You're Two Now, India

You're two now, you know.  Seems like just yesterday your Daddy was saying with tears in his eyes, "Genny, it's a girl!"  I held your little body so close to mine and knew my heart and life were forever changed at that second. I still hold you that close everyday, even though you're two.

Right now, you, my sweet India, are laying on the floor singing "issy bissy 'pider...down came...out came, out came..." and distraction sets in as you talk to your baby Ahna and play the little drum Daddy got you when he was in Ghana.  I ask everyday, "What did you get so big?"  When someone asks you when your birthday is, you respond, "July 8", with a huge smile.

You are so full of joy.  And oh, so sweet.  That is probably the word people use to describe you most often.  Sweet, sweet, sweet.  You laugh and joke and like to tell knock knock jokes.  You're two now.

You're still very sensitive and tender.  You can't handle seeing others hurt, as you will talk about it for days.  Even if someone pretends, it affects you greatly and instantly go to see how you can comfort them.  Such a gift, India, is your compassion.

My view of my babies

You frequently kiss me, hug me, ask me to hold you, and ask to be near me.  In fact, you are never very far from me.  I love my little shadow.

If I get upset with you or you bump into me (or a doll) or if I'm in pain from this pregnancy, you're little voice calls out "Sawwy!"  You say 'sorry' many times a day, most of the time with full sincerity.  I guess you got that from me.

But don't be confused, you will tell exactly what you want and need and desire of others.  After you warm up to someone, you are often overheard bossing them and telling them what to do.  Stay strong, little girl, and keep your heart sensitive to others.   

You say 'hi' and flirt with everyone in the stores, but are quite timid if you're put on the spot or if someone initiates conversation with you.  You still get overwhelmed in large crowds and after a busy few hours, you can be found in the back of your car seat crying, "I wanna STAY HOOOOOME!"

You love swimming (fwimming), playing at the park, being with family, playing with your babies, all your cousins, bubbles, going on walks and doing anything outside.

If you could and if I could, you would love to spend half the day cuddling with me in bed and on the couch while I read you books.  Biscuit books are your favorite and you also enjoy longer stories.  The board books have started to bore you and you love to hear stories from your Bible.  It's because you're two now.

You're still a skinny little thing, with head and hair that seem to overtake a quarter of your body.  You still don't really eat much at meals and if there is ANYTHING distracting you while you are eating, you would rather do that than eat.  You wouldn't even eat all of your cupcake at your birthday party!  You beg for fruit, cereal (sometimes hot, sometimes cold), kefir, vitamins (yes, you cry if you don't get your fish oil), yogurt and candy.  But mostly, you beg for fruit and cereal.  You still only drink water and occasionally will have a glass of goat's milk.

You love shoes - on your feet or on others. Your babies are always near you as you don't really play with many other toys.  Oh, except your books.

In the last few days, all on your own accord, you have decided you are done with diapers.  I love your cute little booty that runs around with underwear too big for your tiny self.  No more diapers.  Hmmph.  That makes you seen really old.  Like, two-year-old old.

Pookie, you are a Mama's girl, but you LOVE your Daddy.  Lately you've been running to him when you're upset or if you need something. Your Daddy is so unbelievably protective, patient and overjoyed with you.  He loves you deeply.

You talk about "baby come out...soon...but not now. I wait."   You randomly and frequently ask to kiss my belly and talk to the baby.  Most of the time, you think this baby will be a girl. You talk about how you will kiss the baby, how you will hold its hand, how you will nurse with the baby and how you will help.  You're two now, you know.

You also have a baby in your tummy.  I'm asked to kiss and hug the baby a lot and told the "baby is kickin'."

Playing the "tiano"

I love you, India Josephine.  Always have, always will.  I'm so proud of the two year old you are and consider it pure joy to be your mama.  I can't wait to see how God uses you to change the world!

Love, Mama

30

I'm celebrating my 30th birthday this weekend and here are 30 things that have helped formulate me.  Some of them were difficult, some breathtaking, all highly recommended!  Reading this list, I realized how blessed I have been to be able to do all of these things!

~Watched a sunset at the Taj Mahal
~Married the love of my life
~Ran a 5k
~Riden on elephants while on jungle safaris
~Taught myself how to sew
~Visited ancient Mayan ruins
~Taught myself how to garden and preserve food
~Saw the Himalayas
~Gave birth to my daughter and birthed her right into my own hands, in the water
~Sang and played piano in front of thousands of people at one time
~Studied a foreign language
~Manuveured a plane unassisted (take off and landing included)
~Gone on a spontaneous road trip
~Hidden from the Taliban
~Never lived with debt
~Seen the Mekong, the Ganges, the Thames, the Mississippi, the Yellow River, the Rio Grande, the Nile, the Colorado and the Yangtze rivers
~Swam with sting rays, held them and let them eat out of my hand
~Eaten weird foods - clotted duck blood takes the cake ;-)
~Publicly danced choreographed dances (twice. never again!)
~Riden camels, donkeys and elephants as means of transportation
~Got head lice from loving on some sick kids at an orphanage
~Water skiied, downhill skiied and cross country skiied
~Visited the Great Wall several times
~Ate koshari on the banks of the Nile
~Started a blog
~Visited and walked around an active volcano
~Touched the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans
~Hiked through jungles in Southeast Asia
~Visited pristine land on the plateus and mountains of Tibet
~Walked around the Pyramids at Giza

After a concert/performance in India.  We were bombarded with new friends!

For the next 30 years:
Put dreadlocks in my hair
Have another baby
Skydive
Become a doula
Have another baby
Get back to Afghanistan with my whole family
Be in a musical
Get a tattoo for each child I have
Continue leading singing and leading others in worship
Change the world

That's not too much to ask, right? 

10 years ago today...



Dating - 2001 (we only dated a month before we got engaged)



...when you're healthy

...even if you get sick

...if we're dirt poor

...if we're loaded

...in all the good things

...in all bad things

...I'll be faithful

...I'll respect

...I'll honor

...I'll serve

...I'll love only you

...yes.

...I will.

...I do.



Married.  A little over 3 months after we started dating.

 What an amazing honor it's been to be married to this man for 10 years!  I wouldn't pick anyone else. 


He is the best husband for me.  He's crazy and makes me laugh.


At our friend's wedding reception. Dallas decided to to the Dumb & Dumber kiss on me!


His heart to serve God is unbeatable.


I couldn't imagine a day without his wisdom, encouragement and grace in my life.

He is so patient and he really is the most amazing Daddy!

I love you, Dallas!  Do you think we could get another 10 years x 8 together?

If you see a zombie mom...

*this was written on Monday, but in my zombieness I didn't get this published until today, Tuesday*

If you see a zombie mom, that'd be me.  Yep, hi there, I'm sleep deprived! 

And if you see a zombie dad, that's be my husband.  He says hello.

Forgoodnesssake, you'd think we had a newborn baby in our house, but no, we're actually the parents of an almost 15 month old little girl.  She's super cute.  Really, she is. 

She's also getting her molars, which makes for interesting sleep.

On top of that, we decided that since she's teething this would be an awesome time (sarcasm font) to see if she would possibly take a bottle in the middle of the night from her Dad, instead of me breastfeeding her. 

"What a horrible idea!" you say.  And I know that.

But see, it's actually a good idea because we're trying to get away for a night or two for our 10 year wedding anniversary coming up in a little over a week.  In order for us to 'get away', we need to leave our daughter overnight with someone else.  She still sometimes wakes in the night to nurse, so we wanted to see how she'd fare with a bottle at 5 AM from this someone else. 

Let's just say it wasn't good. 

I "slept" on the couch last night, while Dallas got our bed all to himself, something he probably enjoys because even though he is the largest member of our family, when the smallest member of our family joins us in bed at night, she takes up half of it because she insists on sleeping sideways.  She also insists on kicking him in the face (which, is hilarious), so a night with the bed all to himself is almost as grand as the Vikings winning a football game.  Obviously, neither happen very often.

This picture accurately depicts the average husband/wife bed....

And then you throw the kicking face toddler in there and it actually looks like this...

His lone enjoyment of our bed lasted for, um, maybe 15 minutes when the baby started crying way earlier than her normal middle of the night waking time.  Of course, my Mom Alert, which can standard with the growth of my uterus, kicked in and I laid silently on the couch, listening to the lil' drama mama in the room next door.  I really, really, really just wanted to solve the problem with my b00b...like, Hello!  I have the answer!  We can ALL be happy again! 

But I stayed out of sight on the living room couch.

The good news is that she did take the bottle.  The bad news is that she screamed for two hours before, after and during, resulting in zombie mom and zombie dad.

I guess this could quite possibly be called a 'real parent' now that we're finally experiencing some sleep deprivation.  We've been spoiled rotten and she's always been a great sleeper, so we actually got more sleep during the newborn stage of parenting than ever before in our lives!

I do have to give major props to Zombie Dad; two hours of a screaming 14-month old in the middle of the night is really equal to about 8 hours of sceaming baby in the daytime.  Yep, in the realm of parenting, nighttime woes are quadrupled.  My husband gets major points for last night for dancing with her, singing to her, cuddling her, bobbling her around and just all around loving the little zombie creator who did nothing but scream at the sight of him. 

We're going to try it again tonight, but so far the jury in our house is saying that it looks like India might join us for our anniversary trip because we definitely don't want this zombie-ness to consume another family member!  ;-)

Stay tuned for more Zombie Mom and Zombie Dad....

Wordless Wednesday: Reading with Pigtails

Of course, it's a book about BABIES (her obsession) and how mothers wear their babies in other countries. :)

7 Breastfeeding Myths

In honor of National Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7), here are 7 myths about breastfeeding.

1. Once a baby has teeth, you need to wean.

Teething can be a great test of your patience and pain tolerance (I know)!  Some babies start getting teeth around two months, so that myth is debunked right there.  Some women get bit once or twice, and the child's attention is either redirected or they begin the learning process.  Biting is a great time to teach your child 'no' and 'ouch, that freaking hurts', and after having a month of major biting problems, my daughter now is more gentle and rarely bites.


2. If they can ask for it, they're too old.

Babies 'ask for it' from Day 1 - by crying, getting upset or rooting.  My daughter has been signing that she wants to nurse from about 9 months of age.  According to all medical information, that is too young to quit breastfeeding.  The WHO says that babies nee no additional supplements before 6 months of age and should continue breastfeeding for at least two years for optimum health. Most children's immune systems aren't mature until age 6, so any breast milk further enhances the immune system.  Babies ask for bottles as well and we don't stop giving those.


3. Most women don't produce enough breast milk.

Not true.  It's estimated that less than 5% of women truly have a biological supply issue. 

The most common culprits for an artificially low supply? 

• A schedule and/or timed feedings- Breastfeeding is a supply and demand process.  No two babies are alike, and therefore can't be relegated to the same schedule.  Babies need to be fed when they are hungry.  If you want to take the chance of killing your supply and risk failure to thrive or low weight gain for your baby, put your baby on your schedule.  Timed feedings (10 minutes on the right, 10 minutes on the left) provide problems as well because the breast may never empty, leaving behind the precious fatty hindmilk that is essential to a baby's growth.
• A poor latch or position - It's important to get good help in the beginning!  Find the name of a trusted lactation consultant, and bug them until you get an answer!

4. My baby is allergic to my milk.

If your baby is having allergies, it's most likely caused by something you are eating.  Eliminate the source, and most likely you will have a healthy baby.  Galactosemia (an allergy to your breast milk) only affects only 47 babies in the US per year.


5. My child weaned him/herself early.

Natural weaning rarely happens before 2.5 years. Many children can wean at this age, but it's not normal and can be the affect of offering solids before breast milk or a nursing strike.


6. Breastfeeding will give me saggy breasts.
 
There is no difference in breasts of mothers who breastfeed and those who formula feed.  In fact, pregnancy drags (no pun intended) your breasts down, as does age, size and if you smoke.  Besides, most of us will resort to push up bras soon anyway.  Either that, or we'll just join the I-don't-care-camp and let our ta-tas hang low.


7. Breastfeeding is sexual.

Breastfeeding is no more a sexual thing than you giving birth out of your vagina.  Amen.

Sunshine 1st Birthday Party (pics and video)

What a day of celebration for our little girl!  After a long time of dreaming and planning and doing, the day to celebrate India's first year of life came!

But first, here is a picture of her last day as a technical baby!

And here she is on her actual birthday!

OK everyone, take me serious, because I am ONE!

We had a Sunshine Party last weekend in honor of our girl. 

Think: Mason jars, classy country, gentle yellow and white, fresh breeze, barbeque, lemonade, music, fresh blue water. 

Here were the invitations to her party!

We decorated and my Dad even turned on the fountains in the front of the house....

The entrance to the party

The Birthday Banner that took hours to make!

India, month by month!

Beautiful hydrangeas!

The sweet birthday girl was a bit overwhelmed with all the people and was pretty sober the whole party, but was very interested in someway, somehow, getting outside!

We not only celebrated her first birthday last weekend, but her Daddy led us all in dedicating her to the Lord.

Of course, since we knew I was pregnant, we've dedicated her to God, but it was great to do it corporately with our closest friends and family members!

For the dedication, everyone gathered, Dallas and I shared a little bit (and cried),and I played the piano and sang a song.

Then we all gathered around her and whoever wanted to was welcome to pray blessings over our little India girl. 

Her Daddy closed the prayer time.

We then went down to the beautiful lake for Barbeque and Sunshine Party! 

It was the perfect day for swimming!

For the 10 days previous to the party, the weather forecast was horrible, predicting rain, which isn't a great thing considering this was to be a Sunshine Party!  Thankfully, the weather completely changed course and we all had a great (but hot) party outside. 

We had some yummy snacks, while waiting for the Grillmaster!

Cold drinks on a HOT day!

Everyone had their own personalized Mason jar for drinks!

Then we ate, and celebrated with cupcakes!

The menu: brats, hamburger beans, chips and watermelon!

My homemade, slightly unstable cupcake stand. :)

Yellow cupcakes, with buttercream frosting and lemon curd filling!  YUM!

Then it was time for India to enjoy her first bites of cake (and sugar, really)! 

 Everyone gathered around to watch her delve into her cake....

But after one bite, she just thought it was more fun to throw pieces of fondant on the ground.  All the while, I'm going, "Child, it probably took me one hour just to roll that little piece of fondant out just right!"  Then she decided she didn't want the cake anywhere near her.  Next year, I'm not spending hours making her the perfect birthday cake.  She can just have a Twinkie.

Well, at least Dallas and I got to eat the cake in the days following the party.  Seriously, what kid doesn't like cake?  Probably the same kid who doesn't really like to eat more than a few bites of solid food.  My kid.

It was then time to open gifts!

She was very happy to get more Signing Time DVDs!



A cool money tree!  We're putting the money towards a wood play kitchen for her so she can cook with Mama!





Ultimately though, she was more interested in treating her cousin Xiomara as her doll.
 

Aren't they cute?  Her cousin Brooklynn was there as well, but I didn't get a good picture of the three of them! :(

It was a great few days to celebrate our baby.  The Sunshine Party was a perfect fit for our family and mostly, for India.  A lot of work, but worth it.  BUT, this will be the last party I throw for her of this magnitude.  


I think. ;)





Eleven

You're 11 months old today, Pook.  I cannot believe you are that old.

Happy 11 months, India Josephine!

Every stage with you has been so fun!  And mostly everyday with you has been so rewarding.

You are still intense, determined, love attention, vocal and sweet.

You really, really, really like me.  Sometimes I love it, sometimes it breaks me down.

You love to share your food!  Speaking of food, you are getting quite picky.  Strawberries, watermelon, bananas are all things you will no longer eat. Mama's not too happy about that, but hopefully it's just a phase.

You say Mama, Dada, hi, ohh! and ohh?, 'ta sat?' (meaning, what's that?), and a version of 'who's that?', 'Ayyy' (Yay) and 'Na na na na na na na na na' when you don't want to do something.  You also have a fake laugh and a fake cough and you love to entertain people with both!

You still charm everyone, winning over everyone with your smile and your cute waving to say hi or goodbye.  You give kisses and cuddles to those you are really close with. 

Your Daddy and I sit and watch you and laugh as you mimic us, tease us, chase us and show off.  The only toys you play with is your Baby, Sophie the Giraffe and balls. 

You clap after you are praised, you give high fives, and love to point to things when asked where they are.  Your favorite things to point to is Mama's eyes, nose and mouth and the lights!  You understand some words in Chinese - yogurt, water, breastfeeding, dog, cat, phone, kiss, eat, apple and ball. 

You still have our hearts and we'd do anything for you. 

It feels like just yesterday you were nestling into my neck, making newborn baby noises, so soft and sweet. I can't believe in one month, you will celebrate your first year of life.  My heart aches and beams with joy all at the same time.

Thank you for teaching us how to love deeper, Pooka.  You have no idea how much you mean to us...

My first 5k: Juicy details included.

I like running.  A lot.

But I never sign up for any races.  I hate failure and I really didn't want to be the last person to cross the finish line. 

There.

I said it.

Anyways.  About a month ago, my girlfriends convinced me to do a 5k with them.  I trained jogged 11 times in preparation for the 5k.  I wasn't expecting anything great, but I wanted to finish under 30 minutes.  Or I wasn't going to do the race at all.   That was my goal.  

What I got instead, was an amazing morning, with some of my best friends, great competition, comradery, laughs and the best sense of accomplishment. 

I was pretty nervous the two days before the race.  I DID NOT WANT TO FAIL. Period.  As I listened to my ipod the night before, and blasted Eminem (don't judge, best tunes to get you jacked), I had two thoughts.

One, This is your first 5k. Many people walk their first 5k, so it's OK if you have to walk as well.

Then, the second thought, Go out there and kick some booty!  You have no excuse. Rock this tomorrow. DO IT!

I listened to the latter thought, thankfully.  Maybe if I was listening to Michael Bolton I would've entertained the first thought a little longer.  But nope, Em had my head bobbing, my foot tapping, my mind envisioning, my adrenaline lifting, my face smiling and my head ready.

The 5k participants - Dressed up in our Rosie the Riveter garb

Running the route

Just crossed the finish line! I did it!

My baby was waiting for me.  Even though she had no idea what had just happened, I was so happy to hold her, sweat and all!

The three 5k runners.  We're all nursing mamas and we joked about how many sports bras we were wearing! ;)

I'm content.  I wish I would've pushed it a little more, especially to get out of the slow clump of people at the very beginning, but I just chalk it up as a learning experience.

Finish: 27:51, 104th place out of 452 overall, 40th place out of 311 women, and amazingly I made it into the top 10 of women ages 20-29!

New goal: 26:something??? :)

I can't wait for the next one!

Do you exercise at all?  In what way?  Have you ever run in a race?

India's 1st Birthday Cake

Anyone that knows me really, really well knows that I'm a perfectionist.  I have been all my life.  I won't do something if I can't do it well.  Most areas of my life have some form of perfectionism, but I'm pretty good at hiding it!  ;)

India's 1st birthday is over a month away, but I made her a smash cake today.  No, she won't actually eat this one now (I will), but I wanted to do a run through of the cake, buttercream frosting and fondant. 

We are doing her dedication and 1st birthday party all in one!  It'll be only immediate family, about 50 people, and about 10 of our closest friends. 

The theme is something along the lines of our baby girl is turning ONE, fun in the sun, let's celebrate our little Sunshine, something like that.  We don't do character themes and I thought the sun described India perfectly.  Amazing, brightening, intense, needed, and volatile.  Kind of kidding, kind of serious about that last one...

Yellow everything - and if it's not yellow, it'll have yellow ribbon on it.  But not obnoxious yellow.  Think: yellow and white gingham, fresh flowers, lemonade from Mason glasses, green grass and country.  Easy, breezy, beautiful, 1st birthday. :)

My little Sunshine's practice cake!

It's a good thing I did a practice one, because if I would've made this the day of India's first birthday party, I would've been marching my butt to a bakery, ordering a cake because I think this one looks cheap! There are quite a few things I'd like to fix and/or change.  

Maybe a taller cake with gingham fondant around the edge and fresh yellow flowers on top!

Or maybe, yellow fondant, with white vine designs climbing up it?   No, this is a first birthday party, Genevieve, not a wedding.

I also need to get some photos of India for the invitations, so we tried that today.  Here's what I got:

Until I gave her her baby doll back, that she so desperately wanted!

See, I told you I was kind of serious when I used the word volatile to describe her!

What did you do for your child's first birthday?  Do you have large birthday celebrations every year?

Wordless Wednesday: First Ponytail

EIO Kids Cup Review and Giveaway! CLOSED!

The winner is comment number 59...

Jenny, from the Peaceful Housewife!! Yay!

Congrats, Jenny, I hope you enjoy your new EIO Kids Cup!

Thanks to all who participated!

Lately, we have been slowly removing plastics products from our kitchen items.  With the documented dangers of BPA and other dangers ingredients in plastic, we really don't want to take the chance when there are other, more eco-friendly options. 

We have been trying to find a sippy-like cup for our daughter, but since we prefer to avoid plastic, that seemed nearly impossible!

When choosing a cup for my daughter, I searched high and low for one that:

• was primarily made of something other than plastic
• didn't have parts where mold could grow
• was durable
• was eco-friendly
• was stylish
• something that advanced my daughter's drinking skills

My search for the seemingly impossible yielded the EIO Kids Cup, which met all of my criteria!

A glass cup with a very protective silicone sleeve (silicone does not react with food or beverages like many of the aforementioned plastics) and no parts for cleaning!   It's made of an 8 oz canning jar, so if you ever needed to replace the jar, you can just buy a new jar at the grocery store!  You can put hot or cold drinks in it and it encourages correct use of a cup and not passive suckling.  It's an earth-friendly option that will last for years.    

EIO Kids Cup has also received the prestigious PTPA Award, certifying it has been tested as a top children's product!  

My thoughts:

The EIO Kids Cup is not spill proof, but neither are plates and bowls and we still teach our children how to properly use them.  The same goes for this cup.  I was skeptical of using glass, but I let India play with it and feel pretty safe with the silicone sleeve.

It is still a little heavy for my daughter, but she is getting the hang of it.  I let my 22 month old niece try it and after my sister explained that she had to be careful with it, she didn't spill as much and was proud of herself!  Her older sister, who is almost four years old, saw the cup and wanted one too!  My sister had to stealthily remove the cup from her home! 

India has been having sips of water from glass cups around the house, but I'm excited for her to have her own, safe cup, as is she!

Buy it! 

Available online or at these retail locations.

Win it! 

EIO Kids Cup has graciously offered one Uniquely Normal Mom reader (US resident only) a chance to win an EIO Kids Cup (a $15 value)!

Mandatory entry:

Publicly follow Uniquely Normal Mom via Google Friend Connect AND visit EIO Kids Cup and tell me something unique that you learned about EIO Kids Cup.  Make sure you leave your e-mail address in the comment. (US residents only, 1 entry)

Additional Entries: (Leave a comment for each!)

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5. Retweet the following, or something similar, and leave the link (1 entry per day):

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Contest ends Wednesday, April 20th, 2011, at 11:50pm CST.   Winner will be chosen from random.org and has 48 hours to respond or else a new winner will be chosen.

 

*EIO Products has graciously provided with the product and asked me to share my honest review on it.

39 Weeks!

Before I begin, don't forget to enter the giveaway for Chewbeads!!

My daughter is now 39 weeks old, and as of today, nine months old!  I still love her just as much and even more than I did nine months ago!

I thought about the last time India was 39 weeks or 9 months old, when I was 39 weeks pregnant, and didn't have very fond thoughts.  I know some women sail through pregnancy with very few problems and love being pregnnt, but for whatever reason, the curse of Eve was hard on me. 

Before I got pregnant, I considered becoming a surrogate, and would still consider it, but with more careful consideration because I now know how much work is involved with growing a little person.

It wasn't easy: nausea my entire pregnancy, horrible swelling, hips that twisted out of place (seeing the chiropractor every other day at the end otherwise I wasn't able to walk), and the worse thing of all, PUPPP.

I tried not to complain over the course of my entire pregnancy, being grateful and trying to cherish every minute.  In fact, only 3 or 4 people knew that I had PUPPP, because I was so worried about complaining, that I didn't like people to know anything was wrong! 

It wasn't until I gave birth that I said, "OH MY GOODNESS, THAT WAS MISERABLE"!   India was worth it, but I'm SO glad that we're on the other side now, as this is much, much, much easier!

Surely, holding a yummy-smelling, squishy, baby like this...

...is better than 9 months of sickness.

And this little coo alone was worth...

...ridiculous swelling!



These kissable cheeks and cheesy smile...

...was much more desirable than PUPPP.

To say I'm thankful that India is now here and not ^^there^^ is an understatement.

I know to get to these nine months, I had to go through those nine months - and I am thankful for every day and every moment as painful as they were. 

How did your body handle being pregnant?  Would you consider surrogacy?