“How are your testicles feeling?” I asked.
“OK,” Constance replied with a slight wince. “It just feels like genitalia nausea.”
“Genausea,” I said. “You’ve always wondered what it felt like to be kicked in the nuts. Now you know. I’m so happy for you.”
When Dr. Reya was inserting the catheter containing the diluted pink mixture that once [...]

Filed under: Doctor, Doctor, Husband & Wife | 15 Comments »

First of all, thanks to everybody for sharing their stories yesterday and for the guidance and support. It was a comfort to have you all around us. We are going ahead with the insemination tomorrow morning. We have decided that the money won’t be an option since there is ample space on our credit card. [...]

Filed under: Baby Prep, Doctor, Doctor | 19 Comments »

Intrauterine insemination is not a member of team good according to our insurance coverage booklet. Apparently IUI flirts with the dark side of medicine, spending its days shooting up black tar heroin and stealing SUVs with its uncovered procedure friends, abortion, acupuncture and face lift.
Constance, a kleptomaniac with unopened mail, tore into the benefits packet, [...]

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Black Friday arrived and, for the first time in 3 years, Constance and I woke up at 4:30 AM with the intent of being at Target no later than 6:00. We only participate in the looniest event of the year when we’re at my parents’ house because it’s only fun to go with my mom [...]

Filed under: Doctor, Doctor, Husband & Wife | 17 Comments »

Constance’s period arrived shortly after her 95-year-old great aunt, Aunt Bea, departed the following bit of wisdom via cell phone:
“You just need to do what my doctor told me. Take your temperature every day and when it gets all hot up in there, then you have the intercourse.” Aunt Bea is also the woman who [...]

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At noon we begin our trek to North Carolina for the weekend to be with Constance’s mom. Susan received her diagnosis on Tuesday, and now it’s time for the family to discuss a game plan. Her cancer is stage 3, which means she’ll undergo, in the following order: radiation, chemo, surgery, chemo. There’s an 80-90 [...]

Filed under: Husband & Wife | 13 Comments »

During our trip to NYC last month, Constance and I caught a bit of TV news to stay current in the midst of our fairytale escape. Likely because we are without child, I had no idea there was a Hannah Montana controversy swirling within the parental set (it wasn’t so long ago that I was [...]

Filed under: News from the Parent Front, When I'm a Dad ... | 10 Comments »

Urgency, my beloved band, recorded our first 3-song demo yesterday, and I was totally schooled. Never have I focused so hard on one particular moment, playing the same songs again and again, attempting perfection in a 4-hour window when you try and try not to screw up under the scrutiny before the aforementioned window slams [...]

Filed under: Diversions, Husband & Wife | 3 Comments »

Pain surged through Constance’s abdomen, and she likely would have doubled over had it not been for the bar table we were leaning against. For someone standing in the lobby of Chicago’s lush Auditorium Theatre, waiting to meet her favorite singer for the first time, she was held captive by the Clomid. And she was [...]

Filed under: Diversions, Husband & Wife | 10 Comments »

Yes, here in the great United States of America we infertiles get our very own strand of seven illustrious days in which to raise awareness of our inability to conceive - welcome to day 2 of said celebration. Through next Saturday I will hold my head high as one of the 1-in-8 (or 9 or [...]

Filed under: News from the Parent Front | 10 Comments »