Re: My Journey... (Updated 12/3/14)

sammy33 · Post by **sammy33** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 1:32 am

Very, very cool

Seeitsaveit13 · Post by **Seeitsaveit13** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 2:31 pm

Congrats Mike!

Post by **ReignOnU** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 12:05 am

Thanks everyone... really appreciate the support that many of you offered during the last few months and the encouragement. I'm not going to blow up the thread with tons of pics, but my sister, who does photography on the side, came over this morning and did a little photo shoot for my newborn daughter. If you're on Facebook and would like to see them (she has a website, but most of her business comes on FB), then here are the links. I don't use FB much, so I'm not sure if these will work for you.

This first link takes you to her company's FB page.
http://www.facebook.com/LittleMomentsPh ... mberLatsko

This is a direct link to the album (8 photos) on FB.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 587&type=1

If neither of those work, just search for "Little Moments" on FB and it's the one that is located in Kettering, Ohio. And of course, cheap plug, if you're in the general area and need a photographer for anything, hit up her page, lol. (the least I could do for her was a cheap plug to 2-3 people!)

Post by **ReignOnU** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 11:03 pm

So I'm going to kill a few minutes of your time and give you a quick update on some things. I know the last few months I've been a bit more distant on the boards and I'm sure those in OOTP have noticed. With that said, this is going to serve as both a bit of a follow-up to the previous adventure... and an addition that relates to it and some about me personally...

My daughter turned 2 in late July and is absolutely incredible. Most parents rave about their kids, but I've been absolutely amazed at the things that she does. A few of you are on Facebook and probably get sick and tired of the posts that appear on my feed (usually from my wife).

During the time we were going through the process, I realized that I needed to get my priorities in order, in terms of my career. A few years back I left retail management and slipped into a corporate office position. Then I figured out that if I wanted to move on, it would be helpful to have a degree. I had taken a few courses during my time in retail, but nothing special. I was able to transfer some credits and started taking courses while all of the "original" journey was going on. I know it's a minor accomplishment, but I'm proud to say that I finished up my 2yr degree in February. With the transferring of credits, I'm now set to finish my 4yr degree in Business Administration in July 2015 (this includes a 3 mos. break from Dec throuh Mar). It is my hope that not only will I graduate, but I'll graduate with honors. I know it may seem silly to some, but it's fairly important to me. I was a complete shithead in school, frequently skipping, getting kicked out, etc. But there's a part of me that wants it so that I can stand behind my words when I tell my child(ren) that education is important.

Whether or not the degree was really required to move up is really just speculation. I was technically in a position that I had very little qualification for, but I brought a unique skill set to it. Regardless of the necessity of the degree, I officially received the promotion that I wanted a few weeks ago. Today was bitter sweet, because the person's position that I'm moving into retired today. It was a rather interesting experience to spend the last few weeks with someone as they went through their final days of working. It was really the end of his career and hopefully the start of something much greater for me.

On 8/18 I was officially offered the position. It came with the largest office in the building, a new job title 1 less layer of bureaucracy and obviously a financial gain. My wife received some negative news (at the time) that her compensation was changing from straight salary to a pay-per-case basis. It immediately looked like a large financial hit because the company just went through a major transition. But I explained to her the cycle of business and she's already had her caseload rebalanced to bring her back in line. (this just compounded that day)

So needless to say, the last few months have been a bit crazy for me and I've had very little time to dedicate to things other than my family, my career and education.

As if this wasn't really enough, there's more...

... to be continued in a few weeks. Wishing for the best.

jsence2 · Post by **jsence2** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 11:05 pm

Good job on the degree, and congrats on the promotion. I hope all is well, Mike.

texasfan4444 · Post by **texasfan4444** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 12:18 am

Awesome stuff. Ive wanted to go back and get my degree but haven't balanced the time to do it. I more than most understand the amount of commitment and follow through you have had to endure in the last few years to get to this point. Kudos to you and keep up the good work.

Post by **The_Niddler** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 7:53 am

Congrats on the degree and the promotion and good luck on any future endeavors.

Weasel · Post by **Weasel** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 8:04 am

I'm always impressed when I hear about people in the working world going back to school. I would have a really hard time getting back to it if it was for anything more than a hobby. I'm just so damn tired of school/training. Strong work Mike!

Post by **Cnasty** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 9:30 am

Currently in my last 2 classes and should be getting my degree in business management with a minor in leadership in October. I know that feeling reign, congrats.

Uuaww · Post by **Uuaww** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 10:29 am

Congratulations reign! Should think about getting a degree in botany though!

Post by **ReignOnU** » Wed Dec 03, 2014 12:07 pm

.............

As I've mentioned in the last few months, my time away from the NDL and specifically stepping away from OOTP as commish was not an accident or coincidence.

My last updated I discussed how my daughter has come along and how my life has been crazy with school and work changes. To update on the school side of things, my final date for school has been moved up thanks to changing around my class schedule and foregoing a large break from December through February. The new position at work has been hectic, but I still thoroughly enjoy my job, so I can't complain at all.

While all of the previous update was happening, another major event was going on. In March, my wife (Amanda) and I decided it was time to consider a second child. After Kaelyn (daughter) was born, my wife and I had another batch of embryos created and frozen. We understood the potential for significant decrease in her egg quality and didn't want to risk a situation that would prevent us from having another child. The issue that we ran into this time was that we didn't have an option for a surrogate that we knew personally. Our last surrogate was going back to school to finish her Master's degree and had a lot going on with her family.

After doing some research, we opted to try a surrogacy agency. Around late April, we were matched with couple in Cincinnati. We met with them, the agency, then a had a few meetings with a psychologists (typical stuff) and finally made the decision that we wanted to give this a shot. Once more, we ventured through the legal proceedings (quite complicated and even more so when you don't know the couple).

We seriously defied the odds with our first child. Doing the math, this process was a pretty large risk and very low odds of success... even lower than the first. We had about a 30% chance to successfully harvest quality eggs to form embryos. From a batch of 11, we got 4. It was about a 40% chance that an embryo would develop to the point that it could be frozen. We ended up freezing all 4, though we did it 2 days earlier than what is optimal. Once an embryo is frozen, there is a 30% chance that it will thaw properly and be useful to attempt the transfer. We planned to do 2 at a time, in hopes of getting at least 1 on the first pass. Both of the first 2 thawed properly and were able to be transferred. The transfer of 2 embryos was completed this summer.

We have already told the majority of our friends and family, though we haven't gone bonkers on Facebook or anything. With that said, I'm happy to announce that on November 13th, Amanda and I found out that we are having another girl. This one is due on May 2nd, which is the day after our 11th anniversary. (she'll likely be born in late April actually)

When I think about what the month of May has in store for me, finishing my last month of my 4yr degree, being deep into my biannual planning season at work (50-60hr weeks) and having a newborn and nearly 3yr old at home... it is pretty daunting. But I really can't wait for it to happen!

*********************************************************************

Just to reach out to anyone that may have questions about IVF / surrogacy or anything of a similar nature... I'm an 100% open to talking with you privately (on the forums) if you want. My wife and I have been through some ridiculous stuff over the last 10 years and we understand the challenges that people may have to face. Feel free to ask anything you'd like.

Post by **Cnasty** » Wed Dec 03, 2014 12:10 pm

That's some amazing stuff right there.

Congrats to you and your family.

Uuaww · Post by **Uuaww** » Wed Dec 03, 2014 12:13 pm

Congrats Mike!.

cougnix · Post by **cougnix** » Wed Dec 03, 2014 12:14 pm

Congrats man!

Post by **DRiccio21** » Wed Dec 03, 2014 12:16 pm

what a world!

great stuff

Ry · Post by Ry » Wed Dec 03, 2014 12:53 pm

congratulations on child number 2!

jsence2 · Post by **jsence2** » Wed Dec 03, 2014 12:56 pm

Glad to hear it worked out so well for you, Mike!

Post by **The_Niddler** » Wed Dec 03, 2014 1:38 pm

Congrats Mike!

My sister and her husband had IVF done almost 2 years ago and her daughter ended up being born 2 1/2 months premature, due to complications with my sister's body, but today, she is a happy and healthy 18 month old.

Congrats again. And as Dave posted, what a world, it is amazing, when you think about it, how we can freeze things and thaw them out later and create life from it!

Seeitsaveit13 · Post by **Seeitsaveit13** » Wed Dec 03, 2014 2:11 pm

Congrats Mike! great news

Post by **ajalves** » Wed Dec 03, 2014 2:13 pm

NDL Forum