Thursday, October 27, 2016

Green lighted

Y'all, I've been green lighted.

My post-op appointment was yesterday, and I'm happy to say everything (down there) has healed up nicely. I asked my doc if she felt comfortable with me pursuing another surrogacy and carrying again she said, "Go for it!" So I am - yay!

I mentioned in my last post that I had some things in the works. I have applied to two agencies, and although I haven't been officially accepted yet (so much paperwork!), I am confident that I will be soon.

In the surrogacy world, I am what they call a "hard match," meaning the agencies could have a harder time finding parents for me because I choose not to terminate a pregnancy or reduce the number of embryos after they have implanted. So, I chose to apply with two agencies - neither have exclusivity agreements - in order to increase my pool of potential intended parents.

In another interesting twist, my attorney contacted me yesterday to let me know that she is actually helping a local family search for a gestational surrogate and wondered if this is something I would consider. Of course it is! I would love to be able to carry for a local family. They are working with Nashville Fertility Clinic, so no travel would be required of me. Since there are no agencies in TN, this would be an independent journey, meaning no agency would be involved. Of course, all the appropriate legal matters would be handled as usual. I am looking forward to hearing more about this opportunity, and really hope that it turns out well. I should know more in the coming days.

For now, I'm just waiting for my match to continue on to my third surrogacy, knowing that my future IPs are worth the wait.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

A little getaway before surgery

October is my anniversary month. It also includes a mini Fall break for the kids. During their break from school, they got to spend time with their grandma while the husband whisked me away to the beach for a little early anniversary celebration. We are celebrating 17 years of marriage this year. (If any of my readers have been married for any length of time, y'all know this is no easy feat.) No marriage is without it's trials; it's what we choose to learn from them that can determine what kind of marriage we can have. I'm grateful for the many (and I mean many) opportunities for my husband and I to learn from our trials and grow in our marriage.

It's about a 6 hour drive to FL for us, and we ended up in a bay side condo on Navarre Beach. We were able to leave the windows open, let the breeze in, and listen to the waves.

View from the condo
We took the time to just enjoy being together and even went on a few adventures. We explored some historical sites at the Pensacola Naval Base and visited the National Aviation Museum. We took our obligatory beach dolphin watching cruise where we got to see a few Flippers. We even rented a jet ski for a little bit to have a little fun on the water. We decided that perhaps we are aging out of those kinds of adventures, haha!!

We traveled to the Orange Beach area to visit one of our favorite places

Us- about to enjoy some FABULOUS beignets at Brick & Spoon
After 4 days, it was time to head back home and get ready for the surgery. The pre-op appointment was easy enough of course. The next day, we had to be at the hospital at 9a to prepare for the procedure at 11a. My husband was with me the whole time; he takes care of me well.

Looking unafraid ....I'm lying.
I was super nervous about the anesthesia. It's a very vulnerable thing to know you are going to be put to sleep and be at the mercy of total strangers with none of your own control. That's some fear right there. Thankfully, I had a wonderful team who made me feel as comfortable with the procedure as possible. All in all, it went very quickly. My team wheeled me back to the OR around 10:30a and I was at home resting by 1p. My doc shared some photos of my uterus -- showing off her work. ;)

Polyps circled on left; all clear on the right!
I spent the rest of the day sleeping off the anesthesia. And today I'm back to normal with no cramping or spotting. I have no activity restrictions other than vaginal rest (no intercourse, tampons, douches, etc) for 2 weeks. I hope to get medical clearance to carry again at my post-op appointment on October 26.

I have not heard from K & J, or their attorney regarding their decision of legal liability in the matter. We have reached out several times, but with no response. I am ready to put that journey completely behind me and move forward in my search for another match. I may have some prospects in the works, but it's a bit too early for me say at the moment. You'll have to check back in for that update!