Wednesday 11 March 2009

Silly boy

I said I needed a distraction. As they come, this was a good one.

This has happened so fast from first contact to today it really is quite surreal, but it was an opportunity to do something I've wanted to do for the best part of twenty years.

I obviously lack any ability to keep my mouth shut, so if someone asks me to talk, anything could follow. When the Irish Times asked if I would talk, I talked.

Today, I have an article featured in the Irish Times. I can't even type that with a straight face.

Thanks everyone who helped it happen.

Oh and the fifteen chins you see, they are a trick of the light. Daylight.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to now go bribe or beat our doctor into getting us pregnant, while simultaneously praying I don't get disowned, mocked to within an inch of my life, or excommunicated.

Although, the last one I could probably cope with.

(EDIT: Oooh, 'Notes from the blog' are also mentioned.)


67 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great article.

I hope the visit to the doc's today gave you something to be hopeful about. :)

Anonymous said...

I'm so thrilled for you, I can't stop smiling!

Now, that doctor had better have a good plan up her sleeve, otherwise I might just have to [mentally] bludgeon her with something.

Myst_72 said...

Congratulations!!!

Any chance you could accidentally slip a copy of the article onto the docs desk - so she knows how famous you guys are and all :)

Now just waiting on one more lot of good news from you.....

G
xx

battynurse said...

Fantastic article. Good luck with the doctor appointment.

Anonymous said...

Bloody brilliant!!
Well done!!
S X

Proseaholics said...

Awesome stuff, fella. Shall down a pint of the bar's finest in memorium.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic article!
Best wishes for today - keeping everything crossed for a plan of action :o)

Jo said...

Hurrah!

I wouldn't be overly worried about 'chins'.

The dark circles under your eyes however...

Liz said...

I love that they picked up on your comment "even the priests back home have kids". Give it a few more years before you visit home again.

Congratulations, and best of luck today.

Elf in Amsterdam said...

That's Cool!!

*rings mum to get the paper*

Congrats the piece is great and you look grand all together.

Best of luck today, hopefully its one of life's ironies that they produce a foolproof plan for you guys on the day the nation reads about you! :)

Elf

Irish Mammy said...

Just read it - great article Xbox. It was very brave of you both!

Bluestreak said...

Dammit I'm all teary eyed. Xbox, You. Are the shit.

Daisy said...

Congratulations! Really good article and great writing as always.

BABY STEPS said...

Great article and photo. Hope drs app went well.

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to say t'was a great article and I hope everything works out for ye.

Jane G said...

Congrats on the article. I emailed you a link to some very positive reactions it got on a ttc board I frequent.

Hope it all went well today.

Ms. Moon said...

Amazing. Simply amazing.
I am hoping the rest of the day went as well. Or better.

Anonymous said...

Saw it before I visited. Top class . Excellent.

Best of luck again and all.

Ed said...

I know you'd trade all of the press for a positive. But it is nice to get some recognition.

Excellent article.

Adam said...

Fantastic piece. Really beautiful and funny.

Sarah said...

That article was beautiful. Really.

Best of luck at the doctor today, I hope to read all about it.

Anonymous said...

Read it, loved it, posted about it.

Well done, & good luck with the rest of today.

Anonymous said...

How excited was I to see your face in my IT over breakfast! That's XBox - I screeched to a bemused husband. Great article and v funny - in a bittersweet way, natch! Good luck today. annieg

Leslie Laine said...

And this is exactly why I have dubbed you as a man who "gets it" on my blog. Bravo! This article is superb!

I really admire your candor. You have epitomized the way that IF can lead to leaps in a relationship instead of hurdles, something that I think is an amazing aspect of this experience.

Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Very cool. I'll give you my extra ticket to Ray LaMontagne as a reward but you have to get here.

WhatAboutNovember said...

Wow. Awesome article. You had me both laughing and, literally, in tears. You are the perfect IF flagbearer, but I can't wait til you get to put it down. I can't wait to hear all this wit and humanity discussing dirty nappies and middle of the night feedings.

Anonymous said...

You write extremely well. They'll have you writing the Lifestyle & Culture sections next!

Anonymous said...

Excellent article, Martin. Congratulations!

Jenni said...

That was just fantastic - funny and sad and hopeful. I loved it. The end made me weepy.

Heather said...

Excellent article, man milk reference and all. The end got me a bit sniffly. You are a good husband, and will be a great father.

Good luck today.

Anonymous said...

That article? Best I've read in a long time. Brought back lots of painful memories from our years of infertility and right now I can only wish with all my might that today's appt leads to your dream coming true.

Can't wait for an update.

Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] said...

SO SO SO excited for you!

Jason Roth said...

A superb article indeed. Perhaps with all of the publicity, the doctors will be more encouraged to help you get knocked up.

Anonymous said...

excellent!! tell the docs you will go back to the press if they fail to get ET pregnant ASAP!

Lea said...

Congratulations!!!! That so exciting! And good luck today! Lots of things happening today. I hope it's a (good) sign of things to come.

Chelsea Lietz said...

well done!

DiaperPin Up Girl said...

You're awesome, that was a fantastic article.

Good luck at the Dr, I hope you will have good news soon.

Sadia said...

I read the article. You made my cry a big sloppy salty tear onto my turkey sandwich. At work. I hope you're proud of yourself.

IrishNYC said...

Lots of crying here. Nice job, and so very very true.

Misssy M said...

Congratulations to you. I guess that's your cover blown, eh?

Fingers crossed for a positive follow up article in the future with three people in the photo.

x

Maggie, Dammit said...

FANTASTIC!!! Well done, my friend!

Anonymous said...

Just read your article in the IT and thought I was reading about my life... my husband and I had the exact same problem: "unexplained infertility"... And we went through exactly what you've experienced but I can tell you that we now have a beautiful 10-week-old little boy thanks to intrauterine insemination. So keep the faith, you've done the hardest (the first appointments, the laparoscopy, etc)... the next step, the IUI, should (and will) work since none of you are actually infertile. So I just want to let you know that the chances of getting pregnant(thanks to IUI) are very very high. So keep up the faith and hopefully soon, you too will have the good news to spread! take care.

Susanica said...

Dangit! You're famous now. That was an awesome article Xbox. So I guess you are no longer "in the closet" with family and friends about your adventures in impregnating? As I recall you used to have to smile and put on a happy face when visitors came even when you'd just been through hell. Can you feel the sunshine!!!! Good omens all around! -Monica

Mo said...

Great job - congrats on getting the publication! was it hard to express such a personal topic in a big paper? You did a great job!


Mo

p.s. thanks for all of your positive comments recently!

Anonymous said...

Look at you!!! I'm so proud. Great article. Shitty topic, but great article!

James (SeattleDad) said...

Great Article X-box. And I do hope you get more encouragement from this visit.

Anonymous said...

Excellent article - so funny about things so true & so sad.
Good luck to you and your wife - you are lucky to have each other.

Anonymous said...

Look at your big smiley mug. Great article. You forgot to mention the porn though.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful article, I hope you and your wife get what you wish for very soon x

nh said...

Fantastic article - well done you! Good luck with the specialist
x

laughykate said...

Came here after Tinman's post. Wow. I've got goosebumps. Great article. Best of luck.

Anonymous said...

So, about this book...............?

I will resist the urge to say something smug.


probably by now you may or may not have been charged with murder. Hopefully not or it will be a long time until you have internet access.

DrSpouse said...

Fabulous article - well done!

Lorna said...

I cried reading that. WEll done, it's funny and yet so touching. Oh, to be puking my guts up too!
Keep squeezing!
A brilliant article - when's the book coming out?!

Anonymous said...

Xbox, you only have to worry about the mis-matching shoes bit if it's a boy. If it's a girl - we come preprogrammed to match our shoes. It's a gift.

Loved the article, great job!

notRuairi said...

Great article. Very brave article. Very personal. I am well impressed!

G said...

Wow, fantastic article, Congratulations!!!!!

Good luck with the Doc's, I look forward to reading how you went x

John Braine said...

Great stuff xbox. Have to say I particualrly liked this line:

"I delivered the product of yet another solo sex act into the hands of a stranger"

Hope you loaned her your handkerchief.

J.

Anonymous said...

this was a really good article, I love reading the (rare) "men's perspective blogs" to get an idea of how y'all deal with the shite of infertility (you know, cause y'all don't say much).

What struck me the most was the familiar line of jealousy and hating to see other dads with their kids. I often experience this and am not particularly silent about the way I feel, but often my husband doesn't think of it that way. I believe its the first time I've read that on a guy's blog, where they've admitted to that feeling. Kudos for that.

all the best with the doctor. I hope they have some answers, some new gimmicks, whatever works for the next step.

'Murgdan' said...

Excellent job! And a supremely excellent article...well done. Ahh, infertility, so odd that cool things can come from such a disgusting thing.

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness, what a write up! i have been reading for a bit, but nothing much to say...my husband and i are in month 13..err 14 of no luck in the US, they treat it all a bit diffrently here it seems. I am hopeing that you and I both get some good news pretty soon!

Hilary (Maya Papaya) said...

Fantastic awesome wonderful amazing incredible article! So proud of you! And I'll get to say I knew you when...

Can't wait to hear how the appointment goes. Following with bated breath...

tiff(threeringcircus) said...

CONGRATULATIONS!

Anonymous said...

Fantastic (award winning) stuff!

T'was good to get the full picture.

I bet it made a few Irish Times readers splutter over their morning coffee.

Martin said...

@EVERYONE - Wow.

I can't possibly reply to all of you individually this time, but a huge thanks for the great reactions.

Special thanks to those of you who've just come here for the first time.

It's bizarre to say that the article was NOT the best news we had yesterday!

Appointment went very well, just as we hoped in fact.

Anonymous said...

Cute, so cute!

Anonymous said...

I just read your article and think your brilliant. Funny, touching, heartwarming, charming, endearing... I just wish it weren't true for you.

Hope the new adventure in IUI land has a happier ending.