TODAY is the furthest we have EVER got :) 8 weeks today- whats going on in there?

Baby CJ is the size of a kidney bean- I dont like Kidney beans in general I tend to pick them out of a a chilli con carne- But this little kidney bean I do like :)

She has webbed fingers and toes and ickle hands and feet, she now has breathing tubes conecting to her lungs and her "tail" has nearly gone (phew) In her brain primitive neural tubes are forming, her bits havent developed yet but ovaries are starting to grow (they are "gonads" that turn into balls or ovaries!) Amniotic fluid is increasing by two tablespoons a week to accomodate r's tenant. Her intenstines are bulging out of her tummy and into the umbilical cord until 12 wks. Hardening of the bones is starting, so much calcium and folic acid needed.....Major milestone for us...keep growing sprout!!!

From a mummy in law's perspective

A wonderful brave couple

From the moment M and G first met they have loved and supported each other through thick and thin. All life has thrown at them, including situations which would cause other relationships to flounder, have only brought them closer together. 

M and G have wanted to be parents for so long and have been through so many traumas in their quest to become parents.

The struggles through G’s life threatening pregnancies, which only lasted a short time, have made them stronger as a couple.  The realisation that she could not carry her own child was a very tough blow for both M and G. G has worked hard to understand and cope with these experiences seeking counselling to help her understand their losses. 

The subsequent journey to find a surrogate has been an amazing adventure - be it somewhat of a rollercoaster ride – the 2 week wait was particularly difficult; but here they are on the cusp of a very special time.

They are so ready for this experience and will both make wonderful parents. I am very proud of my son M and equally proud of G who is like a daughter to me and I love them both very very much

The Dog babies....

Tyler is 10, he is so funny , he is greedy and a little bit fat so is on a diet, he is so faithful and adoring, he has a bit of arthritis so I'm looking into acupuncture. He loves swimming too....Roo is 2 and is not greedy in fact he doesn't really like food! he is full of beans, howls at the phone, ambulances and the ice cream van bell. Both dogs were the runts of the pack, yes I'm a sucker.....Both dogs love cuddling, Rufus likes escaping... They both need more training to be around a baby/ v small child...I've been advised to play you tube videos of babies crying/screaming/gurgling and to also carry around a baby doll and establish "boundaries" this will feel weird but Im going to do it..Im less keen on my plan to practice them walking nicely with the pram..when we get it say around xmas I plan to practice walking locally on the lead with the pram...I hope nobody see's me as I will look like a "crazy baby lady" if anyone peaks in!!!!

they are "frenemies" which means friends and enemies...like U2 sang "I cant live...with or without you"

why I love Mr CJ sooooo and why he will be an awesome daddy

I met my husband on the 24 august 2000. I remember the day like it was yesterday...I have never seen someone I fancy SO much in my life!!! He had a girlfriend and so did I...oops...
it was love at first sight however cheesy that may sound. I remember the first time we kissed it was like I was on FIRE!!!! And 13 yrs later he still makes me feel this way, unless he has come home drunk from a rare work night out or some party and smells like a brewery- then he is banished to the spare room ha! Luckily he is one of the people who drink the least that I know so this is a rarity! We had a long distance relationship as we were both at uni at opposite ends of the uk. But after we had finished at the end of 2001 we were insperable. I still cry when he goes on business trips..sad I know, and I count down the "sleeps". He is my BEST friend in the whole world, he makes me laugh, he likes all the same things as me, food, music, films and that is great! He is also super hot which helps! and for some reason he thinks Im super hot too which always helps :)
He is a good balance for me too, I get anxious alot and worry about everything and everyone and he to be honest is a bit too laid back, so he calms me down and I give him a boot up the butt....

Why do I think he will be a great father? Well seeing him with our nieces and nephews says it all, they just love him to bits and he loves them. He is kind and patient and understanding (hes had practice with all my foibles over the years after all) but he is not a pushover and will be better at discipline than me..Im a sucker for tears where he isnt! He also comes from a family where you are encouraged to be good at things ( he and his brother are pretty good at everything) He is more sporty and science/maths orientated whereas Im more creative and into history and reading so hopefully our child will be pretty well rounded. He also loves a good snuggle so who doesnt like that?!
her is a picture of him doing being "bundled"by some nieces and nephews!!! BLESS...

I cant WAIT to see him with babycj :)

The 2 week wait

has to be the worst time ever!!! This is the time from transfer to pregnancy confirmation. THe IVF clinic have done all they can and  there is nothing to do but wait.....its somehow worse when you know the gender as it personalises it that bit more..I think I drove R crazy every day.."do you feel pregnant"..."Can you do a test".....When I was trying myself, I spent a small fortune in tests and tested from about 5 days post ovulation....the earliest I got a positive was 10dpo. R wouldn't test, and you cant force someone to pee!!! Especially if they live the other side of the world. She did eventually give in and there was a vvv faint line, which D couldn't see and she said we wouldn't either, it was on a blue dye test which are notorious for false positives. We agreed to re-test on the tuesday morning again the 6 august, SURELY then there would be a stronger line if she was "up the duff"....NOPE, cue many tears and much moping from yours truly. She HAD told me she hadn't got a + with HER 2 kiddos but that didn't convince me...however much I google searched!! However overnight a fresh calm came over me and I was convinced it had worked despite all the odds...and at about 7pm on 8 August 2013 we got a call saying R was PREGNANT!!! THRILLED doesn't even cover it!!! We had prayed, we had done white magic, I was wearing "lucky bracelets"and SOMETHING had worked! We had some champagne and told our nearest and dearest.

The 2WW is HELL...no sleep, worry worry, hopes up, hopes down annnnnd repeat 24 hrs a day. And baby being in another ladies body you cant read anything into anything, you cant pee on sticks , you cant analyse your body for symptoms..NOTHING, keeping busy works to a point but then night comes and its just worry. BUT it passes soon enough....It would have been devastating if it hadn't worked, it really was about 50-60% as we only transferred 1 embie, it would have been 70% + if we had done more but we wanted 1. THANK God it worked first time, we were very very lucky indeed....  And as it transpires some ladies just don't excrete HCG (pregnancy hormone) they need it to show up in blood tests only!

I wondered how the IVF clinic divvy up the calls of good and bad news? Do they pick straws? alternate one good with one bad, get all the bad ones out the way and end on a positive note? That night I prayed that all those who had sad news would get lucky next time.

Baby's first dress from Great granny- used to be Granny's

This dress is so adorable! but it needs a clean and the yellow stains out- its nearly 60 yrs old! Don't think this counts as "buying stuff" to early...

*UPDATE* due to the advice of our lovely cleaner/guru Isabelle we washed it VERY carefully 2x with white vinegar on a 30c wash...AND it looks GREAT, so much better.....

Mary was Jesus Surrogate!

The BEST thing I've heard on surrogacy so far was the other day in a forum where a ladies mother hadn't been so sure whether she felt surrogacy was a sin or not....the next day she came to her home beaming with smiles and joy and told her daughter " I now KNOW surrogacy isn't a sin as Mary was a surrogate for Jesus"

so....NUFF SAID!!!!