magazine
L I V E • PLAY • DO
Winter Break Camps IVF & Surrogacy Guide Holiday Events
NOVEMBER 2021 - DIGITAL EDITION nwkidsmagazine.com
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Editor’s Note Fall is well underway and we’re launching right into the holiday season! In this issue, you’ll find a guide to local events and performances. Also inside: an IVF & Surrogacy resource guide, a selection of Winter Break Camps, and much more. Be sure to check back in December for additional holiday events and a guide to this season’s light displays. I hope you’re having a fun and safe November. We’ll see you around town just as soon as we can! Cheers,
Mary
Cover photography by
OREGON CHILDREN’S THEATRE
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Contents NOVEMBER 2021 7 4 Fantastic Winter Break Camps 8 Holiday Events 11 PJA Perspectives 12 IVF & Surrogacy Resource Guide 17 Practical Gifts for Expectant Parents
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magazine Publisher Michelle Snell michelle@nwkidsmagazine.com
Connect With Us: • Phone: 503.282.2711 • email: contact@nwkidsmagazine.com • Facebook: facebook.com/nwkids • Instagram: @nwkidsmagazine • Twitter: @nwkids • Pinterest: pinterest.com/nwkids
Editor/Account Manager Mary Brady mary@nwkidsmagazine.com Graphic Designer Robyn Taylor robyn@folkloremedia.com Advertising Inquiries: 503-282-2711, ext. 1 sales@nwkidsmagazine.com NW Kids is published monthly by Miche Media, LLC. Every effort is made to ensure accuracy; sometimes we make errors. Please let us know when we do and accept our apologies.
Listings All Families Surrogacy.. .................. 10 Bennett Suzuki.............................. 16 Happy Hollow Children’s Center..... 16 Little Fruit Farm............................. 16 OMEGA Gymnastics....................... 10 Oregon Children’s Theatre................ 2 OES.. ................................................ 3 Play Fit Fun. . .................................... 3 Surro Connections.. ........................ 18 Willow Tree Wellness..................... 10
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4 Fantastic Winter Break Camps! November is here and it’s time to start making plans for Winter Break. Whether your kids love nature, theater arts or keeping active, check out the great options we’ve found! Play.Fit.Fun What do you do with your kids on non school weekdays? Play.Fit.Fun’s Non School Day Kids Action Camp is the FUN answer! They offer half and full day camp options where your kids can come play, stay active, make new friends and be well cared for and engaged. Grades K-6 playfitfun.com
Northwest Children’s Theater & School Act, sing, dance, and play at Northwest Children’s Theater! Winter Break Camps in NW & SE Portland go on sale November 16th. Ages 4-14 nwcts.org
Portland Audubon Portland Audubon has exciting outdoor adventures for 1st through 6th graders during the school breaks. Sign your child up for an experience in nature they won’t forget! Grades 1-6 aububonportland.org
OMEGA Gymnastics OMEGA’s Camps keep your kids active with supervised play, gymnastics instruction and craft. Choose half-day or full-day weekly options. See website for more details. Ages 5-12 omega-gymnastics.com/camps NW Kids Magazine | 7
Holiday Events November is here and that means it’s time to start planning which holiday events your family will be attending this season. With many 2020 events canceled due to the pandemic, a return to live festivities is most welcome. Take a look at what’s to come!
FEATURED EVENT Dec 11-19 Portland Panto Players present Cinderella: The Musical Panto Cinderella: The Musical Panto is a boisterous, family-friendly event filled with slapstick, witty dialogue, popular music, and a few wink-wink jokes for the adults. Panto is British theater that will get everyone shouting, laughing and having a wonderful time. Tickets $19-$25. Promo code Castle for $3 per ticket discount. portlandpantoplayers.com
Nov 16
Nov 26-Dec 19
The Hip Hop Nutcracker
Holiday Express
A holiday mash-up for the whole family, The Hip Hop Nutcracker returns to the stage for its seventh season on tour. Directed and choreographed by Jennifer Weber, this contemporary dance spectacle is a re-mixed and re-imagined version of the classic, smashing hip hop dance and Tchaikovksy’s timeless music together into a heart-stirring and inspirational holiday event. portland5.com/keller-auditorium/ events/hip-hop-nutcracker
Join Santa Claus and his elves for a magical ride behind Portland’s famous steam locomotives. Vintage rail cars transport you through wilderness in the heart of the city. Round-trip rides run from Oaks Park Station through Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge to the Springwater Trail gateway on the Oregon Pacific Railroad. orhf.org/events/holiday-express
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FEATURED EVENT Nov 19-Dec 19 Merry Happy Everything! Join Oregon Children’s Theatre for this original, family-friendly performance! Featuring local artists sharing favorite holiday stories and memories, a special holiday-themed improv performance from the teens of Impulse!, and a musical cabaret of beloved carols, this intimate holiday show is sure to leave you with the sensation of the familiar warm hug that only live theater can provide. So gather ‘round the hearth, bring your hot cocoa and get ready for an evening of cheer and joy! octc.org
Nov 27-Dec 5
Nov 28
Portland’s Christmas Spectacular
O Christmas Tea: A British Comedy
Portland’s Singing Christmas Tree is back to present a holiday spectacular! Special guest artists Katie Harman & Georgene Rice join the Singing Christmas Tree Choir with all new show-stopping numbers. A Christmas celebration for the whole family! singingchristmastree.org
Off-Broadway Comedians and 3-time IMPRESARIO Award-Winners (London) James & Jamesy present their outrageously funny and brilliantly inventive Christmas comedy classic O Christmas Tea—an astonishing show that delights thousands of hearts every holiday season. portland5.com/newmark-theatre/ events/o-christmas-tea-britishcomedy
Nov 27-Dec 19 A Carol for Christmas A Carol for Christmas is a new musical inspired by Charles Dickens’ classic ghost story and set in the Midwest during America’s 1930’s Depression Era. The themes of greed, bigotry, contempt and apathy ring true today as they did then. The cry for the gifts of love, life and caring, give us all a chance to shed the chains of our past and give hope for a better future. portland5.com/winningstad-theatre/ events/carol-christmas
Please confirm calendar events and performances as scheduling changes may occur. Check out our online events calendar and stay in the know. nwkidsmagazine.com/events
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check out our online events calendar & stay in the know. nwkidsmagazine.com/events EVENTS 10 | NW Kids Magazine
Jewish Academy (pjaproud.org) provides a rich ThePortland PJA Perspective academic and cultural learning experience for kids from early childhood through 8th grade. We’ve invited budding writers from the middle school Humanities classes and writing exploratory to join our team for a series that gives you a glimpse into thoughts and life - from their perspective.
Her Autumn by Maya If fall were a person, she would be... Long auburn hair and warm yellow clothes. White-colored collars and cocoa on a Sunday. She would be old, leather-bound books and starry nights. lit by candles and ornate lanterns. Marshmallows drowned and soaked in milky chocolate. Fuzzy socks under tall leather boots with ankle straps and fuzz around the edge, gold undertones and freckled skin. She would be like a breath of fresh air, wet from the not-quite-yet-winter rain, crisp and cold, but in buttery yellows and burgundy reds and rich-soil brown. She would be scarf-filled cafes and outdoor seating, brisk park walks and playful dogs. Lit fireplaces, crackling and crinkling, and curled up cats, mountains of pillows and blankets. Pumpkin-spice and tea, cream-colored sweaters and turtlenecks for miles. She would be scratching feather pens and ink almost spilled, curvy handwriting on old, worn pages. Bike rides where the black rubber wheels swerve to ride right over crunchy leaves, always deflating slightly when last night’s rain soaked them through. She would be caramel-dipped apples and cinnamon candles bought from Target’s autumn hall. Toasty s’mores and towering sunflowers, petals fluttering as bees and butterflies take their rest. The wish for a snowy winter, yet wanting to stay between warm summery nights and snowmen staring through the window.
Maya is a current 8th grader at PJA. In addition to writing, she enjoys reading, basketball, and going out with her friends.
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IVF & SURROGACY A RESOURCE GUIDE The decision to start (or grow) your family can be a deeply emotional and personal process, only made more difficult when fertility issues or other medical conditions stand in the way of conceiving without intervention. The Portland area (and beyond!) is full of amazing options to help you find your path.
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ALL FAMILIES SURROGACY
All Families Surrogacy, LLC
Northwest Fertility Center
All Families Surrogacy, LLC is a thriving gestational surrogacy agency based in Oregon. Their team is comprised mostly of experienced surrogates and has a passion for helping to create loving families of all kinds. 12725 SW Millikan Way, PDX 503-906-7960 allfamiliessurrogacy.com
Services Include: IVF and other infertility treatments fertilitynw.com
Circle of Life Surrogacy, LLC Services Include: Surrogacy circleoflifesurrogacy.com
Services include: Surrogacy, IVF and other infertility treatments ohsu.edu/xd/health/services/women/ services/fertility/
Heartland Surrogacy
Oregon Fertility Institute
Heartland Surrogacy is a boutique agency based in Oregon and Iowa. Their experienced team provides individualized case management throughout the entire journey. Heartland surrogates customize their compensation amounts and enjoy connecting with other surrogates in their support group. Intended benefits receive expert care focused on transparency, with all details managed by them. They are surrogate, parent, and BIPOC owned. 2501 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA (with a Portland satellite office) 855-995-2229 heartlandsurrogacy.com
Services include: IVF and other infertility treatments oregonfertilityinstitute.com
Northwest Surrogacy Center, LLC Services Include: Surrogacy nwsurrogacycenter.com
OHSU Fertility Consultants
Oregon Reproductive Medicine Services include: IVF oregonreproductivemedicine.com continued on p. 14
Heart to Hands Surrogacy Services Include: Surrogacy hearttohandssurrogacy.com
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IVF & SURROGACY RESOURCE GUIDE (continued) Oregon Surrogate Agency Services include: Surrogacy surrogacyoregon.com
Surro Connections If you think that you would like to be a Gestational Surrogate, Surro Connections would love to hear from you. It is a great sacrifice but it comes with one of the greatest rewards. If you are open to Gestational Surrogacy as an option for creating your family, they can help. Learn about their process and how they can help you on your journey to parenthood. 503-489-5067 12817 NE Airport Way, Portland surroconnections.com
Willow Tree Wellness
SURRO CONNECTIONS
WILLOW TREE WELLNESS
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Willow Tree offers natural solutions for all women’s health issues with a specialty in fertility and pregnancy care. Most insurances accepted. 1607 NE 16th Avenue, Portland 503-281-0030 willowtreeclinic.com
IVF BY THE NUMBERS Since it’s introduction to the U.S. in 1981, IVF and similar techniques have resulted in the birth of over
200,000 BABIES
About
1 IN 100 U.S. BIRTHS is the result of ART*
As a result of fewer embryos being transferred, the incidence of
The average cost of an IVF cycle in the U.S. is
$10-15,000
TRIPLET, QUAD AND QUINT BIRTHS has gone down dramatically and is now only
MATERNAL AGE remains the most important predictor of success
1%**
60%
DELIVERY BY MATERNAL AGE
50%
Twin births have also decreased, but remain at
22%**
40% 30%
39-40 41-42
20% 10%
In the past 30 YEARS, the chances of bringing home a baby after each IVF try
35-37
<35
>42 1997 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015
HAS INCREASED from about
5%
to over
30%
*Assisted Reproductive Technology **as of 2015
Efforts to track IVF activity in the U.S. began in 1995 but
WAS NOT FEDERALLY MANDATED UNTIL 1992
Source: Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology sart.org NW Kids Magazine | 15
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Practical Gifts for Expectant Parents Babies are fun to shop for, but sometimes we get too excited about all of the adorable, tiny outfits and forget about some of the more practical essentials. From the postpartum phase up to the feeding stage, here are a few of our picks!
Fourth Phase Box
Keababies Organic Burp Cloths
Fourth Phase afterbirth care gift box is the brainchild of Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo and Marcia A. Cole, two friends and former magazine and digital editors also known for their philanthropic work. With options for both vaginal and cesarean births, the Fourth Phase box contains everything a new mom needs to care for her body and her mind in the postpartum period. From belly wraps and balms to products designed to support lactation and peace of mind, these boxes are the perfect gift. $150-$165, fourthphasebox.com
As any parent or caregiver knows, newborn babies tend to spit up - A LOT. These burp cloths are perfectly sized for full shoulder coverage and they’re soft and absorbent. The fact that they’re made of organic cotton seals the deal. Keababies also makes other amazing baby essentials, from carriers to diaper bags and everything in between! $22, keababies.com
Earlywood Wooden Spoons
Saro Duck Origami Teether
These little wooden spoons are crafted from the strongest and most beautiful hardwoods. Unlike other mini wooden spoons you can find in chain stores, Earlywood’s personalized baby spoons have been carefully crafted by master woodworkers in Montana. They’re as functional as they are beautiful! $17-$19, earlywooddesigns.com
The special shape of the Duck Origami Teether makes for lots of angles for holding and for soothing baby’s delicate gums. The silicone material is BPA free and there are no holes for mold and bacteria to build up. $16.99, kalencombaby.com
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