My Acceptance Speech

I would like to use this post to thank those have helped us along the way during this 2+ year journey to make our babies! This is in no particular order.

• Grandpa. No explanation needed.
• Grandma. When I had my first kidney stone she told me they are worse than childbirth. If I could handle the kidney stone I would be fine come baby time. Well, Grandma... I hope you're right! I've had 3 kidney stones, and now I'm gonna go big or go home and pop out 2 babies at 1 time!  **edit: 1 baby
• My Mommy, who has done way more than anyone will ever know. And dealt with all the ups and downs and questions and shopping trips. And she has provided endless entertainment at her queasiness of hearing about my shots.... but then loved rubbing it in when she saw my butt crack! Really, she could have her own thank you post!
• My step-dad, for taking care of my mommy, and not harassing me.
• My Dad, who was so excited to hear what was going on and didn't cringe when I told him he was going to be a Grandpa!
• Dr. Hedges. He was very gentle when talking to me about what my future possibilities may be. And his being proactive really helped us out when we didn't even know we needed it yet!
• Dr. Wu. She has been in charge of my protocol the whole time. At the very start, when IVF should have probably sounded scary, she made it seem possible and sent me into it feeling confident and fully understanding the what and why of what would be going on. It was perfect to share the final visit and happy news with her, and even when she had to deliver potentially sad news, she still did it in a way that just felt like a verbal hug. She is the best!
• Dr. Amato. I've had more ultrasounds with her than anyone else. She was always so great, and I will always look fondly on the moment she told me I was having twins and surprised me with those precious heartbeats!
• Dr. Lee. The Man!! He really is the man that gave me my babies, and did it with such humor that I was positive it was going to be a success story!
• Dr. Seifer. He is the one that sucked out my eggs; probably the hardest part of this whole process. A thing I'm happy to never have to repeat!
• The embryologists. They manually put a single sperm into each egg and took care of them for me, then hand delivered them to us for the frozen embryo transfer.
• Lori and all of the other support staff at OHSU. I've called many times, emailed, and tracked down people for help with my questions. I was always treated like I was the most important patient. The whole group has always worked with a smile and really made each visit and call a great experience.
• My Aunt Ginny and Uncle Jack. When I needed a place to live during my final days before the egg retrieval, they took me in, fed me and got me to and from the doctor without any hesitation at all!
• My brother and sister-in-law, Shane and Hope. Before even we knew what we were doing, they let us stay at their house and helped calm me down with games and entertainment.
• My mother-in-law. MF told her our hopes to have a baby, and she gave us her blessing way before the IVF process started, shortly before she passed away.
• My father-in-law. We have yet to tell him the news, but without even knowing it he has provided me with so many smiles with his phone calls and texts! **edit: he knows the news and is excited and so sweet and always checking on me. I won in the father-in-law department!
• My boss. With IVF being such a personal experience, it was such a relief to know I could talk to him about it and know it would stay private. Work has never had an issue with my random days of missing time, and that really helped keep my stress level down.
• Sheila. She was our notary when we gave OHSU permission to thaw our embryos. Without her being our notary, I doubt this experience would have stayed private!
• Powell Books. They have given me hours of entertainment and many pages of new things to read to help me prepare for the next phase!
• The parking structure on 3rd and Alder. I'm glad it's always there for me and never moves. Without it I might have to consider parallel parking.
• Strohecker's Pharmacy. A real class act! Within minutes of putting in for a refill they were calling and finalizing my orders, always arriving overnight to my doorstep. 
• Pinterest. It keeps me sane when things get to be too much.
• Blake, My BFF. Nobody has put up with more than him (other than Man Friend, obviously). Every mood swing, happy moment, sadness, whatever it is.... he dealt with it wonderfully and never complained or told me to shut up! 
• Tara and Jessica. We had good text convos about all those things that I can't talk to anybody else about considering this has all be silent.
• My pets. You know how they say our animals can sense when something is going on? I'm pretty sure these little girls can. Millicent is my nurse at my side every day. And it seems they all just know and always appear right when I need them.
• Man Friend. He's been there every night, every day. He likes to say he didn't get me pregnant, but without him and his "boys", this wouldn't be happening. He gives me shots. He helps me when I feel sick. He drives me to my appointments. He asks the questions I forget to ask. He provides comic relief in the doctors' offices. He's fixed up my pool so I can exercise and be gentle on my body. He's started helping me prepare for everything! Nursery, car... everything! And when I have to cry, he's right there making it all better. Thank you.

And now we move forward to the next phase of baby life. A local OBGYN, a growing tummy, getting a nursery ready, shopping for cloth diapers, eye-balling cute clothes for tiny people.... and the ultimate arrival and growth of our family!