After my appointment in December I was really bummed that I was not allowed to record the baby's heart beat for the parents to hear. SO I bought a Doppler so that we can hear it at home anytime! I was able to send them a video of the baby's heart beat on Christmas eve! My kids are really enjoying getting to hear the baby. Kaylee likes to try to find it on her own and Noah has decided that everyone has a baby in their tummy so we have to listen for the heart beat on everyone. Kimberly also takes it upon herself to jiggle my tummy every time she walks by. Yeah, this is not so fun. I try to remind her that the baby is pushing everything around so what she is playing with is really just fat, but the bump is just too tempting for her!
We have also had some fun seeing how different my tummy can look at different times. Some mornings the baby is all on one side so the other is side is flat and squishy. Other times it must be laying very far back because it all feels like fat and no bump! It is also fun to poke around and feel the baby move around. It especially likes to move when I am trying to hear the heart beat!
This has been such a great experience so far. I really have enjoyed having the opportunity to educate others on the process of surrogacy. It has been great to see my children so excited about watching the baby grow. Our Ips will be here the beginning of February for the gender reveal ultrasound. This will also be the first time that they meet our family in person. I think it will really help them all to prepare for the birth and the fact that we will not be bringing the baby home to have been able to spend time in person with the parents. It warms my heart to hear my children explain to others that we are carrying this baby for another family. They show so much acceptance and are truly excited about this process. It has been difficult to explain to them that there is the possibility that they may come across someone that may be opposed to the surrogacy. Kaylee did get into one heated conversation with an adult and she stood her ground on what she believes is right. I am so proud of her for that. What an experience for my whole family. Some have thought that this is something that only affects the parents and me but that is not the case. My parents have a role, my grandma helps out, my siblings and their kids are even affected as we have to explain to them how I can be pregnant and it's not mine AND we will not bring it home. Even my ex husband and his family have a role as they have to be flexible with their visitation and explain the situation to their kids. But I have been blesses with so much support. Plus because I believe that this journey is a calling from God, I have no worries about those who do not agree. There are some that I avoid because I don't think that they are capable or willing to try to see things from another viewpoint but it is never because I doubt my decision. This has been such a blessing to us in so many ways. While it for sure is not all about the money, this journey has allowed me to continue to work on my Master's degree without having to stress about the added expenses that working for free has added. We have been able to take many more mini vacations and are planning a trip to Disneyland. We have also been able to pay things off ensuring that we will be more comfortable once this extra money is not there. We are definitely grateful for this opportunity and I would do it again in a heart beat!
Here is a picture at 18 weeks. Next update will be after my ob appointment on the 21st
