Our First Embryo Adoption

Peter and I have been married 18 years. After 10 years of marriage with out concieving (we kept saying it would happen in God's timing) we discovered that we had infertility. We were couple number 10 to sign up with the snowflake program in 1999. Our journey was a long journey based on faith and faith alone. Faith that God wanted us as a part of this program but not knowing for sure if we would become parents from it. Our first match was in 2/00....seven embryos. In 4/00 they were thawed, four survived and were transfered into my uterus. Two weeks later I recieved a negative pregnancy test result. Peter and I had always said we would attempt three transfers and then reevaluate whether or not to proceed with snowflake or domestic adoption. So we contacted the adoption agency and informed them we would like to matched with a second family. In 6/00 we were informed of a second family with three embryos. After much prayer and consideration (being such a small number) we agreed to the match. In 8/00 all three were thawed and survived the thawing process and were transfered. Two weeks later again we had a negative preg test result. Again we notified the agency and in 2/01 we were matched with a family of six embryos. In 5/01 they were thawed and none survived the thawing process. When both the embryologist and my DR apologized (they were shocked because they looked great until that morning) I reminded them that this was evidently God's will and that I'de be back after the agency matched us again. My husband and I both agreed that we would try again considering that this time there was not actually a transfer. Each transfere involved lots of hormone shots and pills. Each time I had to readjust my crashing down of hopes with the hormones, but each time I felt God holding my hand. Each time my husband and I KNEW that this was where we were suppose to be at again not knowing if we would become parents from it. The adoption agency matched us again very quickly with a family of three embryos in 5/01. With the possiblity of this being our last attempt with snowflake my husband and I requested to be matched with a 2nd family to adopt their embryos with the three. After over a year we were finally matched with another family in 8/02. That August was a busy month because at this time a birth mom also chose us to adopt her baby. After much prayer and consideration BOTH my husband and I decided that God wanted us to stay with snowflake so we refered the birth mom to our adoption agency Nightlight (she was mathced with another family that brought her baby home from the hospital only to have the birth mom change her mind. Our deciding not to pursue domestic adoption with this girl was a God thing). In 9/02 our three embryos were to be shipped when it was discovered there was 4, On 9/16/02 after all four survived the thawing process they were transfered into me. On 9/27 I took a home preg test that showed no line...I was devastated! After crying my husband and I began to pray. Like I had always done in the past with my neg preg tests I went back to the bathroom trash and fished it out to see if it had changed. In the past it never had BUT this time it had. It showed a very very FAINT line. In 13 years of marriage I had never seen a Faint or any line....I knew I was pregnant. After another 8 or 9 home pregnancy tests and four days later on 9/30 I took the blood test through my DR office and for once the nurse called to say "your pregnant". I never knew if I de ever hear those words. Anyways on 6/15/03 I gave birth to a beautiful miracle named Mary Elizabeth! What a true blessing! You know what? Every one of those 13 1/2 years, every one of those days, months, hours and minutes we went through infertilty was worth the wait she is wonderful.We never got into the stages of embryos...didn't care....my theory was that all were concieved so there fore a life and all were worthy of adoption and only God was going to determine if they would continue to grow through our family or not. In all there was 19 embryos did not survive and I mourned the loss of each one....but feel peace in knowing they are with God now. As for the second family of six they decided they did not want to wait for us to give birth and needed to move on...so they were matched with another family. We had planned to go back after Mary was a year to be rematched with another family...BUT God had other plans! Please visit our Russian Adoption Jounal.

One of these four embryos is Mary the day of the transfer.

Mary's sweet face at 28 weeks pregnancy.