Emmy Award Winning Art Fennell with Crystal Travis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAkqal3-4Yc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaKRd0uVLn4

March 2012 --Mark, Elle & Alec

Alec & Elle, at 14 months!

Elle  with our week-end nanny looking on.

Mark and his favorite blue slide

Alec loving the outdoors.

Times of India--Continental Flight

Newark flight finally leaves after two days

May 22, 2011, 11.21pm IST

New Delhi: Passengers of a Continental Airlines flight to Newark spent over 44 hours in the city after their flight got delayed due to a technical snag. The delayed flight CO83 was scheduled to depart from Delhi's IGI Airport at 10.50pm on Friday but finally departed around 6 on Sunday evening.

Dr Yog Raj Sharma, a passenger on the flight, said he and his family had been made to board and sat in the aircraft for about three hours before airline officials told them that the flight had been rescheduled for the next day. "The crew kept telling us that we would take off shortly but when even the air-conditioning stopped working, we were told that we would be shifted to a hotel as there was a technical problem with the aircraft. At 4am, we were shifted to a hotel in Vasant Kunj," said Sharma.

Ashish Pradhan, who had come to India with his wife for his sister's wedding and was scheduled to join work on Monday, said there was complete mismanagement on the airline's part as it kept lying to them about the flight's departure.

------------------------------I finally made it home Monday morning, no thanks to the staff from Continental in New Delhi.  They scheduled me to come home on Monday night.  When we arrived in Newark, the staff there at least had empathy for what had happened to us, and were wondering why we were not placed on flight 083 that had many open seats while we were in India.  That would have meant that they would have had to use some logic in New Delhi, but that is not the case.  We were left in unsafe conditions, while at the Delhi airport, and no one seemed to care.  Children were sleeping on the floor and no one even offered us water or food after 12 hours of being in the airport.  The staff refused to keep of abreast of what was happening.  The only thing they would announce was that we will be boarding in 10 minutes, and that never came to fruition.   Just trying to get on the buses that were transporting us to the hotel for the night left us in great danger.  People were scattered all over with no lines, and buses were coming and going at a good rate of speed, and the Continental staff was just standing there, doing nothing.  Someone will  get hit by a bus or have a heart attack, because they are unable to get their luggage and Continental/United will be sued.  We were told that they didn't want to get our luggage off of the plane because it was raining.  By the second day, passengers were outraged and said that they would not leave the airport until we received our luggage.  I will be in touch with Continental to see how they plan on compensating those of us who were stuck in Delhi due to a lot of negligence on their behalf.

I'm back in India!

May 14, 2011---


This trip is so different from my last trip to India, bringing back the twins in December.  I’m sitting on the airplane with my Mac, as random thoughts enter my head, as I head to New Delhi and Gujarat for business.  My thoughts are on my family,  Colin, Mark, Elle and Alec.  Colin has all 3 children by himself tonight, but our nanny Esper, will come arrive on Sunday.  Leaving this time was much harder, as Mark begged me not to go to India, but then stated that he wanted to fly on the airplane with me.  He is a world traveler at this point.  Lately we have been using Raj when we fly out o town as it is much easier to get in and out of the airport if you hire someone.  This also makes life a lot easier when you have children.
The surrogacy world in India is constantly changing, therefore I feel that it is incumbent that I keep up with what his happening abroad,  as I facilitate surrogacy internationally.  The main purpose of the trip is to vet more doctors so that clients will have more options.  I also have meetings set up so that clients who are willing to go to Delhi will have an easier  process exiting out of Delhi.  Many American clients do not want to go to Delhi, due to the exit visa process.  People are still having problems getting exit visa's from Hyderabad as well as Delhi.

Delhi-----
I just arrived in Delhi and it is about 8:30 pm and it is HOT!!.  I have never come to India in May  It is so hot, that I feel like I'm having a hard time just breathing, and my eyes feel like they are full of pollution or maybe I'm just tired from the flight. .  My driver is running a little bit late because my flight was showing that it was delayed, but we arrived early.  I meet an American on the plane who happens to work for the embassy in New Delhi, so we had a long talk about surrogacy in India and the problems associated with Delhi,  he gave me his contact number  and wants me to come to the embassy while I'm in Delhi to meet with them.  We both had a good chuckle as we were leaving the plane, as we were being pushed into, by locals adamant to get off of the plane and get their luggage at all costs.  If you have been to India before, you understand what I’m getting at.  The flights feel so commonplace at this point, that the 12 hour flight from Newark, NJ to Delhi whizzed by.  However, on this flight I found myself looking at photo’s of  my family on my Ipad, as I sat quietly jamming to my music.  A bit of advice for people flying to India, is that I always request kosher food, on the airplane.  I have found that it is fresher and always tastes better than the veg or the non veg that is offered.
My dinner tonight was lovely, and it was at a country club in Delhi where I have been before.  The butter chicken, and Roti were just lovely.  We had a number of other dishes but I cannot remember the names of the dishes at this point.  Well  I'm off to bed!

My trip to Anand, India & New Delhi India

I just loved this!

Crystal & Nayana 18 1/2 weeks pregnant

Computers at the Surrogate House

One of Dr. Patels staff went to locate this couple, because this guy is from Libera and is studying for his Masters degree in Anand.  He was thrilled to meet another person of color.  He meet his wife while in Anand, and they will be going back after he finishes his studies.

Ceremony at the Surrogate House

International Airport in New Delhi

Well I'm back home and I had a very interesting time in India. The BBC filmed Najla and I while we were in Anand and it seemed to go well, but we shall see when it is broadcast within the next 7 days. The BBC was very interested in our thoughts about regulation of surrogacy in India, and I told them that I thought it would just breed more corruption. After having several meetings in India with IVF doctors, I still think the same way, however I do feel that regulation is needed but who would really enforce it. The BBC reporter asked if I thought the surrogates were being exploited at all, and I said no, and that I'm so tired of that thinking because no one every says that American surrogates are being exploited.  Indian surrogates get compensated as well as American surrogates when you look at the economics of the situation.   I was very happy to visit several clinics in New Delhi, so that I can offer my clients more options as well as make them aware that India does have state of the art clinics and several doctor's that make sure that intended parents get the highest optimal choice for success.
 
 
 
While in Anand, I shared in a ceremoney with the surrogates as well as visited with surrogates of clients who asked for photo's and for fresh fruit for their surrogates.  I was luckly enough to see my surrogate (Nayana) and be there when she was sonogramed.  It was thrilling to see our babies move around, because it makes you feel so much more connected.   While in Anand 3 surrogates gave birth to twins, and they were all one boy and one girl.  I will be back in Anand in December for the birth of our twins.  We are serioulsy thinking about moving to New Delhi, or Bangalore, India for 3-4 months of the year, so that our children will have a global life. 
 
It was great to seeing all of our friends that we have made in India and to break bread togather once again.  I know that when we arrive in December not only will there be celebrating during wedding season, but there will be lots of celebration in Anand and New Delhi for our son Mark as well as the twins.

FedEx and New Delhi

I have been tracking our container that is on its way to Gujarat, India.  Today is day 2 that is has been sitting in the airport in New Delhi.  I have already sent out e-mails in the hopes of getting this shipment moving...so I will let everyone know when it arrives.

I'm already anxious about the situation......