Congratulations to US! (Soon-To-Be-Mamas Who Never Gave Up)



Me and Eileen--18 weeks and 30 weeks

Last night Michael and I met Eileen and her husband Paul at a wonderful little hole-in-the-wall French bistro called Chez Machin.  It's in SE Portland on Hawthorne right across from the Dosha spa where Eileen and I got pedicures back in April--just as she was getting ready to start her IVF cycle.  That day we were looking for a good lunch place and thought we'd try Chez Machin.  I loved it and not just because of the whole French thing.  :)  They have crepes (both savory and sweet) and they not only have crepes, but they have gluten-free crepes.  Heaven.

For awhile now Eileen and I have been saying that we need to do something to celebrate getting pregnant--to recognize just how much of an accomplishment that is for us and everything we did (and are still doing) to get to this point.  My first thought was to have a huge party, inviting everyone we know, play loud upbeat music and try to convey our joy to everyone that way.  Eileen's thought was that we might enjoy ourselves more by having a small couples dinner where I could finally meet Paul and she could meet Michael.  The more I thought about it, the more I liked her idea better than mine.  After all, no one of our friends and family (as much as they love and support us) would really understand why we wanted to celebrate getting pregnant.  It would more than likely turn into a sort of baby shower, with lots of attention focused on those little loves growing in our bellies--which would be okay too, and which we are both looking forward to at our respective showers--but what we most wanted was a chance to sit back, take a breath and say, "Wow, we really did it.  Can you believe it?"  We wanted to marvel at the miracle that is not only growing a baby in your belly for nine months, but the fact that that baby ever came into existence at all.  Because believe me, I am quite sure we would not be where we are now had we not both taken the IVF gamble and gotten very, very lucky.

We had the most wonderful dinner together, chatting and laughing for close to three hours.  Lucky for us, it is a French restaurant and they seem to follow the French philosophy that a really good meal with friends should last several hours.  The vibe would have been way different if we'd felt rushed to finish our meal and vacate our table for whomever might be waiting.  As it was, we got a nice cozy table in the back, which is actually a covered patio with space heaters placed strategically here and there so customers don't freeze their hineys off.

We all began our meal with soup (they had pea and I had French onion) and a toast with sparkling cider.  I'd called earlier in the day to make a reservation and asked if it would be okay to bring a bottle of cider since Eileen and I wouldn't be able to indulge in wine.  The manager was very kind to say it was totally fine and that they wouldn't even charge us a corking fee.  The cider certainly added to the celebratory mood.  I loved it.

Next came our main courses which were savory crepes for Paul, Michael and me, and ravioli for Eileen.  My crepe was amazing . . . a folded square loaded with tomatoes, avocado, mushrooms, mozzarella, ham and a red pepper coulis on the side as a dressing.  I was only able to eat about half of it because I wanted to save room for dessert.

And OH the dessert . . . my friends, if you are local, or if you ever have the chance to eat (or make) a crepe sucree (sweet crepe), please, please do so.  You won't be disappointed.  The one that was the hands-down favorite at our table was called "La Delice."  It was a crepe filled with raspberry jam, vanilla custard and nutella.  It was so, so, so good.  I can't even put it into words.  We also got "La Mont Blanc" which was a crepe stuffed with mixed local berries, chocolate and whipped cream.  AND we got a side of vanilla bean ice cream to share.  And then to make it even better, the first La Delice that the waitress brought was mistakenly made with a regular crepe instead of a gluten-free one . . . she came back and told us the mistake just as I put the first bite into my mouth.  But no matter.  She offered to whip us up another one tout de suite and said we could even keep the "mistake" for our trouble.  Eileen, Paul and Michael gobbled it right up.  :)

After we'd practically licked the dessert plates clean, we talked a bit more and then decided to call it a night--but not before taking pictures of the two pregnant ladies, to commemorate a most momentous event in all of our lives.

We did it.  Not without tears, not without frustration, not without jealousy or overwhelming heartache.

But we did it. 

And that is the most important thing.