ICLW

So, it's the beginning of ICLW and I figured it would probably help to give a quick background to any newcomers to my blog.

I'm Caba. I'm 34, and have been happily married to my DH for 5 years (in December). We started TTC about a year later, and nothing happened. After a year of trying/testing, we found out we had a whole slew of issues, and IVF/ICSI was the road we were going to have to go down. We consider ourselves extremely lucky to have been successful on our first cycle. Two embies in, two babies out. That would be our little lady, Boots, and our little gentleman, Mr Moop. They are 18 months and nothing but trouble. But wonderful trouble.

This blog was never a ttc blog. I started it after the twins were born. It has slightly morphed into being a little bit about me, but mostly about the kids. It's going to go through another morphing again, as I start the next very very exciting journey of my life.

My sister is my best friend and one of the most important people in my life. I talk to her every single day, and see her almost every day. Although I know that when she stops by every day it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with Boots and the Moop. Regardless of that, my sister has had a bit of a journey. The details will be hazy, as it's not my story to tell. But she has been dealing with infertility for a long time as well. But recently was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully it was found early and she will be fine. But her cancer was estrogen driven, and she still needs to go through radiation. So when all is done, her doctors all agree that she should never get pregnant. This is where I come in.

I have offered to be a gestational carrier for her and her husband. They honored me by agreeing. We are starting this amazing journey and all very excited. They will be doing a fresh IVF cycle with her eggs and her husbands sperm, and I'm just offering up a uterus for nine months, give or take. We had our "All Day" at the clinic today and things look really good. Looks like we will be cycling late November/ Early December. So this blog will turn into a lot of the surrogacy story.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you continue to check in!

Caba

Sweet Silence ...

What a nice weekend we had. I hate when it ends. Work stinks. Friday night I went to a jewelry party. It was mellow, not too many people there. Ate some yummy apps, bought some jewelry, and went home. My LOVELY husband allowed me to sleep in on Saturday. Then me and my sister took the kids to music class and out to lunch.

As soon as they woke up from their nap, we packed up all their stuff, and brought them over to Grandma and Opa's house! YEAH! My parents love keeping them for the night, and we love to get rid of them! Awww, I'm teasing! But everyone loves a quiet house! We dropped them off around 4pm, and came home to relax for a while before heading out to my friend Michele's for a dinner party. It was a really nice time ... There were four couples, everyone made (or bought) something, and we just drank and ate like piggies and just relaxed. Michele shipped her son out for the night too, so it was nice for us not to be worried about having the get up early with the kids.

Here is a pic of me and Joan relaxing after the fat meal!


We got home around midnight, and I woke up at 9am to a completely quiet house. It was SO nice. We went out to breakfast, went to Best.Buy and bought Rock.Band 2! Woo hoo ... we'll have to play that later this week. Then we lounged in bed and watched tv and watched the Giants before going to my parents around 4pm.

The kids were really happy to see us ... and it's amazing how much we missed them in a 24 hour period. Crazy. It really is. Here is a cute pic I snapped of the Moop at my parents, and a picture of Hailey chillin' on her rocking horse.



And a quick update on the gestational carrier-to-be front. Things are moving along great! We have what they call an "All Day" at our clinic this Tuesday. Me and DH and my sis and her husband have to go all day, and meet with doctors and psychologists and I have to go through a bunch of tests and stuff. The contract is done, and we just need to sign it and get it in.

It's really going to happen, and I'm beyond excited. I'm so honored that my sister is trusting me with such a huge thing, and I only hope I can do her and her husband proud. I'll keep you updated after the All Day to let you know of the cycle schedule. It's so crazy. Yeah!

Caba

Busy Weekend ...

What a beautiful weekend it was here!! We had a really fun filled weekend. Saturday we went to the Philadelphia Zoo and met up with some mommies from the Twinstuff. It was such a gorgeous day, and the kids really enjoyed it! They especially loved the monkeys and the duck pond and the petting zoo. Here's a big gorilla that Boots liked.


Here's a cute pic of the Boots staring into the camera.


And my handsome dude!


The kids were really good at the zoo, but passed out as soon as we got in the car. Unfortunately now that the car seats are facing forward and not as reclined, the nap didn't last very long. So they had like a total of 30 minute nap. By the time we got home, it was too late to put them down. We even tried, but they wouldn't fall asleep. But they handled it well, but passed out quickly at bedtime.

Then on Sunday we went pumpkin picking with my friend Michele, her husband, and her son Michael, who is a month younger than the twins. It was fun. The kids loved seeing all the pumpkins, and kept yelling "Whoa!" every time they saw a bunch of pumpkins. We picked some little pumpkins, spent some time at the petting zoo, and conked out again on the ride home.

Here's Boots picking her pumpkin out of the patch.


And Mr Moop checking a pumpkin out.


Here's a cute one of me and kids. Boots' face is just precious! It's her "Are you kidding me??" look ...


And here she is, showing her cute smile!


And here she is again, with Daddy.


Later Sunday night we went to my parents for dinner. I got this great picture of my sister, her husband and the Moop cuddling.


So, I know I mentioned about my sister's cancer diagnosis. She has finished with her lumpectomy and is going to be starting her follow up treatment in the upcoming months. She will have to do radiation and medication, but we aren't sure about chemo yet.

But more excitingly, I might be lucky enough to give her and her husband a very very special gift. Because her cancer was estrogen driven, she can't ever get pregnant. But I can. For her. With her genetic child and me as the gestational carrier. I'm so excited I can't even talk about it.

But I had to share.

Caba

18 months

So, I guess when I wasn't paying attention, my babies turned 18 months old! What the heck happened to those little tiny peanuts? Now they run around the house like crazy troublemakers!

18 month stats:

Mr Moop
Weight - 29lbs 15oz (91%)
Height - 35 inches (97%)
Head - 19 (65%)

Boots
Weight - 23lbs 5oz (35%)
Height - 33 1/2 inches (93%)
Head - 18 1/4 (45%)

We totally grow tall kids! I'm about 5'9'' and DH is 6'1'' so I guess it makes sense. Besides that, they got their flu shots, and DTAP shot, and are doing well. Lots of words, lots of understand. It's really cool to see how much they grow and change, and so quickly.

I am totally sick, and have been for a while now. I have this sucky cold that I just can not kick. Thankfully my family just ROCKS and my sister and her husband were over all day Sunday hanging out and then last night my mom, bro and sis took the kids out to dinner so DH and I could relax cause I just felt SO crappy after work. Ugh. I really need this to go away. We are supposed to be meeting up with some members off my twin site this weekend for a Philly Zoo day and I don't want to have to miss it.

So, without futher ado, PICTURES! Here is Ms Boots with Grandma


and Mr Moop laughing at Uncle Ants goatee


Aunt Chrissy brought over some cupcakes from Costco ... holy crap were they good! They were freakin' enormous! So we split one between the kids, and needless to say, they really liked them!



And here's a picture I love of Mr Moop with his cool shades on.


And Boots trying to bust into my bedroom ...


As you can tell from my pictures, Moops hair is out of control. I love it. I honestly do not want to cut it yet. Obviously I will have to. Eventually. But not now. It is funny when we give them a bath though. He has SO much hair. For your viewing pleasure ... Moop, prior to having his hair wet ...


Here is Daddy after sculpting Moops hair into a shark fin.


And after rinsing his hair. Look how long it is, as it hangs over his shoulder.


Enjoy,
Caba

Yeah, Yeah, I got more pics for you ...

I've been slacking on updating, and I've been getting complaints. So, without further ado, more pics!

Sept 23rd was my sister's birthday, and Sept 24th was my Dad's. We had a little b-day celebration at my parents house ... and of course the kids were loved on like crazy. Here is Boots with her favorite Aunt Chrissy!


We keep getting notes coming home from daycare saying that we need to send in a family picture. And I keep forgetting! So we finally got a semi-nice shot. Damn Boots for not just looking at the camera!!!


Did I tell you all about my vampire child?? I can't remember ... I don't think I put it here. I went to daycare last week (or two weeks now) and when I was picking the kids up, there were accident reports for me to sign. I read Boots' first. It said "Boots was playing by the treehouse at 1045am with a friend when she leaned over and bit her friend. We taught her to use nice touches." Um, crap. Then I read Moops' report. "Moop was playing by the treehouse at 1045am with a friend when the friend leaned over and bit him. We taught his friend to use nice touches."

Ok, great. So Boots bit Moop! LOVELY! And the teacher wouldn't tell me! She just smiled and said they aren't allowed to tell who did what to whom. Well, it wasn't their teacher actually who said that, it was the director of the place. The teacher later told me that obviously it was Boots that bit Moop. I wasn't too stressed about it, as they are known to fight with each other. But then a few days later I got a report that she bit 3 (YES THREE!) kids at daycare. So then I was stressed!! I don't want to have that damn kid at daycare that is biting people! I talked with her teacher, and she said she is shadowing her, just watching really closely, to make sure she doesn't continue the behaviour. But she said she noticed a lot of drooling, and that Boots has new teeth coming in. So maybe she is having oral issues.

Thankfully, since the 3-bite day, she hasn't done it anymore. So now when I go to pick her up, I ask the teacher "How was my little vampire today?" They laugh at me. Thankfully, she seems to be over her short biting phase. Ugh.

On a happy note, they now say CHEESE! for the camera! Here is Boots and Moop yesterday practicing their new skills!


And just to show you that they have aced it, here's some from this morning!


And I had to include this picture, because it just made me laugh. Moop looks like he is auditioning to play Frankenstein, and Boots is auditioning for a vampire. These kids are nuts!


And lastly, I've been reading Twilight, and really enjoy it. Who doesn't love a good Vampire romance? Like mother, like daughter. Maybe she was looking for some good vampire tips? I hope it's not because of this book that she started biting at daycare!


Enjoy,
Caba

Good times ...

Ok ... more catch up. I should probably try to update more frequently, huh? Our week was good. Friday night I hosted a jewelry party for Lia Sophia. My sister had one a few months ago, so I booked one. It was mellow, maybe there was 10 of us. I made a ridiculous amount of food for the number of people there, but that's just par for the course.

A few of the girls who came brought their husbands, and the guys all went out to a local bar while the girls chowed down and bought jewelry. Then the guys came back, the parents left, and we busted into playing Rock Band! I've mentioned my addiction, right?

Here are some fun pics of us rocking out ...



The kids started their music class Saturday morning. They seemed a bit hesitant when we first went in, but they LOVED playing with all the instruments. The teacher dumped a big bang of stuff on the floor. There were tambourines, drums, triangles, etc and Mr Moops eyes lit up and he took off like a bullet into the pile. It was really cute to watch them. We got some great cds and I think they are really going to enjoy the class.

Of course I have some adorable pics of them ... Here is a picture of the twins when Barney is on in our house. It's like they are hypnotized!


Here's Miss Boots playing on her chair. She stands up, I say "Sit down please". She sits. She stands. Repeat. Fun stuff at our house.




And I have to show this picture, just because it so captures Boots' Little Miss Trouble personality!


And just because he is cuter than words, here is Mr Moop, seriously holding onto Daddy's multivitamins.


Oh and here is one of Mommy's least favorite new games. It's called "Let's dangle our legs through the rungs in the railing!" You know I'm so picturing the whole thing breaking and the twins falling down to the first floor. Ugh!


Momma had a fun night out last night. We just finished a huge project at work, so our bosses took me and the other guy who worked on the project out for Happy Hour in the city at the end of the day. We went to Tao for our first drink and a few apps. Then we walked down to Tiffany on 5th Ave (have I mentioned that's the company I work for?) My friend Tom that I was with had me try on a $50,000 engagement ring that looked like this. I was nervous with it on my finger (and it only fit on my pinky.) Wow. Just wow. They make some GORGEOUS pieces. Then we headed over to Divine Bar. We had some drinks and tapas and it was a good time. DH took care of the kids, with the help of my sister. I got slightly drunk and took the train home.

Now I don't feel good. Seriously, how is it that I have one fun night out, and then I catch a cold? I stink. Working from home tomorrow will be a good thing!

Enjoy,
Caba

I know ... I stink.

I've been really bad with updating lately. I'm not even sure why. Things have been hectic with work, with home, and I've been SO sucky at taking pictures. Which makes me feel awful! We took a million pictures earlier on, and I feel like such a slacker.

So what have we been up to, you ask? Lots of fun stuff. We had a nice Labor Day weekend last week. My parents took the kids overnight from Sunday to Monday. So DH and I had a nice night together, we went to the movies to see Tropic Thunder (so freakin' funny) and just slept late and reminisced about the days before kids when we could sleep if we want to.

This weekend was a good time too. Saturday we had the remnants of Hanna, so it just rained ALL DAY LONG! But earlier in the day before it started, we ran to the mall with Aunt Chrissy and Uncle Ant ... and got a few things, and all went out to lunch. Then we came home and the whole family napped, because it just got so dark out, and it was so cozy in bed. hehe.

We took a couple of really cute pics of Mr Moop playing in our bedroom. There new obsession (or maybe not that new) is the laundry basket. They climb in, they climb out. They fall all over the place and bonk heads and the Moop cries. It's a good time had by all!
Look how cute my man is...


Sunday was gorgeous! It was perfect weather, so we spent the majority of the day outside. The kids played in the yard while DH and I cleaned our cars, and turned their car seats around. Then after their nap, we went to the park with Aunt Chrissy. And this brings us to the cute pictures of our day at the park! We got some cute pics of the kids on the swings. It's hard for me to believe that last summer we took the swing picture with both of them in one swing. Now they are WAY too big!



After swinging, the kids played running around the play ground. Boots hung out with Aunt Chrissy and Mommy on the blanket and enjoyed her bubble machine. Mr Moop walked around pushing a pink stroller. Yes, it's Boots' stroller. Yes, he has a lawn mower to push. Yes, there are MANY fights over the pink stroller. And finally, yes, Mom and Dad did go back to Toys R Us and buy a SECOND pink stroller so that everybody could have one. Here Moop is enjoying his stroller. He's one serious dude.


Lady Boots on the other hand, didn't feel like pushing her pink stroller around, she was too busy running around and just being too adorable for words. Here she is in her short shorts making a somewhat disgusted face. She is probably sick of her mom chasing her with the stupid camera.


I had a funny conversation at the park with a little girl. We had our bubble machine with us, so this little boy and little girl (maybe 5 or 6 years old) came over to see the bubbles. And they were talking to us and the girl said to me "You have two babies?" and I said "Yes, they are twins. I have a girl (pointing the Boots, who was sitting with us) and a boy (pointing to Moop who Dad was off chasing)". And she said "Yeah, she is a girl because she is wearing girl shorts. He is wearing boy shorts". That made me laugh. With Mr Moops crazy hairdo, his shorts are the only thing that make people realize that he is a boy. Well guess what! I don't care! I'm not cutting his hair yet!

On a completely unrelated to my kids note, I belong to a website community for twins and twin parents. I spend entirely too much of my day there, seriously. Anyway, a woman with 8 month old twin boys lost her husband this weekend. He was 42 years old, and had a heart attack. It was awful. But here's the amazing thing. One of my friends on the site said she should send something like flowers ... and I offered to be the point person. So people could email me how much they wanted to contribute, and once we saw how much money we had, we would get something. These woman pledged $1400 + dollars! Can you believe that?? For someone they don't even know ... I am so proud of the community. It's such a small thing to do for someone else ... but for so many of us, it's our worst nightmare, losing our partner. I just can't even imagine. So it's been keeping me busy! I've been responding to emails, getting checks, accepting PayPal account transfers. It's amazing the anonymous generousity that has been shown. Anyway, I'm just proud ... so I thought I would share.

Enjoy,
Caba