Hi, My name is Angela.  I am an American living in Australia.  My husband, Dean, is an Australian in the Australian Army .  I have been here 4 years. 

I met my husband in the USA in 2000 when I was going through a divorce and he was as well.  We were neighbors.  Lets just say he was very neighborly!!!  Anyway, he returned to Australia for 2001.  I came to visit and was deeper in love with him than I thought possible.  But there was a bit of a problem  He had 2 kids (Melissa and Cameron) from his first marriage and a vasectomy to prevent any more.  I had no kids and wanted them desperately.  He was clear that he wanted no more (established early on in our relationship).  But, I threw caution to the wind and asked him if he would consider changing his mind.  His answer was no.  I considered whether or not I would be satisfied being a stepmother to his kids and my answer was NO!  I had long craved pregnancy, labor, delivery, and motherhood.  So I felt our continuing relationship was not to be.  So I left Australia thinking our relationship was over, knowing he was returning to the USA the end of the year.  I dreaded the though of being on the same continent as him and not being together.

I decided it was time to move on with my life.  I bought a new car.  I started dating again (although my heart wasn't into it).  Then he came to his senses and asked me to marry him!  I couldn't say yes until he said what I needed to hear.  And he said, "How many kids to you want?"  I was speechless.  I still couldn't say yes until a day later.  I was in shock! 

He returned to the USA the end of 2001 and we drove from Arizona (where I lived) to Maryland (where he was getting posted).  We lived there in 2002.  We got married that year, with his children in the wedding.  The end of 2002 we traveled to Tucson, spent Christmas with my family, then off on the great adventure of moving to Australia. 

Dean had a vasectomy reversal in April 2003.  After months of trying, I was still not pregnant.  December 2003 Cameron came to live with us.  Cam is very bright and Dean is better capable to help him with his school work.  Melissa had one year left of school so she decided to stay in Perth with her mother. 

Eventually we saw a fertility specialist who suggested IVF.  Neither one of us was getting any younger.  So we started IVF.  I had a fairly successful egg production.  10 eggs, but only 5 fertilized.  Eventually at 5 were implanted (not all at once) and didn't result in pregnancy.  So I started the whole procedure again.  This time though, I only got 4 eggs, 1 fertilized.  I was devastated but 1 was all we needed.  And I got pregnant!  And we now have a healthy happy and very beautiful baby boy!