Susie and Tony Troxler got married “later in life,” according to Susie, but that didn’t stop them from trying to make the family they’d always dreamed about. Unfortunately, the Troxlers’ journey to parenthood took a lot longer than planned.

“We didn’t even realize there was a fertility issue when we got married, because we were just doing the couple thing,” Susie tells TODAY Parents. “I was working, he was working, and we were just busy.”

Due to their ages, the chances of experiencing infertility were increased significantly. Doctors told the couple that their chances of having a health baby naturally were low—so they chose IVF and egg donation.

“They always said it nicely, but bottom line, when you take away all of the official medical jargon, it was a no! They said, ‘it’s not happening, so you’re going to need a whole lot of help,’” Troxler tells WFMY News.

The journey has a happy ending, though. After trying to conceive for over a decade, the happy couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, in September. The Troxlers became first-time parents at the ages of 50 and 61, respectively.

“I am 50. I was born in 1971 and I have no shame in that whatsoever,” Susie tells WFMY.

Bravo! We love to see an unapologetic mom. Because when it comes to being able to love a child, age has nothing to do with it.

The Trexlers tried to create an embryo with Susie’s eggs inseminated with Tony’s sperm, but nothing “took,” according to Susie.

“I had fibroid surgery January of 2019, went through the healing process, and then they collected egg after egg,” she said. “I went through several rounds of egg retrieval and the insemination of eggs and none of it took. Nothing, nothing, nothing.”

Two viable embryos were created after the couple turned to egg donation. The first embryo did not take, but the second one, the couple’s last chance, well, that embryo is now Lily Troxler, who weighed 5 lbs and 12.8 oz. after her arrival on Sept. 29, 2021.

The Troxlers say they would have found peace had they not been able to become parents, because they find joy in each other. But they sure are happy to be Mom and Dad now in addition to husband and wife.

“You roll with it, because it’s so totally worth it,” Susie tells TODAY. “I actually cherish those moments at three in the morning, when I’m sitting there rocking her and she’s sitting there looking at me with those bright eyes, not the least bit sleepy. Because you don’t get them back.”

She adds that she’s determined to even find joy in the sleep deprivation, too,”because it almost never happened.”