Where did it all start? Well, I guess that it could have started back in 2006 when Lauren and I were living together, and having a kid very much was something to be avoided. We were both pursuing our careers, and Lauren had only recently relocated to the Bay Area. Or it could have started in New York City, where, after years of cohabitation, we finally decided to get married. Let’s start there. After getting married, we decided to open the door to fate and see whether a kid would happen. We agreed that “we weren’t going to force the matter” and “if kids aren’t in the picture, we’ll have a great life with poodles and travel.

After Lauren’s salpingectomy, we began IVF. According to our log, we started our first IVF round on 2020-11-25. While in non-pandemic times this would be right around the Thanksgiving holiday, for us, it was the beginning of the shots-and-waiting part of IVF. Additionally, the damned pandemic meant it was a good time to stay focused inward. In the days prior, thanks to the pandemic and supply chain shortages, Lauren went from pharmacy to pharmacy to piecing together the required equipment for an IVF cycle. Last items from a pharamcy in Greenwich village in hand, we got dinner Eventually, it came down to the first night: we received instructions and links to online videos on how to inject the drugs.

This content is largely a revision to 2022-03-18 newsletter.

On the last checkups (around the February 10^th), Dr. Rackow saw what she needed and set us for the implantation on the 12^th. A few anxious days later, we took yet another trip down to the clinic at Columbus Circle. Lauren and I were escorted back to the pre-introduction waiting room. Columbia’s COVID policies had recently changed there so that I could “go back” as well. I had never been beyond the waiting room, and it was really nice to be able to be together. Nervous, we browsed silly things on Twitter, looked for funny images, and tried to quell our nerves.

After years of IVF, tense weeks of tip-toeing about hoping not to upset the delicate (well, in our minds anyway) magic of implantation, and a morning sickness-filled first trimester, my wonderful wife deserved some rest, relaxation, good food, sunshine, and beauty: she deserved a vacation!

We wanted all that vacation goodness but also a place that was relatively comfortable for a second-trimester pregnant woman. Adventure vacations were out (so much for zip-lining the jungle), but Lauren dislikes an idling “bake on the beach” resort stay. Where could we combine beauty with urbanity with beachside relaxation and maybe score a great photo for use on our pregnancy announcement cards?

The Côte d’Azur!

So we made reservations to stay in Nice with plans on making day trips to many of the adorable cliff-top villages nearby. We spent eight days there.

I’m amazed that la France has been such a part of my life: I’ve been to Paris four times and we were wed in New Orleans. This time, instead of staying in the Île-de-France, we went to a different type of France. We were excited to see how culture, customs, and food change once one ventured closer to the legacy lands of the Roman Empire, the narrow Mediterranean Sea, and Northern Africa.