We got a match!!!

On Tuesday I had my visit to the fertility clinic in Columbia. Davison drove down with me and Kimberly met us there. I was very excited and my mind was racing and I was talking superfast. I don't think it would have been nearly as noticeable except that the clinic lobby oozed a state of tranquility. There was dim lighting, it was whisper quiet, and they even had one of those little waterfall statues. It made me even more jittery and talkative to realize how displaced I was in those surroundings. I was very relieved to get out of that "library" lobby when they called us back.

The nurse's first question was "So…how long have you two been trying to conceive?" It was followed by Davison saying, "Is there something you want to tell me honey? Where are the hidden cameras?" After the nurse realized I was a surrogate, pretty much they just asked a bunch of questions…very detailed personal questions. Then they told me that there were a couple of issues on my health questionnaire that would require additional testing—anemia and a family history of thyroid problems. I asked if those issues would prevent me from carrying a baby and she assured me that it was nothing that couldn't be straightened out before the in vitro fertilization. I asked if I could go ahead and be tested since we lived out of town. Turns out we both needed to be tested, much to Davison's surprise, to make sure neither of us had any transmittable diseases. Davison didn't seem to mind, especially when he realized that Clemson football player Dorell Scott's mom was the one taking his blood. They chatted it up and had a good time. Kimberly got out my camera and took pictures of us giving blood together.

The best news of the day came when the Program Coordinator informed us that they had already found a donor for Kimberly. They turned in their application one week before and were told it could take 3-6 months to find a donor. Kimberly was sooo pumped. The donor had both of the qualifications Kimberly had wanted (intelligent and healthy--she's not picky, she just wants a healthy baby for pete's sake), and also had many similar physical characteristics that matched her own to boot. So now they will start the donor on the hormone treatments so they can go ahead and extract the eggs. I will go back in January for an ultrasound. They are planning to transfer the fertilized egg to my body in March/April. March or April!!!! Before that takes place, I will also have to do hormone treatments. Kimberly showed me the needles she had from where she had gone through the process to see if she could carry a baby. I have to say that I'm not really scared of needles, but this needle is pretty intimidating. The closer you get to it, the bigger it seems. It is two inches long and about as thick as a paper clip. I believe Davison will have to give me injections every day for a few weeks to prepare my body. The shots will be in my…err…badonkadonk. Poor Davison. I would not want to stick that needle into somebody. The clinic has offered to supply all medications for free to cut down on costs. We now have to meet with a psychologist who specializes in surrogacy. It will cost $1050 for her to do three sessions (one with me and Day, one with Kim and Chris, and one all together). Outrageous! Overall, though, the visit was a huge success and we are very excited about how optimistic everyone at the clinic was!

I guess that's about it for now…Keep praying—it's just the beginning!