Good Girl!

I wish I were talking about me, but nope. I’ve been indulging myself with long naps that I just cannot escape from and have had frozen yogurt and chocolate mousse this week…and it’s only Tuesday. We had a check up yesterday and our wonderful OB did an ultrasound so we could get a peak at baby girl. Baby’s mom, auntie and grandma were all at the appointment and got to see her which is way more exciting than the typical measuring of the belly and listening to the heart beat. She is head down (yay!!) and estimated to weigh between 4 lbs 15 oz and 5 lbs 5 oz. Babies usually gain an average of a half a pound a week in utero so I’m guessing she’ll be around eight and a half pounds if she arrives near her due date. My daughter was 7 lbs 4 oz (my birth weight as well) and my son was 8 lbs 8 oz born two weeks before his due date. Her size seems just perfect. We have another appointment in two weeks, and then they are weekly until she’s born. I can’t believe how close we are to the end of this journey. I haven’t reached the “I’m over being pregnant” stage yet but I am so excited to see this little girl with her family. She has been very well behaved thus far and I hope that she cooperates with a nice, easy birth.

Baby Brain

My calendar had been marked for months, the lovely invite for this little girl’s baby shower posted on my fridge, babysitter lined up and I was ready to go just before noon on Saturday. I left the front door unlocked for the house cleaner and we loaded up the kids into the car. I ran back inside to grab tissues for my son’s runny nose and headed to mama to be’s baby shower. My sitter had loaned out her car that day so she was going to drop me off and take the kids to the museum in my car. First, I took the wrong street and was telling my sitter that I had serious baby brain and was not usually this spacey. We pulled up to the address on the invite and there was only one car in the driveway. Other than the balloons and sign out front, it didn’t look like much of a party. I looked at the invite again and noticed the shower started at 2 p.m. not 12 p.m.! I felt so stupid. So, I ended up dropping the sitter off and taking the kids to the natural history museum myself since I had a couple hours to kill. I then got a call saying the house keeper came by but the door was locked and there was no key. I knew I had left the door open and then remembered my forgetting and realized I had locked it when I ran back into the house. Oh, what a morning.

Thankfully, the afternoon unfolded beautifully. My sitter came back over just before two and the baby shower was lovely. It was a great group of wonderful women, tea, quiche, sandwiches and lots of sweets. It was so nice to see how loved and blessed this little girl is going to be and I’m sure it made it all feel so much more real for the mom. In less than two months, they are going to have a little girl to adore. There wasn’t an ounce of me that felt like I was going to be having a baby. Of course I will be physically giving birth to one but I have no longing to bring a baby home and haven’t once thought of her as mine in any way. I was so surprised to receive such a generous gift from part of her family – an awesome new camera! I have been dreaming of having a Canon Rebel for years and I am so excited to work on my photography. Her friends also put together a fabulous gift basket and had gifts for my children as well. I have felt so appreciated throughout this entire experience and am so thankful for the relationships that have formed throughout our journey. I couldn’t imagine a better surrogacy experience than the way this one has evolved.

Last week I managed to only nap once, this week however I’ve already succumbed to two out of three days. I love naps, I really do and when it is raining I don’t think they should be passed up.

 

Raindrops on roses – one of my first photos

9 Weeks to Go

Where are the days going? This time of year, the days get shorter and the weeks are over before we know it. I am now addicted to naps and they have completely thrown off my sleep schedule. We have to be up at 7 during the week and by the time 2 o’clock rolls around, the kids are napping and I can’t seem to keep my eyes open. After taking a long refreshing nap, I stay up way too late, wake up tired and repeat the process again. This week I’m going to try to get through the afternoon lull and see if I can turn my napping habit into an occasional occurrence. I like to have those two quiet hours to work from home and catch up around the house. Juicing in the afternoon is a great energy boost, so I’m going to stock up on fruits and veggies for the week and see if this helps. One of my favorites is ginger lemonade, made with one lemon, two apples and an inch (or more to taste) of fresh ginger. Mix with a cup of water and serve over ice. I love juicing and all of the health benefits that come with it.

I’m starting to think about labor and have my checklist made of things to bring to the hospital. My grandma is coming down the first week in December to help out with the kids but I need to put a backup plan in place just in case the baby decides to come early. Hopefully she stays put until after my daughter’s birthday on the 6^th of December. Any time *shortly* after that would be wonderful!