* I am a school librarian. In every possible way.
* I am married to a wonderful man named Wes. When we met (blind date, 1996) he was female and I was a staunch lesbian. Over time, he realized he was really supposed to have been born a boy and I realized I was really attracted to trans-folk. So it all worked out rather well.
* I have a 17 year old stepson. My husband is his mother. Yes. I refer to him on this blog as GMB (Gargantuan Man Boy). He is with us summers and other school breaks and on his birthday.
* I have always wanted to be a mother. Using donor sperm, I started trying to get pregnant in May of 2005. I got my first positive blood test on July 27, 2006 - this was a result of my seventh IUI cycle, my second on Clomid with trigger shots. I used an HCG booster 6dpo to keep my progesterone up (I had a luteal phase defect). On August 29th, 2006 when I thought I was 9 weeks pregnant and after seeing the heartbeat the week before, I went for my first OB appt and found out that the baby had died around 8 weeks, 2 days - about 3 days after I saw it. I had a Manual Vacuum Aspiration the next day which was hideous but quick. Pathology report indicated a triploidy - 3 complete sets of chromosomes. Our first try back after the disaster worked. Positive tests as of December 10th, 2006. Our beautiful son, Beckett Ace, was born August 15, 2007 via c-section.
* Since we started trying to conceive in May 2005, our friends and close acquaintances have conceived or given birth to 43 babies. Since 2002, when our personal baby boom began, 62 babies have been born or conceived to those around us.
* My mother died when I was 20 years old. She had cervical cancer. She hadn't had a pap smear in more than three years. Please visit your gynecologist regularly.
* Wes and I both suffer from major, chronic depressive disorders. We have both been free of any catastrophic episodes (and mental hospitals) for more than 4 years, but still - sometimes our house is BIG fun.
* We have 2 dogs and 2 cats. For many years we had pet rats, too, but they have very short lifespans and broke our hearts. If we hadn't ended up having a baby, I shudder to think how many animals we would have acquired.
* I have a pain disorder/syndrome called fibromyalgia. I am in at least some pain nearly all the time, though during pregnancy I did not experience any flares.
* We both love to travel. Wes loves glaciers and animals and his dream vacations are Antarctica, Patagonia, Galapagos, and Kangaroo Island (Australia). My dream vacation is a World Cruise.
* My husband is a faggy design snob. He has a blog called coveting where he used to showcase his materialism. Its purpose changes from time to time.
* My bookshelves at home are in Dewey Decimal order.
* I sort of consider myself a Quaker but I am not a proper Member of a Meeting.
* We had three weddings.
* I am frequently bitchy, bitter, angry, moody, cranky, or whiny. It's why you love me.
