Note to Self...

Do not attempt any of the following in conjunction with the other...
1.  Move to Dallas in the heat of summer (it is 108 degrees today).
2.  Renovate one home while selling another, in two different cities.
3.  Move into a home that is still under renovation and do much of the renovation yourself to save money.
4.  Do any of the above while 30 weeks pregnant with twins that could arrive any day!!!!

Have you ever heard of biting off more than you can chew???  Ugh.  The past six weeks have been a whirlwind.  Decide to move cross country, buy a home, put another home on the market, begin renovations and move!  Ready, set, go!  I have not had a spare moment for anything - no blogging, no reading of blogs, nothing.  I miss my leisurely walks in the morning with Steve and the dogs...and the sense of organization and comfort in knowing exactly where to find a pair of underwear or a spoon.

All that said, I felt I had to get a quick post out and catch up on all our surrogate buddies' news - so I am doing just that.  Status report.
1.  31 Weeks tomorrow and all is well.
2.  Home renovations in Dallas are 80% complete - nursery is missing cribs, but they are en route.  Minor detail.
3.  Home in LA is not moving - market is worse than we thought - have reduced the price 3x.
4.  Baby shower in LA was touching, emotional and fruitful!
5.  Having my parents nearby is priceless (my dad is an electrician so he has come in quite handy).
6.  Dallas is HOT in summer.
7.  Dallas is REALLY HOT in summer.
8.  Living on McDonald's and pizza buffets and skipping the gym is only fun for so long.
9.  Developing love handles is not fun at all.
10.  I love my life :)

Before and after pics of the kitchen in Dallas - it was tragic before and very cool now!  It is not 100%, but it is getting there...

Before

And After

And the baby shower hosted by my friends Jim and Kathleen

This was half chocolate and half white cream with fresh strawberries inside!

Us with our hosts (Jim and Kathleen - remember Kathleen from the Taj Mahal?)  She is still bitter that we left LA with 'her babies' - Auntie Kathleen will just have to visit Dallas often!

We got SO MUCH STUFF!

Here's to praying for a few more weeks gestation!  37 weeks, full term is September 14.  Would be a blessing if we made it till then, but we know it will likely be sooner.  I check my phone every morning to see if there is anything from Dr S...

Sorry for being so out of touch and looking forward to keeping up with everyone's news more closely going forward.

BiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiG NEWS!

Almost 26 weeks and all is well - and lots going on!  Many of our readers know that I am not a native Californian - love it as I may, our palm trees and endless days of sunshine and cool breezes - I left my heart in Texas.  I was born, raised and educated there - and then, I left - 16 years ago.  Off to build a career, I set off on a series of moves that would take me from Texas to Miami to Atlanta and then to LA.  Our life here is amazing on every level, but there is one big missing element - family.  My family is still in Texas and Steve's in Atlanta.  We own a small, 1925 spanish home in West Hollywood, right off Melrose, walking distance to just about anything you could want - it is a duplex and we rent one side and call the other side our own - our side is 2 bedrooms, 1 bath - and when I say 'bath', I mean 'shower'.  We knew when we began this journey thru surrogacy that our home was going to be a challenge for raising a child - we share a wall with our tenant and the 'baby's room' is adjacent to her room.  And did I mention, NO BATH TUB?!?!  We have debated an extension to the home, but there is no easy way to do it.  We have debated moving to the burbs, but I can't stand the idea.  We have also talked about moving back to Texas one day - where your $$ goes 5 times as far.  It just so happens that we are doing just that...moving to Texas.

Long story short - I am the national sales manager for a company headquartered in LA, but with showrooms in 12 cities.  I am fortunate to work for a very generous owner who understands the importance of family.  Immediately after presenting the idea, she offered her support.  The fact of the matter is that I will be more centrally located in the country which will cut my travel time in half when going to DC, NY, Boston or Miami.  We will be within 3 hours of my parents which is priceless.  We purchased twice the home for 1/5 the price...the list goes on.  We are actually going to have a nursery!!!!!  We leave this Friday.  Steve's family is thrilled as they are now within a reasonable driving distance or 1 1/2 hour flight.  I am not looking forward to the oppressive temperatures that Dallas sports in summer, but other than that, I am just about happier than humanly possible.  We will miss our life here, but we have a new one that is just getting started - and the access to two expert baby helpers - my mom and dad.

And, now, for more big news - check out this baby bump!!!!

Looks like we better get to Dallas quickly and get that nursery together!  Our shower is July 22 here in LA so we will be back for that...

New Pictures - Can You See Their Faces Now?

I actually got these last week at 22 weeks, but I haven't had time to post.  One is looking down and one is looking up.  We are 23 weeks now.  Just a couple more weeks until they are viable!  Trying not to worry, but it isn't working.  Our surrogate was hospitalized a couple of weeks ago with mild uterine contractions, but was treated and released a couple of days later.  We are so lucky to have such great medical care! 

Congrats to George in Australia on the birth of his twins!  We all started this journey together last year and it is so amazing to see it coming to fruition for so many of us!  Many more to come in the coming months.

20 Weeks!

Wow!  We received these 3D shots yesterday and although we wish they were clearer, it is still so exciting to see the outline of their faces...blurry as the images may be, you can tell there are little people's faces in there!  Pretty fun.

I have been traveling like a crazy person - as I have mentioned many times.  Last week I was back in DC and NY for the third month in a row and all this travel time gives me a little too much time to worry about the pregnancy - 6 1/2 hours from JFK to LAX is way too much time for roaming thoughts about 'doomsday', 'what if' scenarios.  I guess you never feel safe about these fragile pregnancies until the babies are in your arms.  The truth of the matter is that we have had an uneventful pregnancy this time around.  Statistically, a third miscarriage in a row would be pretty unlikely, right?  It is medically not even considered to be a miscarriage after 20 weeks.  Even still, I found myself using the in-flight internet to search 'Dr Google' en route from NY back to LA on Friday.  I found a disturbing study on triplet to twin, reduction pregnancies.  In the study, 11% of the pregnancies ended at 21 or 22 weeks.  Ok, so two more weeks of worrying!  Crazy thoughts, I know.  I just keep thinking about the fact that 28 weeks is considered the 'point of viability'.  Of course we don't want preemies at 28 weeks, but the idea of only having 8 weeks to go until the babies could likely survive on their own, outside the womb, is a date 'in bold' on the calendar.

I know the next 8 weeks will fly by.  I am in Vegas for a trade show all next week, in Boston the week following and in Chicago after that.  Steve's mom is arriving for her annual visit in June as well.  It will be July before we know it and then back to India in August.  Whew!

It is exciting to see that so many of our surro buddies are getting closer and closer to delivery.  As Dr Shivani recently reported on her blog, SCI currently has over 50 ongoing pregnancies and many of these start to go to term in June/July/August!  I can't wait to see all of our friends' births posted on line, one by one.  Good stuff.

Terry & Steve

Quick Update - Almost 18 Weeks...

This will be quickie!  I am so sorry for not posting sooner.  My travel schedule with work has been nuts!

We were to have had a scan at 16 weeks but our surrogate was a bit under the weather - nothing serious, a few antibiotics, all better.  So, we had a scan at 17 weeks (last Tuesday), but I haven't had the time to post!  Here are the two little ones.  We are just one day shy of 18 weeks...

Twin 1 (measuring 17 weeks 5 days) at 17 Weeks

Twin 2 (measuring 17 weeks, 1 day) at 17 Weeks

Can't wait for the 3D pics at 20 weeks!

Terry & Steve

14.5 Weeks

It seems like I should be posting a 2 week update, but everything is perfect ('touch wood' as Dr Shivani says).  We received our most recent scans this morning and both babies are progressing perfectly.  At the time of the scan today we were at 14 weeks 3 days and Twin 1 is measuring at 15 weeks 1 day and Twin 2 is measuring at 14 weeks 5 days...so both right on track if not ahead of schedule!  I can honestly say we are both relaxing finally.  If all goes according to plan and they come at 35-36 weeks, then they will be joining us around the last week of August - that is only a little over 4 months from now!!!  WOW!

So, given all is well, I thought I'd post something different this morning.  I really don't stop often enough and just appreciate the amazing place we live.  When Steve and I left the house this morning for our early morning walk with the pups, the sun was just rising.  I was so taken with how beautiful things are with the arrival of spring - so green and in early bloom.  We have peaches galore, limes and our apple tree is covered in new buds of growth.  We have an 8' wall of jasmine on the left, front entrance to our home and while they bloomed a month ago, the buds are still there and we are now getting an unusual second round of blooms - the fragrance is so strong you smell them from the street.  Steve is a landscaper and an avid gardener so things are always immaculate, but this morning I just had to grab a couple of photos...

And then there is just one more fun little note...we actually added a third 'fur baby' to our family a couple of months back.  Everyone thinks we have lost our minds - 3 dogs + 2 kids?!?!?!?  Seriously?  Yes, we fell in love with the idea of a Havanese.  They are the most amazing dogs and I ran across a breeder on the west coast that had 2 puppies that were chocolate/white mix - a rare combo.  We drove and met her in Sacramento and then there were three...introducing Lucy! We are officially like the old lady who lived in a shoe...had so many kids she didn't know what to do...have I mentioned Steve is going to be a stay at home dad?  I think he will be a natural based on the looks of this.

Next post at 16 weeks!

Love,
Terry & Steve

12 Week Update

Here they are - our twins - at 12 weeks 2 days.  Scans all look terrific and they are both measuring over a week ahead.  Twin 1 is measuring at 13 weeks 3 days and Twin 2 is measuring at 13 weeks 1 day.  YAY!  YAY!  YAY!

5 days to go in the first Trimester.  Almost past another milestone.

THANK YOU DR SHIVANI!!!

Estimated due date is end of September which means they will likely join us the last week of August or the first week of September.  We are finally getting excited about the reality of what this might be.  Is this really happening?  Are we really going to have a family?  All we can do is keep on praying and keep on thinking happy, positive thoughts.