Though I have been thinking about this often, I am finally forcing myself to sit down and write about it. I am (pause pause pause) giving up on the idea of (no that isn’t right) choosing to move forward with my life by (here goes, breathe) having a baby on my own. There I said it. Technically, I am choosing an anonymous sperm donor, buying vials of sperm that will then be put up into my uterus by a doctor. No sex. No relationship. No man. No wedding. No. Just me.

This coming to terms with the fact that I am doing all of this solo is making me cry presently, sitting at a table with a giant latte on a rainy, winter Sunday in LA. Wonder if they have Baileys here. Kidding. Kindof.

Back to the point. It is devastatingly difficult for me to admit to myself that this … Continue reading

These are strange times. It’s the peak (here’s hoping) of the pandemic and we’re in the days between the (second) impeachment and the inauguration. (As someone on Twitter said, “I can’t believe it’s time for another impeachment already–I feel like I just took down my decorations from the last one.”)

I wanted to try to capture what life feels like right now, because I know I’m not the only one feeling this weird mix of emotions.

In the past two months, we have an effective vaccine and I already know many people who’ve been vaccinated and/or have an appointment (including my parents!!).

There’s so much to celebrate and lots of reasons to be hopeful.

But but but. This is all happening against a backdrop of thousands of deaths per day, so many people (everyone?) stressed and/or sick, and then: a horrifying attack by white supremacists on the U.S. Capitol.

As … Continue reading

Insemination #8 went fine.

I worked from home yesterday, which I do strategically to cloak my suspicious number of appointments.  At 9:45 am, while peeing on mute during a conference call, I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t called the sperm thaw hotline before 8:30am as instructed.  Dropped off the conference call, called the sperm thaw hotline begging them to call me back with confirmation, called Olga hoping she’d put in a good word with the lab.  Slight panic.  Can you imagine how ridiculous it would be to miss a cycle because of forgetting this easy step?  But, now that I’ve missed the deadline twice, I see that it’s ultimately negotiable and probably more of a guideline.  A nice lady in the lab called me back within 5 minutes and called me “dear”.  Olga also called back and said, “You’re all good!”

Phew.  Sigh.  Gratitude.  Thank you.

Half an hour before … Continue reading

When I began my journey to become a Single Mother by Choice (SMC), using donor sperm from a bank, I believed I had thought through all possible scenarios. And then, just two years ago, something happened that made me realize that I had not thought it all through. I had never thought about connections with donor siblings or donor families.

I knew that I would tell my child about their conception from the start – no secrets. I imagined that one day, he or she might ask questions about the donor and I would answer. I chose an Open ID donor for this very reason. I figured, why not leave the door open if you can? So, I figured we’d deal with the possibility of connecting with the donor if and when my child was ready or wanting.

I never considered that I might find myself connected with other families … Continue reading

Besides making the little people running around my house safe from monsters nightly, there have been some definite changes in my life since I became a Mom.  So many aspects of my life today would be unrecognizable to my former self.  Here are some big ones:

My workouts. Before kids, I went to the gym at least four, usually five or six times a week.  I had memberships in three different gyms, for the different convenient locations and variety.  I kept an “emergency” gym bag ready to go in my trunk in case I had an unexpected chunk of time and could fit in an extra workout.  I had such “emergencies” frequently.

Post kids, I try to take a walk if I get a chance at lunch at work.  I have a  gym membership and I went last month.  Once.  Or was it the month before?  There is a new … Continue reading