2012 Grants

Our board of directors convened last week and chose the six applicants who will receive a grant this year. As always the selection process was very difficult. There were nearly 100 applications, and everyone has a difficult and sad story to tell. We wish that every applicant could receive some financial relief.

The 6 grantees have been notified by phone. All others will be receiving a letter in the mail shortly. We thank everyone who applied for their very thorough application. We understand that it takes a lot of time to put together the application.

We are proud to announce that we are giving away a total of $24,000. This is double the amount we were able to give away just two short years ago. We also increased the number of grants from 4 to 6. There are 3 adoption grants and 3 medical grants.

We have already been informed that one of our adoption grantees has brought their baby girl home. And we wait for other great news and updates from previous applicants and this year’s grantees.

PFM is dedicated to helping people achieve their goals of family and parenthood. It is extremely difficult to turn people away especially when the number of applicants grows every year. Those of us on the board and our supporters continue to work hard to gain awareness and plan events to raise funds. We are an all-volunteer organization made up of people who greatly believe in the mission statement.

There is so much more we hope to accomplish. We have many things planned for the future such as educational and support seminars and gaining new partnerships with those in the fields of adoption and fertility. Little by little we are making things happen.

I went to the post office Saturday to buy some stamps and happened to check our mailbox. I could not believe it when I opened a blue envelope revealing a birth announcement. One of our medical grantees gave birth to a baby boy this past March. I cried right then in there in the middle of the post office.

The thank-you note was so sweet. “…you helped make his life possible…”

I am humbled. I am grateful. I am renewed.

Thank you to all of our supporters.

Our next grant cycle opens in January 2013. If you are interested in learning more about our grants visit our website:
www.parenthoodforme.org

If you are interested in learning how you can help Parenthood for Me, email us :
info@parenthoodforme.org

2012 Grant Update

We will be contacting this year’s granteees by phone. This will happen towards the end of July. Thank you for your patience. Everyone who applied will be getting a letter in the mail.

There was a large increase in the number of applications this year, therefore the process has taken a little longer.

For those of you with questions about the next grant cycle, here are some responses.

1. The next grant cycle begins in January of 2013.

2. Applications will become available on our website in January.

3. The grant amounts vary and have increased every year. Once our board of directors determines this year’s grant amount, we will let everyone know.

We continue to make strides as an organization. There is another fundraiser scheduled for this fall.

If you or someone you know is interested in holding a fundraiser in your town, email me:

info@parenthoodforme.org

Father’s Day Bounce Around

Lori at “Laughing is Conceivable” organized this blog bounce around to offer support to men as Father’s Day approaches. Even though men may not open up as much about how infertility affects their lives, they still feel a wide range of emotions when it comes to the inability to become a dad.

Please take some time to read the following posts and share with others.

Blog #1 “Laughing IS Conceivable”

Blogger: Okay, this is me, Lori Shandle-Fox I’m a former stand-up comic & infertility survivor.

Post: “It’s All in the Wrist aka I Know What YOU Just Did”

This post is an excerpt from my new ebook: Laughing IS Conceivable: 

One Woman’s Extremely Funny Peek into the Extremely Unfunny World of Infertility.

This post emphasizes the husband’s part in this whole sordid infertility treatment business.

Blog #2: “Parenthood For Me” 

Blogger: Erica Walther Schlaefer, Rochester NY area, USA

Erica is President and Founder of Parenthood For Me- a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide financial and emotional support to those building families through adoption or medical intervention.

Post: This post was written by a man named “Sam”. He discusses his bout with infertility and how he and his wife finally got their child.

Blog #3: Baby Manifest-O

Blogger: Helen Adrienne, New York, USA

Licensed Certified Social Worker and certified hypnotherapist- Also a general therapist who specializes in infertility counseling, couples counseling for infertility, mind/body stress reduction for infertility and gynecological and reproductive issues.

Post: “News Men Can Use”

Helen discusses how something from a man’s past may be still hurting him today… and affecting how he deals with the whole “infertile couple” issue.

Blog#4 Fertility Lab Insider

Blogger: Carole Wegner PH.D, North Carolina, USA

Post: Sure, we can gab all day about infertility and men. But now we’re going to hear from a scientist. In this post, Carole discusses an important part of the male reproductive system that you may not even be aware of. (I definitely wasn’t)

Blog#5 “A Childless World”

Blogger: Hans Morse, Sydney Australia

Hans Morse has had a varied career and after 7 years working as an Australian Federal Police Officer and other protection agency roles, Hans moved to a career in sales & marketing.

Post: Okay, I’m cheating here a little. Hans isn’t really a blogger but he did write an entire book about his experiences of going through infertility with his wife, Corinne. And on his site, he offers some good man-to-man advice for husbands as well as friends.

Blog#6: Fertility Wellness Group

Bloggers: Diana Palmentiero & Lenore C. Pranzo, Connecticut, USA

Diana Palmentiero helps other women who are having fertility issues just as she did with both of her children. She has experience with secondary infertility, acupuncture, meditation, qi-gong and pre and post natal yoga. She is also a Certified Wellness Coach.

Lenore C. Pranzo has a background in substance abuse, mental health and adolescent counseling. She has a Masters degree from Fairfield University in Marriage and Family Therapy. Due to her difficulty getting pregnant she utilized western medicine and eastern medicine (including acupuncture) to conceive her twins.

Post: “At Father’s Day, What About the Men?”

In this post, Diana looks back at her own childless Father’s Day to remind us not to forget about the husbands.

Post Link:

Blog#7: “Secret Infertility Hope”

Blogger: Fran Meadows, Greater NYC area, USA

Fran is an Infertility Advocate at RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association and Author of The Truth Behind The Secret “Infertility”

Post: “Father’s Day for All…No Exclusions”

This post is for men… but there are some important notes for the women who live with and love them also.

Blog#8: Thierry-health.com

Blogger: Thierry Clerc, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Thierry is a homeopath and nutritional consultant. He is fully registered for the practice of homeopathy, biofeedback analysis, and therapies based on herbs, nutrition and life-style.

Post: “Why ‘Will-be Daddy’ Needs to Take Care of His Health As Well”

Thierry gives insight into the increasing problems of male infertility and also provides an informative link to an article that breaks it all down.

Blog#9 ETCM Fertility

Blogger: Jane Johnson, Fertility Therapist, United Kingdom Jane is a professional acupuncturist and herbalist as well as an accomplished Yoga therapist who specialises in Fertility issues and women’s health.

Post: “Infertility: Men, 10 Times Easier to Treat?”

Jane discusses in this post, why male infertility patients are easier for acupuncturists to treat than female…if you can get them to make an appointment that is.

Blog#10: Baptism By Fire

Blogger: Jules Wolfers, Louisville, KY, USA Jules’ blog is about how she deals with infertility and childlessness.

Post: “The Children of Men”

Jules talks with a male friend who “came out” to her about his own infertility in this incredible insight into what a man goes through.

Post Link: http://gameguessing.blogspot.com/2012/06/children-of-men.html

Financial Aftermath of Infertility

Well, it’s done. We have two children and we are a family of four with our dog, Lucy and bird, Gus. The checks have all been written for our latest adoption except for a couple thousand more dollars for the attorney fee and other immigration fees.

We are extremely happy to have Wee home. Big brother, Min is doing great and makes the baby laugh all the time. We are all settled in living life, enjoying each other.

It took 8 years to become the family of 4 we had hoped to be. Eight years have gone by since we first starting trying to conceive. And I am exhausted. Reoccurring thoughts of a potential pregnancy still fade in and out and may be worth writing about at another time, but right now I am resting my soul. It has been a long 8 years.

Even though most of the adoption paperwork has been processed and we hope to have Wee officially adopted by the fall, we are left with the financial ramifications of a second $25,000 adoption. To date we will have spent roughly $75,000 to be a family of four.

Craziness.

And we would be no where without help from family. While we paid for the majority of everything ourselves, the help we received allowed us to continue on in our journey to the family we had hoped for. And it was our choice to do a second adoption and incur the debt. It was our choice to set aside our dreams of remodeling our kitchen, going on vacations, and postponing ventures for a later date to have another child. But it doesn’t mean that this choice isn’t difficult sometimes.

In the grand scheme of things we are just fine financially, way better off than so many in our country. And this is by no means a complaint post. What I am trying to convey is the financial burden of infertility (which may lead to adoption) that so many face and carries on long after a child comes. In fact, our lack of conceivability may have altered our children’s choices for colleges if they don’t get big scholarships. And if another major crisis were to occur in our family, we would be in a very difficult spot.

I want people to understand that finances is a huge part of the crisis of infertility. And it’s effect can be a huge sacrifice on dreams and future plans just like infertility itself. If a couple decides to do many costly ART procedures without a successful pregnancy, will they be able to move on to adoption?

Or if a couple decides to stop medical intervention and makes the choice to live child-free, how badly have the procedures affected their financial state? On top of a broken heart people are faced with debt. And what is there to show for it?

That’s how we felt after the $25,000 we spent out of pocket on IVF with only one terrible ectopic pregnancy.

For us the money we spent on IVF was all worth it because it was part of our journey to adoption. We found our path and along came our two beautiful boys. But it has changed our financial situation along with many other expectations of being (ahem) near mid-thirties. I know we will rebound from our  tight budget. We had that plan in place when we decided to adopt again. We wanted to provide a sibling for Min but it had to be done the right way for us. Luckily we had the capability to adopt two times.

I am so glad that Parenthood for Me is able to provide some financial relief for people. I know it is providing hope. The grant review committee is now reviewing applications and the winners will be announced in early July. Unfortunately there will be many disappointed applicants. But I hope that we continue to grow and receive more donations in order to help more and more people every year.

The one thing people should not have to lay awake at night thinking about is how to afford parenthood.

The Annual Gala

ANNUAL GALA
Sponsored by
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Rochester, NY
We would like to thank all those who have sponsored and donated for the event:
SILVER SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSOR
**********************************************************
Table Sponsors
Paris Kirwan and Associates
Tile Wholesalers
John D’Aurizo, Esquire
Mark Gunther, Esquire
Unum Insurance
CustomZilla
Kafl Insurance
West Ridge OBGYN
Roxanne Darling Walther Consulting, LLC
Triple Point Survey
Fairport Savings Bank
SILENT AUCTION PRIZES and DONORS
Weekend in the 1,000 Islands- 2 night stay at a year round cottage on the St. Lawrence River
4 golf passes for Penfield Country Club with golf cart and lunch
Night stay at the Inn on Broadway and $100 gift certificate to Tournades Restaurant
Night stay at The Del Monte
Night stay at The Esperanza Mansion on Keuka Lake
32″ inch TV
Wine tasting for 4 at Casa Larga Vineyards
Spa package from CNY Fertility and Healing Arts
George Eastman House membership
1 hour photography session with Jessica McCormick
Straight to Cake
La-Tea-Da
Gem Lab jewelry
Highland Park Body Works
Molly Branch Accupuncture
Tasteful Connections Catering
Mary Kay gift basket
Cheesy Eddie’s
Custom children’s adirondak chair
Roncone’s Restaurant
Suite for a Rochester Red Wings game
Wood rug from Messner Carpet
Tru Salon
Green With Envy Salon
Geva Theater
Gourment Goodies
Salon Enza
Tips and Toes
Bella Carta Studio
Big Oak
Seabreeze Amusement Park
Bumble Baby
Genrich Garden Center
Handmand quilt
Tantalo
Grinnell’s Restaurant
Thank you to Flower Power Decor for donating our flowers and Andrew Hempel photographer.

Commitment to Excellence 2012

This year we are excited to honor Marty Cardona and the late Cecelia Park of Love the Children Adoption Agency at the Parenthood for Me Annual Gala April 21st.

By

Kelly Weishaar
Parenthood for Me Board Member
President, Love the Children of Rochester

“There are currently 13 babies available for adoption.”

Huh?

I had been struggling with infertility for 4 years. I had faced countless medical treatments, losses, and heartaches. My husband and I were in a period of grieving and trying to figure out our next step when something unexpected happened. I was at a meeting at school when I “overheard” a casual conversation that changed my life forever. An administrator at the meeting, Marty Cardona, who also happens to be an adoption caseworker, was explaining how the changing international adoption rules in Korea resulted in many babies becoming available for adoption all at once. Everything became clear to me at that moment. We were a family who needed a baby, and there were babies who needed families.

Becoming a mother through adoption not only brought me my two beautiful children, it brought me in contact with many amazing people. Two of those people, Cecelia Park, Director of Love the Children and Marty Cardona, caseworker for Love the Children not only made an impact on my life but on the lives of thousands of other families and children.

Love the Children is an adoption agency located in Pennsylvania. The agency’s founder, Mary Graves worked with the Korean international adoption program at an agency called Welcome House. On one of her trips to Korea she met Cecelia Park. Cecelia was trained as a concert pianist and was playing at the hotel where Mary was staying. When Mary stopped to ask her for directions, the two women struck up a friendship. Cecelia knew nothing about adoption or adoption agencies but was impressed with the work Mary was doing to help Korean children.

Eventually Cecelia moved to the United States to work with Mary. Shortly after Cecelia arrived, Mary started her own agency called Love the Children. Cecelia was instrumental in forming the relationship between Love the Children and the agency they worked with in Korea called Eastern Social Welfare Society. This close relationship was critical to the success of Love the Children. In 1979 Love the Children placed their first child with a U.S. family. Initially they found homes for older children who were difficult to place and had been living in orphanages for many years. As time went on, the agency started to do more infant adoptions.
As the agency grew, there was a need for more caseworkers to provide social histories and the periodic updates required by Korea. Mary Graves reached out to Marty Cardona and invited her to join the agency.

Marty Cardona and her husband had two biological children but wanted to expand their family through adoption. They were interested in adopting from an Asian country and went with South Korea because it was the most established and stable international adoption program. Marty adopted her daughter through Welcome House which is how she came to know Mary Graves. Marty went on to have two more biological children and then adopted a son from Korea. As Marty went through the process of her daughter’s adoption, she learned about a program through Monroe County Social Services. In 1976 Marty was trained as a “volunteer” caseworker which lead to her job at Love the Children.

In 1997 Mary Graves passed away. Cecelia took over as Director of the agency. Cecelia and Marty became close colleagues and friends over the 30 years they worked together. For Cecelia working in adoption was more than “just a job.” Twenty-four hours a day she was an advocate for the children of Korea. In the beginning, Mary and Cecelia made the two-hour drive to New York City to meet every flight from Korea and welcome each baby to the United States. Cecelia called Korea every evening and was in constant contact with Eastern. When the babies got home, Cecelia called them on the phone. She sang them Korean songs and told them they were safe with their new families. Each summer she traveled to upstate NY to attend picnics and visit with the children and families. Twice a year she went to Korea to visit and check on the babies who were waiting to come home.

Marty Cardona’s commitment to the agency and to the children was equal to Cecelia’s. Over the course of her career she placed approximately 2,500 children with permanent families. She worked primarily in Western NY, although throughout her years with Love the Children she expanded into other areas of NY and PA. Marty’s other “full time” career was being a school principal for Brookshill Elementary School (K-5) in the Fairport Central School District. She retired from being a principal last year, but has continued her work in education by becoming part of the Fairport Board of Education. She also remains active on the board of Love the Children of Rochester.

In 2011 Cecelia Park passed away. Although she is gone, her devotion to the children of Korea lives on. Mary and Cecelia worked hard to create an adoption agency that was different from other agencies. Their commitment to the children of Korea came before anything else. They spent much time and resources giving back to the country they worked with. Although not inclusive, the following is a brief summary of their accomplishments:

-Love the Children required each major city they worked in to establish a parent support group. Rochester’s parent support group has been in existence for 30 years and is still active in our community.

-Love the Children required each family who adopted through the agency to make a commitment to support the children of Korea.

-Love the Children provided Eastern with the van (called the “Love Mobile”) that transports the children from Eastern to the airport to make their flight to the U.S.

-The agency/parent groups raised funds and sent money to Eastern to build a children’s hospital and three schools (elementary, middle school, and high school) for children with disabilities.

A while ago we learned that Love the Children will most likely be closing within the next couple of years. Korea has always desired to end the international adoption program. It is their hope to promote domestic adoption and be able to support needy children within their own country. The international adoption program has seen a great amount of change over the past few years. Although it will most likely continue in some form major changes are expected.

So, while I once considered infertility a curse, I now consider it a blessing. In my heart I know I was supposed to “overhear” that casual conversation about Korean adoption and Love the Children. I am the proud Mommy of two funny, smart, beautiful children. I have also had the opportunity to be part of something bigger. Through the commitment I gave to Love the Children, and through my participation in the local parent support group, in my own small way I too am able to give support to adopted children and the children who remain in Korea.

I am so pleased that Cecelia Park and Marty Cardona are receiving the Commitment to Excellence. I am grateful to them everyday. This award will give other people the opportunity to learn about the amazing work they have done for children and families.

For more information on the gala visit www.parenthoodforme.org

Limerick Chick Contest 2012

So, I won two years in a row and lost my title last year. Here I am trying again.
Thanks to Lori and Write Mind Open Heart my spring gets sprung by writing silly rhymes.

My 2009 and 2010 winning entries. My parents are proud.

I’m an Irish gal who drinks whisky
Sometimes I go home and get frisky.
When the good deed is done.
I’m Wishing 4 One.
Or at least eat some spam and some latke.

~~~~

I once was scared of the gyno
Now I’ll drop my pants for a rhino
When bad times are worse
There’s blogs like the mrsch
Or instead I can just be a whino

DRUMROLL********************************

Our eggs and sperm lack esteem

Under a microscope they do not gleam

Ain’t the birds and the bees

Nor doing the ol’ dirty deed

Mrs. Spit says things aren’t what they seem.

{small bow and curtsy}

Crescent Moon Size Chance

I haven’t been blogging much lately. And I haven’t been reading many blogs either. I fell off the radar awhile back for many different reasons. I love writing. Writing is what got me through the thick of infertility. In 2007 when blogging became my outlet and a huge part of my daily life, I would often think to myself, this would be a great blog post.

Some where along the line I stopped thinking that way.

Part of me wanted to keep my parenting days private. Part of me also felt like I no longer had the right to grieve over infertility. I felt like there was a lack of material so to speak. The guts of this blog are about the struggle to become a parent. And even though I was a parent when I started this blog and Parenthood for Me, my emotions were extremely raw after dealing with infertility treatments for 4 years.

After adopting Min there remained a huge hole in my heart. I could not understand why having a family came so difficult to us. I could not accept that a pregnancy was not in the cards for me. And even though I was finally a mom, I knew I wanted more than one child. And I had no idea how that was going to happen.

Deciding to take the plunge and begin a second adoption was extremely exciting. We didn’t have the money laying around, but we found a way to finance the adoption. Once that was figured out and we were reliving the adoption process, I felt a sense of peace. We would give Min a sibling. I would be able to carry around a baby again. We would be a family of 4.

Here I am one year later and my little Wee is home. I have two boys. There are two car seats in my car. The baby is walking around the living room in his big brothers sneakers and having a blast. The two of them will fight over toys and the next minute are giggling with each other like old pals. The details I notice now that I have two kids are as minute as the details I noticed after finally becoming a mother. Sometimes I catch myself noticing the smallest event in my day regarding my kids and wonder if all parents see parenting the way I do.

Somebody once wrote to me that I have always told the truth about infertility. Adopting did not take away the pain. Being an adoptive parent did not resolve my desire to get pregnant. Infertility is a shocking, hurtful, and extremely difficult struggle. The effects are monumental and altering on one’s psyche and outlook on life, relationships, and their future.

However, I find it hard right now to write when I feel sad. Because the fact is that even though I have never been happier, I still grieve. I still feel a profound loss in my heart because I cannot get pregnant. Within the past month I have heard of 4 pregnancies that are miracles. They were unexpected and happened to women who truly believed they would never get pregnant, especially on their own. I am so happy for them. I truly am. Because no one should have to go through their entire life wondering why pregnancy wasn’t possible. But I found myself sobbing so hard one night because I cannot help but wonder if that unexpected miracle will ever happen to me.

And I really hate that I am still so unsettled . Because I surely know how much I have to be thankful for.

I find it difficult to admit that I still hurt over infertility even though I am the mom to two beautiful and wonderful children. The story of their being and their existence in my life is amazing. How we came to be a family still leaves me speechless.

Why is it so hard to let go of pregnancy for me? I ask myself that question often. Yesterday I simply said, you are just going to have to accept that being pregnant and giving birth are not part of who you are.

But my heart cannot accept it yet.

I keep revisiting a session I had with a new RE a few months ago.This was simply an informational interview. There are no scheduled procedures on the docket. She was taking my history and we talked about my ectopic pregnancy, the laparascopy I had where we found endo, and the sordid details of my (and our) infertility file.

She asked if I had every gotten pregnant on my own in the 7 years since I went off birth control.

My answer was an unequivocal, no.

Her statement is true and not altogether news to me, but they way she put it was so raw and blunt.

“You should consider your egg quality as well. You probably would have at least had a miscarriage in all that time.”

It hurt to hear that on top of male factor and PCOS that my eggs may be of poor quality as well. The chances of pregnancy are so slim. The tiniest crescent moon thin.

After 8 years of infertility talk, I still find a way to feel the smack all over again. As if it was that first visit to my then OBGYN telling me I may have PCOS and needed to see an RE. Natural conception was probably not possible.

My infertility journey is an evolution. I revel in my adoptive mom-ness, but I also grieve what I have lost as a woman, wife, and daughter. The joy and the grief have a place in my life as a parent. I know it may be hard for some to understand how I could still have so much sadness inside after adopting Min and Wee. But I have learned to not bury my feelings but to embrace them and to be honest with myself. This has allowed me to make it through this journey intact. And since parenting is a role that never ends, I supposed the questions of how I became a parent and what it took to get here will continue to be on the table for discussion.

Happy ICLW- Grants and Speed Dating

Hello everyone.

Parenthood for Me is a non-profit whose mission is to provide financial and emotional support to those building families through adoption or medical intervention. Since 2010 we have given away $26,000.

We are currently accepting grant applications for both adoption and assisted reproductive technology. The grants will be announced in June of this year.

Visit our grants page for more information and to download the applications. Please read the FAQ first. It should answer all of your questions.

www.parenthoodforme.org/grants

Visit our website and our facebook page. We need more followers!

And please follow the blog.

For those of you who are visiting for the first time I am an adoptive mama of two. My husband and I founded PFM in 2008; that is when this blog began. This is my 301 post. I have not been writing much lately because my youngest son came home from Korea right before Christmas. He is 20 months old and we are all in love. I have two boys now and they are the cutest darn things in the world.

But I it has been a long road to get here. The first few days Wee was home were somewhat unbelievable. We would be driving together and I would just look at my husband and say, “Well, it took us 8 years, but we’re here.”

We are a family of 4- five with our dog, Lulu.

More posts to come this week. I have many stirring in my mind. Just need to get them written in full.

SPEED DATING:

Favorite dessert: pie

How would you spend a million dollars?:
pay off all debt, put away money for college and retirment, shop at anthro.pologie

Dream career: published author

Favorite vacation spot: Key West, Florida

Hobbies: writing, music, decorating

Favorite movies: Atonement, Old School, and most recently The Help

Favorite meal: breakfast

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? : 25

Thank you for visiting. Hoped you liked at least some of my answers.

For some of my favorite posts visit the right side bar- PFM Best Posts

I Got the Chance to See


When my very good friend told me she was pregnant a little less than a year ago, I didn’t feel that familiar pang of dread in my heart. For the first time in 8 years a pregnancy announcement had little effect on me except that I was happy.

We were expecting Wee to come home and it was nice knowing that my friend was also expecting a baby. We could wait together. Something I have been unable to do with my friends.

I embraced her pregnancy asking a lot of questions about her health and what the doctor was saying at her appointments. When she was about five months pregnant we were all sitting in my back yard. The sun was going down and the evening was coming to a close. Without thinking I reached out to touch her belly. I had never touched a pregnant belly. But at that moment in time I had an urge to feel the baby. For once it felt okay that even though I had never experienced pregnancy myself, I could experience it through someone I love.

I started to cry at my break through. My wall of pain was coming down a little and it felt good. It was then that my friend asked if I would like to accompany them to their ultrasound the following week. This was the milestone ultrasound where they could find out the sex of the baby if they wanted.

I wept a little and proclaimed that I had never been to an ultrasound. And that it would be nice to experience that at least once in my life. It would be hard for me to be there, but I agreed to go. What a great opportunity for me to share with such good friends.

When the ultrasound tech started moving over the belly I was watched in awe. I purposely stood in the corner away from the father-to-be and his mother because my emotions were all over the place. The tech pointed out the baby’s position, the head, rib cage, heart, hands. Tears poured down my cheeks viewing this little miracle.

I cried for myself, my lost baby, the fact that my husband would never be in a moment like this we me carrying his baby. I cried for all that I had lost over the past 8 years.

I also cried because I was witnessing such a beautiful part of life. The ability to conceive and give birth to brand new humans. My two babies did not grow in my belly but they are alive and healthy because of someone else. Amazing.

Prior to the appointment my friends hadn’t agreed as to whether they were going to find out the sex. When the technician got to that point and asked the poignant question, do you want to know? The father, my friend of 15 years could not contain himself and said, yes!

A girl.

I yelped with excitement and had immediate visions of pink clothes and purple booties. Oh, and all the beautiful names she could have. It was a brilliant moment. I am truly lucky to have been invited to such a private and memorable time in my friends lives together.

Leaving my friends after everything was done a small part of me felt less heavy. I also felt like for once I knew something about pregnancy. My clueless nature of everything after the birds and the bees was etched away a teeny bit. I still know next to nothing about pregnancy, birthing, and infants because that is not a part of my life. But I felt like I was a part of the club- finally.

The remaining months of the pregnancy were exciting. I was so thrilled to meet her. I constantly thought about the baby and hoped upon hope that she would be healthy when she greeted the world.

And, when she was born I breathed a little deeper. Our girl had arrived.