Monday, March 7, 2011

Our Adoption Story - Part 3 - A New Goal

Part 1 - Infertility
Part 2 - Waiting


Spring 2004

LDS Family Services tells us the average wait for a couple to adopt a baby is approximately 18 months. As years slip by and we have no luck with adopting a newborn, I begin searching the internet for adoptable children and sibling groups. We request information, at different times, on seven different available children. Nothing. I need something to distract me. I consider a career change from graphic designer to nurse or radiologist. I start taking classes at the college.

I'm not sure when we begin seeing a fertility specialist an hour a way. But, he has me try one more round of Clomid at the highest dose. He monitors me closely and is able to determine through an ultrasound that Clomid is not going to work for me. Then we buy expensive medicine ($50 a shot of the low dose. The price goes up from there). For 10 consecutive nights, Eli diligently gives me those $50 shots. We visit Dr. Fertility a lot, sometimes nightly. Ultrasounds are done to track the egg development. On round two, with a higher dose, Dr. Fertility, Eli and I watch an egg develop inside me. He gives me a shot of Progesterone in my shoulder and we are sent home. We have high hopes. The end result --- not pregnant.


May 2004

Eli (finally) gets serious about school too. His parents invite us to live with them so Eli can attend school full-time. I will not consider this option at all... at least I didn't for a day. I know we can take care of ourselves while we go to school, but then I begin to recognize this as an opportunity for Eli to really focus on school and get it done. Once we decide to take his parents up on their offer we are packed and moving in with them within the month. Fortunately, we have our car paid off and our home rents out quickly, to a traveling nurse --- and we're able to rent most of our furniture to him too. (Saving on moving time and storage cost.) All-in-all, we profit almost $400 a month from this arrangement. Every little bit counts now.

All the baby stuff I had collected went to the very back of the storage unit. I am placing that dream on hold for now. (Fertility treatments are also put on hold.) I have two part-time jobs, one at American Classifieds as a graphic designer and one doing free-lance graphic design work for a printing press. Eli quits his full-time job as a windshield installer --- that ends his income and our health insurance. We hope for the best as we start college full-time.

Summer semester is intense for me. Eli begins work-study as a lab assistant. I only take 10 hours, so I can work too, but it is hard! Especially my technical writing class. We get to eat lunch on campus together. We study a lot.

Part 4 - Comfort

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