Hello again! This is Cristi. YOU GUYS!! My heart is BURSTING with all of the love and support we have received after our first two posts. Not even 48 hours ago, I was sitting in my bed, nervously questioning whether or not I should hit the "publish" link. My heart was racing and my mind was going 100 miles per hour with nerves. But I'm SO GLAD I DID IT! The support and encouragement we have gotten has been astounding. My heart feels like it is going to explode with joy and I have been crying happy tears for the better part of a day. We have been blown away on both Facebook and Instagram. Last night, Robin and I were texting back and forth and she mentioned that we've already gotten almost 1,000 hits on the blog. (There are even more this morning.) In just one day! That is mind boggling! We didn't know if anyone would want to read about this. But we now know this is going to be something that will be remarkable to share. And this is why we chose to be open about it. Obviously it is something that people are interested in and I pray that we can be the means of helping someone to not feel alone and isolated on their own journey. I am a firm believer that one reason we are given trials in life is to - for lack of a better term - "pay it forward." To share the lessons we've learned as we've gone through them and to help lift up those around us who may be struggling through the same things. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for your love and support and encouragement in this new and exciting (and for us - unchartered) endeavor!
And along those lines - today my sister asked me the question, "How does it feel to be a pioneer?" I kind of just smiled when she asked and thought, "Um, we're definitely not pioneers!" But then I questioned -"Or wait - ARE we??" I don't feel like a "pioneer" in any form. But at the same time, her simple question got me thinking a lot. The dictionary gives the definition of "pioneer" as: "develop or be among the first to use or apply (a new method, area of knowledge, or activity)." In a way, maybe we are pioneering to an extent. I mean, gestational carrying is not new. Many people have done it. And IVF has been around for years. Yet, how many people do I know personally who have either been a gestational carrier or used a gestational carrier? One. I know one amazing woman who - just this past year - was a gestational carrier for another couple who could not have children. One person! Out of thousands of people that I know! I know of many people who have told me, "This is something that I would have loved to have done for a friend or family member." But I think that people just don't know how to go about it. And maybe THAT'S the way that we are pioneering the path right now. I really hope that sharing our journey will make this process seem more accessible for others. I have already had one private message from someone saying that our story has inspired her to look into being a gestational carrier and another message from a woman saying that she now feels confident in moving forward to pursue using a gestational carrier. And, you guys, THAT is why we are sharing this!
Which brings me to another quick point - I've had a few people tell me on instagram that they can't leave a comment on this blog. And I did that on purpose. I used to keep a family blog years ago and I had a pretty negative experience and some bullying. It made me shy away from blogging for years. And so, because of that, I have disabled comments on this blog. This is such a personal journey - and even though we are sharing it in a very public way (which I feel is the right thing to do) - I don't necessarily want strangers commenting and being negative or telling us that we are doing something wrong. If you are interested, you are more than welcome to follow along with me on Instagram. I am also open there and that is a place where you can comment. I don't do Facebook very often. And I'm more guarded about who I "friend" on that site. But Instagram has been a fantastic support for me and the infertility community there is wonderful. If you're interested - or even if you just have a comment that you're dying to leave here but can't - my Instagram name is @hiyapapayamommy.
Once again - THANK YOU for your SUPPORT!! And LOVE!! And ENCOURAGEMENT as we begin this journey!
As Robin said in her post - here's to making a miracle!
