Back to the real world after experiencing paradise for a whole week – and I must say, it was a much needed break for both Jake and I. The first day of vacation I literally didn’t know what to do without my cellphone or laptop, and I walked around for hours before I was comfortable just -sitting-…aka, relaxing. Then, I slept for four days straight. I slept on the beach, on the boat, by the pool..you get the picture.

We came back home just in time to receive our newly signed gestational carrier agreement, which was very exciting. Jake and I went to the bank the same day and had our portions signed and notarized, and then mailed it off to its new home at our lawyer’s office in Charlotte. Today, Friday, I got the call I’ve been waiting for months to hear: REACH received the “go ahead” from our attorney (meaning the contracts are official) and that we can schedule our tentative egg retrieval and transfer dates. I felt like someone was telling me that I’m going to be a mom; and I’m not going to lie, it scared me to pieces. I was instantly elated at the thought of this whole process being over so soon, but then almost just as quickly I was terrified at the thought of all the “what if’s” and “possibilities”. Let’s be honest here, I do seem to be the minority percentage (aka – murphy’s law) in every situation in my life. I can’t help but have my guard up when someone tells me that I could be expecting a baby again in as little as two months; it just doesn’t seem real. Then again, it seems all too real. It was only a year ago this month that we decided to try to become parents, and time has moved so quickly from there.

So the plan is for me to begin my hormone injections in about two weeks, and then three or four weeks after that we will be harvesting my eggs! That sounds so awkward, like someone is going to have a picnic basket full of eggs for me, but I guess that’s what it is; instead of a picnic basket, it’s a petri dish. If someone would have told me this time last year that I would be going through this process to have a baby, I wouldn’t even think any of this was possible. Who knew life could begin in a dish of jelly? Crude, maybe..but true!

The next few weeks will produce (hopefully) very informative blog entries as we make our way through the IVF path; doctors will be doing a “mock transfer” on Kristen (our carrier) next week, and then the week after that I will begin my shots. I want to document all of this for anyone who is going through what we are, or maybe know someone who is. This whole situation is such a sensitive and delicate topic, it’s hard to know how to support someone going through it. Always know that if you have a friend, co-worker, or family member experiencing the IVF (or any fertility) treatment to become parents, it is in no way an “easy” option. I would *much* rather carry my own child than go through everything this entails – but in the end, we will do whatever necessary to become parents.