Baby Showers

This past weekend was great and I am excited to be able to update everyone with the happy details. First, an update on baby Adelyn. We had our 32 week checkup last week. She is still measuring about a week ahead but well within the normal spectrum. Her heartbeat was strong at 150 and there are no problems or concerns. I have two more appointments at the two week interval timeline at 34 and 36 weeks then we will be going to weekly appointments. My IPs came the week before last to do the hospital tour and they will come again for the 36 week appointment. It is so good to see them but it is a long drive so I don't want them to have to drive over for the short checkups when nothing really happens. Over the weekend, I had the privilege to be able to attend my IM’s baby showers. I am so happy that she included me in this. I know a lot of IM’s decide to not have their surrogate go to the baby showers for various reasons. Some IMs feel like they have been left out of all the other aspects of the pregnancy and they want something just for them. Some just want to have that separation between their personal lives with their family and friends and their surrogate. So I was so happy that my IM invited me to her showers. I decided to make a weekend out of it and got a hotel room in their town for Saturday night. My husband took off work to stay home Saturday and Sunday to take care of our son while my daughter and I made the 4 hour drive to their hometown. So Saturday we got up extra early and drove to my IPs house. We got to hand out with them and their super sweet doggies for a little bit and then we went to her first baby shower together. This one was with her friends. It was at a really nice restaurant in their downtown area. All of her friends were very welcoming towards my daughter and me. I got to meet her mom and mother in law too. She got tons of great presents and super cute clothes for Adelyn. After the shower her mom took some pictures of me and my IPs in a little surrogacy photo shoot. After checking into the hotel and getting a little down time my daughter and I went back over to my IPs house for dinner with one of her friends that had thrown the shower and her husband. This was again another bonding time for us to get to know each other more as people and becoming closer. The next day we went to her second baby shower which was thrown by her sister for all of their family. I again felt so welcomed and loved by everyone. Getting to see her grandmother and sisters and have them all be so excited for the baby was just priceless. Near the end of the shower my IP came with his dad. His dad came over and was just so nice and said thank you over and over and it was so touching to meet him and see how much this means to their whole family not just to them. It was such a good experience. I am so glad I got to be involved. Their family and friends were just so nice and it has made this experience with surrogacy that much more rewarding. I just can’t say enough about how much this meant to me. On a side note, the present of the weekend came from my IM’s sister. Apparently their grandmother hand stitched quilts as present for people. And my IM and her grandmother were very close and had a special bond. Unfortunately she passed away a few years ago so my IM wouldn’t have been able to get a keepsake from her or share this with her. Well before she passed my IM’s sister had her make a quilt and without telling anyone she put it away and saved it for the day when my IM did have a baby. So she brought out the quilt and gave it to her at the shower on Sunday. It was the sweetest and most thoughtful present! I wish I had a picture of it, it is beautiful and so special.