December 27...part 2

We arrived at the Clinic just after 11 am, feeling a bit jet legged but excited and nervous at the same time. I knew I had a lot of questions; however I could not remember any of them. (Mental note; write them down before you come to Hyderabad.)  However Anjani was great and started right away explaining the procedure, having us filling in our paper work on our medical information and chatting about the city. We were really surprised when he said that he would have a driver come pick us up the next day to tour the city. We really felt welcomed and taken care of, and it was only our first day. I thought to myself,” wow we actually have plans.”

I think this is really important when you come to a new city. Especially if you are coming to a new city and country to do something medical. Especially when that medical procedure involves the prospect of starting a family!

 It’s hard enough starting a family or undergo procedures that will aide you in having a family in your own City. At least at home you’re familiar with the streets, language, and culture; you also have family and friends around to support you. Going to the other side of the world where everything is new, you really need the support from a clinic. That’s my opinion anyways.

Meanwhile, back at the clinic, Anjani got William all set up with blood work, etc. then we were whisked back to the hotel to rest up and enjoy the rest of the day.

Our second highlight of the day was dinner at the hotel. We ate outside at the restaurant Kebab EBahar. The waiter was amazing at helping us navigate the menu. We love India food; however our knowledge is a bit limited. I think this is a great place to experience local cuisine.  My favorite dish was Dhal Makani. Which are black lentils cooked in spices for 24 hours in a coal pot. Fantastic!

Here is a great website that describes the dish: Jintanmanis

I am going to try the recipe this weekend. I will let you know how it went in a later blog.

December 27, 2011 Part 1

So we arrived, checked in to the hotel and headed to our room.  The hotel was kind enough to send us two coffees and fresh orange juice to the room, which we enjoyed. Especially due to we wanted to stay awake and try to get over our jet lag as fast as possible. We knew that Anjani would be calling us to schedule our first meeting at the clinic.  First thing I did was check out our view… We were on the 6^th floor and had a view of the lake and the city beyond. We could hear the sounds of Hyderabad, honking, driving, and life. It was a wonderful sound, coming from a small village in Switzerland; it was a pleasure to hear the buzz of the city. (William and I use to live in Manhattan and Hong Kong, so idle life in Switzerland was something to get use to)

William put on CNN and we both just stared at each other with the thought of “is this really happening!” It is such an exciting and scary feeling all at the same time.

Sure enough as promised, Anjani called to tell us the driver would be there at 10:45 for our first meeting. We jumped in the shower, found something to wear and headed downstairs for a little breakfast and wait for the driver.

Our meeting was great

December 26, 2011

Just finished having great friends over for Christmas dinner and then off to Hyderabad the very next day.  I was nervous about our trip… for the near 15 hours plus of travel to Hyderabad from Switzerland.

The days leading up to my departure we were filled with a strange blend of Christmas cheer and anxiety. William and I packed chaotically, dropped our dog off at our neighbors and headed to the train station to start our travels. All I could think was that we would arrive in Hyderabad at 5:30 in the morning the next day.  The 15 hours that followed were taxing on both mind and body. Even though we both had told each other that we should sleep so that we would not feel awful when we arrived, however both of us basically sat and watched airline entertainment all the way there. I am sure the flight steward thought we were in some post-Christmas shell shocked! As I think back, I believe that we were!

The landing in Hyderabad was most welcoming, after 15 hours of travel since departing from Switzerland. As you can guess, we were both exhausted and knew we had more of our journey to complete before resting. However our luggage took forever to come, in fact it was another hour and ½ before we finally got it. Then through the gate to meet the hotel manager for our transfer to the hotel. As usual we had to make a trip to the ATM so that we would have some rupees and off we went travelling through Hyderabad in the early morning haze, gazing at all the buzz and the giant fish building!  . I was imaging this very moment for a long time and it had finally arrived… We are pursuing our dream of having a baby! (Not the fish building, but everything else)

Anjani set us up at the Raj Banjara hotel, about 5 minutes away from the Clinic. The hotel was wonderful and the staff amazing.  Here is a photo of the hotel. I will catch up later and tell you how our first day was like.

Taj-Banjara Hyderabad

Our choice

I'm not even sure why I'm starting this blog in the first place. Partly it's a place to keep an account of this amazing baby adventure we're on. So why not keep a journal one might ask? Good question. I guess it's also a place where I can give our thoughts, feelings and experiences. Making a record of this incredible journey we are starting.  ...even if no one reads it, at least I'm putting it out there right?

We have chosen Surrogacy in India from the Kiran Infertility Centre, Hyderabad, India, and started our journey right after Christmas, 2011. We will be sharing our experience with the clinic and will be happy to help any Intended Parents who are looking for Surrogacy in India.

As I write this all out I think I know the reasons I'm doing this blog.
1. Maybe someone else will read it who's in a similar situation and not feel so isolated.
2. My husband and I are incredibly passionate about surrogacy and the wonderful opportunity it creates for families.
3. This baby has been so wanted for so long that it's about time I got excited about it and started telling the whole world!!!!