Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Third Trimester!

Well so much good news to report, I don’t even know where to start!
Well… I am beginning the 3rd trimester of the pregnancy (YAY!), and from what I am told by SCI the babies are healthy and doing well. They are growing like crazy and the surromom is doing outstanding. Wow, has time flown by. I felt like it was just the other day that I found out about the positive pregnancy. I’m trying to enjoy every minute of this time because I know when the babies come, this precious time I will not have.

Secondly, Happy Birthday to me! I’m the big ol’ 31! It is what I call my Reggie Miller birthday. His basketball jersey number was 31 and definitely my favorite bball player of all time. In honor of my RM birthday, I am wearing his jersey to work today! This day also marks an important step/milestone. On this day last year, I was on a plane to India to begin this surrogacy process. What an amazing year it has been so far because of this process.

Tomorrow, I am interview Pediatricians and on Saturday I have my First Aid/CPR classes. This weekend is also LGBT pride here in SF, so the city is bound to be insane. I can’t wait! Another reason the city will be extra special this weekend is because DOMA and Prop 8 were basically overturned, giving LGBT persons more rights related to marriage and benefits than ever before. It gives me hope that this world is getting better and better.



I am all smiles today! =)

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Fathers Day


Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there. I hope you all had a very relaxing Sunday. It was great to get different cards, phone calls, and text messages even if the babes aren’t here yet. It has been touching and sweet.


Weekend

The weekend was super busy with a ton of events to be attended. On Saturday, I organized a Tennis League Social Event that went really well. After that, I went to a Basketball League ‘end of the season’ party. After that, I hung out with Darin. We had a Mediterranean dinner and then went to a Soccer League house party. Then I went out with friends right after that. Let’s just say I was exhausted on Sunday. I decided to postpone my First Aid/CPR classes. In my head, I just wanted to relax on Father’s Day. =)

Connecting with Other SCI Peeps

Recently, I have been able to connect with other SCI peeps and it really has been amazing to talk about our journeys. I think it is hard for people to understand what we go through in this process so it has been good to bond with people who really understand. Thanks to all of the SCI peeps that have reached out.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

The Kids are Alright!

During my ALC ride, I got the following email:
Dear Anwar,

Greetings from SCI Healthcare..!!!
We hope you are doing fine !!
We believe that you enjoyed her last 3D scan.
However, now this is the time to move further.

In regards to the same we have performed L's USG scan as per our schedule.
Kindly find attached report for the same.
Please note that our obstetrician has reviewed the report and noted that everything is fine.
All parameters are within normal limit.
Your Surrogate mother is really doing a good job and babies are also doing well.
We all are very happy to see her progress.
Kindly note that her next scan will be done within one month.
We will keep you updated.
With Regards,
Yogita
SCI Healthcare



I can only imagine how big the my surromom is at this point since the babies have literally doubled in size over the last month. Below you will find the scans which are a little less than impressive. I can’t really see much. Maybe I am completely spoiled from the 3-D scans. Third trimester is upon us because currently the babies are at 25 weeks. I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed. It is really incredible. Also, my sister was able to send a ‘save the date’ evite to friends and family and the love has really started to pour in. This has been amazing. I haven’t really expected as much love and support as I have received so I have been pleasantly surprised. Also I have already started receiving some baby gifts! YAY!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

The Ride, The Journey

AIDS Lifecycle


Wow, what an amazing week last week!

I finally did the AIDS Lifecycle, which was a bike ride event from SF to LA over 7 days (545 MILES). It was challenging, scary, exhausting, inspiring, uplifting, and fun. It was amazing because as a collective group of 3K riders we raised $14.2 million dollars, which was an all-time record. This event is the highest grossing fundraising event for HIV/AIDS in the world and it was great to be a part of it. I definitely feel a sense of accomplishment because I hadn’t ever really rode a road bike before February of this year and to do this was so awesome. It also felt great to actually accomplish something that I had wanted to accomplish for years now. This ride was dedicated not only for my babies but for a good friend of mine, in the hope that in the future, HIV/AIDS will be a non-factor. I am thankful for all of the support I received from family and friends. Below you will find some pics from the ride.


The rundown:

Sunday: 83 miles – My sister dropped me off around 5am and was there to see me off when we had opening ceremony and the send off at 6:30am. I was nervous and excited and had a mini emotional breakdown as I realized I was achieving a dream. Cyncere was there to support me and pump me up. Coming out SF, my FEDex team led the ride out which was awesome. It was super cloudy leaving SF and I got a flat tire within the first hour but a random stranger helped me and I was off after 15 minutes. We rode down the coast and hit beautiful Santa Cruz where there were tons of people windsurfing. I don’t think the pic does the sight justice though.


Monday: 109 miles – The longest day of the route. It was mostly flat but just a very long day. We rode for 12 hours with many scenic routes across strawberry fields in Monterey to coastal ports where I saw the big group of seals (below). Camp was in King City.


Tuesday: 67 miles – A Shorter day but the big dreaded ‘QUAD Buster’. It is a huge uphill mountain that is about 3 miles going straight up and very steep; but I made it. Camp was in Paso Robles.

Wednesday: 98 miles – The day of the Evil Twins. It is this group of big uphill climbs. This was also the day of the halfway point which was an amazing accomplishment in and of itself. This day we went through Pismo Beach and had cinnabuns. Delicious. This was the day I had to get a massage from one of the many massage therapists at each camp. My body was feeling it! Camp was in Santa Maria.




Thursday: 42 miles – RED Dress Day! Everyone wears a red dress to show support for the red ribbon. My red dress picture to come. It was a shorter day but a hilarious one, nonetheless. We were a scene everywhere we went! These people were crazy. Check out the Orphan Annies below. Camp was in Lompoc.





Friday: 84 miles – This was by far the most beautiful parts of the ride going through Santa Barbara/Goleta/Montecito. Santa Barbara also had a spot where they gave us free ice cream, brownies, and candy. Camp was is Ventura (home sweet home) where I had at least 10 family and friends waiting for me and cheering me on. What support! The pic below is of me and GMA who was surprisingly gitty about the entire event. There was also a Candle Light vigil that night, which again, the picture doesn’t do justice to.



Saturday: 61 miles – Finally made it to LA. The funny thing is that the route went right by my GMAs house and Cyncere and her were out cheering the riders on with signs. Cyncere waved the American Flag and GMA had the cowbell! We rode down the famous PCH highway and had lunch at Pepperdine University.





What I have learned from this experience is the true kindness of strangers. All 2200 riders looked out for another helped each other as we rode down the coast. This experience also restored my faith in the LGBT community. When we want to accomplish something, we CAN come together and make things happen.