Cheers from San Diego...

We arrived this afternoon after Rhonda set the alarm clock wrong and we left a couple of hours behind schedule. OH WELL...don't sweat the small stuff!

San Diego is everything everyone said it would be and more! We had a little tour of the city since we were geographically challenged (not lost) and finally made it to the entrance of the huge bridge that would take us to our final destination, Coronado Island, California. Gorgeous! Our little 12 room bed and breakfast is so quaint and romantic just the perfect spot to celebrate our 9 years of wedded bliss together as a family (yes that means Frankie too). We couldn't help but reminisce about last years anniversary in Mumbai and Dr. Sudhir bringing us our little cake and candle to celebrate after my long day at the hospital having my egg pick up. Definitely a day we won't soon forget. It seems like yesterday when we first arrived in Mumbai to begin this crazy adventure and now one year later we are celebrating our baby 17 weeks (almost 18) in utero. AMAZING! We definitely owe both of the Doctors a world of gratitude for all they have done and what great friends they have become. Without Dr. Yashodhara and Dr. Sudhir our dreams wouldn't have become a reality. Thank you Docs for making this an extra special wedding anniversary to celebrate!

So tomorrow we are off to Sea World. We both love animals and so are really looking forward to a day at the park. We are practising up for many trips with our little one, YAH right, who am I kidding we are the biggest kids of them all! It will definitly be a LOT more fun though to share with our child. The weather has been superb with a slight cool breeze (a nice change from the constant heat in AZ). It will be a short but sweet little get-away for us, but definitely one that was truly needed and well deserved.

Teaching an old dog new tricks!

We finally decided after 13 years and 2 recent long trips to Mumbai that it was time to train our Frankie to use a doggie door. Gerry put his carpentry skills to work and cut the 2 holes in the wall and installed it. He needed my help for the final adjustments and tightening. After some coaxing with treats on the other side of the door, she did great! She still needs to figure out the fact that she can use it anytime she wants without our permission and that we shouldn't need to continue to coax her to go in and out. Its only been a couple of days though and she appears to be doing well in her training. Here it is, you be the judge...

We had our final celebration supper for this snowbird season with Mom and Dad this past Sunday. Every year we take our weekly Bingo winnings (Thursday nights are our ritual Bingo night at Mom & Dad's park) and put them together and celebrate with a final day at the casino and a nice supper. This year we had almost $400 to play with, YAY!. So it was a definitely a FUN day. Gerry the 'non-gambler' actually played the slots and came out almost $300 ahead when we left. We are so very sad to see them leave again, but we enjoyed reminiscing about all the things we did over the last 5 months and talking about their return even earlier next season in mid-October. They LOVE Arizona and hate to go back to the Great White North so soon. There was lots of talk of baby stuff and how our lives will change drastically this year.

We have been busy buying, planning and working on baby stuff galore. It is so much fun. I can totally relate to Carrie Jo (Procreated in India) and her enthusiasm and joy in planning for the baby. It is great to be able to share this with a fellow Indian Surro Blogger. So we got our first big purchase this week. Our convertible crib was delivered just the other day and we will recruit Dad for one last chore before they leave...building the crib with Gerry. We have been working long hours painting our murals on the nursery walls and we are pretty pleased with the results considering neither of us are very talented in this particular area. It feels great to be able to do this and have such a personal added touch to the nursery. The closet is getting full...I am officially addicted to buying onesies! Gerry's thing is books...'We will read to the baby every night Rhonda!' So no surprise the shelves are already full of books too. So much for a baby shower...we will have it all bought before the baby hits the 3rd trimester at this rate. We can't help it! We are so overjoyed and excited about our little angel coming to join the family. Even Frankie is enjoying her new hangout, the nursery!

Since so many people have been asking I decided I would share a little sneak peak at some of our hard work (OH, and one of my secret addiction) ...

We have our weekend birthday/anniversary get-away to San Diego this weekend. Hopefully I will be feeling better. No sooner did I get over my stupid cold, when I was hit with a horrendous stomach flu and stuck in bed for 2 days, BLAH! So much for a proper good-bye to Mom and Dad. They waved from the living room so as to not come anywhere close to the 'sicko' in the bedroom. They arrived home safe and sound to a whopping 28 degrees in Niagara Falls. Mom says she is chilled to the bone and will have to go into hibernation for the next week until her body gets acclimated to the cold weather. Of course Gerry couldn't wait to rub it in that it got up to 96 degrees here today in sunny Arizona (not that I would know being stuck in bed). Have I mentioned lately that my dog is the BEST? My Frankie girl stayed at my bedside for the entire 2 days I was sick, not even leaving to see Papa and Grandma off. Pet's are the greatest!

We leave for India in less than 2 weeks, and can't wait to see our precious KT and her family and of course our little belly bump! We are going to be having an ultrasound done while we are there and will get to hear our precious little angel's heartbeat for the very first time. Luckily we have been getting everything ready for the past couple of weeks and only have a few more gifts to buy. Well it's back to painting, we would like to have it done before we leave for Mumbai so that we can bring pictures to show KT and the Docs.

A moment of clarity...

I finally lost it! A down-right, all out, bawling, crying, snot flying moment. I was looking at the blog and pictures thinking about our entire journey and it finally hit me...WE ARE HAVING A BABY! After this long, crazy, emotional journey, we are finally having a baby! I am SO happy I just went and hugged my husband, who was stunned by my crying fit. I am in my happy place. I LOVE LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We chatted with the fact checker for our Chatelaine magazine article. We spent an hour going over every detail of our journey from how we met on a blind date until where we are today. It brought tears of joy to me to relive our story. I can't wait to see it in print. I think it will be a beautiful story of a couples struggle to have a family.

Mom and Dad leave in a few days and time is winding down... (insert sad face) We have had another fabulous season with them here and it is always hard to see them leave. Frankie will especially miss them this year...she is SO attached to Papa and Grandma. Mom peeked in on the nursery tonight and was REALLY excited with the work we have done. She wants it done before they leave so she can see the finished product. Too funny, sorry Mom, not likely, but when you return it will be an occupied nursery...even BETTER!!!

Congrats to S & J on their latest addition Savannah Karen born April 1st. We will see you three in Mumbai in a couple of weeks.

We leave in less than 2 weeks. YAY!!! Can't wait to see both the Docs and our precious KT.

So without further adieu...

Your Baby at 17 weeks:

Speaking of packing on the pounds, that what it's all about for baby this week. He's adding fat stores that will keep him warm and cozy after he's born. Your baby's weight will increase approximately six times over the next four weeks.

Also this week:

Your baby is hard at work honing his sucking and swallowing reflexes—all the better for eating that 2 AM (and 5 AM, and 8 AM ...) meal in a few months! The finger- and toenails are beginning to grow from their nail beds, which would explain why he'll need them trimmed almost as soon as he's born!

Your baby weighs nearly 5 ounces and is a little over 5 inches long—about the size of a baked potato (load on the butter and sour cream, please).

होम जहाँ दिल है. (Home is where the heart is).

WHEW...time to take a break from preparing the nursery, painting murals, buying baby gear and researching the best baby stuff, to catch everyone up on what's been happening with us on the home front.


Well, the Docs and Gerry all got their ways (was there really any doubt?)...we are officially off to India. From the moment we booked our flights the excitement that we felt on our very first trip, all started once again. This time though, no needles, no tests, no hospital food for me, just time to truly enjoy. We leave April 17th and return home on the 27th. Anyone looking for flights from the U.S to Mumbai, Continental has the best rates right now. We can't wait to meet KT and her family and most of all see and hear our baby. WOW, it gives us goosebumps to think about it! We are going to plan a short get-away again, hopefully this time to see the magnificent Taj Mahal in Agra. India has become our second home and the Doctors are our extended family.

Sorry, we interrupt this blog posting for a call and video chat from Dr. Sudhir, Dr. Yash, KT and her husband...

We are smiling with delight at seeing our surrogate KT and her husband. The smiles on their faces just lit up the office. KT was at the clinic for some scheduled blood work and she is looking as beautiful as ever. It's so true, pregnant woman do have a lovely glow. She is feeling well and she says her belly is showing, 'just a little bit.' The Doctors just told them that we are coming very soon to Mumbai and their smiles grew even bigger (if that's possible). They truly are a stunning couple. We can't wait to meet them. To top it off we asked them what they would like from the U.S.A and they very modestly stated, 'they have 2 children, ages 7 and 5, and you can bring them something if you'd like.' Little do they know the boys are already stocked full of gifts and we are working on buying for both of them as well now.

Okay, back to our regularily scheduled blog posting...

Earlier this week we attended a 'Clean & Bright' workshop at Babies R Us and even dragged S & J along. We had fun at dinner last weekend and even more fun when we brought them into our nursery and asked them if they liked 'our' stroller and matching car seat?

Purchase of a stroller and matching car seat... less than $100.00.

Supper with friends... $30.00.

Seeing their shocked faces when learning the stroller and car seat was theirs...PRICELESS!

J leaves for India on the 5th of April and S will follow shortly after to pick up their new little one. (aka The Bombay Baby, check out their new blog)

Mom and I have been busy sewing (well mostly Mom) curtains, dust ruffle, fitted sheets, receiving blankets, and more. I have been sick with a cold all weekend and Mom called today to say she is all done everything! Darn I forgot how good she is, Mom's are the BEST!!!

A shout out to our fellow bloggers and friends,The Mike's, their surrogate delivered their first little one Rose Avani a few days ago. We wish them a huge Congratulations and many, many years of joy to come. One down, one to go...

As you may have noticed by now, we gave our blog a bit of a face lift. We recently saw that another blog had the same template and almost the same title as us, so we decided it may be time to get a bit adventurous and make ours a little more unique, hope you like it.

Gerry's daughter Kristin is doing well, in India. She recently received a phone call from Dr. Sudhir who was just checking in on her to see if she needed anything. Have I mentioned lately that our Docs are AMAZING???

Well, one more week has passed and we are progressing along well in our pregnancy.

Your baby at 16 weeks:

Your baby is already mugging for the camera as she practices all sorts of facial expressions, such as squinting, yawning and grimacing, which will come in handy when you introduce her to pureed spinach.

Check out what else is happening in utero: You're just getting comfortable with being a new mom, but you're actually on the road to being a grandma. If your baby is a girl, her uterus is fully developed and the ovaries already hold primitive egg cells. Did that just make you feel a thousand years old, or what?

Your baby's skin is still translucent and wrinkly, not unlike an old man's, but more fat will soon accumulate under the dermas to plump her out. If you could peer inside right now, you'd be able to see all of her veins under her skin. And speaking of veins, your baby's heart now pumps about 25 quarts of blood per day, and she hasn't even seen Orlando Bloom yet!

Also, her eyes are now locked and loaded at their final destination, facing forward rather than to the sides. (Whew!)

This is the week women get an amniocentesis, if their doc recommends it. In addition to supplying doctors with a boatload of info about the baby's health, amnios are also more than 99 percent accurate in determining what version of baby you'll be having. So if you want to know and you're getting an amnio, now's a great time to find out for sure.

Your baby weighs about 3 ounces this week and measures between 4 and 5 inches, about the length of your mascara.

HI HO, HI HO... it's off to work we go!

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!! That's how I can sum up how the time has been since our last post. Both Rhonda and I have been very busy at each of our respective jobs. Rhonda, being the Director of Nursing, has been spending countless hours getting everything in order for the annual state survey at her Skilled Nursing Facility. I have been studying, taking written tests and completing practical evaluations for my Driver Engineer certifications for all of the numerous pieces of firefighting apparatus. And on top of this, on many of my days off, I have also been working extra hours at another firehouse with intentions of using the extra money to purchase things for our baby (with that as the goal it helps to keep me going when I am exhausted) So overall, with both of us being so busy, this week has really flown by. We are now at 15 weeks.



Your Baby at 15 weeks:

Although many women don't start feeling the baby move until the 17th week (or later), your baby has been having his own party in the amniotic sac he calls home. If KT feels a little flutter in your belly this week, don't discount it as gas or hunger. It could be your babe banging around.

Here's more to look forward to:

Baby's head is now resting on his well-formed neck instead of directly on his shoulders like Igor. He's beginning to grow eyebrows and eyelashes this week. (All the better to give you that "Mom, you're crazy" look when he's a teenager.)

The hair on the head also begins to grow and, with some creative styling, you'll be able to turn those locks into a Maddox Jolie-Pitt faux-hawk some day.

Although baby's eyes are sealed shut, he's now able to sense light. His eyes and ears finally look like real baby features now. As your baby practices sucking and swallowing actions, he may actually hiccup. You'll know he's had one too many shots of amniotic fluid by the steady thump-thump you feel.

Over the next month, baby will grow faster than ever. Your baby now measures nearly 4 inches, about the size of a Kit Kat "finger" (regular-size, not the Big one you get at the movies), and weighs almost 2 ounces.


This past week we received the results of our Triple Marker test and it showed that our baby was at low risk, which was another hurdle that we have overcome in our journey.

One of the things in life that brings me happiness is being able to surprise someone that I care about with an unexpected gift or gesture. Rhonda and I have been thinking for sometime about getting something for our friends S & J that will be traveling to Mumbai in early April for the birth of their baby. We met through our blog and found out that we live very close to each other. We have been able to meet several times to talk and have fun and to share our experiences as well as help to answer each others questions. Well I was able to find a couple of very important items that they still need for their baby and can't wait to surprise them. We plan on meeting them at our house tomorrow to spend the day around the pool, enjoying the gorgeous Arizona weather we have been having (Mike's, today it was 91 degrees, sorry!), and I can't mention what we got them since we know that they check the blog several times a day.

Rhonda and her Mom have been working almost all day sewing blankets, crib sheets and curtains for the baby's room. It is so great for her to be able to spend time with her Mom, especially working together making things for the baby, they are so very excited for us.

We are making plans for a short trip to Mumbai next month to spend some time with our surrogate KT (and our baby) and her family and are hoping for a quick getaway with our wonderful doctors. Dr Sudhir just got a brand new car and can't wait to take us all for a drive.

Well it's soon off to bed, Rhonda is very tired from a day of sewing, a busy day comes to an end.