I've been thinking about getting a second tattoo for a long time (see number 53 on the 101 Goals list), it just took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to get. Just so you know, it hurts much more to get a tattoo on the ankle than it does to get one on your back.
My Mom always made turkey rice soup with the leftover turkey bones from Thanksgiving. I used to complain about this soup when I was growing up, but this year I decided I wanted it. I called my sister and asked her to look through Mom's recipe boxes and see if she could find it. No luck. Add this to the long list of little things that I wish I had asked Mom for or about.
Do you want to see what 70 years of accumlated stuff looks like?
Myth: A higher-power is telling you that you should not be a parent.
Fact: Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system. It does not discriminate and affects all races, religions, men and women equally and people all over the world. Whether or not you resolve your infertility journey by choosing to become a parent is a function of your determination and not a higher-power.
Parenthood is attainable, if that is truly your goal. You may or may not be fortunate enough to have a biological connection to your child, but if you want the experience of being a parent, you can achieve that dream.
People who choose to be childfree after infertility have examined the avenues to parenthood, considered the advantages and disadvantages, and decided that being a family of two is also a blessing.
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This is National Infertility Awareness Week. I thought long and hard about making this post. I wrote it and then put it away. I rewrote it and then tweaked it some more. Those of you who know me in real life know that I will talk all day about almost anything as long as it’s not personal or emotional, so you know what a big deal this is.
We have been trying to become parents for 18 months now. We have been seeing a reproductive endocrinologist for unspecified infertility since July 2010. We have had four cycles of IUI, which resulted in one pregnancy in November, a missed miscarriage two days before Christmas and a D&C in January.
We are coming to a cross roads. My insurance will cover two more tries at IUI and that is all. No coverage for anything more aggressive, which is the norm for most insurance. I am lucky that it even covers the IUIs. If neither try is successful, anything else we do will be completely out of pocket. Fortunately, we do have options.
* Do nothing and accept that we will be a family of two (plus a furbaby) and enjoy our lives together.
* Adoption – domestic infant adoption is neither quick nor inexpensive. I’ve researched several local and national adoption organizations. At our age, placement can take up to 2 years or more and the costs range from $25,000 - $40,000.
* IVF – We could do IVF. This comes with a huge physical toll in addition to the expense, $20,000, with no guarantee of success. Our clinic’s success rate for those over 40 using their own eggs is 24%.
* Donor eggs – We could do IVF with donor eggs. This eliminates the all the meds and shots and monitoring and blood work that comes with IVF. It also increases the success rate to about 60%. We could do one cycle with donor eggs for $14,500, with no guarantee. We could participate in the shared risk program for $29,500, which gives you up to six IVF cycles with the guarantee of a take home baby or a complete refund.
So, that’s where we stand, here, at the beginning of IUI cycle #5. We are lucky that we have support from the family and friends that we have told and that we have the resources to make whichever way we decide to go viable. There are plenty of people for whom all of these options are out of reach.
We will gladly accept all your thoughts and prayers as we work together to decide what is best for us and we will happily share any good news, if and when we have some.
Understanding Infertility: http://www.resolve.org/infertility101
National Infertility Awareness Week: http://www.resolve.org/takecharge
The end of 2010 was rough for us and we couldn't wait to see the back side of it. However, we did start 2011 off great with the addition of our fur baby, Rex. This is the first cat for me, but Jim has had several cats before.
but ended up not taking one home because we couldn't get a good feel for them. I planned to go back on the 31st and pick one while Jim was at work, but when I got out there, the shelter was closed. This information was nowhere to be found on the county's website, by the way. I was really disappointed, because I wanted to get the cat as a birthday present for Jim and the adoption fee is only $30 for an already fixed cat.
top contender was a pretty black and white girl, but she was currently on an antibiotic eye drop and we didn't want to start off with a kitty that needed meds. So we settled on Rex and we couldn't be happier. We brought him home and started him off in the guest room, where he promptly hid under the bed, but by the end of the day he was ready to play and explore the rest of the house. The rescue's best guess is that he is about 8 months old and we love him to pieces.
You might have heard that we had a wedding last Friday. It was truly the happiest day of my life, even with a few minor hiccups. We got to spend some time talking to everyone and it was over way too fast. If you'd like to see more pictures, click here.
I was sad that I had to make a second trip home last month for my father's memorial service, but I was glad that Jim could come with me (on both trips) and that two of my aunts and my grandmother were able to come down from Indiana for the service. On the night before we all went home, we went out to our favorite Chinese restaurant. We tried to have the waiter take a picture of all of us, but they were all terrible. Then my sister asked a member of the club where she works to take one. I think this is a great shot of our group. Even Mom can't complain about this one.
This morning Jim and I participated in the 2009 National Walk for Epilepsy on the Mall. It was misty and a little cold and the ground was in the process of reverting to the swamp that D.C used to be, but we had a great time! The walk started at the Capitol end of the Mall, walked all the way down past the Washington Monument, looped past the World War II Memorial and back up the other side of the Mall. On our way back, we made a slight pit stop to ride the Smithson
ian Carousel, which neither of us had done before.
Well, we made it back home safe and sound after a whirlwind trip to Athens and Chattanooga. We had a great time both places and wish that we could have stayed longer and seen more people. Next time...
