On the move...

We received an email from "M" this morning that baby girl is "on the move" and rotated a bit last night.  While she didn't get head down, her butt seems to be at 5 o'clock and her head at 11.  I think this position is much better than the one she's been in for the past few weeks (which involved stomping on some delicate parts of the body).

Here's to counter-clockwise rotation -- WOO HOO!!! 

The Latest Update

Well our baby ticker says we are 50 days away but our surrogate has been early with her previous two pregnancies so we are thinking it'll be pretty much the same situation, but who knows, right?  Life has a way of throwing us curve balls and surprises so we are prepared for anything.

It also dawned on me that we leave to head to the east coast to "sit and wait" for our little girl in less than a month!!!  We'll stop in California for a friend's birthday and then arrive in DC on May 1st. Due date is May 17th.  Can't believe that in less than two months we'll meet our daughter -- it's difficult to explain the emotions that are starting to well up inside of me.  I almost lost it when I was looking at my boss's video of her granddaughter at just two days old.  The vulnerability, the beauty, the amazingly fragile life that comes out of the womb is SO awesome, and I'm not sure what I'll do when that day comes.  One thing I do know is that there will be SO MUCH LOVE pouring out of our heart and souls for this little girl.  It's all just so amazing...

On the surrogate front, apparently she has been feeling the discomforts of being this pregnant (to say the least).  Our little one is very active, and is actually still in breach position (when apparently 80% of babies are flipped).  So "M" has been doing some stretching, will be visiting the chiropractor tomorrow, and we are thinking good thoughts that she will "head" in the right direction in the coming weeks.  No one wants a c-section!  So hopefully all will go as planned.  

We are also now at the point that "M" has appointments every two weeks, and next Thursday is her next visit.  I think she is going to request an U/S so we can see the positioning of the baby.  Again, fingers crossed this little girl cooperates!!!

And a HUGE congrats to Michael and Derek on the birth of their twin boys!!!  WOO HOO, let's hear it for the boys!!!

Be well, everyone...

Holy Booby Milk, Batman!

Something just fell in to our laps the other day. It was kind of like one of those things that happens and you think, "WOW, I was never expecting that but SURE, GREAT,...and THANK YOU!"  It was a bonus, a gift, a blessing, whatever you want to call it, but we're super stoked about it.  You see, a good friend's cousin just had her baby boy about two weeks ago and she's been producing SO MUCH milk that she had approximately a two months supply of sterilized breast milk in her freezer. She really wanted someone to take advantage of it instead of wasting it and so we jumped on it (the opportunity, not her boobies).  She's a military wife, has five (!) kids, and her husband is a surgeon in Afghanistan.  We felt very comfortable taking it off her hands since it was our friends' cousin and not a total stranger.  And our surrogate who is a full-time nanny and very knowledgeable about these kinds of things said that the advantages totally outweigh the risks so that made us feel confident that it was ok. 

Soooooo, at 32 weeks pregnant (today!) we are rolling in boobie milk and it's a bit crazy. The nursery is completely done. We have a months supply of breast milk sitting in our freezer (of which about 10 of the bags are full of colostrum), and with more to come.  And we still have another 6 or 7 weeks to go until our little girl arrives (and two more baby showers!!)!!

I'd like to say we are over prepared, but I'm sure that will just jinx us...

The super yellow bags are the ones full of colostrum and are from the first week or so of milk production.  Note the bag on the bottom right is much more white, which does not contain as much colostrum.  Amazing!. 

And congratulations to Bernadette and Duane on the arrival of their boy and girl!!!  Thinking good thoughts and saying prayers that everything continues to go well, guys.

3D Scans and a Placenta as a Pillow...

Our surrogate had a 3D scan today!!! Our good friend, David, sent along and he hurried home and scanned the hard copies so we had them to wake up to this morning. Things are definitely getting tight in there, as evident by our little girl using a placenta as a pillow! She looks just perfect all snuggled in, with her cute hand and chubby cheeks.  And for the first time ever on our scans we finally saw the "goods" -- confirming she was, in fact, definitely a GIRL!!!  I have to laugh because it took me about an hour to realize what I was staring at and then I got a little embarrassed..LOL...but there it was, and there was no mistakin' it!  I guess I'm just a bit out of practice recognizing that body part!

Here are some of the shots from the big day...31 weeks today!  61 days and counting...

We say she's smiling...but maybe it's just gas.

I think the strategically placed text "IT'S A GIRL!!" tipped me off a bit.  DUH.

Thank Goodness He's In Charge of the Nursery

I really don't think I could have done things any better. Bill has outdone himself on the nursery and it is really shaping up and looking amazing. He works so hard and he's such a little perfectionist, while I'm impatient and want things done yesterday...thank goodness he's in charge of this project because I couldn't be more excited to welcome our little girl home to such an amazing place (though we all know the nursery is for us because I've heard babies can just sleep in dresser drawers for a few months -- but don't tell Bill I said that).

You ROCK, Mr. Bill, thank you for all your hard work!...XO

Here's a little preview of how it's coming together...

He actually made the leaves and pot from paper bought at the craft store.  

The light is from IKEA.

After lots of research and pricing, Bill figured he could just build shelving for about $50. 

Love my little McGyver

The tree is finally up and the crib in. I think it looks perfect!

Our bent wood chair that bounces (instead of rocks).

I guess you can't start your ABCs too early, even if it's by osmosis.  

The mobile is on a spinning motor and plays "twinkle, twinkle little star"

That's it for now. More to come.

And did I say we get our 3D scan on Saturday!!!! Yippeee!!!

News Flash: A Hollywood Baby Shower!

Well we've been back for almost a week and I wanted to get the photos up from the shower our LA friends threw for us.  It was amazing, and we are so, so lucky to have such an awesome group of friends that worked so hard to help us celebrate the arrival of our daughter.  The theme was a Hollywood Baby Shower, so everyone had celebrity baby name tags on, which corresponded with their bottle aka "adult cocktail"...One of the hosts of the party put together a portrait studio with a "Bill and Doug's Baby Shower" back drop.  It was hilarious and so, so special...these photos will be something we will have for a long, long time.  Thanks Asher!  There were a ton of other classic touches like cupcakes with pacifiers stuck in them, black and white celebrity photos with pacifiers, only one game, thank goodness (but it was a hilarious diaper game where you had to act the clue out that was inside the diaper), pink and silver balloons, good eats, drinks, a red carpet, paparazzi (kind of), the list goes on.  Thank you Asher, Scott, James and Terrance.  Your creativity and hospitality and love for us is overwhelming.

Many, many photos from the special day.

HOLLYWOOD BABY SHOWER @ JAMES AND TERRANCE'S HOME
LOS ANGELES

FEBRUARY 25, 2012

James working hard and sucking on some helium

Scott arranging the yummy cupcakes!

Asher setting up the studio

The arrival...so corny but pretty frickin' hilarious!

One of the first of many portraits (ummm, can you say, "double chin?")

 

I thought this was a cute photo of Bill

Suck 'em up!

Marco and Steve

John and Chris

Asher and Jason (from the Stalking the Stork blog)

Uncle Todd flew in from San Francisco...

My good friend from eons ago, Pam

Pam and her girlfriend, Laura

Iris and Tiffani, Mia, me, Julie

Tiffani and Mia goofing off

Paul (who flew in from Austin) and Marco

My nephew, Lucas, and my grand nephew (?) Ashton with Bill and me

More goofing off

Smiles...(and more double chins)

More smiles and our "Dad" crowns -- such a good idea!

Bill and me with Laura and Pam

Me and Bill with Stalking the Stork's Adrian and Jason

Amie and me -- camera snapped a shot, unbeknownst to us

Jason and Mark with Bill

Asher, Klaus and Darren (who flew in from SF), Todd and Paul

David (who flew in from DC) -- who we will be staying with for baby pick-up in May!

Me, Darren, Bill

Todd's getting frisky

Terrance and James hosted the shower in their beautiful home. They also introduced us to our surrogate (score!)

I love my Mia (who drove down from Montecito)

Sassy!

More goofing off

Such good friends...so lucky!

The hostesses with the mostesses

James and Terrance and their beautiful daughter Flynn

J&T&F with James' brother, Michael

Take the "D" off and it becomes AD for Art Director

Dogs and Babes and lots of grins

James -- nice smile

We think Todd had a love affair with the pacifier cupcakes

I'm not sure what ended up in

Terrance and Flynn aka "Blanket" (MJ's son - WTH?)

Opening a few presents. I once again look like a giant

Someone's got boobies

And one has popped

Love for Flynn

No photographs, please!

mmmmm...bottle cocktails!

Flynn showing off

Klaus & Darren and Todd, and Asher's fingers

Lucas and high-flying Ashton

Catching some air!

Diaper Game Teams

What's in this diaper?

A kiss for Flynn

Scott, drinking on the job

How do you thank the people that have given you SO MUCH. 

We tried to express our appreciation -- but words cannot express how incredibly fortunate we are.  

THANKS TO EVERYONE!!!