Snowbabies Enroute...

So our little Snowbabies are finally on their way to India and Dr. B! The shipping company sent the tank to my clinic in NYC last Wednesday, the embryologist loaded my Snowbabies and they were picked up by the shipping company on Friday and are now enroute to India! Estimated arrival: Wednesday August 31...

The EYES are the Window to the SOUL

The Eyes are the Window to the Soul ~Leonardo DaVinci

The Eyes have so much symbolic meaning dating back to Biblical times. In Christianity the Eye of God is depicted hovering over a tent, which is symbolic of the Tabernacle - the temple of the faithful. The eye here represents the omni-present spirit of God peering into the soul of the faithful - ever watchful over those who serve.

In our Dreams the meaning of eyes indicates an opening into a new dimension. This is symbolic of your vision clearing and focusing in on a new direction. It may also indicate your ability to see past what is common and spiritually arrive to the point where your inner vision perceives all things in their divine glory - even the simplest of things become inspired with an exquisite quality inherent in all nature.

Earlier today I received a few Gestational Surrogate Profiles from the Foreign Patient Coordinator at my clinic. I must say emotions were invoked in me today, as I began looking through the profiles of the women who would ultimately be responsible for caring for my baby for 9 months. There is something amazing about looking into someones eyes, when someone looks at your eyes its like they can see everything you've done. They can see compassion, joy, pain, laughter, anger, and hope.

I looked into the eyes of the Gestational Surrogates that were sent to me, looked at their typed profiles (all of them were healthy, fertile and had at least two children) and then looked into their eyes again. I immediately was drawn to one particular Surrogate and in her eyes I saw hope and compassion...




Sending out a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Kerrie and Mark, today is Baby Cailyn's BORN DAY!!!

My First Safe Wire Transfer to India

So, yesterday was a significant day for me and a very nervous one. I did my first international wire transfer to my clinic in India from my bank to their international bank. With so many wire transfer scams out there I was nervous, not about my Dr. or clinic, but just about the fact that I was sending money overseas. Doing a wire transfer with the branch manager at my bank was great and helped calm my nerves. My clinic sent me all of their bank account and SWIFT code information as well as their Intermediary Bank's information here in the US and then the branch manager took care of the rest. I then got a very detailed 2 page receipt about the transaction that I scanned and emailed to my Dr. in India. Here are some great tips from ehow.com on the safest ways to send money overseas:

PayPal
PayPal is among the most recent forms of online technology that send and receive money. Make easy, safe transactions between two parties in two different countries with a verified PayPal account, linked to your credit card or bank account. More than 190 countries are covered by PayPal's payment system. Once you make a payment, the payee receives an email that funds have been received and you are able to track the payments.


Wire Transfers
Wire transfers are known for their safety and enhanced speed. Wire money to a person in any country, provided that the recipient has a valid bank account where the money can be withdrawn. Have all the banking details of the recipient (including account number and bank routing number) in order to make a wire transfer. Send funds by either using cash or by draft from a bank account. A transaction takes two to three days to complete, depending largely on the countries involved.


Western Union
This service is available at various local stores worldwide, with more than 220,000 agent locations in nearly 200 countries. Western Union charges transaction fees but ensures that the payment is secure. Send any amount of money safely, but for sums more than $3,000, you must meet certain security requirements. Online payment is restricted to $999.99 with a 20-day revolving period. You can track the funds sent by a money transfer control number, or MTCN.


USPS International Money Orders
A money order is basically an order for payment of a specified amount of money. It is considered safer than a personal check, as the funds shown on it are prepaid. The United States Postal Service sells these money orders as a third party. An international money order valued up to $700 to 30 countries can be purchased for $3.85.


Cashier's Checks
For the safest way to send a large amount of money using ordinary postal mail, send a cashier's check. They are better than personal checks, as they are prepaid (whereas you have no way of guaranteeing the amount shown on a personal check). The one problem with these checks is that they are usually issued in another currency, so fluctuating market rates can affect your net withdrawal amount.

For Nostalgia's Sake

Back in the day when I was young, I'm not a kid anymore, but some days I sit and wish I was a kid again... ~Ahmad Ali Lewis

Remember back in the day when we were kids and life was so simple? When we didn't have to worry about anything. Not the complexities of adulthood, infertility or trying to start a family? Here are some of my favorite things from when I was a little kid:


Cartoons
My favorite cartoons were the Smurfs and the Thundercats, and I am not ashamed to admit I will be going to see the 2011 Smurfs re-make in 3-D





SITCOM TV SHOWS
Remember when TV shows were positive and used to be about the happy side of family life?

The Cosby Show



Family Matters




Growing Pains




Punky Brewster



TOYS
These were my favorite toys as a kid. Many of these toys are vintage collector's items now and I plan on getting some of them for my future kids...

My Little Pony



Operation



Pound Puppies




Star Wars


Strawberry Shortcake



McDonald's

Didn't you just love to go to McDonald's to see Ronald, Early Bird, Grimace and the Hamburgler? Remember when Ronald and his buddies did all of the McDonald's commercials? McDonald's had the greatest collectors glasses from 80's movies and the best collector's plates.







MOVIES
These were some of my favorite movies as a kid and I still enjoy watching them now!

ET



Gremlins



Star Wars the Empire Strikes Back




Star Wars Return of the Jedi





The Goonies




The Karate Kid