“Empty Arms: Journeying with infertility”

It was January 19, 2009, and I was sitting in the dentist’s chair getting ready for my first crown. All I could do was sit back and look at Dr. Tsang and his assistant working above me. It’s actually entertaining; rarely do people get so close to your face, yet no personal space issues seem to arise.

I got the call about Hannah on a Wednesday morning. “We think we have a little girl for you,” said the social worker. “Her name is Hannah and she is 7 years old.

“In their hearts human beings plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps” (Proverbs 16:9). After getting married in December 1996, Andy and I began planning our course. We decided 3 years was an appropriate length of time to wait before beginning our family of five.

What would become of the stone? I wondered. Did its bedside home trigger reminders to taunt her grief? Did it still reside in her collection of wonder?

Mommy and Daddy sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Mommy with a baby carriage.” This familiar playground rhyme encapsulates the way most people expect life to unfold: meet, marry, multiply.
But what happens when the baby carriage remains empty?