One Year Ago . . .

. . . two embryos were transferred to my uterus, and one of them grew up to be Peeper.

After we found out that I was pregnant with only one baby, the PGD doctor told us that the embryos transferred had been one of each sex.

From time to time, we are a little bit sad about the son who could have been, but we certainly can't imagine having had any baby but Peeper, and the more things have developed with her various health concerns and scares, the more relieved we are to only have one baby.

For starters, thirty-six weeks is about an average gestational age for twins, and given the fact that my uterus felt the need to kick out less than five pounds of baby, what if that size had been spread across two of them? How premature would twins have been?

And, given Peeper's size, what if she'd had to share the available resources with a brother? How small would she have been then, and what additional issues might she have had?

Even if he'd been completely healthy, with no special issues to deal with, I can't imagine having to deal with everything we've been through with her, and another baby.

Whatever or whomever or whichever decides these things, obviously realized that Peeper was going to need all of our attention and love and energy, and made sure that she could get it all.

And she certainly does.