The Ariel Series

A comtemporary love story about a Deaf and queer couple creating stories to share with grandchildren in 40 years.

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October 27, 2021 @thearielseries

Our First Insemination Experience

October 3, 2021 @thearielseries

Lets talk about sperm.

September 1, 2021September 1, 2021 @thearielseries

We were told to go Couple’s Counseling.

May 20, 2021 @thearielseries

The Question: How much is it?

April 12, 2021 @thearielseries

The Mighty Fertility Checklist

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Hello there!

We are C3 & Maya authoring and creating The Ariel Series (@thearielseries). We’re sharing our life together as a Deaf and queer couple and our journey in being parents. We conceived via artificial insemination and now have ourselves a lil CODA (Child of Deaf Adults)! We’re looking to adopt and participate in foster care in the future as well. Hop on and have at it!

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A year ago today, we received news that we were going to have a baby. This baby became Bryo (short for embryo). And Bryo became Peri. And Peri became the axis we revolve around as a family. It was 6:00am when two hands shook me awake. A blurred white object was held an inch from my pupils. Maya exclaimed in sign, “I’m pregnant.” Normally, I’d be one to jump up and let loose all my delight and joy. Instead, I leaned against the wall at the head of our bed, and stared at the word, “Pregnant”. Since I had prepared myself for this journey in trying to conceive to take a lot longer, I didn’t think to prepare for if it’d happen sooner. A LOT sooner. Once reality set in and I could form a hypothetical baby in my head, I peered up at Maya. With a messy bed head, she eagerly waited for a response. It was then that I smiled broadly. A dream was coming true. A pregnancy for Maya. A family for us. It was happening. It was time. Time for us to open our hearts to this little poppy seed.
On the first day of Hanukkah, we visited a local tree farm to pick out our first family Christmas tree. After decorating the tree and lighting it up, we read an introductory children’s story about Hanukkah to Peri. After signing the three blessings, we lit the candles on the menorah and bet our chocolate coins over a game of Dreidel.
Peri is being raised by Deaf Unicorns.
Becoming a parent presented an irony. For me anyway. I thought I would be pushed further away from my writing endeavors due to having the responsibility of a child. The opposite has happened. I’m writing more than I ever have. Usually, it goes like this. I give Peri a bath, dress them in a cozy outfit, and lay them on their back in the middle of our big bed. I lay on my back too, next to them. Peri then rolls to their side, mouth wide open, slobbering my cheek with their bubbly drools. I restrain myself from giving them the biggest and tightest hug I could give, reminding myself of their fragile 11-pound physique. By then, Maya has taken a hot shower, brushed her teeth, and jumped into one of her many old t-shirts. The transfer of baby duties happens there. Maya does the night feed, while I slip into the adjoining office to write until the clock strikes 12. Sometimes Peri doesn’t fall asleep and Maya is tired so Peri joins me like pictured. But usually, I’m left uninterrupted, clacking away the keys, forming words I hope will make it in fine print. “Written by: C.S. Grugan”
When I turned around and saw Peri, I felt a surge of conflicting feelings. Peri was wearing a fluffy pink and white tutu. Peri was looking as adorable as ever meanwhile I had unhappy flashbacks of my past.
This past weekend was extra special. A little relevant background:
Sharing a snippet from my memoir… 🗒
READ TIL THE END FOR A CONFESSION! ⚠️
We celebrated Shabbat a couple days ago in someone’s home we’ll never forget.

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