Colorado Springs

I wrote the following blog over three days, so it might seem a little disjointed…

Today we woke up at about 7am and got ready to go. Final packing, toiletries, etc. I actually felt bad about leaving Captain. I wanted to bring my stuffed Chocolate Lab Captain, but at the last minute, when I thought about going through security with a book bag, suitcase, belt, shoes, phones, and a jacket, a stuffed dog might be pushing it.
We were getting ready and I called the parentals…AKA Captain’s doggie sitters, to go over final details. We grabbed our bags, got in the car, and drove off. My stomach was in knots. I could not believe the nervous feelings permeating my body. I am not a fan of butterflies in my stomach, especially before a flight. Brian had to remind me to think of this as an interview, even though I am pretty sure it is a totally different feeling. Don’t get me wrong, I am not scared about meeting Noemi and Chris, I am just nervous. It seems everything these past few months have been moving fast. Not just the baby stuff, but life! A second ago, it was the first week of school, and now we are days from Winter Recess. This past week was packed. I had to go to different places every day after work, which I am not used to any longer. I had Family Academic Night until 7pm on Thursday, dinner for Sal’s birthday on Friday night, and then an early morning flight. I have to pause occasionally to remind myself, “Eyes on the prize.” But, I hear Violet’s mom’s voice from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (Missi Pyle) saying it to Violet…I know…weird.
Our flight to Minnesota was turbulent. It left about 30 minutes late due to some mechanical conditions, which made every turbulent bump seem more severe than it probably was. Thus far, it is 11:37 am EST, I am about to land, yet am NOT impressed with North West Airlines.
Random thoughts…do Jim and Dan ever get airsick from turbulence? How much does a Flight Attendant make? Why is the one chick so cheery and the other seems bitchy? The bitchy one looks like she has had too much Botox but Brian thinks she looks like an Asian version of Posh Spice…but she is not even Asian. Ok…flight gate change-we have to switch planes, which we tried to avoid…oh well.
And Brian said that “we are never flying North West again!” The switch of planes, no big deal-but the fact that we had a 10 minute walk from one terminal to the other made him not so happy.
So we got to Colorado Springs (second smallest airport I think I have ever been to) and went to the hotel-Antlers Hilton. I liked it…seemed very popular with the locals. We shall stay there again. Brian called Noemi and we decided to take a cat nap befog going to dinner.
Chris and Noemi met us in the hotel lobby. First, let me say that Noemi has striking beauty. Her pictures do not do her justice! Second, Chris is muy guapo. Finally, they make an adorable couple! They complement each other well.
We headed out to dinner (in walking distance). Cute place, many drunken Santa’s…made me think of Selina doing the Santa Run in Philly. Anyway, they had some very exciting news…they got married on December 6! It was a civil ceremony, just the two of them, but they are now husband and wife (CONGRATULATIONS!). Chris said immediately after, he bought Noemi a hot dog and soda-their first meal as husband and wife. And then he had to go back to work. Too funny.
After dinner, they convinced us to go to Karaoke. Brian did not sing, but he did play Noemi in pool. We then went to another bar for more Karaoke. As the night went on…yup…I got drunk…SHOCKER! Don’t remember much…Brian said he sang Karaoke…But I have to say, I had a blast. We all bonded!
Noemi and Chris are GREAT! I love them. I am SOOOOOO happy she is doing this for us. She is sweet, and friendly, and happy, and honest, and …well, she is just great. She will be a terrific carrier. And Chris is awesome and funny, so she will be in good hands.
All in all, the visit was better than I could have asked for. Maybe, if I was not hung over this morning, I would have enjoyed my breakfast-that would be the only thing I would change. So, basically, thank you to all who kept us in your thoughts and prayers because our gestational carrier is phenomenal. Now, continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers in the New Year because Noemi told us the doctor said we can be pregnant as early as the end of January and Brian and I still have to go to the fertility clinic in a few weeks-probably mid-January, maybe over MLK Jr. Day holiday.
Thanks for taking the time to read-and please comment!

Boy Baby Name

The public has spoken. The name Zachary was the winner, which we like for the second boy. The name Daniel, a close second, will be our first boy's name.

First Official Trip

We have set our first official trip to see Noemi and her fiancee, Chris. We will be in Colorado Springs on Dec. 15 and 16!

Keep us in your prayers!

Am I really this old?

So, we went to the bar tonight...the same bar where we met. I felt like an old fart.

Yes, I laughed at the same karaoke singers. Yes, I sang along to the same songs.

But, I felt like I just did not belong. Then it hit me...I was thinking of Noemi, of Colorado, of my future children, of my dog, of my niece. I did not want to be there...I wanted to be home with Captain, drinking tea or cocoa, listening to the imaginary screams of babies.

Am I really this old?

Carrier/Surrogate

WOW! Brian and I had the best conversation with our carrier. Her name is Noemi (she said it is pronounced like "you did not win an Emmy...NO-EMMY"). She has a thick Puerto Rican accent, as she was born there and only moved here when the military transferred her.

She is great. So personable, so friendly...right off the bat, she asked if her fiancee, Chris, could talk to us on speaker phone, which made me feel great because that means he is definitely on board. He was very nice as well. She told Brian and I that we are going to have handsome children because we are very attractive...come on now...you are already going to carry my child/ren...you do not have to butter me up even more! I love her!

After about 30 minutes, we spoke about visiting each other. She has never been to Philly and has a thing for Ben Franklin, so she is very excited to come here. Neither of us have ever been to Colorado Springs, so that should be exciting!

I just feel that this was meant to be. Mandy and Noemi are great people and I look forward to this process!

Also, thanks for reading!

The call before the call

We had to speak to a woman, Lisa, before we can actually speak to the potential carrier. So, the woman was HILARIOUS! She went through all of these scenarios, but seriously, everything she kept saying, we kinda knew.

We did ask some questions, like "should we ever give presents?," "when should we first visit?," and "how often should we be there?" She was helpful.

So, that step is out of the way...now we wait anxiously until Noemi calls us...that is the name of the carrier.

BTW...that is supposed to happen at around 9pm tonight!!!

Egg Donor

We just got off the phone with our first choice of egg donors. She is super excited!
A little back story…she was a student at an AWESOME South Jersey University (any one guess???) until 3 days ago when she was flown to LA to begin work on a movie for MGM. She was an Elementary Education/Communications major at said University with a 3.7+ GPA. She has been modeling and acting for years and finally decided to take the next step, and lucky enough, so was a major motion picture studio! She is now looking for a place in Burbank.
She studied abroad in Australia, which was my second choice, and I told her about my time in England, which was her second choice.
Brian and I really liked her. She is very down-to-earth. She is a dreamer. She is into herself. She is selfless. She is a conundrum, much like me, which I love!
So, we have to email Rachel back, and see where we go from here. She, the donor, sounded like she was ready to start the baby process ASAP. She wanted to know what our schedules were like. She was happy that we said we would fly to LA to do the process. She gave us dates when she would be in Jersey again.
I AM SO STOKED!!!