Uterus for Rent

My little sister Mindy has one amazing little boy. His name is Noah, and as it turns out, he is probably her miracle baby. Yesterday, after enduring years of pain with endometriosis, she had a hysterectomy at the ripe ole' age of 26.

She's had a tough year; she lost 3 babies in about 13 months. But this is a welcomed surgery for her. No uterus means no cramps. No cramps means no more taking 30+ Advil everyday. So, after the recovery, she will feel much better, hopefully much better than she's felt in years.

So, on Sunday afternoon, Benjamin and I will be going to Corning in Northeast Arkansas to help out a bit. We'll come back on Thursday morning. It's about a 6-hour trip one way. I don't anticipate it being much of a fun trip...just a necessary one. Ken will be dropping Levi off and picking him up after school.

They had, of course, hoped for another baby ever since sweet Noah was born, but now, obviously, adoption seems their only option. That's where I come in.

I have a perfectly fine uterus. It's just sitting in there somewhere...I'm not even using it. I have told her for years that since I'm done having my babies, she's more than welcome to rent it for 9-10 months.

OK, I know I joke around a lot, but I'm being totally serious now. I now what it feels like to want another baby more than anything else in the world. And for a long time, I thought Levi would be my only one. I know there are thousands of babies around the world that need good homes, but if she wants another biological child, let's face it, I'm her best bet. I don't see anyone else volunteering.

My oldest sister Shelly can't do it. She eats everything in sight when she's pregnant and gains like 60 pounds. She was easily the largest pregnant woman I've seen to date. Well, I guess Kate with the sextuplets was bigger, but she also had 5 more babies in there. Anyway, that puts her out of the equation.

If you ask me, being pregnant is the easy part. It's the next 18+ years that pose most, if not all, of the challenges. I'm not minimizing the fact that giving the baby up after carrying it for 9 months would be easy. I can't even imagine how hard that would be, but I'm willing to do it for her. Seriously, Mindy, it's up for rent, and you know that. Just let me know when you're ready.