First Ultrasound!!

I was so excited and nervous for my first u/s. I had a feeling I was carrying twins but worried about it being triplets. When I got there I was asked by the women who does the blood work what I thought I was carrying. The doctor asked me as well what I thought. I told her based on my hcg levels, I think twins. And I feel more stretching this time. But I don't feel pregnant. I feel normal. No morning sickness (although I never do) no cravings really...  Except being thirsty! I want to drink water all the time! 
Anyhow I was excited to see what the u/s would show. She found the baby right away! You could even see a good heartbeat. She did a little more looking and found baby 2! TWINS!! Baby 2 had a good heart beat as well. So excited to see them both! I have another u/s  this coming week and I look forward to seeing how much they have grown! I'm so excited for twins! We called my IM to let her know but she was traveling so we got her voice mail. The doctor let her know the good news and I texted her a picture with congrats! She said she is excited and nervous. Double the fun and double the responsibility. She is going to make an amazing mother! So happy for her!

Amazing!

I was so nervous to meet my IPs. I was really excited to meet my IM in person, but still very nervous. When I got to the house they were staying at, my heart was racing and I had butterflies in my belly. When she open the door she had the biggest smile on her face! She reached out and have me a huge hug!  She was lovely. Her wonderful personality and excitement came shining through. I met the IF as well and he is a very nice gentleman. We went to lunch at a nice restaurant close by. They shared with me what they have been through and how they came to surrogacy.  My IM had been through a lot. Several miscarriages and even loss both her fallopian tubes. She has tried IVF but can't stay pregnant. Her husband is amazingly supportive. He knew in her heart her life would not be complete without having children of her own. He has two older boys from his first marriage but he knows they can not fill the spot in her heart, even though she loves them a great deal. They are very talkative and have a good relationship with each other and it was nice to see them together. My IM also told me all she has been through with the surrogacy too. She almost gave up. They had to choose an egg donor and the first one they selected was turned down by the clinic. This was due to not being able to know the donors family history. Her father was adopted and they had no records of his past genetics. So they had to search for another which is not a small feet when you think about what you are looking for! Someone who looks like you, and has characteristics that you would want in your own children.  She finally found a donor and then they were matched up with a surrogate. It wasn't me. They actually had another surrogate and were in the process of starting meds when the surrogate had to back out for some reason. If course my IM was crushed! They meet a couple other surros but they weren't connecting with them. They had actually called the agency and said they were going to stop and not move forward. They were emotional exhausted. My agency told them about me and asked that they give me a look and talk to me first. Luckily for both of us my IM liked what she saw and we had a good conversation on the phone. So here we are! But it's crazy to think that they almost didn't have there dream realized. I am so glad that I got to meet them in person and especially my IM! She is more lovely in person then on the phone.
At the end of our meeting my IM gave me a good luck charm to wear. I keep it on at all times.

My hold up

I'm behind on posting what has been going on. Reason being is I got a bit side tracked after meeting with them and had some concerns that came up. I have since found out that my concerns have been taken care of and I don't need to worry. So time to move forward.

Oh and the concern had to do with reduction. Something that you decide prior to matching with a couple. My IM and I were on the same page but my IF made a comment about not having twins due to financial strain and that was not OK with me. He had since apologized for sharing his fears and concerns with me and it really was just about his fears, not something they plan on doing. They couldn't anyways because that is not how our contract is written.

Yes this may seem odd but actually this had come up a lot with other surrogates as well. If anyone is considering being a surrogate, really make sure you understand what you are agreeing to in your contract. You never know when you will need that piece of paper to protect you.

Getting ready

Today is the day I am meeting my IM! She flew in with her family on Thursday and sent me a message about meeting up. Originally Bryan and I were going to take the girls and drive up there but now I'm going by myself. The reason for the change is my IM informed me that what we are doing is illegal in her country and she and her husband have decided not to tell the older step boys about any of it until pregnancy is at or past 12 weeks. At this point most are past the point of miscarriage and will go on to have a healthy pregnancy. She also told the boy's she is meeting with an old friend for lunch. At this point there is no need for Bryan and the girls to come. Even though I understand and respect her decision to not tell the boys, I was surprised to hear that they did not know. But this road of infertility has been a long one for them and I'm sure like most they don't want to get there hopes up just to be disappointed should things not work out.
Excited, nervous, happy, thrilled!!

Numbers please

When a Dr wants to know if your pregnant he will request a blood test. This will show him the level of your HCG hormone. The Hcg is a hormone your body produces when you are pregnant. Some people have really high numbers some people have really low numbers but there's a medium where your numbers should be depending on how far along you are. In the beginning they start off pretty low continue to rise every 48 hours.
So on Monday August 4th (14dp 6dt) I had my blood drawn. I expected my numbers to be around 3000 for where I was at in my pregnancy. I had looked up what the medium range was for a twin pregnancy and 3000 was the number to meet. The doctor called me in the afternoon and told me My number was 6526! That is crazy high! I got to speak with my IM to let her know that we are pregnant! And with those numbers I'm thinking twins! She was nervously excited! We will be meeting this Saturday for the first time and I am so excited to see her being pregnant! *I'm tearing up right now thinking about it *
My doctor asked me to have another blood test on Wednesday to see the number and make sure it is increasing well. The hcg should double every 48 hours. So I had my blood drawn again today Wednesday August 6 (16dp 6dt) and my numbers were 15605! That is a doubling rate of 38 hours! Meaning my hcg is increasing fast! Which is good but I'm nervous. Sometimes eggs can split and twins turn into triplets. Several people have joked about that and I really hope they are wrong! I'm fine with twins but triplets are extremely high risk for both the babies and me. I want to have a safe, happy pregnancy and delivery. I want these girls to meet their parents without having any complications. I want the first days of there precious life to be full of love, snuggles, happy tears and kisses. My heart wants to leap out of my chest it's so full of joy!
My ultrasound is the 18th and I am super excited and nervous about it. I'm sure it will all be wonderful!

Pregnancy is easy!

No. No it's not. Well some times it can be but lately a lot of the surrogates around me are having problems. Some are having 'threatend miscarriages'. Some have there beta Numbers dropping instead of increasing, which means the pregnancy will not be continuing. I'm so sad for these ladies and the stress and worry they are going through. Honestly it makes me worried for my own pregnancy. Will I be able to keep these babies safe? Or baby - I don't even know if they both suck. I have a 3 year old and one year old that I am busy with all day everyday. And with IVF you have a higher chance of having a subchorionic hematoma otherwise known as SCH. This is a pocket of blood that sits between the uterus and the sac baby is in. I just worry about potentially having one of those and interfering with the pregnancy. I had three of those with Penny that weren't too big. I just had to be on pelvic rest until they were gone they ended up reabsorbing into my body around 13 weeks . But I worried that whole time. I'm just not sure how things will go this time but praying and crossing my fingers that everything will be easy and smooth. On Saturday (7/26) I took a clearblue easy test that tells you how many weeks it thinks you are pregnant. It said I was 1-2 weeks. The one this morning (7/31) kept flashing 3 +, 3 +, 3 + and then finally ended up on 2-3 weeks. So to me that shows that my betta IS increasing and my pregnancy is continuing to move forward without any problem . So that has put my mind at ease. I have my first beta blood test on Monday and will hear the results of what my numbers are then. I am then assuming that about two weeks later I will get an ultrasound that will actually check and see how many babies there are. I will ask if they see any SCH is at that time. Time to go drink some water and relax!

Just can't get enough

With all the test I have it is hard to NOT take one!  I love seeing the line get darker and darker!! So Yesterday I took another test in the afternoon and with in 1 min I saw this

That line showed up quickly!!!

Then at 5 mins I had this:

And 10 mins later

Look at those lines!!!  Woooo Hoooo!!!!  It worked!!!    Now if you are wondering why I have tweezers, my ring, or hair clips in the picture, it is to help the camera focus so the picture is clear.

So after that last test being so amazing, I took a Clear Blue Easy Digital test that will either say "Not Pregnant" or "Pregnant" and list how many weeks back you ovulated.

Completely official to me now!!! My IM wants to wait until I have my beta test (blood test determining pregnancy) to find out if the transfer was successful.  That won't be until August 4th, so another week for her to wait!  I am sure she will be over the moon!!!  I can't wait to meet her and her family on August 9th when they come out here to visit. It is kind of weird to be carrying someone's baby or two and have never met them.  I had really hoped to have a closer relationship, but maybe that will change over the pregnancy. 

Anyhow here is my last picture of ALL my test!

Obsessed!!