Images: Carletta G Photography
What a weird and crazy week this turned out to be. We’re dealing with the world’s fussiest toddler (teething? cold? normal toddler-dictator tendencies? who knows?!), trying to get ready to leave for vacation TOMORROW, and still trying to stay on top of life, work, and wedding land – fun! I am so looking forward to a week in Vermont – disconnecting a bit from the seemingly never-ending cruelty of our news cycle & spending some time with family & nature. Happy Friday Romancers.
Nikki and Julie met in December 2006 at a meeting for those who’d signed up to be volunteer team leaders for MLK Day of Service at the George Washington University, where the two are alumni. Shortly after making their relationship ‘official,’ a close friend remarked, “I’m going to plan your wedding.” Five years later in July 2011, that same friend would serve as the day of coordinator for their nuptials. “Just like we knew we’d be together for a long time after we met, we knew we wanted to become parents together,” says Nikki. “However, it wasn’t always clear how we would make that happen.”
In 2015, as Nikki was near completion of her PhD, the couple decided it was time to begin trying. It was Julie whom they decided was best to carry their child. “As a two uterus family, we did have options,” Julie says. “But I really didn’t want to be pregnant,” laughs Nikki.
So the choice was simple. Julie implemented some radical shifts in her lifestyle in preparation—lowering her stress, releasing weight, regular exercise that she loved, and living “as if she was already pregnant.” After trying unsuccessfully with a friend, the two decided to work with fertility specialists and an anonymous sperm donor.
Nikki and Julie have supportive family on both sides and a loving community of chosen family in Washington, D.C. laying in wait to shower their new baby with love and adoration.
“This baby has hit the parent jackpot!” their photographer and dear friend Carletta Girma says.
1 comment
Dearest Juls and Nikki,
These photos are so very loving. It is so beautiful to see you celebrate this life-changing event. May your family be surrounded in the sweetness ad comfort of friends and family. Your love for each other has been blessed by this precious little one.
XXXOOO, Sue and John