The Babies Are Here!!

December 8, 2010 -- the much anticipated birthday of the Smith twins

Wow, what a big break! I never intended to stop blogging, but my time online has been pretty nonexistent for months now. I wanted to take a few moments to write about the end of this beautiful journey and how much it has meant to me.

Beautiful baby A had been breech for quite some time so a c-section delivery was imminent. I had months to prepare myself and accept this. And I think that is part of why I am not having any post-surrogacy sadness/incompleteness. (More on that a bit later)...

The end of pregnancy discomfort didn't take place up until the last 3-4 weeks which was surprising to me. With twins I expected discomfort to be a part of each day way early on in pregnancy. My feet weren't swollen until 2 weeks prior to birth and the babies (as large as they were) didn't create too much pain until about 3 weeks prior. Mr. Phoenix loved to, or didn't have much room or choice, to push into the left side of my ribcage. It wasn't painful, but just uncomfortable. But that was the worst of the uncomfort. The babies were both very active as they grew and became more confined -- my belly was always moving around like crazy. So funny to watch and to have others see from across the room. :p

The doctor never put me on bed rest and told me many times how perfect this pregnancy has been and how I give him no trouble. With regular check ups and ultrasounds we were able to predict the health and end of the pregnancy. Which was a blessing... The birth was scheduled for Dec. 8th at 12 noon about two weeks before. This gave us all a set date even though with twins it was unlikely to go that far. But my womb is very comfortable to little ones for some reason ... they never like to leave.

December 8th came and I was surrounded by so much love and support, it was truly amazing. I got through the spinal and felt no pain -- the babies were out before I even knew I was cut in half. First was Miss Asha Evelyn weighing in at 6 pounds 14 ounces at 12:57 and then Mr. William Phoenix weighing in at 8 pounds 1 ounce at 12:59. They were, of course, both breathing on their own, crying, and welcomed into this world with so much love. Seeing A with her babies was magical... there are no words to describe the feeling of seeing a mother with her babies in the first few moments of life. So amazing!!

The babies were taken out by the nurse and proud new momma while I laid there to get stitched up. Not being able to feel anything was a strange experience, but it was kind of nice to not have to do any work. With my kids, a normal vaginal delivery was so exhausting. I believe that sort of traumatizing experience made me closer to my babies, created the initial closeness with them. So not having to work hard to deliver the twins made less of a bond. I remember getting into my recovery room and telling everyone how I felt normal and that I didn't just give birth to two babies.

Although it was strange for me at first to not be pregnant anymore, my belly was flatter, I wasn't as uncomfortable (well a different uncomfort now), I was so out of it with all the morphine and oxycodon -- I was so thankful that I didn't have two little ones to care for. Wow, I can't imagine how moms do it after a c-section. I was tired, groggy, and not there enough to care for babes. I was able to rest and relax ... and recover well.

The next few days in the hospital were filled with lots of baby time. It was so wonderful to see the babies. Hold them, feed them, see my family with them, and see the Smith family interact with them. They are the sweetest babies ever... not fussy or anything. They were thriving and so very healthy, so amazing all around.

The amount of love and gratitude shown to me was amazing. I will never forget this experience. I had flowers and goodies from everyone; I didn't expect this sort of appreciation. My room was filled with so much love, support, and beautiful flowers -- all of which helped me tremendously.

I haven't had any depression problems at all. I honestly believe that is due to the lack of a traumatic natural birth. Recovery has gone amazingly well. I was off my oxycodon 10 days after surgery and walking around pretty much back to my normal routine also. My mom has been a blessing to me, cleaning and caring for my family. I definitely couldn't do this without her. I am going in today for a two week check up to make sure the incision is healed up properly. I'm nervous to see the scar, but will be relieved to know everything is okay.

The hardest part of this journey had to be the injections at the start and the IV before birth. I was poked a LOT!! Going into this I was terrified of needles, I still am, but not as much. God was looking out for us... this whole journey, front to back, was perfect. No problems, no worries. And what a wonderful blessing for us all.

The best part of this journey was bonding with A and M through the pregnancy. They were so attentive and caring -- taking good care of me with goody bags full of baked goods, juice, candles, belly butter, and all sorts wonderful things through the pregnancy. When the end came it was wonderful to see them complete. It was wonderful to witness the magic between them all, so much love. The glow in both their faces was priceless. I'm so grateful to them and their extended family... forever!!

Nesting and Resting

I figured I needed to give this a quick update since it has been a while. What a summer it has been! Time has been ticking away, but everything is going as wonderful as ever.

I've been in this nesting stage of the pregnancy to where my body needs me to organize and keep everything cleaned up. I love the feeling of accomplishment every day as I complete a project. Even though I am not getting ready for babies to be welcomed into my home, I am enjoying this extra push nonetheless.

My days are usually filled with doing my chores in the morning for a few hours then taking a little nap in the afternoon. I try to get away without sleeping in the day, but I just end up crashing too early at night. This routine is working out well, though... I can't complain too much. The babies sure aren't complaining either so that is good.

The babies have been growing as they should, everything with them is perfect. We are all so thankful for that. The Smiths have been amazing, I love them so much -- they are always so caring and thoughtful. It is great to see them during our monthly ultrasounds, and A was able to come over for an OB appointment this month too! It sure is nice to visit and have them near. I know that the babies can hear surroundings now and every chance that they get to hear mommy and daddy is good for them.

It has been a short summer, but I feel we have used it up nicely. We've had some mini-cations around Oregon and Washington, we've been out camping, swimming, and exploring. Andrew has really enjoyed his break from school with reading, cub scouts, and will be doing a basketball camp for the last week of break. It has been eventful, but at a slow pace.

There's not much else to report -- just taking it easy, hoping to keep these two little sweeties inside til December 2nd. :)

Thursday Night Blues

Jay is in class tonight and these nights always seem to go by so sluggishly. On his off nights the time goes by so fast, but when he is in class it doesn't. Too bad he doesn't get summer vacation like me. He only has three more terms to go until he has his B.S. so I will remain patient.

I'm not sure how long I have left. It feels like I've been at this higher education thing for a long time, but it has only been three years. I keep changing my mind for my major which definitely doesn't help. My wish to finish school and get hired right away is so strong; I just don't think I could hack it with my original major. Good news! I finished the school year with a 4.0. It was surprising because my effort wasn't as strong as usual. I wanted to take it easy with the stress level during the pregnancy so I incorporated extra slack sauce, but it all worked out in the end. I'm really enjoying this break, though!!

I had to go in for blood work today at the lab. It was insane -- eight vials full of blood!! :( I didn't pass out or anything, but I am seriously getting used to being poked. Needles don't bother me anymore and to think that before going into this surrogacy adventure I was deathly afraid of needles... that's how much I've been poked. My results will be in and ready for the doctor by my appointment next week.

I've transferred well out of the first trimester symptoms (the small amount I did experience) into the second+ trimester symptoms of nightly heartburn, indigestion, and constipation. Oh the beauty of pregnancy! :) I'm hoping my doctor will be able to suggest a few things to help me, this way I can be a little more comfy. Honestly, though, this pregnancy has been a lot easier on me than when I was pregnant with my kids. I can't complain too much.

My emotions are crazy lately as well. I cry over everything: funny things, sad things, angry things, silly things, happy things, and sometimes even over nothing. I love every part of this journey -- each day that passes that we are all okay makes any uncomfort experienced worth it.

I better end this for now. I need to finish up the packing for our trip to Seattle tomorrow. Have a wonderful weekend! :)

Updates

I didn't realize that my little break from blogging would make it so hard to start up again. My new routines are hard to break, but I do love to blog, so here I am.

Jay's at school, Andrew's outside playing with his friends, and Jensen and I have been getting our house ready for visitors tomorrow. We hardly ever have company so these rare occasions are so much fun. My cousin Melissa is in Oregon from Iowa. I have not seen her since I was little, little -- maybe 10. It sure will be nice to have her and her two little ones visit. We will go to the zoo and find other fun things to do in the city. She has a son who is 7.5, Andrew is 8. And her daughter is 2.5, Jensen is 3. I know they will all have a blast together.

The babies are both doing very well. They are developing and growing as they should. We have a busy pregnancy full of appointments, but it is a relief to be closely monitored by professionals. It is nice to know that we are all in good hands with all the many possibilities of complications.

Jensen has been so sweet with the babies; we are really trying to make her understand that they are not our babies. I thought that she would be the type to not want or be good at being a big sister, but she has truly surprised me. She is always kissing my stomach, patting it, saying 'hi babies, I love you babies'. The other day when we picked her up from school she asked if the babies were out yet. It is so cute how little girls instinctively know how to mother.

Instead of bringing home babies, we are going to bring home a baby puppy. I want one of those cute, fuzzy, tiny-never-grow-up dogs like this, a Pomeranian:



Jay has never agreed to let us get one because he is afraid to crush the 'football'. Now that we will need to fill a baby void, he has agreed! He has even mentioned buying all the little pink accessories and clothes for her also. (I want a girl named Layla) :)) It sure is nice to have his support.

I'll be back to post again soon. I have set my mind to not let this go anymore. After all, I have plenty of time for it. :)

I'm Back!

What a break from blogging that was! I just had so much going on that I couldn't find that perfect moment to write here. My studies kept me busy and tired, but now that I am out for summer time has been nice.

Everything is progressing well with the pregnancy. We past the 12 week mark last week and tomorrow we will be at 13. It is weird... most of the time I don't even feel pregnant. I know this feeling won't last much longer as I keep expanding outward. ;)

Actually, there's nothing new going on -- I guess that is a good thing. We've been taking it easy, allowing the weeks to pass by.

We've been keeping up with the Basketball Finals. Jay wants the Celtics to win, I am cheering for the Lakers. I can't get past my west coast roots. :) It is so intense to watch the games... we get into them.

:)

Twins!!

I should have posted sooner, but I've been tired, sick, or busy. We found out last week that the two embryos that were transfered on April 5th are still in there and developing healthily. Such great news!!!! We were all able to hear the heartbeats, it was so wonderful. A&M are beyond thrilled it is so good to see. I am excited too because I have always wanted to be pregnant with twins -- now I can experience it :))

My sickness is not all from the pregnancy. Last week one of the kids brought home a cold, so hubby and I had to catch it this weekend. It has been a rough couple days, but it is finally looking up.

There's not much else to report for now. We're going in for another ultrasound tomorrow. :)

Busy Weeks

Everything is going great, but just been busy, sick, or tired. I'm happy to report that the pregnancy is progressing wonderfully. We go in tomorrow for the first ultrasound to see how many little ones that A&M will be expecting. Of course they will both be there to see, we're all so excited!

We have been having so much fun this past week with all sorts of little adventures. First, we went to the Blazers last playoff game on Thursday night. They didn't win, but it was a super close game. We all had a blasty blast. Here is my family before it started



Then on Saturday we drove to Eugene to see A perform with her concert choir. We arrived way early, but geocached a bit to kill the time. Such a fun little hobby to do anywhere in the world to pass the time or see interesting sites. It was great to see A&M and spend time with them and also see A with her amazing talent.

I started to feel sick throughout the day and my energy has been starting to dwindle down. I've been doing my best to push myself and be as active as I can. It seems that when I'm busy doing something I don't feel as sick. I started a pregnancy workout video and we do a lot of hiking/walking around with geocaching for activity. I've come to rely on my afternoon nap. If I don't get it, I'll end up sleeping at 5pm and won't wake up until the morning -- not good! I limit it to no more than an hour and a half, which is just about right on most days.

School has been going quite well. My statistics exam a few weeks ago had be quite frazzled. I didn't study as much as I usually do, I didn't worry about it either, but I also didn't have the confidence during it. To my surprise I still scored an A, well a 92%, so I am very pleased with myself. :))

The kids have been well behaved. i think they like to get out and do things that we normally don't do. It has been nice for all of us, but at the same time, tiring. It is good to relax and unwind from all the go go go. Andrew has his first school play coming up on Thursday. I am so excited to see it!! I remember doing plays allll the time while I was in grade school, but it seems as though the school budgets just don't have room for them anymore. Sad!

I'll be sure to post again after tomorrow when we all find out. :) :)