I am thankful I am reproductively challenged today.
Yes, I just said that. And clearly, that comment goes down in the category of thing I never thought I’d say/write, because heck, I never even thought I’d be reproductively challenged, let alone thankful for something related to it.
But, hear me out. There is logic behind this thought.
Imagine being infertile in the 1900s, or even the 1960s. Imagine having virtually no medical experts able to help. Imagine having absolutely no support from you extended family and friends. Imagine having a miscarriage in the barn out back. Or imagine having no scientific support to help make it happen – the first baby conceived through IVF did not happen until 1978! Imagine not having IVF as an option. Imagine not having the option of a gestational carrier. Imagine not being able to figure out how quickly beta’s should drop. Imagine how much worse it could be. Imagine…
While many of us may feel isolated today, if nothing else, we do have an online community where people share their experiences and we all bond through our unique struggles. We support one another. We love one another. We cheer each other on through the good and the bad.
Some of us, like me and Mr. MBP, fit into odd and obscure categories and percentages that make our specific experiences relatively rare (i.e. RPL is 1% of infertile couples). And it is only through the internet that we find others who understand our unique circumstances. I remember when we had our 4th miscarriage and our RE said to us you will likely never meet another person who has been through 4 miscarriage (how nice of him to point out just how isolating RPL is). But thanks to the internet I was able to connect with a few women who know my unique journey, and even more women (and men) who know the struggles of wanting a family and not being able to achieve one the traditional non-scientific way. And thanks to my blog and twitter friends and easily accessible internet research we are able to connect with the best doctors that understand our unique circumstances.
Thanks to the internet I have been able to connect with others evaluating and choosing different route to parenthood (i.e. gestational carrier / surrogate, adoption, childfree). Whenever we’ve made a decision we have had the luxury of learning from people who have been there before. We have had the luxury of receiving advice and comments from many people. And I cannot neglect to mention the modern day luxury of easily accessible academic information.
Imagine how isolating and lonely that experience would have been years ago? Honestly, I cannot. And, I am thankful I cannot.
So, today, I am thankful that if I have to be reproductively challenged, that I am today. I am thankful that I am not alone. Even when I feel alone, you guys and gals remind me that I am not.
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Another week of photos for your viewing pleasure. (On a side note – It has been driving me absolutely crazy that my happy day posts have been lagging so much between the date the photos are taken and my weekend post. So with this 10 day post, from now on the photos will better match the weekend posts – yes, I am slightly neurotic).
I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed each moment.
Day 171 – December 24, 2014: We enjoyed a wonderful walk this afternoon on an unseasonably warm Christmas Eve. No idea what these white berries are, but it is the first time we have ever noticed them. They sure looked cute.
Day 172 – December 25, 2014: Christmas dinner with Mr. MPB’s parents. We had delectable Christmas goose thanks to Gordon Ramsey, mushroom risotto, butter garlic sautéed kale, stuffing from my childhood recipe, and roasted Brussel Sprouts. And of course, chocolate mousse for dessert. Delicious and quality time with family.
Day 173 – December 26, 2014: We had a very busy and fun day with Mr. MPB’s family, ice skating, dog walking and zoo lights. Who doesn’t enjoy seeing animals made out of Christmas lights?
Day 174 – December 27, 2014: We love a good day in the mountains, so today we took Mr. MPB’s parents to Banff for the day. We made reservations at the Fairmount Banff Springs Hotel for their world renowned weekend brunch. Mr. MPB’s parents tasted everything and we had a wonderful brunch and an afternoon walk around the town.
Day 175 – December 28 2014: Tonight we played a fun round of Apples to Apples while watching movies and drinking wine. Happy times.
Day 176 – December 29, 2014: After dropping Mr. MPB’s parents off at the airport, we went and visited some friends and their little guy. The little guy enjoyed the book and stuffed Olaf we gave him, but of course, his favourite item was the box. We had a great visit!
Day 177 – December 30, 2014: I bundled up in my new Christmas cloths today – a warm sweater from Mr. MPB’s mom and a beautiful knit infinity scarf from Mr. MPB. Warm and cozy definitely results in a happy me!
Day 178 – December 31, 2014: While are the cool kids were out celebrating the new year, Mr. MPB and I enjoyed a wonderful quite night at home. We queued up Star Wars IV: A New Hope at exactly 10:02:48 PM, so that we could watch the death star explode at exactly 12am. Yes we are a little bit nerdy in this house.
Day 179 – January 1, 2015: There are no words for this perfectly happy winter moment.
Day 180 – January 2, 2015: Thanks to my wonderful family and friends (including Elizabeth at Hooded Spirits), I have a new stack of reading material. I’m currently reading The Rosie Project (and I’m just not that into it) and am looking forward to my next book. I love books, so having too many to choose from is a happy problem!
Wishing everyone splendid happy moments!
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