with Aidan Cawley-Hefter
Denise: Parenting is more
work than we thought it would be, but it's more fun than
we thought, too. Anne and I have worked hard to construct a
really healthy relationship. We were in a great place before
we had the baby, and while I was pregnant we fell more in love
with each other. Anne: We just really get each other.
We have really good flow together. Denise: And we have
an amazing network of friends. There are people calling, emailing,
and coming by all the time. They are so into this baby! Anne:
Deciding to have a baby started with researching a lot.
There were so many things we had to figure out. Denise:
One of our biggest concerns was that Wisconsin doesn't
allow adoption by same-sex second parents. We were really thrilled
when Anne was granted legal guardianship without my guardianship
being taken away. Aidan now has two same-sex parents legally.
Anne: Many people don't understand all the ways we
don't have equal rights. Denise: We put out thousands
of dollars in legal fees for things that no married couple would
ever have to deal with.
Together since March 15, 1996
