Signs of Bloom

Immediately after the IVF transfer takes place there is a period of strict, mandatory, 48-hour bed rest that kicks off an eleven . . . day . . . wait. The number of tricks your mind can play on you during that agonizing period is absurd. Several nights in a row, I awoke to intense abdominal cramping which instinctively forced me into a strange limbo of hopeless hoping. In my increasingly apprehensive state, I began looking for positive symbols to keep my hope alive. I noticed friendly angels directed to my aid to buoy me up and make my heart smile with what I wanted desperately to perceive as signs of bloom.

A Sign

My friend Lela tagged me in the following Instagram post:

“Just died walking around my yard. Bloom is in full effect. It’s a sign!!!”
#thebloomdiary #lovely

A Child’s Intuition

While Skyping with my one-and-a-half-year-old niece, she randomly pointed at me in the computer screen and said “Mama . . . mama . . . mama . . .” over and over and over again.

Upset Stomach Relief

I attended a Favorite Things girls’ night where my friend, Krista, brought ginger herbal tea as one of her favorite things. Just as I thought to myself how fitting it would be for me to receive the tea, if I were in fact pregnant (since ginger can be used to cure upset stomachs), my name was plucked from the basket.

Mother’s Day

My dear, Egyptian friend, Dina, sent me this thoughtful text message on my anniversary: “On this special day it’s the Egyptian Mother’s day. I wish that next year you’ll be hugging a cute, kind-hearted baby just like its mom and dad. Love you!”

New Bloom

Out of nowhere, an unassuming co-worker walked over to my desk and handed me this starter plant. Pointing to the smallest leaf, he said, “This is a new bloom. Take care of it and it will grow and grow and grow.”

My face lit up, my heart raced, and I hoped, with all that I am, that this was a telltale sign.