Little Miracles and Big Blessings

First look at dis FACE?! Are you in love? This is our final foster puppy (Dan) still at the house - the others have all been adopted and are heading to New Jersey to their fur-ever homes this weekend and I am so, so excited and happy for them! I totally feel like a proud mama since we helped save all three of the babies that are going up this weekend from the shelter. It definitely adds another level to the happiness I always feel for any of our foster babies making their way home. :)

Over there is me and Petey who's one of the lucky pups going up to NJ this weekend. We've had this sweet boy for a little over a month and absolutely adore him. Kenneth initially said he wanted to keep him! I informed him my crazy does have a limit and I've reached it already in terms of dogs we own - foster dogs my crazy limit hasn't been reached or exceeded yet though... yet... :) He has a super sweet personality and I really don't think you could ask for a better rescue pup than this one.

Kent's first soccer game of the season is tomorrow and afterwards he gets to have a buddy over to stay the night which he is super excited about! I think tomorrow afternoon is going to be my homework and study time while the boys are playing. Kent has been having such a great time with soccer! I'm super proud of my kiddo and can't wait to see how he feels after the first game. His confidence level is slowly starting to build as each practice session passes and he gets a chance to get out there and work with his teammates. (That red blur over there is Kent during their scrimmage practice game last night!!)

So on to the big blessings in life - I have debated the last week or two about posting about an amazing person who I am so thankful has come into my life. I have been considering another GS journey since I delivered the twins (7 months ago now!) and went back and forth for awhile because of their early arrival but finally decided that it is definitely still in my heart and if an RE feels I am still a good candidate I would really love to match and move forward one last time. I am 100% certain this would be my final match and I will put it in writing for my hubby if he so desires this time. :D He is so sweet to be so supportive of me each time even though I know he always worries for my health and for my heart each and every time. I am so grateful for such an amazing man! In any event, I decided to post an ad and see what responses I might get. I got a few replies and then took my ad back down so I could talk to the couples a little and see if any were the right fit. I had gotten to the point where I was pretty seriously considering moving forward with one couple, I had even sent my medical records to their nurse coordinator for review. Then I got an e-mail... an e-mail I can say certainly changed the course of the plans I was making in my head and heart and I think I might say it may prove to have changed my life - I am not sure yet in how many ways, but I know I am excited to see just how in the coming weeks, months and perhaps even years. :) Liz contacted me pretty much out of the blue, just because of some posts she'd seen of mine on SMO and then my blog post about all the sweet puppies we'd rescued last month. In no time flat the e-mails were flying back and forth between us and I was absolutely astonished as each response came that I had been contacted by someone who seemed to be a kindred spirit, perhaps my long lost twin, and who had a similar time frame as me for a hopeful transfer next year and similar hopes and expectations for communication and expectations and desires in a surrogacy experience. I don't know if I can possibly summarize how the feelings of hope and joy have grown in my heart over the past four weeks. I keep thinking perhaps we've exhausted every single subject there is to discuss, and yet we continue to find lots of things to delve into and discuss! I have had the chance to learn SO much about Liz! Our topics have ranged from surrogacy hopes and expectations, to animals, gay rights, religion and spirituality, favorite colors, weirdest foods we've ever eaten, ideal vacations, pumpkin muffins, IVF meds, all about our husbands, Disneyland, and SO much more! In every single one of our conversations the first couple week I can't count how many times I responded to something Liz said with "me TOO!!!" we have SO many similarities in likes, dislikes, perspectives, experiences, opinions, etc. It has become almost a game to try to find things we are dissimilar in! I think me having tattoos is probably one of the biggest ones we've uncovered so far... there haven't been that many (we even share blood type!)

My records have been delivered to her RE and now we wait and see what his thoughts are and then see what's next (though we most likely wouldn't be looking at testing/contracts until early next year). We are going to hopefully meet up for the first time next weekend and I can't tell you how excited I am to finally meet this incredible lady in person!

She is gracious, incredibly thoughtful and considerate, a fabulous communicator, she loves puppies and cooking (so extra bonus points on both of those ones! :D ) and I hope I am lucky enough to get to be her GS in the future and help her and her husband build the family they've long been dreaming of and working towards. I have said several times over the past month how I feel like I need to pinch myself because this connection has just blown my mind - it just feels too perfect to be real - I keep thinking surely I must have imagined something or exaggerated something in my mind... however with each new e-mail or phone call (Liz kept me company for hours each way on the phone while I was driving to Florida for Tonya's baby shower last weekend!) I am more and more sure that I have certainly not exaggerated anything. If anything I have not given her enough credit for the truly amazing person she is. I am blessed to have met her, regardless of what our future holds, I know I am a lucky person just to have had the chance to get to know Liz and have her in our lives.

She even sent a gift for both me and Kent this week - a perfect Willow Tree figurine for me that is completely precious and keeps bringing me a huge smile and hope for what might be and she was also so thoughtful to send a handwritten note to Kent and also a book for him. I cannot even tell you how much that note meant to him. He didn't even show it to me - he read it, and looked embarrassed but very happy by what it said and tucked it away. I asked him today where it was because I didn't want him to throw it away and he said "I would NEVER throw a note that nice away"!! It means the world to me how much Liz truly seems to appreciate and acknowledge my family too - it means so much that she wants to make a point to connect with Kent and establish a relationship with him too... it just completely blows my mind and makes me feel humbled and so grateful... so, so blessed... I don't think there is another word for it. I am a blessed woman!

I am so happy that I can share my thoughts and feelings here on my blog, and save these feelings and memories to look back on! I hope we will get the thumbs up from their RE in the next couple weeks and look forward to seeing how things come together in the future!