Oh man, she told the world! We've both talked about how it's hard not to talk about it to everyone we meet, and now we can! My heart skipped a little beat when she told me she was doing it (posting it on Facebook) and skipped about 3 more beats when I got a sneak peak into all the love and support this family has around them.
Somehow having other people (besides family) know is FINALLY making it seem a bit more real! About a million and one people said they'd be praying, which is exactly what we'll need through this whole process.
One of the (many) lessons I have learned from Katy's cancer treatment process was this: telling people HOW they can pray is so helpful. It was nice to be able to pray for more than just the same old "please make her better" (not that He doesn't "get" that message too, but apparently when you are type A, it extends into your prayer life too)
We'll be asking for lots of prayers as we get closer and closer to the big day (the embryo transfer), but for now: a prayer for the hormones to do their thing (building up a rich plush little lining for their baby to nuzzle into and then convincing my body that that was a totally normal thing to happen and that these pregnancy hormones are totally acceptable even though I'm not ovulating). Basically, hoping my body will just go with the flow. All this WITHOUT me turning into a zombie or raging beast would be great. Yes, please use the words "zombie" and some form of "raging beast" in your prayer, I feel like He'll appreciate the novelty.
Prayers for the mom and dad would be great too, that they would feel a peace about this process. Not just with using a gestational carrier- they've been there and done that- but with the feelings of helplessness that can come with this process. Knowing that statistics aren't great could make anyone feel defeated, especially when they've gone through so much just to get us to this point. (but really, SO much. She's ON IT. An A+, with extra credit…which makes my job SO much easier) Please pray for them to feel "held" throughout this entire journey. When you want something so very badly, it is hard to not get ahead of yourself with excitement and remember that when we say we are submitting this to God, that ALSO means we have to be prepared that His path may not be the one we have all happily imagined these past months. I would imagine they might feel polarized, sometimes trying to not get ahead of themselves or get their hopes up and other times trying not to get drug down by "what ifs".
For us and our family: I don't know if I've mentioned it in the last 10 minutes, but I love my husband and son to an almost creepy level. That being said, this process is going to make parts of life with me a little harder. First the hormonal part, then (hopefully) the physical pregnancy part, and in general the sticky inbetween stuff. Our families could use some prayers to. For most of my family, this wasn't shocking. I'd mentioned wanting to do it since before Rico and I even got married, but that doesn't mean it is easy to fully understand or cope with the concerns they have. Because saying you trust God and actually having to LIVE that when someone you love says, "hey, I'm going to pump my body full of hormones, possibly be a total crazy person for a few months, take on the risks of pregnancy and birth- oh and by the way it's all for someone else." is a challenge. Please pray that they see God's hand guiding this process and are able to trust that He's got this...we don't know what that LOOKS like yet...but He's got it.
Finally, please pray for me to have discernment in my words and thoughts. That I will be able to think through what I say and do from not just MY perspective, but THEIRS before I act or speak. That I can discern between priorities and juggle my new role as gestational carrier with being a mother and wife WITHOUT shortchanging anyone (including myself) or feeling overwhelmed.
So:
1- That hormones work well- with minimal side effects (bonus points for "zombie" or "raging beast")
2- Peace for mom and dad
3- Peace for my family
4- Discernment for me
