Our first appointment together at Houston IVF!

12/2/05

I e-mailed Barb at Houston IVF (so great to be able to do that again!) and made our Hysteroscopy appt for Friday, December 5 at 9a.m. A hysteroscopy is a procedure using a tiny camera that is inserted through the cervix making it's way into the uterus. The Dr. "squirts" a water based liquid into the uterus as well. This procedure lets the Dr. look at the wall of the uterus and make sure there is nothing that would keep healthy embryos from attaching to the uterine lining leading to a healthy pregnancy.

12/5/08

I left our house right at 6a.m. this morning heading to Houston. Made my routine half way stop in Schulenburg for a bathroom break and to purchase a few more bottles of water. This time I also got a coffee. Not such a good choice.... me on a coffee high is so similar to ADHD! :-) It was so good to see Barb (best fertility nurse ever), CJ (never fails to make giving blood easy), Diane (another great fertility nurse), Dr. McKenzie and Dr. Hickman. And so many other HIVF staff that just make you feel right at home. The hysteroscopy went well and Dr. Hickman was happy with what he saw. A few years ago I was labeled by an extremely excited Aunt Dizzy "The World's Healthiest Uterus" and I seem to have kept that title! Missy and I wrapped up our appt with some info at the front desk before Jaren met us there. Hysterscopy Appt - DONE!

Before Missy, Jaren and I left for lunch together Anjanette came up with the kids to HIVF. Besides pictures no one had met August and Maggie just yet. We were lucky to get enough time with Dr. Hickman and Barb to officially introduce our surro twins. Missy snapped a couple pictures for us while Jaren watched on. Still amazes me what we were able to create... two beautiful children! I'm anxious now to see what comes of our journey with Missy and Jaren! A boy, a girl, one of each. Blonde or brown hair? Blue or brown eyes? Long fingers? Short toes? Outie belly button or innie? Passive or energetic? Soooo much to look forward to!

Jaren meeting August

CJ trying out the "two hander"

Missy, Jaren and I rode together to have a late breakfast at a great little place close by. We talked about babies, the meds, and pretty much the whole process. Ordered some delicious food while getting know know each other a little better. Missy's Mom, Linda, also came to join us and of course so we could officially meet. I'll tell you this, Missy is a younger version of Linda without a doubt! Looks, personality, you name it. She was very friendly and sweet. Teary eyes only came over once. :-) I know she's even more excited then Jaren and Missy to start this process. Knowing the joys that parenthood brings brings a smile to Linda's face. Something her and I find common ground on. Jaren had to eat and run to get back to work so us girls took our time and chatted away. Don't worry Jaren - you didn't miss out on too much. :-)

(That's me... sticking out like a sore thumb next to these two petite blondes!)

Couples and More Couples... Oh My!

Overwhelming in a way but all so exciting to think FOUR couples heard about us and my desire to help one more couple grow into a family by word of mouth. They all wanted to meet me! Wow! I guess I did do something right the first time around. What is a Surro to do next...

I contacted each of the couples over the past seven months and got to know them. We met one couple for lunch, after e-mailing and a few phone calls since this past Summer, several Sundays ago and although they are a wonderful couple and we had a nice time with them agreeing they had more love and compassion then any child could ask for. We also agreed that we simply didn't have that "feeling" with this couple. The feeling we both know is a MUST with the couple we embark on this journey with. Becoming lifelong friends with fantastic people and watching them blossom into parents of very special children is our dream!

After daily e-mails and some loooong phone calls we (what felt like finally!) had met up with the couple we REALLY liked already at Sea Island for lunch at 1pm on Sunday, November 23rd. Conversation started once we were all sitting at a table and the kids were playing on the restaurants playground and didn't stop until just about 5pm! We had more to talk about then time would allow. Tim and I didn't even have to say it... that "feeling" was there. We both knew it. We shared a moment without words smiling as time passed knowing our thoughts were completely in sinc. Now we'll take part in making a miracle... or two... in our second surrogacy journey with a fantastic duo. Introducing not only our new IPs (Intended Parents) but our friends... Missy and Jaren! Two people we're thrilled to stay on the phone with for hours, hang out with on weekends and e-mail like crazy as we get to know each other even better as time moves on.

A Little Background

Starting off with a little background for those who may not know the story yet...

My name is Michelle and I have a fantasic family! My husband, Tim, and I met a little over 12 years ago and obviously hit it off! Tim is Asst Manager for The Home Depot and I'm a Massage Therapist and also enjoy dabbling in Photograghy. We have two beautiful children, Makenzie who turned the big 10 this past October '08 and Mason who will be 5 1/2 this coming January. I cannot forget to mention our oversized baby of the family, Brody. He's our 2 year old Great Dane. And yes, he's a part of our family and not just our pet. :-) I've lived in Texas the majority of my life. Lived in California a few years during my childhood and am now a home owner in Universal City and loving it! I have a wonderful Mother, Cindy, who is happily remarried to a great man Mark. They moved "back home" last summer and oh do we enjoy having them close by. My Father, Mike, walked into my life again just this past year and things are moving along between us. I'm the eldest of three girls. Next in line is my sister Julie. She's a nurse here in San Antonio's Medical Center and happily married to John. They have identical twin boys, Blake and Cole, who are 6 1/2 years old as of October '08. My youngest sister, Mandy, lives in Las Vegas (independant little thing she is!) and works for Bank of America. She does her thing and does it well although I miss her dearly. Tim's parents, Jay and Ricki, are also a big part of our lives and live close by. His only younger brother, Ty, lives in Corpus Christi and we see him when time allows. Tim and I are big on family so we lucked out having a majority of both sides close by or within a reasonable driving distance. We also cherish the close friends we have and consider each of them part of our extended family.

After watching a dear friend of mine go through multiple miscarriages while, my husband, Tim and I sailed right through the fertility world getting pregnant easily, enjoying wonderful pregnancies and fairly "easy" births leading on to raising two wonderful children I decided I wanted to help others have what we have. After research at length I approached Tim and said I wanted to become a Gestational Surrogate/Carrier when Mason was a few months old. He said okay without hesitation. Yes, I'll admit it... what a man! Definition of a Gestational Surrogate/Carrier is a woman with a proven healthy uterus (she must have carried at least one pregnancy to term and have a child herself) who carries a pregnancy for another couple but has no genetic ties to the unborn child(ren). That is what I wanted to do. What I wanted to become. A Surro! I wanted to make that journey down the Surrogacy path...

That is exactly what we took a journey on... a crazy, exciting, hectic, miraculous journey down the Infertility path as the Surrogate Family. After meeting Anjanette, Daniel and their son Davis well over three years ago now (and a whole bunch of info I don't have time to say) we've now brought two new lives into the world. Meet August and Maggie... our Surro Twins! Born September 28, 2007 and now (Nov. 28, 2008) a whopping 14 months old!!!
Those little miracles mean the world to not only me but so so soooo many people including Tim, Makenzie and Mason. Tim and I created beautiful lives with Anjanette and Daniel (and of course with the help of some great Infertility Staff at Houston IVF) and a wonderful lifelong friendship that will outlive most.
Infact... the experience left us with smiles so wide, and a wonderful addition to our group of family and close friends, we couldn't imagine not helping at least one more couple grow into a family. I knew the day was in our future but never knew it would come so soon...






Little Surro Miracles - 1 Year Old