Getting started

Hi everyone!
A little introduction...my name is Ramona. I am a 26-year-old mom, wife, sister, daughter, granddaughter, niece; as well as a Scentsy consultant, full-time bookkeeper, and now Gestational Surrogate!! (It feels like I'm forgetting something. lol)
After researching and contemplating for close to 5 years we finally decided it was the right time in our lives to proceed with my dream of helping bring a family together. I enjoyed both of my pregnancies, had healthy children, and quite honestly I just can't imagine what it must feel like to be told "no you can't". My boys are my world! I am so thankful for the medical advances that make this joy possible for others who might not otherwise experience it. I look forward to seeing that joy in the Intended Parents' faces when their child/ren are born.
With both boys in school now, myself graduated from college, both of us working full-time jobs...now seems to be the right time.
We applied with a surrogacy agency and began the lengthy screening process.
Here is what our timeline has been so far:

• September 3 - applied with agency (if I remember correctly this was about a 100 questions 'survey' type form where they basically weed you out of the things that may disqualify you)
• September 4 - received Welcome Packet from agency including loads of paperwork and consents, etc.
• September 24 - I had my social worker screening call - this was approx 2 hour call where they found out every little detail about me, my family, my past, my pregnancies, etc.
• September 25 - My husband had his social worker screening call - same thing just about him, his side of the family, and his past.
• September 26 - I video conferenced with a Psychiatrist and did the MMPI exam which is roughly 350 true/false questions that the psychiatrist watches you take and then you chat a bit about it.
• September 26 - Signed commitment letter basically stating that we knew what we were getting ourselves into...in other words we got the all clear from the psychiatrist and have been cleared by the social worker to move forward at this point.
• September 28 - We received our Intended Parent Profile. The agency really works hard at making sure our morals, ideas, and expectations are matched up before sending one another our profiles. In our case they did a fabulous job! We love our IPs!!
• October 6 - First Skype call with IPs. This was such a crazy day for us. It was also my graduation. I got up early to head to the hair salon to get my hair done for graduation, then rushed home for the Skype call. I had one of those "I wonder how weird this is going to be" type feelings but as soon as we started talking it was just like "Wow this is it!" We didn't feel weird at all. It was just like talking to old friends. Of course we both had questions, but before the call was over we all knew we were going forward with the match.
• October 9 - We were "officially" matched. Due to the weekend and the holiday we were kinda put on hold a few days. No biggie.
• November 16 - Medical Evaluation. We flew to NY then shuttled to CT for our medical evaluation at the IVF clinic. My husband and I both did blood draws and urine samples then we consulted with the nurse who reviewed the plans for all the medications I will be on and then I had a sonohysterogram. They filled my uterus with water looking for any abnormalities. None were found :-)
• November 19 - signed contract

While that seems fast to some, keep in mind on top of all the manual paperwork, we have exchanged roughly 600 emails in the 3-month time span.

I will be starting the medications in just a little over a week. I'll dedicate a blog to that later :-)

Have questions? Comment or email me at racook09@gmail.com
I'll do my best to answer them all :-)