Helton Baby: Surrogacy Success

This baby is almost 3!

2012-01-30T20:40:00.001-08:00

Apologies for my lacking in updating this blog. Most of you are on Facebook anyway, and I post at least a dozen pics a day of Jude. ;) This little/big boy is almost 3! He is loving preschool at West End United Methodist Church, 2 days a week. He is boisterous, noisy, sweet, very smart and precocious! He is into dinosaurs, thomas the train (still), Diego, and also seems to be musical...he accompanies himself on piano to Twinkle, Twinkle.

2011-04-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

The little monkey Jude has grown by leaps & bounds! His legs are losing some of that sweet baby chunkiness and getting longer by the day, it seems. He is a very smart 2 year old, knows the alphabet & numbers (up to 14) :) He is very aware and alert-always pointing out letters on signs when we are out & about. In church Sunday, he was reading the letters off the banners on the wall to his Meme. He loves reading books, his trains, art class, and being outside is his favorite thing. When I lay him down to bed at night, I tell him how much he is loved and think to myself what an honor and privilege it is to raise this beautiful boy and get to spend every day with him.

2011-02-03T03:38:00.000-08:00

little buck-a-roo

2011-02-03T03:28:00.001-08:00

Jude is quickly approaching 2 years old! His little personality is really shining through-he makes us laugh a lot! I found him the hallway last week in his Thomas the Train pajamas and my boots. Just had to share this photo! Also Daddy teaching him to play golf, or "gock" as Jude calls it. It goes without saying he is absolutely the greatest gift in our lives. I almost forgot to mention this: we went to a casting about 3 weeks ago for a new Darius Rucker country music video. They just took Jude's pic while we were there. The director Trey Fanjoy, who has directed some huge videos on CMT, cast Jude! He did an excellent job...the setup was an actual living room in a loft apartment on Church St. There were toys to play with, and a tricycle to ride. He didn't cry, freak out, or have any kind of issue; he was just such a little pro! Meme and I were in Jude's entourage: I knew if he had some kind of breakdown, Meme could settle him down if I couldn't. The video, song "This", should be out in the next couple weeks on CMT. Aunt Lisa ran into the director, however, and she said the label was making her do some re-shoots. Its possible he won't be in it much, or at all. But surely they couldn't delete such cuteness as Jude is.

2011-01-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

We just returned from an incredible trip to Martha's Vineyard. Though it was a hassle taking 2 planes, a bus, a ferry, and a taxi just to get there, it was well worth it. The island is amazing, quaint, charming, and beautiful. Jude loved it-he is the world's greatest traveling baby!

Jude Fall 2010

2010-11-05T07:39:00.001-07:00

I am thankful to my Aunt Marilyn who reminds me to update this blog w/ new Jude pics :)
So for Happy Halloween, Jude was originally going as Elmo (not our cousin Elmo, the red Sesame Street muppet) but Aunt Lisa found this adorable cow costume!

2010-09-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to share these newest photos of Jude I took yesterday at the park. He is becoming such a little boy! And no...I am not cutting those curls.

Jude Loving Summertime!

2010-07-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

Happy July everybody!

2010-06-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

Jude is officially mobile! Right before his 15 month birthdate, he started walking. He is a very active, happy fella. We had an impromptu trip to NYC a few weeks ago for J.Crew to "interview" him for a potential ad. Looks like he didn't get it, but we had so much fun!

2010-06-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

New pics of Jude for my Aunt Marilyn :)

2010-04-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

2010-03-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Spring Day in Nashville, at Dragon Park. Baby Jude loves being outside, in the grass..sometimes I'll catch him just staring up at the blue sky. I love those moments. He is just taking this world in.

Happy 1st Birthday, Jude!

2010-02-25T16:48:00.000-08:00

Our sweet baby boy turned one on 2/23/10!

Almost One Year Old!

2010-02-01T18:58:00.001-08:00

We cannot believe in 3 weeks our bouncing baby boy will be one year old!

2010-01-18T07:50:00.000-08:00

Jude is crawling everywhere, and pulling up onto everything! He now waves bye, hi, claps his hands, and does this cool sort of jazz hands action. He just switched from formula to whole milk. Its hard to believe this little miracle will be one year old next month!

2009-12-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Everything!!!

2009-12-03T15:41:00.000-08:00

Jude had fun on his first beach trip! He giggled at the seagulls and waves.

2009-11-04T06:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween from Jude the Lion!

Jude is 7 months old!

2009-10-10T22:14:00.001-07:00

We are finding it hard to believe this sweet baby boy is already 7 months old! I am posting a few recent pics including his panel shots. Jude is sitting up really well, eating great, and still a very happy boy. Watching him learn new things, and develop is really fascinating! He is very aware of every single thing that happens around him, very observant...which really isn't much of a surprise since he came out eyes wide open, looking around! He is weighing in at 22 lbs. He is absolutely the joy of our lives.

2009-08-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

Happy 6 months birthday, Jude! He is now 19 lbs 12 oz.

Jude's in Conceive Magazine!

2009-07-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

Cami & I had the good fortune of blogging for Conceive Magazine. They are honoring our success story this month, complete with a picture of Jude! You can access it online, by following the link to July/August digital issue, and scrolling thru to page 10. The photographer is the excellent Mandy Johnson, located here in Nashville. We have the same pic in 16X20 over our fireplace; we love it!
http://conceiveonline.com/digital-issues/

2009-07-17T05:32:00.000-07:00

Jude has been very busy at 4 months! He has learned to grab his feet, reach for things (specifically Mommy's hair), grabbing, eating cereal from a spoon, and as of last night, rolling over! At his 4 month checkup he weighed 18 lbs. 1 oz. He laughs a lot, and generally seems really content and just happy to be here!

Jude at 3 months

2009-06-17T07:24:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend Andrea took these amazing photos of Jude!

2009-05-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

New Jude pics!

Jude & cousins Eli & Ruby 5/01/09

2009-05-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

9.5 weeks!

2009-05-01T12:50:00.001-07:00

2009-04-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

2009-04-23T09:10:00.001-07:00

2009-04-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was beautiful! Jude & I had our first "picnic" in the front yard, with a bottle of formula and a glass of chardonnay. You can guess who drank what ;) Anyway, I was looking down at him, looking up at me smiling, and I broke down crying pure tears of joy. So happy that he is here with us, so thrilled he exists!! It was amazing watching him take in the beauty of the blue skies, green trees and grass. Oh to view the world thru the eyes of an infant...So when Daddy got home he took some pictures.

2009-04-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

For those readers of this blog who are not on Facebook, here are some recent pics of our handsome boy. And yes....he is sleeping thru the night at 7 weeks ;) We are blessed!!!

2009-03-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

I am SO glad I didn't know just how incredible, awesome, magnificent having Jude would be because I wouldn't have been able to bear it, to bear the burden of the wait. He is a life-changer, and I realize how lonely the days were before he arrived. Now I have a buddy to hang out with all day! And he's really chilled out, happy to be held, and God has blessed us.

2009-03-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

I am looking at the sweetest thing I have ever seen: an 11.5 lb. baby with a twinkle in his eye, happy, healthy, content, and I still cannot believe he is here! Here is a link to his "first date" with the lovely 8 month-old Stella Rose Jordan. http://theyoungjordans.blogspot.com/
Also, his newborn photos were taken by Mandy Johnson when he was 6 days old:
http://mandyjohnsonphotography.com/blog/
Her work is simply amazing, and I cannot recommend her enough! Jude will be featured in an upcoming issue of Conceive magazine also ~
Suffice it to say, I am head over heels in love with this boy, and I am so glad we didn't miss out on this...all our love and gratitude to Cami!

2009-03-03T15:36:00.000-08:00

Happy 1 week birthday, baby Jude!

Jude - one day old

2009-03-02T18:24:00.000-08:00

Here is sweet baby Jude at 1 day old, adjusting to life in front of flashing cameras, which I am sure to him seem nonstop ;) He is a really good baby, sleeping for 4 hours at a time now, eating 3 oz. every 4 hours. He seems pretty "chill" as nurse Brenna said, and only gets frustrated during clothes/diaper changes, or when hungry. Quite simply, Jude rocks. He has rocked right out of his Newborn clothes, as all 10 lb. babies do, and I have already consigned them. Emotionally, all I know how to express in words is that Jude is the greatest gift, and we cannot imagine how we existed joyfully before him. I was telling Mom that if I had "designed" him, I couldn't have made him any sweeter, any cuter, any better.

Aunt Cami & Jude

2009-03-01T19:04:00.000-08:00

Welcome Jude Helton

2009-02-28T07:36:00.000-08:00

Jude Richardson Helton, our greatest blessing and miracle, arrived Monday night 11:54 pm February 23. Aunt Cami took castor oil, and Jude came 11 hours later! He is absolutely gorgeous! He weighed 10 lbs. 10 oz. and is 20.5 inches long. He's perfectly adorable, and no, I am not biased in the least ;)
We thank Cami, again, over and over for this most amazing gift.

Where is Jude?

2009-02-21T16:28:00.000-08:00

So...it appears that Jude is really enjoying his current home, warm & cozy, and prefers to stay, much to Aunt Cami's chagrin. He was due 2/19, but is not budging. I told Cami she must have a wonderful uterus that babies don't want to leave! She will be induced Tuesday 2/24 unless he decides to come beforehand. That is only 3 days from now! We are ecstatic, living on adrenaline, having our handyman finish up all of our house projects, so everything will be ready for baby. Emotionally it feels as if our race is nearing the finish line. We are blessed. We have been thru the ringer, and waited a long time, and our answered prayer is 72 hours away. Thank God for happy endings (and Cami!)

36 weeks!....but who's counting?

2009-01-20T15:56:00.000-08:00

We are on the homestretch now! 36 weeks down, 4 more to go! Dave & I are in baby-mode, baby-prep, baby-showers, baby-central and we are having a blast getting ready for our little boy to arrive. Cami is doing great, though I feel bad that Jude is apparently kicking her quite a bit! From now on, we have weekly Doctor Wingo visits, and he is always a riot and makes us laugh. As far as obstetricians go, he has our highest praise. He has literally been with me through over a decade of drama, surgeries & miscarriages alike. He has also been with Cami through Eli and Ruby's deliveries, and now Jude's. You get the feeling that he really cares, and I can't think of a better trait for a physician to have.
Cami & I did a live interview for Conceive Magazine this week. While I feel like it went very well, I did forget quite a bit of specifics from our infertility process. Cami was her calm, cool, and collected self...I was concerned I sounded too country! We go Feb. 4 to Metro Juvenile Court to officially adopt Jude! I cannot wait until he's older and we can tell him all of the things that had to happen to get him here. I'm posting a couple of pics of his nursery, which has been so fun to prepare!

2009-01-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

2009-01-07T05:36:00.001-08:00

Cami is 34 weeks pregnant! We are 34 weeks pregnant! Jude is approximately 4 pounds now, and moving around a lot. When Dr. Wingo listened to his heartbeat yesterday, he said he could also hear him in motion. Cami looks beautiful and has a cute little basketball bump! It is hard to believe Jude will be here in only 6 weeks. We are ready to meet this new little guy. I can't wait to see what he looks like, what his personality is like. I just can't wait to hold him. His room is ready though we are still waiting on his window shades. In every corner of our house, there is baby gear, whether a stroller, swing, car seat, bouncy seat. Cami is still debating whether or not to be induced. She had Eli & Ruby naturally, and prefers to do that with Jude since her body knows that routine. Some say induction increases a chance of C-section, and that is not a route she wants to go, understandably. This baby has acquired so many gifts, clothes, and we are blessed with four more showers before his birth! Jude is very wanted, very anticipated, and very loved.

2008-12-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

Suffice it to say Cami has had her share of comments from well-meaning folks inquiring about her pregnancy. But this week takes the cake as Eli was asked "Are you having a baby brother or baby sister?"!! To which, clearly, the answer is "neither." Cami interjected that "It's complicated." Surrogacy certainly has its moments of hilarity. Our ob said something along the lines of "Tell people you are having your brothers baby" as in no one in the South will be surprised. I have heard a lot recently on tv about surrogacy. I am so thankful, beyond thankful, that modern medicine provides these much-wanted babies like Jude to be born. It is still hard to believe that it worked! I know by now I should be "getting" that part since I can physically see Cami's belly, but it is so surreal, awesome, unimaginably great! I don't know why my dumb body refuses to "grow" babies, but I am ecstatic that an answer came thru Cami's love for us.
p.s. 8 months today!

2008-12-06T18:52:00.000-08:00

I felt baby Jude kicking tonight! Cami & I were sitting side by side, & I held my hands on her belly for a few minutes. I felt 3 little thumps, & she said, "Did you feel that?" She says he's very active...It is so hard to believe that our baby boy will be here in only 2 months!!! It's like a miracle that just keeps getting better; it doesn't stop. And I feel certain every tear we've shed, every ache, will be completely healed the instant Jude is in our arms.

2008-10-31T15:44:00.001-07:00

Six Months and Counting!...

So Cami is officially 6 months pregnant! She is doing great! Jude seems to be smaller than her babies; she has gained 6 lbs. less at this point than she did with her last baby. We are preparing his nursery, and realizing how little we actually know about newborns! We are going to take an Infant Care class at the hospital to learn all we can. The time is flying by; it is hard to believe he will be in here in 3 months or so!

2008-10-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

My baby got rhythm! Cami, John, & Eli went to a festival this weekend in N.C. & she said Jude was moving the whole time the bongo drums were playing!

2008-10-11T22:39:00.001-07:00

You know how you'll be reading something and it seems like it just speaks to you, and you re-read it a couple of times, and smile? I was reading Plan B by Anne Lamott and this sentence was so powerful to me: "When God wants to do something wonderful, He always starts with a hardship; when God wants to do something amazing, He starts with an impossibility" With Cami and Jude, God started with an impossibility, that I couldn't have a baby, and did something amazing, something that I could have never guessed would happen. That He would lead Cami to John, after all John had been thru, and then bless Dave and me with not only her beautiful presence, but her actual offering to have our baby. It is bizarre to think when I was going thru those miscarriages, God really did have an incredible plan that I could not see at the time. I wish He could have told me, from 1997-2007 that something truly awesome was coming. Who knows the reasons why He allows things to occur the way they do? Not me; I'm just glad He does work all things together for our good.

2008-10-07T11:37:00.001-07:00

The ladies in our family honored Cami with a luncheon at Martha's on Saturday~So much fun! I wanted to set aside one day to honor her for her amazing gift and many sacrifices she has made, as well as John, in order to bring Jude into this world~That's our beautiful Mom in the middle! (aka Jude's Meme)

Sweet baby boy

2008-10-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

2008-10-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

You can see the four chambers of his heart w/ blood flowing thru~ for Grandmother Brenda who works at Vandy Cardiac Lab! Amazing!

2008-10-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Jude is 15 ounces and 7 inches long!The ultrasound tech & the doctor commented on what a beautiful baby he is! Everything is perfect~we are so blessed

Ruby taken in for questioning

2008-10-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

19 week fetus already spoiled rotten!

2008-09-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

Jude's very excited MeMe brought him back a very special gift from Aspen! Dave says Jude already has more clothes and shoes than he does!

2008-09-17T19:16:00.002-07:00

This is Jude's first photo, at 5 days after conception. He was a grade A, perfect embryo!

It's a BOY!!!

2008-09-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

It's a boy!! Jude Helton it is!

2008-09-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a recent vacay pic of our beautiful "babymama" Cami & her hubby John, kids Eli & Ruby~ What a pretty family!

New Ultrasound Pic - 11.5 weeks

2008-08-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

Baby's getting bigger by the day! We saw his/her fingers today; you can see the hand waving in this picture~ the 3D couldn't read much today because baby was sitting very low. They tested for Down's Syndrome & everything came back completely normal. We are very encouraged that since we are almost out of the first trimester (Thurs.), this baby really will be born and in our arms next February! Cami also gets to stop the horrid progesterone shots this week so she is pumped! We just can't believe this is really happening; we are so overjoyed. And all of the previous heartaches have been absolutely redeemed with this precious baby.

2008-07-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

We are completely and utterly blown away by seeing our baby today. At 10 weeks & 3.9 cm he/she is already so defined! Look how cute! Needless to say this is a very joyful day!

2008-07-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

2008-07-11T14:43:00.000-07:00

So Oprah had a show on American couples going to India to pursue surrogacy~and I am reminded again, how gracious and amazing and what a blessing Cami is! We didn't have to go anywhere for our surrogate~she was already here, offering herself for us and our baby. And she didn't ask for anything in return.
Thank you Cami, though those words simply can never say enough just how thankful and oozing with gratitude Dave and I are. You are a fantastic lady, full of love, full of heart~

Helton Baby

2008-07-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

So...we got a bun in the oven, Cami's oven that is! To make a really long story short, Cami, our precious sister-in-law, volunteered (after giving birth 3 months earlier!) to be our surrogate; to help us achieve what we have wanted and attempted since May 20, 2004...to have a baby.
And we have liftoff! She is 7.5 weeks along ~
There are no words to fully express our gratitude to Cami