From I-V-F to I-V-Y

Random...I don’t know how this never occurred to me before but it’s kind of ironic that we chose to name our baby girl Ivy after undergoing IVF to conceive her. No, that doesn’t mean if we have a son his name will be Ivan or if we have another daughter her name will be Ivana. We just happened to like the name and had known for years that if we ever had a daughter, her name would be Ivy.

Anyways, I came across this description of her name and found a great deal of irony in it.

The name Ivy comes from the English ivy plant, symbol of eternity and immortality, with strong connotations of femininity and fidelity. The way that ivy clings and binds also makes it a powerful symbol of faithful friendship.

The Druids prized the ivy plant as a symbol for tenacity and determination: ivy can grow, spread and flourish under many conditions - cultivated land or wasteland, in light or near darkness, fertile soil or upon rubble and stones. It will push its way through tiny cracks and crevices to reach the light and is strong and difficult to destroy.

I vividly remember that day in the doctor's office when they showed us our expanded blastocyst under the microscope and informed us that it was the best case scenario we could hope for. She was a fighter from the beginning and to this day, people often comment on how strong she is. She was just meant to be!!