We are two Northern California lesbians on the path toward having a baby, and this is our blog.
Who We Are
We are T and J, (legally) married lesbians in our thirties. T is the primary blogger (although J chimes in from time to time as well). When this blog began, we lived amongst the redwoods in the Northwestern corner of California. We now live in Northern California’s wine country, where we share an apartment with our three aging cats. We both teach at the college level, do some writing, and spend a lot of time walking through the rolling hills of Northern California.
Our Path
We have been trying to get me–T–pregnant since May of 2007. Our first donor was a very generous PhD candidate who shipped his sperm to us through the mail using BioTranz. We had eight attempts before he had to move to a location from which he would no longer be able to ship. We had a good long break, and when we started up again, we bought frozen sperm and did at-home inseminations. On our third try, I got pregnant. Our positive pregnancy test came on New Year’s Eve of this year. Our little Egghead is due on September 10th.
Our Blog
Our blog chronicles our journey through this process. There are times when we have written primarily about trying to conceive (TTC), but now much of the blog is made up of pregnancy details. Along with those topics, there are plenty of times when write about everything else: cooking, farms, our new hometown, friends, parenting matters, family issues, cats, photography, and even ugly personal issues. Mostly, this blog is a venting ground, a place where we can talk about this very surreal, sometimes frustrating, and sometimes rewarding journey. And sometimes, it’s just therapy.
The Name
We called this blog “Reproducing Genius” not because we’re pompous and think we’ll have a genius child but more as a joke. Our previous donor apparently qualified for MENSA, but he was too cool to join. J and I are both smart cookies, but we don’t brag about it. The donor we used to get pregnant is also quite smart, has advanced degrees like us, and the like, but we know even if genetics weren’t on our side, we could raise a smart child. I think we just liked the double–or triple–entendre. Of course, if we have a genius child, we won’t complain and the title will be all the more apropos.
Anything Else?
If you have questions for us, feel free to leave them here. We are not lesbian fertility experts, but we know the ropes of home inseminations, sperm shipping, and the emotional roller coaster that is trying to get pregnant as a lesbian. Should you want to commiserate, join the fun on the home page, or leave us a note here.
Hey guys,
Just came across your website. My girlfriend and I have been together for 5 years (We are 23 and 25)…..and are planning on getting pregnant in the next year and a half. I was actually looking up how-to’s for home insemination and your website popped up. I think it is so wonderful that you both are sharing your journey with everyone. I will continue to check back regularly. The thought of the insemination process that we will go through in the near future is so exciting for me…..so, I can’t imagine the emotions you two have right now….being in the middle of the process! Good luck to you both!!!!!!!!!!
Tiffany
Welcome, Tiffany!
I’m glad that you found us. The process you’re embarking on is a very exciting one indeed, full of ups and downs. You’re going to love it!
Have you decided yet which of you will be getting pregnant?
By the way, if you want a great site with instructions for home inseminations, visit Fertility Plus. We have a link to it under the Helpful TTC Links.
Thanks for visiting, and we look forward to seeing you here in the future! Good luck with your journey!
T
Hey T & J,
Thanks for the info … I will definitely be checking out the links on your site. I did look at Fertility Plus and got some great how-to’s from there – thanks!!
My girlfriend and I (Karli) are looking forward to the journey. I will be carrying the child. I have always known that I wanted to give birth! We have a very close friend that does not want children of his own, and he will be donating for us!! It is going to be so amazing, because he will be able to have a role in our child’s life. It’s just so awesome that he wants to help us start our family. He knows he doesn’t want to be a dad and is just excited to make our dream a reality! So…knowing we’re going through this process in the future is unbelievably exciting for me….the past few weeks (coming across your website and researching more on the specifics of the insemination process) it has been on my mind more and more. Our plan is for me to give birth when I’m 25 and Karli will be 27. So….it’s coming up quickly. There are a few things we still want to do…have a wedding ceremony and travel a little bit!! But, after that, it’s baby time!!
I am honestly so thrilled to have come across your website….and the links to the other sites off your page…I had no clue there were so many other wanna-be mommas out there just like us, that were going through what we’re going through!! I wish I could find couples like you guys in our Richmond, Virginia area. I feel you on the whole “community” posting!!!!!!!! Okay, sorry this is so long. Don’t suppose either of you are on Facebook……???
Tiffany,
That’s great that you’ve found a donor. We’ve had a couple of different friends over the years whom we thought would be our donors, and then circumstances changes, so it’s good that you will be striking while the iron is hot, so to speak!
I’m so glad that you found our site too! It can seem like a lonely journey when you don’t have a lot of community where you live, so finding it online can be really helpful. It seems to me that there are some couples in Virginia who are at various stages in this process who also have blogs, so you may want to look around. A number of the sites off of ours have bigger blogrolls, so if you look at those, you’re likely to find people at least a little closer to your area. That’s the great thing about our online community: we’re absolutely everywhere!
Unfortunatley, neither of us is on Facebook or any of the other social networking sites. This blog is about all we can handle! Feel free to contact us anytime through the site though.
T
Hey, I just saw that you have me listed in your blogroll. I’ll start reading your blog too. I’m especially interested to learn your story since you’re using fresh sperm-mail too.
Good luck!
hi! It’s Emily from FF, and I just noticed that you are now on IVP too! great to see you.
Hi Emily–glad to see you here! Welcome!
just un-lurking as i jump around on these ttc blogs … really love your blog
Congratulations on your baby on the way. Motherhood is an amazing journey – best of luck to you both on this adventure.
Heather
http://www.hipmommy.wordpress.com
Hey ladies-
just recently found your blog site and all I can say is WOW! My partner and I have been trying to have a baby for 7 months now and gee wiz the stresses that go along with it are CRAZY! I sure didn’t think it would be like this. Reading all the ups and downs that you guys have gone through make it easier for me to see that there is still a chance, a light at the end of the tunnel so to speak.
thanks again for a great site, keep up the great blog!