No More Empty Fortune Cookies!

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Bone Marrow Babies?

The wife and I have talked some about having a family. We're trying to get ourselves ready for it. We quit smoking last year, started eating healthier, stopped the weekly trip to Sonic, and even started taking walks. I just want to be a good example to my child. We've talked about how two women such as us would go about becoming mommies. We've talked about what we want...ideally. I watch her when she watches John and Kate Plus 8, her eyes all a glimmer. My wife wants to be a mommy. I used to think, naively, that when I was ready, I'd just adopt. That looks less and less of an option with my epilepsy and inability to drive; most agencies look unkindly on such things. Then there's Macey's grand plan... The Turkey Baster... yup, she's Gung-ho for that one. Every time we go to the grocery store she says “do we need this? eh?eh? if you know what I mean..." while deviously holding up the first turkey baster she spots. Hold on there, Padre! I'm not quite sold on the idea of some stranger's sperm going in there. Come on, I am a lesbian. I've done well to ensure that manly parts stay out of my body! Besides, it's just plain weird, you know? What if the sperm bank mixes up the sperm? What if I pay for 140 IQ-nuclear physicist-card carrying Mensa member sperm but instead I get 80 IQ-Wal-Mart door greeter- sperm. It could happen! I'm just saying...
Part of what attracts people to each other, at least for me, is looking at the other person and thinking " yeah, I want my children to have that characteristic". I want my kids to have Macey's sense of humor, her ability to find comedy in the most mundane situations. They should get her reasoning skills and her aptitude for Jeopardy, move over Alex Trebek, here's our kid! I want them to get her decisiveness and tenacity... some may call it stubbornness, but hey, whatever works ;) I want them to get my zest for life, sense of adventure, overall positive outlook, and empathy. We both bring artistic natures and a thirst for knowledge to the table and hopefully those genes will be the dominate ones...It's always this nice kind of fairy tale we have with each other about what a love child of ours would end up being. But then last week I read about scientist who have taken bone marrow cells and made them turn into sperm...Theoretically, Macey's bone marrow could be used to grow sperm which could then be used in that turkey baster she's dying to buy! This is still in developmental stages and it seems that there are a few years to go yet before it becomes an accessible option.
Now patience has never been one of my virtues. I want what I want when I want it, but this? This is the kind of thing that's worth the wait, as long as it's not toooo far off.
Can you see it? One day, my wife and I will marvel at the tiny little miracle and say “look at what we created!" We'll speculate on whose eyes or lips or nose she (or he) has, we'll say "Oh no, hunny, she got that from you." You know just like in our dreams.

3 cookies cracked:

Karen said...

Creating sperm from stem cells s an amazing concept. It pisses me off to no end that the miracle of these cells has become a political issue. GRRRR!

But I am sort of addicted to John and Kate Plus 8. Holy crap, those people have some insane life.

Jay said...

I've never heard of that! That is really amazing! WOW!

Seriously, that is amazing science there.

Fortune Cookies said...

karen...
yes, it pisses me off that everything has to get politicized to death.
Oh my god! I'd go nuts if I were Kate.

Jay...yes fascinating science, I am quite intrigued with this obviously so be sure this won't be the last you hear of it ;)