Monday, May 23, 2005

Surprise Guest

LH and I had a great time at the retreat in Los Angeles this past weekend. We got to spend time with other intended parents in various stages of the surrogacy process. We attended workshops around issues in surrogacy, as well as a baby care class.

PB, our surrogate got to attend special classes for surrogates as well. She is continuing to do well, as is the baby. During the group dinner on Saturday, we had some special surprise guests.

It turns out that NBC is starting a new show this fall based loosely on Growing Generations called "Inconceivable." Three of the stars of the show, including Ming-Na star of "ER" and the "The Joy Luck Club" was on handing doing first hand research of gay couples, surrogates, and surrogacy process. It was a nice surprise for an already great weekend.

PB also chose to surprise us that weekend by getting a 3D/4D ultrasound of our baby to be. That was a really nice touch that we certainly didn't expect!

Letting everyone know

I needed to let everyone in my family know that LH and I were about to have a little baby girl (pretty soon it was going to be self-evident, and it's certainly easier to let everyone know in advance!).

I decided I was going to tell everyone in my family about our impending arrival using my family blog site. I have readers from my family from all over the world on that site, so it was a very public acknowledgement of our pregnancy and how we accomplished it.

I thought I'd share my post here on this site as well:

And Life Goes On ...

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." ~Elizabeth Stone

Well, I've been needing to write this blog entry for some time now. And as the date gets closer, there's really no avoiding it at this point. So let me start by saying I've got some incredibly good news and I'm sure this will be a surprise to many of you.

M..., A..., D..., C..., J..., and A..., are all about to have a new little cousin. She (yes, she) is scheduled to join us on July 8, 2005. She will be born under the year of the rooster, Chinese year 4702. Her element will be wood.

First a little bit about people born in the year of the Rooster. People born in the Year of the Rooster are very loyal individuals. They do not like dishonesty or mockery of any sort. They are blunt, up front and honest people and expect those around them to be the same. Roosters are happiest when they are surrounded by others, at a party or just a social gathering. They even enjoy the spotlight and will exhibit their charisma and wit in a minute. This star quality can be overbearing, for a Rooster expects you to listen to her while she speaks and can become agitated if you don’t. Roosters do have a tendency to brag about themselves and their achievements and demand an attentive audience when doing so.

For those born under the wood element, this Rooster is different in that she enjoys being a part of the team rather than in the spotlight like other Roosters. She likes the company of others and is a genuine friend. These Roosters work for the betterment of society, working diligently to change the evils of it. They expect quality attempts from others involved with the causes and sometimes expect too much of their co-volunteers, as they do of themselves. Often, because of this desire to help society, these Roosters overcommit themselves, unable to finish what they’ve started.

Now onto news about the bundle of joy about to join us. From the ultrasound that we just had performed on March 18th, she is very healthy. All of her vital signs, measurements and activity shows a healthy, normal baby underway. She's on target to be delivered on July 8, 2005.

How this happened I'm sure is on the top of your list of questions. She is (and will always be) my biological daughter. She is planned and most definitely wanted. The activity around my becoming a father started in the beginning of 2004. Her biological mother is an anonymous egg donor, and she's being carried to term by a surrogate mother. I have pictures of the ultrasound just performed, as well as one from early in the pregnancy.

We have lots of donated supplies already from M... and M..., since M... has outgrown a lot of her clothes, and baby items. So really, not much is needed, so don't go out of your way to get anything. She will have lots and will be quite loved!

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Retreat

All has been going well with our surrogate PB over the last few weeks. She's had regular doctor's appointments and all the checkups have been good. There was a little concern since the baby hadn't yet shifted into delivery position (she was breech) until about a week ago, and she finally moved herself to the right position.

This weekend coming up, LH and I will be off to Los Angeles for a retreat that Growing Generations is hosting for Intended Parents and Surrogates. It's filled with various activities, including a parenting class that we've signed up for. PB will also be going, and it'll be nice to see her this far into the pregnancy.