Fatherhood

I can't believe how time has flown. Aiden and Zara were released from Eden hospital on December 20. We've settled in nicely at Camp Svelte. Needless to say, we've had a crash course in everything baby since then. It's amazing how my life has changed from one day to the next. I find myself staring at them constantly... did this really happen? Are we really fathers? Suddenly a blood curdling screach awakens me from my daydream.... time to change another diaper!!! It's definitely real... Nights have been the most challenging. They sleep like angels during the day. Party time starts at about 3am! We've been getting a night nurse about every 3rd night just to remain sane and get some sleep. It's also amazing how different they are... Zara is definitely my little princess. She sleeps beautifully for the most part and has been so easy to feed. Aiden is what I call a "fine diner." He takes almost an hour to finish an ounce of formula and has no problem voicing his displeasure! Passports and other documentation are coming along. We hope to have passports by Wednesday or Thursday next week and plan to leave on January 9. I'll post some tips for future IPs in a few days. Happy New Year  everyone!

The Happiest Day of My Life

I will never forget the events of yesterday, December 18. This amazing day will remain seared in my mind as long as I live. Yesterday I became a father. At 1:30pm we were called and told to be at Eden hospital at 3pm because our surrogate would be undergoing her c-section. As we sat in the adjoining lounge,  at 3:38 I heard the first cry and burst into tears. Our son, Aiden Ishan Guzman was born and weighed exactly 7 pounds (3.17 kg). At 3:39pm, Zara Neena Guzman was born and weighed 6 pounds (2.74 kg). A beautiful, healthy baby boy and a gorgeous, healthy baby girl. I couldn't have asked for anything more. We are absolutely thrilled beyond words. Our surrogate is doing fine and we hope to see her next week. Tomorrow morning the babies will be discharged from Eden and coming back to Svelte with us. These photos were taken 20 minutes after birth - the four of us were moved to tears!

Me with Aiden

Ruben with Zara

Expect the Unexpected

We made it to Delhi. Not without a little drama of course. Not to worry fellow bloggers, I swear these things only happen to me. The babies and our surrogate are doing great so far. Our drama started before we left at about midnight when we discovered that the woman we had entrusted to watch our house and our furry babies was a convicted felon who did time for drug trafficking. "Where do you meet these women?" Ruben always asks me. At the JFK ticket counter for Air India, we were informed we had too many bags and would either have to re-pack or pay over $500 in excess baggage fees. We had to make quick decisions - keep the diapers or the size 12 tennis shoes. The diapers won. We arrived at the hotel in Gurgaon. What the $&@/ was I thinking booking our hotel all the way out there? Seriously, our hotel is a compound in the middle of nowhere. I think we are moving to Svelte on Monday. Last night we had a great time catching up with "M" and "A" from New Year Dreaming. Today we met our surrogate at Dr. Jolly's for her 36 week scan. What an awesome experience. Our surrogate is extremely shy and somewhat difficult to read or converse with but we are so grateful she allowed us to be present for the scan. Twin 1 now weighs 6.7 pounds and twin 2 is coming in at 5.9. This woman is seriously huge. I can't believe they weigh this much. From the looks of things, it won't be much longer.

What Happened to October and November?

These two months seemed to have disappeared and I need them back! Tomorrow morning we leave for New York. We plan to spend the night in the city and will leave on Wednesday afternoon for Delhi. As hard as I tried to be organized and have everything ready, I'm going crazy packing and buying last minute things I forgot to pack. We are super excited nonetheless. So far, so good...

Who knew 2 babies needed so much stuff?

So far, I've packed the following:

2 Phil & Ted's cocoons
2 Baby Bjorn carriers
2 newborn inserts for carriers
Diaper Bag
410 diapers (preemie and newborn)
20 burp cloths
12 blankets
22 bottles
6 pacifiers
Electric bottle sterilizer
Diaper cream/diaper rash ointment
800 baby wipes
small trash bags (some hotels don't put them in rooms)
hand sanitizer
Thermometer and grooming kit
nasal aspirator
clothes - 20 onesies (short and long sleeves), 4 night gowns, t-shirts, socks, 6 caps, mittens, 4 sleep & plays, 8 bodysuits
6 swaddler wraps
1 bottle of champagne

I don't think I have space for our own clothes!

In the meantime, my house has become a mini baby store:

 The dogs like the City Select stroller, my favorite toy of all!

 I'm being told I need to stop wasting time on the computer and start packing! Next stop, Delhi!!!

Kudos to Princess Mette-Marit

This story is too good not to share. I like the part about the clinic thinking she was the nanny!!! I like stories that show there are still good people in the world.

Norway princess, incognito, rushes to aid surrogate twins

Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit rushed to India on her own dime in October to help care, incognito, for twins delivered by a surrogate until their parents, a Norwegian gay couple, could arrive, the palace said Monday.

Mette-Marit flew to New Delhi to help care for the babies until their parents -- a male couple who are friends of the princess and her husband Crown Prince Haakon -- could resolve a visa delay.

During her stay at the clinic with the newborns, the 39-year-old royal, often praised for her modern ways, went unrecognised. According to Norwegian media, medical staff thought the blonde woman was a nanny.

The princess, a commoner who was a single mother until she married Haakon in 2001, said she did not want to get involved in the debate over surrogate mothers, a practice prohibited in Norway.

"Sometimes in life, we find ourselves in a difficult situation where there are few, or no, good solutions. In those situations you have to make difficult choices even if it sometimes comes at a price," she said on the palace's website.

"An important debate is taking place in society about the issue of children brought to the world by surrogates. In my eyes, this was not a contribution to the debate. For me, this was simply about helping two newborns, who were alone in the world, because I could," she said.

While the practice is illegal in otherwise liberal Norway, the former national chief of police Oeystein Maeland recently had a child with his male partner through a surrogate in the United States.