Parents and Paperwork

Happy Easter! It was a wonderful and relaxing holiday in our home. It's been a few weeks since my last blog post, and as I promised, a parent decision has been made. After taking some time to consider all of the potential parents and communicating with them openly, the decision became very clear. The future parents, Ellie and Matt, are an international couple that, incidentally, share commonalities with me such as age, education, career and life ambitions. They have a wonderful sense of humor, and are open to the fun and excitement that lie ahead. Unfortunately, infertility can be fraught with devastation and disappointment to the point of creating anxiety-riddled pessimism in people that, otherwise, have very happy-go-lucky personalities. I consider myself extraordinarily lucky to have connected with a great set of future parents that are glowing with a beautiful inner light of optimism, eagerness, and enthusiasm. After weeks of emailing and a fantastic Skype conversation, I am elated to to be sharing this experience with them. I can't wait for the moment when the obstetrician hands them their goo-covered bundle of joy, and they realize that all of their efforts have culminated in this one moment of sheer bliss. To be honest, that's exactly what motivated to me to become a stork in the first place.

So here we are, at the precipice of a truly awe-inspiring, life altering experience, and it starts just like any other major undertaking: with paperwork. There are about 7,359 different forms to fill out or signatures to be gathered. Medical records from previous pregnancies and deliveries must be compiled and reviewed, an extensive questionnaire must be completed to assess my lifestyle and ideological viewpoints, and a background check and psychological evaluation must be completed (for good reason: If you're looking for some jaw-dropping, head-shaking, dumbfounding type of entertainment, check out some of the online advertisements and forum discussions regarding surrogacy). Once all of that information is pulled together and properly appraised, the IVF clinic will need additional paperwork to establish me as a patient, and then they'll schedule an appointment to collect copious amounts of blood and get a good long look at my girl bits. Upon clearing all of the red tape, we'll do some legal paperwork, and get down to the business of making a miracle happen. Hopefully, by my next update, we will have sorted through the jungle of documents, and have penciled out some dates for making the scientific magic happen.