Geocaching - My New Found Obsession

Ok, as I promised in my last post on Monday, I'm going to let you in on my new found obsession - Geocaching.  I first heard the term Geocaching on my virtual friend Mandy's blog, A Baby to Share.  She's also a surrogate who's decided to blog about her whole journey and I love reading her posts with all her wit and humor.  It was last month when she was blogging about her potential IP's match meeting in L.A. that she mentioned caching.  I wasn't familiar with the term, but was instantly intrigued and had to know what this "caching" was.  That's when she sent me the link and unleashed my newest obsession... which I'm sure after reading this post will be your newest obsession as well.  Hehe!

Our first geocache find

Geocaching is basically a free real-world outdoor treasure hunt.  Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using a smartphone or GPS.  The players can then share their experiences online for other players to see.  Currently there are 2,075,092 active geocaches and over 5 million geocachers worldwide.  Players are the ones that hide the caches, manage the caches, and find the caches.  Caches vary in size, shape, and contents.  Some caches are super small like a medicine pill bottle.  Other caches are very large like a 5 gallon paint bucket.  By this point I think I may be losing you though, so let me just tell you how our whole Geocaching experience got started.

As soon as Mandy gave me the link to the Geocaching website, I read all their rules and created an account.  I searched for geocaches close by my home and there were tons!  The kids, Brian, and I ended up taking a morning walk to the nearby neighborhood that had the two geocache locations I had chosen.  I picked them because they were close and they had been found within the last week so I figured they were still there.  Using the Geocache free starter app on my iPhone I followed the tracking system to the designated location.  Tracking only gets you so far though so after that we had to just rely on the provided description and clues to find the cache.  Unfortunately we weren't successful.  We searched and searched but couldn't find anything.  I think this killed my husband's and the kid's spirit a bit and we headed home.  I wasn't about to give up though.  Riley was still on my side and we headed out to a local park to find another.  Success!!!!  Luckily this was a pretty easy one that we were sure to find.  It was a camouflaged pill bottle with nothing more than a log and a pencil inside.  We signed the date and our team name to the log, and replaced the cache right where we found it in a bush.  Riley was so excited she wanted to find another right away!  We didn't have luck on the second one, but we did run home and log our find on the website.  Whoo Hoo!!!  We were just getting started.

Then Brian and I headed out to Oahu and I brought my new obsession with me.  There were so many geocaches showing up on the map in Oahu, but I limited my searching to a few so I wouldn't drive Brian crazy.  We found most of them at the Lost TV show filming locations and in the woods by our hotel.  With each find I was more and more hooked.  In total I found 7 caches in Oahu and I can't wait to find more now that we're home, and on all our future vacations.

Some of the many finds I had on Oahu.  The rat has the cache container hidden inside of it.  The bug is a trackable that I took back home to drop in another cache.  The canteen is just another form a cache can take.

So why do I love Geocaching so much?  Let me count the ways...

My first find on Oahu

1. It's FREE!!!  Ok, I did pay $10 to get the Official Smart-Phone Application so that searching would be easier, but it's not necessary.  They also sell some extras on their site, but totally not necessary to join in the fun.
2. It gets our whole family out of the house.  These days all my girls and even Linc want to do is watch TV and play on the iPad.  Geocaching gets them outside.  It's also a family activity so Brian and I are also outside spending time with our kids.
3. It helps the kids learn about maps, reading a compass, and distance.  Ok, it helps me too.  Hehe! I admit I'm map challenged at times.
4. It helps the kids learn about the world.  This week I'll be purchasing trackables for the girls.  It's a little token that we can leave in a cache that another geotracker can pick up and take with them.  They then leave the tracker in another geocache noting the location they leave it on the website.  The girls can then track all the places their tracker goes.  Over time it can travel all over the world!  Players will also often take pictures with the tracker or of the surroundings that the tracker is left in.  This is a way for the girls to see the world as their little tracker travels.  I think Riley is going to get one that looks like a unicorn and Reagan wants a seahorse.
5. It's a treasure hunting game!!!  Who doesn't love treasure hunting?  

Our most recent Geocaching adventure

Just thought I'd throw in the pictures above last minute.  This was our most recent Geocaching adventure yesterday.  It just goes to show you can find time to search for caches morning, noon, or night.  I picked up Riley from school and the first thing she asks is, "Can we go find treasure?"  Of course!  There just happened to be a cache nearby that I wanted to go check out.  This cache is about 10 years old!!!!  It was so awesome to read the log inside of it and see all these names from 2003 way before Riley was even born!  She was so psyched too because there were little trinkets in it to trade.  She ended up trading a Minnie Mouse hair tie for a little dragonfly.  Later that day we went to Reagan's swim classes.  Of course Riley asked while we were there, "Can we go find treasure???"  You don't have to ask me twice.  I found one on the site that was only 400 feet away, just behind the swim school on a bike trail.  We went walking and found the little yellow tube tied up to a tree.  Easy find!  Then later that night after dinner Riley and Reagan both asked if we could go find treasure again.  Sure enough there was a cache just over 400 feet away.  This time it was a family affair including the in-laws.  My father-inlaw ended up finding this one.  It was his first find!  So that was our crazy busy day of Geocaching.  You can do it anywhere!

So there you have it!  That's my new found obsession.  We've only just gotten started, but we can't wait to find more.  We've got a few trips planned to Shaver Lake, Disneyland, Conneticut, and Pismo Beach, and you can bet we'll be searching for more caches while we're there.

To find out more information visit the Geocaching website.  Don't forget to add our team as a friend while you're at it.  We're the "3Amigos+2".  

Surro Files - Our Surromoon in Oahu

Standing at Laie Point

Now I know most of you have heard of a Babymoon (one last big trip before you have a baby).  This is kind of like that, but instead it's one last big trip before we start the surrogacy process - a Surromoon (I totally made this name up).  We actually had this trip planned long before we decided on doing the surrogacy, but Brian and I had both agreed that we wouldn't do the transfer till after this trip.  This was our last time to let loose, jump in a hot tub, have a drink, go surfing, hike a mountain... you know... all the crazy stuff that I can't do while pregnant.  Let me just say, it was AWESOME!!!

Turtle Beach

For our Surromoon we went to Oahu, Hawaii.  This was our first time to Hawaii.  Everyone keepstelling us how great it is, but when Allegiant Air announced it was going to have direct flights from Fresno to Oahu for $100 each way, were were all over it!  Oahu here we come!!!  We left on Saturday and came home on Friday (that's the only flights they do out of Fresno right now).  Brian booked a room at the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore (yes, the one in (Forgetting Sarah Marshall).  We're not big city folks so the North Shore was just our style.  We also got an amazing deal at the hotel (about 1/3 of what regular rates go for)!!!  Sure, they were under construction updating the whole hotel, but it really didn't bother us at all.  So what did we do while on our trip???  Let me tell you...

We Ate LOTS of Food!

What else do you do on vacation?  We ate, and ate, and ate some more!  There were so many places I wanted to try and I'm pretty happy to say that I almost tried all the ones I wanted to try.  They were DELISH!  The first place we hit up was Nico's on Pier 38.  OMG!  This was so yum and they had lots to choose from.  Brian got a fish wrap and I got some of the Hawaiian favorites (beef stew and orange chicken).  We also got some peanut butter cheesecake and creme brulee cheesecake.  Yum!  The prices were great too.  At the resort we tried a couple of their restaurants.  The super fancy one was under construction, but Ola's was awesome and the view was even better sitting right on the beach.  We also tried their new Kula Grill which is all authentic island food.  None of that compared to our favorite find on the island though.  If you ever head out to Oahu you have to save some room for the shrimp trucks!!!  I'm drooling just thinking about them.  We tried three of the most popular shrimp trucks on the island.  Giovanni's is probably the most well known shrimp truck.  I loved that it was by a shopping market, a shaved ice stand, and the awesome corn stand that we unfortunately didn't get to try.  Romy's seemed to be the most popular with locals but seemed the hardest to peel.  It had the best garlic topping!  Our fave hands down was Macky's shrimp truck though.  The shells just dropped off and their lemon pepper shrimp was to die for!  We also had this awesome pie that's noted to make locals cry just thinking about it.  It's a chocolate haupia pie from Ted's Bakery.  YUM!!!!!

Shrimp trucks on Oahu, Hawaii

We Climbed Diamond Head

Diamond Head is a huge crater that overlooks all of Waikiki and beyond.  It's a 2 mile hike there and back at a fairly steep incline at some points, but all the huffing and puffing was worth it just to see the view at the top.

The view from Diamond Head

We Went Surfing

Oh yes, you heard me right!  That's not my stunt double, but actually me on a surf board riding the waves of the North Shore.  Ok, my daughter said that's not a wave but I assure you that I was moving forward no matter how small that wave looks.  I totally would have went out again, but my ribs, hips, and elbows were a bit bruised after the 2 hour training session.

Surf lessons at Turtle Bay Resort

We Walked Across The Ocean To Goat Island

I kid you not.  We seriously walked across the ocean to this little island just off the shore of Le'ai.  Goat Island is about 500 ft to the small island, but you have to take it really slow.  One slip and you'll be a bloody mess as you fall on the coral in the ocean.  We went in the morning while it was low tide.  I thought this would be easier, but it was actually easier to walk back when the tide was higher and if I fell, I'd just fall in the water.  When we got over there the beach was completely deserted, but after we walked back the rest of the people on the beach realized that you could walk there and our private beach was taken over.  If we were smart like this other couple though, we would have taken a kayak out there.  It looked way easier.

The walk to Goat Island

We Sailed Out On A Catamaran

Brian booked us a ride on the Maita'i Catamaran with views of Waikiki and Diamond Head.  It was awesome seeing the city view from way out at sea, but I realized after we got on the boat that I forgot to put sunscreen on my legs and feet.  BAD MISTAKE!  I could feel my skin burning to a crisp and for the rest of our trip I just looked like that white girl tourist that doesn't know how to put on sunscreen.  Ooops!

We Searched Out The Film Locations of Lost & The Hunger Games

Brian and I are HUGE Lost fans!!!  Can you think of a better show???  Anyways, we were totally excited when we found out that the show was filmed on Oahu, so you can bet that I searched out all the Lost film locations.  There were quite a few locations, but we just visited a few.  First we headed out to the camp site of "the others".  Did you know that it's actually a YMCA camp?  We couldn't go up to the houses, but we took some pictures.  I even saw some of "the others" walking around.  Freaky!  Haha!  We also visited the crash site of the plane on the beach.  Last night we watched that first episode and it was awesome to see we were standing right there!!!!  We also went through the woods by the Turtle Bay Resort where Jack, Kate, & Charlie ran from the monster, as well as the Banyan Tree's where various scenes were filmed.

The Lost plane crash site / The Banyan Trees / The village of "the others"

The night before we left home I found out that the second movie from The Hunger Games was also filmed here!  I was actually reading that book on the plane ride to Oahu.  Of course I had to see it and play out my own scene from the Hunger Games as a dead victor.  Yes, I know I'm a dork.  Haha!

The Hunger Games (Catching Fire) film location on Oahu

We Went Geocaching

Ok, this is my new found obsession and I'm going to dedicate a whole other post to exactly what it is, but I'm seriously obsessed now and found 7 caches while I was there.  I would have found a ton more, but Brian's not sold on the whole Geocaching deal yet and just thinks I'm a dork (haha!  clearly true).  I know he'll come around though.  Who doesn't love a good treasure hunt???

Geocaching finds

We Went Snorkeling at Sharks Cove

Shark's Cove is noted to have the best snorkeling on the island and I can totally see why.  The area is completely blocked off from the crashing waves of the ocean so lots of fish can swim around in small pools with lots of coral.  We brought our digital water camera so we were able to get some great video of the fishes for the girls to see.  The water was also warmer than the ocean water since it was shallow and got lots of sun.  Beware of sea urchins though.  There are tons of the spiky little boogers all over the place!

Snorkeling in Sharks Cove

We Hung Out At The Pool

This was Brian's favorite part of the trip.  His idea of vacation is sitting in the pool throwing back Maitai's, so we dedicated 2 days to just relaxing.  This gave me lots of time to catch up on my Hunger Games book (I'm on the 3rd one).  The Turtle Bay Resort has a nice pool; two of them actually.  The main pool overlooks the ocean and has a couple little coves you can sit in.  the second pool has a slide and a waterfall with a second waterfall that goes into a kiddie pool.  This is the one we were in most of the time since it had more shade.  Ok, when I say "we" went in, I really mean Brian since I'm not the swimming type, but I did go in once.  Brian went on the slide and cracked us up by getting stuck.  Guess it's just meant for the little ones at the resort.  Haha!

Turtle Bay Resort swimming pool

Heading Home...

So that was our surromoon trip to Oahu, Hawaii.  We checked out a few other places, but those were the highlights of our trip.  By the end we were ready to get back home to our little munchkins.  I missed them so much!  We tried to Skype with them whenever we could but at some point you just want to wrap your arms around them and give a big hug!

And So It Begins...

Technically cycling for the transfer has already begun.  I started my birth control pills to sync my cycle with the egg donor on the day we flew out to Oahu last weekend.  Next weekend I will start my Lupron injections.  It's just so exciting to finally get started and I can't wait to see the future mommy, Belle, again when we fly out to Connecticut for the transfer next month!

Don't forget to check out my "Surrogacy" tab at the top of this page to catch up on any posts you might have missed

*Some of the names in this post have been changed to protect the identities of those involved in this journey

Surro Files - We Have A Date!!!!!!

Eeeeeeeeeek!!!!!!!  Ok, I know I just wrote you all yesterday, but I just had to let you all know the great news!  After I posted yesterday I got word of a tentative embryo transfer schedule.  Today I got word that the schedule was approved by both myself and the egg donor.  We are a go!!!!!  Of course the 1st person I e-mailed was the soon to be mommy, Belle.  I wish she was here so we could jump up and down in excitement together.  I know we're both jumping for joy across the seas though.  Eeeeeeeeek!!!!!! That's all I can say.  So this is how it's all going to go down.

May 4th - I will start my new pack of birth control pills.

May 19th - I will start my Lupron injections.  This will suppress my ovaries and make sure I don't ovulate.

May 25th - I will take my last birth control pill.

May 29th - I will go in for a monitoring checkup to check my uterus lining.

May 30th - I will most likely start taking Estradiol if all looks well.  This is a pregnancy hormone that helps to grow the lining of the uterus and maintain a pregnancy.  This is needed since the doctors are trying to kick start a pregnancy that was not started on it's own in my body.

June 5th - I will go in for another monitoring checkup.

June 13th - I will go in for another monitoring checkup.  If all looks well then we are a go for the transfer.

Week of June 17th - Transfer Week !!!!  We will fly out to Connecticut for the transfer.  This trip will take about 5 days to include monitoring, the transfer, and some rest time before we fly back home.

Eeeeeeeek!!!!!!!  It's all so exciting!

Don't forget to check out my "Surrogacy" tab at the top of this page to catch up on any posts you might have missed

*Some of the names in this post have been changed to protect the identities of those involved in this journey

Surro Files - Sick As A Dog

Let me start out by saying this week has NOT been fun!  I've been sick as a dog (who ever came up with that expression???).  It all started with my girls getting sick, then my in-laws got sick, then I got sick, then Linc got sick, and now Reagan is sick... again!  Bla!  It's not an easy sick either.  I've had fever, chills, body aches, nasal drip, and coughing... oh the coughing!!!!  It's never ending.  I will just hack, and hack, and hack till I practically puke (ok, I have puked a few times).  It just won't stop.  I ended up going to the doctor and they gave me everything under the sun.  I got some antibiotics, some cough medicine, some nasal spray, and a shot in the butt.  Oh, and to top it all off I pulled something in my neck giving me excruciating neck pain so the doctor gave me some pain pills for that too (which didn't even work.  Bla!).  I'm just a hot mess.  Today I can finally say that I think I'm better though.  Yes, the cough is still there, but other than that I feel back to my old self.  Now if we could just get Linc and Reagan there.  My poor babies are just miserable and it makes me sooooo sad.

As far as what's going on with the surrogacy, we hit a huge milestone!!!!  We finally got clearance for the clinic to set up and give us a schedule for the transfer!!!!!  Eeeeeeeek!!!!  All contracts from all parties are signed, so we are ready to roll.  We should get word this week on a schedule.  I can't wait!  I'm still not sure if we're planning on doing a fresh or frozen transfer now that we're so close to when I'm ready to start cycling.  I guess I'll find out soon enough and I'll let you all know.  With a fresh transfer the egg donor and I will sync our cycles together.  We'll both take our hormone medications for a certain period of time and then the egg donor will go in to have the eggs she's produced for that cycle removed.  They'll then take those eggs and create embryos using the sperm donors sperm.  Once the embryos are ready they will then transfer the best one to me.  With a frozen transfer they will pretty much do the same thing, but they will not sync my cycle with the egg donors.  Once they are done creating the embryos they will then freeze them so that they are ready to go when I am ready to transfer.  It's all such an exciting and fascinating process.  We'll soon be creating this perfect little life and I just can't believe that we'll be starting so soon!

This time next week Brian and I will be in Hawaii!!!  I'm counting the days, the hours, and the seconds till we go... 4 days, 19 hours, and 22 seconds till we go... 21 seconds... 20 seconds... hehe!  This is our last big vacation till we get this whole surrogacy adventure on the started and it's going to be a blast!  I'm a little embarrased to say that I'm already packed.  I have been since Saturday (a week before we leave).  I just keep looking at that bag and thinking... OMG... I'll be seeing Hawaii for the first time very soon.  It's just amazing to think about.  Now if we can just get to Saturday without Brian getting sick then it will be a miracle.

Don't forget to check out my "Surrogacy" tab at the top of this page to catch up on any posts you might have missed

*Some of the names in this post have been changed to protect the identities of those involved in this journey

Infertility Etiquitte

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

For those of you that might not know, this week is National Fertility Awareness Week. This week goes out to all those women and men who have struggled to add a child to their family. It's a topic that is sometimes hard to grasp and awkward to talk about without fear of saying the wrong thing.  I came across this post while researching what I could talk about for this very special week.  I know I myself have sadly broken at least one or two of the following rules.  It's just so hard to know what to say and when to say it.  If you know someone struggling with infertility, this list of Infertility Etiquitte rules may help you break the silence... or in some cases silence what should not be said.  In the end just try and be there for your friend, family member, co-worker, or acquaintance.  Knowing you are thinking of them and there for them during this tough time is worth more than you will ever know.  

Don't Tell Them to Relax - After a year plus of trying to conceive, the last thing a couple wants to hear is that they just need to relax.  Infertility is a disease, and relaxing is usually not the problem.

Don't Minimize the Problem - Don't say, "Well at least you won't have to..." fill in the blank (change dirty diapers, listen to a crying baby all night, pay for a college tuition, etc). For those that want a child, they would gladly take all the "bad" that comes with having a child if they could.

Don't Say There Are Worse Things That Could Happen - No person can say what is the worst thing that can happen. The answer to this question is different for everyone. For one it might be the death of a family member, for another it might be losing their job, for yet another it might be getting a divorce, and yet for another it might be not having the chance to have a child.

Don't Say They Aren't Meant to Be Parents - This is one of my pet peeves Please don't say, "It's just not in God's plan." Or for those that are not religious, "It just wasn't meant to be." Who has the right to say who can and can not have children. As for the God part, I don't want to get into a religious debate, but if God was selecting who could and could not have children, then he wouldn't give children to those addicted to crack and leave loving would-be parents sterile.

Don't Ask Why They Aren't Trying IVF - IVF is a serious matter and not to be taken lightly. It's insulting to ask such a question so lightly. I'm sure they've considered it or already tried it, but remember that IVF is no walk in the park. There are lots of medications to be taken, risks involved, and high prices attached.

Don't Be Crude - Don't make crude infertility jokes. You might be trying to lighten the mood, but deep down it's just hurtful to those that are involved.

Don't Complain About Your Pregnancy - It's hard enough for someone who is infertile to be around others that are pregnant. It's a constant reminder of what they long for. Yes, pregnancy is hard and your hardships are valid, but remember that someone with infertility would take all those hardships x10 just to carry a baby of their own.

Don't Treat Them Like They Are Ignorant - Don't tell them that they would not want to be pregnant so bad if they knew what they were getting themselves into.

Don't Gossip About Your Friend's Condition - Infertility is a personal matter. Be honored that they shared their story with you and respect that the decision of who they share their story with is theirs to be made.

Don't Push Adoption (Yet) - Don't push them to move on to a new chapter if they are not ready.

Let Them Know That You Care - Sometimes the most simple efforts are the most important. Let them know you are there for them if they need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on. Send them a card. Tell them you are thinking of them. You don't need to solve the problem. You just need to acknowledge it and let them know that you care.

Remember Them on Mother's Day - This is most likely a tough day for those women struggling with infertility. Take the time to reach out to them with a card, e-mail, or a call so that they know they aren't forgotten.

Support Their Decision to Stop Treatments - The decision to stop treatments is a hard one for those with infertility to make. Don't make them question their decision or feel bad about the choice that they have made. Support them.

For the full post on Infertility Etiquitte written by RESOLVE - The National Infertility Association, please visit their website.  They've also got lots of other great information in infertility and how you can get involved to help spread awareness to others.  This is a great site for both those struggling with infertility and those that are just looking to give support to someone who is.

Join The Movement - Helping a Couple Through Surrogacy

April 21st - April 27th is recognized in the US as National Infertility Awareness Week. This week is a time to stand with those that are suffering through the disease of infertility. For years it's been a topic that is commonly overlooked, shied away from, or minimized in seriousness. Why is this? Why is it so hard for us to talk about? It seems like any topic that involves pain and sadness is commonly avoided. We don't know what to say or what to do to fix the problem so we just try to ignore that it's even there. Because of this we don't even really fully understand what the problem is because nobody wants to talk about it. As an example... When I had my miscarriage two years ago I went to have a Christmas dinner party with some of my very best friends. At that party while us girls talked and the guys watched TV, I shared about my loss. It was awkward and scary, but at the same time I found out that almost every one of my friends had lost a baby. How did I not know this??? These were my best friends! It's just not a topic that we want to talk about normally. Like I said before, what do we say? Because of that moment we all realized that we shared something and we realized that loss was much more common than we realized. In that moment we felt a bond that we didn't realize that we shared. In that moment we felt comfort in a topic that we didn't before.

This is what National Infertility Awareness Week is all about.  It's about bringing a topic that is not commonly talked about out into the open for all to hear.  It's about sharing the facts and sharing the stories.  It's about lending a shoulder to those that need it.  It's about feeling free to share our stories and knowing others will care.  And so my story begins...

I've been around the trying to conceive community for a little over 3 years now.  When trying to get pregnant with my girls I was in tune with my reproductive system, but it wasn't till I tried to get pregnant with Lincoln that I reached out to others that were also trying to get pregnant.  It was a common bond that we all could share.  During that year on the Fertility Friend chat forums I met hundreds, if not thousands of woman all with the same goal - to get pregnant.  We all went through the ups and downs together.  We rejoiced in the pregnancies, and comforted each other each month that went by where we were not successful.  Some women got pregnant quick, while others had gone years without seeing a single positive pregnancy test.  Others have went through a loss like myself; some have went through many.  It was over this year that I made many friends and created bonds that will never be broken.  

It was during that time that I met my friend Belle.  We started out in a group waiting to test, or waiting to ovulate (I'm not sure, as I had joined so many over that year).  When the month passed our group stuck around and continued to go through cycles together.  We cheered each other on, congratulated those that got pregnant, and comforted those that did not.  In the meantime we came to know each other very well.  We even named our group, "DH + ME = BFP" (dear husband plus me equals a big fat positive pregnancy).  After I got pregnant and had Lincoln I lost my membership and got caught up in life.  In the process I lost contact with my group including my friend Belle.  Little did I know she had kept up with me through my blog.  It was a welcome surprise when I heard from her through an e-mail.  She wanted to know how I'd been doing and informed me that she and her husband were now on their 5th round of IVF, but not feeling positive that it would give them the child they desired.  At the same time she amazed me with hope.  She was turning to a new chapter in her trying to conceive journey.  She was looking to surrogacy, an egg donor, and a sperm donor.  It might not have been the journey she had ever imagined 2-1/2 years ago when we first met, but she was excited to take this next step to start the family that they have always wanted.  I told her to keep me updated as I wished only the best for her, and I just knew that more amazing updates were to come.  

From the time I received that e-mail in November 2012, I couldn't get Belle out of my mind.  I wished the best for her and her husband and wished there was something I could do.  Was there?  I knew I was too old to be an egg donor and I knew Brian would never agree, but could I be her surrogate?  Could I dedicate a year of my life to helping her create the child that we had hoped for her 2-1/2 years ago?  Would my husband agree?  Would I even be a good candidate?  There were so many questions, but the idea stuck with me.  It wasn't till January 2013 that I officially decided that this was something I wanted to do and it wasn't till February of 2013 that Brian agreed with me.  Of course this was a big decision that would affect our whole family and it couldn't be taken lightly.

During the month of February I applied to the same agency that my friend Belle was with.  At that time I didn't tell Belle my ultimate goal.  It might have been fear.  It might have been caution.  It might have been that same reason that we don't talk about infertility in the first place.  What do I say?  If I was going to do this journey, I wanted it to be with her (although if it didn't work out I was more than happy to help another infertile couple).  Most of all, I didn't want her to feel pressured to pick me.  Maybe I wasn't the match she was looking for.  That being said, I put on my application that if at all possible I would like to be presented as a possible match for my friend and her husband.  Little did I know, she had done the same.  Great minds think alike I guess!  In March 2013 we were officially matched and now we just wait for the process to begin.  It actually looks like next week the ball will start rolling with the egg donor!  Then I'll hopefully go in for the embryo transfer in June or July.  Eeeek!  It's so close!!!!

I just can't believe this is all happening!  I can't wait for the day we transfer what could be her long awaited child.  I can't wait to get the news that we're pregnant.  I can't wait for the day that I get to watch their baby being handed over to them and see the same tears of joy that Brian and I had when we met our children for the first time.  It will be a magical moment that I am honored that they are letting me share with them.  It will be a moment that I will never forget.  Who would have known 2-1/2 years ago that Belle and I would be re-united in this way?  Who would have known that I'd be flying clear across the US to transfer a baby for a couple that lives halfway across the world that I only know through the internet.  That's the magic of community.  That's the magic of voice.  That's the magic of friendship.

So as I venture on this journey I've decided to blog about it.  What else would I do?  I want to spread the word to others and let them know that infertility and surrogacy are topics that should be free to be shared.  As soon as Brian and I made our decision for this path in life, I shared with everyone I knew.  I do not fear the questions and instead welcome them.  I may not have all the answers (I'm positive that I don't), but I want others to feel that they can ask me anything and I will answer honestly and to the best of my ability.  After all, isn't that the goal of this week?  We all must spread awareness, and this is my small part.  

For more information regarding National Infertility Awareness Week or to learn more about the disease of infertility, please visit these websites.

http://www.resolve.org/infertility101 (Basic understanding of the disease of infertility.)

http://www.resolve.org/national-infertility-awareness-week/about.html (About NIAW)

Don't forget to check out my "Surrogacy" tab at the top of this page to catch up on any posts you might have missed regarding my surrogacy journey

*Some of the names in this post have been changed to protect the identities of those involved in this journey*