Posted Tuesday, January 06, 2009 2:58 PM
"I only hope to be as wonderful a mother to my baby as my mom has been to me over the past 26 years..."
Chance meeting
Mark and I met in the summer of 2003, right before I began my senior year of college. Mark is a landscape designer and my parents were in the midst of a home renovation. The contractor brought along Mark as a candidate for the landscaping job, and when he was walking my mom around the property, she asked me to come along with them. We were experiencing a bad summer with tent caterpillars, and they were hanging from all of the trees. I didn't want to risk any of them falling on me so I asked my little sister to get me an umbrella. She was only five at the time and she returned with a lace parasol from her room. When I strolled outside beneath my parasol, I could see the look of horror and embarrassment on my mom's face. Mark, however, had this grin from ear to ear and didn't appear deterred by my Scarlett O'Hara look.
Although we were both in other relationships at the time, we had an immediate connection. The next month he and I both ended our other relationships (unbeknownst to either of us), and he called my mom and asked her for my phone number at college. We went on our first date a few weeks later and have been together ever since. We were engaged on Christmas day 2004 and were married December 29, 2006.
Planning ahead for baby
When we first met, I was finishing up my undergraduate degree. I went to law school the following year, and we didn't want to try to conceive until after I had graduated and secured employment. After all of the time and energy that I've invested in my career, I won't be able to be a stay at home mom, but luckily my mother lives close by and will be able to care for the baby while Mark and I are working during the day. It was also important to us to travel extensively before baby comes. We've gone on some amazing trips over the years, and now that I've been working for a year and a half, it's a good time to begin trying.
The ups and downs of TTC
TTC has been pretty stressful and we're only on cycle three right now. I was fortunate enough to find the Getting Pregnant board on The Bump at the end of my first cycle TTC, and the ladies there have been a tremendous resource. It's nice to be able to commiserate over "failed" cycles and to seek advice about all of the neuroses that we seem to experience while TTC -- especially during the anxiety-ridden "two week wait."
The best part about TTC is becoming closer with your partner. It makes me feel really special each cycle to know that it could be THE cycle where we create a new life. Becoming pregnant brings tremendous responsibility, but also incredible excitement.
Looking forward
I can't wait for the first moment I see my baby's face after his or her birth. I'll finally be able to look at Mark and then the baby and say, "We did this!" I only hope to be as wonderful a mother to my baby as my mom has been to me over the past 26 years.
> Read more about KLResq!
> Want to share your TTC story? Email it to kstanford@theknot.com.
Posted Tuesday, December 16, 2008 11:27 AM
"I feel like if you wait for the time to be too perfect, then the time will pass you by..."
Our story
Jay and I have been together for almost four amazing years. The moment I met him I knew this was it, this man is amazing. We would hang out with friends during the first couple of months and he would always say "I'm going to marry this woman". Six months later, during a romantic trip to Aruba, he got down on one knee, during the sunset at the California lighthouse and asked me to be his wife. Some people would say we were moving two fast but we knew it was right, we had both come from negative relationships in the past and as fate would have it, found each other at the right time in our lives.
Our engagement was a couple of years long, we knew there was no reason to rush, neither of us were going anywhere anytime soon. We found the perfect first home, got our careers in the right direction and then had a beautiful, perfect wedding back in June 2008. We have been homeowners for over a year now, happily married and are now ready for the next exciting step - we are officially trying to conceive!
Full house, open room
I have been an animal rescuer for over seven years, so it's pretty safe to say that our home is never quiet! I grew up having animals in my house and my mother has passed on the gift of helping to save lives with me. Although we have a full house from time to time with rescues that need homes, we have that special spare bedroom that we will randomly walk into, stare into space and think of what it would look like if we have a baby girl or boy. That one room is the only room we haven't remodeled yet simply because we are waiting for that special time, the TTC time. We have decided, that time has come. We had an amazing engagement, six months of enjoying our new marriage and house and our love is stronger than ever.
Looking forward to an amazing future
We've always said that we will plan for the perfect time to conceive, of course there is always the "what if's" but we finally realized, what better time to do it than now? I feel as if you wait for the time to be too perfect then the time will pass you by. I have never in my life thought that I would feel the feeling I do now with the desire to have a baby. I know Jay will be the most amazing father, the sparkle in his eyes when we spoke about it in the past gives me the chills. You always question yourself but it's because you want the complete best for your child. I daydream and ponder what he or she will look like, what names we would choose and it releases such an amazing feeling of joy. Just the thought of my husband, my life, my everything; and the fact that I have the gift to be able to create a human being that is both of us, brings butterflies to my stomach. 2008 was an amazing year - Jay and I are ready for 2009 and for 2010? We hope to ring in the New Years with a new addition to our family!
> Read more about leighag81!
> Want to share your TTC story? Email it to kstanford@theknot.com.
Posted Monday, December 08, 2008 4:06 PM
"We have always talked about having children and I can't wait to see his
face when I finally tell him that he's going to be a father..."
How we met
My husband Kevin and I have been together for four years. We met at work after catching eachother's eyes and striking up many conversations about our beloved Chicago Cubs. We were married this past May in a beautiful wedding ceremony and then had an amazing honeymoon in Positano, Italy. We are best friends and can't wait to fill up our newly-built house with children. It seems so big and empty with just the two of us!
Baby talk
We decided after the hectic wedding planning and building our new home that we would wait about six months before starting on our trying to conceive journey. We just wanted to have a little time to catch our breath and enjoy being newlyweds. We have always talked about having children and I can't wait to see his face when I finally tell him that he's going to be a father. I know he will start crying immediately! Seeing him with my niece and nephew makes my heart melt every time. Now that we're settled in, we know the time is right and we have already picked out names for both a boy and girl!
Looking forward to being Mommy
Growing up, I had always dreamed about the day that I would become a wife and mother. I can't believe the day is already here. It leaves me with so many emotions and questions in my mind. Will I be a good mother? Will I be able to conceive? How long will it take? I think that every woman has these thoughts, I think they are only natural.
The thought of creating something that is both apart of Kevin and I brings tears to my eyes. I know that this process can take time, but we're willing to accept whatever life has in store for us. We just hope it includes a beautiful, healthy baby in 2009!
> Read more about Kristin&Kevin!
> Want to share your TTC story? Email it to kstanford@theknot.com.
Posted Friday, November 21, 2008 5:10 PM
"We can’t wait to be able to love our own baby and share all the wonderful things that are in our future..."
My husband and I met through what seems to be becoming a more common way for people to meet these days…the Internet. We emailed back and forth for a few weeks before deciding to meet up for our first date: dinner and games at Jillian’s. I had gone into the date with the question in my mind, “Would I like another date with this guy?” as opposed to “Is this the man I’m going to marry?,” which served me well. We were both eager to have that second date and after dating for a year and a half he proposed! We got married on May 13, 2007, which happened to be Mother’s Day that year.
I’ve always known that I would be a mom one day. I have worked with children my whole life, as a camp counselor when I was younger, and now as a speech-language pathologist in early intervention. I have so much fun seeing how my students progress, learning new skills and growing right before my eyes. If I’m brought to tears by one of my students meeting a milestone, I can’t imagine what it will feel like when that’s actually MY child. I am going to need a lifetime supply of Kleenex.
This past summer we decided that we would begin trying to conceive in September. Though I am beyond excited to start this journey, it’s often difficult to ignore the “what-ifs?” What if I can’t get pregnant? What if I can, but I miscarry? What if I don’t, but something is wrong with the baby when it’s born or as he or she grows up? Between seeing friends and family struggle through fertility challenges, and working with children who have developmental delays, autism, and other disorders the unknowns seem very real. Even with the uncertainties, I’m confident that my husband and I will be able to support each other through anything that happens in our lives, good or bad.
While we wait for our own little one, we are getting lots of practice with our nieces, twins who are 16 months, and a brand new little girl, only five weeks old. It’s amazing to see my husband light up around the girls, play with them, and even change a diaper once in a while (actually, just once)! We can’t wait to be able to love our own baby and share all the wonderful things that are in our future.
> Read more about beffysky!
> Want to share your TTC story? Email it to Bump Kaitlin at kstanford@theknot.com.
Posted Friday, November 07, 2008 4:26 PM
"The best part of TTC is the excitement I get at the possibility of us being parents..."
Ryan and I met when I was a student teacher at the school he taught at. I was home sick one day and decided to "go for it" and I emailed Ryan asking him out for drinks as friends (since his relationship status was still a mystery). He emailed me back and agreed to go out that night. After our first date, we were inseparable. After two months we decided to move in together and get another dog, Elloise. I already had one dog, Agnes. About a month after that he asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes. We were still working at the same school so we had to keep our relationship and the engagement a secret from all of his work friends. We were married about 18 months later on July 12.
We knew that we wanted to start having kids right away and I went off the pill about six months before the wedding, but we didn't start actively trying until two months ago.
The best part of TTC is the excitement I get at the possibility of us being parents. And also the little notes and emails that Ryan sends me with "soon-to-be-mommy" written on them. The worst part is the not knowing when and if it will happen. We plan on being foster parents relatively soon and we will eventually adopt at least one child but we would love to have our own children and hopefully we will be blessed with one soon.
I can't wait to see those awesome two pink lines and then everything that follows: Seeing the heart beat for the first time, feeling my baby kick, meeting him or her when they are born, the awesome baby smell that they all have and of course watching them grow and learn. Now I am all teary eyed just thinking about it.
> Read more about JenniferMae!
> Want to share your TTC story? Email it to kstanford@theknot.com.
Posted Friday, October 31, 2008 4:40 PM
"I am excited and anxious about becoming a mother -- either naturally or through the love of adoption..."
I met my husband three years ago when I was set up on a blind date by my mother...and it worked. Neither of us had ever been on a blind date before and both were hesitant about the process, but thought we should at least meet a new friend. When I walked into that coffee shop the first night I met him and saw him smile up at me, I was done for. We immediately clicked and were inseparable. We were married on May 5, 2007, a day that would have been my grandparents 61st wedding anniversary. We were very thankful that my grandmother gave us her blessing to share the date with her and my late grandfather.
Growing up, I had never dreamed of being married or having children. I just didn't think that was the life for me. By the time I met my husband, I had come to a place in my life where I was content with knowing I would never marry and never have biological children. That was completely turned upside down by finding my soul mate. I began dreaming of children and yearning to spend the rest of my life with this man and a house full of babies and fur babies!
After our first wedding anniversary this past year, we began discussing when we would like to start trying to have children. There were a lot of factors to consider. Some that we discussed were: I'm in my second year of law school and it can sometimes be the most grueling thing I've ever been through; my husband loves his freedom to play and explore but desperately wants kids before he is "too old to rough house with them"; and, I have a history of Endometreosis that may become a factor in trying to conceive. Ultimately, we decided we would take the "whatever happens, happens" approach. We went off birth control in July of this year and are taking things one step at a time now. We have discussed our desires to be parents to a biological child, but are both very interested in adopting, as well. Hopefully, we will be blessed with the opportunity to do both.
I am excited and anxious about becoming a mother -- either naturally or through the love of adoption. I cannot wait to have a child to admire and watch grow. What can be more satisfying than watching your little one become his or her own person?! Our journey so far has been an easy one and I am thankful for that. We remind ourselves every day to keep a positive attitude and know that when the time comes for us to have a child, it will happen. In the meantime, we are having a great time practicing!
> Read more about rsgrl!
> Want to share your TTC story? Email it to kstanford@theknot.com.
Posted Monday, October 20, 2008 3:34 PM
"I am on my tenth cycle of TTC and it's been long and frustrating..."
I actually met my husband when I was in middle school. We both were invited to the same middle school prom that was in our area. Although we did not go together to the prom, we definitely had our eye on each other. We went to separate schools growing up and didn't see each other much. It was when we both graduated college and moved back to our hometown that we finally met up again.
Our first official "date night" was on New Years Eve; we'll be together for three years this January. Our one year wedding anniversary is October 27 and we are so excited. I am on my tenth cycle of TTC and it's been long and frustrating. Since I have been off of birth control, my cycles have been lasting anywhere from 30-76 days -- long cycles are no fun! We are hoping that with the help of Clomid we will get our BFP this month. (Fingers crossed!) I have wanted to be a mom ever since I was little; I feel like it's my calling. There is nothing that I want more out of my life than to be a wonderful wife and mother. Family is the most important thing to my husband and I and we both can't wait to see our family grow.
> Read more about IloveJAV!
> Want to share your TTC story? Email it to kstanford@theknot.com.
Posted Friday, October 17, 2008 10:34 AM
"On my 27th birthday, Paul gave me the best birthday present to date.
After opening all my presents, he said that he'd like to start a family
and I started to cry..."
Paul and I met on January 31, 2004 through mutual friends at a bar. We kept glancing at each other throughout the night and struck up a great conversation. Two days later, we had our first date. Even after spilling spinach dip on my chin, he stuck with me! It was this first date when I knew he was different - he gave me butterflies in my stomach. A week after meeting him, I knew I was going to marry him. We dated for two and a half years before he decided to propose. On September 8, 2007, we were married in the town where both of us grew up. I can't imagine having had a better wedding than we did that day!
I knew that I wanted to have children right away, but Paul wasn't so quick in thinking the same way. It's been difficult seeing our friends and family conceive and have babies, when in my heart, I want one too. We had many conversations about how our lives will change when we do decide to welcome children and both realized we weren't quite ready. Finally, almost a year later, on my 27th birthday, Paul gave me the best birthday present to date. After opening all my presents, he said that he'd like to start a family and I started to cry. With that response, we began our first cycle of TTC. As we enter our second cycle, we are hopeful as to what's to come. We both know that it can take a while, which I find to be the most difficult part. Fortunately for us, we've been charting for 17 cycles already and feel as though we have a good idea as to when we are fertile as a couple. We both cannot wait until we receive the news that we're expecting a child. I guess the toughest question after that might be...do we find out what we're having or keep it a surprise?
> Read more about mlh21!
> Want to share your TTC story? Email it to kstanford@theknot.com!