Third Trimester!

It's official - third trimester is here :) The light at the end of the tunnel is faintly glowing in the distance! We have been really busy with appointments for these little guys. Our weekly ultrasounds so far have been going really good though (knock on wood). We haven't had to have any fluid removed yet, which is fantastic. Anything to avoid extra risks placed on this pregnancy is welcome! My cervix is still where it should be, and contractions have been pretty minimal, so no signs of going into preterm labor anytime soon. Today at our ultrasound we also got to meet with one of the Neonatologists (pediatrician that works in the baby intensive care unit) and also with the Perinatal support team. Everyone at Evanston has been absolutely wonderful. They seem to have a really great support system set up for the families that go through them. They also took the time today to give us a tour of the NICU. Some of the tiniest sweetest babies you have ever seen were in there - little miracles! Although it is sad to know that Liam will be one of those sweet little babies, it is really comforting to know that he will be taken care of in such a great facility. My big hope is that we can get far along enough - at least 35 weeks - so that brother Luke doesn't have to be put there as well. 7 weeks! That seems manageable enough. It reminds me of a quote "Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs," Henry Ford. It is really true. Being pregnant with twins is hard. My stomach feels like it can't possibly budge another inch (but I know it will), I can't sleep - when I lay down my hips feel like they are going to split (but I know they won't), and most of the time when I walk I feel like I am going to pee myself each step (okay, this might eventually unfortunately happen) :) But to divide it up (by trimester, by month, by week), it makes it so much more manageable. And knowing each week we check off means giving the boys a better and better chance of doing well just makes it that much more appreciated. I mean 7 weeks is like, nothing. I can handle anything for that short amount of time (right??!!)!

It also has become more clear to me today than before that with the ending of this pregnancy, my role will be finished. Where I leave off is where the work for Ann and Joe truly begins. Part of this is a relief to me. It is a pretty heavy responsibility having somebody's future and family placed in your hands (or in your womb as the case may be!). I know it must also be incredibly stressful being the parents and having to trust something so absolutely important to you in another person's care. Knowing this, I have taken care of these babies so far as if they were my own. I have invested a lot of myself into this pregnancy and care about their wellbeing no differently than I did for my own kids. So the down side to the end for me is that in the matter of a day, whenever that day may happen, I will go from taking complete care of the babies, to just being a bystander. Which is okay - it will just be a strange transition for all of us. And of course most especially for Ann and Joe, as they will begin their new life with caring for TWO babies ;)

People sure are funny though! I have been asked at least 3 times (after explaining that I am a surrogate carrying twins) if the parents want both of them. Really?!! I mean, seriously, this isn't like a puppy mill or something, where I deliver and the parents get the pick of the litter - lol! This question always takes me by surprise. "No, the parents only want one of the babies. So when they are born, they will pick the best/cutest one and I get the leftover" - haha :) Of course there are certain people in my life that would love for this to happen (*cough* my mom and dad *cough cough*). I think they want as many grandchildren as they can get :) But seriously, that just seems like a ridiculous thing to think that maybe the parents wouldn't want both. I guess this question goes right up there with "Was this planned?". I haven't been asked this yet, but have heard of other surrogates being confronted with this well thought-out question. Because everyone knows there is always a risk while laying on a table for no reason in a fertility doctor's office that the doctor MAY just happen to be walking by with a dish of embryos and MAY slip and those embryos MIGHT just jump right in and set up shop, all accidentally of course :) :)