people I now consider family/close friends. Hopefully it will not be a goodbye but an 'until next time'!

38 weeks and 6 days

Only 2 more days till this little one arrives, unless he comes sooner! I am so excited for Maria and Carlos to become a mommy and daddy!!

Still waiting for the little guy!

Well his parents are here, they are all unpacked and ready, have the car seat in the car and are almost over the jet lag......now we wait for him to make his appearance!

I still feel contractions here and there but nothing yet that says "this is it, quick get in the car"!

But the good news is if he doesn't come this week, Saturday they will induce me. Everything looks good enough for them to... So Saturday at 9am they are walking through the door as a couple and will leave as a family!!

He tried to make another attempt

Yesterday I thought might be the day! But it luckily was not. I had been having contractions all day, I finally decided to go into the labor and delivery at the hospital to get checked before I drove the hour ride home (trying to avoid having a baby in the car experience)! I was having contractions 3 minutes apart and my cervix was at a 3 ( up from a 1 last week). They will admit you when your cervix is at a 4 so they suggested I walk for 2 hours and come back to be checked. So I walked and walked, did wonders for my sciatic pain (sarc). I had already let Carlos and Maria know what was happening and they decided it was best to get on a plane now instead of wait and possibly miss his birth. I let them know I might not have him today, it all depended on my cervix. But they felt it was best to come early and be here then miss his birth! So after walking I go get rechecked and nothing! No change to my cervix at all! Aggghhhh
Can I just say here and now trying to figure out when a baby is coming is THE hardest thing to figure out. So I am sent home. At this point Carlos and Maria are on their way and I am hoping we won't have to wait two weeks for him to be born, but I have no control over this ( mantra I repeat to myself)!
So today as I write this I am barely moving around, in fear he will play a trick on us and come only hours before his parents arrive. Once they are here tonight I can walk/ run/ dance/do hip hop (ok that's just a dream :)

I will keep you all updated,

The babysitter

Hang in there little guy!

The countdown has begun! I am 37 weeks and a few days and am so happy I have made it this far. I had a little scare at 34 weeks but thankfully he wasn't fully committed to entering the world yet!

Last week I had a high blood pressure situation. Thankfully after a day of tests I don't have high blood pressure at all. ( I told them it has to be that my daughter has just started to drive and I'm a nervous wreck about it!) The upside of all the tests is I got to hear the little guy and see him real quick in an ultrasound. So sweet.

So yes I am very happy to make it this far, considering at this point if he comes he should be healthy and should not have to spend any time in the NICU.

BUT now the challenge is for him to wait till his momma and daddy arrive. 10 days!!! Come on baby hang in there!

Still waddling along!

Hi All
Yes I am still pregnant! 5 weeks to go! Wow is that it? I can not believe it is almost over ( sad face). Yes I truly am one of those crazy women who enjoys being pregnant. I can actually let my stomach muscles relax and let it all 'hang out' and you can't even tell ;)  And at this point the lil guy is like an alien creature moving around inside me, so it's pretty fun to guess what he is trying to move as it scrapes along my insides. Weird but totally cool and indiscribable!

I wish I could say this pregnancy has been a breeze, well it has for the most part except for my Kankles ( ankles and feet the size of small elephants) that pop up more often then not.  The good news is it makes me sit ( obviously not sit and update my blog though ;) which I hardly do. Since my phone seems to be in my hand more often then my computer, I have decided to blog from my phone ( which I am by the way!)

So little guys baby brother is doing great on the other side of the world, if you have no idea what I'm talking about read my last post. Names are picked and the travel plans for the mom and dad are all set. They will be here Oct 3 till early Nov. So now to make sure this little guy doesn't want to make an escape before then.

Picture to follow soon!

You will not believe this....

It has been far too long since I last blogged. 

As you know Maria and Carlos were here visiting and it was a wonderful visit. We spent many days together hanging out and enjoying each others company. I think the visit gave us a chance to really connect (at least I thought so). Carlos and my husband seem to have similar joking personalities which brings Maria and I closer as we share the same rolling of the eye looks!

Two weeks after Carlos and Maria went home they had the opportunity to share with immediate family and close friends their news. They chose not to tell their family and close friends until the pregnancy was further along. They shared with me they were apprehensive to share the news, as Surrogacy is not something the 'common' person does where they are from, more something a movie star does or they hear about in magazines or movies. I was worried their family and friends would doubt my motives for Carlos and Maria. Well....

I was anxiously waiting for the news of how it went... I was hoping that their family and friends would be so happy and excited for them. I received a text from Maria saying she had to talk to me because so many wonderful things had happened. Of course I was happy, because that had to mean it went well.

We finally were able to skype a few days after that text and this is what she said to me....

She was with both their families, and very close friends and announced through surrogacy they were having a baby boy! They were able to show pictures of my family and I and even showed the 3D/4D ultrasound we did while they were here. They said they were so surprised from the response... Happiness and awe from everybody. Of course they were curious about the process but they were sooo happy for Carlos and Maria. ( I have even received an email from Maria's sister thanking me). As we were skyping and they were telling me all this, they than said something else had happened..... 

A miracle!

The unthinkable, the 'your kidding', the most wonderful thing...... Maria is PREGNANT!!

Now I must back up and tell you a little about her situation without getting to much into her personal business. Maria had an illness that doctors advised against getting pregnant, she also had medications for that illness that would/could be harmful to a baby. Thankfully she is not dealing with that illness any longer but it had affected her body and put her hormone level at a very low level. She is also in her 40's which makes her egg quality low and much harder to conceive on her own. So you can see why pregnancy on their own was never a thought or even a possibility in their mind.

Well by some miracle they are! Carlos and Maria truly believe this would not of been possible if I had not been pregnant with their baby already. They said they really feel due to their dream becoming a reality, they were able to relax and this miracle has happened.

Maria has been to the doctor and specialist and her pregnancy is very strong and healthy and they will follow her carefully.

How far along is she you ask? Wellllll.... they are pretty much having twins ;)  She is only 10 weeks behind me and they are having another baby boy!!!

They are so happy for this miracle and were worried how I would take it... I am sooo very happy for them and happy to be a part of this miracle!


I'm not sure if I can top this news for next time but I promise to write a little more often ;)