Who is this?
When I met Samantha’s Couple, I knew who their Surrogate Mom would be. The similarity in these two women’s personality was uncanny. And the husbands had an instant connection too! Chris took them out to dinner for their initial meeting and after several hours she excused herself to go home. This group was having so much fun, she was sure it was not going to end soon. And it didn’t! The fun continued for many, many more months to come. I didn’t realize until later, that another similarity these two girls had was their voice! I always got it wrong. “Sam?” “No, it’s Pam” and vice versa. So, I would always have to ask, “Who is this?” And then wonder for a moment if they were pulling my leg!
The good times continued and before we knew it December was upon us. As we neared the due date, December 18, the Couple and their families became so eager for the baby’s arrival. Pam’s sister & mother decided to come out and wait for the delivery as it would be at any moment…..right? Well, no. As that date passed and Christmas was approaching quickly, the extended family had to travel home and await the news of the birth by telephone. We were sure we would be in the hospital on Christmas, but that day passed too. We all finally gave up on trying to figure out when the delivery would occur and resigned ourselves to being induced later that week. We spoke on Christmas Day and Samantha said she was disappointed as she wanted to call everyone in the wee hours of the morning and exclaim that labor had begun. Well, on December 26 in the wee hours of the morning, I got a call from Samantha and she said, “Guess what??” I couldn’t believe it! She sounded so excited on the phone, but she didn’t sound like she was having much labor pain so I thought I had plenty of time to get to the hospital in San Diego. I took a shower, did my hair (I knew there would be a camera!) and as I was driving down to San Diego I get a call from Samantha’s husband, Tristan, asking where I was because Samantha was trying desperately not to deliver without me. Again I was shocked, not only did her labor begin on it’s own, but it progressed quicker than any other labor she had had before! Needless to say, I raced to the hospital, parked in the emergency room physician’s parking area and ran upstairs. With only a few minutes to spare, I made it in time to capture the intense emotion of the delivery experience on film. I still get tears in my eyes when I think about that day or look at the pictures.
So, finally on December 26, Chase Maxwell, was born weighing exactly 9lbs!
