September 16th, 1999
After seven months of searching for IP's (intended parents) I received an email from Heather in Maryland. I had posted an ad on online and had received over 200 emails from couples in need! I had already been through two IP's that had fallen through and was afraid to get my hopes up again. Heather and her husband Sergey needed a gestational carrier to help them with their family. A year earlier Heather had been in a car accident when she was 8 months pregnant with twins and tragically lost the babies and needed a hysterectomy. I felt greatly for Heather and wanted to help her. We continued our emails getting to know each other and before I knew it we were doing bloodwork, physical exams and legal contracts. I was so happy to be doing this.

March 12th, 2000
After months of painful injections Heather has her egg retrieval. She goes to the Cooper Clinic for IVF in New Jersey and has six eggs retrieved. Four fertilize and are frozen for the transfer!

March 31st, 2000
My husband, myself, and our son Tristan pack the car for the trip to New Jersey. I have to be at the fertility clinic the next morning for bloodwork and ultrasounds. We leave our home at 8:30pm in Ontario and arrive by 8:30am. We are sooooo tired from the long drive. It is the first time we meet Heather and Sergey. All the tests go perfectly and I am started on an oral medication called estrace.

April 2nd, 2000
We sign the contracts with Heather and Sergey at the hotel we are staying in. They take us for a tour of Washington D.C which we absolutely loved. Tristan also enjoyed the trip! We left for Ontario the next day.

April 13th, 2000
My flight leaves Toronto for Baltimore at 6:30pm. I arrive in Baltimore at 9pm. I am so nervous on the flight, thinking about everything that is going to happen. Will the IVF transfer be painful? Will I have to have the daily injections? I miss my family, I can't imagine being away from them for ten days!

April 18th, 2000
I am staying with Heather and Sergey in Maryland at their home. I miss my family terribly. I am now on estrace, progesterone suppositories, medrol and doxycycline. The IVF nurse calls me the day before to tell me to start my progesterone injections. After she gives me the instructions I cry for about an hour terrified about the needles. They are almost two inches long (20gauge needle) and have to go in the upper outer quadrant of my buttock. I have to start with 1/2 cc before noon and 1cc each day after. It is a horrible way to wake up every morning knowing you have to have a needle! After much whining and complaing Heather finally injects me for the first time. To my surprise it never hurt at all but it was a bit sore afterwards.