Let's Have a Baby

Once Shawn and I had been married for about 3 years, we decided that we were ready to have a baby. . .or so we thought.  We both were in education and just LOVED kids, we knew we wanted to be parents.   Our first adventures in baby began after about a year of trying, with no luck.  I visited my doctor and he decided to check my fallopian tubes and during surgery he found they were kinked--- so he unkinked them and thought that our problems were solved.

Well, another year went by and no baby.  So I visited a specialist in Joplin, Dr. Tyrone Adcock.  He began running a battery of tests on Shawn and I.  He could not find anything specifically that was preventing me from getting pregnant.  He conducted another surgery and found I had endometriosis and during the difficult surgery, I lost a fallopian tube and right ovary.  I was very sad after this surgery and so was my doctor.  I was already having trouble having a baby, and now half of my reproduction parts were gone forever.  

The doctor suggested that we visit a fertility doctor in Tulsa.  Shawn and I made an appointment immediately.  We visited the doctor and were told that we could try invetro and would have a 60% success rate.  I know that 60% is actually high in the infertility world, but in my world, it just was not good enough.  From that moment on, Shawn and I knew that adoption was the road for us.  

(Before we were told probably no kiddos, we attended our first evening church service, in years, and a man from Missouri Baptist Children's Home spoke to us about adoption.  What a God moment--- I know that God brought us to church that night to plant the seed of adoption). 

Our Wedding

Shawn and I were married on July 31, 1999.  We were married at the First Baptist Church in Webb City in a traditional wedding.  Our wedding was a big gathering of friends and family-- it was fun for all.  We went to Las Vegas for our honeymoon and Shawn was sick the entire time.  

The Early Years

My relationship with my husband began in 1991.  I was in the 8th grade and Shawn was a 7th grader.  We knew each other, but we began "going together" when my boyfriend and Shawn's girlfriend decided to sneak a kiss with one another at a party. We decided to try things out, and the rest is history. We dated all through high school and college with just a few minor breakups.  I always knew that I would marry Shawn Mayes and be a teacher--- my dreams came true!!!!!!