AUTHOR: Sara TITLE: Hope DATE: 1/06/2005 01:43:00 PM ----- BODY:

Mike has a cousin that lives here in Nevada. Although we are not close, I am very close with her mother, whom we lovingly refer to as "Aunt P". When my husband was a baby, his mother was diagnosed with cancer and she was hospitalized for many, many months. Mike's father was nearly 50 years old and there were 3 other boys at home, so Aunt P took Mike and basically became his surrogate parent until he reached the age of 6. (His mother passed away when he was barely a year old.) He then returned to live with his father in grade school. So, Aunt P was here for Christmas, visiting us and her daughter who lives here. Over the holidays, the subject of our ongoing efforts to get pregnant and stay pregnant came up and Aunt P and her daughter disclosed their own private hells. Aunt P had three miscarriages inbetween all of her children. (Miscarriage, daughter C, miscarriage, son B, miscarriage, daughter D) All of her miscarriages were well into the second trimester and she was forced to deliver all of the children as if they were full-term. No explanation was ever reached for her difficulties, but she has 3 lovely children. D, her daughter, had a little girl last Christmas that is the most precious child ever. We loved spending time with her here in our home, Mike busy chasing her around since she has recently found her legs. D told me that she was married once before and tried for many years to get pregnant. When she finally did, she was rushed to the ER with an ectopic pregnancy, her right tube having ruptured open. She had that tube and ovary removed and was told that her chances of having a child were minimal considering she was already 40 years old and only had one working ovary. It was last year that she divorced, met a wonderful man, and had her daughter. She is discussing trying for a second child soon. For Christmas, Aunt P gave us a small, silver-plated frame with a picture of D's daughter. D was upset her mother had given us a picture of her little one, saying, "They don't want a picture of her in their house, Mom!" But Mike and I smiled and shook our heads, placing her little picture in our bedroom next to Yankee Bear. Our Yankee Bear was created on our honeymoon at a "Build-A-Bear" Workshop in California, our small ritual to make a bear for the 2 children we never had and for the child we dream of. Lastly, we adorned the bear with a Yankees t-shirt, for our favorite team, and placed the bear in our bedroom as a reminder of what is to come. We are more than optimistic. Now, next to Yankee Bear is a picture of D's daughter, a reminder that great things come to those who wait and that anything is possible.

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