A Family Affair

A.K.A - signs you may be talking about your fertility struggles a tad too much...

The scene: my sister's college graduation, this past Sunday.

Per family tradition, whenever someone graduates, we go to hibachi. I have a huge, tight-knit immediate family, and we usually fill two tables. Since we are so spread apart, we rotate around throughout the meal to be able to talk with everyone. At one point, I wound up next to my brother-in-law. I love him very much, but we have the relationship equivalent of two teenage boys... basically meaning our conversations revolve around making fun of each other, versus intimately sharing our feelings. However, we were chatting together about babies (he and my lovely sister are expecting their third child in October) and he turned to me and said, " you should be finding out about yourself this weekend, right?" I paused for a second not understanding exactly what he meant and then it dawned on me. He meant I should be getting my period (or not) this weekend. Yikes!  When your brother-in-law knows (and cares) about the in and outs of your menstrual cycle, perhaps you've let your fertility problems extend too far into the family circle.

*****

Not to be outdone, my grandmother got in on the game as well. At a completely separate hibachi table, I wandered over to wish her a Happy Mother's Day. No sooner had I sat down and she starts, "Did your mother tell you what Dr. Oz said? He says take cough medicine every night. And a bowl of full fat ice cream...three scoops...none of the diet junk...every night." Only after I assured her D and I would stop at Target on the way home to stock up on both did she let me move to my next spot around the table.  Her parting words to me as I got up, "if prayers made babies, you'd have a dozen by now. I am praying so hard for you...after all, I wont live forever."

*****

So yes, apparently I am a tad of an over-sharer.  My entire family knows about our struggles and (apparently) can even set their calendars by it. However, while both encounters had me cringing at their awkwardness (because, c'mon, when's the last time you discussed the best way to get fertile cervical mucus with your grandma), they also touched me to the core. D and I are so lucky to have a family that is willing to support us through this. And if that means an awkward family dinner every now and then,  I will take it (although, if my mom starts telling me about the position she was in for my conception, I reserve the right to revise my stance).