Happy Thanksgiving @ 3months!

Baby Update (3months)
The babes are now 3 months and much more active and cognizant of everything around them. I don't know what it was but when 3 months hit, the colicky crying and so just stopped. I'm definitely very thankful for that! They are amazing me everyday, to there incessant fascination with art around my house to their physical abilities to stand on their own and turn their heads with complete ease. Life with them has been just great! They are sleeping through the night have been doing so for the past month. Again, I recommend 12 hours in 12 weeks for anyone  who has worries about their kids potentially not sleeping through the night. The kids are currently sleeping from 830pm-730am every night, with two naps (morning and afternoon at 1.5/2 hours each). They are also very happy babies. They smile almost all the time which also makes me feel good as a parent. Ravi is starting to really do a lot of baby talk and Zora can't stop smiling.


Extension
I was suppose to return to work today but I have extended my paternity leave for another month and will be returning to work on the 2nd of January. I am super excited about this because I am definitely not ready to leave the babes, which is probably why I have been dragging my feet with the nanny search. My sister will be looking after them for the first two weeks of January so that I can leisurely find someone suitable to watch the babes.



Ambition
Ya know, I thought having children would make me less ambitious as it pertains to my careers but I have actually become more ambitious! I want more, not just for me, but for my family. This is why I have began looking for more lucrative opportunities as well as potentially looking for places to live that are a bit less expensive and safer than the Bay Area.

Thanksgiving
Although Thanksgiving was like a week ago, I wasn't feeling up to creating a post on here. But I am so thankful for my children (and their excellent health), my family and my friends, who have been so ultimately supportive!

 New Man
In the last month, I have met someone who I actually really really like. Not going to go into too many details on here, but wanted to mention it, as it has become a significant part of my life. He is a nice German guy, who is sweet and caring. We have a lot in common and I look forward to what will come of it.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all!

-From Elephant, Lion, and Zookeeper

My Baby Love, My Baby Love...

Ohhhh how much I love Paternity leave. It has been amazing just to be home with the babes. They surprise me and teach me something about myself everyday. I am super grateful to have them.

Back Home:
The flight back from India was pretty uneventful. My Mom and I were super surprised the babes traveled so well. It was a 20 hour flight and they slept for 90% of the time. I attribute it to the voodoo called Baby Bjorn and the white noise of the planes. All in all, I was a very proud papa! We had a slight stop in London where Mom and I met up with Jerry again and he was able to meet and hold the babes. All he could say in his thick british accent was... Anwar, my word, am I holding them right?" =)

Once in SF, Cyncere picked us up from the airport. By this time, I'm complete out of it. I will say that Virgin Atlantic was a dream to fly, especially with the babes. They really took care of us and always made sure we had everything we need, including an entire row to ourselves. We never wanted for anything.

The Babes:
Gotta love their big eyes...

Babes have acclimated nicely to Bay Area living. They are health nuts and love walking everyday. Of course they are superstars where ever they go.. aka the twin phenomenon. They are gaining weight like monsters and their first pediatrician appt and Ravi's circumcision went all well. I have their 2-month visit next Thursday, where we are to receive all of the vaccinations. I'm a bit nervous but looking forward to their supreme health  after the vaccinations.

I was easily able to put them on my insurance and received their social security cards in the mail a couple of weeks ago. It is funny what people will do for a 'single dad with twins'... let's just say I'm milking it for all its worth.

I have been following the sleep training strategy of the book 12 hours in 12 weeks and it seems to be going really well.  The real training has started last Friday and I have already seen great progress in their night sleeping. I put them down at 8pm, after their bath. They wake up at 1am and 5am although I can already see us phasing out that 5am feeding, since they barely drink any milk during that feeding.

Halloween is right around the corner and we excited over here. Ravi will be an Elephant and Zora will be a Lion (their spirit animals). I, of course, will be the zookeeper! Pics soon to follow.

Friends
My Bay Area friends have been so amazing. They are coming over and visiting and meeting the babes. They have been so supportive and helpful already with all of the check-ins and food delivery they have been doing. It has been really amazing. Below are some pics of them in action...

GMA
GMA is here looking after the babes with me. Her visit has been a god-send. She has been so helpful in all aspects of our daily routine. I especially love the daily walks we take. It means a lot to me that my children were able to experience her love and presence (even if at a very young age).

On the second day here, she told me I was an awesome parent and that really melted my heart. It is something I will never forget. I especially like discussing all the new parenting opinions/thoughts/mentality vs. her old-school methods. It has been eye-opening for us both. She leaves on Sunday and she will be sorely missed. Because of her, I was able to go out and see friends without worrying about the babes.

Until the next feeding,
A

As a Chapter Closes... Another Chapter begins!

Wow! These last two weeks have been a blur, but a very good blur! The babes are just so much fun!
The Process was fairly straight forward:

1)Birth Certificates - I finalized these on my first day and picked them up the next day (5000 Rps each)

2)Passport Photos - Photographer came and took pics of the babes. Ravi was fine with this but Zora did not enjoy having her hands held down to get a good shot but we finally got usable ones. I paid 1000 Rps and received about 20 photos each as well as electronic copies (which were very useful for the FRRO online application.

 

Zora Jacinda

 

Ravi Sadat

3)Pay Final SCI Bill and receive Documents - I had SCI make 2 physical copies (1 for the US embassy and 1 for FRRO) and an electronic copy. SCI was a huge help in making sure all the documentation was correct and copied appropriately.

4) Passport Application/DNA Test at US Embassy - Passport App was about $205 each and the DNA sample cost 1600Rps each (Bank draft was not necessary, but preferable). Total time took about 2 hours.

5) Pick Up Passports at US Embassy - After 4 business days I got the confirmation that I am the fathe rof these children. Whew! You never know, ya know. It was a big relief, because I knew once I got their passports we would be close to the end. US Embassy gave me emergency passports good for 1 year.

6)FRRO - I came here right after picking up the passports. It is advisable to make your appointment ASAP as they let you in based on your appt time allotted, although they will let everyone in after 1:30 as thats when things die down. They first told me they wanted to re-verify my application (I think it was slight harassment for being single and assumed as LGBT). They threatened that it would take 10 days even though my flight was leaving 3 days from the date. After begging and pleading and letting them know I was "on the list", they told me to come back the next day. I went to SCI and they let me know that everything would be fine. I went to the FRRO the next day and got the exit visas without a problem. I was dealing with the same people but the treatment was like night and day. I just wanted to let singles and LGBT people know to be careful as the FRRO might mess with you, but as long as you are on 'the list' you should be fine.

Overall the process went well and smoothly. I am happy and grateful that SCI had prepared me well.

The Babes are just lovely. I am still in amazement that they are here and real. I was trying to explain that 'this surrogacy process' kinda consumes you for such a long time, it becomes a part if not all of you. It is weird to know that 'the process' is over, and parenthood begins.

I am so grateful to have them. Twins are really unbelievable. We try to keep them together because surprisingly enough, they tend to soothe each other.

As you can see, Ravi has very long arms (just like his father). They both have 'mama' second toes longer than their 'papa' big toe, just like me as well. They definitely have my bigger lips and Ravi has my huge eyes. It is fascinating to see the similarities.


As I leave India...I must thank:
SCI for partnering with me to help create my two miracles Zora and Ravi
The blog family for their hope, inspiration, and abundance of information
My family and friends for their undying love and support

I think it is safe to say that life has gotten super busy and I probably won't be posting every week, but will try to get on here at least once a month to give updates. I hope this blog has helped others and I thank you for following me on this journey. Until the next feeding...

-Anwar

Journey of a Lifetime (Beginning)

Wow, what a crazy last 48 hours it has been.
Before I left, I had some of my friends stop by and wish me well. Below you will find a pic of my friend Jeff getting me some matching outfits for the babes.

That next day Mom and I set off for the "Adventure of a Lifetime". Here is a pic as we set off from the San Francisco Airport.

We flew Virgin Atlantic and stopped in London. We had about 5-6 hours to spare so I decided to show my Mom around the town. My Mom had never been to London (or even Europe for that matter), so it was great to experience London with her. She had a ball. Here's us in front of the London Bridge (completely sleep deprived).

From there we headed off to Delhi. I could not sleep at all on the plane because I was so excited. As we got through customs, we saw one of Rahul's driver awaiting us. This is a huge difference from last year when I came into Delhi and 1am and my driver from the hotel was not there and I had to argue with a driver to take me all the way to the neighborhood GK-2. The smoothness of this trip has been a blessing. We got into our hotel room, I went and picked up fresh Aquafina water, and then we headed to the hospital to pick up the babes. When we got to the hospital, we could see that they were sleeping next to each other (swaddled down), which was great.

There was a little drama at the hospital as there was a slight miscommunication as to when we would arrive and be ready to pick up the babies, but it was all cleared up and the process took an hour. Here's a pic of me first holding my girl Zora Jacinda:

Fellow SCI blogger and friend Fred asked me what was I thinking when I first laid eyes on them.
I guess I would say
1) WOW!
2) Beautiful!
3) OMG, what do I do now!

As I held them my arms shook. It was finally real and it was amazing. Being so removed from the process is a bit difficult, but makes this first moment so special. It is truly unbelievable.

While at the hospital, I met a couple from San Francisco who were picking up their twins. This was the second time they had used SCI (they had a 2 year-old daughter already). We exchanged information and wished each other well. I expect many play dates in the future with them.

Below are some pics from the ride 'home' to the hotel:

I will say that I am so glad my Mom is with me for obvious reasons. But it became super apparent to me how amazing she is. Once we got to the hotel, the babes started crying in unison and I was a bit frozen; the dreaded twins double team! Mom jumped right into action and worked it all out! Amazing! The first couple of days has been a really great mini-Mom boot camp. I have learned a lot.

About the Babes, just some tidbts:
They are strong and healthy. I am surprised how alert and active they are. They both loving having their arms free
They are both very social and their eyes follow my voice and look right at me. I was surprised to see that they are both trying to hold their heads up.

Zora is more vocal while Ravi is more chill.
Ravi pees every time he is getting his diaper changed. =)

That is it for now. Oh yeah...the paperwork process is going smoothly.

I love being a parent,
A

I got Twins y'all!

 

Twin 1- Zora Jacinda White

Sex: Female

Date: 6th September 2013

Time: 10:25PM

Weight: 2.56Kg (5lbs 10 ounces)

Twin 2-  Ravi Sadat White

Sex: Male

Date: 6th September 2013

Time: 10:26 PM

Weight: 2.63kg (5lbs 13 ounces)

• Both the babies are healthy and fine.
• Both the babies are on Demand Feed.
• Vitals and Systems of Both the Babies are Stable.

Dr. Shivani said, and I quote, "They are chubby and adorable. Amazing weights for twins. Cheers"

What joy!

With Nothing but Gratitude,

Anwar

Baby Shower Pics

Hope everyone is doing well.
I finally got the pics to my baby shower:
https://anwarsbabyshower.shutterfly.com/.

Was it a baby shower or a frat party?... you be the judge.

Also, my Mom came into town on Wednesday in preparation for the flight to India on Monday. We are all super excited for the babes to come. I'm so glad she is here.

On Thursday, my work threw me a surprise baby shower and breakfast. It was so sweet. They all pitched in a got me a Target gift card with an amount on it that blew my mind. Let's just say, I can get everything the babies need during my paternity leave, and more. What a blessing! I was telling my Mom earlier that I consider myself a pretty independent person and try not to put an expectations on anyone because I know that I can do for myself. So when people go out of their way to help or support me, it really does touch. I am so grateful.

My last day of work was this Friday... so let's bring on the babies. I mean we are already in week 37. I think it might be a record for SCI twins, hahaha.

-A

Final Scan and Report

Scan: Last Thursday, as many of you know, my surrogate was admitted to the hospital with mild contractions and extreme nausea. On Friday, the clinic sent the last and final report and scan for the babes and surromom (see below).

Dear Anwar,

We hope you are doing well.
We would like to inform you that we have done a USG scan for L as per our obstetrician's advise.
Kindly find attached herewith reports of the same.
We would like to inform you that our obstetrician has reviewed the reports & found everything within normal limit.

Your babies are also doing well.
However, L is still in the hospital and undergoing necessary medical treatment.
We are keeping very close eyes on her pregnancy.

Our medical staff have been reviewing her on regular intervals and taking further actions accordingly.
We will keep you updated with her further progress & new status.

With Best Regards,
Yogita

It is good to see that the babes are growing so much. Each of them is about 5lbs and 8 ounces. I am not sure how much faith to put into this report though. Either way, the babes seem to be healthy, and that makes me happy. Their measurements seem to be on the lower percentages on this scan, which means I am going to have to feed them tons when they leave the womb! I am starting to get the feeling that both babes will be girls, I don’t know why. Anyway, in a couple of weeks, I will know exactly what gender they will be.

I just want to take some time to acknowledge and honor the surrogates that go through so much (more than any of us IPs know) to create these miracles we call babies. Pregnancy is seriously no joke and these women are so strong to be doing this. Having my surrogate admitted in the hospital reminded me of this. I hope my children will exhibit similar illustrations of strength in their lifetime.

Update: Today, I received an update on my surromom’s condition. She is doing much better and they are discharging her! Yay!

Dear Anwar,

We hope you are doing fine.
We are here again with new updates of L.

As per our recent discussion with our obstetrician we would like to inform you that she is doing fine. With respect to the same our medical team has decided to get her discharged from the hospital. Please note that she will be out from the hospital by today evening.

We will keep you updated with her further progress & new status.

With Regards,
Yogita

My Mom seems to think that this episode was due to two things: 1) L might have caught an infection of some sort and 2) her body is starting to let her know it is close to delivery date. My Mom said she had similar episodes (Braxton Hicks) and gave birth to each of her children a couples weeks afterward. I’m hoping the L does the same thing. =)

Welcome home!: And finally, I want to give a quick shout out to Blogger Fred who came home (to the US) this past weekend. Welcome home! Now the real fun starts!

Should we stay or should we go?

Wow, times are a changing!
I received an email from SCI that my surrogate is having mild contractions and is being admitted in the hospital. Me and the family are on the edge of our seats. I told myself that I will not pack until I officially hear that they are born (if earlier than my originally scheduled flight). I currently have everything that will be packed in their crib. FYI, if you are having twins, I would schedule your flight around week 36 (not week 38.5 as instructed). Through all of the research I have done, I haven’t heard of any twins being born after week 37 through surrogacy in India. Just my opinion, take it or leave it.


Update as I am writing this post:
Just got word from Dr. Shivani that the labor has not progressed and that we are in the clear for now. Wow, I am so happy and grateful that they will stay longer in the womb and grow as big as possible. I believe the scare was to inform my surrogate (and everyone else) to get ready for these babies! THEY ARE A COMIN’!

Let’s ROCK!

Baby Shower!

What an amazing weekend! One for the record books, for sure!

Baaaaaabyyyyyy Showwwwwerrrrrrr (in my best Oprah yelling voice)!

All of my close friends and family were there. My mom even surprised Cyncere and me on Thursday night. That was the shock of a lifetime. It was really good to have my Mom there. My best friend Yui also came (from NYC) and was a lifesaver in helping out with the prep for the party! There were a ton of people that came from all over the US. It was just so awesome. So many pics to come but we are still getting them together, but here are a few:

*Just an aside, I have had that Mr. Mom shirt since freshmen year of high school (so about 16 years)! So amazing that this shirt (as an omen) is coming to past in less than 3 weeks. Truly amazing!

We had a variety of games that I think everyone really liked including:

-‘Water Break (who can melt their ice cube (with twin babes in it)the fastest ) – Winner -David C

-‘Guess whats in that diaper ‘(9 different diapers with different chocolates and baby food) – Winner – Christophe/Rachael

-‘How many tissues go around my pregnant belly’ – Winner – Yui

-‘Best sucker -Tournament bracket style’ (who can drink cranberry vodka fastest through a bottle) – Winner Francis

-‘Keep those legs together’ (put a dime in between your knees and try to get it in a 2-liter soda bottle) – Winner – Christophe

Toward the end of the party, I opened the gifts. It was so amazing to receive so many gifts. I was so touched, even got a bit emotional. To know how much love there was for these babies before their birth was so overwhelming, I just couldn’t take it. All I can say is that I am so grateful to have such supportive and amazing friends and family. It is so obvious that these kids will have a village to help raise them.

The Nursery is finally complete. The theme of the nursery is “Oh the places you’ll go” complete with time zone clocks, a map, and pictures of worldy monuments. I really like how it turned out. The pic doesn’t do it justice, but here ya go.

Here are some pics of me and Mom putting some of the baby gear together!

Next steps for me are getting an SUV or minivan (this week) and packing for India.

After that, I think I’m good.

Until the next/last scan,

A