Fatherhood: Life with Addison

Addy is Walking!!

2011-03-23T18:16:00.003-04:00

Hello All!

It has been a while since we posted. We wanted to share the big news that Addison has taken her first steps 1 week before her 1st Birthday!! We promise to update you all often as our little girl has many more milestones.

We have had several milestones in these past months. Addison has mastered dancing, Clicking, Clapping and blowing kisses. She is also eating real food and whole Milk. No more baby food or formula.

We would also like to congratulate Shannon and Geoff on the Birth of their handsome son! Archer is soo stinking cute!

Here are some quick Videos of Addison on a mission.

Here We Are!!!

2010-12-04T12:02:00.016-05:00

Hello all. We have been MIA from the Blog world for a while. Between Working and family life we don't have much time to get on the computer let alone Blog. Addison is developing so well. I tell everyone that she is very advanced for her age. (Maybe that is just the Dad in me) She has advanced to 3 meals of food a day and Juice. She also has her Gerber Graduates that she picks up and puts in her mouth!! Ok Maybe not all of them. Riley gets most of them I think. We have another Milestone to tell you about. Drum roll please! daaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! ADDY IS CRAWLING!! We knew she was trying for a while. We were having dinner one night in the living room and Addy was playing on the floor. All of the sudden she scooted across the floor! Just like that and dinner was over and it was Addy's turn to show us what she has learned. This was about a Month ago. She started with the army crawl and now she is on all fours getting around.

The Holidays are fast approaching and we already have the decorations up and Addy has her Baby's first Christmas Ornament already on the tree. We are having Family coming in for the Holiday and we have several Holiday parties to attend.

Life has been a little crazy for us lately. I have been very busy at work. I also have been traveling alot for work. It has been hard leaving Addy and Rob has to do Dad duty by himself. We are managing though. Rob gets to travel with me when I go. We went to China for 6 days in October. Addy and the dogs stayed with Nana. I had to work but in our free time we went to The Great Wall and did some sight seeing. The food was very interesting. Here are some examples that we had offered to us (Blood squares, Fish brains, Liver of something and lets not forget about these huge eggs) so we ate Snickers and McDonald's and KFC! Here are some pics of Addy and us. :) Happy Holiday's Everyone!!

Addy Crawling :)

Addy using Sippy Cup for the first time

Addy Carving Pumpkin

Addy's Pumpkin

Addy is a Flower

My First teeth :)

So Hard to believe that this was 8 months ago. She has grown so fast :(

Rob and Greg at the Great Wall

The Great Wall

Did you miss us?

2010-09-01T16:51:00.005-04:00

As you may have noticed we have been off the radar in the blog world. It has been a busy summer with our family. July had a lot of travel and celebrations. We took a long weekend to head out to Ohio for Rob's cousins wedding and to visit with Greg's family and check in on our place in Columbus that is rented out. Addy did very well with all the car time. The Daddies had more need to stop and tend to their needs(bathroom/lunch) more than the little lady. We spent 2 nights with Nana and Poppy, Greg's Aunt and Uncle in Marietta. We also spent the night after the wedding with Rob's cousin Carie and got to spend time with Addy's baby cousin Keegan who was born last December. Addy at her first Wedding. She'll be 30 and have her PHD when she gets married. Addy and Dad's first dance. Grammy and Addy Meeting Great-Grandma Blosser Addy with her guitar, complimented by drool.....very rockstar-esque. It was really nice to visit with family and friends throughout the trip. Rob tried to do some repair work at the Columbus rental house but failed miserably to repair/replace the cement steps and we ended up leaving it to the professionals. The following weekend was Rob's 22nd(30th) Birthday. Greg treated him to a weekend full of suprises. Starting with a Spa day and an imaginary hot air balloon ride. Apparently, the balloon ride that Greg had planned had to be postponed because the air outside the balloon had to cooler than inside the balloon...it was 100 degrees that weekend. We did have a night out without Addy thanks to Grammy and PopPop. Greg had to go out of town for work to Houston, Texas for almost 2 weeks. Rob and Addy went down and spent a few days with him. Rob got to experience what it was like to fly solo with an infant and how people respond to seat assignments when an infant is involved. They didn't know how experienced Addy was at flying so a couple times we had the only empty seat on the plane next to us. The hard part was changing her in the one small bathroom with the changing table. The only way for both her and I(Rob) to go to the bathroom was to change her first and then put everything away while holding her and the diaper bag crammed in the bathroom. While we were down in Houston we had a chance to go to the aquarium. Also during the trip Rob developed a fear of flying and getting pooped on. It all started when he was feeding Addy in the hotel. She had a blow out and contaminated the hotel pillow and everything in sight. Needless to say we left a great tip for hosuekeeping that day. Once we were on our way back to Maryland, he was nervous that the same thing would happen in-flight and wouldn't be able to remedy the situation well on the airplane. He used one of the thin receiving blankets underneath her just in case. August has also just flown by, one hot day after another. We were able to catch a few lazy days on the weekends here and there. We had our 4 month follow up with her doctor where Greg lied and said "Yes, she rolls front to back and back to front." I just stared at him and later asked why he said that and he told me he didn't want her docotor to think Addy was falling behind. Addy has since kept up to Daddy's expectations and has begun to work on those tasks. Addy also started stage 1 food as directed by the pediatrician, which has been fun to experiment with her.

Update from the Blosser Family!

2010-06-24T19:05:00.014-04:00

Holly-what?

So we did have a brief getaway the other weekend. Rob's great brother and sis-in-law borrowed Addison for a long weekend to let us have some time to take a trip to California.

We arrived into LAX, no paparazzi :`(. We went and had lunch at the Ivy, the supposed Mecca of the hungry stars, but no stars and no paparazzi:`( Oh wait but we did get a glass of water spilled all over the table and No compensation.

The Ivy

We walked around for a bit and then went for a tour of the "stars" homes. We went up Mulholland Drive but again no razzi' and no stars. We did see gates to people homes or stars of music and film of the '40's and '50's (aka people we didn't care about). I probably would not recommend the tour of the stars homes/ gates. Haha.

Momma and Daddy Hilton's Gate, ohhhh ahhh(I mean seriously)

We went out for a quick drink at the STANDARD, another hang out of the stars. Ok, so maybe there would have been stars if we hadn't gone at 9:30 at night and left to go to bed at 10:30, but we are old and boring. The next day we drove down the coast to Laguna Beach. Very pretty and surprisingly quiet place. Definitely would go back to Laguna again. The next day we headed home and back to our wee one, who we missed terribly.

After our Return from the Trip, Addy put on her Sunday best and we went to Sears...for her 3 month pictures of course. Here is a taste for you...

And this weekend we celebrated the very first father's day. We had a nice relaxing day at our great friends Kathy and Michele's house, hanging by the pool and just relaxing. Addy was very good to her daddies. Daddy(Greg) got a plaster mold of Addy's and hand and foot. Dad(Rob) got a great photo/scrapbook recalling the past few months. Addy had her first time in the pool as well. She did not mind the pool at all and her friend Ryan let her ride in one of his floaties.

Dad that's my sunhat, not yours!

Addy and Daddies! Happy 1st Fathers Day!!!!

"I'm not going to tell you two again, bring me my drink and crank up the music!"

"Where is my cabana boy!Blaze, where are you?"

Well that all about sums up the past few weeks...minus a little daycare shuffle going on, Addy sleeping from 9PM to 7AM without any feedings, she has also increased her cooing and we think she is ready for either next years spelling bee or to join the cast of Glee on TV...we shall see.

Some Pictures Just for YOU!

2010-06-09T21:19:00.002-04:00

Some quick pictures since the camera has returned...

About time we posted!

2010-06-05T12:30:00.003-04:00

We have been staying pretty busy with our new life as a family. Sorry we haven't blogged in awhile. We have all been adjusting to daily life well. Balancing family time and work has been a learning curve just like anything since Addison joined us 2 months ago. That's right our little precious has turned 2 months. I know I used to hate the people who counted their baby's months, days, and weeks, but I guess I am one of "those" people. You really can't help to say when someone asks how the baby is doing, to go on and on about the recent milestones that have happened, even though when I was in their position I was only half interested in the more rhetorical question then wanting to know every detail. I mean the stories really could go on for hours. Addy peeing right after the bath without a diaper on all over, or Addy is now doing this or that. Well since YOU are reading our blog, you must have some interest in whats been going on with little Addy and her Daddies.

So, here we go... Addy started sleeping "through the night" 6 hours at 7 weeks and has been pretty consistent with each week going a little longer at night. We were a little confused about how to proceed with the night feedings, since Greg and I split the night in half previously. Now, we alternate depending whats going on with our next day with work. Addy has started to dabble in the up to 6oz feedings. Majority of feedings are 4oz but she sometimes "requests" more so we oblige.

We have been trying to keep some type of Daddy time. We went to a concert the other night and Grammy and Pop-pop watched Addy for a few hours. It was strange to leave our wee one but it really is important. We have also been getting together with our good friends and their 6 month old most weekends for baby bonding time.

Addison really has been growing so fast. We are going to try to post every two weeks to keep friends and family posted on the goings ons. Greg high jacked our camera for work so I can't upload new pictures at this time but I will next week. We can't wait to share some pictures with all of you soon!!!

Good Luck to all the impending births!!!

P.S. For all our cruise buddies of '09...No freaking way Rue McClanahan died.

Long Time...No post

2010-05-15T08:38:00.010-04:00

Addison being adorable

Addy and Daddy (Love the hair!)

Sorry for the delay in our postings. Life has gotten ahead of us. We have been so busy with work and taking care of our little girl. Also, Sorry that the Blog was on private. I have had a bit of family drama and put the Blog on private. I could be writing all day about it. In a nut shell, My mother who is (was) a wonderful woman has decided NOT to contact me or acknowledge the fact that I have a Daughter. It is unfair that she is checking the Blog for updates on our lives and Addison. She hasn't bothered to call or email. So, I have decided to say to the hell with it. I don't think it is fair for everyone else to suffer again for her behavior. So I have put the blog on public access. It is so crazy how someone has so much hate for their child and their Innocent adorable grand child is the one that suffers. Thank god we have tons of support from other family and friends. My Mother used to be the most loving and supportive woman. However, That has all changed in these past 5 years. I am not sure if the problem is that I am gay or what it is. Let's just say that Mothers day was a tough day this year. I have decided not to call (She never answers the phone anyway) or send flowers. So hopefully now she knows what it feels like to be ignored. It is just so hurtful to me that my own mother has turned her back on me. I Swear Addison, I will never do that to you EVER!

So That is why the Blog was put on private. Sorry for those who emailed wanting access. It will be on public from here on out I promise. OK, Enough of the drama.

These past two weeks have been full of great memories. Addison had her first Doctors appointment and that went well. However, they did not get enough Blood for the PKU. We have to get that re-done this week. :( Sorry Addy, Another stick in the heel. My Aunt and Uncle brought Riley and Tex home from their 2 month vacation. The dogs were at my aunt's house while we were in India. She took such great care of them. Aunt Carol could not wait to get her hands on Addison. They were here for the entire week. During this week we were able to spend time together and she held Addison every chance she got. It was so nice having her here. She not only took care of Addison but she also cleaned and did laundry! We also took time to do a tour of DC and the marina in Annapolis MD. Cande (Rob's mom) Invited Aunt Carol and uncle Bill over for dinner. We spent the afternoon at Rob's Parents eating and getting to know each other. I know Addy can't wait to see them again. It was very hard for them leave to go back home.

Greg and Aunt Carol in Front of The White House

Addison in her New Swing from Aunt Carol and Uncle Bill

Uncle Bill In front of Fed-Ex Feild. Go SKINS!! (Ok, Just Kidding)

Rob and I are back to work in full swing. The nanny is here for three days a week and I work from home the other two days. Thank goodness my boss allows me to work from home. However, I don't get much work done but at least I make an attempt. ;) Addison has changed so much in these 6 weeks. She is getting to be a big girl. We have retired from Newborn diapers and now onto level 1. Also, she is taking 4oz every 4 hours. She is also sleeping more at night. We only do two feedings a night! We already have some clothes that no longer fit her. :( We have finally got the routine down here at home. We get up in the morning and do a feeding and get dressed then Addy naps while daddy gets ready. Then the Nanny comes. When we get home we eat dinner and have play time. We go upstairs for a bath around 7:30pm and we feed and read a book. Addy is in bed by 8:30. She will wake up around 12:30a for her feeding. She then will sleep til around 4:00am. The worst part is that she wakes up at 6:30am everyday. Even on the weekends :( That is ok because she is so happy when she wakes up. It is such a wonderful feeling to wake up and see her happy self.

Dad is Reading to Addy before bed

The Doctors send me a text almost daily. They always want a picture of Addison and to see how she is doing. It is so nice that they still check in on us. We are so thankful that they will be a part of Addison's life from here on out. We are trying to coordinate a time to Skype with our Surrogate. We just want to tell her again how thankful we are and make sure she is doing ok. We will just be skyping with the two of us. It may be hard for her to see Addison. However, our SM is still asking about us and said she wants to Skype. She is such a kind hearted person.

That is all that has been going on so far. I promise that I will try to Blog more often. Happy belated Mother's Day to all of you!!

album 04\25\2010 (331 photos, 6 videos), by greg blosser

2010-04-25T15:46:00.002-04:00

Check out all of our fun pictures from last weeks of our trip.
Click here to view photos

There is no place like home!

2010-04-25T06:44:00.024-04:00

We are home!! We left Mumbai late on Thursday and arrived in Newark Friday Morning. We then took a train to Baltimore. Addison did great on the way home. She was only fussy for a minute on the Plane. All the Flight attendants ooohed and awwwed over her. Who wouldn't? We gave her a bottle for take off and landing and she handled it better than her Daddy. We are trying to get Addison and ourselves into a routine. This is a whole new environment for her and time zone. While we were in Mumbai, Addison was a night owl. She would be up all night fussy and not sleeping. Oddly enough, she has the same night owl time here in the US. She has had a little colic the last week. Dr. Yash gave us some drops to help with gas. The drops helped Addison so much. We also had our first trip to Target with her yesterday. We bought her more drops, some pants, diapers, and a clock for her room. Of course, she slept through the whole visit. Don't Worry Addy, your daddies love Target and there will be plenty more visits. Addy Getting on Plane Addy on Plane Welcome to the USA Baby girl!!! First time in car seat! On our way home WELCOME HOME!!!! WOW!! This bed is all for me? Sure beats the Hotel bed :) We were so worried that she wouldn't sleep in her crib. She slept in the bed with us in Mumbai. The docs gave us a travel bed but Addison didn't want any part of it. We were worried that we set ourselves up to have her in the bed with us for many years to come. Thankfully, she loves her crib. We have been putting her in the crib for naps so she can get used to it. We have started our evening routine with the nighttime bath, feeding, and reading her a book. She is so relaxed after her baths. We both start back to work tomorrow. We have had 2 days to get over the jet lag. Let's hope our first days back won't be too rough on us. Even though we are home and loving every minute of it, we can't help but miss our extended family back in Mumbai. Everyone was so great us. I want to take the time to thank everyone Dr. Sudhir, Dr. Yash, Dr. Soni, Dr. Bajal, The staff at Hiranandani Hospital, Amit, Vickas, Ajjit, Pentu, Kumar and the lovely staff at the Novotel. They say it takes a village to raise a child and they are right. We could not have gotten this far without all the above people. Thank you so much for everything. We will miss all of you and can't wait to see you in Mumbai on our next visit. I would like to also say that if you are planning your trip to mumbai you need to contact Amit Kulkarni. He was so helpful to us and made sure that every single need of ours was met. We have a couple of friends who went through another clinic and had nobody to help them with anything. I phoned Amit and he took great care of them and their 2 boys. He will get you the best deal at a great hotel. He will ask what you are looking for in a Hotel and give you a couple of choices and makes it happen. He is able to help you no matter what your clinic may be. What a Great Guy! His contact number is email: amit@exploreindya.net. I also want to add that the drivers (Vikas, Ajjit, Kumar and Pentu) were very kind and helpful. They were able to get us where we needed to be no matter how busy they were. Whether we were going to the office or to the Hospital or the US consulate or Sightseeing they were always there for us. It was so nice to have someone take us around and know where we need to be and not have to answer 50 questions. (Why are you here?, Wheres the mommy?, where you from?) They will take you wherever you need or want to go. It was also nice because we were able to trust our bags with them as well. We have gotten to know all of them and I must say they are all a wonderful group of men. If you are on your way to Mumbai you will want to call them. Vikas 91 993 066 7736. Rob and Greg on a Camel!! We had so much fun on our last days in mumbai. Our WONDERFUL doctors took us to a Village where they had Folk dancers, Pottery making, Puppet shows, and great food. Rob and I even Rode a Camel. How cool is that? We went to the Village with our Best Friends Johnny and Darren. I guess you could say that Noah and Addison had a great time on their date too. Johnny, Dr. Yash, Rob, and I got Henna Tattoos!! It was such a great time for all of us. We also took a ride on wagon pulled by a bullock. It was so great to get away from the city and go out into the country side of Mumbai. The Doctors also took Rob and I shoe shopping and out to lunch. Can I just say that it is nearly impossible to find shoes when you wear a size 12!! We did find a great shoe store in South Mumbai. We also got to see the neighborhood where Dr. Yash grew up. It was great to see the park where she played and see her favorite spots. We went to lunch at the Leopold. As you know, it was hit by terrorist back in 2009. They still have the bullet holes in the walls. It was also a great time and great food too! Greg's Henna, It says "Addy". Rob's Henna. A fun design that goes from Index finger to wrist. Rob making something out of Pottery. A Puppet show. We bought a set of puppets so Addy can have them later. Greg and Rob and Darren and Sudhir on Camels. Welcome to the Village. Folk Dancing. This Dancer bent over and picked up a needle with her a eye! Yes!! a Needle! Rob has a gun! Run for cover!! We went back to the Hotel and said our goodbyes to the Doctors. They are part of our family now. It was so hard for us to say good bye. It was very emotional. They have been here for us over these 10 months and we love them. So we decided that it is not goodbye but a can't wait to see you again. We have talked to them everyday for so long and we are going to keep that tradition going. Only now it won't be about their days and Addison instead of "When is our next scan". LOL. THANK YOU Dr. Sudhir and Dr. Yash for our precious gift. I can't wait til she starts talking and will be able to Skype with Uncle Sud and Aunt Yash. You both are incredible!! The entire SI team has provided top notch care to us and many other couples. I think we get so caught up in everything that we sometimes forget to say THANK YOU!! You will always be a major part of Addison's life, as well as, Rob and I. We love you. Daddies with Uncle Sud and Aunt Yash I also want to say that it has been so hard having Addison in our arms and not being able to share the joy with our Surrogate. She has taken such good care of our little girl for so long. It is best that our SM didn't see Addison at first because of the psychological side of pregnancy. We are Skyping with her when she returns for her check up. Rob and I both can't wait. We did visit her in the Hospital and made sure she is doing fine til this day. We miss her smile and can't to say Thank you again. We wish her and her entire family well and hopefully one day we will meet her again. Ahhh. What has this parenthood done to me?? I can't even write a Blog post without tearing up. I know this is alot to read and I am sorry if I am boring you to death! We have alot to be thankful for. For everyone we have met along the way we want to say thank you. All the kind words and emails and phone calls. Please know that we are here for everyone whether you are just starting the process or in between or have your little one at home. We are so thankful to be a part of this huge extended family. Addison will be a month in 6 days! She shares her Birthday with Georg and Tristin. We also want to say that it was great meeting everyone and sharing our first weeks as parents together. Johnny and Darren and Noah we have been together in this journey from the get go. We had similar pregnancies and we are almost the same couple. It is so funny how well we get along. When the 6 of us got together it was like we have known each other for years. Can't wait for us to meet again. Addison can't wait to see Noah again and share a kiss. LOL. Sorry Blaze!! One thing lead to another and a kiss may have happened. I guess Rhonda, Gerry, and Blaze will have to make that trip to DC so Addison and Blaze can share moments too. Thats all for now. Enjoy these lovely pictures of our time in Mumbai. Love, Greg, Rob, and Addison

Just wanna go home!

2010-04-16T10:44:00.012-04:00

The days have been going, going, going...to where though we don't know. We are loving time being Daddies and Addison has been such a good lil' girl. Although we have become quite tired of the same few channels to watch. A person can only watch Baywatch Hawaii and Americas Funniest Home Videos so many times before going nuts. I did happen to catch Greg trying to do the Single Ladies Dance that the wonderful Miss Beyonce performed. (Thankfully, I saw this before he posted that video of me) Sorry Rob! Grammie arrived on Thursday the 8th and her and Addison have been getting acquainted and have become best buds. Also, we've had a chance to show Grammie about India. We did a tour of the Gateway, Laundry Stalls, Train Stations, a "Safari" tour. According to her, we have dragged poor Addy all over the place. We have even been lucky enough to watch a wedding parade from our hotel window.

Sorry Johnny!! Had to post this! We played a game where our spouses put straws in each others hair.

This past week we went to a party that the Doctors threw for all of us parents and babies. There was 7 babies there! It was great to get us all together for a lovely time and good food. We had to wear traditional Indian clothing.Addison got a beautiful Indian dress from the doctors. She looks so cute in it. So we got to play dress up as well!! Addison also had her naming ceromony. Her Indian name is Tanesha. It means jewel in hindi. Dr. Sudhir said he would name his daughter this if he has a daughter. Also, There is a certain young man that was trying to get fresh with my daughter! Yes, Noah and Addison were getting a little too close thanks to Dr. Yash. I am sorry Rhonda and Blaze. Dr. Yash set the whole thing up. It is all her fault!

We also got to see Tigers and Monkeys and Caves in North Mumbai. We have been in the hustle and bustle of the city for 2 weeks. So it was nice to get out and see the country side. We had a blast! The monkeys were so cute!!

This week is more waiting. We are able to leave Mumbai now but there is no flights out. We have tried and tried to get a flight. So we are here for another 6 days. Enjoy some photos.

Monkey!!! Soo cute.

White Tiger

Addison in her safari outfit

One Week In A Nutshell....

2010-04-08T08:33:00.004-04:00

WOW! Addison is one week old. I can't believe it! So much has happened this week. Well, from what we remember. I guess your body really does need 8 hours of sleep to function. We have been taking turns at night with feedings and changes. However, When Addy is crying and then other one wakes up and here we are both awake taking care of her. We are getting about 6 hours of sleep a night now.

We also had our 1 week check up with the Pediatrician. Everything is going well and her eating and weight gain are all normal. We did have a blocked tear duct but after cleaning and warm compresses, that has gone away. Also, Other big news is that Addy's umbilical Cord fell off! I was changing her and went to move it out of the way and off it came. I have to admit I was a little freaked out but I got over it quick. I took some alcohol wipes and cleaned it up and put a bandage on it.

We also had the appointment with the US Consulate. This part of the exit process is NOT difficult. It is basically just applying for a passport. The hardest part is getting all the paperwork you need. We were lucky enough to have the help of other IP's and the Doctors. We had everything ready to go before we even arrived in India. The photographer came to the Hospital and took Addison's passport photo. Our appointment was 9am and they will NOT let you in prior to 15 minutes before. Also, it is very tight security so only take what you need. I had to eat Similac because they have never seen the travel packets. So I had to taste it. Of course we went the day after the US Consulate in Pakistan was bombed. We were a little flipped out but we got through it. The staff there was very friendly and helpful. They even asked if we were partners and wanted to meet Addison. This was all done at the Passport window. There was NO DNA test. As long as you prove the Swimmers and transfer then you will not be required to take the DNA test. So, dont mention it. The Passport will be available 7-10 business days. Once we get that back then we can go apply for the Visa.

Cande (Rob's Mom) will be joining us here in Mumbai tonight. She will be here to help out with taking care of Addison. We are pro's at this now. It may just be a vacation for her. :) Today, we went to see the Doctors at the clinic. We had a great time as always. The Times of India did a story on Surrogacy and the three of us are in it!! We will be on the front page of Sunday's paper. We have become local celebs here in Mumbai. OK, Addison has became a celeb. Everyone wants to hold her and wants to see her. The MS India pageant is going on here at the Hotel. Even Ms. India wanted to see Addison and Ms. India wanted to eat my chocolate cake! She is on a strict diet though. She is pretty and skinny. I say eat the whole cake! Other than that it has been a week of relaxing and enjoying every moment our little daughter. We do have more photos. They will be posted once they upload.

Congrats again to all of us here in Mumbai!!! We are waiting for Johnny and Darren to get here already!!!

Addison's First Days (67 photos), by greg blosser

2010-04-06T10:34:00.002-04:00

br/>Click here to view photos

3\28-3\30 (33 photos), by greg blosser

2010-04-05T03:15:00.001-04:00

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

Our First Easter!!

2010-04-04T11:45:00.010-04:00

Our First picture with the Easter Bunny!

Happy Easter everyone! This Easter peter cottontail left something special in our basket. That was our little baby girl. We are here in Mumbai during this Holiday. So the Doctors wanted to make sure it was special for us. They took us out to Brunch and it was a great time and great food. We were joined by Arnon & Dan and their twins along with Dans mom. Here some photos from this special time. We will always remember this Easter! All the children had an Easter egg hunt and there was this huge chocolate egg in the entry way of the Hotel. Yes it is real chocolate on the outside. Addison slept through most of brunch but at least we have pictures to help her remember. Thank you Dr. Sudhir and Dr. Yash for making us a part of your family!

Our Easter outfit

The Giant Chocolate egg! (sorry the picture won't roatate)

Addison just loves Dr. Sudhir and Dr. Yash

Our Handmade ducks for dessert. Aren't they cute?

We hope all of you enjoyed your holiday. Don't eat too much candy!!

We are Discharged and sharing a couple photo's.

2010-04-03T10:56:00.011-04:00

Addison and Daddies leaving the Hospital

We have been discharged from the Hospital after 3 days of being there. Addison did well and is healthy as a horse! Her weight was 6lbs and 2oz. When we left she weighed 6lbs 1oz. Babies lose about 6oz after birth. She only had minimal Jaundice. So we put her in the sun at the Hospital and back here at the Hotel. The Hospital had alot of births and they are full. Thankfully, We were able to get a room. The funny part about the Hospital is that we could have done everything they were doing back here at the Hotel. They provided excellent care and was very accommodating. The best part is that they let you do the feedings and baths. It was helpful to Rob and I because we really weren't experienced in that department. You will LOVE the staff on the fourth floor. They all fell in love with Addison too. We will follow up with the pediatrician on Thursday. Addison slept the whole way home from the Hospital. I almost pee myself when in the car here in Mumbai and she just slept through the stopping and starting and horn blowing. She did have a dirty diaper when we got to the Hotel so maybe just kept her eyes closed the whole time. hehe. We are now used to driving but I was expecting her to cry the whole way here.

All snapped in and ready to hit the streets of Mumbai

Back here at the Hotel things are going well. We are taking turns feeding and changing and waking up. We set an alarm for the night time feedings. Otherwise, we would sleep right through them. Addison is such a precious angel. She doesn't really get fussy too much. The hardest part is trying to figure out what she is wrong. We figured out that either she is hungry, dirty, cold or hot. We have seen changes in her already!! I know! I know! She is only 3 days old. But.. She is started to hold her head and grabbing things. She also has found her nose, ears, eyes and of course her mouth. Her fingers are all over the place. Addison is eating like a horse! She is on 30-40ml every 2.5 hours. She is just like her daddies in that department. ;)

Don't I look like a baby doll?

This week is going to be filled with excitement. Tomorrow, we are going to Easter brunch with the Docs. They know that we are away from home and want to make sure we celebrate. What an awesome first Easter for Addison! Dr. Sudhir and Dr. Yash are so thoughtful! We have our appointment with the US consulate on Tuesday at 9am. We were lucky and got right in. I hear now they are booked out 3 weeks. Also, Cande (Rob's mom) arrives in Mumbai Tuesday night. She is flying over to help out. Then we have the arrival of Johnny and Darren! It will be so nice to put a name with a face. We are very excited to meet them. I think we are the same people. Our experience has been parallel to theirs.

My First feeding

I would also like to share a funny story. We came across a couple at the Hospital who is using another clinic. They just wanted to say they knew who we are and thanked us for all of our post on this Blog. I was in shock! I have came to realize that there are so many people who know us and our story but we don't know them or their story. It made my day that they approached me to say Thank You. When we first started this blog, we had no idea what we were doing. We just wanted it to be documentation of this journey. It has turned out to be such a great tool to not only help others but to also meet so many people from all over the world. The Indian Surrogacy group has certainly expanded since we first started. We are so Thankful for all your support and love.

Sunbathing by the pool. Only 10 minutes though

Sorry for the delay in our updates. Things have been a little hectic around here. We went from rushing to the Hospital to meeting our angel to feedings and paperwork and getting the room to no sleep. So the computer stayed in the case until the next day. We have been waiting for this birth for so long and when it happened it was so exciting and we were trying to take it all in.

Hope you enjoy the photos :)

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!!

2010-04-01T05:17:00.006-04:00

We would like to take time to say thank you to everyone for all of your love and support. It means so much to the both of us. We wouldn't be here right now without leaning on everyone for advice, support, and kindness. We would also want to thank our wonderful Doctors. Dr. Sudhir and Dr. Yash has been so great to us. They now are there for Addison. We know now why we chose SI. I can't say enough about how great they take care of us. Lastly, Rob and I would like to Thank our lovely Surrogate. There is no words that describe how we feel about her right now. She has had Addison for 9 months and took great care of her the whole time. This takes one hell of a person to alter your lifestyle to carry a baby that you will not be raising on your own. We have gone upstairs to see her a couple of times. She is in good spirits and is very happy for us. WOW!! It has only been 1 day since we met Addison and Both of us can't imagine her not being in our lives. Just writing that makes me tear up! She is right here in my arms. You know Rob and I were both sobbing before we entered the room to first see our precious girl. Once we entered, we both broke down. That emotion was something I have never experienced before. It may have been the looooong ride to the Hospital. It really wasn't long but it sure did seem like an eternity.

Our first night was a little rough. We did wonderful though. The rough part was figuring out who was going to sleep and who was going to feed. We each felt guilty about not helping the other and hate to see her cry. It broke our hearts when they gave her a Vitamin K shot. She doesn't really cry alot. She has only had one meltdown so far. She is eating 30cc (1 ounce) every 2-2.5 hours. So, she has a big appetite just like her daddies!!

We have already turned into one of those parents. You know the ones that can't put her down or wake up just to make sure she is breathing. As I lay here I think about the life she is going to have. What an amazing journey!! We would do it all over again if we could. I think we will be waiting awhile ;)

Thanks again to all of you!! It was so nice to wake up and see all of your kind emails, comments, and Skype chats. Again, Thank you to Our Doctors and SI team for making this happen and to our lovely surrogate who will always hold a special place in our hearts forever. As well as her family!! We have met her Mother and her Husband and little boy. Her Husband stopped by the room to check on us today! How amazing is that!

Congrats!! To all of our Birth Buddies!! SI had three babies yesterday! So it was a busy day for everyone. Its so funny because not only have we met new friends but Addison shares her Birthday with George and Tristin!! I have to say that George and Tristin are the cutest little boys. They were all three in the NICu crying and talking about how strange their parents are. It was great to share our first feedings with all of them. Congrats parents!!

We will post more photos when we can keep both eyes open!!

Introducing.....Baby Girl, Addison Claire!!!

2010-03-31T07:17:00.006-04:00

Well the day has finally arrived. Addison Claire Blosser born at 08:05AM on 3/31/10. Approximately 2.8 kgs or 6 lbs 1 oz. Not sure on the length. But she was healthy, happy, and has all fingers and toes. We slept little last night, awaking once to a random phone call to our SI cell phone and then again at 6 AM to an imaginary phone call to the hotel room.(Yes Daddy Greg was imagining that the phone rang). So since we were up we went and starred at the Arabian Sea and had a nice early breakfast. We showered and then got a call from Dr. Sudhir to get to the hospital right away. We called the driver, which seemed like an eternity to arrive(poor Vicka, he was actually on time). We had long anxious ride over to the hospital. We arrived and met smiling Dr.Sudhir and he took us to Dr. Yash. We walked into a room and kept asking if she had been delivered and they just smiled. As we came around into the empty room we saw our bright, shinning baby girl laying in the corner in the baby bed.(not sure what the real term is) The baby came quickly once labor began early this AM. We went for our first feeding in the NICU and have since had 2 more and are waiting for the next one shortly. She is eating very well already. They were waiting to get us a room so she stayed in the NICU until we got a room this afternoon. We are staying here at the hospital through Friday, when she'll be assessed for discharge.

Bring on the photos:

More to come....(after some rest, or with a mid-night feeding)

We are in LABOR!!

2010-03-30T12:43:00.002-04:00

We just got back from meeting with Dr. Soni and visiting our Sm in the Hospital. She is in Labor and will be delivering in the next 12 hours. AHHH!! Dr. Soni says things are going well and our SM is doing well with being induced. We got to touch the baby bump again. This time it was soft and we could feel the butt and foot!! So the baby is head first!!! I am sure there will be no sleep tonight. We have our hospital bag packed and will be arriving there tomorrow morning if not sooner. We hope to stay at the Hospital but right now that it is up in the air. It seems the hospital has no rooms available. Everyone is having babies there this week. So we will see what happens. Sorry for the delay in posting but it has been a bit crazy here in Mumbai. We be posting info and pictures as soon as we can.

Almost!!

2010-03-29T11:59:00.002-04:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know that our Surrogate is in the Hospital and Dr. Soni is inducing labor tomorrow (Tuesday). So we are looking at the birth tomorrow or Wednesday. Hope she is not in labor too long. Poor girl! We want it to quick and easy for her as she has sacrificed so much already. We have packed our Hospital suitcase and waiting got the call. We will keep all of you posted. Thank you for your kind words and keeping us in your thoughts.

There will be no sleep tonight!! I can feel it. :)

BIG DAY!!

2010-03-28T20:42:00.003-04:00

It is 6:20am here in Mumbai. I have been up for 2 hours!! Our SM is being admitted to the Hospital today. They will either Induce today or hold off til tomorrow or Wednesday. The excitement has taken my ability to sleep away. I know we should be sleeping alot now becuase when the baby arrives, there will be no sleep. We do take cat naps at the pool. However, There are these crazy big, loud, scary birds at the pool in the afternoons. So, there is no nap during that time. I was attacked by a bird once and ever since then they freak me out. Today we are packing our suitcase to take with us to the hospital. We will be staying there until the baby is discharged. Its funny because we packed our suitcases just to pack again. We are on way to pig out on breakfast. This Hotel has a huge breakfast buffet that is inluded. So we get the big waffles and the pastries and always have a big bowl of cereal. After that, we will take a stroll on Juhu beach and eagerly wait for the Doctors to call our handy dandy cell phone that they provided for us. We will keep you posted on any news.

Baby Daddies!

2010-03-27T23:27:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to throw in a picture of us from yesterday!

Mumbai life

2010-03-27T20:31:00.004-04:00

The day started off by getting up super early. I guess when you sleep for 20 some hours on a plane that will do it to you. Then we went down for the breakfast buffet. It was amazing! They had a huge variety of items to choose from. We each had the usual and tried some new things. We came back to the room because we were expecting a call from Dr. Sudhir. They called just before 8am. I answered and Dr. Yash said "Good Morning papa greg" haha that made my day. Rob and I went spent the next 3 hours at the pool. It was great!!

We arrived at the Doctors office at 3:30 pm and all kinds of memories returned. I may not know what I did yesterday but I remember this office and what was around it. It was funny because I even remember the little corner store that is now a Bank. Last year, we were new to India so I wanted to take it all in. When we arrived we were greated with open arms from the doctors. It was so nice be back here. We spoke with them nearly everyday so it was good to see them. We also brought a couple of gifts for our Surrogate and her family as well the doctors. We want to show our apprecation for everyones hard work. We chatted for a while and then our SM came to say hi. She is so beautiful! Her smile will light up the room. Finally, we get to feel the baby bump. I think I felt that bump about 10 times. I can't begin to tell you how nice it was to touch something that we have so eagerly been waiting to do. Our SM says that the baby kicks and punches at night. So the baby was sleeping when we were touching it. So, the good news is that we are on opposite time zones. So night time here is day time back home. Maybe this baby will sleep at night after all. Ok wishful thinking!! We also got to meet our SM's son and her mother. Her little boy is 9 just came in the room with pride and smiled and shook our hands. WOW! He is such a gentleman. Just like his father. It was so great to show him the little gifts we brought him. Her family is very supportive. Our SM's husband is also a great guy. He tells our SM "you take care of their baby and I will take care of ours" Isn't that awesome? WOW! We are so thankful she has that kind of support. Next, SM's mom comes in. She is also a beautiful woman with a pretty smile and a great presence. I feel like I have known her for years. You can just tell she was a great mother just by the way she spoke and looked at her daughter and grandson. She told us that she had to meet us. She wanted to put a face with a name. We also told her that she has raised our hero. We could see a tear in her eye as we told her how thankful we were for SM and that she has raised the most kind hearted and comapassionate person. She hugged us and they went back to SM's room. The doctors met us and another couple for dinner in Juhu. It was alot of good food and good times. It is so nice to be back here and see our SI family again.

Our SM will be going to the Hospital on Monday for her check up. If things are looking good then they will try to induce labor. If her BP stays normal, they will deliver normally but if she shows any issues with BP they will schedule a C-section. We are expecting a delivery sometime this week. So keep your fingers crossed that all goes well. We will keep you posted as things happen.

Welcome To Mumbai!!

2010-03-26T22:24:00.002-04:00

We have finally made it Mumbai. Everything is going well. The Novotel is super nice and we got a great view. No news on the baby yet. We are meeting the doctors and our surrogate today. We are off the breakfast becasue these daddies are hungry!! We will find out today when the birth is most likely to take place. We are both excited to see everyone again. We can't wait to feel the baby kicking in our SM's belly. We will keep all of you posted as things progress

Planes, Trains, Automobiles and RIGSHAWS!! Off to Mumbai

2010-03-24T05:57:00.003-04:00

We have made it! We will be boarding a train tomorrow morning to Newark NJ. Then getting on the plane to Mumbai. Everyone is doing great! So we will be there for the birth! We have been so worried that we wouldn't be there for the birth. Well, all of that worrying has paid off. This pregnancy has gone so smoothly. We couldnt have asked for better results. We Skyped witht he doctors this morning. We will be arriving there on Friday. We will go to the clinic on Saturday and meet with them and our SM. She will be admitted to the Hospital on Monday or so. She is doing great and in such good spirits. Her belly has grown so much. We can't put into words how we feel right now. We are both just thankful that everything has been smooth and can't wait to meet our little one.

Thank you so much to everyone for your kind emails and calls. We are overwhlemed with love and support from everyone. We will keep you updated as things progress. The next post will be pictures of our new addition to our family. :)

Love,

Greg and Rob

9 Months!! Countdown to India 3 days!!

2010-03-21T07:39:00.005-04:00

Happy Dance

We are officially 9 months pregnant!! Everything is going so smoothly. Our SM is going to be admitted to the Birthing Hospital on Tuesday or Wednesday. We leave for Mumbai on Thursday and arrive Friday. We should be there before the birth. This makes us both very happy. We were staying at the JW marriott. However, they have lots of construction going on right now. We got in touch with Amit and he got us a great deal at Novotel. We wanted to have an outdoor pool area and a place to walk around outside. We were thinking about the VITS but there wasn't an outdoor pool. If anyone is planning a trip to Mumbai I would strongly recommend Amit. He can't get what you need for the right price.

We are ready to go!! I think we are fully packed. Nothing like taking 6 suitcases on a trip. Yes SIX!!! Most of our affairs in order here at home. Thanks to family and friends for looking out for us and our pets while we are gone. The paperwork is printed and all of our documents have been gathered. We each have 3 days of work left and last minute errands. We are doing the family thing today.I think it is great that we can lean on each other to get answers and to see how the process works. Todd and Alper have been so helpful to us with the Exit process. They have twin boys back in January. Oh are they adorable!! Thanks Todd for your help. We will keep you posted as things progress. Thanks for all of your kind words and support during this pregnancy. We couldn't have gotten through it without you.

Congrats to Stella and Moses on their positive results!!