The Planning Begins

We are happy to report that we are ALL (Kira included, now that the morning sickness has passed) starting to enjoy the pregnancy and now the planning is under way. 

We started working on our baby registry and boy (no pun intended) there's A LOT of stuff to get for our new little guy or gal. We really had no idea how much stuff a baby needed (well, I'm not sure they need all the stuff.....)! We've been learning about everything from pacifiers to bottles to bouncy chairs to infant transport systems (that's a fancy way of saying strollers!). Of course, there can't be just one brand or type of anything so the selection is, well, IMMENSE! We are chipping away at the list day by day and slowly but surely making progress. BUT, one of the things we haven't started buying yet is clothes! We find out if we're having a boy or girl on Sept. 21st so we've managed to hold off on buying any cute outfits (to date). 

Speaking of the gender of the baby.....have you voted yet???? Check out the pole (look to your right) we started on the blog and cast your vote! Boy or Girl? Just vote based on whatever pops into your head first. Don't think too much! Chris thinks we're having a girl and I think we're having a boy. Also, I found a cool at-home gender test and decided it would be worth a shot so I sent Kira a couple of the "Intelligender" tests to take. She took one and it said GIRL!!!!! That didn't make me change my mind though so I'm still saying BOY. What do you think???? No matter what we have, we will be THRILLED!!!

It's just amazing to be this far along. The time is flying by and before we know it, February 8th will be here and we'll be meeting our little one. We feel incredibly blessed to be sharing this experience with all of you and look forward to the weeks ahead!

Fire Island Fun

In July, we decided to invite Kira and her family out to Fire Island for a visit. We were thrilled when Kira accepted our offer, though I was a bit worried about how Kira would manage to fly across country with two small children (her son Liam is 3 and her daughter Ellie is 18 months). We had hoped that Kira's husband (Jeremiah) would be able to make the trip but his work schedule was too busy so he had to stay home this time. So, Kira's mother (Micaela) volunteered to make the trip with her. Thank goodness! 

We picked Kira, Micaela, Liam and Ellie up from JFK on Wednesday, August 12th around 11 PM after a long flight from Burbank which was delayed about 3 hours! Kira, Micaela and Ellie looked tired but Liam was ready to go! He's such a cute, high-energy little boy! We gathered all their bags and drove up to our house in Rye. We spent the next day in Rye and took the kids to Leapin' Lizards, a cool indoor playground in Port Chester. The kids had a great time (well Liam did but there wasn't that much for Ellie to do other than the ball pit) and we had fun watching them run around! That night, we had "taco night" and our friend Robin came over to meet Kira and the family. 

The next day, Chris took the day off work and we headed out to Fire Island. We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was HOT but at least we didn't have any rain. The kids loved the pool and the beach. Each day our schedule was pretty much, morning play in the pool, afternoon cartoons followed by a couple of hours on the beach.

On Saturday, we had a cookout to introduce our friends to Kira and her family. It was a low-key affair by the pool. It was really fun to introduce Kira to all our friends and to just relax and eat!

On Monday, we headed back to Rye to spend a day unwinding and relaxing from our relaxing days at the beach (LOL!). Before we knew it, it was Tuesday and time for Kira and the family to head back to California. I took them to the airport and off they went. 

We had a wonderful visit and are really happy they made the trip!

Yippee, we got through the 1st Trimester!

It's hard to believe but we successfully made it through the 1st trimester! Amazingly, the time just seemed to fly by and now we are starting to think about REALLY having a baby (in less than 6 months - YIKES)!

The 1st trimester, for us, was filled with lots of nerves, anxiety and ultrasounds! One of the benefits of having a baby through surrogacy is that you know you are pregnant very early on. One of the downsides of having a baby through surrogacy is that you know you are pregnant very early on! Also, since we were under the care of our fertility doctor until week 10, we had ultrasounds every 2 weeks, at weeks 6, 8, 10 and 12. This was great because we got to see all the changes in the baby's development and were reassured every couple of weeks that things were going well. It's hard to believe that in a traditional pregnancy, many times the first appointment with the OB doesn't occur until week 12! 

At week 13 we also had our 1st trimester screening test, or nuchal translucency screening. This test is done to test for Down Syndrome, some chromosomal abnormalities and major congenital heart problems. The test included a very in depth ultrasound and blood work. During the ultrasound, I was so nervous as they measured and examined all the different parts of the baby's brain, heart and neck area. We BELIEVED that everything would be fine but you just want that confirmation and sure enough, everything was fine. The baby looked great and the initial screening did not indicate that the baby has Down Syndrome or any other major medical issues at this time. What a relief!

So now, we are looking forward to the 2nd trimester and starting to plan for the future with our baby. Plus, as an added bonus, Kira is FINALLY starting to feel like herself again as the morning sickness wains and her energy level starts to return to normal. Though the 1st trimester flew by for us, it was filled with lots of dry heaving, nausea, sensitivity to smell and fatigue for her! Thanks again Kira for being the best surrogate we could have hoped for!

So, this week, Kira, her two kids (Liam & Ellie) and her mom (Micaela) are coming from Californina to New York to visit us for a week. We are looking forward to the trip and will update you on our time together.

Thanks again for your continued love and support and please keep the baby, Kira and us in your thoughts as prayers as we continue this wonderful journey. We are blessed!

12-weeks Down!

On Monday (July 27th) we had our 12-week ultrasound and our first appointment with our OB. 12-weeks is a big pregnancy milestone, since the risk of miscarriage greatly decreases at this point because all the baby's major systems have been formed at this time in the pregnancy. We are breathing a little easier now!

We were all (me, Chris and Kira) a bit nervous about the appointment because we had gotten comfortable with our fertility doctor, Dr. Sahakian, and now had to start a new relationship with the OB, Dr. Poliakin. As soon as we got into the examining room (well, after Kira completed the MOUNDS of required paperwork), our fears melted away. The nurse was super friendly and as it turns out both she and the doctor are from New York. That created an instant connection! They spent a lot of time with us (the appointment lasted from 2:30 - 4:30 PM) and answered all our questions. The doctor took GREAT ultrasound pictures, including several 4D images (the baby looks a little like an alien in the 4D pics but they are super cool!) and gave us each a copy of one of the books he's written. It was a really positive experience.

The baby looked GREAT! On Monday, we were exactly 12 weeks pregnant but the baby actually measured at 12 weeks 4 days! Looks like he/she is going to be a tall little boy/girl! During the ultrasound the baby was very active and we caught him/her sucking their thumb several times. It was sooooooo cute and sooooooo amazing. It's hard to believe that in 6-months the little baby we are watching on the screen will be in our arms. Wow.......

Kira is still battling the morning sickness/all-day sickness that she's been dealing with since about week 5. It's been a bear, made even more challenging by the fact that she has a 2 very active kids to keep up with (3-year old Liam, and 1-year old Ellie). She has the best attitude about it though and knows that this is all part of the process and WILL end soon. Dr. Poliakin gave her a prescription for medication to help with the nausea, etc. so we are hopeful that help is on the way! Hang in there Kira....you're the BEST!

Kira, her kids and her mom are coming out to visit in a couple of weeks! They are going to fly to NY from the west coast and we will spend about a week together on Fire Island. Kira has never been to NY so it should be a great trip. We will make sure she gets plenty of time for some much needed R & R and know that the kids and her mom will really enjoy the beach, pool and beauty and serenity of Fire Island. 

Chris and I continue to be grateful and thankful to be on this wonderful journey together. It has been an amazing experience to share together and has reinforced for us just how much of a team we are. I could not imagine doing this with anyone else and am so thankful for my wonderful husband and the family we are creating together. 

We are in awe of this process and continue to pray that all continues to proceed positively for everyone. Please keep Kira, the baby and us in your prayers and thoughts.

Love and light to you all!

Graduation pics

Graduation

Yesterday, we had our 10-week ultrasound and it went great! The baby looks good and measured at 10-weeks, 2 days so he/she is growing a bit ahead of schedule. As I've mentioned before, each time you go in there's a little anxiety in anticipation of what you'll see so seeing the baby growing and hitting all the benchmarks is really a BIG relief!

Yesterday was also our last appointment with our fertility doctor, Dr. Vicken Sahakian. He has been with us since we started our journey with our initial medical screenings. He has been amazing and though we are THRILLED to be moving forward to the care of our Obstetrician, we will miss seeing Dr. S every couple of weeks. Thanks to Dr. Sahakian for all his help and support!

Kira is battling some pretty intense morning sickness but is handling it like a trooper. She never complains and is staying positive as she waits for it to pass. Generally, it disappears around the 12 - 14 week period so we all have our fingers crossed! We are really thankful to Kira for her positive attitude and are saying our prayers that the m/s passes sooner rather than later! 

We are looking forward to our first appointment with our OB on Monday, July 27th which is also the END of the 1st trimester! After that Kira will only be seeing the doctor once a month.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support! Keep them coming!

Hugs!

A MOVING Experience!

Today we are 8 weeks 2 days pregnant! Time is moving by really quickly and it continues to be an incredible experience on so many different levels. 

On Monday (June 29th) we had our 8-week ultrasound appointment. Each time we go in for an appointment, there is a certain amount of anxiety and nervousness as you wait to see the doctor. We ALL (me, Chris & Kira) believed that everything would be fine but we have that little voice (of reason I think) in the back of our heads reminding us that sometimes things go wrong. OK, now that I've honored that feeling, let's move on! Kira and I waited for the doctor to come in to the exam room to begin the ultrasound and were excited to see the growth of the baby since the 6-week ultrasound.

The doctor started the ultrasound and told me to come over so I could see the screen. I couldn't believe how MUCH the baby had grown in 2-weeks. At 6-weeks, the baby looked like a little pea but at 8-weeks, the baby looks like a baby (well sort of!). Then, it happened.......the baby MOVED! Not just a little move but a BIG (but very uncoordinated) MOVE. I almost burst into tears! It was amazing to see! At this point in the pregnancy, the baby moves almost non-stop and only stops moving for very brief intervals so I guess it's to be expected that I saw the movement BUT to me it was the coolest thing ever. 

The doctor gave us the baby's vitals. The baby's heartbeat is 156 beats per minute and the baby measured at 8 weeks and 3 days even though we were at 8 weeks on Monday (in other words, the baby is growing a little ahead of schedule). We were also able to identify the yolk sac  and the placenta and could see the blood flow throughout the baby's body. WOW!

It's hard to describe all the emotions we are feeling right now. We are grateful, joyful, humbled, reflective, inspired, scared and excited all at the same time. We are trying to remember everything we are feeling and to document it so that we can share this with our child when he/she is old enough to understand how much we wanted them and how excited we were to bring them into the world. 

This continues to be a MOVING (pun intended!) experience on every level.

Stay tuned and keep us in your thoughts and prayers.