Tuesday Tunes

This week it's word association again. You tell us the first artist/song/album that comes to mind when you see these words

Icy - The Icicle Melts - The Cranberries

Dark - Anything by Marilyn Manson

End - The end of the world as we know it - REM

December - Long December - Counting Crows

Flake - Britney Spears much??

Duet - Cruising - from Duets the Movie

Beat - Beat it - Michael Jackson

Stress - Ani DiFranco, I always listen to her when I'm stressed out, and it always helps.

Harmony - Sarah Harmer...I think because the name is similar

New - Beautiful Day by U2....I don't know why though....

A Meme

I swiped this "meme" from Mich... you do it too!

Do you own a gun? No freaking way!
What do you think of hot dogs? They're ok...I don't love them though
What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Water or milk (or gingerale when I'm not pregnant)
Can you do push-ups? Absolutely not....no really, it's bad.
What’s your favourite piece of jewellery? I don't have any jewellery...yet ;)
What is your secret weapon to lure the opposite sex? I don't have one...I'm lucky I 'lured' anyone at all lol
Middle name? Catharine
Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment:
1~ I'm so tired
2~ I DO NOT want to go to work just to do nothing...this sucks
3~ I better not get nauseaous at work
What time did you wake up today? 6:30 but officially didn't get out of bed until 8:45
Current hate? Oh so many......
Name 3 drinks you regularly drink:
~water
~ milk
~ tea
Do you own slippers? Yes, pink fuzzy ones :D
What shirt are you wearing? fat clothes, because I'm not quite showing yet but I don't fit into my regular clothing anymore...ugh, hate the in between stage.
Do you burn or tan? tan
Favourite colour(s)? Blue
Would you be a pirate? No probably not, too much guilt
What is your favourite holiday? Halloween
What songs do you sing in the shower? Well, since I got Herbal Essences conditioner that's called "None of your Frizzness" I tend to get TLC's "None of your Business" stuck in my head everytime I take a shower....it's quite annoying!
What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child? Ghosts....I'm no longer afraid of them...we co-habitate quite nicely now ;) lol
What’s in your pockets right now? I don't have pockets on...(hehe)
Last thing that made you laugh? Jonah being cute....he always makes me laugh
Best bed sheets as a child? Winnie-The-Pooh!!! Loved them!
Worst injury you’ve ever had? Broken Wrist and by far my C-Section was the worst 'injury'...that was horrible.
Are your parents still together? No
Do you wish on shooting stars? Yep
What is your favourite book(s)? way too many to count
What is your favourite candy? Gummy Feet
How is the weather outside right now? Cold, windy and about to....precipitate...I dunno if it will snow or rain though...
What was your first thought this morning when you woke up? Ugh, I feel sick.....:(....then I got better lol

Christmas Randoms

As my friend BohoMom said, consider yourself tagged and play too!!!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate for sure...not a big nogger...

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wrapped, wrapped and wrapped again...complete with ribbon and bows!!!

3. Coloured lights on tree/house or white? White, they just seem to twinkle more...

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope

5. When do you put your decorations up? Not until December 1st, anytime after that is good

6. What is your favourite holiday dish? Turkey with gravy and jellied can-shaped cranberry sauce (without whole cranberries, yuck) hehehe

7. Favourite Holiday memory? My whole family getting together and hanging out for the entire day while my mom cooked turkey and we helped with the fixings

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember how old I was...but I remember thinking, ok, this sucks!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I do now, my boyfriends family all get together on Christmas Eve (they have to rent a hall because there are too many of them to fit in one house!) and we do a gift exchange.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? In red and silver...I like it to match....my poor kids hehehe

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love watching it. Hate being outside in it. Hate shovelling it. Dread driving in it.

12. Can you ice skate? I can but don't because I broke a bone in my foot when I was younger and it's painful to skate now...which sucks because I love skating.

13. Do you remember your favourite gift? Probably my Black and White TV and my "Real Baby" when I was like 5 or 6...I asked for them and got what I asked for!!

14. What's the most important thing about Christmas? Being with family that we don't normally get to see in our busy lives....it's the one time of year that everyone seems to make the time...

15. What is your favourite Holiday Dessert? Probably Christmas cookies just because it's a tradition

16. What is your favourite holiday tradition? Now? That would be going to my boyfriends family's get together on Christmas Eve....it's so awesome to be with such a huge, loving family every year on the same day...

16.5. What is your least favourite holiday tradition? That will start this year with going to visit my Sister and Father's grave...this year Christmas Day will mean so much more than it did previously...my sister passed on Christmas Day...I think it will be bittersweet :(

17. What tops your tree? A big silver star

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Definitely giving! I get all awkward feeling like I don't deserve whatever someone is giving me lol....

19. Favourite Christmas Song? O Holy Night

Sunday Scribblings

Did you "mis-spend" your youth? Absolutely!
What kind of kid were you? I was a good kid, but I was headstrong and independent, my parents and I butted heads all the time...it lead to me moving out at 16.
Worriesome to your folks? To say the least....
Mature beyond your years? I would have to say yes and no....I was mature enough that I felt like I was being treated like a baby at home but I was immature in thinking that my OWN baby would make that stop...I had him when I was 17...WAY too young....
Wild? Not so much, I didn't go all out with everything, I was more like cattle, part of the herd just to fit in...
Shy? To and extent yes, I had very low self esteem
How did you spend your time? Mostly smoking pot...all my friends did it, so I did it too...even though I hated the way it made me feel...other than that, I spent my time staying up all night and sleeping all day
Out of curiosity, how many of you knew "what you wanted to be when you grew up" and accomplished it? I didn't know then, I barely know now and I'm not "anything" yet lol...not to say I haven't accomplished anything yet, I just don't have a career...
How many times did you change your mind? About a million...when I was really little, I wanted to be a nurse...and I wanted to be a nurse until I realized that I would have to deal with people who vomit from time to time...I'm an emetophobe, so, me and vommiting, dont' get along very well! Then I wanted to be a veterinarian...then discovered I have allergies to just about any animal with hair/fur...so, not so much anymore. When I had my son, I started watching A Baby Story and discovered Midwifery...and wanted to do that until I discovered that some women throw up while they're in labour....see above. Right now, I'm playing around with the idea of something surrounding weddings....a dress shop or a consultant or renting out centrepieces and making crystal bouquets and favours.....who knows.
Wow....I made that answer really long!
Do you think your kid self would approve of you now? I would definitely approve of myself now, however, two years ago? Not so much. Glad things have changed!

I have a new banner!!

Thanks so much to BohoMom for creating my AWESOME new banner!!!

Thank you!

Thank you to all those who commented on my Sunday Scribblings. It was very nice to read all the wonderful things you all posted!

I have a great friend who posted an entry about my and my surrogacy journey...you can read it here. And for the most part, the responses were much like they were on my own posts about my journey.

However, there are a couple of comments posted about surrogates and "selling babies".

It's SO hard to hear that kind of thing when you know the joy it's bringing to the parents of the babies you're bringing into this world.

There were also comments about adoption and how that's the better option for those who can't have children.

While adoption is a WONDERFUL option for some, it is NOT so wonderful for others. Which is why people seek out egg donors or surrogates. Some people (myself included) aren't totally sure that they could care for a child who is not their own in the same way they would if that child WAS their own.

There are tons of loving, caring people out there who have been waiting YEARS to adopt...and that's wonderful...but this world will never have a shortage of children waiting to be adopted, even if everyone waiting was given TWO children as soon as they asked.

It is not the be all and end all answer for those with fertility issues to adopt.

Anyway, instead of getting on a soap box on my friends blog comments, I figured I should bring it over here!

Apparently Social Services is the same everywhere...

http://one-of-those-women.blogspot.com/2007/11/request-for-support-for-breastfeeding.html



What a HORRIBLE thing to do to a baby!!!

So sad...I feel for that mom and baby.

12 inches of skirt

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_16858.aspx

Really? Are they really arguing about how long a skirt is?

I generally have to side with the employer on this one. They would not issue a uniform that is provocative...I would assume that it's pretty tasteful being the business that it is.

Living in Canada, and being employed in Canada...I really think that she should put on the uniform as it has been issued and go to work, or, quit and get another job that allows her to dress as her religion requires her to.

If I said that my religion requires that I wear jeans and a t-shirt would I get away with wearing it to work if there was a uniform? Probably not.

That article talks about how this woman has racked up debt on her credit card and that she's applied for unemployment but they've denied her request because she's not technically unemployed...she can go back to work, if she puts on the shorter skirt or the pants that are part of the uniform...I can't feel bad for someone that CAN go to work but chooses not to because "God says her skirt should be longer" *rolling eyes*

Sunday Scribblings (just a little early? lol)

The topic: I carry

What do I carry? Precious cargo. Snuggled in to the moist, warm fluffy lining of my uterus. I carry a very much wanted baby for two people who would have been unable to be parents otherwise. It is a very important task. It is something I take very seriously....

I carry someone so loved by their parents...they have no idea what is about to occur for them. Carrying out this task makes my heart swell with joy for everyone involved....I can't describe the happiness that surrounds this little baby who is no bigger than the head of a pin at the moment! How incredible that I'm able to do this......

WoooHoooo!!!!

I had my first ultrasound today to determine if there were one or two babies in there...and:


My intended parents are expecting ONE BABY!!!!!

I have another ultrasound on the 23rd at 2pm...I can't wait! We should be able to see a heartbeat by then (there wasn't one today because it's too early).

I'll update again soon!!

Had my blood test...

and my number was 219! Which is awesome for those of you who aren't really familiar with beta numbers :) Last year when I was pregnant with the twins (my first surrogacy) my number was 1750!!! So I'm thinking I'm just pregnant with one this time *wipes brow* WHEW!

How is everyone?

I've not seen anything in the news lately that's pissed me off so much that I felt the need to write here so I'm now asking you...

What would you like to see me write about? Any burning questions you would like to know the answer to??? Let's hear em!!!

Ready? GO!!!!!!!!!!!

The Verdict Is...........

PREGNANT!!!

I'm happy to announce that I will be having a little bambino for my intended parents S&J!!

I'm so excited for them and I will be keeping a bit of a journal here, you'll probably see pictures from time to time as well....hope you all enjoy my journey as much as I plan to!!

Mercy Killing/Right-to-Die

Inspired by http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_15844.aspx

Do we have the right to end our lives if the quality has be severely compromised?

Should someone else be held legally responsible if we've asked them to end or help end our life?

This is a subject that I tend to sit on the fence about really but I want to know how others feel about it.

Watching my father suffer with Lung Cancer for months and knowing that the treatments that they were giving him were not really helping, I had thought about this....especially after my cousins son, upon learning that is Great Uncle Bill was really sick and going to die relatively soon, asked her, "Mom, are they going to put Uncle Bill down?"

Such a heavy statement from an 8 year old. When she told him that we don't do that to other humans, just to animals, he was apalled. I can't remember the exact words he used but he said something along the lines of 'we won't let our animals suffer but we let each other suffer?'...and it made perfect sense to me!

Why is ok for us to not let our animals suffer any terminal illness or compromised quality of life due to old age, but not our loved ones??

Why is it so horrible to want them to rest in peace rather than suffer in life? Especially when they've expressed that they would rather not be alive anymore because they are in pain...why is it so surprising that they would feel this way?

I really feel that our own selfishness of not wanting to let a loved one go is the reason we can't imagine doing this to our loved ones.

What do you think? Should terminally ill and geratric patients with no quality of life left be able to make a decision like this? And if they are mentally incapacitated, should their immediate loved ones and sole caregivers be able to make this decision for them?

And if so, where do we draw the line?

Woooooooooooooooooooooo!!

Egg retrieval is set for Thursday and transfer will be Sunday!!!!

I'm ready to make a baby for my intended parents!!!!

Fun and games

ABCs of Music
List your favorite band or artist from A to Z.

A. Alice in Chains
B. Michael Buble
C. Cake
D. Ani DiFranco
E. Elton John
F. Finger Eleven
G. Green Day
H. Sarah Harmer
I. Incubus
J. Jane's Addiction
K. The Killers
L. Led Zeppelin
M. Maroon 5
N. Nine Inch Nails
O. Our Lady Peace
P. Presidents of the United States of America
Q. Queen
R. Rage Against the Machine
S. Sarah McLachlan
T. The Tea Party
U. U2
V. Veruca Salt
W. Weezer
X. Bush X when they were that?? lol... this one was hard!
Y. Neil Young
Z. Rob Zombie

Survey Says?

Well, they've decided. We will see how the 3 little follies look in the morning...if there aren't anymore to join those 3 lonely follies, we will cancel this cycle and move on to the next one...hopefully it will yeild more eggs. If not and the same thing happens, we will move on to donor eggs. Send lots of eggly thoughts please!!!

Kinda sad news

Well, as you know we're in the middle of cycling for IVF transfer. My intended mother (aka IM) started her medications a few days ago to make her produce a bunch of eggs...only it hasn't really worked all that well. There are only 3 mature follicles, and for those of you that don't know much about cycling, just because there are follicles, doesn't mean there are eggs.

So, it looks like we will be using an egg donor and if that's the case, we are definitely delayed by a month or more :(

I was hoping to be peeing on pregnancy tests in 2.5 weeks! I don't think that will be happening now...IM was going to talk to her husband about what they were going to do, either chance it with her three follicles and get nothing or just wait and use a donor.

At this point I think they will choose a donor...but I'll come and update when I know more!

Sorry it's been a few...

But I bring you this...I will post more about my thoughts on it later....but it's pretty eye opening and really not that far fetched.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuBo4E77ZXo

PINK rules!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a0DZRyENss

It's about time someone said it!!

How much is 2% of barely anything?

http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/english/pillars/social/what/rate_increase.htm

As a former Ontario Works recipient, I still feel the need to soapbox about stuff like this.

In December 2007, the Ontario government will increase OW recipients monthly income by 2%. This is a joke to most, really, because they barely get anything as it is, and then they add 2%....for example, while on OW I received the following for myself and my two boys:


Basic Allowance: 559
+Maximum Shelter: 583
____________________________
Total: 1142
-Child tax benefit clawback 122
-Support I never recieved 50 (I was supposed to be recieving it but never did and OW took it off my cheque anyway)
____________________________
Total OW income $970

$970.00 x 2% = $19.40

Nineteen dollars and forty cents. That's how much extra I would recieve on my cheque per month were I still on OW.

A single person on OW receives $548.

$548.00 x 2% = $10.96

A whopping eleven dollars per month. Two bags of milk. 2 or 3 bus rides. A box of cereal and 1 litre of milk.

It's just ridiculous that they've increased it by TWO percent!

Yet their pays have been increased by 25%.

I don't know how they sleep at night. I invite them all to live for just ONE month on the income of an OW recipient. They'd cry! They wouldn't make it to the end of the month and still have money left.....

AND NEITHER DO ONTARIO WORKS RECIPIENTS!!!!