Some frequently asked questions :)

1. When is Baby CJ due?- well the 15 April but she will likely come a week earlier as R has to have a section
2. Will you get to be there?- YES of course!!! We will be in the room or worst case if there is an emergency outside. I'm hoping to cut the cord- although it will be well Gross!!!I Imagine it like fighting a pulsating snake !!
3. When will you go out to Chicago?- We would LOVE to go out many many times but sadly we will only be going out for the birth, well maybe a week before. Money....yadda yadda.
4. How long do you have to stay there?- We have to wait for the USA birth certificate to come through, Mr CJ has to schlep to Washington DC to get The American Passport, THEN we can fly home, so about 6-8 wks.
5. Will she be American?!- YES...But also she will be BRITISH!!! She will have both passports , the lucky thing (as she was born in USA-but we will make her British at the courts in the UK)
6. What happens when you get home? - Well.....that parts a bit of a pain but unfortunately the way surrogacy law is AT THE MOMENT in the uk. We have an AMAZING lawyer Nicola Scott at Natalie Gamble Associates who will be guiding us through but, as I understand it (and I'm constantly getting confused- I will CLEARLY get this confusion cleared up in time!!!) we have to obtain a parental order from the courts. in a sense adopting our own child as even though In America we are straight away the legal parents, we go on the birth certificate etc...In the UK we are sadly not....R and her hubby are!!! As I understand it she signs something to say No she isn't then we have a social worker come to our house, check all is ok, then we have to go tot the high court up to 3 times and "present our case". IE why we should get our baby to stay with us and be a British citizen. The court check we haven't exploited R , or paid TOO MUCH, that kind of thing. Hopefully after about 6mnths of Baby CJ being back home she will formally be ours for keeps......I'm not looking forward to that part with a newborn I have to say! I think it will be quite a stressful time. BUT we want to do it properly, I have been told some people just bring their baby back on the American passport ...avoid the whole court shebang...BUT their baby would essentially be an illegal immigrant, NOT something particularly sensible id think!!!!
7. Will you let R breastfeed?- NO...not that she would want to anyway!!! We may broach about pumping the colostrum as its very immune boosting but we understand R will have had an operation and may not feel like it. I MAY look into induced lactation- AKA BF myself!!!! but this may be very hard to nigh impossible and Id rather baby cj had formula and had a relaxed mummy than a fraught mummy who was trying to get one drop of milk for her a day.
8. Does it upset you when people criticise Surrogacy and IVF?- OF COURSE, its very hurtful and I think people never truly understand something until they have to do it themselves. For instance personally I'm much more aware of the plight of gay people who want to have families. Its really tough for them and you take for granted how many men and women just can make a baby. I think if  LOVE is there anyone should be able to have a family- look at the amount of babies being popped out on council estates that live in essential squalor where the parents are high on drugs, smoke in front of them and neglect them, THEY shouldn't have babies not... well...us and others who would love to be a family. Also IVF is constantly criticised by pro- lifers I will in due course add some arguments via articles on the Internet to this blog, for and against.
9. "I could NEVER give up my baby"- Well R ISN'T giving up anything, its our baby not her genes so she is essentially GIVING HER BACK to us. It would be a different matter if it were her eggs. We joke that its "our bun in her oven"
10. "why couldn't you just adopt" we really wanted our own child somehow that biological link was important to at least TRY. We know there are millions of unwanted children out there, but also again there are ALOT of hardships along the way in adoption.....to be honest it always makes me want to say (but I'm never brave enough) to the person that may say that "why didn't you adopt than have your own kids then?!" As if its somehow SELFISH to want your own child.
11. "don't you feel left out?" -See my section on how we plan to bond.
12. "will you stay in contact with R" - If we continue to have a good relationship then to a degree yes of course, whatever we are all comfortable with..
13. "how do you know baby CJ is a GIRL already"- see my article on PGD -to be written soon.
14. "why America"- much safer, surrogates not exploited, they speak English....simples. HERE...you cant pay a surrogate hence not so many surrogates available, you are not treated as the mother and father, much more risky ....again simples.

That's all I can think of for now I may add some more later......