Gerry's cheating...

Okay, we are at 11 weeks today and counting! Gerry started to prime the nursery to get ready to paint. He is not playing fair! I know he is secretly buying stuff without telling me. The Doctors really want us to come for a visit and Gerry is convinced that this is a good idea too...I think I am out-numbered! So don't be surprised if we make a mid-pregnancy trip to Mumbai in the next few months.

Your Baby at 11 weeks:

All of your baby's vital organs are now formed and functioning, so the risk of defects decreases this week as your baby becomes less susceptible to outside influences. Phew! Other exciting
developments include:

Baby's ears are assuming their proper place this week and the fingernail and toenail beds are beginning to form. Your little "pumpkin head" really lives up to his nickname as his head is nearly as big as the rest of his body.

While testes or ovaries are completely formed now, don't start decorating the nursery. You won't be able to see your baby's gender for a few more weeks yet (not till birth for us).
Your baby is really on the move now. In an ultrasound you might be able to see your little acrobat flailing his or her arms and legs and doing somersaults worthy of Cirque du Soleil. KT still won't be able to feel any movement, so if KT feels something "kick" in there, it's probably gas.

This web site shows an ultrasound of a 10 week ultrasound. Check out 'baby George at 10 weeks'. It is amazing how much our baby is moving...already!

In the next nine weeks, your baby will increase 30 times in weight and almost triple in length. KT might feel like you're increasing 30 times in weight at this point, too, but we can assure she's not—because, honey, she ain't seen nothin' yet!

Your baby now weighs a third of an ounce, about the same as two small, Starbucks-sized packets of sugar, is about 2 inches long, the length of one of those sugar packets. Isn't that sweet?

Life is GOOD!

I know I sound like a broken record, but we truly are blessed, blessed, blessed!!! Those people I am surrounded by, never cease to amaze me with their goodness and selfishness. You never really know how special some people are until they take you by surprise. I have been in my line of work for many years, and still to this day I am amazed at how wonderful some of my staff can be. Gerry and I have certainly not been shy about telling everyone about our journey. Through the highs and lows we have had so much support and so many kind remarks made to us. One of my Certified Nursing Assistants, who I see once in a blue moon, left me a beautiful card and gift the other day. A Willow Tree ornament and a toy for the baby. When I read the card, it brought tears to my eyes. Then the very next day, I received another smaller version of a similar ornament from a different C.N.A. I never imagined this kind of bighearted gestures from my staff. Being the Boss, you are not always well-liked, and I still believe that its the little things in life that make you a better person. Seeing my staff give to us and more importantly give to my patients so selflessly and with such compassion, makes going to work each and every day worth every moment. I do believe in the old saying, 'what goes around comes around!' and over and over it always proves to be so. The good people prevail and the not so good, well....need I say more.

Dr. Yash called Gerry the other day to say 'hello'. He said that hearing her voice really brought a smile to his face and brightened up his day. It had been a while since he had last heard from her since she was swamped with all of the IP's, surrogates and egg donors that they had to take care of for the past 2 weeks. He took the opportunity to ask how KT was doing and she said "GREAT!, she is so happy" Dr.Yash also said that both her and Dr.Sudhir think of our baby as their own and they are taking great care of KT as if we were there to do it ourselves. That kind of personal service and devotion to their clients is what sets SI apart from the others. And yes, I am a little biased!!

Kristin, Gerry's youngest daughter, and my step-daughter, leaves in just 2 days for India. We couldn't be prouder or more excited for her. We are certain she will adore India and all it has to offer. We are jealous that she will be able to be there for 3 months. We sent her a digital camera, so she can take thousands of photos to remember her once in a lifetime experience. Safe travels Kristin, we love you!

Well for our movie review. Slumdog Millionaire we loved it! Okay, so maybe because we love Mumbai and India in general, but it was a great movie! What made it so special for us was that we knew the places they were talking about and recognized so much of the movie. We are so happy at what it will do for India and for the people of Mumbai. It makes us proud to be a part of such an amazing and diverse country, it's culture and especially, its people.

Life is good...we are on an upward swing right now. Everything in our life is amazing and is going so well, I want to pinch myself every day! It has been so long since our lives were this wonderful. Our dreams are becoming a reality. I truly can't remember the last time when we felt this GREAT! Please God don't let me wake up from this beautiful dream!

It's the little things in life that make you smile!

This week, as each day passes we wonder how KT is and how the Docs are doing with so many clients to take care of all at once . Tonight we got an unexpected phone call from Dr. Sudhir while he was sitting in the infamous cafe at Lilavati Hospital. Both him and Dr. Yash had just one more egg retrieval to do after a very long and busy week. He sounded so exhausted and we are certain that Dr. Yash is feeling the same. They work so hard and give 110% to each and every client. But I don't need to tell that to those of you that know them!! It was wonderful to hear his voice and it really made our evening. He said KT was 'feeling well and is very happy, and her husband is a very nice man and also very happy.' Those little bits of information are the things that allow us to picture in our minds how our pregnancy is progressing acrosss the miles.
We found some great surrogacy themed t-shirts on the internet on Cafepress.com. We are both so very proud and excited about our journey and the fact that we are having a baby. Gerry's t-shirt got a few funny looks tonight as we went out for supper with my Mom and Dad. I wonder if people understand it when they read it?

There are so many clients of Surrogacy India now in the 2 week wait. We can't wait to hear the great news on many positive pregnancy's in the coming weeks. (Jojo and Jackie you are not far from our thoughts)

Tomorrow our plans are to go and see the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" It has gotten such great reviews and seeing it i'm sure will bring back so many memories that we got to personally experience in Mumbai. We will be sure to give you all our personal opinion of the movie once we see it.

Spoiled, Spoiled child!

Our baby is truly so spoiled already and they aren't even here yet.

I arrived at work to find that Jo had put a huge (not exaggerating) lamb on my office chair. Of course there was also a big toad (for those who are familiar with my nickname they will toad-ally get that one) and a whole bag full of lotions, and Bath and Body stuff for KT. She never ceases to amaze me! She is the most sweet and thoughtful person. The real funny thing about it all, was the card she attached to the stuffed animals that said they were both for Frankie because she knew she wasn't supposed to be buying for the baby just yet. The card read:

Frankie,

I saw these and thought of you. If you want to give them to your brother or sister that's okay.

Love, Jo

Okay Jo...only 2 more weeks to go, then you don't have to get so creative, but I still absolutely adore you for it. You are the BEST!!!

My amazing stylist, Amanda who is a busy new Mom to her sweet little girl, Riley Love born Dec. 6th is already set to plan the whole baby shower. My big Sis, Tracy who is already very busy planning a wedding and moving says, 'this is the first of the gifts!' My lovely boss, Pat who leaves me much to soon to take on another job says she has started to knit and of course my Mom, says she 'can't wait to buy, buy, buy!' I know I must be missing someone (sorry for that) as it seems like everyone who finds out is ecstatic for us. We are very blessed!

So once again I repeat we have a truly spoiled baby...already!

10 WEEKS tomorrow....

Your Baby

By the end of Week 10, your baby graduates from embryo to fetus, which literally means "little one." It also translates to "I'm just going to keep getting bigger and bigger and so are you(KT)!"

Other highlights this week:

Your baby has finally morphed from a little tadpole into, well, a baby. Not only is the face more human-like, but that unflattering "tail" (really just the developing spinal cord) has disappeared, fusing into the spinal column.

Your baby now has discernible fingers and toes, which will explain the steady stream of kicks and punches you'll(KT'll)feel down the line.

Junior's skeleton is starting to grow and harden. The ears are beginning to take shape and the eyelids are no longer transparent. Tooth buds are forming, although your baby won't get any teeth until six or seven (or eight or nine or 10) months after birth.

Baby's brain will make an incredible 25,000 new neurons every minute this week.

If you're baby is a boy, he's started producing that macho hormone testosterone. And whether your baby is a boy or a girl, the kidneys are creating copious amounts of urine. Lucky for you, you won't have to change a diaper for another 30 weeks.

Baby weighs only 4 grams and measures 1½ inches, about the size of a mondo Brazil nut.

Penny from heaven...

9 WEEKS!!!!

Your Baby:

Big news! You may be able to hear the heartbeat this week with the help of a Doppler, an ultrasound device that captures the chug-a-chug sound of baby's heart. (Oh how wonderful that would be!!!!) The first time you hear baby's heart, your own heart may skip a beat—it's the first real evidence that there's someone growing inside you (or KT)!

Other amazing developments this week:

Baby is beginning to move, but KT won't be able to feel anything for some time.

Baby is growing nipples and hair follicles (although there's still a chance you'll be giving birth to a baldy!) His pancreas, gallbladder, bile ducts and anus are all in place, ready to poop and pee a dozen times a day when he's born. Your baby's head is half the size of his body and his little chin is tucked into his chest. His tiny tail is beginning to shrink away, giving Junior a more human and less amphibious look.

Until now, all pre-babies look the same "down there." This week, however, your baby will begin to develop either male or female genitalia. In layman terms, your baby is beginning to develop her hoo-ha or his wee-wee. While you won't be able to find out the gender of your baby for several more weeks (or in our case till birth), the version you'll give birth to is being developed right now.


At this stage, your developing fetus is 1-inch in length, about the size of a martini olive (you remember martinis, don't you?) and weighs a mere 2 grams—a little less than a penny.

I woke this morning to 3 Valentines cards? 1. from my wonderful husband 2. from my sweet girl Frankie and 3. from my soon to be baby. AWWWW...It brought tears to my eyes. My husband is so thoughtful, I think he's a keeper!

Last night I got to chat via Skype with the Doctors and KT. She was at the clinic with her friend who is also a surrogate, so Dr. Yash decided to do a scan on KT while she was there. She was all smiles, dressed in a beautiful baby blue sari and her eyes light up when she smiles. She had her 5 year old son with her. What a cutie he is. I asked them what they would like from America. KT said 'whatever we would like to send.' Okay...that narrows it down??? So sweet she is. So, I asked Dr. Yash to see if she could get her to be a little more specific. She told me cars, guns and superhero's are all things her little ones like, but still wouldn't tell me anything special for her. We have done this a few times before so, we have quite a few ideas about what to send. Women are women and most love the girlie stuff, lotions, jewelry, outfits, personal stuff. So I will have lots of fun shopping for all of that and Gerry can shop for the superhero stuff and toy cars. A few minutes later Dr. Yash said KT's little boy was looking for his gift, he wanted it right away. So very cute, a true child ! I was so very surprised and happy to hear from the Docs as I know how very busy they are right now with quite a few clients currently in India. I felt very special that they took the time to call and let me talk to KT and see her beautiful face while she was at the clinic.

Only 3 short weeks till we hit another milestone...end of 1st trimester! I can't wait!!! and neither can Gerry for that matter. He can finally start buying, building and preparing for baby. (not that I don't think he secretly has already started)

What will they look like? Hmmm.....

A growing baby at 8 weeks:Well can you believe it, today we had rain! and of all things hail. It was only for a short time, but it still happened none the less. That is not a very common sight for us here in the desert of beautiful Arizona. After sleeping in a bit, since we were up late last night playing a board game with Rhonda's Mom and Dad and 2 of our wonderful neighbors, we decided that since it was a bit gloomy out, what a great day for more baby window shopping, my favorite!!

So we set off to Scottsdale and Babies 'R' Us. We decided to stop first for a bite to eat for lunch and happened upon a Red Robin restaurant which, from one of the recent Parents magazines was voted one of the top 10 family friendly restaurants in the US. We had never eaten there and thought let's see what it was all about. In we went and were immediately met by several children who were getting balloons at the front. Everywhere we looked there seemed to be families and lots and lots of children. I guess the word got out!!!

We were seated, and as we waited to be served we looked around and noticed that in the family next to us, several of the family members were from India. Rhonda noticed that they had a little girl with them and it was her 1 year old birthday and they were celebrating (my beautiful wife has a knack for noticing babies and dogs!). Rhonda said to me "Isn't she beautiful?" I looked over at her and said that she was a cutie. What Rhonda said next really struck me, she said "that's what our baby might look like." I looked back at the family. This time I noticed that the husband was white and the wife was Indian. She had a lot of similarities to our egg donor, some of the same features, the same fair skin complexion, and the same long dark wavy hair. We couldn't help but think that maybe that is what our baby will look like. Wow, it was very overwhelming. The thought of this brought tears to our eyes, tears of joy!!! I am certain that we are not alone with these thoughts. I am sure that other couples who have used an egg donor, wonder what their child will look like. We couldn't help but stare at the little baby, so beautiful.

I, being an overly-friendly guy, and a self proclaimed ambassador for India, couldn't help but want to talk with the family. I seized an opportunity when the Grandfather was about to take a picture of the family celebrating. I offered to take the picture with all of them in it, you can't leave out the Grandfather!! As he thanked me for taking the picture, I asked him where his family is from. He said he and his wife have lived in the US for 47 years, but were originally from Hyderabad, India. Wow!! this is where our awesome Doctor Sudhir is from, what a small world. As we talked, we told him that we were admiring his beautiful granddaughter, as we too were expecting a child, a child that will be born in Mumbai. He was very happy for us and this immediately made him open up to us. He grabbed my hand and said congratulations and continued to hold my hand as he talked. For those of you that have had the opportunity to travel and experience India, you would know that this is common in the Indian culture. It is a sign of friendship between men, and I knew this.

There are some little things in life that happen that bring a big smile to your face, and that moment we spent talking to him and admiring the beautiful baby girl was one of them.

2 Down...7 to go!

Months that is... We are at 8 weeks today. It is going much faster then we thought.

From ParentsConnect online:

Your Baby:

This week, your little tadpole is starting to look a little bit more human. Other exciting developments include:

Your baby's eyelids, ears, upper lip and the tip of his soon-to-be adorable button nose are forming. Junior will also sprout webbed fingers and toes this week—which you'll be well aware of in a few months, as baby starts early gymnastics classes inside the tummy.

Baby's tiny heart has separated into four distinct chambers and is really ticking now—at a rate of 150 beats per minute. That's more than twice your resting heart rate (even when Brad Pitt is on the screen).

Your baby is now a little more than ½ inch long, about the size of the rock in Eva Longoria's engagement ring, and is about as heavy as the check Tony Parker wrote to pay for it.

We are so blessed to be surrounded by such loving and caring friends and family. We received another unexpected baby gift this week via the postal service. My dear sister Tracy and her girls sent a beautiful baby scrapbook and a baby journal from Canada. They are absolutely perfect and they must have read our minds as we have been out looking for the perfect book to start writing all the little details down. I know you check our blog at least 10times a day for updates big Sister, so thanks once again for your thoughtful gift...we LOVE it.

We've been talking baby names constantly and 'window' shopping at

That keeps Gerry happy until I will let him actually get the check book out and start going crazy buying everything we need (and then some!!). After much research, and Gerry's extensive reading of the Baby Bargains book, we have chosen a stroller and an infant carrier/car seat and are almost settled on the furniture for the nursery. has become our best friend with scoping out great deals on some brand new baby stuff. Gerry keeps reminding me every chance he gets, 'once we hit 3 months Rhonda, time is going to fly by and we have SO much to do!'

February is going to be a very busy month for the Docs in India with so many clients there doing cycles, so we are glad that our next busy set of blood test and scans isn't until mid March. We hope that we will be able to hijack a little of their time on Skype during this special time.

We continue to receive numerous emails daily from couples and individuals from all over the world who are interested in surrogacy in India and happened upon our blog. It is so nice that they are able to have some of their questions answered through reading our blog and from personal emails exchanged back and forth. As we said since the beginning, if we are able to help just one person achieve the wonderful gift of a beautiful baby, then we have done what we set out to do, through telling the entire story of the ups and downs of our amazing journey.

Beat, Beat, Beat.... That's The Sound of Life

We were anxiously awaiting our next ultrasound, which was scheduled for February 3rd according to our personalized itinerary. February 3rd in Mumbai would actually be the evening of February 2nd here in Arizona, WOW! where did the time go? It's here already! This was an important test. It had been on both our minds from the very first day we learned that we were pregnant, but being a positive guy, I didn't really put any thought into the fact that we may receive bad news.

I was 100% certain that everything was alright and I went about doing things around the house to keep busy, while we waited to hear from the docs. Rhonda and I decided to go on the internet to check out our fellow bloggers and as we were looking and reading, up popped a message on Skype from Dr. Sudhir. He was letting us know that our amazing surrogate KT had arrived at the clinic and was with Dr.Yash, and she would be going to get the ultrasound done very soon. Dr. Sudhir said how beautiful KT looked and how wonderful her husband was and what great care he was taking of her. This was all so exciting. Rhonda and I had been to the clinic and more specifically, Rhonda had an ultrasound done in the doctor's office downstairs by Dr.Yash on our last trip. In our minds we were able to picture what it looked like and we also were even able to see the doctor as we had the pleasure of meeting him as well. Here is a picture of Rhonda at the clinic (just insert KT instead of her).

Rhonda and Dr.Sudhir talked back and forth and I asked him to be our ears and listen to the heart beat for us. At one time he wished us luck that everything would go well. What? Luck, you mean there is a chance that there could be something wrong? Rhonda was so excited and ran off to the shower. I then got on the computer and talked with Dr.Sudhir as I waited anxiously for the results. Why was it taking so long? Was something wrong? Minutes seemed like hours! Still no results. I continued to wait patiently. Dr.Sudhir then said that it could take some time, so Rhonda and I should both go and get some sleep since it was very late, and he would call when he had the results. Sure, easy to say, how could I sleep? I was a nervous wreck!

Rhonda on the other hand was calm. So we tried to sleep as best we could, which in reality, I just laid there hoping and praying that everything would be alright. After an hour or so, the phone rang. This was it, would our journey continue, or would it come to an abrupt end?

Rhonda answered the phone and Dr.Sudhir gave her the results. She put it on speaker phone and told him to repeat what he said. "A single live fetus is noted in well defined gestation sac with good fetal cardiac activity." Fantastic news, we reached another milestone!

We could finally sleep...ya right! Now we were way too pumped to sleep. We both laid there in each others arms talking of our dreams coming true and how very elated we were, was this really happening? We were having a baby!

Here is our little one's first photo (it's kinda hard to see) he/she is there with their little heart beating away. We created a life...AMAZING!


On to our first trimester mark...March 10th!

Okay, so I cracked....

I bought something! Just a little something....so does it really count? Just a great big stuffed elephant from IKEA, that I just COULDN'T resist! I know, I know, I totally went against my word! But...I couldn't resist and it reminds me of India.

Then, I went into work on Monday morning to find a gift bag stuffed with gifts sitting on my desk from my good friend and assistant Jo . She tried to pull one over on me, by saying, 'Well, you said that YOU weren't buying anything, but you didn't say WE couldn't! Then she said, well, you can leave it in the garage if you want, I won't be insulted! She is way too cute! She truly has been such a huge fan of our blog and an even bigger support to me since we first met in April.

Today, it's Super Bowl Sunday and it will be interesting this year. With Dad, a die-hard Pittsburg Steelers fan playing our very own home town Arizona Cardinals it is sure to make it a fun time at our home in front of the big screen TV, watching and cheering on each team and enjoying Mom's home made chilli.

In the meantime we are keeping busy. Gerry's 24 hours off from the Fire Station are spent trying to convince me 'that the next 7 months will go by very quickly, so he REALLY needs to start work on the nursery.' I came home the other day to see our 'office' (which I am now required to refer to as 'the baby's room') empty. He just makes me laugh. I did however purchase the Baby Bargains Book on Amazon (Thanks Mike's) to keep him occupied. So far it has helped as now I get phone calls from him while he is at work about 'no bumper pads in the crib' and the 'best car seat' to purchase. I think he has almost read the entire thing.

We also have been doing some finishing touches on our home decorating. We took our hand made Indian elephant rug we purchased while in Jaipur, and had it framed. The shop owner in Jaipur told us that it took 2 men, 15 days of stitching by hand to complete and we literally paid only a few dollars for it. In fact the framing cost at least 10 times the amount, but it was so worth it to have this beautiful keepsake preserved for us to enjoy daily. This picture of it on the wall totally doesn't do it justice as the elephant is actually sewn to be 3 dimensional. When you all come to visit you will truly be able to see how beautiful it is.

Last night was a fun time. We met S & J and talked non-stop over supper about their clinic Rotunda, and our clinic SI, Mumbai, Indian food and so much more. What wonderful people they are and we had so much to talk about. We were able to show them pictures on our I-touch right there at the restaurant of Dr. Soni (who will deliver their baby) and of the Hiranandani Hospital where their baby will be born (and are's too!!). Funny enough, we also found out they will be picking up their little one at the same time as other members of our extended surrogacy family, The Mike's. It truly makes you realize what a very small world we live in.

Well, gotta run it almost time for the pre-game Super Bowl show.... GO CARDINALS!!!!! (shhhh, Don't tell Dad.)