C&P'D FROM ANOTHER SITE BECAUSE I AM TOO TIRED TO REWRITE!
Some of it doesn't apply so just ignore. TWINS ARE HERE!!! Thank you all SO much for thinking of me and asking how I was-I had a break-down of sorts last Thursday and I can't even tell you how much all of the love and support that I received from my girlfriends both online and off, meant to me.
You all have been with me from the very beginning and your support has been endless and so appreciated. From the kind words and encouragement, from the meals lovingly made and delivered, from the vegetable from your gardens, the super special secret grocery storking, the little gifts for my girls, the endless car-pooling and picking up and dropping off of my girls to and from school, taking me to appointments, the baby-sitting, the milkshakes, the muffins, the company, the playdates, the tears, the smiles and the love-
Thank-you! So after my meltdown Thursday, I gathered my wits, counted my blessings and made the decision to have the best C-section possible. I won't lie and tell you that it didn't matter to me, it did, but knowing that I had done everything in my power to get babies into position gave confidence and courage. BTW-I *did* get them to flip-only the flipped from a transverse position to both being breech-in a sort of silly way I feel proud that I was able to turn them-even if it was the opposite of how they needed to be.  Before I start the actual "birth story" I have to tell you that the biggest blessing that I have received through this whole gift of surrogacy is that my ex-husband and I have got back together. We split up a year ago in March. Being suddenly alone and scared for our futures is one of the things that led me into exploring surrogacy-how strange that it would also lead us back together! In the year that we were apart, we both learned a lot about ourselves and through it all remained friends and friendly. Towards the end of the pregnancy I really had to rely on him to help me with day to day things and it sort of opened the door for us to begin to communicate and long story short-we are taking things slow, and are working things out. I am SO happy-I have missed him SO much. It is incredible to be able to fall in love all over again with your partner. So, about those babies! :P Brooke was born at 2:24 pm on Friday, Tyler followed 7 minutes later. Brooke weighed 7lbs 3 oz, and Tyler weighed 6 lbs 13 oz. Both were 20" long. Apgars were both 9's and they were just perfect in every way! They went straight from the OR to their parents arms in the nursery- and never had to spend any time in the NICU-for which I am SO proud, and SO grateful!
I got to see them for about 10 seconds before they left the OR, and was able to welcome them to the world.  Unfortunately I had a rougher go of things-when my Dr. was opening me up, he noticed that I had 2 hernias that needed to be repaired. They were both in my abdominal muscles(not my uterus!) and were what he called incisional hernias-meaning that they were from a previous C-sections.
He said one was about silver dollar sized, and the other was about soda can sized and that they would have caused me problems down the road-so I guess I can be grateful that they were discovered then and not later right?! I got to my room in the evening and to my bitter disappointment learned that I would not be having dinner! I was SO hungry. Luckily I had some soup smuggled in and survived the hunger pains! R&J brought Brook and Tyler down a little later in the evening and we got to meet face to face-they are so sweet, and just about made me melt seeing them all snuggled next to each other.
It was the most amazing gift to see a family complete, and the love that R&J had for their new babies, and for each other.
It made every bit of pain, every shot I had to take, every Dr.s Appt. every sleepless night etc... so worth it! R&J were absolutely wonderful about sharing their new family with mine-they brought them down to my room many times to visit friends and even set a special time for my girls to have pictures taken with them and to exchange gifts and say good-bye. I won't lie to you and tell you that it was easy-it was incredibly hard saying goodbye to them - both the babies and R&J as they have become friends and big part of our lives over the last year. It is a rather bittersweet time right now. I got home on Monday-the babies left on Sunday- and I am slowly recovering. The hernia surgery is kicking my butt, and is apparently going to take a while to recover from-I seriously feel like I have been kicked by a mule. Emotionally I am doing pretty good-I have a wonderful support system of girlfriends who seem to know just how to pick me up and hug me, and even kick me in the butt when I need it. Mike has also been my rock in the last few weeks. One of the things that really seems to be helping is that I have been pumping since the day they were born, and I'm up to about 4oz a session-I'm doing my best to pump 8 times a day and can't wait to start donating this milk to babies in need-it sort of makes me feel useful now. MOO! Anyway, here are some pictures of the babies-
The first one is our first meeting, and the other two are from their first day on the outside.
They are so cute and chubby. Brooke has a little more hair than Tyler, and both are now 7lbs 6oz! Presenting....
Brooke and Tyler- 
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Taking shots for 3 months sucked. No other way to put it.
