Letter #5: Signing the Contract and Depositing the First $30,000

By the beginning of May 2022, we had sketched out a plan that would allow us to fully commit to the process. It would fundamentally change our lives, our daily routine, and our privacy, but it's what needed to happen.

We would end the 2021-22 school year, fly to México City to sign the contract, and then use the summer break to pack our house to move out. We had gone back and forth between selling or renting the house, but we decided that it was best to rent it. We would put it on the market for lease, and if it did not get any hits, we would sell it.

This plan required us to move into your grandma Chelo’s house. We would reduce our living space from a 12 ft. high ceiling home with 2,900 square ft. to an 11ft x 11ft room. We would pack our belongings and store them at Yadi's house until the time was right. Yadi is one of our closest friends. She has seen our relationship develop over the last couple of years and we have shared with her many of our plans that have led to this. As you grow up, we hope you find friends like Yadi; people with pure intentions, supportive, and full of love.

It was heartwarming to get the support from several people that would help us along the way.

This move would allow us to save all our mortgage and monthly utility expenses, plus gain some income from the rent.

Our friend Olivia agreed to be our realtor – it took her two weeks to find a tenant! – We weren't ready for how fast she moved. One day our house was packed, the next, it was advertised, and by the time we knew it, the tenant was in.

They might not know how important they were in our financial stability, but these two friends were pillars in making our plan work. We owe them more than we could ever offer.

Once our school contract was over, we got on a plane and headed to México City.

Despite the constant communication from FertyCare throughout the previous month and our intensive research on every person who worked for the agency, we still felt nervous about the contract meeting. We could lose it all; our savings, the comfort of our lives, and, more importantly, our hopes of having a baby. We dreamed for the best but always planned for the worst.

We walked into the FertyCare office confident; we were doing this; we were going to gamble.

The stacks of legal papers were intimidating, and their staff noticed. There was a moment when we stopped the paperwork, and Licenciado Santiago shared his personal story and why he did the work he did.

We were reminded that we chose FertyCare because this was not a corporate surrogacy agency but a boutique agency. It was an agency that had limited clients and worried about the well-being of everyone involved.

After the meeting, Papi Martin and I went for a walk. A long walk. There were several moments of silence. Up until now, we had spent 11 years being DINKs – a double income couple with no kids. This was all about to change.

We spent the next couple of days celebrating. Going to bars we had never been to before and talking about what this could mean for us.

On June 17, 2022, the day after we arrived back in the Rio Grande Valley, we went to the bank and transferred $30,000.

Papi Martin and I went to the bank together. We wanted to be together for the moment we whipped out our bank account. It was surreal to us how we had spent years saving this money, and it was gone in a matter of seconds. When we left the bank, we logged in to our bank account to see our numbers. It was as if we needed proof that we had just done this.

After the money was gone, we began to question everything – had we trusted the right people? Would we be able to come up with the remaining $40,000?

Ultimately, the transfer was the green light to start.

That night, we lay down, surrounded by our packed and boxed belongings and empty walls. You could hear the hollowness of our home, but despite the magnitude of these changes, we slept happily.

It was a huge step forward in the process that would lead us to you, Mateo.

Edited By: Danya Perez