Names!!

So I've been following another FANTASTIC surrogacy blog.  This woman needs to be a writer or columnist or something if she isn't already.  Anyway, she found a great way to get around calling her IPs just IM and IF and stuff.  She calls them Lucy and Ricky, their son is Little Ricky and the baby is Enzo.  SO....we decided (IM and I, she sort of follows it as well) that it would be a great idea to "borrow" so we're going to do it!!  She and the IF have decided upon Emily and Henry (from wizard of oz) and then the baby will be Dorothy or Hunk (or both if needed)!  So, that's my update for now.  I've been cleaning up the house, added a new piece of artwork in the front bathroom, just to update it a bit, organized the kitchen cupboards, cleaned off the kitchen table (yes, I actually have one!), reorganized the living room so it's more usable, lots of little stuff like that.  I think I'm almost ready for Em and Henry to come!!  Just need to get my good friend Alicia to come over and get the cobwebs and the bathrooms for me (it will be TOTALLY worth the money!! I hate bathrooms!!) and I think we'll be set!!

Just over a week!!

Well, the date has changed, but only to move it up one day.  So now they will be visiting August 13th, that's next Friday!!  Of course I'm getting nervous and freaking out about the house being clean and such (those of you on facebook probably have seen a little bit of that lol) but I know I need to just relax.  I've printed off 2 sample contracts and we are going to go through and fill them in sort of, then take that info to the attorneys to have the actual contract drawn up, should all parties decide to continue on after next weekend. 
Also, we are looking at filing our own step-parent adoption.  Since I'm married, any child I give birth to is considered Bubba's.  a step-parent adoption (from what I understand) simply states that the IM is the mother of the child and that Bubba and I relinquish our parental rights.  For an attorney to file this costs $3000 plus expenses.  Ouch.  In order to save money, it sounds like we're going to try to do it ourselves.  Talk about a nail-biter!! I tried to sleep through government in high school, so I know as little as possible about the legal system!  Fortunately I have a friend who is married to a lawyer who has referred me to a professor at the University.  I have yet to call that professor, but I have the number!!
Anyway, that's the update as to what has (or hasn't) been happening lately.  Just a lot of us chatting online and texting and realizing how much more alike we are than we originally thought! 
Oh, and I read another surrogacy blog where the surro gave her IPs and the baby nicknames.  So I'm seriously considering ripping her idea off...I'm going to have my PIPs weigh in on the nickname suggestions! We'll see what we come up with!
Everyone have a great week, expect a huge update (hopefully good!) next weekend!!! Say a prayer and cross your fingers next Friday!!

We Have A Date!!

(We think!)  It sounds like August 14th is going to be it!!  It works for both of us and they will be driving up and staying somewhere around here.  It sounds as though we might be working out contract details while they're here as well!  We've made some plans as far as insems go, but nothing solid, just to attempt home insems for a few months before involving medical professionals. We're not even sure if we're going to use instead cups or syringes, so we REALLY have some planning to do!!  Anyway, things are on the move, and we just have some other legal junk to figure out also.  We're debating on filing the step-parent adoption ourselves (a $50 filing fee with a court appearance vs. $3000 for a lawyer) but haven't figured that out for sure yet.  I need somebody who's familiar with family law to advise me for free...anybody know anyone? haha!  Anyway, keep us in your prayers that if this is the couple for us, that everything works out wonderfully!  I'm getting more and more tired of jumping hurdles and not knowing.  A little solidarity would be nice for a change! Have a great week!

Upcoming Visit!

Well, I finally had a chance to visit with my prospective IM this morning.  They returned from their vacation late last night.  It sounds as though they will be headed this way to meet myself and my family.  Not sure of when that's happening yet, they need to look at dates and such to see when they can come, but it sounds like they'll be coming on a Friday and leaving Sunday, so it will be a pretty quick visit.  I'm trying to decide if we should plan anything specific for Saturday or not, like dinner at a specific place, or just let things happen as they happen.  We will have to stay at our house some, as B will be needing naps and such, and we're just not THAT exciting lol.  I'll do my best to fill everyone in when I know something, but I think these might be the ones for me!! They seem so like us, it's kind of creepy!  Everyone have a good week!

matched?

Well, after letting the Texas couple down gently, I sent an email to the KY couple who are currently on vacation.  It's been a LONG weekend of waiting, and this morning I caught her online on Facebook, and just as I was typing hello, she went to offline :S so I sent her a text message.  I asked if they were back from vacation yet, I didn't want to bug her on vacation, but did she get my email.  She said she had and hadn't been able to access a computer to respond, but she thinks we are a good match and that she likes me a lot!!! SO....Kentucky it might be!!  They're a really cool couple, I hope it works out with them!  Just wanted everyone to know! Have a great week!

An Interesting Development

Well, Bubba got the opportunity to chat on MSN messenger to the guy from Texas.  Long story short, the guy gave Bubba a bad feeling.  (to be honest, I didn't have a feeling, good or bad, about this couple yet) I was asking him how the chat had gone and it took a while for me to get out of him that the guy weirded him out.  So today I had the horrid task of emailing them and letting them know that it wasn't going to work out.  My dilemma was that I didn't want to say "my husband thought you were weird and pushy and told me that he hopes I can escape when I wake up chained to the wall in your basement".  I said that a friend had asked me to be their surrogate and that I had decided to go with them.  I just didn't say it was a friend I hadn't met yet :S I felt awful, like I was completely destroying someone's dream :( Anyway, there is still the couple from KY, they left yesterday for vacation, I don't remember if it's just for the weekend or what, but I sent them an email explaining that my husband had gotten a bad vibe about the other couple so I had declined to move forward with them.  I knew the KY couple had been talking to another surrogate, so I asked where they are with her and whether or not they think they'll want to move forward with me.  I secretly hope that she checks their email on vacation and responds to me soon, and that it's good news!  We seem so alike, both us ladies and our hubbies.  A few minor differences, like replace our harleys with ATVs and they do more active outdoorsy stuff, like swimming and such, than we do, but our attitudes and temperaments seem a lot alike!  So, there's my update for today.  I've managed to break a heart in Texas, hopefully mine won't be broken when I get a response from Kentucky!  Everyone have a great day!

Plan C? Or D?

The dear friend of mine who was going to travel to Texas with me had a tragedy in her family, so I have a feeling she will want to stay home rather than travel.  So I have been searching for a backup and discovered that one of my cousins is willing to go with me!  We will have to change the date if she goes, but I will still be going.  So right now I'm just waiting on a response from the IPs to see if they would rather wait 2 or 3 weeks longer than originally planned or try a visit during the week.  London is 6 hours ahead of Iowa, so right now it's almost 9 PM there.  Interesting, huh?  Anyway, thought I'd better make an entry since I haven't in almost a week, although the excitement in this blog is enough to keep it going as it is, right? haha  I promise it will get more exciting...eventually I'll end up doing inseminations or something, that will be interesting!  Tally ho!