Rounding 3rd...

When I started blogging our surrogacy journey I thought it would be much easier than it has turned out to be. My last entry was at 23 weeks and suddenly we have reached our 34th week. Weeks go by and they seem like minutes. Cody is driving and I am writing and he said, "It seems like yesterday I was booking our tickets to go to Seattle and all of a sudden we are weeks away from meeting our child." Here's a progression of the last few weeks.

27 Weeks

Austin is SO cute in this picture!  So are you B, but that face!  😘

We are so close we are now faced with running out of time.  It is proven time and time again that no matter how prepared you are for most things, you can't ever fully prepare for anything. I've had our baby bag packed for well over a month, sitting next to our bedroom door. Our car seat has been waiting patiently for the soccer tournament that was today to end so it could be put into the car. Clothes and bottles are washed, diapers are put away, our medicine cabinet is stocked and Morgan's bed is ready and waiting for her. I thought I had our bases covered and then last week Bridget called.  When I answered the very first thing she said to me was, "Don't freak out, buuuuuut I've been feeling uncomfortable today so I am going to the hospital to be checked out and monitored." Of course I'm going to freak out, because Bridget told me a few months ago if something happens she will NOT text me, she will call. So as soon as I saw her call I immediately went into panic mode. She reassured me that we didn't need to leave quite yet and she'd call after she got settled in. I told Cody what was happening and ran out the door to take Olivia to practice. When I returned home, which was about 30 minutes later, Cody had drawers pulled out of the changing table, both baby bags, the car seat, camera and his bag packed and ready to go. On the drive to practice I was making a mental checklist of everything I have not done yet, pretty important things too, like where are we going to stay when we get there and what do I need to bring for myself.  In the end, we aren't quite as prepared as we thought we were and Bridget was having uterine irritability and not real labor pains yet, which is a good thing. Morgan could use a couple more weeks on the inside.  :)

Our household is full of illness right now too. Both Cody and I have spent the better part of this last week on the sidelines with the worst chest cold I can remember having. Jaiden has been battling sinusitis and a sore throat and our only healthy body is Olivia. The 4 of us are traveling to Boise on Monday and Tuesday for an appointment on Tuesday morning and my hope is that everyone is healthy enough to share an evening with Bridget and her family when we arrive. If any one of us are ill we will have to stay behind because we do not want to risk sharing germs.

Bridget is really starting to feel the 3rd trimester. She's suffering from insomnia, swelling in her feet, squished bladder, a big wiggly baby and all over discomfort. She has done such a wonderful job for the duration of this pregnancy, from the very beginning. I have to brag on her a little and I hope this isn't embarrassing for you Bridget because it's proof she is a nurturer, from her pre-pregnancy weight to current she has only gained 5 lbs. Before anyone jumps out of their seat and gets worried about not gaining ENOUGH weight, she had a rocky first trimester where she suffered from morning sickness and lost a lot of weight. She has since maintained a healthy weight and progression. Bridget, you really do amaze me each week with your being and purpose. I hope these last few weeks are kind to you and we will do everything possible to help you to the finish line so Austin has her Mama's lap back!  ;)

Cody is returning to work on Wednesday for 2 weeks if all goes well at our appointment tomorrow. His return flight will be to Boise where we will stay until we come home with our newest family member. That's exciting to think about! Right now the 4 of us are on our way to say hello to Mo, hug Bridget and see Dr. West.  Home stretch...stay tuned!

Xo,
E

P.S.  Happy Opening Day of baseball!
Go Dodgers!  Go Braves!

3rd Trimester

Cody feeling Morgan moving the night before our baby shower.  26 weeks.

A lot has been happening in all of our lives and it seems as if the days keep getting busier and busier. By the looks of our home it appears a baby might just be living here sooner rather than later.  A few weeks ago I wrapped up refinishing Cody's bassinet and moved it into our bedroom with a matching night stand and bookshelf I have also refinished for Morgan.  Our friends and family who have graciously offered to let us borrow baby equipment have slowly been dropping things off and filling our once empty spaces.  We are quickly preparing for family member #5!


Every few days I let my curiosity get the best of me and check on Bridget to see how she's doing. And every time she still has an upbeat and comfortable reply of feeling great.  At 26 weeks she had her gestational diabetes test which she passed easily after having some nervousness about it.  I think the anxiety came from the forward thought of what the next phase of testing would look like should she have needed it.  Which is very much warranted because the next test is 4 hours long.  No one wants to go through that!  But no worries for Bridget, her blood sugar was perfect.  She also met with Dr. West after that which was quick and easy.  Everything is going so well, she is measuring normal and is having very few pregnancy side effects, besides a few Braxton Hicks contractions every so often.  I'm so happy she isn't miserable because I do not know how I could be so far away from her if she were feeling poorly. B might actually have more energy than me right now, she's been redecorating her home and chasing 3 busy and sick kids.

The day after our last appointment Bridget and her husband Shawn drove up here to Bozeman for our baby shower. They were shocked to meet about 60 of our friends and family!  😀 My wonderful friends Hannah and Chandi put on a co-ed morning brunch baby shower where we once again had an outpouring of support and love from our friends and family.  It was wonderful to have Bridget and Shawn here so everyone could meet them. The night before our shower B and Shawn came and hung out with all of us while we were decorating. Cody and I were able to sit with B for awhile and also feel Morgan moving for the first time.  That was such a special moment for us. Cody and I were so busy at the shower talking to everyone and opening gifts I didn't get many pictures.  But take my word for it, it was perfect, we have amazing people in our lives and Bridget was a hit! We've had a lot of fun testing out our new baby gear on Dodger too.  He thinks he's getting spoiled right now, he has no idea what's in store for him.  😃

Hannah, Me and Chandi.  Thank you so much for a wonderful shower!

My Mom and I

Cody and I opening our 1st shower gift which was from Bridget and Shawn.

Bridget and Shawn taking in all of our friends and family!  Grandpa Mark is sitting in the left corner of this picture too!

The diaper trike Chandi and her Mom made for our shower.

Diaper cake our friends Brad and Ashley made for us.  Yep, Brad said he helped.  😂

Cody and I, Thank you to everyone who attended our shower

Dodger trying out the Mama Roo that Grandpa Mark and Grandma Karyn spoiled us with!

Bridget's gift to me 💗💗💗

Once we brought everything home from the shower and started putting it away, everything really started falling into place and the feeling of this pregnancy being upon us became substantially more apparent.  It's hard to establish a feeling of pregnancy reality when it's not in your face (or body for that matter) on a daily basis.  It seems every minute of every day I am contemplating some form of parenting and this upcoming delivery.  I am feeling so fortunate to have this opportunity to experience this surrogacy journey with Cody and Bridget.  I'm lucky and I know it, to have 2 older daughters that have taught me more about myself than I could have ever dreamed and we are on the cusp of another daughter that will lead me through an encore chapter of my life I didn't see coming until a few short years ago.  I was younger when my girls were being raised, full of energy, still learning about myself and life's lessons.  I looked forward to the next milestones for them and celebrated each time they became a little more self sufficient.  In light of preparing for a new baby I often think of Jaiden and Olivia as babies and how I wish I would have slowed down and soaked up all of those tiny moments for seconds longer than I did.  The epitome of what parents wish they would've done once their kids have grown up and established their independence. I've made huge efforts the last couple of months to be present and savor these teenage years (while very trying some days) with Jai and Liv, because before I know it I will be missing these as well.  Morgan is already bringing a new perception to my life that I was missing out on and teaching me that there are still things about being a mother I can do better and learn.  It sounds absurd but in a sense having the opportunity to be a mother again at an older age is giving me a second chance at parenting.  Not that it was done wrong the first time- my girls are incredible- now I have the opportunity to parent with experience, cognitively savor each stage and be still with passing time. I'm excited to watch Cody become a father and experience the unconditional love that comes with parenting.  I'm also looking forward to watching him learn as he goes and being his greatest support.  I find myself reflecting and daydreaming while counting my blessings on a daily basis. I could actually take that even further and say on an hourly basis. My heart is humble and beaming.

24 Weeks

26 Weeks

28 Weeks

29 Weeks

26 Week movement

29 Week Movement

We are almost to 30 weeks now, into our 3rd trimester and the OB appointments will start becoming more frequent.  We have an appointment next week that I will travel down to for the night.  I get a warm feeling when I know Mo and I are in the same town.  I am also excited to feel her move now that she is much bigger and stronger than the last time at 26 weeks.  Over the last 5 weeks Bridget has been sending video's of her kicking up a storm at night when everyone else is going to bed.  She's going to be an energizer bunny just like her Daddy...and I can not wait!  Speaking of anticipation I am ending this blog, laying in bed with the girls sleeping soundly looking at the clean swaddles sitting on the newly added changing station in our bedroom that are waiting to be used...each night we are a little closer.

That makes for a good night.  🌛

XO
E

Somewhere in the Middle

 Today marks our 23rd week and according to my pregnancy apps that tells me she's about the size of a large mango or a Chicago hot dog.  I'm going with Chicago hot dog, it just sounds more fun and relate able.  We got to take another peek at her last week in Boise and she is doing so well.  The cyst that we were watching has completely resolved and is no longer there.  During this ultrasound she was much more active and cooperative with our ultrasound tech.  We were able to see her little heart perfectly, all four sweet little chambers beating 155 bpm.  It was such a relief for myself and Bridget to walk away from the ultrasound feeling comfortable knowing that she is thriving. It made my drive to Boise during a record setting snow storm worth every miserable minute.

Our appointment last week was very quick after the ultrasound.  We met with Dr. West briefly where he reiterated the normal ultrasound results and we talked about Bridget's upcoming gestational diabetes screening test.  Poor Bridget is not looking forward to drinking that terrible drink!  Right now she is feeling great and even goes as far as saying she even forgets she is sometimes.  I on the other hand think about her being pregnant every second of every day.  22 weeks looks so good on her.  :)

I really do think about this pregnancy all of the time.  During this second trimester I have pregnancy on my brain every waking second. Part of this is due to the fact that Cody's time at home is very limited before the delivery even though in the bigger picture it seems far away.  I want to ensure Cody gets to experience preparation during pregnancy as much as possible while he's home.  I've been building our baby registries and trying to decide where to start with buying baby furniture and supplies. I've gone as far as reaching out to my favorite newest Mom friends and begged them to send me their "must have" lists.  They have been a huge help.  But most of all I think about what a baby in the house is going to look like for us.  When I'm sitting in a quiet house and Cody is at work, the girls are at school and it's just me, I daydream about our upcoming year and the excitement builds.

The second trimester is the silent one, there's not a lot that goes on during this trimester.  It's hard being far away from Bridget and not being able to see her more.  But I know the next few months are going to move quickly.  Our next appointment is in 3 weeks and I will not be going to Boise for that one but rather Bridget will be coming up here for our baby shower the following day.  I'm glad we get to see her this month and introduce her to all of our friends and family.  It's been important to all of us to meet each other's families and feel the support and love- after all that is what's at the center of this whole journey.

I'm ending this in my pj's, sitting next to the fireplace with a glass of wine (sorry B!  :) ) thinking about how truly incredible surrogacy is, how fiercely loved Mo already is and looking forward to May.  My heart is bursting.

XO
E

Halfway there!

We have reached week 20!  Every week feels like a great accomplishment and milestone.  We've had a whirlwind few weeks which really isn't anything new for our family.  Our reception was amazing and everything we could have asked for.  Thank you to all of our friends and family who were able to travel near and far to come celebrate with us.  We were once again blown away by all of the love and support we have received from everyone.

Sigler 2016

My heart

Our friends are the best

A few short days after our reception we had to do some 12th hour rearranging of our Cancun vacation as Olivia's passport didn't arrive in time. Cody is a traveling genius and my voice of reason; the two of us rerouted an 8 day vacation to Mexico to Hawaii in about 4 hours roughly 18 hours before we boarded our first plane.  We pulled it off and spent a very teenage attitude, estrogen filled (I won't pretend I didn't contribute ;)) and fun in the sun 7 days in Hawaii.  We boarded a red eye home and landed very exhausted in Boise last Thursday afternoon.  The 4 of us were asleep by 7:30 pm and slept for a full 12 hours!  Which was good because we had our 19 week ultrasound and OB visit on Friday morning at 9:30.

Aloha 

The 4 of us were so excited after breakfast as we left our hotel on the way to the clinic.  It was fun to have the girls with us so they could see Bridget again, meet our Dr. and tour the hospital that we will deliver at.  When we arrived Bridget was waiting for us and she looks great.  We were whisked to our exam room pretty quickly where we got our first peek at our sweet baby.  During the survey the baby was tucked into a corner of B's uterus and also laying on its stomach.  Bridget had a very large contraction during most of the survey, which is completely normal, it just made it very tough to get a good look at our little baby.  Our ultrasound tech tried for almost an hour trying to look at everything she needed to but we just ran out of time and the baby wasn't cooperating.  The few good looks we had did reveal to us that it's a GIRL!

It's a GIRL!

Our next stop was an office visit with Dr. West where Bridget's vitals all looked great and she continues to rock this pregnancy.  I'll be honest, I'm a little jealous of how seamlessly B navigates pregnancy, I remember mine being less than glamorous and certainly nothing to write home about.  We are fortunate to have Bridget on our team, growing our family.  Dr. West came in and started discussing their findings and lack of findings on our ultrasound.  At one time I remember him talking and my whole body being numb trying to hold back tears that I knew were capable of falling at any moment and having to refocus so I could catch the end of his question to me.  Did we have genetic testing done?  That was the question.  No, we did not.  The reason genetic testing is important is because there is a "choroid plexus cyst" on her brain.  This could mean nothing at all and it could resolve without any significance to our pregnancy or it could be of great concern.  Bridget had her blood drawn for some genetic testing which will give us a clearer picture to rule out a genetic disorder called Trisomy 18 or Edwards Syndrome.  In itself a CPC is only considered a soft marker for potential problems and everything else looked good and non-concerning. We are erring on the side of caution and awaiting the Harmony test results which should be in by the end of this week.  I will return to Boise on January 5th for a repeat ultrasound and another appointment with Dr. West.

In a normal pregnancy and by normal I mean if I were carrying our baby, this is something I feel we wouldn't share until we knew for certain what, if anything at all was going on.   What makes this so different is that the purpose of this blog is to express how we are feeling as intended parents outside of the natural pregnancy, from a distance.  I can tell you as a mother my mind is racing and I am doing my best to maintain some sanity in the days between leaving Boise and waiting for these test results.  Cody, unfortunately has returned to work and that by far has been the hardest departure to date.  He brings some reasoning to my worry and is very good at looking at situations without a cloud of emotions. I hang on to hearing Cody tell me, "We are right where we are supposed to be and everything will work out the way it's supposed to." We've both done our fair share of reading and my coworkers (medical professionals) have been helpful in reassuring us that these cysts most always resolve and in itself are benign.  We are positive everything will be okay. <3

We drove home in a complete blizzard and -25℉ on Friday night, the girls were troopers and we were exhausted by the time we reached Bozeman.  Our families were coming over the next day for our Christmas celebration for Cody before he left for work and we had a lot of work cut out for us to prepare to reveal our baby girl's gender.  We woke up early on Saturday and made Christmas ornaments for our parents and put the finishing touches on wrapping presents and getting dinner ready.  It was very comforting to tell our parents and have other people outside of ourselves praying for what we know will be good news.  We were able to lay low for a few hours on Sunday morning to regain our bearings and let the last few days sink in and just be with each other. I needed that in preparation for him leaving the next day.

I love Mom and Dad- Merry Christmas

I usually write and let things set in for a little while before posting my blogs.  And it's a good thing I did.  Today while I was at work I received a text from Bridget saying the clinic had called her and said that the blood work came back as low risk for any genetic disorders and confirmation that she is indeed a girl!  :)  We are so excited and happy to hear that news today.  We can finally take a deep breath and look forward to our next appointment and ultrasound.  I'm absolutely overwhelmed with the love and support we received from our family and friends.  What an amazing month December has been for us, we are so fortunate and blessed.

Our sweet, sweet baby girl!

XO,
E

Happy Sweet 16 to Jaiden Laine today!

20 weeks

Today is the half way point of this pregnancy. I'm finally feeling normal. Morning sickness lasted until about 16 weeks. I do get more tired faster and I do have heartburn from hell but other than that I feel pretty good.

This belly is starting to pop out. I feel this sweet little baby move, mostly at night when I'm finally sitting down to rest.

We had our big 20 week ultrasound last week and baby Sigler couldn't have been more stubborn. She found a nice warm corner of my belly and decided to take a nap right there. We also found out that not only is it possible but also totally normal to have an hour long contraction. And of course that hour long contraction had to happen during our hour long ultrasound. It's like every odd stacked against us to get a good look at her was there. But we're going back in a couple weeks to take another look.

That about covers it for now. Enjoy your holidays!!

Making a movement!

Bridget felt the baby move for the first time today!  16 weeks and going strong!  Happy Wednesday!  👶🖒🎉

Xo

E

Hello 2nd Trimester!

Nesting is a verrrrrry real phenomenon.   I’m thinking of this while standing on our bathroom vanity dusting and washing the light fixtures seconds after rolling out of bed this morning. Pretty soon washing the light fixtures turns into cleaning the blades of the ceiling fans, washing the windows and vacuuming the window sills.  I’m sweating from cleaning and it’s only 10:45 am. I have an advantage during this pregnancy since I’m not battling morning sickness and using every ounce of energy I have to grow a healthy baby.  Instead, I’m using my energy to organize, clean, refinish furniture for a nursery and prepare for the spring.  It’s going to be a loooong winter, considering there isn’t even snow on the ground yet.

We have reached the 2^nd trimester, 15^th week of pregnancy and Bridget is finally showing!  This morning she sent me our 1^st pregnancy picture and she has the sweetest baby bump.  When we are able to visualize this pregnancy it is so much more real than in our day to day lives where we do not get to see Bridget.  It really is amazing how little time passes and how quickly B is growing Baby Sigler.  On the other hand, up until a few days ago time was creeping by for Bridget as she fought intense morning sickness. It left her unable to eat much, keep it down when she did and the ability to gain any weight.  She lost 6 pounds during the 1^st trimester! The good news is that she finally turned the corner and is feeling much better.

15 weeks 

Bridget had an OB appointment this afternoon and unfortunately we were unable to make it to Boise for that.  Cody is at work and my commitments at home were far too many to break away.  Bridget is doing so well and feeling well enough I knew she could manage this early appointment without us- of course she can- she’s incredible!  I received a series of texts after her appointment saying how quick and uneventful her appointment was.  That’s always what we want to hear!  Everything looked great, neither B or us had any concerns and either did Dr. West.  The best text was the last one I received….

151 bpm and strong heart tones!  We have watched every aspect of this pregnancy with our eyes, down to when it was a single cell. With both ultrasounds and the appointments up until today we were yet to hear our pregnancy with our ears.  So the sound of this little heart is music to our ears.

Cody and I have finally reached a point in our lives together with this pregnancy that we didn’t think we’d ever see when surrogacy became a real discussion for us over 4 years ago. We’ve had to overcome incredible obstacles and a lot of sweat and tears have poured into making this dream of ours a reality.  We continue to amaze me with this journey that feels so surreal. We are forever grateful to have Bridget on our team. Our household has been so busy the last 12 months and we’ve put many leisurely plans on hold so we could be available to whatever came our way with the potential pregnancy.  One of these things was our wedding and another was our family vacation. We are ready to break away with our family for a little while and celebrate what we’ve created and what we have so far.  The month of December is a month for honoring our family, small and large.  We will be celebrating our marriage, family and friends in early December when we finally have our wedding reception.  3 short days after our reception we are taking the girls to Cancun for our last family of 4 vacation, serious relaxing and preparation for the home stretch of our pregnancy.  The absolute icing on our reception and vacation cake is that we fly home to Boise for our next OB appointment and 20 week ultrasound…you know what that means?!  Hopefully we will be able to drive home knowing whether Baby Sigler is a boy or a girl with many more ultrasound pictures in our possession.  Then…the nesting will REALLY begin!

2016

XO

E

P.S.  Huge shout out to Jaiden and the Belgrade Panther volleyball team for taking 3^rd in Class A Volleyball this season!  J  

2016 Belgrade Lady Panther Volleyball