To top off my previous birthday week, my hubby also planned a surprise birthday party for me on Saturday night. It was awesome. I'm guessing around 50 friends and family showed up. Brings tears to my eyes because sometimes often I think I'm very socially awkward and it meant a lot to have so many people show up for little old me.
On the funny side of it, my hubby spilled the beans the night before. While cooking dinner he announces "don't go planning anything for tomorrow night," (I hadn't) "you have a surprise party." LOL. If you know me and my husband, you would appreciate how humorous I found this. The next evening we had to plan me acting surprise walking in. It was doubly and triply humorous because a.) my friends stink at being quiet during surprise parties and I heard the "shhhhh shhhhhh, here she comes!" from ACROSS THE PARKING LOT and b.) my friend's mom stopped us in the restaurant and said in her thick Greek accent, "happy birthday! So many people here for you!" Truthfully I really was surprised though because I had no idea that many people would be there and the tears that came to my eyes were honest and sincere.
The bad:
I am getting frustrated with the communication issue with our clinic. Have done enough research to know that our doctor is super-duper busy, but that begs the question: why doesn't she hire additional staff? A case manager would be fantastic. Actually this deserves an entire separate post: so shall it be.
In other semi-bad news: remember how I was all "acupuncture doesn't hurt at all" the other week? Last week it did. Only in a few places, but YOW! I do not like needles. Which is pretty unfortunate when you think about what I will be going through next month.
The other:
I finished my book: All The Fishes Come Home to Roost: An American Misfit in India. For those of you wondering, it has nothing to do with surrogacy, IVF, or even traveling in India. Basically it is a memoir from a woman whose parents worshiped a deceased Indian cult leader, and decided to move India to live with other followers. Tragedy written with wit, off-color humor ensues in the same style of Augusten Burroughs's Running with Scissors. I won't go into a long review here, but if you liked Scissors (or other tragedy/humor type memoirs), then you will probably enjoy this. I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars. 3.5 on a grumpy day. I look forward to more from this author as this was her first book.
The other part deux:
Watched Google Baby today. I had seen clips of it before, but had not gone as far as to watch it yet. Mostly because a lot of the comments on youtube and news sites were pretty hurtful. I don't know why I let that affect me as I generally despise the comment section of news articles and such, regardless of the topic. (Makes me depressed that there so many misinformed or hateful people.) Any way, the movie was good. I thought it may make me second guess my decision (based on the trailer), but it actually had the opposite effect. Made me reaffirm that our decision is the right one for us.
I'm putting the trailer below, but I don't think it's good representation of the movie. There are other clips on youTube you can watch as well to get slightly more. I'm guessing the trailer was designed more for people that aren't going through surrogacy and have prejudgments. The movie isn't judgmental at all. The movie is informative from a practical, medical, and emotional standpoint. If you can get a copy, I would say go for it.
Apparently I live under a rock. I've never heard of this movie. I watched the trailer, but don't want to commit to watching the whole thing yet. Can you tell me a little more about the premise of it, and why is it called "google" baby? Does it have something to do with google? Yes, that does sound like a dumb question, but I am asking it anyway. I'll "google" the "google baby" think later tonight when I get time.
ReplyDeleteOn a separate note, glad your party went well. I hope that communication gets better with your clinic. This is a tough road to hoe without having information coming your way regularly.
It's named Google baby on the idea that we live in such a global high-tech world, that one can find out a multitude of ways to have a baby unlike ever before.
DeleteIt focused on 3 primary stories:
1.) A doctor in India (mine actually) and the lives of some of her surrogates while in her care, including 1 who miscarried and started working for her instead.
2.) A guy from Israel who used surrogacy here in the US for he and his wife (it is illegal there, including egg donation), and then realized through other friends that there is a demand for it. He also realized that most people could not afford the 140K he and his wife paid and then began a business of getting egg and/or sperm donors from US and doing IVF or surrogacy in India.
3.) A woman in Tennessee who is married and with 2 kids that is going to be an egg donor and what she goes through (it is her 2nd time, first was successful.) She wants the money to help pay for home renovations.
All stories segue nicely into each other.
What a great surprise on top of the trip surprise!!! What an amazing husband you have!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard about Google Baby, thanks for sharing. I want to see it, just looked on Netflix but it's not available, how did you get a copy if I may ask?
Thanks!
Never mind, just saw it was on HBO, I can't wait to see it.
DeleteMy friend had a copy and I had just been waiting to watch it. I started with "Little Man" from Netflix, but then decided that it was going to be too much for me today.
DeleteThe board forum I belong had a mention of it, though I had found snippets talking about it before when I was researching surrogacy (which is our only option.)