Meeting the Guys!

The guys (I will call them M and S) came into town two weeks ago and we all had a blast together!  On Sunday, October 18, we spent the day with them at the zoo.  The drive there was so nerve-racking.  I worried about all sorts of silly things like 'what if they don't like what I'm wearing?' 'what if I say something embarrassing?' 'what if they hate the zoo?'.  Mark was great at snapping me back into reality and helping me down from the anxiety cloud I was floating on.  Hugging them for the first time was magical.  It just felt right and that made me even more excited to help them build a family. I can't say enough great things about M and S.  They are so funny and well versed it's ridiculous.  I know with everything in me that they will make the best dads to these babies/this baby.

Mother Nature was very great to us and gave us a perfect sunny, 72 degree day to explore the zoo before unleashing her downpours for the fall season.  We explained that this is not usual weather for the end of October but it seems that Paris has a similar climate to Portland so I think they were enjoying the sun just as much as we were.  We explored the zoo and got to know each other more and more.  Mark and I were both interested in their culture and it was so fun to learn about the differences!  We're hoping to make a trip over there some day after the kid/s are born.

We laughed and walked and got pooped on by some Lorikeets; you know, all the usual Portland Zoo stuff!  A lot of the zoo was under construction (great things happening at the Portland Zoo!) but that didn't really bother me because I was just so happy to be walking and talking to these guys.  After the zoo, we drove down to Hawthorne St. and ate at The Waffle Window.  I had stressed considerably about where we were going to take them out to eat.  I thought about all the fancy restaurants downtown, with all their glitz and glamor, but Mark and I both decided that we wanted them to get to know us for us and we are not "glitzy, glamory" type of people.  The Waffle Window seemed like a great option because it's something that will probably be new to them and, with the nice weather, we were able to sit outside and enjoy the sun.  Luckily they loved it! We were able to talk about our backgrounds, where we came from, what we believed in, and how we became the people we are today.  I have so much admiration for these guys.  Surrogacy is not legal where they live so they have had to really persevere through some hardships to get the family they deserve.  It wasn't long ago that they thought they would never have a family so knowing that I will be a piece in their puzzle to becoming parents makes me feel so honored and fortunate.

We wanted to meet again before they left so we decided to go to dinner at my place of work, Riverview Restaurant.  It was probably the best double-date I've ever been on. :)  It was a downpour that day so we sat next to the fireplace to eat good food, drink good wine, and enjoy each other.  M and S were so sweet to us the whole time they were here.  They brought presents for both us and our kids and wrote us a heart-touching note on the back of an adorable card.  They kept saying that they really appreciate us and are happy we would do this for them.  I can't express enough how thankful I am for THEM!  And how much I appreciate THEM for trusting me to do this!  Anyone who knows me, knows that all things pregnancy and birth is my passion.  I live, eat, and breathe birth.  Being able to have the opportunity to carry and birth kids for someone else is a blessing to me!  I feel honored and grateful and humbled that these men would let me help them form a family.  It's just such an amazing thing that we are embarking on and I really can't get enough of it.

One of the coolest things about them being here was being able to sign the final contract together at dinner.  A lot of international surrogates/IPs aren't able to sign the contract together because of the distance.  It was perfect timing that we were able to have the contracts ready to sign while they were in town.  It was quite special for me.

It was sad to say goodbye to them but we have been staying in contact with each other via email and will be skyping once we get our computer set up and a skype account made.  I am currently waiting to hear from ORM about the next steps and will be doing some other legal stuff to get us all set up to continue.  So far things have gone so smoothly and I just pray that it continues to go that way because these guys deserve this :)