Head count Ultrasound!!!

On November 1st we had two precious, beautiful embryos transferred and after several blood tests, pregnancy was confirmed!! Then we began the wait to find out if one or two stuck around for this journey to happiness!!

The day of the ultrasound was simply amazing!! While we were waiting to get connected with Shahar and Roi via Skype, Dr. Bankowski started the ultrasound. I saw one sac and then the other and my heart began to race at what I think I am seeing on the screen.

Shahar got connected and Dr. Bankowski moved the wand to show a full screen shot.....TWINS!!!!!! Shahar screams, "TWINS?!?! ROI!!!!!!" It was incredible to watch the look on their faces as they heard the one of a kind whoosh, whoosh, whoosh of their babies heart beats for the fist time. I feel so blessed to be able to witness their wave of emotions as they came to realize that after years of heartache and failed attempts, they would add not one but two sweet souls to their family. For the first time, I saw hope in their eyes and it was truly breathtaking! 

Both babies measured at 6 weeks 1 Day when they were 6 weeks 2 days and both have strong heart beats. The doctor was explaining this to Shahar along with next steps and she says, "Where's Stacie? I need to see Stacie. Jake, are you there? Kiss Stacie for me!!" Once the ultrasound finished up, Shahar and I got to talk and share the most amazing and perfect moment with eachother! She was not expecting to hear any heartbeat that day. She was so overjoyed!!!

The last two weeks have been full of nausea, both day and night, insane breast tenderness and daily naps! The last two days I was sure my uterus was trying to roll out of my belly. It really started to pop out!

I will be 8 weeks on Sunday and I am continuing with the daily Progesterone injections and vaginal inserts 3x per day along with the Delestrogen 2x per week. I go in for weekly blood draws at ORM for them to slowly take me off of the hormones as the placentas take over to supply nutrients to the babies. 

The next ultrasound is on December 16th where they will check for fetal movement!! This will likely be my last appointment with ORM and I will then transfer my care over to my OB. 

I am so honored to be Carrying Dreams on this Journey to Happiness!!!

Congratulations Shahar and Roi and to big brother Bar!!! 

2 lines....2 babies???

The last week has been such an emotional week....the most emotional part of this journey this far.

It is so hard not to paint this perfect picture in your head as to how this journey will play out. Expectations are made without even realizing it. In the moment that something does not go as I imagined it, it becomes very difficult to digest.

In my last post I mentioned my fears in regards to sharing the pregnancy test results with Shahar and Roi. Knowing my body and how I was feeling, I had no doubt that I was pregnant and I wanted to share the news when the results came back from ORM and make it "perfect." Perfect was an unrealistic expectation. As excited as I was for them, they were bracing themselves for bad news, just as they had received 15 times before. They have experienced an unimaginable amount of heartache and every time they would get excited, something would bad would happen.

On Monday, I was not able to share the news with Shahar and Roi. I tried to call and I got no answer. Shahar was afraid to hear the news. It is so important for me to share this journey with them. For me, that is the difference between this being their pregnancy and this being my pregnancy. 

I shared my feelings via text with Shahar and she shared hers with me. It was so wonderful to be able to be there for each other...put ourselves in each other's shoes. We ended up rescheduling our Skype call to Tuesday morning.

As much as I would have loved to share the news on Monday, our conversation could not have been more perfect!! Lots of tears of happiness and to see the smiles on their face as they allowed themselves to put their guard down and accept this joyous experience into their hearts was priceless. Everything happens for a reason and I am so honored to be part of their journey to happiness.

My hCG levels have more than doubled in the last 48 hours and Dr. Bankowski said we would could go without the blood test on Friday. He was very pleased with the results. We all agreed that having another test would give Shahar and Roi reassurance that everything is going well for their baby or babies! The "head count" ultrasound is scheduled for the 26th of November!! 

Some changes have been made to my daily medications. They decreased the amount of Delestrogen I will take on Mondays and Fridays and the Progesterone has been cut in half but still getting that injection daily. In addition to that, I take a progesterone vaginal insert of Endometrin 3 times a day. Since I did not ovulate, my body is not producing the hormones to sustain a pregnancy. I will continue the injections and the Endometrin for the next 8 weeks. At that point the placenta takes over to keep the baby or babies baking.

All of your sticky thoughts worked and I am feeling pregnant with more intense morning sickness than with my three babes. Hoping that means there are two babies baking in there!! 

Test day

Since the beginning of my surrogacy journey, I have been so excited for "test day." To find out that this journey to happiness has a picture perfect future in store for the intended parents. Now I sit here the day before my blood test and I am terrified. All of this excitement to tell Shahar and Roi that it worked, has turned into being nervous and anxious. Something like this is usually an intimate moment between parents and I am this by standard. This has been a whirlwind of emotion for both of them. Years of disappointment and heartache. It doesn't matter if the news is good or not so good tomorrow, there will still be uncertainty in their hearts. Waiting for their dream come true to unravel. 

I ask for my family and friends to keep this amazing family in your thoughts and prayers, that they are able to open their hearts to the possibilities of what the future may bring to their family. I am sure they are sitting awake counting the minutes until they get that phone call tomorrow. They are 10 hours ahead and it will be nearing midnight before they get any news. Super sticky thoughts for "two lines" and high hCG beta level tomorrow!!

2ww

2ww---the 2 weeks following the embryo transfer. As excited as we all were for the transfer day to come, it was another "hurry up and wait" moment in our journey.

I have not written since a few days before the transfer. Leading up to it I was a big ball of excited nerves. 

The day of the transfer, I was so thrilled to Skype with Shahar and Roi. See their faces right before their beautiful embryos were going to be transferred. 

When we arrived at the clinic, we were brought back to the exams rooms and then through an exit door....Jake says to me, "Are we getting kicked out?" Hehe!! There was a part of this office that we had never seen. 

As soon as we got into my room, I met with the embryologist, my nurses, my IVF coordinator and my doctor who was doing the transfer. They brought in the iPad to Skype Shahar and Roi.....ring, ring, ring.....no answer. They tried again, still no answer. Unfortunately we missed being able to talk to them. I did receive this message from Shahar:

"I guess you are inside now and I know that it is not easy for you, but I am with you and I am sure that Jake is holding your hand, and once again I can't stop the tears."

The embryologist told us that the embryos thawed beautifully and both look really really good. They were both hatching and that means they are super sticky and ready to imbed into a nice this super sticky lining that we have been prepping for with endless amounts of injections.

 

I was given a valume and then had to drink even more water since the ultrasound showed that it was not full enough. I drank 12 more ounces and then the nurse handed me one more cup and asked me to sip on it since my transfer was still 15 minutes away. As soon as I finished that cup, I looked at Jake and said, "that cup just put me over the edge." My bladder was way too full. 

I was wheeled back to the procedure room which looked a lot like an OR and the doctor did one final scan of my bladder and said that it was very full and I could empty out a cup if I wanted to. Ha!!! There is no way I could start to go and then stop. So I told him to go on with the transfer. 

 

The doctor could see the embryos in my uterus after the transfer. He said they look amazing and are in a great place! Isn't this absolutely remarkable?? 

I spent the next 10 minutes laying down, quiet, waiting very impatiently to be able to pee.....in a bed pan. I have never been so excited to see a bed pan in my whole life. I spent the next, no joke, 5 minutes, at least, of straight peeing. The nurse came in 4 times to see if I was finished. I could not believe it was humanly possible to pee for that long. 

After we left, I was on lay flat bed rest for 48 hours. Now the waiting part. That is where the IVF term 2ww- '2 week wait' comes in. On Monday I will go in for a blood draw to measure hCG, progesterone, and estradiol. 

 

The wait continues but I have a lot of hope that this worked....all of your sticky thoughts are so very much appreciated!! 4 days and counting!!! I dream of that phone call to Shahar and Roi with amazing news!!! Brings me an endless amount of joy!!! This journey has been so rewarding!! It takes my breath away! 

excitement, anxiety and best of all....JOY!!!

With only 3 more days until the embryo transfer, I sit here in reflection of each and every step of this amazing journey. Applications, interviews, phone calls, e-mails, forms, home visits, psychiatric evaluations, meetings, Dr. appointments, attorney's, contracts, medical screenings, ultrasounds, blood tests and several weeks of medications and injections. All of it makes up this incredible journey but my favorite memory, hands down, would be the day we met our Intended family....

 

Meet Roi, Shahar and Bar

 

 

I remember it like it was yesterday. Tears rolling down all of our faces...the most perfect and amazing meeting, any of us could have ever imagined. We immediately knew that we all came together for a very special reason. There were no doubts, only joy that we were going to become a part of their Journey to Happiness!!



 

 



 

 

 

I absolutely love that they send me pictures of them out on their family adventures!!

102 days have past since that meeting and we have enjoyed sharing our days, weeks and months with each other. Sharing pictures and vacation memories and learning about each others culture, our families, our traditions and what makes us who we are. 

 

Now with 3 days until the transfer date, I am on the most medications I have been on at one given time and my body is trying to figure it all out. 

 

The fear and anxiety is coming over me like a ton of bricks at times. What if this doesn't work the first time? Not only with Jake and I have to deal with all that would come with bad news, but that times a million for Shahar and Roi. I want nothing more than for this to work out for them. To give them a gift they have been waiting years for. Although this is their first try with a surrogate, they have had 15 failed attempts. I hope that this will be their lucky #16!! 

Please send sticky thoughts our way and keep Shahar and Roi in your thoughts and prayers!!

XOXOX

14 days until transfer date

Wow!! Time is sure flying by! Today, I was thinking back to the beginning of this journey. When I first thought about becoming a surrogate, I had no idea the who, the what and the when. There were an infinite number of unknowns and the thought that many of us have when they have a dream of doing something... 

"This will never happen to me"

But here we are just 2 weeks out and my body is just as the doctors at ORM were hoping it to be. I had an ultrasound today to measure the lining of my uterus and it is thick and sticky. All ready for those sweet little embryos to grab on and thrive!! After the ultrasound, my doctor tears off a piece of paper and hands it to me. What was it you ask? A beautiful picture of my uterus! 

                     

Isn't it cute!?! Hahaha!! I am so lucky to have this beauty to hang on my fridge! ;)

I also had my blood drawn at my appointment today. This was to check my estrogen levels. As some of you make remember from an earlier post, my estrogen level was at 13. I am happy to say that my levels are at a hearty 328 with the help of the Delestrogen injections. I am feeling soooo much better with lowering the Lupron and the increasing Delestrogen. I will do those injections for another week and a half and then stop the Lupron and start the Progesterone injections. Those will continue until I am 12 weeks pregnant.

I asked what my chances are of becoming pregnant vs. not becoming pregnant with my body being exactly like they are hoping it tobe. This is what she said:

"I do not have any percentages for you, but what I can tell you is that your chances of becoming pregnant are very very high."

Eeeeeeek!!! So excited for the weeks to come and to hopefully deliver amazing news to the intended parents!

                     

23 days to go!!

I had my first inter muscular injection last night. The hormone that I am taking is called Delestrogen and it is generally used to treat symptoms of Menopause. Lucky for me, the side effects of my other injection are that of menopause and this is resulting in a much better feeling me!!!

               

These are the two hormones I am taking: Delestrogen on the top is a thick oil and a large 18 gauge needle is used to draw the oil into the syringe. We then switch to the thinner 25 gauge needle to inject the oil into the muscle in my bum. When the needle is inserted, I feel a slight prick and then when it reaches the muscle, I feel a sharper nerve pinching sensation. It does not hurt when the oil is pushed into the muscle and I am left with a sore muscle that I can feel when I walk around and small bruise. Last night I felt pretty light headed a few minutes after the injection. I sat down and waited for it to pass and then I was left feeling VERY tired. Almost as if I was drugged with a sleeping aid. I have decided to do this injection later in the evening, right before bed so that I do not have to fight to stay awake for rest of the night. 

I also decreased the amount of Lupron I am taking from 10 units to 5 units (using the needle on the bottom of picture) and today I am feeling fantastic! It is as if the symptoms from the Lupron have been swept away and I am feeling more like myself!! Happy happy girl right here!!

We are just short of 3 weeks from the date of embryo transfer and I am feeling very optimistic about this whole process!! Once I have a positive pregnancy test, I will celebrate with the introduction to all my family and friends, this amazing family that I have been talking about all this time....the extended family that I have come to love and adore 6900 miles apart!!

Menopause sneak peak at age 30

After my post the other night, it was as if my body was screaming at me "how could you forget about this side effect???" as I woke up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat. Hot flashes and night sweats...ummm yeah...no thank you!

I found out today that the Lupron has indeed done its job and has decreased my estrogen levels to ensure that my ovary will not grow a follicle and ovulate. In doing this, I have experienced what it feels like to be in menopause. A woman in menopause has estrogen levels of 32 and as low as 10....my blood test shows my levels are at 13. Ah ha! It all makes sense now! 

I have had to find humor in all of this....I can hear Jesse from Breaking Bad speaking his all famous words "BITCH" or roll laughing when I try to put into words how I feel inside and Jake pulls up the YouTube clip of Me, myself and Irene when Charlie turns into Hank. I love that we laugh our way through times like this and that I have the most incredible man by my side through it all. Laughter and love are the best medicines after all!

I have been assured that I will feel so much better on Monday when I cut my Lupron dosage in half and start the Delestrogen injections. I am now the proud owner of two beautiful circles drawn with a Sharpie on my bum...the two areas that Jake has been instructed to inject two different hormones for the next 12 weeks! 

4 week count down to the Embryo Transfer date! I am feeling excited and hopeful!

side effects

Today is day 6 of taking the Lupron Injection. The injection itself is not bad at all...in fact, I don't mind it at all and there is no discomfort and no irritation at the injection site. However, I was not prepared for the side effects of the Lupron. For one, the initial handouts that explained the possible side effects gave a very minor picture of what that might feel like. I also have never really had any side effects to medications, so I assumed this would be the same.

So what do these side effects look like, you ask? It started out as headaches on Day 1 and Day 2....but not like any headache I have ever had. These are different. By Day 3 I was getting very nauseous along with the headaches. I am still not sure if the nausea is yet another side effect of the Lupron or if it is a side effect of the headache. Either way it feels terrible. In addition I am experiencing insomnia and with all of that comes a little crankiness.

I think I have my timing down as to when to take some Tylenol so that I can stop the headache before it comes on and I actually was able to get a fairly good night of sleep last night. I am thinking that the sleeplessness and nausea are directly related to the headaches rather than an additional side effect.

I took my last birth control pill yesterday and I spoke with ORM today regarding my blood test that I have scheduled on Thursday. At this appointment, they will confirm that the Lupron has indeed done its job and essentially "shut down" my ovaries. If the blood test confirms that, I will start an additional injection of Delestrogen starting Monday as well as decrease the amount of Lupron I take. The Nurse told me that I will feel much better once I start the Delestrogen!!! That made me a happy girl!

With all of this said, I know that 'S' would take on all of these side effects and discomforts tend fold, to be able to carry and grow her own baby if she could. This is part of the journey and I am happy to be a part of it!

pill popper and pin cushion

I started the first of many daily injections today. Along with this much anticipated date, came many days of anxiety about giving myself injections, and lots of thoughts sleepless nights wondering, What if this doesn't work? How will my body react to the medications? And fear of letting this amazing family down that has put so much hope and trust in me, that this will all work out. But with all of that fear and anxiety, I can smile with gratitude to have this incredible opportunity....to make another families dream come true and be along with them on their journey to happiness.

I started my morning with 6 different meds; Prenatal Vitamin, Omega-3, Vitamin D, Birth Control, Antibiotic and Children's Aspirin.

 

And then this evening I take my second antibiotic as well as my Lupron injection.

 

 

This will be my daily regimen for the next 10 days and then I will my blood drawn so they can see how my body is reacting to the Lupron and then I will start the inter muscular injections of Delestrogen and then eventually add the Progesterone injections. I will be doing the injections for a total of 12 weeks assuming the embryo takes and I end up with a pregnancy. Below is a picture of the box of goodies from the pharmacy. 

 

After my first injections, I feel much better and wish that I didn't spend the last few days worried and filled with anxiety. It wasn't bad at all! :)

 

hurry up and wait

It has been awhile since I have written a post. Throughout this journey there have been so many deadlines and items to check off on my to-do list. It was go, go, go and then it seemed to go to a halting stop where we "hurry up and wait." Most of the waiting came with the wait for my cycle to start, which of course was late for the first time in over a year. I would get calls from the clinic checking in with me to make sure everything was okay and I was getting nervous as were they, that we would have to make changes to our original calendar and push out the embryo transfer date. The last thing I wanted to do is make S and R wait any more than they already have to.

On day 3 of my cycle I started birth control and then yesterday I went to ORM to have a few different procedures done. All of which went perfectly and we are on course with the original timeline. After the procedures, I went in to have a training to start my injections. I will start Lupron, an injection in my abdomen, next Wednesday. I will do this each night at the same time. I will then start Delegesterone and Progesterone, two different injections in the muscle of my upper buttocks. This is done with quite a large needle and Jake will be doing this injection for me. I will be receiving a large box of all of my medications, needles, syringes, prenatals, baby aspirin, antibiotics, alcohol swabs...who knows what else! I hear it can be a bit overwhelming as first.

All of this medication prep will lead to blood tests and ultrasounds to ensure my body is baby ready and then eventually the embryo transfer date of NOVEMBER 1ST!!!!! We will want lots of sticky thoughts on that day that one or hopefully both of the embryos stick!!

I am very hopeful that this will work the first time! I woke up this morning from a heart warming e-mail from S where she said "Had to share with you how lucky I am to have met you." and then shared with me what ORM has sent them.....


"The staff at ORM including Dr. Bankowski and myself are very impressed with Stacie, you are lucky to have such a wonderful Gestational Carrier and I feel that she is going to do a wonderful job."



I feel like I am the lucky one to have been chosen to be such an amazing part of their life and their journey to happiness!

NW Portland soon to be my second home

 

We went to our first appointment at Oregon Reproductive Medicine yesterday and left with a lot information and pages of material to read! I have a little over 2 months before the expected embryo transfer date with so many appointments, I think I could benefit from a temporary residence in NW Portland! :) Due to the nature of the procedure the amount of detail I give, may be too much for some. In that case, you may choose to continue or come back for a less detailed post.

 

Between now and the embryo transfer, I will have a physical and annual exam as well as a clearance for pregnancy from my OB. The intended parents have purchased an insurance policy for me and I will be doing all of my prenatal care, labor and deliver and post partum care with Kaiser. With the new Westside Medical Center opening, I will be able to have all of my care very close to home! Jake and I will both go in for STD and HIV testing.

 

Once I start my period I will start birth control so that ORM can take over and control my cycle. I will also begin daily injections of a few different hormones. Lupron to suppress my ovaries; this will be injected in my abdomen, Delestrogen to help maintain early pregnancy; this will be injected in my buttocks and progesterone to help prepare the lining of my uterus for implantation of the embryo or embryos and maintenance in early pregnancy as well as Endometrin another form of progesterone to support maintenance of early pregnancy; this I will insert vaginally three time per day. I will continue the injections until 12 weeks into the pregnancy. Jake and I will also take an antibiotic to ensure that there is no bacteria in our reproductive tract and ensure that I do not get an infection from the various procedures they will be doing.

 

While I am taking the medications, I will be monitored by ORM to check my blood, have ultrasounds, complete a mock transfer to map the path for the transfer date, and have a Sonohysterogram, a procedure where they fill my Uterine cavity with saline to check for any abnormalities (such as polyps or fibroids) and if needed, Hsterosalpingogram which is a an x-ray study of my uterine cavity, fallopian tubes and pelvis. As long as I do not have anything thing that could prevent a healthy implantation and pregnancy, we will continue to follow the calendar that has been prepared for me. If they do find something, I will have a procedure to correct the problem and then continue with the transfer.

 

As part of the agreement between the intended parents and myself, a life insurance policy is purchased to protect my family in the event that something happens to me during this process. This is very unlikely and just used as a precautionary part of the process. I had my physical exam with the nurse from the life insurance company today and while she was taking blood, Addy was so intrigued with the needle and the vials of blood, while Jackson was in the background, covering his eyes and yelling "Ewww...gross!!!" He takes after his daddy when it comes to needles!! Addy on the other hand has a love for taking care of others and wants to be a doctor or nurse someday! She went and grabbed her doctor kit and took the nurses blood pressure and pulse and listened to her heart during the exam! It was precious!!

 This has been such an amazing journey so far and I cannot wait to see how it all comes together. S & R are so excited and afraid at the same time. It is hard for them to get their hopes up when they have experienced so much heartache in the last few years. I wish I could be in Israel to be there for them during their difficult times because sometimes a hug says it all when no words seem to be right. I have a very great feeling about all of this and I know that in time, S & R will find comfort  and joy in this process and be able to trust that everything will okay!!

Contract is signed!!

We signed our contract with S & R last week and I could not be more pleased with how this part of the journey turned out! Our agency did a wonderful job explaining each and every part of this process and we were not surprised by anything we read. There were a few minor changes that each of us proposed and our attorney's did a beautiful job walking us through all of it!

I have my first appointment with Oregon Reproductive Medicine later this week and I will start the medical preparations for the embryo transfer. 

I can only imagine the roller coaster of emotions that S & R have with this whole process. They have expressed that they have a mix of tears of joy and tears of fear. They have waited so many years to add to their family and never could have imagined where their journey would take them. I am so blessed to have been chosen to take part in making their dreams come true!! 

Follow your heart

  

Throughout this whole process, everything has gone exactly how we hoped it would, up until this past week. We are at the point where we review our contract and make any changes that we see fit for our family. With that we have to rely on an attorney and trust that they have our best interest at heart. Although we called around and spoke with many Surrogacy Attorney's, the one that we were initially referred to seemed to have a lot of experience with our Agency and what the original draft of the contract looks like. As time past, we started to feel that our attorney was overwhelmed and in return made us feel that we were inconveniencing her when we would call. There seemed to be no sense of urgency to move forward and we were doing a lot of waiting around. 

I decided to call the agency to let them know my thoughts and how I was feeling. They were so understanding and we both agreed that our attorney was not a good fit for us. The intended parents are working with an Israeli Attorney and that requires someone with experience and knowledge in working with an International Attorney. We were connected with someone new today and it turns out she has worked with the IP's Attorney in Israel in the past. Within an hour of speaking with her, she had the very document in hand that I have been waiting a week to see. She sent it to me via e-mail and we will go over it tomorrow morning!! We feel really good about our decision to switch and move forward with someone new to represent us in this part of our journey.

It is not always easy to follow your heart when there is so much unknown in this process. For me, I was always wondering if I was being overly sensitive, or if this is just the way it is supposed to be. I am so happy that I followed my heart and made the decision to speak up for what feels right for our family. 

Stay tuned for my "Meet the Family" post!! I am beyond excited to introduce this amazing family that has touched our hearts and our lives!!!

"Live the life you love

Love the life you live"



love can travel miles

 

 

I have spent the last several days exchanging e-mails with 'S' and sharing our day to day lives with one another. It has been wonderful to bond and get to know one another across the miles. In one of the e-mails she explains how we both feel perfectly, even though it is difficult for her to write in English, she attempts it beautifully, saying that how she feels is not something that she can put in Google Translate.

 

"It is amazing how you can feel so close to someone while they are so far away

 and even though you never met them in person. It feels like a beautiful bond is

starting to grow between us, and I know it because when I saw your  

family pictures immediately tears came to my eyes."

 

When we started this journey, not knowing the family, I had a completely different outlook as to why we decided to do this. After meeting these amazing people, and truly becoming a part of their family with open arms, it brings a new level of knowing that we are exactly where we are supposed to be in our life. I know that they are going to be receiving a child; there is no greater gift than that, but what we are receiving in return is priceless and something that we will cherish each day for the rest of our lives.

 

A gift of love...a love that can travel miles.



The beginning of our Surrogacy Journey

I started this journey by hearing commercials on the radio for our Surrogacy Agency. After hearing them every night for several weeks I decided to check their site out. Prior to this, I never even knew how to start this whole process and I was very intrigued to see how is all works.

After looking into and reading up on all sorts of things Surrogate; I brought my thoughts to Jake to see how he felt about it. We talked about it, read up on it together, and spent lots of time researching several different agencies. We both decided that we would take the first steps with our agency and see how it all fell into place.

Fill out Intake Form

Jackson, Addy & Rylon
meeting everyone at the agency

Phone Interview

Fill out a more detailed questionnaire

Background check

Interview at the Agency with the director and co-founder-We brought the kids with us to our interview. They got to ask questions and be part of the process!

Medical Record review by the IVF clinic to make sure that I am cleared to be a surrogate

At this point in time, The Agency let me know that they were waiting to hear back from the IVF clinic but as long as they got good news from the clinic, they had a family in mind for us. They sent us their profile, which was a letter from the family and several pictures. I then gave them the okay to send our profile over to the family. They reviewed it and said that they would like to go ahead and set up a Skype meeting to meet us replying,

“We are so happy to hear this good news, and as usual I can’t stop the tears. It is such an emotional process, and it was hard waiting, but she seems to be perfect!!!”
The couple, Momma ’S’ and Dad ’R' live in Tel Aviv, Israel and they have a 4 year old, ‘B’. They were able to have their first child on their own and a year later they started to try for a second baby. 3 years and 15 IUI and IVF treatments later with several unsuccessful pregnancies they knew that they needed help to have the family they have always dreamed of having.

On July 18th, Jake and I went down to the agency to meet S & R and it could not have been more perfect! Their smiles light up the room even through a computer screen!
The next steps after both our families deciding to move forward, Jake and I had our psych evaluation which consisted of an hour interview with the psychologist and a 350 question test that I had to take. Then we had our home visit with a social worker . She asked lots of questions about our family and what a day in the life of a Ludlow consists of and Addy and Jackson even got to share their thoughts about this whole process. I know a lot of you are wondering how this is impacting the kids and how they feel about it. I will write a separate post as to how we have decided to share this experience with them.

We met our attorney last week and the contract is all written up and in review by S & R’s attorney. Once they are finished they will send it to our attorney for her to review with us and we will make any changes we see fit and that will go back and forth until both our families feel ready to sign!

Once the contract is signed, we will more forward with the medical prep for the IVF embryo transfer! I will have 2 embryos transfers to increase the chances of having at least one pregnancy with the very high possibility of ending up with a twin pregnancy.
I will update you all will a much shorter blog entry sometime next week when we have more info regarding the contract and IVF prep!


Thank you for being a part of this journey with us! We are so grateful for your love and support!!