Christopher's Story .... the Prequel

Christmas 2011

Christopher’s story begins in the summer of 2011.  Caroline had just turned one, and we were given the ‘all clear’ from the doctor’s to try for baby #2.  For about 5 years, with the exception of military birth control (i.e. TDYs, training, and deployments) that was what we did.  I started having some issues that doctors during the first 4 years told me were normal and finally one doctor took notice and took action. We were in our last few months of our time in Korea, he ordered tests and procedures and we found some answers.  He advised us to have these same procedures repeated when we moved back stateside to make sure he didn’t miss anything.

June 2016

Easter 2016

In June 2016, I went into surgery to have an HSG x-ray, hysteroscopy and laparoscopy, to see what was going on.  The results came back, with an answer:  Impossible for conception/pregnancy.  Endometriosis had taken over.  My tubes were completely blocked, clubbed and inoperable, my ovaries were covered so much so the doctor had never seen anything like it.  So, we had our answer, which we were thankful for, but the answer to bearing another child was no.  

We had considered the avenue of adoption during our first bout of infertility before Caroline, so we knew that was a viable option that we would both consider.  Kevin, being very patient and wise told me this after the results came in, “Let’s wait for one year, not thinking about expanding our family.  We don’t want to react to this news and make a knee jerk decision because that would not be fair to the child we adopt and it wouldn’t be healthy for us as a couple or for Caroline to do that.  After a year, God will make it clear whether we are supposed to be content with one child, foster or adopt.”

So, we waited.  Our prayer that, for so many years, had been to have a baby, transformed into asking God to help us learn to be content.  I started to really understand the meaning of each day being a gift and being thankful for the showers of blessings that we are each given daily.   Knowing what we know now about me, what doctors had discovered, we were beginning to realize how fortunate we were to have had one child naturally.  We were so thankful for that reality.

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

Philippians 4:12