Our Baby Story

More Newspaper Coverage!

2008-04-14T23:37:00.002-04:00

I know this is kind of late but i guess better late than never right? the link to the local SNP who had our story this past week for the suburbs of c-bus is in the title of this blog again... also we added more pics in a slideshow down at the bottom! Gavin's starting to look like a baby instad of a newborn! yay! keep posted to the site i'll try to get pictures every other day or so on the slideshow thing.... but don't hold me to it!

Love Ya All!

Pix and in the News

2008-04-01T11:10:00.007-04:00

Hre are a few more pix... also i forgot to tell you all that we were in the newspaper in sanford NC because of our story! we were the first "surrogacy" case in Lee County. click on the title of this page and it should take you to the newspaper's website. then click on march 26th we should be there!

on the way to meet some of the family sunday

I call this one sleeping beauty.

Here's g-ma with her first grandbaby. she's in love!

Meeting Gavin

2008-03-31T16:31:00.003-04:00

We finally met our son Monday March 24th at 6:13 pm. He was a healthy 8 lbs even and 21 1/2 inches long.. Shannon only had to push for about a half hour. Gavin was "sunny side up" as shannon calls it.. so he he was a little harder to get him out. He had a massive bruise on his head, a little bit of a bruised eye, as well as nose. But now he's beautiful, and healthy.

Sorry you had to wait so long for an update. Because we were in nowheresville NC and not in the busseling town of C0lumbus we had almost no cell service at the hospital and everytime i tried to connect to the wireless either at my cousin's house or at the hospital i would be disconnected right away.
We are finally home, and semi-settled with our new baby boy. I promise more pictures as soon as i can...
God Bless you Shannon and Randy! You are true blessings to us!

Almost Gavin's Birthday..YAY!

2008-03-22T14:20:00.003-04:00

Even though it seems we were just down for the weekend we are back to see Shannon, Randy and the gang only this time........we get to meet our son! We drove the long 10 hour drive this time so that we could lug all of baby's stuff with us. It took us 10 hours to do about an 8-9 hour drive because we got stuck in traffic on 77 in WVA for about 10 miles! let me tell you that wasn't fun stop and go for that long made us wish we had flown...

Shannon is going to be going to the hospital Sunday evening after eating dinner with us and my mom as well as her dad who are coming down for the birth. She'll start the induction Sunday night. Which means we'll probably not get much sleep Sunday. I hope Ryan and i rest tonight. With the long drive in I don't think either one of us slept very well last night..we both had very weird dreams. We're just very anxious to see Gavin. We have been talking about it for so long I'm ready for him to be here.. i can't stop thinking about it!

We will be in the local paper here in Sanford because Central Carolina Hospital has never seen this type of situation. The reporter talked to Shannon Thursday and we'll be getting our picture taken after Gavin's birth. :-) so..that will be fun! I'll have to cut out the article so we can put it in his memory book!

BY THE WAY...all you people from Ohio who haven't seen a full day of clear sky and warm tempretures for waaay too long I have to tell you that the sun is out and it's in the lower 70s today... I tell you this because I hear it's snowing there today HAHAHAH...

okay love you all thanks for checking up on us!

Next time I update hopefully i'll have fun pictures of a new family!

MOM, DAD, and GAVIN!!! :-D

**MUAH**

We Just Wanted to Say Thank You

2008-03-05T21:40:00.009-05:00

To all our family and friends...

Number one to our parents who with out their love and support wouldn't even be thinking about being parents right now! They gave us two great gifts... Our lives, and the life of a child in which they have entrusted to us.. I really am baffled by their unconditional giving.

Number two, to Shannon and Randy who have given up more than a year of their lives to make this dream possible! Shannon you truly have no CLUE how amazing you are! Randy, thank you for being the support Shannon needs through this! I'm truly amazed by you both volunteering for something so selfless!

To our sisters,Natalie and Lindsey, who have been excited about being an aunt from the start. I can't wait for Gavin to know how amazing his aunts are.

To all the extended family who have helped tremendously through this process both in love and in support that you chipped in as you could! It is really amazing the family that God has given us! I never realized how much support could come from a family who sees a dream and desire in you and helps make that dream come true! I really thank God for every one of you! We are so lucky to have such a support system!

To all our friends, you have been our sanity in the whole getting ready for Gavin process! You have given us some fun times and laughter, as well as some great things to look forward to when Gavin comes!

We love you all and really hope you know that we are extremely grateful for everyone in our lives that will share in our joy of being parents! All your kindness has NOT gone unnoticed!

Look at what you have helped us create:

This is the growing embryos before transfer

It's really been an amazing adventure!

and it's just beginning!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE!

We Love You All!

~Ryan and Rebekah

Baby Gavin's Room

2008-02-26T20:17:00.009-05:00

Welcome to Gavin's Room!!!!

This is his toy chest for now i'm using it for boxes of diapers

I love this piece it's beautiful and we will use it for Gavin's dresser for years to come! We'll use it for a changing table by getting a curved foam changing table for the top. Here's another Picture.. please excuse the finger in the corner!

Here's Gavin's Crib.. Again i love this piece too! This will grow with Gavin why? because it's a lifetime crib.. it goes from this to a toddler bed, then day bed, then a full bed. Pretty cool huh?

NEW PICTURES!

2008-01-21T16:13:00.000-05:00

Baby Gavin is growing strong! Strong heartbeat all 10 fingers and toes!Isn't he cute? I'm getting super excited for Gavin's arrival. I still have a check list of what still needs to be done before he comes but the house looks great!
I'm going to try to get a slide show of pictures on here of just Gavin! We'll see if it will let me!
But for now here's a few more!

Pictures of Shannon!

2007-12-18T19:28:00.000-05:00

I'm so sorry it's been forever since i last wrote but I was waiting for pictures of Shannon. I know i should have probably written more between now and the last time I wrote but I've been one busy girl...
Okay, so I know your waiting on the pictures so here ya go!

This was a few weeks ago I'm sure she's bigger even still :-)

THANK YOU SHANNON!! I can't wait to see you in January! You are AWESOME!

Could it be? WHY IT IS!

2007-11-01T21:35:00.000-04:00

DO YOU SEE IT? don't worry..I didn't at first either...but I'm told that it is there....the part that makes my baby a BOY... That means
Ryan's name goes......
that is...
GAVIN ELIJAH

This would be an ARM....WITH LITTLE BABY FINGERS...

This is a foot... do you count 5 toes?

THE 3D IS KINDA CREEPY BUT I LIKE THIS PHOTO NOW...

ITS THE FIRST PHOTO OF MY BABY BOY....

GAVIN ELIJAH

Nesting Habits Already?

2007-10-05T22:28:00.000-04:00

Ryan and I had to go up to Ashland this week due to a death in his family. While we were there His mother gave us the baby clothes she found... i have to show you these!!!
Cleveland Indians Onesie with shorts and baseball cap! CONGRATS TO THE INDIANS BTW!

NEXT IS....UH HUH! OH...IO!

That's right OHIO STATE HOW CUTE IS THIS!? All we need now is CLEVELAND BROWNS and we'll be set in my husband's eyes at least! Believe me we'll be getting some I've found receiving blankets etc at Babies R' US.

SO coming home from Ashland all i want to do is rip up the carpet..start organizing...and cleaning...I want to get this place spotless (yes that will take 6 months) for baby! and all the visitors coming in and out of this SMALL place...

I also really want to get all the info I can about all the stuff we'll need. I'm surprised by how expensive things can be! wowsa! But with reading up in all the magazines about all the this stuff and how to "bond with your child" etc etc... i think i may have more questions than before...
Like for example...since babies have such poor eyesight when they are first born they use their sense of smell a lot. They can tell that you are mom b/c of your smell...they know your smell to the point of knowing how your breast milk smells! i can't breast feed, and since i didn't carry the baby will the baby not know my "smell"? humm... or even my voice...I guess i have a while to worry about that! but I'd really like to talk to some people who have been though the whole surrogacy thing...I'd like to ask them how all the different questions I have that only they can answer ya know!?

I have the nesting fever today... In a way i'm kind of panicking..so much to do...such a big responsibility...such little time... all in the mean time i'm figuring out how to provide best for this new addition but also how to get through school at a faster pace.. I'm kind of scared honestly...but we'll all be okay.. Thankfully i have my mother's spirit of "I'll do what I gotta do to get this challenge done.." this is what I've always wanted...a family...and though my plans have not gone quite as planned I'll make it work! Actually Ryan and I will make it work..thankfully it's not only me that has to do this!

Alright it's bed time!

Love Ya All! Thanks for checkin' in!

Just a little update

2007-10-04T12:55:00.000-04:00

I was talking to Shannon on IM yesterday and asked if she saw a baby bump yet. She said not really except for in the mornings when she's laying down. She said that the baby seems to be all curled up and when she has to go to the bathroom and when she's laying down it looks like a baseball in her belly. Sticking Straight out...of course i've never seen anything like this especially since it's my baby I'm even more curious and we continued to have one of those "NUH UH".. "YES HUH!" conversations for a while. Till she said she'd send a picture. THOUGH SHE HASN'T SENT ME ONE YET i look forward to it! To see really what this looks like. Because at 13 weeks the baby isn't any bigger than a jumbo shrimp. HOW can it be as big as a baseball all curled up!? HUM.... I'm so curious i could scream!

13 weeks....this week my baby has his/her own fingerprints and his/her itsy bitsy organs are workin'! CRAZY!

Shannon and the family are comming up in January... i hope we can do an 3D ultrasound up in ashland with Ryan's mom! That would rock too! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE PICTURES! MORE PICS! CRAZY TIMES MAN!

Gotta go but I hope you liked our update! It's not nearly as exciting as an ultra sound picture but we'll get there!

Pictures at 12 Weeks

2007-09-27T21:26:00.000-04:00

It's our little Charlie Brown sucking his/her thumb.. awww!!! :-)

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's hit the 2-inch mark (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. Her face is beginning to look more human. Her eyes, which started out on the sides of her head, have moved closer together on her face, and her ears are near their final positions on the sides of her head. Your baby's intestines, which have grown so rapidly that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into her abdominal cavity about now. Her kidneys are secreting urine into her bladder. Her nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly, and synapses (neurological pathways in the brain) are forming. Your baby may have acquired more reflexes by now, including sucking, and she'll even squirm if you prod your abdomen, though you still won't be able to feel her movement for several weeks.

we can now tell the WHOLE world that we are pregnant b/c we have reached the 12 weeks we all were holding our breaths for! I have more photos but it premiere! gotta watch the office! yaaah baaaby!

ciao!

First Picture

2007-09-14T12:56:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of the baby at 9 weeks only 2 more weeks to go and we'll be at 12 weeks which means we'll be more in the "clear" regarding the whole miscarrage thing... but for now we'll just marvel that we can see such a tiny thing and such a young age. I honestly cried a little when I first saw it!

I gtg back to work but i just wanted to share with everyone our little bundle of joy.. 2 more weeks and we'll see limbs as well as be at the 12 week mark.. DANG 3 MONTHS GOES SO FAST!
I'll be at shannon's this weekend with Anita...so more blogging to come! Love y'all!

We Have News!

2007-09-06T23:22:00.000-04:00

For all of you who check in regularly I'm so sorry we haven't had much to say. But today we have news! WOHOO.

Life seemed to have returned back to normal for us back in the state of ohio...but then came ultrasound day...we learned...

We are now 9 weeks along...only 3 more weeks and we will be in the clear...well at least more than we are now!

The baby (yes just one) is growing fast. how amazing is it to think that in just 3 weeks the baby has grown from 3 mm to 2 cm! in 3 more weeks we will see limbs on the ultrasound!

And the last but most important thing we learned today....the baby's heart is strong... with 160 beats per minute the word that the doctor used was "excellent". they look for the heartbeat to be 120 BPM but they say anything over 150 is excellent progress!!! They can see the baby's head, heartbeat, and body on the ultrasound instead of just a blob that it was 3 weeks ago....

THANK YOU ALL FOR WANTING TO KNOW HOW THE PROGRESS OF THE BABY IS GOING!!
next Friday I'll be flying down with my friend/honorary sister Anita to have one more trip before school starts! hopefully next time we'll have pictures!

MUCH LOVE!!

Reading Up and Tearing Up

2007-08-19T20:13:00.000-04:00

So we have been reading up about how big our baby is right now. I got a book called "what to expect when your expecting" I know some of it won't pertain to me but it's still nice to know what to expect at every doctor's visit and how big Shannon should be.
Looks like we'll be expecting a little one in April of 08 :-) It's fun to read how fast the baby is growing....

Our pregnancy: 6 weeks

How your baby's growing: The cells that will make up all of your baby's body parts and systems are dividing furiously as her body begins to take shape. Right now she's about the size of a small lentil bean (4 to 5 millimeters across). If you could see through your uterine wall, you'd find an overlarge head and dark spots where her eyes and nostrils are beginning to take shape. Shallow pits on the sides of her head mark her developing ears, and her arms and legs appear as protruding buds. Her hands and feet look like paddles, with thick webbing between the developing digits, but her fingers and toes will soon become more distinct. Below the opening that will later be your baby's mouth, there are small folds where her neck and lower jaw will eventually develop. (Inside, her tongue and vocal cords are just beginning to form.)

Your baby's heart (which is starting to divide into the right and left chambers) is beating about 100 to 130 beats per minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to circulate through her body. Her intestines are developing and tiny breathing passages are beginning to appear where her lungs will be. She's also starting to build muscle fibers and, halfway through this week, she'll likely start moving her tiny limbs. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to wait until you're several weeks into your second trimester before you get to enjoy feeling your baby's calisthenics.

While Shannon is busy helping the baby grow we are busy thinking about what kind of things need done around the house before a baby can join it. Ryan will be taking his days off together next week to rip out the carpet downstairs, the linoleum downstairs and upstairs and then put down pergo and tile. Not only b/c of the baby but because it needs to be done anyways. Having the baby is just a good excuse to get things down around here!
So, get this Ryan's mom has already bought OSU clothes for the baby! lol I think she's a little excited!! :-) She's also going to help us get cheap pergo and help us put it down. She's going to help us put the nursery together too. Exciting, and scary times man!

Alright, ttyl! Love ya all but its bed time

So, we have news!

2007-08-16T13:07:00.000-04:00

I got a call from Shannon today. She said they could only find one baby on the ultrasound. it is 3 mm long and they can hear the heartbeat! she said that the baby is 5 weeks and 6 days old (which they count from when she missed her last period. not from when the embryo was implanted!)

isn't that awsome?! I think my mom cried a little bit before calling me! I think she's getting excited to be a grandma! :-)

I Think Ryan's mom is excited too! :-) YAY! she's going to be comming down to put pergo down and help us get the house ready to go for the baby! :-)

Next step, ultrasound sept 6 to make sure everything is still going well!

Then Nita and I fly down on the 14th to see Shannon!!

Then, we just wait for the 3 month mark! 12 weeks.......I think we can do that! :-)
KEEP PRAYING!

Ultrasound Change

2007-08-14T13:22:00.000-04:00

Well the ultrasound has been pushed back to first thing Thursday Morning. So no one freak out that we don't have info on-line about it. Don't freak out if you haven't heard anything from us. We are just waiting...again. So, once we know if it's one or two babies we'll let you know! :-) Thanks for your desire to know what's up with us we really do love that you all are so interested!

We'll keep you updated! Don't worry!

*-: MUCH LOVE! :-*

1 Week-Ultrasound, 2 Weak Mommy Arms!

2007-08-06T13:08:00.000-04:00

I talked to Shannon today she said that her first ultrasound is set for the 13th. which means We'll know (for sure) if we have one baby or two by monday of next week! WOOHOO!

At lunch today I decided to start building my arm muscle so I started with 2 lbs and just doing that i can feel it already! WOW, I'm a weakling! I'm thinking that i'll start arm reps with thes the 2 lbs and move up. Hopefully i can get my arms in shape as well as maybe my core :-) i work at the perfect place to do all this. Working with Physical Therapists they can tell you what to do and how to do it. FREE. So, that's good! :-)

I can't wait to have "mommy arms" carved with muscle! :-)

Ryan already wants to buy baby name books. I think it's too early for that! However I am contemplating how to Re-do the house to make it more 'baby friendly'. To me right now that's more fun anyways. Once i see the ultrasound I may change my mind... who knows!

okay, lunch break is almost over! talk to y'all soon!

And The Results Are In.....

2007-08-01T22:04:00.000-04:00

I got news from Shannon that the blood work was positive. Which means we are PREGNANT! We owe it all to Shannon! She was the one that never gave up! Which I think is AWESOME of her! Even though she feels like a human pincushion she still takes a shot in the bum everyday! CRAZY girl! Who volunteers for that? My Awesome cousin!

So on Friday my cousin and her hubby fly back to NC. Before they leave they have 1 more thing of blood work done. Just to make absolute sure everything is cool. After that we'll do an ultrasound in two weeks. Keep praying, until we get by 3 months we are holding are breath!

I just thought we'd update the site of the good news! gtg to bed now!

LOVE YA ALL!
THANKS FOR THE THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS!

It's a Long Wait...

2007-07-29T22:36:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't written lately. Really we have to wait 'till Wednesday to know if Shannon is pregnant. SO, needless to say it's been a long week of waiting. Shannon goes to the doctor at 9 am California time so that means by lunch time i should know what's going on. Wednesday i won't be able to concentrate around lunch time and afterwards. I just hope it's good news!! I guess it's just time to pray! :-)

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN for all your thoughts and prayers and offers for help on so many different levels!

YOU ALL ROCK!

:-) LoVe YoU!

The Beginning of Life

2007-07-23T20:24:00.001-04:00

So, It may not seem like much to you but two of those 8 "blobs" aka "pre-embryotic cells" are now living inside my cousin! which means we will know if they "stick" by Aug. 1, 2007. WOAH! Shannon said that the biggest one in the middle looks like Ryan. ha ha! I guess we'll just have to see! We will know if they "stick" in 1 week and in 12 weeks we will be "out of the danger zone" when it comes to the pregnancy. Just like any other pregnancy. It's just really cool how a little bit of science and a lot of God and prayer can lead to this miracle we are looking at now!

Now i know i shouldn't get too excited but it's just so neat to see what our hard work (and money) has produced! AWESOME!

THANK YOU ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE SUPPORTED AND PRAYED FOR US.
We can't express how much it means to have everyone's support. Please keep us in your prayers not only now but for the rest of the pregnancy! And then for the rest of our time with our baby (or babies).

Update from the doctor...

2007-07-21T23:11:00.000-04:00

So, today we just hung out around the hotel. Ryan wanted to just hang out in the room so shannon and I went to get her food for her two days in bed.

We got a message from the doctor yesterday when we were at. He said that we had 6 embryos growing well and 2 embryos that haven't split as fast. So we'll try the transfer Monday. Which means that Shannon will have to be on bed rest for 2 days. We heard from Randy today and he got his flight changed from wednesday to monday evening. Which means shannon will only have to get a ride to and from the doctor on monday. instead of trying to find someone to give shannon her shot until wednesday. Which will keep me from worrying too much about her.

We leave tomarrow morning at 8:30 so we have to be out of the room by 6:30 so that means another early morning! WOOHOO....

gtg! We'll be back in town tomarrow and i go back to work the next morning...FUN! :-) See ya around C-Bus :-)

Venice Beach, 13 Embryos, and the NY,NY...

2007-07-18T17:59:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't written in a day. Here's what we have been up to.....

We woke up yesterday (Tuesday)and went to the Doctor's office to make sure that Shannon's uterus was actually thick enough to hold an embryo. They said it was okay and that we would be making the embryos Wed. So, we pushed back our reservation in Las Vegas. This is a picture of us at venice on hold with hotels.com trying to change the reservation.
We decided to go to Venice Beach, as well as Malibu. We gawked at the crazy people on Venice Beach. This is ryan lookin' at people at lunch on Venice Beach board walk... The we sat on the beach near Malibu, and went back to Hollywood happy campers!

We woke up this morning bright and early to go back to the doctors so that Ryan could get his donation to the cause. Shannon got her first shot of progesterone and just thinking about a shot made her cry. Which means for the next two or three days I'll have to make her cry while I try to give her a shot in her butt.

After the doctor's office we were on our way to the great and wonderful NEW YORK, NEW YORK hotel and casino in LAS VEGAS NV we're on the 27th floor of the Chrysler Tower over looking the strip....

Check out the view! Shannon called the doctor's office to see how the embryo's were doing as soon as we got to the room... the embryologist said that 13 out of the 15 eggs survived defrosting and fertilization. SO, they are watching all 13 to see which ones grow the best and strongest. We will probably implant by Monday. (STILL PRAY FOR SATURDAY!!!)

the husband's getting antsy...too much to look at...
SO, we gotta go explore! more pictures to come! Love ya all!

Good News Monday

2007-07-16T20:00:00.000-04:00

I woke up by a call from Shannon. She said that the lining in her uterus measurements went from 3 mm to 17 mm from Friday to Monday. Which means her uterus is more than ready for the embryo transfer. Which means SHE'S flying out here. I talked to ana at the fertility clinic and she said that they have never seen the lining grow so much so quickly. So they wanted to do another ultra sound to make sure everything is okay with shannon. IF everything is fine they want us there to make the embryos and do our STD blood tests. (Ryan and I).

SO we got a day off today. We just toured around town. We went to Universal Studios City Walk. Which was cool.... Here's some pictures from the City Walk :
This was at the Hard Rock Store

Next:

This was my favorite poster at City Walk if you can't read the poster it reads:
L.A. ANGST
"OH ANDY, THE HOT TUB OVER FLOWED AND RUINED MY CELL PHONE. THEN THE CAPPICCINO MAKER EXPLODED AND THE TOP OF THE CONVERTABLE IS STUCK SHUT....AGAIN!"

Funny stuff!
Next, We went to Hollywood BLVD. First we went to the Wax museum. Ryan took pictures of EVERY wax figure (or so it seemed) but he likes this one the best:

Ryan prefers this picture of me at the Guinness World Records Museum:

I think I like this picture better:

GOTTA LOVE JOHNNY DEPP!

This picture is for my mother... i just want to let you know mom that the door was locked had been closed for the night and i could still smell the sent outside...that's some stinky girl stuff!

That's all I have for now! I'll be writing soon. We are waiting on Shannon to arrive in town and then we may go see Shawn at the bar downstairs. It's comedy night tonight...

GOODBYE FROM HOLLYWOOD....

Friday the 13th, UnFrickin' Lucky!

2007-07-15T20:42:00.000-04:00

The 13th was a very unlucky day. I got a call from Dr. Kim in CA stating that there may be a problem. Only, he left a message from his cell. on a Friday. SWEET....Can't be good! Just CAN'T... once i got that call i knew by his voice that this couldn't be good.

I talked to the doctor and he seemed very pessimistic. Which made me worry. He told me Shannon's estrogen patches weren't doing the trick to build the lining of her uterus. Which would make it impossible to do an embryo transfer. If the lining is too thin the embryos won't be able to "stick". I asked him what the options were. He basically said, to stop all meds, wait until her cycle resumes back to normal and try again, only with injectable estrogen instead of patches that apparently isn't being absorbed properly. OR..........you can get another surrogent and when that happens you can start this all over again. (I thought....."yeah...right.....find someone else.....THAT'S EASY!") I think he heard the horror in my voice. But he really had nothing other than "i'm soo sorry the patches work fine 95% of the time!" I thought. That doesn't mean they can't now!!!!! OF COURSE the 5 % chance of something NOT working i fell into... I some how thought through all this that i couldn't let this get me too far down. I couldn't just let this get me depressed. I couldn't. So, After a good cry and a good sigh with Ryan. I decided we couldn't hide. And I'd make my husband go to the "blessings" for our California adventure party. That was thrown just for us by my bible study.
It was the hardest thing to do to tell those people what we thought was going to happen wasn't. IT was even harder to see my husband be so venerable to a complete (well not totally) room of strangers.
I knew those people were the ones to open up to. With my husband and my tears. They did a great job. I must say. Their prayers, their encouragement. Their faith. ALL helped us realize God's still here, and the people that love us are still here.

I got a call from Shannon Saturday morning. She had heard from Dr. Kim. And with some questions Shannon was persistent THANK GOD. Dr. Kim said we can give it to monday with more patches on ( i think she has 5 now).So, here i sit in front of the laptop in Hollywood Los Angeles CA. With my husband next to me. Shannon has a Dr. visit tomorrow back in North Carolina to see if anything has changed b/c she added patches. You don't know how much i prayed on the plane here that God does something big with this trip.

Some of you all reading this right now may not believe in this entity i call my Saving Grace. I call my joy beyond all my joys. But I'm here to tell you whatever happens MY GOD will overcome. Even if it looks like i fail at this part of it. My J-E-S-U-S will be here to cry with me. My God will show me how this is just one more step in this storybook of mine i call life.

That 5% that doctors say it can't happen...my God works his MAGIC in. Yes, maybe in medicine and science but that's still His hand. Science had said 5% chance of things not working...that 5% we fall into. WHAT HAPPENS THEN?

SO, if you want to believe that my god doesn't exist and isn't truly still alive. Fine, but let my life be a testimony. Let my FAMILY be a testimony that there's something you can't see that's bigger than science.

Sorry for the preaching. I just know God's gunna do something big with this part of my life. THIS IS MY STORY....... THIS IS OUR STORY....... THIS IS TRUE LIFE!

I know you'll love me anyways!
I Love You!

Thanks for everything, all of you guys! Seriously!!! I couldn't do it with out you!

BTW the 14th wasn't so unlucky!

Here's Exactly What's Going Down....

2007-07-10T18:34:00.000-04:00

So, Here's the timeline of what's going on next week....

Sunday July 15
6:50 am (OHIO TIME)~ Ryan and Rebekah's Flight Leaves for LA
8:00 am (LA TIME)~ Flight arrives in LA
10 am Dr. Apt with embroyolgist who will be defrosting and making the embryos on Sunday.

After the Dr. Visit i think i'll show Ryan around town. The LeBrea Tar Pits, and then Lunch at the Farmers Market.

Monday July 16
8 am Shannon Flys in to LA
Meet Shannon at Dr. so she can get her shot for the day.

We may leave early for LAS VEGAS, if possible.

Tuesday July 17
LAS VEGAS BABY!!! YEAH!

Wednesday July 18
According to the Nurse at Dr. Kim's Office we may be doing the transfer of two embryos wednesday (I HOPE) IF not, we'll just be driving back from LasVegas.

Thursday July 19
Tour the city, or go to malibu (ALL DEPENDING ON WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE DR.)

Fiday July 20
If the transfer wasn't done Wed. It will be done today. We may go to Venice Beach and see all the crazy people, if we can walk around with shannon.

Saturday July 21
Make sure Shannon is taken care of, play it by ear.

Sunday July 22
Ryan and i fly back to Ohio around 8 am.

Monday July 23-25
Shannon will be ALL ALONE in LA... she'll have to make friends (i don't think she will have a problem with that!)

Shannon and Randy will be in LA untill the begining of August. If everything goes okay, they may fly back early. IF the first round doesn't take (ha ha) then hopefully we can do it again while she's still out there.

Thank you for your desire to know what's going on with us!

PLEASE, comment on what you see, or think. I love hearing your thoughts and comments! It makes me smile a bit! :-)

Only 13507 Minutes Left

2007-07-05T21:16:00.000-04:00

But who's counting? I think Ryan and I are! Ryan's excited about staying in the New York, NY hotel in Las Vegas. I'm excited to get away from work this week has been CRAZY BUSY! I think Ryan will be happy to leave work behind as well.

sorry this is short but sweet. I gotta go to bed. I'll write more this weekend!

My Heart History

2007-06-29T19:05:00.000-04:00

Hi - my name is Rebekah, and I was born in 1985 with Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA) and other heart defects. I was not diagnosed until I was 5 months old because I also had holes between each atrium and ventricle and my patent ductus did not close. Because of the length of time before anybody even knew I had these problems, my cardiologist did not recommend open heart surgery and fixing my heart completely. They did a surgery, but not open heart surgery, to band my pulmonary artery and close my patent ductus. This was considered a "palliative" operation, and I did do better but by the time I was 4 1/2 I was getting very blue and going back into failure to thrive. Dr Teske did a catheterization and my parents say he was devastated after it; he gave them the news that there really wasn't a good option. I needed a heart-lung transplant because the arrangement of my heart was causing Pulmonary Hypertension (PH). The PH is high blood pressure in my lungs, which was causing my lungs to wear out quicker than usual. At that time the survival following such a transplant was less than 5 years for kids under 18, and he didn't consider it an option. No surgery and I most likely would not make it to 10 years old but with the PH he couldn't recommend the current surgeries to correct the TGA. Dr. Teske took my cath tapes to a cardiology convention and presented my case to several surgeons, and Dr. Bove of the Univ. of Michigan said he thought a modified Arterial Switch-called a Jantene procedure - would be a good palliative option. He was willing to try when no one else was! They said the chances of my living through the surgery was 75%, but I could gain many more years of being pink, and while I would continue to have an abnormal heart (the arrangement of it and the fact that I still have a hole between my left ventricle and atrium) and the PH I could expect to go into my 20's or 30's without anything further. So just after starting Kindergarten I went to Michigan, my parents were torn as they handed me to the surgeons. I did very well, and 11 days later I was home and had oxygen stats in the 90's for the first time ever. My heart sits in a different position than normal, and I can not exercise as I would if all was normal but other than my "zipper" few people can tell there is anything wrong. As a kid I could not do all the things "normal" kids could do, but for the most part I did most everything I wanted to do....can't run in gym - I didn't mind. I got to know several kids with heart problems through a camp our Columbus Children's Hosp holds once a year and a support group my Mom joined - today we all are doing very well and some of us are now counselors at that camp. It has been great to have friends who are physically much like me and have similar scars!

My oxygen stats have fallen as I have gotten older. The hole in my heart causes the PH and at 17 I learned there was a formal name for my condition-"Eisenmengers Syndrome". Basically it is because the way things drain and pump they had to leave the hole, and it creates the elevated blood pressure - PH. By 17 by my external oxygen stat had fallen into the low 80's. The summer before my senior year of high school Dr Teske called us and wanted me to go on a newly approved drug aimed at controlling the damage to my lungs caused by the PH. My parents investigated it and agreed it was a good choice, but found out that I most likely should not contribute an egg when I was ready to have children -the babies of the testing animals were born dead or severely deformed. I learned that not only could I never carry a baby but contributing an egg for insemination into a surrogate would not be an option. I was very upset, but just before getting this news I had picked up a Time magazine (at 17 I have to say it was God - I wanted to read an article about the Left Behind series) and in it I had read about a brand new option to freeze eggs and a doctor who was having success in insemination utilizing the eggs at a later time. I asked my parents if I could do it and shortly thereafter I went to LA, flying back to Columbus after 11 eggs were harvested. With a 50/50 chance of success I may one day be able to be a Mom to my own baby. Also prior to getting this news I had met and fallen in love with Ryan, who was wonderful through all this - and true to most things in my life, I get into things earlier than most, I married him when I was 19. Dr Teske danced at my wedding! He was so pleased his "kids" are now living long enough to get married....I started college and things were going along well except that my drug was costing $ 3600 a month and Ryan's insurance only paid 60% of it. When Ohio cut funding on a special program that was paying the balance I had to go to work full time to get insurance. I had to drop down to part time school; I am studying to be a Sign Language Interpreter. I am very busy in my church, teaching middle school kids and my long-term goal is to be a Youth Pastor to the Deaf. It is a long way off, but I know I will get there. I live a mostly normal life, have many friends I hang with, and am very busy. The optimum time for the eggs is to use them within 5 years and we are approaching that anniversary this summer, and my cousin who has 3 kids of her own has volunteered to be our surrogate. We went in February for the LA doctor to examine her and approve her as a surrogate, and she was, so this July Ryan and I will be going to LA, Shannon will join us and Dr Kim will be doing an implant of 2 embryos -hopefully we will come home pregnant! If all goes well I will be a young parent but a VERY grateful one!

Oh about the success of the drug -Tracleer -I take it just 2 times a day, along with one baby aspirin that's all the drugs I have to take. My stats continue to be good, they have not worsened and I do a little better each time I go for the 6 minute walk test...no one knows how long the drug will work, or if it will ever quite working. I have lots of hope here too because more drugs are being used for the PH all the time and it means there are other options available. While they still say I may need the transplant some day, there is hope that I may never need it...I have been blessed in that God has given me what was needed each time I have needed something. If I was born a few years before I was I would not be here now...New things become available and while I would prefer not to continue to be in the medical journals, as I was following my open heart surgery, I am hopeful I will live a long and happy life!

One more thing, on a much lighter note I got to do some things I probably wouldn't be able to do if I hadn't had this heart defect. I got to meet New Kids on the Block when they were HUGE. My sister used my story so she could meet Joey McIntyre and in turn I got to go on stage while he sang to me and my sister and I met Joey and Jordan Knight backstage before the show. I was in a national magazine because of this (which I think is cooler than actually meeting someone famous). I have had many opportunities to meet people I never would have if I didn't have this condition. As a kid growing up with this I didn't see myself as different, I always knew my limits and always smiled when people asked me what color lipstick I was wearing, I naturally have a deeper red color (okay more purple) in my lips. People are always amazed when I tell them I’m not wearing any makeup. Yes, I have had surgery on my heart, and yes I am purple all the time, but really other than getting out of breath while walking fast while talking I don't consider myself different. THIS IS ME :-) and I really feel like anyone else! Feel free to contact me via my blog - God Bless!

" LiFe Is NoT bEiNg WhO yOu ArE bUt RaThEr CrEaTiNg WhO yOu WaNt To Be!" ~ Unknown

Bekah Salser, Age 22
April 24, 2007

Little Acts of Random Kindness!

2007-06-28T21:10:00.000-04:00

Today I shared my story with a co-worker of mine while i was filling in at another location. He was blown away with my story to the point that he teared up a little bit. He thought about it all and really hit all my thoughts right on everything i have thought about. I was kinda amazed really. No one has ever asked me things like "don't you just want to tell your cousin what to eat and make sure she's protected at all times?" i was like "EXACTLY!!!! yes!" I told him Ryan and i never had a honeymoon so we were going to go to Vegas while we were out there for a day. A little later he went out side to talk to someone and came back in.
He said to me, "this may seem a little weird but i need to do more nice things for people. SO, i want you to take this (handing me some cash) and shoot some craps or something on me while in Vegas. I know your spending a lot on all of this so take that and have fun!"
I was just amazed! It wasn't a lot of money but it doesn't have to be. He was so moved by my story that he felt compelled to help us out even if it was just a small amount. IT REALLY MEANT SO MUCH!
SO, Thank you! ALL OF YOU, from great amounts of $$$ (mom and dad) that really i could never ever repay. To small acts of kindness that happen on the most usual of all Thursdays that makes my day! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

12 "Work Days" and Counting....

2007-06-27T21:02:00.000-04:00

As my Husband says there's only 12 working days 'til we head on out to the Golden State. (but who is counting right?) There's soo much to do untill then. I'm clearly not as excited as he is. but that's alright..

Ryan and i never had a honeymoon so we decided we are going to go to Vegas for like one day.......with my cousin... nice mock honeymoon huh? lol well we can at least say we made a baby on our honeymoon! ;-) I can't wait to see all the crazy lights and stuff. I want to play a slot machine and have a drink brought to me while i loose all my quarters (For a toast to my grandmother who passed in November). I will win about what i brought back and i will keep walking. I'm excited for that. At least I've got that!
However I'm not excited about spending an arm and a leg on EVERYTHING in LA. I'm not looking forward to LA traffic. and I'm not looking forward to $4.00 gas or old women thinking they look young because of all the PLASTIC in their bodies... riight.... i find LA such a "fake" city. it's all hyped up on looks and money. Amazing really how this city can bring me the most real thing to me. Real life stuff that makes the most average part of a Tuesday what i cherish most. Real life stuff that makes my life whole. More than what money could ever do.

I talked to shannon today she is currently on like 12 different medications... ha ha not really but it seems like it! She said she is on:
1 shot a day, a patch, asprin, and vitamins. Maybe more I can't remember. I didn't realize it was that much at once. WoW! She says to me "I best not have morning sickness with this kid!" I'm gunna feel horrible if she does!

Someone asked me today if i was "in the family way". I was like Uh...what? she said... "are you pregnant?" i said "no.....but my cousin may be getting pregnant with my kid next month" she said " that must be it it's just ment to be! i see it on you!" i laughed and said "thank you" then i thought for a second.....SHE CALLED ME PREGNANT AND I SAID THANK YOU! SHE CAN SEE IT ALL OVER ME AND I SAID THANK YOU! doesn't that mean I'm fat? lol! uh huh! i think it does! wowsa! I'm thinkin' in the next 9 months i'm gunna be told i'm pregnant a lot... i plan on gaining the weight right along with Shannon!!! LOL RIGGHT!

alright gtg to bed... workin' at a different clinic tomarrow...... gotta get up earlier than usual! LOVE YA KIDS!

All Those Meds!

2007-06-17T22:26:00.000-04:00

Talking to Shannon today she told me that her medications started Tuesday (June 12) and won't end for 12 weeks. I didn't realize that she had to take the meds even after the transfer of the embryos. She sent me a picture to show me how much she really had to take within 12 weeks. Crazy! What's even crazier is she had her middle child who is no older than 10 give her her shot today. Shannon said he was totally willing to do it! I guess that's good! At least she doesn't have to shoot herself in the arm right!?
I laugh because i know the feeling of all these drugs. I went through a similar regiment when I had my eggs harvested. I was a moody mess with hot flashes like a menopausal woman. I think Randy may have it easier durring the pregnancy. After shooting up her body full of hormones for 12 weeks Shannon may not be the easiest to live with. I guess we'll just have to see!

Dear Family and Friends

2007-06-17T15:17:00.000-04:00

Welcome!
Here's a copy of our letter:

June 17, 2007

Dear Friends and Family,

I am writing you today to let you know what’s been going on in Ryan and my life recently. I would like to ask you for your thoughts and prayers during this very exciting time in our lives.

If you don’t already know I was born with many congenital heart defects and as a result I won’t ever be able to carry my own children. Five years ago I went on a medication that I will be on for the rest of my life. Before I went on this medication my doctors told me that I wouldn’t even be able to conceive and then transfer the embryo to a surrogate due to possible birth defects the meds could cause. So, before I started on the medication (at the age of 17) my parents and I started to search for a doctor that would harvest my eggs so that there would be a hope in the future of children. I found a doctor in Los Angeles and the summer before my senior year of high school. I was lucky enough to have already been dating Ryan who made this hard time in my life so much easier. When we harvested my eggs the doctor told us after the eggs had been frozen for 5 years the chances of getting pregnant drops to nearly nothing. We are excited to tell you that it’s been close to 5 years since then and after being married for three years we are in the middle of the process towards our dream of having children.

My cousin Shannon has unselfishly volunteered more than 9 months of her life to help us bring our dream of a family to life. Shannon lives in North Carolina and has three beautiful children of her own. Her husband Randy has generously agreed to put up with Shannon during the 9 months of her pregnancy as well.

In February Shannon and I went to LA so she could meet the doctor and have a consultation. Shannon started on hormone therapy Tuesday June 12, 2007. She will be on the hormone therapy for close to 12 weeks. Shannon truly is an answer to prayer and is a true Godsend.

In July Ryan and I will fly out to start the process of making an embryo and Shannon will be flying out shortly afterwards so that she can have two embryos transferred to her.

Ryan and I have been blessed with a very supportive family and friends and are excited to share this exciting time with everyone. We ask for your prayer during this time of uncertainty. We thank you for your support, and if you want to keep up with what is going on in our lives we have a blog. I will be updating the blog often as things progress. Please stop by and give us your support by giving your encouraging comments. http://salsersbabystory.blogspot.com/ . Thank you all for your concern and desire to know more about our situation.

Much Love,

Ryan and Rebekah