Kinda-sorta the beginning anyways. 2016 has brought the start of my journey as a surrogate, and I am beyond excited!
To give some background, and some insight here is the letter (slightly edited for this post) that I wrote for my future intended parents (IP) to see:
Well hello there!
I am beyond excited to be part of this miraculous journey! Before I get into details about my life, my kiddos, and other ramblings I would like to tell you why I am even writing this letter to begin with, and more specifically why I want to be a (your??!!!) surrogate.
Surrogacy is not something to take on lightly, but for longer than I can remember it has been on my mind. My family can all attest to the memories of me as a child having a passionate affinity for playing with baby dolls. They became my first "children." I was eight years old when my sister was born, and she became my real live baby doll! I have photos of me up with her in the middle of the night rocking her back to sleep. I loved dressing her, feeding her, cuddling her, and even diaper changes! I have always felt hardwired to care for children. As life went on I knew that I wanted to have my children young and close together. I was lucky beyond measure to give birth to my son N in 2009 and daughter E in 2011. With both kiddos I feel confident saying they were very easy pregnancies, labors, and deliveries. It was between pregnancies that I realized that this was not the norm for everyone. Not only did I realize that there were people out there that could not conceive a child, but some that lost their unborn child(ren,) and it about broke me just thinking about it. I thought about how I would feel knowing a child was supposed to be in my life, and not being able get to that moment. So I decided to become an egg donor. I donated twice, and am so thrilled to have been part of these families growing process. While I do not know the outcomes of these donations (my program was anonymous) I do hope to one day be contacted, and know without a doubt that these families made it to the moment where their child was placed in their arms. For me it has been a natural progression to surrogacy. I really enjoyed being an egg donor, but was missing that moment when I saw the end result of a baby being in the arms of their parents. That in a nutshell is what has led me to surrogacy, and to this moment in which I am writing this letter. I am looking forward to the day that you hold your child(ren) for the very first time, and knowing that I can be a part of the magic is surreal.
So! On to my life! I was a normal kid, two parents that loved me, and two sisters (one 4 years older, one 8 years younger) that kept life interesting. We moved to the small town of High Springs, Fl when I was five years old and the 12 acres my parents bought had grass taller than me. I spent my childhood running the field, jumping on hay bales, and climbing trees. My parents still live on this property and now my kids are doing the same things I did as a small child. I played sports from a young age, and played soccer, softball, and basketball pretty much year-round. Once I started high school I focused in on soccer and was a four year varsity letterman. About three months into my senior year I realized that I was not ready to go straight into college so I joined the Navy. I graduated from high school in June of 2006 and then left for boot camp that August. I spent four years in the Navy as a Master at Arms (military police) K9 handler living some of the highest and lowest points of my life. Those years were pivotal in forming who I am today. I do not take days for granted, true friends are incredibly special people, and every day that we're alive really is not that bad of a day no matter what else is happening. During those years I also met my kids' father. He is a kind and caring person, but our relationship did not survive the tribulations that came about. However we were able to go back to the friendship we had before we were in a relationship, and for this I am so grateful knowing that it is not always possible; most importantly our kids see us positively. Once I fulfilled my military contract I made my way back to my hometown and began raising my kiddos.
My life now consists of enjoying my kiddos and time with my parents, taking classes, and working. We live a pretty simple life and enjoy just being around each other. Gator football games are always fun to go to, but if we're not in the stadium we're watching them from home! My son N really got excited about going to the stadium and watching our team play this past year. It was so neat to see him grow into a little Gator fan! My sweet E decided about halfway through the season that it was her turn to go to a game! She's been promised a game for next season =-) They both go to a small private Christian school in our small town that has a challenging curriculum so we do a lot of reading, spelling, coloring, and cursive writing around here! We make sure school doesn't take over though, and spend lots of time out on the bicycles, scooters, and on the playhouse. In other words, we're kinda homebodies! Odds are we're either home or over at my parent's home relaxing and enjoying some chill time. Of course when the sports seasons roll around we are at practices and games. N has really grown into his sports self which is super exciting for me since I love sports!! E is starting to get a hankering, but I've decided to wait until after she turns five to get the sports life rolling for her!
A little about my school & work life:
I began going to school full time when E was about three months old in 2011. I completed my AA with a focus in nursing in 2013, and immediately began to pursue my BAS in Health Service Administration. I have slowed my pace in pursuit of my BAS, but am taking a class a semester to continue to finish it. While in school for my AA I also became a nursing assistant and worked at Shands at the University of Florida (now UFHealth) for a year. It was during that time that I discovered that the world of nursing didn't have the connection I really longed for. I then started working at the College of Dentistry here at the University of Florida. Here I was responsible for 700+ patients and 22 dental students, and making sure that they were up to date on appointments, and that my students were getting all the clinical experience they needed to become a doctor of dental medicine. I loved working at this job and the interactions with both students and patients were so rewarding. However I was offered a fantastic position at the UF College of Business that I could not refuse. I now work in a wonderful department that is a MUCH slower pace than any job I have held over the past 10 years. It was a bit of an adjustment, but now I am truly enjoying the slower pace, the wonderful people that I am working with, and the flexibility that no previous job has offered.
So now that I have rambled on forever I want to come back around to the journey ahead. I very much look forward to this journey, and especially the moment you have your fresh bundle(s) of joy in your arms! I hope we are able to speak soon to get to know each other better and start growing baby(ies) together!
~Much love~
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