january 18th...another day in paradise (huh?)

Who can honestly equate LA to Paradise? Anyone???

We drove to Rock-It on Friday morning so I could work half day. I took Scotty with me since we were meeting James, Jill, and the pyshcologist at Loew's Hotel Lobby later that afternoon. We were driving in to Rock-It that morning and there was a nasty brown haze sitting on LA. It was quite disgusting. And yes, although I live in cow country and the smell grosses some people out, I'll take the smell over that brown haze any day. Oh, and the traffic - thank God for small towns!!



We met with the pychologist after it took us over 45 minutes to go about 10 miles. She met with Scotty and I first and asked some general questions and then got into the nitty-gritty questions. It was the kind of questions that immediately kill any kind of good mood that might be there. But it's all questions that need to be on the contract. It's questions about death, life support, accidents - all that sad kind of stuff. But at least we're all on the same page.



Now, some of you may want to know Scotty and I's heart behind all this. The first question that the lady asked us is "Why do you want to do this?" Here it is :



Since Scotty and I had Sebastien in April 2005, our lives have been filled with a joy that we had never experienced or knew existed. So much love, so much joy...oh ALL the good feelings of the world wrapped up in one lil' bundle. We then had Spencer in August 2006 and our lives were changed yet again. All that joy and love multiplied. In my experience, giving gifts is more enjoyable and more rewarding than anything. If we can help James and Jill experience that joy and that love, that is a gift that I want to give. It makes my heart incredibly happy to think that I might be able to give them something that they're heart has yearned for for years. And to me, 9 months of my life is nothing compared to the life that I will continue living after I have their baby and the life that it will continue to lead once I'm gone. As some will not be able to imagine doing this for someone else, I can't imagine not doing this for James and Jill. Scotty and I believe in God and we believe that God has placed James and Jill in our lives for a reason. I really feel like this is it.

Alright, now that that's out of the way - back to the meeting. Sorry, bunny trail again...

After Scotty and I talked to the lady separately, we then had James and Jill join the discussion. We went over our expectations, what were some of the things we wanted, etc. We talked about the awkward question of "Will James be in the room when the baby is born?" And for those of you that want to know - I have agreed to "He can be at my head" 'cos I think it's just as important for him to be in the room as it's his lil' baby being born. I can't picture him in the waiting room like in the 60's and 70's with a cigar in hand waiting for the nurse to come out and tell him he has a baby _____. So, both him and Jill will be allowed. We talked about pre-natal appointments for me and if I expect Jill to be at all my appointments. No way, especially now that she's in Reno and it's impossible to be there for all of them. I would love for her, and I know she wants to be here for the gender ultrasound and all that good stuff. We talked about whether or not this baby would know "this" story when he/she grows up. We talked about what our expectations are after I give birth. We talked about how to handle Sebastien and Spencer and any questions they might have. All these crazy questions, I can't even remember them all to write them down now.

But in the end, the lady expressed that we are a great match and this will be a great experience for all involved. I can't help but think the same thing.

Oh, and also, the Loew's hotel does sit right on the beach in Santa Monica and we sat and overlooked the ocean during the interview. I will give the credit that is due to LA, when you're at the beach and watching a gorgeous sunset and you can't see the traffic and the smog, it is beautiful.

I'm honored that James and Jill would entrust my uterus with their lil' frozen embryos. I promise to give myself those shots daily (yikes) and to give that baby a perfect uterus to grow in for 9 months. I would hope that New Years Eve 2008, James and Jill will be at home snuggling their new lil' baby and Scotty and I would be toasting to each other - a job well done. Scotty is just as part of this as I am as he is, and will be my number one supporter. He's an amazing man for agreeing to his wife carry another couples baby. But he has a big heart, probably bigger than mine when it comes to giving. A lot of you probably don't know it but it's true. This is a journey for our whole family...even Sebastien and Spencer who may or may not remember this. But we are all in this together.

For all the friends and family and even strangers who might come upon this blog, keep EVERYONE involved in your prayers. We are all going to need it.

Oh, and a hello to all of James and Jill's family. Hopefully you'll get to know us a lil' better through this blog and hopefully we will all get to meet someday.