Sister Wives, Second Trimester, & More

I know, I know, I know...I am the worst blogger...ever!!!  I swear I don't mean to be so lazy; I've just been a tad busy running an online boutique during the holidays (and cursing Google's new algorithm in the process), doing the cheerleading carpool thing, and wrapping up my son's rookie season as a Middle Linebacker on his middle school's heavyweight football team.  Oh yes..there's also that issue of making room for baby, making sure Ashley is doing well...and the list goes on and on.

So, happy second trimester friends!!!!!  Can you tell I'm excited?  I swear I have to pinch myself (often) to believe this far-fetched idea George and I concocted four years ago is now one amazing reality!  I often find myself wondering what I did to deserve such an incredible blessing at this stage of my life.  My fear of becoming a young early nester has now been replaced with the excitement of sending my youngest child off to college when Bean enters kindergarten.  The thrill of getting one last chance at raising a child is just too amazing for me to even process at times; George and I are just filled with an overwhelming sense of joy.

On to the good stuff.  Look at how much Bean has grown!  The ultrasound picture below was taken two weeks ago, so, I often daydream about how big our bambino is now.  It's amazing how much this child has developed; In just a few weeks we went from wincing at a microscopic eight-cell embryo to this!

Bean grew to this size just 11 weeks after the day he/she was "born" in a petri dish.  I can only describe our embryologist in two words: miracle maker.  Our embryologist was there with us for every step of the way - she was in the operating room with me during my egg retrieval, fertilized my eggs that same day, called me every morning after the fertilization to tell me how our embryos were developing, and, she then had the overwhelming responsibility of choosing which two embryos we should transfer into Ashley's uterus.  One thing I am always asked is, "Is Bean definitely a girl?"  I honestly don't know; I refer to Bean as a "she" simply because of her heartbeat.  Bean's heartbeat is always in the 170-range as was her older sister's, whereas my son's heartbeat was always in the 130-150 range.  If old wives tales and Chinese calendars are accurate, Bean is a girl, but, the real proof lies in the pudding.  George and I are super excited to fly to Ashley's hometown in eight weeks to learn Bean's gender at our next ultrasound.

As Bean grows, so does Ashley's belly!  Ashley is a rock star, and, she was awesome enough to send me this picture of her growing tummy.  Check out Ashley's baby bump right under her belly button!  I love when Ashley sends me pictures - it's so amazing to see how my baby is growing in her womb.  I cry the happiest tears every time I see an ultrasound video, sonogram photo, or belly bump picture.  Ashley's taking the best care of my baby, and, I couldn't be more proud of or grateful to her.  Here is her most recent belly shot.

Now, you may be wondering why I included the TLC show, Sister Wives in this post's title.  I'm not sure how many of you watch that television show, but, I've watched it from the first episode, and, I must admit that I am hooked on it!  Don't get me wrong - I will never be able to comprehend that whole husband sharing bit, but, they do seem like a very loving family whose members support one another through thick and thin.  Minus that creepy "same father" element to the show, they are otherwise one big, happy, blended family, and, I can relate to that.  Our family has come from all over the map to, and, we are one crazy bunch who loves the hell out of each other, even when our tongues are bleeding from biting them!

Another element of Sister Wives that I can completely relate to is the fertility struggle of Meri (Cody Brown's first wife).  Her oldest daughter Mariah is preparing to depart home for college, leaving Meri in one huge, empty house, all alone (remember - her husband has three other wives he needs to visit during the week!).  Last season, after Robin (Cody Brown's fourth wife) delivered her first baby with Cody (her fourth child - she has three older children from a previous marriage), Robin offered to be Meri's surrogate to fulfill her dream of becoming a mother again.  Cue the hysterics!  Ashley and I now cry every time that issue is discussed on the show (which we no longer miss due to our connection to the show's storyline!).

So, what's my point?  Well, if you watch the show, you can see that Meri is having a hard time accepting Robin's offer to carry her baby.  If you're anything like me, I'm often ready to scream, "Just say yes!!!" at my television every Sunday night.  So, for that reason, I feel the need to come to Meri's defense here.

Having a baby via gestational surrogacy was very easy for George and me.  I've always been very candid about it: I can't carry a baby, but I can have a baby, and, I chose to do it via whatever means necessary.  By making this choice, a woman is essentially accepting the fact that she cannot carry her own child, and, that can be very hard.  If you think about it, having babies is the one thing we are supposed to be able to do.  When our bodies fail us, it sucks, period.  But, gestational surrogacy has also given me so much more than a baby.  Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would develop this amazing bond with Ashley.  It's not even describable really - it's just something we both know is there, and, it will never be broken.  Ashley once summed it up best when she said, "We'll all be better people for it in the end," and, nothing could be more accurate.  So please Meri, take this Intended Mother's advice, and go for it!

Watch Sister Wives?  Share your thoughts with me (or anything else for that matter!).  I love reading your comments!

Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving with your amazing families and friends!