Match Meeting has been set!

Moving right along! Received an e-mail from Heidi with NWSC and we have set the match meeting via Skype in their office for next Tuesday, November 5th at 12:30pm.

We are very excited yet nervous! I want to write down some questions to ask them. I sure hope all goes well. We're still up in the air if we should bring the kiddos. It would be nice for N & F to see them but they can be very distracting. If they don't come with us, they will meet them in person anyways. I will see if our friend can watch the trio for a couple of hours that day.

I'm off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays now, which is AWESOME! It's great to have two consecutive days off. I try to get as much stuff done as I can. I received my Kaiser information in the mail as well. They also sent our first bill. I scanned and e-mailed it over to Amy at NWSC since they take care of it.

I am still getting my weight down as well for the surrogacy. A lot of clinics are pretty strict on BMI requirements. Without giving any numbers away, I have about 15lbs to lose but I definitely would like to lose more if possible. I'm always more patient with those around me, except for myself! I know it will come off, I just need to be patient. I would also like to have the weight gone in time to be able to keep things moving with the surrogacy process. I really don't want my weight to have to prevent me from moving forward and stalling everything... boo.

Until next time my friends!

Surro-Mama Angela

Productive day in Surrogacy World!

Me & my little man when I got home from work

Elora, Auntie Crystal and Jocelyn @ Disney On Ice

Things are just moving right along! I love it!

I got an e-mail today saying that the IF's (we'll call them N & F for privacy reasons) liked my profile and said that I seem like a really nice person and they are very confident that they can trust me in carrying their babies. So next we will set up a Skype meeting to get to know each other better.

I also got word from Kaiser that I've been approved for their insurance policy that I applied for! I followed up with them since tomorrow would be 10 business days. Shortly after I called, I received an e-mail with the subject line: "Your Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the NW application has been approved" YAY!!!! 

I am THRILLED that things are moving forward. We still have a long ways to go! But I definitely am very excited to be moving right along. I look forward to meeting N & F via Skype SOON! Will keep you updated. 

On a side note, my wonderful friend and Doula took Elora to Disney on Ice for the FIRST time! We didn't tell her where she was going and kept it a surprise. Her Daughter's name is Jocelyn. Elora and Jocelyn became besties super fast! The girls dressed up in their princess dresses and had a BLAST! This is the first time Elora has been out alone without Brandon and I. But we knew she was in good hands! So glad she had so much fun! And so thankful for great friends. =) Life is good.

Blessings, Surro-Mama Angela

My youngest, my little guy... Ethan Jedi!

 

I just had to share this sweet photo that I got of my little guy today. He has been teething like crazy the past month and has two little teeth on the bottom. We've been using doTERRA essential oils for him and it's been working wonderfully! 

I'm so excited to be taking this journey. When I see my children everyday, I think about how amazing it feels to be able to give someone a child of their own. Cheers to becoming a surrogate!

Surro-Mama Angela

Psych Evaluation APPROVED! My profile is being sent to IP's!

Happy Monday all!

I received news today from Amy at NWSC that Brandon and I passed our psych evaluation that we did last Tuesday. Another step done and onto the next! Off to Match Land we go....

Molly from NWSC will be sending my profile to potential IP's tomorrow morning. After they review it, they will decide if they are interested in meeting us. Since they are in another country, we will meet at NWSC's office and Skype together. They said most families respond within a week. The anticipation begins!

What I love most about this process is that it always stays exciting! Each step accomplished is exciting for me. I am still waiting to hear back if I've been approved with Kaiser for insurance. I should hear back this week.

Until next time.....

Surro-Mama Angela

Fall is here and we LOVE it!

Our Angels in Heaven shining down on our girls.

Elora LOVES the Fall leaves!

Psychological Evaluation DONE!

This morning Brandon and I woke up bright (well it was still dark) and early to head to our pysch eval in Portland. Thankfully our friend M is flexible and was able to come over early to watch our trio.

I completed my intake form prior to the appointment and Brandon filled his out there. We met with the Dr. and she went through our forms and asked us questions about the surrogacy. How we felt, the possibilities, the negative scenarios etc. I don't know why I was nervous about it. It was a breeze! I think because we've done a lot of research on all of this and we have friends who have been a surrogate before. We definitely KNOW what we're getting into. We know it's not going to be easy. We know the negative outcomes. But we honestly feel that the gift of giving a family a child is priceless. I think about it and I get a warm feeling inside. This is something that I've always wanted to do.

After our interview with the Dr. She informed us that we passed and as long as I pass the exam all will be good. I asked to get a copy of her report. I'm so curious! We said our good-byes and she had me sit in the lobby to take the 338 question MMPI exam. It took me about 20 minutes to complete. I didn't second guess my answers (except two because I read them differently). I was glad to be DONE!

I'm still waiting to see if I get approved for the Kaiser insurance NWSC referred me to get. I should hear back this week or early next week. After that, they should be able to send off my profile to potential IP's (IP = Intended Parents). Then off to Match Land we go! We're moving right along....

Blessings,
Surro-Mama Angela

Medical records approved, and next steps!

Just ME. 10.10.13

Hip hip hooray! The e-mail that I've been waiting for, my medical records have been APPROVED by the fertility clinic! YAY!

Next on the agenda is to complete my psychological evaluation with Dr. Britta Dinsmore and apply for insurance. Brandon will be doing the psych eval with me as well since we are married. I scheduled it for next Tuesday, October 15th at 8:30am. Thankfully, our friend Morgan who watches our trio for us while we're at work is able to come over early that morning. It should take about 2 hours. Then the results take about a week. I'm excited, yet nervous! Hopefully all goes well. I know that they are making sure I'm not crazy among other things. I'm willing to carry someone's child in my womb, it doesn't get any crazier than that! ;)

I love that we're slowly moving forward and making progress. I realize this is something that can NOT be rushed by any means. I'm learning along the way about everything. I'm looking forward to posting next week after our psych evaluations! Stay tuned folks, this is getting good!

Blessings, Love & Health,

Surro-Mama Angela

Bio of Potential IP's received!

dōTERRA Elevate Convention 10.2.13 Salt Lake City, UT

We are in Salt Lake City, Utah for the week to attend the dōTERRA annual convention. Over 12,000 dōTERRAists are here and it's AMAZING!

I checked my e-mail and saw that Amy from NWSC sent me a profile of potential intended parents. It's not anything set since I still need to get through my psych evaluation and my medical records needs to be approved by the clinic before moving forward. But it was nice to get the profile and read through it. I am very impressed and am hoping it does work out with the IP's. But everything happens for a reason so I don't want to get my hopes up. To protect the privacy of the IP's I will just put their initials when writing about them.

The clinic has been very busy so it's taking longer than usual to get the approval. Hopefully we will hear back soon! As you can tell, I'm very anxious.

Until then, I am SO excited to be at this convention to learn and expand my knowledge about nature's medicine, dōTERRA's essential oils. Until next time!.....

Surro-Mama Angela