29 weeks

29 weeks! Really? I just realized the blog has 64 posts already. It is about time to acknowledge many of you who have been following our journey and giving us lots of support. It means a lot to us so we thank you. 

Babies are about the size of a butternut squash. They measure about 15.2 inches and weigh roughly 2.5 pounds. They will double their weight in the next few weeks! Their sensory organs are well developed and they are beginning to regulate their own temperature. The bone marrow is now completely in charge of producing red blood cells. Their lungs are also developed enough to breath air.

We are on our way to 30 weeks. Preparation will be in full swing in February! It is getting really exciting and nerve wrecking.

Celebrating dads

"What makes a man stronger? Care makes a man stronger." For the first time, a commercial about daddies could bring out so much emotions. We are very excited to join the daddy club in 81 days. It is a blessing to be called daddy and papa and we can't wait to proudly wear our t-shirts.  

28 weeks ~ third trimester

Here comes the third trimester! It is hard to believe all the time that has gone by. Time is ticking until the twins make their grand entry. We are sure it is getting tougher for S as it gets close to deliver. Hang in there, S. We love you.

F.A.Qs

Since we started planning for surrogacy, we have received tremendous amount of support from family, friends, colleagues and those we met online throughout this journey. Often we encounter questions. Some of them are interesting and help us prepare. Some are a bit surprising but are mostly asked in innocent and inquisitive way. Here is the list of FAQs.

1. Why do you want to have kids (even moms asked)? Do you know what you are getting yourselves into?

Answer is here. Surrogacy takes a lot to accomplish. I don't think there will be intended parent(s) out there going through surrogacy without thinking hard what they are getting themselves into. Our lives will change forever for sure. We are very excited about the change and can't wait to have them in our lives.

2. Why don't you just adopt?

We explored adoption but it wasn't for us.

3. Does having kids make you feel normal?

Really? We can't be more normal with or without kids.

4. Who is the father?

We both are the fathers. That's the end of it. :-)

5. Whose sperm did you use?
Bill Gates, Does it really matter? See answer from Q4. 

6. Who/where is the mother?

This question comes up very often. It probably will continue to come up after babies are born. It is clear that our babies have no mother but two fathers who will love them to the moon and back.

7. Are you ready to be parents/daddy/papa?

Not sure if we ever will be ready. Parenting is an ongoing learning process. In short, we are prepared and will be ready as best as we can. That includes books to read, YouTube videos and help from friends and family, twin parenting and newborn care classes to take.

8. Are you going to tell your kids about surrogacy?

Absolutely. We plan to tell them early on with language that they can understand easily and be open about how they come to this world. We are proud of what we have done to complete our family and want them to be proud of it too.

9. How much does it cost?
A lot. :-) Here is the Google search on typical costs associated with gestational surrogacy.

If you have any other question, please feel free to ask!

27 weeks

We have reached 27 weeks. It is the last week of second trimester. Babies weigh almost 2 pounds (about the size of a cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with legs extended. They are sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing their eyes, and perhaps even sucking their fingers. With more brain tissue developing, their brains are very active now.

We know the more weeks this pregnancy continues, the tougher it will be for S. Fortunately, she has found some relief in a pool. We are so thankful to her every single day. 

Happy birthday, papa!

When one has a baby, anything becomes possible. Now with two, a skill to pull up pants without hands would be papa's birthday wish! Happy birthday, papa! 

Another exciting news is that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear same-sex marriage cases. We may well be only a few months away from marriage equality nationwide. 

Buy buy buy

Now our baby girls have entered the stage of viability! It is a huge relief. Pregnancy is much like flying. Taking off requires a strict safety protocol and is nerve wrecking. Once it reaches a cruising attitude and the captain has turned off the fasten seat belt sign, everyone can start to get a little bit comfortable. However, it is always advisable to keep the seat belt fastened as an unexpected turbulence could occur. We hope it continues to cruise for the time being and reaches our destination with safe and smooth landing. It took us almost 6 months to get to this cruising attitude and we finally can unbuckle to shop and buy in full swing. 

Preparing for a newborn can be overwhelming, not to mention that we are first time daddies and dealing with two. Everything is so new and doubled. Making a list of what we really need is actually more challenging than we have thought because there are tons of accouterments for babies begging to get a share of our wallet and so many of them are just too cute to resist. If we think hard (and able to resist the temptation), there are not much necessities to buy. Other than clothing and diapers, we came down to four items that we really need - car seats, a stroller, and where they will be sleeping (bassinet, crib, or playard) and feeding (bottles and formula). The rest are just options to make our live a bit easier (e.g., diaper genie) and babies a bit happier (e.g., swing). After reading what we need and don't need, we are not even going to make a nursery. We realized that babies need more attention, love and affection than they do stuff.

Since we started paying a lot of attention to baby stuff, we are surprised to see how much pink stuff are for girls and blue for boys. I can't remember how many times a sales person asked "is it for a girl or a boy" as the first question to help. We feel gender neutral color is the way to go and want them to have all colors. If it turns out pink is their favorite color, they can have everything in pink. 

We got them each a dress in rainbow colors from Cambodia and can't wait to see them in these dresses. Their clothes and stuff (a suitcase we brought back, remember?) are filling the closet we have set up for them. 

Grandparents have gotten really excited and gone on a shopping spree. Too pinkish maybe? 

26 weeks

A quick update - we had a doctor's appointment yesterday for a regular check-up. The doctor listened to babies' heartbeats and everything was fine. We are now at 26 weeks but yesterday S belly was measured at 36 weeks already! The next appointment will be February 9 (at 30 weeks) and we are planning to be there.

This week is an eye opening week. Babies' eyes are forming and soon start to open! Their eyelashes are now grown, too. They now weigh about 2 pounds and measure 9-plus inches. S said babies have been moving a lot and sometimes don't let her sleep at all. She has also been playing the songs, stories and messages that we recorded for the babies. It is so interesting to hear how they have responded to these recordings.

More about 26 weeks.

100 days to go!

One of our favorite things to do during this pregnancy is counting down the weeks and talking about our girls. Surprisingly, it hasn't been as slow and stressful as we have thought. Mainly, it is because we completely trust S to carry the twins and know they are in good hands. We work like a team and our relationship with her and her family has been a blessing. Also, there have been many things to keep us busy - so far we have attended the doctor's appointment almost every month and now are geared up for the twins' arrivals. 

Today is a big day for us because it officially marks 100 days until twins' due date on April 18. Hubby always likes to cut it a little shorter as he expects them to arrive on March 31. Let's see if our girls listen! :-) In fact, the average delivery date for multiple pregnancy is approximately three weeks earlier so March 31 is highly possible.  

It is interesting to see the pregnancy ticker change every week. It was 280 days when the eggs were fertilized into embryos and 180 days later we are expecting two little girls. That is wild. Tomorrow our countdown goes from triple digits to double and soon we will be in the third trimester! It's getting serious now. We have registered to take a newborn care class on February 11, twins classes on February 2 and 9. 

The rainbow gets brighter

Florida joins other 35 states to legalize same-sex marriage. The addition of Florida means 70% of Americans now live in states where same-sex marriage is legal. It is a joyful day and gets better everyday. Soon we will be able to tell our daughters that our family is just the same as all other families. Way to go, Florida!

25 weeks

We are home safe from our trip and here comes 25 weeks. 24-week is the magical point of pregnancy because the babies will enter the stage of viability. If born now, there is a 90% chance of survival with medical intervention. Babies are growing rapidly, reaching nine inches in length and passing a pound and a half mark — taller than two juice boxes stacked one on top of the other and almost as heavy as four of them. Their skin is turning pinker because small blood vessels, called capillaries, are forming under the skin and filling with blood. Later this week, blood vessels will also develop in their lungs, bringing them one step closer to full maturity — and one step closer to taking that first breath of fresh air. But at 25 weeks pregnant, those lungs are still very much works in progress. Though they are already beginning to develop surfactant, a substance that will help them expand with oxygen after the babies are born, the lungs are still too undeveloped to sufficiently send oxygen to the bloodstream and release carbon dioxide when baby exhales. Their nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open this week. This actually allows them to begin taking practice breaths.

S keeps telling us that she is feeling fat. Other than that, she is feeling fine for the most parts. We are relieved and confident that she is taking a great care of herself and the twins. She also mentions about her craving for shrimps lately and she is never big on shrimp. Neither one of us is big on shrimp so it must be from the egg donor.

Time really goes by fast. We are in the home stretch now with 105 days to go. We are excited and getting more anxious with babies' arrival.     

Happy new year

It's 2015. Our trip has quickly come to an end and soon we will be boarding a 14-hour flight back. We thought about our baby girls and S all the time and are already practicing what it will be like to travel with kids. During our trip, we were drawn to kids constantly and have talked so much about our baby girls. It is interesting. We left with one suitcase and are returning home with three, two of which is all baby stuff. 

Cracked an egg on New Year's Day with two yolks. It couldn't be more perfect to start a new year.