You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have....the last month of surrogacy

A couple of weeks ago, I was honored to be a guest at the baby shower for Kate and Eliza, organized by Marc's family and friends. It was a very special day. I got to see old friends I haven't seen in quite a while, got to meet new friends, and spent time with people who I feel are like an addition to my family now.

I wasn't surprised to hear thank yous from Marc, Michael, and their family and friends at the shower, because I hear those from them all the time. They send me messages, say wonderful things when they see me, and do kind things for me. I've had desserts delivered to me at school, home cooked meals brought to my house, and at times when I was feeling really frustrated (like the needle crazy days), I would come home to messages in my email or on facebook from someone letting me know they were thinking of me, or wanted to thank me for what I was doing, or even sometimes from someone I didn't know who heard about the surrogacy and wanted to let me know they were inspired by what I was doing. So, I expected that I would feel welcome and have a great time with them at the shower, but not only did I have a great time, I felt so honored and special. I can't even explain how amazing I felt being surrounded by such wonderful people with such genuine love and happiness for Marc and Michael, these beautiful girls who are about to join our lives, and for me. It's such a great feeling to experience that kind of love.

I expected to see beautiful dresses, cute little outfits, lots and lots of pink, soft fuzzy blankets, cute cuddly stuffed animals, and more. I didn't expect to get gifts myself. I didn't expect to be showered with gift cards, handmade treasures, lotions and bubble baths for relaxing, and more. The gifts came from everyone - even people I hadn't met until that day! I hope that they felt my genuine appreciation at the shower for all of the wonderful gifts they gave me- the biggest of all being their kindness. I'm so excited to use the gift cards for massage, mani/pedi, books, restaurants, and visa cards for whatever treat I'd like- plus the bath and body products to relax with, the beautiful homemade items like the gorgeous blanket Marc's aunt Cheryl made me, the adorable peace sign decoration my friend Nikki made, and the wonderful pictures that Marc's cousin Malarie took of us all together. But, most of all, what I will cherish and remember the most are the cards with words that I could hardly read through my tears because they touched my heart so much, and the beautiful things people said to me as they came up and hugged me that day. I will never forget the way they made me feel. It's hard to even put into words how much it meant to me.

It warms my heart to see so much support for these men who are about to become Daddy and Papa here in a few short weeks. To see the excitement people have for them is just incredible. It's a testament to the reason why I felt compelled to go on this journey with them. These people know exactly what I know. They know that these men will be wonderful parents, that they deserve to be blessed with children, and that these children deserve to be blessed with them.

Alright, I know that was all mushy mush, but that was the good part of this journey. So now you get to hear the dirt on the "bad" that has hit during this last month of the pregnancy. I can sum it up pretty simply. Swollen feet, hemroids, varicose veins, hospital visits twice a week hooked up to monitors, doctor visits weekly always with cervical checks (men, I know you aren't aware, but this isn't a pleasant experience), Two 5 pound babies wiggling-jiggling-kicking-pushing at all hours, exhaustion, walking at the pace that my daughter describes as "a snail on slow juice", sore and leaky boobs, hearing my child's disappointed voice when it's nice out and Mommy just doesn't have the energy to go out and play right now, and the choice every morning between 3 outifts that actually still fit. So, that's the complaint section. I kept it to one small paragraph anyway. :)

I'll wrap up the post with good news! The babies are both head down, and we are hoping they stay that way so that no C-section is needed! They are both healthy, growing exactly as they should, passing all of their tests with flying colors, and ready to wrap their Daddy and Papa around their little fingers. They will be making their appearance in approximately 3 weeks!!! I'll try to do a post each Thursday from here on out after my doctor visit to keep everyone informed of what's going on, and how close we are to what everyone really wants to see - Pictures of adorable little girls! :)