Well we didn't make it to 38 weeks but we did make it through Trick r Treating! Before I start with what will end up being a small novel I would love to say baby A and baby T were born on 11/1/11 in the hour of 2am, both weighing in at the same 8.1 pounds and 21 inches and are 100% PERFECTION.
G and S came into town on Sunday and we spent a great evening of craving pumpkins and eating dinner with them and our children, knowing the guys were running off of no sleep and a 6hr time difference they left to get settled into their apartment.
The next day was Halloween which with 4 kids under the age of 10 is a pretty big deal around here.The day flew by and I was excited to meet the guys for our 3pm Ultrasound and OB appointment. Babies were perfect (of course) and baby girl was still butt down, so we chatted it up with the doc about the birth plans and how we would like to see it all go down. I left the appointment feeling good and prepared for the big day (Nov 16th) but now back to my babies and getting them out the door for some big time Halloween fun.
The guys were sweet enough to come over and walk with my hubby and kids around the neighborhood while I stayed back and handed out the candy. Feeling extremely tired from the long day and all the excitement from the guys being here we said our good nights and we decided we would hook backup on Wed, giving them time to unpack and get comfy in there new place.
About 30 min after they left and me in the middle of helping my little man brush his teeth I there in my bathroom experienced for the first time ever, my water breaking on its own! lol Best thing EVER! Of course at first went and sat on the pot thinking maybe I was wrong but within minutes I knew it was for real and then the CRAZY began:)
As hubby is calling the guys I'm trying not to make a mess everywhere as I'm walking grabbing things and getting the kids ready and out the door. We made to the hospital in record timing thanks to my husband and his want to become a race car driver;) We met the guys and my parents at the hospital and were checked in within minutes.
Before I knew it we were set up in a bed and everyone was ready to go. Going in for a C-section they wanted to do a ultrasound to make sure they knew where baby A and B were hanging out.. That's when we found out baby girl had turned and was now head down! YAY for vag birth!! I was in complete shock that she had moved and I would be able to push these beans out, which made this whole thing just that much more awesome!
After waiting a few hours, which felt to me a few minutes babies were ready to come meet their daddies. We had the whole delivery level to ourselves. The nurse staff was amazing, really truly amazing. They not only did everything they could to make all of us feel welcome and comfortable but let all three of the guys be a part of the delivery. So in the OR we had myself (of course) hubby next to me and the daddies next to the baby warmers and 16 hospital staff members..lol yes 16 sets of eyes on my lady parts. That was a first....
Ready to go and ready to push cause again I'm kind of a rockstar at giving birth, baby girl made her entrance with a lovely scream and daddy S was able to cut her cord and the nurse let me take a quick peek before she was put into the warmer, she was perfect. Just like I knew she would be. But my focus needed to be back on baby boy now and getting him out into this world, my job was half way done. About 30 minutes later and giving it every little thing of what I had left to push I was able to get baby boy out with no problems. He came out with a nice scream and cry as daddy G cut his cord and I was able to see that he was also a perfect baby.
The whole time my husband stayed next to my side giving me the love, support and courage that he had done with our own. I get tears in my eyes as I write this part because I truly am blessed to have such an amazing husband and I know I couldn't have found that strength inside me to deliver two babies the way I did without him next to me.
After babies were born they were taken with the dads to be weighed and cleaned off. The next hour was spent with hospital staff coming into my room to congratulate us and tell me how amazing we all are and how they will never forget our story. I had no idea what to expect from the hospital staff with our "situation" and did worry that there might be a point that we would feel uncomfortable or something would be weird but not at all, these men and women were great, they made all three of us feel so comfortable and I know I will never forget some of their faces:)
I was able to see the babies the next morning and it was great to finally put faces to the kicks and punches I've had from them these past months. Besides my own children these babies are the most beautiful newborns I'v ever seen! And seeing the guys as dads for the first time was one of the best parts to the end of this story, just that proud daddy look on both their faces made it all come to a wonderful ending. They will never be the same again and I know they will be great dads and these babies have a wonderful life in Norway waiting for them.
So there you have it. After a long journey my part is done. I have made it possible for these two men to become dads, to have a family. I know I feel happy, loved, amazing, and all that good stuff. Am I expecting to be really sad or to break down and cry? No, I don't find this experience sad or depressing. I know my hormones are whack right now and maybe I'll need a good cry in the shower, but it will be a cry of - wow...did I just really do that?. Some of my closest family/friends have asked me how I'm doing and I think they are trying to do their best to let me know they are here for me and I love that, I love to know if I need to talk to someone I have that support. But for now I lean on my husband and my surrogate friends. For my husband I feel he really is the only one that can even come close to understanding what I just went through and for me that's working. And of course my surro friends, because if it wasn't for them I would've gone into this whole thing clueless.
For all you that have followed me on here or on Facebook, I will say it again. I thank you from my heart, the support that was given to me, my family and the guys played a huge roll in this. Surrogacy is an amazing thing and I will never forget all the ups and downs and of course my Norwegian family that I helped make xoxo
*Stayed tuned for the next blog post of photos**
