Baby preferred to keep it in secret

Hello my dear friends!

Another week passed and we are already in our 17^th week. We’re getting closer to the middle of our pregnancy. With each new week, I keep reading about how our baby changes and develops, about his new achievements. The baby is already around 18 cm tall! His movements are more controlled now. He can touch his face or suck his thumb. He can hear much better now and can recognize voices. Of course, I wish I could talk to him and tell him how much I love him and wait for him here, but this is what I’m unable to do.

I call our baby “he” but in reality we still don’t know if it’s he or she. We received our 16 weeks scan last week, with ultrasound photos and videos. The baby is growing, surrogate is feeling well. They handled second genetic scan and the result was good this time as well: low risk for genetic abnormalities. But as to gender of our baby – no news again. I know 16 week is too early, but we were so impatient to know. All our family is waiting. We also want Den to know if he is expecting a sister or a brother. As I’ve told in one of my previous posts, our surrogate thinks it’s a boy.

The next scan and check up is on the 20^th week. Three more weeks to wait. Maybe this time we’ll fly to Kiev to meet our surrogate and see her growing bump, but only time will show.

As to my other news, Martin got back from his business trip but we failed to have some good rest this weekend because Den got ill again and currently I’m taking care of him. It was flu and he is slowly but steadily recovering. This morning we even went for a walk together. So in general, I’m a bit tried after this week. Mom’s heart is never at rest when her child is not feeling well. But we always do our best to help them recover as soon as possible.

So, I’m closing by now, with thoughts about my two babies: thee one who is just next to me coughing and with a running nose, and the second still so small but already so endlessly loved.

Warm hugs

xxx

Women from Venus, Men from Mars

Hello my dear friends! I hope you all are feeling well on this wonderful day.  A week has started. We had to wake up at 5.30 am today because my husband was to set off to Bergen. It’s a business trip. Well, a long way to go, and he is yet driving. So I’m waiting for a call from him just to make sure everything’s fine. He often travels all over the country for his business meetings but each time I’m a bit nervous.  Maybe this is just my female nature?

We all women are the same. Aren’t we? We always need to worry for someone/something. And we always will. Nothing changes with years. Modern social policy tends to gender equality, same rights and duties for men and women.  But we are not the same: never were and never will be. Finally, men and women were designed to complete each other. Remember: Women from Venus, Men from Mars? Neither time, nor new laws will change it.

It seems I’m happy to have a husband who still thinks that women have to be given flowers and pampered in many different ways. We all still want to be princesses and to be treated liked a princess, no matter how old we are.

I have a son and we still don’t know the gender of the baby that we are awaiting through surrogacy. As I’ve told before, we wanted a baby girl. My husband did. And so do I. I know how it feels to be a mother of a little man, but yet I so desperately want to be a mother of a little princess as well. And yes I will dress her in pink and tell her that she is beautiful every single day. Dozen times per day. Even if people will say that I’m spoiling her. I think that this is why we, women, all come to this world: to be pampered, spoiled and know that we’re making this world better with our beauty. And to give birth to children, of course.

We hope that tomorrow we will know the gender of our long awaited baby. Tomorrow is the day for our next scan – 16 weeks pregnancy. Our surrogate is expected to come to Kiev, to the clinic, again. Unfortunately, we couldn’t travel this time to be present at the checkups personally. Of course, I was very upset, but now it’s better. I know that they will inform every single detail of the scan as soon as possible. So tomorrow is a big day and we are waiting.

I hope the doctor who will be performing ultrasound is professional enough to see the gender of the baby on the 16^th week. Still I know it may be tough, especially if the baby is “shy”. When I was pregnant with Den, it was only the 20 weeks scan when we found out it’s a boy.

We will see this time.

Apart from gender question, of course we are waiting for medical report and second genetic screening. The first one was ok, so we hope that this time there’ll be no problems as well.

16 weeks – the baby is already big enough. Surrogate may experience first kicks. They say when it’s not the first pregnancy, woman starts feeling first kicks much earlier. I’m sure they will ask her.

I’m checking the weather in Ukraine often. It seems they are having nice warm sunny weather. I hope that our surrogate takes some time for walks and breathing fresh air. Baby needs oxygen, and well as first rays of spring sun that nourishes skin with vitamin D. Sure, I’m not in control of all that but I really hope that our surrogate takes care of herself and our baby very wisely.

Waiting for news from clinic.

I’ll drop a line as soon as I’m informed.

Have a great week, friends!

Xxx

Welcome to 2nd trimester, baby!

The first trimester is left behind! Welcome to the second trimester, the most marvelous time of the whole pregnancy. No more morning sickness and evening fatigue, but not yet carrying this huge bump that prevents you from putting your shoes on and even sleeping normally…all night long. Oh, I remember this all very well. When I was last months pregnant with Den, my bump was really HUGE. I had a special U-form pillow for pregnant. Oh, was it a salvation? It was really working. This pillow was my best friend during last 2 months of pregnancy. So, I know how it feels. But if we talk about second trimester, this is the prime time of pregnancy. The bump is already showing out but still makes no discomfort. People’s attitude changes: now everyone knows you are pregnant and you get this special type of attention. So sweet! Then come first baby’s kicks. Then knowing baby’s gender, choosing name. Of course, I feel a sort of nostalgia for that time. I know that for me it will never repeat again… BUT it’s a new history of our family and life is going on. Even though the baby is not in my bump, this is still MY and MY HUSBAND’S baby and this is our pregnancy, after all.

It was the 12^th week and we met our surrogate. She is a lady of 35 years old, 3 years older than me. A bit taller than me, looks healthy, athletic type. We couldn’t see her growing belly yet but she says it was growing a bit. Maybe. 

The lady’s name is Galia or Galina. She is Ukrainian and comes from Kiev region. She needs to cover more than 100 km to get to Kiev, to the clinic. We met last Friday. It was the time of our 12 weeks scan and we all were excited. Firstly, because being introduced to each other for the first time, secondly, because of the baby’s ultrasound and first clear image and video. Galia seemed a bit embarrassed to meet us. I could feel it. Or maybe she is just so modest. She wasn’t very talkative even though there was a translator to ease our communication. She ensured us that she is feeling well now, but used to have some morning sickness at earlier stages. She lives with her two children of school age, and her husband. When we asked her, if her children need something and we can provide it for her, she said nothing. Ok, anyways, we will bring something for them the next time we’ll travel. This time we brought presents as well. I hope she liked them: it was a golden pendant, a pack of delicious things from Norway, and some souvenirs. By the way, she has never been abroad. Never. Hopefully, she knows what Oslo is, the city we live in. At least, she said she does.

The ultrasound scan was a pivotal moment of the whole trip. We had to wait for our doctor near her office for around 20 minutes, but hopefully our English speaking manager was with us, thus we had a chance to communicate with Galia and to know each other better. By the way, she said she feels that it’s a girl! We’ll see.

Our Dr Elena ensured us that everything’s fine with the baby and with surrogate. She said that the size of the baby is respective to pregnancy term, collar space is ok. The baby was moving. He/she was shaking arms and legs and that was…fantastic. We’ve got the video and I keep watching it again and again now. Our baby! Our little pea!

This same day we had to travel back home! A tiring trip, very tiring, but so extremely emotional. I hope we’ll repeat all that in four weeks, at our 16 weeks scan. The travel is worth all those emotions we received. It was fantastic. I already started begging Martin to arrange our next trip to Kiev.

I’m counting days!

Grow, baby, grow!

You’re always on our mind! Day and night! We love you and we are waiting for you!

xxx