We knew full well when we agreed to be the feature couple for a New York Times Best Selling Author that we were sure to get some attention.
The book officially launched on November 5th, 2013. I flew to Washington to meet up with the Docs from Surrogacy India (also featured in the book) and to be by Leslie's side at her big book launch party. We had hoped to have the entire Wile clan attend but we just couldn't swing it. So Gerry and I flipped a coin and...you guessed it, I WON!!!
It was a very quick and busy 2 days, starting with our LIVE
I was so nervous!!! But had a little bit of reassurance when Leslie (the Author) the 'Pro' told me after all the interviews and talks she does, she still gets nervous. Her very first being LIVE on Good Morning America. If she could do live TV then I could easily answer a few questions for the nations largest talk radio show and surely not sound like a bumbling idiot?! All in all, I think I did pretty good for a complete rookie at all this media, spotlight stuff.
We next rushed back to Leslie's where she surprised us with our stylist extraordinaire who was there to greet us and pretty us girls for the evenings big event.
While each of us prepared to be pampered we each took turns doing a phone interview with Susan Donaldson James for her online article for:
To date it has generated 169 comments from 2 separate websites.(Good Morning American Yahoo News) I chose to remain low for the heated, hateful portions of the media and so I did not engaged in the battle. However many of my online bloggers and fellow surrogacy followers quickly went to bat and fought the haters for me! You all know who you are and I thank each of you from the bottom of my heart. Let me just respond with a few comments that I felt were necessary to address. I was misquoted on a couple of my comments (Ya I know BIG surprise!!!!)
So for the record....
1) I did not start to try and have a family until after Gerry's vasectomy reversal. So NO I 'did not fail to become pregnant because my husband did not tell me about a vasectomy he had in a previous marriage.' Yes it came as a surprise, however we had not started 'trying to have a family' until after I found out.
2) If a 1/3000 woman who have a didelphus uterus is common, then I guess I am not so rare. (wink)
3) SurrogacyIndia does not ' deliver about 302 babies per year'. They have had 302 births to date.
4) Gestational surrogacy is the ONLY form of surrogacy allowed in India. Therefore my children were all conceived by my husbands frozen sperm he had donated from our very first cycle while IN India (Our first two trips to India we used my eggs and when time and age became a concern we then turned to using an egg donor, so yes indeed genetics were not a 'main' factor in why we chose surrogacy) and the eggs of an anonymous Muslim egg donor placed in a petrie dish, laser assisted hatching (and a bunch of other very complicated and amazing work done by the infamous Dr. Pai) that formed the embryo's that were then placed into our surrogate KT for Blaze. Then almost 2 years later to FB for the twins. (two fresh cycles of eggs and frozen sperm on 2 different occasions into 2 extraordinary Indian woman who we did meet). My name and my husbands (their biological father) is listed on the birth certificate. My children are not 'bought and sold', nor in any way, shape, or form 'bargain basement kids.'
5) None of our surrogates were ever ' living in supervised housing. or more or less imprisoned.' Yes they stayed at the clinic when they needed closer observation, however their entire pregnancy they stayed in their own homes with their husbands and children and family surrounding them.
6) "Why did we not just adopt????' Like people can ever 'just adopt.' Do I really have to answer this over and over and over again! We did look extensively into adoption and in the end we decided this was not the route for us. It had nothing to do with wanting our genetic/biological tie and everything with wanting a family.
And of course I saved the best for last...
7) I am not a druggie!!!! I never lived in California nor was I pregnant in California. I did not ever overdose on drugs or take any drugs the one and only time I was pregnant while living in Florida and 'so I cannot adopt children.' The birth Mom we had been working with and were in the process of adopting her child just months before the birth overdosed while living and going to school in California.
Ok I'm done... and I don't plan to visit this again as I have no one to answer to except myself and my 3 very beautiful, 1/2 Indian/ 1/2 Caucasian very grounded, loving and wanted more then anything in this world by both of their parents.
Here are a list of a few of the articles written about the book/our story:
A wonderful review from a very popular surrogacy blog by Chana Putnam. Who is also doing a GIVE AWAY of The Baby Chase. So if you haven't already ordered a signed copy from us, then head on over to her blog for a chance to win.
I think my favorite has to be this one....
If even in a movie, how friggin lucky would this girl be to have Channing Tatum as my husband AND have the absolutely gorgeous (and looks nothing at all even remotely like me) Scarlett Johansson portray me! LOL
The next day in Washington after many photos and an impromptu question and answer session at the party The Docs and I headed out to see the Capital and the sights of Washington D.C. followed by a farewell supper with Leslie. It was a fabulous few days and I felt so honored to be a part of Leslie's very special evening and even more touched at the wonderful way she portrayed our family in her book. She is an exceptionally talented writer and we truly couldn't have asked for anyone better and more special to publish our journey to having a family.
After leaving Washington the Docs followed me back to lovely sunny Arizona and finally got to see their amazing Godchildren for the first time in over 2 years. It was a week filled with many laughs, special stories and memories from years past, tears, hugs and so many fun times not only here in Scottsdale, but Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and of course Las Vegas. We have all made a promise to be sure to not make this our last family vacation together. We hope to be India bound again in 2 years for our very first ever 'family' non-medical/baby related vacation.
Posts
