While Katie had been to see the doctor before, this was the first appointment that I could attend.  I was excited, curious, nervous…..all the usual suspects.  Also attending was our surrogate, a close family friend with a great sense of humor who is always good at lightening the mood.  I got to meet our doctor, Dr. Whitten, and was pleased to find out that he was friendly and approachable.  Using additional data he had gathered from Katie’s previous appointment, he sat down and walked us through the process from start to finish – ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, genetic testing, egg fertilization, embryo freezing, etc.  Katie had heard some of this before and is, let’s be honest, smarter than me so she was taking it in stride.  I was excited about what I was hearing, but trying to digest the information so I could understand.  I managed to get through it without any old, college “what the hell is he talking about?” flashbacks.  After meeting with Dr. Whitten, we then met with our Nurse Coordinator named Tracy.  She sat down with us and walked us through the calendar of events, which is complicated and very specific.  Everything must be timed just right to get maximum effectiveness out of the procedure.  She gave us handy color coded calendars which I still consult multiple times a day.  Also, at this appointment, the first part of MY difficult contribution was discussed – the backup semen sample. Jokes were flying into my head at an overwhelming rate, but I kept telling myself “Don’t say anything. She’s definitely heard ALL of the jokes you’re thinking of.  You’re not that funny.  Don’t…….say…….a…….word.”  So, in the end I managed to get out of there with just a couple of jokes being thrown out there and without embarrassing myself too much (in my own humble opinion). Tracy sent me on my way with a brown paper bag containing a specimen cup and told me to bring it back with me for the next appointment.