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"Mark!"

One Man's Story of Fertility Success

By Mark Stackpole

Impatience aside, there was another reason why I wanted to know sooner as opposed to later. On our way out of the lab, I explained that all of our other attempts at conceiving had ended in the same way – just she and I quietly learning the sad truth amid hugs and a few tears. Whatever the results of the blood test, I did not want to hear the news from the other end of a telephone.

Good or bad, I wanted to dance with the woman I brought, and I wanted her to dance with me. Whatever music ended up being played, at least we were dancing together.

She agreed, and we picked up a pregnancy test right there in the hospital. You already know how that test turned out. When we called the lab a few hours later, the nurse confirmed that the blood test was also positive. By then, of course, not only did we know the facts, but we felt them as well. The phone call was met with simple, knowing smiles that belied the blazing, bursting hearts within.

One little word, my own name called from the bathroom, has heralded a significant change in my life. I learned that there will finally be someone around who won't be calling me by my given name. To the world, I will still be Mark (and when I lag on changing the baby's diaper or forget to mow the lawn, still "Mark!"), but to (at least) one special, beautiful, little person, I will always be "Dad."

Want to see more?

• The House Is Quiet: Waiting for Parenthood
• Egg Day: The Next Step Toward Conception
• Fuzzy Blue Hippo: A Hopeful Dad's Wait
• Talk about it!
• Check out our Article Library.