New ClusterMap- ahhhh man!

I am kind of bummed that it's been over a year since I added the mapping feature to my blog. I guess every year they will archive the old one and start over brand new with the red dots. I used to love to see the map with red dots of various sizes everywhere . . . now it's like we're back to square one.

They do still have the archived totals (Total since 24 Aug 2008: 11,196), but I'm a visual person and I want to see all of it, since August of 2008. I don't care if my map becomes one huge blob of red . . . to me, that would be perfect!

Now places like Uganda, Bahrain, and Peru are no longer showing any visitors *sniff, sniff*

Okay, enough self-pity . . . . the girls turned 9 months yesterday. Once I get the updated info from George and Sanj, I'll let you know how they're growing. I'm also very excited because we're going for a quick visit mid September while we're in the Bay Area for a family reunion picnic. Yeah!!!!

Giggles Galore!

Here are my surro-girlies!





How cute are they? I can't believe how much they change between our visits. Speaking of which, our next visit with George, Sanj and the girls is set for September 12th- YEAH!!! I'm very excited.

Do you know what's even harder to believe? A year ago I was HERE.

Only 3 months until their First Birthday . . . can you believe that?!

Over 10,000 Hits!

WOW!!! I can't believe my little blog has reached the 10,000th hit mark! Actually, I'm more shocked that someone from Uganda, Tunisia and Nepal have visited my blog!

Perhaps I should leak some naked photos of someone to get 10,000 more hits in less than a day.
Tangent- why do people, including famous people, send naked photos of themselves on camera phones? When will they learn? Does it ever seem like a good idea? At least crop out your face . . . HELLO! Luckily, when I was wild and crazy Girls Gone Wild, digital cameras and cell phones weren't mainstream yet. Something about getting "a page" back in 1995 that you were Naked doesn't have the same effect. That's also back when we spelled things, instead of "I'm N8KD- LOL."

Back on topic . . . so my posts have been here and there but not much on my new journey. I have been advised that I should keep my next surrogacy in a private journal, so that when I decide to write a book on Surrogacy, that all my experiences won't already be out there. I'm still debating on whether I want it to be Non-Fiction (like my blog currently) or if I should do a novel that is Fiction loosely based on my experiences . . . think of a sober, non-smoking Bridget Jones pregnant with another couples baby . . . it just might work.

I will continue to check in and keep you updated on my first surro-family and I'd love to continue to have new people read my blog. Even though my first journey is now in the past, I think it still sends a great message about Surrogacy and debunks some myths about surrogate mothers. It also is another great story of two beautiful souls becoming parents . . . that just happen to be men. Feel free to pass it on, then maybe I'll be writing a post one day about my 1,000,000th hit! Perhaps, more women will see that it may be a journey they can go on . . . and help create families in the process.

For those of you new readers who just happened upon this, here's my advice . . . Go back to the begining and read it in chronological order. The best way to do this is to click on 2008, then select by month (starting with March) . . . then you go to the bottom of the page and work your way up. Or you can click on the arrow by March and click on each post as you go. For those of you looking for pictures of the birth, that would be the end of November! :)

If you're thinking about using Surrogacy to help create your family or if you're an Amazing Woman who wants to help others, be it surrogacy or egg donation, check out the agency I chose to use both times, Growing Generations.

Playtime with Anjali and Natasha!

George and Sanj just sent me this, so of course I had to share. I'm still laughing over the Paddington Bear issue. It makes me wonder if Natasha was the same in utero . . . something leads me to believe she was. LOL!

How to Remember . . .

I've been thinking for months what I would like to do to memorialize my surrogate journey. Of course I have this blog which will be around years after I stop writing it but I'm thinking of something else . . . . something I can glance at and the memories will come pouring back, even 20 years from now.

While brainstorming options, several great and not so great ideas emerged . . . .

1. Tattoo? Yes, I already have 2 tattoos that remind me of other times in my life. I have played around with the idea of getting another for the last 15 years, but haven't. I'm not talking about a tat that has all the names and birth dates listed like this one or the one pictured above. Can you imagine, if I got one like the flip flop one across my back? It would look like a closet or shoe store with all the kids I will have given birth to! I HAVE thought of doing some sort of flower, where each "initial" petal symbolizes the times I've given birth. Three for my own kids, one for Natasha and Anjali and one for whoever is born this next time. Then I thought . . . haven't I hurt enough? Between delivering Ruby with no drugs, healing my vagina from Preston, Sawyer and Ruby and a c-section for Natasha and Anjali . . . is this option making me seem like a glutton for punishment? Some may even venture to say a Masochist?

2. Framed Caricature ?- Just kidding, but how funny would that be . . . you come in my house and hanging on the wall is something like this. But they can all be hanging out in my uterus- "it's a party y'all"! Oh, the looks on my kids faces when they're 16 and bring home their dates . . . "is that your mom's, oh nevermind" . . . on second thought?

3. Plant some trees? I have thought about this option since Ruby was born. I love the idea, but what if we move again? If I would have done this with my own kids, Ruby's tree would be at the townhouse we rented in the Bay Area, Preston's tree would be at the first house we bought in Sacramento, and only Sawyer's tree would be at our current house. I guess I could plant 6 or 7 trees at once but that can get pricey if we buy trees that we actually want in our front of backyard.


4. Jewelry?- we've got a winner!
I received a beautiful Tiffany's Bracelet with a Mom Heart Charm Lock two years ago for Mother's Day. I really love that bracelet except during my surrogacy there was an "accident". I'm not sure what happened, but somehow my Mom charm lock did not live up to it's name . . . it unlocked and fell off my bracelet. I was devasted. I called the Medical Office I was just at hoping someone found it, but no one had turned it in.
Of course not, right? It said Tiffany's on it, so I figured it was long gone the moment I noticed it wasn't dangling from my bracelet anymore. It's like me calling saying, "I dropped three One Hundred Dollar Bills in your office today. I don't suppose anyone turned it in"? Duh! I still envision someone's mom from that office gushing over the beautiful lock charm she received as a present. My only solace is that I also envision this mother wondering how in the heck it unlocked and lost her "new" mom lock charm.
* By the way, I did call and speak with someone at Tiffany's. Customer service said I was welcome to purchase another Mom lock and have it sautered closed on my bracelet. Perhaps they should have mentioned this option when my family bought it for me (but I digress . . .)

So now, I have the bracelet but no charm lock. Then, before Mother's Day this year, Tiffany's sent us another catalog with lots of expensive jewlery we could buy and have fall off. But that's when I saw them. They make other "locks" that are initals and numbers . . and it came to me. I can purchase (not all at once) my own children's initals R, P and S. Then, I will purchase the number 2 charm lock, to symbolize Anjali and Natasha. Lastly, I'll purchase either the 1 or another 2 lock charm to symbolize my second surrogacy journey. The 1 if it's a singleton pregnancy or the 2 if it ends up being another set of twins. Of course the major part of this plan, besides funding the purchase of all these locks is to actually have them sautered shut on my bracelet this time.
*Other variations that would help me not have to buy so many lock charms . . . I could get another Mom Charm for my 3 kids and have their initials engraved on the back and/or I can get a different shapped charm and have "Surrogate Mom" or "Stork" engraved on it . . . but I do like the numbers too. We'll see if this ever happens, but it is a thought.

****UPDATE******
Here's one thing I did in 12/2010 to remember my journeys!

It's the Least I could've done . . .

We headed up to the Bay Area this weekend for the Celebration that George and Sanj planned for my family. Months ago I was not able to attend the Baby Shower so we all decided after the birth of the girls, we'd do a little get together so I could meet some of their friends that I wasn't able to meet while big and round.

It was such an amazing day. I was able to meet dozens of the people George and Sanj hold so close. People who without a doubt will take part in the girls lives for years to come. It reminded me of the African Proverb, "It takes a Village to Raise a Child" . . . there were just so many incredible people that are in their "extended" family. I was able to spend time with most everyone and could imagine Anjali and Natasha learning marvelous things from them in the future.

The girls also had a record number of "wardrobe changes" throughout the event . . . not because they needed to, but because they could *wink, wink*
Here's Ruby and Natasha

Here's Anjali with Sawyer and Ruby

Here's Liliana with Anjali in my favorite outfit of the day

and let's not forget about the importance of accessorizing


One goal that I was able to fulfill this visit was the photography shot that had eluded me since the day they were born . . . me with both girls at once (notice another wardrobe change)! I'm not sure how every time I saw them, I'd leave without it, but I did . . . until Sunday!

Here we are!

Oh, and here's the cake -notice a candle for each of us . . . Rick, Kelly, Ruby, Preston, Sawyer, George, Sanj, Natasha and Anjali!


I heard Thank you a lot that day . . . and people saying what an amazing thing we did. But you know what, I still don't get what's so amazing about what I did. Honestly, to me, it's the least I could do . . . perhaps a new phrase: Uterine Activism . . . I don't know if I give humanity more credit than it deserves, but I really don't think I did something THAT extraordinary . . . I helped complete a family . . . I didn't cure Cancer or end world hunger. I really think there are a lot more women out there who would do what I did in a heartbeat if they could just see the end product. (Again, another reason I continue to blog). I feel strongly and passionately about equality (reproductive equality, if you will) and I don't have money to donate to the cause, but I have a uterus that can easily send a message.

And for those of you I met Sunday, I know I will see you again and If I didn't already tell you at the BBQ, Thank you for being part of Natasha and Anjali's village.

Fathers' Day!

Between Ruby's Dance Recital, Preston's birthday and our own Father's Day BBQ at my house, I just realized that I forgot to upload my blog post for Father's Day! YIKES! So here you go-

Happy Fathers' Day George and Sanj! Can you believe it's been almost 7 months since your daughters arrived? A year and a half since we first met you! It's amazing how even on paper in your profile for Growing Generations, Rick and I could see what great dads you would make . . . and here you are . . . surviving twins, celebrating life and blossoming into wonderful fathers!

Fathers' Love . . .




















and lastly, an article Gay couple loves challenge of fatherhood that I found in the Windy City Times.