Eight Crazy Months

Over the past eight months, as I have pursued my transition, so much has happened. I have been short on writing about it, in part because it seems at times surreal, but mostly because transitioning with concurrent family and work obligations has made time for reflection a rare and fleeting resource.

I think its time to recap, though, as I begin to think about going full time, perhaps by the end of 2014. Drumroll, please - key highlights of my transition to date are, as follows:

• October 2013 - I return to therapy and meet with a new medical doctor to discuss my plans for transition. Hormone use begun!
• December 2013 - My doctor reports that my lab work shows a hormone panel consistent with that of a natal woman for the first time.
• February 2014 - Fear and self doubt bring me close to calling transition quits, again. With persistence and the support of friends and my therapist, I pull through and stay on the train:) Divorce looks more and more likely.
• March 2014 - I meet with a friend and her hair stylist to talk about options for feminizing my hair style. While not a candidate for extensions, I am told that there are some good options available to me.
• April 2014 - My friend Mari and I go shopping and I buy some respectable girl clothes that fit well and look nice. Good clothes make my cheap wig look bad, so I replace it with a better cut. I come out to a good friend. My wife tells me that, after much consideration, she doesn't want to divorce.
• May 2014 - I snap some shots of me in girl mode that I find almost passable, and ask a friend to test that hypothesis in her social network. Four different women look at the pics without asking, "Is that a boy?"
• June 2014 - Its no longer acceptable for me to wear tight t-shirts in boy mode, as my chest is pretty visible now. I come out to a friend in my working life.

Ok, so now for the excitement - I am planning to go out in public for the first time this weekend! Eek! A good friend has agreed to go out with me, and help me take this hugely important step in my journey. This night, if it comes off as planned, will be decades in the making. To say that I am nervous and elated at the same time is the understatement of a lifetime.

So, what's next, you ask? In the final third of the year, I need to practice going out in girl mode in a big way. I also need to start hair removal on my face and chest and keep building my wardrobe. There are the matters, too, of coming out to my kids, siblings, and employer, all of which are super stressful, but doable.

With all of this out of the way, I would be well positioned to go full time January 1, 2015, complete my Real Life Test (a year living in girl mode) by December 31, 2015, and undergo SRS (sex reassignment surgery) (and maybe get implants, depending on how I develop) before my 35th birthday in November 2016.

Ok, now my brain is tired. Thanks for listening and for your support. I couldn't do it without each one of you.

Love!
Kate