Noddy...We have a pram!

This week brings closure on our pram debate. After many long hours sourcing the best pram for Noddy, the decision has been made for us. Both of us have spent hours at Babies Galore, Baby Kingdom, Babys R Us, Myer, David Jones...the list goes on and on to no avail. What we learnt from this process is that no single pram offered everything we were looking for. One was easy to collapse but did not have a rear facing bassinet or vice versa. This, coupled with the fact that there are very few pram systems under $1000 felt like we were searching for the holy grail of prams. Oh my! Johnny did buy a second hand emmalunjga classic pram on e-bay. It did not matter than the pram was ten years old as it was fabulous looking and was the traditional carriage he was after. Shortly after picking up said pram and it taking up the entire boot space in the station wagon and I mean there was very little room left, he did his wrist lifting into the car.

For days after it was aching beyond belief. Reality kicked in and it was bye-bye to the emmaljunga and we were back at square one; no pram. Our earlier joke of using a wheelbarrow was looking more and more like reality for us.

Luckily for us our pram saviour came in the form of Ninna. Darren's mum who goes by the name Ninna or Nin to her grandchildren. Nin had decided long ago that her baby shower gift to us was going to be a pram and it so it was...along with a mosquito net and stand for our cot, several beautiful nighties and legging sets, onsies, kinitted jackets, booties, bonnets along with shawls, blankets and baby face washers.

Our invitations for our baby shower have been posted this week and we are planning a lovely afternoon in our front garden with friends and family enjoying each other's company and a scrumptious selection of canapes with equally yummy beverages to boot.

WEEK 26

Fetal length 23cm (9.2 inches). Fetal weight nearly 910grams (2 pounds). Your baby's body has started to grow faster than its head. This new sense of proportion makes your baby look more like a newborn. Arms and legs are stronger and bones are hardening. Eyebrows and eyelashes are present and hair on the head is growing longer. Your baby is becoming longer and although still red and skinny its body is rounding out as fat deposits start to develop under the skin. Genitals are now completely differentiated. The lungs are growing, nostrils are open and muscles start to work to give your baby breathing practise prior to birth. Your baby has also developed patterns of sleeping and waking.

Weeks 24 & 25 Updates

We can almost see the finish line...almost. This week our surrogate will be 25 weeks pregnant and we soon will be counting down from DOUBLE DIGITS!

I remember earlier in the year when we were counting down from 99 days to our arrival into Mumbai for the first time and how excited we were and how fast the time passed by. We still have no movement on the nursery front. We have however purchased one box of newborn nappies and some cans of newborn formula. We will get started on the nursery by the end of January or the start of February.

There has been very little news from India over the past couple of weeks (no news in good news). Drs Sudhir and Yash have sent us two new photos at the start of this week with our surrogate's beautiful 25 week baby belly! Little Noddy is still growing strong and again we repeat how blessed we are that our pregnancy has been smooth and to be under the watchful eyes of such fantastic professionals at Surrogacy India. We are and always will be singing their praises and recommending them to anyone who listens! This week we also emailed Amit Kulkarni from Explore India; (mumbai@exploreindya.net), the travel agent recommended by SI to confirm our hotel when we return to India. We have decided on the VITS as their staff are well equipped to the needs of new parents and there are so many IPs who have been before us and some that will be there at the same time as us so, we look forward to meeting them! Amit's rates are very competitive and even better than what I was able to confirm as a travel agent. Also, Amit knows the people on the ground in India so can include many extras that we would otherwise miss out on or have to pay for.

WEEK 24

Fetal size 21cm (8.4 inches). Fetal weight 530grams (1.2 pounds). This week your baby continues to gain weight. Development is occurring in the brain, growth and increase in size of the kidneys, lungs and gastrointestinal tract (gut).

WEEK 25

Fetal size 22cm (8.8 inches). Fetal weight 680grams (1.5 pounds). Your baby continues to develop and mature. Its brain begins to form connections between the nerve cells and fibre ends. This process continues for a few weeks, while a basis is created for the relay of the sensory messages that signal consciousness in adults.

Squeakers, Bibs & Christmas Cheer

We had such a wonderful Christmas Day with family and friends. This was the first year in a very long time we did not have lunch or dinner at our place and it was nice to be waited on instead of waiting on others!!!

We always have a quiet breakfast at home with Darren's mum and her partner Michael. This is a lovely way to start our day; carols playing and maybe a chocolate truffle or two whilst we set the table and get ready for our breakfast. Ham, poached eggs, mango and an assortment of other treats kept the morning easy and we all enjoyed relaxing over a few hours and exchanging gifts.

This year Johnny's sister had Christmas lunch at her place. Darren and I, along with both sets of parents and Becky's partner Stephen's folks too. Beck is an amazing cook and a professional chef by trade so lunch was an extravaganza! Her house was so wonderfully festive with a beautifully decorated tree, garlands galore and Christmas lights. It was magical. Becky and Steve had prepared a delicious lunch for us all; ham, turkey, roast pork, potato salad, green salad, scrumptious prawns and the most sublime Tasmanian oysters! We had a perfect day with our extended families and of course ate far too much as one does. Look at the amazing cupcakes Becky made for Christmas!

She is so talented and is really hoping to expand her cake decorating business in 2010.

After our beautiful lunch we headed back to the Blue Mountains for Christmas dinner with Darren's sister Tracie and her husband and two nieces. Again, we had such a relaxing night enjoying each others company, enjoying a meal together, some wonderful Christmas punch and exchanged our gifts. All in all we have had one of the most relaxing Christmas Days ever. We returned home so full of cheer and happy that we decided we must be more low key when it comes to our own entertaining around this time of year. I think we need to apply this mantra to entertaining in general. I am unable to entertain low key full stop.

This will be one of the resolutions for 2010. I usually don't worry about new year resolutions but I will have to learn to entertain more simply right? We'll have a baby with us in a few months time.

Darren's niece bought us the most adorable squeaker rattle and bib for Christmas that I just had to post a photo for you. They are made by an Australian company; Alimrose Designs (they're online). Their squeakers and bibs use wonderfully vintage style fabrics and we just love it. The Scottie dog set it a gift from Hollie to us for Noddy and Darren and I bought the bunny months ago. It was in fact our first purchase for Noddy many, many months ago.

The last days of 2009 will be spent working. Both Darren and I are saving our annual leave for when Noddy arrives. Also, Darren is only three months into his new job and working in retail, December and January are some of the busiest months of the year for his industry. My job on the other hand has started to slow down now. If you haven't already booked you flight to the UK sorry love but you have probably missed out on the $1400 airfare your sister saw for you in the paper a month ago! We are now only days away from entering our last trimester....my mind is awash with the dream of what our life will be like in 2010. I see captured moments in my mind every now and then of Darren and I out with Noddy or at home and I blissfully let my subconscious get carried away with these dream like sequences of daily life. I know I keep repeating myself but we are so blessed I get goosebumps.

Merry Christmas & Week 23 Update

Tonight is Christmas Eve and this is going to be our last Christmas as a couple. Next year we will have an eight month old baby in our lives...and we can't wait.

These past couple of weeks we have been checking and re checking our paperwork for when Noddy is due, and again made contact with the Australian Embassy in New Delhi to reconfirm we knew what was expected of us legally to gain citizenship for Noddy. We are both very calm at this point in our pregnancy and I am thankful for this. Leading up to this point we have had our 'moments' all self inflicted mind you!

We have, as I have said before, still lots of things to do prior to April but hey;

We live in a wonderful free country, we have our health, each other and the love of family and friends. Tomorrow is Christmas day and we are thankful for each other and the wonderful gifts given to us. We are especially lucky and blessed this Christmas; we are going to be parents next year!

No point in sweating the small stuff right......Que sera sera.....What will be will be.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & GOD BLESS.

WEEK 23

Fetal size 20cm (8 inches). Fetal weight: 455 grams (1 pound). Your baby matures and starts to get plumper. Your baby's body and face start to resemble the appearance of a newborn. The pancreas develops further this week, enabling the production of insulin, which metabolises sugar.

Post Detox Post, Shopping, Baby Belly & Weeks 21 & 22 Updates

The self imposed internet detox from last week has worked wonders for my complexion! No more square eyes and my skin is just glowing, really it is.

I managed to last nine days without baby blogging, baby forums, Dr Google and everything else baby that had driven me to distraction leading to the 5th December. I still was using my emails since I have to for work and being online was still mandatory but without visiting baby websites in their hundreds, my mind had time for rest and relaxation. Many IPs going through the same process as us will agree that it is very, very overwhelming and even though I know it may be 1:00am in Mumbai, this doesn't stop me checking for updates from the docs at Surrogacy India 20+ times a day...seriously!

The week that was. I have spent so much time with my mum the past few weeks. Each weekend we are out together finishing Christmas shopping, visiting family friends or buying for Noddy. Mum is buying and Darren and I are resisting temptation. Last weekend we spent all day Saturday...all day from 8:30am til 6:45pm Christmas shopping, visiting friends and travelling half way across Sydney trying to find a baby bouncer I remembered from my childhood. My Mum is gorgeous and we always have fun together when we're out. When we finally found it, Mum bought it for us as 'another gift from Grandma'. I think it's great and it will work really well in Noddy's room once we get the ball rolling.

This past week has also seen more updates from Drs Sudhir and Yash about the progress of our pregnancy and our wonderful surrogate who looks beautifully pregnant. Trying to explain how I feel about leading up to B-Day is somewhat difficult to express. There are days that time seems to almost stand still. As though I am looking in on a life that can not possible be my own. A loving family and friends, a beautiful home and job I love. My amazing partner who has been a part of my life for 12 and a half years now (where has the time gone)?

Are we really going to be daddies? I thought this was not an option for an openly gay man? I get goosebumps just thinking of this...

And then, there are the days that B-Day seems to be approaching like a train out of control. 120 something days until our Noddy(ette) joins Darren and I and our lives will be forever changed. There is still so much to be done but I am not going to let this get the better of me. We will do what we can do and not stress about what isn't completed before we travel to India. I am going to enjoy the last 120 something days of our life together as a couple and look forward to the rest of our lives as a family. It's really happening!

This week our surrogate is going to be 23 weeks pregnant. Our latest scan results from Dr Sudhir & Yash are excellent....A+

Placenta maturity is Grade O

Head Circumference 18.5CM

Femur Length 3.5CM

Abdominal Circumference 16.5CM

Estimated Fetal Weight 420GRAMS

And our estimated due date has been brought forward to 18 April 2010. Gosh, can you believe how fast this is progressing. We are so eternally grateful to God for His gift to us and the blessings bestowed to us. Dr Sudhir and Dr Yash both know how much we care for them and the fantastic job they have done is making our parenthood dream a reality. They really are two of the most amazing people we have ever met.

WEEK 21

Fetal size 18cm (7.2 inches). Fetal weight 300grams (10.5 ounces).

Your baby has been growing rapidly, but over the last week and during this week, growth slows down and your baby continues to develop and mature in other ways while continuing to gain weight. At 21 weeks your baby can swallow amniotic fluid. Your baby absorbs the water from the fluid, while any other matter is pushed through the bowel by the muscle movements of the small intestine. The first bowel movement your baby passes will contain the undigested matter from the amniotic fluid. This green-black matter (called meconium) will be passed during or soon after birth.

WEEK 22

Fetal size 19cm (7.6 inches). Fetal weight 350grams (12.25 ounces).

Your baby is getting bigger as each day passes. Eyelids and eyebrows and fingernails are developed. Organs are developing to perform their particular functions. Your baby starts to build an immune system to act as a natural defense against infection. In addition he/she will begin to produce and store fatty tissue to produce body heat and keep warm. This fatty layer (called brown fat) starts to build up on different parts of the body and continues to do so until your baby is born. The skin is growing and is protected from the amniotic fluid by a waxy layer (called vernix). Until your baby develops more fat under the skin, it will remain red and wrinkly. The body is still covered by a fine layer of hair. Baby teeth have been formed and are waiting in the gums. Your baby can now taste and can tell the difference between sweet and bitter.

Your baby starts to move more, becoming more coordinated as muscles develop and strength increases. He/she can now turn and stretch. These movements will build muscle, strengthen bones and improve motor skills.

Time Again For Detox

Internet detox that is. It has been seven months to the day (5 May) since I last had my self imposed internet detox and another is long overdue!

I'm sure many of you will agree with me when I say this is the hardest thing we have gone through in our lives to date. Searching for a clinic to help us become parents, searching for a suitable egg donor and then a suitable surrogate. Then, surrogate numbers one and two are no longer available. Thank you surrogate number three! Our angel and wonder woman who is making our dreams come true.

Then to further add to the mayhem in my head, there's international air travel, hotels, visas, vaccinations, DNA tests, citizenship applications, passport applications, pregnancy updates including ultrasound results and films, blood, urine and other tests to boot! I believe that the stress I feel is compounded by the fact I am on a computer five days a week for around 50+ hours. Then there is the time online at home; I'm sending myself CRAZY!

I have to detox. I am making the most trivial, tiny news from India a MEGA MOUNTAIN from a tiny mole hill. There is no reason for me to doubt that our pregnancy is going normally and nothing is wrong. Noddy is perfectly safe and well as is our surrogate and they are both being taken cared for by the wonderful team at Surrogacy India.

So, here it is. No blogs, forums, emails, websites, parent chat rooms, you tube or anything baby related for seven days from today. It begins......now.

Five Months Pregnant!

Darren and I have just finished chatting with our wonderful surrogate on SKYPE and she looks AMAZING!

I know we're biased when I say our surrogate is the best in the world. But hey, she is! Her skin is glowing, her smile and laughter are infectious and she is so warm and wonderful toward us I only wish we were closer to India than a 13+ hour flight.

Today we hit the 20 week mark in our pregnancy. 20 WEEKS! We have successfully reached the half way point. There are no words to express how we feel. I (Johnny) have been having more and more recurring dreams about Noddy (Nodette)? and each one is more real than the next. God has a wonderful plan in store for Darren and I, even if it involves some sleepless nights.

Darren here: Yes I awake most mornings to a story of bizarre baby happenings in Johnnies imagination that are fantastic & sometime a little weird.

Tonight Sarika met my mum & it was just a wonderful moment that makes it that little bit more real for her who, up until this point has only really heard that about our conversations with Sarika & all of the wonderful people we have meet along the way to babydom.

Today is the half way point in our journey to become daddies: it feels amazing and scary. Heck we need to get it together. There is so much to do in the next 4 months before we bring Noddy home.

WEEK 20

Fetal size 14-16cm, (5.6-6.4 inches). Fetal weight 315g
(9 ounces).

Your baby's skin has now formed two layers. The epidermis (outer layer) and the dermis (deep skin tissue). From 20 weeks, your baby's skin starts to secrete vernix (a white pasty substance) that protects your baby's skin from the amniotic fluid. The vernix will be present on your baby's skin at birth.