WE ARE HAVING A BABY!
Okay, maybe we’re jumping ahead a little. No one is pregnant, yet. But we have officially started a journey that we have wanted so badly for years. And we are excited to share it with you, the people we love.
After much consideration and months of research, we have begun the process of IVF through egg donor and surrogacy. We are working with a non-profit in Los Angeles to offer us guidance and some financial assistance. However, the research has practically become a full time job for Matthew. The decisions are overwhelming and the costs are astronomical, but it will all be worth it.
To quickly breakdown the process: 1. We pick an IVF Clinic 2. We both get genetic testing 3. We will pick an egg donor (we have been looking through literally thousands of profiles and will eventually find a perfect match, both genetically and emotionally) 4. After the eggs are retrieved, embryos will be created 5. We will pick a surrogate who will graciously grow and deliver our baby. 6. We will be dads! (There’s some lawyer stuff in there too.)
Okay, that’s heavily simplified. The process is crazy, it really is, but we want to share this with our family and friends because we need support. It has already been an emotional beginning and we don’t even have an egg donor. There will be challenges but we are ready.
We want to answer any questions and talk about surrogacy because it is exciting, special, and something most know little about. All questions will be met with love because we know they are asked out of love and honest curiosity. Be mindful that we have already thought this through A LOT. For years. More sensitive questions would include: Have you considered adoption? – We have, most definitely. There are challenges and costs with that, too. This is the path that we have decided to take. Who is going to be the father? – We both are! There are different approaches to how we can create the embryos, but we will both be on the birth certificate and we will both be called dad. We don’t need the biological distinction.
How can you help? Send us love! Check in occasionally. Send us messages of encouragement. Write a short story about how we met, or a favorite memory that you have with Matt and Tyson (individually or together) and we will create a book to give our child. If you’re a recent parent, save baby stuff for us. If you’ve survived the challenges of parenthood, send us advice from all stages of life. And lastly, if you would like to kindly support our journey, please visit our donation page.
The average journey with an egg donor and surrogate comes to around $150,000 but offers a lifetime of learning, laughing, and love.
We love you, Matthew and Tyson
Get updates on our progress:
