Wow, someone must have a direct line to God! I wrote my prayer request yesterday for the genetic parents. And, as of this morning, our agency has been able to resume contact with them (after about a three week lapse).
Thank you for your intercession on our behalf! We are moving forward, once again.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Stressed
Moving would be a good reason to be stressed. Except that we, amazingly enough, already found the next house we want to rent. It'll be so nice to live in a house that's been loved by its owners, as opposed to the plan white box standard rental. And it's so nice to check something off our list! And, as an added perk, the landlords allow all types of dogs, so we might, just might, have another Great Dane in our future!
The approaching embryo transfer could be a good reason to be stressed. And it is, but not in the way one may think. We've selected a tentative transfer date, May 10, and are just in a holding pattern with the clinic until it's time to start "manipulating" my cycle.
Our tax refund came in so now we have the money to finance these last steps. Another HUGE stressor checked off my list.
One set of genetic parents is on top of things - the infectious disease screening and paperwork. The other set of GP is MIA and not responding to the agency emails. It's spring break time so maybe that could account for the gap in communication. I can keep telling myself that, but I know that it's been several weeks since the Snowflake Program has received communication from this family. Contracts haven't been signed yet which means embryos can't be shipped yet which means no embryo transfer.
I'm trying not to be a melodramatic lady, though you may not be able to tell that from my previous sentence. :-/ We still have some time. We're about six weeks out from the proposed transfer date - it is definitely still possible!
That brings me to today's prayer request - can you please ask God to give these genetic parents a nudge? That they please resume communication in a timely manner?
The approaching embryo transfer could be a good reason to be stressed. And it is, but not in the way one may think. We've selected a tentative transfer date, May 10, and are just in a holding pattern with the clinic until it's time to start "manipulating" my cycle.
Our tax refund came in so now we have the money to finance these last steps. Another HUGE stressor checked off my list.
One set of genetic parents is on top of things - the infectious disease screening and paperwork. The other set of GP is MIA and not responding to the agency emails. It's spring break time so maybe that could account for the gap in communication. I can keep telling myself that, but I know that it's been several weeks since the Snowflake Program has received communication from this family. Contracts haven't been signed yet which means embryos can't be shipped yet which means no embryo transfer.
I'm trying not to be a melodramatic lady, though you may not be able to tell that from my previous sentence. :-/ We still have some time. We're about six weeks out from the proposed transfer date - it is definitely still possible!
That brings me to today's prayer request - can you please ask God to give these genetic parents a nudge? That they please resume communication in a timely manner?
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The Month of May
The Month of May cometh and it looks to be VERY BUSY.
Our embryo transfer dates are not set in stone. I don't know if they're set in anything right now. I've got a tentative timeline in my head that we're adhering to based on cycle estimations. If the transfer is performed based on my cycles, and if my cycles continue as they have been, then the big FET will be somewhere between May 10 - 14. Or it may not.
These dates can be altered by the drugs I'll be using to prep my body for the transfer.
Apart from the physical coordination/manipulation necessary for an embryo transfer, there's also the logistical coordination. We're adopting embryos from two families who reside in two different states. Each genetic parent has to complete current infectious disease screening on top of relinquishment paperwork and communication contracts. And the embryos have to be shipped from wherever they are currently stored to our clinic. Storks do not bring EA babies - FedEx does!
I have a list of things that we have to accomplish too. Both Bryan and I had to complete our own infectious disease screening. That wasn't too hard, once I found a facility that would take out of town doctor orders - we don't have LabCorp around here and the local hospitals were not cooperative.
I have to complete a uterine review, in this case, a hysterosalpingogram (HSG). There is approximately only a three day window each cycle in which this exam can be performed. I tried a few weeks ago only to find out that my local hospital will not take orders from out of town doctors unless they get privileges at the hospital. Which isn't going to happen. So I missed that time window. Fortunately, I had a consult with my OB and brought him up to speed on the whole EA situation. Now any procedure I need to obtain locally, he/his practice will more or less serve as the middle man and get me squared away. I think. We haven't tried to schedule anything yet.
Our current clinic requires either a copy of our home study or for us to complete psychological counseling (a requirement of all participants in the "donor program"). Fortunately, all I have to do is have our social worker send over a copy of our home study.
As a "delightful" twist to this whole scenario, we found out yesterday that we're moving again. In May. Our landlord is returning to the area and wants the house back by June 1 (our lease ends May 31). In looking at the calendar, I "think" we'll try to sign for our next house May 24 (what a wedding anniversary!) and move over that weekend (which is fortunately a holiday weekend).
And we made our reservations in the nick of time for our 10th anniversary getaway. We got literally some of the last days available out of the whole summer - that place fills up fast! We're going mid-June and it sounds like I'm going to be in desperate need of relaxation.
I guess in some ways it might make sense to try to move the transfer back to accomodate the move. But with our move, anniversary trip, and possible small trip for a cousin's wedding, June is not a good month. And I don't want to keep pushing back the FET just to find the "ideal time". So I think we'll stick with May. And pray really hard.
Our embryo transfer dates are not set in stone. I don't know if they're set in anything right now. I've got a tentative timeline in my head that we're adhering to based on cycle estimations. If the transfer is performed based on my cycles, and if my cycles continue as they have been, then the big FET will be somewhere between May 10 - 14. Or it may not.
These dates can be altered by the drugs I'll be using to prep my body for the transfer.
Apart from the physical coordination/manipulation necessary for an embryo transfer, there's also the logistical coordination. We're adopting embryos from two families who reside in two different states. Each genetic parent has to complete current infectious disease screening on top of relinquishment paperwork and communication contracts. And the embryos have to be shipped from wherever they are currently stored to our clinic. Storks do not bring EA babies - FedEx does!
I have a list of things that we have to accomplish too. Both Bryan and I had to complete our own infectious disease screening. That wasn't too hard, once I found a facility that would take out of town doctor orders - we don't have LabCorp around here and the local hospitals were not cooperative.
I have to complete a uterine review, in this case, a hysterosalpingogram (HSG). There is approximately only a three day window each cycle in which this exam can be performed. I tried a few weeks ago only to find out that my local hospital will not take orders from out of town doctors unless they get privileges at the hospital. Which isn't going to happen. So I missed that time window. Fortunately, I had a consult with my OB and brought him up to speed on the whole EA situation. Now any procedure I need to obtain locally, he/his practice will more or less serve as the middle man and get me squared away. I think. We haven't tried to schedule anything yet.
Our current clinic requires either a copy of our home study or for us to complete psychological counseling (a requirement of all participants in the "donor program"). Fortunately, all I have to do is have our social worker send over a copy of our home study.
As a "delightful" twist to this whole scenario, we found out yesterday that we're moving again. In May. Our landlord is returning to the area and wants the house back by June 1 (our lease ends May 31). In looking at the calendar, I "think" we'll try to sign for our next house May 24 (what a wedding anniversary!) and move over that weekend (which is fortunately a holiday weekend).
And we made our reservations in the nick of time for our 10th anniversary getaway. We got literally some of the last days available out of the whole summer - that place fills up fast! We're going mid-June and it sounds like I'm going to be in desperate need of relaxation.
I guess in some ways it might make sense to try to move the transfer back to accomodate the move. But with our move, anniversary trip, and possible small trip for a cousin's wedding, June is not a good month. And I don't want to keep pushing back the FET just to find the "ideal time". So I think we'll stick with May. And pray really hard.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Dare I say we're picking up speed?!?
While I haven't yet received a final yay/nay from our clinic, I think we are now successfully matched with two separate families. Both families are described on the Snowflake Waiting Embryos page - "Sandy and Bryan" and "Kay and Fred". I'm already daydreaming away about what our future children/family will look like. ;-)
We've received word that our taxes are finally being processed by the IRS. Hooray! Our refund is financing the remaining costs of our adoption so I've been getting increasingly antsy. For some unknown reason, student loan interest caused delays in the processing of taxes. However, we're moving once again.
And, in other delightful news, Nightlight has gifted us with a scholarship from their Babushka Fund! So far our current snowflake adoption is shaping up to be about $6k cheaper than last time. Our homestudy was with a different agency this time and MUCH cheaper. We received a credit from Nightlight as a "returning family". And now we've received a scholarship. Yay!
If everything plays out as it is tentatively arranged in my head, then we'll be probably do the embryo transfer sometime the week of May 12. Our plans are to thaw and transfer all of "Sandy and Bryan's" embryos first, since those embryos are older (1998 vs 2003). Best case scenario, we'll have a successful transfer followed by a healthy pregnancy followed by an uneventful birth of one or more children. And then we'll do another transfer with "Kay and Fred's" embryos a few years down the road. Only God knows how things will actually unfold, but I'm praying hard for these little lives!
Random factoid number one: Cora and Mac are our first, and therefore oldest, children (born in 2010). However, since they were created in 2006 versus 1998 and 2003 of the embryos we're hoping to adopt, they'll actually be the youngest of our children. Weird, huh?
Random factoid number two: My tenth wedding anniversary approacheth. Due to events that are likely to take place in May and early June, our special anniversary getaway probably won't occur until late June. We're hoping to go "glamping" here.
Anyway, if you have a moment, look at the pictures. Gorgeous! Peaceful! Expensive, so we'll only be gone a short while. But hey, after a decade with each other, we both deserve a hearty pat on the back and a nice splurge. ;-)
We've received word that our taxes are finally being processed by the IRS. Hooray! Our refund is financing the remaining costs of our adoption so I've been getting increasingly antsy. For some unknown reason, student loan interest caused delays in the processing of taxes. However, we're moving once again.
And, in other delightful news, Nightlight has gifted us with a scholarship from their Babushka Fund! So far our current snowflake adoption is shaping up to be about $6k cheaper than last time. Our homestudy was with a different agency this time and MUCH cheaper. We received a credit from Nightlight as a "returning family". And now we've received a scholarship. Yay!
If everything plays out as it is tentatively arranged in my head, then we'll be probably do the embryo transfer sometime the week of May 12. Our plans are to thaw and transfer all of "Sandy and Bryan's" embryos first, since those embryos are older (1998 vs 2003). Best case scenario, we'll have a successful transfer followed by a healthy pregnancy followed by an uneventful birth of one or more children. And then we'll do another transfer with "Kay and Fred's" embryos a few years down the road. Only God knows how things will actually unfold, but I'm praying hard for these little lives!
Random factoid number one: Cora and Mac are our first, and therefore oldest, children (born in 2010). However, since they were created in 2006 versus 1998 and 2003 of the embryos we're hoping to adopt, they'll actually be the youngest of our children. Weird, huh?
Random factoid number two: My tenth wedding anniversary approacheth. Due to events that are likely to take place in May and early June, our special anniversary getaway probably won't occur until late June. We're hoping to go "glamping" here.
By the way, hubby HATES the word "glamping".
Anyway, if you have a moment, look at the pictures. Gorgeous! Peaceful! Expensive, so we'll only be gone a short while. But hey, after a decade with each other, we both deserve a hearty pat on the back and a nice splurge. ;-)
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