I will start the ball rolling by introducing us: We are Debby and Tory. I am 38 and Tory is 16 months. Tory was conceived with donor sperm, and her donor is anonymous. We know there are siblings out there, at least 11, and we have met 1. I welcome meeting others. Tory has a lot of grown up friends that we share and lots of relatives. She has a really funny sense of humor, and she is goofy like her mom! We belong to a group called Single Parents By Choice, which is an offshoot of a national group called Single Mothers by Choice (SMC). The local group includes moms who have adopted or used donor sperm and/or eggs to have their children. I have recently been involved in starting a group which also includes moms who chose to capitalize on their unexpected pregnancies and raise their babies without the support of the baby's father. We can all agree that that situation also requires a great deal of choice! I am a social worker by training and occupation right now, and I love to assist people with getting support. I hope that this blog and the group will be helpful in this quest! I have found that support of other single moms has been great for me in the past 2 years. No one is an island. We all need help at times, and no one here is alone! I also have a lot of support from married and partnered parents, but while they have issues with parenting that we can relate to each other on, it's not the same as having a group of moms who can't take a shower for 3 days because the newborn doesn't want to be put down and there is never anyone else there to hold her! (although some of my married mom friends say sometimes the man is more of a hinderance than a help....but I think that is just them trying to relate!!!) Anyway, I am really looking forward to meeting some or all of you in the near future. We will plan another get together sometime soon, but with the holidays, I am doubtful that a lot of you will be available...maybe you could leave some comments about ideas for a get together soon? Include days and times that work best for you, keeping in mind that all the kids tend to have different nap times!