Swimmers Saved!!

Yep, that's right!  We just saved three vials of one of our top donors!!  For the past couple of weeks we have been checking out donors and last night Jackie had a dream about one of them.  When she checked out the site today and saw a decrease in vials (from 24 to 11 in three days!) we decided it would be a good idea to save a few.

Now it's time to plan the first insemination!!

If we have a boy....

We are NOT circumcising him.  I think it is an unnecessary cosmetic surgery performed on a perfect little baby.  I could never imagine torturing my baby with such a procedure right after a birth.

E

Donor Sibling Registry

Ok, so Tanya was watching Oprah last week and it was about the Donor Sibling Registry which helps, "assist individuals conceived as a result of sperm, egg or embryo donation that are seeking to make mutually desired contact with others with whom they share genetic ties."  I just joined the registry site and some of the donors from one of the banks we like have produced children!  Our kids most likely will have donor siblings out there!!  I already figured this would be the case but seeing them listed is pretty interesting.  We could select a donor by using the registry - we know the sperm produced a child!!  The site is also really helpful because it lists so many sperm banks so now I know of more to check out.  I am feeling like the Danish ones are the way we'll go with this first little one.  There aren't really any other options here.  I've thought finding Filipino (or Indian) sperm for me might be a bit more challenging but parents who have extra vials can sell them on this site so all we'd need to do (if we can't find any from a bank) is contact a parent with an extra vial!

E

28 Sentences

I got this idea from another blog and thought it would be fun to do. Below are 28 sentences (or more) about each year of my life.

79-80 I am born 2 weeks early in Concord, MA to my happy parents who tried for 5 years to have me.

80-81 I am a baby living in Lexington, MA who enjoys playing with my dog Champagne

81-82 I name my grandparents Tamma & Bumpa - lucky for me, they live very close by in the house my mom grew up in.

82-83 Jared is born on March 25, 1982 and I become a big sister!

83-84 Bumpa dies and I think his arms & legs were cut off because his "body" is in the casket (my mom clarifies that Bumpa was not in pieces).

84-85 After Montessori school, I go to Jr. Kindergarten at the Meadowbrook School in Weston, MA where my Dad is a teacher.

85-86 My "best friend" gets me in trouble and sends me to time out in Sr. Kindergarten, I am not happy about this! I also start taking ice skating lessons.

86-87 I change schools to Estabrook Elementary in Lexington, MA for 1st grade where I perform Aesop's fables.

87-88 I join Jared at Belmont Day School in Belmont, MA. I am in the Christmas Revels, an experience I will cherish forever. I find out a secret about Santa too. Big year!

88-89 In 3rd grade I like performing in plays and I continue my skating lessons (usually in the 2 french braids my mom gives me).

89-90 Like usual, we summer in Maine but this year we participate in a Blue Fishing Tournament! I'm better at being seasick than fishing.

90-91 In 5th grade, I try out and make it on to the Ice Cubes, a precision skating team. I travel without my parents to win the championship in Anchorage Alaska!

91-92 In 6th grade, my skating team wins the championship in Helsinki, Finland. I am in my school play and sing a solo in, "Fiddler on the Roof" and I graduate from Belmont Day.

92-93 I am nervous starting 7th grade at Diamond Middle School in Lexington, MA but it doesn't take long to feel comfortable because I recognize my friends from 1st grade. I skate on the Ice Mates team for older girls.

93-94 I start to experience back pain and end up quitting the skating team. I have time to be involved in new activities like the student counsel and soccer. I studied French and went to Annecy, France for a 2 week exchange.

94-95 In 9th grade at Lexington High School, I continued to participate in student counsel and I enjoyed singing in chorus.

95-96 I am the first of my friends to get my license (on the 2nd try) and I have a Sweet 16 party with a Karaoke DJ.

96-97 In 11th grade, I took th SATs (did this twice too!) and we went on a family vacation visiting potential colleges for me.

97-98 As a Sr. At LHS, I was still on the student counsel, I was in the movement ensemble of the school play and I graduated!

98-99 I move to Northampton MA to attend Smith College where I take Psychology courses, participate in Cushing house counsel and Smith Chorale. (I also begin to come out).

99-00 During my Sophomore year, I finalized my Psychology major and also enjoyed Sociology and French classes. I worked at the Career Development Office and began to think about spending my Jr. Year abroad.

00-01 I turned 21 at the beginning of my Jr year. I was a Social Chair in my house counsel and continue to work at the CDO. I spend my 2nd semester in Adelaide Australia!! I travel to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Uluru.

01-02 My birthday is forever changed, I have a great year with my friends and graduate from Smith with a degree in Psychology. In August 2002, I move to VA to start working at AOL on the expressions team.

02-03 My mom is diagnosed with a meningioma brain tumor and she has a successful surgery on September 9, 2003 which removes the tumor - the best birthday present was having my mom back.

03-04 I go home frequently to see my mom's recovery which is very speedy! My life in VA is going well, I get promoted at AOL and buy a condo in Reston.

04-05 I get laid off in December, right before Christmas with a new condo!! I work at Nextel on a contract during the summer, contemplate a career change and settle (I know bad) for something easier so I can remain in my condo.

05-06 On October 11, 2005, my friend Julie gives birth to her son Parker and I become his every other weekend overnight nanny! I get a new people oriented job in Arlington, VA. And in August of 2006, I meet Jackie through mutual friends and we instantly hit it off. Jackie flies home to Amsterdam, NL and we spend lots of time getting to know each other and falling in love.

06-07 Jackie travels to VA quite frequently for work in Cali so we are lucky to spend time together. Realizing I can see a future with Jackie, I tell her one of us needs to move in order for us to move forward in our relationship. LUCKY ME! I quit my job, rent out my condo any by September I move to Amsterdam!!!

07-08 I move in with my first ever girlfriend in a totally new country! The winter is incredibly long, dark and rainy making the adjustment hard but my brother comes to visit which is great! I get a job as an Online Project Manager at an Advertising Agency. My parents make their first ever trip to Europe!! Life is good and getting better because we are planning to have a LittleWazz:-)

E

Tummy Tub

Check out this womb like tub that saves space too!

E

"Yeah we need to do that sperm thing"

"Yeah we need to do that sperm thing", Jackie says as I log on to our fave Euro sperm bank site. About two weeks ago there were a bunch - at least four, potential open donors we thought matched our criteria. Now there is one!!! So we sorted by open donors and there are only five with available sperm right now! It is a popular time to buy sperm I guess!

I can't remember if I mentioned the one year waiting list here in Amsterdam for Dutch sperm, but yah, one year!! We are going to go on the list, but we prefer not to wait a whole year. It's a law here (and in some other European countries) for all donors to be open so now there is a sperm shortage.

So the search continues as it will for a few more months!

E

Spermariffic ! !

So, our adventure continues with something neither Em nor I can ever truly posses or produce in any way shape or form no matter how hard we try... sperm. The "S" word, in this case, is a good word... and a bad word. Good in that it's a necessary part of the baby-making recipe... bad in that we have to go through this whole expensive and time consuming process of finding a 'respectable' donor.
Designer baby? well, kinda. Not by our choice but at the same time, by our choice. Ironic, isn't it?
Em and I have discussed a few times if we want the donor to be 'open' or 'anonymous'. Lately most countries around the world only accept 'open' donors - therefore, there has been a shortage of donors. Why? Well, one simple reason... most men do not want 20 of 'his' children come aknocking on his door 18 or so years later. There are a few countries that allow for *both* open and anonymous. However, we are opting for an 'open' donor. We would like for our child(ren) to have the option to look up their 'father' if they have that need or desire. We do not want to deny them that right. One reason we like the cryobanks which allow for the donor to decide if they want to be 'open' or 'anonymous' is because they are not forced into it, it is their own choice. We've been lucky to 'hear' and 'read' about some of the donors and why they have chosen to be open. One example: A man just had his first child and the realization of just what a beautiful gift a child is hit him... he then realized that he wanted to help others who could not conceive a baby on their own.
He rocks. Why can't there be more giving and selfless people in the world?!

So, Em and I have asked ourselves what do we want to look for in the sperm donor. Well, since I am the one (hopefully) conceiving first - we want someone that has some characteristics and traits of Em. Recently we started noticing some (maybe all) cryobanks list the "Myers-Briggs" personality type of the donor. Cool!!! Em is an ENFP. I am an INFP. (I mostly agree with this assessment). We want a caucasian since Em is a whitey. ;) And we are looking into the background (health) of them. While we are aware this is a bit designer, if we have the 'luxury' of choosing then why shouldn't we? What we do want, most of all, is a healthy baby. We'll keep you posted on the sperm donation progress... stay tuned!
-j.