In January of 2008, I received a phone call for a harp gig with the Broadway Theatre League. There was a production of Camelot coming up in February in Birmingham and they needed a harpist in addition to other instruments. The paycheck for this weeklong gig was the largest paycheck I had ever and have ever received. Excited for the opportunity and for the money, I gladly accepted. The gig was stressful but overall very successful and I am glad for the experience. Because the gig came with such a big monetary bonus, we decided to take the next step in our marriage and invest in a puppy. The gig provided us with the money to purchase a puppy and the necessary accessories and also pay our additional apartment fees. One Sunday morning, I looked online for puppies and found a website called puppyfinder.com. I looked for local Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppies and discovered three (one girl and two boys) for sale in Section, AL. Noah had always wanted a Pembroke Welsh Corgi and I wanted a girl dog so we decided on this cute three-month old puppy named Sierra. The next day on Monday, I called the owners and they said we could come by on Saturday and pick her up. On Saturday less than a week after I had decided I wanted a puppy we had her in hand. We named her Ein and she has been a blessing to us ever since.
This instant gratification is what I expected at least subconsciously in our approach to having a baby.
The spring of 2008 was filled with disappointment and victory. Noah and I were both due to student teach in the following fall semester but I was ready to move back to Huntsville. I fell in love with a house I visited that was for rent in Huntsville as I attempted to find a way for both Noah and me to find jobs in Huntsville and student teach in Huntsville; but neither was a possibility for either of us. Disappointed, we prepared for at least another year of living in Birmingham.
In April of 2008, Noah received a phone call from Highland’s Day School, where he had been substituting. Their Spanish teacher was leaving, and they asked if he would be interested in the job. We had not expected this and were overjoyed at the prospect of a full time teaching position for Noah. Noah interviewed and was hired by Highland’s Day school in the spring of 2008. I too switched jobs that spring. I had been an intern at Mountain Brook Baptist but that spring Baptist Church of the Covenant contacted me and asked if I would like to interview for their children’s music director. I interviewed for that position and was hired that spring. We both had exciting new jobs that would both fulfill and challenge us and we were also all set to student teach in the fall. Noah’s full time teaching salary provided a stability for us that we had not had up until this point and we decided once again we were ready to take the next step in our marriage: we wanted a baby.
In April of 2008, I went to the doctor for a preliminary check up and was pronounced in great health. The doctor optimistically said she hoped to see me back very soon. I did countless research on the Internet and felt we knew all we needed to begin this process.
Our summer included our first wedding anniversary, the weddings of friends and family, harp gigs, summer classes, music camp, and over the counter ovulation predictor tests.
As the months rolled by, I became nervous and depressed. Knowing what I do now, I know this was way too soon to indicate anything was wrong, but I never would have expected such a long wait.
In August of 2008, Noah began his first full time teaching job as a Spanish teacher to preschoolers through eighth graders while simultaneously student teaching and taking classes. I also began my job as a children’s music leader at a new church and my student teaching at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and Bluff Park Elementary School.
Our lives were busy, stressful, and meaningful, but the weight of our desire for a baby began to become overburdening. Strangely enough, in some ways 2008 was the hardest year for me emotionally. It was the year I cried the most often. We both sang in our church choir every Sunday, and most Sundays, it was hard for me to hold back the tears as I sang the beautiful passages of scripture that meant so much to me. I prayed constantly and I was never far from the incessant thoughts of my desire for a baby. Perhaps it was the shock, never suspecting that this would happen to us. I bought books upon books about fertility and read website after website, but unfortunately this reading only further discouraged me when I found out how much could possibly be wrong.
In December of 2008, Noah graduated from graduate school with a Masters of Arts in Secondary Education and completed his first semester as a full-time Spanish teacher. I completed my student teaching and was set to prepare for my graduate harp recital next semester. We then celebrated out first Christmas as TTC.
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