Our Greatest Adventure
Beschermde donatie
“This marriage has been a long time in coming … but the various and sundry delays have only conspired to bring together this more perfect union”
On our wedding day, our minister spoke these words. She was referring to the nine years that we had already been together before that day in 2015. For you, our friends and family and our beloved community who have supported us over the years, we’re sure these words resonated. There was a palpable sense of gratitude that we were finally at this time and place. It had been a long time in coming.
We imagine that this announcement feels the same way. This has been a long time in coming. We have spent 13 years dreaming about having children. Over the years, you have delighted in asking when we will get pregnant and reminded us of how great we will be as parents. You have laughed with us when we joked back that sperm is pretty expensive. Our response has always been light-hearted - a form of self-preservation - because the reality is that we simply could not afford to do this and we have been discouraged and sometimes ashamed.
Over the past year, it has become clear that we can not wait until the time is right because there simply is no right time and we will never have enough money to feel comfortable doing this. Fortunately, Jackie’s insurance covers much more of this process than we had expected so the burden is not as great. But as we have said hundreds of times over the years, sperm is pretty expensive.
Donor sperm is not covered by insurance. Through the Seattle Sperm Bank, each IUI unit is $690. We have been advised to purchase 8-10 units which could be used for multiple children. There are shipping fees and storage costs. And so many things that we wish we didn’t need to think about.
Since April, we have been under the care of BostonIVF, world-renowned leaders in reproductive endocrinology. Jess has undergone a battery of tests and bloodwork, and she has been cleared to start IUI! When we return from our upcoming Caribbean cruise, we will need to wait at least eight weeks to ensure there has been no exposure to Zika. This means that in the Fall, we can start IUI!
But we need your help. We need your help to make this baby.
We hope that if you have asked us, “When are you going to get pregnant??,” that you will donate. We hope that if you have said out loud or thought in your head that we would be great parents, that you will donate. We hope that if you have felt comfortable leaving your children in our care, that you will donate. In church, we would say, “give until it feels good.” We hope that being a part of this with us brings you joy!
And in case you needed any more incentives, there’s more!
If you donate at least $25, you will unlock access to our private instagram account @_ourgreatestadventure_ where we will be documenting our journey!
If you donate at least $50, you will get a handwritten thank you note on our wedding stationary! (sorry, we sucked at thank you notes…)
If you donate at least $200, you can see a baby photo of our sperm donor!
If you donate the full $8000, you will get naming rights! (jk?)
Thank you for loving us. Thank you for supporting us. We couldn’t do this without you.
What This Means to Jess
It’s no secret that I have ALWAYS wanted to be a mom. Basically every Christmas when I was young brought some new baby doll or baby doll accessories. I handled them with the utmost care and even became quite a pro at swaddling them. As I got older, my love for working with children bloomed. I signed up for a babysitting course as soon as I was old enough to register. I volunteered for a summer day camp for young children, eventually going on to work for the program through high school and college. As many of you know I’ve had an almost 13 year career in early childhood education. And for the past year and a half I’ve been teaching early childhood development to aspiring early educators. It’s safe to say that most of my life has revolved around working with and caring for children.
My desire to be a mom was always coupled with my desire to have a family. I knew I wanted a partner to raise children with. Two parents and children. Now, I’d be lying if I said that I always knew our family would consist of two moms. That changed the moment I met Jac. I had always had this vision of me and my partner sitting around the Christmas tree with our children on Christmas morning (I know, very specific daydream but also very me). There was a point not too far into us dating that I realized that the person in my vision had become Jac.
I want to be a mom. I want to have a family. And I want to have that family with Jac. She has such a way with kids. I find myself teary eyed when I watch her play with our niece and nephew. I cannot wait to see her with a baby strapped to her chest. I cannot wait to do all the ups and downs of parenting with her. I cannot wait to start a family with her.
What This Means to Jackie
I often think about this quote from Chandler on Friends:
“My wife's an incredible woman. She's loving and devoted and caring... and don't tell her I said this, but the woman's always right. I love my wife more than anything in this world. And... it kills me that I can't give her a baby. I really want a kid. And when that day finally comes, I'll learn how to be a good dad, but my wife, she's already there. She's a mother without a baby.”
I feel this so deeply about Jess. My wife’s an incredible woman. She’s loving and devoted and caring. And she’s a mother without a baby.
For her entire life, she has known that she wanted to be a mother and a teacher. She has loved and nurtured hundreds of children and their families. She has devoted her life to this work, and I am so proud of the impact she has had on so many lives. But we both know that this doesn’t come close to the reality of having a child of our own.
And when that day finally comes, I’ll learn how to be a good mom, but my wife, she’s already there. She’s a mother without a baby.
On our wedding day, our minister spoke these words. She was referring to the nine years that we had already been together before that day in 2015. For you, our friends and family and our beloved community who have supported us over the years, we’re sure these words resonated. There was a palpable sense of gratitude that we were finally at this time and place. It had been a long time in coming.
We imagine that this announcement feels the same way. This has been a long time in coming. We have spent 13 years dreaming about having children. Over the years, you have delighted in asking when we will get pregnant and reminded us of how great we will be as parents. You have laughed with us when we joked back that sperm is pretty expensive. Our response has always been light-hearted - a form of self-preservation - because the reality is that we simply could not afford to do this and we have been discouraged and sometimes ashamed.
Over the past year, it has become clear that we can not wait until the time is right because there simply is no right time and we will never have enough money to feel comfortable doing this. Fortunately, Jackie’s insurance covers much more of this process than we had expected so the burden is not as great. But as we have said hundreds of times over the years, sperm is pretty expensive.
Donor sperm is not covered by insurance. Through the Seattle Sperm Bank, each IUI unit is $690. We have been advised to purchase 8-10 units which could be used for multiple children. There are shipping fees and storage costs. And so many things that we wish we didn’t need to think about.
Since April, we have been under the care of BostonIVF, world-renowned leaders in reproductive endocrinology. Jess has undergone a battery of tests and bloodwork, and she has been cleared to start IUI! When we return from our upcoming Caribbean cruise, we will need to wait at least eight weeks to ensure there has been no exposure to Zika. This means that in the Fall, we can start IUI!
But we need your help. We need your help to make this baby.
We hope that if you have asked us, “When are you going to get pregnant??,” that you will donate. We hope that if you have said out loud or thought in your head that we would be great parents, that you will donate. We hope that if you have felt comfortable leaving your children in our care, that you will donate. In church, we would say, “give until it feels good.” We hope that being a part of this with us brings you joy!
And in case you needed any more incentives, there’s more!
If you donate at least $25, you will unlock access to our private instagram account @_ourgreatestadventure_ where we will be documenting our journey!
If you donate at least $50, you will get a handwritten thank you note on our wedding stationary! (sorry, we sucked at thank you notes…)
If you donate at least $200, you can see a baby photo of our sperm donor!
If you donate the full $8000, you will get naming rights! (jk?)
Thank you for loving us. Thank you for supporting us. We couldn’t do this without you.
What This Means to Jess
It’s no secret that I have ALWAYS wanted to be a mom. Basically every Christmas when I was young brought some new baby doll or baby doll accessories. I handled them with the utmost care and even became quite a pro at swaddling them. As I got older, my love for working with children bloomed. I signed up for a babysitting course as soon as I was old enough to register. I volunteered for a summer day camp for young children, eventually going on to work for the program through high school and college. As many of you know I’ve had an almost 13 year career in early childhood education. And for the past year and a half I’ve been teaching early childhood development to aspiring early educators. It’s safe to say that most of my life has revolved around working with and caring for children.
My desire to be a mom was always coupled with my desire to have a family. I knew I wanted a partner to raise children with. Two parents and children. Now, I’d be lying if I said that I always knew our family would consist of two moms. That changed the moment I met Jac. I had always had this vision of me and my partner sitting around the Christmas tree with our children on Christmas morning (I know, very specific daydream but also very me). There was a point not too far into us dating that I realized that the person in my vision had become Jac.
I want to be a mom. I want to have a family. And I want to have that family with Jac. She has such a way with kids. I find myself teary eyed when I watch her play with our niece and nephew. I cannot wait to see her with a baby strapped to her chest. I cannot wait to do all the ups and downs of parenting with her. I cannot wait to start a family with her.
What This Means to Jackie
I often think about this quote from Chandler on Friends:
“My wife's an incredible woman. She's loving and devoted and caring... and don't tell her I said this, but the woman's always right. I love my wife more than anything in this world. And... it kills me that I can't give her a baby. I really want a kid. And when that day finally comes, I'll learn how to be a good dad, but my wife, she's already there. She's a mother without a baby.”
I feel this so deeply about Jess. My wife’s an incredible woman. She’s loving and devoted and caring. And she’s a mother without a baby.
For her entire life, she has known that she wanted to be a mother and a teacher. She has loved and nurtured hundreds of children and their families. She has devoted her life to this work, and I am so proud of the impact she has had on so many lives. But we both know that this doesn’t come close to the reality of having a child of our own.
And when that day finally comes, I’ll learn how to be a good mom, but my wife, she’s already there. She’s a mother without a baby.
Organisator
Jessica Geilfuss
Organisator
Quincy, MA