When I was around five or six, I wanted a piece of candy from the drugstore. The only thing standing in my way of getting that piece of chocolate, was my grandfather. So, like every other spoiled but adorable child who doesn’t yet understand the concept of gratitude, I immediately kicked my sweet grandfather in… Continue reading The Candy Aisle
Untitled (2019)
Let’s talk about words. The ones we say to each otherand ourselves. The self-talk of: You can’t be taken seriously as a person or an artist. Look at your apartment, the dust on the walls, the onion skin on the kitchen floor, the pile of clothes on your grandmother’s chair. Let’s talk about a well-lived… Continue reading Untitled (2019)
A Community in Waiting
When we lived in the small town of Black Mountain, North Carolina, I had a favorite coffee shop that I visited regularly. It’s still my favorite roastery and coffee, except now, instead of it being down the street from our home, it’s about eight hours away. I worked in the same sweet town that I… Continue reading A Community in Waiting
You Get What You Give?
On my route to acupuncture, there is a home that likes to display wooden signs of inspiration and encouragement. When I pass the house, I usually read the sign and smile. Today, I wanted to stop my car, walk up to the cute sign, displayed on a small wooden bench, and stomp all over it.… Continue reading You Get What You Give?
One Egg, One Basket
I was in line to get a smoothie when my phone rang. This is how every scene begins, right? Disheveled woman with messy hair, waiting in line for her green smoothie, in the midst of Midwestern suburbia, about to find out the status of two embryos. My partner and I were apart from each other… Continue reading One Egg, One Basket
Tell Me Again How Babies Are Made
The clock read 2:55, five minutes before the dismissal bell would ring. As we lined up by the classroom door, my fifth-grade teacher passed us each a small permission slip to take home to our parents. Before my teacher even handed me the slip, I knew what it was for, and I couldn’t wait. Our… Continue reading Tell Me Again How Babies Are Made
It Takes a Community to Knock Me Up
In order for me to get pregnant, it will literally take a village. We would like to thank the following people for helping us on the road to starting a family. (This is very much a work in progress and not a complete list yet.) All of the phone calls, texts, messages, homemade dinners, laughs,… Continue reading It Takes a Community to Knock Me Up
Thank You for Your Patience
This afternoon, I counted the total number of shots that I had taken earlier in the month, over an eight-day period. Twenty-four. Twenty-two of those were given to me by my partner, the remaining two I administered on my own. One evening around 6 p.m., I sat on the edge of our bed and tried… Continue reading Thank You for Your Patience
7, 8, 5
Each moment I sit down to write about infertility, my mind tells me to pause. Pause and keep things private. If you place too much hope in the process, it will hurt even more when things don’t work out. I push myself through these thoughts, put the words down, and just sit with the anxious… Continue reading 7, 8, 5
Good Morning, Transvaginal Ultrasound!
We are officially in phase two of our IVF cycle. In phase two, we start with two injections and work our way up to adding more. Currently, I am on three injections. All three are to help trick my body into producing as many follicles as possible for the eventual egg retrieval. I take one… Continue reading Good Morning, Transvaginal Ultrasound!
Stefanie Wielkopolan 