Adopted Embryo Valentine Cuteness

Sarah was in the mood to pose, so she has a few extra poses...

Would You Believe...

these twins were literally frozen 

for almost 3 years...

then our family was blessed with adopting and 

raising them through 

the miracle of Embryo Adoption???

Sarah Estelle

Anna Isabelle

 

Awesome Embryo Adoption Video and Fundraiser

One of City Jen's FAVORITE Embryo Adoption Blogs is:

Room For More

This family of 7 is absolutely amazing and as their blog title states... 

their hearts and home has Room For More... Kids!!!!

Their youngest, Sarah, was adopted as an embryo after being frozen 12 years!!!  

Currently, they are fundraising to adopt more embryos...

Shannon, the VERY Blessed Mom of this amazing bunch shared the following on her blog...

Well, a couple of months ago, our teenaged boys and their friends from church decided they wanted to produce a video as a gift to their family & to their future adopted brothers and sisters. They spent weeks planning and many hours filming, editing, composing, recording, eating not so healthy munchies, editing some more, and though they did not procrastinate, worked on the project until just hours before the deadline. Always smiling, even through sagging eyelids, these young men came with their Christmas offering.

We pray that you are blessed by their efforts. We hope you will take 5 minutes to open & see their gift.

Click HERE to go to Give1Save1-Domestic 

I chose to click and am I glad I did!!! 

 I hope you will do the same and share this with your friends as well!!!

Amazing GRACE!!!

How SWEET THE SOUND... of a Baby Girl who was frozen in time... just waiting for her Forever Family... The Keller's are the lucky ones who were blessed with this precious miracle!!!

Country Jen's Blakely...

Just Over 3 Years Since The Transfer of Sarah and Anna

What a difference three years makes!!! 

Anna and Sarah on June 14, 2012

Anna is in yellow, Sarah is in white

Sarah is on the left, Anna on the right

Sarah is on the left, Anna is on the right

Just as Sarah and Anna's physical characteristics are unique, so are their personalities...

Anna Isabelle

 

Sarah Estelle

Add caption

Our family is so grateful for the tremendous blessing and miracle of Sarah and Anna's Embryo Adoption!!!!

Country Jen's Guest Post...

~~~~~~~

HELLO ALL! I’m Jen, BLESSED MOM TO 8. My blog is http://www.handsheartsquiverfull.com/

I was SO EXCITED when Adéye asked me to share our precious adoption story! Specifically our seventh adoption which is the miracle of EMBRYO ADOPTION!

There are currently over 500,000 frozen embryo babies just WAITING for a warm place to snuggle in and grow. These embryos are the result of couples who have done IVF and have “extra” embryos left over from their cycles. These embryos have 3 fates…DESTRUCTION, DONATION to Science for research and Donation to another couple.

We’ve always really wanted to experience the intimacy of pregnancy and child birth together as a couple. When we got married 10 years ago, we did not have good insurance or the finances to explore IVF or the like so we moved straight to traditional adoption. Adopting our 6 wonderful kids through foster care/private adoption.

In March of 2009, I was REALLY feeling the nudging by God I THOUGHT to do an international adoption but my husband was JUST NOT FEELING IT AT ALL. After deciding that we were NOT both being called to adopt internationally, we decided to give TTC (trying to conceive) one last shot.

In April and May we both went through many tests with our RE (reproductive endocrinologist) and it was discovered that we could do IVF BUT we had some problems that would lead us to either egg donation, sperm donation or BOTH. Embryo adoption/donation IS NOT IVF. It is simply a frozen embryo transfer.

After much discussion and prayer, we decided that we did not want to create embryos that were not "ALL US" meaning either 1/2 The Captain + 1/2 donor or 1/2 Me + 1/2 donor AND we did not want to be in the same predicament and create embryos only to have to decide where our "extra" embryos would go as we only desired ONE pregnancy.

Because of all these factors, we were led straight to embryo adoption. Focus on the Family and many other Christian organizations support and encourage embryo adoption. It obviously didn't matter to The Captain or I whether it was our biological child or not-we were actually thrilled that this child would be adopted just like our 6 littles! Many couples agonize over what to do with their remaining embryos after IVF. There are 3 choices. Donate them to another couple, destroy them or donate them for research.

We started doing research and found that embryo adoption can cost anywhere from $3,000 up to $20,000. There are basically 4 ways I know of to do embryo adoption. I will list them from most expensive to least expensive.

1.) You can adopt your embryos through an agency like Snowflakes which is the most expensive way but they are experienced and pioneered embryo adoption. You can choose either open or closed adoptions. Home study required $12,000-$16,000.

2.) You can go through an infertility clinics anonymous embryo donation program. No home study required. $5,000+

3.) You can go through NEDC (National Embryo Donation Center). You must travel to their clinic in Tennessee twice once before your transfer and once for the transfer and get your home study through Bethany Christian Services. Total Cost $4600-$7,000 with an extra $3,000 if you want an open adoption.

4.) Miracles Waiting. Which is what we did. For $100-you post a profile and perspective donors read through and email you if they are interested. Some donors are also listed and you can contact them. Although we got chosen in just 9 days-many people wait over a year or more. Our cost $3800.

After we were chosen by the donating couple, we had our attorney here in KS draw up a contract and both couples agreed to it & it was finalized. I began the process of preparing my body for the transfer and then our 6 adopted embryos were flown to my clinic in L.A. and waited for my arrival! On October 22, 2009, 2 precious embryos were implanted in my womb.

Here is the photo of one of our precious ones right before implantation!

I gave birth to our PRECIOUS MIRACLE. Ms. Blakely Laurel on June 14, 2010. GOD IS GOOD!!!

I am pleading with you today...If you are a Christian and you believe that life starts at conception and you have that desire to give birth to a child or desire to adopt another child. PLEASE PLEASE think about embryo adoption. It is just a BEAUTIFUL way to help out the 500,000 FROZEN ORPHANS that are waiting right now…FROZEN IN TIME.

Please email me at handsheartsquiverfull@gmail.com with any questions you may have as I LOVE to talk about Embryo Adoption. Here is a link to my embryo adoption blog which DETAILS EVERY SINGLE STEP I went through in the EA process. http://www.womb4onemore.blogspot.com/.

The Importance of Sibling Connections After Adoption

City Jen has wanted to write this post for a long time... I have always known in my heart that it is extremely important for all children to have a connection with their siblings... this connection is especially important for adopted children... I have the research to back this up... I also have 1st hand accounts from many adult adoptees (Country Jen, included)... I have the 1st hand accounts of 5 of our adopted blessings who have contact with their siblings in Russia and the US...

Country Jen's post on her family blog sums it up best... Out of the mouth of babes... Please visit: Hands, Hearts, Quiver Full ...

I want to second Country Jen's statement:

If you are an adoptive parent out there and you are wondering whether or not you should be "open" or get together with your kids birth siblings... YOU SHOULD!

If you know they have birth siblings and you don't know where they are... LOOK FOR THEM!

You will not regret it...

Waiting to "allow" your child to search when they become adults significantly decreases the odds of being able to locate their siblings and birth parents... the time is NOW... please give your children and the genetic and birth families this gift... even if you find the genetic/birth families and they are not interested... YOU will have peace of mind that YOU can look your child in the eyes and say YOU did all you could to find their birth families and it was the birth family's choice not to have a relationship... YOU as the adoptive parent have positioned yourself so that your adoptive child cannot blame YOU from keeping them from their birth family... YOU did all you could... As an adoptive Mom with three Russian birth families, two genetic families, and one American birth family for our seven adopted blessings... I have tremendous peace of mind knowing that I have done all I could to locate and foster relationships with our genetic and birth families... the kids WILL ask about their heritage, it is human nature... it is just a matter of time... so be prepared and make sure you can say you did all you could... If City Jen can have 3 Russian birth families in closed Russian adoptions located, without speaking a word of Russian... surely, YOU can locate your child's genetic/birth families in the United States...

Just in case you think your child will not find out they were adopted... perhaps because they were adopted as an embryo and only you, your spouse, and clinic know the TRUTH... odds are EXTREMELY HIGH, in this day of technology... some day, some way... they WILL find out... and be devastated... and feel like their entire life has been a lie... and most likely loose all trust and faith in you... and yes, I have 1st hand accounts of this as well... PLEASE let your child know they are adopted...

Honestly is TRULY the best policy!!!