9 Years Ago....

9 years ago today I became a surrogate.   I gave birth to a child that was not biologically mine.  A child I carried for someone else.  A child I got to hand over to the parents and watch their entire world change..... I got to be there.  I got to be a part of something HUGE.   I gave birth to a baby boy that weighed 8lbs 11ozs and came after just a very quick 45 minutes of labor & delivery. 
{As you can tell by this bruised face - it was quick!}

I became a surrogate and it changed my life.

Today Harrison Asher turns 9 years old.  He is having a football party with his friends and his younger brother Ethan.   Today 9 years ago two wonderful men became Daddy & Dada.   Today 9 years ago woman who thought she might never have grandchildren got to meet her grandson for the first time.  9 years ago men and women became aunts and uncles.   9 years ago a special little boy was born.

What an incredible thing *I* got to be a part of.  What an incredible blessing to me. 

IP's and surrogates all have different arrangements when they are in the hospital for labor and delivery.   Some share a room but it seems like most IP's get a room down the hall from the surrogate.  I get it, I really do, but for us - it wouldn't have worked.   The first night we got stuck in a standard tiny room.  Not really the best set up.   My IP's actually went home that night and I kept the baby with me.   Apparently they had quite a few friends that thought they were nuts and that I might run off with the baby.... um, no.   There is that whole TRUST thing again.   Besides, I was already doing the single mom thing by that point and *really* didn't want a newborn baby to take care of!   The second night we got a 2 bedroom suite and it was wonderful!   We could close the door if either one of us wanted privacy, but I'm not sure we ever did.   (ok, maybe at night 'cuz I snored so bad.....)   I nursed Harrison the entire time I was in the hospital and the dads made sure to take lots of picture to prove that they hadn't deprived him of getting a little boob action!   ;-)  

My experience was wonderful.  I loved the family and knew that we would be doing a sibling journey sometime in the future, so to me it wasn't the end, it was just another chapter in our lives together.