India

I'm in India!  I arrived last Sunday and I've been here for five days.  I'm heading home in two more days, so I'll get home the day before school starts.  Running the trip so close to the beginning of a new school year was intentional.  It means that if everything works out as planned, and the baby or babies cooperate, my paternity leave from teaching will run right into next years Summer Vacation.  That means I'll have about fourteen weeks off instead of just six weeks.  I may have thought a bit too far into the future, but a guy can plan and think positively can't he?

Anyway, to get to India I took a short flight from Washington D.C. to Newark, N.J. (1:30) and then a direct flight from Newark to Delhi (14:15).  Both flights were delayed and so my flight arrived in India a couple of hours late.  Aside from that and getting frisked on the U.S. side when I was going through customs everything went smoothly.  I watched TV and a movie I wanted to see (Bully), ate some pretty good airplane food and slept.  And I was in India before I knew it.



                                
            

On the surrogacy front, I left my first genetic footprint at ISIS hospital on Monday (to be frozen).  Next, I went to meet Dr. Shivani at ISIS clinic.  The doctor told me what to expect and how things were run at SCI.  She listened to me and answered some more of my questions.  We talked for a while and ran out of time, so we planned to meet later in the week so that I could have a tour of the facilities.

                           I took this picture in the waiting room at ISIS Hospital.
                                           

Dr. Shivani and I at ISIS Clinic.

   

On Tuesday I met with the SCI lawyer to sign the legal agreement.  I also met my surrogates which was a wonderful experience.  The surrogates could change if their final lining check scan is not perfect for the transfer.  In the event this does happen there are about thirty other amazing women who are on the same schedule.  Dr. Shivani explained everything to me.  She chose both of my surrogates.  In the event that there needs to be a change I asked that the doctor make any decisions and then let me know.  Doing things this way made the most sense to me because the doctor has all the knowledge and skill, not me. 

On Thursday I went to ISIS hospital to leave frozen footprint two.  I also went back to ISIS clinic where Dr. Shivani gave me an amazing tour.  This could be an entire post in itself, but lets just say that I completely feel that I'm dealing with a very organized and highly efficient clinic.  It was a great experience for me and something that I won't soon forget.  

While I was at the clinic I asked Jyoti, Lalit and Kunwar if they minded 

 posing for a quick picture.

While I was in the waiting room I met two other single men who are trying to become dads.  One of them is just where I am in the process, while the other (Phil) is further along.  Phil sent his genetic footprint cryogenically, so he came to India to meet the surrogate who has been carrying his twins for twenty weeks.  It turns out that Phil and I were both staying at India Luxury Homes B & B. 

                       This is Phil and I in front of the fountain at the B & B.
                                     His twins are due in December.

 

                      We both took pictures on this elephant statue.

                            It seemed like a fun thing to do at the time:)     

                     The cook and two caretakers at the B & B strike a pose. 

                                       These are three good guys.


On Thursday I also went to look at some apartments.  I  know I'm thinking way ahead again, but it made sense to me.  I was very pleasantly surprised to meet one of my fellow bloggers (jacaranda2012.blogspot.in) and her beautiful new baby daughter at one of the apartments.  This was the perfect end to an incredible day in India.  

Saturday is scheduled to be the big day.  That's when the actual egg collection and fresh fertilization will take place.  The embryos will be transferred two to three days later into the surrogates.  Right around labor day I should know the results.  

It was great to finally meet Dr. Shivani and all of the people who work around her at Surrogacy Center India and Isis hospital.  I'm taking in all of the sights and sounds of India as well.  This is such an awesome experience.  It's hard to believe that I'm really here!!! 

                      

Almost There!

I'm leaving for India this week!  It's hard to believe that in the not so distant future I will be in the midst of my own two week wait, to find out if either or both of my surrogates are pregnant.  That's right; after talking to Dr. Shivani I decided to use two surrogates, along with a proven egg donor and a fresh cycle in August.

I've taken really good care of myself too and I know that my egg donor is doing well and is right on schedule, so there's nothing more I can do now but get ready to go and work out the last few odds and ends of my trip:)

Speaking of my egg donor; I received some updates from SCI in the last few weeks.  It's hard to describe the way that I feel about this lovely woman, who will hopefully be the biological mother of my children.  Even though I've never met her I feel a strong connection between the two of us.  Maybe that sounds silly to some people, but I don't care it's how I feel. 

I sent the clinic a couple of messages to see how she was doing, and got the following responses.  It was very happy to find out that she was well.

Dear Craig,

We thank you for your e-mail.

We would like to inform you that we have spoken to your donor.

We are very happy to inform you that she is doing absolutely fine and her morale is very high.

We now look forward to meeting you soon in India :))

With Best Regards,

Lalit

SCI Healthcare
A-28, Kailash Colony
New Delhi- 110048
Ph: 91 11 41034631

      91 11 45792531

A couple of weeks later I got another exciting message and found out that everything was right on schedule.  

Dear Craig,

We thank you for your mail.

We would like to inform you that we have received her blood test & suppression scan report.

Please note that everything is under control & on the schedule.

In view of the same we have started her on stimulation.

We now look forward to meeting you soon.

With Regards,
Neha

SCI Healthcare
A-28, Kailash Colony
New Delhi- 110048
Ph: 91 11 41034631

      91 11 45792531

It wont be long now.  I'm on my way!!!  Everyone keep all your fingers and toes crossed for me.  And if you can find any extra baby dust, do not hesitate to blow it my way!

Getting Closer

I'm getting closer and closer to leaving for India.  After my passport came in the mail, I applied for and received my ten year visa to India.  I thought going for the visa in person was a good idea, so I made an appointment at the agency that handles visas for India.  I went there on a Wednesday and by that Friday I got an e-mail that my visa was ready.  Aside from hitting some traffic in Washington D.C everything went smoothly.  I know I could have applied by mail, but I'm happy with the outcome. 

Getting my airline ticket did not go quite as smoothly.  I started looking about a month ahead of time, but then I waited a week and prices went higher.  I knew I was cutting it close, but I've never booked and international ticket.  Looking into airlines and booking a good international flight is time consuming!  Also, dealing with some of the airlines was much more pleasant than dealing with others, and that's putting it nicely!  In the end I booked my ticket through an online travel agent and my itinerary included more than one airline.  I canceled a trip to the beach so I'd save some money and feel better about the cost of the ticket - lol:)  

Hopefully I'll go back to India for baby pick up next year.  I've noted that I need to look for some important things when booking my next flight.  Things like which airlines have bassinet seats for the baby or babies, and which airlines allow for last minute flight changes without high fees are important.  If anyone has any Ideas, please let me know.  

I also got a new credit card with some great international benefits.  For example, I can use it in India to charge in rupees with no conversion fee to U.S. dollars, so it's just like using a credit card in the United States.

I booked a stay at India Luxury Homes Bed & Breakfast for the week I'm in India.  This place sounds great and has all of the amenities (and more) that I was looking for.  Rachna, who works for SCI, was a big help when I was deciding where to stay.  She sent me a list of recommended accommodations, and then answered all of my questions so that I was able to make the right choice.  I ended up booking a reservation to the B&B online and got a nice discounted rate:)  Rachna also set up a driver to pick me up at the airport and drop me off at the lodging.  

Now I just have a few odds and ends to take care of before I leave, like pack and exchange some American dollars for rupees so I'll have a little cash when I arrive.  

My little buddy Cody is staying with my cousins when I go to India.  I wish I could bring him with me, but I think he's going to have to stay in the United States:)  I thought it was about time I started including a few pictures in my blog.  Of course I don't have any baby pictures (yet), so below is a puppy picture of Cody.  I also included a more recent picture.  He's a great little guy.

                                                               Always smiling for the camera!

                    A picture doesn't lie.  Cody started to change colors at about a year old.                           He's still smiling, wearing his sporty jacket that he got as a gift from my sister's family.                            Sure he's a little spoiled, but isn't that how it's meant to be? 
  
Cody absolutely loves kids.  Hopefully he will be in for a big surprise in the not so distant future!!!   

Making Progress/ Why Dr. Shivani & Surrogacy Center India

It's been a while since my last post, so I guess I've been a bad blogger.  But on the surrogacy front there has been a lot of progress.  I've had all of my necessary medical tests done in the United States and sent them to India.  They were immediately reviewed by Dr. Shivani and everything was fine.

I've also chosen an egg donor that I'm really happy with.  Choosing my donor was a very important step for me.  After all she will be the biological mother of my child or children, so finding her was very meaningful.  Actually, back in 2011 when I was still looking into a few different clinics, SCI had sent me some donor profiles.  I wasn't ready to choose a donor then, but all these months later one of the women was still fixed in my mind.  I still had her profile and sent it to Meg and Margarida.  Meg told me that she was no longer on their books, but Dr. Shivani had asked her to donate especially for me and she had agreed.  I was very happy because she was my first choice donor back in 2011, as well as from the list of current donors that Meg and Margarida had sent me.  Next, I was able to speak with Dr. Shivani over the phone about the donor, along with a few other questions that I had.  I have to admit that I was a little nervous about speaking to her because she happens to be one of the main reasons why I chose to work with SCI.  I had read and heard so much about Dr. Shivani that she seemed like some sort of a celebrity to me, but when I actually talked to her I immediately felt at ease.  I asked a number of questions which were all answered to my satisfaction.  The Doctor was kind and caring, and made me feel special even though I knew that she had many other patients.  Dr. Shivani thought that it was wise that I had chosen a proven donor and thought that she was an excellent choice.   

Aside from the necessary tests and the donor, I have been clearly guided through the initial steps of the surrogacy process by SCI.  All of my questions have been answered promptly, and I've been amazed at times by the speed in which some of the information has been returned to me.  Kudos to Meg and Margarida.  I still don't understand when these two ladies sleep, but they have been a wonderful resource for me.  I've continued to be impressed and sometimes amazed with the communication between myself and the people working for SCI Healthcare.

I could go into a lot more details about what has happened over the last couple of months, but I will spare everyone and just say that in the end I've set a date in August to go to India!  I'm excited about the trip, but I have to admit I'm a bit nervous too.  Even though I've let my nerves get the best of me a few times, I'm even more optimistic now than I was back in May about pursuing surrogacy in India.  Working with Dr. Shivani, and all of the people surrounding her at Surrogacy Center India over the last couple of months has had a lot to do with it.  I just can't wait to get to India and begin a very important part of my own journey.       


 

All great things come from daring to begin.

I have wanted to start a family ever since I can remember.  My sister recently reminded me that even as a teenager I would talk about having a large family some day.  Later, when I became a teacher I remember thinking about how nice it would be to work the same hours that my children were in school and be home with them after school, on holidays and in the summer.

Being a dad is one one of those things that I believed would happen one day.  It was something that I took for granted, and as I got older I realized that I was more than ready to become a father.  I think that some men must have a biological clock, because the alarm on mine was definitely going off!

Being a single male I weighed my options and decided to look into surrogacy in the United States first.  I found that the legal issues surrounding a surrogacy arrangement in the United States were complex.  Aside from that, surrogacy in the United States was a lot more expensive than I had thought and I realized that on a teachers salary it was just not an option for me.  I then spent some time looking into adoption, both domestic and international.  In hindsight I think that I spent so much time researching adoption because, as a single male, I really did not think it was the best option for me and so I was going in circles.  One day while I was online looking into adoption, I ran across an article about surrogacy in India.  I found that someone like me could afford the surrogacy process in India and there were not the legal snafus that I found in the United States.  I was immediately intrigued and although I did not jump right into it, I think that I knew right away that this is the way that I would become a father.

I read that first article well over a year ago.  Since then I think I have read every article, looked through every blog, and watched every video that there is about surrogacy in India.  I have followed other peoples experiences and contacted various clinics that I was interested in using in India.  Over time I felt in my heart that I could become a father this way if I just took a chance.  As this post is titled, "All Great Things Come From Daring to Begin."  Well I'm ready to take that leap of faith and start the surrogacy process in India, and one day my child or children will read this and know just how much they were wanted.

Finally, after spending over a year looking into surrogacy in India, its time to get the ball rolling.  I have chosen what I believe to be the best clinic in India to help me become a dad.  I'm not saying that any of the other clinics are bad, but seriously, when all is said and done in my mind the most important decision I will make is choosing the right clinic.  And I believe that I have made the right decision for all the right reasons.  So don't worry Mom, I did my homework and I didn't jump into anything without giving it some thought.  What was my choice and Why?  That will have to wait for my next post.  Until then, remember what seemed impossible to achieve not long ago has become a fact of life today.  It always seems impossible until its done.