Background Part 3: Things look like they will happen

Here is the sequence of events from that point on, if memory serves me well:

• Fall 2007 - Hayes family confirms that they are ready to start the process.
• We meet with a recommended fertility specialist to discuss what needs to happen. He gives us the details. This includes medical details and a referral to an attorney specializing in surrogacy law.
• We meet with the attorney, who in turn refers us to a psychologist for necessary psychological screenings for both Tovar and Hayes families.
• Hayes and Tovar families follow through with the required psychological screening and pass.
  
• More interaction with our attorneys (two were required, one for the Tovars and one for the Hayes) occurs to decide on terms for a surrogacy contract (mandated by CA law). Terms are worked out and final draft is sent to both couples to sign.
• Initial medical consultations occur with our fertility specialist. Clara, Betty, and Alvaro are put through a battery of tests to ensure that surrogacy is a viable option from a medical perspective. Everything is looking good. Things look like they are going to happen.
• May 2008 - Things come to a screeching halt. Due to a combination of factors outside of any of our control, most notably an extreme hardship in the lives of the Hayes family, we decide to end our attempts to move forward with the surrogacy due to the ill-timing of things.

Although we could not follow through with our plans, we are still truly humbled by what the Hayes family was willing to do for us and will be forever grateful for the sacrifice that they were willing to make as well as the inconveniences and stresses that they endured getting ready. We know that if it was in their power to do so, they would have followed through in a heart beat. To this day, we are very close and plan to be for many years to come!

So, at this point Betty and I were in many ways back to Square 1 on the baby front and pretty much assumed that the story had ended there. Little did we know what would come next...

NEXT

-Alvaro