Two Years, Lots of Waiting

Dear Gremlin,

I think it's important for you to know how your daddy and I struggled for you. I want you to know most of all that you were always wanted, but I also hope that as you grow up, it will remind you to be thoughtful and considerate of others who may be in a similar situation.

Your daddy and I always wanted children, but it wasn't until after we were married that we started seriously thinking about our specific situation. You see, both of our families have some medical problems that could possibly be passed on to you, and we wanted to talk to a specialist before deciding how we wanted to grow our family - through conception and birth or adoption. We started talking to a specialist in February 2009, and - with encouragement and a few warnings - we decided that we would first try to conceive a child.

We never imagined that getting pregnant with you would be a problem. Sure, we had heard about infertility, but that always seemed to be something other people struggled with, not us. Neither of our families have any history of infertility, and we had been assured that the past or current medical problems either of us had wouldn't impact our ability to have children. We decided just a few months after our first specialist visit that we wanted to go ahead and have children. It seemed like a perfect time. Somehow, though, things didn't work out quite like we expected.

At first, we just tried to let nature take its course, so to speak. After almost a year with no luck, we started having some concerns and began doing some at home testing. Even with charting, timing, and all other things we could easily do, more time went by with nothing. I talked to my doctor and she recommended fertility testing for both of us. Some of the results were not all together encouraging. They weren't devastating, but they were enough that we began to consider fertility treatments or adoption. Both options are - or can be - very expensive, so we began thinking of how we might be able to afford it.

Late the next month, though - July 2011 - we got the result we had been waiting for: proof of you! A few weeks later, we got to see you on the screen, and our journey of over two years became worth it.

Your daddy and I know that we are among the lucky few. For some people, the journey takes a decade or more, and for others, they never get to where we are. We have friends who are struggling with infertility right now, and so while we are thrilled and overjoyed that you will be coming next year, we are also mindful of those who are still struggling. When we tell them about you, we know that they will be happy for us, but their happiness may be tinged with sadness. I hope that soon they will also have a little gremlin to welcome.

On the other side, two of our friends are expecting their baby daughter today. You two will have a lot of fun growing up together - they are looking forward to meeting you!

9 weeks, 3 days