I Pictured the Moment, Not the Path
I always assumed I’d be a mom someday—I just couldn’t picture when. The same was true for marriage: I believed it would happen, but not how or with whom. Somehow, both unfolded exactly as they were meant to.
After getting married on a perfect October day in the Bay Area just before the pandemic, I made a plan: travel first, then start a family. Life, of course, had other ideas. What followed led us down the path of IVF—a process that brought its own challenges, decisions, and ultimately, so much clarity and hope.
A friend introduced me to her fertility doctor, Dr. Michelle Evans, who was kind, realistic, and supportive. From there, we began the process of finding a donor with my wife—no easy feat. I certainly never envisioned searching through strangers to make one of the biggest decisions of our lives that way.
Along the way, we built the right support system and slowly found our footing through it all. During my IVF process, Melissa, founder of Tiny Tags, found me on Instagram, and we connected over how she built her company, our own mothers, and her love of motherhood. We Zoomed for over an hour, and it felt like meeting someone I had already known for years. Her pride in her children and her company was incredibly touching.
My first Tiny Tags commemorates and honors my wedding day and the joy I felt celebrating with our family and friends—dancing under the stars, blissful and free. My second Tiny Tags commemorates my brand-new baby, Marlowe.
When we finally met our baby, I realized that maybe I had envisioned all of this all along. I just couldn’t see the details—and that turned out to be the most beautiful surprise of all. I have never been more happily surprised by the two biggest moments of my life, and I’m reminded of them every day with my Tiny Tags.
