As publishing preparations are underway for the French translation of “The Kangaroo Pouch” and the 15th birthday of the surro-twins nears (!!!), I’ve been reminiscing a lot lately about how far this little book has come.
The Kangaroo Pouch started off as a simple hand-drawn “book” (think stick figures drawn with a marker on plain paper and stapled on the left side …) that I used to explain how I was going to be a surrogate for my kids’ aunt and uncle. I needed something simple to show them and then segway into a chat about what I was going to be doing. At the time (2005), there weren’t any books available that captured the “what, how, and why” of the process. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention!
After that initial reading, I discovered that my boys were pulling the “book” off of the shelf and my eldest would read it to my youngest. They did this from time-to-time throughout the pregnancy and would point and chat about “where we were now” in the process. Sometimes, they would ask me questions or ask me to read it, and we would have more conversations about what was happening. I realized then, that this “book” wasn’t just a conversation starter for me, but a bridge to understanding and inclusivity in the surrogacy process for them.
The Kangaroo Pouch has since gone from its make-shift beginnings to being translated into other languages and sold worldwide. I never thought it would get this far, much less still be in print for well over a decade!
I owe all that to my kids. Without them, none of this would have happened, including choosing to be a surrogate in the first place. It all comes down to love. That’s the first ingredient. 
It is my sincere hope that this book helps your family as much as it did mine.