Five Years Later - Reflecting Back On The One That Worked...

Today is January 12, 2015, which is a big day for the Straight family.  Five years ago, Wendy and I headed to Rochelle Park, NJ after her school day was done.  We stopped at Roy Rogers on the Thruway, in New Baltimore, for a late dinner; that had effectively become a tradition for us any time we went to The Big Apple, and this trip was no different.

We had done this routine before, which certainly impacted our emotions for subsequent efforts.  Since we had been given a glimpse of hope for having a family in early 2008, highs and lows abounded.  When our very first attempt at in-vitro fertilization resulted in pregnancy, something we found out on Christmas Day in 2008, we were ecstatic.  However, what was supposed to be a routine checkup in February 2009 gave us the terribly sad news that our baby was no longer alive, and then we were devastated.  A second round of IVF in the summer of 2009 was successful in the laboratory only, with no resultant pregnancy.  So, we went into this third cycle with measured optimism trying to peek out from behind a significant dose of harsh reality from our experiences to this point...

We arrived at our "home away from home," the Ramada Inn at Rochelle Park, NJ, around 10:00 p.m.  The next morning, we'd head to Manhattan, as we had so many times before.  That visit would establish some baseline data for the start of another treatment cycle.  We suspected there would be some logistical complications, since my spring semester at SUNY Potsdam would begin shortly, likely before we were finished and able to return home.  We hadn't made all of the arrangements for that yet, but there would be time.

As always, it was a somewhat giddy evening, and we didn't get to sleep until January 12 was in the past.  Hilarity helps to suppress despair, at least on the surface.  But, sleep was necessary, ultimately...