I'm Done... And Ready To Start Over

I didn't end up finishing my last surrogacy through blogs because of circumstances surrounding my last surrogacy.
Twins were born at 32+3, healthy and are doing great.  They are being released to an adoptive family this week!!
I am nearly 6 weeks post partum now and can't wait to be pregnant again! That is... for someone else lol

I Was Told This Was Overdue?

So, I was recently advised that this is overdue lol  To be honest, I don't know when the last time I blogged was, either here OR on my youtube... but I know I'm way behind, and I'll tell you all why, and hopefully you can agree that it is a valid enough excuse.

April 15th - Dentist Appointment
April 15th - Home Visit From A Child Development Worker
April 16th - Play Date And Shopping Day
April 20th - Gabey's 1 Year Appointment
April 20th-23rd [just waiting for the appointment time and date] - Meeting With Social Worker
April 21st - Hair Appointment
April 23rd-25th - Easter Weekend With Lots Of Family Arrangements
April 27th - Gabey's 1 Year Birthday
April 28th - Mom's Birthday
April 28th - 1 Hour Glucose Test
April 28th - Thryoid Blood Test
April 29th - 24 Week OBS [Will Be 23W6D]
May 1st - Gabey's 1 Year Birthday Party

........JAM PACKED! 

We are FINALLY better though, and I've been working my tail feather off trying to get all my chores back to being all done as well.

I also order my doppler, and it had been sent to me last week, so now I'm just waiting for it to arrive now!  Exciting!

Alright, so this picture was taken yesterday, but it's still "new".  It was taken before I ate, so I wasn't bloated yet.  You can tell the difference from when I'm bloated though, the whole top part near my ribs blows up a lto more.  This way, you can see that I'm bubbling out haha



I find my webcam makes me look "skinny" a lot, and I took a picture with my phone and I definitely looked bigger, but you get the point lol 

Anyway, I'm sorry again, and I'll desperately try to keep up with this, but like I said, it's been pretttty hectic.  lol 

-Cathleen

New Surro Site To Look At !

Hey everyone!!

So, I've been having a hard time to come up with what to say lately haha

I'm feeling MUCH MUCH better now, and also have a new couch set!  I love it haha

I've also joined a new surrogroup, that I just love.  I've been on routinely [daily] and I find that the environment is so fresh and friendly.

It is a new site though, so it is very young and still in the process of getting members etc.  If you have any questions about surrogacy, and want to ask a few people at once, this is a great way to do it, and I haven't seen ONE negative response to someone else, and as far as I can see, it is DRAMA FREE, which is very very hard to find on a website. 

The best part... it is for IP's and Surros AND Egg Donors.  There are quite a few experienced sides to it, on all sides, and it's hard to find that at times. 

Here is the link : http://www.allthingssurrogacy.com/  I think that we can all enjoy this one, and there aren't "packs" of people and it is very low for judgemental feelings etc.  It is so much easier to upload pictures, you have a million security options [so it's not like either can see your entire profile, or no one can see it] which is one thing I REALLY liked. 

You all know I don't advertise much, but I really think that this is going to be an amazing site, and want to get more people involved!!  Feel free to add me once there are well, again, there aren't many people on there, so it's a nice small community [other sites have thousands and thousands].

Thanks everyone for putting up with my advertising lol  Really though, I recommend this site! 

-Cathleen

PS - 14 days until glucose test and thyroid retest
        15 days until next OBS and until we get the ultrasound pictures
        16 days until we ht 6 months and VIABILITY
        100 days until FULL TERM!
        

21 Weeks!! Belly and Belly Measurements haha

Well, 21 weeks down, about 16 more to go!!

Here are the pictures I posted up on facebook for 21 weeks [yesterday].

I know the last one is soo different lol I forgot totake it yesterday, and then I was laying around watching the time to take my fundal height [I wait 5minutes after laying down so that the babies can settle back a bit] so I took it real quick lol  New pajamas hahahaha

So AROUND I am 35 inches, I was 30 before pregnancy.
Fundal height is 33.5cm - which would measure for 33.5 weeks.

Wanted to update everyone!!

i'm in the process of buying a scale too haha

Alright, that's it folks!!

-Cathleen

Here Are The Newest Belly Pics!

20.5 weeks down... hopeufully about 15.5 left!! WOOT!!





........yeah... I know... you don't have to tell me... my shirt and pants don't match LOL

I didn't even realize MYSELF how round I was until I went to take a pic of my bellybutton for myself... this pic wasn't even MEANT to be share... I just wanted to SEE it LOL

Getting bigger...and bigger... by the day it seems <3 

Only about 15.5 weeks left... 15.5... holay smokes! 

I can't believe it sometimes... and I can't believe how FAST this pregnancy is going!  By far.. the fastest one yet!  I thought my first one went by super quick because I spent literally from the first day until the DAY before I went into labor [labor started at 40w6d] in school.  The second, I spent over half of it in school, and hte second half dragged on... forever.  This time, I'm at home... full time.  So I thought it was going to... drag on forever and ever.  I was soo wrong!

In about 10 weeks, it could be any day! 

THAT'S CRAZY!!

lol

I'm sorry I haven't been around... I've been super sick.  I thought sickness lasted forever with a singleton pregnancy... but my body is having like... 10x harder time getting better from this with TWO.  It's been almost a week wince it all started... maybe only 5 days... but ti seems like a week.  Started with aches, then a slight runny nose, then a sore throat + runny nose, and then a sore throat + super runny nose + cough.  It's the normal cold that we all get, it's just taking forever to just set in and then leave haha.  No real fever, but I am watchingit for strep throat... which apparently I'm prone to while pregnant. 

The cough is the worst part... it makes everything else SEEM a lot worse than it really is. 

So yes... it's probably not nearly as bad as it FEELS, but we allll know that the sinus and throat cold... SUCK.  I'm nearly at the point where I'm willing to get a sitter for a day.. and just sleeeeeep. 

Josh has been going through... a lot... lately.  That's putting it lightly. 

So I can't really ask him to come over and take care of hte kids while I sleep right now.  I'm... exhausted. 

But, other than feeling sick... I dno't have many complaints.  Yes... I'm sore and I've been a lot more achy in my pelvix, but I knwo that's a lot to do with being sick right now.  Most of my aches and pains are... if I elimate those... and the tiredness of fighting this cold off... I'm feeling pretty fricken good to be honest. 

I had someone say that they were "miserable" throughout most of their twin pregnancy.  It kind of upset me... how many people get to carry twins? 

I know I DO complain a bit... but I hope that I get it out that I'm also EMBRACING the experience as well.  Yeah... it comes with it's disadvantages... but man... there are TWO babies in there!!  Some people are miserable from day 1 with ONE baby... do people think it'll be a rollercoaster of sunshine and rainbows? 

I know that I didn't have the same situation as them... I'm not them.... etc etc... but I think that we should also appreciate what we're doing as surrogates... it's 9 months for crying out loud... I think we can sacrifice that for a life time of happiness....right?  We do for our own kids... and we could actually have them ourselves... imagine the ENHANCED joy if we couldn't.

I get that near the end... most of us are saying "Is it over yet??!!"  ... the swelling, puking, bloating, aches, pains, headaches, sinus congestion, exhaustion, decreased immune system and the thousand other things you can deal with during pregnant ARE annoying... but common... especially as a surrogate, we have to have known what we were getting into.  We signed up to help someone.  That's what we shoudl be focuxing on. 

I'm sorry to rant, I always seem to do that huh? lol

Thank you for reading, I know my readers are dwindling a bit lately, but that's okay, maybe once my appointmetns get interesting I'll haul in some more readers lol

I apologize about not doing my video blogs... no voice, puffy face and being this sick.... not attractive LOL

Have a great day everyone <3

-Cathleen & Surrobabies

20 Weeks.. Found An Outfit I Really Like hehe

So... as far as maternity outfits go, I think we all have that certain outfit that we really like and tend to wear more than the others haha  This is mine



I will admit... I wear it as a suit whenever I can, you can't see the jeans, but they're navy blue and even thought they fit "snuggly" now, they're not small yet [thank god].  I absolutely love this suit together, and it doesn't make me look humungous ... anywhere, which is fantastic.  Some shits will give yoiu the love handle look, others make your boobs look huge... it's hard to find good maternity suits! haha  The pants don't empasize on my thighs or butt and the shirt doesn't make my belly look bigger than it is, it gives an overall slim look.

I also sometimes get annoyed with shirts that are baggy in the wrong places and make you look fat lol 

Admittedly, I also don't like shirts that make my belly look tiny.  Because if they make my belly look small... a lot of other things have to be emphasized... not a big fan! 

Had to share with all of you I'm sure a lot of you have had the same problem with trying to get that perfect maternity outfit.  I will post a full body picture of this suit with the shoes I always wear with it when I have someone at the house to take the picture! 

For those just getting into the maternity cloth area, remember that comfort is #1.  If you aren't very used to wearing heels, don't even go there, your feet will swell like CRAZY... and your back is already under stress, so you don't want to add to that.

Flats are always a nice way to make you look dressy without all the discomfort.  Even then, remember that they should have a little wiggle room as well, because even if you think they fit nicely at 4 months, by 6-7 months, they'll be tight, even before walking around.  Round toe is usually preferred over pointed toe... again... mostly to do with a little swelling.

If you choose to not wear maternity pants [these aren't, they're just a couple sizes bigger], remember that they need to be loose, I would recommend NEEDING a belt to have them on over having a snug pair.  Even stretchy jeans will be outgrown in a very short time, the area just above the pelvic bone spreads out a lot before you even have a "bump".  When I first got these pants about a month ago, I needed a belt with them, and now I can go without.  As soon as pants get tight, stop wearing them, because it'll make you feel really sick, and it's not good to have any pressure on your uterus.  Don't be afraid to wear pajama bottoms for a couple weeks around the house until you fit into the next size pants.

For maternity pants... not all are made the same way.  That elastic part makes a HUUGE difference.  I've so far found for this pregnancy that the full elastic just doesn't do it for me.  It DOES offer support, and I loved it for my second pregnancy.  However, with this pregnancy, the support is TOO much, where I feel really squished in, so I just roll the elastic down a bit, and it adds a lot of support for the lower belly, and makes a BIG different for ligament pain.  Remember that you don't want them to be TIGHT.  We tend to grow... fast... so you want something to do you at least 2-3 months as maternity pants... are a bit expensive. 

Shirts are a lot easier.  You can easily buy a larger shirt if you don't want to wear a maternity shirt.  The benefits of this, is that it's a lot cheaper.  I like maternity shirts because it gives me a "pregnant" look instead of a "oh, she still hasnt' lost the baby fat" look.  Maternity shirts are a bit tricky to get the proportions right though, I will admit.  The boob parts aren't always flattering, but they are made to grow.  I have a couple shirts that I tend to wear a sweater with to avoid the "boob popping" look haha.  With shirts, it's all about body type and preference.

I don't much bother with accessories in pregnancy.. I find I'm stuffy and warm enough without, but a lot of people like to wear long necklaces to take emphasis to the belly, and away from everything else [that is... everything else that SWELLS lol]. 

good luck ladies.. maternity shopping can be exciting... and a bit discouraging! haha

have a great day everyone!

-Cathleen

Well... Do Ya Want The Results?

We had out HUMUNGOUS ultrasound yesterday!!

The ultrasound department wasn't too pleased though, when I arrrived, they let me know that my doctor only scheduled for one appointment... with twins, they should have booked TWO because they have to do all the same measurements... twice.

Either way, they seemed to put up with me very well.  They said "well, you definitely have the twin belly!" and then when I laid down she looked at me a few times and said "Did you know you're the same size standing as laying?!" It was a good laugh to see all their reactions for sure. 

The appointment was for 12:45pm, and I was at the hospital by 12:00pm to register.  I had number 204 and they were already at 201, so I diodn't wait for very long haha  After I registered, I went and got a big orange juice so that the sugar would get to the babies to get them moving a bit.  I had also drank 0.5 liters before I left home.  They normally say drink a whole liter and be done drinking it 30 minutes before your appointment, but I knew I couldn't hold in a whole liter, and the last time I had an utlrasound, he did just fine with my bladder empty.  They seen them just fine, and never even mentioned if I had finished the whole liter.

Baby A was first of course, which was the lower baby [they are now side by side, so it's just a matter of which one is lower and closer to the cervix from here on out].  Baby A had great stats, and they took 30 minutes to get all of the measurements.  Baby A's toes had to be measured with me on my side.. they were up under my rib cage already lol

The stats for Baby A are as follows:

Heart Rate : 148 beats per minute
Presentation : Head Down
Weight : 9.7 ounces
Sex : GIRL

Baby B wasn't as cooperative, and they worked on me for abotu an hour to get all of their stats.  This one just wouldn't stop MOVING!  She kept getting frustrated with B because B kept flipping.. and flipping... and she had to keep repositioning herself.  She took 7 minutes just to get all the shots of B's heart because of all the flipping, she would finally get a great shot.. and then B decided it was time to move! 

The stats for Baby B are as follows:

Heart Rate : 156 beats per minute
Presentation : ...Very Active. Undecided
Weight : 10.2 ounces
Sex : BOY

So yes, my IP's will be having one girl, and one boy. 

To my knowledge, they have... nothing... for a girl yet haha I told htem already I knew for SURE one was a boy, and I knew the other had top be a girl, I always know with my pregnancies what the baby is haha  I was so confused at the beginning of the pregnancy!  I thought my predictor was BROKEN!!  But then when we found out there were TWO, I knew why I had been so confused, and I guess right away for Baby A and Baby B.  I love being specific, and I had such a strong feeling about both babies being that sex, and I had kind of already bought a little something for both babies... one in pink and one in blue... two months ago.  Tags were already removed... receipt lost... haha.

It took us about 10 minutes to be certain about Baby B... he had his umbilical cord in the mix!  so, looking up through his legs, he had the umbilical cord in the way... so I told htem to give me a second... got up... had a bigg gulp of juice... andjumps 5 times.  Sat back down, he was moving so much that he kept kicking the cord LOL  We narrowed in on the poor guy, and waited for a good shot, and just like I told them... BOY!

She told me not to be alarmed if they were a bit small, by about a week or so, so we were expecting weights of 8.5-9.5 ounces.  Which was fine, as long as they were both health and placentas were good, cervix was good etc.  Everything checked out great, and i'm super duper excited until my appointment on Friday so that I can get some pictures, and I think this time I'll be photocopying the pictures to keep some for myself.  I'm  so regretful that I didn't do that with the first ultrasound picture, and I really am excited to do it this time. 



So, my personal life is finally looking up :) It's all about getting organized right?  Well, ti's been very nearly a whole months since my hubby moved out ... and I am finally sleeping a bit better at night.  I was getting nightmares... every night... all night from all the stress of money, the kids not listening, trying my darnedest to keep the house a float and in somewhat order.  And... I'm not going to lie, being pregnant with twins and having two very  young children + thyroid problems and a tono of meds... = near burn out.  I'm starting to look forward to thinkg though, I know it's normal to feel a bit down at first about everything.  I'm a real single parent at this point... it's not as hard as I thought though, and in a lot of ways... looking back, I was a single parent in a lot of ways before he moved out... I just had three kids instead of two.

I klnow some of you want to know what the status of my marital status is because people are noticing that I'm not wearing my engagement ring anymore... but what I want to also point out.... is that I'm not wearing my birth stone either, to which I've worn every day since I was 14.  My fingers have swelled a little bit, not during the day, but sometimes just after supper time about.  Juuust enough to make my rings a bit tight, and a bit uncomfortable.  I haven't noticed swelling anywhere else though, so  I'll take that as good.  The hands and feet are VERY common to get swollen, especially for someone like me, who cleans all day, cooks.... my hands don't ever stop. 

To stop avoiding the real answer, we're still working on knowing where we both stand right now.  A lot of people don't know a lot about my past.  I had my daughter at 17.  Yep.  17.  I moved out of my parents house when I was 3 months pregnant with her.  I stayed my butt in high school throughout my entire pregnancy.  Hubs moved in with me at 36.5 weeks pregnant... before that, I was alone and mostly on my own.  It was very lonely, and none of my friends could even come close to understanding where I was coming from and what I was experiencing. 

He was 17 too.  You know what normal 17 year olds are thinking about?  College....  Universities.  Going out to a friend's house.  Date nights.  Getting a passing grade on that Math test.  Sabotaging their sibling's hair.  All we could think about was... graduating [which he did a few months before she was born, he was born in Dec. 1990, I'min January 1991, putting him a year ahead of me], getting jobs, finding a place to live, learning how to take care of a baby, learning to let go of our friends and social lives.

I'm not saying we were the only ones on the planet who went through it... but we are a couple who are very few who got through that together. 

We celebrated 5 years together this week. 5 years.

After all the struggle, where id it leave us?  What were we fighting and struggling for now?  It left us in a weird place, a place where there wasn't a whole lot of struggling... at least... not the way we did with a baby and being pregnant again while I was in school, the baby was in daycare, and he was doing shift work with unpredictable hours, never knowing if we were going to make rent.  We never even talked about what it was going to be like when we weren't always exhausted, fed up, and... just holding on.  

That's the part we have to work on NOW. 

It may take awhile... could take months... could take longer than months.  But we have 5 years under our belt.  That's a HUGE accomplishment when you consider... all fo that.  Neither of us is giving up yet, but we've both admitted that things have to change, and we need to grow and change as adults... we've never done that.  So... we're working on things and trying to grow both as individuals AND a couple, just, living apart to make it easier.  We are still engaged, there is no idea on a date to get married, and for right now, we're not planning a wedding of any kind, we're just trying to get to where we should both be.. happy. We don't know if that is together... or apart yet, that's what we're working on.

Thank you to everyone who can understand where we are... and thank you for those who are supportive even through they DON'T understand. 

This pregnancy is going amazing, and not everything is perfect, but it's life, and  I think that even though we may not realize it... a step back is never admitting defeat, it's admitting that victory is a sure thing as long as we take the necessary steps to get there. 

My thoughts go out to all my US friends.  I seen the President's speech and... as confused as you may be... us Canadians... are like "What the hell?!  They BOMBED someone?!  Aren't they BROKE?!  What are they thinking...?  WAS he thinking?!"  So... yeah... we're with you with a big question mark on our faces too.  I'm not saying... let the leaders of crazy countries kill their own people, as I do think it's an injustice... I'm just saying... Could someone fill all of North America... and possibly the ret of the world... in?  Gotta do whatchya gotta do... but I feel the confusion <3  So, here is to hoping he hold another conference, and stops avoiding the question "so.. are we at war... or jsut dropping a few bombs to flex our muscles?".

thank you all for reading these long ass boring speeches lol

-Cathleen


PS - ULTRASOUND PICTURES ARE ONLY GIVEN OUT AT THE OBS AFTER THE ULTRASOUNDS, SO FRIDAY IS THE DAY <3