March 31 - Hello? Is this thing still on?

It's been almost 2 years since the last time I posted, and quite a few things have happened since.

• I heard back from my hematologist. The report came back with little to no markers of a clotting disorder and, if not for a prior diagnosis, this current blood test would not be enough to indicate that I have Von Willebrand's. So that's a good sign for surrogacy, and for me in general.

• I changed jobs! The move was a good one - getting back to practicing architecture after over 6 years away.

• The agency went cold. I asked the hematologist and my OB to forward all the results to my agency - and I have no reason to think they didn't - but I never heard anything from the agency verifying that they had received anything. With the new job, it wasn't a good time to pursue a match anyway, so I let it drop. I have no idea if I'm still even registered with that agency, but their lack of follow up left me disappointed.

• Time passed. I never took surrogacy off the table, but I set it aside so I could settle into my new job and keep up with my family. Meanwhile, I followed a few surrogacy groups on Facebook to keep myself educated and to make sure surrogacy didn't stray too far from my mind.

• Mid-December 2018 I saw a post on Facebook about 2 IFs (Intended Fathers) from Charlotte, looking for an NC-based surrogate. I poked around their profiles and it turns out one of the IFs and I have some mutual friends. That made it less intimidating so I messaged him. We talked back and forth and got along well but work got hectic for him so the chat dropped off. I was disappointed but obviously these things can't be forced so I let it be.

Now we jump to the present. 

This week they messaged me again! Work has calmed down and they are ready to pick things back up. The 4 of us facetimed today and we all seem to like each other! We didn't get too deep into the nitty-gritty, but we talked about some general preferences and wishes and we're all on the same page. We're going to go the independent route (meaning no agency) and so the next step is for me to hire a surrogacy attorney. Meanwhile, they'll be focusing on creating their embryos. They're using donor eggs - not mine, obviously - and they think she'll be ready to donate soon!

Assuming all goes well with the contracts and embryos, we're still a few months off from a transfer. Our family has a big trip planned for June and we all agreed it would be best if I wasn't pregnant for that, so we would implant no sooner than July. On one hand that seems so far off, but on the other it's just around the corner! There's plenty to do between now and then so I doubt it will feel like waiting around.

One last thing... you'll notice I'm not using their names. Out of respect for their privacy, I'll refer to then as "the IFs" until there comes a point where we all decide to share this publicly.

Now that I have something to talk about, I'll post more than every 2 years. Promise!