Joseph Osmundson's story begins with a lifelong, tender desire to be a father, rooted in his unique upbringing as a helper in his mother's Lamaze classes. This dream found a potential path when his best friend, with whom he shared a deep chosen-family bond, proposed turning their long-standing joke about having a child into a reality. The initial excitement, however, was immediately complicated by his then-boyfriend's rejection of the idea, forcing Joe to choose between his relationship and his dream of parenthood. After that relationship ended, he and his best friend embarked on a meticulous planning phase, navigating the legal, medical, and logistical complexities of IVF and co-parenting. The plan's collapse came as a devastating shock when his best friend and her partner decided to use a different sperm donor, leaving Joe excluded and grieving a future he had already emotionally committed to. In the aftermath, he has had to redefine his identity, finding purpose in nurturing other children and slowly repairing his relationship with his best friend, ultimately accepting a life that may not include biological parenthood.