Big News!!

No I am not pregnant!

I haven't given an update on our journey to start a family in awhile. We have had a lot going on and we wanted to keep things quiet until now. Monroe and I are so excited to announce that we will be using a gestational carrier.

Since this is most definitely not the norm, here is a little information on what exactly a gestational carrier is.

A gestational carrier (GC) is a woman who volunteers to carry a pregnancy for someone who cannot otherwise carry a pregnancy for herself (someone who has had her uterus removed due to health problems, or someone who has a non functional uterus) The woman carrying the pregnancy is in no way biologically or genetically related to the child she is carrying - she is merely providing a nurturing environment in the form of a uterus for the child to grow for the gestational period of 40 weeks. The eggs and sperm are derived from the "intended parents" (IPs) through the process of In Vitro Fertilization, fertilized in the lab, and then the embryo (or embryos) are placed into the uterus of the gestational carrier. (Source: Shady Grove Fertility)

Monroe and I are both so excited about this next step in our journey but there are also a lot of nerves that come along with this. We are not yet sure if we will be going independent (going indy as it is called) or if we will be using an agency that we have spoken with in Atlanta. We are just in the beginning stages of this journey, as the price tag that comes with using a gestational carrier is very high . We know that Lord has lead us to this, and we trust that He will provide a woman who is willing to carry our child and that He will provide the finances. We are in the process of developing a fundraising page, and as soon as that is complete I will be sharing that, and we ask that you please share our story with others.

I am going through a mourning process of knowing that I will never carry our baby, I will never feel what it feels like to be pregnant or give birth, but I am so thankful that there is a woman out there who has the heart to carry our child. I have moments where I just sob and moments where I am just so excited I can hardly stand it. One of my best friends said to me the other night "Katie, the excitement that you feel now is only the start to the amount of excitement you are going to feel" and I know she is right.

Please be praying for the woman who is going to be carrying our child/children. Please pray for the financial aspect of this, and that our fundraising is successful. Please pray for Monroe and I as we enter these last and final stages of this long journey we have been on. We praise the Lord for brining us to this point and we are so thrilled to see where He is taking us.

Ladies and gentlemen hold on as we hope you will get on for this part of our journey with us.